My cheeks inflame with heat when he replies, “It’s never too early for a little bit of sweetness,” as his glistening eyes dance between Hugo and me.
After entering the elevator, I spin on my heels and peer into Patty’s worldly eyes. “I’ll be here for our date at eleven, like I always am.”
“Yes, ma’am,” he replies with a smile just as the elevator doors snap shut.
When the sound of quiet snickering echoes in the elevator, I glance over to Hugo. He has his brow arched high in a sarcastic, jeering way.
“Hey, don’t let that wrinkled skin fool you. In that seventy-three-year-old shell is a twenty-five-year-old man dying to recapture his youth. Wasn’t it you who said dating someone with experience comes with its advantages?”
Ignoring the bitter taste in the back of my throat, I relish hearing Hugo’s hearty chuckle for the second time tonight. His laughter is so boisterous, it drowns out the ping of the elevator when it announces its arrival at my floor. I become lightheaded when he entangles his fingers with mine and we pace towards my apartment. Every step we take has my heart rate increasing and my palms sweating.
Reaching the front door of my apartment, I place the key into the lock before turning to face Hugo. “Did you want to come in?” I offer.
The most panty-drenching visual I’ve ever seen comes to life when Hugo rubs the nape of his neck while biting on the corner of his lower lip.There is nothing sexier in the world than a grown man biting his lip.He shoves his hands into the pocket of his jeans as his eyes drift over my face for several heart-clutching seconds.
“I really should go. It’s late and… I’ve got a thing in the morning… and you’ve got yourdatewith Patty…” His ramblings simmer as he runs out of excuses to leave.
“Okay,” I mumble.
Putting the feeling of rejection to the side, I say, “Thanks for everything. I had a lot of fun tonight.”
Even though I still have no clue why he suddenly decided to hang out, I did enjoy our time together. It is like the past six years never happened. I’m once again a teenage girl fawning over the college quarterback.
Ignoring the tremor shaking my hands, I balance them on his chest and place a quick peck on the edge of his mouth. Dizziness clusters my head when his delicious woodsy scent engulfs my nostrils.
“Bye,” I whisper faintly.
A grin tugs on the corner of his lips. “You don’t say goodbye. You say, ‘I’ll see you later.’”
My heart squeezes painfully in my chest. That was exactly what he said to me when I said goodbye to him at the airport six year ago. His words were the only thing that managed to stop the flood of tears streaming down my face. I didn’t truly believe so much time would pass between us until I saw him again. I hope I never have to experience that extent of absence again.
“I’ll see you next week?” he says, his deep voice rattling.
“Without a doubt,” I whisper, smiling softly.
After flashing a quick smirk, Hugo ambles towards the elevator banks. Halfway there, his hesitant steps stop, and he stands frozen in the middle of the blue carpeted corridor. My heart pounds fitfully in my chest when he turns around to face me. The streak of possession in his eyes has returned full pelt.
I stand frozen and quiet, my mind fritzed with confusion when he mutters, “Fuck it,” under his breath before striding back to me, his steps agile and long.
A waft of air escapes my mouth when his lips brutally crash into mine. He kisses me with a sense of urgency, like a man worried I’m about to vanish. The brutal roughness of his kiss sparks a carnal desire in me. I grip his hair, pulling him closer, strengthening our kiss even more. My lips feel bruised, but it doesn’t dull my eagerness. I’ve been dying for years to taste his cinnamon-flavored mouth again.
He cups the back of my thighs, encouraging my legs to wrap around his waist. A surge of desire streams through me when the thick crown of his cock brushes against the throbbing wetness between my legs. My breasts are aching with desire; my inner muscles are clenching, begging for attention. A growl from Hugo’s lips rumbles through my propelling chest when I shamelessly grind against him, needing the friction to lessen the intense, tingling throb between my legs.
My pleasurable moans turn into a groan of frustration when he pulls his delicious lips away from my mouth and my feet are returned to the ground. He rests his sweat-beaded forehead against mine, keeping his eyes shut tight. My eyes drift over his beautiful face, categorizing every perfect detail into my memory. He looks so peaceful, like the teenage boy who stole my heart at the tender age of sixteen.
Opening his eyes, his alarmed gaze flicks between mine. “Tell me to leave,” he says, his throat hoarse. “Please, Ava, ask me to leave,” he begs.
I peer up at him in shock, surprised he'd ever think those words could escape my mouth. The warmth of his breath flurries my swollen lips when I shake my head, denying his pleas. Every fiber in my body is sparked as I precariously tread over the fine line that separates friends from bed partners.
I fist Hugo’s shirt with one hand while pushing down on my front door handle with the other. The rise and fall of his chest amplifies when my apartment door opens with a slight creak. My heart hammers against my ribs as he shadows me into the entranceway of my apartment. My attention is sidetracked from staring into his lusty eyes when the noise of plastic crinkling crunches beneath my feet.
In sync, Hugo and my eyes dart down to the floor. When I discover what caused the noise, my eyes snap back to Hugo. A spasm plagues his jaw as he bends down to collect the clear cellophane-wrapped single red rose resting against the doorjamb. I eye him quietly as he reads the card attached to the side. The tension between us shifts from playful to uneasy when his eyes lift to mine. He stares into my eyes as the corners of his mouth tug into a phony smirk.
“I’ve got to go,” he says, handing me the rose.
Not waiting for me to respond, he pivots on his heels and makes a beeline for the elevators. I remain speechless, staring at his impressively large frame as he stalks away, still dazed from his beguiling kiss. The muscles in his back flex when he elongates his finger and pushes the call button. The dashboard announces the elevator car is still in the lobby, causing a curse word to emit from his mouth. In a sense of urgency, he shoves open the fire door of the stairwell and exits my apartment building without a backward glance.
Blowing out a hot breath of frustration, I walk into my apartment. On the way to my bedroom, I detour into the kitchen and dump the red rose into the trash. Rambling under my breath, I kick off my heels and peel off my skintight dress.
