18.
Jonathan
“Has the flu been going around your workplace, too?” Ada asked, her arms fastened around my neck as I carried her.
I tilted my head to stare down, battling against the need to grip her more tightly, especially since she smelled subtly of the nectarine and honey perfume that was quickly becoming my favourite scent. “No, why do you ask?”
She blinked and glanced away, her expression showing a flicker of hurt. “Oh, I just thought since I haven’t seen you, that maybe you were sick or something.”
As soon as the words left her mouth, guilt swept over me. I’d been avoiding Ada, but only because I’d gone overboard with her birthday gifts and had clearly made things weird. Since my pathetic and desperate reaction to her having her car fixed, I’d come to the realisation that I couldn’t keep it together around her. She was under my skin even more than she’d been a couple weeks ago, and now it was difficult not to want to touch her whenever I was in her company.
So, I’d decided to keep my distance. Hell, it was half the reason I’d gone to London in the first place. I could’ve easily sent one of my investment specialists, but I needed some space from Ada to get my head on straight. I needed to figure out how to not want her as desperately as I did, so far to no avail.
Seeing her asleep in her car just now, exhausted and overworked, made me feel crazed. Everything inside me itched to take care of her. The lines around her eyes and the tired pallor of her skin were enough to make me impulsively take the rest of the week off just to see to her needs. But I wouldn’t do that. I’d already acted like a lunatic and bought her diamond earrings for her birthday that cost more than I was willing to admit.
“This is so embarrassing,” she said, burying her face in my neck. Something about the action struck me with the urge to keep her in my arms, never letting her go. Avoiding her the last few days had required discipline. Not seeing her was a testament to my ability to resist the things I desired most. It was evident that my feelings for Ada surpassed whatever she might feel for me. I’d never been so out of control in my life, unable to express how I felt without losing the run of myself. The birthday gifts were a prime example. I still bristled when I remembered our phone call where she’d told me she couldn’t accept the things I’d given her.
“You don’t ever need to be embarrassed in front of me, Ada,” I told her gently. I hated that every time she had a busy day at work or didn’t get enough sleep, her leg failed her.
“That’s easy for you to say,” she responded. “You’re not the one being carried up to your apartment right now.”
“I have no problem carrying you. Besides,” I said with a dose of self-deprecation, “You’re not the one who misread the vibe and bought someone diamond earrings for their birthday.” She blinked at me, a faint blush staining her cheeks as I pulled open the door and stepped inside the entrance lobby. I smiled down at her. “Probably should’ve stopped with the flowers.”
Ada’s gaze softened. A new guy was manning the security desk, and he glanced at us curiously as I strode toward the bank of elevators, no intention of explaining to him why I was carrying this beautiful, tired woman upstairs to her apartment.
“I loved the flowers. The earrings are beautiful, too, and the painting, but it’s just far too much.”
“Well, like I said, the damage is already done, and I’m not taking any of it back.”
“Has anyone ever told you you’re incredibly stubborn?”
I smirked. “A few might’ve.”
We entered the elevator, and I became aware of Ada’s soft fingers at my neck. She absentmindedly stroked near my hairline, and I shuddered.
“Best not to do that,” I murmured quietly, and her hand stilled.
“Oh. Sorry.”
My palms flexed around her legs and waist, fighting the urge to carry her to my own apartment, where I could tend to her every need until she felt better. In my past relationships, I’d been attentive, but I’d never been struck by such an irrational need to care for someone as I did Ada.
“The surgery you had,” I said as we exited and I carried her towards her door. “It didn’t completely fix the issue?”
“Nothing was going to fix it entirely. My injury was far too complex, but the surgery gave me more mobility than I had previously. I just can’t overdo it like a normal person can. When there are weeks at work when everyone calls in sick, and I can’t get temps to cover for them, I have to pick up the slack. There’s no other option.”
“You shouldn’t have to do that.”
“No, but if I didn’t, there would be a bunch of elderly residents missing out on vital care.”
