by DRAYER, GINA
“We’re in room 109,” he said as they headed toward the exit. But once in the hall, Simon stopped her. “I don’t want you to think that sharing a room means anything. I’m having them send extra blankets, but if you’re uncomfortable with this……I can always leave you here and get a room back in Holland.”
“Don’t be silly,” she said, trying to laugh off his concern. “I know you aren’t going to jump me the minute we get behind closed doors.”
She had certainly thought about it. And yes, Julia had even imagined just how and where she wanted him. The thought almost made her laugh out loud because she knew it would never happen. She looked like a drowned Chihuahua. Her dress clung to her and was still sticky with blood. She couldn’t possibly be any less sexy right now.
Julia wasn’t even surprised that he wanted to leave her here by herself. The poor guy probably wanted to get some peace. She had been a complete basket case most of the day. The best she could do right now was smile and reassure him. “We'll be fine in the one room. I even managed to find us dry clothes.” She opened the bag and pulled out an “I heart MI” t-shirt. "I don’t know about you but I can’t wait to get out of these clothes.”
Simon chuckled and Julia couldn’t help but blush. Why did everything out of her mouth sound like a come-on?
“Well, the clerk assured me there is a working shower in the room, so I’ll leave you to it while I find us some food.” Simon handed over the key and turned back toward the lobby.
She smiled, touched that he thought enough to give her privacy, and thrilled that he was getting food. Unfortunately, now by herself, it didn’t take long for Julia to realize how bad her situation was.
Trying to undress one-handed was near impossible. It had taken her three full minutes to untie the straps of the sundress and peel it off. But the last ten, struggling with the rest of her clothing, was the final straw that broke her. Julia tried every way she knew how to unhook her bra with just one hand. She was furious, frustrated, and defeated. Finally giving up, she collapsed to the floor, sobbing. The stress of the day caught up to her, culminating in utter surrender to a bra hook.
That was how Simon found her when he returned. She should have been embarrassed, but by that point, Julia couldn’t even find the will to cover her semi-nakedness.
She was done. Every ounce of fight had retreated. She didn’t even care about the blood anymore. All she wanted to do was crawl into the bed and forget this day ever happened. But Simon had other plans.
He helped her off the floor and into the shower, being careful to keep the bandaged hand out of the spray. Washcloth in hand, he stepped in behind her, clothes and all. Neither of them said a word as he started washing the blood off her neck and upper chest, soaping the skin and rinsing away all traces of her humiliation. After her exposed skin was clean, he unhooked her bra. She let it fall to the shower floor without protest. At this point it didn't seem to matter.
The heavy steam from the shower made the whole situation surreal, and Julia could almost imagine it was all a dream. His touch was in no way sexual, but in many ways it was far more intimate than when he’d had his tongue buried in her sex. Her heart was pounding, and every place his fingers brushed burned with the contact. She wanted to lean into that touch, but was afraid to break this odd connection they were sharing, so Julia closed her eyes and held her breath.
When he finished, Simon leaned in and she thought he was going to kiss her. But instead he reached behind her to turn off the water. Again without saying anything to her, he grabbed a towel from the rack and dried her off. He even slipped the Michigan t-shirt over her head.
When Simon finally spoke, his voice was heavy and raw. “You’ve had a long day,” he said and wiped the last of her tears away. His hand trailed down her back before he stepped away, and she mourned the loss of his touch. “You need your sleep, and I need to get cleaned up.”
She could feel him pulling away, not just physically but emotionally. He took a step back and tried to close the door, but Julia wasn’t having any of that. The last few hours, as Simon held her hand in the ER, cared for her, only highlighted everything that was missing from her life.
She’d never had this level of emotional intimacy with anyone. That thought scared the shit out of her, but she’d deal with it later. Right now, she needed to make sure Simon didn’t break this connection they had because she desperately wanted it.
