#jokamu

“I want updates! Pictures! Messages! I won’t let go ‘til you promise!”

“I promise!” Corrin shrieked with laughter. “I’ll send you everything!”

Camilla released her and pulled her into a somewhat more conventional embrace. “When you finish University, let’s go on holiday together. All of us.”

“I would like that,” Corrin said, holding on tight.

“I love you, sweetie. Safe flight.”

“I love you too. Bye, Cammy. See you soon.”

Camilla pressed a kiss to her forehead and let her go. Corrin took up her handbag and gave her sister one last smile and wave before following Selena out the door. 

Jakob extended a hand to Camilla. “Thank you for having me.”

“Oh, it was no biggie.” Her voice was warm, but her eyes seemed edged with a touch of frost as she shook his hand, and then all of a sudden her grip was vice-like, alarmingly strong as she tugged him closer and fixed him with a steely glare. “If you hurt her, I will personally ensure that you never find another job in the English-speaking world again.”

He nodded, caught off guard and unable to tell for the life of him if all of this was a joke.

And frankly, he didn’t know if he wanted to ask.

“Good.” She smiled brightly, and he shivered. “As long as we understand one another. I would hate to have to send you back to your motherland by scattering your ashes in the ocean.”

Xander was like an adorable little puppy compared to this woman.

“Have a safe flight, Jakob. Look after her.”

---

“Ah, Corrin, stunning as always. Whole day of air travel? You wouldn’t be able to tell.”

It was Laslow who picked them up from the airport.

He managed to maintain a mindless stream of smalltalk throughout the entire process, and it slowly pushed Jakob closer and closer to the edge of insane, listening to Laslow shamelessly flirt without any concern for the fact that this was his own boss’ sister.

“I’ve heard the salted egg chips over there are amazing.”

“Oh?” Corrin pointed into her suitcase as Jakob lifted it into the boot of the car. “Camilla gave me some. Would you like one?”

“You have to wait in line for ages for those! If I knew you were going to be this generous, I would have asked for something else.” He raised his eyebrows suggestively.

Oddly enough, Corrin seemed entirely accustomed to this sort of interaction and knew exactly when to cut him off. “Ah, the fish skin? Sorry. Didn’t get any of those.”

Jakob sat in the front with Laslow and made a point to give him a lengthy glare as he buckled his belt.

Which didn’t deter him at all.

The ride back to Corrin’s apartment felt decades long, and still, he was talking, even as Jakob unloaded their luggage with an efficiency spurred by sheer irritation.

“It was good to see you, dove. When will we meet next?”

“Who knows?” Corrin smiled, shouldering her handbag. “Treasure this moment, Laslow.”

“Or perhaps you want to meet again soon? Make a date of it?”

Jakob’s hand twitched with the urge to connect his fist with the side of Laslow’s face.

Corrin giggled. “Sorry, but you’re too late. I’ve got a boyfriend.”

Laslow’s mouth fell open as they turned and wheeled their suitcases into the lift and Corrin waved cheerfully at his astounded expression as the doors closed.

“Boyfriend, huh?” Jakob asked.

She coloured slightly. “What, you don’t want to?”

He leaned over and kissed her full and long. “Don’t assume, Miss Nohr. I am thrilled at the prospect of promotion.”

“Good.” She grinned, putting her arms around his waist and pulling him close, standing on the tips of her toes to kiss him again.

“He’s going to tell your brother.”

“Can we not talk about my brother while we’re doing this sort of thing?”

They missed Corrin’s floor.

After riding the elevator down (and apologising sheepishly to the woman who called it) and all the way back up again, they dragged themselves out and up to her front door, where Jakob made himself a nuisance by wrapping his arms around her from behind, kissing her neck and slipping a hand through her coat and under her shirt as she tried to concentrate for long enough to enter her pincode.

“There’s a camera out here,” she admonished, though it somewhat lost its effect when he nuzzled her ear and she bit down on a small moan.

They all but stumbled into her apartment, a clattering mess of suitcases pushed out of the way and bags carelessly deposited wherever as they kissed and groped, undressing in parts and pauses.

Corrin barely had the mind to palm the control panel for the heating before Jakob pulled her coat off and reached under her shirt again to unhook her bra.

“Bed,” she murmured, but he wasn’t really listening, his hand up the front of her shirt now as he kissed her neck. 

He pinched a nipple and was delighted when she went weak in his arms, whimpering with pleasure.

“Jakob,” she moaned, and he wanted to do whatever he could to make her say his name like that as often as possible. “The bedroom -”

They got as far as the sofa.

“You’re surprisingly impatient,” she observed afterwards as she nestled against him, tucked into his embrace as they lay on the white leather, not quite dressed and slightly out of breath.

“You could have stopped me anytime.”

“And missed doing it here?” She giggled softly. “Unlikely. I’ve thought about this ever since you came over to kill that spider for me.”

“Seriously?” Jakob was taken aback by the very idea that she had harboured feelings for him for that long.

“Yeah. I thought about it every time you helped me put on a coat.”

He didn’t know what to make of this. “Clearly… I have no idea how to read you.”

“Good. This means I can continue to tell you lies.” She untangled herself to stand and he watched her with a small smile.

“What would you possibly have to lie to me about?”

