That Night

by Lynn, K. I.

  “Did they not heal right?” I couldn’t even imagine the depth of despair that would create.

  He shook his head. “It took two surgeries to fix my tibia, and one for the elbow. They were both fucked. It took years for me to figure out how to manage them so that I’m not popping pills all the time for the rest of my life. What about you?”

  “No football injuries for me.”

  Another chuckle before he speared a piece of cheese. “Sports?”

  “Does riding my bike count? Or spending my summer in the pool?” I asked. “I did play some sports, but I only got as far as high school freshman softball. My brother is the sporty one. He went on to minor league baseball. Plays for the Indians.”

  “Cleveland?” he asked, impressed but confused, as the Cleveland Indians were major league.

  I shook my head. “Indianapolis Indians. They’re a triple-A team.”

  “That’s cool.”

  “Otherwise, my favorite form of exercise just isn’t happening lately.” I didn’t mean to steer what was a neutral, good, get-to-know-you kind of conversation back to sex, but watching him bite into a strawberry and lick the juice from his lips was more than I could take.

  “Of the naked variety?”

  “Of course, but like I said, not happening.” I let out a sigh and tried to redirect again. “So I spend the most boring hour a day on the elliptical machine with the music blaring so loud it pisses my neighbors off. I hate apartment living.”

  “Poor sound insulation,” he said in a knowing tone.

  I nodded. “Too right. I mean, one reason it’s so loud is because they’re both screaming.”

  His plate was mostly demolished, as was mine. The food settled, my stomach happy to have something besides liquid in it.

  “I’ve lived with neighbors like that, always fighting,” he said.

  I shook my head. “Oh, no. They’re not fighting. They fuck like twenty-four seven.” His eyes met mine, and I realized I’d done it again. “Doesn’t matter anyway. I’ll be out of there in a few months.”

  “Another apartment?”

  I pulled out my phone and brought up the listing for a property I’d had my eye on. “Me and Jenna are both looking at this condo complex downtown on the river. We can be neighbors.”

  His brow scrunched as he looked over the photos. “Wait, where do you live?” he asked.

  “Indianapolis.”

  His lips formed a thin line. “Damn, I wish you lived here.”

  His wish made my heart jump and my chest clench. I was buzzing with the idea of seeing him after tonight. “I hooked you already, did I?” I tried to play off how much I liked the idea.

  “You’ve had me since I shoved my hand down your dress. Nice breasts, by the way.” He winked at me.

  I rolled my eyes and shook my head. “Well, Indianapolis isn’t far, and therefore, neither are my breasts.”

  He stared at me, studying me for a moment. “How are you single?”

  Given his scrutiny, that was not what I was expecting.

  I blinked at him. “How are you? I mean, I’m a weird, numbers-obsessed, nerd hottie. Guys get so confused they don’t know if they like me or just want sex. You’re a straight-up god-like man…I’m still trying to find a flaw.”

  “I’m scarred. That’s a flaw.”

  I shook my head. “That just makes you more perfect.”

  “You’re pretty flawless yourself, you know,” he said as he set his hand on mine.

  I bit down on my bottom lip and looked away, but he wouldn’t let me. He hooked his finger under my chin and made me look at him. “I wasn’t going to come out tonight, but I’m really glad I did. And I’m even more glad I bumped into you and spilled your drink all over your dress.” His eyes grew heavy and he cleared his throat before standing. “Let’s go dance.”

  He held out his hand and I slipped mine in, rising back up. “What just happened there?”

  He pulled me closer until our bodies were aligned. Electric heat poured through me when his arms wrapped around my waist, hands spread across my back. My heart sped up to triple time.

  Leaning forward, he bent down and ran his nose up the column of my neck, his lips at my ear. A shudder ran through me, and I leaned farther into him. The desire to be skin to skin with him was strong.

  “My mind went to the gutter and I was consumed with wanting to spill another fluid all over you. Inside you.”

