by Naomi Niles
I had noticed how large his hands were, but they seemed larger still as they traveled up and down my body, leaving streaks of heat in their wake. I could feel him peel the layers of wet fabric off my skin and suddenly, I wanted to be rid of my dress, too. Moments later, it fell to the floor around my feet, leaving a pool of trailing water. Peter didn’t even seem aware of it. He unhooked my bra and slid off my panties, all the while kissing my lips and neck.
I moaned as the door railed against my back. Peter drew back a little and for a moment, our eyes met. I was painfully aware that I was standing naked before him while he was still fully clothed, but he didn’t seem to care.
Instead, he grabbed me by the waist, his hands travelled down to my ass, then lower still until he had a strong grip on me. He hiked me up so that my legs were straddling his waist. He carried me into the living room and threw me down onto the large couch sitting in its center.
I felt the ache of desire between my thighs as he stripped off his shirt and unbuttoned his trousers. His body was amazing. He was lean and toned, his arms rippled with muscle, and his chest was perfectly sculpted. I stared at the hard wall of muscle that made up his stomach and wondered how any man could be so perfect.
The whole time he undressed, he stared down at my body as though it were a revelation. No man had ever looked at me like that – like he was looking at a painting, rather than a piece of meat.
Peter held my gaze as he slipped off his boxers to reveal the impressive length of his erection. I felt the acute wetness between my thighs, and I wanted to pull him onto me immediately.
I could see the rise and fall of Peter’s chest and knew that his heartbeat was racing just like mine was, but he took his time. He lowered himself to his knees between my feet and then pushed them apart. A desperate gasp escaped me, and I felt my heartrate speed up again as he lowered his head down between my legs. A second later, I felt his tongue on my cunt, and I gasped in delirious pleasure.
He took his time and worked me over until I was shivering beneath him, until I was aching with the desire to suck him off. When he pulled his head back slightly, I sat up, and he moved to meet me. I kissed him hard, letting my tongue entwine with his before I pushed him into a seated position on the sofa as I got to my knees between his legs.
I reached out and wrapped my hand around his cock; he shuddered at my touch. I bent my head down and slipped the tip of his penis into my mouth. He tasted amazing. He tasted different from any other man I’d been with. I had wanted to start slow and build from there, but I couldn’t help myself. I pushed deep and took the entire length of him into my mouth, letting the saliva ease the way.
“Fuck!” he yelled, as his head rolled back and his eyes shut.
His reaction spurred me forward, and I sucked him hard, loving the feel of it inside my mouth. He was the one who stopped me, and I knew it was only because he was close to cumming and he didn’t it to be over just yet. He grabbed me roughly and threw me onto my back onto the sofa. Then he was on top of me, and I felt him slip inside easily.
There was gentleness in the way he touched me. There was care in the way he kissed me. There was affection in the way he looked at me. But there was nothing gentle about the way he fucked me – and that was exactly what I wanted.
I moaned and writhed underneath him, but he never slowed down; he never stopped. He just slammed into me in an increasingly fast tempo and every time he hit my clitoris, I screamed out, unleashing this other person I hadn’t even known I had inside me. I orgasmed twice, moaning and screaming through it all, and still he didn’t stop. He kept fucking me until the third orgasm had washed over and then finally, I felt him shudder on top of me.
The ache in my groin was welcome. I could feel its satisfied beat and sighed in delirium. Peter pulled back so that he could see my face, and then he bent down again and kissed me tenderly on the cheeks and the forehead. It was perhaps the most intimate moment we had shared yet, and the thought bubbled inside me and made me want to laugh.
We stayed like that for a few minutes and then slowly, Peter pushed himself off me and we sat up together. I felt the need to cover myself up so I reached for a cushion, but he stopped me.
“No,” he said. “I want to see you.”
I dropped the cushion, and Peter traced his hand from my neck all the way down to my breasts. He was circling my nipples with the tips of his fingers when I erupted with goosebumps. He noticed right away.
