The Apartment (An Apartment Novel Book 1)

by Amanda Black

  “Is it too painful? I understand that it was recent.” She hated the thought of him hurting. She wanted to wipe away any ounce of pain that he’d ever felt in his life.

  “Well, honestly, the entire relationship was painful, and I don’t know if I really want to go into it all right now. Let me just say that we weren’t exactly a match made in heaven and we brought out the worst in each other. I barely recognized the person I had become, and I can’t say that I miss her at all.” Ethan looked at her for any sign of judgment, but only saw patience and understanding. It made him want to continue, just to make her see that he wasn’t completely heartless. “We had been on the outs for a long time. I had been in the process of finally trying to end it when she took everything I had with me—money, clothing, art supplies—and gave it to somebody else.” His expression clouded over as he was struck with the memory of finding her note again.

  “Oh my God!” Lily gasped, scooting closer so that she could cup his cheeks in her hands. “Ethan, I am so sorry. Nobody should have to go through something like that.” She leaned forward and kissed him gently, his lips, his nose, even his eyelids.

  It was the most cherished Ethan had ever felt in his life, and he had no idea what to think about that.

  He laid there in silence, running his hands along her back in soft patterns for a few minutes before pulling her the rest of the way on top of him. “I don’t want to talk about this anymore,” he whispered, enjoying the way her body easily molded to him as she straddled his waist.

  “You don’t have to,” she said between more light kisses on his chin. “Let me make you feel better, baby.” She kissed him again and again, moving all over his face as she began shifting her hips against him, trying to feel how ready he was. She was pleased to find that he had already begun to grow hard between them, so she decided to expedite matters a bit. Leaning forward, she flicked her tongue up the side of his neck, biting and sucking his earlobe before whispering, “Ethan.”

  He groaned loudly, grabbing her hips and pulling her down on him more firmly. She continued shifting and wiggling against him, working until his erection was pinned between them, sliding her wet folds back and forth over the bottom side of his shaft.

  “Fuck, that feels good,” he panted, lifting his hips up toward her.

  When she felt him trying to pull back enough to change his angle so he could penetrate her, she lifted off of him slightly. “Ah ah ah,” she scolded, holding herself just above him. “I’m running this show now.”

  “Oh God,” he practically whimpered. “Don’t fucking tease me. I can’t take it. I need to be inside you!” He pulled down on her hips for emphasis, trying to get her where he needed her to be.

  “I told you, Ethan, I’m going to make you feel better.” She smiled wickedly at the loud moan he let out when she said his name again. “However, I think I’m going to make you a little crazy first.” He grunted and jerked his hips upwards again, trying in vain to enter her. “Now be good, or I’m going to make you squirm even longer.”

  He lay perfectly still beneath her on the mattress, trying his hardest to obey, but the longer she kept it from him, the more insanely he wanted it. It didn’t help that she began to fondle and caress her breasts above him, moving and gyrating her hips over him in the most sinful display he’d ever seen. He knew it would only take one well-placed thrust to shove himself inside her to the hilt, and the thought of that was killing him slowly, but he loved that she was being playful with him. He didn’t want to ruin her fun just yet.

  However, if she kept it up much longer, he wouldn’t be responsible for what he did.

  “Now don’t you dare move,” she commanded, circling herself over him until the broad tip of his cock was lined up perfectly with her dripping entrance. With the tiniest shift of her hips he slipped inside, but only the tip. The need to thrust was excruciating, setting his entire body on fire. He could feel her scorching heat surrounding him, all centered at one point on his body.

  “Please,” he gritted through his teeth, his veins standing out on his neck with his restraint.

  “Not yet,” she replied easily, as if they were talking about something as mundane as the weather. “But I like the begging. Let’s have more of that.” And with that she wiggled her hips a bit more, slipping down another inch on his length before pulling back up.

  “Goddammit! Please!” he ground out again, sweat beads beginning to form on his brow.

  “Please, what?” she said, reaching down to pinch his nipples roughly, causing him to hiss.

