Page 17 of Loved By the Hacker

“Does it matter?”. We both knew it didn’t. I shook my head, and his hand covered mine. There was something in his eyes, something I couldn’t read. “Old enough to know better and leave you alone.”

“Really?” I didn’t like his answer. I tried to draw my hand back, but he didn’t let go. His grip tightened. Not painfully but enough to make it obvious that he was going to keep my hand in his. Why should he know better? Was there something wrong with me that he had cottoned on to quicker than Jack had?

“Whatever you’re thinking, get that out of your head, butterfly.”

“Oleg––“

“I’m serious. I don’t mean there is anything wrong with you, gorgeous. You’re perfect Too good for a man like me. It’s me. I’m older. I’ve seen… a lot. Done a lot.”

“Who hasn’t?” I shrugged, probably sounding naïve.

“True. You’re what? Twenty-eight?” I loved how he saw me through a lot kinder eyes. It wasn’t lost on me that I looked my age. Law school and practicing had paid their toll on me.

“Thirty-two.” My lips twitched, but his solemn expression didn’t change. He simply nodded.

“I’m ten years your senior,babochka.”

“That’s not the end of the world,” I answered, not ready to let go of him. “My sister and her new guy have a bigger age difference than that,” I argued because I couldn’t help it. I didn’t even mind the way it might have made me sound, like I was pleading with him to give me a chance.Who am I?

“Beautiful—“ he started to say, but it was me who interrupted him this time. Good or bad, my tall stranger wasn’t going to stay a one-night stand. I didn’t want that, and by the sounds of it, he didn’t want to, either.

He just needed to be persuaded.

“Would you like to go hiking with me? Or do New Yorkers not do that kind of thing?” I flirted, batting my lashes as I leaned in dangerously close. Being around Oleg made me forget my surroundings or that anything but the two of us existed.

“Hiking,” he repeated. His eyes dropped to my lips, and I immediately licked them, making a sound of agreement that probably sounded a lot more like a soft little moan at the same time. His jaw clenched and his dark eyes went molten. Warm and rich browns swirled with a hint of caramel.

“Please?” I whispered. “I think we could have fun.”

“Fun.” He swallowed, and the hand that had been covering mine moved up my arm, cupping my shoulder before he leaned in and kissed the delicate slope. “You think we can have fun hiking?” He peppered my shoulder with small deliberate kisses.

Kisses that were innocent and sweet for anyone who might pass by but felt like the complete opposite. My pussy wept and throbbed, aching for relief. Relief that no matter what I’d tried the last couple of days couldn’t be found. It was like my body knew the heightened levels of pleasure my sexy older man could make me feel, and it didn’t want anything else.

“I mean…” I chewed on my lip and tried to focus, but it was hard. Not only was his other hand now touching my thigh, his lips kept skimming my skin, sending rushes of electric warmth right through me, making it pool between my legs with a pulsing ache.

Hiking was probably the most unsexy date idea possible. You got all flushed and sweaty.There are bugs and dirt. Geez! At this rate, I was going to be single forever. I’d stupidly wasted my twenties with some moron who didn’t know how to find a clit if it had five hundred neon lights pointing at it when I should have been out having fun and meeting interesting people.

But is that what you want? To go flirt and meet other men?No. The man I was interested in was sitting right next to me as his hand crawled higher up my thigh. It was crazy. We didn’t know one another other than intimately. Would this be what my sister Olive called falling for his dick?

“It could be fun.” I shrugged, feeling a little defeated that he hadn’t agreed yet. His eyes glittered with something that I once again couldn’t read. I shivered when his hand moved up the back of my head and into my hair.

“Oh, I know it would be,” he rumbled. His eyes didn’t blink as he stared at me. He leaned forward, pulling me just a little closer so his lips brushed against the shell of my ear. “I told you what I thought about you being outside, naked under the moon. You and me alone and out with the trees?” I whimpered. “Getting to look at your beautiful ass in the sunshine as you walk in front of me while we hike? I could definitely enjoy that, baby.”

“Is that all you would enjoy?” The vulnerability was shockingly clear in my voice. I’d never felt so emotionally exposed. Not even close. Especially with Jack. It was why he used to call me his little ice princess, like he thought that nickname was cute versus mean. No, the mean things he called me were always saved for when we were alone and behind closed doors so the world couldn’t see that side of him.

Cold. Frigid. Useless.

“No,babochka, that is definitely not all I want from you.”

“Oleg,” I said his name with raw need.

“Fuck, I don’t think I will ever get enough of hearing you say my name.” I might have blushed, but I knew exactly what I was going to do. I wasn’t a bold person outside of the courtroom. Especially not when it came to sex. I leaned in, a breath from pressing my mouth to his, then stopped. Staring up at him, I knew there was no way I was going to stop the words I was dying to let slip past my lips.

“Come home with me.” My offer sounded like a greedy demand even in my ears, but by the way his hand gripped my thigh just a little tighter, I knew that he didn’t mind me being a greedy girl if it meant being greedy for him. Someone walked by, and I stilled, looking out, reminded once again that we were at the brewery.

“Can I get you guys any dessert?” our waitress asked. I shook my head, ready to get to my place, but Oleg pulled away. Anyone looking at him would have seen a calm man without a rush in the world.

“We will take a slice of your strawberry shortcake to go. And if I can close out my tab.

---