Chapter 21
M y mom’s birthday was tomorrow, and I still hadn’t found anything for her. The three of us—me, my mom, and Carl—were just planning on having dinner together at home since she couldn’t really go out. She was tolerating food a little better these days, so I decided I was going to make her favorite—chicken and veggie stir fry. I had tried all week to find her a gift but to no avail.
When Saturday came around, Lionel and Sarah offered to go shopping with me. We spent the morning on the hunt at some of the more eclectic shops until I stumbled on the perfect thing, an antique watch that looked just like the one my grandmother used to wear. I knew she would love it.
Lex was working again today, but he still texted me throughout the day.
Alexsander Strovinski: I’m usually the one having to tell everyone to put away their phones and get back to work. But now I’ve got mine glued to my hand, thanks to you.
My face split into a stupid, sappy grin.
Hadley Olivier: You’re the boss. You can do whatever you want.
Alexsander Strovinski: I’m serious. This time I’m really putting my phone away.
Hadley Olivier: No, you hang up first.
Alexsander Strovinski: …….
I guess I should let him get back to work. He had been trying to do so for an hour now, but I kept sending him suggestive texts and dirty emojis.
I smiled and put my phone down to see Lionel and Sarah watching me with a matching pair of mischievous grins on their faces. We were having lunch at a little bistro downtown, and I was ashamed to admit I was caught up talking to Lex instead of paying attention to my friends.
I cleared my throat and pretended to be looking at the menu.
“It’s too late now,” Sarah said.
“Yeah, bitch. You’re busted,” Lionel added.
I pulled the menu up higher to cover my face.
“I have a guess of who put that smile on her face, Lionel,” Sarah teased.
“Do tell,” Lionel replied.
“It’s the scientist, isn’t it, Hadley Marie Olivier?” Sarah snatched the menu from me.
I sighed before looking up at them, grinning. “Yep.”
“Oh my god!” Sarah cried out, tossing her napkin at me. “How could you not tell us?!”
I laughed, throwing the napkin back at her. “It just happened.”
“When? Where? How?” Sarah stuttered.
“Yeah, this isn’t lunch anymore, it’s tea time. Spill!” Lionel demanded.
“Welllllll,” I said, dragging it out a bit.
“Spit it out already!” Lionel shouted. “Shania Twain and I want the same question answered—he’s got the brains, but does he have the touch?”
I laughed. “Okay, fine. We went on a date last weekend. That was after we got into a fight the night before and ended up making out against the wall of my living room until Stuart interrupted.”
“In the immortal words of Paris Hilton… that’s hot,” Lionel said. “How was the sex? Was it freaky? I bet it was freaky.”
“We haven’t had sex yet.”
“Why not?” Sarah demanded. “You’ve been pining away at each other for months now. What’s the holdup?”
“It just hasn’t happened,” I said, taking a sip of my water.
“You nervous his dick is crooked or something?” Lionel asked. “Because that only makes it better. Trust me.”
“No, you freak,” I said. “I’m not worried about that.”
“Then what are you worried about?” Sarah asked.
“I don’t know. I think I really like him,” I replied. “Actually, I know I do. And I also know there won’t be any going back for me once we cross that line. I’ll really be in deep.”
“So will he,” Lionel said, wiggling his eyebrows. Sarah swatted him.
“What?” he said, rubbing his arm. “It was too easy.”
“He’s right,” Sarah said, looking over at me.
“I regretted it as soon as I said it.”
Sarah grinned, leaning forward. “From what I’ve seen and from everything you’ve told me, this man has it just as bad for you. It’s going to be worth it.”
“Yes. And when you do, come back and give us all the dirty details,” Lionel said, winking at me.
I chuckled. “Thanks, guys.”
“Is he at least a good kisser?” Sarah asked.
I smiled. “The best,” I answered, remembering each time over the past week that things had gotten hot and heavy between us. I didn’t want to rush things, but that was proving to be more difficult than I could have ever imagined.
Lionel sighed dramatically. “I swear, every day of being single brings me closer to a life of crime.”
