Grinning silently, I watch her having a whole conversation with herself.
“Mine?” she goes on. “Mine is walking distance from the studio and let’s face it, the most amazing place.”
My grin grows.
“But it’s perfect for one and, well, poky for two.” She frowns to herself. “Wait a minute, maybe we could do a 50/50 thing, some days here some days mine?”
“Your thought process is phenomenal,” I murmur under my breath, utterly amused. Damn lucky bastard that I am, she’s really considering it.
She perks up suddenly. “Wait a minute, why are we sitting here talking logistics when I haven’t said yes or no to this bananas thing?”
I throw my head back laughing, then train my eyes on her, grinning.
Anna frowns again. “Why are you grinning like a—”
“Just enjoying your little monologue,” I say, still entirely amused and to a greater part charmed. She’s everything.
Anna turns to me fully. “Why can’t we just date like normal people?”
I mimic her position, and say, “Because we’re way past that, don’t you think? And with our schedules, especially mine, we won’t be able to see each other much and really date. And I want to see you. As much as I can.”
Anna does this little considering head shake dance. “I can’t say that it doesn’t completely make sense.”
“Humor me,” I take her hand in mine. “Let’s give it a try.” I tilt my head, running my eyes between hers. “Maybe, as you said, it’s going to be . . . perfect.”
Playing with my fingers, she mimics my coked head. “Can I sleep on it?”
I nod. “As long as it’s in my bed.”
“So cheesy!” Anna pushes my chest, shaking her head.
I grab her hand and pull her to me as I drop us back onto the sofa. With a yelp, Anna lands on top of me. Her baby blues smile at mine as she slowly closes the distance between our mouths. They flutter closed as she touches her lips to mine, and she looks so damn dreamy. She deepens the kiss, urging me to open for her, and boy do I obey. I hold her cheeks and pull her closer, leaving one hand in her hair while the other slowly caresses over her body. Reaching her ass, I press her into me and show her just how much I’m into her. Her moan sends fire to my veins and I let out a growl from deep down in my throat, flipping us over so I’m on top of her. She’s into me and I’m very much here for it. I take control, lifting her arms above her head, holding them with one of mine, and gently pull her shirt up. Below me, Anna is a breathtaking vision with hair spread on the sofa, eyes heavy with desire, cheeks blushed. I’ve never seen anything as beautiful in my life.
When I lower to press soft kisses along her collarbone and ever so slowly make my way to her breasts, Anna purrs the sexiest moans that makes me want her to an insane degree. I take my time kissing and sucking my way till her breath becomes heavier and her sounds of pleasure frequent. Hardly containing my own irresistible need to sink into her, I ease back. Anna opens her eyes as I say in a graveled voice, “Wait here, I’m just going to—”
Her breathy, “You’re not leaving me now,” nearly brings me to my knees.
“Never leaving you again.” Keeping my eyes on hers I slowly lean back down and unbutton her jeans. She watches me as I pull down the zipper and turn to release her of her pants along with her underwear. She watches till my mouth touches her, her eyes shut and she arches to press deeper into me, moaning my name. The sounds she’s making and her physical response to me accelerates my desire for her. And I give her what she’s demanding, enthusiastically until she yells my name throbbing on my tongue.
I let her come down from her climax and then whisper, “Hang on to me,” as I lift her to straddle me. Anna holds on to me, as I walk us to the bedroom. She kisses me, tasting herself in my mouth, and I find it so damn erotic. Reaching the bedroom, I lay her on the bed and rush to get covered. I break my own record in covering myself. Scratch that, I break the world record in putting on a condom.
Nearing the bed, I run my eyes over Anna and my next breath is trapped in me. “You’re so incredibly stunning,” I say, planting a knee on the bed. Anna doesn’t respond, she just looks at me in a way that makes my heart grow. And then, finally, I lower myself between her legs. I kiss her as I guide myself into her and as I sink into her, it’s the most perfect sensation in the entire fucking universe.
