Something in the Air

by L.H. Cosway

  I shook my head, chuckling, but James was frowning at the back of Paul’s head. He was being too silent, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he swallowed.

  “You look very pretty, Michaela,” he said soberly. His voice was thick and I got the impression he had a lot more to say, but Paul was there.

  “Lift your jaw off the floor, James,” Paul teased, turning to look at him. Clearly I wasn’t the only one to notice James’ strong reaction to my appearance.

  He ignored Paul’s teasing and we took the lift down to the lobby. I caught James’ eye in the reflection of the mirrored walls and again thought of this morning’s encounter. I knew by his face that he was thinking about it, too. The heels I wore brought my 5’8” up to almost six feet, which lessened the usually substantial height difference between us. James was still taller, but I felt weirdly empowered by the new dynamic.

  Autumn stood in the lobby. She hadn’t noticed us yet, and Paul took the opportunity to sneak up on her. He grabbed her from behind, lifted her up, and swung her around. She squealed in delight before playfully shoving him off. I hadn’t remembered her and Paul being this friendly when she’d spent the day interviewing the cast in Johannesburg. They must’ve struck up a friendship online or something, because they seemed awfully excited to see each other.

  “Don’t pick me up like that. You’ll put your back out,” she scolded, but I could tell she’d enjoyed Paul’s enthusiastic greeting.

  “What? I’m happy to see you. So sue me,” Paul shot back, throwing his arm around her shoulder. He was a tactile, friendly sort of person, so this was typical behaviour for him.

  “Hi, Autumn,” I said with a smile. “It’s so nice to see you again.”

  “You, too,” she replied. “I was so excited when Paul told me you guys were in New York. Hi, James. Wow, you look great.”

  “Thanks for inviting us out,” James replied. I noted he was a little awkward at her compliment. I found that decidedly cute.

  “Well, I hope you all like Chinese food because I’m taking you to the best place in the city. You absolutely must order the dumpling soup.”

  “Wonderful! I’m so hungry I could eat a horse,” Paul said as we went out and flagged down a taxi.

  Twenty

  Michaela

  Two hours later, I’d eaten my weight in Chinese dumplings and consumed several glasses of wine. We were on our way to the club and I was feeling tipsy. James and I had agreed to talk about what was going on with us, but right now, I just wanted to enjoy being in the moment. His attention made me feel like a bird, wings spread wide as I floated on the breeze.

  “Is it just me or is there something in the air tonight?” James whispered huskily in my ear as Paul and Autumn went to check our coats.

  I stared up at him, no words forthcoming. Electricity sizzled between us. Yep, definitely something in the air. A second later, Paul and Autumn rejoined us and we were led to a velvet-clad private booth. This wasn’t what I’d expected. I thought we’d be stuck on some overcrowded, sweaty dancefloor, so the deep red curtain closing us off from the rest of the club was a pleasant surprise. Autumn ordered a bottle of champagne, which I suspected would transition the four of us from tipsy to drunk in no time.

  James sat close beside me, his thigh pressed against my leg. I felt like I could do anything tonight. We were far from home and consequences seemed like a distant, far-off notion.

  Paul and Autumn were having an animated discussion about the filming locations for Running on Air Season Five, while James and I sat in heavy silence. My pulse pounded in my ears, louder than the club music. James’ hand came to rest on my knee under the table, and I sucked in a surprised breath at the contact. It was illicit, secret, thrilling.

  I turned to him, locking eyes as his warm palm travelled several inches higher. A sharp exhale. I wet my lips. James’ attention zeroed in on my mouth and for a second, I forgot we weren’t alone.

  “Oh! I love this song!” Autumn exclaimed when “Despacito” came on. “Let’s go dance,” she continued, grabbing Paul’s hand and dragging him from the booth.

  James and I stared at one another. We knew we only had the duration of the song before they came back. He didn’t waste a single second. As soon as they were gone he was on me, lips laying siege to my lips, hands travelling up my thighs and sending my insides into a tailspin.

  “I’ve been thinking about you all day,” he rasped, bringing his mouth to my neck.

