The knock on my door echoes through the apartment.
Wiping my hands on my apron, I walk toward the door and open it to a very dashing Julian dressed in a pair of navy chinos and a white buttoned-collared shirt. With a grin smothering his already handsome face, I struggle to hold back my desire to touch and explore his body in ways my single-woman mind has imagined the past few nights.
“Well, hello, gorgeous.”
Julian hands me a bottle of wine, making it a perfect addition to the meal I’ve prepared. Taking it from him, I grab his hand and close the door behind him.
“So, this is your place?” He scans the living room, taking it all in with a curious smile. “Very nice.”
“By nice, do you mean small?”
“It’s Manhattan. In perspective to other apartments I’ve seen, it’s a comfortable size.”
“Would you like a tour? Though, I’m warning you, it’ll take zero-point-two seconds.”
“Yes, but first…” He takes the bottle from my hand, placing it on the coffee table. Sliding his hands around my back, he pulls me in, bringing his hand back up to my chin. With a quickening breath, he drags my face to be closer to his, so close I can almost taste him. Tilting my head slightly, I painfully wait for him to kiss me. Our breaths mingling together in such an intimate space, heighten our desperate need to kiss.
I wrap my hands around the back of his neck, coercing him to kiss me deeply. Our lips touch, barely, and with lust driving our bodies, I press harder against his mouth, releasing the long-awaited moan which has built up inside of me.
Julian instantly reacts, tightening his grip on my ass as his body presses against mine. My mind, shallow in its thoughts, immediately notices his rock hard cock pressing between us.
Pulling away, I attempt to catch my breath. “Did you still want the tour?”
“Yes,” he murmurs, placing his lips on mine again. “Lead the way, Miss Mason.”
Coco purrs on the couch, desperate for attention.
“This is Coco.”
“A ragdoll?” He gently pats Coco’s fur and, of course, she’s lapping up all the attention. “We had one growing up.”
I grab the bottle of wine and his hand as well, then show him the two bedrooms, bathroom, the kitchen and dining area at a quick pace. The apartment, purchased twelve months ago, is a true testament to my hard work over the last few years. I love Manhattan and don’t expect to move anywhere else anytime soon.
“It’s a beautiful place you’ve made for yourself,” he compliments before his eyes gravitate toward the countertop where I have attempted to make tamales. “This all smells delicious.”
“If there’s one thing my mom taught me well, it’s this. Shall we eat?”
We sit at the small dining table inside the cozy kitchen. A candle is burning between us—some romantic scent Eric gave me to bring love into my life. He’s a believer of all things kooky, strikingly similar to my mom who believes in spirits, the universe, and stars aligning if you’re lucky enough.
We speak about work, mainly Julian and his passion for journalism. He’s a very cultured man, having traveled to the remotest of countries to maintain the integrity of the pieces he writes. I love the fire in his soul when he speaks with such conviction. I could listen to him for hours, and rarely, has anyone captured my attention in this way.
“I love how passionate you are. You’re a rare breed, Mr. Baker.”
“I could say the same for you.” He grins, lifting the glass toward his lips as he finishes the remnants of his wine. “You graduated from Yale, own a business, can cook mean tamales, and…”
He pauses, parting his lips while staring into my eyes.
Leaning forward, I rest my elbows on the table, inching closer to him while we kiss gently.
Pulling back, only just, I croon, “And?”
“Your kiss makes me want to strip you down to nothing right here, right now.”
I can feel my heart beat every single pound in my chest. Biting the corner of my lip, I stare into his eyes.
How can it be, a man so beautiful and pure, is single in a city where millions of women roam the streets looking for someone as perfect as him?
And he’s here, with me.
I don’t want to take any more chances, and throwing every single bit of caution that I’ve held onto for the last eight years, I throw it all out the window in a split second.
My hands move toward his collar, guiding him back to me for a passionate kiss. Our tongues battle feverishly, moans escaping in tiny breaths as we juggle to stand. Julian lifts me, prompting my legs to wrap around his waist. Our kisses continue as he walks us down the hall and toward my bedroom.
With the light off, yet the glow from the living area illuminating our faces enough to see, he places me on the bed and hovers above me.
The weight of his desire is staring back at me in an intense gaze.
There’s a magnetic force between us, one pulling me so fast that I’m unable to stop and think. Everything I can have possibly imagined in a man who can please my unconventional world is standing over me unbuttoning his shirt. Bare-chested, with a shirt thrown carelessly to the ground, I admire the most perfectly sculpted chest before me. Unable to control my urges, my hand grates his abs, stopping just shy of his belt buckle.
“Do you know how beautiful you look beneath me, gorgeous?”
I love the way he calls me gorgeous, sounds almost like I belong to him and no one else.
You don’t belong to anyone else.
You never did.
