by Lola StVil
I still want to take her, to claim her, but not tonight. She’s in no state for that. But I know now she wants this as badly as I do. She didn’t seem to be thinking of stupid fucking Liam tonight, and after I claim her, she’ll never think of that fucking loser again.
I reach the door of her apartment building and fumble the key in. I find her apartment door and unlock it. It feels strange being in her apartment with her unconscious in my arms, but I wasn’t about to dump her in the hallway. I draw the line at taking her to bed, though. The first time I take her to bed will be a whole hell of a lot hotter than this.
I lay her gently on the couch, using the throw as a blanket. I go through to the kitchen and find a large glass, which I fill with water. I go back to the lounge and place the glass on the end table. I stand back for a moment and watch her sleep.
Her mouth is open and a stream of drool is running out and soaking into the cushion beneath her head. And she is still the most beautiful woman I have ever seen.
I lean down and kiss her forehead gently.
“Good night, angel,” I whisper.
CHAPTER NINE
COLTON
I stand in my office looking out over the streets of New York. Snowflakes float gently past the window, coating the world in a sea of white. As I watch the snow falling, my mind goes back to last night. Two failed attempts at kissing Aria. Talk about losing my touch. Maybe it’s fate telling me it’s a bad idea. Fuck fate. Her wet panties told me it’s the best idea I’ve had in a long time.
As if my thoughts have summoned her, my office door opens a crack and she steps in. I can see her behind me, reflected in the glass. I stand watching her that way for a moment, taking the opportunity to drink her in without her knowing. My cock twitches as my eyes skim over her breasts, over her hips. I wish it was my hands. Fucking hell, this woman makes me crazy.
She’s holding a few papers in her hands.
“I … ummm … Can you sign these, please?” she says.
“Sure. Just put them on my desk,” I say.
I turn to face her, ready for the assault on my senses.
“How are you feeling?” I smile.
She surprises me by losing all of her nerves in one long sigh. She flops down in the chair opposite mine. I move to my own chair and sit down.
“Like shit on toast,” she says.
I can’t help but laugh, and she smiles for a moment. Then it fades and she sighs again.
“Seriously, though. I found out my ex-boyfriend was cheating on me last night, which was why I was so drunk.”
I am at once deliriously happy that Liam is no longer on the scene, and absolutely livid that he had the audacity to hurt her. How could he be stupid enough to let her go? Who the fuck did he find that could even come close to her? As I fight to control my emotions, Aria goes on.
“And that was just the start of it. Let’s see.” She begins ticking off her points on her fingers as she talks. “I managed to announce to one of your full building crews that I’m a virgin. Then I almost face-planted off the stage in the bar. I drank the vilest concoction I’ve ever had. I threw myself at my boss. I vomited in front of him right after it, which is always classy. Oh, and to top it all off, I have the hangover from hell. How are you?”
I feel my cock stiffening when she mentions she’s a virgin. If she hangs around me much longer, that won’t be the case anymore. I bite back the desire I can feel surging through me and smile at her.
“Well, I’m not hungover,” I say.
“How? That fire shot thing alone was enough surely.”
“I spat it into my bottle,” I admit.
She gasps. “You dirty cheat,” she says.
I laugh. “But I had a good night last night. I got to hear a great girl singing, but I reckon I blew it. See, I wanted to kiss her, but the thought was so bad, she threw up.”
“Oh my God, don’t.” She laughs, blushing furiously. “I’m so sorry. About all of it. Can we just forget it ever happened?”
“Sure.”
I want to ask her if she really means that. If she even wants to forget that part where I almost made her come in the middle of the bar. Something tells me now isn’t the time to bring it up.
She smiles almost sadly at me and gets up. “Well, back to work,” she says.
She sounds cheerful, but it seems fake. She heads for the door, and as she reaches it, she turns back to me.
“You know the worst thing about it all?”
I shake my head.
She blushes but holds my eye. “Wanting something I know I can’t have.”
