I walk next door to my office to get the envelope where I’ve stashed it with some of the notes I jotted down while I was with Nico. I’m surprised when I look up and William is standing in the doorway of my office. I walk to him and hand him the envelope. He doesn’t move from the doorway.
“Is he why we stopped spending time together?” William’s voice is quiet when he speaks.
I’m not sure how to answer the question. The truth is, it is the reason why I stopped seeing William, but not for the reason he thinks, but it seems rude to say it for some reason.
I look up at him and without realizing it, I bite my lip.
William looks at me and nods as if he understands, but then reaches his hand out and tugs at my lip where I’m biting. He keeps his finger on my lip after I release it from between my teeth and he rubs at the spot where I’ve probably left an indent.
“That always did drive me crazy.” He says with a small smile and a low voice, his eyes still focused on my lips as he speaks.
“What?” I sound confused, because I am. I have no idea what he means.
“You bite your lip when you’re nervous. It’s your tell.” William smiles and glances quickly between my mouth and eyes before he continues. “Since you’re superwoman, I didn’t see it very often, but I always thought it was sexy when it came out.”
William is still standing in my doorframe and now, between his words and his lingering touch on my mouth, the moment feels intimate. I don’t know what to say, so instead I stand there like an idiot. He’s caught me off guard, he’s always been an easy read. His finger that traced my lip falls away, but his hand moves to my neck. It all happens in slow motion and yet I don’t have time to stop it as he lowers his face to mine and kisses me on the mouth.
I’m shocked. Not at the kiss itself, but because I never would have expected it from William. It takes me a second or two before I snap out of it and realize I haven’t pulled away. But then I do. I pull my head back and look up at William, who I expect to be offended, or pissed, or just something…anything, other than what I find. He’s smiling. Like a Cheshire cat, a big ole grin on his face and I have no idea what to make of it.
I’m still standing perfectly still with Nico’s envelope in my hand, when William takes the envelope and leans down to whisper in my ear. “We’re good together, I’ll be here if you change your mind.”
After a long day, I usually have a glass of wine to help unwind and relax. Sometimes I take a bath to help my tense muscles loosen. Tonight I’m on my second glass and I’m running a bath. Between Nico in the morning and William in the afternoon, I’m in need of a little liquid assistance to unfrazzle my brain.
I sit in the warm water and soak, my head barely sticking up out of the water. It’s so warm and soothing and eventually, after a few minutes, I feel what amounts to a sigh roll through my body as it gives in to my deep breaths in my pursuit of calm. There’s serenity in the stillness of the water and my body absorbs it through my pours, desperate to find its peace.
When I’m sufficiently relaxed, I finally allow my brain to rehash my day. I replay William’s kiss in my head. It was sweet. Nice. Familiar. And oddly bold for William. But it was his smile and words afterward that were most surprising. He thinks Nico won’t work. That eventually I’ll come back to my senses and things will be back to normal. I should probably be annoyed with his assumption. But, honestly, how could I blame him? Even I thought Nico was wrong for me. I spent years convincing myself what I wanted, what’s good for me. I’ve done such a good job that William believes he knows better too.
I dismiss the thoughts of William quickly and spend the rest of my heavenly soak thinking about only one man. Nico Hunter. The way he touches me. Grips me so tight, like he has to, like there’s no other choice. I think back to his hands on me today. He doesn’t just run his hands down my body feeling my curves, his finger tips press into me as he feels me. Really feels me. In a way that I know he’s enjoying touching me almost as much as I’m enjoying being touched. Before Nico, I didn’t even know there was a difference in the way a man could rub his hand down my side. But there is, and the difference is mind-shattering. I’m a few seconds away from pleasuring myself to a vision of Nico in my head when my phone, sitting on the sink, rings and breaks me out of my fantasy. It startles me, and I end up splashing water all over the floor when I jump.
I do a poor job of drying off my hands and settle back into the tub as I answer. Speak of the devil. “Hey.” His voice is gravelly and low and the sound of it sends a shiver through my body even though I’m soaking in a warm bath. I feel like a teenager again. Excited to hear a boy’s voice on the other end of the phone.
“Hey. How was your day?”
“The middle part was great.”
I smile, even though he can’t see me. Yep, I’m a school girl with a crush so big, I’m smiling when he says hello on the phone.
“Mmmm…that was my favorite part of the day too.”
Nico chuckles. “Where are you? You sound like you’re in a tunnel or something.”
“In the bathtub.”
Nico lets out a loud rush of air and his voice turns low and gruff. “You’re naked right now?”
“Yep. And I was just thinking about you when the phone rang.”
“Oh yeah, what were you thinking about?”
“The way you touch me.”
Nico groans. “Were you touching yourself?”
My answer is honest and comes out before I can think better of offering the truth. “I think I might have if you hadn’t called.”
“Shit.” Then he’s quiet for a long minute and I wait for him to say more, but he doesn’t.
“What’s the matter?”
“You’re killing me, Elle. I feel like I’m fourteen with you. I’m walking around with a hard-on half the time from just thinking about you. I’m never going to be able to sleep tonight now.”
I smile, feeling satisfied somehow that I’m not the only one who feels like a hormonally crazed teen. “Maybe you should try a bath.”
Nico is quiet for a minute. I’m just about to ask if he’s still there when he finally speaks. His voice is low, “Touch yourself for me, Babe.” The words are strained and thick, they hang in the air surrounding me.
“I…I’ve never…” I want to tell him that I’ve never had phone sex or masturbated for a man before, but the words are stuck in my throat.
“You can.” Nico senses my hesitation and isn’t going to allow it.
“It’s not…”
“Are your nipples hard?” God I even love his voice.
I look down at my nipples, they’re barely covered by the water. They’re swollen and protruding and I think they have become even more engorged in just the last few minutes.
“Yes.” My answer comes out a whisper.
“Feel one. Rub your finger over the top of it for me.”
I push aside my hesitation and do what he asks. Slowly, I graze my finger over my hard nipple making a small circle. My already swollen nipples respond, and swell even more, enough so they are no longer below the surface of the water. Now the full tips are sticking out from the still water of the bath. No longer protected by the warm soak, the cool air meets the swells and it’s as if every nerve in my body is connected to the small protruding nubs peeking out. A jolt of electricity travels through my entire body. If I had closed my eyes, I would have sworn that Nico just blew on them. The sensation surprises me and I don’t even try to mask the gasp that comes out.
Nico groans. “Pinch it. Hard.”