by Phoebe Lane
He rubbed his hands up and down her spine, and grunted with each thrust. She didn't want to touch herself, wanting to concentrate fully on how he felt inside of her.
"I need my phone. I have to Google something," she said out of the blue, her breaths shallow and rapid.
"Right now? This is not exactly my idea of sex talk, Aislynn," he said, his thrusts never faltering. He spanked her once in reprimand, and Aislynn found herself liking it more than she probably should have.
Interesting. Filing this away for later.
"Do you know the name of the people who cloned that sheep in the nineties?" she asked, closing her eyes, overwhelmed by the sensations he was imparting on her.
He straightened her back and pulled her to his chest. "You better not be thinking about that when I make you come," he hissed in her ear, the new angle making her writhe in delight.
"I want to clone you…for when you go on your trips…I may be addicted to this now…"
He chuckled in her ear, and sped up his pace. She put one finger on herself and rubbed, letting him glide in and out of her between her other fingers. His movements became frantic, and he pulled softly at her hair, giving Aislynn that delicious contrast between pleasure and pain.
"You can have me as much as you want. I'm not going anywhere, babydoc. I'm all yours," he said as she whimpered in ecstasy, the contractions in her walls sending him over the edge.
After their breathing slowed down and their heart rate went back to normal, Jace whispered in Aislynn's ear, "Oh no…Your feet touched the floor."
She turned around, wrapped her hands around his neck and kissed him. "It was totally worth it."
"Oh, no, no, no!" Aislynn said, looking down at her cell phone screen and feeling the panic rise in her chest.
"What is it? What's wrong?" Jace asked as he drove down the street to Aislynn's apartment.
She read the email over and over again, not believing what she was seeing. She had had her phone off the whole two days she had spent at Jace's, and was now catching up on her calls, texts, and emails.
"No, no, no!" she whined again.
"Aislynn, what is it?"
"Please, God. No!" she cried and slammed her head against the head rest. She squished her eyes with her hands, wishing she could erase the last image her retinas had the misfortune of registering.
While stopped at a red light, Jace grabbed the phone from her hands and read the email that was still on the screen.
"Your mom is coming to San Diego? Your birthday is this weekend?" he asked, clearly more shocked about the last part.
"Ugh, it sounds even worse when you say it out loud!"
"Don't worry, babydoc," he said, giving her back the phone and kissing the top of her head. "We'll get through it." He put his arm around her and softly massaged her now tense shoulders.
Did he just say we?
"You don't understand. That woman sucks the life out of me. She's…she has this ability…she will…" Aislynn stumbled over her words, just like she stumbled over everything she did whenever Pam was around. "Okay, let me give you a visual you'll understand," she finally said, and Jace gave her as much attention as he could while keeping his eyes on the road. "She's like my own personal Darth Vader. She has the power of the dark force that allows her to strangle me without even laying a hand on my body. She does it with just her words."
Jace parked his car in front of the apartment and turned in his seat to face her. He gently caressed her face with both hands and stroked his thumbs softly under her eyes. "I don't like seeing you like this. I don't like that she makes you feel this way."
Aislynn closed her eyes and gave in to the wonderful tranquility that embraced her. Being in Jace's hands, in any capacity, made her inner turmoil settle down. "I really don't want to drag you into this."
"You're not doing this alone. Not anymore. Remember what we talked about on the beach—you promised to let me in. Please let me take care of you now," he said, and kissed her sweetly on her forehead.
Jace's words made her feel incredibly conflicted. She wanted nothing more than to have him protect and support her from a potentially torturous encounter with Pam, but she was way too stubborn and hardheaded to ignore her initial instinct to push him away.
I don't need any saving. I should deal with this myself.
She forced the thought aside, knowing she needed to do things differently with Jace this time around. She had made a promise to him, and he deserved her honesty. This thought led to feelings of guilt about the things she was still keeping from him about her past, but she quickly decided it wasn't the place or the time to deal with them.
