I moved so I was now straddling him, kneeling over him so we were eye to eye. I could tell Andreas was still tentative as I wrapped my arm around his neck, grasping the side of his face with my other hand. His fingers buried themselves into the hair at the nape of my neck, grasping a fistfull lightly as his other hand squeezed my waist. I brushed my thumb over his bottom lip, the need to kiss him damn near undeniable, though the crease between his brows gave me pause.

My hand moved to smooth his frown, my forefinger rubbing the skin of his forehead. I flashed him an over-the-top, displeased look of my own. "Why so grumpy, Andre?" With the way I was feeling, I couldn't keep the expression on for long, a bright smile taking its place. He seemed to be powerless to respond to my change in expression in turn, and I rewarded him with a quick peck on the forehead. "Much better."

"Babydoll?" My other arm moved to wrap around his neck as well.

"Yes, Andre?" He seemed to be fighting an inner battle that my inebriated mind was not patient enough to wait on.

"Maybe we should-" his words died in his throat as I moved a hand down to rest over his heart, that pounded so hard I could almost feel it through his chest. My gaze was transfixed to the clumsy movements of my fingers as I undid the buttons of his shirt by his chest, exposing more of his tan skin. He couldn't seem to muster a response as I laid my palm against his smooth skin. I wonder if he looks this way all over.

I looked up to meet his eyes, leaning forwards as I inched my lips towards his. "I want to kiss you so bad right now, Andre. May I?" That had been almost exactly what he'd asked me our first actual night together. His hands came up to cup my face, his eyes studying mine.

Suddenly, Andreas' hands moved down to grasp my ass hard. As he stood, my arms instinctively tightened around his shoulders as I wrapped my legs around his waist. He moved towards the stairs up to the bedroom, and I was more than happy to comply with his wishes. Thoughts of him naked above me, flashed through my mind and in that moment, there was nothing I wanted more.

As soon as we made it up to the second floor, he dropped me onto the bed. Without a word, he walked towards the closet, grabbing a t-shirt. I couldn't think of much beyond how much I wanted him in that moment, more than happy to go along with it, when he began to remove my dress.

When he pulled out of my reach as I attempted to grasp the side of his face, my inebriation amplified the hurt I felt. I bit my lip, holding back the brunt of it all as tears began to prick at the corner of my eyes.

"Andre?" He didn't look up from trying to remove my shoe. I reached for him once more, trying to tilt his face up to look at me but he just pushed my hand away. Just like that, the dam broke and I felt thin streams of warmth running down my face. "Andreas!" He tensed at the blatant pain in my voice, his eyes widening as he finally looked up and took in my expression. It was my turn to recoil from him as he reached forward to wipe away my tears. I moved backwards until my back rested against a pillow, wrapping my arms around myself. "What did I do? Why are you treating me like this?"

He ran a hand through his hair, kicking off his shoes before moving to sit beside me. "Nicole, I can't."

I sniffled, wiping at the tears with the back of my hand. I did my best to figure out why, but damn was it difficult to think. "You don't want me anymore." I finally concluded.

Andreas chuckled darkly. "You can't even realise how wrong you are, Babydoll." His gaze raked over my body. "The things I want to do to you." He ran a hand over his mouth. "Fuck." He muttered, so softly I almost didn't hear. With that one look, he had my own libido raring to go again.

I crawled over to him, cupping his face with both hands as my eyes met his. "Show me."

He sighed, squeezing his eyes shut. "Not tonight." I opened my mouth to protest but he spoke up before I could. "Not while you're like this." He gripped my shoulders. "I've made some mistakes with you since we've met, and I don't want this to be another one of them."

I groaned, the lust in my system being replaced with the more dangerous, growing like, I felt for this man. "Why do you have to be so damn decent?" He chuckled, finally getting my other shoe off, before removing my jewellery. My eyelids grew heavy as he reached behind me to undo my hair. "This would be so much easier if you weren't like this."

