Chapter 0002

Audrey

I shot a puzzled glance between the dark-haired stranger and Max. There was no way I recognized who this man was. But Max didn’t elaborate on how or why he recognized him.

When the man didn’t respond, Max stepped forward and placed himself between the two of us.

“I’m so sorry for the trouble, sir,” he said, grabbing my hand. “My girlfriend must be pestering you. I—”

“Ex-girlfriend,” I corrected Max through my teeth. Ripping my hand out of his grip, I stood and folded my arms across my chest. “I thought I told you that we were through.”

There was a long, tense silence between the three of us then—Max looking at me with panic, the dark-haired stranger blinking bemusedly from behind his glass of whiskey, and me staring daggers at Max.

Then, with a self-satisfied smirk, I stepped up to the man and grabbed his arm. I curled the fingers of both hands around his forearm, feeling a slight blush color my cheeks as I felt sinewy muscle beneath.

“This is my new date,” I said, jutting my chin out at Max. “And I would appreciate it if you would leave us alone.”

Max’s eyes widened at my words. “A new date?” he echoed. “You expect me to believe that?”

I merely gritted my teeth in response and inwardly prayed that this man wouldn’t expose me—that he would just play along until Max left me alone.

“Don’t make a scene, Audrey,” Max said, his voice almost lost beneath the din. “Let’s go—”

“She said, no.” The man suddenly stood then to his full towering height. He was easily over a foot taller than me, his muscular frame crowding around me. I felt my cheeks turn an even deeper red as he looped one arm around my shoulders, tugging me closer.

Max blanched. “I really don’t believe—”

The man’s arm tightened around me, and then suddenly the room was tilting beneath me. He was dipping me, his strong arms cradling me not even a foot above the floor.

“Just play along,” he whispered, placing our faces close and using his body to block Max’s view so that it looked like we were kissing.

At that moment, the sound of bells chiming erupted through the bar. The other patrons cheered and clinked their glasses, couples kissing and friends hugging.

It was officially the new year.

“I…” I murmured, unable to find any words. Here, this close, with his long, dark hair cascading around us, with the scent of his masculine cologne and the sweet tang of whiskey on his breath…

I couldn’t help it. I had to taste him.

Without a second thought, I cupped his stubbly face in my hands, pulled him the extra distance, and pressed our lips together.

He tasted like liquor, and his stubble bit at the soft skin on my cheeks. But neither of us pulled away. Not until the bells had stopped ringing.

When we finally pulled our lips apart, there was an undeniable heat between us. His gray eyes had gone husky looking at me, his fingers digging into the silk sash around my waist. For a moment, the world seemed to stand still.

And then he placed me upright once again, and I felt as though the wind had been knocked out of me.

“Well?” he asked. “It’s officially after midnight, my dear. Shall we…?” He nodded his head to the door, indicating for us to leave. Together.

I nodded hastily—just wanting to get out of here. Getting out of here with him wasn’t the most unappealing idea, either.

“Yes,” I said. “Let’s—”

Before I could finish, the world was moving again—only this time, the man was picking me up in his arms princess-style, my skirt trailing over his elbow. Then, without so much as a second glance, he strode toward the door and kicked it open.

As we emerged out into the snowy courtyard, all I could see over the man’s broad shoulders was Max watching with a stunned expression.

But then the door closed behind us, casting the courtyard into silence, and I was left all alone with the handsome stranger.

A few paces away from the door, the man gently set me down. I placed my hand on his arm to steady myself, feeling my heart throb beneath his gray gaze. Here, the falling snow seemed to mute all other sounds except our own heavy breathing.

“T-Thank you,” I managed, finally releasing my grip on his arm and stepping away. “I’m not sure if he would have left me alone otherwise.”

The stranger simply nodded. “I’m happy to help,” he said, turning. “Goodnight. And Happy New—”

But I panicked. Before he could turn fully, my hand was shooting out of its own accord. I darted my gaze upwards through my lashes, fixing him with a hard stare.

A great plan to get revenge on Max flashed through my mind.

“Wait,” I blurted out. “I don’t want you to go.”

The man quirked an eyebrow at me. “He’s gone. You don’t have to worry.”

“I’m not worried,” I said, momentarily licking my lips—I could still taste the whiskey from his kiss, and it made the warmth in my low belly almost unbearable. Then, I smiled at him.

It took all of one second for the man to understand what I was getting at. A ghost of a smirk tugged at his lips. “My place isn’t far from here, you know.”

…

His apartment smelled like old books and fresh ink. The light of a small lamp on the bedside table illuminated the room, and a chill worked its way inside through the open window.

My tongue already tasted like wine. He had poured us each a glass when we arrived, and I had sipped it as he showed me around the various rooms of his place—he had said that I was free to wander wherever I wished while I was here, a very gentlemanly offer.

But I didn’t care about that. All I cared about was this moment.

The moment when his fingers deftly pulled open the last button on my skirt and let it fall to the floor.

As the fabric cascaded around my ankles, revealing my porcelain white skin and homemade lacey lingerie, there was a brief silence. I felt myself shifting my weight slightly from foot to foot as his gray eyes roamed my body, finally coming to land on my breasts.

“You made this, too?” He asked, one finger tracing the line where my bra ended and the small mound of cleavage spilled over.

I nodded, suppressing a shudder at his delicate touch. “You like it?”

“Like it?” Suddenly, he was grabbing me by the hips with both hands and tugging me to where he sat on the bed. I stumbled forward, catching myself with my hands on his shoulders. I bit my lower lip as his fingers worked their way over my ass and thighs. “I love it. You’re very talented.”

I couldn’t contain my grin. Leaning down, I went to kiss him—but then I stopped myself.

“You never told me your name,” I murmured. “You already heard mine: Audrey. But what should I call you tonight?”

He smirked and carefully traced one finger along my hard nipple through my bra. I felt him slip the lace down, exposing one breast, which he cupped gently in his warm hand. So gentle, for such a large man.

“Edwin,” he said softly. “I’m—”

I didn’t let him finish. Rather, I lunged forward, pressing him down into the bed as I straddled him, sitting my hips down on the hard warmth that was straining in his pants.

And I kissed him for the second time that night.

…

The soft sounds of Edwin’s steady breathing beside me were a comfort, but I couldn’t relax. I had long since sobered up, and was finding it quite difficult to sleep now thanks to the alcohol.

Glancing over at Edwin to make sure he was still sleeping, a slight smile tugged at the corners of my lips. For my first time, it had been… perfect. His member was wide and warm, filling me to the brim. But his movements had been gentle and slow, his kisses passionate.

I could still feel the blazing trails his lips and tongue had made down my body. Down in my groin, blossoming outwards, was the heat left over from where he had kissed me down there. Not just with his lips, but with his tongue.

Such a gentleman, I thought to myself as I rolled over.

Grabbing my phone, I noticed an email notification from my advisor and tapped on it. I squinted my tired eyes as I read the content.

“Happy New Year, Audrey! I just wanted to let you know that your teaching assistant application has been approved; you will be working with the fashion design professor, Edwin Brooks. Please see the attached…”

The rest of the email was lost to me, then, as I glanced over at Edwin’s sleeping form. Edwin wasn’t the most common name…

No, I thought to myself as I got up, making my way to the bathroom. It was just a coincidence. Likely my professor was an old man—

But then I felt my foot touch something on the floor. Looking down, I realized that I had kicked Edwin’s pants in the dark. Something had slipped out of the pocket.

An ID card.

Furrowing my brow, I bent down to retrieve it and felt my heart stop when I saw those words illuminated in the moonlight.

Edwin Brooks.

It is exactly the same as the name in the email.