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As soon as the hotel door closed behind them and their suitcases were stowed on the luggage racks, Austin took a seat on the end of the bed and stared at her with a sigh.
“If it is him...” His gaze dropped to his hands and Paige stepped closer, tilting his chin up so he would look at her.
“Maybe we freaked out over nothing,” she said. “How’d the interview go?”
His lips curved into a smile. “Nice change of subject.”
Paige’s cheeks flushed with heat. “Well, I’d rather talk about something pleasant instead of Hunter.” Just the mention of his name brought a rash of goose flesh across her arms, and she shivered.
Austin studied her. “The interview went well,” he finally said, but he remained stoic. “They said I’d hear before the end of the semester.” His hands moved to her waist, pulling her closer. “If it was him...” He licked his lips, keeping his gaze locked with hers. “What does that mean...for us?”
His uneasiness struck Paige as odd, especially since he seemed to have set the pace of their entire relationship. After she was released from the hospital, he had hooked her up with an apartment in the same building he lived in. Despite their sexual escapades while she had been incarcerated, since they left the hospital, he had slowed things down to a crawl.
The past few months had been filled with a flurry of classes, schoolwork, and catching a dinner or movie whenever their schedules allowed. It was a far cry from the intensity they encountered while Hunter terrorized them.
Austin’s sense of humor was truly warped, and it generally caught her off guard enough to draw a snorting laugh from her. And the man knew his way around a kitchen. Her favorite dates were the ones where he cooked for her, and then they collapsed on his couch for either a movie or a mean game of cards. It was all perfectly civilized.
His quiet confidence was something she found she relied on, so seeing him nervous like he was on the ride into the city today really blew her mind. And the hesitation in his gaze right now shot to her core. Austin didn’t show his vulnerable side often, but when he did, it pulled at her heartstrings in a way no other man ever had.
Paige cupped his cheeks and leaned forward, meeting his lips with a tentative kiss. When she pulled away, that hungry spark she remembered from the hospital ignited in his eyes. His arms encircled her, and he delivered the kiss that burned through her like wild fire. He spun her onto the bed next to him without breaking the kiss, and his hand slipped between her legs, rubbing her through her jeans.
He broke the kiss and his hand stilled, but he didn’t move away. Instead, he met her gaze and whispered, “Do you want me, Paige?”
“Yes,” she whispered and went to pull him back to her lips.
“Is it just because you saw him today?”
Paige blinked and her mouth fell open in shock. “Austin...”
“I’m serious. You never attempted anything with me over the last few months, and now you’re like a she-devil in heat.”
“You never even tried to kiss me...” she started and popped her mouth closed. The anger bubbled up inside her, overriding the burn between them. She pushed him away and sat up. “It was like you didn’t want me, either. What the hell did you expect?”
Austin rolled onto his back and ran his hands through his hair. “What is it that you really want from me?”
“I want the fire back.” The words just tumbled out of her mouth before she could stop them.
His eyebrows arched and he started to laugh.
“You want me to fuck you instead of dating you?”
“I want both,” she muttered and moved to get off the bed, but his hand on her arm stopped her.
“Why me?”
She turned and met his gaze. “I don’t know. You’re funny and easy to talk to,” she started, and he rolled his eyes. “And when you kiss me like that, you consume me.” Surprise registered and he blinked at her, but before he could speak, she continued. “I could ask you the same thing, you know. Was your attraction to me all driven by Hunter?”
His lips thinned and he glared at her. “If you think that, you are out of your goddamned mind.”
“Then what the hell is our problem?”
They stared at each other, and then Austin broke out in a sarcastic laugh.
“I have no idea,” he said after the laughter faded. He stared at her, his expression turning serious as he pulled her back down onto the bed. “All I know is you’re the only girl who has ever made me lose my fucking mind.”
His kiss crushed her lips, filled with the unleashed passion that had lain dormant for the last few months. Her mind stalled with the intensity of it and the welcomed caress of his hands on her body that shot her into the land of bliss.
It wasn’t until the sound of ripping fabric interrupted them that he pulled away from the kiss. Paige pressed her lips together in a smirk.
“Oops,” she said as they both stared at the rip in his finely tailored shirt.
“Oops?” His eyebrows rose as his voice challenged her choice of words, but the smile toying with his lips belied his true feelings on the matter. He grabbed two handfuls of her shirt and yanked in opposite directions, grinning when the thin cotton shredded in his grip.