I remained seated where I was as he left to his bathroom. The mattress dipped beside me upon his return, before I felt the cold brush of wet fabric against my cheek. I opened my eyes to find that he was cleaning my face with a makeup wipe. I did my best to help him, only managing to remove my mascara and eyeshadow before I lost my motivation. He managed the rest of my face fine, a calm look on his, as he worked. "How do I know it's all off?" He asked a while later.

I had started to doze off, his gentle strokes lulling me to sleep. "Hm?" It took a moment for me to process what he had asked me. "The wipe shou-" I clamped my hand over a yawn. "hmm... Should come back clean."

He deemed the wipe he was currently holding acceptable. Andreas patiently helped me find the arm holes as he pulled the t-shirt over my head. He left me on the bed as he went to wash up. I moved to unclasp my bra but currently, my fingers couldn't seem to manage. I was still struggling when he emerged once more from the bathroom. "What are you trying to do?"

I got momentarily distracted when he pulled his shirt off, staring silently as he watched me with amusement in his eyes. I shamelessly watched him back, a smile on my lips. "Need help with my bra."

"Give me a second." He ducked into his walk-in wardrobe to change into a pair of grey sweatpants before climbing into the bed beside me. "Come here." I walked on my knees over to him. He deftly undid the clasps through the shirt, pulling the straps and subsequently the whole bra out through my sleeves.

"You seem to know what you're doing." I smirked up at him. "Do that, often?"

He grasped the back of my neck. "Keep this up, and I will be."

I laughed, my eyes getting harder and harder to keep open. "Is that a promise?"

"Bet on it, Babydoll." He squeezed my nape once before he used his hold to pull me against his chest, moving so that the both of us were lying down.

I sighed as his arms wrapped tightly around me, nuzzling the skin of his chest before I laid the side of my face against the sound of his accelerated hearbeat. "Goodnight, Andre."

The last thing I noticed was him bending down to press a kiss on the top of my head before slumber overtook me.

***

The light brush of fingertips against my shoulder was what woke me up the next morning. I tensed for a moment before remembering where I was. I cautiously cracked my eyes open, the entire apartment only dimly lit, courtesy of a set of heavy blinds over the glass walls. I waited for any hypersensitivity to hit me, but thankfully this morning, it seemed as though I did not have a hangover.

I looked up to find Andreas already watching me, his heavy-lidded eyes content as he studied me taking in my surroundings. He flashed me a smile. "Good morning, Babydoll."

"Morning." I was parched, and it was a struggle to even say that one word. As always, he seemed in tune to my needs, wordlessly reaching over to pass me a glass of water from the beside table. I thanked him before gulping down the entire glass, Andreas returning it to its original place. He seemed as though he didn't dare look away. "What is it?" I ran a hand over my cheek. "Did I sleep weird or something?"

He curled a finger under my chin, searching my face. "I'm just wondering which Nicole I'll be getting this morning." He pulled me closer. "I've got to say, you have me not knowing up from down anymore." Some of my guilt bubbled up at that. He deserves an answer.

I cupped his cheek as he tilted his head down to look at me. My thumb brushed over his skin, prompting him to close his eyes, breathing deep as though he wanted to soak up this moment through the air he took in. He's going to get one.

I leaned up and brushed my lips against his. In that second, I was the most honest I had been with myself since this whole ordeal started. He immediately responded, crushing me to his side as he pressed our lips together once more, that harmless kiss quickly burning out of control.

He rose above me, licking the seam of my lips as his hand came up to grab the side of my jaw and neck. My tongue met his, our breaths ragged as my fingers found their way into his hair. His other hand trailed down, grasping my hip hard as his mouth moved to trail down my chin. I closed my eyes at the feeling of his lips against my skin, pulling him closer as I rained kisses on his temple. Almost of its own accord, my body moved so he could settle between my legs. I want all of him against me.

Much to my frustration, and despite my best efforts, he ripped his head away from me. "You need to tell me what this is Nicole. I can't keep going back and forth with you, especially if this is part of what I'll be missing." His eyes dropped to my lips for a moment.

