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He was going to kill Colin. He was going to commit fracticide and do so happily. To hell with the consequences. Besides, German prisons were, from what he'd heard, not that bad. Unless they would extradite him to the UK, in which case…
"Alaaaaaaaaaaaf!!!" Colin hollered, spilling his beer everywhere. Anthony repressed the urge to scream.
It had started out innocently enough - his brother, now in his fourth month living in Cologne, had persuaded Anthony to finally visit him in Germany.
"We're going to have soooo much fun!" he had proclaimed. Needless to say, there was no fun. None at all. Not even a bloody ounce. Instead, he was sitting in some shady pub ("It's called 'Kneipe', Ant. 'Kneipe!'" Colin had lectured him, like Anthony didn't know), full of drunk, dressed-up people singing carnival songs at the top of their lungs. Because somehow Colin had conveniently forgotten to tell Anthony (and Anthony had admittedly forgotten to check) that his visit would fall on the worst day to be in this particular part of the country ever - Rosenmontag, the culmination of the German carnival season. The day of parades, forced collective merriment and excessive drinking. And all of it in the freezing cold. At least it didn't rain or snow this year. Small blessings.
They had watched the carnival floats (Anthony had felt like a sardine in the sheer endless crowd, and he got hit on the head with candy several times) before Colin dragged him to the place they were at now.
Anthony had protested. Colin accused him of being boring. It went exactly as expected.
Under normal circumstances, he would shrug his brother's comment off, go home and let Colin do whatever crazy thing Colin wanted to do. Alone. But they weren't in London. He was staying with Colin. In Colin's flat (actually Anthony's flat, if you looked at the paperwork, because of course). Where all of his luggage was. Besides, there was the potential risk of Colin getting drunk and doing something very stupid. No, it wasn't even a potential risk; it was something that was about to happen as surely as taxes.
And of course it did.
It was nearing half past ten, and Colin was several beers in, and apparently having the time of his life, chatting with some girl dressed like Rapunzel, while Anthony was still very sober and wishing for the evening to end.
He sighed.
"Ant!" Colin slurred, enthusiastically clapping him on the back. "Why aren't you drinking?"
Anthony opened his mouth to reply, but immediately closed it again. There was no point in having a discussion now anyway.
"It's rose Monday! You should drink!" the Rapunzel chimed in with a giggle. She seemed a little younger than his brother and sounded very much British. Oh, well...
But before Anthony could reply, Colin raised his hand, waving at one of the waiters walking around the room with trays of glasses.
"Vier Alt!" he shouted with a goofy grin, and Anthony froze in horror.
No. No, no, no, no, no...
"Haste eben Alt gesacht?*" One of the men that had been standing at a table just a few feet away was now glaring at Colin, looking like he was ready to pounce.
"Ja, Alt. Alt ist super!**" Colin declared in broken German, but before he could say anything else, Anthony interrupted him.
"Er ist ein Tourist. Er hat keine Ahnung!***"
His German was admittedly rusty, but hopefully, he would be at least able to convey the fact that his brother really didn't have a clue about the very crucial difference between Alt and Kölsch.
Unfortunately, the man in question didn't seem to either understand or care (and was probably very drunk too, which might have explained a lot), making his way to the very oblivious Colin with an expression that basically said 'I will rip you to shreds!'
Anthony braced for impact, ready to throw himself between the man and Colin and ultimately test out how good German healthcare really was (Good god, being the eldest sucked), when a female voice interrupted them.
"Komm, lass. Hörst du nicht, dass das Touristen sind? Die wissen doch nicht was der Unterschied ist.****"
The guy huffed, but after a moment, retreated, seemingly appeased.
Anthony let out a sigh of relief and turned to see who had just rescued him (and Colin) from a broken nose or worse. And the moment he did, it was like he was struck by lightning, because the woman in question was probably the most beautiful person he had ever seen - tall, striking, with soft, brown eyes and a mass of dark curls that Daphne would probably kill for. She was also, just like Anthony, not really dressed up, the only indicator that she didn't wander into the pub by accident being a plastic princess tiara.
"You should tell your friend to never ever order Alt in Cologne," she said in a very British accent as she shook her head.
"That's my brother, actually. Unfortunately," Anthony added after a beat. "And thank you for interrupting. I don't think he would have listened to me."
"No worries," The woman smiled. "People here are generally nice, but they can get a bit intense when it comes to..."