“Well,” she said, nonchalantly pulling off her shirt and letting her undone bra slide from her shoulders, “I’m going to tell you right now, how much I did not enjoy that. And how I absolutely do not want you to join me in the shower I’m about to take.”

Jakob sat up. “I’m not quite convinced.”

She grinned. “See? You’re getting better at it already.”

---

Her alarm had gone off a good ten minutes ago, but she was reluctant to obey and lay awake without moving, her blankets still tucked about her and the one other who shared her bed.

In the warm golden glow of morning that came in slivers through her curtains, she studied him as he continued to sleep. Gently, she reached across to push the hair away from his face. It caught the light, and in a brief moment, gleamed silver.

Like starlight.

He was so handsome, her heart throbbed painfully with joy at the thought of having him only to herself.

My Jakob.

And god, he was impossibly warm and comfortable. She felt her eyes sliding shut again as she gave in to guilty contentment and curled up against him.

One more day off wouldn’t hurt.

---

As predicted, the first thing Gunter did was threaten him with death.

“I’m going to kill you.”

“Yes,” Jakob sighed, and he heard the echo of the sound on the other end of the line.

“I should fire you for sheer stupidity. She’s our highest paying contract. So of course you had to go and sleep with the client.”

“I’m… sorry.”

Gunter snorted. “No you’re not, you smug little shit. You’re not even slightly sorry.”

Rude, but accurate as always.

The silence that followed sat tensely on the edge of disapproval.

“Congratulations, I suppose,” Gunter told him at last, and to Jakob’s relief, there was a note of amusement in his voice.

Despite himself, Jakob smiled. “Thanks, I suppose.”

“It’s about damn time you got yourself a girl.”

---

He folded his arms warily as he watched Laslow jab the button on the intercom of his desk phone.

“It’s Jakob.”

There was a long pause on the other end of the line before it clicked on.

“Send him in.”

Xander’s office was situated on the eightieth floor, a vast, clean space furnished with sleek leather and polished steel. It was not the first time Jakob had been in there, but the panoramic harbour view through the tall windows along the curved wall behind his desk never failed to be an impressive sight to behold. 

Xander looked up as Jakob placed the report on the desk and gestured for him to take a seat.

“Good morning. I trust all is well as usual?”

“Yes. No major concerns. No breaches, no threats.”

Xander nodded. “Singapore went well?”

“As well as it could have.” Jakob wondered briefly what Beruka would be communicating to Xander about the events at the Grand Prix after party.

“Very good. If that will be all, then, I’ll see you next month.”

“Actually, no,” Jakob said, and even though he knew he was here to simply deliver the truth, he started to feel nervous. This was the final step, the last thing that stood in the way of him being together with Corrin, and he really did not want to screw it up. “I would like to inform you that I wish to resign.”

Xander frowned deeply. “I don’t understand. Is there a problem?”

“No. No problems. I just think -”

“Is there no way to convince you to stay?” Xander interrupted, folding his hands together on the desk in front of him as though he intended to make a business proposal of considerable gravity. “You have proven reliable and capable. And Corrin does seem to have become comfortable with you. I think she would prefer your company.”

Jakob shifted in his seat. “Unfortunately not. Given current circumstances, I believe I am unfit for the job. It would be best to sign a new bodyguard. For her own safety.”

Xander’s voice was sharp, and it slashed like a sword. “Current circumstances? What do you mean?”

Jakob could barely push the words off his own tongue. “I-I… I’ve fallen in love with Corrin.”

Xander stared at him, aghast.

And then slowly, reached across his desk to hit a button on his phone.

“What do you have to say about that, Corrin?”

Jakob felt his mouth drop open as he flushed so hotly, he wouldn’t have been surprised if he had simply started to smoulder in the chair.

In fact, spontaneous combustion would have been ideal, considering the pressing urge he currently had to throw himself out of a window.

There was a soft click as the line unmuted.

“I… I’d say, I love you too, Jakob.”

Xander’s mouth worked furiously as he did his best to keep himself from laughing. “Well, then. I suppose I have no choice but to accept your resignation and bid you the best of luck.”

He rose to extend his hand and Jakob shook it, still slightly dazed by the turn of events. “Th-thank you.”

“Oh don’t thank me,” Xander smiled, moving the report to the corner of his desk. “You’re doing me the favour. My sister is an absolute handful. You need all the luck you can get.”

---

“We're going to be late.”

“Mmmn.”

“Corrin… Corrin, stop.”

She sat back to give him a look, her eyebrows raised and her lips twitching with the self-satisfied knowledge that he didn't mean a word of what he said.

There were faint red smudges of lipstick all over his mouth, a perfect print of a kiss on his jaw, and… goodness, that stain on his collar might be a little bit of a problem.

“We can say it's my fault,” she suggested, leaning in for another kiss, a hand creeping up the inside of his trouser leg. “Even though it's clearly yours.”

Work had kept him away from her for the better part of the week, and he had actually needed to apply for leave to ensure that he was able to make it tonight. Busy as he was, the invitation was from Xander himself and there was no excuse for non-attendance, much to Corrin’s satisfaction.

The gala dinner was a black tie event. At half-past six, Corrin had left her room to find a large bunch of frost-pink peonies on her coffee table and Jakob seated on her sofa, done up flawlessly in a three-piece suit. 