“It’s ridiculous that your bosses don’t have better contingencies for situations like this.”
“Yeah, well, they might not be my bosses for much longer,” she muttered as she rifled through her bag that still hung from my shoulder. Retrieving her key, she handed it to me, her delicate fingers brushing mine, and I slotted it in the lock.
Once inside, I settled her down on the sofa then went to take off her shoes.
“You don’t have to—”
I cast her a censorious look—a look that said I was taking care of her and would hear no protests—and she fell silent. “Why might they not be your bosses much longer?” I queried.
Ada sighed, falling back into the cushions. “The company that operates Pinebrook is considering offloading some of their assets. If they sell and the next owners decide to shut the place down and turn it into something else, I’ll be out of a job, not to mention all my residents will have to find new homes to accommodate them.”
When she finished speaking, she closed her eyes and rubbed at her temples as though to soothe away the stress.
“I’m sorry to hear that.”
Ada tiredly opened her eyes. “It’s a hurdle I’ll deal with if and when it happens. No point worrying too much right now.” She paused when I had both her shoes off, and I rose to sit beside her. I lifted her feet and settled them on my lap before proceeding to massage her ankle and heel. Her breath hitched when I found an achy spot, and her eyes closed again as her head fell back.
“That feels … so good.”
“Have you eaten yet?”
She shook her head, still focusing on my hands massaging her aching feet. A more delectable sight than a tired, messy haired Ada lying before me didn’t exist. I’d never wanted a woman this much, a woman I couldn’t have. She’d asked me to be her friend, and I was holding on by the thinnest thread.
“I’ll cook us something. Any preference?”
Her eyes opened, muscles tensing. “You don’t have to do that.”
“I want to. Let me take care of you, Ada. Just for tonight.”
Her gaze met mine, a flicker at her throat as she swallowed. “Okay.” Her voice was breathy. “There’s some soup in the fridge. You could heat it up.”
I nodded before I returned my attention to her massage, this time moving farther up to her shin.
“Can you roll these up a little?” I asked, touching the hem of her pale grey trousers.
She seemed to stiffen. “Oh, I’d rather not.”
Seeing her discomfort, I relented, “That’s okay. I can work with them on.”
She nodded then blew out a breath. A small quiet ensued while I gently tended to her leg, making sure to only use light pressure.
“It’s just that I have some unsightly scarring. I don’t normally let people see.”
Her words made something constrict in my chest. I hated the idea of her hiding or thinking any part of her wasn’t perfect. Deciding to lighten the mood, I curved my lips into a teasing smirk, “Have you forgotten I’ve already seen all of you? I don’t recall anything unsightly.” I paused, my gaze hooded as it held hers, “Quite the opposite.”
Her flush returned as she rolled her eyes. “I was wondering when you’d decide to remind me of that particular incident.”
My smirk deepened. “I relive it every night before I go to sleep. Gives me pleasant dreams.”
She giggled, and I shot her a smile. “You’re such a flirt,” she reprimanded.
“Me?” I arched an eyebrow as my fingers drifted behind her knee and her breath hitched.
“Oh, big time.”
“Maybe I just can’t help it with you. You’re too sexy.”
Her smile faltered, her dark eyes fluttering as she inhaled sharply. Her answering silence made me worry I’d gone too far, but then she asked, “Why have you been avoiding me all week?”
“Isn’t it obvious?” I responded, and she shook her head. I sighed, still working her leg, my fingers sliding over her toned, curvy thighs that I just wanted to sink my teeth into. “I’m about to be painfully honest with you, Ada, so if you don’t want to be made uncomfortable by the truth, you should tell me to shut up right now.”
“I’d like to know the truth,” she whispered before emitting an involuntary moan when I released a tense knot at the back of her thigh. I stared at her, eyes hooded, resisting the urge to climb on top of her, wrap her sexy thighs around my waist and capture her lips hungrily.
“You told me you wanted us to remain friends, and I’m having some trouble with that,” I confessed.
