The Apartment (Apartment #1) (23 page)

“Oh my God,” Ethan panted, rolling his head back on his shoulders before looking at her again.

Lily devoured every inch of his sensitive flesh, licking her way back up to his broad tip and sliding her lips around him once more, eagerly bobbing up and down. She couldn’t believe that she was completely aroused again, her swollen folds slick with excitement from the sounds he was making.

After a few more strokes with her mouth, Lily felt his hands tugging at her jaw, signaling her to stop.

“What’s wrong?” she whispered, worried that she had somehow hurt him in her haste.

“Absolutely nothing,” he groaned.

“Then why did you stop me?”

“I was wondering. Do you remember what we did together a few days ago?” Lily stared at him blankly, her mind wandering over all of the amazing things they had done together recently. “What you asked me to do?”

“Oh!” Lily blushed, instantly flashing back to their steamy interlude with the stolen bottle of lube. “Um, what about it?”

“Well, I’ve heard that it’s supposed to be just as good for a man… during oral.” He looked at her pointedly before smiling. “Sometimes even better.”

“Have you ever?” Her cheeks were blazing now, but the thought of sharing something new with him was too intriguing to ignore.

“No. I’ve never—” he took a deep breath before continuing. “I’ve never trusted anyone enough to try it.”

“Well…” Lily thought for a moment. He was telling her that he trusted her, above anyone else that he’d ever been with. There was no way that she was going to pass that up. “I can try. I don’t want to hurt you, though. Is there any way I can make it easier for you?”

“Use this.” Reaching over in the dark, Ethan grabbed the notorious stolen bottle that had been sitting by his bedside like a trophy ever since they’d used it. He kept it there just in case; he wasn’t about to be caught unprepared if the mood ever struck her again.

Lily covered her fingers with the slippery gel before she took him in her mouth again, building him back up to a frenzy. As she worked him faster and faster and his moans grew more uncontrolled, she slid her hand down between his legs. Moving very slowly, she slid two of her fingers down to his rear entrance and made small circular motions, spreading the gel around the delicate skin. She heard his breathing hitch and felt him tense up involuntarily, but as she continued the slow movements he began to relax around her.

When she could tell that he was once again at ease, Lily started to apply more pressure with her middle finger, gently moving forward enough so that she was able to slip inside a tiny bit. He stilled his movements and held his breath; it was so quiet that she could have heard a pin drop. Hoping to distract him from any worries he might be having, she applied more pressure with her lips and tongue until he was moaning again.

Taking that as her cue, she pushed her finger deeper inside, feeling him opening to her slowly. This time, she didn’t stop until it was all the way in.

“Fuck!” Ethan gasped. It felt full and tight and the pressure was… good. So good. He was completely lost in sensation by that point, feeling her delicious mouth swallowing him whole while she massaged him gently from the inside. It was one of the most intense feelings he’d ever felt in his life, and when she started sliding her finger in and out, he knew that he was gone.

“Oh… oh fuck, baby. Baby, look at me!” His words were interrupted by rapid panting and the sharp thrust of his hips.

The moment her beautiful eyes made contact with his Ethan cried out loudly, exploding in a violent torrent of fluid that sent hot spurts down her throat. Unable to keep his eyes on her like he wanted, he squeezed them shut and threw his head back, drowning in the powerful waves of his release. Lily sucked him even harder as he rode it out, refusing to stop until his shaking had abated and he began to twitch from being too sensitive.

When he finally looked finished Lily gently removed her finger and the firm grip of her mouth. Watching him closely for the verdict on how she had done, she was thrilled when he lifted his head again she saw the fiery look in his eye.

“Get the fuck up here. Now,” he growled.

Before she could scramble up his body, she felt his hands gripping her sides and lifting her, pulling her all the way up until she was perched over his face. He looked up at her long enough to grunt something that sounded like “so fucking good” before pulling her down on him, directly over his mouth. He used everything he had to stroke her swollen folds: his tongue, his lips, his nose, even his chin. Pulling her down against him, he devoured her, lapping up all of her juices until she was bucking wildly, grinding herself into his face.

