Not wanting to overthink things, Hailey pushed the kisses at the end of his text to the back of her mind. Yes, she'd invited him over, and yes, they'd likely fool around a bit, because as much as she wanted to say she wasn't that type of girl, she knew it'd be hard keeping her hands to herself.

Elliott seemed to be her sexual kryptonite, because when he'd dropped her off after skating a few days prior, she'd had to use every ounce of will in her body not to invite him up to her place. The make-out session they'd had on her building's doorstop bordered on indecent, but she couldn't seem to care in the moment. Or at all, really.

She was living her life, and if she wanted to sleep with the insanely attractive man who seemed to have taken an interest in her, god damnit, she would.

The waiting, however, drove her a little bit crazy.

She did her best to focus on work, digging into the research that'd been done into each company to finalize the proposals, but every so often, acknowledging the hours were counting down until Elliott's arrival veered her train of thought off track.

When the clock struck four, Hailey simply couldn't ignore it any longer, and put her work aside for the day, knowing she'd gotten enough done to warrant a bit more of a chillaxed snow day. Plus, not having set a definite time to meet, Elliott could realistically show up at the door at any time.

Luckily, she wasn't super rushed, because while there was no point dressing to the nines when they were just going to be eating take-out and watching a movie, she still wanted to look better than she did in her pajamas. Throwing on a cozy sweater and a pair of leggings, she pulled her hair out of its ponytail and quickly french braided it before dusting on a bit of makeup, sticking with concealer, mascara, blush, and a bit of lip gloss.

And when the buzzer sounded throughout her apartment, she stopped for a moment, took a deep breath, and headed towards the door to buzz him in.

"Elliott?"

"It's me."

"Come on up."

It took maybe thirty seconds for Elliott to emerge from the elevator, snow covering his shoulders and hair, but as Hailey's nerves acted up, it felt a lot longer. Though when he smiled at her and held up a brown paper bag, she felt most of the nerves fade away. Or at least hide for the time being.

"Wanna take a guess?" Elliott asked as he stopped in front of her.

Looking down at the unmarked bag, a moment of silence passed between them as Hailey pondered the answer. "Burgers or Chinese?"

"Chinese," he replied, leaning in for a quick kiss. "Good guess."

Hailey opened the door to her apartment wider and let him pass. "More hope than guess," she said, watching as he took off his jacket to reveal he was still wearing his work clothes. A suit. He was wearing a suit and didn't seem to find anything strange about it. Taking off his suit jacket as well, he then tried to shake the snow from his hair. When he didn't fully succeed, she took a step closer and brought her hand up to brush the snow away. "It's really coming down out there, isn't it?"

"Sure is, though nobody seems to care that much. I swear, there are just as many people out today than any other day."

"Well, they don't call it the city that never sleeps for nothing," Hailey quipped. "It just so happens it's also the city that doesn't take a break."

Elliott chuckled. "Too true."

"How do you feel about eating on the sofa?" Hailey asked, nodding towards the living area as she led him into the kitchen to grab plates. "We can eat in here if you want, but we could also put on a movie and just chill."

Rolling up his sleeves to showcase the muscles in his forearms, he grinned. "Movie works for me. I feel like I've been going for hours already and need some time to unwind."

"Then unwind we will."

After each of them filled their plates with the assortment of food Elliott had bought, Hailey poured two glasses of wine from a bottle of red she had stored in her fridge and they headed to the sofa. Bringing up Netflix, Hailey selected a newer comedy that sounded alright before settling in next to Elliott.

But not too close. Not while they were eating.

Once their plates had been cleared, however, Hailey scooted slightly closer to Elliott, not wanting to come on too strong but hoping he'd get the message. Which he did. A zing of excitement flowed through her as Elliott stretched his right arm up over his head before resting it across the back of the sofa, his hand lightly grazing her shoulder.

