After we got dressed, Miles drove to the grocery store and I filled the cart with healthy staples for his pantry and refrigerator, some chicken breasts and ground beef he could store in the freezer, some deli items, a loaf of bread, and plenty of fruits and vegetables. “I’ll leave you some easy recipes, OK? That way you’re not eating junk all the time.”
“Cinnamon buns. Cinnamon buns. Cinnamon buns,” he panted as he pushed the cart.
“Oh, for heaven’s sake. OK, I’ll grab the ingredients for buns. Want some bacon and eggs with them?”
He nodded happily. “Yes please.”
We went back to his apartment and put everything away, then I started breakfast for us while Miles made coffee.
“I’m glad to see you have a coffee pot. And one decent pan.” I shook my head. “Tell me I’m imagining things and that’s not all plastic in your silverware drawers.”
Miles winced. “Ummmm…”
“Jesus, Miles!” I opened and shut several cupboards and drawers. “Not even a spatula?”
He looked offended. “I have a spatula.” He opened the dishwasher and pulled out a wooden spoon. “Here.”
“Oh my God. Forget it. At least you have measuring cups.”
“Yeah, I think my mom gave me those. I’ve never actually used them.”
I managed with one pan, a wooden spoon, and some plasticware, and we stuffed our faces with scrambled eggs and thick-cut bacon and strawberries dusted with powdered sugar and cinnamon buns dripping with glaze.
“Told you it would taste just as good with plastic forks,” Miles said with his mouth full. “And think how fast the cleanup will be without real plates.”
I rolled my eyes. “Now I know what to get you for Christmas.”
When we were done, we lay on the couch, rubbing our full bellies and swearing we’d go for a walk as soon as the rain let up.
“This rain is killing all my plans for today,” Miles complained. “I wanted to take you to a game at Comerica Park, but it looks like a rain delay. Do you want to go to the art museum or something?”
“You know what? I’m fine just hanging out here if you want. I’m so busy on the days I work, I don’t really need to do anything but be lazy today.”
“That is perfect, because it just so happens that I am awesome at lazy. I fucking own lazy.” He rolled to his side and put his arms around me. “Let’s do this all day. But take breaks for sex.”
I laughed. “Don’t you want to write?”
“If I feel like it, I will. Right now I’m happy.”
“Me too.” I couldn’t remember the last time I’d taken a nap so early in the day, after I’d done nothing but eat breakfast, but I was so relaxed and comfortable, I shut my eyes and let it happen.
We fell asleep to the sound of the rain, and when I woke up, his arms were still wrapped around me. It surprised me about him—that he liked to cuddle this way. I’d have thought he was one of those guys who likes the sex but not the closeness, but it seemed as if he liked both. I did too.
For a moment, I let myself wonder what life might have been like if we’d kissed on the Almost Night. Would we have fallen in love? Stayed together? Miles wouldn’t have been able to get the reputation he had, so what would he be writing about instead of sex? Would we live together? Would this be my apartment too? I swallowed hard. Would we be married by now?
Or maybe it would have gone the other way. Maybe we would have broken up while he was at college because he couldn’t keep it in his pants. Maybe we’d have fought and I’d have gotten back together with Dan. Maybe we wouldn’t even be friends now.
My throat squeezed. I didn’t want to think about that. I liked the other scenario better—the one where we fell head over heels and made it work somehow, even though we were so different. Too bad our timing had never been right. We might have been good together.
We would have been good together.
I sighed, and Miles shifted behind me. “You awake?”
“Yeah.” My voice was weak.
“Everything OK?”
“I guess so.”
“What is it?” He pulled my shoulder back so he could see my face.
“I don’t know. Maybe the whole breakup thing is hitting me now.” It was a lie, and I felt guilty about it since he was always swearing he told me the truth, but how could I admit that I was sad about us? That we’d never been given a chance? He’d tell me I was nuts, wouldn’t he?
“Hm. Well, we can’t have that.” He tapped a finger on his chin. “What should we do? Want to watch cartoons? Or porn? The internet has such a good selection of both, sometimes I have a hard time deciding between them.”
I laughed. “You don’t say.”
He looked out the windows. “Or, you know what? I think the rain let up a little. Want to go out for a walk? Grab a drink?”
“Actually, that sounds nice.”
“That means we have to get off the couch though. And this is really fucking comfortable.” He squeezed me tight, laying his head on my shoulder. “Never leave me.”
Stop it, Miles. I’m confused enough.
“OK. Now let me up.”
He sighed dramatically, but he released me from his grip and I forced myself to get off the couch.
Upstairs, I went into the bathroom and took a few deep breaths, reminding myself to keep this time with him in perspective. No good would come of falling for a playboy like Miles Haas, especially so soon after breaking up with Dan. That had disaster written all over it. Yes, I’d promised to let myself make some mistakes in the future, but that could not be one of them. I plastered a smile on my face as I went down the stairs. “Ready.”
We walked down Woodward through a light drizzle and ended up at the Grand Trunk Pub, where I got tipsy on mojitos and tried not to think about going home tomorrow.
“So what will we do for my last night here?” I asked.
“I’m going to take you out.”
“Out where?”
“To one of my favorite places in the city. It’s old school Detroit, a classic.”
I clapped my hands. “The dress-up date?”