Jace got out of the car and walked her to the door. Aislynn had to force a smile to hide the sadness that had invaded her. "When are you coming back?" she asked as they walked into the apartment.
"Thursday."
"I'll miss you," she said, and hugged him tightly.
"I'll miss you too, babydoc," he whispered in her ear. "You have no idea how much."
Aislynn pulled away after a minute and took in the tenderness in his eyes. He leaned in for a kiss, and she closed her eyes, yearning with the intensity of a sixteen-year-old girl that the kiss would last forever. The emotion overwhelmed her, and she couldn't control the urge to press herself against him.
He held her close and walked with her as Aislynn guided them out of the living room and into her bedroom, her tongue exploring his mouth, and her hands refusing to stop touching his body.
"Aislynn…" he mumbled with his mouth still on hers. "I have to…my flight leaves in…Oh, fuck…" he said as her hands moved down his chest, to his waist, and then hastily pulled at his belt and button. The zipper of his pants opened with one swift motion of her desperate hands.
"You can spare ten minutes for this," Aislynn said, already breathing hard. "I…I need you right now. Just…please."
Her voice was laced with longing and demand. She needed Jace to ground her at that moment, to organize the chaos that was raging in her head and in her heart. And the fastest and easiest way to do that was to beg him to get inside her. Fast.
Jace looked into her eyes, his forehead furrowed as he examined her. After a few seconds, his face relaxed and a look of determination took over.
"Is this what you need from me right now? Just tell me this is the right thing to do, that this is what you want, and I'll give it to you," he said as he put his hand under her dress. He held his hand over her panties, his fingers itching to pull it aside and bury themselves deep into her.
Aislynn parted her lips, licked them, and exhaled sharply. "Yes, I need this. I need you, please—"
Before she was able to finish begging, Jace's fingers pushed inside her, pumping in and out with an earthshattering rhythm. Aislynn held on to the dresser behind her as his other hand roughly pulled up the skirt of her dress around her waist. He stopped the motion between her folds to pick her up and sit her down on top of the dresser.
He forcefully pulled her panties off and threw them on the bed. It didn't take much for her body to respond to him, and watching Jace in a hurry to bury himself deep inside her made the response even more intense.
It wasn't gentle; it wasn't slow; and it was exactly the way she wanted it. She wasn't necessarily into rough sex as a routine, but this was the kind she needed at that moment. Jace pushed his whole length inside her in one swift motion. Aislynn immediately felt every muscle below her waist contract and every muscle above her chest relax. Her mind slowed down and only focused on how amazing it felt to have him move in and out of her frantically, his grunts matching the crashing motion of their hips.
"You're so wet already, babydoc…"
"Just fuck me, Jace…" she said, hanging on to his neck. "Oh, God…"
No way I'm coming already, she thought, right as Jace put his thumb on her center. He didn't even rub it; he placed it on top of her sensitive spot and pressed down every time he pushed into her. Aislynn's fingers dig hard into his back, and she completel
y lost control of her body.
"Let me feel you, babydoc. Let me feel you come when I'm inside you," he said in her ear, as she contracted around him one, seven, fifteen times.
"God, yes," he hissed and came inside her, his hips slowing down after each thrust.
Aislynn closed the door behind her after Jace left for the airport, taking in the scene before her. Her ears started ringing and she felt a heaviness crash over her. She couldn't smell the scent of coffee and sea in the air anymore; there were no voices, no laughter, and no moans of ecstasy; she couldn't find a pair of bright green eyes staring back at her with adoration; there was no soft, warm skin to bite on; and she couldn't feel warm lips kissing lucky freckle number fourteen anymore.
Jace was gone. She was alone. Again.
"No," she said out loud. "You're not doing this to yourself. Don't be pathetic."
Eh, who am I kidding?
Aislynn had had the best two days of her existence. Being locked away at the beach house with Jace, without any real world interruptions, had been heaven in all religions. But now that all the distractions were gone, her mind went into obsessive mode.
