Gypsy Kiss: Micah Part 13

And then his lips were on mine, and they were every bit as moist and warm as I had always thought they would be. He kissed like a dream, putting everything behind it, as though he were using every available resource to back up his words and convey his feelings. His hands slipped around my waist, pulling me closer still, and I placed my left palm across his cheek, on his beard. The only sounds were our lips smacking together and our heavy breaths. I could have sworn I could hear our hearts beating too, in sync with each other. I slipped my hand behind his neck and my fingers into his hair, pulling him closer still. I couldn't get close enough to him. I realised at some point I was going to have to come up for air, but not yet. I wasn't ready for the kiss to end. He opened his mouth a little wider, his tongue slipping into my mouth and dancing with mine in the s.e.xiest, sweetest kiss I had ever experienced in all my life.

Up to that point, anyway.

For those minutes we were kissing I was able to forget that I was at the highest point on a big wheel, probably the most terrifying thing I could have imaged just half an hour before. I was able to forget that I was Miss Not Quite Good Enough, that I was way out of my depth and that the punchline to whatever this was just had to be imminent now. I expected when we were finally let off this monstrous contraption, that on the ground everyone would be waiting to point and laugh, make my humiliation complete. But in the moment, kissing him...I just didn't care about any of that. It was worth it, worth anything.

He pulled away first probably wise, because I was in no hurry to let go and then in a display of tenderness and dare I say it, love he placed a kiss on the end of my nose and tucked my hair behind my ear.

"So...did that seem to you like a kiss from someone who's just...messing about?"

I swallowed. "Uh...um..." was all I could get out. He grinned at me.

"I think I've made my point. Where's your phone, Jewls?"

I scrambled in my pocket and pulled it out, handing it to him wordlessly. He took it, played around with it, and held it up in front of us. He put a finger on my chin, turning me to face him again and kissed me again, this time a slow, deliberate kiss. He pulled away and played with the phone again, then handed it to me. The home screen was now a photo of us kissing.

"I want you to see this every day. And know that it's real. That it happened, and that it's gonna happen again, and again...and again..."

I smiled as he did, suddenly feeling ridiculously shy. I think I was acutely aware that I had, at last, well and truly laid myself bare. It was scary, but not as scary as I had expected it to be. I felt surprisingly calm in that moment.

Then I made the mistake of looking around, and remembered where we were. "f.u.c.k, Micah!"

He laughed a little. "We only just kissed...one thing at a time, Miss Dempsey!"

I raised my eyebrows but then smiled when I realised that, of course, he was teasing. "Micah...we have to get down from here."

He sat back casually, and the seat swung a little, making my heart leap into my mouth. I instinctively gripped my hand on the nearest thing, which just happened to be his thigh.

"I think it's romantic, babe." He said with a smile.

"Will it be romantic when I throw up on you?" I snapped. I was about five seconds from full on hysteria.

He laughed a little and sighed. "I don't wanna go down yet; I like it up here, just me and you. I like being alone with you."

"There are plenty of places we can be alone that don't involve swinging on a death wheel a hundred foot in the air."

He laughed again. "It's not that high..."

"All the same..."

He groaned and nodded. "Okay."

He leaned over the front, making my stomach lurch and put two fingers in his mouth, whistling once, loud. "Steve!"

With a jolt we were on the move again. I shrieked and leapt into his arms, and he wrapped me up. "I told you, you're safe. Look. Just look, please."

I pulled my face away from his arm and forced myself to look out and over the park. And I'll be honest; the view took my breath away. Colour and lights as far as the eye could see, flas.h.i.+ng and twinkling in the night sky. The moon high reflecting on the waves of the sea. It was a beautiful sight alright, but nowhere near as wonderful a sight as the one sitting next to me.

"See? Beautiful, huh?"

I slipped my hand into his, and nodded. "Yeah..."

"So are you. Don't forget it."

At last, the ride hit the deck and Micah pushed the bar up, getting to his feet and pulling me with him, not letting go of my hand. "Cheers, Stephen."

Steve saluted him, grinning at us both. "No trouble, Mic."

I shot him a look that said he was in big trouble but I was filing it for now and allowed Micah to walk me away from the wheel of death and through the park. He never let go of my hand. He walked no, stalked through the park, and I sort of half jogged to keep up with him. As we reached the Hall Of Mirrors by the gate he tugged me behind it and back into his arms, slamming his lips into mine again. It took me all of a second to respond. G.o.d I absolutely loved kissing him, I felt like I could spend all day and all night, every day for the rest of my life kissing him and never grow tired of it.

