by Ivy Smoak
A creaking noise made me turn my head. I peered around the column into the dining room. Nothing. The downstairs was mostly an open floor plan. There weren't that many places he could hide. I walked toward the bathroom. The reflection in the mirror made it easy to tell that he wasn't hiding behind the door.
Another creaking noise made me jump.
"James?" I whispered. The sun was beginning to set, casting eerie shadows in the room. I tried not to think about it as I made my way through the archway toward a few of the closed off rooms. There was an office and a small library back here. I turned into the library. The blinds were all drawn, and it was almost pitch black. I switched on the light and looked around. The built-in shelves were all empty. Soon they'd be filled with all of James' books. I thought about my bookshelf back at home, filled with Harry Potter novels. They didn't seem sophisticated enough to be in here. But there was something charming about the idea.
There was a grand stone fire place in the center of the wall. I could just imagine curling up in front of it with a good book. This apartment was amazing. I'd have to tell James whenever I found him. It could be awhile. I still had a lot of rooms to check. I turned around just as the lights cut out.
I made a small squealing noise as the door slammed shut. "James?" I couldn't see anything. "James?" I said a little louder.
A clicking noise made me turn around again. A small blue flame had spread across the fireplace.
"James?" My eyes were still adjusting to the lack of light.
His arms wrapped around me before he said anything and I screamed again. His laugh in my ear calmed me right down, though. "I found you," he whispered in my ear, as he wrapped his arms even tighter around me, pressing his chest against my back.
"I was the one that was supposed to be finding you."
He kissed the side of my neck and trailed his fingers down the sides of my torso. "You were taking too long." His fingers skimmed the bottom of my tank top as he lightly pushed it up. His palms were hot against my stomach. He smelled like sweat and that wonderful scent that was all his own.
I could feel his erection through his athletic shorts. I arched my back slightly, pressing my ass more firmly against him.
The low groan in his throat was my favorite sound in the world. I lifted my arms up in the air. He immediately pulled off my shirt and sports bra and threw them onto the ground. His hands slowly trailed back down my arms and shoulders, stopping on my breasts. He massaged them gently and soon I was the one moaning.
His torso was sticky against my back and I loved the sensation. I reached up behind me and ran my hand down his neck. I wanted to be as close to him as possible.
"I want to savor this moment," he whispered. He pulled my hair tie out. My hair falling against the back of my neck made me shiver. Everything he did in moments like this somehow seemed sexy.
"I need you."
He pushed my spandex shorts and thong over my hips and down my thighs as he ran his fingers gently across my wetness. "I know you do."
I moaned and pressed my ass against him again.
"I need you too, baby." He gently massaged my clit before thrusting a finger inside of me. "I always need you."
"James," I moaned as he slipped another finger inside of me. I rested my head against his shoulder as he slowly moved his fingers in and out of me. He began to tease my nipple with his free hand, matching the steady pace of his other fingers.
"You're always so wet for me, baby."
Oh God.
His fingers moved even faster.
"Please fuck me."
He lightly bit my earlobe. "Not tonight."
"Please." My voice sounded desperate.
"I want to make love to you, Penny." His fingers thrust farther inside of me. "I want to make sure we always remember our first night here."
His words sent chills down my spine, despite how hot the fire was in the room. I began to feel like I was melting into him. "Please make love to me."
I laughed as he quickly lifted me up in both his arms. He laid me down in front of the fire and my laughter disappeared as soon as he kissed me. My whole body felt hot and I wasn't sure if it was from the fire or him. He leaned back to remove his shorts. But my eyes were captivated by his face. James was the most handsome man I had ever met. And the firelight just made him look even sexier.
"It's so hot in here," I said breathlessly.
He grabbed both my hands and placed them on the back of his neck. The fire in his eyes seemed even hotter than the flames in the fireplace. "You said you liked when I was sweaty," James said as he pressed the tip of his rock hard cock against my wetness.
I spread my legs even farther apart, but James didn't move an inch.
"I love you."
I wasn't sure why, but the sincerity in his voice made me want to cry. Like it was the only fact in the world that he was certain of. "James, I love you too. I'll always love you."
He immediately thrust inside of me.
Yes! I pressed my fingers down on his shoulders. All I could do was revel in how complete I felt with his cock inside of me.
His strokes were slow and full, driving me crazy. He gently kissed the side of my neck and left a trail of kisses across my collarbone. "You're all I need, Penny."
He was all I needed too. I ran my fingers down his shoulders and strong biceps. Every time he thrust inside of me, I felt this fire inside of me intensify. But he continued to slowly make love to me. The torturous rhythm just made me want more. What was he waiting for? I tilted my hips up, inviting him to go even deeper.
"Always so eager." His breath was hot against my neck.
"Please, James."
He grabbed my hips with one hand and rolled over, pulling me on top of him. "Show me exactly what you want." He had a challenging look in his eyes.
James rarely ever let me take control. He knew I got distracted when I was setting the pace. Staring down at his chiseled abs always made me forget what I was doing. He knew what I needed better than I did. And we were both aware of that.
He smiled up at me and put his hands behind his head, ready for me to admit defeat already.
