Chapter 19
ELLORA
By the time I got to Holden’s building, I was ninety percent sure I’d lost my mind. The place had a valet, a doorman, and a lobby that smelled like expensive wood and old money. It was a far cry from my natural habitat, where paint chipped off the walls and the carpets had been stained for decades.
Here, the marble floors gleamed like they’d been polished by angels.
The chandelier alone had probably cost more than my store’s entire inventory.
I loved my new apartment. Really. I’d been more than grateful to get it at the price I had and it was spacious enough for Mom and me to both be able to breathe, but this was like a whole different world.
I smiled awkwardly at the doorman, who greeted me by name before I’d even opened my mouth. “Good afternoon, Ms. Kinney. Mr. Langton is expecting you.”
Right. Of course.
“Thank you,” I muttered, clutching my purse a little tighter as I stepped inside the elevator. The walls were mirrored, reflecting about six different versions of me, and I had no idea why Holden liked any of them.
At least it wasn’t like I was showing up empty-handed. I’d spent the whole morning uploading more photos of my jewelry, and for the first time in forever, people were actually noticing. Comments, likes, even a couple of messages asking if it was custom work.
For now, it was just engagement. I hadn’t had many new sales yet, but engagement was attention. There were finally eyes on those pieces and it felt like a step in the right direction.
That was part of the reason why I’d agreed to come. Not only to share in his celebration but also to tell him about my own. I wanted to share this tiny little victory with the man who’d made me believe in the idea of more being possible for someone like me.
A moment after the elevator chimed, the doors slid open to reveal a hallway that felt like it had its own field of gravity pulling me toward the double doors at the end. Holden’s doors. The penthouse.
I straightened my dress, a navy blue, modest but flattering creation that probably made it clear that I didn’t belong here but that I cleaned up nice. I reached the end of the hall and knocked. I half-expected a housekeeper or assistant to answer, but instead, it was him.
Holden leaned against the frame, looking every bit the sexy man I’d been trying and failing to forget.
That dark, sandy hair was a little neater than I was used to seeing in class, the devastating blue eyes making my heart skip several beats.
He wore a crisp white shirt with his sleeves rolled up, the faintest hint of blond stubble on his jaw, and a tie hanging loosely around his neck.
“Wow,” I said before I could stop myself. “You actually look like you’ve worked in an office today.”
A knowing smile that could melt steel beams spread on his lips. “You say that like I don’t usually.”
“Maybe I’m just used to grading you on a curve, Professor.”
He laughed. “Then let’s see if I can earn some extra credit tonight.”
Just like that, that spark flared to life between us again, making me feel alive, off-balance, and seen all at once. He stepped aside to let me in, waving for me to precede him. “I wasn’t sure if you’d agree to come over.”
“You caught me at the right time. I needed to get away for a bit,” I said, brushing past him into an apartment that should’ve come with its own warning label.
Caution: contents may cause unrealistic expectations.
The place was ridiculous in the best possible way. Floor-to-ceiling windows overlooked the city, a bar in one corner that looked fully stocked, and art that probably had its own insurance policy on the walls.
I turned to him with both my eyebrows raised. “You know, I think my whole apartment could fit inside your kitchen.”
He smirked. “You’re welcome to test that theory.”
“Tempting.” I pretended to look around like I was sizing up square footage. “I might need to borrow a tape measure. All of which is to say, of course, that you have a beautiful home. I probably should’ve just led with that.”
He laughed again and the sound was like sunlight shining deep into some of the dark places inside me. Hearing him laugh made me feel like warmth and light were reaching parts within that had gone without for much too long.
Holden closed the door behind me, the soft click echoing in the quiet between us.
“Thank you for coming, Ellora. I’m glad you’re here, so I’m just going to go ahead and get this out of the way.
I don’t want to be another complication in your life.
I just wanted to see you again and I didn’t want to wait until class. ”
A little smile pulled at the corners of my lips. “Well, when you put it like that, how could I say no?”
“I was hoping you wouldn’t, especially since you’re already here.” He chuckled and ran his hand through his hair, gesturing toward the bar with his free hand. “We might as well have a drink.”
“That’s pretty confident,” I teased, unable to help myself. “Do you always assume women won’t be able to resist your invitations?”
“Most don’t.” His blue gaze caught mine and held it for a beat. “It’s only you that makes me wonder whether you will. It’s worth it when the risk pays off, though.”
Oh. Well. That’s just unfair. I tried to hide the way my pulse jumped by wandering toward the massive windows just so I wouldn’t have to deal with the intensity of his eyes on mine. “That’s a nice view.”
I pretended to admire the city even though I could see myself blushing like an amateur in the reflection of the glass. He came up beside me, suddenly standing close enough that I could feel the heat of his body, but he wasn’t touching me.
“Do you mean the skyline, or…?”
I glanced sideways, taking in the soft smirk on his lips and sighing. “You really just can’t help yourself, can you?”
He smiled a slow, crooked smile that made me feel like I was standing too close to a live wire. “Guilty as charged, but you tend to have that effect one me.”
I laughed and shook my head. “You know, you’re lucky you’re charming. If anyone else said that, I’d roll my eyes.”
“Go ahead,” he said. “I like watching you do it.”
“Oh my god,” I muttered, turning away so he wouldn’t see my grin. “You’re impossible.”
“I’m persistent,” he corrected. “There’s a difference.”
I finally looked back at him, straight up into those eyes, and for a heartbeat, neither of us said anything. We just stood there with a charged space between us that felt like the start of something that shouldn’t be starting.
