Chapter Twenty-Five
TWENTY-FIVE
Micah
I gawk out the window of Aidan’s office, stunned into silence at the sight of giant snowflakes falling from the sky, blanketing everything in sight. The ground, the roads, the buildings, the cars in the parking lot…everything is covered in snow.
“So were stuck here together? For the whole night?” I turn to Aidan.
That annoyingly sexy mouth of his hooks up in a smile. Not a happy smile though. More like exasperated. Like he’s so irritated with me in this moment that he can barely take it.
He rolls his eyes. “Yeah, Micah. Looks like it,” he mutters. He huffs out a breath and runs a hand through his chestnut hair.
With that single movement, I’m thrown back to that afternoon in the conference room. Even though I’m standing a handful of feet away from Aidan, I can feel the thick silk of his hair in my hands…
My heart starts to race as the memory of our hookup replays in my brain like an X-rated highlight reel.
I feel his soft lips kissing me breathless, his hot breath dusting my skin… I savor the taste of his tongue, the feel of his hands gripping my waist…his firm, muscled body pressed against mine…
I do a slow scan of his tall, lean form hidden behind the crisp white dress shirt and blazer he’s wearing.
Even through all that fabric, I remember perfectly just how cute Aidan is. It’s like I’ve got X-ray vision. I blink and see that mass of hard lines and bulging muscle, the golden glow of his skin, how hot he felt when I touched him…
How thick and massive his cock felt in my mouth, hitting the back of my throat…
Aidan clears his throat sharply, and my gaze flies up to his face.
He frowns at me. “You okay?”
I blink quickly, feeling the heat of embarrassment cook me from the inside out. Judging by his annoyed stare, he’s over our rendezvous in the conference room.
I think about how after we hooked up, he could barely maintain eye contact with me for more than two seconds. I think about how when I tried to bring it up, he shut me down, told me to forget it ever happened.
Clearly he’s not been obsessing over it, replaying it in his head again and again, using it as self-pleasure material almost every night, like I have…
Clearly our hookup meant a lot more to me than it did to him. I mean, I wrote fan fiction about it. So pathetic.
The longer Aidan stares at me, the harsher his frown looks. Yup. He’s forgotten all about that day. I should try to forget it too.
I clear my throat. “Yeah. Fine. Just trying to figure out how the hell I’m going to get through the evening.”
A humorless laugh falls from his mouth. “Why, because I’m here too?”
“Well, yeah.” I don’t know why he sounds so upset. It clear as crystal that he can’t stand to be around me. I figured he wouldn’t be thrilled to be stuck with me either.
“Tough life for you, having to occupy the same building as me,” he mutters.
Anger flares through me. “It is actually. Especially when you’re constantly acting like a jerk. Look, I know you don’t like me, Aidan. I don’t like you either. But our jobs are forcing us to be around each other. Can you at least try to act professional?”
Another bitter laugh falls from his lips. “Professional? Really? Like the way you lunged at me in the conference room?”
My jaw drops. This son of a bitch. Is he really gonna sink that low?
I step into his space and poke my index finger into his chest. He stumbles back, surprised at that move.
“I didn’t lunge at you!” I practically shout.
Aidan aims a hard stare at me as he works his jaw, like he’s silently, reluctantly accepting the fact that he played a role in instigating our hookup too.
I wait for him to admit it, to say the words. But he just stands there, quietly glaring at me like I’ve offended him by pointing out the truth.
I tug a hand through my hair and make a frustrated noise. “God, you’re the worst. I can’t believe I’m stuck here with you. Literally anyone else in the world right now would be better.”
“Really, Micah? Are you gonna be that dramatic? You’d rather be stuck here with a murderer or an evil dictator than with me?”
“Yup.” I say it without missing a beat while looking him straight in the eye.
He clenches his jaw. “You know what, Micah? You’re free to drive home in this wintery mess, if you want. I’m sure as hell not gonna stop you. So if you wanna test your luck driving your car in the worst snowstorm Nashville has had in the last five years, go right ahead. It’s pretty much guaranteed you’ll get into a wreck given that this city has zero snow-removal equipment. But hey, better than staying in the same building with me, right?”
He grabs his phone from his pocket, falls into his office chair, and frowns at the screen.
I stand there, just now noticing my racing heartbeat and the way my breath has quickened. God, I can’t take this anymore.
I stomp out of his office, then head back to my workspace. Best if we stay far apart from each other for however long we’re stranded on campus.
I pull my phone out of my bag and pull up Scribble Share. I instantly brighten at the number of notifications on my profile. It looks like my latest post was a hit with readers. Just like ShakespeareInLust promised it would be.
I smile as I read through them.
Holy hotness gimme MORE
Hooking up in a storage closet on campus?! Why couldn’t my uni days be this wild and sexy?! *crying face*
Okay, a hot, well-endowed professor with a tongue like a shower massager? I’d gladly go back to college for that LOL
I smile to myself, giddy at how much readers are enjoying my writing. I think back to when ShakespeareInLust convinced me to take the plunge and post some fanfic on the site. I remember how nervous I was when I sent him some of my writing, when I assumed he’d insult my lack of skill…and then I remember how shocked and elated I was when he ended up actually liking it.
I skim our message exchange from that day, chuckling when I reread him promising to go streaking if readers didn’t love my latest post.
I also read the message he wrote encouraging me, the one that gave me butterflies in my stomach and made me grin so wide, my cheeks hurt.
