Hooking Up (Shacking Up 2)

I get caught up in kissing him for a few minutes. After that, we make out between bites of fruit.

When we’re full we head to the bathroom. I don’t know what to expect after the shower, but I’m hoping he’ll want to stay the night. Or what’s left of it.

I pause when I see my glass friend sitting on the vanity. Lex is right behind me, clearly having recovered from the last round of sex based on the way he’s poking me in the back, not with his finger. His mouth is at my ear. “I’d like to see what exactly you do with that.”

“Right now?” My voice is high, nervous.

He chuckles. “Not right now. Later. Tomorrow maybe. Or the day after that. I’d actually like to get my hands on that tickle trunk of yours. I wasn’t kidding about being your beta tester.”

Oh God. He’s talking like tonight is going to continue, possibly as a regular occurrence. Maybe the entire time we’re here. And I want that. I want him.

“Come, shower, we need to manage the mess I’ve made of your hair.” I catch a horrifying glimpse of my reflection in the mirror.

The shower inevitably leads to sex—thankfully I packed condoms—which leads to more orgasms, which exhausts me. By the time we’re done it’s almost three in the morning. I fall naked onto my bed, and roll onto my back while Lex rewraps my toe.

“Will you stay?” My stomach dips at the tilt of his head. “The night? Will you . . .” I stop. Bite my lip. I hate how nervous I am. This is uncharted territory. It’s not simple. It’s a complicated situation that’s suddenly even more complicated because I actually want him to stay. I don’t want to be alone here. I want to be wrapped up in him, grounded, protected from all the things I’m not ready to deal with. Is it fair? I don’t know. Probably not, but I still want him anyway. Even if it’s just for this two-week span of time. I want hot sex and easy companionship. I want this chemistry even though I’m afraid of it. I want to not be an emotional mess. The silence between us drags out. “Never mind. I shouldn’t have asked that.”

Lex clears his throat. He’s still holding my bandaged toe. I’m still naked. He’s only in a towel. “If you want me to, I can.”

“You don’t have to.”

“But you want me to?”

“Not if you don’t want to.” I wish I was wearing something. I wish I didn’t feel so naked, and not just physically.

There’s softness in his eyes and his voice with his reply. “Tell me what you want, Amie.”

I like the way it sounds when he says my name like that. “I want you to stay.”

He drops the towel, parts my legs, and climbs between them. “Now was that so difficult to say?”

“Yes.”

He pushes up on one arm. “Why was that hard?”

A piece of truth slips out. “I don’t know what we’re doing.”

He drags gentle fingers down my cheek. “Well, I guess that depends.”

“On?”

“On what you want.”

“What about what you want?”

“I’m already getting what I want.”

“Which is?”

He drops his hips. “You. Naked. Me, inside you.”

“Again?”

“Only if you want.”

“Yes. Please.”

* * *

“Amie, baby, I gotta go.”

My eyes flip open and I blink against bright sunshine. The male voice does not belong to Armstrong, and it takes me a second to remember where I am.

It takes another second or two to process the incredible vision of man in front of me. Lexington Mills is standing beside the bed dressed in a charcoal gray suit. I can’t believe he’s not sweating. I’m naked and covered only in a sheet and I’m extremely warm.

And it all hits me, like a huge cock in the face. I slept with Lex. Literally and figuratively.

Four times. Four unbelievable, nerve-shattering, mind-bendingly orgasmic times. It’s no wonder I’m sore. I need an Epsom salts bath, for like six hours.

“You doing okay there?” Lex’s expression is carefully neutral.

“Other than needing Tylenol I think I’m good.”

“There’s some right here for you.” He taps the nightstand.

I stretch and then groan. “What time is it? Where’re you going?”

Lex reaches out and caresses a bare nipple with his fingertip. “It’s eight-thirty. I have a meeting. I actually have meetings most of the day, but I’ll be back around dinner. Would you like to eat with me tonight?”

“Sure. Yes. Okay.” I guess this means he was serious about this not being a one-night thing. Relief threads through my anxiety.

“We can talk then.”

“Talk?”

“I can see your mind working, Amie. The second your eyes opened. Everything is going to be fine. Go back to sleep, but make sure you’re up by noon.”

“Why noon?”

“I set up some spa appointments, market research and all that. I’ll message later.” He presses a soft kiss to my lips and then he’s crossing the room.

“Wait,” I call out. “Let me see your socks.”

He pauses. “My socks?”

“I want to see them.”

He lifts the hem of his right pant leg. His socks are sky blue.

“Are those palm trees?”

“Fitting for the location. Anything else you need to see?”

“Do your boxers match?”

“You’ll find out the answer to that later.” With a wink, he turns and walks out the door.

He’s such an interesting paradox. The intense sexuality he oozes seems to be balanced with this fun side I’m getting to know better. I like that he doesn’t take himself too seriously.

I flop back on the pillow, my smile slipping a little. Spa appointments? Dinner? Talking?

I have to wonder exactly how complicated we’re about to make things.

He said everything will be fine. I want to believe him.

I want him to be right, even though I know he isn’t.

Thirteen: Swoon

Amie

At noon a tiny woman shows up at my door and escorts me to the spa. I spend the afternoon being pampered, starting with a full body soak, followed by a wrap, a massage, a facial, and ending with a blow out and a mani-pedi. My toe is bruised and the nail is destroyed. Heels won’t be an option for a while, but I can walk in flats without a limp.

It’s five by the time I return to the bungalow. A gorgeous bouquet of flowers sits in the middle of the table. I pluck the card from the center.

Looking forward to dinner. See you at 7:30. Check your closet.

~Lex

I do exactly as the card demands. Sadly, Lex is not inside, naked, but there is a garment bag. Dragging the zipper down, I reveal a gorgeous flowy dress in a shade of blue that I’m almost positive matches my eyes. Based on the designer, it was probably expensive, and it’s also my size. I wonder how Lex managed that.

I left my phone to charge while I was busy being pampered, so it’s full of texts and messages. I have several from Ruby, a couple from my mother, one from Armstrong’s mother, and more than I’d like from Armstrong, including a few voicemails.

The only ones I check are Ruby’s, asking if I’m okay, and to please give her a call when I’m done with the dick in my mouth. I really do love her and her faith that I’ve managed to secure a hook-up while I’m here. But that gets me thinking about what happened last night, and what’s likely going to happen tonight, as well.