“You’re cold,” he said, as he reached out and grabbed a blanket that had been draped over the sofa adjacent to the one we were sitting on. He circled it back and brought it down around both our shoulders, encompassing me in new warmth. Our naked bodies melted together underneath, and I felt myself relax instantly.
“Thank you,” I said.
We sat like that for what seemed like ages. We didn’t talk or look at each other. We just stared off into the silence, finding a clear symmetry in the way our bodies fit together.
“You came back,” Peter said at last, breaking the silence.
“I came back,” I nodded.
“I’m glad you did,” he said, with a smile.
“Me, too,” I said.
He reached out for my hand underneath the blanket and my fingers linked with his. “You’re so different,” I said, thinking aloud. “You’re so different from any man I’ve ever been with.”
“How so?”
“You treat me like a person,” I said honestly.
He turned to me with a strange expression in his eyes. There was a lot of emotion there, some of which I could understand and some of which I couldn’t.
“Someone somewhere told you that you weren’t worth much,” Peter said softly. “But they were wrong. Anyone who ever told you that you didn’t deserve a better life and better treatment was a liar who was trying to keep you down. They were telling you what they needed to, to keep you with them.
“Because they knew that if you recognized how much you were worth, you would leave. You would find a better life for yourself. Forget them, Madison. They’re the worthless ones and whenever you start to question that, remind yourself of how amazing you are.”
“I’m amazing?” I asked.
“I met you two days ago,” Peter said. “And I think so… In fact, I know so. So never doubt your own worth.”
He was looking at me like I was a hero, like I was strong and impressive and brave and for the life of me…I couldn’t understand why.
Chapter Fifteen
Peter
I woke up with the sun on my face and contentment in my soul that I hadn’t felt in a long time. I blinked my eyes open, registering the weight across my shoulder and my chest. Madison was breathing deeply, her eyelashes fluttering slightly with every breath. Her hair held rich hues of mahogany as it cascaded down her naked back.
I didn’t even want to adjust my position for fear of waking her. So, I lay still and kept a tight grip on her body. It had been a long time since I’d woken up next to a woman, and it was honestly the first time that I’d woken up to a woman whom I wished would never leave. I sniffed at her hair, and it smelt like rose petals and honey. She stirred slightly, but then she settled back into calm sleep.
We hadn’t moved off the sofa. We had stayed up, wrapped in the warmth of a blanket, talking until sleep had claimed us both. We hadn’t spoken about anything deep, just little snippets of our lives that didn’t carry weight.
I didn’t want to wake Madison up just yet, just in case she felt the need to leave immediately. Things always looked different in the clear light of day, and a part of me was worried that she might have felt I had taken advantage of her. She had been visibly emotional the night before. Perhaps sleeping with her hadn’t been the right move.
I reminded myself that she was the one who had come to me. I just hoped that was enough. The thought of her leaving was somehow incredibly depressing. I was aware that it shouldn’t have been, especially not this early, but I couldn’t deny how I felt.
I didn’t know what about the moment reminded me of my mother, but I started to see images from my past form in front of my eyes. I shook my head to try and clear it, but I still kept seeing images from the one memory that had haunted me through my entire life.
I was thirteen, and it was late. Sleep fogged my eyes and made it impossible for anything to seem real. I tossed and turned in my bed, trying to find a comfortable spot. But despite how tired I was, there was a nagging in the back of my mind that told me something was wrong.
Thirst finally forced me out of bed and down the stairs towards the kitchen. The moment I stepped out into the hall, I noticed something was amiss. It took me a moment to realize what it was: there was a light on downstairs. Either someone had forgotten to turn it off, or someone was still up. I was so tired that my eyes were half closed, but I knew this house like the back of my hand. I walked down the stairs, seeing it all in my mind’s eye.
It was the living room light that was on. I decided to turn it off on my way to the kitchen. I turned the corner and came to an abrupt stop as I realized my mother was standing there with two bags pushed to the corner. She froze when she saw me, and we just looked at each other for a moment.
