by Tasha Fawkes
“Thanks,” she says. She glances around, then meets my gaze, her eyes sparkling. “Want to get out of here?” she asks.
“And go where?”
“My place?” she suggests.
I don't even have to think twice about it. I stand up and take her hand, then lead her outside to my car. She giggles as she slides into her seat.
“Just so you know, I’m not in the habit of inviting people back to my place,” she says.
“I’m not in the habit of accepting.” I smirk.
We drive back to her place. I pull up outside and smile at her. I’m still not sure what this is, but I’ve decided to just go with it. I’ll have plenty of time to figure it out later.
I unbuckle my belt and get out of the car, then I walk around to her side and open her door. She takes my hand and lets me help her. I pull with a little too much force and send her flying into my arms.
Without thinking about it, I press my lips against hers. She stares up at me, her eyes wide, then we quickly walk up the steps to the building entrance. We take the elevator up to her floor and barely make it inside her apartment before we’re all over each other. She groans as I kiss her, my hands wandering down over her body.
We move through her apartment, but only make it as far as the kitchen before I'm tearing her clothes off her. I hoist her up onto the counter and run my hands up her thighs. She gasps as I bury my face in her neck, and sigh, because her soft skin smells intoxicating. Everything about her captures my attention. The look in her eyes when she’s excited about something, her soft lips, that creamy white skin…I could explore her for days and never get sick of it.
As I wrap my arms around her waist, I let my fingers trail down over her shoulders, to her breasts. Her nipples stiffen against my touch. I press my lips against hers, hungry to taste her. All I can think about is how amazing she is and how much I want to be inside her. I bring her to the edge of the counter then I reach down and unzip my pants, then place my hand inside my boxer shorts to free my cock. My other hand, I fish out my wallet, grabbing the condom that I’d stashed there months ago. I rip it open with my teeth, then I roll it over my erection, groaning as she wraps her fingers around my shaft.
She presses her lips against mine while she expertly stokes me, her fingers working and forth along my shaft with such ease. She smiles, like she enjoys winding me up, then she pulls away, just far enough to stare into my eyes.
I grab hold of her hips and line myself up with her entrance, then I thrust deep inside her. She gasps, her eyes widening as she locks her legs around me.
“Fuck,” I mutter as I pump myself inside her.
She groans, her hands wrapping around my neck as she holds on to me for dear life. I lift her off the counter while I’m still deep inside her and spin her around, so I can press her against the wall. I slam my cock inside her, while my lips explore hers. It’s like I can't get enough of her, which is exactly how I feel.
I grunt and tilt her head to the side, so I can explore that neck. My lips trail along her soft skin, while I fuck her.
“God.” She gasps, closing her eyes. I smirk as her head tilts back, and I thrust deep into her pussy. Her body clenches and I know she's close. I run my free hand down over her stomach, then up to her breasts, and roll her nipple between my fingers.
“You feel so good,” I mumble. I grasp her chin and press my mouth against hers as I release inside her. She whimpers, her body convulsing as she orgasms with me, her pussy tightening around my cock.
“God.” I murmur. My cock throbs as I slide into her. I can barely take it, but I want to make sure she’s satisfied. She kisses me, rocking her hips against mine, panting as she comes down from her high. She flickers her eyes open and smiles at me. I laugh, then pull out of her. I carry her over to the bedroom and lay her down, then I climb onto the mattress next to her.
She smiles at me, both of us breathing heavily as we try to catch our breath. I gently tickle her stomach while she squirms, barely able to handle it. But she’s not telling me to stop, so I don’t. I lean over and kiss her, then I lay back with her in my arms. My heart pounds in sync with hers as I kiss the back of her neck. She shakes her head and laughs.
“Well, that was unexpected,” she says with a giggle.
“Was it really, though?” I say with a smirk. “From where I stand, what just happened was inevitable.”
“Inevitable or unbelievable?” She jokes.
She rolls over, so she's facing me and presses her mouth onto mine.
“Why not both?” I tease.