What's gonna happen now? What is he thinking? Where do we go from here? Does this mean I'm staying in San Diego permanently? What about Chloe? How am I going to tell Jace about Christopher? What if he finds out somehow? What about Pam?
Her mind then focused on the most important question of all, the one she thought she had answered to herself at the benefit party.
Am I really falling in love with him?
"Oh, boy. I know that face," Ellie said, appearing virtually out of nowhere and startling Aislynn out of her thoughts.
"Gah!" Aislynn yelled, holding her hands to her chest. "Where did you…heart attack…just appear…hologram…Jem…"
"Jace humor. I like it," Ellie said sarcastically. "Anyway, as I was saying— whatever you're worrying about now, please stop."
"I wasn't worrying," Aislynn said, still trying to catch her breath and deflect.
"That's right. You don't worry; you obsess. Now, stop it," she said, grabbing a drink from the fridge.
Worrying is like praying for what you don't want, Aislynn reminded herself.
"How about you fill me in on your weekend instead?" Ellie continued. "The only reason I didn't freak out about you being MIA for two days was that Jace went conveniently missing too."
"I've been…umm." Aislynn realized she couldn't talk because she had lost all control of her facial muscles, and a huge grin had spread across her face. "Yeah…I've…it was…"
"That good, huh?" Ellie said.
"Yeah. You?"
"What you said. Same here. No words, huge goofy smile," Ellie joked. "Evan has forever ruined me for all other men."
"Ha! I could’ve sworn you just said Evan ruined you for all other men."
"Clever. Let me just put it to you like this—I even met his family over the weekend, and they loved me. Evan keeps going on and on about the future, and I think I like it. I mean, how did this happen? You know this is not me! I don’t fall this hard…ever!"
"I’m so happy for you," Aislynn said as she pulled her best friend into a tight embrace.
"Well, I’m glad you’re in such a good mood, ‘cause I’m about to ruin it," Ellie said with hesitation. "Your mom has been calling nonstop again."
"Ugh. Don't remind me. She just sent me an email saying that—" Aislynn's ringing cell phone interrupted her. "I bet that's her," Aislynn said, feeling a wave of nausea hit her.
This is going to be really painful.
"Hi, Mom," she said with a flat tone.
"Aislynn! Finally!" Pam said.
"Yes, I know. I finally picked up the phone. I'm horrible for never calling you. And yes, I've been busy doing nothing," Aislynn snapped.
"What? What are you talking about?" Pam asked, dumbfounded.
"Nothing," Aislynn answered with frustration, planting her hand on her face. "Just forget it. How are you, Mom?"
"I'm fine. I'm actually excited about this weekend! Did you get my email?"
"Yes, I did get it. I was really surprised by the news of your visit, to be honest," she forced out, in an attempt to clue Ellie in on the recent development. Ellie choked on her drink and stared at her wide-eyed, while mouthing "Oh no."
"It was a spur of the moment thing. Marc will be busy all weekend with training for his new position and he suggested I take some time to go out of town. Then I remembered it was your birthday, so the decision to go to San Diego was a no-brainer. How old is it that you're turning this year?"
"Twenty-eight," Aislynn said matter-of-factly, to which Ellie responded with a loud snort.
"Wow, twenty-eight. Thirty is just around the corner for you," Pam said.
"Yes, I guess it is. Thanks for reminding me," Aislynn said with a roll of her eyes.
"Well, I can't wait to see you. I want to take you out to dinner on your birthday, and we can catch up on things. I mean, I haven't seen in you in so long, sweetheart."
"I know, Mom," she said, suddenly feeling melancholic.
Maybe it will be good to see her after all. At least she's trying.
After a few minutes of ironing out their plans, Aislynn threw herself down on the sofa and forced in several deep breaths.
"Twenty-eight? She fell for that?" Ellie asked, sitting next to her.
"Yeah, well, I decided to take one year off for every time in my life she has forgotten my birthday."