  “Fuck,” I hissed as my knees went weak, my fingers fisting his shirt.

  “Now, I need to get you onto the dance floor before I steal you away to my place to ring in the New Year.”

  That was such an appetizing proposition, and as much as my body wanted to convince him that was the right move, I knew it wasn’t. Despite Jenna’s opinion, which was for me to go get it. “Let’s go.”

  The group that included Jenna and Keenan had grown, new friends and old having joined. I recognized a guy I’d gone to college with.

  “Brent!” I cried out.

  “Hey, little Nat,” he said, stepping forward and pulling me into a hug, lifting me from the ground before setting me back down and moving away. He was still as tall and lanky as I remembered, and at least six inches taller than Richard. “Long time. What have you been up to?”

  I shrugged. “Work, and hanging out with her.”

  Brent glanced over to Jenna who smiled and waved at us, shaking her ass and hips. I was beginning to wonder how she was still standing. Then again, she loved to dance.

  “Jenna’s your friend?” he asked.

  I narrowed my gaze at him. “Yeah. Why?”

  “Because I like her.”

  “Because she’s Japanese?” Brent always did have a thing for Asian girls.

  His lips twitched up into a smirk. “That may be part of it. So who’s the guy you came over with?”

  I glanced over to Richard, who was talking with Keenan but kept glancing over to me. I crooked my finger at him, and he closed the few feet that separated us.

  “Brent, this is Richard. Richard, this is an old college friend, Brent.”

  “Nice to meet you.” Richard held out his hand and Brent took it.

  “How long have you two been together?” Brent asked.

  “We just met tonight,” I answered.

  Brent’s brow scrunched and he looked between us, at the way Richard’s arm sat loosely around my waist. “Really?”

  “Yes.”

  “Fooled me,” he said.

  I stole a glance at Richard, who was smiling at me.

  “Come back, Brent!” Jenna called out.

  A smile broke out on his face. “Gotta dance.” His hips began to shake to the beat as he backed up until he bumped Jenna.

  Richard drew me closer, his mouth near my ear. “I was starting to get a little jealous there.”

  I angled my face toward his. “Jealous? Really?”

  His thumb stroked against my waist. “I seem to have claimed you as mine tonight, and here is this other guy who is friendly with you.”

  I turned in his arms, my hands resting on his chest. “Oh, claimed me as yours.”

  “What?”

  I nipped at his jaw. “Definite turn-on, in both words and possibility.”

  A groan left him. “You are going to kill me.”

  “Kill you how?”

  He returned my nip with one of his own. “Death by constant erection.”

  Heat flooded my face and I glanced down, but between the darkness and the fabric, I couldn’t see anything. Taking hold of my hips, he spun me around and used the music and dancing as an excuse to grind against me.

  “Oh,” I said in surprise before reaching up and cupping his neck.

  We were in our own little world, moving to the music, our lips drawing closer. Before we could connect, Jenna yelled out, breaking the spell of our bodies.

  “Woohoo! Get it!” She laughed.

  Keenan followed suit, giving a whistle. “Damn, Rick.”

  Richard chuckled
against my neck before reluctantly creating space between us. The energy that moved around us was intoxicating. I’d never been so turned on and desperate for any man.

  Neither of us was interested in anyone or anything else going on. It was like as soon as our eyes had met, we were hooked on some chemical level. All conversation throughout the evening only intensified the feeling.

  A remix of Lykke Li’s “Little Bit” pumped through the speakers. The words rang out as Richard and I danced, our fingers linking together.

  In that moment, I was a little bit in love with him.

  Was it real? No, but for the moment, it felt real. The interest in knowing more about him was there, and I was desperate for more information but was silenced by every cell in my body calling out for his. The need to know his hands on my skin was a desperation that demanded action.

  “I’ll go get us some drinks,” he said after a few highly charged songs.

  “Can you get me a Cosmo?”

