Park Avenue Player(86)

“So are you heading back to Connecticut or staying here in the city?”

“I told Hollis I’d come back to his place for the night.”

She smiled. “He can be a little on the possessive side, can’t he?”

“It’s okay. I’m a little on the possessive side, too. We’ve both been burned before, so we might hold on a little tighter this time.”

Addison shook her head. “His ex is lucky I never got my hands on her after what she did to him.”

I smiled. “I’m sorry he’s been hurt. But if I ever ran into her, I’d have to thank her. Her loss is totally my gain.”

Addison hugged me. “For the record, Hollis was wrong after all. He told me I was going to think you were great. But you’re freaking awesome.”

***

“Honey, I’m home,” I teased as I let myself into Hollis’s apartment. He was on the couch with his bare feet propped up on the coffee table and a book in his hands. He set it down on his lap and waited for me to come to him. Of course, Huey greeted me with his usual Baaa! “Anna’s home”.

“Hi, Huey. Elodie’s home.” I walked over to Hollis and leaned down to kiss his lips. “Did you miss me?”

When I went to stand up, he grabbed the back of my knees and pulled me onto his lap.

“I did. Let me show you how much.” He nuzzled my neck and palmed one of my breasts through my shirt.

I giggled. “Where’s Hailey?”

“She went downstairs to Kelsie’s so they could pack a bag for Kelsie to sleep over. So give me that mouth and let me cop a cheap feel. We don’t have very long.”

Hollis slipped a hand behind my neck and pulled my lips to meet his again. Our kiss heated up as fast as always. I wound my hands into his hair, and his tongue swept away thoughts of anything but my desire for him.

We hadn’t done very well at keeping things private. Hailey had caught him grabbing my ass in the kitchen the other day, and also caught us making out in the elevator one night when the doors slid open on their floor. It was just so easy to get lost in each other. Which, of course, was why neither of us heard the front door open this time either.

“Ugh. Get a room, you perverts,” Hailey groaned on her way to her room with Kelsie.

I could tell from her voice that she was more teasing than upset. But regardless, she’d caught me off guard, and my reaction was to jump out of Hollis’s lap. Unfortunately, my attempt at standing failed, and I wound up flat on my ass on the living room floor.

Hollis chuckled and extended his hand. “Smooth.”

“Shut up.” I rubbed my ass as I got up. “That was your fault. I tried to give you a nice peck on the lips. But noooo…that wasn’t enough. You had to be greedy.”

“I can’t help it when I’m around you. I am greedy. I want your body in my hands at all times.” He stood and kissed my forehead. “Sit. I got you that wine you like. I’ll get you a glass, and you can tell me all the horrible things my business partner told you about me, so I can deny them.”

Hollis came back with two wine glasses and sat down next to me on the couch. He set his glass on the coffee table, scooped up my feet, and started to take off my sandals.

“So how did it go?”

“It went great. I really love her.”

“Good. I’m glad. Because while she’s a giant pain in my ass, she’s a good person and my best friend. But don’t tell her I said that.”

I sipped my wine. “I won’t. But I’m pretty sure she adores you as much as you adore her. Though both of you seem to like to pretend you get on each other’s nerves. On the train here, I realized I never asked either of you how you two met.”

“We’ve known each other since college. She was Anna’s macroeconomics TA. They became friends.”

“Oh, wow. It didn’t sound like they were friends anymore.”

Hollis tossed my shoes on the floor and began to massage my feet. “They definitely aren’t. Anna met her first, and the three of us became friends. Addison was a year ahead of us, but she and I had the same major, so the three of us would often study together. After we graduated, we went to work at competing firms. When I decided I wanted to go out on my own, I suggested we do it together.” He shrugged. “When shit went down with Anna, she might’ve been as pissed off as I was. The two of them may have been friends first, but if things hadn’t gone wrong with Anna, there’s no doubt whose side of the church Addy would’ve been sitting on.”

“I like that your best friend is a woman.”

Hollis dug his thumb into the arch of my foot, and I felt my entire body relax. “Oh yeah? I like that your best friend isn’t a man. Pretty sure I’d hate you hanging around another man all the time.”

I laughed. “Are you saying you’d feel threatened?”

“Nope. I just prefer the only dick swinging around you to be mine.”

“I feel bad for Hailey when she starts dating. You’re a little on the protective side.”

Hollis’s fingers stopped moving. “Dating? We have a long time until that happens.”

“Not really. I was into boys by the time I was thirteen. Went to the movies alone with Frankie Hess at fifteen.”

“I don’t like Frankie Hess.”