Except it was obvious.
From that first kiss I knew he hadn’t come to chat.
He wanted me with the same ferocity I’d felt from him onboard. No, it was more than that, stronger. On the flight he’d been restrained, showing me pleasure after pleasure after pleasure, showering me in multiple orgasms before he’d finally taken possession of my body.
This was different.
He fucked me as though there was a stick of dynamite that would explode unless he moved fast. It was urgent and overwhelming, and then he shifted, lifting me from him easily, and smiled—that smile of his that almost looks like he’s in pain rather than genuinely happy—and he moved back down the stairs, pulling his clothes on as though what we’d just done was normal and expected. Ordinary.
I watched for several moments before doing the same, but we moved like two separate, parallel weather systems circling the eastern seaboard. At the door he offered that same smile. ‘Thanks. I’ll call you.’
It was on the tip of my tongue to tell him not to bother, then to point out he didn’t have my number, but a second later he was gone, striding across the street to an SUV with darkly tinted windows. He climbed into the back and it pulled out of the kerb almost immediately.
He must have had my number though—on the same paperwork I’d filled out for Edward, I presume, he’d obtained it.
No number came up when he called so I almost didn’t answer, except I’m waiting on a call from the university regarding my application.
‘Cora, it’s Holden.’
He needn’t have said anything beyond the first syllable of my name. His voice is like a fingerprint, so unique, so him.
My blood almost burst free from my veins.
‘Oh.’ Surprise flared inside of me. I really didn’t think he would call. ‘Hey.’
‘Are you free tonight?’
My pulse burst to life faster. Harder. ‘I’m—Why?’
A pause. My stomach twisted. Why did I think? To take me to dinner? To go to a show? I rolled my eyes at the naivety of my question. Holden Hart has made it abundantly clear what he wants from me.
I swallow and close my eyes for a second. ‘Never mind.’ The thing is, I want the same from him. I can’t get distracted right now. Sex is fine but a relationship isn’t. Sleeping with Holden is amazing and uncomplicated. A smile lifts the corners of my lips.
‘I’m at the casino.’ His voice is smooth, deep and husky. My nipples are straining against my bra, remembering the perfection of his touch last time—the perfection of his touch everywhere. Heat stains my cheeks as I remember the way his fingers teased my ass, his cock inside of me, his lips on my breast, so I felt as though I existed purely for Holden, purely for pleasure.
‘And?’ I couldn’t resist prompting.
‘Would you like to come over?’
But something about his manner makes me want to goad him a little. ‘Is “come over” a euphemism for “have sex”?’
I can almost hear his grin. ‘Would you like it to be?’
I roll my eyes. ‘Begging for compliments?’
His laugh spins something inside of me. ‘I’ll beg for you if I have to.’
It makes my gut clench because, even though he just laughed, I hear something else in his voice. Something serious and gruff. Urgency.
‘Not over the phone. It’s much more fun in person.’
‘I couldn’t agree more.’ A pause. ‘I’ll send a car.’
But I like the idea of having my own wheels, my own escape. ‘That’s fine. I can drive.’
‘Your Vespa?’
I grin at his obvious surprise. ‘What’s wrong with that?’