I pushed him onto his back, straddling his hips as I rose above him. "Read between the lines, Andre." I punctuated each word with a kiss to his cheeks, eyelids and nose.

He pulled my face down to his, connecting our lips once more as he pulled my shoulders flush against him. I reacted immediately, my tongue seeking out his. When we finally pulled away, he kept me in place so his forehead pressed against mine, breathing hard as he searched my eyes. "You always have me on my fucking toes."

I grinned, giving him a quick kiss before nipping at his bottom lip playfully. That little bite sent a jolt through his body that even I could feel. "Is that such a bad thing?"

He ran his thumb over my lips. "I don't know, yet." I chuckled, rubbing the side of my face against his before pressing a kiss to the corner of his lips. My fingers shoved against his shoulders as I pushed myself up. I reached with both arms above my head as I stretched, taking a deep breath.

In one swift motion, Andreas somehow had me tucked against his side once more, his arms securely wrapped around my waist. I turned up to look at him. "Andre?"

He lightly pressed his lips to my forehead. "Let's stay here just a little longer."

I couldn't keep the smile from my face as I settled against him, running my palm along his chest. "As long as you want." I reassured him.

***

We spent the entire morning in bed, just enjoying each others' company in silence amidst little kisses and secret smiles. The sound of Andreas' empty stomach burst our little bubble in the late afternoon, shaking me from the state between sleep and consciousness. I couldn't help but laugh, the sound seeming so odd after hours of stagnance.

He chuckled along with me. "Guess the secret is out."

Andreas released me as I moved to sit up. "Shall we order something?" He agreed. After some back and forth, we decided on pizza, Andreas making the call while I gulped down another glass of water.

I took his phone from him as he finished our order, opening the camera app. The last photo he'd taken caught my eye just because I couldn't quite tell what it was in such a tiny icon. I tapped it to see it in his photos but he snatched the device back from me. "Aw, Andre. Don't be like that." I leaned towards him. "Why don't you want me to see?" My eyes widened in a dramatically overdone, look of shock. "Is it another woman?" I clamped my hand over my mouth. "Or maybe a murder?"

He raised a brow. "Why would I keep a photo of that, in my private phone?"

I rested my hands on his knees. "Well, why else would you be acting so shady?"

"I just didn't want you to take it the wrong way."

"Me?" Realisation hit and I couldn't contain my nervous grin. "Oh my God, is it a picture of me?" I cringed. "Oh wow, how creepy is this going to get?" He handed me the phone, studying my expression as I opened up the photo. The first thing I noticed was that it was one of very few, his gallery the emptiest I'd ever seen. The photo itself was not nearly as weird as I thought it would be. It was just a photo of my hand, as it lay grasping at the duvet over his chest. I tilted my head, trying to figure out the point of this photo. "Why take this?"

He shrugged. "I guess I just thought it looked right."

I simply responded with a smile, as I regarded the contentment on his face as he looked back at me. "You're a sweet one, Andre." I switched back to the camera app as I made myself comfortable on his lap, pressing the side of my face against his. I plastered on a smile, counted to three and snapped the photo, passing the phone back to him as I got up to hunt down a spare toothbrush.

The ringing of the doorbell vibrated throughout the entire space. "There are some in the bathroom cabinet." He left me to search while he went downstairs to retrieve the pizza. I had no trouble finding them, quickly brushing my teeth before meeting him down in the seating area. I went to raid the fridge for drinks while Andreas picked out a movie for us to watch.

When I returned with a pitcher of orange juice and glasses, I found that he'd picked out a horror movie, probably figuring that that would lead to me cuddling up to him for protection. I didn't want to be presumptuous, but if that was his intention, I wasn't about to disappoint him.

He settled into the couch with the pizza box, biting into a slice while I poured out two glasses of juice. We cleared lunch before even making it to the climax of the movie, unsurprising considering how hungry we'd been. After a short intermission to clear the empty box and clean our hands, we returned to the couch and resumed the movie.

