Page 70 of Irresistible Temptation
“Do you have any idea who left the photo and note?” asked Gabriella.
I shook my head.
“God, Mia is such abitch,” grumbled Sarah. “I wouldn’t be surprised if it was her.”
I hadn’t thought about that possibility until now, but it seemed too diabolical for someone who was just the “mean girl” of the office. She might not like me or be jealous of me, but she wouldn’t go that far to threaten me.
“All this stress isn’t good for you,” said Sadie worriedly.
“Or the baby,” added Gabriella.
“I know. I’ve got to figure my life out,” I said with a sigh.
Our server came by with an armful of trays, balancing our various dishes. We decided to each order something different, so we could each try bites of each other’s. We also ordered the garlic bread that could feed a small army and a large bowl of house salad. We dug in right as the food hit the table, the savory aromas too good to wait on.
I slurped a noodle in carbonara sauce down, letting out a low moan of satisfaction.
“Careful, girl,” said Sarah, twirling her fork in her spaghetti and meatballs. “You might get pregnant again from the food.”
I picked up a small piece of garlic bread and tossed it at her, causing our table to burst out in laughter. It felt good to laugh.To be surrounded by friends. I already loved New York, but they made it even better. Icouldraise a baby here.
Once our check was paid and our bellies were full, past the point of stomaching one more bite, we all walked out onto the sidewalk. The city was enveloped in a dark, cloudless sky. We all hugged goodbye, and I was so happy to see everyone had hit it off so well. Piling into separate cabs, we took off in all directions toward our homes.
Feeling sleepy from all the food, I immediately put on some cozy, loose-fitting pajamas upon entering my apartment. I quickly washed up and padded across the hardwood floor toward my bed. It looked so inviting and I was looking forward to passing out in my food coma. I peeled back the covers and slid underneath.
But sleep did not come. Even though my eyes were heavy and my stomach was full of some of the best food I had had in a while, I couldn’t get comfortable. My mind was wandering too much. Thoughts of the past, the future. I couldn’t wrap my head around the idea of seeing Chester tomorrow. It felt like it had been months since I had last seen him. Maybe that was because so much had changed between us in just a week.
I rolled onto my stomach, burying my face in the pillow, trying a new position for sleep. Unsuccessful, I rolled onto my back with an annoyed sigh.
“Go to sleep,” I whispered to myself in the dark.
I needed as much energy as possible to face Chester tomorrow morning, to find it in me to go through with quitting, knowing it would really be the end of us.
Was there ever even anus?
We had known each other, what, two months? Yet, this felt like a heartache I had never felt before. Not with either of my long-term relationships. I wondered what that meant. Maybe I was blinded by lust. The excitement and passion I felt with Chester was unmatched. But that wasn’treal. It was a fleeting affair that was consuming, but over too soon. It was probably better this way, for us to crash and burn. If I felt this way now, it could only feel worse with more time.
His face entered my mind, unwelcome, yet handsome. I tried to block out the chestnut color of his eyes and the way his hair fell into them when he was coming undone. It felt like I had been the only person to make him that way, to lose his professional demeanor to his wants. Hemademe feel that way, like I was the only person to make him lose control. Like I was the only person he had eyes for.
I tried to push away the way his lips curled into a smirk that was faint enough to miss, but sexy enough to be completely distracted by. I missed the way his lips felt against mine, either soft and gentle or crashing into a passionate kiss. There was no in between.
For as mad as I was at him, or wanted to be, I couldn’t help but miss him. I couldn’t help but want him.Needhim.
My eyes fluttered closed as I remembered the way his hands explored me like I was a prize he had won, prideful and claiming. His fingers gentle as they trailed my skin, strong when they roved between my legs. Circling. Stroking. Curling into me.
I ran my hand down my abdomen, fingers trailing along the cotton fabric of my pajama top and further down until they reached the waistband of my pants. I slid my hand under the soft fabric and shuddered as they lightly traced along my inner thighs. I arched my back slightly, imagining it was Chester’s touch heating my insides.
So badly, I wished that the hard muscles of his body were pressed against me, encasing me in his warmth as he teased me with his slender fingers. I ran my thumb over the most sensitive part of me, circling it slowly, making me gasp. My mind was a collage of every time we had come together as one, thrilling me as my thumb moved faster. I dipped a finger into my slick opening, letting out a breathy moan, imagining the ripples of his lengthy cock reaching the very core of me.
I called out his name, too lost in the moment to feel foolish for it. I slid another finger in, moving faster. It didn’t take long to make myself shudder with ecstasy, releasing against my hand under the cool sheets. I called his name as I came, my back arched high before I collapsed onto the plush mattress in a satisfied, exhausted heap.
I finally drifted off to sleep, spent from my own hand, pretending Chester was there curled around me. I could almost feel his warm breath against my shoulder, steady as he slept beside me. Iswore a tear fell down my cheek as I fell into the darkness of my dreams.
Chapter 28
Chester
The dull sounds of early morning traffic stirred me from the sleep I was in. I rolled over in bed, rubbing my eyes, as I looked around the bedroom of my apartment. Pale, gray light filtered through the edges of the blackout shades, an indication that it was the early hours of the morning. I peered at the glow of my alarm clock and the red numbers confirmed that it was barely 5 a.m.