"Yeah, I know. Alt vs. Kölsch, Düsseldorf vs. Cologne. It's like walking into a pub in Manchester with a Liverpool shirt." It was one of the few things that stuck with him after a school trip to Düsseldorf years ago.
At that, she laughed. A beautiful laugh that made him immediately want to hear it again.
"That's about right."
"You're British," he blurted out.
"You're observant," she smirked.
"I'm sober." He bit the inside of his cheek. What the hell, worst case was she would call the other guy back to break his nose. "Also, I'm Anthony."
"Kate."
In the background, Colin had started to sing (or rather bellow) again, practically yelling 'Viva Colonia' as he swayed to the side, one arm around the girl from a moment ago, while he held a glass of Kölsch in the other. Anthony grimaced.
"And I hope your brother isn't some kind of creep, because that," she pointed to the girl in the Rapunzel costume. "Is my sister."
"My brother is an idiot, but he's harmless."
Kate raised an eyebrow questioningly, as if to ask, 'and what about you?', but before she could say anything, Colin staggered over, Kate's sister in tow.
"Aaaaaaant!" he slurred. "You're still not drinking!"
"And you're not drinking either, didi," Kate's sister whined.
Anthony rubbed his hand over his face in resignation. This, exactly this was why he wasn't drinking. Not because he was some sort of boring abstinent - he very much did enjoy a pint at the pub down the street from his flat, a glass of wine with his dinner or a good scotch to wind down - but because someone had to get his brother's drunk ass home at some point. Besides, watching Colin in his youthful, drunken ignorance made Anthony remember all those hangovers from back when he was his brother's age and reminded him how, compared to Colin, he was now officially too old to just shrug a night of partying off with a cup of black coffee and a McDonald's value meal.
"I'm fine," he grumbled
"Aweee, come on! You're always going on about being polite. Have a drink with our new friends!" Colin tried again, shoving a glass of Kölsch into Anthony's hand. "This is Edwina and, uhm..."
"Kate," the girl called Edwina supplemented.
"Kate!" Colin repeated triumphantly, showing a glass of Kölsch into Kate's hand now (why the hell were Kölsch simply placed in front of you automatically until you said no? That was clearly a scam to get inebriated people to keep drinking). "I'm Colin!"
Kate looked like she wanted to protest, but sighed in resignation when Edwina pouted.
"Nice to meet you all. Cheers," she mumbled into her glass.
"Same," Anthony followed suit.
"Oh, look! Mini doughnuts!" Edwina suddenly squealed.
"Where?"
It was actually quite funny how short his brother's attention span got when food was involved. Within seconds, both Colin and Kate's sister had disappeared into the crowd again.
Kate took another sip of her beer, made a face that implied great displeasure and pushed the glass away. "You know, German beer is supposed to be good, but this stuff is just..." She looked around, probably checking if someone was listening to them. "Horrible. Like so bad."
"I know," Anthony chuckled, pushing away his own glass. "So," he turned around for a brief moment, quickly checking if Colin hadn't stumbled and fallen in his rush to get to the snacks table (he hadn't). "Let me guess, you're acting as a babysitter too."
Kate bit her lip. "Eddie has been going on about wanting to experience 'Karneval' when she would visit me for weeks. I just... I couldn't say no."
That meant she was living here, Anthony concluded. For some reason, he felt strangely disappointed about that.
"I get that," he gave her a small smile. "But at least you knew what you were going into. My brother conveniently forgot to remind me that my visit would fall on Rosenmontag. I was practically dragged from the airport directly to the parade. I had to insist on dropping off my luggage first, or I'd be sitting here with a suitcase. Not to mention that my brother was dressed like a pirate when he picked me up."
"Ok, you win," Kate shook her head in amusement. "So, you're just visiting?" she then asked.
"Yeah, my brother moved to Cologne, and I promised that I'd come and visit. You live here?"
"Temporarily," Kate replied. "I'm doing work shadowing for another two months, then it's back to London."
"Ah," Anthony couldn't help but smile at that revelation.
~*~
"No way you have seven siblings," Kate shook her head in disbelief. They had been talking for the past two hours, about basically everything, balancing the fine line between friendly small talk, banter and outright flirtation, though slowly but steadily the scales tipped in favour of flirtation.
"You can ask Colin if you don't believe me," Anthony replied with a chuckle.
"Colin is your brother. He will say whatever you want him to say."
"Colin will sooner sell me for a sandwich than say what I want him to say. But he wouldn't lie about this."