She was wearing a pale-yellow dress with puffy sleeves and a flowing skirt. It was combined with a black belt that cinched in her already tiny waist and made her look all the more fragile and delicate. Her brown hair was flowing around her shoulders in soft waves, and her hazel eyes looked alarmed – and perhaps a little bit scared.
“Mom?” I asked, with the question in my tone.
“Peter, darling,” she said, with a smile that looked shaky. “What are you doing awake at this time?”
“I wanted some water,” I replied, trying to get the blurriness out of my eyes. “What are you doing up?”
“I… Remember, I told you I had to go see my aunt for a few weeks?” she said, after a moment of hesitation.
“That’s next week,” I said, frowning.
“I just received a call from her a little while ago,” Mom replied. I wondered if it was just my imagination or if her voice was really shaking slightly when she spoke. “She’s very lonely, Peter…and she’s sick. She wants me to come immediately.”
“You didn’t say goodbye to anyone,” I said accusingly.
Her mouth tilted downwards as though she were about to cry. “I have to go now, Peter.”
I just stared at her, unable to understand what was happening. It didn’t feel real. Nothing about this seemed normal. Mom approached me slowly and hugged me without warning. It was a tight hug, and I was the one who pushed her away.
“Did you tell Dad?”
“I… I left him a note,” she replied. “He’s sleeping now, so don’t wake him.”
“Mom.”
“I love you, son,” Mom said in a voice that sounded choked. “I love you so much. Always remember that.” She leaned in and kissed me hard on the forehead. “I have to go now,” she said again.
She turned away from me, picked up her bags, and walked out of the house without a backward glance. As she walked through the door, I thought I saw a tear slip from her eye. I watched her get into the cab parked outside, and then it drove away. A few seconds later, the car turned the corner and the world was silent again.
I stood there for a long time, wondering if something important had just happened or if what I was feeling was just exaggerated. Suddenly, I wasn’t thirsty anymore. Nor did I move to turn off the light in the living room. I couldn’t explain it, but I just didn’t want to turn it off. I didn’t want to be surrounded by darkness…not just yet.
As Madison stirred and blinked her eyes open, I snapped out of the memory that I had tried so desperately over the years to forget. She stretched against me and smiled.
“Good morning,” she said.
“Good morning,” I greeted back. “Sleep well?”
“Very well,” she nodded. “And you?”
“Best sleep I’ve had in a while,” I replied. “Now…how about I make you breakfast?”
She laughed. “I wouldn’t say no to that.”
I disentangled myself from Madison and turned to grab my boxers off the floor. She sat up behind me. “You have a tattoo,” she observed.
“Oh…yeah,” I nodded. “It’s the date of my father’s death. All five of us have the same one.”
“It’s a beautiful gesture.”
“It made us all feel a little better,” I nodded. Then I leaned down and kissed her gently on the lips. “I’ll get started on breakfast, shall I?”
Madison nodded, and I walked into the kitchen, feeling lighter than I had in years. The moment I turned the corner, I froze in place, realizing that someone was already in the kitchen. Sam was sitting at the table with an apple in hand and a cheeky smile playing on his face.
“Oh fuck,” I groaned. “What the hell are you doing here?”
“I came to see how the date went,” Sam said, in a whisper. “And, boy…did I ever get my answer.”
“I didn’t even hear you come in.”
“I was stealthy about it,” Sam winked. “And apparently…so were you.”
“I don’t even know what that means,” I said, rolling my eyes at him.
Sam got up out of his chair and punched me playfully in the arm. “You scored!” he crowed. “I’m so proud.”
“Will you shut up?” I hissed. “Madison’s just down the hall.”
“You guys looked so cute, all curled up in dad’s old blanket,” he continued, with another wink. “But unfortunately, I didn’t see anything good because of it. She was all covered up. I did get a glimpse of some side leg, but that’s all.”
