MUSE // A Harry Styles Story

Nuit Blanche

After her morning lessons Lia packed her things for the evening and made the merengues, arranging them carefully in a box cushioned with waxed paper before leaving her cottage. She no longer had to buzz at Harry's gate; she'd been given the code.

Adam made great strides during his lesson, and she and Harry took another trip out to the rocks. When they brought the gear to her truck at the end of the hour, Lia noticed that the parking area was uncharacteristically empty.

"Where is everyone?"

"Gone for the night."

"Everyone?"

"All but Jimmy. He's here, somewhere."

"But what about dinner? I made merengues for ten."

"They'll keep. I've sent everyone to Cannes."

"You sent them? Did they not have a choice? Sometimes I wonder just how used to being obeyed you are."

"It's a treat for them. They're happy. I'm happy. Hopefully you're happy. I wanted to be alone with you. Jimmy won't surface from his room unless there's an emergency, and the cook will leave as soon as dinner's served. We'll have the whole place to ourselves. We could eat naked."

"Harry, you need to found a nudist colony. But It's actually kind of sexy that you're so comfortable with your own body." She paused, experiencing a mental facepalm and blushing slightly at what she'd said. In for a penny, in for a pound she thought as she asked, "Did you really go around the X-Factor house in a gold thong?"

He laughed, "You really were a fan, weren't you?"

"I was sixteen. I had a television and a radio and the internet. Of course I was a fan."

"Was I your favorite?"

"If I say you weren't, will you cancel our dinner?"

"No."

"You were my favorite. Although you were all adorable. I have always had a soft spot for Niall. That accent and the bright blue eyes were hard to resist. And he seemed to have the best sense of humor." She paused before bringing up the name that had been tied to Harry from the beginning. "I always thought Louis tried too hard. He was obnoxious, not funny..."

He avoided mentioning anyone by name. "I miss what we had." His eyes lost focus. "It's not often you find mates like that. Hard to stay that way when you're off doing different things, though." He shook his head and looked back at Lia. "Shall we get cleaned up? I hear there's some fun to be had here tonight."

*****

He let her go first again, and she dressed while he was in the shower. The white dress had been a summer creation two years earlier, but she had never had the opportunity to wear it. Absolutely simple in white cotton, the strapless sheath ended several inches above her knees. What made the dress were the multitude of inch wide chiffon strips that fell from the hem, flowing like gossamer to her ankles. Her only adornment was the gold chain with its ring and gold hoop earrings. She thought she might just be stunning.

She was sitting on the balcony, drying her hair in the breeze, when he emerged nearly thirty minutes later.

"Ah, now that was a celebrity length shower. I was amazed when you finished in ten minutes last time. How's the tattoo?" She knew as soon as she asked the question that it had been a mistake.

He dropped the towel around his waist and held it with one hand, just barely covering his groin. At least it hadn't ended up on the floor. He turned so she could see the tattoo, and the curve of his ass.