The Closer (18+) ✓

| 14.3 | closing the deal

❝You make me, you make me, you make me wanna make mistakes
Love how bittersweet it tastes
Hey, hey, hey.❞

Chapter Fourteen:
Closing the Deal
(cont'd)

"My little doodle bug?"

"No."

"What about sugar lips?"

"Hans."

The elevator opened up to our floor and I nearly ran out of it, wanting to escape this onslaught of a cute-but-not-so-cute nickname hunt. Hans, seeming to have caught my train of thought, wrapped his arms around my body from behind to stop me from doing exactly that. I groaned when he snuggled his face into the side of my neck, guiding us out while managing to tickle me into acceptance with the scratch of his stubble.

"Oh lighten up, will you sunshine?"

"Won't you stop?" I groaned, nearly back-handing him in the face with my bag. I jingled the keys in my hand, making it perfectly aware that I wanted to end this nonsense and go to bed.

It was late - somehow, following our beautiful albeit emotionally draining lunch, Hans decided to liven up the day by taking us back to National Harbor where we wiled away the time on his boat. It was quite a sight - watching the sunset and the palette of colors fill the sky with his arms around me. Compared to the gentle warmth that had spread through my heart then, all I could relate him to now was an octopus who just wouldn't unlock me.

I violently jammed the key into the keyhole and was just about to flick it to the left and barge into the comfort of our home when Hans, with sudden and unexpected flair, spun me around and pushed me up against the door.

"Don't be so cruel, angel," he smirked, his face mere inches from mine. "I'm just trying to find something that'll work for the both of us."

"I think we should go back to the old us. Remember when I used to call you a dick all the time? That definitely worked for me."

Hans grinned.

"Yeah, that was kind of hot."

He pressed closer to me and I found, with a thrilling jolt, that despite how long we'd been together now, every time he touched me still had the same effect as the first, if not more now. I blushed but gave him a stern glare, pressing my hands flat against his chest.

"Hans."

"Tris."

I felt him still grinning as he dipped his head and kissed the side of my neck. His tongue lapped at my pulse before his mouth fixed to the tender skin there, sucking ever so lightly but hard enough to make me moan.

"Hans."

"Yes, doll?"

His hands worked up the side of my body, resting near the underside of my breasts but not daring to venture any further. The things this man could do without even trying were ridiculous but it was utterly inhumane of him to put me to this torture - touching me, but not quite going where I needed him to. He was a dick, all right. A big one.

"Stop it," I whimpered, closing my eyes and tilting my head back against the door to give him more space to spoil me.

"Not until we settle this deal."

I tried all I could to shove him off me but the tantalizing effect of his lips on my skin had rendered my limbs useless. In fact, if it weren't for his hips pressing against my body, I would have fallen like a puppet to the ground.