He pulled his mouth from mine and closed his eyes. "G.o.d, I have been wanting to kiss you since the first moment I laid eyes on you, Jewls. I could kiss you forever. Can I walk you home?"

I smiled and nodded, kissing his cheek. "Yeah..."

He took my hand again and led me out of the park and into the street.

Micah We walked in silence for a while. Personally, I was just enjoying her hand in mine like that, it felt so right there.

I had planned to drop into Carousel and introduce her to Nic but as I walked past a quick glance inside and I could see he was too busy for a proper introduction and I wanted to do it right, so I kept walking. I slipped my arm around Jewls' waist, pulling her to me, half expecting her to go stiff on me like she had a tendency to do, but she surprised me by putting her arm around my waist too. I smiled broadly and kissed the top of her head, and was rewarded with a deep, satisfied sigh from her.

All too soon we reached her flat and I turned and kissed her quickly, before she had time to think, to start babbling and to talk her way out of whatever we were to each other now. I had sensed her mind working overtime on the way home, convincing herself no doubt that this was a bad idea, not real or not going to last. I wanted to remind her again that I meant it. Kissing had become the best way I had of showing her how I felt. Later on, when she was ready, I knew of many other ways I could show her too. The thought of that day, whenever it might happen, sent a tingle through my spine because I already knew it would be like no other experience I had ever had. I knew that the first time I shared a bed with Jewls, took her into my arms and made love to her, it would be an experience neither one of us would ever forget.

I pulled away and kept my hands on her face, letting out a groan of frustration. "I wish I could stay longer, feels like we need to talk properly, we need to..." I sighed, "But it's family night, and I have to be there. Two nights a week we have to all sit together, eat and talk. Because we're all always so busy. It's important, you know? To my sister, and to Nic, and-"

Jewls nodded, grinning at me as I realised that for once, it was me who couldn't stop babbling. "Micah, it's fine. I'll see you uh...ooh, I'm off for another two days, are you?"

"I'm off tomorrow from the park, but working at the restaurant from early until...well, late." I thought for a minute. "d.a.m.n it..."

"Micah, I told you it's fine. A day to process might not be a bad thing."

"A day to talk yourself out of this, you mean. Dangerous."

She grinned again. "Out of what?"

"Being my girlfriend."

"I don't think I ever said I would be your girlfriend..."

I searched her expression, finding her eyes alive with mischief and scowled. "You are though, right? My girlfriend now?"

She didn't answer, simply leaned in and kissed my cheek. "Goodnight, Micah."

And with that, she turned on her heel and headed inside, leaving me standing on her doorstep well and truly put in my place.

I stood there in shock for a minute and then laughed to myself.

f.u.c.king infuriating woman. G.o.d I loved her.

Jewls I lay in my bed looking up at the ceiling, knowing fine well I would never in a million years be sleeping that night.

My lips were numb, and burning with the friction from Micah's beard. I could almost still feel his mouth on mine, and I could still smell him all over me.

I flicked my home screen on my phone on and looked at the photo. Micah Machvaya, kissing me me! Wanting to call me his girlfriend. There had been no people on the ground waiting to point and laugh, no punchline as yet, just me and Micah kissing. A lot.

Oh my holy G.o.d.

This was real, it actually was. It felt like...the universe trying to make amends for the s.h.i.+t I had been through with Andrew. I felt like I was finally being rewarded with some happiness. I was daring to believe that for the first time and I could not wipe the smile from my face. G.o.d he made me so b.l.o.o.d.y happy.

I hoped and prayed with all my heart that this feeling would never go away.

My phone buzzed in my hand and I grinned when I saw it was a message from Micah.

It's real, Jewls. It really happened. Gonna miss you tomorrow, but I will text when I can and call you at lunch time. P.S. That first kiss? Wow. The kisses that followed. Double wow. Can still feel you on me. Never was.h.i.+ng my mouth again. Goodnight beautiful xx M xx I laughed to myself and hugged the phone to my chest. Jewls Dempsey. Miss Good Enough, and I had the s.e.xiest, most gorgeous man on the planet.

Who would have thought it?

Micah "Will you put that phone down?" Marisol said, smiling at me as she set yet another bowl on the table, this one full of salad. "Who are you texting at half ten at night anyway?"

"No one..." I said, knowing fine well she wouldn't buy that.

She looked up at me suddenly. "Jewls?"

I let out an exaggerated sigh. "Where are the others?"

