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I KNEW THERE WAS SOMETHING that I should have been doing, and it wasn’t mooning over Brad. There was a tickle in the back of my mind that was trying to get my attention, but I wasn’t listening to it.
I put my foot down and sped through the city, hoping to make it to my apartment in record time. When I left Corey’s house earlier that day, sex had been the last thing on my mind. I had only wanted to satisfy my curiosity and make sure that Brad was okay. We were supposed to meet up on Wednesday to talk to his brother, and I’d had to be content with that meager offering.
But suddenly things were different, and we burned through all the awkward ‘will they, won’t they’ nonsense to arrive at passion. If there was a closer place we could have tucked ourselves away, I would have opted for that. It was almost torture to be sitting so close to him and yet not able to touch him. I had to keep my eyes on the road or risk crashing and destroying every last hope of getting laid that day.
Finally my apartment complex reared its head over the horizon. I flew into the parking lot like a bat out of hell, screeching to a stop as close as I could get to the building. I didn’t even bother pulling the key out of the ignition before twisting in my seat and climbing into Brad’s lap.
It didn’t feel like there was a moment to lose. I needed to feel his body against mine, to hear his heart beating and know that we were together at last. He was obviously on board, because instead of protesting, he gripped my hips and yanked me down hard.
I found his lips with my own, lowering my tongue into his mouth. We spared for a moment, each one wanting satisfaction. I combed my fingers through his hair, loving the spread of freshly washed masculinity.
He wore a suit jacket that masked the beautiful chest I knew was buried underneath. Sliding my fingers down his scalp, I dropped them to his shoulders. The tight woolen fabric was like butter beneath my palms. It screamed money and power, and that was exactly what I wanted inside me.
“Teddy,” he moaned as I released his lips and went for his ear instead.
We were sitting at the edge of the parking lot, in the middle of the day, with no camouflage to prevent onlookers from seeing. I didn’t care. It didn’t even occur to me that other people existed, much less that they would be interested in what was going on in my car.
“Teddy,” he repeated himself, grasping me by the elbows and pulling me away.
I laughed, reaching for the door handle on the passenger side. Clicking it open, I tumbled out almost as if I was drunk. Brad caught me and helped me down to the ground gently. He followed as soon as I was steady, slamming the door behind him. I dashed around the other side to pull the keys out of the ignition, locked the car, and then joined him as he walked across the parking lot toward the main entrance.
Inside, it felt like I might die if I couldn’t touch him. He guided me to the elevators as if this was his home and not mine. We tumbled into an elevator when it arrived, laughing at ourselves and our fervent desires. The door closed, and we were on top of each other again.
In the privacy of the elevator, with a single floor to travel, we came together like magnets. My arms circled his neck; his hands gripped my waist. We kissed as if it was our last day on the planet and we were determined to go out with a bang.
I massaged his shoulders, sliding greedy fingers up and down the back of his neck. He grabbed fistfuls of my dress and pulled the fabric tight. I moaned, feeling his tongue slip deep inside, wishing we had the luxury of pressing the stop button. I almost considered it. How wicked would it be to get it on in the elevator? But it would be just my luck for some eager teenager or mom on her way to soccer practice to call the building super and complain about the broken elevator.
The doors opened anyway, spilling us out into the hall. I hurried down to my own door, fitting the key in to allow us entrance. As soon as we crossed the threshold, it was no holds barred action. He slammed the door shut, pressing me up against it and putting a hand on my belly.
We kissed like two drunken sailors on shore leave for the night before sailing back into battle the next day. I cupped his jaw in my hands, memorizing the strong lines for my next painting. I wouldn’t have to worry about finding a new muse. He was right here with me, in the flesh.
I started to work on his tie, fitting a finger into the knot and pulling slowly down. He took over, ripping it from my hands and yanking the thing free. Tossing it behind him, he came back to our kiss with renewed vigor. I barely had time to catch my breath before he grasped me by the hair and tilted my head back.
The door behind me was solid wood, formidable in its unyielding pressure. Brad’s body, on the other hand, was warm and tight, equally as powerful and yet dynamic instead of stationary. I was trapped between the two as he forced me to look up to the ceiling. I closed my eyes and felt his lips on my throat, like a vampire without the fangs.
