Entwine by Rebecca Berto Read Free Book Online Page B

Sarah started saying. She willed her nerves to calm. “No, I come sans an attachment.”
    “Good.”
    His finger came down, from the sweet spot behind her ear to trail down her jaw then petered off. She bit her lip to contain the feeling building in her. He saw that. He brought his finger up along her bottom lip. His breath was like a heater pushing hot air down her neck to her breasts, as he looked down at her mouth.
    She had to touch him. Her fingers greedily sought out the back of his neck, fastening over his skin once she felt her way there. His skin was hot, lickable. Lust pumped though her, and flushed between her legs with the knowledge of them connected; with him so close, kissing would barely require movement.
    He leaned in and, as Sarah’s chest tightened and her insides clenched with the thrill, she decided she must know at least one thing about this mysterious man first.
    She pressed her pointer to her lips, his only blocked by that one finger she held between them.
    “What’s wrong?”
    “Nothing’s wrong,” Sarah replied, dropping her finger. “But you aren’t taking three for three.”
    He pulled back a few inches, a crease visible between his eyebrows. “Huh?”
    “The coffee, the ticket …” Sarah let that hang there a moment. She added, “I want one thing.”
    “Yeah?”
    “Your name.”
    “I was wondering when you were going to ask that.”
    Sarah was mesmerised by his lips so close, yet so far—taunting her. Soft, warm, kissable , she decided.
    “It’s Malik,” he said, pronouncing Ma-lik . “Means ‘King’ in Arabic.”
    Sarah chuckled softly, pressing her lips to his cheek to stifle the sound. She really didn’t want to be kicked out right now.
    “What’s funny?” Malik said, his tone cautious.
    “I’m Sarah. ‘Princess’ in Hebrew.”
    He smiled at that. And it happened.
    Their lips met with hunger, at first ravishing, then he tugged at her lip. She fought to bite back at him. Releasing the tension didn’t calm her, though she expected to feel relief, and so their lips worked together, feeding their desire. She hinted first, touching her tongue with his for a moment, and he widened the kiss. She slipped her tongue in.
    Sarah leaned her forehead against his, exhaling. She heard his low, guttural growl as she felt his lips clench against her skin.
    Her hands gripped at the back of his neck, tighter than before. She pulled at his hair, his skin. She knew that, whatever it was, she needed more of what he had given her. His hand rubbed down her waist and slipped under her top. There, at the line of her pants, hands clenched on either side of her hips. He spread his fingers from the line of her V to the little dimples at her back, and coaxed his hands deeper into her flesh until it hurt Sarah, so good.
    Malik smiled while looking at her lips, then sealed them with a peck. He said, “What a fit,” and the double meaning wasn’t lost on her.

DATES
    THEN
     
    Names had always meant a lot to Sarah, and for a week her mum, dad and she didn’t say a word about the affair, but she was burning with want of that lady’s name.
    Her mum still made dinner for them, but she would sometimes say, “Sarah would you pass me the salt, please?” and her dad would lean over, Sarah would take it and pass it to the other end of the table. Her Mum found excuses for everything that week. Couldn’t watch their favourite re-runs of Everybody Loves Raymond, because one night she could only fit in a waxing appointment at 8.15 pm, the last slot of the night. Sarah was better off catching up on that assignment, she was told, instead of coming to buy groceries this week. It was unsaid, but clearly her mum wanted space, and it made for tension between Sarah’s dad and her, too. They didn’t speak, always skirting around being alone.
    But, after that week, Sarah had to sit down and beg her mum for help. She had an English talk due on the history of Shakespeare, and she had no idea where to start