When her own release hit her, it was enough to make her shake so hard that she fell over, crumpling into a heap next to him. He pulled her to his side, holding her tightly and kissing her with all of the passion that he could no longer deny. She kissed him back hungrily, only stopping when she was too exhausted to continue.

They collapsed together again, Lily resuming her favorite spot on his chest. As they both tried to catch their breath, she peppered his warm skin with light kisses while he stroked her bare back.

Lily looked up at him, gasping. “God… that was…”

“Un-fucking-believable,” Ethan groaned.

“Exactly.”

After a few minutes of recuperation, Lily rested her chin on her hands and smiled shyly up at him. She never wanted to leave the warmth of his arms, and she was doing her best not to dwell on how scary that thought was to her.

“What’s that blush for?” he teased. “I can’t imagine after the night we just had that you have anything left to be embarrassed about.”

“I’m not embarrassed. It’s just that… this is nice, being here like this. I don’t have much experience with cuddling.”

Sadly, it was true. Lily had never been one for the overnight adventure, much more comfortable with her own bed when she woke up. Most of the losers she’d dated in college were more than happy to end the night with a bang, and none of them ever complained about not being invited to stay over in her bed. Whether that was because they were already out the door before she could ask is hard to say, but she liked to think that it was her choice. Even Scott, on the rare occasions they ever found enough privacy to have sex, had never slept over—or held her this closely when it was done.

“I don’t either, really,” he smiled back. “But I’m starting to see what all the hype is about. This is definitely something I could get used to.” He wiggled his eyebrows lecherously, making her giggle.

The morning light was starting to creep into the room, landing on the tips of his hair and making it glow the most amazing shade of flaming gold. Lily looked into his sparkling eyes, trying to ignore the violent pounding that it caused in her chest. There were times that his beauty alone could take her breath away, and combined with the warmth of his skin wrapped around her, she was ready to drift away into oblivion.

After a long stretch of silence had settled over the room, he spoke again. “Do you want to talk about it?”

“Talk about what?”

“Whatever had you so upset last night?” There was a genuine look of concern on his face, and it actually made her heart ache.

“I thought you didn’t want to know specifics,” she questioned.

“Well…” he ran his hands through his glowing hair for a moment as he thought. “I am simply pushing for anonymity. The only time people are truly honest about themselves is when it’s anonymous.”

“But how can I be honest about anything without giving things away?”

“I just don’t want to know who you are supposed to be to the outside world. I want to know who you truly are here. That’s all that matters to me. I never said that you couldn’t tell me a few incidentals along the way. For example, I noticed you were wearing scrubs last night. That leaves me to assume that you work in some sort of medical office. I don’t know if you are a doctor, a nurse, or a file clerk, but I don’t really think that’s giving too much away now, is it? I mean, you know what I do and still don’t know my name.”

“I never knew if that was your career or your hobby,” Lily defended. “I just knew that you were unbelievably talented. And I’m a nurse, by the way.”

“Thank you,” he smiled. She wasn’t quite sure if he was thanking her for her compliment or the added information. “Now,” he grew serious again, “something upset you so badly last night that you brought it here, to us. I think that should concern me. Just be honest and tell me what you can.”

“Okay.” She took a deep breath, thinking of how she wanted to proceed. “Well, let me just say that yesterday some very sweet people went through something horrible. I wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy. I was there when they got the news and I had to witness their hearts breaking into thousands of tiny pieces.” She glanced back up at him to make sure he was following her. He nodded in encouragement and began to stroke her hair gently; as she looked at him she could see his eyes soften in understanding. “The only thing they have to get them through this right now is their unbelievable love for each other.”

“That does sound upsetting,” he said quietly, still stroking her hair. It felt like warm silk threads under his fingers. “What made you come to me?”

“I didn’t really think about it at the time, it just… happened. Like so many other things with us. I just sort of drove and ended up here. I needed you to hold me.”

“You can always come to me,” he smiled, kissing her forehead. “I will hold you all night long if that’s what you need.”

