Julia pressed the button that would start the “happy juice” production, then leaned on her elbows as she watched the coffee percolate. She felt strangely happy and relaxed, and yet, tense, waiting for Tony to wake up. He was still asleep at the moment so she could continue to live in her happy fantasy that they were a couple. That he would walk out of her bedroom and pull her into his arms to kiss her.
Grimacing, she knew that wouldn’t happen, but…wouldn’t that be nice?
Reality was probably more along the lines of Tony grabbing his clothes, giving her a quick peck on the cheek, and telling her, “I’ll call you,” before rushing out of her apartment. He’d say something about an important meeting or a work issue.
She knew the drill because…well, she’d pulled it on her last boyfriend. They’d been dating for months and Julia had finally given in to the need for affection. But by the following morning, she’d remembered that the guy wasn’t Tony and it wouldn’t work. That had been over a year ago. Or was it two? She couldn’t remember anything before last night.
The coffee maker gurgled and she grabbed a mug from the shelf above her head, pouring the steaming, fresh coffee into the enormous mug. Taking her first sip, she padded over towards the window seat where she’d stacked up pillows and a soft blanket. She’d taken the dogs out when she’d first woken up and threw the balls for them, wearing them out so that now they were all laying on their pillow beds, exhausted and sound asleep.
OB roused himself enough to come over and climb onto her lap, but fell asleep again as soon as he was comfortable. Absently, she scratched his ears as she stared out the window. This was her favorite place to read or just stare out at the people passing by. Most of the residents in the park across the street were paired up and most of them had kids, several had dogs, which barked and jumped around, eagerly smelling anything within range of their leashes. At night, it was a perfect spot to watch Ms. Scarlett and her grey haired posse try to get into mischief. It was also where she’d chuckle as Emerson or one of his deputies stopped the elderly mischief makers and drove them back to the senior center.
Snuggling into the pillows, she pulled the blanket up over her feet, scratching OB’s ears and watching the world go by while she waited for Tony to stir.
Twenty minutes later, she heard movement and smiled, thinking about how many times she’d fantasized about him being with her in the morning. Of course, during those fantasies, she was in bed with him and he rolled over to make love to her again. Most of the time, she was still asleep and he would kiss her awake, his hands moving over her body that had so recently been sated.
Her head leaned back against the wall as she tried to banish that image in her mind and replace it with a bit more reality. But reality sucked!
When Julia heard the shower shut off, she walked over to the small kitchen and pulled down a second cup. He probably wouldn’t drink it, but she liked the gesture of pouring coffee for him.
Moments later, he appeared in the doorway, obviously looking for her. “You didn’t leave,” he observed, his voice still rough from sleep.
She lifted the coffee mug and set it on the breakfast bar for him, a silent offering which she knew he would refuse.
“Your sweater is on the floor, over there,” she whispered, her eyes pleading with him to…what? To make love to her again? To hurry up and leave so she could get on with crying? She wasn’t sure what she wanted, but her eyes moved over his bare chest, and she thought about how she hadn’t had enough time to explore that large expanse of skin, to find all the places that would arouse him to that heated, frantic need she’d felt in him last night.
He took the mug and sipped the coffee. “If you keep staring at my chest like that, I’m going to take you up on that offer,” he told her.
Julia looked up at him, startled. And even more surprised when he came over to her, standing less than an inch away.
“Tony,” she whispered, biting her lip so she wouldn’t embarrass herself by begging him to make love to her again.
He placed a hand on either side of her on the countertop. “You smell good,” he purred, leaning closer.
Julia closed her eyes, trying to push her need aside. “If you’re going to leave, you need to do it fast. Don’t…don’t torment me like this,” she blurted, shocked by her honesty. It was there and she was trembling with the need to reach out and touch him. When he touched her, she opened her eyes, startled that he wasn’t hurrying out the door.
His green eyes looked into her hazel ones and she trembled, both fear and desire warring for dominance inside of her.
He lowered his head, his lips and jaw close. So close. His nose almost nuzzling her hair but…not quite. Close, but not actually touching at all.
She couldn’t answer. Answering might reveal too much about her feelings. But she couldn’t lie and tell him that she wanted him to leave either.
“I’m taking that as a ‘stay Tony’.” His lips pressed against her cheek, her neck, nuzzling that spot that felt so good when he kissed it just like that.
“Stay Tony,” she repeated with a groan.
