Absolute Lovers (Absolute #2) Read online

  "Stephen," she moaned. "Mmm…what are you doing?"

  "I'm waking you up," I whispered, kissing her neck while I kept touching her.

  "You're doing a very good job," she said, sounding a little out of breath. "Fuck, that's so…"

  Her words turned into moans as I reached a little lower and slid two fingers inside her. She arched her back and I sucked on her earlobe. I stroked her slowly and rubbed her with my thumb. She gasped loudly when I pinched her nipple and pressed against her sensitive little mound at the same time.

  "Do you like that?" I whispered, giving her ear a gentle bite.

  "Oh, yes," she moaned. "I love the way you touch me. You always…oh, fuck, you make me feel so amazing."

  I was flying on the inside at the sound of her words and kept rubbing, stroking, and pinching until she was panting and moving her hips with my fingers.

  "A-almost," she gasped.

  "I know. I can feel it," I murmured.

  I watched as she closed her eyes and drew a deep breath before her body tensed in my arms. She pulsed and contracted around my fingers, and I was sure that I was watching her with my mouth hanging open like some sort of simpleton. I had made Julia climax before, but I was usually too preoccupied with my own impending orgasm to really concentrate on her when it happened. She was spectacular, her skin flushed over her chest and face and her head thrown back in ecstasy. Or what I assumed was ecstasy. It was always ecstasy for me.

  She relaxed in my arms and I carefully extracted my fingers from her before pulling her closer in a tight embrace.

  "Are you awake now?" I asked, smiling widely.

  "Definitely," she said, chuckling.

  "Good. Breakfast is ready," I said, kissing her cheek.

  She turned and reached down to palm my erection. "What about you?"

  "I'm fine," I promised. "Let's go eat."

  "If you're sure," she said uncertainly, eyeing the bulge in my pants.

  "I am. This was just for you.”

  I helped her out of bed and couldn't prevent a disappointed sigh from escaping when she started to pull on her dress. I went back into the kitchen and washed my hands before I took the plates from the oven and carried them to the table. I had just poured the coffee when Julia came in, looking very uncomfortable in her conservative dress. But her expression changed drastically when she saw the dining table.

  "Holy shit!" she exclaimed, holding her hands up to cover her mouth. "Stephen, you shouldn't have done all of this," she said, although the smile on her face told me that I had definitely done something right.

  "I wanted to," I said immediately. "Sit down and eat."

  I fought the urge to pull out her chair for her and watched as she sat.

  "You made waffles!" she said excitedly. "Real ones. Not just the ready-made frozen kind."

  I nodded and smiled while I joined her at the table.

  "Wow," she said with a grin. "Sex and homemade waffles. This is the best B&B in town. I may need to stay over more often."

  Here's your chance.

  "Um, uh, Julia?" I asked, as if I was in the seventh grade asking for a date to the dance.

  "Yes, Stephen?" She smiled as she lowered her fork, still loaded with food.

  "I was thinking that if you want to, um, come by tonight… I mean, you have a long day today and maybe you want some dinner afterward and you don't really cook and since I do and I'm not doing anything, um, maybe you want to come over…maybe? If you want," I rushed out.

  What was that? The most poorly constructed sentence in the history of the English language?

  Julia regarded me for a moment, probably trying to make sense of my jumbled words. "Are you inviting me over for dinner?" she asked.

  "Yes. I just thought…if you didn't want to be alone after dealing with the lawyer and everything else, I'm here, you know?"

  That was a little better.

  "I'd like that." She nodded. "Thank you. What time and can I bring anything?"

  Really? She said yes?

  "Seven? And you don't have to bring anything," I assured her.

  "Not even a nightie?" she grinned. "I assume you'd like me to spend the night again?"

  "I like you in my pajamas," I blurted out.

  "Is that so? I guess I can accommodate that request," she said with a wink. She smiled and eagerly dug into her breakfast and I found myself gazing at her with an idiotic grin on my face.