"Sure," she gave him an amused smile and took a sip of her Gerolsteiner. When they had ordered, the waiter looked at them with clear confusion, asked if they were sure, but just shrugged when they both confirmed that yes, they wanted mineral water, thank you very much.
It was strange. Of all the things Anthony had expected to happen during his visit, meeting a gorgeous, intelligent and funny woman while out with Colin of all people had decidedly not been on his bingo card. Yet here he was, deep in conversation with probably the most interesting person he had met in years. Not to mention the most beautiful.
The most notable thing, however, was that Anthony had felt like they had just... clicked. He scarcely ever felt like this when meeting someone (regardless of gender) - like he had known them forever. And that was exactly what he felt like with Kate, like she wasn't someone he just met, but someone he had known his entire life. It was the strangest thing.
But of course, Anthony was not supposed to feel good for too long. The universe was making sure of that.
"Speaking of my brother," he sighed, his gaze falling on Colin, who was staggering in their direction with uncoordinated movements, eyes glazed over. "I think it's time for me to get him home and to bed."
It was a shame, really, he thought as he unlocked his phone and ordered a car. He didn't want his conversation with Kate, his time with Kate, to end, but Colin was clearly short of passing out.
"Yeah, I think I also should get Eddie home while she is still able to walk," Kate smiled, watching her sister, who was a step behind Colin, looking more sober than him but still wrecked.
"I just ordered a taxi. We can drop you off somewhere if you want." Anthony asked immediately. There was no chance in hell he would pass up an opportunity to spend a few more minutes with her.
"Thanks. But we only have to get to the central station, so no worries," Kate shook her head.
"It's no trouble, really," Anthony quickly added. "I mean it."
"It's really no problem for us to walk. It will probably do Edwina good to get some fresh air anyway before we catch our train to Bonn."
Anthony stared at her. "Bonn? Are you serious?" he blurted out. She couldn't be.
"Well, I live in Bonn, so..."
"Kate, that's insane! It's Rosenmontag, it's late, and the train will be full of drunk people."
"Thank god, I am sober then," she huffed in annoyance, but Anthony's mind was already in overdrive. He couldn't let her and her sister take a goddamn train at this hour. Yes, Kate was sober, but Edwina wasn't, and he was rather certain Colin was at least partially responsible for that. Which made him responsible by proxy.
"Kate..." he tried. "Listen, I realise it sounds just as stupid and irresponsible as taking a train to Bonn in the middle of the night during Karneval, but..." Taking a deep breath, he pushed forward. "Why don't you and Edwina stay with us?" Anthony was well aware of how insane this must have sounded, but he somehow didn't care in the slightest. He couldn't let her take the train. Not at this hour, and especially not today.
"Colin's flat has two bedrooms - with doors that lock properly - so you'd have privacy."
Kate blinked in response. "Are you serious?"
Anthony nodded. "And I have no problem with giving you the address beforehand, or showing you my passport so you can let whoever you want to know where you are and with whom if that'd make you feel safer, and..."
He paused, trying to decipher Kate's expression, as she looked at him, then at her sister and then back at him again.
"Thank you," she eventually said. "I, uhm... Appreciate the offer."
Anthony was about to open his mouth to protest, certain that this was the beginning of a 'thanks, but no thanks' speech, but before he could do so, Kate gave him a shy smile.
"That sounds great. And at least that way if we get murdered, it's not by some drunk German."
"You're not going to get murdered, period," Anthony laughed, feeling relieved. "I am a gentleman. And unless you're hiding cake, you're safe from Colin as well. Speaking of which..."
He patted his brother's arm. "Let's get you home, hm?"
Colin smiled stupidly, but nodded.
"And Edwina and Kate are staying with us so they don't have to catch a night train."
At those words, his brother almost jumped up, seemingly fully awake again. "Yes! Afterparty! Alaaf at my place!" he hiccuped, before slumping back into his chair.
"Sure, mate," Anthony chuckled. "Whatever you say."
~*~
The taxi taking forever to arrive turned out to be a blessing, as getting Colin to put on his jacket (which in turn required getting rid of some parts of his pirate costume) was a challenge all in itself. Kate seemed to fare much better with Edwina, who, while far from being sober, was also in a much better state (and much more cooperative) than his brother.
But it did cut down the time they had to wait in the cold by a lot, so Anthony decided not to complain. For now.