“Why?”
Once again, she bit her lip, trying not to speak. He lifted his head away from her neck and she whimpered, wanting that touch back.
“Julia, be honest with me. If you want me to leave, if last night was just a one night thing, then tell me now.” He pulled back slightly, taking her hands in his and rubbing his rough thumb against the backs of her hands. “But I’ll tell you that I want you still. I didn’t get enough of you last night. So, if you feel like I do, then…say something.”
Tony stared at her, trying to figure out what she wanted, where her head was at this moment. But he couldn’t read her. Not with those beautiful eyes closed. And obviously, she was nervous about this morning. Last night had been…mind blowing. Incredible! Better than any night he’d ever had with a woman. Not to mention, this was Julia! Damn, he still couldn’t believe that he’d actually made love to Julia. After thinking about it so many times and in so many ways, he’d actually experienced the reality and…it was better than anything he had imagined.
But she hadn’t been in bed with him when he’d woken up. And it felt like she was pulling back now, trying to push him out the door. Although, when he touched her, she made those sexy sounds, just like she’d done last night. It was hot, and he couldn’t believe that she didn’t want to repeat last night’s activities.
“If I say yes, what does that mean?” she whispered, that tongue darting out, licking her lips and giving him wildly erotic ideas.
“Good question,” he replied and pulled her close, relief surging through him when she wrapped her arms around his waist and pressed her forehead against his chest. He loved the way her sandy blond hair tickled his neck and jaw, wanting to bury his face in the softness, just as he’d done last night. “I think it means that one night wasn’t enough.”
She laughed, shaking her head. “And you think one morning will be enough?”
He shrugged and she pulled back. “I think we should give it a shot.”
Julia laughed and he loved that sound. Always had. There was just something thrilling when he could make her laugh like that. He felt powerful. A bit like superman.
“Why don’t we try it?”
She looked at him skeptically. “Let me get this straight. We’re going to have sex this morning in an attempt to get this out of our systems?”
He liked the sound of that. Although, he would have said making love instead of have sex. And he didn’t want just today, but he’d take whatever he could with her.
“I think we should. I was distracted yesterday because I hadn’t seen you for a week. I was worried about you.”
His hands slipped under her soft camisole and he discovered that she wasn’t wearing a bra. Again! Damn, he loved that about her.
“And having sex will keep you from being distracted in the future?”
He chuckled, understanding that it sounded ludicrous, but if it got her naked, he was all for it. “Yeah. I think it is a worthwhile experiment.” He bent lower, nipping her earlobe even as his thumb slid along the bottom half of her breast, right below her nipple. He felt her sharp intake of breath. And he also noticed how she shifted her body, obviously trying to get his thumb to slide over the peak he knew would already be tight and delicious.
“We shouldn’t ignore science if it benefits the business,” Julia agreed, tilting her head back as he explored her throat.
Tony lifted her hands and placed them on his shoulders. “If we’re going to do this,” he said mock-seriously, “we should do it right. We should focus on the experiment.”
Julia laughed, a husky sound. But she squealed as he lifted her up and placed her onto the countertop. “What are you thinking?” she demanded, laughing as he leered at her.
Tony contemplated his options. “My first plan of action is to strip you naked. Maybe hide all of your clothes, so that you can’t get dressed again.” His hands proceeded to do exactly that. And since Julia was in complete agreement, she helped him.
“What about you?” she demanded, breathless and squirming, needing to feel him moving inside of her.
“We’ll get to that,” he replied, his fingers moving to her knees. “But first things first,” he teased. A moment later, he lifted her legs up onto his shoulders, causing her to fall backwards. She caught herself on her elbows as she stared down at his head between her legs.
“Tony…” she warned, remembering last night and how he’d teased her until she was screaming.
“Any last comments?” he asked, kissing down the soft swell of her stomach, then her hips, and finally her inner thighs.
“Just that…” her eyes drifted closed as she felt a finger caress her heat. “Yeah…um…”
“I take direction extremely well.”
She laughed, but then gasped and jerked slightly when his finger slid into her. “You don’t!” His finger moved in and out of her and she shifted, her hips dancing as she felt her body already getting too close. “You do not take direction!”
“Sure I do,” he slipped two fingers inside of her, teasing and making her squirm.
“You don’t! Last night, I begged and you didn’t help me.”
He pulled his fingers out and she gasped, looking at him with fury and desire in her eyes.
