Hearts on Air (Hearts #6)

  Vinnie glanced between the two of us then started walking away. “Whatever. Not worth it.”

  As soon as he was gone Trev’s attention landed on me and he had such a look of delight on his face I wanted to smack it right off.

  “Not a word,” I warned with a hard expression.

  He bit his lip as a grin began to slowly shape its way across his mouth.

  “I mean it, Trev,” I went on, embarrassed down to my very bones. He knew. He knew I’d slept with Vinnie because he looked like him. It was written all over his smug as hell expression.

  He opened his mouth but I spoke first. “No, I don’t want to hear it, so whatever you have to say just keep it to yourself.”

  “But –”

  “Trevor!”

  “Reya, come on, he’s the spitting image of me. We can’t just not talk about it.”

  I turned away. “I’m going to get another drink.”

  Again he caught me, wrapping his arms around my waist just like before, only this time my skin tingled with awareness. “Okay, you win,” he breathed. “We won’t talk about it. Come dance with me.”

  Unable to resist, I let him lead me over to the dance floor, but he didn’t release his grip the entire time. He kept his arms locked tight around my waist as we moved to the beat. At first his hands remained in place, but then as the music started to overtake us he flipped me around so my back was to his front again. His palm slid from my hip to my belly, lightly stroking and causing heat to spread over my entire body. The way he touched me felt intentional. It felt erotic, especially since we were surrounded by people. There was a certain anonymity to the moment. Nobody knew us here. We could do anything and only the two of us would ever know.

  “You feel good,” he shouted huskily in my ear.

  I swayed my hips, my backside brushing against him and I knew as soon I felt the stiffness in his pants that he was hard. I sucked in a breath at the feel of him. He was aroused. He was aroused because of me. This whole night was starting to feel like a dream where I finally got everything I ever wanted. That everything being Trevor.

  His hand on my stomach paused, and this time he pressed his palm into me, holding me back against his erection.

  Oh, God.

  He felt amazing. Instantly, my mind was awash with images of him taking me right there on the dancefloor, bending me over, pushing my dress up and plunging inside of me. I thought I heard him groan right before the music cut off and a few people started shouting. I craned my neck and saw several uniformed police entering the platform. Crap.

  Without a word, Trev grabbed my hand and we both ran in the opposite direction. Sweat beaded on my skin and I felt like I was going to be trampled, or worse, crushed to death, as a stampede of drunk people fled the rave.

  We were in the tunnel now, on the tracks, with flashlights shining behind us as the police chased us down. It got darker and darker the further we ran down the tracks, and I briefly prayed that the entire line was abandoned and out of use, because otherwise a train could come along at any second and we’d be toast.

  My feet hurt. I wasn’t wearing the right shoes for running on train tracks. I also tried wholeheartedly not to think about all the rats that inhabited the London Underground. I could see lights up ahead and knew we were approaching a functioning station. There were between fifty and a hundred of us, and those waiting around for the next train gasped in surprise when we all started climbing up onto the platform. Trev helped me to safety first, then hitched himself up onto the tiled surface.

  My pulse was still going ninety when our eyes met. His were alight with adrenaline, while I was certain mine showed ebbing fear. Sure, if we’d been arrested maybe Karla could’ve gotten us out of it, but still. I didn’t want to get a criminal record just for attending a rave. There were plenty of legal ones we could’ve gone to.

  Trev took my hand again and we hurried out of the station. I slipped behind a man who’d just slotted his ticket through the machine and managed to get out without him noticing. Trev on the other hand, simply vaulted over the barrier like an Olympic athlete. Even after all this time, I still wasn’t used to how athletically talented he was.

  We were both quiet when we got onto the street, still trying to catch our breaths. It was almost one o’clock in the morning.

  “That was a close call,” I said finally.

  Trev nodded. “I know. Sorry, by the way. I had no idea the coppers were gonna show up. Kind of put a dampener on the whole evening.”