“Thank you, Simon,” she said and took a step forward, closing the distance. “You went above and beyond today.” Julia trailed a finger up his chest until her hand rested on his sodden shoulder. There was something about this man that made her throw caution to the wind. She stood on her toes, leaning into him, and placed a kiss on his cheek. Without pulling back, she whispered in his ear. “I know it’s selfish of me to ask anything else of you, but I don’t think I’ll be able to sleep. Why don’t I help you out of these wet clothes and you can join me in bed."
“Julia, I don’t think that’s—”
She didn’t let him finish. Her lips captured his in a kiss as she pressed against him, soaking her only dry clothing, but she didn’t care. With any luck she would be naked the rest of the night.
Deepening the kiss, Julia fisted his shirt for balance. He let out a soft groan against her mouth and finally kissed her back. Sure he was on board, Julia clumsily hooked his pants with one hand and tried dragging him back to the bed.
But to her dismay, he stopped and pushed away. “No, Julia. This isn’t what you want. You’ve had a stressful day and I’m not about to take advantage of that.”
This was starting to get annoying. She looked up at the infuriating man and placed a hand on her hip. “You’re fucking right, it was a stressful day. And you know what? I want nothing more than to relieve some stress with some physical activity. With you. On that bed."
She didn’t even blush at the statement. Julia felt a little like the heroine in Megan’s story: in charge of her own sexuality. She leaned into him again, kissing him, and had to suppress a smile when he grabbed her hips and pressed them against the hard bulge in his sodden jeans. Her unbandaged hand slid under his shirt, raking through the trail of golden curls she’d had fantasies about over the last few months. Christ, after sleeping with him, Julia had developed quite the fetish for men with hairy chests. Groaning, she started to pull the shirt up, desperate to see him, when Simon pushed her away again.
“Damn it. This isn’t right,” he said, his breath coming ragged as he stepped a few more feet back into the bathroom. “This is just the adrenaline speaking. I don’t want you to regret this in the morning.”
Truly understanding Megan’s affinity for swearing, Julia had to bite back a few choice words. Instead, she decided to take a different approach. She took a few steps backward out of the bathroom, hoping her gamble wouldn’t backfire.
“You might be right. This might all be the adrenaline talking. But I won’t regret it. We’re both adults, Simon,” she said, using his own word. She took another step back and awkwardly pulled the t-shirt over her head, leaving her standing there in just her wet underwear. “And it’s not like we haven’t done this before.” She shot him a knowing smile before taking another step back. “And as I recall, with an excellent outcome for both of us.”
He swallowed and took a faltering step forward, and she knew he was wavering. Simon held up a hand in front of him, as though placing a barrier between them, and closed his eyes. “Julia, we can’t. I don’t have a condom.”
With a devilish smile, she hooked her thumbs into the waistband of her panties and slid them off, kicking them across the room. “Well then, it’s a good thing I have some in my purse.”
She turned and walked away, giving him a good view of her tight ass. Turning her back on him was the biggest risk. There was a chance that Simon would just close the bathroom door and leave her there waiting and thoroughly embarrassed. Screwing her courage in place, she walked over to her purse, fished out the pair of condoms she’d sl
ipped inside months ago, and tossed them on the bed. Without daring to look back in his direction, Julia sat at the foot of the bed and began teasing a nipple with her finger, waiting for him to come to her.
He swore from the bathroom and made it across the small bedroom in a few long strides. Simon nudged her legs wider and knelt between them. “Christ, woman. You make it impossible to be a gentleman.” He ran a hand up her calves to her thighs and back down.
“Good,” she said, her voice hoarse with longing. She leaned down and captured his mouth, lacing her right hand through his hair. After a few seconds she pulled back, breaking the kiss. “I don’t want you to be a gentleman right now.”
He slipped his hands across her body, leaving a trail of heat, while his wet clothes cooled her skin, causing a pleasant fire-and-ice sensation. She found the contrast arousing, but she really wanted to feel his skin pressed against hers. One-handed, she tried to edge his shirt up, to no avail.