I leaned forward, moving my hips slowly up and down, matching the rhythm he had set before. He groaned as I lightly kissed his chest. His skin was salty from sweat. He was my favorite taste, sight, sound, touch, and scent. I wanted to savor him too. I moved my hips even faster as I left a trail of feathery kisses everywhere I could reach. Tonight I wanted to be the one that made him lose control.
"Don't stop," he said as I pulled away from him.
Instead of listening, I stood up. He said he liked my ass in my spandex shorts. He'd like this view even more. I turned around, straddling him in the opposite direction and slid back onto his length.
"Fuck," he groaned as I slid his length back inside of me. His hands were immediately on my back, trailing down to my hips and ass.
I moved my hips faster and faster as his fingertips dug into my skin.
"You're so sexy, baby." His voice sounded husky. Even though I could only see his legs, it was still getting harder and harder to focus. His hands on me were suddenly all I could think about. I loved the way he loved me. I couldn't set the pace anymore. I couldn't even think straight. As if he knew, his hands on my hips slowly started guiding me more than I was guiding myself.
"James," I moaned.
He moved my hips faster and faster, slamming me down on top of him. It seemed like he was moving me way faster than I could myself. He put his arms around my waist as he sat up and pushed me forward so that I was suddenly on all fours.
"I'll always give you what you want." He grabbed my hips hard and thrust himself deep inside of me.
"Yes!" My palms were a little sweaty and they slid slightly on the wood floor.
He kept one hand on my hip and his other found my clit. He slid his length in and out of me faster and faster.
"Say my name when you come, Penny." He slammed into me and pressed down hard on my
clit.
"James!" The fire in my stomach seemed to spread out in a million different directions. I would have melted into the ground if he wasn't holding me up. "James!" I moaned again as I felt his cum shoot up inside of me.
The rest of his strokes were slow but rough, his hips slamming hard against my ass. He sighed behind me as he finished. I couldn't remember the last time I felt this exhausted. James leaned forward and lightly kissed my shoulder blade. He pushed my hair to the side and kissed the back of my neck. Even though I had ended up asking him to be rough with me, I still felt cherished. He had still made love to me. James always made me know how much he loved me.
"Was that memorable enough for you?" I panted. I was completely out of breath.
He ran his hands down my back and over my ass. "Every moment is memorable with you." He slowly pulled out of me. I was about to turn around, but felt his lips against the small of my back. He left a trail of soft kisses down my right ass cheek and thigh. "How about we continue making memories in the shower?"
A ringing noise sounded through the apartment, making me jump.
"It's just the doorbell, baby," James said and kissed my thigh once more before standing up. "I'll get rid of whoever it is." He turned off the fireplace and pulled on his shorts before disappearing out the door.
"I was going to say congrats on the new place, but instead I'm going with why are you so sweaty?" Mason's voice could be heard clearly through the open floor plan.
"Crap," I mumbled and tried to find my clothes in the dark.
"Hey, Mason and Bee!" James said way too loudly, probably hoping for me to hear.
I quickly got dressed and walked out the door to greet our first house guests.
"Why are you yelling at us?" Mason asked.
"I'm not yelling," James said a little quieter. "And I'm super sweaty because Penny wouldn't let us hire movers."
Bee laughed.
I was pulling my hair back in a ponytail when I came into the living room. "Hey guys. And we did hire movers for all the super heavy things. Like the couch, the bed, the..."
"Are you insinuating that I can't lift heavy things?" James asked with a smile.
I laughed and opened up the last box that he had carried up. It was filled with sheets.
"Well, that one wasn't heavy." He put his arm around me as I joined him in the foyer next to Bee and Mason.
"And it's really hot in here, don't you think?" Mason asked. "Do you even have the air conditioning on?" He was staring directly at me. It was pretty clear he knew what we had just been doing. Especially since James hadn't even bothered to put his shirt back on. I couldn't exactly say we had started a fire in the library, in more ways than one.
"I can turn it up if you want," I said instead. "I'm a little overheated too. We were doing hot yoga." Why the hell did I just say that? "Oh you brought pizza and champagne? I'm starving." I had never been very good at segues.
James laughed.
"Hot yoga?" Mason winked and slapped James on the back as he walked past us into the living room. "Gross, you're so fucking sweaty." I looked over my shoulder to see him wiping his hand off on his jeans.
"I'm just going to pretend you two were actually doing hot yoga," Bee said and smiled at me. "Your new place looks amazing. Should we eat while the pizza's still hot and then go on the tour? Mason, don't go through their stuff!"
"What? I'm just trying to find the champagne flutes." He was holding an attachment to a vacuum cleaner. "Is this some weird sex thing that I don't know about?" He held it farther away from himself as he inspected it.
Bee laughed. "Of course you wouldn't have any idea what that is."
"I honestly have no idea what that thing is either," James said.
"You two are hopeless, you know," I said to James and Mason. "What on earth would you do without me and Bee?"
"Do hot yoga alone and cry ourselves to sleep," Mason said and tossed the vacuum cleaner attachment back in its box.
Bee and I both laughed.