Shaking my head, I drown out the irrelevant noise and undo his belt, yanking his zipper down.
Julian drops his body forward, hands gripping my face. His lips press firmly against mine, desperately tasting every inch of my mouth. Hard and forcefully, his tongue rolls against mine, sending a stream of sensations to every part of my body and making me ache everywhere for him.
My hands move to the back of his head, clutching his hair in my fists as we fight to get closer to one another.
I pull away, out of breath. “Julian… is this too soon?”
He doesn’t say a word but rather tries to show me in his actions. In a slow, agonizing pace, he unbuttons my dress, removing the straps over my shoulders as I lay beneath him. With only my black lace bra and panties remaining, my chest begins to rise and fall rapidly, waiting in anticipation for him to make his next move.
The desire in his eyes, the raw, animalistic hunger, is staring back at me. God, I want to combust lying here as I stare back at this sexy man, a man who has walked into my life at the perfect time.
I sit up, pulling him closer to me as he leans down and places his mouth on mine, again. Every kiss becomes harder, more aggressive, and demanding. He wants to own me now, here in this moment. He commands me with his eyes to lay there and watch him pleasure me like no other man has before.
I crumple beneath his touch. Every sordid lick and caress of my heated skin causes me to moan louder. Julian breathes my name, each syllable dragging against his lips with a raw growl that lingers as he kisses the sweet spot between my thighs.
Slowly, he pulls down my panties and runs his nose along my pubic bone, and my eyes flutter as a deep moan escapes my lips. Has it been this long? I can’t trust myself to last much longer, deprived of a man’s touch.
I wait with bated breath, anticipating his next move, his next touch. Julian lays down on the bed, rolling me to the side and positioning himself behind me, grazing his palms against my backside and tracing the contours like a map causing me to moan in delight.
Impatiently, I push back and grind myself against him. Julian is hard, so rock-hard that I’m scared he’ll break me. I’m coming undone, desperate to have him inside me.
I turn around, so our bodies are facing, owning his lips and begging him to enter me. The clasp of my bra unravels, and his eyes widen as my breasts are exposed.
“Charlie, the first moment I saw you, I knew I had to have you. I was watching you in your cute tights and perky little ass trying to work the machine. These beautiful tits of yours were bouncing. I was ready to take you right there.”
My heavy breathing becomes a laugh. “You noticed that? I wore the wrong bra that day.”
He responds with a sly grin, then buries his head between my breasts before circling his tongue around my nipple.
My back arches, the sensation so unbearable I’m ready just to jump him myself.
“Of course, I noticed you.” He breathes warmth against my skin. “You’re so goddamn sexy. The guys in the locker room were having their own discussions on how to get you into bed.”
“Really? And there I was thinking I looked all awkward trying to work a machine.”
“Tell me…” he questions with a smirk, “… are you ready for me?”
I nod, in love with the way his eyes speak more than his words. He focuses his attention back on my lips, kissing my mouth with urgency and leaving me without a single breath to catch. My nails claw across his back, which I’m sure are leaving marks.
Propping himself up on his knees, he removes his belt entirely and lowers his pants, exposing himself. I’m in awe of the sight of his beautiful body and the realization of how much I want him. Neither one of us cares to wait, made clear as we both shift, so he can easily enter me.
I gently warn him to hold that thought, opening the drawer in my nightstand and fumbling amongst the random junk. The foil packet is squished in the corner. I pull it out, handing it to him, scolding myself for only remembering now to be safe.
Running my hands along his forearm, I relish the moment as he rolls it on. It doesn’t take him long, his body commanding my full presence once again. Slowly, he enters me as I gasp at the unfamiliarity. I’m begging my body to hold on and last just a few minutes longer as he watches himself move in and out, biting his lip while spreading my legs enough to cause me to wince in delightful pain. This man wants only me at this moment, and I’ll do every damn thing in my power to please him.
Just the thought of it has me on edge. I latch onto the pillow behind me. My blood is pumping hard, and every single part of me tingles in a mad delight as my body combusts beneath him. I call his name repeatedly, loudly, wishing this moment not to end.
Julian has a desperate need to control the moment, holding back his impending orgasm until it finally gets the better of him. The grip of his hands is tight against my waist as his body slams into me until his moans slow, and his hips follow suit.
He falls beside me, both of us out of breath and reeling from what’s just happened. I turn to face him. I don’t care anymore. In just forty-eight hours my life has changed in ways I never imagined.
Unable to hide my grin, I challenge him, “So, what now? You know I’m off to Hawaii this weekend, and I’ll be gone for five days.”
“Five days?” He climbs on top of me, burying his head into the crook of my neck. “Well, I guess we’ve got a lot of ground to make up, Miss Mason.”
I squeal as he kisses a sensitive spot behind my ears, and squiggling beneath his body, I welcome round two with open arms.
