-33-
Alle woke in a panic.The bed beside her lay empty and the sheets were cold.
“Spook, where the hell?”
Groggy, she rubbed the sleep from her eyes.He wasn’t in the room, nor, she peeped around the voile onto the balcony, outside pondering the ocean.Shit.Shit.Shit.Where were her clothes?It was only after she’d pulled on her knickers and one of Spook’s shirts that it dawned on her that the bathroom door was closed, and a whirring noise, from what she suspected was the extractor fan, was coming from the other side.
“Spook, are you in there?”She put her knuckles to the wood.When there was no response, she tried the knob.It turned easily.Clouds of water vapour seeped around the door.The glass surrounding the shower cubicle was completely steamed up.Alle knocked on the glass.A second later, Spook inched open the door.
“You okay?”he asked, while blinking the water droplets from his eyelashes.
She certainly was, now that she was staring at him all naked, shimmery and cut in all the right places.
“I wasn’t sure where you were.”
“I’m right here,” he said offering her a smile.
Alle leaned into him, needing the contact.She still hadn’t fully digested all of what he’d said to her last night.In fact, it would probably take her days, if not months to do so.There were points that definitely needed clarifying.She had questions.Awkward ones, for the most part.
And then there was the sex … In the cold light of day, that felt uncomfortable too.
“Hey, you’ll get w—”
Too late.Alle already had her cheek pressed fast to his chest.“I’m sorry I’m a pushy horrible monster.I shouldn’t pester you for sex the way I do.I think I just take leave of my senses when I get horny.”She’d pushed him, when she really oughtn’t to have done so because deep down she was jealous.She didn’t like that he had this incredible closeness with Xane that she didn’t command on nearly the same level.It was silly, of course.The two men had known one another for years.She and Spook were still getting to know one another.
Spook wrapped his arms around her.“What the hell are you talking about?You’re not a sex pest, and you didn’t twist my arm.It was all fully consenting.”
“But was it?”
“Yeah,” he said, expression half bemusement, half concern.“Are you coming in?”
“You probably don’t want me getting your shirt wet?”
“Fuck the shirt, it’ll dry.”He pulled her into the cubicle.“In any case, I think it probably needs to come off.”He didn’t waste time undoing buttons, just tugged the whole thing over her head, then settled his gaze on her jiggling breasts.“Have I ever mentioned how much I love your freckles?”
“Hm, ’cause that’s totally what you’re ogling.”The sun at the festival had left her skin more dappled than ever.Anyway, she liked him saying those things, even if her freckles weren’t what was commanding his attention.
“What are you suggesting?”Spook kissed her shoulder, then moved his mouth to the top of her breastbone.
“That your mind’s somewhere else and not really all that hooked on my pixie kisses.”Spook circled around her nipple, then closed his mouth over it and sucked.Alle leaned in to his touch.
“Pixie kisses… I like that.In fact, I’d say I’m pretty enchanted with the whole of you.”He feathered her skin with kisses, never lingering enough to make her truly groan, but leaving her tingling and straining for him.
“Did you know—” he said into her ear “—that shower sex is the UK’s favourite fantasy?”
“Mm.”She was currently in the shower, and certainly contemplating such things.“According to who?”
“One of Ash’s lifestyle mags.”
She grinned at the notion of gothic metal icon Ash Gore scrutinising the pages ofCosmo.“Okay, and what’s the top Swedish fantasy?”She was definitely interested in knowing that.
Alle felt Spook’s grin against her nipple.He was teasing the areola with his tongue tip.“Probably going at it like bunnies in the sauna, or entertaining more than one partner.”
She’d never been in a sauna.As for the multiple partners thing, she guessed they’d already set a precedent.
Spook straightened up and whispered in her ear, “I wasn’t suggesting.In case you thought...”
“Course not.”
