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“I’m heading out now,” Alex said.
If he’d only been hanging out with Jamie, he would have felt guilty, but Jamie was with his girlfriend—no, his fiancée—and Alex had felt like a third wheel anyway.
“Sure thing, man.” Jamie winked at him.
“You can bring her to our wedding!” Eve squealed.
Right. He doubted he’d see Iris again after this weekend.
He met her outside the bar. They hailed a cab and headed to his apartment in the Annex. It wasn’t far, thankfully, and they soon arrived at the large Victorian house where he lived.
“This is your house?” Iris asked. “I didn’t think I cared about your job, but now, I’m curious.”
He chuckled. “It was split into apartments years ago.”
He paid the cab driver and helped her out of the car and up the stairs to his second-floor apartment. Once they were inside, they looked at each other for one long, tense second, and then they were kissing. He pressed her against the door and held her arms out to her sides, pinning her as he explored her with his mouth. Biting her bottom lip, teasing her tongue... When he slid his mouth down to her neck, she arched against him and moaned.
Fuck, he wanted her.
Parts of him had become dulled...detached...over the past year. Most of the time, that was necessary and good, but it was nice to know he could still physically crave a woman.
There had been two other one-night stands in the past year, and they’d been satisfactory. However, he hadn’t ached for those women the way he ached for Iris.
He pushed the thin straps of her dress off her shoulders, then undid the catch on her strapless bra and tossed it on the floor. He covered her bare breasts with his hands, squeezing and running his thumbs over the brown tips, which made her arch against him. As he continued to manhandle her breasts, he brought his mouth down to hers and kissed her. She seemed wilder now, less in control of how she kissed than she had before.
When he picked her up, she wrapped her legs—her feet still clad in strappy silver heels—around him as he walked to the couch. He sat down with her straddling him, his erection pressing against her thigh, and she immediately reached for his shirt and pulled it over his head.
“I’ve been wanting to do this all night,” she murmured, scraping her purple fingernails over his pecs, then down his abs.
He sucked in a breath as she continued to touch him, looking at him in wonder. His cock hardened further and pressed uncomfortably against the zipper on his jeans.
As if knowing that, she undid his pants and pulled his erection out through the slit in his boxers. He hissed as she wrapped her hand around him, aching to be inside her.
“Condom,” he croaked, and she pulled one out of her clutch and rolled it on.
It wasn’t going to be a leisurely fuck.
Not the first time, anyway.
She raised her hips. He slipped his hand between her legs and pushed the crotch of her lacy panties to one side. He thrust two fingers inside her, preparing her for his invasion, but she was already so, so wet.
“Fuck,” he muttered.
She jerked her head. “Now, Alex.”
He notched his cock against her entrance, and she slowly sank down on him, until he was completely surrounded by her warmth. She wrapped her arms around his back, pressing her bare chest and tits against his skin, and then she started to move up and down.
He was lost in her. She felt even more amazing than he could have imagined. He cupped her cheeks in his hands as he thrust his hips upward to meet her, and he looked into her eyes, dark with need. Her skin was flushed, her pretty lips parted slightly, and she looked so damn beautiful as she was riding his cock.
Alex moved his hands to her ass and used them to control her movements, thrusting harder and quicker until she clutched his shoulders and called out his name.
After her orgasm, her body was limp against his, though her hands still gripped him for dear life. Without coming out of her, he maneuvered them so she was lying on her back on the couch and he was above her. He pressed kisses to her neck and shoulders and stayed still inside of her.
“Use me,” she said. “I know that’s what you want.”
He didn’t need any encouragement.
He thrust into her frantically until he came, growling, his mouth pressed to the crook of her neck, and it was the best he’d felt in a long, long time.
* * *
“I hate to trouble you.” Iris stood up on shaky legs and pulled up the straps on her dress. She didn’t bother with her bra, not now. “But I haven’t eaten since the wedding reception, and I need some sustenance if we’re going to do that again.”
