Merry Measure - Lily Morton Page 0,42

whether I dreamt everything, but then I turn over and find Jack watching me from his bed. He’s lying on his side, his head cradled in his hand, his brown eyes focused on me. His expression is soft and filled with a heat that reassures me.

“Morning,” he says sleepily, his voice early morning hoarse.

I smile helplessly at him. We’d returned to the table yesterday and taken our seats serenely, with no indication that we’d been snogging downstairs. Freddy hadn’t said a word, and apart from a sharp gaze at me that focused on my mouth, Steven hadn’t shown a reaction.

Eventually, deprived of a scene, and obviously annoyed that nobody but him seemed to love the sound of his voice, Steven had departed saying he was visiting friends in the area, and we’d spent the afternoon as a group walking around Westergas. It was a funky place with old industrial buildings that had been converted to bars, restaurants, and a microbrewery. There’d been a Christmas market on, so we’d wandered happily for hours. It had been a good day, and no one seemed to notice how close Jack was walking to me or the fact that I felt as high as a kite. My voice and my laughter were too loud, and I was terribly distracted by Jack’s presence next to me, but it was as if he and I were in a bubble.

True to his earlier declaration, we hadn’t even done anything when we got back last night. Instead of several rounds of fucking, we just lay in bed, watching each other and talking and laughing softly. We shared stories and laughed at memories, and it was still somehow the most intimate experience I’ve ever had with a man. I’m getting to know Jack in a way that our relationship never allowed before. I always knew he was clever and good at everything he put his mind to, but now I know that he loves Chelsea Football Club, secondhand bookshops, and old black and white films.

“Sleep well?” Jack asks.

I throw the covers back, stand, and pad over to his bed. As if reading my mind, he throws the covers back, and I slide in next to him as naturally as if we’ve been doing it for years. He draws the covers back over us and lifts his arm up invitingly. His armpit hair is dark, and it’s strangely intimate to see it, more intimate in some ways than seeing his cock. I ease into his side, feeling his arm close over me, and the covers settle. They feel warm and smell like Jack—a mixture of his Guerlain cologne and his normal sweet smell.

He kisses the top of my head. “Is it strange how not strange this feels?” he says meditatively.

I laugh. “You took the words right out of my mouth.”

“Why do you think it feels like this?”

I look up at him. “Maybe because it’s us,” I offer.

He smiles before bending to take my mouth in a warm kiss that’s lush with early morning possibilities. His morning stubble scratches at my skin, but his mouth is soft and full. I kiss him back eagerly, shifting up, so we’re pressed together side by side. His cock is hard against mine, separated by only the thin fabric of our shorts, and I wriggle and throw my leg over his hip, bringing our groins together.

“Christ,” he gasps, pulling his mouth back for a second before lowering his head and kissing me again.

I clutch him close, my hands roaming over the tight muscles of his broad shoulders and then tugging him until he rolls over on top of me.

I moan at the feel of his hard body. His chest hair rubs against my nipples, which have always been incredibly sensitive, and I grind against him. “Mmm, that’s so good. Don’t stop.”

“No,” he says fervently, his hands roaming down my sides. His fingers are rough on my skin—the hands of a man who doesn’t shy away from manual labour.

His fingers catch on the elastic of my shorts and then slide under, and I toss my head back, gasping for breath as he shoves his hands under me to cup my buttocks and pull me sharply into him. His movements are knowing and imbued with a sensuality that’s yet another pleasant surprise for me. Jack is never what I expect. I’d imagined he’d be nice and courteous in bed, the way he is in real life. It’s a massive bonus to have this demanding man on top