After dinner, we take a walk along The Cobb; this big brick ocean wall that stretches out into the sea like a pier. Huddling together as the cold wind comes off the water. It whips my hair about so it attacks us both in the face.
Laughing I twist it with my hand and try to hold it to one side. “Don’t look in my eyes. I think I just became Medusa,” I joke as wisps break free and blow straight back into Elliot’s face.
He takes hold of my shoulders and guides me so I’m standing with the wind blowing towards me. “Then I’ll turn to stone,” he says seriously, as he stares into my eyes. Then he captures my mouth in his, sliding his tongue against my own as my toes curl from the electricity that courses through my body each time we connect.
“What did I ever do to deserve you?” I ask, filled with complete wonder over the man who compliments me so thoroughly.
“Just lucky I guess.” He smiles. “We need photos,” he tells me, pulling his phone from his pocket and readying the camera.
We lean into each other, smiling as he holds the phone out, snapping picture after picture as we smile, kiss and laugh. As he scrolls through the photos, and we admire his handiwork, it’s hard to ignore that voice inside that’s telling me these photos are to remember our last weekend together. This is it. There won’t be any more.
Elliot
Returning to the B&B, our car trip is virtually silent as we both become lost in our own thoughts. Gone is the playfulness we started with before dinner. Instead, there’s this elephant hanging around, refusing to be spoken about.
As soon as we shut the door to the room, Paige flings herself against me and wraps her arms tightly around me as she buries her face in my chest, her breath shaky as she sighs against me. I wrap my arms around her body and plant a soft kiss on the top of her head, letting out a long sigh myself.
“What are we going to do, Paige?” I venture.
Lifting her head, her eyes swim with tears and worry she’s refusing to let go of. “Make love,” she answers, stepping away from me and slowly undoing the buttons of her shirt while at the same time kicking off her shoes.
“All right.” Who could refuse a beautiful girl asking you to love her with your body?
“Sit down,” she instructs, indicating the bed with a nod of her head. I do as I’m told and sit there watching as she shimmies out of her three-quarter pants and steps towards me, still wearing her unbuttoned shirt but giving me glimpses of a matching set of purple lingerie.
“Is this new?” I ask, as she lets her shirt drop down her arms, stepping within my grasp. Reaching out, I hook my finger in the middle of her bra, pulling her towards me and sliding my hands over the purple, lace edged, silk that’s cupping her breasts.
“You like it?” she rests her hands on my shoulders as I bury my face in the soft flesh of her chest.
“I do,” I say, reaching my hands behind her back to unhook her bra. “Now I want you to take them off.”
Paige
A bolt of arousal shoots down my body and straight between my legs at his gruff tone. His eyes darken, like a turbulent sea, as he watches me slowly peel the lace-edged silk away from my body, leaving them by my feet on the floor.
Catching me by the hand, he pulls me swiftly towards him, flipping me on the bed and holding himself over me, trailing his fingers along my curves as he brushes his lips against mine, his tongue embarking on a slow languid exploration of my mouth.
When his hand reaches my hip, he pulls my body closer to his, fitting me up against him as his fingers continue to trail down the length of my leg, resting behind my knee and guiding me so I’m wrapped around him.
“God, I’m going to miss touching you,” he breathes as his kisses stray along my jaw and down the curve of my neck.
“Don’t talk about it please,” I stress on a gasp as his hand finds my breasts, kneading at my tender flesh as his mouth closes over the nipple of the other, sucking it to a point as I moan, pulling at his shirt, desperate for the feel of his skin against my own. “Take it all off.” I undo the button on his fly as he sits back to remove his shirt.
Dropping his clothes at the foot of the bed, he reaches out and grabs my legs, dragging my body down the bed until I’m open and exposed, quivering as I wait for his touch as he settles himself between my legs.
His breath is warm and feathery as his mouth nears my most sensitive spot. I whimper in anticipation, rolling my hips up towards him. He’s teasing me.
“Please,” I beg, aching for his touch.
“Give me your hand,” he says, sliding his fingers around my opening as he distributes my wetness around me, dancing around my clit with his fingertips, causing it to throb even more.
I give him my hand, and he guides me between my legs. “Together,” he says, inserting his fingers between my folds as I circle my clit, moaning and rocking my hips upward as we work. He plants soft kisses on my inner thighs as he watches, humming his pleasure as his fingers curl inside me, massaging my core and bringing me ever closer to bursting point.
“You want more?” he asks, gently easing a third finger into my opening.
“Oh yes,” I cry, rocking my hips harder against his hand. The sensation is too much for me to bear, and I cry out trying to keep my own hand moving as I spasm around his hand. Nudging my hand out of the way, he takes my clit into his mouth, sucking at it and swirling his tongue as I writhe underneath him, screaming out and pulling on his hair.
Suddenly, it all becomes too much, and I lock my foot against his shoulder pushing him hard as I scoot up the bed and away from his grasp. He’s back up on the bed in seconds, holding himself above and grinning as he looks down at me, nudging between my legs with his erection.
“Had enough?” he asks, his eyes dark and playful.