The taxi ride passed in silence with Colin, Edwina (both half asleep) and Kate in the back of the car and Anthony in the front. As promised, he had given Kate their address and shown her the destination in the taxi app to make sure she could see that they matched. He then watched as she typed it into her phone, probably to send it to someone or track the car on Google maps. A most sensible reaction. He wished Eloise would do the same from time to time.
Except... Anthony was now stuck in limbo.
He was usually very much uninterested in relationships. His normal course of action was to just hit on a woman, with the clear intent of taking her home and never seeing her again afterwards (the latter was always communicated up front and with no room for misinterpretation. Managing expectations and all that). No strings, no attachment, no repeat performances.
For some reason, this was different. For some reason, he desperately wanted to ask her for her number and ultimately ask her out (she'd be back in London in two months after all, and he could visit Colin a few more times in the meantime). Dinner, a movie, an evening in the theatre, a museum visit, you name it. He wanted to spend time with her. Sex would of course also be nice. Very nice. Extremely nice. But he'd settle for simply spending time together first.
Unfortunately, he seemed to have missed every window of opportunity so far to actually talk to her about this. And he hardly could do it now - if he did, she might think that offering Colin's guest room to her and Edwina was simply a ploy to get into her knickers. Which it wasn't. He hadn't even thought about that. Well, that wasn't completely true. Admittedly, a few very indecent thoughts had, of course, crossed his mind, but he would never exploit her situation like this. 'Never do to a woman what you wouldn't want to be done to your sisters', was a principle he had adhered to since he could remember.
When they arrived at Colin's place, Anthony heaved his brother out of the taxi and cursed when he had to all but push him up the stairs. At least he had his own key. Trying to get Colin's attention to hand over his would be a nightmare.
Getting Colin out of his jacket was almost as big a challenge as having him put it on, but somehow Anthony managed that too. In the meantime, Kate helped Edwina, who was looking a little loopy (but was still the picture of sobriety compared to his brother), out of her coat. Anthony smiled a little at that. The things you did for your younger siblings.
Depositing his brother in the living room, he made a gesture at Kate and Edwina to follow him. From the corner of his eye, he could see how Kate was taking in the place, and Anthony thanked the heavens that she knew this wasn't his flat (well, technically it was, but he was not responsible for the state it was in).
"You're in luck," he turned to Kate. "This was supposed to be my room, so there's an actual bed which is already made. I'll be taking the couch, so it's all yours. Just let me get my suitcase." Suddenly him not having the time to unpack was a blessing. "Uhm, also, the bathroom is on the left and the kitchen is on the right. Feel free to take whatever you want from the fridge, though, knowing Colin, there's probably not much in there. And if you need anything... Just... Let me know."
Kate nodded. "Thanks."
"Yes, thank you," Edwina half yawned, half slurred.
Anthony quickly rolled his luggage into the corridor and watched as the sisters disappeared into the guest room, closing the door behind them.
When he was back in the living room. He looked at Colin, who was now staring blankly into space, drunk off his ass. Anthony was not exactly jealous of that particular hangover.
"Let's get you to bed, alright?"
~*~
To the surprise of no one, Colin fell asleep the second his body hit the sheets, still half-dressed in his pirate costume, though Anthony had at least managed to get him out of the more plasticy parts of the thing.
With a sigh, Anthony opened the wardrobe that was in his brother's room and got out an additional blanket and some (hopefully) fresh bedsheets, before closing the door and walking over to the living room.
The couch creaked as he pulled it out (how was that even possible? The thing might have been the cheapest option IKEA had to offer, but it was brand new!), but at least it was now big enough to not have him ruin his back when he slept.
Once done, he put on the sheets and rearranged the (very hard) couch pillows.
The sensible thing to do would be to get some sleep, but somehow, Anthony just didn't feel tired enough. His mind kept going back to Kate and how they had spent the evening talking while their siblings got more and more drunk.
How it had started with small talk but got more personal with every minute that passed.
Between discussions on topics like favourite books, movies, TV shows or food, details about life and family slipped in naturally.
She told him that she was a business consultant, working for some big company in London, and that, safe for the crazy work hours, she quite enjoyed it. That she grew up in Reading. That her parents were from India, and that both moved to the UK to study medicine, where they met at uni. That her mother died when she was four, and that her father remarried when she was six. That Edwina was her half-sister, and eight years her junior. That her father died when she was eighteen.
So Anthony, in turn, told her how his father, too, had died when he was eighteen. How because of this, he was forced to take over the family business full-time, practically the moment he graduated. How he had seven siblings, all of whom drove him insane most of the time.
