“Ya kin be rougher than that, lass.” My brogue thickened as the pressure inside me built. “Ya willna break me.”
She tightened her grip, and my eyes closed. “Like that?”
“Aye.” I shoved a second finger inside her. In and out, I twisted them every other time, my thumb strumming over her clit.
She whimpered as my knuckles rubbed against her g-spot, and her forehead fell forward onto my shoulder. Losing her rhythm, she swiped her thumb over the head before sliding her hand down to the base. Her fist worked in short, erratic movements, and her breathing came in bursts that told me she was close. Fingernails lightly scratched up and then down my sensitive shaft, sending a bolt of pleasure through me.
Noise from outside permeated the room. Counting. A countdown. As the other guests chanted from ten…nine…eight…
Keli gasped, her body jerking forward. Her muscles clamped down on my fingers, but my thumb was still free. I pressed it hard against her clit, and she bit down on my shoulder to keep her cries muffled. The pressure through my jacket and shirt wasn’t much, but the knowledge that I’d made her lose herself so completely was heady. Her hand stilled, all of her focus on her own orgasm, but I was close enough that I didn’t need much more stimulus. My hips rocked forward and then back again, pushing my cock through the circle of her fingers once…twice…
“Fuck.”
In the background, I could hear people yelling, but my brain wasn’t quite functioning enough yet to place the sound.
“Happy New Year,” Keli murmured as she rested her head on my shoulder.
Right. New Year.
As my post-orgasmic haze cleared, I realized what a mess we’d made of ourselves. There was only so much clean-up we could do here, and I was grateful for it. Perhaps it made me a jerk, but I wasn’t interested in lingering here any longer, and it was only due in part to this.
I stepped back, grimacing at the feel of my now-wet boxer briefs against my skin. I washed my hands in silence, then handed Keli a damp paper towel before getting one for myself. As I did the best I could with what I had, my mind raced, searching for a way to tell her I wanted to leave without coming across like a cad.
Even after I figured that out, I knew I had other things to deal with as well. Like how I would explain dropping her off at her dorm rather than having her come home with me or getting another hotel room together. Or how, now that the holidays were over, there’d be no more long hours spent in bed or meals in expensive restaurants. If we saw each other, it’d only be for mutually beneficial sex, and the trysts would be short.
I just hoped our incompatibility everywhere but in sex was as clear to her as it was to me. She was a sweet, funny young woman…but she wasn’t for me.
No one was.
Ten
Keli had understoodthings better than I’d expected. My explanation that I had an important project that needed my attention had been readily accepted. Perhaps I had misjudged her intentions, mistaking her boredom at being alone at university between semesters for a clingy personality.
Ester had come back less than a week after New Year’s, complaining about how her parents had given her a ten o’clock curfew, and then classes had started two weeks ago. With Keli being busy, she hadn’t bombarded me with calls or texts or invitations.
We’d sent messages back and forth a few times over the last three-and-a-half weeks, mostly setting up meetings for quick rounds of sex whenever the two of us had breaks in our hectic schedules. If she wanted more, she hadn’t said anything, and I could hardly be expected to read her mind.
I hadn’t lied about the project, though I did feel slightly guilty at implying it was entirely my responsibility and no one else could handle it. I could have delegated a few things, but it needed to be perfect. I could have Miranda take point and completely trust that she would do a great job. This, however, needed my personal attention. It had nothing to do with having an excuse to slow things down with Keli without actually having to talk about anything real.
I hadn’t heard from her in two days, so when she called in the middle of the afternoon and I’d just finished dictating an email, I answered.
“Alec! I’m so glad you’re there!” Her voice was almost shrill with excitement. “I know you’ve been super busy at work, and I would have waited if it’d been anything else, but when I got the news, I just had to tell you because it’s so amazing–”
“Keli, what is it?” I hated interrupting, especially since she was clearly happy, but I had a feeling if I didn’t, she’d forget to breathe at some point.
“Oh, sorry. I was talking too fast. I do that sometimes.”
Just when I was about to remind her that she still hadn’t shared her news, she finally did just that.
“I have an artist showcase!!”
At least this wasn’t an answer I needed to think about. “Congratulations! That’s wonderful!”
“Thanks.”
And then she was off again, but I didn’t plan on stopping her this time. At least not right away. Even in the short time we’d known each other, I knew how important this was to her, how she’d see it as the beginning of the grand life she foresaw for herself. I’d have to have been the worst sort of bastard to not let her share this moment.
“…so even though I’m only a freshman, Professor Elliot said that I could take Ambrose’s spot. It’s on February nineteenth, but I already have more than twelve paintings, so the hardest part will be deciding what I want to use. Ester said she’d help me choose, which is good because I’ve never been able to choose a favorite, let alone which ones I should use for my first ever showcase…”
