“I can’t…” she mouthed through a labored breath. “I need to leave.” She withdrew, leaving my mind to race. Why? I couldn’t formulate a thought fast enough. “Thank you for tonight, Ace, I’m gonna call a cab.”
“Tal, hold the hell up?” What did I just miss?
“Asher, please.” Her voice was hard and detached. I knew enough about women that I recognized she was climbing into her head.
“Who was on the phone?” I thought it and it came out. Harsh.
“What?” She shook her head, utterly befuddled. “What does that have to do with anything?”
“You tell me.”
“Absolutely nothing.” She meant it, but I waited for an explanation anyway. “My old roommate moved out here last year, trying to get into med school. We met up today and are going to try and squeeze in another lunch before I head home. End of story. That quick phone call has nothing to do with us.” Talia never lied. Shit, I was a dick.
“Tal, I’m sorry. I-”
She cut me off. “Ash, it’s fine. I can see how it looked. One second we’re dancing like we are the only two people in the room, the next I’m … I don’t know what I’m doing.” She closed her eyes and exhaled. When she opened them all I saw was confusion. “Ash, please. It’s been a long night, I’d like to go back now.”
“Lil’s in no rush, so I’ll get Pete to drive us back to the hotel. I wasn’t planning on driving anyway. And before you even say it, you’re not going alone.”
“You don’t have to do that, really, but thank you.”
We plastered on fake smiles and entered back through the lobby to wish everyone a Happy New Year. The girls confirmed they would be in touch to plan a spa day, while I stood and stewed trying to figure where the hell I went wrong. Fortunately the drive back was short because she spoke not another word and neither did I. The tension was thick and did nothing to melt the chill in the back of the car. I wanted to bombard her with a million questions, ending on—why? We were done being friends, or so I thought.
“Talk tomorrow?” she asked.
Her eyes barely moved from the far more interesting hotel carpet. The elevator doors had yet to open. At this point she was so far retreated into her head I didn’t know what to say. I nodded. Yeah right, I wasn’t going anywhere. She stepped inside and slowly turned around.
“Tonight was beautiful, thank you.”
No, she was beautiful.
Chapter 8 Stuff
I paced the lobby like a caged animal debating on my next move. I didn’t do this. I didn’t do complicated. When did this get complicated?
“Bourbon,” I barked louder than I should have at the hotel bartender. I hated bourbon. The liquid burned the back of my throat, bringing me back to the dance floor. The way she felt in my arms, the heat between us, the look in her eye. I slapped a fifty on the bar and pushed that damn elevator button.
“Ace, I thought we said we’d talk tomorrow,” she said, opening the door and leaning on the jamb. She had changed out of her dress into grey lounge pants and a tiny pink tank. Her taut nipples pierced the thin fabric, making everything in my lower region swell. Her styled ponytail was gone, leaving her blonde locks loose around her shoulders. She wound a strand with her finger and shifted from foot to foot. Her face was free of makeup, but there was a hint of red in the whites of her eyes and circling the rim, almost like she had been crying. “You shouldn’t come in.” Her voice was hoarse.
“But I want to.” I removed my hands from the top of the door jamb and held the door. She inched to the side, indicating her reluctant approval. I stepped inside and walked toward the fireplace to flip the switch. The flames roared to life and settled into a perfect glow. I felt her presence right behind me.
“I’m scared,” she whispered.
“Of me?”
“No … yes. Of this.”
I slipped my tux jacket off and slowly turned around. Her arms were wrapped tightly around her waist. Her stare was emotional and penetrating. A tingle ran up my spine.
“Do you trust me?”
“What?” She looked confused. It was plain and simple as far as I was concerned.
I repeated, “Do. You. Trust. Me?”
She didn’t hesitate. “Of course I do, you are so … you are-”
I closed the mile between us. “You’re more, and I’m starting to realize you always have been. Friends is impossible, I want more. I want you. I want everything. I have no idea what it looks like or how it’s going to work. I’ve never done this before, hell, I’ve never wanted to. But I know I want to give us a chance, I want to try.”
“I want that too, all of it…” I breathed again, encasing her in my arms. “But I’m not that same teenage girl. Not even close, there’s so much stuff, so many years, I don’t even know where to begin, if I even can.” She buried her face deeper into my chest and clung to me.
“Look at me, Tal.” She lifted her head. “I have stuff, too. We’ve spent twenty years building separate lives, of course there’s gonna be stuff. No one said we have to spill out every last detail the first night we’re together. We have time.” We have a lifetime. I walked her back to the sofa and led her down onto my lap. Her warmth pushed down on top of my cock. “I’m gonna kiss you now. It’s gonna be slow and soft and then it’s gonna be hard and hungry.”
She inhaled sharply and widened her eyes, that was my sign she wasn’t going to stop me. I moved her legs to straddle my lap. Cupping her cheeks I brought her mouth down to hover just above mine. I ran my tongue across her bottom lip and sucked. She slid her hands up my chest kicking my heart into high gear. I had waited long enough. I continued to explore her lips as promised, soft and slowly before inching my tongue inside. She opened without hesitation and I dove deep. I gripped her hips and crushed her body against mine, pinning my cock right where it wanted most. Every drop of blood in my body pulsed inside. She tasted of her bubbly mixed with fresh mint. I was starved for more. Desperately, and as promised, our union turned raw and full of passion. She matched me stroke for stroke as she rocked against my groin. My hands abandoned her riding hips to find bare skin under her tank. I massaged my way up her toned back and fisted a handful of blond silk. Pulling back I broke our kiss to expose my next target. Her eyes were still closed and she was breathing heavy. My tongue tasted her neck and she quietly moaned. It was the sexiest sound I ever heard. My cock throbbed but this wasn’t a race to the finish. No way, I waited too long.
“Fuck, you taste delicious.” Conscious filtered thoughts were gone, and I was no longer responsible for what came out of my mouth. “I wanna taste all of you.”
Her hands must have made their way to my hair because I felt the tug before she said, “Wait … we should wait.” Her forehead rested against mine while my heart jackhammered in my throat. We both marathon panted trying to regain some semblance of composure which involved me mentally talking to my dick. Baseball, baseball, I hate baseball. Whoever says this works—lies. Damn baseball. Shit I’m thinking—ah fuck. Monkeys regurgitate food to their young, dolls can shit themselves, slugs make slime trails.
Shit, it wasn’t working. Stupid dick.
She moved first, shifting herself off my lap and collapsing next to me on the couch. I took a deep breath, hoping the extra oxygen might turn my other head back on. I needed to say something, needed to make sure she was okay, but I couldn’t formulate a single coherent thought, other than my current state of arousal. I had a J.D. summa cum laude, for god’s sake.