  "What do you have going on today?" she asked after a few minutes of me watching her inhale her breakfast.

  "Not much. I think I'm going to the gym with Matt, but that's about it, really. I always have articles I’m writing that could use some attention, but nothing specific now that the semester is almost over."

  "Must be nice," she said with a sigh. "I still have finals to worry about."

  "You'll do great," I assured her.

  "I guess. I just want them to be over and the holidays to begin. I need some time off."

  "You've had a tough semester.”

  "Yeah. It wasn't all bad, though," she said, giving me a sexy smile.

  "Oh…do you mean me?"

  "Yes, Stephen, I mean you," she laughed. "You were definitely a pleasant surprise."

  "So were you.” Never in a million years would I have been able to predict the effect Julia was having on my life, especially considering how off-putting I had found her at the beginning of the semester. I’d never been so happy to be wrong before. She smiled again and we finished our breakfast.

  "Thank you so much. That was the best breakfast I've ever had.” She glanced at the clock on the wall and sighed again. “I hate to eat and run, but I have to get going now."

  "Do you need a ride?"

  "No, thanks. I have Pop's—I mean, my car. I need to go home and change first. And possibly burn this fucking dress," she mumbled.

  "But you'll be back tonight?" I asked, failing miserably at keeping the blatant hopefulness out of my voice.

  "Definitely," she said, and stood up to clear the table.

  "Leave it," I told her. "You don't want to be late for your appointment."

  I walked her to the door and watched her put her shoes on. Even though she was still right in front of me, I felt a pang of longing.

  "Thank you, Stephen. For everything," she said softly.

  "Don't thank me," I whispered, cupping her face in my hands. I looked into her eyes and smiled before I leaned down and kissed her. Her eyes fluttered closed and she wrapped her arms around my waist as the kiss deepened.

  "Stephen," she sighed, as she pulled away slowly.

  "I'll miss you today," I murmured unthinkingly.

  Uh-oh. Should I not have said that?

  "You will?" she whispered.

  I nodded and caressed her cheek while my heart thundered in my chest.

  "Me, too," she whispered, so softly that I hardly registered it, before she kissed me again, this time even more passionately. When we finally broke apart we were both breathing heavily and I was more than ready to take her back to bed.

  "OK, I really need to go now," she chuckled. "But I'll see you tonight?"

  I nodded and leaned down for another quick kiss before she walked out. She jumped into the expensive vintage car that I now knew had belonged to her grandfather, and I smiled when she honked the horn as she drove off, feeling giddy as a schoolboy, knowing I would see her again in just hours.

  Chapter 2

  After cleaning up, I gave Matt a call to see when he wanted to meet at the gym. Surprisingly, he wasn’t available because he was taking Megan out to brunch. I’d never known my brother to put this much effort into pursuing a woman, and I hoped he wouldn’t suddenly change his mind and return to his former pattern of one-night stands. I liked Megan. She’d stuck up for me at the gay club and urged Julia to give me a second chance.

  Matt was happy to hear that Julia had spent the night and was coming over for another date tonight, and he assured me that I just needed to keep sleeping with her as much as po
ssible and she would fall for me soon enough. I still wasn't entirely sure of his theory that women naturally fell in love with their sexual partners, but it was certainly an experiment that I would enjoy conducting.

  Later, after hitting the gym by myself, I thought about Julia coming over for dinner, and realized that I didn't know her favorite meal. She’d liked the other things I’d cooked, but I wanted it to be special tonight and it wouldn't do if I served something that she didn't care for.

  Her friends will know. Megan is out with Matt, so maybe I could give Sophia a call? She’s nice and she’ll probably help me.

  Luckily, her cellphone number was listed on Facebook. I took a deep breath before I dialed.

  "I’m studying for my finals, so this had better be good!”

  Who answers their phone like that?

  "Sophia? Hi, this is Stephen…err, Worthington…Julia's—”

  Oh God, what am I to her? Her professor? Her friend? Her lover?