It didn't happen often (it hadn't happened ever, if he was being honest) that he met someone so... similar. Someone who seemed to have experienced the same shit and survived without a mental breakdown. Someone who simply understood. Without asking meaningless questions, without empty words of encouragement. Just a 'yeah, that sucks, doesn't it? '.
With that, their small talk turned into banter, turned into flirtatious teasing, turned into a back-and-forth that made his blood sing.
And now she was just a few feet away, practically on the other side of the wall, but he couldn't just go over and make a move because that would be equal to him taking advantage of having persuaded her and Edwina to stay with him and Colin instead of taking a train back to Bonn.
Anthony sighed. Maybe some water would help, he decided and made his way to the kitchen. It was terribly cluttered, and pure chaos - several dirty plates in the sink, half-eaten packets of crisps and empty beer and soda cans scattered all over the kitchen counter. Cursing under his breath, Anthony rolled up his sleeves, turned on the tap and began to clean up the mess. Thankfully, the kitchen was small, so getting it back into a state that wasn't unsanitary anymore only took a few minutes (would it really have cost Colin that much to spare those few minutes?). Once done, he leaned against the fridge, closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
"Hey."
Immediately, he opened his eyes again. Kate was leaning against the door frame, looking at him curiously. "I was on my way to the bathroom and saw that the light was on," she smiled.
"Yeah, I wanted to get some water, but as it turns out, the kitchen was a health hazard, so..." he gestured vaguely around the room.
"Ah," she nodded. "Your brother is that kind of guy."
Anthony raised his eyebrow questioningly, even though he already knew what she was about to say (and was well aware that she would be right, too).
"Never does the dishes, survives mostly on takeaway, has more alcohol at home than food..." she listed, her eyes falling on the crate of beer right next to the crate of water. Oh well...
"I mean, he's twenty-two," Anthony shrugged, opening the fridge. It greeted him with more beer, something that looked like the remains of a Döner and a bottle of Rotkäppchen. "So that's about right." Grabbing the sparkling wine, he closed the fridge again. "Want to join me for a nightcap?" he then asked. There was no harm in that after all. "We've been babysitting our drunk siblings all night, completely sober. I think we deserve a treat."
At the suggestion, Kate grinned widely. "Oh, we definitely deserve a treat," she agreed, reaching for the cupboard above the sink, and, when it turned out that it didn't contain any glasses, the one to its left.
Of course, Colin didn't have anything resembling champagne flutes, but Anthony didn't care much, and from what he could see, neither did Kate. In the end, he poured the wine into random glasses and clicked his with Kate's.
"Cheers!"
"Cheers!"
"That's actually not that bad", Kate, who in the meantime had taken a seat on the kitchen counter (thank god, he had cleaned it up), mused after the first sip. "I walked past this in the supermarket several times, but the name somehow always put me off. Made me think of that overly sweet sparkling grape juice that was served at every party when I was a kid."
"I never thought about that, but it kind of makes sense," Anthony nodded. "It definitely beats the Kölsch."
"It does, though my sister and your brother seem to disagree."
"I think they are simply in that particular moment in life where you don't really care what you are drinking as long as it contains alcohol, especially when someone else is paying for it."
It had never been a question who would pick up the tab after their night out (between him and Colin, that was, Kate had been fighting him for a whole five minutes before she grumpily acquiesced to him settling the bill). Sometimes he really felt like a cross between a nanny and an ATM.
"It's all about partying, getting drunk, 'living in the moment'. According to Colin, at least."
"Eddie's the same. And somehow she always lands on her feet. Nothing bad ever happens to her. Which, don't get me wrong, I am extremely thankful for, but it's like, if I were to behave like her, I'd already been arrested at least twice, been robbed, would have ended up unconscious in some ditch or have joined a cult."
"Right?" Anthony nodded in agreement. "Colin is constantly doing something stupid or reckless or both. Like today. But he always gets away with it," he groaned, taking another sip of his wine. It had always been a little unfair, how none of Colin's actions seemed to have any consequences ever.
Kate seemed to contemplate this for a moment. She tilted her head and gave him a strange look. "And what about you?"
"I'm not gonna lie, I had my fair share of stupid, drunk escapades when I was younger. Nowhere near as many as Colin, mind you. And they usually didn't end well. But I'm past getting that wasted. Hangovers hit differently once you hit thirty."
"So nothing stupid," she hopped off the counter and put her glass into the sink. "What about..." Taking his glass from his hand and putting it next to hers, she made a step in his direction, so she was only inches away from him. "... Doing something reckless?"
