Theodore’s eyes snapped open. For one long minute he couldn’t recall where he was. Not unusual for him given he often woke up in a different hotel room every week.
A wash of warmth ran over his skin when a very soft, very female body snuggled up against his back. A soft murmur followed.
Alice.
He’d been balls deep inside her half the night. Guilt should creep up on him any minute. But it didn’t. Rather, he hardened. He twisted to face her. “Hey there. Dream of me?”
Her eyes grew wide and she gasped. She scrambled to sit up more, and cold air hit him as he slipped from under the sheet. Arms whirling, he fell backward to the roughest carpet his skin had ever had the displeasure of connecting with. “Fyck me.”
“Oh, sorry.”
He coughed a little, scrambled up. “Good god, that’s a first.”
“You’re naked.” Clutching the sheet to her breasts, her eyes glanced down at his morning half-mast. “And truly a redhead.”
“Truly. And what’s this carpet made of? Burlap?”
“Again, sorry, you just surprised me. I…forgot it was you. I often wake up not knowing where I am. But usually alone, and…”
Ah, so they had that in common. But forgot? “Wound my ego, will ya?” He grinned. “And got to say, that’s the first time a woman’s kicked me out of bed. Especially not after I made her eyes roll back into her head. More than once, I might add.”
She scoffed at him. “What time is it?” Her hands slapped around as if searching for something. “Where’s my phone?”
Hell if he knew where his own mobile was, let alone hers. He stretched his neck “Probably with your clothes. Abandoned in the living room. Ripped from your body like a wild animal.”
“Are you trying to make me feel slutty?”
He scooted back on the bed. “Are you into that? Because if you are, I can—”
She slapped his shoulder, rather hard. “Ow, please tell you aren’t a sadist.” Her rubbed his arm.
She kicked at the sheets and inched her way to the other side of the bed. She yanked them around her and stood. “No, I must be a masochist because we…” she waggled her finger between them. “… had a deal. Broke it. Then made a new deal. And then I didn’t go back to the office. And you didn’t go back. And we didn’t establish the counter story…” She clung to the sheet. “On Monday they’re going to think…” She stared up at him, slack jawed.
The woman was truly horrified, and quite frankly, giving him whiplash. One minute she was a seductress and the next was one step away from joining a convent.
“They’ll think what they think.” He knew enough about office politics and gossip. One couldn’t contain either. “Besides, it’s a little late for us to be over analyzing things, although, what I’m thinking right now…” The taste of her still sat on his tongue.
She pursed her lips. “I suppose you’re right. But still—”
“Alice.” He held out a hand, palm up. “Get your spectacular breasts back into his bed. I have more worshipping to do.”
Her face softened and she cocked a hip. “Spectacular, huh?”
He leaned back against the headboard, put his hands behind his head. “Yes. You think they’re all worshipped out?”
She dropped the sheet, stood there in all her glorious defiance. This woman was something. Uptight and far too worried what other people thought, but could turn fun and cheeky a second later.
She finally smiled. “So much for staying ‘north of your privates’ as you said. I don’t know what came over me last night.”
“We couldn’t help ourselves. You’re too hot and I’m too adorable.”
She snorted, slapped her hands across her mouth.
“Okay, you’re right. Adorable is too soft…” He pitched his torso, let his growing erection bob in her direction. “…of a word for me and my state.”
“What about NBD?”
Yes, what about it? “Bae Day is waiting for us… after this weekend. Monday we go back to work, and our original plan. Like we decided. No time for second thoughts now.” He patted the bed next to him. “So, time’s a wasting. I only have 36 hours left to introduce you to my favorite position.”
She finally fell back to the bed but didn’t lie down. “What’s that?”
“I’ll tell you when we’re in it.” Finally she smiled.
He leaned forward to kiss her and she scrambled on top of him. It took them another hour to even consider leaving her bed, finally landing in the shower. He’d also never one so long before—until they were both pruny and spent. He also learned tile echoed. He only hoped the neighbors weren’t too upset by the noise—mostly from Alice.
But he was ready to make the most of the weekend. Three months without sex until National Bae Day? Every time he thought of it, his cock woke up as if needing to gorge itself before the fast.
~~~~~~
Hand in hand, they slowly strolled around the Jefferson Memorial. They’d stopped at his hotel so he could get clean clothes. It was a battle not to fall back into his bed but Alice was proud of her resolve. He didn’t push the issue either. Rather, he suggested a walk and a little sight-seeing—preferably where they’d never run into anyone they knew, he’d offered. She appreciated that discretion, and the time to move her growing sore limbs. Their night had been… acrobatic.
“I can’t believe you haven’t ever been here,” Alice said as they made their way along the edge of the tidal basin. The Jefferson Memorial Park was almost empty. Then again, in January, it wasn’t exactly a hot spot for most people. “How many times have you been to DC again?”
“Four times. Never got further than a block from any of the hotels.”
“That’s some dedication to work.” She liked that about him. She was beginning to like a lot of things about him. Like how he walked on the outside, closest to the road but then switched his position when they got close to the water as if to shield her from falling in.