  When he returned I greedily gulped down the liquid, desperate to quench my thirst, which wasn’t the best idea.

  Shortly thereafter I swayed on my feet. “I have to go to the bathroom,” I said to Richard.

  He leaned in. “I’ll take you.”

  “That’s a little weird.” I looked over to Jenna, who was completely wrapped up with Brent. I didn’t want to pull her away from that.

  “After everything that’s happened tonight, you think that is weird?”

  I shrugged, and my foot wobbled a little on the heel. Richard grabbed my arm to steady me, and I fell against his chest.

  “Okay, you can help me,” I relented. The wobble only highlighted the ache in my feet that I’d successfully ignored since we ate.

  “Thought so.”

  I patted his chest. “You just don’t want to lose sight of me.”

  “In this crowd?” he asked. “No. Remember, you’re my dance partner tonight.”

  I angled my head back. “I want to be more than that.”

  He brushed my hair back behind my ear, his gaze locked with mine. “Much more.” He took my hand and guided us to the restrooms, but instead of releasing me, he tugged me back into the family restroom.

  “Fuck, my feet hurt,” I whined as I leaned against the handrail. They throbbed, and even the slight release of some weight helped. I forgot about the pain while dancing, but without the distraction, it hit me full force.

  Richard’s eyes trailed down my legs to my heels, then back up, stopping at the hem of my dress. In one smooth motion he stepped forward, leaned down, and hooked his hands to the back of my thighs, lifting me from the ground. A squeak of shock left me as his hands trailed up, slipping under my dress until he was cupping my ass. My legs spread without thought, crossing around his waist as his hips pinned me to the wall.

  “Better?” he asked, his lips no more than a few inches from mine.

  “That wasn’t exactly what I had in mind, but it works.”

  “What did you have in mind?” His gaze flickered to my lips, then back up.

  My lips twitched up into a smile and I flexed my legs. A gasp left me as the hard length of his cock pressed against my clit.

  “You like bumping into me,” I purred.

  A groan left him, his hips flexing. “It’s that magnetic pull you have. I just can’t help myself.”

  “How did we end up in this bathroom again?” I asked.

  “You needed an escort.”

  I quirked a brow. “To pee? Isn’t it a little early in our relationship for you to be in the room for that? I mean, I know your hands are on my ass, but your lips haven’t even—”

  His lips crashed to mine, ending my sentence along with my incessant wondering of how his kiss would feel—spine-tingling, clit-pulsing, heat-spreading, glorious perfection.

  A moan left me, my hips undulating against him as I ran my hands around his neck and wound my fingers into his soft hair. A moan vibrated in his chest and his kiss became harder, deeper, as he drew me impossibly closer, bending me until I surrendered all thoughts.

  “How many people do you think have had sex in here tonight?” I asked when we parted.

  His hips continued to rock against me, his teeth nipping at my bottom lip. “As long as I’m one of them, I don’t give a fuck.”

  It wasn’t what I wanted, but want was taking a backseat to need, and I needed him desperately.

  A rattle of the handle and a pounding on the door jolted us back to awareness. “Somebody in there?”

  A groan left him and his head fell down to my shoulder. With reluctance, he released me and set me back down on my feet.

  With him spun around and the sink running, I finished what I’d come in to do, which was still weird with him there, and we stepped out, receiving curious glances from those outside.

  “Why don’t we go upstairs so you can sit down?”

  I nodded as we walked. Each step was torture, but I pressed on until I found a little alcove between two of the large columns. The space was partially obstructed by a potted tree.

  With a tug, we slipped into the small space and I leaned against the corner of the column and the window, which had a slight ledge. The darkness shielded us some from those walking by.

  “Are you okay?”

  I nodded. “Maybe the four-inch heels weren’t the right choice for a long night.”

  “Well, if it makes a difference, I appreciate them,” he said as his fingers skimmed against my thigh.

  Oddly it did, and his touch only ignited my need for more.