The door closes and she’s gone. I know now telling her we could forget the whole night was a mistake. She thinks I don’t want her.
Colton, you fucking idiot.
I’ll make her see she can have me. She can have me all night long. It won’t be slow or gentle, and it won’t be a fling. It’ll be the real deal, because once I claim her, she’s mine for life.
I stand up, ready to follow her out and talk to her. My phone rings, and I snatch it up.
“What?” I demand.
I listen for a few moments and hang up. There’s a problem on a major job and I’ll have to go and sort it out. I’ll talk to Aria right after, though. I’ll tell her I want her more than I’ve ever wanted anything before. And then I’ll show her the truth of my words.
CHAPTER TEN
ARIA
I peel my eyes open, waiting for the assault the light will bring. It doesn’t come, and I breathe a sigh of relief. It’s good to feel human again after yesterday’s hangover from hell. I was dreading going into work yesterday, partly because I felt like absolute death, and partly because I was so ashamed of my behavior the night before.
I cringe now thinking about it. The way I pushed Colton’s hand further up my leg. I mean, it felt fucking amazing, I was so wet. I didn’t think anything could feel that good, and I knew in that moment I wanted him to be my first, right then and there. But now, I’m just mortified. What the fuck was I thinking? And then I threw myself at him in his car and threw up all over. At least I managed to get it outside of the car.
He clearly only played along with me on the night out of pity. I mean, he was damn quick to agree to forget it all. When I asked him if we could forget it, I wanted him to say no because it meant something to him. Talk about naïve.
And even then, I couldn’t resist one last shot. My last statement made it clear that I want him. I spent the day sitting at my desk, my stomach in knots, hoping he would come and tell me I could have him. He didn’t, of course. Instead, he left the office moments later and didn’t come back. Wow. Talk about a rejection.
It took everything I had not to burst into tears right there. I was lucky that Clare mistook my silence for a symptom of my hangover. If only she knew. The hangover was painful, but it wasn’t even close to being as painful as Colton’s rejection.
I sit up abruptly and tell myself to stop being such a baby. I knew before last night he would never want someone like me, and I made my peace with it. We had a good laugh and got any awkwardness out of the way. That will have to be enough. At least he took it as a joke. He even threw me a bone and said he’d gone to kiss a girl and she’d found the idea that repulsive that she threw up. He let me at least save a bit of face.
So I still have a job, and Colton and I aren’t going to be all weird around each other—unless, of course, I insist on making it weird by making remarks like that last one yesterday. I’m not going to do that. Being shot down twice was more than enough for me. I’m going to be cool and professional, like I should have been from the beginning.
I’m completely over Liam. I’m actually more pissed at myself for getting so stupidly drunk over him than I am with him for cheating on me. That was a fucking lucky escape.
Last night, I logged into to Facebook to unfriend him. I don’t care if that’s petty. I don’t need toxic people like him in my life. I couldn’t help but notice he left a status update about being
dumped. Of course he was playing the victim, saying that I was the bad guy. I smiled to myself when I saw the top comment from one of his drinking buddies:
try keeping your cock in your pants, bro.
I guess I found the mystery sender. I wanted to message him and thank him, but I decided against it. He obviously didn’t want me to know it was him, so I would pretend like I didn’t know.
I get out of bed and go to the window to see if it’s still snowing. The snow is thick and the roads are bare of traffic, as only the brave and crazy battle through this kind of snow. It’s deeper than I’ve ever seen it, and it’s still coming down thick and fast.
My heart sinks when I realize I have absolutely no chance of getting a cab. I’m going to have to walk to work. I could call in and explain to Colton that I don’t drive and no cab will come for me. I’m sure he’d understand, but I can’t. Not after the other night. I don’t want him to think I’m avoiding him, or worse, that I’m taking liberties because of a drunken fumble.