“Hello,” she whispered, unable to articulate much more at the sight of him.

He had taken her hand to kiss her knuckles and despite everything they had done together, her heart still fluttered at the sensation of his lips. “You look spectacular in white,” he told her, and that was all it took.

Corrin had pounced on him with an appetite that was ravenous, and she'd made a most delectable mess.

Her gown was tight, fitted down to her knees before it extended straight, all the way to the floor, and she had to kneel beside him to press herself flush against his chest, kissing him breathless as she wrestled with the desire to simply start undressing him.

He smelled fresh with the clean scent of soap and aftershave, and she inhaled deeply against his neck, eager to run her hands over the warm, warm skin and toned muscle that she knew was just two rows of buttons away. Her fingers worked his jacket open and she growled hungrily against his lips, her hands rough as they explored the fitted fabric of his waistcoat.

“Don’t,” he murmured, but his hands betrayed his own impatience, sliding down her back to rest below her waist, squeezing firmly just at the top of her thighs in a way that made her feel like she was melting in his arms as he held her.

He let out a small moan when she ran her fingers over the growing bulge in his pants.

“Corrin, please.” He took her wrist to ease away her touch. “If you don’t stop, I am going to do unforgivable things to your dress.”

Despite his measured tone, he looked far from composed, colour faint and high in his cheeks, his breathing uneven.

Corrin sighed in frustration. “It’s just… it’s been so long since I’ve seen you.”

In reality, it had been only five days, but it felt like years since they had touched one another last.

“I know,” he replied, pressing a quick kiss to her lips, “and you are making it incredibly difficult for me to resist.”

She laid a hand against his cheek as she admired him with a head full of irrational suggestions. 

“I want to stay home and just fuck.”

“God, Corrin, don’t tempt me,” he groaned.

“We could get take out. Watch a movie.”

“This is your brother we are trying to please.”

She raised an eyebrow. “You really need to stop bringing up my brother when we’re in the middle of things like this.”

Jakob rolled his eyes. “All right, that’s it. Off. Get off, we’re going.”

She slid off the sofa giggling, and went to retrieve some makeup remover.

When she returned, he had found the novel that she had left the night before on the other side of the sofa. He picked it up and flipped it over to glance at the cover.

“You’ve finally gotten around to reading this.”

She dabbed at the lipstick on his jaw and mouth. “Yeah. And now I know why you looked so depressed the first time I met you.”

He blinked at her. “I what?”

“That’s why I talked to you. You were sitting there, all alone with your book and you looked so sad, I wanted to distract you.”

He sighed and gave her a small smile. “It worked. I still haven’t finished the book.”

“Don’t,” Corrin advised, trying to rub the stain out of his collar. “It’s horrible.”

“All right.” He endured her attempt for a few more seconds before starting to laugh. “What have you done?”

She flushed in embarrassment. “I’m sorry!”

He waved her off with a fond shake of his head and disappeared into her room. When he returned, he held a long white coat with a tall collar that he placed on her shoulders, pulling it snug around her and smoothing it down at her arms.

Some things changed. Others didn’t.

“You look like a princess.”

She blushed again.

“Would you like to give your princess a kiss?”

He leaned towards her, but then stopped, a hand cupped at her chin, a smirk on his face. “Perhaps later.” He let go, falling into familiar motions as he shrugged on his own coat, took the keys from the bowl on the kitchen counter and headed for the door to hold it open for her. “Seeing as we are horribly late.”

She pouted playfully at him. “It’s not polite to keep a lady waiting.”

He laughed quietly, and turned to kiss her lips, his mouth warm with the promise of more later. 

“Then I will oblige as my lady desires,” he whispered.

Someone had chosen for her a strapless dress in a green so deep that the folds of the fabric appeared black. It clung tightly to her form, and it was like he was seeing her for the first time: the curve of her waist, the swell of her breasts, her long legs and pale skin where the dress split from above her knee to the middle of her thigh.

Her hair had been pulled back into a sleek knot at the nape of her neck, and she wore tall black heels that gave her hips an enticing sway with every step she took. 

She was a half-hour fantasy made real, and quite frankly, the most breathtakingly seductive thing he had ever seen in his life.

Nice enough? 

He stared and stared and couldn't stop.

“Do you need a coat?” He asked, desperate to jumpstart his brain.

“Jakob, it's nearly ninety degrees outside.” 

“O-of course.” 

Wake up!

Swallowing hard, he strode towards the door to escort her downstairs, grateful that positioning himself beside her meant that he wouldn't be compelled to gawk mindlessly while she walked ahead.

In the car, he allowed himself a few guilty seconds to watch the way the hem of her dress rode up her thigh as she crossed her legs, conjuring to mind dirty words and sinful intentions.

God, he wanted to turn the car around and ask her to change. The idea that anyone else could stare in the same way he did, entertain the very thoughts that distracted him now gave him the burning urge to do something spectacularly violent.

But she was not the kind to tolerate this sort of jealousy, and he could only guard her as far as the suit on his shoulders would allow - from a distance, looking on helplessly as she gathered the attention of every single person in the room.

This trip could not end soon enough.

Already, he saw the effect she had as he held open the door for her and accompanied her into the Amber Lounge. 

