He laughs and reaches out a hand, I take it and he pulls me to his chest. “Sometimes you just have to let the good be good, Jules.”
ten
“WHAT ARE YOU DOINGright now?” I ask JP over the phone, slamming my laptop shut. No more dissertation tonight.
“Finishing packing up my classroom for the year,” he answers.
I glance at the clock on the wall. “It’s ten o’clock on a Wednesday.”
“It was a long day,” he laughs a bit but I can hear the exhaustion in his voice.
I almost don’t ask, but it’s been nearly two weeks since we’ve really seen each other. “Come over?”
“Is this a booty call? Because I don’t do those.” I can hear the smile in his voice.
“No, this is a we-work-too-hard-and-should-order-food-and-snuggle. You in or out?” I flop back on the throw pillows on my couch, staring at the ceiling.
“Only if we get Thai food.”
“Done. What’s your spice level?” I ask, switching to speaker so I can pull up the menu to order.
“Two.”
“Oh, come on.”
“Fine. Three. I’m not going any higher than that,” he says.
“Weak.”
He laughs a deep, throaty laugh, and I’m instantly ready to run my fingers through his hair and kiss his lips. I’m hungry, yes, but mostly for him. Between his end-of-the-year activities, myjob, and working on my dissertation, we barely saw each other and were only able to communicate through text and late-night phone calls for the last two weeks.
“I’ll pick it up on the way. Just text me the place,” he says, and I do. “See you in a bit.”
Forty-five minutes later, there’s a knock on the door, and when I open it, there’s a half-second of hesitation as his gaze falls over my t-shirt and bare legs and then reaches my eyes with a slow, come-get-me smile. I leap into his arms, wrapping my legs around his waist as he stumbles into my apartment. Somehow, he manages to set the food on the counter while I tear off his shirt and unbutton his jeans. He scoops me back in his arms, and I kiss him like he is the air I need to breathe.
I rip off my shirt as he carries me to the bedroom, and he pauses mid-step. His green eyes mesmerized at the sight of me bare before him.
“Jules...” he says, his hands gripping my waist tighter before running his hand up and over my breast, and taking my nipple in his mouth. I moan, my head falling back as I dig my hands in his hair.
“I think I’ve missed you,” I pant as he lowers me on the bed. His shirt is somewhere in the hallway, and his jeans are now on my bedroom floor. I sit up and gently tug his boxers down and wrap my hand around him—touching, teasing, tasting as he slips a hand between my legs. I’m already pulsing for him, and a slow, sexy smile spreads over his lips as he slows down his movement and kisses me deeply.
“You are going to be my undoing,” he says.
I tilt my head back with a euphoric laugh, then moan as he trails kisses down my neck and guides my body back on the sheets. He rolls on a condom and situates himself between my legs, meeting my eyes.
The rush of passion and endorphins heat our gaze as he pushes inside me.
Thirty very satisfied minutes later, we’re eating Thai food naked, twisted in bedsheets and each other.
MORNING AND WORK CAMEtoo soon, and I have been back-to-back with patients since saying goodbye to JP at my apartment this morning, not even getting the chance to check my phone until lunch. I unlock my phone to a message sent three hours ago.
GUY FROM THE PLANE:Can you call me?
I glance at the clock. My next patient will be here any minute.
Me:Give me an hour.
He doesn’t respond, but it’s no surprise as I’m texting him three hours late.
