His right hand softly caressed my hip before he slowly ran it around to my stomach. I sucked in a breath as his light touch made my stomach muscles quiver. Lightly, he dragged his fingertips up the center of my torso, grazing the sides of my breasts. Curling his hand around my neck, he jerked my head back until it was resting on his shoulder.
Holding me firmly in place, he leaned in until his lips were resting against my right ear. With him pressed up tightly against me, the crisp hairs of his chest tickled against my back with his quickened breaths. “I can’t be gentle with you now, Ember. This isn’t how I had planned our evening to go, but I can’t help it. I need you too fucking much,” he whispered in my ear. His voice was raspy and strained. “Remove the rest of your clothes.” Releasing my neck, he took a step back and waited. Evan had never been this bossy with me before, and I had to admit, I rather liked it.
Quickly toeing off my shoes and socks, I undid the button and zipper of my pants. Pulling them over my hips and down my legs, taking my underwear with them, I tossed them off to the side. The entire time, Evan stood close enough that it still wasn’t possible for me to turn around, but the heat radiating from his body warmed my back. Straightening back up, completely naked before him, I listened to his ragged breathing blend with mine as I waited for him to touch me.
Grabbing me by the hips, he pulled me back a bit from the door. “Palms flat on the door,” he demanded.
Now that I was standing further back from the door, I had to lean over to get my palms flat. Feeling his towel move against my naked backside and thighs, I watched as it hit the floor. It was several seconds before he moved, but I could feel his eyes on me. When his palms finally made contact with my back, I jumped.
“Easy, baby,” he whispered, running his hands up and down my back. “You’re so beautiful. Your skin is so soft and smooth like velvet.” Allowing a moan to escape me, I hung my head and reveled in the warmth and feel of his hands on me.
Gently, he ran his hands down my back one final time before curling them around my hips. Jerking my body back into his, I gasped and lifted a hand from the door ready to stand up to steady myself.
“Hands on the door,” he said, rubbing his erection between my ass cheeks. “You’re going to need to steady yourself.” He pushed my feet apart. “This is going to be hard and fast,” he warned.
That was the only warning I got before he slammed into me, causing me to cry out at the sudden invasion. He paused for a moment while he was buried deep inside me. Stretching me almost to the point of pain, it was much deeper in this position.
Then he began to move. Slowly at first. A steady, even pace that threatened to drive me insane. “I know it’s deep this way,” he said as if he could read my thoughts. “But I want you sore. I want you to think about me tomorrow every time you move and feel the ache deep inside you.” Sweet Jesus. The man was killing me.
After that declaration, he picked up the pace. Slamming into me with such force, the deadbolt within the lock of the door began to bang around loudly with every hard, punishing thrust delivered by Evan. His ragged breaths came out in pants. The grip he had on my hips grew tighter as his fingers dug into my flesh. The muscles deep within my core clenched hard around him with my impending release.
“Wait. Together,” he said. Each word delivered with a hard thrust of his hips between breaths. And just like that, his words left my body hanging suspended in the most delicious way.
“Now,” he shouted.
At his command, my body exploded around him. Thrusting one final time, he stilled and groaned out my name. Momentarily stunned by how easy he was able to command my body, which continued to pulsate and tingle with the aftershocks of my release, I closed my eyes and whispered his name.
Suddenly, my arms and legs began to shake after what little energy I had left was drained from my body. Wrapping his arms around me, he pulled me back from the door. Breaking our intimate connection, I gasped as he slipped free from my body. My most intimate flesh was left tender and mourning the loss of him.
Spinning around so his back was now against the door, he slid down to the floor, moving me so I was sitting on his lap. With my cheek pressed against his chest, he buried his face in my hair. Resting my left hand on the small of his back, I brought my right hand up and ran my fingers through the light smattering of chest hair. We stayed that way, sitting quietly until our breaths evened out and our heart rates slowed.