  "Oh, hi, Stephen," she said cheerfully. "Sorry about that. I didn’t recognize your number so I thought it might be someone selling something.”

  “Oh. No, not selling anything. I do need your help, though.”

  “Shoot.”

  "I'm making Julia dinner tonight and I was wondering if you knew what her favorite food is. I want it to be nice for her because today’s such a hard day for her."

  "Oh my God, you are just the cutest!"

  "Um, thank you?"

  "I knew that you were good for Jules the second I met you," she confided. "I love being right!" Her voice turned more serious. “How’s she doing?”

  “She’s sad, of course, but I think she’ll be all right. Were you at the funeral with her?”

  “Oh, good. She did tell you, then. Yeah, we were there, Megan and me. I’m really glad she went to your place last night.”

  “Me, too,” I said.

  "Well, about your question: I don't know if it's her favorite food, but she's tried to make lasagna quite a few times."

  "Tried?"

  "Yeah, she never seems to get it right." She laughed. "One time it was really soggy, and another time, the noodles were undercooked."

  "She did mention that she isn't much of a cook," I said, although Julia had used a cruder expression for her lack of skills in the kitchen.

  But she sure can make a turkey sandwich.

  "That's an understatement," Sophia said, chuckling. "I can't tell you how many times Megan and I had to try her stuff before she finally gave up."

  "Do you know how to cook?" I asked curiously.

  "I'm decent," she said. "Not great like you with your fancy Italian chicken or anything like that, but passable."

  "She told you about that?"

  "There isn't much she hasn't told us," Sophia said. "Frankly, we're getting a little sick of hearing about you."

  "R-really?" I was grinning so widely I was sure that I looked like a caricature.

  "Yes," Sophia said simply. "She likes you."

  "I like her, too," I said, suddenly feeling very gossipy. "So lasagna is the way to go?"

  "It's a good choice," she agreed.

  "What kind should I make? Does Julia like sausage?"

  Sophia started laughing.

  "What?"

  "Don't you know the answer already?"

  How would I know if…oh, come on!

  "Real mature," I sighed. “Good-bye, Sophia. Thank you for your help.”

  "Sorry, Stephen. I think I'm sleep deprived. My sense of humor’s usually a little more sophisticated. OK, maybe not. Ha! Anyway, good luck with dinner, not that you'll need it. I have a good feeling about the two of you."

  "Thank you," I said sincerely before hanging up.

  While grocery shopping, I thought about how I might entertain Julia after dinner. She would probably feel sad after spending the entire day going through her grandfather's belongings and also tired since she said she hadn't been sleeping well before last night. I decided that I would suggest a movie for us to watch since that would be relaxing. I remembered Sophia's lame joke. Was that really the kind of humor that young people enjoyed? A comedy might be good for tonight—something silly to get Julia’s mind off of her day.

  When I got home I started making the lasagna, a recipe with minced hamburger meat and Italian sausage that I had found online a while ago, as well as a salad. At the store, I’d decided to go all out and bought the ingredients to make tiramisu for dessert. I had always enjoyed cooking, but it was even better now that I had someone special to do it for.

  While the lasagna was in the oven, I grabbed a quick shower and changed into a white T-shirt and the jeans that Shawn had made me buy to wear to the club where I’d gone to win Julia back. I set the table, lit a few candles, and put on the Leonard Cohen album that Julia had picked out the last time she had dinner here. I realized that while I was excited to see her, I wasn't very nervous about her coming over, as I had been in the past. It felt so natural all of a sudden. Like she was just supposed to be here with me. I was opening a bottle of red wine when the doorbell rang and a surge of excitement rushed through me.

  She's here! God, I've missed her!

  I practically skipped to the door and pulled it open with a smile on my face. Julia was standing outside looking like she had been through hell. She was pale and her shoulders were tense.

  "Hi," she said quietly and walked inside. She hung her coat and put her bag on the floor before I ushered her inside with my hand on her lower back.

