Lightning flashed darkly through the pouring rain, illuminating a thin stream that trickled through the kitchen and up his back, revealing her flushed cheeks hidden in the shadow of the night.
She scraped a nail up the side of his face; whispering his name teasingly against the rough skin of his neck as she trailed her lips towards his mouth, feeling him smile against her own.
His hands grasped the thin material of her jeans tightly, holding her firmly on the bench and within his reach, her own coming up to tangle themselves loosely in his locks of brown hair, falling in waves across his forehead to mix with her own blonde, pressed against him as she wrapped her legs around his waist to tug him closer.
She paused a minute, laying her sweaty palm against his flushed cheek, taking in a ragged breath as he whispered gently to her, both their minds clearing.
"What are we doing?"
His question was so soft that for a moment her eye's fluttered closed, skin tingling as his warm breath soothed her a moment, before the meaning registered and she recoiled quickly, pushing against his still heaving chest.
"Kate?" he asked, confusion settling across his features slowly. He gripped her tighter to him, heartbeat racing steadily as he realised what had just occurred.
"Kate? Talk to me" he whispered. He tried to nudge her forehead gently, still revelling from the feel of her fingertips dug tightly into his forearms.
"We can't"
He lifted his hands gently from her sides at those words, stepping halfway back to allow her the space to move, space to run from his house once and for all.
Tears prickled dangerously behind her eyes as she lifted a hand to gently brush against her lips, swollen now from the feel of him against her.
She couldn't remember how they had gotten to such a stage moments earlier; her mind was instead full of the scent of him, faint trace of sea salt still lingering from the weeks they had spent on the ocean.
Her heart beat rhythmically against her chest, dull ache already spreading at the loss of his fingers dug deep into her hips, his lips pushing steadily against her own.
His eyes searched hers out through the dark, tears glistening as lightning crackled loudly overhead. She resisted the urge to run a hand down his face, soothing the troubled look crossing his features; instead she tried to smile, failing miserably.
Without a word he brought his lips to her forehead, pressing them their gently before brushing the lock of hair hanging loosely between her eyes away, startling her with the boldness of the gesture.
"Kate, I need you"
Four small words he whispered and she broke down, leaning her head against his shoulder and running a hand around the inside of his shirt, gripping his chest to feel his heartbeat steady against her palm.
Gaining confidence Mike lay a hand gently a top her hair, tangling his fingers in the blonde locks when she didn't back away.
"There's something else" he whispered, now leaning heavily against the bench and with his other arm holding her tight to his chest.
He heard her mumble a reply, muffled against the front of his shirt as she shuffled in his arms.
"I think, I might be falling in love with you, and I can't stop"
---
Rain pitter pattered incessantly against his window, the curtains thrown open so he could watch the morning sunrise each day, though there was to be none, only an endless void of grey rumbling clouds out to sea.
From where he was curled on the bed he could vaguely make out the breaks in the waves down by the beach, white tips foaming roughly before crashing onto the dull sand, warning any passer-by to stay inside where it was warmer.
"Morning" he whispered, running a fingertip down her cheek to the hollow at the edge of her shoulder blade, smiling as she shudder against his touch.
She untangled herself from the thin white sheet, keeping his arm wrapped around her steadily to help her sit up slowly.
"Is it?" she mumbled in reply, voice sleep laden as she stared out at the dreary day thundering in.
She shuddered unexpectedly as he leaned against her; breath tickling her ear as he laughed instead.
"Rain, rain and more rain, meaning we can stay inside all day"
His laughter tapered off as she turned suddenly in his arms, glancing at the clock before gasping in realisation.
"I have to go" she announced to the quiet room, save for the constant rain. She pushed his arm away clambering from the sheets before turning, remembering the events from the previous night and the terribly forlorn look he was gazing at her with.
She crawled over the mattress as he sat up, confusion evident as she leaned in for a kiss; the first since last night.
"We have to talk about this, but first I have to see someone"
She pressed her lips to his once more, this time succeeding in leaving him breathless before she pulled back.
As quick as she had come she was gone from his room, the clattering of furniture being moved as she searched out her bag growing quiet as the loud thud of his front door being slammed reverberated throughout the household.
Some part of his brain was mildly aware of what had just happened, another was lost in the senses and emotions of the previous night whilst the majority of his mind wandered aimlessly, wrapping itself in the warmth that her figure had left on the mattress and beneath the sheets.
My sheets he thought with a grin, falling back onto them.