Ethan pulled her even closer, more touched by her words than he cared to admit. He didn’t recognize the warm feeling that was flowing rapidly through his veins, but he knew that he didn’t want it to stop. He had a feeling that she was still holding something back that she wanted to say, but he wasn’t about to push her more than he already had. She would tell him eventually if it mattered enough.

“You did a whole lot more than just hold me last night, mister,” Lily laughed into his neck before planting a few light kisses there.

“Only because that was what you needed. You asked me to make it go away, so I did. Don’t get me wrong, I’m still reeling from how amazing last night was, but if you had told me just to hold you, I would have.”

Trying to lighten the mood, Lily laughed. “I’m not sure we could be so chaste together. I probably would have jumped you five minutes after we lay down.”

“Hey,” he pulled her chin up, forcing her to meet his eyes. “I’m dead serious. You can always come to me.”

“But for how long?” she whispered.

“What do you mean?” Ethan was puzzled by the instant look of sadness that took over her features.

“How long is ‘always?’ Are you planning on staying here permanently? For as much time as you spend here, you don’t really seem to live here. I’ve always had the impression that this was a ‘fun while it lasts’ thing for you, that you might pack up and leave at any moment. Am I wrong?”

She really wanted him to say she was wrong. She wanted him to tell her that he loved her and wanted her forever. She wanted him to tell her that if he left tomorrow he would take her with him.

“Well…” Ethan had absolutely no idea what to say. He had never felt so put on the spot in his life. Why did she care when he left if she was getting married to that Neanderthal? Wasn’t this just one last fling for her? He took a deep breath before answering. “You can come to me for as long as I am here, but as for how long that will be, I don’t know yet.”

“That’s what I figured,” Lily sighed.

“Hey, that’s no reason not to still come to me now. I don’t have any immediate plans to leave, and there’s still so much for us to share together. It could be months yet.” Panic filled him at the thought of never seeing her again. He couldn’t leave her just yet, that much he knew, but he was no fool. He knew that he was already too attached to her as it was; once she got married he would have to let her go.

As much as he enjoyed her company, he didn’t want to destroy her life.

Ethan knew that she was just a young girl having a sexual awakening. She loved the thrill of it at the moment, but she would never want to leave everything she knew behind. If she did, he knew she would hate him the second she realized that she had given up love for nothing more than a good fuck.

Tucking her head back down into the crook of his neck, he kissed the top of her hair quickly. “We can just have as much fun together as time will allow, and when all is said and done we will have these unbelievable memories to cherish. How does that sound?” He was trying his best to sound positive, but the thought of leaving her ripped him apart inside, and for some strange reason his eyes were stinging.

“Okay, yeah,” Lily whispered. “That sounds good.” She was thankful that he had hugged her closer when he did, that way he couldn’t see as she blinked away the tears that were welling up in her eyes.

They lay together like that for a few minutes in total silence. Suddenly Ethan’s phone chirped in the other room, breaking the melancholy feeling that had settled over them both.

“I should grab that,” he sighed, hating the coldness he felt the moment he let her out of his arms. “If someone’s calling this early it might be important.”

“Of course,” Lily smiled at him. As soon as he left the room she sat up and wiped her eyes violently, cursing herself for her stupidity.

Forget it. Just forget it all. Have your fun and move along, idiot. You can’t keep him
.

In the front room, Ethan was surprised to see his mother’s cell number on his display.

“Hello?”

“Ethan? Dear, are you awake?” Barbara’s voice sounded thick and raw, as if she had been crying all night.

“Mom, is something wrong? Is someone hurt?” He wasn’t used to getting calls from his mother very often over the last few years, and hearing her sound so obviously upset had him instantly on alert.

“I’m sorry to bother you so early, sweetheart. I just thought you should know that Maggie lost her baby late last night. She’s finally resting now, but your brother is more than a bit broken up over it.”

“Oh, I’m sorry to hear that.” He had known Maggie since he was a teenager, and even though they’d never had the chance to get really close, she had always been sweet to him.