  "Dinner’s almost ready," I said. "And I picked out a ridiculous-looking comedy to watch afterward. We should just relax tonight. You've had a rough day."

  She looked up at me and burst into tears.

  Oh no! Did I say something wrong?

  "We don't have to watch it," I said quickly.

  She leaned her forehead against my chest and I took that as an invitation to hug her. She wrapped her arms around me and sobbed quietly while I stroked her hair.

  "I'm sorry," she said after a few minutes. "It sounds great. Really, it does."

  "Then why are you crying?" I asked softly, kissing the top of her head.

  "You shouldn't be so nice to me," she sniffed.

  "Why not?" I made her look up at me and wiped under her eyes with my thumbs.

  "I might get used to it," she whispered, looking anxious as she said it.

  "I want you to. I'm not going anywhere," I murmured and bent down to kiss her. She clung to me and kissed me back while her hands went under my shirt, caressing my skin. Normally, I would welcome her advances, but there was something desperate about her kisses that I didn’t like. Tonight, Julia needed to be taken care of, and not sexually. Of that I was sure. It was time to show her that I had more to offer her than merely my body.

  I pulled back and stilled her hands gently.

  "Sorry," she whispered. I shook my head, leaning down to brush my lips against hers. I didn’t want her to think I was rejecting her.

  "Are you OK?" I asked.

  "Yeah," she sighed. "Sorry for attacking you like that. I don't really know how to do…this."

  I wasn't sure what she was referring to. Did she mean grieving for her grandfather? Or maybe—just maybe—being more than simply sex-buddies? Was this as new to her as it was to me?

  "No more apologies," I said, giving her a smile. "Are you hungry?"

  "Starving. It smells really good."

  I poured her a glass of wine and carried the food to the table. She smiled when she saw the tray with the lasagna.

  "Wow, that looks great. Did you make it yourself?"

  "Yes. Sit down and have some."

  She filled her plate and I smiled when I saw her blowing vigorously on her forkful, eager to taste it.

  "Oh my God!" she moaned when she did. "This is incredible."

  "Thank you. I'm really glad that you like it.”

  "Like it? I fucking love it!" she exclaimed. "This is so good."

  I was happy that she enjoyed the food and th
at it had been able to cheer her up. "I can teach you how to make it sometime," I offered.

  Her face lit up. "Really? That would be awesome. Just don't be too disappointed if I can't learn. You're a great teacher. I just really suck at cooking."

  "I'm sure you'll do fine.”

  We ate dinner and talked about her finals, which she was stressing about. While her dedication to her studies made me proud, it did worry me that she put so much pressure on herself, and I found myself wishing I could ease her burden.

  "It's a good thing you made enough for seconds," she said with a grin, helping herself to another plateful. "I need to load up on some real food before the madness begins."

  "What do you mean?"

  "Once exams start, I won't really have time to go out for dinner and stuff," she explained. She hesitated and looked at me. "And there won't really be any time for you either, I'm afraid," she added.

  I won't get to see her at all? No!

  "You could stay here!" I yelled, obviously having completely lost my mind.

  She looked at me like I was crazy. "What? I couldn't do that, Stephen,” she said after a few seconds.

  That's not a definite “no.”

  "Why not?" I asked. I was starting to realize the merits of my impromptu invitation. "I don't have that much work right now, so you can have my office,” I explained. “You'd get three square meals a day and you wouldn't have to worry about going out to eat or, you know, starving as the alternative. And I could help you with your studying if you needed."

  She was still staring at me like I was a loon, but now she was smiling a little. "But what would you get out of it?" she asked.

  A chance to win your heart.

  "Well…I…um, I would get to see you every day and I like…having you. I mean, having you here," I managed to stammer.

  "I like being here," she said with a smile. "And you are an awesome cook."

  "So…is that a yes?" I asked nervously.

  "Yes, if you really don't mind me crashing your perfect apartment," she answered, motioning around my place. "I'm a little messy, you know."

  She said yes! Wait—she said yes. Why did she agree to this?