  I whimpered when his fingers whispered across the fabric of my underwear. He’d opened up a door to a part of me I’d never met before, turning me into this sexual being who was confident in a way that was new to me. I’d felt it happen this morning in the lift. The air shifted and somehow this dynamic formed that was hard to put into words. All I knew was I was happy to follow this path wherever it might lead.

  I met his gaze, hoping he saw the invite in my eyes. I wanted his touch. There was a hint of shyness about him for a second, but then confidence took over as he pressed his chest to mine. I gasped when he shoved the fabric aside to touch my flesh. We were in a busy club, music and noise surrounding us, but in that moment, my world shrunk down to the size of a pin. It was just the two of us. He softly stroked my clit, and I let out a sound that was drowned out by the pumping music. James drew away to watch me, and I got lost in his eyes. I couldn’t look away as he swept his fingers across my wet, aching sex, then circled my clit with his thumb.

  His pupils were huge, taking all of me in. Each stroke sent sparks of electricity shooting through me. A second later I came, gripping his arms and burying my face in this neck. It took me a moment – as I was drifting down from my orgasm – to realise how fast I’d come. Guinness World Record fast. You’d swear it was the first time a man had ever touched me. Way to go.

  I squeezed my eyes shut, completely mortified, as James whispered, “Christ, you’re a hair-trigger—”

  He didn’t have time to finish the sentence because Paul and Autumn chose that moment to return. James and I shifted slightly away from one another as the curtain opened and our friends slid back into the booth, oblivious to the fact that he’d just made me come in seconds. Seconds! And more or less in public, too. James wielded some kind of strange power over me because that definitely wasn’t normal.

  A waiter arrived next, carrying a tray with a bottle of champagne and four glasses. He popped it open and poured us each a glass. I downed mine in a few gulps, far too aware of James’ attention. I knew he was still marvelling at how fast he made me come.

  An hour or two later, we called it a night. Paul made sure Autumn was in a taxi back to her apartment before he grabbed one for us. The three of us sat in the back seat, with me in the middle. One side of my body was pressed up against James, but Paul was too drunk to notice the sexual tension that lingered between us like a grenade.

  I wasn’t brave enough to pull out the pin.

  Back at the hotel, we took the lift up to our floor. Paul stumbled into his room first, while I continued to my room with James just behind me. His silent presence made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end (in a good way). I fumbled in my bag for my key card, finding it then slotting it in. I pushed the door open, not looking back at him as I walked confidently into the room. The open door said everything I was too buzzed to put into words.

  Come in. I want you to.

  I dropped my bag on the floor, then heard the soft pad of James’ shoes as he entered the room. He closed the door with a soft snick and we were alone. Every part of me was primed for him. I felt alive, brave. Reaching around, I pulled down the zipper at the back of my dress, revealing the bare expanse of my back. I felt him watching me. When I turned my head and saw the way he was looking at me, any words I was about to speak died on my tongue.

  Suddenly James was larger than life; his presence filled the room. His eyes soaked me in, completely focused and confident in his perusal of my body.

  Just like that, I was hot all over. The tips of my ears burned
, the backs of my knees went weak, all from the way he looked at me.

  Those eyes. Fuck.

  They were sinfully dark. Whatever had come over him, I wasn’t sure if it scared or excited me. Possibly both.

  I held his gaze as I slid off my dress. It fell around my shoulders, then with a single tug, it dropped to the floor. I stood before him in the lingerie I’d bought the day we arrived, the lingerie he’d watched me buy. James took a step closer and fairy lights lit up under my skin. His focus moved slowly from my feet all the way up my body. He rubbed his jaw, swore under his breath, then took several more purposeful strides across the room until only inches separated us.

  He caressed my cheek, pushed my hair over my shoulder, and trailed his hand delicately along my collarbone. Everywhere his fingers touched left a path of fire in their wake. I stared up at him, overcome by my attraction. I wanted to make him feel good.

  So I knelt.