He swallowed, trying to think of something sensible to say, but before he could say anything, Kate leaned in, her soft lips finding his, and Anthony decided there and then that he was tired of thinking, but very keen on finally acting.
His hands found her waist, and he pulled her towards him in one fluid motion, deepening their kiss. Kate grinned against his lips, fingers toying with the collar of his shirt, before moving up and raking them through his hair.
If Anthony had any restraint left in him, it was now officially gone.
"Yeah, I might be up for something a little reckless," he breathed out when they broke apart for air, now grinning as well.
"Just a little?" Kate asked cheekily, letting her hands slip between his jeans and shirt, tugging out his button-up.
"Maybe something very reckless," Anthony corrected, his own hands pushing up her sweater and exposing several inches of flawless, bare skin. Immediately, Kate raised her arms to help him get rid of the garment, leaving her in a simple black bra that made her look unbelievably sexy. "I like very reckless," she murmured, kissing him again while undoing the buttons of his shirt.
Once she was done, Anthony eagerly took it off, throwing the thing on the floor, smiling smugly when he noticed how Kate looked at his naked torso with hungry eyes (though admittedly, he was looking at her exactly the same way).
Without much hesitation, he lifted her up, depositing her back on the kitchen counter, planting a trail of kisses down her collarbone, a gesture that made her moan. Anthony made a mental note of this before pushing aside her bra and sucking a newly freed nipple into his mouth. At that, another moan escaped her (he made a mental note of that as well).
After having his fill of her breasts, he let his lips trail down, from her sternum to her stomach, one hand firmly on her waist, while the other slid across the front of her jeans.
"Can I?" he asked, looking at her questioningly and a little breathless. "I'd really like to go down on you." Anthony both enjoyed oral quite a lot and was aware that he apparently was rather skilled at it (according to multiple, independent sources), and he really wanted to make her feel good. Good enough so that even if she decided for this to be a one-off (God, he hoped she wouldn't), she would at least remember him as the guy who gave her a world-shattering orgasm.
"Yes. Please, yes," Kate nodded frantically. It was all the encouragement he needed. Falling to his knees, Anthony unzipped her jeans, sliding them off together with her knickers. Spreading her legs, he began to kiss her inner thighs, moving closer and closer to her core. Finally, one of his hands disappeared between her folds, eliciting a long and low moan from her. It made his mind go a little fuzzy with arousal.
She was already wet, and when he slowly pushed a finger into her, it went without resistance. In response. Kate arched her back, inviting him deeper.
When his mouth finally found her clit, and his tongue replaced his fingers, she let out a gasp.
"God, yes," Kate keened, her hands winding into his hair to keep him in place. And Anthony didn't complain in the slightest. Spurred on by her reaction, he began to lick and suck, teeth grazing ever so slightly against her most sensitive spot.
"Oh god, oh gooooood, I'm going to..."
When Anthony felt her orgasm rolling through her, he slowed down his ministrations, eventually letting go and getting back up, placing kisses on her skin as he moved. He was painfully hard, but for the first time in a very long time, he was certain that even if that was where she would draw the line and ask him to stop, he'd still be very satisfied. To his delight, Kate didn't seem in the slightest like she wanted to stop, pulling him fully up and into a very filthy kiss instead.
All the while her hands found the front of his pants, making quick work with its buttons. When she finally tugged him free, she broke away from his lips. Grinning at him, she licked her palm before gripping him and lazily moving her hand up and down.
Now it was Anthony's turn to moan, her touch shooting electric sparks through his body. He was no novice when it came to carnal pleasure, far from it (very far from it), but with every twist of her hand, he was more and more convinced that Kate had just unlocked some new level of sensations that had been unknown to him before. From a logical perspective, it was utterly improbable. Still, here he was, feeling a little bit like a teenager just discovering the joys of sex as Kate stroked his length, picking up pace until he could feel himself getting dangerously close to the edge. Cursing under his breath, he gently pushed her hand away, pulling her closer to him.
"Minx," he murmured into the crook of her neck, nipping lightly at her skin.
Kate laughed in response, a warm, genuine laugh that felt like sunshine (god, that sounded sappy. Benedict would have been delighted).
"I was just following your lead."
"Ah," Anthony chuckled, pulling back a little so he could look at her. She was absolutely beautiful, especially now - with flushed skin, hair in disarray and kiss swollen lips. "As much as I want to continue, I don't think the kitchen, or rather this particular kitchen, is the best place for it. But..." He brushed his thumb over her hip. "There is a moderately comfortable couch in the living room. And a door. With a lock and a key."