Her eyelashes fluttered in surprise. “Oh?”
I cast her a wry look. “Case in point, I want to kiss you right now, but I’m doing the honourable thing and respecting your wishes by resisting. So, I’ve been avoiding you all week because it’s the only way to keep from overstepping the boundary you’ve put in place.”
“Jonathan, I had no idea—”
“You don’t have to try and make me feel better. I’m a grown man. I can deal with my unrequited urges. But I can’t deny I care about you, Ada. I want to take care of you on days like this.”
There was a sheen of emotion in her sultry brown eyes. She opened her mouth as if to speak then clamped it shut again. I could practically see the frantic thoughts rushing through her mind. Another few moments of silence passed before she said at last, “I appreciate you caring for me, but it needs to go both ways. The next time you’re sick or exhausted, I’m returning the favour.”
“Of course,” I replied, not at all minding the idea of Ada playing nurse, though I was a little disappointed that she didn’t address my comment about wanting to kiss her. My voice took on a flirty tone again. “I bet you have a lovely bedside manner.”
A grin pulled at her lips.
Ah hell, I really, really wanted to kiss her. I needed a distraction. ASAP.
“You must be famished. Why don’t I run you a bath, and you can relax while I put some food together?”
A bath, Jonathan? Really? I needed a distraction, not to throw petrol over the fucking flames. Now I was imagining Ada in the bath, a vision that had my cock stiffening to painful levels. Luckily, her gaze hadn’t lowered in that direction.
“Oh, well, if you insist,” she replied, a lot more at ease now than when I’d first placed her on the couch. The massage had obviously done the trick. I left her resting there and went into the main bathroom, urging my erection to fuck off. The bathroom was clean and tidy, with a scattering of Ada’s toiletries populating the shelves. While the bath was running, I gripped the edge of the sink, head bent as my mind raced. I was playing with fire just being there, but with Ada barely able to make the walk from her car up to the apartment, there was nowhere else I was willing to be. I couldn’t tear myself away from her tonight no matter how fiercely I tried.
When the bath was full, the scent of seaweed and citrus bubble bath filling the room and my cock finally behaving itself, I went out to get Ada. She was exactly where I’d left her, stretched out on the couch with her eyes closed. I admittedly spent several prolonged moments just taking in her profile, the delicate slopes and curves of her face, before I cleared my throat.
“Bath’s ready.”
Her eyes opened, and she cast me a tired, grateful smile that had my heart thrumming in a strange and foreign way. I’d never felt that way for someone, so full of feelings to the point where I was constantly on the verge of overflowing.
Ada moved to sit up, but I was by her side in an instant. Once again, I lifted her into my arms, and she didn’t protest. I carried her to the bathroom before setting her on her feet. She stared up at me, something pure and expectant in her gorgeous brown eyes that had my heart doing even more strange thrumming. I exhaled heavily and tucked some hair behind her ear.
“This is where I leave you.”
She hitched a breath when I stroked my fingertips lightly along her jaw, and it took everything in me to extract myself from the room. I closed the door gently behind me then strode next door to quickly shower and change into more comfortable clothing. The shower took the edge off some of my need. When I returned, I put the soup in a pot to heat up then went about slicing some bread. Once the food was almost ready, I set the table and lit some candles just as I heard Ada moving around her bedroom. The candles might’ve been overkill, but I was giving in to my instincts just for tonight. Even if all we were going to do was sit together and eat, it couldn’t hurt to create a pleasant atmosphere.
Footsteps sounded, and Ada appeared, her long hair wet and brushed neatly, hanging down her back. She wore the same robe she’d had on the night I’d burst in on her before my London trip. I had to ball my fists to keep from pulling on the tie at her waist and revealing her lush, perfect body.
Ada glanced at the table, taking in the place settings and the lit candles, but she didn’t speak. She took a few steps towards me, and I couldn’t take my eyes off her.
“Is the soup ready?”
“Almost.”
