by M. J. Haag
“What things?”
“Sex.”
“All of my brothers who have found females say there is nothing more pleasing than the feel of their female’s pussy clenching around their cocks. I hope to feel that someday too. But not tonight. I know you need more time. I only want to hold you in my arms while I sleep and wake up with you still there.”
My heart gave a lurch at his sweetness. When he’d said touch, I’d thought he’d meant petting.
“You should have said you wanted to hold me,” I said, moving closer and setting my head on his shoulder. “Touching and holding are two different things.”
“May I hold you?”
“Yes.”
He wrapped his arms around me and nuzzled the back of my head, neck, and shoulder, inhaling deeply as he moved. My skin prickled, and I shivered at the sensation. It reminded me of way back in the day when sex had briefly been enjoyable.
“You smell good,” he murmured, continuing to nuzzle and inhale.
He moved us more until we were spooning, and I did my best to ignore the erection pressing against my backside. His hand smoothed down my arm and back up again. But nothing he did felt like he was trying to start something. He truly was reveling in the simple act of holding me.
“We don’t know each other well, Azio. That’s going to lead to more misunderstandings in the future unless we can figure out a way to be more open and honest with each other.” I took his hand in mine, gently tracing the fingers as he held still for me. “I think my previous marriage failed because we didn’t respect each other’s thoughts and feelings.”
“Explain,” he said. It wasn’t commanding exactly, but the firmness in the word made me smile.
“For example, when Wayne would approach me for sex and I would tell him I wasn’t interested, he would become angry and say things to try to make me feel guilty about the refusal instead of trying to understand why I was refusing.”
“I promise to always ask why and try to help resolve whatever is preventing me from sinking my cock into your pussy.”
I froze, and his low chuckle rumbled behind me.
“Too open and honest?” Humor laced his words.
I knew hiding from what he was really thinking wouldn’t help either of us, but I needed to be honest too.
“Yes, that was startlingly open and honest. But if that’s what you’re really thinking, then I wanted to hear it. Closing down or doing things that might make you feel like I’m not interested in hearing what you have to say will only frustrate you.”
“I will always be interested in hearing what you have to say, and I will not be angry if you do not want sex with me. I like holding you too.”
He was racking up some serious sweetness points here.
I relaxed and started playing with his fingers again.
“I’m glad. I like this too. But you weren’t kidding about the helping me want sex part, were you?”
“No.” He brushed his lips against my shoulder.
“Okay. You already know that I’m not that interested in sex, in general, right? I’ll do whatever it takes to have a family, but I’m not sure I’ll ever be the type to do it for fun again.”
He turned his hand and started exploring my fingers in return.
“Again? Did you have sex for fun at one time?”
“A very long time ago.”
“What changed?”
I thought back, trying to pinpoint exactly what happened.
“I think the spark just faded for both of us. In the beginning, it was new and exciting. I loved when he touched me and said sweet things. But the sweet things and the touches became less frequent. I was supposed to be turned on just because he was ready, and I’m not wired like that. He started to get frustrated. I started to feel bad about myself, which made me resentful. It snowballed from there. And after he had the surgery? Well, I didn’t see any point in the act at all anymore. I typically just gave in to keep the peace.”
“Thank you for telling me,” Azio said. “Now, sleep. I will ask more questions in the morning.”
He gently trailed his fingers over my hand then shifted his touch to my arm. The light strokes soothed me to sleep.
I moved a few times in my sleep, waking just enough to shift my position before sinking back into Azio’s comforting embrace. It was easy to miss the way dawn’s light crept into the room. It wasn’t easy to miss the sudden gush between my legs.
Instantly awake, my eyes flew open, and I had an up-close view of Azio’s neck.
“I need to go to the bathroom,” I said, not moving.
He grunted, lifted his arm, and removed the calf he’d hooked around my legs.
I didn’t get out of bed like a normal person. I log-rolled to the side and stood, keeping my legs tightly pinched together the entire time. Then, I walked from the knees down.
Azio said nothing behind me. I hoped that meant he had his eyes closed through the entire process.
Once I was alone in the bathroom, I confirmed what I already knew. Red rover had come over with a vengeance, which wasn’t too much of a surprise.
My periods were never kind to me. Three days of heavy flow and cramping with a side of boob aches, followed by three days of moderate flow. And as if that weren’t enough, I also enjoyed hair-trigger crying at stupid commercials and junk food cravings. However, it wasn’t all bad. It was also the one time I was actually horny—something Wayne had never wanted to take advantage of.
The typical disgruntlement and bad mood that came with my period wasn’t part of the package this time, though. I was elated. This was exactly what I’d been waiting for—the reset for the fertility countdown. I grinned as I did my best to clean myself up.
A knock on the bathroom door sent me into a panic.
“Are you okay, Terri? I smell blood.”
“Smell? You can smell this?”
“Are you hurt?”
“No. I’m fine.”
I reached for more toilet paper and paused when I realized cleaning up wasn’t the real problem. This was a house with two single guys in it, and I needed pads. Tampons. Something more than a wad of toilet paper.
