I try my best to remain calm, shouting out all the questions brewing inside me. My fingers absently play with the hem of the shirt. Anything to distract me from his presence.
“I only live a few blocks from here. It’s a nice day. We can walk.”
We start to head off in the direction of where my apartment is, and although we are companions on this track, neither one of us speaks. I am too lost in my own head, wondering why he’s here, and I don’t know what he’s thinking, but as the time trickles on and we get closer, I know I need to ask.
When we arrive at my building, I use the key to let myself in, and then we walk the two flights of stairs to my apartment.
“Why are you really here?” I ask, breaking the silence and asking the question that has been haunting me for the last few hours.
A sinking feeling inside me tells me it’s because he hates the article, that it’s because he read it, the early copy, and he saw what my boss saw. Which was the disconnect in my voice.
I bet he wants me to scrap the whole thing and start from scratch.
That has to be the reason he came back. If there’s any other reason, he would’ve been here sooner, right?
And at my question, he grins and steps forward. My back hits the door.
“Because I couldn’t get you out of my mind.”
21
Layla
I’m about to respond.
Ask him if that’s how he feels, then why hasn’t he called me or acted on it? But his mouth cuts me off.
His firm lips probe mine, coaxing me to open for him.
When I do, his tongue sweeps in. All words are lost to me.
He’s essentially shut me up, and I love it.
I love the way he kisses, and if it were up to me, I’d never let this moment end. That is until I hear the sound of a door closing and remember where we are.
In the middle of the hall, kissing like no one is around. But there are people around, and I live here. But despite all of this, I can’t find it in myself to pull away, so while my mouth mingles with his, I reach my hand out and shuffle with the keys.
It takes me a good minute to jam the key into the lock and turn it, and Cain chuckles against my lips.
“Bet you wish your microchip worked here.” I laugh back, but again, he silences my words as he pushes me into the now-open door of my apartment and into my foyer.
Never separating, Cain guides me against the wall.
The kiss intensifies, his lips growing hungrier as his hands start to roam over me.
He cups my face, and then Cain’s fingers glide down my jaw, down my neck, until his hand rests on my collarbones.
He applies pressure, and I feel like I could become lightheaded from the strength of his fingers, but he loosens his grip after a second.
We continue to kiss, and he never lets go of my neck. Instead, his other hand trails down until it finds the exposed skin of my thigh.
The feel of his fingertips on my skin has me moaning into his mouth. His lips stop moving, and he hesitates for one minute, leaning his head against my forehead.
“If you want to stop—”
I shake my head frantically.
Then I feel myself being lifted into his arms, walked deeper into the apartment, and before I know what’s happening, I’m being placed on my bed.
I stare at Cain where he stands and wait for him to move, and then he is. Pulling my skirt off, I lift my hips, letting him take it off me. He caresses my thighs, running his hand up to my shirt. In a swift moment, my blouse buttons are flying, and I’m sitting before him in just my bra and panties.
“I need to taste you,” he groans, and then his hands reach out, and he’s pushing me down onto my back. I feel his hands on my hips as he removes the scrap of lace separating us.
My body trembles with anticipation.
I lean up on my elbows and watch him. His face looks dark, his eyes hooded. He drops to his knees in front of where my butt hangs off the bed.
The hammering of my heart is painful as he pulls my legs apart, opening me up to his perusal. The next thing I know, he’s placing my legs on his shoulders.
He leans forward and parts my folds, then his thumb begins to strum my clit.
I lift my hips in answer, and he responds by removing his hand. I groan in protest, but my words die when his tongue replaces it.
When he starts to lick and suck, I think I might die.
My whole body comes alive, my hips rocking back and forth.