  “Well, at least it was…an experience.”

  He glanced down at me, then at our intertwined hands, a thoughtful expression gracing his features. He made a low humming sound and started rubbing his thumb back and forth over the inside of my wrist. I tried not to show how it made me tremble. I was still amped up after how he’d touched me while we danced, after how hard he’d been.

  “Can I ask a question?”

  I shrugged. “Okay...”

  “Why did you pick that Vinnie guy to sleep with?”

  I startled, hating that he was asking me this. Why couldn’t he just let it go? “Oh Trev, come on, please, you promised we wouldn’t discuss it.”

  “I can’t help it. I need to know.” He swung around to face me, stopping me in my tracks.

  I huffed out an irritated breath. “You know already. Please don’t make me say it. I’m mortified enough as it is.”

  He swept his hand down my cheek in an affectionate manner as I stared intently at the ground. “Reya, please.”

  I closed my eyes and whispered, “I slept with him because he reminded me of you.”

  I heard rather than saw the air escape him. It was just like…whump. Several moments passed and I was too scared to look him in the eye. In the end he changed the subject and relief flooded me.

  “You mind if I sleep on your couch tonight? We’re closer to your place than mine and I’m wrecked.”

  I nodded and chanced a nervous glance at him. “Sure. It’s not like you haven’t stayed over a million times before.” It was true, he had stayed over countless times. The only difference was that this time he’d suggested we fuck mere hours earlier. It definitely added a whole new tension to the situation.

  By the time we reached my flat I just wanted to flop down on my bed and go to sleep, but at the same time I was wired. Trev had barely taken his eyes off me since we left the station, and his attention made the tiny hairs on my arms stand on end.

  “I’m going to take a shower. You can grab some extra pillows and a blanket from the cupboard,” I said and dashed inside my tiny bathroom. The warm water helped to sooth me somewhat, but when I stepped out fully clothed in my pyjamas, Trev was lying on my bed, still wide awake.

  His eyes were like laser beams.

  I glanced at the couch and noticed he hadn’t gotten the blanket and pillows I’d offered. I stood towelling dry my hair as his gaze travelled up and down my body. My legs were bare, and although my shorts weren’t the skimpiest in the world, I still felt very naked.

  “Nice jammies.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Shut up and get off my bed. I want to go to sleep.”

  “Come here for a sec,” he whispered, his voice a husky rasp.

  God give me the willpower to resist all the sex in his eyes.

  I thought he’d dropped the subject, but he obviously hadn’t. He still wanted to shag me. It was written all over his face. The question was, was I strong enough to resist?

  “You’re the most beautiful fucking woman I’ve ever known, do you know that?” he went on, eyes intent on me.

  “That’s The Zombie talking.”

  “No, it’s not. Come here,” he argued, reaching out and grabbing my hand. He pulled me down onto the bed so that my back was to his front, my body cradled between his thighs as he held me.

  “T-trev –”

  “Sing for me,” he whispered, his hands running up and down my arms and leaving goose bumps in their wake.

  “What?”

&nbs
p; “Sing for me. I’m obsessed with your voice.”

  The low compliment made me shiver. I was sure he noticed how my skin was pebbling under his touch.

  “What do you want me to sing?” I croaked.

  “Anything.”

  I thought on it a second, then closed my eyes and quietly started humming the intro to “Strong” by London Grammar. I adored this song, probably because it had always reminded me of Trev. My voice filled the room and Trev kept touching me as I sang. I stammered a little when his hand moved to my inner thigh, caressing, stroking, making me burn. I was so aroused I felt like I might burst with it.

  Trev seemed peaceful, his breathing deep and even, and I fell into the lyrics. As I was nearing the end of the song he flipped us, and suddenly I was beneath him.

  “Open your eyes.”

  “I can’t.”

  “Why?”

  “You know why.”

  “Please.”

  His please was what did me in and I finally opened my eyes. I’d long since revealed all my demons to Trev, but it still cut me to the core to be reminded.