“Actually, I have a non-life-threatening problem,” I said. “You wouldn’t happen to have anything on hand for a period, would you?”
“I know what you need,” Azio said in a rush. “Do not move. I will return quickly.”
I shook my head and looked around the bathroom. Where exactly did he think I was going to go? And more importantly, did he even know what a period was? I hoped so. Rather than wait on the toilet, I stripped and used the shower to wash up.
The heat usually helped with cramps, which hadn’t yet reared their ugly head.
As I enjoyed a leisurely soak, my mind wandered. In just six days, Azio and I should start having sex. My stomach gave a twist at the thought. Was I even ready? For a baby, yes. But for jumping into a relationship with another guy? I thought of Wayne and wondered if he was regretting his decision. What if he wanted to take it back and was trying to figure out a way to talk to me? That made me pause. Did I want to go back?
I’d meant every word of what I’d said last night to Azio. Wayne and I had drifted apart, but in ways I’d been too blind to see until now. We weren’t nice to each other anymore. Nothing over the top cruel, but we treated strangers better than we treated each other. Abrupt words. Little digs to make each other feel bad. Was that what I really wanted for the rest of my life? No.
Even if Wayne wanted me back, I wouldn’t go. But that didn’t mean I was ready to jump into something new.
I stuck my face in the shower and tried to be introspective about the choices I planned to make. Was it wise to rush into having a baby with Azio? Initially, I’d thought moving faster would secure my living arrangements. That was no longer the case. Azio and Groth had made my welcome abundantly clear. Why rush then? Why not wait a few months?
The infected were scary. And getting supplies would only be scarier.
Another knock on the door made me jump.
“I have some supplies for you. Can I come in and put them on the counter?”
“Yes, please.”
The door opened. “I have more downstairs. Come down when you’re ready,” he said.
“I will. Thank you, Azio.”
The door closed again, and I turned off the water to see what he’d found. My jaw dropped when I opened the curtain. The typical box of pads waited, along with slippers, sweat pants, normal underwear, a non-see-through shirt, and a mini bag of potato chips.
A slow smile tugged at my lips, and I started dressing in the most comfortable period clothes ever. I didn’t eat the chips, though. Not yet. The snack cravings usually hit in the afternoon.
With my chips in hand, I went downstairs. Groth was in the kitchen, mixing something in a bowl, and Azio was layering the couch in blankets.
“I have a hot water bottle ready for you,” he said when he saw me. “And some man-books.”
“The cookie dough is almost ready,” Groth said from the kitchen.
“Uh, what’s going on?”
Azio returned my puzzled look.
“You have your period.” He gestured to the couch. “You can relax with a hot water bottle on your stomach while you read. We have snacks and chocolate and cookie dough but can get you whatever else you want.”
“You want to pamper me because I have my period?” That couldn’t be right. No man ever gave a crap about the shedding of a uterine lining, no matter how miserable it made me.
“Yes,” Azio said simply, and Groth echoed his sentiment.
The first light twinge of a cramp encouraged me to grab this gift with both hands.
“Okay. Pamper away.”
I let Azio fuss over the pillows behind me and tuck the blanket around my legs. When he set his large hand over my lower abdomen, it felt good. The hot water bottle was even better, though.
“How do you know to do all of this?” I asked.
“Ghua and Byllo and Uan. Their women are nice and tell them what they need to feel better. Some of the other females won’t say.”
“It’s nice to tell you what we want?”
“Yes.”
His unblinking green gaze held mine for a long moment. And it didn’t bother me. How could it? He’d gotten me chips and chocolate and pads just to make me feel better.
I lifted my hand and set it on his cheek. My pulse fluttered at the contact and at the way his pupils rapidly expanded.
“This is the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me. Thank you, Azio.” I shifted my gaze to Groth, who was quietly watching us. “You too, Groth.”
He flashed a small smile at me then focused on mixing.
Azio’s hand covered mine, and he pressed my palm more firmly against his cheek. My stomach dipped when he closed his eyes and simply held my hand there for a moment.
“What else have they told you?” I asked softly.
Chapter Sixteen
Azio opened his eyes and reluctantly released my hand.
“Every woman’s period is different. But the best thing we can do is pay attention and keep asking if there is anything we can do to help make it better.”
“That’s pretty good advice. But you know you don’t have to cater to me, right? I’ll still stay here even if you didn’t do all of this stuff.”
His expression grew guarded.
“I want to care for you. And maybe touch you?”
“Your hand on my stomach did feel good. It was nice and warm.”
“Eden likes that too. When the cramps are the worst, she lets Ghua lick her pussy in the shower.”
I could feel my face flushing.
“Eden didn’t think it was a good idea at first either. But it took her pain away. She liked it so much she begged Ghua to do it twice more and rode his face like a pony.” A sexy smirk briefly flitted over Azio’s lips. “If you would like to ride my face to relieve your pain, I am willing.”
My face felt like it was on fire.
“I’ll keep that in mind, but the water bottle should do the trick for now.”
He grunted.
“Angel’s breasts get sore. She taught Shax how to give her a massage. It’s not sex. It’s comfort. No playing with nipples. Only rubbing the swollen tissue.”