Her appearance at the entrance caused minimal fuss. She was nobody here, an unknown who simply had the right connections to score an invitation to a private pavilion, but every last gaze she caught, she unknowingly held and dragged mercilessly, heads turning to follow her path to where she took a seat. Champagne that was probably worth more than what he would make doing his job that evening was delivered straight to her hand and almost immediately, she had a companion, tall, handsome, well-dressed and disgustingly eager to make a good impression.

From the edges of the rapidly gathering throng, all Jakob could do was watch.

He felt more and more out of place, an accessory in this foreign, glittering world where everything had a name known on an international branded scale and one’s worth was actually a number that didn’t count unless it was cast in anything more than seven figures.

Everything that had happened a couple of days ago now seemed false, like a dream he had only just woken from.

It was almost a relief to receive the notice from Beruka through the radio, and it gave Jakob an excuse to approach Corrin at last, lean close so he could drink in the intoxicating scent of her perfume as he murmured, “Camilla’s on the red carpet.”

The result of the message was immensely satisfying. Corrin nodded and rose from her seat with a brief apology to the disappointed young man she left behind, and headed towards the bar.

Camilla's entrance garnered a small commotion as she breezed into the club with Beruka in tow. She immediately attached herself to the arm of her sister, and then proceeded to start introducing Corrin to everyone in sight.

Beruka nodded politely at Jakob as she passed to take a spot at the other end of the pavilion. 

“You can relax,” she informed him over the radio. “Camilla knows what Xander’s conditions are.”

But he couldn't relax.

Unfortunately, Jakob’s lack of experience meant that he didn't have a point of reference, but a few hours into the evening, he found himself trapped in an exhausting state of hypervigilance. He was watching out for her drink, counting the number she'd had, chasing her visually all over the place as she spoke to anyone and everyone Camillia could beckon closer. 

At half-past nine, a DJ began her set, pumping the room with deafening bass as the lights dimmed and the patrons were given sufficient cover to grow rowdy and reckless. It was inevitable, but amongst the crushing mass of guests, he eventually lost sight of Corrin.

In moment of anxiety, Jakob nearly radioed for Beruka, but then decided against it and pushed into the crowd.

He located her at a table near the bar, surrounded by people, drink in hand (fifth, he counted worriedly), laughing animatedly along with two other girls at something that she'd just been told by a young and incredibly good-looking man.

Camillia was nowhere to be seen.

There was something vaguely familiar about the guy, but any attempt to determine a recognisable name dissolved in an instant as Jakob watched him move uncomfortably close to Corrin, using the volume of the music as an excuse to lean towards her and run a hand up her arm.

She pulled back, but he took a step forward, wrapping an arm around her waist.

Jakob saw red.

His feet were carrying him before he even realised what he was doing, and he pushed in between Corrin and the young man, who was forced to step back, looking immediately indignant at the intrusion.

“I'm going to have to ask you to not touch her.”

The entire group stopped and turned to watch.

“And who the hell are you?” The guy waved his hand as though shooing a fly.

He could feel Corrin grip his elbow, her voice barely audible over the music. “Oh god, Jakob, don’t -”

“The lady and I are just having a little chat.” His voice was thickly accented and his tone set Jakob’s teeth on edge. “So why don’t you fuck off, before I throw you out?” With a condescending smile, the man reached up and patted the side of Jakob’s face with the back of his hand.

An entire weekend’s worth of fury and frustration surged like a storm front and Jakob couldn’t tell for a second whether his ears were filled with the throb of the bass or the rage in his own blood.

“Kindly refrain from further contact.”

“Or what?”

The second attempt to touch his face backfired. Jakob seized him by the wrist of his outstretched hand, wrenching it sideways and up against the man’s back so fast, he didn’t even have time to utter a cry of pain before Jakob slammed his face so hard against the table that it shifted forward.

Something shattered; someone shrieked.

All of a sudden, venue security was mobilising, and with a look of abject horror, Corrin turned and fled.

Jakob released the man as the first guard reached him to pat him down and he flashed his identity badge, leaving them in a state of confusion as he paged for Beruka and strode after his charge.

Corrin was small and agile and he lost her again almost immediately in the heaving crowd. By the time he finally caught sight of her, she was outside and the valet service was retrieving a car and driver while she furiously tapped out a message on her phone.

He barely managed to reach her as she climbed into the car and he circled around to take the other seat.

The door shut, sealing them in a pocket of muted sound, uncomfortable and cold.

“Corrin, I’m -”

“Don’t,” she snapped. “Just don’t.”

The entire trip back to the hotel was endured in silence. 

When the car pulled up to the entrance, she didn’t wait, throwing open the door and charging straight out, across the lobby to call for the lift. Jakob almost missed that too, having to stop the closing doors by throwing a hand between the sensors and hoping for the best. As the elevator raced up to the topmost floors of the building, he felt his irritation and resentment overflow at last. All space for patience and rational thought had run out - he was raring for a fight.

And a battle he got. The moment the apartment door slammed shut, Corrin wheeled on him, eyes flashing. 

“What the fuck is your problem? Seriously! You can’t relax for just two seconds -”

Jakob folded his arms, willing with all his might to remain calm. “Are you listening to yourself? Would you rather I’d just left him to just do whatever he wanted with you?”

“I can look after myself! Just because a guy is coming onto me doesn’t mean I need to you to save me. I’m not helpless.”