“Up you go.” Wrapping his hands around my waist, he helped me get to my feet. I turned and held my hand out to help him up. When he reached down for the towel and began to place it back around his waist, I resisted the urge to pull it away and throw it across the room. I could stare at this man naked all day every day and never get tired.
Slipping my shirt and panties on, I quickly glanced around the hall with its beige carpet and yellow and white striped walls. A small table by the door held a coffee pot, water bottles, glasses, and tins of cookies. The sight of which made my stomach rumble.
Grabbing my hand, we passed the bathroom on my right, and headed further into the suite as it opened into the bedroom. A large king-sized bed was up against the wall. A beige arm chair and ottoman sat at the foot of the bed while an armoire housing the flat-screen TV and desk were up against the wall opposite the bed. And there, sitting between the armoire and the desk, sat my I Love NY duffle bag. Pointing to my bag, I turned and gaped at Evan.
“We’re here for the night, Ember. Jake helped me gather some things for you this morning while you were in the shower. Don’t look so surprised. Like I would have you do the walk of shame out of the Fairmont tomorrow morning,” he said, teasingly, rolling his eyes. “Now,” He grabbed me by the shoulders and spun me around. “I want you to go into the bathroom. Indulge in a nice relaxing shower, even though I love it when you smell of me.” He paused, sucking in a deep breath. “There you’ll find a robe hanging on the back of the door. Put it on and come back to me. Hurry. Dinner will be here soon.” Giving me a hard smack on the ass, he propelled me in the direction of the bathroom.
Rubbing my stinging ass cheek more dramatically than was necessary, I made my way into the bathroom. The walls were covered in tan wallpaper with embossed flowers. A large mirror framed in gold hung over the black granite counter. White granite with black accents made up the shower/tub combo. Closing the bathroom door, I found the white, plush bathrobe with an embroidered F in black surrounded by gold filigree right where Evan said it would be.
I took longer than usual in the shower. Now that I was not around Evan and his enticing good looks and sexy-as-sin smell, I was able to think. We needed to have a talk after what happened at the shoot today. If we had any hopes of this relationship working then we were going to have to get over any jealousy issues or worries about upsetting the other. Did I like that woman’s hands all over him? Hell no. But it was necessary as part of his job. I knew that too, but yet for some reason it still bothered the hell out of me.
Hanging my head, I allowed the hot water to beat down on me for a few more seconds before I shut the water off and got out of the shower. Drying off quickly, I slipped on the soft fluffy robe and set out to find Evan.
He was standing at the window, holding back the heavy, flowered drape so he could look out onto Seattle. With the towel around his waist now gone, he donned a white fluffy robe just like mine. My fingers tingled with the urge to touch him. Instead, I grabbed onto the lapels of my robe and hugged it close against my chest.
The smell of chargrilled beef filled the room. A cart was pushed up against the bed. Dinner had obviously arrived while I was in the shower. When I looked back to Evan, I found him staring at me intently. My breathing grew heavy as he continued to stare, looking like he wanted to eat me alive. He glanced away and I almost sagged to the floor with relief.
“Let’s eat,” he said softly.
Sitting down on the edge of the bed next to him, I took in the smells of the delicious-looking steak. A side of garlic mashed po
tatoes and mixed vegetables completed the meal.
“This looks and smells delicious. Thank you,” I said softly.
“You’re welcome,” he said, opening the bottle of San Pellegrino. After pouring us each a glass of the sparkling mineral water, we both began to eat in a comfortable silence.
If I was going to talk to him, it had to be now. “Evan?” I asked, after several minutes.
“Yes?”
“The shots that I saw from today were amazing. The executives really seemed to be happy with them,” I said, totally chickening out with what I really needed to say.
“Yeah? That’s great, baby.” He smiled down at me before focusing back on his plate. “Jake was able to wipe out my tattoo without any problems?” he asked, before eating another piece of steak.
“Yes. No worries there.”
“Good.”
