Page 69 of Ella Gets the D
His sin is my reawakening.
The flutters over my body turn into a shiver. My tongue darts out to lick my lips. “Yes,” I say with Jedi concentration to keep myself from humping the air.
When did I get this bold and carefree? I enjoy sex but have never been this forward.
His command comes in a slow drag. “Face the windows and spread for me.”
It takes a second to grasp that this call isn’t on video. Julian can’t see me from London.
Which means…
“Oh my—” The hand exploring my heat hovers over my mouth. I hold the other in a strong grip on the phone against my ear and slowly turn to the window.
It’s pitch-black outside. At least it was. Now the orange glow of a cigar outlines a seated figure facing me.
I switch the phone to my other hand, grasp the edge of the counter, and put distance between us. Only I miscalculate and meet the air, sending me and my topless body to the ground with a hard thump.
Chapter 26
Julian
Iwas six the first time I watchedTrue Lies. A stack of Blockbuster videos, ginger ale, and crackers kept me company in my father’s office while Langston Brooke held back-to-back meetings. It was a sick day from school, and my mother left a conference early to fly back, whip up some homemade onion syrup, and slick me in castor oil.
The elementary school me appreciated the big explosions and seeing someone ride a horse through a mall in my city. But the adult me, the man, appreciates Jamie Lee Curtis performing a striptease on a four-poster bed, all while her secret agent of a husband guides her—unbeknownst to his suburban wife.
Who knew life would bless me with the chance to reenact one of my favorite scenes in one of my favorite movies? I had no intention of smoking a cigar on my back patio when I got home, but how could I not with the show in front of me?
Watching Ella play out the desires in her mind has my dick straining against my zipper. It has to be a challenge for her to let go and put herself first. And my God, did she.
Like Arnold Schwarzenegger in the film, I was stunned into silence by the beauty before me, who has a body I yearn to worship in every way imaginable. And also like Arnold, I am on my feet the second seduction turns into an episode ofAmerica’s Funniest Home Videos.
From outside the glass, I watch the kitchen counter, now clear of the woman who stars in my fantasies. I can’t see her, but her groans are audible from the phone that took a tumble with her.
“You okay, sweetheart?”
“Yeah.” Another grunt. “Just down here, slowly dying from embarrassment. You have gorgeous flooring, by the way.”
Seconds pass until she resurfaces. Her top knot of curls leans to the left, and the robe that once exposed the most mouth-watering breasts is back in place. The hem hits the tops of her thick thighs, thighs I want wrapped on either side of my face. I match the step she takes to the window. “What are you doing here?”
Darkness conceals my shrug. “I live here, remember?” More silence. “I wanted to be here with you tomorrow.”
Another step.
“Why?” The question hangs on the confirmation she wants, not her confusion about my actions.
We’ve dodged this conversation every night, only to spend hours talking to fill in the blank spaces between us. Time might not be our ally, but that motherfucker can have several seats if it tries to object to the force that draws us together.
“Because I care, El.”
The truth of my confession steals her breath. I step into the light reflecting off the window and meet her smile. “Hi,” she says.
“Hi.” I point to the door on her left. “Can I come in?” Only a passcode separates us, but I won’t pass the threshold unless she’s comfortable. With a nod, she moves to the door, unlocksit, and steps back, leaving a stream of lavender that invades my senses when I enter.
The best video-call technology doesn’t do Ella’s beauty justice. I memorized the lines of her heart-shaped face and full lips. But seeing her in person now feels like the first time.
Our eyes lock, a mix of intrigue and sexual tension weighing heavy in the air. My restraint not to take her over the counter requires superhuman strength.
I lean in close and inhale her scent. “That was quite a show you put on.”