That night aside, Colton took a chance on me when I couldn’t see any way out of the financial mess losing my job would leave me in, and I can’t let him down. I can’t afford to skip work anyway. My wages go on rent and bills, and the rest pay for school. I have a little bit left for myself each week, but skipping a day would eat all that and more.
I’ll just have to put on my winter boots, suck it up, and head to work. I can do that. It’s only a little snow. It’s not like it’s toxic. I let the curtains fall back together and go and get ready. I opt for a pair of grey pants and a white, fluffy sweater. It’s not entirely office wear, but I look smart, and the thought of walking through this in a skirt and button-down fills me with horror. I drag my boots out and push my feet into them, grab a pair of work shoes and put them in a bag, and then grab my purse and brave the snow.
It’s a little slick, and the walk is slower than I thought it would be. By the time I reach the office, I’m about ten minutes late. I think Colton can forgive me for that, given the weather. I step into the lobby and smile to myself when I see I beat Clare here. At least I’m not the last one in.
I hang my coat and purse up and go to my desk. I pull my boots off and try to massage some life back into my worn-out feet. I give up and just slip my shoes on. I turn to my computer and start going through the day’s emails.
I hear voices coming from the hallway, and I look up. Two men dressed in overalls approach me. They’re obviously a part of Colton’s building crew, although I don’t recognize them from the bar the other night. That’s probably a good thing.
“I can’t believe you talked me into coming in today,” one of them says to the other one. “I told you we would be off.”
They spot me, and the one complaining grins and comes toward my desk. The other one follows him. They’re laughing and shoving each other. I smile at them.
“Can I help you?” I ask, assuming Colton sent them for something.
“You can help him,” the loud one says, nodding toward the quieter one. “See, he wants to ask for your number, but he’s too shy.”
“Stop it,” the quieter one mutters.
The loud one presses on. “He’ll break you in really good. Fuck you all night long.”
I ignore the nausea that rises in my throat. I won’t let them see they’re bothering me. I put on my sweetest smile.
“Well, you see, that’s going to be a problem. Because I only date real men. And real men ask me for my number themselves.”
They gasp in shock and turn away, still laughing.
“Seems like the last one who asked her for something didn’t get what he wanted,” the quiet one says.
“What the fuck did you expect? Why would you want to date a virgin? I mean, what the fuck’s wrong with her to be a virgin at that age?”
“Yeah. She must be fucking frigid or something.”
I can feel my eyes filling with tears, no matter how hard I try to hold them back. I just want them to leave the lobby, but they slow down. They clearly want me to hear what they’re saying about me.
“Don’t listen to those two jackasses, Aria,” Colton says from behind me. “They’re just pissed off because they just got fired.”
“What the fuck?” the loud one says.
“You heard me. You’re fired. Both of you. That’s sexual harassment, and I won’t tolerate it at my company. And you can both count your blessings I’m only firing you and not pressing charges. Now get the fuck out, and don’t show your faces here again. I mean it.”
“Fuck you, man,” the loud one says.
He takes a step toward Colton, who matches his step. The quiet one pulls on his arm. “Let’s just go.”
The loud one seems to realize there’s no outcome that ends well for him, and reluctantly, he lets himself be led outside. Colton stands at the end of my desk, glowering in the direction of the door. He stays there for a few minutes, making sure the two men are gone. He finally turns to me. The anger on his face is replaced with a look of concern.
“Are you all right?” he asks.
I’m so embarrassed that he heard what they said about me. What the fuck is wrong with her, one of them said.
What the fuck is wrong with me?
There must be something. Girls my age are experienced, normal. They don’t always pick losers who feel all wrong for them. It has to be me.
I realize Colton is still looking at me with concern, and I nod. I open my mouth to say yes, but instead, I burst into tears. My embarrassment level goes through the roof. I don’t try to say anything else. I just stand up and run for the bathroom.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
COLTON
I stand in the staff kitchen waiting for the kettle to whistle. My blood is boiling much harder than the fucking kettle. Who the fuck do they think they are to talk about her that way? They’re both damn lucky they’re not in the hospital. If I’d known before they left that Aria was that upset, they would have been. I thought she was more uncomfortable than upset.
