Addiction

35

As soon as Mason was out of earshot, I said, "What was he talking about?"

"Yeah, you don't want to know. Let's go to our room."

We stepped onto the elevator with the man from the front desk. There was instrumental music playing. I had heard of elevator music, but I had never been in an elevator that actually played it. I looked up at Professor Hunter. He was smiling at me. Whatever the surprise was, he seemed so excited. I liked when he looked happy. The playful grin on his face made him look younger.

The doors dinged and opened. The man guided us down an equally ornate hallway to our room.

"If there is anything else you need, please don't hesitate to call the front desk. Turndown service is at nine. Have a good afternoon."

"You too," Professor Hunter said. He slid the access card into the reader and opened the door.

I quickly walked past him. "Oh my God." I almost ran up to the window. We had the most amazing view of the city and of Central Park. It was beautiful. I had never seen anything like it.

"I told you that I could get you to like New York." He pushed my hair to one side and kissed the back of my neck. His hands slid to my waist.

"It's beautiful."

"You should see it at night." He kissed my neck again. His fingers traced the waistline of my jeans.

I turned around to face him. "Are we spending the night?"

"I haven't decided yet."

"But I have to go back. I have classes."

"Me too." He ran his nose down the length of mine and pressed his forehead against mine. "But I don't want to go back."

I wrapped my arms around his back and placed the side of my head against his chest. "Me either." It was comforting to hear his steady breathing.

He ran his fingers through my hair.

I looked back up at him. "I know I've made mistakes. Thank you for forgiving me. Thank you for letting me back in."

"Thank you for forgiving me."

"You're different here."

"Different?"

"More relaxed, I guess."

"Well I'm not Professor Hunter here. I'm just me."

I smiled at him. "James. I still need to get used to saying that."

"You do. Because Rob will give me hell if you go around calling me Professor Hunter." He laughed.

"So, James. What would you do on a Monday after eating lunch alone?"

"I'd go back to work."

"Was your office around here?"

"Well." He looked out the window. "There." He pointed to one of the buildings in the distance. It overlooked Central Park too.

"Is your headquarters still there?"

"It is."

"Your company must do really well."

"It's not my company anymore. But yes, it does." He smiled at me.

"And what about after work?"

He unfolded his arms from around me and walked over to the bed. I hadn't noticed it before, but there was a white box on the bed with a red ribbon around it. "It would depend on my mood. Sometimes I'd grab drinks with some of the guys I worked with. Or I'd have dinner back at my place."

"Do you still have an apartment here?"

"No. Not anymore."

I could have asked him if he sold it. Or if Isabella lived there alone now. But I didn't want to. I was going to focus on us. Nothing else mattered. "What did you do after dinner?"

"It would depend on my mood." He lifted up the box. "Tonight it's your decision." He walked over to me and handed me the box.

"What are the options?"

"Open it."

I pulled the red ribbon free and lifted off the top. I picked up the red, silky dress and let the box fall to the ground. The dress was adorned with a sheer red material with small flowers embroidered in it. It was probably the most expensive piece of clothing I had ever touched. "It's beautiful."

"So, I have tickets to an art gallery opening on the Upper East Side. And you can wear that. We can go shopping for whatever else you want. I already have reservations at Eleven Madison Park."

"What is Eleven Madison Park?"

There was a twinkle in his eye from my question. "It's one of the most prestigious restaurants in the city. I want to treat you to a night as one of New York's elite."

"New York's elite?" I laughed.

He smiled at me. "Or you can wear exactly what you're wearing. And we can go to a comedy club that I love in East Village. We can walk through Central Park and we can eat at the Tavern on the Green before the show."

I folded the dress and put it back in the box. "I think I'd like to go to the comedy club."

He grabbed my waist and pulled me against him. "God I love you."

I laughed as I looked up at him. "Was that a quiz, Professor Hunter?"

"No. I would have been happy doing either thing. I've just never met anyone who'd choose option two." His eyes were suddenly smoldering. He could so easily take my breath away.

"And you're happy that I did?"

"Yes." His hands slid to my ass. "Besides, now we have more time for other things."

"You do realize that we came to a hotel with no luggage? And we're probably not staying the night."

His skilled fingers unbuttoned and unzipped my pants. He kissed the side of my neck. "Your point is?"

Do I have one? I tried not to focus on his hands. "The people at the front desk probably think we're having an affair."

He let go of my waist and sat down on the edge of the bed. He quickly hooked his index fingers in the belt loops of my jeans and pulled my waist toward him. He pushed my sweater up a few inches and kissed my stomach. "Well, if they already think so..." His breath was warm against my skin. I had the familiar pull deep down in my stomach.

He raised his left eyebrow, giving me that challenging look. I wasn't sure what he wanted me to do. He continued to stare at me as he pulled off his shirt. Does he want me to strip for him? I slowly pulled my sweater off. He continued to look at me without saying a word. I suddenly felt extremely shy. I slowly pushed my jeans down over my hips and let them fall down my legs. His Adam's apple rose and fell as he regarded me. Him watching me made me feel so sexy. I moved my hands to the back of my bra and unhinged it. I let it slowly fall down my arms onto the floor. My skin tingled from his gaze. I hooked my fingers under the lace of my thong. He leaned forward and pulled it down himself. His hands glided over my ass and down the back of my thighs.

I laughed as he pulled me down on top of him.

He kissed the base of my neck and rolled over on top of me. "Besides, I promised you an orgasm." He got off the bed and knelt beside it. "I'm a man of my word." He wound his hands around my knees and pulled my ass to the end of the bed.

My breathing accelerated. I wanted him. I always wanted him.

He spread my thighs wide and kissed the inside of my knee.

"Insatiable," he whispered against my thigh.