He smiled and forged bravely on ahead. I joined him in his jacket search. He was a little sketchy about the type of jacket he preferred, but I did figure out that he didn't like the puffy types that made a person look like they were wearing a sleeping bag.
Turning to a rack behind me, I saw the most adorable pink Mariners jacket, which I absolutely, most definitely and without a doubt had to have. I had a blue Mariners jacket at home that I've had for years, but I NEEDED this pink one. I mean, it was my favorite team in the entire universe, and the jacket was pink. Pink!
I turned to Ree, who was looking at something a few racks away from me, to ask him if he could hold his sister's red vinyl trench-type coat that I had been wearing. He agreed and obediently held his arms out for me to throw it across. I smiled at him and took off the long coat.
And that's when he saw it.
The big, ugly, frying-pan shaped patch of discolored skin on my right forearm, placed there so thoughtfully by Adim almost two years ago.
I don't know how I knew he was looking at it, because I was looking down at my hands, my body suddenly immobile and my heart pounding in my ears, but I was certain of it. I could almost feel his mind and energy mingle with mine in the air. It was a unique, incredible experience, something I had never even become close to feeling before. The air between us changed from being relaxed and comfortable to passionate and intense.
Ree slowly took a small step closer so that he was standing behind my right side. He lowered his face, which was now literally about an inch away from my neck. I was still frozen, not from fear but from the exciting possibility of something happening, something I've been wanting more than anything, something I'd been thinking about ever since the first time I saw him standing by the frames at Crafts Market. His body had sung to me quietly, like some magical, hidden siren's song passed only through the energy in the air.
It sang to me then just as it sang to me now, but there was also something new pulling me to him. I had never stood so close to him before, and the small, empty space between our bodies created a kind of static charge, one that I was absolutely certain we both could feel.
Having this man stand erotically behind me like this was surreal; it felt like Adonis himself was standing there, and that he was waiting for me to acknowledge him before he made anymore moves.
I didn't want him to have to wait too long.
I had promised myself that I wouldn't ever be this close with anyone again, and I had honestly been ready to fulfill that promise. But right after making this choice, this beautiful, flawless man that I had worshipped so much literally came walking back into my life, so perfect for me that I swear, it was almost like…
Almost like I made him up, like I had created him.
There was something odd about that phrase, but I didn't have time to linger on it, because Ree spoke, whispering my name gently.
"What?" I asked him loudly, as if we were standing in the middle of a crowded stadium instead of a small, nearly-empty store.
No more was said just then. I dared to turn my head just a bit to see that a couple of his fingers had been gently caressing my scar. I was a little sad because I had no idea how long he'd been doing that. I'd lost a lot of feeling in that area.
We were in public, and I didn't know where this little episode was heading. I listened for the store manager who, last I saw, was showing his wife how to restock an item or something to that effect. He was talking loudly in some kind of Asian language, and couldn't have been more oblivious to Ree and me. No other customers were in the store, and my back was turned to the main entrance, but I had a feeling (or maybe just hoped) that few people, if any, were passing by out in the walkway or would even notice that anything was happening here.
His mouth was dangerously close to my neck.
It was as if he heard my mind's words. His lips touched the back of my neck softly, deliberately, making me jump a little. His fingers continued to gently caress my freaky Frankenstein-ish scar.
He kissed my neck once again. His lips were warm and lingered there, allowing me to feel his mouth's smoothness. His tongue licked that small part of my neck.
I inhaled sharply, jumping slightly at the sensual feeling of this closeness and leaning my head back a little. I gave myself permission to enjoy the aching need that defined itself from that tiny kiss. He was so gentle and strong, yet so fierce at the same time. I did not know a man could be like this, nor did I know that a man could be so respectful of others, so confident yet modest.
"Morgan," he whispered again. The feel of his breath and the sound of his voice definitely got the attention of all my body parts. Beneath Dess' denim jeans with the painted skulls on the back pockets, the underwear I had on was getting wet from his attention.
"Ree," I whispered back. Inside, I felt triumphant that my response was much better this time.
He paused, and I dared to turn my body and look up at him.
His eyes were moist and sad, looking at me as if I were a fragile, mistreated creature.
Dess had told me that she could always see the signs of abuse; maybe it ran in the family, and Ree could also tell. Looking deeper into his brown, beautiful eyes, I knew then that he not only did he know I had been abused, but he would never, ever let it happen again.
If he were to protect me.
If I were to allow him.
He moved his lips to my ear and kissed it slowly. "Morgan," he whispered, his voice sounding strained, "Let's go to your house. Now."
Chapter 10
We practically ran out of the store, down the walkway, up the steps, and down a couple blocks to where Dess' Kia sat waiting. We jumped in and scurried away so quickly, a couple people on the street turned our way curiously.
"Shit," I said in realization. "I don't have my keys. They're inside my apartment. Long story," I added before Ree could ask.
"We'll have to see your apartment manager, then," he replied, the regret in his voice matching what I felt.
I sighed and continued to speed down the highway without attracting too much attention. A traffic stop from the police would really not help our situation any.
