Chapter 11
Raph
Lia opened up more than I thought she could. She became a creature of temptation in no time. And her innocent eyes held me captive with a vise grip. It was inescapable. For such a timid little thing, she bloomed like a flower.
I looked down at her strewn out, breathless on her bed. The dewy sweat on her chest and her disheveled hair matched her coy, sated smile. I couldn’t pry my eyes from her. She was gorgeous, but I wanted to know more. What made her tick? Why did she carry herself with that subtlety?
That’s asking for too much, asshole.
An hour ago I said I wanted nothing serious. This was about physical attraction. She took me up on the offer, and I had to uphold my end; keep it free from complication.
A stress relieving fling for two people in close proximity. It couldn’t be more.
“Want tea, or something?”
Lia’s oceanic eyes glowed in the comedown. I had an impulse to create distance, but she looked so damn innocent. I couldn’t say no.
“Tea sounds great. Thank you.”
Her face lit up like the Fourth of July. Staying for tea wasn’t the casual thing to do. I should head for the door, get on with my day. I had to return to New York for the weekend. But I wasn’t ready to leave her. Not until after I tasted… her tea.
There was no crime in being courteous.
Politeness was very important, and I couldn’t abandon my ideals when temptation arose even if it seemed like I already had. The need to know more was a persistent undercurrent. Was she who I thought she was?
Lia stood and stretched her limber arms overhead. The dim golden glow from her bedside lamp highlighted her petite figure. She wasn’t too thin, but was well-toned. The salacious curves of her hips, and her waist nipped in from round, perky breasts. She sported a deep line running down her belly, showing off a lean, toned physique.
She walked over to her closet and grabbed a thin black cotton robe and threw it on. Our clothes lay in a messy heap on the floor, abandoned in the frenzy. As she left the room, she awarded me a lazy smile. My heart squeezed in my chest.
“I’m going to put the kettle on. Come out whenever you’re ready. Green okay?”
“Fine.” My voice was a rasp.
The way her ass moved under the robe made my mouth go dry. The jump in my cock told me I already craved seconds. I wanted to follow her out to the kitchen, not get dressed.
Not today.
I didn’t want to give her the wrong impression. I didn’t hire her as a bid for her body. I also couldn’t afford to change the rules of the agreement we haphazardly struck.
I assessed the tangled clothing on the floor and picked out my wrinkled articles. I laid Lia’s things on her bed before going to find her.
I barely knew the woman, but she made me feel at ease. Her benign, sweet nature was endearing, but the sexiness she hid under that coy exterior floored me. Her cascading honey locks and those big innocent eyes held me captive. And the passion that poured from her when she talked about Experience…
I wasn’t sure how she was single, or how she didn’t have men knocking down her door every day of the week. She was perfect, but didn’t seem to notice.
The whistle of Lia’s kettle brought me back. I pulled myself together and walked out into the kitchen, mussed shirt still unbuttoned.
“Glad you could finally join me. Take a nap, did you?” Lia’s mirth looked great on her.
Everything looked good on her.
“I put your clothes on your bed in case you dry clean,” I said after too long.
In case you dry clean? What was that? Who says that?
Lia gave me an odd look. “Okay… thanks. You do take cream, sugar, or honey?”
“Plain is fine. Thanks.”
She added a bit of sugar to her own cup and sipped, closing her eyes with a contented sigh.
I could relate to her appreciation of the little things more than I could to my own life lately. After Geoff passed, the inheritance made me a busy man. Going nonstop since then. It felt good to sit down with Lia for a cup of tea. The spare time was a rare treasure.
I caught myself zoning out. Lia looked at me. I cleared my throat. “I was just thinking about how nice it must be to have… tea,” I finished.
“… You do? Have some. It seems like you could use it.” Lia smiled sympathetically. “I always want to sleep after sex, too.”
I took the easy out with a nod, even though my withdrawal had nothing to do with sleep. I took a healthy sip from the mug and closed my eyes. Green tea with mint and something else. Fruitiness. I was there with her, holding my plain black mug, enjoying the peace in Lia’s kitchenette.
“I’m going out of town for a few days. When I get back, we’ll meet and go over the final design.”
She nodded.
“If that goes well, we’ll get you all the contact info for my construction guys.”
“Okay. I’ll have the presentation ready by the time we meet up again, and I’m looking forward to getting to work.”
I didn’t know if I was relieved or disappointed by Lia’s unaffected disposition. She was ready to get to work. It should feel like a load off, but it left me uneasy.
We finished our tea, and I left her with a quick peck by the door. I had some loose ends to tie up at the site before heading back to the city. She would see me when I got back. She’d present her design, and I’d have my last chance to back out of working with her. And to back out of the little extra arrangement we had, as well.
I didn’t even want to back out her front door when it was time to leave. I was in trouble.