Page 44 of The Hookup Situation (Billionaire Situation #5)

Julie tilts her head and looks at me, aware that I can read everything. “Guess they don’t need any convincing.”

“Do you?” I ask.

“No,” she says, setting her phone down, then completely turning toward me until we’re face-to-face. “Whatever happens on Halloween, know that I will always cherish this time with you.”

“I will too. It’s been the best autumn of my life.” I kiss her, wanting her to know.

She smiles against my lips. “Want to watch Dumb and Dumber ? I could use some ridiculousness.”

“If you asked me to watch grass grow with you, I would.”

She twists around, pressing her ass against my cock. Our bodies mold together as she reaches for the remote, then clicks on the movie. I wrap my arm around her, holding her, smelling her, appreciating how she fits in my arms, wanting this moment to last a lifetime.

The coffee shop glows in the darkness. It’s the only business still lit on the block as tourists roam the streets in Halloween costumes.

Not being dressed up makes me an outlier.

Music and laughter drift from the festival, which is packed for a Wednesday night.

There is no parking as far as the eye can see.

Through the large walls of windows of Cozy Coffee, I see Blaire and Tracy behind the counter, finishing their closing duties .

I push through the front door, and the bell chimes, announcing my arrival.

Three hours ago, I walked Julie to Cozy Coffee so she could start counting her inventory. She told me she’d be finished around closing time. While she was doing that, I had a very long discussion with Asher. It was productive.

“Sorry, we’re closed,” Tracy says, and then she realizes it’s me. “Hey, Nick! Julie’s in the office. You can go back there, but can you lock the door for me first?”

“Hi. Sure,” I say, doing what she asked.

Blaire wipes down the espresso machine and lifts her brow at me. “Hey, stranger.”

“Stranger?” I say with a laugh. “Sorry I haven’t been around much. I’ve been busy.”

“‘Busy.’” She uses air quotes.

Sierra laughs as her head pops up from the pastry case she’s cleaning. Tracy finishes counting the register and slides the drawer out.

“We’re heading out in ten,” Blaire says with a knowing smirk. “Then the shop will be all yours.”

“Great,” I tell her. “How have things been?”

“Quiet,” Blaire admits. “No signs of the ex, which is either a blessing or a curse. I haven’t decided yet.”

“Total blessing,” Sierra says. “He’s weird AF.”

“He wasn’t always like that,” Tracy explains. “I think he started losing it after he realized Julie had moved on.”

“What did he expect? For Julie to sit around and wait for him?” Blaire scoffs. “They’ve been over. He can kick rocks. If he doesn’t watch out, I’m going to put a hex on him.”

A part of me feels guilty, and I wonder if I instigated something.

I make my way to the back office, finding Julie bent over the desk, calculator in hand, surrounded by clipboards. Her hair is piled on top of her head, held up with a pencil. I watch her for a few seconds, loving how pretty she looks when she concentrates .

“How’s it going?” I ask from the doorway.

She looks over at me and grins. “Oh, hi! I was just thinking about you.”

“Really?” I ask. “I was thinking about you too. Almost finished?”

“I’ve counted all the cups, lids, syrups, and, well, everything. Now I’m trying to reconcile it with last month’s numbers and calculate what we need to order.”

“Want help?”

“You know how to do inventory?”

“I help run a multibillion-dollar company, remember?”

“You’re right.” She scoots over, making room for me at the desk. Our thighs press together as she slides the keyboard toward me. “These numbers go in this column.”

“Bye, Jules!” Blaire calls out. “We’re leaving! I miss you!”

“I miss you! Thanks for everything!” Julie calls back.

The front door chimes, and then there’s silence.

We’re alone.

I work through inputting the numbers into the computer system as she logs things in a book. Every few minutes, she shifts, her leg brushing against mine. The office feels smaller, more intimate.

“You’re good at this,” she says, watching me work.

“You sound surprised.”

“I’m not. Maybe having you here will be my new tradition.”

I laugh. “Maybe so.”

She smirks and stands, moving between me and the desk. “We’re alone.”

“What about finishing the inventory?”

“The numbers can wait. I can’t,” she says.

“You’re sure?” I ask, glancing at all the family photos on the wall.

“Yes,” she says. “Make my fantasy come true.”

The air shifts between us, and it’s full of anticipation. I pull her onto my lap, feeling the warmth of her body pressed against mine as she straddles me .

Her hands fly to my belt, and it’s desperate, but I catch her wrists before she gets it undone.

“Not yet,” I murmur, rougher than I intended.

Her eyes flash up to mine, all fire and need, and, God, it nearly kills me to deny her, but I want her strung tight. I want her begging for me. I want to watch her lose control piece by piece because she needs this.

