by Adele Hart
“For you,” he says, handing me the flowers.
“Those are gorgeous.”
“Not as gorgeous as you.” He steps inside the building and says, “Be right back, guys.”
The door closes behind him before they can protest.
“Do you want to put these in some water?”
The thought of him seeing my humble abode makes my stomach flip so I say, “Sure. I’ll be right back.”
“Addie, would it really be so bad if I saw where you live?”
My shoulders drop. “Kind of.”
“Why?” he asks, tenderly pulling me into his arms.
I press myself against him, inhaling his manly cologne. “It might be a little too much reality for you.”
“I’m interested in you, not your furniture,” Henry says, giving me a kiss on the forehead.
“Good thing because there isn’t much of it,” I pull back a bit and take his hand in mine, then say, “This way.”
When we reach the third floor, my mouth goes dry. I’m suddenly terrified that he’s going to lose interest in me when he sees how I really live. I unlock the door and am just about to ask him to wait in the hall, when he says, “I promise nothing will change how I feel about you.”
I turn to him, wedging myself between the door and his muscular body. “How do you feel about me?”
“I feel like being around you is like having Christmas morning and a day at the beach at the same time. I feel like I’ll never have enough time with you, even if I spend every minute with you for the next eighty years. I feel like I’d never forgive myself if I screwed this up because there is nothing that has ever mattered more—not my degree, not my crown, not even my country.”
With each word, I feel myself melt into a world of possibilities that I didn’t believe could exist. I gaze into his eyes, my breath growing heavy with a lust I’ve never known before.
“Have I said too much?” he asks, leaning close to me.
I shake my head, unable to speak because all of the perfect things he said are swirling through my mind, terrifying and thrilling me at the same time.
“I meant to play it cool.”
Gripping the front of his suit jacket, I pull him to me, kissing him like my life depends on it. I open my mouth to invite him in and he accepts, thrusting his tongue between my parted lips. I moan, feeling his body pressing me against the door and feeling his erection though the fabric of his jeans. I want him. I want him like I’ve never wanted anything in my life. With every kiss, my entire life dissolves, the world is stripped away, and I’m left with only him in a universe in which only we exist. His hands are on my hips now, gripping me forcefully, and he lifts my left leg with one hand tucking it behind him so he can move in closer.
A door opening down the hall has him backing away and both of us laugh quietly as my neighbor comes out into the hall. “Oh, hey, Addison.”
“Hi Jack.”
He gives Henry a hard look before glancing back at me. “Everything okay?”
“Never better,” I say, opening my door and tugging Henry into my apartment with me. “See you later,” I call before the door shuts.
As soon as we get inside, I drop the roses on the stacked milk crates that act as my shoe shelf, and I reach for Henry again.
We make out like a couple of crazed teenagers for a long time, but even though I want him to undress me and have his way with me, he doesn’t. His phone rings, interrupting the moment.
He pulls it out of his jacket. “Gabriel,” he tells me before he answers. “Yes?” Pause. “Okay. We’ll be right down. Addison was just…giving me a tour of her apartment.”
I stifle a laugh and tuck my face into his warm chest while he finishes the call. Wrapping both arms around me, he says, “We should go. We’ll be late for the game.”
“I kind of had something else in mind,” I say, lifting my face and giving him a sexy look.
“Oh, God, Addie, you’re making this so hard.”
“I thought I was making something hard,” I tease.
Resting his forehead against mine, he says, “I want to wait. Well, actually I don’t. What I want to do is strip you down right here and lick every inch of your perfect body, but I know we should wait.”
“Why? I kind of like your plan with all the naked licking.”
He chuckles, then groans. “We can’t. Because when we do this, it’s going to be the perfect moment in the perfect place. I’m going to take my time exploring you and it won’t be while two bodyguards stand outside on the street waiting for us. And it won’t be until you trust me enough to know this is forever.”
“That sounds good, too,” I say, my voice coming out breathy. I sigh and try to rein in my feelings of longing. “Okay, take me out to the ball game.”
Chapter 8
Henry
Well that was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done—pun intended. Walking away from what would have been an explosively perfect afternoon of naked pleasure now seems like it was one of the stupidest things I’ve ever done because my balls are so full, I’m sure they are literally blue at the moment. My cock can’t seem to stay down and keeps straining against my jeans every time Addison brushes against me, whether it’s her hand or her arm against mine.
It’s the start of the seventh inning and even though I enjoy watching a ball game as much as the next guy, all I can think about is touching her naked body and tasting her.
“Here, try this,” Addie says, dipping her giant pretzel in some sort of thick cheesy sauce. “You haven’t been to a ball game until you’ve had a ball park pretzel.”
“That’s what you said about the hot dog.”
“That too,” she says, popping the bite into my mouth.
“Mm. That’s actually quite delicious,” I say as I bite down on the warm doughy treat.
“I know. That’s why I bought it.”
I reach for another bite but she pulls it away and says, “Nah uh. The rest is mine.”
“What? You’re a bit of a tongue tease, you know.”