Paige giggled at the raw magnetism pulsing from him, and his salacious grin was just as infectious as the spark he produced in her soul. But, it was his stalk up her body with his hands and his mouth that set her on fire. His tongue swiped at her skin between nips, and the low growl of satisfaction in his throat as he nibbled on her ear took her breath away.
The rest of their clothing came off in a flurry, and he worked the kind of magic she had almost forgotten existed. Austin kissed her gently and then trailed butterfly kisses down her neck and chest and her abdomen. His slow progression down her body contrasted the frantic and animalistic stalk to her lips, and the juxtaposition of it pulled a moan from her even before he settled between her legs.
What Austin did with his tongue, mouth and fingers set her into overdrive. Every memory she had of him between her legs paled in comparison to this moment. He took his time, making it a slow burn, and every time she was close to an orgasm, he dialed back.
“Please, don’t stop,” Paige whined when he pulled away again. “Please, I’m so close. So goddamned close.”
He smiled at her, and this time, when his tongue flick brought her to the plateau, he didn’t stop. The orgasm gripped every muscle in her body. Her fingers dug into his scalp as her wailing gasp filled the room, and a river of wetness flooded from her pussy.
“Fuck me, Austin, please, please...” She squirmed under him as he continued to play with her with his mouth.
His fingers slid inside her slowly, even as her hips gyrated to make him move faster. He pulled his fingers out of her pussy and traced her anus, coating her with her own juices before plunging his finger inside her ass.
“Oh, God,” she gasped.
Austin met her gaze and slowly finger fucked her ass. He was gentle enough so the movement tingled her pleasure centers, and her next orgasm arched her back with the power of it.
When he moved his fingers out of her, she moaned. But by the time she caught her breath, his hard cock slid inside her dripping pussy, filling her with his girth.
“Is that what you want?” he asked, his voice low and sultry in a way she hadn’t ever heard. The smile of satisfaction on his lips along with that voice brought her to the brink again.
Paige pulled him to her mouth. She didn’t care that his lips were hot with her juices; she just wanted him to kiss her into oblivion.
His heart thundered against her chest, and a low growling groan came from his throat. His hips plunged once more, burying his cock deep inside her, and he pulled away from the kiss.
“Oh, fuck,” he groaned, and his eyes clamped shut. Every muscle in his neck tightened with the force of his orgasm, and then the after tremors went through him as he collapsed on top of her.
The air rushed out of Paige’s lungs at the weight of him.
“Austin,” she barely breathed, and he shifted enough so she could draw in air. It took him a few ragged breaths before he lifted his head from the crook of her neck.
“Holy shit,” he said and sent a soft smile in her direction.
“No kidding.”
Austin uncoupled and rolled onto his back next to her. Paige debated on whether to roll into the crook of his arm or not. She turned her head, taking in his handsome profile as he studied the ceiling. Eventually, he met her gaze.
“Can I ask you something?” he asked and began to chew on his bottom lip in that familiar way he did when he was not in his comfort zone.
Paige nodded and waited for him to formulate the words.
“If I get in...”
“You’ll get in,” she said, certain of his ability, and he gave her the look that said he wasn’t finished. “Sorry,” she added at the admonishment in his gaze.
“If I get in to either Cornell or Columbia, will you move here with me next fall?”
Paige stared at him and blinked. “Did you just ask me to move in with you?”
The way his cheeks bloomed red along with the appearance of his dimples, was confirmation enough, so when he just shrugged a shoulder, she couldn’t help her own smirk.
“You really want to live with me?” she asked, softer than her original question.
“I really don’t want to be here without you,” he said and turned onto his side, propping his head up on his hand.
“Why?”
He met her gaze and held it, chewing his lip again. The way he formulated serious questions was one of his most endearing qualities, and Paige felt her lips curving into a smile, despite the heaviness in the air between them.
“You haven’t really answered my question.” He kept her gaze and Paige’s smile faltered.
She rolled so she faced him, adopting the same position he maintained, and she took his free hand in hers, giving it a squeeze. “I’m not saying no,” she started, and his features hardened. She actually felt the emotional wall going up between them.
“But you’re not saying yes, either,” he muttered, and went to pull his hand out of hers.
Paige tightened her grip, unwilling to let him just end the conversation this way.
