29. Haley
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Haley
The apartment was spotless.
That was the first thing I noticed when I opened the door.
I stood in the doorway and blinked, certain I’d walked into the wrong unit.
The toys that usually covered the living room floor like a minefield had been cleared away.
The dishes that had been reproducing in the sink for days were gone.
The coffee table was visible for the first time in weeks.
Even the throw pillows on the couch were arranged in some approximation of order, which was a miracle considering Lily treated them as construction materials.
James emerged from the kitchen with a dish towel slung over his shoulder.
“Hey, you’re back.” He smiled, easy and warm. “How was the spa?”
“Did you clean my entire apartment?”
“Define clean.” He tossed the towel onto the counter. “I may have done some light tidying while Lily napped.”
“Light tidying.” I looked around again. “James, I can see my floor.”
“Shocking, I know.” He walked toward me. “You can actually walk through the living room without stepping on a plastic dinosaur. Revolutionary concept.”
“How long did this take you?”
“Long enough for Lily to sleep for two hours and wake up asking for juice.” He stopped in front of me, close enough that I could smell his cologne. “You look relaxed. The massage must have helped.”
“It did.” I set my purse down on the now-visible entryway table. “Megan and I got wine after. We talked for hours.”
“Good. You needed that.” His eyes moved over my face, cataloging the changes. “You look like yourself again.”
I glanced toward the hallway. “Where’s Lily?”
“Already in bed.” He checked his watch. “Passed out about an hour ago. We had a busy day. Park, lunch, more park. Then we built a blanket fort and watched a movie about a singing snowman. She was out before the credits.”
“You watched Frozen?”
“I’ve now seen Frozen three times in two weeks.” He rubbed the back of his neck.
“Welcome to parenthood.”
The word hung between us, heavier than I’d intended. James’s expression shifted, softening into something tender.
“I liked it.” His voice was quieter now. “Having her all day. Just the two of us. She told me about her imaginary friend. Apparently his name is Mr. Bubbles and he lives in the bathtub.”
“Mr. Bubbles has been around since she was two.” I smiled. “He’s very demanding. Always wants extra bubble bath.”
“She also told me I’m her favorite person who isn’t you.” He paused. “I’m choosing to take that as a compliment.”
“It is one. Lily doesn’t hand out favorites easily.”
We stood there looking at each other. The apartment was quiet around us, just the hum of the refrigerator and the distant sound of traffic outside. Lily was asleep. We were alone. And suddenly the air felt charged with possibility.
“Did you have fun?” James asked. “With Megan?”
I didn’t answer. I closed the distance between us, grabbed the front of his shirt, and kissed him.
He made a surprised sound against my mouth, his hands coming up to grip my waist. I kissed him like I’d been thinking about it all afternoon. Like Megan’s question had cracked open a door I’d been keeping firmly shut.
When I finally pulled back, his eyes were dark and his breathing was uneven.
“I guess you did.” His voice came out rough.
“Take me to bed, James.”
His hands stilled on my hips. “Hales.”
“Don’t ask me anything.” I held his gaze, letting him see exactly what I wanted. “Just take me to bed. I need you.”
He searched my face for a long moment. Looking for doubt.
He wouldn’t find any.
“Okay.” He took my hand and led me down the hallway.
The bedroom was dim, lit only by the lamp on the nightstand. He closed the door behind us, and the soft click of the latch made my pulse jump.
I turned to face him and found him watching me with an intensity that made the dim room feel smaller. He hadn’t moved from the door, his hand still resting on the knob, giving me space.
“Come here.” I reached for him.
He crossed the room and pulled me against his chest, his mouth finding mine in a kiss that started soft and built into something hungrier. His hands slid down my back, tracing the curve of my spine through my dress.
“I’ve been thinking about this all day.” His lips moved to my jaw, my neck, the sensitive spot behind my ear. “Trying to focus on block towers and coloring books while imagining what it would be like to finally have you.”
“And?” I tilted my head to give him better access. “How does the reality compare?”
“Better.” He nipped at my collarbone and I gasped. “So much better.”
I reached for the hem of his shirt, needing to feel his skin. He helped me pull it over his head, and then I finally got to look at him properly. Broad shoulders that tapered to a narrow waist. A chest that was defined but not overdone, dusted with dark hair. Abs that flexed as he breathed.
I pressed my palms flat against his chest and felt his heart pounding beneath my hands.
“Your turn.” He reached for the zipper at the back of my dress. “Can I?”
“Please.”
