I carry her to the dresser and lower her to the ground, turning her before her feet barely reach the surface. Not willing to waste another second to be inside her, I lift her skirt and tear her panties from her body with one swift tug. She gasps but I don’t give her time to catch her breath before my own pants are down and my hand on her back eases her forward.

“Grab.” I bend her over the dresser and instruct her to take hold of the other side. She’s definitely going to need to hold on. Looking down at the creamy skin of her smooth, tight ass, a feral sound I don’t even recognize escapes me. I position the thick, wide head of my c**k at her glistening opening and growl one more command. “Watch,” I instruct and our eyes meet in the reflection of the mirror. Her blue eyes darkened and hooded, I find my own desire staring back at me.

Thrusting my hips forward I fill her in one long stroke, our eyes never breaking contact. I settle for a moment, circling my hips to ease her body’s acceptance of me. The pressure builds from deep within, the minute I begin to move again, a fast and furious rhythm takes over me. Eyes glued to the mirror watching her, I pump in and out, my pace building faster, each gyration of my hips bringing me closer and closer. Her eyes glaze over and I know she’s feeling it too. Feeling each and every incredible sensation as her muscles convulse and she clenches down around me and I swell at feeling her greedy pu**y milk me.

Swift thrusts turn into rugged pounding and I struggle just to keep my own unrelenting pace. Lily’s eyes start to roll into the back of her head as her own orgasm takes over her. But I call her name, her eyes jarring back to awareness momentarily, then glazing over as she calls my name back. Over and over again, my eyes glued to her lips moaning my name, the sound consuming me as I find my own release. The heat from my own orgasm spilling into her causes my body to spasm with delight until I’m finally empty.

Leaning over her, our bodies both covered in a sheen of sweat, I bury my face in her neck as I catch my breath. Eventually my panting slows and I can finally find my voice. “That was seriously f**king incredible.”

I can’t see her face, but I watch as a goofy grin slowly spreads across her face. “Remind me to find someone to piss you off more often.”

***

Lying in bed, both sated from a physically and emotionally intense night of passion, I watch her face as she deliberates for a few minutes before she speaks. “How long are you staying in New York?” She trails her fingers lightly back and forth across my chest, her head snuggled into the crook of my shoulder as I gently stroke her hair in the dark.

“I was only planning on staying until the deal with Ralley’s is finished.” It would be the perfect moment to tell her the group of investors I’m bringing to the table is a group of one. Me. But I want to wait till the deal is done, not influence any of her and Joe’s decisions because of our relationship. Plus, the bank hasn’t signed off on the financing yet and things could still fall through. Lily may not be happy when she eventually finds out I’ve hidden that I’m the investor, but I think she’ll understand my reasoning. I don’t want what we have to sway her in negotiations – keeping silent protects her more than me.

“How long is that?” she asks hesitantly.

“Not too much longer. There’s this woman that gives me everything I need over at Ralley’s. Got the financing fast tracked by having it all put together so nicely,” I tease. “Should be done within a few days.”

“Oh,” she says sounding deflated.

I turn us, gently maneuvering her onto her back, so I can see her face. The room is dark but there’s enough moonlight peaking in from the open window to see her eyes. I wipe a stray lock of hair from her face. “But I didn’t plan on meeting you.”

She nods, but says nothing.

I lean in, kissing her on the neck. “Guess my plans have changed.” I leave a trail of wetness as I lick my way up to her ear where I whisper, “You’ve changed my plans, Lily St. Claire.”

Chapter 21

Lily

There’s almost always a lull in the middle of a powerful storm. The eye that catches people unprepared because they’ve let their guard down. I should feel calm, happy even. Lord knows I’ve had twenty-four hours of bliss. I smile as I walk from the subway, cutting across the parking lot on the way to Advanced Linear Drawing class, thinking of Jax last night. Seeing his face in my mind warms me all over. Yet something sits in the pit of my stomach, warning me that I shouldn’t give in to the lull, even though allowing myself to wouldn’t take much.

Cars fill almost every spot in the lot, yet there are few people milling around. Early morning college classes tend to be for commuters rather than the younger crew that lives on campus. The kind that come and go with purpose, rather than hanging out with their friends beforehand. I look around, no one seems to be near, yet I have the odd sensation of being watched. Just as I’m about to enter the building, I catch sight of a black town car slowly rolling by. The windows are tinted dark, so I can’t see inside, but I have the distinct feeling whoever is inside is looking back at me. It drives off without incident a moment later.

Headphones on, Dave Matthew’s soulful voice fills my ears as I allow myself to get lost sketching. The model isn’t nude today, but he’s shirtless. Thin, more boyish than man. More Reed’s type than mine. Adding charcoal, I shade the fine line of his pectoral muscles, the definition coming more from being thin and lacking body fat than the development of actual muscle. Unlike Jax.

My mind drifts as I sketch, to the swell of his chest. The deep defined crevice of each bulging muscle. I exhale audibly as my mind pictures the deep indents of his narrow waist, the deep v that I watched deepen in the mirror last night with each powerful thrust forward.

Pulling me back to reality, my teacher points to the drawing in front of me. “Less bulk, more bone,” she comments. I nod noticing for the first time what the drawing on the pad in front of me looks like. I’ve been drawing more from my own memory and fantasy of a man I can’t stop thinking about, and less from the model in front of me.

***

The parking lot is bustling when I leave. Again I look around, finding no one in particular focusing on me. Yet I get that feeling again. I’m sure it’s my paranoia kicking in, but Caden having backed off so easily leaves me feeling unsettled. The fight between Jax and Caden is in seven days, I hadn’t really expected Caden to keep away until then.