  He tilted his head, never breaking eye contact as he started to move his hips. The warmth and understanding on his face made the momentary pain slide away, replaced with arousal. I hadn’t put any underwear on beneath my PJs, and everything felt like too much and not enough. Just a few measly bits of fabric separated us and every single one of my senses were heightened.

  “What would it be like…” Trev murmured ponderously, almost like he hadn’t meant to say the words out loud.

  I moaned when he pressed into me hard and it did something to him. He paused his movements and gripped my face. Time moved in slow motion when he took my mouth in a spine-tingling, bone-melting kiss. I was nothing but flesh and need when his tongue slid along mine and I opened for him. He grew frenzied when I kissed him back, his mouth and tongue and hands going everywhere.

  “Trev…”

  “I need you, Reya, just for tonight. Just give me tonight and then you can decide if you want to keep me.”

  His words made my heart clench. Decide if I wanted to keep him? Of course I wanted him. Some days it felt like he was all I’d ever wanted, even when I tried to deny it to myself.

  “Okay. Tonight,” I breathed and started tugging his shirt up over his head.

  My sex throbbed when I took in the toned, cut lines of his chest and abs. I must’ve made some sort of horny noise, because he smirked as he grabbed my T-shirt and lifted it.

  “My turn,” he whispered and I felt self-conscious when my top was gone and I was only in my bra. I didn’t have a flat stomach or a lady six-pack. I was soft and round, but I was feminine, and the men I’d been with in the past seemed to appreciate my body. Still, I was overtly aware of the fact that Trev didn’t go for women with my body type. I wondered if he’d ever been with a woman like me before.

  “Jesus Christ,” he swore, his hands caressing the tops of my breasts.

  He reached around and unhooked my bra at the back. It fell free and I’d never felt more self-conscious in my life.

  “Ruined. You’re going to ruin me for anyone else, Reya Cabrera.”

  He hovered over me now, his gaze devouring me as I held my breath. A gasp escaped me when he lowered his mouth to my nipple and sucked, a rough groan emanating from deep in his throat.

  Okay, so maybe he did like what he saw.

  He lavished my breasts with attention as I gripped each of his shoulders. Then he looked up and a wicked grin shaped his mouth.

  “Trevor,” I breathed, almost in warning.

  He continued making his way down my body, then hooked his fingers in the waistband of my shorts. With just a few deft movements, all my clothing was gone and I was bared to him. He licked me once and I let out a cry of pleasure. After so long as just friends, I was sure it’d feel obscene to be making these noises in front of him if I weren’t so aroused. In that moment I didn’t care about anything. I just wanted him to touch me, devour me, make me come.

  He licked me again, this time with more pressure, and my thighs clamped around his shoulders.

  “Ooooh,” I moaned, hands going to my breasts as he continued to work me with his mouth.

  I glanced down and saw him take his long, thick shaft in hand, jerking himself as he brought me to orgasm. The idea that he couldn’t keep his hands from going there, that eating me out turned him on that much, felt electrifying. He sucked on my clit, then went lower, his tongue slipping inside me for a second. It felt soft and wet and wonderful. He groaned and his jerking sped up when a tremble shattered through me. I was close. We both were.

  I felt a wetness coat my thigh when he came, his body stilling as he groaned into my sex. He didn’t stop tonguing me, and soon his fingers found my entrance. They plunged inside with a fierceness I’d never felt before, moving in and out in a frenzy. The noises he made felt like he was fucking me with more than just his fingers. He was so aroused, even though he’d just come.

  My orgasm arrived hard and fast. Pleasure shattered through me as he gripped my hips, his tongue flittering against my clit in a way I was sure required expert training or some kind of natural skill.

  “That was fucking beautiful,” he rasped as I floated down from my high.

  He pulled me into his arms, shifting us and tugging the duvet over our bodies. I wasn’t sure why, maybe I was simply high off my orgasm, but I laughed.