And she definitely wanted to do it again.
The sex on the couch had taken the edge off, but it wasn’t enough. She wanted—needed—more of Alex.
He disposed of the condom and buttoned up his pants, but fortunately, did not bother putting on a shirt.
He was gorgeous without a shirt.
“What would you like?” he asked. “My dad stopped by with a big box of food earlier.” He lifted up a package of rice crackers in one hand and a pomelo in the other.
She sauntered over to him and dragged her fingernails over his chest before plucking the rice crackers out of his hand and opening the package. She stuffed one into her mouth, like the sophisticated girl she was, and he helped himself to a couple, with slightly less enthusiasm than her, before leading her back to the couch.
When she had a one-night stand, sometimes the moments when they weren’t fucking were weird, but even though she barely knew Alex, it felt comfortable to eat rice crackers on the couch where they’d just had sex. She glanced around the room for some evidence of who he was, and her gaze landed on a family picture on an end table. Alex with his parents and brother, presumably. She could see the resemblance between him and his brother in the shapes of their faces.
She looked away and helped herself to some more rice crackers.
It was weird to think of Alex having an ordinary life, when in her life, he was just a sex partner for the night. She’d let him do intimate things to her, let him inside her body, but it was all physical.
Yet he had a job and a family and things she would never know about.
Iris Chin did not have boyfriends, much to the disappointment of certain members of her family, but for a moment, she wondered what it would be like to have more than a short-lived physical relationship with a man. With Alex. To know more about him.
She shook her head. She didn’t want that. Her life was great as it was. Certainly better than what her mother and grandmother had had at her age, and she had no plans to change it.
She climbed onto Alex’s lap and rubbed herself against his growing arousal.
Good. He would be ready to go again soon.
“This time,” he growled, standing up with her in his arms, “we’re going to the bedroom, and I’m going to see you naked.”
As soon as he set her down on the bed, she pulled her dress over her head and tossed it on a chair. Next, she slipped off her heels, followed by her red underwear, and lay down on her back.
Alex stood at the end of the bed, his arms crossed over his naked chest, and raked his gaze over her body. Her skin prickled and her nipples tightened. She propped herself up on her elbows and spread her legs.
“You like?” she said. She wasn’t shy.
He climbed on the bed and crawled toward her, looking predatory.
“I do,” he said before claiming her mouth.
His hand slipped between her legs, and he groaned when he found she was wet for him.
How could she not be? He was so damn hot.
He circled his finger around her entrance before plunging inside. He added another finger and thrust in and out of her, setting a steady pace. She continued to kiss him back, but her kisses were sloppy and slow because she was distracted by what he was doing between her legs.
When he pressed his thumb to her clit, she practically jumped.
“Can you come for me like this?” he asked.
She nodded helplessly, and a moment later, she was shattering in his arms, shaking beneath him.
He rolled away from her. She missed his warmth, but he was removing his jeans and boxers, and soon he was lying naked beside her, lazily pumping his cock in his hand. She couldn’t look away. He was perhaps average length—she’d seen many dicks in her time—but a little thicker than average, and God, it was fucking hot when he touched himself.
She wanted to put her mouth on him.
She bent over and wrapped her lips around the head of his cock, then sucked him in further. That elicited a groan. She kept on sucking him, swirling her tongue around the head. Later this week, when he jerked himself off, she knew he’d think of her giving him a blowjob.
He pulled her up. “I’m not going to last much longer, and I need to be inside you again.”
And then she was on her back, and he was above her, and his sheathed cock pushed inside her once more, making her gasp.
“You like the way I fuck, don’t you?” he said with a little half-smirk as he pumped himself inside her.
“I do,” she said on another gasp.
“I knew you would.”
“Cocky.”
His hard chest pressed against hers, squashing her breasts, and she loved being under him, filled by him. When he pulled out, she moaned in frustration, but then he positioned her on her hands and knees, and he was inside her again. One hand grabbed her ass, and the other slipped between her legs and fingered her clit. The sensations were overwhelming.
