Part 22 (1/2)

”Hey.” She ran her hand down the length of my arm, letting her fingers rest on mine, before letting my hand slowly drop.

”Hey.” I looked into her darkened eyes and another swell of love for her engulfed me.

”I'm done,” she said, puffing out her cheeks ”Finally!”

”You've been awesome this evening,” I said. ”I haven't been able to take my eyes off you all night.”

”Nor me, you.” Her eyes slowly drifted down the length of my body and back up again. ”Hol?”

”Elise?”

She leant forwards, her hair tickling my face. ”Take me home,” she whispered into my ear. ”I think I'll go mad if I can't have you tonight.”

Chapter Twenty-four.

We did manage to leave the party soon after that, hailing a cab from just outside the arena and ducking into it, away from the eagle eyes of the photographers still hanging around outside. The cab drove quickly through the streets of London, me and Elise sitting in silence in the back of it, occasionally looking across to one another and linking hands in the darkness of the back seat, then turning to stare, unseeing, out our respective windows at the streets rus.h.i.+ng past.

We arrived back at my apartment shortly after two a.m., sharing the quickest of kisses in the privacy of the lift for the few moments it took it to get up to my floor. I was barely able to keep my hands off her but knew I had to wait until we were safely inside my apartment, away from anyone seeing us. Somehow, that made it hotter, knowing that I couldn't touch her but desperately wanting to, and that soon I'd have her all to myself again.

Once inside my apartment, Elise closed the door and locked it. Flicking the dimmer-switch on, she turned the lights down low and, with one hand, pushed me up against the closed door, all the while never taking her eyes off mine. I pressed myself back against the door, linking my arms up and around her neck.

”Remember earlier you said I could spend the evening thinking about how much fun I was going to have kissing all your lip gloss off?” Elise murmured, looking down at my lips.

”Mm?”

”Well, I thought about it, like, all evening,” she said, bending her head and kissing her way across my neck and up to my cheek.

”Even when you were with Danny?” I mocked.

”Yuh-huh,” Elise mumbled.

She brushed her lips over my cheek, over my eyes, my forehead, before lightly kissing my lips, pressing hers softly to mine. Still kissing me, she took my hand and pulled me away from the door to the lounge, leading me over to the sofa. She pushed me gently down and laid me back onto the sofa, putting both her hands either side of my head and leaning over me, her hair falling softly onto my face.

”This was all I could think about while I was there tonight,” she said quietly. ”All the time I was standing there having photo after photo taken, all I wanted to do was get the h.e.l.l out of there and get you back here alone.”

”Really?” I looked up at her.

”Really.” She pulled herself off me and, kicking her heels off, wandered to the kitchen. ”Do you have any champagne? I think it's time just you and I celebrated, don't you?”

”Fridge,” I called from the sofa. ”Already opened. Probably flat by now.”

She returned a few seconds later with a bottle and gla.s.ses. ”Who cares?” She grinned, sitting on the sofa next to me.

She pulled the stopper from the champagne, nodding approvingly as she heard a satisfying enough pop, then quickly poured out two gla.s.ses.

”To you!” I said, taking the gla.s.s that was offered to me. ”And your award. You deserve it.”

”Maybe,” she said, ”but without you, I wouldn't have got it, would I?”

I thought for a moment. ”True.” I grinned. ”To us, then!”

I linked my right arm around her right arm and looked at her as we both awkwardly took a sip from our gla.s.ses, Elise giggling as some champagne dribbled down her chin, while I enjoyed the sensation of the bubbles p.r.i.c.king like small needles inside my mouth.

I swallowed the ice-cold champagne. ”Elise?” A wave of doubt washed over me.

”Holly.” Elise looked at me with mock seriousness.

”Are you sure this is what you want?”

”The champagne?” Elise leant her head to one side and widened her eyes. ”Yeah, it's what I want.”

”Be serious.”

Without answering me, Elise unhooked her arm from mine, drained her drink, then slowly took my gla.s.s from me. She put both our gla.s.ses down on the table and took my hands in hers, then stood, pulling me to my feet, too. Still silent, she looked down at my lips then slowly lifted her gaze back up, until she was looking back at me, as if she was looking right into my soul. She was utterly mesmerising, and I was incapable of resisting her any longer.

”I've never been more sure of anything in my life,” she said softly.

There was a pause while we both stood looking at each other, eyes roaming over one another's face, both of us knowing what was about to happen. Elise looked adorable and s.e.xy and loving and vulnerable and a million other beautiful things, and I knew by the look in her eyes that she wanted me as much as I wanted her. I instinctively pulled her to me and kissed her more deeply and urgently and with more longing than I'd ever kissed anyone before, Elise all the while pressing her lips hard back onto mine, running her hands up my back, making my skin p.r.i.c.kle against the material of my dress.

”I think you're fabulous,” she murmured against my lips. ”I want to keep you forever and ever.”

Still kissing, she pushed me backwards until I was against the wall of the lounge, then slowly-so slowly-started pulling my dress down far enough until I was able to wriggle myself out of it, lifting my feet and kicking it away to one side.

She held my arms above my head with one hand, whilst her other hand stroked my bare skin, making me catch my breath, giving me gooseb.u.mps up and down my arms. She stopped kissing me for a second and looked down at me, her eyes fixed on mine.

”You're beautiful,” she whispered.

I freed my arms and clasped them behind Elise's neck, closing my eyes and leaning my head back against the wall as Elise started kissing my throat and neck, then suddenly stopped. I opened an eye and glanced at her.

”Don't stop,” I pleaded. ”Please.”

”So where should I kiss you next?” Elise grinned.

I pointed to my lips. ”Here would be a start,” I said.

”No, no lips allowed.” Elise brushed her finger over my lips.

”Okay,” I said, laughing. ”Here?” I pointed to my collarbone and instinctively tilted my head back as Elise started kissing it, tracing her tongue over it, nibbling gently at my skin over and over again.

”Next?” she finally said, still brus.h.i.+ng her lips over my collarbone.

A s.h.i.+ver ran down my back. I loved the way she was teasing me, touching me. I loved how she was kissing me, so gently and lovingly. Even though she was asking me each time, I knew that she knew exactly where to touch me and how to kiss me, and she knew just how hard or soft I wanted it, making my skin tingle and the blood rush in my ears.

I liked this game. I liked it a lot.