Growling, she pushed him back and waved her injured hand in the air. “Are you going to take your shirt off or do I need to get creative?” She smiled and nodded to the bag she’d left on the nightstand. “I think I have a pocket knife in my purse, too.”
Without hesitation, he yanked the shirt over his head and kicked out of his wet jeans. Julia swallowed a moan at the sight of his bronzed chest peppered with golden curls that trailed down to his hard cock. Unable to wait for him to make the next move, she hooked her legs around his back, pulling him back in her arms. The feel of the coarse hair brushing her nipples was almost enough to make her come. She rubbed impatiently against him, hoping he'd understand her urgency, because she wasn’t sure she could form coherent words.
“Shhh,” he whispered in her ear, taking the lobe between his teeth and nibbling. “Slow down.”
But if Simon was trying to cool her passions, he was going about it the wrong way. When his tongue ran down her jaw, paying extra attention to the side of her neck, need pulsed throughout her body, with his lips the epicenter. Little jolts of pleasure raced straight to her core in time with every movement of his tongue against her skin. Soon the room was filled with the pleading sounds of her moans.
His scratchy stubble rasped down her skin and she found herself pressing into the sensation. Julia bit her lip to keep from laughing. This had really developed into a fetish, at least where Simon was concerned. And while she could have let him kiss her for hours, she wanted more.
She reached back and found one of the condoms on the bed as Simon slipped down to take a nipple into his mouth. Julia hesitated a minute, enjoying the sensation before she pushed him back and pressed the condom into his hand.
“Please. I can’t take it anymore,” she begged. Yes, begged. “I need you inside me.”
His eyes grew dark as he tore open the condom and eased it on his erection. Simon pushed her farther up the bed and covered her. Their naked bodies aligned perfectly, as if they were two halves of a puzzle. His erection slid against her pulsing clit, eliciting a moan, and Julia tried shifting to guide him in. But his fingers dug into her hip, stopping the motion.
“Are you sure?” he asked through gritted teeth. Every word seemed to be a struggle.
“Yes,” she said, her voice low and breathy.
Yes. Yes. A hundred times, yes.
Julia couldn’t imagine another second without his touch. “Please, Simon.”
He leaned down, touched his forehead to hers, and let out what she could only imagine was a sigh of relief before he finally pushed inside her. Julia sucked in a sharp breath. It felt so good just to be full of him, but then he began to move in slow, smooth strokes and she was lost. He was tender and gentle, and while it was incredible, she knew he was holding back. She wanted to forget today’s anxiety. Needed to lose herself in that raw passion they had shared all those nights ago.
“Fuck me, Simon.” Injured hand forgotten for the moment, Julia dug her nails into his back, urging him on. “Don’t hold back.”
He muttered a curse, and the hand anchoring her hips slid off to the bed, bracing his weight. His movements became faster. Harder. But it still wasn’t the way she remembered. She dug her nails into his back, and he lost it.
“Fuck, Julia. I can’t…”
One hand slipped down and teased her clit in time to his thrusts. She was already teetering on the edge of orgasm, and with his touch she toppled over. Starbursts of light pressed into the back of her eyes, and she screamed out her release. Simon followed her with a groan muffled against her neck, lost in his own pleasure.
Again, Julia found herself on the verge of tears. She swallowed, trying to force back the emotion. Fuck, she was a mess. A few errant tears trickled down her cheek as he got out of bed, and she quickly wiped them away. That had been exactly what she wanted. So why was she crying?
After taking care of the condom, he turned off the lights and slid into bed beside her, pulling her into his arms, not once commenting on the tears. And hell if that didn’t make her fall just a little bit more for this man.
What was she doing? Her mind was screaming danger, danger, but instead of exploring what had happened, Julia snuggled against his warm body and fell into an exhausted sleep. There would be plenty of time to explore her feelings in the morning.