  “The fireworks are starting soon,” I said.

  “And?”

  “My hotel isn’t far.”

  He froze and stared at me for a moment. “Fuck, yes.”

  He started to pull me, and a hiss of pain left me as I stumbled. Strong arms caught me, drawing me closer and lifting me enough to take the pressure off.

  “Sorry,” he said.

  “Eager much?” I reached out and pressed my hand against the hard line beneath the fabric of his suit.

  “Does that answer your question?” he asked with a low groan.

  I wrapped my fingers as far around as the fabric allowed, earning a low groan as he sagged into me. “It’s a pretty good indicator.”

  “Do you think you can walk? That dress is too short for me to carry you, and there are too many people bumping around for you to take your shoes off.”

  I drew him closer until his lips were on mine. One brief touch and I was pinned between his body and the brick wall. Electric tingles danced across my skin from each point of contact.

  “Your dick is doing all the thinking,” I whispered.

  “Says the woman who is grabbing onto my ass and pulling me closer, rubbing her body against mine.”

  I pressed my lips against his neck, then nipped the spot with my teeth. “I blame you.”

  After hours of flirting and touching, we were both out of our minds with want.

  “Fuck,” he hissed. His hand disappeared under the edge of my dress, and I drew in a sharp breath when his fingers pressed against my clit. My eyes were locked with his, both of us lost as his fingers slipped beneath the edge of my thong and across my slick opening. His eyes grew darker, heavier. “You’re so wet.”

  A low moan left me as two fingers slipped between my folds. It wasn’t the body part I was aching for, but all that mattered was that he was touching me.

  He worked his fingers hard, his body blocking me from view. I bit down on the lapel of his jacket to keep from crying out as he slapped against my clit with each thrust of his fingers that were drilling into me. My muscles locked down, but my knees turned weak. Richard kept me up with one strong arm wrapped around my waist.

  A frustrated growl left him, and he withdrew his hand. Before I could protest, he spun me around and knotted his hand in my hair, pulling back and to the side before biting down on my shoulder, no longer a man but an animal fueled by lust.

  My mouth popped open, vision fuzzy while my pussy cle
nched in desperation.

  His fingers returned, answering my call, and picked up in pace, furiously moving in and out with purpose. I didn’t even notice he’d released my hair until I felt cool fingers against my tight nipple after his hand slid down the front of my dress.

  “Oh my God,” I hissed, unable to keep my keening locked away.

  “You make the hottest sounds.” His hand clamped down on my breast, using it as an anchor point, pinching my nipple between two fingers.

  The added sensation quickly had me on edge with his relentless momentum. My head fell back against his shoulder, back arched, one hand pressed against the brick while the other reached back to fist his hair.

  “R—” My breath hitched, muscles tense. “Richard.”

  Everything became fuzzy, my whole body tense, and then I crashed. There was no holding back my sounds or the rocking as each pulse slammed through me.

  His fingers slowed while my shaking subsided. After removing them he spun me back around, holding me close, his forehead resting against mine.

  I was still coming down from the intense orgasm he’d just given me.

  He ground his teeth together as some semblance of rationality returned. “I need to get you home.”

  I shook my head and reached for his waist. “I can’t wait.”

  “I don’t have anything on me.”

  I pulled at his zipper and slipped my hand inside, sifting through the layers until I felt the hot silkiness of his cock. He jerked at the touch, his whole body shaking.

  “Pull out.”

  Our breaths mingled and his gaze was clouded and lost to the singular purpose his body demanded, and so was I.

  Frantically, he maneuvered his cock out through the hole made by the zipper and lifted my leg. He arranged my skirt to hide us before finding my opening and slamming in.

  Every nerve lit up, a blaze of fire and electricity that burst from my core all the way to the top of my head and tips of my toes, before racing back. A second of pause and he pulled out, only to slam back in and send the sensation through me again when he bottomed out.