Page 45 of Do It With Me

I suddenly had the most irresistible urge to take it into my mouth, so I sat up as he slid the drawer open, wrapping my lips around his tip with no warning. He let out a surprised groan that quickly melted into something richer, his hand sliding into my hair even as he reached for a condom.

Impressed with his ability to multitask, I wondered how much further I could take it, sliding my hand up between his legs to circle my fingers around the base of him. Another groan escaped, the muscles in his stomach dipping and his jaw suddenly tight.

His eyes rolled back as he dropped his head to face the ceiling, his hips thrusting lazily into my mouth. At this point, I was pretty sure I was getting his bedding all wet, but I didn’t care. I just kept going, reveling at how much I loved feeling him slide across my tongue.

A few minutes later, he practically tore me off him, rolling over to lie on his back and putting the condom on. When it was in place, his eyes were on mine and he reached for me, not saying a word as I straddled him.

Gazes locked, we fit together seamlessly as I lowered myself down on him. It felt like we were becoming a single entity. We moved that way too, rocking together until neither of us could hold back anymore.

The release was everything I needed, every knot of tension and every ounce of worry I’d been carrying since the bakery bombshell melting away under his touch. For just a little while, I forgot about the bills stacked on my counter and the building that might be sold out from under me, but the peace didn’t last.

As I lay there after, my skin still warm and his arm draped lazily across my waist, reality started creeping back in. The bakery was closing, the landlord was seriously thinking about selling, and I was one rent hike away from losing everything I’d worked for even if he didn’t sell.

I stared up at the ceiling with the rhythm of Holden’s breathing steady beside me, and my chest ached. Gratitude, guilt, and longing mingled into a complex cocktail of If Only.

Holden lived in a world where problems got solved with signatures and champagne. Mine needed duct tape and super glue. I wanted so badly to stay in this little bubble with him, but bubbles always burst, and when this one did, I already knew it was going to hurt.

I didn’t even care about his money or his business acumen. At this point, I just craved him. That was why I’d come here. It was why I’d goaded him into throwing caution to the wind and why I’d tossed away my own reservations, but I wouldn’t be able to stave off these shady developers if my business was bankrupt.

And if I didn’t get back to my own life soon, that was exactly where it was headed.