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  She glanced at the time. “We’d only have time for something quick. I called and said I’d be back a little late, but I don’t want to push it. What I’d really like to do is run home and put on some dry clothes, but I guess we don’t have time.”

  “That would take an hour or so. But, hey, we could go to Drayton’s studio, and you could dry off a little there at least.”

  “He’s not in.”

  “I know, but I have a key. He gave me a spare several months ago, and I never gave it back.”

  “Oh. Good. Let’s do that.”

  So they got out, ran by a café for sandwiches, and then walked across the street to Drayton’s studio. The place was dark when Mike opened it up, and Julia idly wondered if Drayton had been there at all today.

  It looked so unused. The computer was off. None of the lights were on. There was no paperwork or camera accessories lying around. If he’d just run out somewhere for an hour or so, surely he wouldn’t have put everything up so completely.

  “Where do you suppose he is?” Julia asked, taking off her raincoat and dropping it onto a chair in the small waiting area. In Drayton’s rented space, there was a front room, a studio, a dark room, and a bathroom/dressing room. He didn’t do many portraits, but he had it set up that way for the rare occasions he did.

  “Who the hell knows?”

  “I guess maybe he had a job come up at the last minute. He never returned my calls, so he must be busy.”

  “Yeah.”

  Julia didn’t like Mike’s expression—like resentment was simmering below the surface. “We can’t get mad at him when we have no idea what’s happening.”

  “Did I say I was mad?”

  “You were looking mad.”

  “So you can read my mind now?” Despite his dry words, his expression wasn’t annoyed. It was resigned and just slightly amused.

  She stepped over and pressed herself against him, stretching up to kiss his jaw. “Yes, I can read your mind.”

  He shifted until his hands were resting on her hips. A spark had ignited in his eyes. “There might be things going on in my mind that you don’t know about.”

  “Oh yeah?” She grinned up at him. Mike never left her with lingering questions and worries like Drayton. Mike never made it feel like the ground was falling away at her feet. “I don’t believe it.”

  “Well, believe it.” His voice had gotten a little thick, and his hands slid lower until they were skimming her bottom. “I’m not as simple as you think.”

  “I don’t think you’re simple.” She was still smiling as she pressed herself against his groin in a strategic motion. As she’d expected, he was starting to get hard. “I just know you pretty well. Like, I knew to expect this.” She rubbed his erection, making him release a muffled groan.

  “Maybe you don’t know me as well as you think.”

  His voice was light, and his hands were getting get presumptive, but the words still bothered her a little. She didn’t like the idea that she might not know Mike as well as she thought. She didn’t like the idea that he might be hiding things from her.

  She didn’t like it at all.

  “What don’t I know?” She’d intended her tone to sustain the sexy teasing, but it sounded just slightly insecure, even to her own ears.

  Mike’s expression changed, and he leaned down to kiss her softly. “Baby, I’ll tell you anything you want to know.”

  She exhaled, pulling her mouth away, and she gave him a little hug, feeling better, like he was her Mike again. Both of them were still damp, however, a fact she became aware of again as she dropped her arms. “Okay. First, I’m going to try to get dry. Then I’ll interrogate you on all the secrets you’re keeping.”

  He chuckled appreciatively as she went to the bathroom. It was well-equipped—even had a hair-dryer—since occasionally Dryden had models there. She found a towel and worked on her hair again, using the dryer to get rid of the worst of the wetness. Then she pulled off her suit jacket and decided she might try to use the hair dryer on her blouse.

  She really didn’t want to go back to work in a wet top.

  She was starting to unbutton it when the door behind her swung open.

  Stupidly, she gave a little squeal of surprise.

  Mike frowned at her from the doorway. “What the hell? It’s just me.”

  “I know.” She relaxed immediately, smiling at him over her shoulder. “It’s instinct, when someone barges in when you’re undressing.”

  “I thought I was allowed to barge in when you’re undressing.”

  “You are.”

  He gave her a lazy smile and lowered himself in the big armchair in the corner, crossing his arms in front of his chest. “My question is why you’re taking your clothes off by yourself here in the bathroom.”

  “They’re wet.”

  “And they’ll get dryer when you’re not wearing them?”

  “They’ll get dryer when I use the hair-dryer on them.”

  “I see.” He laughed softly and kept watching as she continued unbuttoning her blouse.

  For some reason, she felt both hot and self-conscious. There was no reason for it, but his watching her undress like this felt more intimate than even when he saw her naked in her bedroom. It wasn’t a bad feeling, though. It was strangely exciting. So she kept working on the buttons with slightly trembling fingers.

  “Are you cold?” he asked, the guttural rasp in his voice stronger than ever.

  “A little. Not too bad. Why?”

  “You’re trembling.” His eyes lingered on her fingers, then lifted slightly to focus on her breasts. “And you look cold in other ways too.”

  She glanced down and saw that her nipples were very tight, poking out visibly through the lace of her bra. For no good reason, she felt a pulse of desire between her thighs. “Well, I’m wet, and I’m taking my clothes off.”

  “I know you are.”

  She was shaking all over now, but not from cold. She was suddenly really turned on, and it only got stronger as Mike’s eyes ran up and down her body.