We lay there for a while and just enjoy each other. Every now and then, I remind myself why am doing this and I feel a twinge of guilt. I just need to keep my head grounded, because it would be so easy to lose myself in her. In fact, I think I already have.
“How about I get that drink?” she suggests.
“Sure.” I nod as I watch her get up. “Whatever you've got is fine.”
She comes back in carrying two glasses of scotch and hands me one. I take a sip, impressed that it’s half decent stuff.
“I didn't think this would be your type of thing.” I tease.
She rolls her eyes and laughs. “It’s not. It was a moving present from my father, who knows damn well that I don’t touch anything stronger than wine.”
I raise my eyebrows at her glass. She flushes and shrugs.
“It seems I'm doing a lot of things out of the ordinary for me, so I thought why not?” She takes a sip. “Now I remember why not.”
I laugh and take the glass off her and put it down on the night table, along with mine. Then I reach out and take her wrist, pulling her over into my lap. She giggles as I kiss her, my fingers tickling her stomach while she squirms in my arms. When she pulls away, she’s wincing.
“I hate to kick you out right after sex, but I’ve got an early start in the morning and I'm pretty sure you do too.”
I chuckle and pull myself to my feet.
“I can take a hint.” I grin. I lean over and kiss her again.
“I’ll walk you out,” she says, getting to her feet. She takes my hand and walks me to the door, stopping several times along the way to kiss me. When we reach the door, we kiss for a good few minutes, before I reluctantly pull away.
“I guess I'll see you…”
The words linger in the air, because reality hits for both of us. I’ll probably see her tomorrow, at work, and the circumstances won’t be nearly as happy.
“I had a good time tonight,” she says softly.
She smiles at me, but there’s a sadness in her eyes, that reflects what I’m feeling inside.
We both know all too well that this will be over soon.
Chapter 12
Angela
“Angela.”
I snap back to attention and smile at Shana, who narrows her eyes at me.
“You're a million miles away.” She accuses. “That's the third time I've had to yell at you to get your attention, and we’ve only been sitting here for half an hour.”
“I know, I'm sorry,” I say. “I'm just having a hard time focusing on anything lately,” I mutter.
“Really? I wonder why that is.” Shana teases. “I bet I can think of one thing you wouldn’t have any trouble focusing on.” She jokes. She and Charlene dissolve into giggles.
I shake my head at them. “Are you right?” I ask, laughing. I do my best to look annoyed, but it’s no use. “You’re acting like a couple of teenagers, instead of the nearly thirty-year-old women that you are.”
Shauna makes a face at me. “Harsh much?” She grumbles. Her eyes sparkle, so I know she’s only joking with me. “There’s no need to be mean and bring up our age. We're just suggesting that we might know the reason as to why you're suddenly so distracted.”
I narrow my eyes at them. “And what is it that you think you know?” I ask sweetly.
Shana glances at Charlene, whose eyes are bright with amusement.
“Well, we might've heard some
where along the line that you and Nate have been seeing a lot of each other lately...”
My face heats up as I groan and bury my face in my hands. They dissolve into another round of giggles, which makes me smile.
“Let me guess. Matt?” I say.
Charlene nods. I shake my head. I shouldn't be surprised that Nate told Matt, but the fact Matt couldn’t keep his mouth shut and now everyone knows isn't sitting well with me. I’ve never really had girlfriends I felt close enough to share this kind of thing with, so it’s hard to get used to them knowing about something so personal. Shana reaches over and playfully slaps me. She’s smiling, but I see a flash of hurt in her eyes.
“Why wouldn’t you tell us it was more than a one-time thing?” she asks. “I thought we were getting pretty close. I think it's awesome that you two are hooking up. We both do.” She adds, glancing at Charlene. She rolls her eyes. “God knows you both need it.”
