What Happens at Con

by Cathy Yardley

  “Abraham,” she almost shrieked, shivering uncontrollably.

  He smiled against her, then redoubled his efforts. By God, this was going to knock her out.

  She was breathing hard, her hips pistoning as best they could under his grip, her hands grasping the sheets like she was trying to find some way to tether herself to the bed. He kept up his relentless assault until he heard her breathing go fast and choppy and her noises grow more helplessly desperate.

  “Abraham… oh, baby, I’m gonna… I’m coming… oh God, I’m coming…”

  He sucked her clit into his mouth, swirling around the hard button with the flat of his tongue as his fingers plunged inside her. With a low scream of pleasure, she shuddered against him, flooding his mouth with her taste. He felt the walls of her shudder and clench around his hands, and his cock jerked in response, so hard it was painful.

  After long moments, he pressed a gentle kiss against her, leaning up on his forearm and removing his fingers from her. She was lying there, still as a carved angel. “Ready for round two?” he said, reaching for his zipper.

  She made a low noise, like “Mmmm.” He frowned. Normally she was louder. Maybe she was making him work for it. He liked that idea.

  Then he heard a low, ladylike snore.

  He blinked. “Ani?” Then he shook her lightly. “Ani? Are you… asleep?”

  There was the tiniest, cutest snort. Then she shifted to her side, snuggling into the pillow.

  He was shocked. He’d rocked her world, all right. And now… now, she was asleep!

  He was torn between being embarrassed, being irritated, and being amused. It was funny, since the guy was usually the one that hit it and fell asleep. But his cock was ready to roll, and it found the whole situation less funny. Beyond that, it was hard to think “this is a relationship, not a booty call” when your partner dropped out after she got hers.

  He was thinking all that when he finally really looked at her. She had smudges under her eyes. Exhaustion. Maybe she’d even been crying.

  She’d been tired. She was now pushing into burn-out. What had she said? She had a hard time getting in the mood when her place was a mess. He’d seen this in programmers, when their cubicles turned into disaster zones during deadline crunch. She was starting to crack up.

  Well, he’d helped with one form of stress relief, he thought, getting up gingerly and adjusting his still-sore cock, which was gradually and sullenly shrinking back to normal. He could help her with another, because while she might be wiped out, he got the feeling it’d be a while before he got any sleep.

  A little investigation revealed an in-unit washer-dryer. He got a load of laundry started, then unloaded the dishwasher as best he could before clearing the dirty dishes and starting that up. He took several trips to the trash chute, clearing all that out, then even went ahead and cleaned the bathroom. He didn’t touch any of the papers or books — he figured she had some kind of system going, and he didn’t want to mess with that.

  He wasn’t any kind of housekeeper, but the place did seem a little nicer when he was done. He hoped that she felt that way, too. When she wakes up, he thought with a grin.

  Then he waited.

  By ten o’clock, he’d realized that she was asleep for the long haul. So much for a booty call, he thought, his body still achy and longing. He really shouldn’t make a production out of it. He went into the darkened bedroom, kissing her. “I’m gonna go, Ani,” he said against her jawline.

  “No,” she said, wrapping her bare arms around him. “No, stay. I’ll wake up in a minute.”

  “You’re not gonna wake up until the morning,” he countered.

  She held him tighter, biting his earlobe. “Then stay until then,” she breathed.

  His cock stood at attention, and he groaned. “Girl, you do not play fair.”

  She sighed as she snuggled back into bed. He got himself ready, then kept his boxers on and climbed in next to her. He gritted his teeth as she snuggled up against him. He smelled her shampoo — something tropical, like coconut maybe? — and sighed as he felt her whisper soft skin brushing up against his own.

  “I really like you, Ani,” he said against the crown of her head. “You make me crazy, but damned if I don’t like you.”

  She made a little incoherent sound of happiness and cuddled harder. This was not how he’d planned this evening to go, he thought. But he couldn’t help but feel a warm sense of contentment, one he hadn’t felt in years, if ever. With that, he snuggled against her and, sooner than he would’ve thought, he fell asleep.

