His own admission caused him pause. If he counted their first meetups as real, he would not have been a dating coach but, rather, a man on a date with a woman... just like Grandma Song had wanted to pay him to do. This had been top of mind for him lately, because though he’d never accepted her job offer,she’d never accepted his refusal. And Tae had enough experience to know how misunderstandings could blow up.
Julia took a second to examine him, and Tae braced himself for what might come next. “Well, okay then, considering this is the longest relationship I’ve ever been in, it’s probably a good time for me to say this.”
“Say what?” he asked.
“Absolutely no one looks good in a puffer jacket. And choosing to live in climates that force one to wear what amounts to basically a sleeping bag with pockets around to survive the cold has never made sense to me,” she said.
“Okaaay.” Tae dragged the word out, trying to read between the lines. “Julia, if you’re trying to dump me for my choice in winter apparel, I’ll have you know that I own a wool pea coat, not a puffer.”
Tae caught the look of relief that quickly flashed in Julia’s eyes. He chuckled.
“I think what I’m trying to say is, well, I would be awful at long distance, Tae. And we haven’t really talked about what you’re planning, what’s next for you. I think something good is happening here between us.” A red flush spread over Julia’s neck. “But I need to know if you’re going back to Chicago before I get too deep.”
Tae was an asshole. He’d acted like he was the only one impacted by this decision about his future. But there were so many others, and he’d just been stringing everyone along.
“Truth is, Julia, I’ve been really unhappy in Chicago. I never told anyone this, but I didn’t even want to go in the first place. I was happy here doing what I was doing. But when Min got me the job, my dad sat me down and said he wanted me to go, to give this job and this life on my own a try. He and my mom were worried that maybe I was sacrificing too much of myself in order to help them. All I felt was that maybe they wereashamed of me, that I hadn’t accomplished more with my life, that they were pushing me out. So I went.”
“There’s no way your parents have ever been ashamed of you. I’ve never known anyone more proud of their child than they are of you.” She offered him a small smile. He was grateful. He wanted to believe it.
“It’s like the conversations you and I have been having about the pressures for Starlight and for your dating life. I think I was just feeling that same kind of pressure, to find success by a certain age... whatever that meant. And though I was moderately successful on paper, I was miserable. Everything felt very surface-level—my job, my relationship—and under it all was an emptiness. I battled depression at times. I wasn’t in a good place.”
He shrugged and released a deep breath. Tae thought back to days of overdrinking, lack of sleep, angry outbursts, dark days without getting out of bed. He didn’t recognize that person. Truthfully, there were still days when Tae struggled, he wasn’t going to lie about that. But it didn’t all feel as dark and hopeless as it had then.
And he did not want to go back to that place, geographically or metaphorically.
Julia reached over the table and put her hand on Tae’s, squeezing. “Thank you for sharing that. I’m sorry that it was so hard for you in Chicago. How are you feeling now that you’re back? Forget about you and me,” she said, pointing between the two of them. “Is this where you want to be?”
He squeezed her hand back. “I absolutely will not forget about you and me. You’re important to me. Important enough to be a part of the equation. And the answer isyes, I want to be here. I mean, when I first came home to take care of my family, it was a no-brainer. I was just focused on everything that had to be done, all while trying not to freak out about my dad beingsick. But as time went on, I felt important and appreciated and satisfied by just that—taking care of what people needed. And I know it doesn’t sound that impressive. But it’s what I want to be doing, and where I want to be doing it.”
Julia’s expression softened and then, within a blink of an eye, heated. She stood up, rounded the table and walked over to Tae, lowering herself in his lap, straddling him. She wrapped her arms around his neck. “You’re the most impressive person I know. You’re a good guy, Tae. So many of these Korean families don’t have anyone else to fill that one void, whether it be translation, or trust to not be swindled, or a person to call to just be there.”
Tae shrugged. “I’m no saint, Julia. In fact, I’m pretty selfish, if I’m being honest. Helping them helped me too. I don’t know that I’d do it if I wasn’t getting satisfaction out of it or if it didn’t take my mind off other stuff. But it feels good, it feels right, to be here. And this, between us...” he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer so that she rubbed against his hardness “...it feels right too.”
Julia pressed in even closer, a flirtatious smile spread across her face. God, she was beautiful. “Yeah, it does.”
He dipped his face until their lips met. She kissed him hungrily while grinding herself against him.
He quickly undid the button of her slacks and lowered the zipper. Julia’s breath quickened as he pushed his hand inside her pants. Her silk panties were drenched, and it made Tae’s hard-on push painfully against the zipper of his jeans. “Jesus fucking Christ, Julia, you’re soaked.”
“Tae,” she moaned as he pulled the silk fabric aside and ran his finger down her pussy. He repeated the motion, going from bottom to top, finally stopping at her clit. He rubbed his thumb over the tight bud. “Tae,” Julia cried out, more desperate this time.
Tae pulled his hand out and grabbed Julia by the waist, lifting her off his lap to standing between his legs. She pushed herbottom lip out and whined. But Tae had other plans for her that included more than just his hand.
He raised his eyes to meet hers as he slid both her slacks and her underwear around her ass and down her legs. “Step out, baby,” he said. She did exactly as he asked, and he gently pushed her core until she was leaning up against the dining table. “Lie back and open your legs for me, Julia,” he said.
She swallowed and opened her mouth. “Okay, Tae,” she said. She shimmied her ass onto the table, leaning back on her elbows. She hesitated for one second, trying to hide behind her bangs, but slowly opened her legs up for him. Tae took one look at her fully open and exposed, and he almost fell to his knees. Fuck, the power she had over him. His mouth was watering, starving to get a taste of her.
Tae sat at the end of the chair, his hands on Julia’s knees, spreading her completely open for him. He bent forward and gently kissed her clit. Julia gasped and then moaned with pleasure. Tae wrapped his lips around her and sucked a little harder.
“God, yes, Tae.” Julia could barely get the words out.
Tae let his tongue make its way down her folds, licking, pressing, devouring her. He loved the taste of her. If her wetness was the only thing he ate for the rest of his life, he’d be well-fed.
He pushed his tongue inside her, and Julia bucked. Tae pressed a hand to her belly and gently held her down as his tongue continued to lap her, moving his thumb to her clit and rubbing circles.
“Tae, oh God, I’m sorry. I can’t hold it. I’m coming, I’m—” Julia had barely given him any warning before he felt the pulse on his tongue. He kept piercing, licking, and circling her through her orgasm. When she’d hit her limit, Julia gently lolled her head to the side, looking down at him with a fucking gorgeous smile on her face.
Tae got up and stood over her, and Julia’s expression immediately changed. Hungry.