Getting inside my apartment was an awkward process at first. Not because I had Ree with me, but because Ethan, the apartment manager, was the one to open my unit that night and he probably knew that I had been lying on my floor, naked and bleeding all over the place.
Thankfully, Ethan kept it short, letting us in the building and doing a double-take on my unusual outfit. He opened my apartment door and stepped aside so I could enter.
As I did, emotions washed over me. The last time I was here, I was crying like a little girl because a bitch named Nailah posted a picture of me selling myself, and my mother apparently believed it. I had cut my own flesh with a kitchen knife because I couldn't handle these obstacles. I sighed, eyeballing the laptop that I'd tossed to the floor, where it still sat in an odd position. My bathroom light was still on because I had been about to take a shower before it all happened. I sighed, thinking of what my electricity bill must be next month. At least I hadn't started the shower last Saturday night, or my water bill would have been a disaster, too, and now that I was unemployed, I had no way of paying for all this.
What was I going to do? It was an unusually good feeling when I was around Dess; my outlook on life was very different. It was like I had nothing to fear or dread, like I could tackle life head-on. I didn't quite feel that way around Ree just yet, but that was probably because we hadn't had the time to get close.
Yet.
I put Dess' keys on my kitchen counter and massaged my temples a bit, promising myself that I wouldn't stress out. I'd have a conversation with the twins about my immediate future and they would help me see things rationally, and help me figure out my next step.
I turned around to see if Ethan was still standing outside my door. He was, but he looked ready to leave. I called after him, "Did you- did you clean up the blood?" I noticed that despite all the blood loss I s
upposedly had, my floor was spotless. I could also feel Ree's burning questions, but I wasn't about to get into it anytime soon, so I avoided his eyes.
Ethan nodded but said nothing, looking somewhat flushed.
"Wow. Thank you, Ethan. I- I'm sorry about this whole mess," I told him, hoping he'd figure out that I meant it literally and figuratively.
"Don't worry about it, Morgan," he said dismissively, taking a step back. He was retreating so fast that I could barely see the side of his face. "But next time, if you need help or something, you can call me, okay?" He glanced from Ree to myself.
I thanked him again as he left and shut the door.
"What blood?"
I knew Ree was going to ask.
I sighed and sat on my folding chair, which was really the only seat in the apartment. I didn't want to ignore him, but I couldn't get into everything right now.
He walked over and stooped on the floor so we could be on eye level with each other.
"I like your apartment," he said, inadvertently letting me know that he wasn't going to push the subject about the blood.
I scoffed and smiled sarcastically. "You have a thing for shoeboxes, eh?"
"No, I'm serious. It's perfect. You have everything you need, right here in this very room." He put his hand over mine and looked in my eyes, his expression dead serious, silently encouraging me to find the true meaning of his words.
How did he always seem to know how to say the exact thing that would make me feel better?
I smiled in spite of myself. "Where did you come from? Heaven?"
"Quite the opposite. Los Angeles."
I burst out laughing, and he laughed modestly, putting his hand over mine.
An electric charge filled the air, positive energy surrounding us and filling up the room. That same magnetic pull I felt at Pike's came back, making me aware of Ree, and Ree alone. At that moment, I knew nothing but his brown puppy-dog eyes, his perfectly-shaped eyebrows, and his warm, inviting lips.
That irresistible lopsided grin appeared on his face. "You know, if I didn't know any better, I'd swear you kind of liked me, or something."
I smiled and slipped my arms around his shoulders, loving the feel of their broadness and his toned pecs. Before I knew what was happening, he bent down and kissed my mouth. His lips were smooth and warm, just like his hands, and they were downright intoxicating, his breath delicious and just begging to be tasted again and again. Hungry for more, I kissed him about a dozen more times, the passion I felt earlier returning in spades. I soon went on the offensive, advancing on him and pushing him back while kissing. I kept on in this way, pushing him back and kissing him aggressively until he was sitting on the floor in front of my mattress.
I was horny, focused, and made no apologies about it.
I placed my hands on his chest and pushed upward, indicating that I wanted him on the mattress. He needed no further prompting as he scrambled on and reached over to pull me up.
First of all, I must say that kissing Ree felt like the most natural thing in the world, as if I'd been doing it my whole life, as if it were as natural to me as anything else that I did every day. Secondly, it is very important to note that Ree's entire body was warm. I knew this because as I kissed and straddled him, my arms flew around his shoulders, feeling all the warmth on his arms, back, and sides, my right thigh being poked at by his growing hardness, the warmest spot of all.
Feeling his entire glorious body pressed against mine sent me over the edge and out of control. All I could think of was that I had to have him inside me now. Between the two of us, we managed to get our clothes off, though not fast enough, in my opinion. I don't remember what Ree's boxers looked like or how long it took for me to rip my shirt, pants, bra, and panties off. It was as if I blacked out during this torturous anticipation, driven by a mad, furious passion. I remembered nothing until we were both naked and I was beside him, licking his beautiful chest and stomach briefly, enjoying the small bits of salty sweat that began appearing there. I regarded his perfect body and smugly realized that my earlier image of his naked, sweaty body was more or less accurate, although seeing it in person was exponentially better than merely imagining it.