"Luca and Kris are upstairs. Marco is in the shower. Nic...Nic is on his way, says he'll be ten minutes, he's just making sure that John is okay to shut up the restaurant, you know how he worries when he leaves someone outside the family to do it." I nodded in agreement, "And you're here, but your head is elsewhere. Or maybe it's your heart. Is she your girlfriend yet?"

I shrugged. "I think so." Marco picked that moment to walk in, and I glared at him. "No thanks to this f.u.c.king idiot."

He held his hands up, grinning but moved around the back of the sofa, keeping a safe distance. "Not my fault!"

"What happened?" Mari asked with a confused smile.

I turned to her. "Jewls came to see me at work tonight. Walking through the park she stumbled across f.u.c.kwit here, getting cosy with Amy off the dodgems. She thought it was me. I got one h.e.l.l of a slap from that, nearly lost her before I even had her."

"Not my fault you didn't tell her you have a slightly better looking twin brother, Micah." Marco said, still grinning.

"How many times do I have to tell you? Be a s.l.u.t all you like bro, but not in my place of work! I ought to knock you out, d.a.m.n it!"

"Well bring it on, twinny!" he said, laughing. I was smiling now too, in spite of myself. I never could stay mad at him for long. He was, after all, practically a part of me, the other half of me. To be mad at him was to be mad at myself and well, that made no sense, did it?

I chased him around the sofa a couple of times before diving over the back, landing on him and sending us both toppling to the ground with a thud. Kris and Luca had joined us and stood over us laughing as we wrestling around on the floor.

"Keep it in your pants from now on, Marco." I warned and he laughed.

"You're just jealous, cause you're so smitten with this girl and you aint had none for weeks! p.u.s.s.y whipped, Micah. That's what you are! You haven't even kissed her yet!"

"For your information," I said, grabbing him in a headlock and running my knuckles over his head, "I just spent the best part of half an hour kissing her. And that quick fumble you had behind the rides with easy Amy is, trust me, nothing nothing compared to what I have with Jewls, and what I will have, when the time is right."

He flipped me onto my back, straddling me and pinning my wrists above my head. "Keep telling yourself that, brother."

"Alright, pack it in." Marisol said, coming in from the dining area and grabbing Marco's arm, trying to pull him off me. "Time to eat. Micah, you take your time with her, do it right. Don't listen to the s.l.u.t here."

We all laughed at that, and Marco grinned down at me. "I'll let you up when you admit that everything turned out for the best tonight because of me. That you got the girl, because of me."

I narrowed my eyes. "How'd you work that out?"

"I forced you to address the issue. Talk it out. This morning you were friends, now you have a girlfriend. It's not a coincidence."

"Boys, dinner is served. Get up and sit at the table. Marco, leave him alone!" Mari scolded.

I pushed him off and jumped to my feet. "You heard Mari. Food time."

The front door opened and slammed and Nic came in, looking at me and Marco, frowning. We were both red-faced from our exertions. "Alright," he said, frowning suspiciously, "what's going on?"

"Nothing." we both said together. Nic turned to Mari.

"What are they up to?"

Mari laughed. "The usual messing on. Now you're back, maybe you can get them all to sit down, they won't listen to me."

Nic sighed. "Do as your sister says. Sit, all of you."

We all did as he asked such was his power over us all and as I pa.s.sed Mari I kissed the side of her head in silent apology, which she acknowledged with a nod and a smile. When we had all sat down we simply waited while Nic took his jacket and bowtie off, rolled the sleeves of his s.h.i.+rt up and washed his hands in the kitchen sink and dried them meticulously with a tea towel.

He sat at the head of the table and gestured to the food. "Let's get stuck in."

Five boys, we didn't need to be told twice, and tucked straight in while Mari watched with a big smile on her face. I realised that from the outside looking in it looked like a really bad stereotype, all us boys eating food made by the only woman in the family, but the truth was we took it in turns to be the one making the supper, and Mari in particular absolutely loved doing it. She loved looking after us all full stop, and in that respect she was Nic's wingman, as in charge of the house as he was the restaurant.

My phone buzzed and I checked it to find a text from Jewls.

I hope it is real. Sure felt it to me. Never want this feeling to end. xx J xx I sat smiling stupidly at my phone for a moment.

"Micah, no phones at the table." I looked up to find Nic frowning disapprovingly at me.

"Sorry," I said, switching it off and putting it back in my pocket.

Mari smiled to herself and then winked at me. "Go easy on him, he's in love."

Five pairs of eyes all turned to me expectantly. I rolled my eyes. "Thanks, sis."

She grinned. "Welcome."

"You and Jewls...it's still progressing?" Nic asked, tucking into his pasta.