“I did, but they finished the other day. My TA closed out the grades.”
“Aren’t classes done for the holiday there, too?”
“Their term finished today.”
“You’ll be coming back to spend Christmas with your family?”
“Soon.”
I wasn’t going to offer him more, that I would spend the holiday alone. Telling him about why I would be by myself wasn’t something I wanted to do, and I didn’t want his pity. Byzantine art and a dysfunctional family were not topics any woman should share with a guy unless she wanted to drive him away.
He was quiet for a minute, but I didn’t mind. “So, you did run away.”
I leaned back, slid lower into the pillows. “Yes.”
“From me?” he asked, and I remembered his text earlier.
“You? No.” I bit my lip. Took a chance. “From what you made me feel? Definitely.”
“You don’t like coming so hard you cry out?”
I felt my cheeks heat, and I groaned with embarrassment.
“Reed,” I said, pleading with him to stop with just his name.
“That’s not how you said it the other night.”
I couldn’t help but laugh. “You’re terrible.”
I heard him laugh, too. “I figured you’d say I was really, really good.”
“You’re really sure of yourself.”
“I bet I could make you do it again.”
I slid further down in bed, rubbed my thighs together. My pussy ached because he was right. Because I remembered how good it felt when he’d touched me. I had no doubt he could do it again. “Too bad I’m so far away,” I replied.
“Princess, you doubt my skill?” I remained quiet. “Are you in bed?”
“Yes.”
I heard his groan through the phone. “What are you wearing?”
“Reed,” I said again, slightly stunned but mostly aroused. How could just his voice from thousands of miles away make me feel needy? “I’m not telling you that.”
“You sleep naked, don’t you?”
I huffed out a small laugh. “I am not answering that.”
“That means yes. Christ, I’m hard just thinking about it.”
And that made me wet. Knowing I turned him on made me feel good. Good in a way I hadn’t in a long time. But I wasn’t ready for this, for him. He’d overwhelmed me the other night. He was overwhelming me now with just his… niceness. “I’m not having phone sex with you.”
“Okay.” His one word was even, calm.
I stilled, realizing he wasn’t pushing, wasn’t making me do something I didn’t want to do. Well, I did want to do it. I wanted to do it really, really badly, but it was just as clinical as it would have been fucking Larry.
Still, he took my no as just that. No.