No Control | Holding Me Ransom (Book 2)

64 - Goodbyes Are Bittersweet

Given the excitement of the AMAs and the relatively sleepless (but enjoyable) night that followed, neither of us had really had time to consider that I was flying home the next morning. When Harry's alarm sounded at eight o'clock I groaned and pulled the pillow over my head while he fumbled to silence it, and felt him spoon behind me, draping his arm over my waist and nuzzling into my neck.

"Don't go," he whispered, kissing my shoulder gently, and I sighed.

"I wish I didn't have to," I admitted, turning onto my back and then over onto my other side to cuddle into him. "But you're going off to Mexico anyway. You have to work, I have to work."

"Mmmph," he agreed begrudgingly.

We lay together in silence for a few minutes until I felt my eyes closing and sleep beckoning, and I forced myself to sit up to avoid nodding off and potentially missing my flight back home. Harry reached up from behind me and cupped both my breasts in his hands, and gave a sleepy murmur of appreciation.

"Boobs are great," he mumbled, pulling me backwards so I was lying down against him with my back to his chest while he ran his fingers over my nipples.

"Harry, we'll be late," I protested halfheartedly as he began to kiss my neck.

"We've got ages," he whispered, nudging his hips so I could feel him hardening behind me.

It was an argument I didn't really want to win anyway, so I closed my eyes and let his hands roam my body freely. I reached back between us to squeeze his erection, and after a minute I guided it slowly inside me. He grunted softly as he pushed in and out, one arm curled around my waist holding me close and working up a rhythm before we both came together, Harry's face buried in my hair.

"I'm really going to miss you," I sighed as my heart rate began to slow again. I reached up behind me to cup his cheek with my hand as his chin rested gently on my shoulder.

"I'm going to miss you too," he murmured. "I'll ring you as often as I can, though. And text. And I'll be back home on the sixth of December. I'll be staying with Mum for a few days but then I'll be heading back down to London in time for the X Factor final on the thirteenth."

"Oh yeah, your last performance," I remembered. "Christ, I don't think I'm emotionally prepared for that."

"You will be there though, won't you?" he said softly, and I patted the back of his neck.

"Of course I will. Nothing could keep me away this time. Callie will just have to cope for one night with her heartbreak."

Harry said nothing, but kissed my shoulder delicately and sighed.

~~~

By half past nine we were both packed and ready to go, and eating fruit and cereal at the breakfast bar. A car horn sounded outside at quarter to ten so we picked up our bags, loaded them into the boot, and Harry locked up. The journey to the airport was fairly quick, and we both pulled on hats and sunglasses as we arrived and managed to slip into the terminal building unnoticed and into a private lounge, accompanied by Harry's security. My flight was due to leave first so I slipped out to the check in desk and checked my suitcase in, then returned to Harry to say goodbye before I was to go through Security.

"I'm not into dramatic goodbyes," I told him as I lifted my cabin bag onto my shoulder. He averted his eyes, trying but failing to conceal his smirk. "What's funny about that?" I demanded.

He cleared his throat, still smirking. "Nothing. It's just that last time we said goodbye in an airport - this airport, in fact - you told me the same thing, but then ended up throwing a tantrum and flouncing off in tears across the Atlantic over a comment about Taylor Swift."