Hermia, are you kidding me? Your writing is amazing! So damn good. Seriously. This whole time you’ve been able to write like this and you’ve been hiding it?? Please post your fanfic on the site. Pretty please? The readers on Scribble Share will lose their minds over it, I promise :)
I still can’t get over how kind and encouraging he is.
I skim a few more comments.
I’m gonna need Hot4Hermia to write a whole book, I need more!
I stare at the comment, stunned and flattered. Just thinking about writing a steamy romance book makes me so excited and happy. But then reality sets in. No way could I do that. Making a living out in a creative, unstable field like writing is impossible for most people. Better for this to stay a hobby and keep working as an auditor…even though I’m a million times happier writing than I am working my job…
That’s not the point. So what if I’m not happy all the time as an auditor? That’s normal. A lot of people aren’t happy all the time at work. I’m good at what I do, and it’s stable and pays well. That’s what matters.
An alert pops up in my messages. When I see it’s from ShakespeareInLust, my stomach does a flip. I roll my eyes at myself, but I can’t help the smile tugging at my lips. Yeah, it’s borderline pathetic that I, a thirty-two-year-old woman, have a crush on a random internet account, but I do.
ShakespeareInLust: Phew! Looks like I don’t have to go streaking in my neighborhood after all. You killed it, Hermia! Just like I knew you would. So damn proud of you!
My chest swells with joy. Yeah, I don’t even know this guy. He could be a creep living in his grandma’s basement for all I know. But honestly? I don’t care. Because it doesn’t matter who he is in real life; all that matters is the way he makes me feel. And he’s been sweet and supportive in a way that no one else in my life has when it comes to my writing. He makes me feel like I’m special, like I’m good enough.
And deep down, I honestly don’t think he’s a loser or a creep in real life. I’d bet anything he’s kind, sweet, and cute, just like he is on this site.
Hot4Hermia: Aww, thanks! I honestly can’t believe it…my little story getting so much love
ShakespeareInLust: “Little”? Come on now, Hermia.
Hot4Hermia: My story is little, but she’s fierce. As hell ;)
ShakespeareInLust: That’s the spirit!
ShakespeareInLust: You’re a vixen schooling us all on love with that mindblowing story you wrote
Hot4Hermia: LOL I see what you did there
ShakespeareInLust: Had to. You put your own spin on a line from A Midsummer Night’s Dream. I had to do one too
Hot4Hermia: I would have never had the nerve to post my story without you. Seriously. You gave me the confidence boost I needed. Thank you :)
ShakespeareInLust: Anytime you need a boost, I’m here for you. Anytime you need anything, Hermia, I’m yours.
It feels like butterflies are swarming in my stomach as I read that sentence.
Anytime you need anything, Hermia, I’m yours.
There’s been a flirty vibe to our conversations pretty much from the get-go. And our last exchange was pretty flirty, which was all due to me. He’s just so funny, sweet, charming, and easy to talk to.
But that sentence…something about it seems like more than flirting. It feels bolder, like he’s trying to convey that this thing between us, whatever it is, means something to him too. And I really, really like it.
It makes me want to amp things up between us even more, to see just how far we’re both willing to take things…
I quickly type back a response before my nerves get the best of me.
Hot4Hermia: Gotta say, I’m disappointed you didn’t end up going streaking. I was going to ask for a photo as proof
ShakespeareInLust: Is that so?
Hot4Hermia: Yup. I would have needed to see it with my own eyes.
ShakespeareInLust: Well, you’d definitely get an eye full…of pasty skin. I’m pale AF
I burst out laughing.
Hot4Hermia: Aww come on, I bet you look great in your birthday suit!
ShakespeareInLust: Haha you’re too kind. But I would have needed a shot of the hard stuff to work up my nerve to get naked and run in public.
Hot4Hermia: Oh gosh haha really?
ShakespeareInLust: Yup. A long swig of vodka straight out of my O happy dagger thermos would have done the trick LOL
My fingers freeze, hovering over my phone screen. O happy dagger thermos…like the one Aidan has?
My heart rockets to my throat. No way. That’s gotta be a coincidence, right? I mean, there are a lot of Shakespeare fans in this world. I bet some of them have a similar thermos.
But no matter how many times I tell myself that, doubt digs into me. I need to know for sure.
I stand up on shaky legs and walk toward Aidan’s office. Nerves blast through me like firecrackers. But I have to find out. I have to know if Aidan is ShakespeareInLust, if he’s the fanfic writer who I’ve been flirting with these past few weeks.
When I make it to the open doorway of his office, I stop. He clearly hasn’t heard me walk up. He’s sitting facing the window in his office so he can’t see me. But I can see the side of his face. I can see his gorgeous grin and how he looks completely engrossed with whatever is on his phone.
I slowly, quietly walk up to his desk, my eyes on his phone screen the whole time. And then it comes into view. The familiar Scribble Share logo…
I spot his username at the top: ShakespeareInLust.
My stomach bottoms out completely.
“You’re ShakespeareInLust?” I say, breathless.
Aidan’s head whips up. A lethal frown appears on his face as he looks at me.
“What the…how did you…”
When I hold up my phone to him, he falls quiet. His blue eyes go wide as he registers the sight of my Scribble Share profile. And my username.
A hard swallow works along the length of his throat.
His gaze cuts back to my face. He goes pale. “Hermia?”
I nod despite the embarrassment and disbelief burning through me.
No way. This can’t be happening.