Giddy excitement raced through me when the buzzer to my apartment punctuated the silence. I set down my e-reader and rushed to the keypad. The camera outside showed what I’d hardly dared to hope: Scott, waiting to come in and see me.

It had only been five days since he’d last visited. Since he’d spanked me and fucked me hard enough that I was sore the next day, a sweet reminder of our time together.

I immediately buzzed him in, flinging open the door before he even stepped across the building’s threshold. I beamed at him as he strode down the hall, closing the distance between us. He returned my smile. How did I keep forgetting how heart-melting his perfect grin was? And how panty-melting.

My sex grew wet with desire just at the sight of him. When he finally reached me, he caught me up in a tight embrace and captured my lips with his.

“Hi,” I breathed against his mouth when he finally released me.

One corner of his lips tugged up in a cocky, lopsided smile. “Hi, yourself. Are you going to invite me in?” He leaned closer, so he could whisper in my ear. “Or am I going to have to fuck you in the hallway?”

I shivered and took a reluctant step back, allowing him to enter my apartment. “I’m not an exhibitionist.” My banter was ruined by the way my voice shook. My emotions were raw, almost manic. I was flying high, and I never wanted to come back down. I loved how I felt when I was in Scott’s presence: safe, revered, content.

“Neither am I,” he rumbled, his eyes glinting. “I want you all to myself.”

A delighted laugh bubbled from my throat. “You’re being silly.” I tried to puncture the sexual tension before I combusted.

His arm wrapped around my waist, and he pulled me close so I could feel his erection pressing against my belly.

“Does this feel silly to you?”

My breath caught, my levity instantly heating to lust. “No.” I licked my lips, feeling both vulnerable and powerful at the same time. The dichotomy was intoxicating. “I’ve missed you.”

He gave me a sly smile. “You missed me? Or my cock?”

“Both,” I said, my tone low and sultry.

“Good,” he half-growled. “Because I missed you. And your pussy. I need a taste.”

I bit back a wanton moan. I hadn’t liked oral in the past, but I’d become addicted to the decadent sensation of his mouth on me.

Still, guilt nipped at me. “You know I can’t reciprocate,” I said softly. “I just can’t.”

He sobered slightly, pressing a kiss against my forehead. “You don’t have to reciprocate. And you don’t have to talk to me about why, unless you want to.”

I shook my head. “I’d rather not.”

I didn’t want to ruin our time together by unpacking my baggage on him. Tucking my damage in a far corner of my mind, I leaned into him, cupping his nape so I could pull him closer.

“Fuck me, Sir,” I whispered.

His features tightened with hunger. “Good girls say please.”

“Please.”

He picked me up and tossed me over his shoulder, landing a sharp slap on my thigh. “Too late. I’m going to eat your pussy until you’re begging me to drive my cock into you. I’m not going to let you come until you really mean it when you say please.”

I squirmed in his hold, my body heating in response to his wicked promise.

He kept that promise. By the time he finished with me, I was trembling and boneless. He rolled off me and pulled me against his chest, cuddling me. I closed my eyes and drifted in my post-orgasmic haze as he gently stroked my back in the way I loved.

After a while, I stirred with a contented sigh. I started to trace little circular patterns on his chest, indulging in the warmth of his body against mine.

“When will I see you again?” I asked, trying not to sound too desperate. “I leave for Italy three weeks from today. I’m going to Sorrento and the Amalfi Coast.”

My heart twisted as I spoke. I was prodding him for information. Would I see him again, once I left England? Would he be able to visit me if I wasn’t a short train ride away? So far, he’d only been able to spend a few hours with me. International travel might not be possible.

“I’m not sure,” he replied, his tone ambiguous. I couldn’t read any emotion in his expression. “I can’t make any promises.”

“But you’ll come back, right?”

He shifted, moving me off him so he could get to his feet. “I should go.”

“What? So soon?” I knew I sounded needy, but I couldn’t help myself.

I frowned at him and folded my arms over my chest, a protective gesture as well as an annoyed one. “So that’s it?” I demanded. “You’re just going to fuck me and leave?”

He started pulling on his clothes.

“Talk to me.”

He met my eye, but his face was still impassive. “What do you want to talk about?”

I threw up my hands, exasperated. “I don’t know. Tell me something about yourself. Anything. Don’t go like this, without sharing anything with me. I’ve shared so much with you, and I don’t know anything about you, other than the fact that we have amazing sex.”

His features hardened to stone. “You know I can’t share anything like that with you.”

I sat up, my fists balling at my sides. “I don’t know that. And I think it’s bullshit. I’m not going to look you up or dig into your past. I’m not going to jeopardize your job if you share with me. It’s okay to be vulnerable around me.” I took a breath, trying to calm my roiling emotions. “You have been vulnerable with me,” I said, more quietly.

His jaw ticked, the motion almost imperceptible. He took a step back and finished buttoning his shirt.

“Please.” I resorted to begging, hoping that would sway him. “Trust me.”

“I do,” he said in a monotone.

“Then why won’t you talk to me? Really talk to me. I’ve placed my trust in you, and you’re not reciprocating. Tell me something real. Drop the stoicism and be real with me. Be vulnerable. I won’t judge you.”

This time, he flinched at the word vulnerable. He straightened to his full height, so he towered over me. “You’re asking for something I can’t give you. I have to go now.”

My chest tightened. He was going to walk away. He was shutting me out, because I’d pushed him too hard.

But what I’d said was true: it was bullshit that he wasn’t letting me into his life. It meant that he didn’t see a future with me.

I hadn’t allowed myself to really contemplate a future with him, but knowing he’d already closed the door on the possibility made my heart ache.

In that moment, I knew he wasn’t coming back for me. He might return to fuck me a few more times, but he wouldn’t come for me. Not in the way that really mattered.

“Goodbye, Addison.” With the clipped farewell, he walked out of my apartment, leaving me cold on the bed.

I couldn’t help fearing that I detected a note of finality in the words.