“That’s not the point. This is my job. This is what your brother has paid me to do.”

Excuses, lies.

You just want her to yourself.

Corrin hurled her clutch onto the ground and it skittered away, several thousand dollars of black leather against the polished tiled floor as she stepped forward, her voice raised defiantly. “To what, ruin my entire evening? Chase away my friends? I’ve never been more embarrassed in my entire life! Are all of you guards fucking psychos?”

Something in Jakob snapped. 

“Look, I have spent months trying to keep you safe. You might think it’s acceptable to be friendly and lead people on, but no one else lives in this fairy land of yours! People misunderstand. And people will take advantage of you, they will hurt you, but you know what? That’s fine. Clearly, you don’t think it’s a problem.” He pulled his earpiece out, yanked the radio and baton from his belt and dropped them on the table. “I’m done. I can’t do this anymore.”

“What?” She asked, and all of a sudden her voice was weak and small. “What do you mean?”

He shook his head, dismayed. It wasn’t fair, not when she pleaded with that look, not when every other word was a honey-laden trap and she gave false impressions of affection only to steal away everything that he gave in return.

But his sense of resolve was pathetic in her presence, and it was already crumbling even as he tried to tell her no and walk away.

“I’m a liability, Corrin. I can’t protect you when I'm like this.”

What did it matter what he said to her now? It was like throwing pages upon a fire - a meaningless waste that only knew how to flare bright in a single second before it flickered and faded, expendable, gone. 

For so long, these few moments of light and warmth had starved for air and he knew that if he told her, the truth would simply expire on his lips.

But what did he have left to lose, anyway?

“What do you mean?” She asked again. “Like what?”

“Like this,” he whispered, and with a three-word confession burning beneath his tongue, he kissed her.

She inhaled sharply but didn’t pull away, didn’t resist, and so he moved to take her hand, reached up to stroke her cheek and pull her close, kissed and kissed her, poured every breath, every minute he craved and ached for her into the place where their lips met. He was consumed by it, so obsessed with the idea that this was fleeting and doomed that it wasn’t until he broke the kiss that he realised she had kissed him back the entire time.

He stared at her, speechless as she wiped a tear from her face with the back of her hand.

“Do you know how long I’ve waited for you to do that?”

She reached for him this time, and now there was too much to process. Her mouth was hot and demanding, her kiss fierce as she slid her hands up his chest, pressing herself against him, unbuttoning his jacket and dragging his tie from his neck.

“Wait,” he murmured, “What are you -”

“What do you think I'm doing, Jakob?” She raised an eyebrow, dropping the tie and slipping her fingers beneath his suit jacket to push it from his shoulders. “Don’t I have your approval for this yet?”

Obediently, he let her drag his arms from the sleeves, discarding the jacket on the sofa and then followed, mute with admiration as she took his hand and led him into her room.

Corrin was upon him again as soon as the door closed, so frantic in her intent that he was bewildered, drunk on the taste of alcohol that lingered on her lips, every brush of her hands, the way she responded to his touch with soft sighs of approval, her fingers curling into the fabric of his shirt when he kissed her in places other than her mouth.

She slowly pushed him back until he sat on the bed and she stood between his knees.

“Help me out,” she murmured, guiding him by the wrist and he reached behind her to find a zip. It tugged smoothly open and he ran his hands down the length of her body, taking the dress with the motion.

Beneath she wore a strapless bra of black lace, and matching panties that arched criminally high on the curve of her ass. He watched her kick the dress away, still in her heels, with her hands braced on his shoulders and he had to remind himself to breathe, breathe.

Corrin blushed at the attention, though she smiled as she slowly stepped out of her shoes.

“Are you just going to stare at me all night, or are we going to fuck?”

He dragged her into his lap and kissed her so hard, he felt faint.

She pressed herself greedily to him, stripping him of his shirt as she ground her hips against his, eliciting a quiet moan that made him realise that he was already much harder than he had any right to be.

A brief fumble unclasped her bra and he let it fall away as he lifted her easily and turned to lay her on the bed. She took him into her arms, a sweet sigh falling from her lips as he slid up against her bare skin and she wrapped her arms about his neck, her legs around his waist. She was soft like the edges of a dream, smooth and warm all the way down to the exquisitely inviting heat between her thighs. 

He wanted to touch her everywhere at once, taste everything from her eager mouth to the insides of her thighs, leave traces of himself in a dark red mark at the base of her neck, skin pink at her collarbones from the gentle nip of teeth. She was ardently responsive, moaning breathlessly when he ran his tongue over the tender skin of her breasts, playing with her nipples until they were hard in his mouth and she pulled her hands away from his belt to dig them into his hair. Every soft, sweet whimper he teased from the back of her throat drove him wild. 

Jakob rose to his knees, drinking in the sight of her as he mouthed kisses all the way up the inside of her thigh. 

She was perfect, divine - so painfully beautiful - and he didn't deserve any part of her.

Pressing a kiss almost in apology to the top of her hips, he hooked his fingers in the lace of her panties and pulled them away.

He flushed at the sound she made when his fingertips slipped easily over the slickness on her pretty pink clit, the blood rushing dizzily to his head as he felt her arch up into his touch. 

“Oh god,” she gasped, and the words flared pure heat in the depths of his hips.