  “I thought you were going to take your shirt off.” Mike slouched down farther in the chair. He was slightly flushed, so she thought he must be turned on too.

  “I am.” She pulled the blouse off her arms and draped it on the towel rack.

  “Take off your bra too,” Mike said, a kind of rough authority in his tone that made her pussy clench.

  “What?”

  “Take it off.”

  When she glanced over at him, he gave her a little smile and added, “It’s wet too, isn’t it?”

  “Yeah.” She slowly reached around to unhook her bra and pulled the fabric away from her skin, conscious of Mike’s hot eyes on her as she bared herself to his gaze. She was breathing fast and shallow, and the air felt cool against her naked skin.

  “Now your skirt too. I want to see all of you.”

  She had no idea what had gotten into him—he wasn’t usually like this—but she liked it. She was so aroused she could barely stand still as she unzipped her skirt and let it drop to the floor.

  She did lean over to pick it up and hang it neatly near her top, since she didn’t want it to wrinkle. She had to return to work that afternoon.

  “Take everything off,” Mike said, in almost a growl. It felt like his eyes were devouring her body.

  She slid off her panties so she was completely naked in front of him. “Is this what you wanted?” she whispered.

  “Fuck, yeah. Turn around for me.”

  She turned in a circle, letting him see every inch of her body. She wasn’t entirely happy with every part of her body, but she felt incredibly sexy and desirable in the heat of his gaze. “Now what?”

  “Get over here.”

  She stepped over until she was standing directly in front of where he sat in the chair. ‘Did you want something?” she asked, staring down at the visible bulge in his pants.

  “You know what I want. Are you going to give it to me?” />
  “Of course.” She smiled, suddenly as affectionate as she was aroused, and she reached down to pick up his hands and place them on her hips. “You can take whatever you want.”

  He made a throaty sound and pulled her into his lap. He kissed her hard while, at the same time, positioning her so her legs were folded on either side of his hips.

  The chair was big, so there was plenty of room, and she helped by unzipping him so she could free his cock.

  He was big and hard and warm in her hands as she held his erection in position so he could ease her body down over him. She moaned at the penetration and couldn’t control herself very well. She moved over him eagerly for a few seconds, trying to intensify the sensations of his penetration.

  “Fuck,” he rasped. “That’s so good, baby.”

  She gave a little whimper and managed to control her motion into a steady, pleasing rhythm. After all, she wasn’t a fumbling virgin who couldn’t manage to be on top.

  It was harder than she’d expected to sustain the slower rhythm, since her body was screaming at her to let go.

  Mike was rocking beneath her, matching her motion, and his eyes kept crawling over her naked body. “Don’t hold back, baby. I love how much you want this. Take me as hard as you want.”

  She let out a choppy exhale as she released some of her control and rode him harder.

  “Harder, baby. As hard as you want.”

  He seemed to know exactly what she wanted, so she let go of her inhibitions. She gasped with effort and pleasure as she bounced in his lap. He was holding her breasts so they wouldn’t slap against her chest. For some reason, it was even hotter because she was completely naked and he was completely clothed. He was still holding onto control, while she’d let go with wild abandon.

  “You’re so good,” he grunted, his body tightening beneath hers. “Oh, baby, you’re always so good.”

  His words, as much as the motion, kept pushing her toward climax. She was almost sobbing now as the sensations kept building. It felt like she and Mike were alone in the world—and the only thing that mattered was the way they felt now, together, just like this. “Oh, God,” she mumbled, fumbling at his shoulders, searching for something to hold onto. “Oh, God, Mike, I’m gonna come.”

  “Yeah, baby. Come hard for me. Just for me.” His hands lowered to her hips, his fingers digging into the soft flesh.

  “Yeah. For you. Oh God!” She bit her lip to stifle the cry of her release, her body shaking through a surprisingly hard climax.

  Mike was grunting as he held her down on his lap and bucked up into her from below when a climax took him as well. She felt him release inside her, felt his body jerk a few times as he gave her everything he had.

  They were both gasping as she collapsed onto him, loving how he wrapped his arms around her.

  “That was good,” she heard herself gasping. “So good.”

  “Yeah, it was.”

  “I can’t believe I lost it like that.”

  “You should lose it more often.” His arms tightened as he held her, and after a minute he started to stroke her hair and her back. “You’re amazing, Julia.”

  She smiled against his shoulder. “So are you.”

  She heard him let out a deep breath. There was something that struck her as unusual about it, so she pulled back enough to look at his face. It was flushed and sated and pleased—and something else that was almost possessive.

  The hand he’d been using to stroke her hair adjusted so he was cupping her cheek. His eyes were deep and intense and urgent in a way she just wasn’t used to. Not with Mike, who was always so laidback. “What is it?” she asked, stroking his jaw with her fingers.

  “What do you mean?”

  “I don’t know. It just looked like you were going to say something.”

  That particularly intense look dissipated. “Nah. Just that if you ever feel like taking a lunch break like this again, I’m your man.”

