Unnerving, but in a good way.

That was the only way to describe the feeling coursing through my veins as I stepped into the hotel elevator with Derrick, champagne in hand, while his free hand warmed the base of my spine.

As the doors began to close, I pulled my bottom lip in between my teeth, all too aware we were about to be alone for the first time. Completely and utterly alone. A vision of him slowly backing me up against the wall invaded my mind. Of our drinks falling to the ground as his hands came to rest on either side of my head. Of him bending down to capture my lips with his own. Of our tongues dancing, our hands exploring, and our bodies moving against one another in an accelerated rhythm until the doors opened once more.

But the fantasy, or, uh, vision, was quickly derailed as a hand shot out to stop the elevator door from closing.

Derrick's hand fell from my back—though the warmth from his touch lingered—as a woman in her mid-to-late sixties stepped in with us, hitting the button for the ninth floor before looking our way. "Now what are you two young things doing at an airport hotel on New Year's Eve?"

Unable to come up with an answer other than 'we're about to have sex!', I glanced at Derrick to see the corner of his mouth twitch upward, as if he knew exactly what I was thinking.

"Our flight back to Boston was canceled because of a storm en route," he replied as the elevator began to rise. "How about you?"

"Oh, my hubby and I are headed out early to Seattle tomorrow morning to visit our grandchildren since they were away over Christmas, so we thought we'd camp out here tonight instead of waking up so damn early."

There was a moment of silence as I nodded in understanding, the fingers of my left hand tapping nervously against my thigh as we came to a stop at the fifth floor.

"Happy new year," I finally managed to say before stepping out. Turning back to smile at her, I continued. "And hopefully everything goes alright with your flight tomorrow."

"You as well," she replied cheerily. "And remember, there's a whole lot of fun that can be had in a hotel room."

Her words were punctuated with a wink as the door slid shut, causing a red tint to color my cheeks. "Were we that obvious?" I asked, gobsmacked.

There was no reply, only his deep chuckle as Derrick led me down the hall. In a handful of steps, we reached his room and with a quick flash of his key card, the door unlocked, and he gestured me inside.

And that was when my confidence began to dim.

There was nothing special about the room, in fact, it was the exact same as my own a floor below. Except mine didn't have Derrick's luggage tossed in the corner beside the bed. Nor did I remember it having this nice of a view. With the curtains pulled to the side, the lights of the city were vibrant against the darkened sky and the moon—now high in the sky—cast a subtle, silver glow into the room. It was sensual. Enticing. Another reminder about what was about to happen.

"I can close those if you want."

Without even realizing, I'd moved further into the room, facing away from Derrick as I stood at the foot of the bed. "No," I said, cringing at the slight crack to my voice despite the whispered tone. "This is fine."

"You sure?" he asked, and I didn't respond. My pulse pounded as I heard him shuffle closer; until he was right behind me. Separated by no more than a few inches, I felt the warmth of his chest radiating against my back as his free hand reached out to gently caress my hip. "Lia, are you one hundred percent cool with this?" His voice was a low rumble against my ear. "Because if you're not, we can just head back down to the bar."

Strangely enough, those words caused the second thoughts roaming my mind to vanish. His reassurance that this didn't need to happen if I was no longer into it was the exact reason I wanted it to. There was no denying he was a decent guy on top of being any woman's fantasy, and with his attention solely on me for the night, I intended to take make the most of it.

After all, I was single and totally down to mingle.

Giving into temptation, I turned to face him, allowing my eyes to drop to his lips as I lifted my glass. "I'm sure."

I saw the flash of heat in his eyes as he tapped his glass against mine, the echoing clink prompting the hair on my arms to rise. One long gulp was all it took for the last drops of champagne to disappear before everything changed. What had been a slow moving seduction brewing since the first moment we'd bumped into each other in the airport changed to a scorching need as our lips came together frantically.

My arms wrapped around his waist as his fingers tangled in my hair, pulling me closer as his tongue swept across my bottom lip. With a moan on my account, the kiss deepened, adding fuel to the flames of desire in my chest. And just when I thought I couldn't take it any longer, Derrick tore his mouth from mine and began peppering kisses down my neck. Delving lower with each sweep—the sensitive skin underneath my ear, my collarbone, my shoulder, the neckline of my long sleeve t-shirt that definitely wasn't sexy but was making me feel so as the material stretched downwards.

With nearly every nerve in my body on high alert, and my pants filling the air around us, I grabbed his face, kissing him fiercely, in need of something... more.

Pulling back and breathing heavy, my hands coasted slowly over his broad shoulders and the material covering them. Tight enough to show off the muscles he'd clearly worked hard for, there was still enough slack that the shirt bunched in my grasp as I reached his biceps and flicked my eyes up to meet his.