With impatient hands, she reached for his belt to complete the task she’d started, her motions now urgent with need. 

He complied eagerly, helping her until she dragged his pants past his hips, her fingers sliding down the length of his cock and he leaned heavily upon his elbows, pressing his face into her neck, his voice catching in his throat.

“You're so hard,” she whispered, almost in wonder, stroking him and smiling when he bit down on a groan at the sensation of her thumb gliding over the tip, precome speading slick and warm over red hot skin.

“Stop,” he told her, crushing another deep kiss to her mouth to distract himself from the pleasure piling, building, moments short of unbearable.

But she was done with waiting and pulled him close, rocking her hips against him and she was warm, moist, so mind-meltingly good that his breath was stolen clean from his lungs with one movement, and in the next, she lost herself as well, clinging to him as they moaned into each other's mouths.

“Fuck me,” she whispered, and with that one command, burnt away the last of his self-control.

She was hot, wet, so tight that he could barely keep himself from being rough. He thrust in deep and her eyes slid shut in ecstasy, expelling his name in a sound that made him want to just give into the desire to take her mindlessly with something close to violence.

“Harder,” she begged him, moaned loudly when he obeyed, every thrust of his hips a accompanied by a breathless gasp, a blooming heat that felt like falling, drowning.

She held him close, crying aloud as she clenched tightly, arching off the bed. He watched her come, pressed deep into her, desperately starving off his own orgasm so he could feel her pulse hotly around him. She was utterly captivating, flushed and frowning, her lips parted as she helplessly moaned his name, and the sensation was too wonderful, so deliciously overwhelming that he was only barely lucid enough to drag himself from her before he came in thick white streaks over her stomach.

Without waiting for the pleasantly dreamy haze to settle, he laid a gentle kiss to her cheek before going to retrieve a soft towel and some tissues from her en suite.

For a long time afterwards, they lay in silence beneath the sheets, side by side, content to simply look.

“So,” Corrin said finally as she regarded him with wide eyes, “I would say that was grossly unprofessional of you.”

He hummed in amusement. “In my defence, Miss Nohr, I was provoked.”

She smirked. “I would have provoked you sooner, if I knew this would be the result.” Her smile faded a little and she took his hand, gently running her fingertips along the inside of his wrist. “I'm sorry I've been such a pain these past few days.”

“I'm sorry I've been such an idiot,” he replied. “I... had no idea.”

“Well, in your defence,” she laughed, “neither did I.”

He laughed too, his heart wonderfully full and light. She was gorgeous, her eyes bright, cheeks pink and her hair in disarray. As he stared, delighted with this newfound permission to openly adore her, his gaze fell on a glimmer of silver around her neck.

A small star.

She had worn it, even though its price tag was a mere fraction of any other item she had shed from her person that evening. 

She had worn it even though she had been angry with him this whole time.

Jakob gathered her into his arms, overcome with the absolute strength of affection he felt for her. 

“Will you forgive me for being so stupid?” He asked.

Standing across the apartment in nothing but a towel around his waist was Silas.

“Oh. Hey. You’re here early.”

Jakob felt his stomach drop out through the floor beneath his feet. 

“Jakob.” 

And there she was, seated at the kitchen counter before a laptop in nothing but a large t-shirt and her underwear, her eyes wide and her hair pulled into a wild bun. He could read the guilt as clearly on her features as if she had spoken what had occurred last night in this apartment out loud.

“Are you done, Silas?” Her voice was quiet, but it pierced through the space between them, settling heavy and painful in his chest.

“Um, yeah.”

“Thanks. I’ll see you at uni.”

“Yeah? I was hoping I could get a lift with you guys.”

“It’s a coupe,” Jakob could not keep the venomous tone out of his words. “There are only two seats.” You moron.

Silas shot him a disgruntled look. “All right. Calm down.”

Jakob fought the urge to leap across the room and break every bone in his body.

“Silas,” Corrin sighed, and there was a note of warning in what she said. “Please, just go.”

“What the hell,” he muttered, turning to open the door to the spare room and stepping inside before shutting it again.

He watched as her hands twisted up her shirt. “Nothing happened,” she whispered, and the simple fact that she felt the need to explain herself fed the growing resentment in him.

Jakob couldn’t reply.

She hovered for a long moment, uncertain, and finally, turned towards her room. “Give me a few minutes to get ready.”

He waited until her door closed before he put down the coffees on the kitchen counter and pressed a palm to his face, sighing deeply. He was an idiot. An idiot for trying, for thinking that he had a chance at all. None of this had been a good idea to begin with and now he had nothing but a dull ache in his chest and a dark voice in the corner of his mind that told him over and over that he always knew it would turn out this way, who was he even kidding?

“I don’t know what your problem is, but you need to stay away from her.” 

Silas had emerged from the spare room, dressed now, and he looked furious.

Jakob glared. “Who are you to tell me what to do?”

“Look, I don’t care if you’re her family, I love her and I’m not gonna let jerks and freaks like you take advantage of her.”

How stupidly easy it was for him to spout such declarations. Jakob felt frustration clench in his throat and he had to draw a deep breath to kill the compulsion to reach for his baton. “If anyone is trying to take advantage of her, it’s not me.”

Silas scowled. “Don’t touch her.”

“Or what? I’m not the one turning up to her apartment at night and trying to force myself on her.”