“Never,” I pant out as he crashes his mouth into mine and reaches his hand out for a condom from the bedside drawer. Separating briefly to apply it, he returns immediately, reconnecting our mouths before slamming into me, filling me with his intensity as we beat our hips together, kissing and moaning, pulling at each other’s bodies in a sweaty dance filled with all the feelings unspoken between us. We pound into each other again and again until we’re both calling out, shuddering together, before collapsing in each other’s arms, gasping for breath but refusing to let go.
Twenty-Four
Elliot
“Did you see the size of that bath in there?” I say to Paige the next morning.
She raises her eyebrows, “I did. Do you think you’ll fit?”
“I think we’ll both fit.”
A smile creeps over Paige’s face. “Well, what are you waiting for? Go and turn it on.”
I get up and stride over to the en-suite and turn on the massive bath, waiting for the water to get nice and warm before I return to Paige. She’s lying on the bed, smiling to herself while she’s looking at her phone. I flop down beside her. “What are you grinning about?” I ask.
“Us,” she says, showing me one of the photos of us on the Cobb last night. “Although, I do need one more very important one to make my collection complete.”
I fold my arms up behind my head as she climbs on top of me. My arousal stirs because she’s straddling me and we’re both naked. She grins and wriggles her hips making me harder. “You’re not taking a photo of that are you?” I ask, unsure of where this is going.
“No,” she says, leaning down to kiss me before sitting back and aiming her phone at me. “I want a photo of you lying there, naked beneath me.”
I’m grinning as she taps her screen, and it makes a clicking sound. She turns her phone around for me to see, and it is just me, waist up.
“See, you can’t see anything, but I’ll always know what was going on.” She moves her hips over my shaft again, and I pull her face towards me to kiss her, sliding my tongue in her mouth as we take turns tasting each other.
She reaches over to the nightstand and picks up a condom then breaks away from me. “Where do you think you’re going
?” I ask when she slides off me, but I quickly jump up and follow her as she heads to the en-suite and beckons for me to follow her.
Paige
Tearing the foil off the packet with my teeth, I take the condom out and roll it down the length of his shaft as I plant feather light kisses over his chest and neck, taking my time, sliding my hand up and down his rock-hard shaft as I finish.
He moans as he leans down to kiss me, pulling me towards him so we’re pressing firmly against each other. He’s all hard muscle and smooth skin to my soft tissue and curves. We press together like our bodies were made to absorb each other. It’s amazing.
“Get in,” I say as I push him back a touch and lean over to shut off the tap.
He does as he’s told, and I climb in on top of him, taking him inside me before the water washes away my natural lubrication.
Moaning slightly as I connect us to the base of his shaft he leans back and closes his eyes. “I told you it was a big tub,” he says in this low sensual voice that never fails to set my body on fire.
Rocking my hips, I lean in, gently brushing my lips over the stubble on his chin before grazing his lips with mine, leisurely sliding my tongue along with his so I can savour every piece of him. I want to remember his mouth, his tongue, his teeth. I want to make love to him for every possible moment I can until he goes. I need enough of these moments to last me my lifetime, because when he goes, he’s gone, and there’ll never be another man for me. Not as long as I live.
Elliot
The water sloshes slightly as she slides up and down my shaft. My hands roam over every part of her body, touching and squeezing as my mouth connects with hers in a kiss I never want to end.
I feel my orgasm building and reach in between us to circle her clit. She moans in my mouth, and I almost explode right then and there. She feels so amazing, as she clenches herself around me and whimpers in my mouth, grinding on top of me, moving closer and closer to her climax.
A fresh bout of arousal washes over me as her hips spasm, but she refuses to break our kiss, moaning her orgasm into me as she struggles to keep her mouth moving. Shuddering along with her, unable to hold on any longer, I continue to kiss her, refusing to let her go even for a second. We don’t stop touching and kissing until the water turns cold, and we start to shiver, deciding that then would be a great time to get some breakfast.
Paige
“Here, put this on,” Elliot offers, holding out a white fluffy robe for me to wear. I’m still shivering after our extended bath and the thickness of the robe is welcome against my skin. He hugs me to him, rubbing my back and arms to create some friction until finally I heat up again.
Looking over the menu, we call down to reception and ask if we can have our breakfast brought up to us. We don’t want to waste time getting dressed and eating in the dining room. We’re perfectly happy right here.
No more than twenty minutes later there’s a knock on the door and a tray is brought in sporting coffee, orange juice, warm croissants, scrambled eggs, bacon and a selection of fruits. It smells divine, and my stomach grumbles loudly in reaction.
“Hungry?” Elliot asks, grinning as he thanks the staff member and turns the lock on the door.
“Famished,” I say, sitting down at the small table and pouring us both a coffee from the pewter pot. I feel a little goofy with the grin that’s plastered across my face. But, we can’t stop smiling and touching each other while we eat.
Elliot has become snap happy and keeps taking photos of me with food in my mouth. I'm laughing because my face looks funny when I’m chewing. But, then he takes a photo of me laughing with food showing in my mouth, and that makes me laugh more because it’s gross.
