by Parker, Ali
“It smells like a rich man’s library in here,” Nora said.
I chuckled. “That’s the wood polish. Although there are a lot of rich men who live here.”
“Like yourself?”
I grinned. “Well, yes.”
The doors opened with a metallic grinding sound and we stepped into the short hallway with a door on either end. Nora followed me to the right, where I unlocked my front door, pushed it open, and let her step in ahead of me.
Nora stopped about five feet into my place. “Holy balls.”
I helped her out of her coat and hung it in the closet along with mine.
I’d be a bald-faced liar if I tried to downplay the magnificence of my apartment. Warm-toned original hardwood floors led from one room to the next, and that was what this place was, a maze of rooms giving way to another, from a lounge to a study to a sitting room with cartography art and maps of the stars and moons mounted on the walls.
As we passed through the sitting room, Nora looked over her shoulder at me and shook her head. “I never would have guessed you lived in a place like this. I feel like I’ve been transported to another world. Another time.”
She wouldn’t find contemporary design anywhere in this place. Jewel tone rugs and original brick fireplaces stood in place of electric fireplaces with crystals and gray laminate floors. I led her out of the sitting room and into the center of the apartment, a room that resembled the elevator but was fifteen times bigger. It was the core of the home. Hallways and archways broke off and led to bedrooms, guest suites, the dining room, the TV room, the kitchen—everything could be accessed from here.
I took her hand and brought her to the kitchen. Exposed brick walls and wood countertops gave it a rustic feeling. Copper pots and pans hung from a rack above the island, under which was where I stored all my liquor in glass cases and a chilled bar fridge.
“If I lived here, I would never leave,” Nora said.
“You’re welcome to stay as long as you like.”
“Pour me a glass of wine and we’ll see where the night takes us.”
As it went, the night took us into one of the sitting rooms, where we sat side by side, crushed up against each other, gazing out the solarium windows of my viewing room. The windows were curved and met the ceiling above our heads, creating a panoramic view of the New York City skyline.
Was it excessive and unnecessary? Yes. Was it also the thing that sealed the deal and guaranteed I was buying this apartment no matter the cost? Also yes.
Nora snuggled in closer and rested her cheek on my shoulder as we closed in on three in the morning. All around us, the city was growing more still until the rain picked up again and pattered against the windows. It left long streaks down the glass.
Nora closed her eyes and sighed contently. “I’ve always loved the sound of rain at night. It reminds me of being in another country. Far, far away from here.”
“Do you really hate New York?” I asked.
Her eyes fluttered open but her lids looked heavy. “When I’m here, in New York I mean, I feel like I have to be the person everyone wants me to be, especially my parents. But when I’m out there traveling on my own? I feel like I have permission to be myself.”
She yawned.
I stifled one of my own. “Are you being yourself now, Nora?”
She tilted her head back and gazed up at me. The city lights looked like stars shining in the blue of her eyes. “Yes, I think I am.”
Her breath hitched when I reached up and pressed one finger under her chin to tilt her head back a little farther. Nora’s eyes fluttered and closed as I leaned in. My nose grazed hers. My heart thundered in my chest and threatened to escape and I wondered if she could hear it racing. I closed my eyes at the last minute and our lips touched.
Nora relaxed against me. The softest sound escaped her as our kiss deepened. Her lips were like warm velvet. I let my knuckles trail along the side of her cheek until I reached her hair. I plunged my fingers into her brown mane to cup the back of her neck as her lips parted and she yielded to me.
She tasted like wine and brandy.
The sound of the rain against the windows faded to a dull hum in my ears as Nora leaned into me and smiled against my lips.
Chapter 19
Nora
It was still raining when I woke up. The sky was gray and dull and seemed to be all around me as I blinked to clear away my blurry morning vision.
I lay on my side on the sofa with Walker behind me. He had an arm draped over my hip and the other tucked under his head like a pillow. I’d been using his bicep to cushion my cheek and spotted a little puddle of drool on his sleeve.
Cute, Nora. Real cute.
I tried to soak up the moisture with my sleeve but a perfect teardrop of darker fabric remained.
I propped myself up on one elbow and rubbed at my eyes. What time was it? How late had we stayed up talking? When had we fallen asleep?
As soon as the questions rolled over me, I started thinking about the kiss. My cheeks grew hot just at the memory and I pressed two fingers to my tingling lips.
Walker’s kiss had set my whole body on fire. Somehow, it felt like I was having an out of body experience while simultaneously being so in the moment with him—it was a paradox of emotions. It felt real and unreal all at once. Like fire and ice.
A blanket lay draped over my legs. Walker must have pulled it down from the back of the sofa and covered me up after I presumably fell asleep after we made out for fifteen or so minutes like love-drunk teenagers.
When was the last time a kiss made you feel like this? I shook my head. Never.
I spotted my phone on the floor and leaned forward to try to reach it without waking Walker. There was no doubt in my mind that I’d have a few messages from Grace, most likely playful accusations about spending the night with Walker.
Either accusations or eggplant emojis.