Addison bursts out laughing, then shrugs, and says, “I’m not an anything tease. I just have stronger feelings about this pretzel than I do about you at the moment.”
Gasping, I pretend to be offended. “Now I’m glad I didn’t succumb to your advances earlier because I know you were just going to use me for sex.”
Her mouth full of pretzel, Addison covers it with her hand while she tries not to laugh. When she recovers and swallows, she says, “It’s true. I just want you for your body.”
Our fun is interrupted by the sound of a man’s voice coming from the aisle. “Addison?”
Her face falls when she looks up to see who it is.
“Addison, it is you. Nora told me it was you but I thought she was wrong.”
I turn and look up at him, seeing that he’s a well-put together older gentleman. He smiles at me and holds out his hand. “Phillip Cooke.”
“Henry Walsh.”
“I know who you are,” he says, his tone easy. Looking back at Addison, he says, “How do you two know each other?”
“We go to school together.”
“Huh. Wow. Where are you going to college anyway?”
“Harvard Law actually,” she says, her voice devoid of enthusiasm.
“No kidding! Good for you. I always knew you’d make something of yourself.”
“I’m trying.”
From the way she’s glaring, I’m wondering if I should tell this man to feck off.
“Sounds like you’re succeeding. Well, I’m going on a beer run. You and Henry should come down and say hi to Nora and the kids.” He gestures to a blond woman who is sitting several rows down with three teenagers, all of whom are staring.
“Yeah, maybe we’ll do that,” Addison says.
“Okay, great,” he says. “Listen, since you’re living so close now you really should come by for dinner some night. Prince Henry, too.”
Addison’s voice grows tight. “I’
m pretty busy with school and work, so…”
Phillip nods, a look of understanding crossing his face. “I guess the apple really doesn’t fall far from the tree, hey?”
“Well sometimes the tree punt kicks the apple out of his life when the apple is three and she ends up living in a trailer park with her junkie mother and has to claw her way out of poverty so she learns to work really hard.”
Phillip sighs, then runs his tongue over his teeth, looking very put out. “Okay, maybe some day you’ll change your mind about me.”
“Could happen, say if someone invents a time machine and you go back and decide not to abandon your daughter.”
He stiffens a bit, then looks at me and says, “Nice to meet you, Henry.”
With that, he jogs up the steps and out of sight.
Addison sits quietly next to me, blinking back tears. I take her hand and give it a gentle squeeze. “Your father?”
Nodding, she says, “That’s his preferred family down there. The ones who matter to him.”
“What an arsehole.”
She laughs a little through her tears, and I pull her to me and give her a kiss on the lips. “You want to get out of here?”
“Can we?”
“Of course.”
***
Dusk is starting to fall as we walk along the streets of Boston, hand in hand. Addison is quiet and hurt and I hate like hell to see her like this.
“Do you want to get some dinner?” I ask.
“I’m not really hungry, but I’ll sit with you if you want to eat.”
“No, I’m not hungry either.” I guide us into a small park surrounded by trees that have yet to drop their red and yellow leaves. Finding a bench, I sit and gently tug her hand so she’ll join me.
As soon as we’re sitting, I put my arm around her shoulders and pull her to me. Addison rests her head on my shoulder and after a minute, I can tell by her jagged breaths that she’s crying. Pressing my lips to her head, I kiss her, then rub my hand up and down her arm, wanting her to feel that I’m here for her.
“Sorry,” she says, lifting her head up. “We were having so much fun and now…”
“Don’t apologize. It’s not your fault your father’s a total prick.”
“I just wish he wouldn’t affect me like this. I should be used to it by now.”
Shaking my head, I say, “I don’t think anyone would ever get used to being tossed aside by their father.”
She lets out a deep sigh, then says, “I suppose not. I just wish we hadn’t run into him. You had this wonderful day planned out and now it’s ruined.”
“It’s actually a good thing it happened.”
She lifts her head and gives me a questioning look.
“Not that I want to see you so upset, I don’t mean that. I mean this has given me a chance to see firsthand who took away your ability to trust and it’s made me even more determined to prove to you that not every man will let you down.”
“When you talk like that, I want so badly to believe you,” she whispers. “You have no idea how much I wish all of this could be real.”
“It is real. It’s more real than anything I’ve ever known.” I lower my mouth to hers and wait for her to kiss me.
She does as I hoped, but this time it’s a kiss of love, of pain, of understanding. We stay like this, holding each other as I try to kiss away her sadness. The sun goes down leaving us in the dark and the air cools down, causing her to shiver.
She touches my face with her hand. “I don’t want to go home tonight.”
“Good, because I don’t want to take you home.”
“Can we go back to your place?”
“I have a better idea.”
Chapter 9
Addison
My mouth drops when the bellhop opens the double doors to the Presidential Suite. Henry got us a room at the Ritz-Carlton for the night. Everyone here must know who he is because I’ve never been treated so well when I’ve checked into a hotel. Well, I suppose that might be because I’ve only ever stayed in motels before. But even there, the people working could tell I was trailer trash.
Henry grins and tugs my hand to get my feet moving. “Come on. The view from here is incredible.”