  “Lily. Please, Lily!”

  “That’s more like it,” she smiled, allowing herself to drop another inch. “You aren’t the only one who likes to hear his name.” She rocked her hips on him then, sliding a bit more up and down. His loud groan was music to her ears.

  “Can you feel that?” she asked innocently, bracing her hands on his chest as she raised and lowered herself, never going farther than halfway down his shaft. “Can you feel me gripping you?” For added effect, she clenched her inner muscles around him, causing his eyes to roll back in his head. “Can you feel my pussy dripping all over you?”

  “Fuck!” he cried out. “Lily, please! I need to feel you. I need to be inside you. Now!”

  “Don’t get demanding,” she snapped. He would have thought she was completely unaffected if it weren’t for her heavy panting. She was loving this. “I told you, I’m running the show. Now tell me: whose pussy are you desperate for right now?” The up and down sliding never ceased, never going deeper, never stopping. He was going to come without ever being all the way inside her if she didn’t change it up fast, and the thought of that made him want to cry.

  “Oh God… Lily!” Ethan looked up at her, pleading with his eyes, and was met with the most primal, animalistic look he had ever seen in his life. It took all of his energy not to explode right at that moment.

  “And who is about to fuck you into next week?” she growled.

  “Lily!” he gasped. “My Lily.” And with that she pulled all the way back, hovering for merely a second over him before slamming herself down on him to the hilt.

  They both threw their heads back and howled, she from the unbelievably deep intrusion and he from the almost transcendent release from agony.

  She rode him hard after that, each thrust slamming her down on him, gripping him tightly, and pulling him inside her to oblivion. She grabbed his hands and shoved them on her breasts, holding them in place for leverage as he gripped and squeezed, loving the feel of her consuming him. Every single thrust brought him closer to the edge, and he couldn’t stop from gasping her name every time she sank down again.

  “Yes,” she moaned, beginning to tremble around him. “Ethan… God, yes!”

  Just watching her face nearing her release was enough to set him off. “Oh fuck… baby… baby, I’m gonna come. I can’t hold it back any more. Please… please come with me!”

  But by then it was too late, and he shattered into a million pieces, exploding violently inside her. “Oh God, Lily!”

  And that was all it took for her. Feeling him spilling inside her while crying out her name sent Lily reeling into a release of her own, causing her body to clamp down hard while she shuddered above him.

  It was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen in his life, and he hoped he would remember it forever.

  They had another fairly sleepless night after that, Ethan never letting her drift off completely. He would let her rest long enough to get her energy back, but then he would be right back again, rock hard and needy. He was like a man possessed, even worse than the first time she’d stayed the night, licking and kissing every bare inch of her skin before driving himself into her over and over again. Sometimes he was slow and gentle, other times he was hard and rough, but every time felt full of emotion.

  Lily wanted to tell him to calm down, that they had all the time in the world to explore each other now, but there was something inside her that liked him craving her, like
a starving man devouring his first meal in weeks.

  It wasn’t until the soft light of dawn filtered into the room that he finally let her collapse on his chest, half asleep before she closed her eyes.

  “Ethan,” she sighed, wrapping her arms around his sweaty torso. “I just want to be with you.” And with that, she was out. If she’d managed one last look up at his face, she would have seen the hot tears streaming down his cheeks.

  “I love you, Lily,” he croaked out, leaning forward to place a gentle kiss on the top of her head before wiping his eyes and allowing himself to sleep.

  Chapter 26

  After she’d managed to get a few hours of uninterrupted sleep, Lily woke feeling sore and wonderful. She grabbed a quick shower, not wanting to go home reeking of sex like the entire room did, and leaned over Ethan one more time to kiss her sleeping man goodbye.

  “Mmm,” he moaned, rolling toward her. “Leaving so soon?” he spoke without opening his eyes.

  “Don’t wake up,” she whispered. “You’re so beautiful when you sleep.” She kissed his cheek before standing up. “I have to go home for a while. I’m sure the laundry is a mile high. But I’ll try to come back later if I can get away.”