After cleaning up, I get back to bed. Anna positions herself, resting her head on my chest, running her fingers on my abs, sighing contentedly. I thread my fingers through her hair, lightly combing it when she asks, “When do you get back to work?”
“Tomorrow,” I say tracing small circles on the nape of her neck.
She lifts her head to look at me. “When do you start?”
I lean forward to kiss her lips. “I need to be at the hospital at five-thirty.”
“Oh, so you have the whole day to rest.”
I send her a side smile. “A.M.”
Anna sits up with a start, eyes squinted, running around the dark room. She stands up and inexplicably starts collecting her clothes. “Whoa.” I watch her perplexed. “What are you doing?”
“I need to go home, let you sleep, you need to wake up in—” She picks up her phone, looking a little disorientated and much tired. “Soon!”
I throw the blanket aside, get out of bed, walk to her, grab her clothes from her hands, and unceremonially dump them on the floor. I take her hand next and walk her back to the bed. “Believe me, I’ll sleep much better with you next to me.”
“Are you sure? I’d hate for you to be—”
“Believe me, I’m sure.” I lie down and tap my chest, “C’mere, you.”
Still somewhat sleepy, she rests her head on my chest. “Night.”
I bend to kiss her hair. “Night.”
I literally jump on the phone at the first tune of the alarm as it goes off. Four twenty a.m. taunts me via the device’s screen and I curse under my breath. I give sleeping Anna a glance and gently lean down to place an airy kiss on her cheek. She stirs a little and I tiptoe to the bathroom.
I tip my head up for the warm stream to wash over my face, my thoughts on the person sleeping behind the wall. She’s in the next room and I already miss her. As I reach for the shower gel, I turn to the sound of the shower’s sliding door slowly opening. I blink water away, wiping my eyes with my fingers. My lips drop a little to the sight of Anna naked and divinely beautiful stepping into the shower.
“Good morning,” she whispers, a little blushed from sleep.
“Fucking sublime morning,” I say, sending a hand to her waist and press her against me. “Why did you get up,” I murmur to her lips.
“For this,” she says over a grin.
I step back, positioning us under the warm spray, and kiss her deeply. “We don’t have much time,” I say through the kiss.
“Then let’s not waste any.”
I hoist her up to straddle me, leaning her against the wall. “Shit,” I murmur dropping my head to her shoulder.
Like the true miracle that she is, she smiles and opens her fist to reveal a condom. I grin at her, “Fucking crazy about you.”
“You sure you don’t want to go back to sleep?” I ask Anna twenty-some minutes later, just before locking the door.
“Sure, I’ll just sleep at home. Anyhow I’m already up and I don’t have anything with me.”
“We should rectify that. You should have everything here,” I say, grinning at her. She smiles back and shakes her head. I take her hand in mine, kiss it, and lead us to Thanos.
“Are you sure you won’t be late; you really don’t have to take me home. I’ll just order an Uber.” she says, again. This would be the third time.
“Get your ass in the car,” I say and add, “Baby.”
She snorts at the new endearment. “You’ll have to come up with something a little more creative, baby.” I smile at her in return.
I have one hand on the steering wheel and the other
on her thigh as we drive in comfortable silence. She threads her fingers through mine, smiling to the window, watching the world as it sluggishly wakes. Finding a parking spot later would be a pain, not to mention I might be late if traffic picks up, but I don’t care. I fucking don’t care. I want more time with her. I want to take her home; I don’t want her riding with anyone else at this crazy hour of the day. And I want more, a little more of being with her before being sucked into this vacuum of the alternate world that is my job where I can hardly allow any space for anything but work. When I finally park at the curb below her apartment building, Anna releases the seatbelt and leans in to give me a long, warm kiss.
“Thanks,” she says. And I shake my head communicating, “Don’t mention it.” She kisses me once more. “Bye.” She reaches for the door and opens it.
Nuh-uh, baby. I step out of the car and round it. Reaching Anna, I wrap her in my arms, hugging her to me. I take a lungful of her hair and keep my lips on it. We stand in silence, hugging a few beats. Inching back, I dip my chin to look at her, my eyes caressing her face. “I love you,” I say and kiss her once more, this time softly and profoundly.