The phone was just out of reach, so I leaned a little more forward. Walker’s arm slipped from my hip. I stretched, fingers searching, until suddenly there wasn’t enough sofa beneath me and I tumbled right off the edge, rolling as I went, and landed hard with an unladylike grunt and a string of curse words.
Walker sat up like a smoke alarm was going off. “Nora?”
“Down here.”
He peered over the cushions, brow furrowed, eyes still droopy with fatigue. Damn, he looked adorable in the morning. His hair was a shaggy mess, all unkempt and disheveled, and the eyebrow hairs on the side he was sleeping on were sticking up every which way.
I tried not to stare at the drool stain on his sleeve as I sat up rubbing my hip. “I’m okay. Just clumsy. I didn’t mean to wake you up.”
He raked his fingers through his hair and rubbed at his eyes while a derpy smile, one at my expense, played on his lips. “What time is it?”
I’d landed right on my phone. I rolled off it, breathed a sigh of relief that the screen was still intact, and checked the time. “Quarter to nine.”
“Do you have anywhere you need to be?” he asked.
“I’m unemployed. Where would I need to be?”
He chuckled, sat up, and offered me his hand.
I took it and he pulled me up onto the sofa with him, not beside him like I initially thought but right onto his lap. I straddled him with one knee planted on the cushions on either side of him. My thighs squeezed the outside of his as I sat back, acutely aware of a particular body part of his resting between my legs.
I swallowed. “How is it possible that you look even better this morning than you did last night?”
“I was going to ask you the same thing.”
I was sure I did not look anywhere close to pretty this morning. The drool incident implied I’d been sleeping like a log, which meant my hair would be an absolute disaster. I also always woke up with flushed cheeks and slightly puffy eyes and a stuffy nose.
“I had fun last night,” I told him. “The only person I’ve ever stayed up that late w
ith talking is Grace. Don’t tell her but I almost think you were better company.”
“The solarium on the fortieth floor might have helped,” he said.
“The sky and the city lights had nothing to do with it.”
His green eyes, not as bright as usual due to the gloomy weather over our heads, danced back and forth between mine. “You’ve never said so many nice things to me back to back. What are you playing at?”
“I’m not playing at anything.”
“Liar. You want something.” The corner of his mouth curled up in a devious smile. “What is it? Spit it out then. Coffee? An omelette? I can make a mean omelette. All you have to do is say the word.”
“Shut up,” I breathed.
His smile broadened and he opened his mouth to continue being a smart ass. I silenced him with a kiss that stole the air from my lungs and my senses from my mind. At first, it seemed that Walker had been knocked on his ass by the kiss, too. But his moment of surprise only lasted a second or two before his hands found their place on my thighs and squeezed.
His grip was firm, a promise of what was to come.
A thrill rippled through me as his hands wandered to my hips. He slipped his thumbs under my shirt and traced lazy patterns on my skin with cool fingertips. Goosebumps broke out all over my flesh and an amused sound escaped him. The vibration in his chest made my heart skip a beat, and something inside me felt like it unfolded, like a supple flower petal eager to feel the caress of the sun.
He dropped his hands to my ass and squeezed again.
There was a lot more to hold on to back there and he seemed to like it because he didn’t let go. He pushed my hips forward and rocked me back again. He grew harder beneath me. The press of his cock against my inner thigh as it swelled was almost too much to bear. I kissed him deeper, more desperately, until neither of us seemed to be able to stand to wait any longer.
He pulled my shirt over my head and tossed it on the floor. In jeans and a bra, I leveled the playing field by pulling his shirt over his head. As soon as it was off, our lips crashed together once more.
He snapped open the button on my jeans. I undid his belt. He slipped a finger into the waistband and snapped my panty strap on my hip. I groaned and undid his fly.
Walker slid forward so he was perched on the edge of the sofa. He pushed me off him, his thumbs hooked in the waistband of my jeans, and he held me standing in place in front of him so he could unzip my fly and tug my jeans down my legs. I stepped out of them, ankles getting tangled up, and once I was free, he stripped my panties off me too.
While we were there, I unclipped my bra and tossed it aside.
I felt nothing but beautiful as his gaze fell upon me. He soaked in the sight of me like I was as stunning as the women he painted—and I felt like maybe, just maybe, I was. Or at least I was in his eyes. I didn’t have the perfect body, the sharp model gaze, the flat tummy, or the slender legs. But he seemed to favor what I was born with.
Walker met my gaze. “You’re so beautiful, Nora.”
I believed him.
He pulled me into his lap again. Our kiss picked up where we’d left off but the exploration of his hands was more aggressive this time around. He caressed my breasts and explored every inch of me with curious fingertips. My breathing quickened and my blood rushed in my ears as those curious fingers moved down and behind so he could spread my ass and open me up.
I whimpered.
Please don’t make me wait anymore.
His touch moved lower to the softest part of my inner thighs where my flesh was weak and sensitive. I was so wet I thought I might be dripping onto his jeans, leaving more of my fluid on him.
Please touch me.
He nipped at my lips and broke away. He left kisses along my jaw and down the side of my neck. He crossed to my shoulder and down until he took my left nipple in his mouth and suckled gently. I draped my arms over his shoulders and leaned back, letting my head fall and my hair graze my lower back as he pinched with his teeth and kissed to take away the sting.