“Hey, don’t put words–“

“Silas!”

Corrin stood in her bedroom doorway, dismay written all over her face as she looked at Jakob and Silas in turn. “Silas, you need to go.”

He took a step towards her and she recoiled. Jakob felt his body tense, seconds away from stepping across the room and slamming the boy face down onto the hardwood floor.

“I’m sorry,” she said quietly, shaking her head. “I think… I think we need to talk about this later.”

He faltered at her words and turned quickly to glance at Jakob in disbelief. “This is so fucked up.” With a sigh, he grabbed his bag, wrenched the door open and left without even saying good bye.

The silence that followed drew tense, like a wire about to snap.

“What was he doing here?” Jakob demanded.

“I don’t have to explain myself to you,” she replied, and he was surprised to hear the irritation in her voice. “And he wasn’t forcing anyone, you can’t talk to him like that.”

Something thorned and cool as steel lodged itself in the depths of his chest. Reflex took over and he let himself slide back into practiced words, even tones. “Miss Nohr, you are to inform me when you intend to have guests over. This sort of behaviour constitutes a breach of security and a threat to your safety.”

“God, Jakob, he’s my friend,” she snapped. “I’ve known him for ten whole years! Are you telling me I can’t even see my fr –“

“He’s in love with you.”

The words were louder than he thought they would be and the sound stunned both of them into silence.

When Corrin spoke again, there was ice in her voice, hard and cold.

“So what? Why do you care?”

They were the four words that he hated hearing from her, the only question that cut so deep he couldn’t brush it away with a snide remark or an offhand comment.

Why do you care?

“Corrin… I –“

“Screw this,” she muttered, stalking into her room and returning with a deep frown on her face, a coat in her arms.

He watched, his heart lurching sickeningly as she pulled it on and snatched her keys out of the bowl. 

“So are you going to do your job, or am I going to drive myself today?”

---

In the car, she stared determinedly at her phone.

“Camilla’s bought me a ticket to the Singapore Grand Prix after party. We leave tonight.”

The words were cool and flat, spoken like a command with no room for argument. 

“Xander knows.”

He matched her tone for tone, even though he wanted nothing more than to tip a thousand apologies into her lap. 

“Good. Get me in contact with Camilla’s PA and PSD. I’ll take care of the rest.”

But it was better this way. 

Work such as this had no time or place for foolish, misplaced emotions. Love caused distractions.

The jealousy was driving him mad.

Neither served any purpose other than to make him unfit to continue this contract. The timing of her sister’s invitation was unfortunate, but for Corrin’s convenience, he could pretend for a little longer. Once he got back from Singapore, he’d ask Gunter to reassign him somewhere else.

Claim issues of incompatibility that had led to compromised security for the client.

Until then, it was best to maintain the frigid atmosphere of the disagreement.

Professional, distant.

Uncomplicated.

His phone pinged a minute later, and he glanced at her, catching her eye for a brief second before the light turned green and he had to return his attention to the road. 

Away from yesterday. Away from her.

The feel of her arms around his waist, the soft sound of her laugh, the warmth of her fingers on his wrist. Regret in a moment that would never happen. A checklist to be struck off, things he needed to forget, one by one.

---

Past customs, there was a sign with bold text, and it read her first name, but only the first letter of her last. Not that she needed it – the woman holding the board was instantly recognisable.

Corrin felt the fatigue built up from twenty hours of restless, broken sleep and struggling to not think about her flight companion slough from her shoulders. 

“Selena!”

Down came the sign, and with a small smile, she spread her arms as Corrin ran up to her.

“How are you?” Her words were warm and her hug lingered with a gentle pat at Corrin’s shoulder. “Cammy’s at the hotel.” Her gaze flicked to the other person that had accompanied Corrin through the gates, and the look was one of stern appraisal. “Jakob?”

“Yes.”

They shook hands, and Selena gave Corrin another small smile.

If only it were that simple. 

She turned to lead them out of Changi airport, walking briskly past duty-free and then instead of through the hustle of the main mall, out towards an unmarked exit.

“It’s nearly five in the morning. In case you haven’t been outside, it’s twenty-seven degrees today,” Selena informed them as she quickly brought up a call on her phone. “That’s about eighty Fahrenheit, so you’d better take that off.”

Out of the corner of her eye, Corrin saw Jakob move to help her, and then stop. Which was fine. She didn’t need the assistance and she just wanted to be away from him at that moment.

In all honesty, she had already forgiven him, and felt somewhat guilty for the events of Friday morning, but when she had approached him in the hopes of reconciliation before they left her apartment on Friday night, he had brushed her off coldly, to her dismay.

It was as though he had shut a door in her face, and it made her angry all over again, indignant that her effort to apologise for something that wasn’t entirely her fault had been rudely rejected.

The entire flight ended up being an arduous affair punctuated with one-word answers and copious, uncomfortable silence.

Thursday was now a distant dream, fading and almost irrational, the details slipping through her fingers even as she ran a hand over the blue velvet box tucked into her carry-on and tried to cling to the ghost of his touch and the promise of his lips.

The only reason they were in Singapore at all had been a result of Thursday - or perhaps Friday - a gap of time that sat undefined on the edge of wakefulness and sleep. 