We remained quiet as we continued to eat. Once we were finished, Evan pushed the cart out into the hall. I sat fidgeting on the bed until he returned. As he approached me, I got up and walked over to the window he was at earlier. He watched me with curious eyes.
“We need to talk,” I finally said.
“What about?” he asked, frowning.
“Today at the shoot.” He was already shaking his head at me. “You worrying about whether we were okay or not and my jealousy at watching that girl put her hands all over you, it was irrational. These are our jobs, Evan. How is this going to work?” I gestured between the two of us.
“Ember, today was the first time we worked together in this capacity. It won’t always be like this. You have to know that. It’s all just so new for us, baby. You have to give it time,” he said, almost pleading with me.
“I’m not so sure about that,” I whispered, looking into his emerald eyes.
“Damn it, Ember. You don’t think I didn’t like Eli all over you? You don’t think I didn’t want to walk over and punch him in the face every time he touched or looked at you as he undressed you with his eyes?” Balling his hands into fists at his side, anger flared in his eyes.
“What are you talking about?” I asked, frowning.
“Oh, come on. He wanted you,” he said, throwing his hands up.
“Who? Eli?” My voice shot up several octaves as my eyes grew wide. Surely, he could not be serious. There was only that one time where he was standing rather close to me. Then again, Eli was very much a charmer. It was his personality. It did not have anything to do with me.
“Yes, Ember. Eli. Don’t play stupid with me.” He narrowed his eyes at me.
“You’re delusional. He wasn’t screaming all excitedly when he saw me, or running at me and wrapping his arms around me just to plant a big, wet one on my mouth. Unlike your Barbie,” I muttered.
“Are you talking about Daniella?” I smirked at him. “I first worked with her two years ago for a clothing catalog. We haven’t seen each other in….a while. She was just excited to see me.”
“Ah, I get it. When you say you haven’t seen her in a while, what you really mean is you haven’t fucked her in a while. That’s why she was so excited to see you. Was she hoping for another hook up?”
“Ember,” he said in warning.
Shaking my head, I looked away from him only for my eyes to land on the front door to the suite. The very door he took me up against a little more than an hour ago. Shifting on my feet, I could feel the deep ache within my core. Just like he promised earlier, it was a reminder of where he had been. For reasons I cannot explain, it just got me angry. “Stop!” I shouted, running my fingers through my hair. “Jesus, Evan, listen to us.” I shook my head at him. “This is stupid. This isn’t going to work,” I choked out past the lump in my throat.
“I’m not going to let you go,” he said emphatically with a dangerous edge to his voice.
“Evan, please. We can remain in contact with each other. I’m not saying not ever. I’m just saying not right now.” Continuing to stare into his eyes, I silently begged him to see my point of view. But deep down inside, I knew he was never going to let me go. And just the thought of being without him gutted me. It was too late. I was already in way over my head.
“I can’t do it. Don’t ask me to walk away. I can’t and I won’t,” he said, sounding frustrated and angry.
“Evan-”
“NO,” he yelled, making me jump. Taking a deep breath, he continued. “I’m in love with you, Ember,” he said softly. My eyes grew large as my mouth gaped open. He’s what? Shaking my head at him, he walked towards me. “How could you not know? How could you not feel it in every touch, every kiss, every look I’ve given you?” He stopped before me, cupping my face in his hands, keeping my head from shaking at him. “Yes, baby. I’ve fallen for you. Hard. I’ve fallen in love with you like I’ve never fallen before, and it scares the fuck out of me.” Blinking quickly, I desperately tried to keep back the tears that were suddenly threatening to spill over. “I know you’re scared too and that’s okay. We can do this together, Ember.”
I opened my mouth to say the words that were running through my head, those three little words of affection, but I could not get them out. “We can do this,” I whispered instead. He gave me a small smile, but the disappointment was clear in his eyes. Those were not the words he was waiting for me to say. I was in love with him as well. So why couldn’t I just say it? Because if I said the words, it made it real, and I just was not ready for that yet.