“Alright,” I finally managed, my voice soft and uncertain, but at least I’d broken the charged stare-off. “Tell me what we’re celebrating, Mr. Langton.”
He smiled. “The board approved my latest project.”
“Congratulations.”
“Thanks,” he said, his gaze dipping briefly to my lips before it came back up to my eyes. “I think this might be the better part of my day, though.”
My cheeks erupted in flame. “You really need to work on your self-control, buddy.”
His eyebrows rose. “Is that what you think? That I’m not controlling myself?”
“Are you?”
“If I wasn’t, you’d be naked by now,” he said, deadpan and without a hint of embarrassment or shame. “The things we could’ve been doing? Let’s just say that we’ll have to agree to disagree on the self-control issue.”
“What if I don’t want to?” I heard myself asking before I could remember why it was a bad idea to fall into this flirty banter with him. “What if, instead of agreeing to disagree, I’d rather have you show me what you’re holding back?”
His jaw tightened, something dark and dangerous brewing in his eyes all of a sudden. “I doubt you want that, Ella. I invited you here for a drink, not a fuck.”
Heat pulsed through my veins at the words and the way he’d said them, all the while looking so deep into my eyes that it was like I could already feel him inside me. “It’s never been about not wanting it. Or you.”
As if that had been some kind of cue he’d been waiting for, Holden didn’t hesitate.
He stepped into me, caught my face in his hands, and kissed me in a way that was undeniably hot.
There was no restraint or thought to it.
It was just us, teeth and tongues clashing.
I started clawing at his shirt and kicked off my heels.
It took him no time at all to push my coat off my shoulders, letting it drop to the ground as his fingers found the top of the zipper, then ran down my spine.
He unzipped me smoothly, without even breaking the kiss, and pulled the sleeves down, the dress falling to pool around my feet once my arms were free.
He groaned when I finally managed to get all his buttons undone and rid him of his shirt, wrapping my arms around his neck and pressing my body to his. Without skipping a beat, he lifted me up and I hooked my ankles behind his butt, not even caring where he was taking me as long as he didn’t stop.
It felt like I would disintegrate if he didn’t touch me everywhere, right now, all at the same time.
I hadn’t realized how much I’d been craving him until this very moment.
His strides were steady and confident, his long legs eating up the distance to wherever he was taking me and his mouth devouring mine.
Without breaking the frantic kiss, he lowered me onto something soft.
It took me a moment to realize it was a mattress.
It dipped when he climbed on with me, his thumbs already hooking into my panties to pull them down.
My bra was the last to go. Then he was on top of me, the heavy sound of his shoes dropping on the hardwood floors vaguely registering in my mind.
It felt like we were in a race, but I supposed this was just what real passion was like, that burning urgency that eradicated the rest of the world and made every touch feel electric. I reached between us and started working on his pants, desperate to feel all of his skin against my own.
Holden kept making these deep, low sounds, raw and needy. Every time one of them reached my ears, heat flooded between my legs. Eventually, my hips started rocking of their own accord.
He kicked his pants away after I’d finally gotten them undone and then broke the kiss to sit up on his knees. He was breathing hard, a soft pink flush across his cheeks as he reached for his nightstand. I probably should’ve used the opportunity to look around his room, but I didn’t.
Instead, all I could look at was him. Fully naked, his broad shoulders tapered down to a narrower waist, those strong, hot lines between his hips pointing like an arrow to his cock. His shaft was long and thick, slightly curved at the very tip, the skin smooth and veiny.
I suddenly had the most irresistible urge to take it into my mouth, so I sat up as he slid the drawer open, wrapping my lips around his tip with no warning. He let out a surprised groan that quickly melted into something richer, his hand sliding into my hair even as he reached for a condom.
Impressed with his ability to multitask, I wondered how much further I could take it, sliding my hand up between his legs to circle my fingers around the base of him. Another groan escaped, the muscles in his stomach dipping and his jaw suddenly tight.
His eyes rolled back as he dropped his head to face the ceiling, his hips thrusting lazily into my mouth. At this point, I was pretty sure I was getting his bedding all wet, but I didn’t care. I just kept going, reveling at how much I loved feeling him slide across my tongue.
A few minutes later, he practically tore me off him, rolling over to lie on his back and putting the condom on. When it was in place, his eyes were on mine and he reached for me, not saying a word as I straddled him.
Gazes locked, we fit together seamlessly as I lowered myself down on him. It felt like we were becoming a single entity. We moved that way too, rocking together until neither of us could hold back anymore.
The release was everything I needed, every knot of tension and every ounce of worry I’d been carrying since the bakery bombshell melting away under his touch.
For just a little while, I forgot about the bills stacked on my counter and the building that might be sold out from under me, but the peace didn’t last.
As I lay there after, my skin still warm and his arm draped lazily across my waist, reality started creeping back in. The bakery was closing, the landlord was seriously thinking about selling, and I was one rent hike away from losing everything I’d worked for even if he didn’t sell.
I stared up at the ceiling with the rhythm of Holden’s breathing steady beside me, and my chest ached. Gratitude, guilt, and longing mingled into a complex cocktail of If Only.
Holden lived in a world where problems got solved with signatures and champagne. Mine needed duct tape and super glue. I wanted so badly to stay in this little bubble with him, but bubbles always burst, and when this one did, I already knew it was going to hurt.
I didn’t even care about his money or his business acumen.
At this point, I just craved him. That was why I’d come here.
It was why I’d goaded him into throwing caution to the wind and why I’d tossed away my own reservations, but I wouldn’t be able to stave off these shady developers if my business was bankrupt.
And if I didn’t get back to my own life soon, that was exactly where it was headed.