I couldn’t see, but the rest of my senses were on overload. I worked a hand between our bodies so that I could feel his muscles properly. Sliding my fingers up his side, past his obliques to his rib cage and finally his pectorals, I felt powerless. He nipped and sucked at my skin, working his way from one side of my neck to the other. Unfortunately, the dress I wore had a high collar. So much the better for a court appearance, but not so well suited to making love.
I wanted to be rid of it so that I could feel him rubbing against me. But I was trapped, and he held me so tightly I couldn’t get the leverage I needed to reach for my hem. I started to say something, but the words caught in the uncomfortable angle of my neck. The most I could manage was a weak moan.
Brad heard me, tuning into what I was experiencing as much as he was to his own lust. He released me, leaning back just enough to allow me to restore my balance. He came away from my throat, finding my lips again with a kiss that was just two shades darker than gentle.
I stooped to grab at my dress, lifting it up over my stomach, my breasts, and then my head. Brad’s hands joined mine, tantalizing in their rugged softness. He spent so much time at a computer, yet his hands were tough like a man’s should be. It must have been the gym; that was the only thing I could think of that would create steel from wool. And then I lost my train of thought when Brad pulled the dress from my grasp and laid it on the counter.
He picked me up, walking through the living room toward the first of three doors.
“No, that’s the bathroom,” I said, wiggling my toes like a mermaid just become human. It was a strange sensation to be lifted completely and walking through my own apartment on someone else’s legs. I reached around his neck to draw a circle of support, putting my cheek down on his impressive shoulder.
“Nice apartment,” he tossed out, pushing his way through the second door.
This was the bonus room, and I was using it as both an office and a studio, though most of my art supplies were at Corey’s house for the time being. There was still enough detritus scattered around to speak volumes about the owner of the space. She was an out-of-work artist who was into acrylics and painted her boyfriend way too often.
I laughed, knowing that Brad would figure out this wasn’t the right room either. He shifted his hands underneath me, juggling my weight with a growl. I kissed the side of his jaw and whispered, “It’s the next one.”
Thrusting out into the hall, he turned to the final room. The bed stretched halfway across the space, not nearly as puffy or luxurious as any of the half dozen beds Brad owned. Still, we were frantic and in need of a place to lie down. The floor would have worked just as well, though thankfully, my old mattress was slightly more comfortable than the carpet. At least we wouldn’t get rug burns.
Brad dropped me on the bed, coming down on top of me a moment later. I scooted up toward the pillow, reaching out for his collar as I went. Planting my butt dead center on the mattress, I worked three of his buttons loose before he took over. Kissing me sweetly, he undid all the clasps, slipping out of the shirt and laying it on one side of the bed.
I didn’t pause now that he was halfway naked. I wanted the whole enchilada, and that would start with undoing his pants. It didn’t even occur to me that I still wore my underwear. What was important was getting him disrobed so that I could see and taste and feel his entire magnificent form.
He didn’t tease me, sitting back on his knees to undo his fly and ease the pant legs down over his muscular calves. I watched, eager to dig into the feast that was before me, but as soon as he emerged naked and fully erect, he reached for my hips and flipped me over.
I landed on all fours, my head turned toward the wall. My hair fell down across my shoulders, blocking my view. My palms pressed into the mattress, nearly swallowed whole by the comforter with its playful pink and blue checkerboard pattern.
I felt Brad’s hands on my hips, centering my body next to his. He hooked two fingers beneath my panty line and slid the offending garment across my backside. The polyester whispered down my thighs to my knees where Brad tore them away in one fell swoop.
A moment later, I felt his palm cup my intimate flesh, firm and warm where I was slick and needy. He slid a finger inside, and I nearly flinched as adrenaline flooded my body. My entire core wrapped itself around his digit, every single sensory receptor alive with pleasure.
“You’re so beautiful,” he gasped, taking his time to shift into position. “I’m one lucky son of a bitch.”
His free hand traveled up my spine, stroking me like a prized horse. With the other hand, he worked two fingers deep inside and guided them in and out with every heated breath I took. It was like he was using the rhythm of my own heart to guide him, playing music with my soul that only the two of us could hear.