A boob rub that didn’t lead to sex sounded kind of nice, but after the shower story, I wasn’t confident his motives were purely altruistic.
“I’ll let you know if I need one,” I said
A smile parted his lips, giving me a wide display of wickedly pointy teeth. He quickly smothered it at my startled expression, and I immediately felt guilt.
“I’m sorry, Azio. I shouldn’t have reacted like that. Not after I saw Solin’s teeth. I think I just forgot because you hide them so much.”
He blinked at me.
“You want me to smile more?”
His uncertainty and willingness to be anything I needed struck a chord in me. Hadn’t that been what I’d done for Wayne? Gave up my hopes and dreams to make him happy and, in the end, only made myself miserable. And I would have stayed if Wayne hadn’t thrown the ring at me, oblivious to how much I was giving up for him. I didn’t want to put Azio in the same situation.
“I want you to be yourself around me. If you want to smile more, then do it. If you don’t want to wear those undersized shirts, then don’t. I don’t want you to change for me. Open and honest, okay?”
He grunted, studied me for a moment, then removed his shirt.
The easy-on-the-eyes ab display distracted me nicely, and remembering his invitation, I reached out to run my hand over his arm.
“Shirtless is a good look for you,” I said. “I didn’t realize what I was missing out on.”
He flashed another smile my way and turned to pick up a few books, giving me an amazing view of his back. And the numerous, large scars crisscrossing it. I feathered my fingers over a few, and he stilled.
“What are these from?” I asked.
“A hellhound. It was trying to get to Cassie and her baby. Molev, Bauts, and I held it back while others removed its heart.”
Azio had risked his life to save a woman and her baby. Based on the scars, that had happened a while ago. How was he still single?
“Do you want to see the books I have?” he asked, not moving to dislodge my touch.
“Sure.” I withdrew my hand, and he turned toward me, showing me the “man books” he’d mentioned. They weren’t books for men, like I’d assumed, but books that had a man’s chiseled torso clearly displayed on the cover. Romance novels. I had my period, and he’d run out to find me romance novels.
I’d died and gone to heaven. And I never wanted to leave.
“You’ve done so much to learn how to pamper a woman. How would a woman pamper you?” I asked, needing to pay back some of his kindness.
“Cheri sometimes lets Farco lick her pussy while she’s reading. I would like that.”
I barely withheld my snort.
“So you’d consider any form of sexual activity pampering?”
He looked thoughtful for a moment.
“And touching. Your fingers are so soft.”
“Okay. How about you sit here then?” I patted the floor beside the couch and took one of the books he offered.
He settled in. Groth joined us and started a movie. While I read, they watched a movie, and I played with Azio’s hair.
The cramps grew worse, as I knew they would, and I broke into my chips to self-soothe. Azio leaned farther back so I didn’t have to reach as far when I finished my snack. Based on the way he tipped his head, he loved having me run my fingers through his hair. I wasn’t sure what the grunt meant every time I accidentally brushed the tip of his ear, though.
Distracted, I set the book on my chest and ran my fingers along the top edge of the ear, following it from base to tip.
He glanced back at me, his pupils completely dilated.
“I like that,” he said simply.
“Then I’ll keep doing it,” I said with a smile.
He faced the movie, and I picked the book up again, idly playing with his ear. The story held my attention till the end of the movie when Azio abruptly stood.
“Is there anything I can get you?” he asked.
“No. Thank you, though,” I said, finishing the page.
When I looked up, Azio was already gone, and Groth was watching me closely.
“I promise I’m okay.”
“Would you like to watch another movie?”
“Please. I need to use the bathroom first, though.”
He grunted and stood. Reluctantly, I did the same. Cramps tugged at my middle with increasing strength, and I made my way up the stairs, already thinking that I should bring some pads downstairs with me so I could use the guest bathroom.
I was almost to the open bathroom door when I heard an odd, wet sound coming from within. I didn’t stop to consider Azio might be doing something in the bathroom with the door opened. But I should have. Oh, Lord, I should have.
He stood in front of the toilet, his pants riding low on his hips, as he watched his hand furiously stroke his massive length. The bottle of conditioner on the counter beside him explained what I was hearing.
With a hiss, he thrust into his palm a final time, covering the head of his shaft with his other hand. Ropes of white dripped into the toilet as he jerked and twitched for what seemed like an eternity.
Breathing hard, he looked up, and our gazes locked.
“Thank you for touching me. Can you turn on the water?”
I blinked at him for a moment, my gaze flicking to his cum-and-conditioner coated hands before I hurried to help. He washed his hands, dried them, and tucked his still hard length back into his pants. All the while, I stood there like the shellshocked woman I was.
When he finished, I watched him take a pad out of the box and set it next to the toilet. Then, he stalked toward me. Impossible not to do since I was still standing between him and the doorway.
“Will you play with my ears again when you’re done?” he asked.
Holy shit. I’d caused this? My heart was still racing from what I’d witnessed. The sight of him, head bent as he masturbated, muscles rippling with each forceful stroke, would forever be burned into my brain. And I was…thankful for that.