Touch me!
The voice in my head grew more demanding the longer he made me wait. I felt strung out, pulled tight. Something had to give.
Desperate to feel him, I slipped a hand into his boxers, strained against the pressure of his jeans trapping me, and gripped him in my hand.
Lord have mercy, he’s big.
Walker sank lower on the sofa. The position gave more slack to his jeans and allowed me to move more freely. His lips returned to mine, and at the moment they touched, his fingers spread my pussy open. I was swollen and aching down there, almost pulsing, and when he ran a finger along my opening, I nearly crumpled.
His kiss kept me there.
His touch grazed my clit. Shockwaves went through me and left me exposed and raw. Two fingers massaged my clit while he pressed against my opening with the others until I gave way and he slid inside me.
A moan escaped my throat.
Walker kissed my neck and gave me more. I was so wet. So ready. So damn empty I would have done anything for more.
Suddenly feeling like I was burning from the inside out, I began trying to get his jeans off of him. I failed over and over, distracted by the pleasure as he stretched me more and pressed in deeper. He found a rhythm that made it impossible for me to get his jeans off, let alone remember my own name. My already rapid breathing hitched, broke, and shook until all I could do was cling to his shoulders and ride out the mounting wave.
It broke over me in a rush. I cried out as my thighs trembled and tensed around his legs. I lost control and stopped trying to cling to it. Walker rode it out with me until it ebbed away and left me panting for breath on top of him.
He took a fistful of my hair and guided me from his lap onto the sofa. He pushed me none too gently onto my back and told me to stay put.
My orgasm had been too powerful to even fathom leaving this spot. I lay there, a warm glow hovering all around me, and watched him retrieve a condom from his pocket. He pinched it between his teeth while he stripped out of his jeans and boxers. His cock rose to meet me, hard and ready and nearly the length of my forearm.
I bit down hard on my bottom lip as he grabbed my ankles, pulled me to the edge of the sofa, and propped me up with a pillow under my lower back.
I couldn’t take my eyes off his cock. “What am I supposed to do with that?”
“You’re not supposed to do a damn thing.” His voice was hoarse and rough and muffled with the condom still held between his teeth. He let it fall into his palm, tore the wrapper, tossed it aside, and rolled the condom on. He leaned over me and fixed me with that sharp green stare of his. “All you have to do is relax.”
“Relax?” I asked breathlessly. “You’re about to impale me with that thing.”
He chuckled and his jaw flexed. “Don’t tell me you have cold feet now. You’re ready. I wouldn’t push you if I knew you weren’t.”
I trusted him.
Walker reached behind my head and gripped the back of the sofa. His body caged me in, his abdomen firm and taut, the muscles in his arms and shoulders rippling as he dropped his hips and ran his cock up and down my aching slit.
He gave me his tip, and another inch, and watched my face as he gave me more.
I nodded. Yes.
More, and more, and more until I was gripping the sofa cushions and stars were popping behind my eyelids and I forgot how to breathe.
Walker hung his head and pushed in a little deeper until I cried out.
He knew my limit now, and he respected it as his pace quickened. He dropped lower over me and let one hand fall from the back of the sofa so he could rest it at the base of my neck. His touch was powerful, in control, and steady. I leaned into his strength as my brows pulled together and a cry died on my lips.
It was happening.
I shuddered, and Walker growled. The world around us tipped and spun and I stifled a scream of euphoria as my body gave in. Walker revelled in my orgasm and fucke
d me harder. My toes curled. His hair hung in his eyes and he fucked me into oblivion until he joined me in the hazy warmth after we were both spent.
Chapter 20
Walker
Nora extracted herself from the sofa first and walked around on wobbly legs collecting her clothes. She cast a worried glance at the windows and the city skyline, which was gray and foggy and very unlike the twinkling spectacle it had been last night.
“Could people see in here this whole time?” she asked.
I shook my head. “Not likely.”
The other apartments clustered around The Legacy were staggered on ninety- or forty-five-degree angles, most of them having windows that did not face my suite. They were also several floors shorter. The only way someone would have seen us was with binoculars, but even that would have been a challenge because we’d left the lights off.
Nora shimmied out of sight of the window with her clothes clutched in front of her to hide her nakedness.
“Would you like a hot shower?” I offered.
She nodded.
I rolled up from the sofa and left my clothes where they lay. I took her to my bedroom and bathroom, where I ran the water for her, pulled out a caddy of guest supplies including a toothbrush and toothpaste, and invited her to take as much time in here as she wanted. In the meantime, I’d make breakfast.
She paused with one foot in the shower. “Omelettes?”
“If that’s what you want.”
“You talked such a big game about them, I feel like it’s the only logical choice.”
“Omelettes it is then.”
Nora stepped under the water and tilted her head back to let it hit her cheeks. She closed her eyes and I lingered in the doorway for a moment so I could capture a snapshot image in my head of the water snaking down her chest and over her breasts, leaving tiny rivers on her belly and cascading over her hips and ass. She slicked her hair back and a waterfall hit the shower floor.