His excitement is contagious and I suddenly feel like seeing my father was a million years ago. We rush over to the French doors and Henry opens them so we can walk out onto the enormous balcony. A cool breeze hits my skin and wakes me up, making me feel somehow more alive than I’ve ever been. I stare out at the sparkling lights that seem to go on for miles and suddenly my problems seem insignificant. “It’s beautiful.”
“I’m glad you like it,” he says, wrapping his arms around me and pressing himself against my back to warm me.
“I love it. I may never want to leave,” I say, turning my head and resting my cheek against his.
“If you think this place is amazing, I can’t wait to show you the world, Addie.” He nuzzles against my cheek. “The wilds of Africa, the Brazilian rain forest, the Great Barrier Reef, Paris, London. We’re going to see it all and do it all together.”
“Promise?” I turn in his arms so I’m facing him now.
“I promise,” he says, giving me a long, deep kiss. “If you’ll let me, I’ll give you the world.”
“I just might let you,” I whisper.
We kiss until my panties are soaked with desire and my entire body is humming with lust. “Let’s go inside,” I say, finally. “I want you to make love to me.”
“Are you sure you’re ready, Addison? Because when we do this, it means forever.”
“I’m ready. I want forever with you.”
A huge grin crosses his face and he picks me up under my knees, then carries me back into the warmth of the room. Kicking the door shut behind him, he carries me to the enormous en suite and sets me down on the counter.
I blink in surprise. “We’re starting our forever in the bathroom?”
“No. I’m going to treat you like a queen tonight, Addie, because that’s who you are.” He walks over to the huge jetted tub and runs the water, adding lots of bath oil.
When he returns, he lifts my shirt over my head, then looks at me with an expression of adoration. His fingertips trace the outline of my bra and my flesh tingles in response to his touch. His thumbs rub over my nipples and they pebble for him. He carefully sucks on my earlobe, sending waves of lust through my entire body. He unfastens the button on my jeans, then slides them off my legs as I lift myself off the counter to help him.
Henry reaches out, gripping my waist and pulling me closer to the edge of the counter. He plants slow kisses along the nape of my neck to my shoulder while his hands move up to my breasts, then down the front of my body. Henry’s lips graze my shoulder as he moves his hand down between my thighs and rubs his palm over my lacy panties.
I moan and press myself against the warmth of his big hand but he doesn’t stay there long. Instead he smiles at me while he runs his hands up my back and unclasps my bra with one quick flick of his fingers. I gasp a little knowing that this man clearly knows what he’s doing. I hold his gaze as he slides my bra straps down, revealing my full breasts. He takes his time with each one, gently sucking on my nipples until I feel dizzy with the intensity of my desire. His mouth on my skin does things to me I’ve only read about in romance books.
Henry lifts his mouth back up to mine, kissing me urgently now. Taking both of my hands, he backs up, pulling me off the counter so I’m standing before him in only my panties. He slides them off me, lowering himself as he does, so he can plant kisses down the center of my body. I feel like he’s worshiping me. I feel like a princess when he looks at me and touches me.
He stands and pulls me toward the over-sized bathtub. Silence fills the air as he turns off the water. I step into the tub and let my body slide into the hot water, feeling myself relax. “Aren’t you getting in?”
“Not just yet,” he says, crouching down to kiss me. Taking the soap, he rubs it
over my body, lovingly, carefully, as I lay exposed to him.
“I want you,” I whisper, starting to feel a greed for him that is undeniable.
“Soon. I want you to relax first. I’m going to run downstairs to the lobby for a second. I need to get something.”
“Oh, right,” I say, feeling slightly embarrassed. “Protection.”
“I’ll be back here as fast as I can.”
I nod and watch him walk out, missing him already.
Laying in the heat of the tub, I grin, feeling beautiful and special and happy for the first time in my life.
***
It’s over twenty minutes now and he’s still not back. I’m starting to panic a little that he’s changed his mind. What if all the talk of forever scared him off? I get out of the tub and dry off, wondering if I should get dressed or pull on one of the hotel’s robes and wait. I tell myself to have a little faith and reach for the robe. Walking to the bed, I climb onto the middle of it, then try to lean against the pillows and position my body in a way I hope looks confident and sexy.
A moment later, the door opens and he walks in. He’s got a bottle of champagne and two glasses in one hand as he strides across the room to me. Setting the bottle and glasses down on the night stand, he lowers himself onto one knee.
“What are you doing down there?” I ask. “I need you up here.”
“I need to ask you something first.” He opens his palm and in it is a small black velvet box. Opening it, he reveals a stunning emerald-cut diamond ring bigger than any gem I’ve ever seen.
Tears prick my eyes immediately and I’m unable to speak.
“I know we’ve only known each other for a short time, Addie, but in these short weeks, I’ve spent more time talking and getting to know you than I have probably anyone. You’re all I think about, you’re the only person I ever want to be with, day and night, forever. I want to grow old with you by my side. I want to marry you and have children with you and someday, when I’m king, I want you by my side helping me rule.” He smiles at me, his eyes shining. “Addison Cooke, will you marry me?”
