Page 38 of Office Hours
I finally close the distance between us, blocking her in near the window. “Simone, listen to me. I haven’t slept since I saw you with that asshole jock. He doesn’t deserve you. No one does. Especially not me.”
Her hands drop, the posture faltering. Her mouth softens, just a fraction. “I went out with Dylan because I thought you didn’t care,” she says, voice small now. “You said that this thingbetween us was just for fun. That we’re adults, nothing serious. So I tried to play along.”
I want to touch her, but I don’t. “I lied. I care. I care so fucking much I can’t stand it.”
We stand in the quiet, both of us a little stunned by the admission. The sunlight stripes her cheeks and neck, drawing lines I want to erase with my hands. I don’t know who moves first, but suddenly her mouth is on mine, angry and hot, and I’m pressing her against the wall of books, one arm braced to keep from breaking her, the other tangled in her golden locks. She feels so good, so right in my arms, and my heart leaps and then falls in my chest.
She bites my lip, hard, and I groan into her mouth.
“You’re such an asshole,” she says, and pulls me closer.
I taste her anger, the desperation under the bravado. Her fingers dig into my shirt, pulling me tight to her chest. I feel the heat radiating from her skin, the way her thighs press to mine, the pulse in her neck jumping under my tongue as I trail kisses down her throat.
“You’re all I think about, Simone,” I mutter, words melting into her clavicle.
She pushes me away, only to slap me across the face, not hard but sharp enough to make my ears ring.
“I hate you,” she says, and then she kisses me again, deeper, with a violence that feels like drowning.
The office is hot now, the air a haze of dust and pheromones. Somewhere in the hallway a phone rings, but neither of us cares. My hands roam under her shirt, finding bare skin, the rise andfall of her ribs. I want to ruin her, claim her, tattoo myself into her memory so she’ll never be able to fuck another guy without tasting me first.
Her breath is ragged. She tears at my buttons, popping two before giving up and clawing the shirt off over my head. I barely get her t-shirt off before she’s in my lap, straddling me in the rickety old office chair, her skirt riding up so high I can see the damp spot on her panties.
I’m hard, so hard it’s stupid, and she grinds against me, mouth at my ear.
“You’re not allowed to fuck anyone else,” she whispers. “Ever.”
“Not even if you want me to?” I tease, but it comes out desperate.
She bites my jaw, then pulls back, staring at me. Her eyes are wild, but there’s something soft in them, too. “Why do you even want me?”
I want to answer, but the words are a mess. Instead, I kiss her, slow this time, the kind of kiss you give someone when you’re trying to memorize them. She melts, all the fight going out of her, and I realize I’m losing, too.
I press my forehead to hers, eyes closed.
“I’m sorry,” I say, and it’s the truest thing I’ve said in years.
She wraps her arms around my neck, holding on like the world might disappear.
“I’m not,” she whispers.
We sit like that, tangled together, the chaos of our bodies matching the mess inside my head. The sun slants lower, turning the dust motes gold. I know we can’t stay like this, not in thisplace, not in this life, but for a second I let myself believe we could.
She shifts, rolling off my lap and straightening her skirt. Her cheeks are flushed, hair sticking to her forehead, but she’s smiling.
“Don’t ever treat me like that again,” she says, trying to sound tough, but her voice is thick. “I almost died seeing you with another woman.”
I nod, and reach for her hand.
“Never,” I promise, even though it’s a lie. “I almost died seeing you on a date with another man.”
We’re both breathing hard, hearts synchronized in their chaos.
There’s a knock at the door—a sharp, impatient knock—and I freeze, adrenaline slamming through me.
Simone laughs, then presses a finger to her lips.
I shove on my shirt, pop the button into the wrong hole, and look at her, my hair wild, my face raw with want.