“Hey,” I say, laughing at her comment. I sigh, not sure how to explain to her that I’m not used to having friends who share everything. I love it, but it’s going to take me a bit to get used to. “I wanted to tell you. I told you about the other night, but it’s just I’ve just never had friends close enough that I’d call them up to brag about the fact that I slept with some—”
“You slept with him?” Shana gasps. Her eyes grow wide. “I thought it was just another couple of dates.”
“What? I thought you knew that,” I say. My heart races as I bury my face in my hands. I am so embarrassed. “Can we please stop talking about this now?” I beg, but I know there’s no way that’s going to happen. Shana shakes her head adamantly.
“No fucking way. We want details, don't we?” she demands, elbowing Charlene in the side.
“Hell yes. Of course we do. This is so great, Angela. Really. We've been waiting a long time for Nate to find someone,” she says. “He’s such a nice guy and you’re so amazing. It’s perfect.”
I wish it was that perfect.
“So…how was he?” Shana says, her smile widening. Charlene laughs and shakes her head at Shana’s no shame attitude.
“It was pretty good,” I admit. My face heats up. That’s the understatement of the century. “Okay, it was the best sex ever,” I giggle.
It felt great sharing the experience with someone, but at the same time, it was a whole new set of pressures that I wasn’t expecting to have to take on. Now I don’t only have to worry about Nate and I, I also have to factor in that his brothers and these two were part of our relationship too. This couldn’t have happened at a worse time, either. I was already doubting whether this whole thing was a mistake, and the last few minutes have confirmed it for me. I swallow, knowing my next question isn’t going to go down well.
“I think I need to end it,” I whisper.
Charlene whips her head around to glare at me, a startled expression on her face. Shana looks even more shocked and upset. You’d think I’d told them I spent the morning drowning puppies. “The best sex ever and you’re ending it. For the love of God, why?” She gasps.
“Well, for one thing, it’s a major conflict of interest. I can’t be impartial if I’m involved with him,” I say. I frown, because I hate having to justify this to anyone other than myself.
“Okay, but it’s a little late for that, isn’t it?” Shana asks. “Shouldn’t you have thought about that before you slept with him?
“Probably, but it isn’t going to matter anyway. The moment I make him cut costs, he’s going to hate me anyway,” I say, frustrated. “It's better that we finish this now, before we get too attached.”
Before I get too attached…
“That’s what this is about, isn’t it?” Shana says, picking out the truth in my words. “You’re afraid of getting hurt.”
“Yes, I’m afraid I’ll end up hurt.” I snap. “Are you happy?” I sigh and rub my head, my stomach all churned up. “I’m sorry. I just really like him, and I could totally see myself giving everything up for him, but what if I lose him as well?”
“But maybe you need to take that risk,” Shana argues.
I’m not sure I can. Sighing, I stand up and grab my bag. I give them a smile, hoping that’s enough that they know I’m okay.
“I’m sorry. I have to go. I’ll call you tomorrow.”
I head back to my apartment, still feeling confused. I’m not sure what I should do about Nate. My head feels like it’s about to explode, a combination of lack of sleep and trying to overthink everything. I need to speak to him, I know that much. The sooner I tell him what he needs to do to make the foundation turn a profit, the less likely I’ll end up hurt. I’m a hundred percent sure that when I tell him what he doesn’t want to hear, he’s going to want nothing to do with me.
Maybe that’s the best way to handle this.
People can’t hound me if he ends things with me. I feel better now that I have a plan. I’ll tell him tomorrow and then put my recommendations in writing. It’s not going to make much of a difference if I do it today or then and we won’t be able to do much over the weekend anyway. I'm just trying to buy myself more time, but I can't help it. I'm enjoying the time to spend with him too much for it to just end it so suddenly.
I glance down at my phone when it rings, both excited and nervous to see Nate’s name. My heart races as I answer.
“Hello?”
“Hey,” he says. “It’s me. I was just thinking about you, so I thought I’d call. What you are up to?”
“Not much,” I admit. I walk down to my room and lay down on my bed, an involuntary smile creeping across my face. “I just met up with Shana and Charlene for coffee and now I’m back home.”