"Is that so? Moderately comfortable? " Her tone was teasing, but he could swear her eyes had turned a shade darker at that suggestion. "And what exactly would we do? On that moderately comfortable couch?"
"Oh, I have a few ideas."
"I'm very interested in discussing them all in detail," she grinned, sliding down and picking up her discarded clothes, prompting Anthony to do the same.
They didn't bother getting dressed before running across the corridor, giggling like children. Colin was out cold and wouldn't probably wake up even if a marching band walked past his bedroom, and Anthony suspected that Edwina was similarly fast asleep.
The moment the door closed behind them, and Anthony had turned the key (their siblings might be asleep now, but he was not very keen on anyone barging in in the morning), he spun Kate around, pressing her against the nearest wall. His mouth found her neck, and he began to place kisses along her collarbone.
"You're absolutely gorgeous," he rasped, unclaspig her bra with one hand (limited access to her tits simply wouldn't do anymore).
"No need for... Flattery." The words came out ragged, and she groaned when he began to suck a bruise onto her left breast.
"Absolutely gorgeous," Anthony repeated, sneaking his hand between her thighs. He circled her entrance with his thumb before entering her with his index and middle finger, the pad of his palm rubbing against her clit.
Her reaction was instantaneous, a sharp intake of breath, followed by a long and low moan.
"God, yes, keep going, ah..." she mewled as he fucked her with his fingers, determined to have her orgasm a second time. He could practically feel her being almost there when she suddenly pulled away, panting heavily.
"Do you have protection? Because I want to come with you inside me."
It took his brain a split second to catch up with what she had just said, but the moment it did, he nodded. "Yeah, yes. In my wallet."
"Then go get it, and let's see how comfortable that couch really is."
Anthony didn't need to be told twice. Within seconds, he had extracted a condom from his wallet (there was a second one, which he hoped would be put to good use later that night or in the morning), stripped off his jeans and boxers and joined Kate on the pulled-out couch. Once he had ripped the foil package, Kate grabbed the rubber and rolled it onto his cock, a gesture that made him hiss through his teeth.
"I really need you to fuck me," she breathed into his ear, guiding him to her entrance. "Please."
He nodded, drawing her into a kiss before pushing into her slowly. But Kate was clearly an impatient woman, shifting her hips and pulling him in, forcing him deeper until he was sheathed inside of her to the hilt.
"You feel so good," he groaned, rocking forward as her heels dug into his arse.
"You too. God, Anthony!" Her voice sounded strained in the best kind of way, sending a shiver down his spine.
Leaning forward, Anthony caught her lips again. She still tasted of the sparkling wine, a little tart and sweet at the same time, but the remnants of her own taste also faintly lingered somewhere in the back. It was utterly intoxicating. She was utterly intoxicating.
They quickly found a common rhythm, a delicious back and forth, with Kate meeting him halfway and urging him on. The ascent was slow and steady until it suddenly wasn't. Kate's fingernails dug into his back, a gesture that made him groan and pick up pace.
"You're perfect. Your fucking perfect," he rasped, sliding his hand to her clit. "Come for me, Kate. I want to feel you come on my cock." There were other things he wanted to say, dirtier things, but he bit them back. For now.
"Yes, God, yes," he heard her moan, and before he knew it, she was clenching down on him, hard, her whole body shivering in his arms. It was enough to send him over the edge as well, and after a few more increasingly uncoordinated thrusts, he spilled into the condom with a groan.
They were both gasping for air when he rolled off of her. As much as he wanted to stay exactly where he was, he also didn't want to crush her.
"That was," he tried, still short of breath.
"Yeah," she smiled. "A very good use of the couch."
Anthony laughed, then turned around to dispose of the condom. When he turned back again, he instinctively pulled her closer. She let him.
"Just for the record," he murmured, pressing a kiss to her temple, "While I am not complaining in the slightest, I want to make it clear that this was not why I offered for you and Edwina to stay with us. I had every intention of asking you out in the morning. Like a gentleman. So you wouldn't feel obliged to say yes, or so it wouldn't be awkward for too long if you said no."
Kate chuckled in response. "I figured. That's why I knew that I needed to make the first move if I wanted you to shag me tonight."
"Oh, so you planned this," Anthony asked in a delighted voice. Kate only giggled and swatted his arm.