So overwhelming.
She was flying higher and higher, then tipping over the edge. He thrust furiously and came at the same time, collapsing on top of her.
* * *
When Iris woke up at six the next morning, there was an arm wrapped around her.
Huh?
She and Alex had been on opposite sides of the bed when they’d gone to sleep last night, no physical contact. Cuddling wasn’t her thing. But now, a strong male arm—God she really did love his arms—was draped over her hip.
She couldn’t say she minded. It felt nice. Solid. Comforting.
Iris immediately jumped out of bed.
She did not need a man to give her any of those things. She was an independent woman, and she did not depend on anyone.
Didn’t depend on men to give her orgasms—she could do that herself. Although it was always nicer when she came from a man’s cock and fingers and tongue. Particularly Alex’s.
Last night had been exactly what she needed.
But she didn’t want to wait around until he woke up—who knew when that would be, and the morning after was always awkward. If she woke up early, she usually just left, and this morning would be no exception.
Even if another round of sex sounded awfully appealing.
Yeah, she could admit that it had been a better-than-average one-night stand, but she wouldn’t let herself dwell on it now that it was over.
She pulled on her underwear and bra, which she found near the front door, and the dress she’d worn to Natalie’s wedding. Her shoes seemed too high and glittery for six o’clock in the morning, but whatever. She put them on. Then she took one last look at Alex. He lay in bed with his arm curled behind his head. The sheet was pushed down to his hips and she admired him for a moment before quietly closing the door and leaving.
She’d never see him again, and she ignored the slight pang in her chest at the thought.
This was the life she wanted, wasn’t it?
* * *
When Alex woke up, he was alone, which was a normal occurrence.
Except he hadn’t been alone when he’d gone to sleep last night. There had been a woman curled up on the other side of the bed.
Iris.
He jumped up and hurried through the apartment looking for her, but she was nowhere to be found. Her clothes and her purse were gone.
She’d left without saying goodbye.
Women never did that to him.
Dammit, he’d been looking forward to having one last round with her before she headed into the sunshine. Maybe even asking for her number so they could meet up again next weekend.
Not for a date. Just for another night in bed.
He went into the washroom to see if she’d written her phone number in lipstick on the mirror, but of course she hadn’t. That was a silly thought.
She had his number, though he had a feeling she wouldn’t use it.
He showered to wash the scent of her off his skin, and then he got dressed and started peeling a pomelo for breakfast. The skin of the citrus fruit was thick, and the bitter membranes on the individual pieces had to come off, too. He ate half the pomelo and a bowl of cereal, and to his frustration, he thought of Iris the whole time. The curve of her ass, the curve of her breast. Her slick heat as he slid his fingers inside her. Her mouth on his cock—that had nearly undone him.
Fuck. Why had she left?
He shouldn’t be angry. It had been all about sex; it didn’t mean anything, and she’d made no promises to stick around the next morning. Yes, it had felt amazing to be inside her, but he hardly knew her, even if he knew the sounds she made when she came.
His phone vibrated. A text message from Jamie.
How was your night?
Strange that Jamie was texting him first thing in the morning. His friend usually slept until ten or eleven.
Alex looked at the time on his phone. Holy shit. It was after ten. He never slept this late. He had to wake up early for work, and he rarely slept in past seven or eight on the weekend.
Good, he replied, not in the mood for this conversation.
Well, it had been good, even if he was in a pissy mood now. It had been exactly the distraction he’d needed, and now he would return to his regularly-scheduled life and try to forget about Iris...whatever-her-last-name-was. He didn’t even know.
Maybe he’d start by cleaning out his freezer, which was packed to the gills now that his father had started bringing him food all the time. He’d go through his cupboards, too. Do a load of laundry. In the afternoon, he’d run some errands and go to the gym.
But he was certain that no matter what he did, he wouldn’t get Iris out of his mind.