Neither of them talked, and despite not really knowing each other that well, it wasn't awkward. It was actually comforting in a way; sipping wine, laughing along to the movie, and leaning into one another more and more with each passing scene.

However, things took a turn when the apartment lights flickered.

"Is the storm really that bad?" Hailey asked, worry filling her gaze as she turned to glance out the window. And sure enough, a large pile of snow had been forced onto the windowsill with the wind showing no signs of slowing down.

Elliott's arm tightened around her shoulder, pulling her attention back to him as his thumb moved in a slow, calming pattern. "The snow was definitely bad, but I couldn't imagine it being enough to knock the power out."

For a few moments, Hailey actually began to relax, believing Elliott's words. Until the lights flickered again. And again. And finally, the power cut completely, leaving the pair in the dark, staring at a blackened screen.

"Or not."

Hailey wanted to be concerned about what happened next, but as she turned to face Elliott fully, she couldn't find it in her to be anything other than thankful for the situation. Her body was humming in anticipation, and as he brought his hand up to cup her cheek, running his thumb along her bottom lip, she didn't want to hold back any longer.

"Is there anything else we can do—"

Elliott never got a chance to finish the question, because before she could help herself, Hailey turned and straddled him, taking him by surprise as she slid her arms around his neck and mashed her lips to his.

His shock didn't last long, however, as Elliott quickly returned the kiss with equal passion. "You sure about this?" he mumbled against her lips, his hands trailing up her thighs to cup her ass before he squeezed.

"Absolutely," Hailey replied, kissing him again before pulling back. "Well, not absolutely, because my breath probably smells like Chinese food, which isn't that sexy, but otherwise—"

"Trust me," Elliott laughed as he brought her lips back down to his, "I don't care about the Chinese food breath."

"Good."

Her hands went to the buttons of his dress shirt, popping them open one by one before her hands met the warm skin beneath. He shivered as she explored, greedily thumbing open the button on his pants, and he was quick to follow with his own exploration. Pulling her shirt over her head and throwing it to the side before skillfully working her out of her leggings, it was evident neither of them wanted this to be slow.

His fingers slipped between her legs as he repositioned her on his thighs, pushing the material of her thong to the side, eliciting a gasp of pleasure from her as he gave her what she needed. Adding one finger, and then two, moving them in a rhythm which encouraged her to grind against his hand.

She didn't just sit back and take though, reaching down the pants she'd shimmied slightly down his thighs to grip him, loving that he was warm and hard as she stroked.

When their lips came together again, the kiss was hard.

"Do you have a condom?" Hailey panted out.

Elliott nodded, pulling one out of his wallet before tossing it aside and ripping the package open.

When things were settled, there was no hesitation as he took her hips, looking into her eyes as he thrust up into her, sliding all the way home.

Moans from both of them filled the room as Hailey circled her hips, adjusting to Elliott's size, and Elliott began to thrust upwards.

It certainly didn't feel like a first time. At least not to Hailey. She was used to sweet and caring, and while Elliott was definitely both of those things, he was also passionate. Raw. Wanting this to be something they both remembered—and felt—for days after.

Sometime during it all, they both noticed the power flicker back on, highlighting both their bodies in the unflattering light, but neither of them cared, both chasing a much-needed release.

"Come on, Hailey," Elliott murmured against the skin of her neck, "let go."

Embracing the feelings that washed over her, she was unapologetic as she raced towards her release, bringing her own hand down to where they were joined before crying out.

Elliot held her against him as he continued to thrust, slamming into her again and again until he groaned out his own orgasm.

It took a few moments for both of them to regain their breath, but once they did, Hailey pulled back to look at Elliott, pulling her bottom lip between her teeth to hide the smile that threatened to escape. He was still inside her and the feeling was one she was hoping to get used to.

"Well," Elliott said, grinning as one of his hands trailed up her body and slid across her breasts, which were still covered by a lace bra, "that was something."

She laughed lightly. "Yeah, definitely something."