Page 53 of Scandalous Contract

“Want me to show you how to use them?”

“Would you?”

“I’ll do whatever you want, Stefanie Adams.”

This man.“Yes, I want to learn.”

Our laughter filled the kitchen as he tried showing me how to hold the chopsticks. It took me nearly ten minutes to put food into my mouth instead of on the table. I finally sort of got the hang of it, but I chose to eat with a fork so I wouldn’t make a mess.

We chatted as we ate. We talked about our favorite television shows and our favorite foods. We chatted about our favorite books and our favorite music. Before I knew it, the food was gone, and we were just seated at the kitchen table talking.

I felt comfortable with Julian. I felt safe. I felt respected. And I felt desired. That scared me and excited me. For the next three days, the only time my attention wasn’t on him was when my daughter called to check in, and we spent five to ten minutes chatting before she rushed off the phone to hang out with her friends.

Usually, her ending the call before I wanted to would make me feel sad. With Julian present, that sadness didn’t rear its ugly head. It was a whirlwind spring break filled with Julian cooking for me, us ordering out, us watching movies, and playing board games that the host had in their closet.

I hadn’t had so much fun in a very long time. Julian hadn’t even left yet, and I already missed him. So, on the morning he actually packed up his suitcase, I had tears in my eyes. I wasn’t ready to say goodbye, but we both had to return to our regular scheduled program.

I was planning to spend the weekend and some much-needed time with my daughter. And he was going to spend time with his sister, which meant our time together was over. He stood at the front door, suitcase next to him, while I stood in front of him, clutching the hem of my t-shirt.

T-shirt and panties – that had been my attire for the past few days. I stared up at him when he placed his hand on my cheek. His thumb brushed across my cheek, slow and gentle. I leaned into the warmth without thinking, memorizing the way his touch felt before I had to let it go.

“I had a great time,” I said softly, still clutching the hem of my shirt.

“Me too. More than great.”

I gave a small smile. “But now it’s time to go back to the real world.”

“Maybe,” he murmured, eyes locked on mine. “But I don’t think the real world has to mean I never see you again.”

I blinked, surprised by how easily he said that.

“Julian...”

He stepped in just a little closer. “You don’t have to say it. I get it. But just so you know, I’m not filing this under ‘one and done.’ You were never just a spring break fling to me.”

I didn’t know what to say to that. I wasn’t going to lie to him, and I wasn’t going to make promises I had no intention of keeping. This was a spring break fling for me. And I had no intention of seeing him past today, no matter how badly I wanted to.

“We could try to see where this goes...” he started.

“I’m not looking for anything serious,” I said carefully. “This week... it was what I needed. And I enjoyed it. I loved hanging out with you. Not just the sex. I loved being with you. But I have a life to get back to, Julian. A daughter. A job. Responsibilities.”

“I know.” He nodded. “And being with me doesn’t mean you have to let go of any of that.”

“I didn’t say that,” I told him. “I’m saying I don’t have time for a relationship.”

“Okay. What about a lover? You need that, don’t you? We all have needs. I can be your lover until you’re ready for more.”

This man.“I...”

“No one will fuck you the way I fuck you, Stefanie,” he told me, thumb trailing over my lips.

My pussy thumped, nodding in agreement. I took a step back, causing his hand to drop from my cheek. I hated the dejected look in his eyes. I despised myself for being the reason it was there.

But I’d never given him the impression that I wanted more. And if he really knew me, really understood the baggage I came with, he wouldn’t want to spend another second in my company.

“Thank you for these past few days,” I told him. “I’ll never forget them or you. I...”

“Just give me one good reason why this can’t continue,” he stated, interrupting me.