I slide my palms up her thighs, dragging out the touch, savoring the way her skin burns under my hands.

I grip her ass, pulling her hard against me so she feels the thick length of my cock pressing into her.

She rocks against me and releases a gasp.

Pride overtakes me, knowing that I can affect her this way, that she trusts me to give her what she wants.

Her mouth crashes into mine, lips feverish, tongue greedy, and I taste her, never able to get enough.

My fist tangles in her long hair, tilting her head just enough to steal more of her moans.

I push her back against the desk, papers sliding to the floor, but I don’t care.

The only thing in this room that matters is her.

I unbutton her blouse one slow pop at a time, holding her gaze, as if to remind her that she belongs to me.

Like she could forget. When her bra falls away and her breasts spill free, I cup them, tweak her nipples until they’re tight peaks against my palms. Her head tips back, and she whispers my name like it’s a prayer.

I could worship her for eternity.

I drop to my knees, shove her skirt up, and press my mouth against the damp lace of her panties.

The taste of her teases me, even through the fabric, and my cock jerks painfully against my zipper.

I slide the lace aside and lick her. I take my time savoring the sweetness, how she shudders when I brush against her clit.

The desperate cries she can’t hold back have my cock throbbing in anticipation.

When she starts to shake, I pull away, grinning.

“Mmm. Patience, Little Red,” I whisper, standing again, my lips slick with her arousal .

Her eyes blaze with frustration. “You’re torturing me.”

“It’s worth the wait,” I mutter, spinning her around and bending her over the desk. “Arch that perfect pussy for me.”

She braces herself, palms flat on the wood, ass high. I thrust my hand through her hair and grab a fist of it, tugging her head back, needing to hear her.

“Do you know who you belong to?”

“You,” she gasps, voice breaking. “I’m yours, Nick.”

Her confession burns through me.

“Now tell me what you want.”

“Fuck me,” she says, her voice almost strangled.

I free myself and drag the head of my cock along her slick folds, coating myself in her wetness, teasing until she’s whimpering.

“Please,” she begs.

That’s all I need.

I slam into her in one hard thrust, burying myself to the hilt. She screams my name, her body clenching tight around me, and the sensation nearly undoes me.

“Yes, sweetheart.” I groan, gripping her hips and driving into her again—harder.

The desk shakes beneath us, her moans filling the room, and I know this isn’t just sex. It’s something deeper.

I thrust into her over and over, my hand still tangled in her hair, pulling her back against me. I want her to remember this, to feel me everywhere tomorrow. Her cries are desperate, broken, her body rocking with every slam of my hips. I reach around, grabbing her breast.

“You were made for me,” I pant, leaning over her back, pressing my mouth to her ear. “Every inch of you.”

Her response is a sobbed moan, her body tightening, fluttering around me. And then she shatters, screaming my name, coming so hard that her legs quake. The sound, the feel of her pulsing around me, wrecks me.

I pound into her a few more times before I lose it, spilling deep inside her with a guttural groan. My vision blurs, my body convulses, and all I can do is hold her hair, her hips, like she’s the only thing keeping me tied to this reality.

When it’s over, we collapse forward. My chest to her back, sweat dripping down my temples. I press a kiss to her shoulder, still buried inside her, unwilling to break away.

“That was amazing,” she whispers, still unable to catch her breath. “Exactly what I needed.”

“You’re amazing,” I say, kissing her neck.

I realize that I have everything I’ve ever needed with her.

I want more of this. I want her laugh, her fire, the way she challenges me.

I want every piece of her. We break apart, and she turns around, sliding her skirt over her body.

We’re still breathing hard, trying to straighten our clothes and the paperwork that’s scattered everywhere.

“We just …” Julie starts, then laughs.

“Made some memories in this office?”

“That’s one way to put it.”

“You started it,” I tell her, tucking her hair behind her ears, then kissing her.

“And you finished it.” She grins, looking up at me. “I’m so lucky.”

“No, babe, I am.”

After our heart rates settle, we sit back at the desk and finish doing inventory. Every few minutes, we catch each other’s eye and smile like teenagers with a secret.

“Thank you,” she says.

“For?”

“For today. For all of it.”

“You never have to thank me for being there for you.”

She reaches over, taking my hand. “I know things are going to get complicated when Craig is served. But having you here with me … I feel safe.”

“You are safe. I won’t let anything happen to you,” I promise.

An hour later, Julie submits the reports and places the order for next week’s shipment. We walk out into the cool October night, holding hands. Not because anyone is watching, but because it feels right.

“Did you think it could be like this?” she asks.

“Only in my dreams,” I say.

As we stroll to her condo, I can’t shake the feeling that this peace we have won’t last and that something’s coming. But for tonight, we’re together, and that has to be enough.