Andreas reclined against the corner of the sofa, pulling me into his arms as I settled partially atop him, with my head on his chest. The movie was pretty good, and just my type, gory. Even so, the combination of greasy carbs and the comfort of a warm embrace had my eyelids feeling very heavy.

***

I felt lips press against the top of my head, fingers stroking my cheek lightly. I cracked my eyes open to find Andreas smiling down at me. I slowly returned his smile with one of my own, blinking a few times to adjust to the light in the room. "Hi."

He chuckled, grasping the side of my face. "Hello, Babydoll."

I stretched my arm across his chest as my other hand came up to brush a lock of hair off of his forehead. "Is the movie over?"

He nodded. "For a while now."

I began to get up. "Ah, sorry I kept y-" He moved his hand to cup my nape, pulling me against him once more. Instinctively my arms wrapped around him.

"Don't apologize. I wouldn't want to be anywhere else right now."

I shook my head, resting my cheek against his chest as I sighed. "Now why did you have to go ahead and say that." Before he could say a word I moved above him, placing his hands on my waist as I bent down to kiss him. He groaned as our lips met, his tongue seeking mine as my fingers trailed up from his shoulder to the side of his neck.

"Hey baby, the doorman told me you were-." The unfamiliar voice caught all of my attention immediately as I pulled away from Andreas, my gaze shooting towards the dark skinned beauty currently making her way through the front doorway. She faltered the moment she spotted the two of us on the couch. "home."

A nervous grin made its way to her full lips as we made eye contact. I pushed off of Andreas lap, hastily getting to my feet as my confusion quickly melted into anger as I registered what she'd said. "Hi, I don't think we've met." I did my best to tamp down my tone while I spoke.

Her gaze darted to the man on the couch, flashing him an inquisitive look, before coming back to me. "Uhm, no we haven't." She took a hesistant step forward. "I'm Devyn." She adjusted the strap of the bag on her shoulder. "I apologize for the interrup-"

I crossed my arms, doing my best to keep calm. "And what are you doing here Devyn? If you don't mind my asking."

I heard Andreas get up behind me. I pulled away when I felt him touch my arm. "Nicole-"

I held a hand up, not even bothering to turn around as I walked towards her. "No, I asked her, not you."

Despite the fact that the tension in the room was so thick it was cloying, she effortlessly composed herself, almost pulling off a casual demeanor when she said, "Andreas and I are friends." I took in her defensive stance.

I stopped to stand a couple feet from her, tilting my head as I studied her face. "With benefits?" Her hesitation was answer enough. I flashed her a smile, shaking my head as I moved to grab my bag and coat from the closet by the door. I shook my head as she finally opened her mouth to answer. "No it's fine. I'm sorry, it's my bad." I turned to meet Andreas' wide eyes before I walked past her. "This won't happen again."

I threw the door close as I exited, rushing over to the elevator. Thankfully the one she'd taken up was still on this floor. I could feel that Andreas would soon come after me, and with my swirling emotions, I just couldn't handle that at the moment.

As soon as I stepped into the elevator, I heard the door open behind me. I banged on the 'close' button as I pressed the one for the ground floor. Andreas ran towards me, his look of anguish almost convincing me that he was remorseful. I won't fall for that twice. "Nicole wai-!" I breathed a sigh of relief as the doors shut before he could get to them, the elevator moving down immediately.

I slipped on my coat and tied it tightly around me, slinging my bag across my body. As soon as the doors opened on the ground floor, I rushed across the lobby, ignoring the curious looks of others around me as they noticed my lack of footwear. I caught a cab out front just as it was letting off a passenger.

"Babydoll!" My heart rate spiked as I heard Andreas call out from behind me. I jumped into the back of the car, not sparing a moment to turn as I slammed the door and barked my address to the cabbie.

"Should we wai-"

"Please, just drive! Fast!" Though he was obviously confused, he did as instructed, beginning to pull into the street. Andre managed to get to the car just before he could, slamming his hand against the window in a bid to gain my attention. I stared straight ahead, cursing myself as a tear managed to leak out of the corner of my eye, as the vehicle pulled away.