“We should talk about the other night,” I clarified, forcing myself to meet his gaze despite the flutter in my stomach.
Langston pushed off from the wall, taking a step closer to me. In the small elevator, that single step brought him nearly within touching distance. “What about it?”
“You asked me to stay.” The words hung between us loaded with meaning beyond their simple syllables.
“I meant it. Every word,” he responded, his voice dropping lower.
Another step, and now he was definitely in my personal space. He was close enough that heat radiated from his body. My back pressed against the elevator wall with nowhere left to run.
“Langston…” His name came out like a warning, though I wasn’t sure if I was warning him or myself.
His eyes dropped to my lips, then back up to meet my eyes. “Tell me to stop. Tell me you don’t want this, and I’ll back off.”
The challenge hung between us for several heartbeats. I should tell him to stop. I should maintain some semblance of the independence I’d fought so hard for. I should remember gettinginvolved with Langston Black again would only complicate an already complicated situation.
Instead, I grabbed his tie and pulled him toward me, closing the last bit of space between us.
Our lips met as his hands framed my face, thumbs stroking my cheeks as his mouth moved over mine with hungry precision. I arched into him, my body remembering exactly how good we were together, how perfectly we fit.
“Fuck. You drive me crazy, you know that?” His rare profanity sent a thrill through me.
“Feeling is mutual,” I responded before his mouth was on mine again, more demanding this time, his tongue sliding against mine, making heat pool between my legs.
I was barely aware of my purse sliding to the floor as Langston’s hands moved down my body, one tangling in my hair while the other gripped my hips, pulling me against him. The evidence pressed hard against my stomach, and I rolled my hips instinctively, drawing a groan from deep in his throat.
“We shouldn’t. Not here…” I whispered unconvincingly as his mouth trailed kisses around my neck, finding the spot below my ear, making my knees buckle.
“Tell me to stop,” he challenged again, teeth grazing my earlobe, hands already hiking my skirt upward.
My answer was to wrap one leg around his waist, as I ground myself against him. His hand slid up my thigh, fingers teasing the edge of my panties in a way that had me blowing out air. He dipped his fingers into my wetness and tasted them.
“I need you,” he murmured, voice strained with restraint as his fingers slipped beneath the fabric, finding me already wet for him.
I was lost in sensation — his fingers stroking me, his mouth hot against my throat, the solid wall at my back keeping meupright as my legs threatened to give way. My hands fumbled with his belt, desperate to feel him again.
“Yes, Langston, please.”
His thumb circled exactly where I needed it. My pleasure built in waves, making coherent thoughts impossible.
The lights suddenly flared to full brightness, and the elevator jerked into motion. Causing us to spring apart like guilty teenagers, the spell was broken by bright lighting and the imminent arrival in the lobby.
“Shit,” Langston muttered, hurriedly tucking in his shirt and fastening his belt.
I frantically smoothed down my skirt and adjusted my blouse, trying to look like I hadn’t been thoroughly kissed against an elevator wall. My purse was still on the floor. The contents spilled out. I crouched to gather them, using the moment to try to compose myself, to slow my racing heart and cool my flushed cheeks.
When I stood, Langston was watching me, desire still evident in his eyes despite his now straightened tie. “Aven, I?—”
The elevator dinged cheerfully, doors sliding open to reveal the empty lobby. Whatever he was about to say got swallowed by the sudden exposure, the private bubble of our encounter bursting in an instant.
We stepped out together, keeping a distance between us, aware of the security cameras in the lobby. The night security guard glanced up from his desk, nodding in acknowledgment.
“Power surge. The whole block went dark,” he explained unnecessarily.
“We noticed,” Langston replied. His voice was impressively steady.
I couldn’t look at Langston. I did not trust myself to give everything away with a single glance. My body still thrummed with unfulfilled need. My skin was sensitive where his hands andmouth had been. The lobby suddenly seemed too bright and too exposed after the intimate darkness of the elevator.
“Let me get you home. I know you’re exhausted,” Langston commented. His professional mask was back in place, though I caught the slight roughness still present in his voice.
