Chapter 10
ten
HENRY
Amanda’s shut door stared at me. Daring me to knock.
She’d let her sensibility win, but before that she’d been a pile of sweet putty in my hands. And god, I needed more.
More of her hot little mouth.
More of her sweet sighs.
More of that lust-addled gaze when her lips were all swollen and pink.
I stood there in the hallway, breath still ragged from kissing her. Because fuck… that kiss had rocked me to my woollen socks.
But her very closed door was a no.
Sighing, I stumbled into my room. Into the emptiness and dark. My bed is neatly made up and not nearly as tempting as the one on the other side of the wall. Flopping down onto my bed, I let out a groan and rubbed my face, trying to figure out what the hell to do next.
And I heard something from beyond the wall.
A soft buzz, and an even softer moan.
Faint. Muffled. Delicious.
Amanda.
Another tiny, breathy moan like she’d tried to swallow it but couldn’t.
I shifted on the bed, needing to adjust myself at the filthy little noise. Perhaps I’d left her at wound up as she’d left me.
An uppercut couldn’t have wiped the grin off my face.
‘Dirty girl,’ I whispered into the darkness.
Tossing my pillows to the end of the bed, I lay as close to the wall as possible, greedily stealing each naughty little noise I could. Without even being in the same room, she had my dick straining.
I fumbled for my phone, cursing as it stuck in my pocket, my trousers suddenly far too tight. Before I could talk myself out of it, I sent her a text, thankful for her insistence that we all save her number before she arrived in case we, or she, needed anything.
Sounds like I got you too excited…?
There was a pause next door, the buzzing ceasing.
It went on too long, and my stomach dropped.
I held my breath when the typing bubble appeared.
Then disappeared.
Appeared.
Disappeared.
Did no one ever teach you it’s rude to eavesdrop?
Fiesty.
This tightly-wound, prickly woman would be the death of me. I hadn’t expected her to be teasing…
Not my fault that I can hear every slutty little moan.
A moment later, the buzzing resumed, and a whimper followed, louder than before.
I closed my eyes, knuckles whitening around my phone.
If you’re going to eavesdrop, at least give me something to listen to.
My buttons worked against me in my haste to get my fucking trousers down. I groaned as I finally got my hand on myself, stroking over the head of my cock and letting out a groan.
I typed with one hand that barely functioned.
You didn’t strike me as a dirty girl…
The moan that filtered through the wall was anything but sweet. My strokes grew harsher with every delicious noise she gave.
You have no idea.
The growl I let out was pure need. I wanted to burst through to her room and figure out exactly what she meant by that.
The wall between us wasn’t thick enough to keep our harried breath from combining, my jealousy growing with each buzz that filtered through.
I’d have given my left ball to be between her thighs.
Her whimpers increased, and I closed my eyes, imagining myself there, tasting her, teasing her, making her squirm until she fell apart beneath my tongue. And my fingers. And my cock.
It didn’t take long until her moaning changed, deepening until a delicious Oh my god came through the wall.
And straining to hear, maybe a whispered Henry, too. It might have been a figment of my imagination, a hope over reality, but it undid me anyway. My thighs tensed as I came hard, filling my hand with ropes of heat.
When I caught my breath, I took a photo of my hand, dripping for her, and prayed that she wouldn’t use it against me.
All for you.
I regretted it instantly.
Until her message popped up.
Shame. If you had been here, I could have cleaned that up for you.
I dropped the phone and considered rushing through with my hand out for her.
My phone buzzed again.
Sir.
Fuck me.
I dropped the phone on the bed and rubbed my face, getting myself a faceful of my own cum.
Damn. I stumbled to the bathroom and washed my face, laughing under my breath. That was a turn-up for the books. I hadn’t imagined her like that.
Well, I had, but I hadn’t expected it to be more than dirty thoughts of mine.
Maybe she’d be open to my games after all.
The idea sent a shiver down my spine. The good kind.
Next time, I’ll hold you to that, Princess.
Crashing back into bed, I fell asleep with my phone still in my hand, her admission bouncing around my head.
I woke to pale winter light creeping round the edges of the curtains, the kind of grey-white glow that threatened snow.
My phone lay on my pillow, still open on Amanda’s messages.
I stared at the thread and felt that same heat I’d felt kissing her against the wall. Like someone had lit my boxers on fire. Or my lungs.
My body reacted by tightening and rising, desperate for her already.
‘Fuck,’ I muttered. How was I going to get through a day without pinning her somewhere and kissing her until she called me Sir for real?
Sleep hadn’t fixed anything. I’d woken up even more obsessed with the woman I barely knew. More unsure of what the hell to do next.
I showered and dressed before stepping out into the corridor. Her door remained shut. Checking my phone, I loitered in the hall.
Then I heard movement and stilled, listening again.
Until her door opened and I tried, and presumably failed, to look nonchalant.
Amanda stepped out looking like the previous night had never happened. Hair smoothed back into a neat ponytail, dress ironed to perfection, not a wrinkle out of place. Not a single trace of what had passed between us.
She blinked at me before heading down the corner, leaving me to follow like a trained puppy.
‘Morning,’ I said.
She didn’t fumble.
Didn’t even hesitate.
‘We’ve a full schedule today,’ she said lightly. Professionally. ‘The florists will need access to the orangery at eight. Catering is delivering fresh supplies at nine. And I’ll need those boxes of spare linens brought in from storage.’
A flare of need spiked. The need to pin her down and demand her full attention. To tame this side of her with my tongue. But not for too long. I liked her like this. It made me crave her giving in all the more.
‘Amanda,’ I said quietly.
She slowed. Barely. Turning just enough to look over her shoulder.
‘Yes?’
‘About last night—’ I began.
She cut me off. ‘Henry, I’m at work’
Work.
‘Of course,’ I said, trying to stop the disappointment from hitting my face.
She continued down the corridor, shoulders tight. I followed slowly, keeping distance. Watching the way she moved, like she had armour on. A slight tremble in her fingers was the only tell that she was even slightly affected by the previous night.
Amanda stood by the coffee machine in the kitchen, and I leaned on the counter, watching her. She stared very pointedly at her clipboard.
Finally, she spoke.
‘I don’t have time for complications,’ she said.
Complications.
As if what happened last night hadn’t rocked her the way it rocked me. Maybe it hadn’t. Maybe I was just a blip.
‘I didn’t think it was complicated, I thought it was hot.’
The way her pupils dilated gave her away, and I couldn’t help but grin. But she recovered instantly, her jaw tightening.
‘I need to go,’ she said, already moving.
I stared after her. She could pretend it didn’t happen. But I’d heard her moans. Seen the messages. Got a glimpse of the woman beneath the pristine exterior. And I wanted more.
Needed more.
And if the rest of the week kept going like that, I wasn’t sure either of us would make it to Christmas without exploding.