I primed myself for his entry, spreading my legs and centering my weight in anticipation of his thrusts. I would need a powerful anchor to combat the enthusiasm he was likely to bring to the table. Testing the strength of my arms, I bent my elbows a bit, ready for the show.
He didn’t disappoint. I inhaled excitedly when I felt his tip press against my swollen pocket. He was all man, and I was all woman, and we were coming together like animals during the mating season. One moment, I was naked and vulnerable, and the next, he sliced through me. I was alone and then I wasn’t. I was wanting and then I was complete. He ripped through the internal barrier that kept me operating in the dark, replacing it with a thick cord of muscle that fused into my heart of hearts.
I moaned, letting slip the only vocal cue that remained after the swift and deliberate joining. I had no words. There was no way I could explain what was happening, or even encourage him to continue. I had to trust in my body to speak for me and in his body to listen and obey.
He planted his knees between mine, easing my hips just a little bit wider. I complied, pressing back into his body even though I was stretched to the breaking point. He worked his hips from side to side, teasing me before finally giving me what I wanted.
First one thrust and then another, proved that we were meant for each other. My elbows bent under the pressure, my chest angling toward the mattress. He liked it that way, pressing my shoulders down but keeping my hips up so that he could rock back and forth even deeper.
I pressed my eyes shut, carried away with the tide of longing that burst from every retreat and sizzled to a halt with every pounding. Colors danced in the darkness behind my eyes. Brilliant reds and blues flashed to the rhythm of our lovemaking, like a psychedelic oil painting throbbing in the distance. I needed Brad to seal the deal, to take me all the way. I knew I was close.
“Harder!” I squealed, looking back to catch a glimpse of him towering over me. His beautiful body shone with the sweat of an honest day’s work. In him I saw every man, from construction workers to presidents and everyone in between. I was every woman, every mother, every girlfriend, every wife.
And then it happened. The tide overtook me, reaching through my body from my fingertips to my toes. Shockwaves traveled outward from my core, pulsing with the exaltation of a million years of animal instinct. The breath heaved in and out of my lungs, burning with relief.
Against my backside, I could feel Brad thundering his way home. The next few thrusts were deeper than all that had gone before. He was building to his own conclusion, sparking joy just a second after my own response.
Gripping my hips in sweaty palms, he let himself go, soaring off into the distance while his body remained behind. I felt the shudders pass through him and into me. The act was complete, the pinnacle reached. We collapsed onto the bed in a resonant cloud of satisfaction. He wrapped an arm around my chest and pulled me close.
We didn’t speak for a long time until our hearts slowed and we were able to return to a higher level of functioning. I drew my name on his arm with my fingertip, binding him to me with a love spell.
“What was that?” he whispered.
“My name,” I said.
“Like a tattoo?” he asked.
“Kind of,” I responded, twisting around to kiss him on the lips. “But no one can see it.”
“I’ll know it’s there,” he said, kissing me back.
I snuggled against him, wrapping my arms across my chest. It was getting cold, and so I reached over to pull the blanket over us. Instead of joining me beneath the covers, he tucked them gently between us, sitting up and throwing his legs over the side of the bed.
I sat up, pressing the blanket to my chest not out of modesty but because of the chill. “Where are you going?” I asked.
“I think I should go home,” he responded carefully, searching for his pants in what had become a life-sized burrito of blankets and sheets.
“Why?” I couldn’t keep the hurt from my voice.
“Because we didn’t...” he began, glancing at me and forgetting all about his pants. “We just...” He drifted off again, either unwilling or unable to complete a sentence. “Is this—? What is this?” He pointed at me and then to himself, indicating some level of confusion surrounding our relationship status.
“I don’t know, but I think you should spend the night,” I answered from my heart. I didn’t particularly want to have ‘the talk’ right then, but I definitely didn’t want him to leave me all alone. Simply not trying to figure everything out, and letting ourselves have fun seemed to be the best solution. Hell, it was the only workable solution, as far as I was concerned.
Brad considered my opinion for a minute before climbing back into bed with me. I grinned, having won that round. We were in for a night of pleasure, and it was all thanks to my quick thinking and his reluctance to take the high ground. We could figure things out later. At the moment, there were more pressing considerations to deal with.