The room was still dark when she heard the knocking. The first thing Julia noticed was that Simon wasn’t in bed with her. She looked around the room. Bright light was streaming through the crack in the blackout curtains, and Julia realized it was much later than she thought. The knock came again. Julia grabbed the robe from a hook in the bathroom and went to the door. Maybe it was Simon. He could have gone out for breakfast and forgotten the key.
But when she opened the door, Megan pushed her way inside.
“Oh, my God, Julia. I’m so sorry about yesterday,” Megan said, throwing her arms around her. She pulled back and looked around the room, her gaze coming to rest on the untouched takeout containers. “You’ve got to be starving. Simon said you were so exhausted last night you just passed out.”
Julia looked into the hall before closing the door. “Where is Simon?”
Megan put a small bag on the table and opened it. “Oh, he came home first thing this morning. He didn’t want to wake you. I know he’s been an antisocial jerk this weekend, but my brother is a nice guy. He was trying to be considerate.”
Considerate? He’d run away, and despite the fact she had done the same thing, Julia was still angry. Last night was different. Wasn’t it?
“Oh.” It was all Julia could manage.
“Here,” Megan said, tossing her a clean pair of shorts and a shirt. “Simon said your clothes were probably still wet from the rain. Get dressed and I'll take you out for breakfast.”
Julia headed to the bathroom to dress, more confused than ever. Did anything change after last night? This time it wasn’t anonymous sex with a stranger. It was Simon. Megan’s Simon. Did it mean he was interested in something more? She wasn’t ready for another relationship. But if he wanted a relationship, why had he left?
Oh, shit. Was last night a pity fuck?
Her head pounded from lack of food, and her stitches were throbbing now. Julia looked down at her hand. The bandage had soaked through with dark blood. Figured. She’d probably popped a stitch after last night, but she wasn’t going back to the hospital. She dressed, forgoing the bra, and came out of the bathroom determined to have a talk with Simon before he left today.
“I’m ready if you are, but I’d rather go back to the house. I didn’t get a chance to thank Simon for his help last night,” Julia said, hoping Megan wouldn’t see past her lie.
“Well, you’ll have to shoot him an email, then,” Megan said, picking up the bag and heading toward the door. “The boys were packing up the car when I left. Simon said something about an early meeting tomorrow.”
Julia stopped, taking a second to process what Megan just said. That answered her earlier questions. The fact that he’d left without so much as a goodbye s
aid it all. Before following Megan into the hall, Julia took a deep breath and shoved away her roiling emotions. If that was what he wanted, it was fine with her.
Chapter Ten
Modern Girl Tip #12: The Chase—A one-night stand should be fun. You might be tempted to jump right to the sex, but there’s a lot of fun in the chase. So take it slow. Tease. Flirt. Enjoy the ride, even.
Simon was a grade-A bastard. There was no denying it. But after last night, he couldn’t face Julia.
It wasn’t because of the sex. It had been every bit as mind-blowing as he remembered. If it had just been sex, Simon would have gladly spent more time getting to know that sexy body of hers. And it would have been easy to treat it like any other hookup, with emotional distance and mutual respect.
Instead, he spent the whole night awake with Julia in his arms, replaying every minute of the day, trying to figure out how he’d gotten so invested. Things had rocketed past casual to involved in the course of a few hours.
And he panicked.
She was a complication he didn’t need in his life right now. Not with everything going on with his company. And he knew if she looked up at him with those stormy eyes and her pouty, kissable lips, he’d start making promises he couldn't keep. Hell, with the way things were going in New York, he couldn’t even promise her he’d be in Chicago come next week.
No. It might have been a shitty thing to do, but it was best for both of them.
She had said she wasn’t looking for a relationship after her breakup. Julia was probably relieved he’d left so she wouldn’t have to give him the brush-off.
Simon had almost convinced himself that he’d done them both a favor, when the phone rang. He hit the answer button on the steering wheel. “This is Simon.”
“What the hell did you do to Julia?” Megan’s pissed-off voice filled the car.
Peter laughed in the passenger’s seat, shaking his head. “Man, you’ve done it now.”
