Page 16 of Under Your Spell

I pull the one-thousand-thread-count white sheet to my chest and flop back against the goose-down pillow, a wild, unmanageable grin spreading across my face as I let it all flood back in – the kissing, the touching, the heat. So many images fluttering through my mind like sexy confetti.

Like when I ripped his shirt open and got my hands on his beautiful chest, my fingers running over the flat, hard muscle there, and then when I pushed the shirt off his shoulders and it revealed that both his arms were covered in tattoos from shoulder to wrist. I don’t know why it was so insanely hot, to pull away that crisp, white shirt and find all that surprising, swirling ink underneath, but it was. I had stopped then, straddling his lap, spent time trailing my fingers over biceps and forearms, finding scrolling acanthus leaves weaving through geometric patterns, punctuated with hothouse flowers open and blooming, until Edward had groaned and I realized he was watching me with hungry, horny eyes.

There was more kissing. Greedy, desperate kissing. Sinking back into this bed with his weight pressed into me, the full, hard length of him just where I wanted it.

There was the moment when he had wrenched himself away, carefully, so carefully, and asked, ‘Are you sure you want to do this? We can stop. We can stop any time.’

I blinked up at him, my lust-dazzled brain struggling for words.

‘Yes, please,’ I said. ‘More now. Yes. Please.’

He laughed and returned to kissing me until I was light-headed.

There was the image of his beautiful hands, his long, clever fingers touching me, cupping me, teasing me, the rough, sandpaper feel of his jaw against my chest, my stomach, my thighs.

There was the first orgasm – the one that tore through me, left me seeing stars, panting and giggling like a maniac. My confession that I could only ever finish once and I personally thought all this talk of multiple orgasms was a fairy tale.

I hadn’t meant it to sound like a challenge, but he’d taken it that way, taking his time using his mouth, his fingers, whispering sweet, dirty words until I came apart again, even more violently.

Exhausted, the last thing I remember is curling against him, resting my head on his chest while he smoothed the hair away from my face. The steady thump of his heartbeat under my ear.

And now he is in the shower.

I have never had a one-night stand before and I have no idea about the etiquette.

I turn my head towards the bathroom but the shower is still running. Levering myself out of bed, I realize my muscles ache like I’ve been to the gym and I know I’m still grinning because my cheeks are starting to hurt too. I scoop up my underwear and my clothes from where they are scattered around the room and quickly get dressed.

Then I stand awkwardly in the middle of the room. Should I stay? Staying seems to imply expectations. Breakfast and cuddling and all those other things which are part of being a couple, all the things that I usually do after sleeping with someone. But not now, that’s the old Clemmie talking. So do I sneak out? Is that rude?

I bite my lip in indecision and catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror. My hair is sticking out all over the place, my cheeks are pink, my mouth swollen, my eyes look huge and my expression is one of dazed bewilderment – basically the night of carnal activity is written all over me. Reaching inside my handbag I find a hair bobble and scoop my long, tangled hair up into a sloppy bun. I rub underneath my eyes to remove the panda smudges of mascara, and dig out a slightly dusty extra-strong mint which I pop in my mouth. There, I think, practically human.

My phone is also in my bag, and I realize the battery is about to run out. There are messages from my sisters and from my mum, from after I texted them to say I was going home early and that I’d talk to them later. My WEIRD SISTERS group text has gone wild:

Serena: Ugggggg how could you leave us here?? The olds are getting wasted.

Lil: Henry says he saw you earlier and you were leaving with a man????

Lil: And you two looked v cosy???

Serena: WTF Clemmie??? When you said you needed an early night I had no idea…

Lil: The hot sex spell is ALREADY WORKING!!!!!!

Serena: You’re welcome.

Lil: Omg. Henry invented a new cocktail and called it ‘the Lil’

Serena: Meet you by the booze shortly.

Lil: Wooooo! The Lil is STRONG. Vodka, gin and white wine. About to havE my third!

Serena: The Lil is disgusting. I do not think Henry is a real bartender.

Lil: ShuT up, tastes reall good. Henry is a carpernter like JESUS. Henrys face is a poet.

Serena: Lil is practically mounting Henry on the bar. I cannot believe you left me to deal with this. This better be in aid of some sex. At least there is tequila to numb the pain.

Serena: CLEMMIE