  “M’kay,” he mumbled, starting to roll over, but the sound of her shoes on the floor as she walked away made him open his eyes. “Lily, wait!” he said, sitting straight up. She paused halfway across the front room and turned around to see the glorious sight of a completely naked Ethan striding toward her.

  “What on earth are you doing?” she laughed. Not that she minded. No, not one little bit.

  “I just… wanted a hug.” His cheeks reddened slightly at his admission. “In case you can’t come back later, I didn’t want your last memory of me today to be a lazy slug who can’t say goodbye properly.”

  “Well, there was nothing wrong with Sleeping Beauty,” she chuckled, wrapping her arms around him tightly. “But this is definitely the better option.” She slid her hand down and patted his bare bottom, giving it a quick pinch before squeezing him in another hug.

  “Goodbye, Lily,” he whispered into her hair.

  She loved this new affectionate side of him, but it startled her when he kept holding her as she tried to pull away. “Ethan, I’ll be back before you know it.”

  “I know, I know,” he sighed, finally pulling away. “I just don’t want to let you go.” He held her face with both hands as he slowly covered her mouth with his, giving her the sweetest kiss she’d ever had.

  “Wow,” she said on a sharp exhale. He had taken her breath away. “You really know how to make a girl not want to leave.” She kissed him on the cheek before pulling away. “Now get your sexy ass back in bed or I’ll never get out of here.”

  Closing the door on such a perfect vision was one of the hardest things she’d ever done, but it left her with the motivation to get back there as fast as possible.

  * * *

  When she pulled into her driveway, she was surprised to find her father’s car in the drive. She had thought he was going to be gone hunting most of the day. Taking a deep breath, she prepared herself to do the walk of shame in front of her father and went inside.

  “Where the hell ya been, Lil?” George was perched at his usual chair in front of the TV, Sports Center blaring in the background.

  “Uh, I was out late at the Foster’s for dinner. I had a little too much wine, so they let me crash in one of the spare bedrooms.” She congratulated herself for thinking quickly. “I didn’t realize how late it was. I meant to be home earlier. I thought you were going hunting. What happened?”

  “I didn’t feel up to hunting today. My hip’s been acting up some.” He rubbed at his leg absentmindedly as he spoke.

  “Are you alright?” Lily asked quickly. “Do you need me to help you do some more stretches?”

  “No, I’ll be fine,” he answered, waving her off. “The weather just gets to me sometimes. I was looking forward to one of your Sunday breakfasts, though,” he grumbled.

  “I’m sorry, Dad. Did you want me to make you something now?”

  “No, no. I grabbed something. I can feed myself, believe it or not.” He huffed again before looking at her. “I’m sorry I’m being such a grouchy ass. I didn’t get a lot of sleep last night from the pain, and I guess I was just hoping to spend some time with you this morning. I feel like I haven’t seen you all week.”

  “I’m sorry. I guess I’ve been gone a lot lately.” It didn’t matter that it was probably the first time she’d been away from her father in three years. Lily instantly felt guilty for her implied neglect. “Are you sure you’re feeling okay, Dad? You’re not letting the school overwork you, are you?” As frustrating as George could be at times, she still loved him and wanted to make sure he was staying healthy.

  “Yeah, I’m good,” he sighed, turning off the TV and getting up. “Just tired. Think I might take a pain pill and try to nap for a while.” He started to head for the stairs before stopping and turning back to her. “By the way, there’s something in the kitchen for you.” Lily’s eyes followed his outstretched arm to where it pointed at the kitchen table. On it sat a vase with a few pink and white carnations. “Scott was here looking for you a while ago. I didn’t know where to tell him you were. I think he left you a note.”

  “Oh,” Lily said quietly, feeling the color drain from her face as she looked at the vase.