  James’ eyes flared, his mouth falling open on a shaky breath. My knees hit the carpeted floor and I looked up. His expression was a mixture of surprise and want, his eyelids hooded as he gazed down at me.

  “What are you d-doing?” he breathed and I loved the catch in his voice. It made me feel wanted, in control. I remembered suddenly that though he was older, I actually had more sexual experience than James. Was I being too forward, taking things too fast?

  “What do you want me to do?” I asked. If he told me to stop, I would, but I hoped he didn’t.

  “I…I want you to do whatever you want to do,” he said, his voice hoarse.

  “Okay,” I whispered, pulling his shirt free of his pants. I reached out and slid open his belt until it hung on either side of his hips. I glanced up at him, just to make sure this was still okay. His watchful gaze was dark, his eyes hungry. I undid his fly, revealing a sliver of hard, toned stomach. On instinct, I leaned forward and pressed my lips to his bare skin.

  “Fuck,” he ground out when I nuzzled my nose into his abdomen, the alcohol fuelling my confidence. He inhaled sharply when I looked up at him. My clit throbbed and he wasn’t even touching me. With gentle hands I pushed his pants down, then his boxers. His cock greeted me and I took a moment to steel myself. James was a large man, in every sense of the word.

  I leaned forward and brushed my mouth over the head of his cock. James groaned. I ran the tip of my nose featherlight along his shaft, and he let out the sexiest string of expletives. Next, I licked him. I ran my tongue from the base of his cock all the way up to the tip, then finally took him fully into my mouth.

  He reached down to cup my cheek, his eyes full of wonder as he watched me. My heart pounded sharply, the feelings I’d developed for him over the last year melding with the sexual energy between us. It was drugging and I was high.

  I moved in earnest now, bobbing my head up and down, savouring every noise he made, every tremble that ran through his body. I wanted to make him come so badly as I swirled my tongue around the head of his cock then sucked, tasting a salty spurt of precum. I moaned, inhaling sharply through my nose when James cupped my other cheek, his face etched with desire.

  I didn’t stop, too determined, and when he finally came, he made a low, sexy, growly noise that emanated from deep in his chest. I watched him, his eyes meeting mine. We were locked in a moment until his gaze grew hungry once more. I still knelt on the floor, so wet if he so much as touched me, I’d come even faster than I had back in the club.

  “Get on the bed,” he said and all of a sudden, I was no longer running the show. James’ dominant side took over and I wasn’t complaining. In fact, I very much enjoyed the switch. I stood to climb onto the mattress.

  “Take off your underwear. Leave the shoes,” he went on huskily.

  Again, my clit throbbed. I removed my bra, then slid my knickers down my legs, every inch of me tingling.

  “Lie back against the pillows,” James said.

  My nipples were hard, my cheeks flushed, and he must’ve seen how wet I was because his attention lingered between my thighs. I was completely naked, save for the shoes, and everything inside of me screamed for his touch.

  “Touch your nipple,” he said, and I swear his voice would be my undoing. I brushed my fingertips over one of my nipples, moaning loudly. Normally, my own touch didn’t turn me on like this, but James had me so worked up even the hotel sheets felt like an erotic caress. I was primed, on the cusp of another orgasm.

  “Come here,” I pleaded desperately, but he shook his head.

  “Not yet. Put your hand between your legs. Touch yourself for me, Michaela.”

  I trailed my hand from my breast, down my stomach and between my thighs, almost embarrassed when I felt how wet I was. I rubbed my throbbing clit, and it soothed some of the ache. I met James’ gaze, his eyes alone an aphrodisiac. I rubbed hard, feeling my orgasm building, and cried out at the sharp, overwhelming pleasure.

  “Don’t come,” James said.

  I let my hand drop away.

  He climbed onto the bed, then brought his mouth to my fingers, sucking the ones I’d just used to finger myself. The brush of his shirt against my nipples was mind-numbingly arousing. My pulse pounded in my ears. Excitement and anticipation filled my belly when he kissed me, his penis whispering across my sex before it was gone.

