“Oh, fuck, sorry,” he laughs and nods. “Okay, yeah, we can do that.”
“How about we do both?” I ask, stepping on my tiptoes to press a swift kiss to his jaw. I make my way into his bedroom and walk back out with a Polaroid camera. “You can keep it in your wallet,” I suggest with a smile, and his jaw drops ever so slightly.
“Where did you come from?” he jokes, and I chuckle in response.
“I came from your personal heaven.” Adrian attacks my lips for the second time before nibbling on the sensitive skin on my neck until I’m giggling uncontrollably.
We manage to separate long enough for him to walk toward the backdrop again while I put the timer on for the last time today. My fingers drop to the buttons of my pants undoing them so he can easily place his hand on my ass. I face the camera with my back while his fingers dip into my jeans.
Since I’m wearing a thong, his hand slips over my bare ass cheek. My breathing hitches as my chest pushes against his torso and his lips capture mine. The flash goes off, but all of my attention is on Adrian’s lips. On the way they envelop mine so easily, so perfectly, it makes me wonder if they were made for me.
“Okay, take the Polaroid one so I can get you out of those jeans,” he says after gently kneading my ass cheek, and I rush to set it up only to move back to him. “I can’t believe we’re doing this,” Adrian whispers into my ear. He uses his left arm to cover my breasts and his right hand slips on top of my panties. “So wet for me,” he mumbles and bites down on my earlobe, making me moan at the same time it takes the photo. “Perfect,” Adrian adds, his finger running over my swollen clit.
“Fuck, Adrian,” I curse as I fall into the pleasure of his touch.
We end up on his couch an hour later, sweaty and trying desperately to catch our breaths. His naked skin against mine, while he draws an infinity symbol over my back, causes a feeling of immense peace to spread through me.
Ever since Adrian and I started dating, no, ever since we started spending time together months ago, I’ve found myself more at ease than I ever have before. He doesn’t just make me happy. He calms me, and for a person with anxiety, the source of a calming feeling is rare and priceless.
Adrian silences my racing mind.
He settles the storm inside of me.
He gives me a safe place, a sanctuary where nothing can hurt me.
“Thank you,” Adrian says after a while of me listening to the beat of his heart, his even breath. I tilt my head to look up at him, his fingers reaching out so his thumb can trace my bottom lip.
“For what?”
“For cheering me up. For taking my mind off my grief and replacing the feeling with happiness,” he explains, his thumb moving to my chin to grab it between his fingers. “Tomorrow is the anniversary of my father’s passing, which means it’s the anniversary of my mother abandoning our family, too.” I move up his body to get closer to him, his thigh between my legs as they straddle it.
“It happened on the same day?” Adrian takes advantage of my proximity and brushes his nose against mine.
“Same day, years apart,” he says, leaning his forehead against mine. “He always got drunk out of his mind on the anniversary of her leaving us. It was his way of coping with his pain. To this day, I don’t know if he just gave up on life when he got into the car, hoping it would end his suffering, or if it really was an accident. It’s one of the few things I wish I could ask him.” I trail a hand up his chest to his neck where I rub my thumb along the side of his throat.
“Do you think the answer would bring you peace?” Adrian considers my question for a moment.
“I hope so, but, at the same time, I doubt anything out of that man’s mouth could have brought or would bring me peace.”
He leans his head back against the armrest of the couch, his hand on my hip going back to trailing the infinity symbol.
After taking a deep breath, he tilts his head toward me again and says, “But you bring me peace, Nevaeh.” My heart flutters at his words, at the reciprocation of my feelings.
“And you me.”
Adrian smiles, then kisses me, the rest of the world fading away until all that’s left is the feeling of his lips on mine.
Chapter 49
Nevaeh
Myfingersrunoverthe keyboard of the computer at the office while I make a plan for my interview with Leonard Tick. Genevieve, my supervisor here in Monaco, brings me a cup of tea at lunch and sits down in front of me, a smile on her young face. She’s only five years older than me, but she’s in charge of everyone. I put aside my work to be polite and also take advantage of the break.
“Thank you,” I say and point at the tea.
We’ve barely spoken since I started coming to the office a little over a week ago, but she’s been kind to me ever since.
“How are you?” she asks while taking a sip of her drink. Her brown hair is in a tight bun, as always, and her matching brown eyes are highlighted through her purple eyeliner. Her bronze skin almost glows today, and I wonder what has her in such a good mood.