Then, there were his skills in the bedroom. Who knew? Looking at him, she would have thought he’d be wound as tight as Big Ben’s winding mechanism. Rather, he was the opposite. Free and open. Ravenous in his sexual appetite.
He lifted his face up to the sun. “Nice day. Almost like spring.”
She laughed. “It’s 35 degrees.” Thank god the warmth from his hand was keeping her digits from falling off. At least the snow had melted. Nothing but a few piles of sooty slush was left here and there.
“Where I come from anything above freezing is like summer.”
Ugh. She’d die. “You really have to be here when the cherry blossoms are in full bloom. It’s like snow falling all around you.” She’d only made it down to the tidal basin during blooming season one time a few years ago, but it was one of her most favorite things she’d done since moving to DC five years ago.
“I’ll put that on the list. For April 18. It’s International Day for Monuments and Sites.”
She slowly shook her head. “How do you remember all of those?”
He tapped his forehead. “Photographic memory.”
She stopped short, her hand slipping from his. “Seriously?”
“Truly.” He grasped her hand again, which was good because unlike her companion with his thick British skin, she immediately began to shudder.
He must have felt it, as he lifted her hand to his mouth and huffed hot air over her skin. To think she thought this man was as strange as one gets two days ago. Now her panties couldn’t stay dry around him.
“You’re a surprise, Theodore.”
He winked at her. “You, too, Alice. Let’s learn more surprising things about one another.”
He drew her to a bench, swiped his hand over it checking it for moisture or dirt, then gestured for her to sit with him.
They stared silently for a few minutes over the dirty basin water and the ducks that glided along the edge. She wanted to ask him questions but didn’t know where to start. The cold air did little to wake up her brain–except for one thing. Theodore had said his ex-girlfriend married his ex-best friend. That had to have been really hard.
“I do have one question for you.” She curled her fingers around his hand.
“Fire away.”
“What happened between you and your ex-girlfriend?” She watched his face closely to see if she’d crossed a line.
“Hmmm. Hard story.” His jaw tensed a little.
She pulled her hand free, clutched them in her lap. “I shouldn’t have asked.”
He shrugged. “It’s okay. Just no easy answer there. I traveled a lot. She got lonely. My best mate was there.”
There was more to this story, wasn’t there? “But your friend…” She shouldn’t be pushing it but you can tell a lot about a guy based on their past romantic relationships. She wanted to ask him so many questions, like how long were they together? Did he love her? Did she cheat? Or did they break up and then she went off with this “ex best mate?”
Truth was, none of it was her business, at least not since they’d known each other for mere days. But her curiosity was growing about him, and they had nearly seen every inch of each other naked. That had to qualify for some level of life intimacy, right?
When Theodore didn’t answer, she decided to drop it. Except he then answered her anyway. “He cared for her more than me. But I wasn’t a saint, either.”
Before she could ask him what he meant, he angled his body to face her. “What about you?”
“What about me? I don’t date that much.”
“Surprising.”
She waved her hand around. “You really haven’t been out and about in DC much. It’s not exactly the land of romance.”
“Then how did you get so good at kissing?”
A sliver of pride ran through her. But he’d been honest with her so she’d be honest back. “Meredith Lane. My best friend in seventh grade.”
His head fell back. “Jesus, you’re getting me hard again.”
“No, no. She taught me how to practice on a peach. She said all the boys were trying to grow those little soft moustaches…” she waved over her lip. “… and it would help neutralize the tickling if we got used to it. I must have gone through a bushel of them that summer.”
“August 1. National Peach Day. I will never think about it the same way again.”
“What about you? How’d you get so good at…” Her thighs were a little raw from his beard.
“Worshipping? I never kiss and tell.” He lifted her hand to his lips.
“That’s good because we are not telling anyone anything.”
“What could I say anyway? That you’ve made me rethink not only National Peach Day but how this year I really want to celebrate National Work Naked Day—”
“You made that one up.” She pulled her hand free but he grasped it again. They then started a little hand tug-of-war like little kids.
“February 7,” he said. “And I still say we call in sick and work from home and—”
“Get nothing done?” Her hand landed on his chest. He held it there.
“We’d get a lot done, alright, my little freak in the spreadsheets.” He began to push her hand lower down his torso.
“I am committed to always doing a good job, no matter what that entails.” Her fingers connected with his belt buckle, and there went another pair of panties. At this point she’d have to do laundry every day to keep up with how many she’d cycle through in 24 hours.
“Oh, I see that. In fact, I say we go get some peaches and you show me exactly what I’ve been missing in the food porn area.”
Her laughter was interrupted by someone calling her name. Oh, shit. It was Patty.
Alice swung her gaze to Theodore. “Remember. Nothing happened.”
“Alice!” Patty closed the distance, slapped her hands on the back of the bench, a little out of breath. “I thought that was you.”
Patty smiled at Alice, glanced at Theodore and then back at her. “What nothing happened?”
So much for the Tidal Basin in January being a good idea.