“Get dressed. I have somewhere I’d like to take you.” Bending down, he gave me a quick kiss before releasing my face and going to get dressed.
We headed out of the Fairmont’s grand entrance on foot, taking a left to head down University Street. The day started out dark and cloudy, but sometime during the afternoon the sun popped out. Now, as it peeked through the sporadic clouds, it made for an unbelievably beautiful evening sky. The clouds that remained became a beautiful mixture of gray, blue, pink, and purple, casting the tops of the buildings in a purplish hue. The photographer in me longed for her camera, but Evan seemed to be a man on a mission so I did not dare suggest we go back.
Holding my hand in his the entire way, his thumb gently caressed my knuckles. Often, I could feel his eyes on me, and I was met with a full on, dimple-popping smile every time my eyes met his. Only once he let go of my hand so he could send a quick text.
As we reached the Alaskan Way, the breeze coming off the ocean was cool, sending a chill through me. The briny smell carried on the breeze tickled my nose as the seagulls squawked overhead.
We were walking in the direction of Seattle’s Great Wheel. The big Ferris wheel at the end of a pier wasn’t open to the public yet. Other than some restaurants around, there was not much else within walking distance. So I didn’t think anything of it when Evan started heading towards the wheel, thinking he just wanted to take in some views from the pier. It was a gorgeous night after all.
Then an older man dressed casually in jeans and a t-shirt approached us once we got closer to the wheel. He smiled as we approached. Evan held his hand out, but the man gripped his hand and brought him in for a hug.
“Evan,” he said cheerfully. “How are you?”
“Doing very well, Pete. Thank you. And you?”
“Good, good,” he said, nodding his head. “Is this the special lady?” He gestured towards me. Surprised, I looked up at Evan.
“Yeah, this is her,” he said, smiling down at me. “Sorry. This is Ember. Ember, this is Pete McGrath. His daughter, Sophie and I worked together on the Rafael cologne campaign.” An image of that particular campaign that was still on my cell phone flashed through my mind. Evan backed up against a door while a dark-harked woman was pressed up against him, her mouth latched onto the side of his neck. Yes, I was all too familiar with that ad.
“It’s nice to meet you, Mr. McGrath.” I said, shaking his hand.
“Nice. Very polite,” he said, nodding at Evan. “The pleasure is all mine, sweetheart,” he said, smiling widely at me. “This way,” he said,
gesturing for us to follow him.
“Is your daughter still traveling?” Evan asked as we continued to walk towards the wheel.
“Oh, yes. She’s in Paris right now modeling some fancy collection that I can’t pronounce.” He waved his hand around.
“Good for her,” Evan said, chuckling at the man.
“Well, here we are.” Pete stopped at the entrance to the wheel, unlocking the gate to the ramp that led up to an open door to one of the gondolas.
Evan went first and turned to take my hand. The gondola had four black and red leather bucket seats with a glass floor.
“Is this safe?” I asked, staring out through the glass bottom.
Evan chuckled as he took the seat across from me. “Yes.”
“But it’s not open to the public yet.”
“I know,” he said, winking at me. “I have connections.” He playfully narrowed his eyes at me. “They’re considering this to be a test run.”
The wheel started moving slowly, and I watched through the glass bottom as the ground slowly slipped away. Behind me, lights lit in some sporadic windows of the Seattle skyscrapers glowed as some remained late at work. As we got higher, the Space Needle, all gloriously lit for the evening, became visible. To the left of me I could see down the pier all the way to CenturyLink Field. Straight ahead, I looked out over Puget Sound. A ferry heading out to Bainbridge Island was easily visible with its lights reflecting off the dark water.
“This is amazing. Thank you,” I said sincerely. “I feel like I’m on top of the world.”
Evan slid off his seat, getting down on both knees before me. The serious look on his face had my stomach dropping down to my toes. What the hell was he doing? Reaching out, he took my hands in his and squeezed.
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