“Austin, come on, it’s a big decision, and I need to make sure I can finish my degree before I up and run off to New York City with you.”
“Do you even give a shit about me?”
She tilted her head and sighed. “You know I do. But you also know I have struggled to finish my degree ever since Halloween. I lost three weeks of school and nearly failed all my classes last semester.”
“But you passed. And you’re a month and a half away from graduating.”
“I applied for graduation, but I haven’t heard anything yet. My advisor is looking over my transcripts and will let me know whether I qualify. If not, I may have to take a course or two in the fall.”
His eyebrows arched. “Seriously?”
“That’s what he said, but he would let me know. If they’re available in the summer, I can take them then, but if not...” She sighed and shrugged. “If it wasn’t so up in the air, the answer would be easy.”
It took him a couple of blinks before her words sank in, and then his rigid features softened. “So, if this wasn’t hanging over you, you’d say yes?”
Paige nodded and offered a smile. His gaze moved from hers to the spot over her shoulder and back before he leaned in for a gentle kiss.
“I need to clean up and get ready for my next interview.”
“Did you bring a second shirt?” she asked, and his smile disappeared.
He rolled off the bed and picked up the shirt he had been wearing before they started their sexcapades, inspecting the shredded fabric to the right of where most of the buttons remained.
“Shit,” he muttered. “My suit jacket won’t cover this.” He glanced over his shoulder at Paige.
“What other shirts did you bring?”
“Just a sweater.”
“The grey one that I love?” she asked. She prayed that was the one because he could get away with that and just the slacks he had on and still look somewhat professional.
“Yeah,” he said, refocusing on the tattered shirt in his hand.
“Wear the sweater without the blazer.”
He glanced at her, the question written on his face made her raise her eyebrows in a challenge.
“Trust me.”
“Well, I’m going to have to, because there’s no way I can make it to a store and get to the interview on time.” He stood and gathered his clothing before heading to the bathroom.
Paige picked up her scattered clothing and headed into the bathroom as well. Austin was already in the shower and she pulled the curtain aside. He stopped lathering his hair and met her gaze, moving to give her access to the warm spray.
The only shower they had ever taken together was the one he gave her at the sanitarium, and that crossed her mind as she watched him tilt his head back to rinse the shampoo away. She couldn’t help herself. She reached out and ran her fingers down his chest.
A grin formed, revealing the deep dimples she had fallen for more than once, and he ran his hands through his hair one last time before bringing his focus to her. His eyes shimmered with mischief as he stepped closer.
“I can’t be late,” he said and maneuvered her fully under the spray before he stepped out of the shower.
Paige stood under the water staring at the spot he had just left, expecting him to return, but the sound of the water running in the sink told her that wasn’t happening. She didn’t know whether to be irritated or impressed by his self-restraint but decided against getting aggravated. She quickly rinsed her body, leaving her hair as dry as she could and turned off the water.
She took the remaining towel and wrapped it around herself before she pulled the curtain back. Austin glanced from his reflection to her, his eyes drifting over her form while a smile captured his lips. He refocused on his image, combing his hair into place.
“Are you going over to the Museum of Natural History while I’m at the interview?” he asked.
“I’m not sure. It depends if I finish my paper or not,” Paige said, and he turned towards her.
“If you do, I’ll meet you there, and we can find a nice place for dinner.”
“And if I don’t?” she asked, stepping closer. She looked up into his grey-blue eyes and grinned.
“Then maybe room service would be better.”
He used that tone that made her knees weak, and she stood on her tiptoes, gently kissing him. His freshly brushed breath welcomed her tongue, and his arms wrapped around her, pulling her against his half-clothed form. He smelled delicious and she deepened the kiss.
Austin’s low groan, coupled with him pushing her away, pulled a smile to her lips. She loved the power she held over him and hated to admit it, but he was able to wield the same type of power over her when he chose.
“You are going to have to hold on to that thought,” he said and turned back to the mirror, finishing his minimal preening before pulling on the grey sweater. He stepped back, studying his reflection before he glanced at her. “I hope this passes whatever image the dean of medicine has.”
“You look great.”
“Thanks.” He stepped into the hotel room and gathered his wallet and his leather portfolio case.
“Good luck,” Paige said from the bathroom door.
Austin caught a kiss from her before heading out of the hotel room.