"I think it's time for this to come off. Now."

There was no objection as the corner of his mouth curved upward in a sultry smirk. "You've got it." But he didn't comply right away, instead, reaching up to tap the side of my glasses I'd forgotten I was even wearing, so used to having contacts in. "As long as these come off too."

Not having any need for them for the rest of the night, I took my glasses off and placed them safely to the side before quirking a brow, silently telling him it was his turn.

In one swift movement, his shirt was thrown carelessly to the side and his arms circled my waist, once again closing the space between us. In a frenzy of lips and tongue, I couldn't help but revel in the trail of heat that rose on my skin when his touch drifted lower, skimming the sliver of bare skin at my waist before coasting over my ass and stopping on my thighs.

Bending down to my height and squeezing, I was more than happy to oblige with his prompting as he yanked both of my legs around his waist and moved us two steps sideways until we fell softly onto the bed.

With me on top.

Slowing my kisses to a teasing pace, I leaned back so that my thighs nestled around his hips. Taking the chance to admire his exposed chest, my fingers appeared dainty as they slowly moved over every ridge, pausing to inspect a small scripted tattoo of the right side of his abdomen.

Never give up. Always keep pushing.

"Any significance behind this?"

"Just something my dad used to say when I was a kid trying to find my footing on the ice." There was a lightness in his eyes as I glanced up at his face. "Plus, it covers a scar I got during high school when I got a skate to this stomach."

A breezy laugh escaped him as I cringed, though when I scooted down his body to get a closer look, the room became quiet once more. Like he was holding his breath. Waiting until I found the tiny, uneven line underneath the inked words and brought my lips to it.

Growling in satisfaction, Derrick's hips rose off the bed, making me grin as I continued to explore his abs with my mouth. Tracing them with my tongue, I was only encouraged by the sounds filling the room, and boldly grazed my hand over the impressive bulge in his jeans before popping open the button and unzipping him.

"Lia..."

"Shh," I said, flicking my eyes to meet his as I tried my best to push the fabric of his pants down his legs. "Don't worry, I want to."

There were no more objections, though there was a bit of fumbling as the two of us quickly worked together to rid him of his jeans and boxers before he laid back down, his cock fully erect.

My hand was barely big enough to wrap around him entirely, but I made it work, working him over with a few experimental pumps before prompting a hiss of pleasure when my lips closed around the tip.

"Is this good?" I asked after licking the length of his shaft and massaging the base.

"Yes, fuck." His hips pumped upward as my tongue flattened against the head. "Anything you do with your mouth is fucking fantastic."

"Good to know."

Empowered, I moaned around him and began to take him deeper, getting into a rhythm that he seemed to enjoy if the groans filling the room were anything to go by. Though when his hand lifted from the sheets and tangled in my hair, instead of encouraging me like I expected, he pulled lightly to get my attention.

"As much as I'm loving what you're doing—" In one swift movement that I could not for the life of me follow, I suddenly found myself lying on my back with Derrick hovering me. Naked. "—we're a little unmatched when it comes to clothes."

"Well, you see," I started, suddenly getting nervous again, knowing what I had on underneath these clothes, "I didn't plan on sleeping with you tonight."

He lifted an eyebrow, his hand hovering above the waistline of my jeans. "No?" he asked. "You sure you didn't go down to the bar looking for me?"

I gulped, because I hadn't thought much about it. I figured I'd finally had enough of this day and—after calling my parents and telling them not to worry about me—had just needed a drink. To simply chill out as the year came to an end. But maybe, just maybe, I could remember feeling a tug in my gut that told me to change into something a little more presentable. To dab on a bit of lip gloss and a few swipes of mascara before heading down to the lobby.

"Because let me tell you something Lia," he continued, his tone husky and low. "I went down there hoping to find you."

The words short-circuited every logical train of thought as the button to my jeans snapped open and his hand slowly slid the material down my legs. Revealing the pair of underwear I'd designated for what was supposed to be a travel day—baby blue boy shorts with cartoon giraffes.

Derrick's eyes lit up with silent laughter. "Cute."

I narrowed my eyes playfully, though when I opened my mouth to tell him not to say one more word, he silenced me with his lips. I could feel his calloused fingers pulling at my boy shorts, shifting them down my legs as his tongue explored my mouth. An unperfect kiss that was urgent and hungry, reigniting the wanting within me.

When his hands wrapped around my now-bare thighs, stopping the desperate rocking motion of my hips, I knew something more was coming. And when he tore his mouth from mine, only to bring it to the sensitive skin of my inner thigh—rewarding me with a torturous combination of kisses and licks—I succumbed to the intoxicating sensations.