“Great, I’m starving.” She stood only a foot away from me, and I cast my gaze down, drinking in my fill of her delicate bone structure, plump lips and impossibly dark eyes.
“Me, too,” I replied, unable to keep the husky note from my voice. Ada blinked, not looking away, and some kind of force took hold of her. She moved even closer, seeming to drink me in just as I was her.
“Did you shower?” she whispered. I nodded, suddenly lost for words. “You smell good,” she went on, and my cock stirred.
“Yeah?” My eyes were hooded as I waited with bated breath for her next move. She seemed to be drumming up the courage for something, and I was rapt with anticipation.
She bit her lip, her hand coming to rest against my chest. “This doesn’t have to complicate things if we don’t let it, right?” I found myself nodding along right before she completely blindsided me, sliding her hand around the back of my neck and tugging my mouth down to hers.
Ada kissed me, her lips explorative and soft. I groaned and wound my arms around her waist, pulling her close. Ada’s tongue tangled with mine, and I lifted her up, carrying her to the kitchen counter where I carefully lowered her without once breaking the connection. She moaned, her hands raking through my hair as I devoured her with my tongue.
Breathless, I quickly pulled loose the tie keeping her robe intact and was rewarded with the most entrancing vision. So much silky, soft skin. I soaked up every peak and valley before I lowered my face to her breasts. Her chest heaved, a breathless, “Yes!” leaving her lips when I clamped down on a nipple and sucked it into my mouth. I licked and kissed my way across her breasts and down her stomach, my hands taking on a mind of their own as I explored her skin.
I spread her wide before me, taking my time to survey her under the flickering candlelight. Then I bent and ran my nose along her inner thigh before pressing a kiss between her spread legs. Her entire body convulsed, and I smiled darkly, loving how reactive she was.
“It doesn’t have to be complicated,” she repeated, chest heaving as she stared down at me.
“Uncomplicated,” I vowed, telling her what she needed to hear because I knew she had to be internally freaking out. We were doing something she’d told herself she wouldn’t do, and I was too selfish to remind her of all the reasons she’d previously stated why it was a bad idea. I wanted her too fiercely to stop what was happening. Whatever way she needed to rationalise us giving in to our attraction, the otherworldly pull between us, I didn’t hold it against her. I was too obsessed not to take whatever she was willing to give.
Regrets were a problem for tomorrow.
I ate her out in earnest, licking down her centre then tonguing her clit until her noises filled the apartment. I was no longer hungry for food. All I wanted to eat was the delectable woman spread out before me.
“Jonathan,” she moaned, her hand in my hair and exhilaration filled me to hear my name uttered like a declaration.
“That’s it. Come for me,” I encouraged, staring up at her and feasting on her writhing form. I’d never gone down on a woman while she was spread out on a kitchen counter, and though I’d enjoyed the act in the past, I’d never enjoyed it quite as much as I did right then.
My tongue sped up, circling the precious bundle of nerves between her thighs. She was so wet, all for me, and I pondered if she’d spent her bath thinking of this, working herself up until she couldn’t stand it any longer. That thought had another surge of arousal rushing forth.
Unable to resist my curiosity, I slid two fingers inside her and groaned at the tight, wet heat I found there. I pumped slowly in and out while my mouth worked her clit, my eyes never leaving her until at last she came, shuddering and grinding against my lips.
“Fucking beautiful,” I praised, giving her clit one last parting kiss before rising to trail my mouth back up her stomach, past her navel and nuzzling her breasts. Ada’s eyes were closed, still processing her orgasm as I pulled her into my arms. I held her close, pressing my lips to hers just as my phone started ringing in my pocket. Likely it was Therese with some non-urgent work issue.
“Are you going to answer that?”
“Nope,” I murmured against her cheek. “Whatever it is can wait until later. I’m not done with you yet.” I hoped my eyes communicated how much I still hungered for her and that we wouldn’t be leaving the apartment until I’d made her come again—this time, with my cock seated deep inside her.