  James moved down my body, nuzzling and kissing my breasts, then taking one nipple in his mouth while he pinched the other between his fingers. He continued his descent, lips caressing my stomach until finally his face was between my legs. He had my undivided attention as he brought his lips to my clit and sucked. My noises filled the room. He ate at me, one hand fanned out over my stomach, the other gripping my hip, his fingertips digging into my soft flesh.

  I belonged to him, body and soul. And he had no idea.

  He drew back a little, tracing circles on my clit with his tongue, and my eyelids fluttered at the sensation. Wow.

  His hand that was on my stomach travelled down to join his mouth between my legs. But instead of going to my clit, I felt him push two inside me. I let out a sharp, keening cry and his tongue doubled down, circling my clit faster, with more pressure.

  “James,” I breathed, my voice choppy as I orgasmed. Pleasure shattered through me so intensely, leaving my body completely spent. I drifted on a cloud of contentment, my eyes closed.

  “You’re incredible,” I blurted, wonder in my voice. I hadn’t meant to say that out loud, but my brain was foggy, my heart overwhelmed. He kissed me in response and something pinched at the sentimental, foolish organ…

  Feelings. Silly, inconvenient feelings.

  Twenty-One

  James

  “You’re incredible,” Michaela breathed and something tightened around my chest.

  I pressed my mouth to hers, kissing her with all my might.

  This woman had transformed me. In one evening, I’d lost every last one of my senses to her. I’d tried to stay away, not wanting to drag her into the mess that was my life right now, but it was impossible. I felt myself being drawn to her for weeks, hell, maybe even longer than that. Yesterday it all finally came to a head.

  And being with her felt right deep down in my bones. I’d never felt more myself.

  My cock brushed her wetness and it took all my self-control not to push inside. She strained against me, like she wanted it, but I knew we were going way too fast. Last night we’d had our first kiss and now I was halfway to fucking her brains out.

  I broke away, breathing rapidly.

  “Please,” she moaned, and I squeezed my eyes shut.

  If this was a test, I was determined to pass. Michaela meant too much to me. If we were going to be together, then I wanted to do things right. And though she’d initiated it, having her down on her knees sucking me off before I’d even taken her on a proper date definitely wasn’t the correct order of things.

  Wait, did she want to date? Was this just sex to her? The idea made my stomach twist. It didn’t feel like just sex. It felt like so much more th
an that. I just hoped she was on the same page.

  “Come here,” I murmured, rolling us so that I spooned her.

  She fit my body like she was made for me, her pert backside against my crotch a temptation I gritted my teeth to resist. I wrapped my arms around her, avoiding cupping her breasts because I knew that would be a swift backward slide when it came to taking things slow.

  “What are you thinking?” she asked.

  “I’m thinking we should get some sleep,” I answered softly.

  A silence fell. I inhaled her flowery shampoo and closed my eyes.

  “Are you freaking out?” she asked, breaking the quiet.

  “Not at all. This is the most peaceful I’ve been in weeks,” I told her honestly.

  “Oh,” she breathed, sounding surprised. “Okay. Good.”

  “Sleep,” I urged.

  Twisting around, she snuggled her head into my chest. Why did it suddenly feel like my whole world was in my arms? She gazed up at me with such innocent affection my heart gave a hard, guilty thud. The moral implications of seducing my personal assistant snuck in. Oh yeah, I was definitely going to hell for this.

  But how could something be wrong when it felt so completely right?

  These were the things that filled my mind as I drifted to sleep, embracing the woman who was quickly taking possession of all I was made of.

  ***

  Morning light filtered in as I opened my eyes. Sometime during the night, Michaela had moved away from me. She was a sleeping angel, her long dark hair spread across the white hotel pillowcase. Last night’s makeup was smeared under her eyes, a breath escaping her pink lips, puffy from my hard, unrestrained kisses. I didn’t think I’d ever tire of her mouth.

  Her eyes flickered open.

  I want to watch you wake up like this every morning. The thought entered my head unbidden. Feelings expanded inside my chest when she caught me watching her, a small, shy smile spreading across her lips.

  “Hi,” she said, voice quiet.