Corrin had finally finished the assignment with Silas at nearly half-past one in the morning, and giving him a few blankets from the spare room, told him to crash on the sofa.

Retreating to her own room, she had quickly showered, changed and crawled into bed, fully intending to sleep when she noticed a notification on her phone. 

Camilla had liked her little potted cactus photo on Instagram and added a comment.

Cute! But who’s the fave? I’ve been replaced!!

It was followed by a broken heart and a crying emoji.

Corrin scrolled up to look at her own caption and couldn’t help but smile a little. Brunch with my fave. 

Secret, she replied, and added a wink.

Immediately, a notification came through her personal messages.

Sweetie, you’re up? What time is it??

2am. I was studying.

Camilla’s next messages came through in three parts.

A smartie and a cutie! You should sleep, but I want to know! Who is this new fave?

Corrin hesitated. His name is Jakob.

She received a row of open-mouthed surprise emojis in response. I’ve never heard this name before, WHO IS HE?

The pause this time was much longer. So long, in fact, that Camilla thought she had fallen asleep.

Sweetie? Still there?

Corrin took a deep breath and prayed that Camilla wouldn’t tell Xander. He’s my new bodyguard.

The three dots undulated in their row up and down for what felt like an eternity, but when the next bubble popped up, it only contained three letters.

OMG.

She filled her response in so fast, it was nothing but a bunch of typos. Dint teel Xabdet. Please. Corrections were sent through next, but Camilla was already moving on.

Photo. Details. Corrin, you naughty girl, how long has this been going on?? 

Three months. Wait, no, that was how long he had been working in this role for. Two months. It didn’t matter. She was sleepy and honest and it felt so good to be able to finally tell someone the truth – she had been attracted to him from the very second she had asked him about the book he wasn’t reading.

I think I’m in love with him.

She let the phone slide from her hands onto the bed beside her, buried her face into her pillow and wanted to laugh and groan and shout all at the same time. Oh, god, she had really done it now. Telling Camilla made it known, made it real, and she couldn’t decide if she was elated to realise just how strongly she felt or terrified of the consequences of letting the confession see the light of day.

When she picked up the phone again, there were fourteen notifications and a wall of messages from Camilla.

You’re coming to Singapore. The Grand Prix is this Sunday, I’ll get you into the after party. Tell me everything when you get here, sweetie, I can’t WAIT!

There were hearts and heart eyes and blushing and… sweat drops. Corrin giggled. She knew what they meant, and she knew Camilla wasn’t about to tell anyone. Excitement gripped her at the thought of a spontaneous weekend trip. She hadn’t been anywhere overseas in almost a year, she was going to see Camilla, and she would be with Jakob. It sounded like it couldn’t be anything but a lot of fun.

But then Friday happened, and suddenly, staying at home, holed up in her room seemed much preferable to this.

She couldn’t understand him. Was it better to perhaps simply not?

Camilla was indeed awake when they checked into the hotel and made their way up to Corrin’s rooms, an ear-popping ascent to the one hundred and seventeenth floor that apparently housed in total only three executive suites. 

She wore a long black silk robe, and - Corrin suspected, but couldn’t be sure - nothing underneath spare a spray of perfume. Her hair was arranged in neat curls, freshly coloured in her signature lilac, and her makeup was already applied even at this ridiculous hour. She looked like a goddess, always photo-ready and flawlessly, effortlessly beautiful.

Camilla rose from where she sat on the large black sofa and Corrin all but threw herself into her sister’s arms.

“Sweetie, sweetie, it is so good to see you!” She peppered kisses all over Corrin’s face and Corrin let herself be swept away, giggling as Camilla snuggled her, sat her down on the sofa and gestured to the dining table, which was laden with breakfast food.

“I hope you don’t mind. I ordered room service because I knew my adorable little sister would be hungry,” She gently tapped Corrin’s nose, but her gaze was caught by Beruka, head of her security detail, who crossed the room to shake Jakob’s hand and lead him out of sight.

“Is that him?” She whispered conspiratorially.

Corrin nodded and then sighed. “It’s complicated.”

“What?” Camilla asked incredulously. “You were telling me only yesterday that you were -” She lowered her voice with a quiet laugh, “that you were -”

“Yes,” Corrin cut her off, not wanting to hear the word spoken out loud, trying to ignore the heat that rushed to her face. “We had a bit of a fight before we left, and now…” She frowned, staring at her hands. “Nothing feels the same.”

Camilla’s smile fell into a pout. “Oh, baby, baby, come here.” 

Corrin surrendered to her sister’s embrace, leaning into her shoulder as Camilla lovingly stroked her hair. She felt like a child, comfortable and safe.

“Do you want me to fire him?”

“No!” Corrin exclaimed, almost bewildered at how extreme the suggestion was. “No. I just want to talk to him. But he won’t listen.”

“Well, sweetie, would you like to hear my solution to this kind of thing?”

“Never fall for a man again, because they’re horrible and confusing?”

Camilla laughed. “There’s that. But there’s also shopping.”

From her seat behind the desk in the corner of the room, Selena looked up from her tablet.

“If he won’t listen, we’ll at least ensure that he can’t help but look. And if that doesn’t work, my darling, at least you’ll be well-armed for an evening where anyone else would be damned lucky to have your attention.”

Corrin felt excitement stir at the thought.