by Lara Swann
“Mmhmm…” She responds, sounding dreamy and faraway, which is the most perfect thing I could hear right now. I relax into it, letting the sense of satisfaction fully sweep through me, and just lie there for a while. I’m too spent and dazed to think of anything to say, but it’s enough just to know she’s there on the other end of the phone.
“Tristan…” She eventually murmurs, her tone quiet and warm.
“Mmm?” I respond, slowly starting to come back to myself.
“Thank you…that was just what I needed.”
I smile, the feeling warming me all over again. I still can’t believe this actually happened…that we actually did this…but I slao know immediately that I don’t want it to end. This feeling, or what we’re doing, or…any of it.
“Yeah?” I manage, still slightly catching my breath. “Well…feel free to call me anytime the wedding starts bothering you again.”
Lauren laughs, soft and delicate and genuine, and I love everything about it.
“I will do.” She promises, her voice full of a sultry heat that makes me want to moan all over again. “Goodnight, Tristan.”
“Goodnight, Lauren.”
There’s a pause, a small moment where we’re both still there that we briefly hold onto, and then Lauren hangs up. I let the phone fall to the bed with a sigh, closing my eyes and dropping my head back into the pillow. When I open them again, the computer screen is the only thing that’s still there, looking back at me from the other side of the room with its accusatory blank document.
Fuck it. That can wait until tomorrow.
Chapter Fourteen
Lauren
“Hey, you’re still here?” Leslie, my boss, asks as she enters our open-plan working space to see me there. “I thought you’d booked this afternoon off—don’t you have a wedding to get to?”
“Wedding isn’t until tomorrow. Bridal stuff tonight. I’m just finishing something up.” I say, barely glancing up from my desk as I continue typing and try to hang onto my train of thought. I have just the right way to articulate what’s wrong with this section. “I’m about to leave, really.”
And maybe I’m slightly putting that off.
I deliberately don’t look up at the clock. Another few minutes won’t hurt, surely. I’ve still got plenty of time to get home, change, and get to the house where the bridal party are staying tonight in time for a last-hurrah-dinner with the girls, and a run through of whatever Hannah needs to settle her nerves. Plenty of time.
“I’m sure that whatever it is can wait a few days, Lauren…go, enjoy your weekend!” Leslie says, walking toward me.
She’s always been supportive like that and I appreciate it, I really do, but now that my guts are already churning with discomfort, the most supportive thing she could do right now would be to let me stay here. At least for just a little bit longer. Until I work off the rush of adrenaline and can join the bridal party with a big, enthusiastic smile on my face for Hannah.
“Will do.” I reply distractedly. “Just—”
“Lauren?”
A second voice interrupts, pulling me away from the editing yet again, and I sigh as I look up. Nadia is standing in the doorway, poking her head in.
“Yes?”
“There’s someone at reception for you…” She says, and I don’t miss the curious look as she smiles at me. “…he’s got flowers, too.”
My stomach drops. Fucking hell. Today?!
That’s the last thing I need right now.
“Fucking bastard.” I mutter, before raising my voice to respond to Nadia. “Great. Well, you can tell Greg he can fuck right off—I’m not interested.”
That’s not usually the sort of language I’d use at work, but everyone here knows what happened between Greg and I last year - it would have been impossible not to, since he practically stalked me for a few weeks - and they were all wholeheartedly supportive. I might not be super close to anyone here, but I’m lucky enough to work with some really great colleagues.
It’s been a long time since he pulled any of that shit, though - showing up here trying to apologize or fix things between us - enough that I definitely thought he’d gotten past that by now. Although, of course the bastard knows it’s Hannah’s wedding this weekend and he probably knows just how that makes me feel. But if he thinks he can use that to come in here and—
“It’s not Greg.”
I blink, looking back at Nadia.
“What?” I frown, confused.
She just shakes her head. “It’s not him. I’ve never seen this guy before.”
“But…”
Who else would it be?
I never did get around to activating those dating apps…
Nadia knows what she’s talking about, though - if she doesn’t recognize this guy, it’s not Greg.
I look back at the document in front of me and sigh again. There goes my flow.
“Alright.” I grumble. “I’m coming. This isn’t getting done now, either way.”
I shut down the computer and pack up my bags, ready to leave for the day, and offer Nadia an apologetic smile for my grouchiness. It’s not her fault I’m still trying to get my shit together.
“See you next week, Lauren.” Leslie says cheerily, heading into her office.
I give her a wave and then make my way down to reception, in no mood for any of this. Nadia follows me - she works down there anyway, but I’m pretty sure it’s partly because she’s curious. I probably would be too, if it wasn’t for my preoccupation with—
I emerge into reception and freeze stock-still as I see the man standing just beside the front desk.
No way…
“Tristan?!” I blurt, my voice rising to echo louder than it probably should in a work environment. I don’t care in the slightest. “What are you doing here?!”
“Lauren.” He turns towards me, a smile already on his lips, and a bunch of beautiful multi-colored lilies in his arms.
My heart lurches in my chest at the sight, everything about him so much more vivid - so much more impressive - than I remember, while my blood sparks with heat, too many memories of what it was like in those arms to stop my body from reacting.