He started to get up—I assumed he wanted to kiss my body in return—but I pushed him down, hard. I was too impatient for foreplay and much too focused on having him inside me, and so he retreated, a hint of a smile playing around the corner of his lips. I kissed him fiercely, climbing on top of him as I did so, not stopping until his massive bulk pushed its way up my hot wetness. We both moaned at the shock of the feeling of this closeness, and I rode him ferociously, almost painfully. I felt like I'd waited years, centuries even, for this moment for us to become one, even though I was completely unaware of his existence not three months ago.
Although I hadn't known him my whole life, I felt like a part of him had always been with me somehow. The very idea of my life not ever having him in it was strange and unnatural. As I rode him, my pleasure blocking out the strain on my thighs, I watched his face and stopped every now and then to kiss him and to give my legs a rest. But then desire would grab hold of me again and I would straighten up and continue to push myself down on him mercilessly, the feeling of him not only inside me but entering me from that angle hurting a little.
Our sweat, his groans, and my whining and crying out were uncontrollable, so unique and immensely passionate was this initial experience together. Nothing mattered at that moment except for our combined passion and our union, and no one else in the world existed.
I kept on this way until Ree shuddered and cried out louder than I'd yet heard him. I stopped, panting, and reluctantly got off him after a few moments, lying on his left side, utterly satisfied and fulfilled, out of breath, my legs feeling as useless as gelatin. I threw my left arm around him and kissed the sweat off his arm, not wanting to be too far from him just yet. He kissed my head and held me close.
I made a trail of kisses from his arm to his sexy neck. When I got to his face and looked in his eyes, I saw that he had been watching me, a look of adoration in his eyes. Finally, I kissed his lips, a kiss filled with happiness and fulfillment and, still half-laying on him, we both dozed off.
"Did you guys travel to Alaska to get the jacket?"
I had forgotten all about Dess, as well as the fact that she had lent me her car and gave me some clothes and money to take her insanely hot brother out on a date. I had heard my phone vibrating (I must have turned off the ringer sometime during our fun napping and groping combo) but I really, really hadn't wanted to answer. Still, once I'd seen the newly-programmed DESS RIOS flashing on my phone, I'd figured that the least I could do for this woman was answer my phone, even if it had been during my sweet, peaceful afterglow.
"Sorry, ruffle-man. Time got away from us."
"Wait a minute. Were you… sleeping?" she finished that sentence as if the worst vision entered her head, say, your brother doing your best friend.
Or vice-versa, considering the position we used.
"Uh…" I wasn't sure quite how to describe anything about our current situation. "Yeah… I was tired… and we, uh, went home, I mean, to my apartment, and…"
"Whoa, Morgue, that's enough. I don't really need to hear any more. Anyway, I was just kidding earlier. It's not like I have anywhere to go right now, and tomorrow's Saturday. I'll take a bus tomorrow over to your side of town to get my car. Where do you live again?"
She said again as if I'd already given her my address, which I was pretty sure I'd never done. I recited it to her, making sure she had my unit number.
"Okay, Morgue. I'll call you, like, three hours ahead of time, just to make sure I don't walk into anything that will make me lose my lunch." Then, after a brief pause during which I am absolutely certain she winked, she hung up.
"Your sister doesn't seem the least bit surprised that we ended up here," I said, turning only slightly to face the most beautiful, amazing, and perfect man in the world.
&nbs
p; Who just happened to be naked in my bed.
Take that, Skyler.
Ree laughed face down into the bed—he'd refused to use a pillow for some reason. "She'd probably want to take full credit for it," he said, reaching for me and pulling me close.
"Take full credit for it, but not want to hear a word about it," I chimed in.
"Exactly," he agreed. "Morgan…"
"What?" I held onto his hand that was around my waist.
"Something's bothering me. See, I really don't want you to think negative things about me. I have never done anything like this."
"Had sex?" I teased, laughing at my own joke.
He laughed also, saying, "I was more referring to meeting a girl and being intimate with her hours later. I'm really not like that, not at all. There's just something about you—about us. I need you to know that."
"I know. I know what you mean. There's this weird magnetic pull between us. I can't explain it either." God, even lying there next to him after having sex, I wanted him again. He was so delicious, yummy, and all the things in between.
"Where does your name come from? I mean, is it short for anything? Don't tell me your first name is Rios."
He laughed with me and shook his head. "I can definitely tell you that my first name is not Rios. My full name is Tiberius Caesar Rios."
"Tiberius Caesar?" That was unexpected. This man was just full of surprises. I'd expected him to say Reynoldo or something.
"Yes. Do you know who he was?"
Hmm. I was good at art history, but not regular world history. Still… I knew that name from somewhere. I was about to tell Ree that I didn't know when I vaguely remembered reading about a bust of a person with that exact name. "Wait. Wasn't he a roman emperor?"
"Yes," he replied, sounding pleased. "His full name was Tiberius Julius Caesar Augustus. But some people say he never really wanted to be emperor, and was pretty somber toward the end of his life."
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