He lowered the zipper slowly, the sound loud in the quiet room. The dress loosened around my shoulders, and he peeled it down my arms, letting it pool at my feet. I stood before him in just my bra and underwear, feeling exposed and powerful all at once.
“Fuck.” The word came out reverent. “Haley. You’re…”
“I’m what?”
“Everything.” He traced his fingers along my collarbone, down between my breasts, across my stomach. “You’re everything.”
He unclasped my bra with practiced fingers and let it fall. Then his hands were on me, cupping my breasts, thumbs brushing over my nipples until they peaked beneath his touch.
“Sensitive.” He watched my face as he circled one nipple. “I remember that from before.”
“James.” My voice came out breathy. “Stop teasing.”
“Not a chance.” He walked me backward toward the bed. “I’ve waited years for this. I’m going to take my time.”
My knees hit the mattress and I sat down, looking up at him. He stood over me, shirtless, his belt still buckled, and the sight of him made my mouth water.
“Lie back.” His voice had dropped lower. “I want to see all of you.”
I obeyed, scooting up the bed until my head hit the pillows. He followed, crawling over me, caging me in with his arms. His mouth found my neck, my chest, the valley between my breasts.
He kissed lower, across my stomach. Then his fingers hooked in the waistband of my underwear, and he looked up at me, waiting for permission.
It wasn’t like he hadn’t seen me naked before. But there was something about now that made it all special.
“Yes.” I lifted my hips. “God, yes.”
He pulled them down my legs and tossed them aside. Then he just looked at me, spread out beneath him, completely bare.
“Beautiful.” He ran his hands up my thighs, spreading them wider. “So fucking beautiful.”
He kissed the inside of my knee, then higher, then higher still. I squirmed beneath him, desperate for his mouth where I needed it most, but he took his time. Kissing and licking and nipping at my inner thighs until I was trembling.
“James.” I grabbed his hair. “Please.”
“Please what?” He looked up at me, his eyes dark with want. “Tell me what you need.”
“I need you to stop teasing and touch me.”
He smiled. “I am touching you.”
“You know what I mean.”
Instead of giving me his mouth, he crawled back up my body and kissed me. I could feel the hard length of him pressing against my thigh through his pants, and I reached for his belt.
“Not yet.” He caught my wrist. “I’m not done with you.”
He kissed down my neck, my chest, taking one nipple into his mouth while his hand worked the other.
“That’s it.” He switched to the other breast. “Let me hear you.”
His hand slid down my stomach, between my thighs, and finally touched where I’d been aching for him. I cried out as his fingers found my clit, rubbing in slow circles.
“So wet.” He groaned against my breast. “You’re soaking, Haley. Is this all for me?”
“Yes.” I grabbed his shoulders, my nails digging in. “All for you. Only for you.”
He slid two fingers inside me, curling them up, finding that spot that made me see stars. His thumb kept working my clit while his mouth moved back to mine, swallowing my moans.
He pumped his fingers faster. “I can feel you clenching around me.”
“I want more.” I reached for his belt again. “I want you inside me. Please, James.”
This time he let me unbuckle it. I fumbled with the button and zipper, pushing his pants and boxers down together. He kicked them off the rest of the way, and then we were both naked, nothing between us.
I reached down and wrapped my hand around his cock, feeling the weight of him, the heat. He groaned and thrust into my grip.
“Careful.” His voice was strained. “I’m not going to last if you keep doing that.”
I stroked him slowly. “We have all night. We can keep going after the first time.”
He pulled my hand away and pinned it above my head, lacing our fingers together. Then he positioned himself between my thighs, the head of his cock pressing against my entrance.
But he didn’t push in.
Instead, he started to move, sliding his length through my folds, rubbing against my clit with every pass. The friction was maddening, pleasure sparking through me with each stroke, but it wasn’t enough. Wasn’t nearly enough.
“James.” I tried to angle my hips to take him in, but he pulled back. “Stop teasing.”
“I want you to come first.” He ground against me harder, his cock sliding through my wetness. “I want to feel you fall apart before I’m even inside you.”
“I can’t.” My voice broke. “I need more. I need you.”
“You can. Just let go.”
The orgasm crashed through me without warning. My whole body seized, pleasure radiating outward from my core, and I cried out his name as I shattered.
He worked me through it, his cock still sliding against me, drawing out every wave until I was limp and trembling beneath him.
“That’s it.” He kissed my forehead, my cheeks, the corner of my mouth. “Fuck, Haley. You’re incredible.”