His other hand moves to my back, sliding up and down it in a motion meant to soothe me. It does. I melt into his arms like a snowflake against a hot piece of metal.
"God, Maya," he whispers those words into my mouth before he nips at my bottom lip. "You're making me so hard. Christ, I'm hard."
He is. I feel his erection between us, pressing against me. It's thick and swollen.
A part of me wants to fuck him right here, on the kitchen counter. I wiggle against him, wanting him to take more.
He pulls back a touch to look into my eyes. His breathing is as labored as my own. His skin is flushed.
"Now, that's what I call a kiss."
The sound of an unfamiliar voice snaps us apart. Julian turns around and I grab for the edge of the counter as I crane my neck to find the source of the interruption.
"Irene," I say her name under my breath as I run my hand along my now swollen bottom lip.
I focus on her and Tom and one of the hotel doormen standing a foot behind her.
"We didn't mean to interrupt." She shakes her head. "I must have dropped my scarf when we were dancing. The sweet doorman brought us back up."
I shake off the arousal that has claimed every inch of my body and soul and I take a step toward the main living area. "I'll help you look for it."
"That kiss reminded me of my first kiss with Tom," she says quietly as she steps in place beside me. "That man adores you, Maya. You're a very lucky girl."
I look back at Julian who is already sliding his suit jacket back on.
"I'm a very lucky man, Irene," he says as he steps forward to pick up her scarf from where it fell next to the sofa.
I smile as I watch him hand it to her. "I have a meeting to get to. It was a pleasure meeting you both. I'll call you later, Maya."
He walks away and I suddenly hope that the promised call will include an invitation to dinner.
"Why the frown, sunshine?"Tilly asks as she fills a pot with water and places it on my stove. "I come over to cook dinner for my sister, and she looks like the world is about to end."
She's being overly dramatic, as usual.
I'm disappointed. I was anxious to talk with Julian after I realized that he'd left his silver cufflinks at the penthouse. I thought about going to his office to return them, but when I called his personal cell to ask if he was available it went straight to voicemail.
A quick call to his assistant also went to voicemail and by the time she finally called me back, she told me that Julian had left for the day and asked her not to disturb him unless it was an emergency.
Lost and found cufflinks don’t constitute an emergency in my books.
"I was hoping to have dinner with someone else."
She holds the knife in her hand over her chest. "Way to stab me in the heart, Maya. Why don't you go ahead and tell me that you love Frannie more than me? You might as well twist the knife in there while you have the chance."
I laugh. Frannie and Tilly are identical twins. Naturally, I can tell them apart because I've known them forever. They were born a year-and-a-half after I was and being their big sister has always been the highlight of my life.
Frannie's settled into her daily routine in San Francisco with her high school boyfriend who is now her husband. They have two daughters, a beautiful home, and an enviable life.
Tilly is the one who envies it the most. She's always wanted to have a life that mirrors Frannie's. When she couldn't find it back home, she moved to New York to chase the dream.
"I love you exactly the same," I say with a grin. "You know that I do."
"I know you love me this much more." She holds her index finger and thumb apart by an inch. "I won't tell Frannie though."
"What are you cooking?"
"A box of our favorite macaroni and cheese and I bought some fresh bread," she answers quickly. "I'm no chef, Maya. Don't expect big things from this kitchen when I'm in it."