My reaction to Aria’s discomfort, firing two of my best workers, confirms what I already knew. I don’t just want Aria, I’m in love with her. Fucking hell, yes, I love that girl. And I’m going to have her. I’ll wait as long as she needs, even though it will fucking kill me to be next to her and know I can’t fuck her.
The kettle finally boils, and I make two cups of hot chocolate. I push my anger aside as I leave the kitchen. The last thing Aria needs is me stalking toward her with my face full of thunder. I half expect to have to coax her out of the bathroom, but she’s back behind her desk. She washed her face and she’s typing furiously.
She glances up as I approach, her face flushed. I sit down on Clare’s chair beside Aria. I smile and hold out one of the mugs. She smiles shyly.
“Thank you,” she says. “And I’m so sorry about that.”
“You don’t have anything to apologize for. You didn’t do anything wrong. They got less than what they deserved, and they only have themselves to thank for it.”
She nods and then looks down at the cup in her hands. She’s clearly embarrassed about what happened, and it doesn’t seem like she wants to talk about it. I’m not ready to leave her, though. I’ll never be ready to leave her. I decide to change the subject.
“What are you doing here, anyway?” I ask.
She looks up at me, frowning. “Why wouldn’t I be here?” she asks.
“Oh, you know, just the one-hundred-foot snow drifts. That’s why Clare isn’t here. I would have called you, but I thought you would know not to come in.” I grin at her. “Only a crazy person goes to work in this weather. Unless you’re a weatherman, and then you’re kind of screwed.”
She laughs, and it’s great to hear. I love that I can take away her pain and make her laugh.
“You’re here,” she points out.
“I rest my case.” I cross my eyes and roll my tongue. “See, crazy.”
She laughs again. “Well, you said it,” she says.
; “You could at least try to say I’m not, though.” I smile.
She shakes her head. “I don’t think it’s a good idea to support your delusions like that. You might come off the meds, and then it would be my fault.”
“Wise words.” I laugh.
She takes a sip of the hot chocolate, and it leaves a foamy mustache on her top lip. Without thinking, I reach out and wipe it away. She takes a sharp breath as I touch her, and I pull my hand away.
“Sorry,” I say. “I was just …”
I don’t know what to say. Aria composes herself before I do, and she laughs.
“Oh, I know what you were doing. You were trying to wipe away my disguise. Don’t you know I’m an international spy and I have to keep a low profile?”
“Well, damn. You told me your secret,” I say.
“Yup. You realize that means I have to kill you, right?”
I hold my hands up in surrender. “Just take me prisoner instead. I can be very useful, you know.”
Her eyes sweep up and down my body, drinking me in. She’s suddenly serious again.
“Oh, I could well imagine it,” she says.
My cock jumps to attention at her words. Does she not know she’s doing to me? I think she does. She’s just waiting for me to make a move on her. But what if I’m wrong and I come on too strong and scare her off?
I can’t sit here any longer. If I do, I won’t be able to stop myself from pulling her closer, kissing her, devouring every inch of her body and claiming her pussy as mine.
I try to keep the mood light. I stand up and give her a wink.
“Well, you sit there and keep imagining it. I have a few calls to make,” I say.
She squirms slightly, and I know she’s imagining it right now. I know how wet her tight little pussy is getting just from thinking about what I want to do to her. I pick up our two empty mugs and head away from her desk. Before I’m quite out of her line of sight, I turn back to her.
“Oh, Aria,” I say.
She looks up.
“Just to you know, I’d would have had the balls to ask you for your number myself. But I already have it.”
I turn away without giving her time to react. I’m smiling to myself as I dump the cups in the kitchen and head back to my office. I can imagine her face. That look she does when I catch her off guard. One-quarter shock and three-quarters pure fuck-me eyes.