"Lovely," Ellie said. "Is she gonna be staying with us? I can stay at Evan's if you need the room."
"No, it's fine. Her husband got her a reservation at a spa hotel for the weekend. Remind me to send him a thank-you card, by the way."
"I didn't plan anything for your birthday, but only because you annoyingly begged me not to. Does this make you want to change your mind?" Ellie asked with a hint of excitement in her voice.
"It does, actually."
"Really? Oh my God! That's awesome news!" she squealed. "What do you want to do?"
"How about we go out of town this weekend? I'm willing to go anywhere that is at least a two-hour plane ride away from Pam—I mean, San Diego," she said.
"Don't toy with my emotions that way, Aislynn! I can't believe you won't let me plan a fabulous celebration for your thir—"
"Damn it! What is it with you people?" Aislynn interrupted. "Twenty-nine! It's the anniversary of the twenty-ninth birthday!"
"All right, settle down, Grandma. You know, I really thought that a weekend full of sexing up Jace on the kitchen counter was going to make you less uptight about your age."
"What the hell, Ellie?" Aislynn shrieked and sat up straight on the sofa. "You were spying on us?"
"Geez, I was only kidding! But now I'm really curious," Ellie said with a naughty smile. "Oh, please tell me you had sex against that glass window in—"
"Okay, you can stop it now."
"Fine," Ellie said with a pout. "Well, since it doesn't seem like you plan to give me any details about your two-day sexcapade with Jace, and you won't change your mind about your birthday, then I guess I'm leaving."
"Wait! Where are you going? I thought you said you'd be in town for a few weeks," Aislynn said.
"I'm just going to LA overnight to supervise a project. I'll be back tomorrow night."
Oh, crap. Alone tonight.
"And don't you worry, I promise to be here this weekend to stop you from killing Pam," Ellie continued while grabbing an overnight bag from her room.
"You never let me have any fun."
Aislynn spent the afternoon at the coffee shop getting some writing done and trying to avoid time alone in the apartment. She felt very uncomfortable with her newfound need to have people around her. It was definitely outside of her comfort zone, and she hadn't made up her mind yet as to whether she was going to embrace it or not.
Her cell phone chirped with a new text message from Jace as she typed away on her laptop.
Can you forgive me?
For being cheesy…I miss you already.
Aislynn felt like a tuning fork was vibrating inside her. Thinking about Jace made all her nerve endings buzz.
I forgive you, but only because I just did a little happy dance. I miss you too.
The woman sitting in front of me at the gate is staring at me. I think it's the goofy smile that shows up on my face anytime I think about you.
It could be that, or it's because you're hot. She's probably daydreaming about sucking on your bottom lip. I know I am.
Thanks. Now I have to hide my face AND my crotch. The things you do to me, babydoc.
Make sure the flight attendants don't think you're drunk. They might kick you off the plane…On second thought, stand up and get your ass into the bar.
Don't tempt me. OK, I'm boarding now. I'll call you tonight. How about round two of the "no touching the floor" game when I get back?
Count on it. I need the practice. Have a safe flight.
Aislynn stared at the phone screen for a few minutes, watching as her fingers involuntarily moved over the keypad.
I love you.
Her breathing faltered as she took in the three words she had typed, and then watched her finger hit the backspace key eleven consecutive times.
And the screen went dark.
"I'm going to go with fifty-five minutes," Ellie said.
"Is that gonna be your final answer?" Aislynn asked with droopy eyelids and a crooked smile, the effect of the wine now clearly evident.
"Wait, wait!" Ellie said, waving her hands up. "Okay, how long did it take last time?"
"About thirty minutes. Something about my car, I think—no, wait! It was something about the way I move my hands when I walk."
"Damn, she's good. Okay, let me think about this for a second," Ellie added as Evan sat on the bar stool next to her and kissed her cheek. "She hasn't seen you in a year, so she isn’t gonna be as sharp. So, I'm going to go with…forty minutes."