He nodded and took out his phone. “I should probably make a reservation, although on a Tuesday night, it won’t be that crowded.”
“Go ahead,” I told him. “I’m going to use the bathroom before we leave. And let me buy the drinks this time. You’ve been treating me long enough.”
“I enjoy it.”
“My turn,” I said firmly, pulling a twenty from my wallet. “Tell her to use this please.” I walked away before he could argue.
In the bathroom, I fussed with my hair in the mirror and wondered what I should do with it tonight. The dress I’d packed was strapless, and sometimes I wore my hair up when my shoulders were bare. Maybe I’ll ask Miles what he prefers. I got a little flutter in my belly thinking about getting ready for a night out with him—almost like we were back in school and he’d asked me to the Prom or something. Or like we were a married couple going on a date night.
Stop it. The more you fantasize about this stuff, the more disappointed you’re going to be when the magic wears off and you’re just friends again.
But the flutter stuck with me as I walked back through the bar, and intensified when I saw him stand up and wait for me. I couldn’t keep the smile off my face.
Then he handed me my twenty. “Here. Save your money. You need it for your loans.”
“Miles!” I slapped his arm. “You were supposed to use it for the drinks.”
“Well, I didn’t.” He tucked it into the back pocket of my jean shorts, taking the opportunity to feel my butt.
I giggled, pushing his hand away. “You’re terrible. There are people in here who don’t want to see you grabbing my ass.”
“Only because they are jealous.” He took my hand as we walked to the door. “Oh fuck, look at that rain.”
While we’d been inside, it had started pouring again. I looked up the street. “How far are we?”
He shrugged. “About a ten minute walk. And you’ve got your camera. Want me to call a car?”
“Nah. It’s in the case, and I like rain. Let’s just run.”
Suddenly his face lit up. “Remember the time we camped out in the orchard with your sisters and it started to rain?”
“Yes, and they were such babies about it and went inside and we stayed out there until my mom realized it was thundering and made us come in too?”
He nodded. “You were furious that your mom made me stay on the couch because you wanted me to sleep in your room.”
I laughed. “Yes! I totally remember that. We were what, like ten and eleven at the time? I didn’t understand why she wouldn’t let you.”
He leaned close. “But you know now.”
“Yes.” My cheeks warmed as I thought about our last few nights together, and a little rush of desire swooshed inside me.
“Then let’s do it. Because now I’m thinking about being in bed with you and your mom can’t tell us what to do anymore. Want to go get naked?”
I didn’t even hesitate. “Yeah. I do.”
Without another word, he grabbed my hand and we ran out into the summer rain, Miles groaning and me squealing as it drenched us in under a minute. We moved quickly, skirting Campus Martius and racing up Woodward hand in hand. When we got to his building, our shoes squeaked across the floor as we hurried for the elevator, both of us anxious to get up to his apartment.
Out of breath and soaking wet, we stood at the back as a few more people got on, and Miles brought our hands in front of his dick, pressing them not so subtly against his bulging erection. I gasped. To torture him—and myself—a little, I braved rubbing the back of my hand up and down on it, keeping my eyes straight ahead. Next to me, I heard Miles stifle a moan by clearing his throat, and I hid a smile.
When the doors opened on the twenty-third floor, he yanked me through the crowd and pulled me roughly down the hall. We barely made it inside before we went at each other, our mouths crushed together and tongues lashing inside, our hands tearing wet clothes off and flinging them any which way. Unable to wait, we dropped to the wood floor right there in front of the door.
He was inside me in less than thirty seconds, his cock driving hard and deep, his eyes dark and wild with lust. My head knocked against the door and I flattened my palms against it, pulling my knees up alongside his ribs and wrapping my legs around his back.
“This feeling,” Miles panted. “Right here. Being inside you after all this time, your legs around my body, your skin against mine, your pussy around my cock. Seeing you look at me that way. It’s all I want.”
“Me too.” I fought for control of my breath, of my voice, of my heart. It was pounding inside my chest, clamoring like a caged animal trying to escape—but I couldn’t let it. I couldn’t let it.
“What are you doing to me?” he rasped. “Why can’t I get enough of you? What is this?”
“I don’t know.” I bit my lip to keep from saying more. But I feel the same, and I’m confused and scared and it’s crazy and impossible and I’m out of control.
He brought his mouth to mine and I greedily sucked his tongue into my mouth. Faster and faster he drove into me, his cock grinding against my clit, until the world turned silver and started to hum.
No longer caring about my head banging the door, I grabbed his ass and pulled him into me, rocking my hips beneath him. He buried his head in my neck as he came, his body going still as his cock pulsed inside me, and my body answered in kind, contracting around him over and over again in blissful harmony.
When his body had gone still, I held him close to me, stroking his back, his hair, his neck.
“God, I’m going to miss you when you’re gone.” Still breathing hard, he picked his head up and looked down at me quizzically. “What the fuck is that about?”
I smiled, but a pang of longing shot through me. I’ll miss you too. “No, you won’t. You’ll have some other girl on your couch as soon as you’re back.”
He tipped his head to one side, like he was thinking about it. “Probably. But I’ll still miss you.”
I rolled my eyes to cover up how hurt I was before squirming out from beneath him. “I better go shower. We’ll be late for dinner.”
He let me go.