James kissed my temple and whispered, "I couldn't live without you."
I smiled up at him. I didn't have to say it back. He knew. Just like I knew how he was feeling by looking into his intoxicating brown eyes.
He kissed my temple again. "I think I know where the glasses are," he said and walked over toward Mason.
"And seriously, turn up the AC, or I'm going to take my shirt off next," Mason said.
Bee laughed. "I'm not going to complain about that.
A few minutes later we were sitting at the dining room table drinking champagne out of coffee mugs and eating pizza off of napkins.
"Are you two getting nervous?" Mason asked and grabbed another slice of pizza.
"About what?" I said.
"What do you mean about what? About marrying him." He pointed his pizza at James.
I put my chin in my hand and looked over at James, pretending to scrutinize him.
He raised his left eyebrow at me. He actually looked curious about my answer.
"I'm terrified."
James immediately frowned and Mason laughed.
"I'm just kidding." I put my hand on James' thigh and squeezed it. "I'm not nervous about our wedding at all. The only thing I'm nervous about is meeting his parents tomorrow. After that, I'm just going to be excited."
"You should be nervous about that," Mason said.
I reluctantly tore my eyes away from James to look at Mason. "Why do you say that?" Maybe it would be better if they knew exactly what to expect.
Mason shrugged. "They've avoided you like the plague ever since you moved to New York. Clearly they don't want to meet you."
James put his hand on top my mine. Mason was just saying what I already knew, but it was still hard to hear.
"It's like they're in denial," Mason continued when no one said anything. "They still want Isabella to be their daughter in law. I don't even know why you want to meet them. Besides, James basically grew up at my house. His parents are horrible. I'm sure you already know you're going to hate them. What's the point? There are so many better things that we could do tomorrow night."
"They're perfectly nice," Bee said. "You have nothing to worry about."
"Wait, you've met them?" I couldn't believe it. Bee had never mentioned meeting James' parents before.
Bee took a sip of champagne from her mug and then cleared her throat. "I mean, yeah. At their annual New Year's Eve party."
"You never told me that you had met them."
She took another sip of champagne to avoid answering me.
I looked over at James. "Annual New Year's Eve party?" James had never mentioned that party to me. We always went out to dinner on New Year's Eve and walked around Central Park before the clock stuck twelve. Last year it had started to snow right before midnight and I could still picture the snow falling around us as we shared our first kiss of the new year. It was romantic and perfect. But had we only done it because his parents had told him I couldn't come to their exclusive party?
"It's not that big of a thing," James said.
I looked over at Mason and Bee. "How many people were there last year?"
Mason shrugged. "Not that many. And it's not even fun. I doubt Bee and I will even go next year. We only go because my parents go." Bee was busy pouring herself more champagne, still avoiding eye contact with me.
"Did they invite you?" I asked James.
"I haven't gone since I broke it off with Isabella."
I just stared at him. That didn't answer my question.
He sighed and ran his hand through his hair. "Yes, they invite me every year. But they never extended the invitation to you."
"See, they're the worst," Mason said. "They try to control everything James does. They're just pissed that he chose you without their approval first. If I was you, I'd skip the party tomorrow night just to spite them. Throw the whole thing in their faces."
"Mason, you're not really helping," Bee said. "And I'm sorry I didn't tell you, Penny. I j
ust didn't know what to say. The whole situation sucks. I didn't think telling you I had met them would help anything."
"It's okay, I get it." I hated the way I was feeling right now. "So, they're perfectly nice?"
"I don't know," Bee said. "They were polite to me. I don't really know them, though. Well, besides for the fact that Mason doesn't like them and they refuse to meet one of my best friends. I was just trying to make you feel more optimistic. But clearly they're the worst. Sorry, James," she quickly added.
James laughed. "You all already know how I feel about this. As far as I'm concerned, you guys are my real family."
I smiled. That's what Mason's parents had said in their letter to me. Our friends in New York had become part of our family. I loved that James had taken that to heart. He wasn't good at letting people in. But he was opening his heart so much easier recently. When we had first met he seemed so cold. I liked this new warmer side of him.
Mason lifted up his mug. "Here's to the start of a new chapter in our lives."
"Didn't you already start that chapter when you turned 30?" James said and clinked his glass against Mason's.
"I'm only a few months older than you, asshole. Next month you'll know how it feels."
James laughed and took a sip of champagne. "Well, right now, I'm still in my 20s, so I get to tease you for another month, old man."
Mason sighed.
"Speaking of new chapters in our lives, does that mean the two of you have news?" James and I always joked around with Bee and Mason about getting engaged. They had been dating for almost as long as James and I were engaged.
"Unfortunately, Bee has major commitment issues," Mason said.
Bee lightly nudged his shoulder. "Yeah right."
Mason smiled at her. "I'm sure we'll make it official soon."
Bee's cheeks turned even rosier.
"Well, you're not getting any younger," James said.
"Ha. Ha. Let's talk about your bachelor party. We're running out of time, so we need to decide soon. If you want something more traditional, we could do Vegas. Strippers, sex, cocaine, that empty feeling you get inside when you..."