◆◆◆
I went to my mom’s around five to start cooking dinner. She was looking so much better today and was able to tolerate eating half a plate of food. We had dinner and cut the cake before she opened her presents. She loved the watch I’d gotten her, and Carl had given her a beautifully bound collection of poems from her favorite author, Oscar Wilde. It was a wonderful evening, and I just kept thinking of the one person who had made it all possible on the drive home.
Hadley Olivier: Hey, you up?
Alexsander Strovinski: Yes, how was dinner?
Hadley Olivier: Great. Can I come over?
I startedknocking on his door without waiting for a response.
He opened the door wearing nothing but gray sweatpants with his bare chest on full display. His face broke into a smile, and I started to gawk.
“What is wrong with you?! Who answers the door shirtless?”I gaped, unable to pull my eyes away from all that perfectly tanned skin.
“I was about to go to bed,” he said with laughter in his voice. “I don’t sleep fully clothed.”
“Sure. Likely story! The truth is that you’re trying to seduce me, and it won’t work.”
But it was working, and I couldn’t stop staring at his broad chest and toned abdomen. He continued to laugh.
“You came here,” he pointed out, but I waved him off.
“This can’t happen. We’ve only been dating a week,” I told him, slapping my hands over my eyes.
“I understand.” He tried sounding contrite but failed miserably. “I’ll go put on a shirt.”
“No! Wait.” I put my hand out to stop him. “Just one more quick peek.”I pulled my fingers apart, peeking through my middle and ring fingers, taking in all his smooth skin and that small patch of hair right at the center of his chest that I was itching to run my fingers through.
He stayed where he was, grinning.Ileaned forward, gently placing my hands on his pecs, feeling the steady rhythm of his heartbeat beneath my touch. I thought about running my tongue all along his chest, down those abs, and even lower…
I abruptly pulled my hands back.
“Now look what you made me do!” I accused. I turned and ran down the porch steps.
“Where are you going?” he asked, laughing.
“Back to my house to take a cold shower. Really, Lex, I’m ashamed of you!” I called out over my shoulder. “You can’t even control yourself. Trying to ruin my darling reputation. What would our mothers think?”
I had already jogged across the walkway before he could answer. His laughter followed me the whole way back to my house.
I really did take a cold shower to try to calm down.I was in over my head with this man. I didn’t trust myself not to take it too far, and there was some part of me that didn’t feel ready. But I felt bad for the way I left him. I texted him ten minutes later, deciding to give it another try.
Hadley Olivier: Whacha doin?
Alexsander Strovinski: Trying to remember the neural pathways between the irrational center of the brain and one’s libido .
Hadley Olivier: What did you come up with?
Alexsander Strovinski: Definitely connected.
Hadley Oliver: Can I come back now? I promise to behave.
Alexsander Strovinski: Sure. I’ll make sure to be fully clothed this time .
Hadley Olivier: I appreciate that.
I made my way back to his house and knocked on the door a few times.He answered in what looked like three pairs of sweatpants, five shirts, a jacket, scarf, and beanie, and I burst out laughing.
“Better?” he asked.
“Much!” I laughed before launching myself at him. I wrapped my arms around his neck, and he wrapped his around my waist, smiling down at me.
“I just came by for a goodnight kiss,” I told him, gazing into those beautiful eyes. “I missed you today.” I pulled the beanie and scarf off, taking the time to appreciate how handsome he was.
“I can tell,” he said in a husky voice.
I closed the last bit of distance between us until our chests were pressed together, and I tilted my face up to his. The mood quickly shifted away from being playful as I ran my hands across his chest and even with all the extra layers, it wasn’t doing much to kill the desire I felt rising up. It felt like this palpable thing between us that I didn’t even try to suppress.
He remained silent as his hands kneaded at my waist before he leaned down, and our lips finally met. The kiss was slow at first, our tongues sliding leisurely against one another, but as it started to build, my rational thoughts went out the window. I unzipped his puffer jacket and began tugging at the extra layers he had on. We both started to laugh when the layers got stuck as I tried to pull them over his head. We quickly resumed kissing once he was down to a single layer of clothing.
