“Hello?” her voice hits me in stereo.
She’s standing in the lobby, close to the elevators. She’s wearing a skirt, and her legs are bare. Her shirt has a sheen to it—fitted, pretty, soft. My cock jerks like it’s been electrocuted. I cross the room, punch the button for the elevator, and slide an arm around her from behind.
I lower my mouth to her ear. “You came.”
She gasps, and her phone drops to the carpeted floor. “You scared the crap out of me!”
She turns around and puts her hands out as if to push me, but I tighten my grip around her, crushing her to my chest.
“Seriously, why didn’t—”
I don’t give her a chance to finish the question. I tilt her head back and take her mouth. It’s already open, so I don’t have to fight to get my tongue inside. She tastes sweet, like she’s been eating candy. She stops trying to push me away and holds on to my shirt. I don’t give a shit that we’re in the middle of the lobby and I’ve got my tongue down her throat. I may also have my hand on her ass.
I hear my name and see the flash of a camera, reminding me that while I’m fine with this PDA, Lily’s picture posted all over the bunny sites—with me groping her—isn’t going to go over well with Waters or Miller. It’s more Waters I’m concerned about.
I move my hand to her waist and break the kiss, pressing my forehead against hers. “Hi.”
“Hi back,” she says breathlessly.
“You came.”
“Well, not yet. But based on this greeting, I probably will soon.” Her laugh is shaky, laced with nervousness maybe, or uncertainty.
The elevator dings. I scoop up her phone, take her hand, and pull her inside, slamming my thumb against the close door button repeatedly before anyone else can get in with us. We narrowly miss having to share the space with another couple. As soon as we’re alone, I press the button for the twenty-second floor. Then I cage her against the wall with my arms.
“I didn’t think you were coming.” I don’t mean to sound pissed, or like it’s an accusation, but I think I do. I don’t get what the hell is happening, or why I’m feeling so messed up. It’s not like we’re a thing. She’s not my girlfriend. I’m the guy she’s fucking, or being fucked by, every once in a while.
“Neither did I.” She swallows hard.
Her hands are on my chest, those gorgeous, dark brown eyes locked on mine. Her full lips are parted, breath still coming fast.
“I’m really glad you did.” I lean down, intending to kiss her, but the elevator dings. A group of guys joins us, forcing me to back off.
Lily drops her head and stares at her shoes. She’s wearing navy flats. The toes are scuffed. The cuff of her jacket has a string hanging from it, and one of the buttons is missing. She’s carrying what I’d call a girl-sized duffle bag. It’s worn out to the point that it looks like it’s going to fall apart.
She never talks about money with me, but then most of our conversations don’t include a lot of personal facts. Based on my discussions with Miller, I have a feeling the two-jobs thing is about more than saving for school. There are loans for that.
She had to take a cab to get here, and that cost money. Which I have lots of, and clearly she doesn’t. But she’s never said anything about it, ever. Maybe she doesn’t trust me, or she’s embarrassed. Both of those possibilities bother me. Normally this isn’t something I’d be concerned with, but it’s just that making things easier for Lily would make things easier for me.
It’s about more than that, though, if I’m honest. Lily’s almost-absence tonight nearly caused me to make a choice I wouldn’t have felt good about. I’m not even sure I wanted to feel good about it. I want to say I wouldn’t have done it, that I wouldn’t have brought that girl up to my room and fucked her. But I don’t know if it’s true, and for some reason that’s messing with my head.
I put an arm around Lily’s shoulder and pull her to me because one of the guys keeps looking over at her, and I don’t like it. I glare at him, and he drops his gaze to the floor.
Thankfully, the next time the elevator stops we can get off; otherwise I’m liable to start something I shouldn’t. I’m really worked up, and I don’t think it’s going to get better until I’m inside Lily. I shoulder-check the guy on the way out because he’s an idiot and won’t move to make it easy for Lily to get past him.
Taking her hand, I guide her to my room. I jam the card in the door and glance over my shoulder. She’s standing behind me, fidgeting nervously with the frayed strap of her bag. Her eyes go wide when she looks at me, probably because of my expression. I imagine it’s fairly fucking intense. “I hope you weren’t planning on getting any sleep tonight.”