“Are you saying that you weren’t satisfied last night?” he asked softly. Ominously.
“Yes! I mean, no!” She shook her head and he slid his fingers back into her body as his tongue darted out, teasing that sensitive nub. From that point on, she had no idea what she was saying other than, “Tony!” or “Please!” Or “Don’t stop! Please don’t stop!”
And he didn’t! He took her over the edge into a climax that caused her to scream his name over and over again, her body arching and writhing while his hands gripped her hips, holding her where he could finish his torment.
After it was all over, Julia opened her eyes and stared up at the ceiling for a long moment. When she had the courage to look at him, she burst out laughing at his smug, victorious expression.
“Oh, so you think you’re free and clear?” she asked, sitting up and sliding down off the counter.
“I think that we have a problem,” he told her softly.
“What’s that?” She skimmed her fingers down over his chest. And lower.
He grabbed her hands and pulled them away. “I don’t have any more condoms here,” he admitted.
She stopped, looking up at him with a frown. “No more?”
He kissed her, thoroughly and deeply, his hands curving around her bottom to pull her up so she more perfectly aligned with his body. When he lifted his head, he explained, “If you would go get dressed, we could head over to my place. I have plenty there.”
She considered her options as he lowered her back to the floor. Tilting her head, she pressed back against his chest. “Or…” she began, her eyes lighting up as her fingers fiddled with the button on his jeans, sliding the zipper down until…
“Julia!” he groaned, trying to move her hands away. But it was too late. She’d already freed him and her fingers explored his shaft eagerly.
“It’s only fair that I get payback, Tony,” she told him and kissed her way down his chest. She loved licking every ridge of his stomach and discovered that he was a bit ticklish along the sides of his abs. Julia loved being in control.
“Julia! You don’t have to…”
“Shut up Tony,” she teased, then let her tongue tease the tip, tasting him.
“Damn!” he groaned, his head falling backwards as he gripped the counter behind him. “You have to hurry up. I’m not going to…”
He couldn’t finish that statement because she licked the spot just under the head where she knew he was extra sensitive. She heard him grumble something, but wasn’t really interested in anything he might say. So she opened her mouth and took as much of him as she could, her tongue teasing while her other hand wrapped around the base.
“Julia!” he shouted. A few more grunts and she almost laughed at the power she had over him now. Moving her mouth up and down, she flicked with her tongue and…
That was all it took. Too quickly, he was groaning even as he tried to pull her mouth off of him. But she wouldn’t let him and she held on until the very end.
When he groaned out again, she stood up, kissing her way up his chest and smiled at the expression on his face. She realized that she’d probably looked exactly like that a few minutes ago and laughed out loud.
The sound of her laughter caused his eyes to open as he looked down at her.
“Oh, you think you won that round, huh?”
She grinned. “Yeah. I think I won.” Spinning around, she grabbed her shirt and…well, she tried to put it on, but he wasn’t letting her. A sharp swat to her bottom caused her to burst out laughing as he carried her into her bedroom. “I thought you were out of condoms,” she reminded him, trying to catch her breath when he tossed her onto her bed.
“Get dressed, woman. I’m not even slightly finished with you.”
Julia loved this side of him and walked over to her dresser to grab underwear. “Don’t bother,” he slammed the drawer shut. “You won’t need that.”
She spun around, horrified by the suggestion. “I can’t leave here without underwear, Tony.”
He threw back his head to laugh as he pulled her in close. “Julia, do you really want to waste time arguing about this?” he nuzzled her neck again. “I have an unopened box of condoms in my bedroom and a bigger bed.”
She considered his words, then nodded. “You’re right. No underwear.” She grabbed a pair of leggings and a sweatshirt, then pulled her hair up into a band, unconcerned about what it looked like. At the last minute, she raced into her bathroom and put on a touch of makeup, feeling like she needed something.
He saw what she was doing and spun her around. “Don’t,” he urged. “You’re gorgeous without it.”
Charmed, she smiled up at him. “You really know how to make a woman feel beautiful, Tony.”
He cupped her face with his big, strong hand. “You are beautiful, Julia.” He kissed her softly. “Even when you’re as slow as a turtle.”
With that, he took her hand and tugged her out of the door. Julia barely had time to put the leashes on the dogs to bring them along, then grab her purse and keys but she was just as eager to be with him so she didn’t mind in the least.