After a few minutes, I made the bold decision that the last T-shirt needed to go as well, so I swiftly removed that one too. So much for my darling reputation. He didn’t object. He just continued to kiss me like he never wanted to stop. My breathing felt tighter as he led me backward toward the sofa, his hands trailing along my waist. My skin came alive underneath his touch. He settled onto the sofa, pulling me with him until I was straddling him. I could feel his erection pushing into me, and I pushed back.
His hands slid underneath my shirt, pressing along my back before venturing toward the front of my body, and I felt him starting to palm my breasts in tandem with our kisses. Realizing he needed better access, I broke the kiss and pulled off my own shirt in one quick motion. He took the hint, leaning forward and pulling down the straps of my bra until my breasts were exposed, and his mouth covered my nipple. I groaned softly as he ran his tongue along my breasts, cupping them both gently in his hands.
“Maybe we should go to my room. I don’t know when Stuart will be back,” he whispered, but I was too caught up in a haze of lust.I barely registered the words he had spoken as a dull roaring sound filled my ears.
“Mhmm,” was all I managed to respond. Apparently, I was incapable of human language. I continued to grind down on his erection, needing more. I pulled his face back to mine, already forgetting what he had just said to me. He seemed just as lost in the moment as he turned my body, laying me flat on the sofa. Hovering just inches above me, our kiss resumed, igniting a blaze of desire that threatened to consume me.
After a few minutes, I was so worked up that I had to break the kiss just to catch my breath, but he took that as an invitation to start kissing my neck. Hot, aching desire flooded my system.
He moved down even further to give attention to the other breast. His tongue slid around my other peaked nipple as I tangled my fingers in his hair, urging him on. My hips began to roll, and I started groaning with each sweep of his tongue across my sensitive flesh. I felt his weight shift, followed by the gentle brush of his fingertips along my abdomen. His hand trailed even lower, slipping under the waistband of my pants, delving further into the fabric of my panties until he found the exact spot I needed him to.
My breathing picked up speed as he worked two fingers in, and I’m sure it was now crystal clear to him just how turned on I was. His thumb pressed along that bundle of nerves as his fingers pumped into me, all while kissing along my chest and neck. It was all too much and not enough. I grasped the wrist of the hand that was pressing into me in all the right ways and wound my free arm around his neck as my eyes fluttered closed in pure ecstasy.
“The noises you’re making are driving me crazy,” he said, low in my ear. I couldn’t concentrate on anything else but the feel of his fingers guiding into me with an expertise that I’d only dreamed of, and the sensation of his lips on my skin.
“Don’t stop,” was all I managed to breathe out.
His hand started to move a little faster, and I squeezed my eyes shut from the onslaught of pleasure. He pressed his forehead to mine, and I placed my hand around the back of his neck to hold him there and kissed him briefly until all I could do was moan against his mouth as I felt myself getting closer. He pressed his thumb in a little more firmly, and that propelled me over the edge.
I writhed underneath him as he watched me climax, breathing heavily with his lips parted and a look of pure desire on his face, doubling my own pleasure. When I finally came back down, I stared up at him in a blissful daze. All I could think about was how incredible he was going to be in bed if that was the kind of orgasm I got just from his hand.
“I feel like I could hammer nails after watching you come undone like that,” he said a little breathlessly, his fingers still slowly moving in and out as little aftershocks of pleasure rippled through me. I felt his erection pressing into my leg, and it did feel hard as a rock.
“Let’s fix that.” I pushed him back up to a sitting position and knelt in front of him.
His eyes were trained on my face as I tucked my fingers into the elastic waistband of his sweatpants and boxers and moved to slide them down. He lifted so I could pull them down all the way, and his cock sprang free.It was as beautiful as the rest of him. But it looked painfully hard, so I didn’t waste any more time.