  She giggled and leaned down to kiss him. She’d intended it to just be a quick peck, but he held her face against his and deepened the kiss with his tongue. When she finally pulled away, she was breathless with another rush of emotion.

  She snuggled up against his chest, letting him hug her close again.

  “I wonder where Drayton is,” she said, mostly because she was starting to feel a little guilty about not missing Drayton at all.

  She felt Mike tense up slightly, his post-sex languor evidently passed. “Who knows?”

  “He doesn’t seem to have been here at all today.”

  “For longer than that.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I don’t know. But there’s dust on some of the shelves out there. I don’t know when he last used this studio.”

  “But where else would he be developing all the photos from his shoots?”

  “I don’t know.”

  Julia straightened up so she could look down at his face. “We’re probably just overreacting. Maybe he just hasn’t had clients here for a while, so he’s let some things slide. I’m sure he’ll call soon and let us know what’s going on.” With a sigh, she climbed off his lap and went over to her clothes. “I guess I need to get back to work soon. And so do you. You’ve got to get back to your boring meetings.”

  ***

  Twenty minutes later, they were in Mike’s SUV, and he was driving her back to work. They’d eaten their sandwiches quickly before leaving the studio.

  She was later returning to work than she’d intended, but she could use the excuse of car problems—which was true and would defy any further questions about her extended lunch break.

  No one needed to know she’d also fucked a man hard while she was gone.

  “I never got to interrogate you on the secrets you were keeping,” she said, slanting a look up at Mike.

  He flashed her a quick smile as he parked in front of her building. “The full interrogation will have to wait. For now, you get to ask one question.”

  “And you’ll tell me the truth?”

  “Of course.”

  She thought for a minute and asked the first thing that came into her mind. “What’s your worst childhood memory?”

  The question was almost flippant, but she saw Mike’s expression change as he reflected. He stared down at his hands on the steering wheel as he said, “I guess that would be when my mom walked out.”

  There wasn’t any sort of strong emotional resonance in his tone, but Julia’s breath hitched anyway. “I knew your parents were divorced. When did she leave?”

  “I was eleven. She was an alcoholic, so life with her was never easy or stable. But I loved her. She was my mom. And I came home from school one day and she was…she was just gone.”

  “Damn.” Julia reached over and put a hand on his arm. “I’m so sorry. What did your dad say?”

  “What could he say? Tell me my mom didn’t love me enough to stick around? He made up some sort of excuse, and every day I hoped she would come back.”

  “She never did?”

  “No. I never saw her again.”

  “Did you ever try to look her up?”

  “No. I don’t want to see her.”

  Julia’s chest ached with feeling, and she was sorry she’d asked the question. Mike had never told her any of this before, and it felt like there were depths to him that she’d never even realized. “I’m sorry to bring it up like this. I didn’t…I didn’t know.”

  “I know you didn’t. It’s fine.” He gave her a wry, little smile. “I told you I’d tell you anything you wanted to know.”

  A sudden insight flashed into her mind. “Is that why you never got married? Because of what happened with your mom?”

  He looked at her for a long time—and then turned his head to stare out the windshield. “I guess so. It’s hard to trust in things like commitment when you didn’t see them lived out.”

  “So I guess a relationship that offers sex and no emotional obligations is just about perfect for you then
.” She pitched her tone to be teasing, but something felt poignant in the words. They made her chest ache. Like something was lost in the world because Mike was too wounded to give his heart.

  He had such a good heart.

  He released a raspy exhale. “Yeah. I guess.”

  “That doesn’t sound very confident. You’re happy, aren’t you?” Her voice broke on the last two words as she felt a spike of fear.

  She’d been restless lately, but she was sure the feeling didn’t mean their relationship needed to end. She thought the restlessness meant it should get deeper—give them all more of what they needed.

  She hated the idea that Mike might not be happy in it.

  His eyes shot back to her face.

  “With me and Drayton, I mean.” Her throat felt tight, and her heart was racing for some reason. “You’re happy. Right?”

  He didn’t answer immediately, causing cold fear to wash over her.

  “Mike?”

  His eyes softened in that way she loved, and he raised a hand to cup her face. “You make me happy. I’m not about to leave you, baby.”

  She let out a deep exhale and leaned over to kiss him. “Good. Because I’d fight to keep you. You know that, right?”

  He smiled against her lips. “I’m glad to hear it—because you better believe I’d fight to keep you too.”

  Three

  When Julia graduated from college, she’d gotten a job in the Accounts Payable department of a local software company. Nine years later, she was now the manager of the department. While she wasn’t particularly brilliant or ambitious, she was efficient, dependable, and agreeable, and those traits paid off quickly in a company such as hers.

  She liked her job well enough. She didn’t mind the responsibility, and she liked the increased salary that came with every promotion. With it, she was able to indulge herself more often than she had when she was younger—like buying the strappy designer heels she slipped on her feet on Saturday evening.

  Looking in the mirror, she decided she looked quite nice in her new shoes and the dark blue cocktail dress. In the last couple of years, she’d finally grown comfortable with her body—accepting she’d never be built like a model. She looked pretty damn good in size eight and the occasional size six. Drayton and Mike certainly seemed to appreciate her body.