“You are such a pervert,” I sighed. “Now take that apple and get the hell out.”
“Aw, come on,” he said. “Can’t I stay for breakfast?”
“Are you freaking serious?”
“Oh,” Sam said, his eyes going wide. “Were you planning on an early morning quickie or something? ’Cause if so, I’m happy to stay here and be quiet until you’re finished.”
I grabbed Sam, forcing him into a headlock. He tried to break from my grip, but my will was stronger than his. The fact that he was laughing helped, too, because it clearly gave me the upper hand.
“Ouch, you fucker,” Sam whined. “That hurts.”
“Good, now get-”
We froze as Madison stepped into the kitchen with the blanket wrapped around her chest. “Oh God,” she said in shock, clearly taken off guard by Sam’s presence and our juvenile antics. “Sam…”
“Hi, Madison,” he waved to her from the headlock I had him in. “You kids had fun last night?”
Madison’s cheeks flushed with color as she secured the blanket around her chest, but she made no move to leave the room. “We did, thanks,” she nodded.
“Umm, bro,” Sam said sheepishly. “Would you mind releasing me? There’s a lady present.”
I released my hold on him and he shot me a glare before he turned to Madison. “Please excuse my brother,” he spoke as though I had started the whole thing. “He’s never known how to behave around company.”
Madison laughed, and I could see her relax. “I’m just sorry to break up the brotherly bonding.”
“Bonding?” I repeated. “I’d rather not bond with this particular brother.”
Sam rolled his eyes at me. “He likes denial,” he said. “I’m his favorite. Anyway… I’ll just…head off and give you guys some privacy.”
“No, don’t worry,” Madison quickly. “Actually, I just came in here to tell you that I can’t stay for breakfast.”
I felt my heart skip with disappointment. “Why not?”
“I have to feed Polo and get ready for work,” she replied apologetically. “I didn’t realize how late it was. Can I take a rain check, though?”
“Of course you can,” I nodded. “Any time. I’ll walk you to the door.”
I followed Madison out of the kitchen while Sam tried to catch a
glimpse of what was underneath the blanket. I smacked him on the head on my way out, and he responded with a loud, “What was that for, fucker?”
Madison was slipping on her dress when I walked into the living room. She straightened out her hair and gave me a smile. “It’s sweet how close you are with your brothers. It’s nice how well you get along with them.”
“We have our good days and our bad days,” I replied. “I wish you didn’t have to leave so soon.”
“Me, too,” Madison nodded, and I saw the sincerity in her eyes. “But I just started this job, it’s too early for me to start slacking off.”
“Understood,” I laughed.
“I’ll call you after work,” she said, as I walked her to the door.
“Great,” I replied, feeling a burgeoning sense of joy.
She wasn’t running away from me and didn’t seem to think I’d taken advantage of her last night. In fact, she seemed just as pleased to have woken up next to me as I had been waking up next to her. The sunlight fell onto her dark hair and brought out the gold in her hazel eyes as she stood in the doorway.
“Thanks…for everything, Peter,” Madison said, and I knew she was thanking me for more than just dinner.
“Anytime,” I replied, hoping she understood the depth of what I meant when I said that.
We held each other’s gaze for a moment, and I felt a little current of electricity fizzle through my body. I leaned in to kiss her gently on the lips. Then I watched her walk back to her house, wondering how on earth I had landed in the middle of this relationship when it was the last thing I had ever wanted.
Chapter Sixteen
Madison
“Polo!” I greeted, as I walked through the door. “Hi, buddy!”
Polo jumped around enthusiastically, and I felt a twinge of guilt. I got down to my knees and hugged him tightly. “I’ve been neglecting you these past few days, haven’t I, boy? Don’t you worry; I still love you more than ever.”
Polo was easily appeased. I gave him his breakfast and let him out for a few minutes to relieve his bladder. Then, I went to my bare bathroom and stared at myself in the mirror. I noticed Polo pad in behind me. He was looking up at me curiously, as though he required an explanation.