“I thought maybe you could use some moral support.” He says, his words soft and his eyes warm…so expressive…so much more expressive than I remember.
A lump rises into my throat and I think I let out something halfway between a gulp and a sob—and then I’m running at him, my eyes burning and emotion overwhelming me.
He came all this way…he’s here…right now…just for me…fuck, I can’t…
It’s too much. I don’t think, I just throw my arms around him—and then I’m kissing him. I can’t hold back. Not even a little bit. Not now—not after this. I’m vaguely aware that maybe this isn’t the place for it, that maybe this isn’t what he meant at all, that maybe this far-too-public display will come back to bite me, but…screw it. He’s the one who traveled across the country to be here. I’m entitled to get confused enough to kiss him. And if it means I get that mouth against mine, those warm lips and that soft tongue…
He kisses me back, and it feels like everything in the world falls into place in that one moment.
His hand going around the back of my head, drawing me closer, my body pressing up against him and everything getting lost in the sweet, tender touch of his tongue.
He’s the one who pulls back first, far too soon, but enough for me to vaguely remember where we are and recognize that we’ve got more than a few people now watching us. My face explodes in sudden color as I flush a deep red, but I can’t say I regret it. Not for a moment.
“Do you think maybe we should…” Tristan murmurs, very deliberately not looking at the people at the reception desk and instead nodding towards the double-glass-doors at the entrance.
“Ah, yes…” I say, still feeling stunned, and more than a little breathless. It seems impossible that he’s here. “Let’s…go outside.”
I pick up my bags and we leav
e quickly, stopping on the sidewalk outside as we turn to face each other. I’m still flustered and more than a little confused, but since I have finally left the office…
“D’you mind if I hail a cab? I should really be getting home…”
I was going to take the metro, but with him here…well, I’d much rather talk to him in a cab than on the metro or out here on the sidewalk.
“Don’t you have to go back in there?” He asks, raising an eyebrow as he nods to the building behind us.
“I’ve got the afternoon off.” I say, finally feeling like I’m starting to catch my breath.
“Then yeah, sure.” He gives me a small smile, both of us a little more awkward now that we’re not kissing.
I smile back, my stomach still fluttering in all sorts of mostly-pleasant ways, and quickly flag down a cab. He gets in the other side and I slide in next to him, giving my address to the driver.
There’s a lull between us for a moment, as the cab pulls away and settles into the traffic, but the moment I look over at him, I can’t help myself. I shuffle closer, nestling into his side, and he puts his arm around me as if it’s the most natural thing in the world. My body finally relaxes, even as I’m overcome by a rush of emotions that I can barely identify, just from seeing him here.
“Sorry to just show up at your workplace like that.” Tristan says softly. “It was much easier to find out where you worked than where you lived.”
“It’s fine. I caused far more of a scene than you did.” I say, more than a little amused. Worth it, though.
But the idea of him going to all that trouble to find me…
“Tristan, what are you doing here? Really?” I ask, looking at him again, our gazes catching and an endless stream of unspoken things shining within them. “New York City is about as far from California as you can get.”
I think he might make some sort of joke about my promise to show him around as a local - turn it into our usual banter somehow - but he doesn’t. He’s warm and genuine as he looks at me.
“I know how hard tomorrow is going to be for you, Lauren…and I know how much you’re trying to hide that. I didn’t want you to have to face it all alone. Not when I could be here. So…as I said, I came for moral support. I wanted you to have someone around who you could be honest with—who was here for you, not your sister.”
Oh fuck.
Why do I feel like I’m about to cry?
“Shit, Tristan, you’re…a really good friend.” I say, hugging him tightly as I try to fight the lump in my throat.
It’s not the right word either, I know that, but it’s all that manages to make it past my lips. It’s the right word for now. Anything else is too complicated.
He doesn’t seem to mind either way, his gaze still just as warm, and a small smile tugging at his lips. He looks so devastatingly handsome like that, his hair perfectly windswept and his rugged features a sight for sore eyes in the professional-business-world that I spend most of my time in.
“I can come with you to the wedding tomorrow - be your plus one if you want. I figured maybe I’d be someone you could take without your family being concerned about the reasons for it, but I understand if you’d still rather go alone. Still, at the very least I figured I could provide a distraction this evening, give you a chance to vent a little if you wanted.”
“Oh, damn.” I say, shaking my head and already feeling a stab of regret for the missed opportunity. I look at him in disappointment. “I’m with the bridal party tonight - we’re having a last dinner, just the girls, before Hannah gets married tomorrow. That’s why I’m on my way home—to get ready.”
“Ah, fuck.” He shakes his head. “That’s bad timing on my part. I should have come yesterday. Maybe I should have talked to you about it first, instead of just showing up unannounced…but I thought you might say no.”
“I’m glad you didn’t.” I say quickly. I’m not sure what I would have said - or what reasons might have been driving me - but I’m too glad he’s here now to think anything else.
“And…” I take his hand, meeting his eyes as I say it. “Yeah, I’d love you to come with me tomorrow. That would be…wonderful, Tristan, really. Thank you.”