  Chapter 8

  Ani woke up feeling weird. It took her a second to realize it was feeling rested. Then she turned over and squelched a yelp.

  There was a man in her bed. He had his back to her, his copper hair tousled and….

  Wait.

  Copper hair?

  She ran her hand through her hair, her memory scrambling. She remembered inviting Abraham over. She remembered doing it with the express purpose of blowing off some steam, just getting laid and seeing if that would help her improve her outlook on life, because she was feeling like shit. But then he’d come over, and…

  Blank.

  Jeez, Louise, she’d been unbelievably tired. But she’d never slept through sex before, and she couldn’t believe she’d sleep through sex with Abraham. What had happened?

  She hopped out of bed, noticing that she was naked. That… was problematic, she thought. Gah, gah, gah.

  She threw on a pair of pants, headed to the bathroom and brushed her teeth, then ran a brush through her hair. What was she going to do? Did she ask him what happened that night? She frowned as her brush hit a snarl.

  Stay, she’d asked. Stay, and we can do something after I get some rest.

  He’d stayed all night. Holy crap.

  She walked out of the bathroom, then stopped dead as she saw the kitchen.

  She’d been running out of dishes. He’d loaded the dishwasher for her, which meant that he must’ve unloaded the dishwasher, too, at some point. She’d probably be finding her stuff in weird places, but the thoughtfulness of the gesture warmed her chest in a way she hadn’t felt in years. Had a boyfriend ever noticed that the dishes were dirty, much less decided to clean?

  Maybe he was OCD, she argued with herself weakly, trying to keep her defenses up. He was ex-military, after all. Keeping things clean and orderly was probably his jam.

  She saw that there was also a basket of clean laundry, and another load in the dryer. Even as she felt embarrassed that her house had been in that condition… he’d taken care of her.

  And holy cow, she must’ve been exhausted if he’d done all this and she’d slept through it. She wondered what he’d looked like while he was doing it.

  “Morning,” he said.

  She looked away from the laundry and the kitchen to find him shirtless in just jeans. Her mouth went dry. It ought to be illegal for a man to look that damned good in the morning. Or ever.

  “I’m just gonna…” He gestured to the bathroom.

  “Huh? Oh! Sure, yeah, of course.” She nodded, feeling like an idiot. Then she glanced at the clock. “Oh! Oh, shit. It’s nine!”

  “You late for something?” he said through the closed door.

  “Yes! Wait. What day is it?” She looked at a calendar. “Oh, thank God. Saturday.”

  “Can you take the day off?” She heard water running. “‘Cause it seems like you definitely need the rest.”

  “No rest for the wicked. Or grad students,” she said with a weak laugh. “I’m gonna need to log some more time in the lab today definitely.”

  “You have time for a…”

  Before he could ask, there was a knock on the door. She jumped, letting out a little startled squeal. She looked through the peephole.

  “Oh, shit! It’s Tessa,” Ani said.

  “So?” He emerged. His gray eyes were bright.

  “Get in the bedroom and don’t come out, okay? Just… just don’t make
a sound.” She started shoving him, but he was an immovable, wall-like mass.

  “You ashamed of me?” He sounded like he was teasing, but she did hear a note of hurt beneath it.

  “I don’t want to explain this! Worlds colliding, worlds colliding!” she said. “Just… keep it quiet, okay?”

  She shoved him the rest of the way in, closing the door. Then she opened the front door. Tessa had a box of Steve’s Donuts, the best donuts in Snoqualmie, with several Bavarian creams — Ani’s favorite.

  “I’m sorry I haven’t been able to help more,” Tessa said, without preamble. “I’ve been so busy with the game, I’ve been running a little ragged.”

  “It’s not your responsibility to take care of me,” Ani said. “I’m sorry I can’t help you more.”

  “Oh, it’s no problem,” Tessa said with a dismissive wave of her hand. “I’ve got Adam. He’s been working on project managing, but he’s also been cooking every day of the week and doing laundry. He even gives me back rubs and massages when I’m stressed.” She giggled. “Of course, those tend to turn into other things.”