He appeared spellbound as I grasped the base and ran my tongue along the side, swirling around the tip a few times before bringing him fully into my mouth. I heard his sharp intake of breath, his head falling back onto the sofa as I glided my mouth up and down his shaft, coordinating the movement with my hand. He muttered something in Russian, sending it skyward before his gaze finally lowered. His breathing became more ragged as he watched me heatedly. I stared back into his eyes as I pulled him deep into my mouth, sucking and tugging at his hard length.
“You’re so fucking beautiful,” he whispered, threading his fingers into my hair and moaning as I started to move faster. I felt him grow harder inside my mouth, and I could tell he was close. I picked up the pace for a few moments longer until he pushed himself even deeper into my throat, and I watched him cry out.
I tasted the sudden explosion of warmth flowing into my mouth, and I took it all in. I was thinking that he might be on to something because I wasn’t sure I’d ever seen anything sexier than this man coming apart in front of me. Knowing it was me who put that look on his face only heightened my arousal.
He caressed my cheek before lifting his bottom to pull his underwear and pants back into position. He stood up, pulling me with him. In typical Lex fashion, he didn’t say anything, but instead brought both hands up to cup my face and gazed into my eyes with a look that told me everything I needed to know. He kissed me with such tenderness that I could have melted right where I stood.
The next thing I heard was the sound of the door unlocking. I crossed my arms over my exposed breasts while Lex pulled me quickly into his chest. He wrapped both arms around me, trying to cover my half-naked body.
“Stuart, get out, will you!” heshouted gruffly over his shoulder with his back facing the door.
“What the hell is your problem? This is my house too, dude,” Stuart retorted but then stopped short when he realized that Lex clearly had someone in his arms.
“Hey Hadley,” Stuart said suggestively.
“Hey Stuart,” I called back, smiling into Lex’s chest at the thought of how silly we probably looked.
“Could you give us a minute, please?” Lex asked a little more calmly this time.
“Fine, but I’d like to point out that you both have bedrooms, you voyeuristic freaks.” He shut the door behind him, leaving us alone again.
Lex grabbed my shirt and helped pull it over my head as I pulled my bra back into place.
“That was some goodnight kiss,” he said, grinning wickedly.
“I blame you,” I said.
One shoulder lifted. “I’m okay with that.”
I laughed, grabbing my coat and slipping it back on.
“You don’t have to leave, you know. You could stay the night.”
Heat flooded my system just hearing those words. I shook my head. “There’s no way I’d be able to hold back if we were in a bed together.”
His thick lashes lowered. “Does it matter that much after what we just did?”
“Well, we didn’t go all the way, so I’m still considering this relationship un-christened. General rules of dating for women clearly state not to give it up too soon or the guy might think you’re easy.”
“Except that I would never think that and now that I’ve had a taste, I won’t be able to think about anything else,” he said, lowering his voice and stepping closer to me. I could feel the heat radiating from his body as he pressed his chest to mine before leaning down to kiss me again. I didn’t even try to resist.
“Stay,” he whispered against my lips, and I could already feel my self-control waning.
I don’t know why I was holding back. I knew this wasn’t some one-night stand, but my instincts told me this wasn’t the right moment for us.
“I promise to keep my hands to myself,” he added, pressing his forehead to mine.
“It’s not you that I’m worried about,” I replied, smiling but completely serious.
“Hey guys! It’s pretty friggin’ cold out here, if you wouldn’t mind wrapping it up!” Stuart yelled from outside the door.
I laughed and pulled away from him.
“I’ll see you later. Thanks for the goodnight kiss.” I winked at him before opening the door to let Stuart in.
“Oh, hey Stuart!” I said, pretending to be surprised that he was standing there.
“Don’t ‘Hey Stuart’me. You and your lover boy need to keep your carnal activities to the confines of your own bedrooms,” he scolded, but the look in his eye told me he was genuinely happy for us.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. Lex was just checking me for errant moles.”
I could hear Lex laughing from behind me. I patted Stuart’s shoulder before making a quick exit.
“See you guys later,” I called out as I made my way back to my own home, trying to put distance between me and the temptation of Lex’s bed.