“Delete it!” I say to him, grabbing for his phone.
“No, it’s mine,” he teases as he holds his phone away from me. He looks at me, his eyes twinkling with mischief. “You know, I don’t think it’s fair that you have a topless photo of me and I don’t have one of you.”
I shake my head laughing. I'm not about to let him take a photo of me topless. “No way, mister. You’re not getting a titty shot of me.”
“Not of your breasts, Paige, of your back.”
I take a deep breath to steady the sudden nerves I feel at him mentioning it. I’ve become used to him tracing Phoenix's wings, tail and claws when we’re in bed together; showing it around him doesn’t seem so scary anymore. But, he still doesn’t understand the true meaning behind it. I'm not sure how I feel about doing this.
“You don’t have to if you don’t want to. I just think you’re so beautiful, and your tattoo is breathtaking. I want to look at it while we aren’t together.”
I sit and stare for a moment, studying his hopeful face. “All right,” I concede.
“Really?”
“Yes, really.” I stand up and move over to the bed before I can change my mind. Undoing my robe so it falls to my waist, I sit with my back to him. I twist my hair and hold it up on top of my head with one arm and look over my shoulder at him to check if he's ready.
It’s then he takes the photo. He smiles fondly at it as he brings it over to me to look at. It almost looks like a professional photo; the lighting is perfect, and my face has a mixture of trepidation and adoration on it.
“Beautiful,” he breathes, looking at it and kissing my neck.
He sighs heavily as he puts his phone to the side and meets my eyes. I can tell he wants to say something, but he’s warring with himself before he begins.
“What is it?” I ask.
“I just… I want you to know that I’ve never been happier than when I’m with you. I want you to know that I—”
“Don’t, Elliot,” I say quickly, cutting him off. “Don’t say anything to make this harder. I’m staying and you’re going. Please don’t try and change that.”
“It doesn’t have to end when I go, Paige. You could come with me. Or I could come back. Or you could come with me and then we both come back,” he argues regardless. “Don’t end this. You know how I feel about you, even if you don’t want to hear it. And I’m sure you feel the same way about me. We can do this. We can do this anywhere you want, any country you want. I just want you.”
Tears threaten to spill from my eyes as I pull my robe back over my shoulders and close it tightly around me. “Elliot, you can do so much better than me. Why are you pushing this?”
“Because I love you, damn it!” he yells suddenly, his outburst scaring the shit out of me as he jumps off the bed and paces the room. I sit there, trying not to cry as I watch him work through his emotions. When he stops and looks at me his eyes are shining as well. “Why won’t you tell me what makes you so sad? Why don’t you trust me enough to love you no matter what you may have done?”
“Because you wouldn’t, Elliot. You couldn’t love me if I told you everything about me,” I cry, tears flowing freely as I stand up and try to move towards him.
“Why won’t you just tell me, Paige?” he yells, exasperation written all over his face as his eyes plead with me. “Let me make my own fucking choices.”
I place my now shaking hands on his chest and look into his eyes, imploring him to stop. “Please Elliot, can you just accept that the time we have left is it? I can’t go back with you. I need to stay here and deal with my mother, and you need to go back to your life.”
“Paige, you are my life, can’t you understand that? I don’t want to go back without you.”
He circles his arms around me and kisses me as the tears continue to flow from my eyes. Pressing his forehead against mine, he breathes in deeply and speaks in a strained voice. “Come back with me, Paige.”
I step back from him, our eyes locked as he waits for me to answer. But I won’t answer. What would be the point? I’m not going back, and I’m not telling him why. I’m not strong enough to watch his love slip away.
His eyes widen as the realisation hits him that I’m not planning to answer him. Pressing his palms to his eyes before he rakes
his hands through his hair, he blows out a charged breath and steps back from me.
“This is fucked.” Moving quickly, he pulls on a pair of pants, dropping his robe on the floor where he stands and picks up his shirt and shoes then looks at me, pain behind his eyes as he shakes his head then makes his way to the door, walking out and closing it quietly behind him.
It feels worse than if he slammed it. At least I’d know he was angry and going off to calm down. Right now, I don’t know what he is, and not knowing scares me even more.
You lost him.
He’s going to leave and never come back.
He’s abandoning you. Just like everyone else.
You’re unloveable.
Panic overwhelms me, and I drop to the floor, crying into my hands. Oh god, I thought I could handle this. I thought I could cope with him leaving. But, I’m falling apart and all he’s done is walked out the door.
You’re not unloveable, Phoenix whispers.
Then why did he go?
Because he does love you. You hurt him.
My emotions churn in my stomach as I think about the strain our separation will cause over the next five days. I don’t want to spend them fighting. But, I know I can’t go with him. It wouldn’t be right.
I’ll hurt him more if I go with him.
The acid in my stomach rises as the image of him boarding a plane and leaving me hits home, running to the bathroom, I heave over the toilet until the entire contents of my stomach is gone, and I’m left with nothing but my tears as I cry into the bowl, wishing I’d never started this.
Forever: Beautiful Series, book two Page 18