  Ani wiggled her eyebrows. “Best kind of stress relief, huh?”

  “I’m telling you, having a boyfriend is the best,” Tessa said. Then she looked aghast. “Being single’s good, too. Probably better than being with the wrong guy.”

  Ani felt guilt, her eyes shifting to the closed bedroom door. “Um… speaking of stress relief…”

  Tessa followed the direction of her gaze, and her jaw dropped. “No. Way!” she whispered. “Who is he?”

  “Um…” Ani shook her head. “Remember how I told you I hooked up with a guy at Erotic City?”

  Tessa’s eyes widened. “You tracked him down again?”

  “I kept his contact info,” Ani said carefully. “And… well, he was really good, so…”

  Tessa’s smile was like the sun. “So, did you have a good time?”

  She thought about saying “I fell asleep” but just couldn’t bring herself to. “Um… yeah,” she said.

  “I won’t take up more of your time, but… how is it?” Tessa asked, with a giggle.

  Ani smiled. “He’s not like anybody else I know,” she said honestly.

  “Do you think it could turn into a relationship?”

  Ani paused. “I doubt it,” she said.

  Tessa studied her. “But you’re thinking about it,” she said. “I know you. I know that look on your face. You really like this guy.”

  Ani prayed that he wasn’t listening, and she glared at her friend. Tessa blinked. “He’s awake?” she mouthed.

  Ani nodded frantically, and Tessa reddened.

  “Sorry,” she mouthed again, then cleared her throat. “Well, I’ll just leave these donuts with you and get going,” she said with a grin. “Call me later, okay?”

  “Okay,” Ani said, giving Tessa a big hug and whispering in her ear, “I’ll tell you everything later,” she said, promising herself that she’d come clean about Abraham.

  Tessa hustled away. Abraham came out, leaning against the doorframe.

  “Want me to be your boyfriend, huh?” he said.

  “I have to go to the lab,” she said, feeling her cheeks redden. “And I didn’t say I want you to be anything. I know that’s not your jam. You just want to hit it and quit it.”

  “That’s true,” he said.

  She felt her stomach drop unpleasantly.

  “At least, it was true,” he said, his voice lowering until she shivered like someone had rubbed her naked body with a mink glove. “Now, I just know I want to see you. I want to be with you.”

  She nodded. “I’ll be working late tonight,” she said quietly. “I have to do an experiment in the lab most of the day tomorrow. My life from here on out is really, really busy.”

  She could feel his disappointment. Hell, she could feel her own.

  Then she heard herself speak. “But… yeah,” she agreed tentatively. “This week, maybe we can, you know. Talk about it. See where it can go.”

  He smiled. “I’d like that.”

  Then he scooped her up, carrying her to the bedroom. She yelped. “What are you doing?”

  “You promised when you were rested we’d finish what we started,” he said, and she burst into laughter.

  “What’s going on, Abraham? You level up on some hard-core mode or something?” Fezza asked.

  Abraham absently looked up from the coding he’d been doing. “Huh?”

  “You’ve had this smile on your face for the past, like, two hours,” Fezza said.

  “I have?” Abraham rubbed a hand over his jaw. Sure enough, what felt like a shit-eating grin was stretching his face. He tried to force his scowl. “So what?”

  “So you never smile like that,” Fezza said, “and frankly, it’s freaking some of the guys out.”

  Abraham’s snicker was evil. “As they should be.”

  “Oh, shit.” Fezza’s eyes wheeled. “You’re not making us do a coding boot camp, are you? Because they are heinous.”

  “Maybe.”

  “Or… no, we’re not in crunch time. We’re not doing some team-building exercise, are we?” Fezza’s voice got higher-pitched. “Because the last time you had us do paintball guns, I was bruised for a month, I swear.”

  Abraham thought of torturing him more, then just shrugged. He was in too good a mood. “Nah, we’re not doing either. I’m just having a good day.”

  “Really?” Fezza said.

  “Is it that surprising?”