“You’re getting quite friendly with them.” He comments.
“Yeah, well, they’re nice and easy to talk to.” I pause and smile. “Which I guess is a good thing, considering they seemed to know a lot about our...situation.”
“Yeah, I may have been speaking to Matt about you,” he mutters. “Sorry, I didn’t even think.”
I laugh. “It's okay, I'm not angry at you for speaking to your own brother. It’s not your fault that he can't keep his mouth shut.”
“That’s kind of funny, because he's always been the one who hated gossip.” Nate chuckles. “I’ll have to have a chat with him about that.”
“So, you asked me if I have plans?” I remind him.
“Right,” he says. “Do you want to come over to my place?”
“Sure,” I say. My heart races, because I haven't seen his place yet and it feels like a big deal that he’s asking me.
“Okay, good. I’m home all day, so come over whenever you like. I’ll text you my address.”
“Okay,” I say.
I hang up, feeling a mixture of happiness, excitement, frustration and anxiety, which is a wonderful combination. I know I'm just making what needs to be done next week even harder by seeing him tonight, but I can't help myself. If things are going to end between us, then I want to have as much fun as I can before they go downhill.
Where’s the problem with that?
I get some chores done around the house, then, I start getting ready to go to Nate’s. I have a quick shower then I throw some things into a bag. I’m not sure if I’m staying over or not, but I want to be prepared.
I wait outside for my cab to arrive. When it does, I climb inside and give the driver Nate’s address. It’s actually pretty close to where I’m living, so it only takes a few minutes to get there. I can’t wait to see Nate and see where he lives. I’m expecting something understated and nice, but not extravagant.
The driver stops out the front of the apartment complex. I pay him and then I get out, taking a moment to look around. It's even nicer than I’d expected and in a very nice area of town. Anything in this area would’ve cost him a fortune.
I walk up the stairs and into the lobby, smiling at the doorman, then I make my way over to the elevators. I ring the bell for his apartment, my heart racing. He buzzes me up imm
ediately. A few minutes later, I’m knocking on his apartment door. My heart races when it opens, and I see him standing there. He looks sexy in a pair of faded jeans and a blue sweater. He runs his hand through his hair and smiles at me.
“Hey,” he says as he takes my hand. He leads me inside and puts his hand around my waist. I shiver when he kisses me. I’m not sure why, but I feel shy all of a sudden. “I missed you.” He murmurs, kissing me again. I smile as he presses his mouth onto mine, his soft lips caressing mine.
“I missed you too,” I admit.
“Shall I give you the tour?” he suggests.
I nod and let him lead me through his apartment. It looks big, even for the three bedrooms it has, with minimal wasted space. Everything has been carefully thought out and there are hidden storage compartments everywhere. The last stop of his tour is outside, on the balcony. I smile when I see the hot tub sitting in the corner.
“That was a housewarming present from Matt that will likely get more use tonight than it has in the two years I’ve had it.” He chuckles.
“Really?” I grin. “You’re not a soak in the bubbles, kind of guy?” I tease.
“If I had the time and patience, maybe,” he says with a grin. “The truth is, I’m hopeless at remembering to turn it on.”
I giggle, because he’s so organized that I wouldn’t have expected that to be the reason.
“You should’ve told me to bring my bikini,” I say, replying to his earlier comment.
“And were would be the fun in that?” he asks. His eyes twinkle. “It’s okay. I promise I won't peek.” I smile as my face grows hot. “Would you like a drink?” he adds. I nod, and he smiles at me. “Then how about you get in the tub while I get us a drink?”
“Okay,” I agree.
I wait until I’m alone on the balcony, before I quickly peel off my clothes. I glance back inside to make sure he’s not coming back yet, then I step forward and balance myself on the edge of the tub. A shiver races through me, because it's freezing out here, especially naked. I know as soon as I’m under the water I'll be fine, so I suck it up and then slide into the water. I gasp, because oh God, it’s hot, then I slowly lower myself into the bubbling water, until I’m submerged. I smile.