  “No,” I declared. “It was fucking epic.”

  Trev laughed too and tightened his arms around me. I closed my eyes, letting the foreign sense of peace wash over me. I wasn’t used to it, wasn’t used to lying in bed with a man I had real, strong feelings for.

  “Told you it would be,” he replied, and even though my eyes were closed I could tell he was grinning.

  I had no idea what the morning would bring, no idea what trials and tribulations might be ahead of us, but for now I was just going to enjoy the moment. I was going to savour the connection I had with this strange, beautiful, flawed, unpredictable man.

  And deep in my heart I knew this was a night I wouldn’t soon forget.

  END.

  Hearts on Air

  The Heart Series #6

  By L.H. Cosway

  Preface

  Dear readers,

  Too often we listen to songs and never know the stories behind them.

  This is the story of a song.

  Happiness is the glint in your eye.

  It’s the touch of your hand.

  It’s the butterfly wings

  beating inside my chest.

  And just like all these things,

  It’s fleeting, passing, passed.

  Queenie, “Hi Happiness. Goodbye.”

  Prologue

  2 years ago.

  I woke up to the sound of a phone ringing.

  Trev’s bare chest was glued to my back, his arms wrapped tight around me. He was still sleeping but the noise soon woke him, too. He stirred and shifted, reaching past me to grab his phone on my dresser. I feigned unconsciousness as he answered, his voice husky from sleep.

  “Yeah?”

  “Fuck off.”

  “Fuck. Off.”

  “No bloody way, you’re lying. Are you shitting me right now?”

  He jumped out of bed and began frantically pacing the room. At this I moved to sit up. I was sure my hair was a mess and my makeup smudged halfway down my face. What happened between us last night still felt slightly unreal. I’d done things with my best friend, not sex, but sexual things.

  My heart fluttered in my chest as I drew the blanket tight around me. Outside, the pitter-patter of morning rain beat softly against the window. There was excitement in my belly, but something else, too. Self-consciousness. Trev had been oh-so romantic last night, telling me how beautiful I was, how much he wanted me, how I got to choose what happened between us from that moment on. I wondered if he still felt the same in the cold light of day.

  He turned as he paced, his
eyes coming to mine. They were bright, full of promise and possibility. He looked at me like I was his every dream come true, and my worries momentarily dissipated.

  “Okay, I’ll be there in an hour. See you then,” he said and hung up. He ran a hand down his face and blinked a few times as though trying to make sense of everything. He jumped onto the bed and grabbed me by the shoulders.

  “You’re not going to believe this,” he exclaimed, every part of him shimmering with unspent energy.

  “What? What?” I asked, nervous despite his giant smile.

  “Our show’s just been given the green light.”

  I gaped, unsure how to respond. Several weeks ago, Trev had been contacted by a TV exec interested in making a reality show about him and his free-running group. “Seriously?”

  “Seriously. We’re going to be on TV,” he practically yelled, and I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. Trev had courted a television deal for years, but it always felt like a pipe dream.

  Pride and happiness surged inside me as I dove forward and pulled him into a hug. “Oh my goodness, Trev, this is huge. I’m so happy for you.”

  “I feel like I’m dreaming,” he whispered and squeezed me tight.

  “Well, you’re not. It’s real,” I whispered back.

  My heart filled with pride for him, while at the same time a slow and insidious thought crept into my head. Trev hadn’t been looking at me like I was his dream come true. His dream had been coming true over the phone; I just happened to be in the room while it was happening. This was a big day for him, and in spite of what happened between us last night—despite my joy and feeling as though our time had finally come—my reaction needed to be as his best friend. My best friend was going to be on TV.

  Trev pressed a kiss to my lips and climbed off the bed again. He started pulling his clothes on as he said, “I’ve got to meet the lads down at Channel 4, but can we get together for lunch?”

  I nodded. “Of course. Go.” Channel 4. Wow. This really was big.