  Fezza sent him a narrowed side-eye stare. “Whatever,” he finally admitted, then retreated to his own cubicle.

  Abraham hadn’t seen Ani since his wake-up call with her on Saturday morning. She’d been busy with grading and lab work, but he was going to stop by tonight. He was going to angle to stay, too, if possible. Even though they’d managed to have sex before she’d gone out Saturday, he found himself craving her. There was anticipation, excitement, a sense of…

  Joy, he thought. He was happier than he could remember with this weird-ass… whatever it was they had.

  Relationship.

  She hadn’t said as much, but he was working her around to the idea, he just knew it. She hadn’t told Tessa, but he hadn’t told his guys, either, and honestly didn’t know when he planned to.

  A secret relationship was still a relationship, though, right?

  Puzzled, distracted, he got up to check on the other architects, seeing their progress on various games. He checked on Jose, then he went over to Tessa to see how she was doing on her new project.

  “How’s it going?”

  Tessa pulled herself up proudly, gesturing to the lines of code and the documents. “On time, on budget,” she said proudly. “And we hit all our OKRs this past week.”

  He nodded, impressed. OKRs — objectives and key results — were the beating heart of any dev team, and the fact that she took them seriously was a good sign. “You’re a good programmer,” he said. “You’re going to be a great game developer.”

  She was grinning like a madwoman when she winced, rubbing at her shoulder and neck. “Been pushing myself a little hard lately,” she said with a rueful grin.

  He grinned back, remembering what he’d overheard at Ani’s. “What, Adam falling down on his masseur duties?”

  Tessa’s eyes widened like he’d smacked her, and suddenly he remembered. He’d overheard it while he was hiding at Ani’s.

  Shit.

  “Adam didn’t tell you that, did he?” she said quietly. “Because he wouldn’t talk about it with the guys — you all make fun of him enough.” She dropped her voice even lower. “Been to any conventions lately, boss?”

  They were still in the pit, in the room, so the other guys could hear them, even if they didn’t know what they were talking about. “Yeah, we hit Erotic City,” Dennis said. “Abraham here even hit it with some freak.”

  Tessa’s eyes went wide.

  “I think he’s still bumpin’ boots with her,” Denn
is said. “Why else would he be so happy? I’ll bet he…”

  “Dennis, shut the fuck up.”

  You could’ve heard a bubble break in the charged silence that followed. “What?” Dennis said, then lowered his voice at Jose’s shove. “What?”

  Tessa headed out, and Abraham waited a beat before following her upstairs to the break room. She was making herself hot chocolate, but he could tell by her jerky movements that she was none too pleased with him.

  “You’re involved with Ani?”

  “I don’t see how that’s your business.”

  “She’s my best friend,” Tessa said, her voice sharp. “I worry about her.”

  “She didn’t tell you about me.” He still wasn’t sure how he felt about that, either. “If she wanted you to worry about this, don’t you think she would’ve said something?”

  “She knows I’m working on this project. Maybe she’s trying not to stress me out.”

  “Maybe she felt like it wasn’t your business, either,” he said, then softened the blow when he saw Tessa’s brown eyes spark. “Or maybe she just didn’t think it was that big a deal.”

  Which he knew was a lie. It was a big deal. He couldn’t believe how big it felt, honestly.

  Tessa seemed to think about that for a second, then let out a low exhalation. “I know that she’s a grown woman, and you’re right, it’s not my business.” She stirred the cocoa. “But I will say this: if you hurt her, I will make your life very unpleasant. All the girls will.”

  “What, you gonna borrow Kyla’s tasers?” he tried to joke.

  “I’ll do something,” Tessa said, “because Ani’s my best friend in the whole world. I love her. And I won’t let some guy who doesn’t care about her jerk her around and hurt her, okay?”

  “What if she’s jerking me around?” he said before he could stop himself. “Maybe she’s just using me. Ever thought of that?”

  She blinked. Then she smiled sadly.

  “If she was like that,” Tessa said, “do you really think you would have been there at her apartment two weeks later?”