"I saw an opportunity and decided to make the most of it. Do something reckless for once."
"Is that so?"
"Well, when Edwina heard that in the four months I have been here, I didn't even go on a date, she gave an actual dressing down. 'You're in Germany! Be spontaneous, do something stupid, live a little', that kind of thing."
Immediately, Anthony's heart sank. So he was just a box to be ticked off a list of things to do when in Germany. It stung, even though he couldn't blame her without being the world's biggest hypocrite.
"Ah," he tried to smile. Of course, that one time he felt an actual connection with someone, he was bound to be the only one to feel it.
"I usually would have ignored her," Kate continued, oblivious to his disappointment. "But..." she bit her lip nervously. "It's been a while since I actually felt this drawn to someone this instantly, a really long time, and when you suggested that we stay with you instead of taking the train, I thought, fuck it, worst case scenario you'd wouldn't be interested. Or you would murder me," she added after a second.
Anthony blinked in surprise, her words slowly undoing the knot that had formed in his chest, replacing it with hope.
"I wouldn't be good murderer material," he said, trying to sound casual. "The logistics of getting rid of your body would have driven me insane, not to mention the amount of cleaning up."
Kate laughed, burrowing deeper into his embrace. "You could have just blamed everything on your brother," she teased.
"Not a sound strategy. No one would ever believe Colin had the brains or the needed attention span to successfully kill anyone. Especially when drunk." That wasn't even a lie. Colin, for all his good qualities, was not exactly the brightest of the Bridgerton siblings. It was probably the reason why he was clearly the luckiest. But maybe, Anthony thought, maybe some of that luck had rubbed off on him this time around.
"Anyway," he cleared his throat. "Since we have established that I am not, in fact, a murderer... Can I take you out for dinner this week? I'm still here until Sunday."
"Really? No waiting three days to call and ask?"
He rolled his eyes. "If that's really a thing, then it's total nonsense," Anthony lied. While he did think that the 'three-day rule' was indeed nonsense, he had also been prone to waiting days before getting in touch with women in the past. Simply, because he usually didn't care all that much. But with Kate... He did care. He cared surprisingly much despite their acquaintance being only brief. Besides, he didn't see any reason why he should wait in order to see her.
"Eddie's here until Wednesday noon, and I have to work the rest of the week, but I'm free in the evenings."
"Wednesday evening then?"
"Won't your brother mind?"
"If I leave him with enough money to buy a fancy dinner, he won't even notice."
"But you'd have to come to Bonn. And you know, I don't think I can allow you to take the night train back afterwards. It being late and all," Kate batted her lashes innocently at him.
"Devastating," Anthony sighed theatrically. "Truly terrible. If only I had a place to stay for the night..."
Nothing about this felt like a one-night stand, and instead of being terrified, Anthony was relieved. Not just relieved - he was happy.
Kate shook her head in mock shock. "Terrible indeed. If only there was something I could do about that..."
~*~
"Those pillows are atrocious," Kate huffed as she put her clothes back on. They had stayed up until four in the morning, finishing the sparkling wine (which Anthony had retrieved from the kitchen), talking, and having more sex.
Now it was almost eight, and Kate had just told Anthony that she needed to get back to Edwina, pretending nothing out of the ordinary had happened between the two of them. Not because she was ashamed of it or wanted to deliberately keep it a secret, but because she wasn't keen on dealing with a smug, younger sibling with an 'I told you to just live, and I was right' face. And that Anthony could absolutely understand (and yes, the morning sex, courtesy of the condoms Kate had in her purse, helped too).
"Well, next time we can have the guest room. Which has an actual bed and normal pillows."
"I know," she smirked before leaning in to kiss him.
They officially said their goodbyes a little after eleven. Edwina, who was looking very much under the weather, happily accepted the coffee Anthony made them as well as the slightly stale granola bars (of course, Colin did not have anything that would even remotely resemble breakfast food) he found in one of the kitchen drawers.
"Thank you so much for letting us crash here," she smiled. "I hope your brother is OK though..."
"He'll be alright," Anthony shrugged. Colin was still asleep, probably still drunk, and as much as Anthony craved the satisfaction of rubbing his brother's mistakes in his face, he had no intention of waking him up. He wasn't that cruel. "I'll tell him you said 'bye'."
When hugging Kate goodbye, he whispered a "Text me when you're home?" into her ear, to which she silently nodded.
Once the door clicked behind them, Anthony smiled. Rosenmonatg, he decided, was not that bad after all.