He pushed himself into a sitting position, Imogen’s body closer than they had ever been before. They kissed again and he shook free of his shirt. He put his hands around her, grabbing onto her backside, and then stood up before turning and lowering her onto the bed. It felt so strange to be together like this, but also so natural, so completely predestined. It was impossible to fight and now he was amazed they had lasted this long.

Reaching down, he unbuckled his belt and undid the top button of his trousers before he carried on. Just leaning over her like this, seeing her looking up at him made Adrian light-headed with hunger. He didn’t know what to do, what he was allowed to do. The time for talking was over and so he just had to push past his fear. Fear of what? He couldn’t keep asking her if she was sure. She was. He had permission.

Holding his breath, he leaned down and kissed her stomach through the fabric. As he exhaled onto her, she took a deep breath and pulled her top up to offer her skin to him. The silky white jagged line of her scar was so prominent against her olive skin. He could feel her tremble through his lips; she tasted exactly as he supposed she would taste. It still wasn’t too late to pull back, to say this was all a mistake, to stay friends without the awkwardness of knowing what inhabited them.

One of them needed to make the decision and Adrian decided it would be him. He traced his finger along the edge of her underwear and ran his hand over her, the warmth from between her legs in his palm. He gently stroked the jersey fabric as Imogen’s breathing became more uncontrolled. Raising himself up again, his hand still between her legs getting less and less gentle as he felt the fabric dampen, he kissed her on the lips, slipping his tongue inside her mouth. He heard the tiniest of sighs with each movement. As he kissed her neck, he pulled her underwear to the side and slipped his hand under the fabric. As he felt her wetness against his fingers, he had the strongest urge to be inside her. He couldn’t breathe.

He pulled away and looked at her, there was no going back now. He pulled off her pants and knelt on the ground by the bed. From the corner of his eye, he could see her clamp her hands over her face and she moaned into her palms as he wet his lips with her. He wanted to bring her to the brink so that she was as overwrought with desire as he was, until she was pulling him into her and digging her nails into his flesh. He didn’t want it to be safe any more, he wanted them to be overtaken with this energy that was desperate to be expelled.

With both hands on her thighs, he felt her legs quiver with each kiss. He reached up and slid his hand under the fabric of her top, his fingertips brushing against her nipples, her hand clutching his hair. He looked up and she was propped on her elbow, watching him as her chest heaved. Why had they waited so long?