With one finger, then two, he tried his best to read my body's responses, not at all perturbed by my hands in his hair, guiding him to where I needed him. A yelp of ecstasy escaped me when he finally brought his mouth down on me, focusing his attention on the small bundle of nerves. His tongue moved in slow, concise circles, causing my legs to shake and the pleasure between my thighs to build, bringing me closer to the edge. Knowing there was no way I was holding on much longer, I moved my hips in the exact way I needed to get my release, and moments later, when his lips closed around my swollen bud and he sucked hard, I fell apart.

There was no silencing the sounds that left my lips and echoed off the walls around us, but I didn't care, reveling in the bliss that coursed through my body.

Things slowed down as he inched back up my body, stopping along the way to rid my upper body of clothes and drop open mouthed kisses along my skin. On my hip, my stomach, each breast, my collarbone, and finally my lips.

Breathing heavily, I pulled back. "Please tell me you have a condom."

Nodding, Derrick reached down to where his pants had been thrown and grabbed his wallet from one of the pockets, pulling out two packets of foil.

I raised an eyebrow, amused. "Two, eh?"

Grinning, he shrugged. "You never know when you'll need them."

Tossing one to the side, he tore the other open and quickly sheathed himself before crawling back over me. With one hand, he pushed the stray hairs away from my face, cupping my cheek. "You know," he started, moving his hips to line us up perfectly, circling the tip of his cock around my opening, "I'm not that mad our flight was canceled anymore."

He inched forward slowly and I shuddered, in tune to every small movement he made before reaching the hilt. Dropping his forehead to my shoulder, a groan sounded from the back of his throat, causing my grip on his biceps to tighten.

"You know," I said, repeating his words as my hips involuntarily moved to find the best friction, "this would be a whole lot better if you moved."

His chest shook as he chuckled, pushing up on his forearms so I could see his wicked smile. "Well, honey, you asked for it."

With the first thrust—which consisted of him pulling nearly all the way out before slamming home again—I was no longer complaining. Instead, I was making sounds I couldn't even comprehend as Derrick moved at a pace that was pure perfection, yet painstakingly slow at the same time to draw out the pressure building between my legs.

His strong, warm hands glided across my skin confidently, as if there was an underlying instinct telling him which parts of my body he needed to focus on. Particularly the spot above my right hip where he circled his thumb consistently as his lips nipped at a spot underneath my left ear.

And when that was no longer enough, I wrapped my legs around his hips, creating a new angle where his thrusts began hitting the spot I needed them to. Over and over again. Soon enough, I felt the wave of another orgasm building and couldn't stop the encouraging mumbles that left my lips, telling Derrick not to stop as he continued to pound into me; harder and with more power than before. As if he too was on the edge and desperate for release.

Crying out, I clutched the sheets and arched my back, barely able to register when Derrick hit his climax too, because I was so overwhelmed with the hormones pulsing through every inch of my body.

There was no question about it, I was one hundred percent satisfied.

Opening my eyes as Derrick's weight shifted on top of me, I noticed the equally satiated expression his featured held.

"That was..." I said, trailing off in a pant, not able to compute the right word for what had just happened.

Though I knew it was somewhere between magnificent, gratifying, and mind-blowing.

Just as out of breath as I was, Derrick nodded in agreement. "Yeah, it was."

After dropping a quick kiss to my lips, he rolled off me and stood, padding across the room to dispose of the condom in the bathroom, and leaving me to marvel at the astonishing turn of events this day had taken. If there hadn't have been a storm that canceled our flight, we would've been seat mates, nothing more, and I would've missed out on this seriously killer sex that had more than made up for my five-month dry spell.

Was it wrong to be thankful the weather had decided to crap out on us? Because if it was, I didn't want to be right.

Next to me, the bed dipped when Derrick returned, and his fingers gently skimmed my own beneath the sheets I'd wiggled under. "Happy new year, Lia."

Turning my gaze to the small digital clock on the nightstand, sure enough, I could make out the blurry numbers to see it was five minutes past midnight. Which meant the year had started off with a bang, literally.

Definitely not the worst way to bring in the new year.

Rolling back to face him, I splayed my fingers against his chest, hoping it wasn't just me who was ready for another round. "Happy new year to you, too."

The burst of lust in his eyes told me I definitely wasn't alone, and when his hands came up to cup my breasts before his mouth closed around a puckered nipple, I knew I was in for a long night.

a/n: so... thoughts on this chapter? ;)

Where do you guys think Lia and Derrick go from here?