  “So the Fosters, huh?” George continued rambling behind her as he walked up the stairs, but her gaze was locked on the flowers. “They’re a nice family. Good friends to have. I’m glad you’re finally meeting people, Lily. Well, anyway, off to bed. See you later, hon.”

  “Later, Dad,” she said automatically, barely hearing him, never taking her eyes off the flowers.

  She waited until she heard George’s door shut and slowly approached the vase as if it was highly explosive and she was on the bomb squad. Reaching her hand out carefully, she grabbed the folded up note that had been scribbled on the back of a gas station receipt in Scott’s clumsy scrawl.

  Hey babe. Sorry I missed you.

  Was trying to surprise you, but George said

  you must have left early. I couldn’t stay,

  my dad is riding my ass for being gone so long.

  I’ll try to catch you later.

  Hope you like the flowers.

  Lily let out a breath she hadn’t known she was holding. She was greatly relieved that he hadn’t found out where she’d been—nobody deserved to find out like that—but now that he was home again she felt a deep sense of dread at the upcoming conversation she was going to have to have with him.

  Walking into the other room and grabbing her phone, she pulled up his number and hit send. After a few rings his familiar voice answered.

  “Hey, babe! Back home? Did you like the flowers?”

  “Uh, yeah. They were pretty, thanks,” she replied, feeling guilty that she couldn’t even remember what they looked like anymore.

  “Yeah, I figured I kinda owed you a Valentine’s present,” he chuckled sheepishly.

  “They were lovely, Scott. Listen, can you get away for a while? We really need to talk.”

  He groaned loudly, “Ugh, are you pissed at me, too? Dad hasn’t laid off me since I walked in the door. Keeps saying I abandoned him. I have a list of chores a mile long that he wants me to do for him today.”

  “No, I’m not pissed, but I really need to talk to you.”

  He sighed before speaking. “I can try to get out there later, but it might not be until tomorrow.”

  “That’s fine,” she huffed, telling herself that one more day wasn’t going to kill her. “Just come tomorrow.”

  “Are you okay? Is everything alright? I can try harder if it’s urgent.”

  “Yeah… just come tomorrow, okay?” She ended the call, feeling a mixture of relief and aggravation that she’d been given more time.

  Doing her best to put it out of her mind so that the heavy feeling in the
pit of her stomach would go away, Lily busied herself with things around the house. She did three loads of laundry, cleaned the bathroom, and packed George an extra large lunch to try and make up for missing breakfast. When that was done, her lack of sleep started to become noticeable, so she decided to sprawl out on her bed for a while and give Wembley and Boober some sorely needed cuddle time with Mama.

  * * *

  It was after five when she heard a light tapping on her door. She looked around the room groggily, realizing that she must have fallen into a deeper sleep than the light nap she’d planned.

  “Lil, are you up?” George called through the door.

  “Yeah,” she groaned as she sat up. “Sorry, I slept later than I meant to. I’ll be down to make dinner in a minute.”

  “Don’t worry about that. I just wanted to let you know that I was going to meet some friends over at the diner for a while. Did you want to come and grab a bite?”

  “No thanks, I think I’ll just eat something here later.”

  “Okay, then. I’ll be back in a few hours.”

  She listened as he made his way downstairs and got into his car. Almost instantly, she was struck with the thought that she was finally alone again and free for the night.

  Jumping up and running to her dresser, she changed her clothes quickly. Looking over the few items in her drawers, she thought to herself that perhaps a shopping trip to Chicago was just what she needed. Once she was ready to go, she threw some food out for the cats and ran to her car.

  She knew it was crazy to rush off to see him again so quickly, especially when she knew she should have fought harder to get Scott to come over so she could end things officially, but she was well and truly addicted and would have done anything at that point to be with her Stranger—no, Ethan—again.

  She drove quickly across town, weaving through traffic as if her life depended on it. As soon as she was there she turned into the alley much faster than she should have and pulled into the parking lot. As she got out and ran across the alley, she noticed the Audi wasn’t there, but since he knew she might be coming back tonight she figured that he wouldn’t be gone long.