I pulled him closer to me, grinding against his erection. I whispered, “Don’t worry. I’m well aware you’re hard.”

He chuckled as he dropped his head, still laughing when his lips met mine. I’d expected to come together in a frantic rush, wanted that explosion of lust, so the leisurely way he kissed me was delicious torture, slowly exploring like he was savoring the electric contact. His lips were soft and self-assured, no tentative kisses for him.

I stopped him and stepped away. “I need to shower. Can you hang out for a minute without snooping through my shit again?”

He looked surprised, but intrigued, reaching to pull me back as I hung my coat up.

“Is this another game?” he asked.

I laughed, but evaded his grasp, making my way to the bathroom one slow step at a time while he tried to pull me back into his embrace.

“I need a shower because I’ve been wearing latex all night, so I smell…and taste like a sweaty balloon or maybe a sweaty condom. Unless that’s what you’re into, I’ll be much tastier once I’ve rinsed off.”

I stopped to pull my boots off, tossing them next to a chair with my socks.

“I could help you to get clean…”

“A nice offer, but hooking up in the shower is a little like New Year’s Eve. You’re supposed to have the best time ever, but it always ends up being a disappointment. There’s never enough room in the shower and someone is always getting water in their eyes and it’s basically terrible.”

“You might be right about the shower, but now I have to prove you wrong about New Year’s Eve.”

The image of kissing him at midnight was far too appealing. It was a gentle fantasy that would never be our reality. Better to be present for what we did have, which was a little over a week to enjoy ourselves before parting as planned. It was only disappointing if we framed it as what we couldn’t have instead of what we got to have.

“I’ll be long gone by then, Mr. Chase,” I reminded him, pushing him out of the bathroom and closing the door in his face.

I heard a throaty chuckle. “I’ll be in the living room. Don’t keep me waiting too long or I might be forced to snoop.”

25

Alex

I sat on Elena’s couch feeling more turned on than I’d ever been in my life. The tension between us had been building all night until she’d let me feel her come on my hand. I was ready to feel that again, ready to taste more of her than the kiss she’d given me.

But what a kiss.

She talked about always being in control, but she kissed like something wanton and wild, a goddess who lived by her own rules.

The first time our mouths had met that night in the loft had been spontaneous and I didn’t know her at all. She’d had such an immediate effect on me, I’d thought it had to be calculated, another skill in her arsenal to bring her clients to their knees. Tonight, she felt as frantic as me, hands roving over my shirtless chest, hips grinding against mine while she made breathless sounds.