I nod, wondering when things will fall back into place. One heated kiss and a powerful orgasm for each of us isn’t enough to settle the angry tension that’s constantly between us. Or is it?
“Is this when you fuck me?” I ask eagerly, my body heating with the thought.
“I want to so fucking bad. But I told Tommy to stop by tonight, and when I finally get to fuck you, I’m going to take my time.”
“Cancel,” I offer, well aware it comes out more pleading than I’d intended. I know he shouldn’t cancel on Tommy. He’s a nice kid, and my night has already taken a turn I wasn’t expecting. But I want him, more of him—all of him. Anything he’ll give me tonight. “What makes you think that the offer to fuck me isn’t only for tonight?”
He aims a wolfish grin my way. “Because your body is terrible at hiding things.” He squeezes my hardened nipple as if to prove a point. “And I know that you’re in the same boat as me.” He traces a finger along the swell of my breast. “And just like me, you’ll be counting down the seconds until I’m buried inside you once again, except this time, it’ll be your pussy that’s full of me.”
He buttons his slacks, looking down at the ground where his ripped shirt lies.
I laugh. “Tommy might think it’s a little odd for you to be holding a late-night meeting with him shirtless.”
“I’ve got a spare in my office.”
I nod, stepping away from his grasp. It feels cold without the warmth of his body pressed against mine. The thought pops into my mind that we’ve never really said goodbye to one another. He ran away the time we almost kissed on the mountain. He wouldn’t have said goodbye to me tonight if I hadn’t angrily chased him.
“Last chance to fuck me,” I say, backing away toward the entrance.
“It won’t be the last,” he responds confidently, tucking his hands into his pockets. He looks hot as hell, standing in nothing but a pair of dress pants.
“You’re going to have to work for it, then.”
His eyes roam down my body. “I plan on it.”
And right before I walk out the door, he closes the distance between us and lays a chaste kiss to my lips.
“Goodbye, shortcake.”
I press my fingers to my lips, watching him back away as my mind reels with what just happened.
29
CAMDEN
I stare at my computer screen, watching the minutes turn as one of my buyers on the other line drones on about something I should be paying attention to.
It’s been two days since the walls came crashing down between Pippa and me. Our encounter in her cafe, in the gallery, has been playing over and over again in my head, despite the mountain of work I’m supposed to be getting done.
“How does that sound?” Leo asks, pulling me from my thoughts. I sit up in my chair, running a hand down my face because I have no fucking clue what he’s talking about.
“Run it by me again,” I clip.
If Leo suspects I haven’t paid attention to a word he’s saying, he doesn’t say so. Instead, he takes a deep breath and rehashes everything I’ve missed while I’ve been daydreaming about the sounds Pippa made while coming undone under my tongue.
“So to sum it up, I think the best plan of action would be to move the Franklin piece to a later show at the Sutten location—or wait until winter and do it in Manhattan—and we add these new pieces from the inn owner to the Sutten Collection. An entire show dedicated to the people of Sutten. It’s a genius marketing move, Mr. Hunter.”
I grunt. I wish the idea was my own and not Pippa’s.
“How soon can we get it all together?” I push all thoughts of Pippa to the back of my mind, needing to have this conversation with Leo. He’s been my best buyer from the moment I could afford someone else seeking out new talent other than myself. He’s a loyal guy—something I appreciate immensely—and he has a superb eye for spotting the next big thing.
I manage to keep her from my thoughts long enough to iron out some details for the next show. I’m surprised by how excited I am for this one. It is panning out to be the most unique exhibit I’ve ever done. It’s new and fresh and something I hope pushes this new venture to the next step.
With Leo no longer on the other line and Trisha back in Manhattan, I’m left in the silence of my office. It’s too quiet here. In New York, you can hear the bustle outside the windows. Even into the early hours of the morning, you can hear the thrum of bass from the clubs down the street. You can hear laughter from the sidewalks as people walk home. The sound of honking taxis. None of that is here in Sutten. It’s truly silent. Maybe it isn’t like that during tourist season, but right now, you can hear everything—and that everything leaves me alone with my thoughts.