He smiles, and there’s a depth behind it that makes me shiver inside. I lean forward to kiss him, my hand running up along his neck to slide through his hair, bringing his mouth in towards me. His mouth brushes over mine, lightly at first and then deepening, his tongue flicking across my lips and then slipping inside and I have to catch myself from moaning, trying to get as near as I can to him in the back of the cab.
He sets my blood on fire and my pussy is already pulsing with anticipation…wanting more…wanting what we had so many times on vacation…damn, I don’t think I can be around this man without my body jumping to that instinctive response anymore.
My hand is just working at the bottom of his sweater when the cab pulls up to a stop outside my apartment block, and I just about manage to control myself enough to pull back in time to avoid annoying the cab driver.
But damn, I don’t want to stop.
I pay the man - tipping him extra for whatever he had to witness - and then I leave the cab, still feeling slightly dazed from that kiss. Tristan follows me out onto the sidewalk and when he turns toward me, I have to stop myself from getting right back to that kiss.
“So…this is me.” I say, glancing up at the building. I hesitate—and then come right out with it anyway. “Do you want to come up?”
I really should be getting ready and leaving for the house we’ve rented, and I know exactly what will happen if he comes up with me…but then, that’s why I couldn’t resist asking. I’ve still got the taste of him on my mouth, the needy ache inside me…
I mean, he did say he came to offer me a bit of distraction before the wedding…this would be a hell of a good one.
Tristan looks from me to the building, then back again, his eyes lingering on mine in a way that tells me he knows exactly what’s going through my mind.
“How long do you have before you have to leave?” He asks, his voice already deepening into a tone that gives me shivers, my body remembering far too much about what that means.
“Long enough to fuck.” I say, grinning wickedly as I step closer to him and enjoying the amusement that flashes across his expression. What? That’s what we’re both thinking about. I glance at my watch just to make sure, then quickly correct myself. “Fuck quickly.”
He laughs, a wonderfully deep sound that starts in the bottom of his chest and reaches all the way down to my toes.
“Then I guess we’d better make the most of it.” He says, stepping forward and pulling me back into his arms long enough to cup my chin and bring my eyes up to meet his. I can see the pent up desire heating them from the inside, the same feeling that’s already burning in my own veins. “That’s probably for the best, too. It’s been long enough that I’m not sure I have slow and drawn out in me.”
I shudder, stepping up on my toes to brush my lips across his.
“Me neither.” I murmur, then I take his hand and move towards the steps, speeding up with every moment.
We get up to the apartment in record time, and I don’t bother with offering to show him around the place, or any little niceties like that. The moment the door closes behind us and I can drop my bags on the floor, we’re all over each other again, kissing and touching in any way we can. Tristan drops the flowers on the table as we pass it and I realize I haven’t even thanked him for them yet.
They’re lovely, but they’re not the real gift here. He is.
We stagger to the bedroom, our urgency driven by more than just my schedule, stripping off our clothes as we go. It’s not until I fling my tops to the floor, leaving me standing in just my bra and panties, that he stalks toward me - shirtless himself - with his eyes on my chest. I suck in a breath, my nipples hardening in anticipation as I step up to meet him—but it’s not my breasts that he’s fixated on.
“You�
�re wearing my necklace.” He murmurs, his eyes warm as his fingers slip underneath it, lifting it up gently.
I nod, something inside me stuttering for a moment. I’d almost forgotten it was there.
“Yeah.” I say, wrapping my hands around his hips and slipping them underneath his pants, enjoying the warm skin beneath. “I’ve been wearing it a lot. It reminds me…of Aspen.”
And of him.
But I don’t say that.
He lets the necklace fall back to my chest, his hand rising to cup my cheek and bring my gaze up to meet his.
“I think about Aspen all the time.” He murmurs.
“Me too.” I whisper.
Then he leans down to kiss me, his hands pulling my hips into his and then sweeping upwards to undo the clasp of my bra, letting it fall away and exposing my breasts for his delightfully rough hands.
“But not as much as I think about this.” He continues, his voice a growl against my mouth, and I shudder in response.
Oh fuck. Yes. Me too.
He thumbs my hard nipples, making me gasp and thrust my chest up into his grip, my pussy already clenching in anticipation.
Yes. Please. More.
Before I have a chance to utter any of that, he’s backing me up towards the bed, with the same need that’s raging inside me burning in his eyes. His hands sweep under me in one swift movement, lifting me and throwing me back onto the bed, where I land with a half-laugh, half-gasp and scuttle backwards, making room for him to join me. He kicks off his pants in one quick movement, his hard cock rising before him and I moan just at the sight of it, my pussy clenching hard in anticipation and my breath coming harder in my chest.
Then he’s on top of me, sweeping me further backward until we’re fully on the bed and pinning my hands above my head as he leans down to kiss me, his stubble rough against my lips as I arch up into him. The kiss is hot, intense, passionate…unyielding and demanding as his other hand strokes down my body, massaging my breasts, teasing my nipples and working its way ever lower. I moan again, nipping at his lip as our tongues twist together and he penetrates my mouth the way I want him to penetrate me.