As we pull back, it’s Anna’s turn to train her eyes on me. A timid little smile forms on her lips when she says, “Yes, let’s do this. Let’s move in together.” At first, I look at her in surprise. When the realization sinks in, I lift her into a tight hug. She lets out a joyful shriek. We kiss through our smiles.
Anna inches back, her smile quivers some while her eyes take a worried shade. “What is it?” I ask tenderly.
“I’m happy,” she says, yet her expression tells me there is more. She swallows and adds, “And truly scared.”
I hug her closer. “Me too,” I say.
She looks at me in surprise.
“I don’t think that it’s going to be easy, because I know it’s not. But I’m sure it’s going to be worth it.”
She answers by pressing her lips against mine. Her non-verbal answer couldn’t make me more reassured. I wrap her in a warm embrace as long as I can, finding it immensely hard to let go.
Happily Ever After Is Overrated, Orgasmed Ever After Is the New Black
Earlier this morning.
Anna to CHICKENS: Morning chickens, first Monday of the month! Monthly challenge time! For the next 24 hours, you should answer every question with an answer to a question you want to be asked.
Pandora to CHICKENS: What’s up with the complicated instructions? Too early to decode this thing. No coffee in my system yet, someone please explain with easy words.
Victoria to CHICKENS: Panda, someone asks you a question, you answer with whatever you really want. I for one will probably be saying, “Yes, please, Rosé!” very often today.
Pandora to CHICKENS: Ok, I get it. Just like Drummergirl would probably say, “Yes, after dark,” all the time and Anna would be saying, “Yes please, Doctor, please treat my lady parts, please.” Or I would say, “Yes, Jonathan, I’ve been a bad girl.”
Anna to CHICKENS: Exactly that.
Victoria to CHICKENS: You nailed it, panda bear.
Kayla to CHICKENS: Drunk fishing? Yes, after dark.
Panda to CHICKENS: Absofuckinglutely.
Anna to CHICKENS: What Panda said.
Victoria to CHICKENS: Always!
“Ooh, look at us all,” Panda radiates a megawatt grin at us, raising a glass of Rosé while holding a fishing rod in the other. “Fabulously glowing! The radiance you get from getting some is better than any shimmer out there, I tell ya.”
Vicky touches Panda’s glass with her own, nearly dropping her fishing rod into the water in the process. “To glowing from the inside.” She laughs briefly at her own joke.
“You should trademark that,” Kayla says and points at me. “Here’s your target audience, the all-natural consumers.”
“I think we can declare this our farewell soiree to fishing season. I don’t know about you guys, but my heiny is literally frozen,” I say to no one in particular.
They laugh, all three of them. Panda eyes me next, but talks to the others, “Looks like our Anna has been getting a lot of glow work. Look at her, she isn’t even here with us.” Then, “Hey Chicken.” She taps my shoulder. “Tell the doctor, the one that’s in your head right now who’s doing such a glowing job on you, that we say hi.”
I frown and give the three of them a spaced-out smile. “Sorry, what?”
They exchange humored glances between them. “Oh, the honeymoon phase,” Panda says with a teasing smile.
“Did I miss something?” I ask, reaching for my water bottle. The designated driver for tonight is yours truly.
Kayla smiles at me, her smile carrying extra warmth. She shakes her head and says, “Not much.” She then laughs briefly. “But we’re here, waiting for you whenever you decide to land back to earth and join us.”
“What?” I say laughing.
“It’s just,” Vicky says. “Your pretty head is somewhere else, somewhere, I’m guessing with a certain surgeon.” She grins at me. “You’ve been spacing-out like you’re on an expedition to Mars.”
“Have I?”
All three smiles and nods are synchronized.
I shrug and smile back. “Didn’t mean to, sorry.”
It’s Panda’s turn to beam my way. “Living in sin seems to agree with you, little hen.”
I huff a frustrated sigh/laugh. “Living in sin is a bit of a stretch. We hardly see each other. I’m not sure if a few hours here and there constitute shacking. We’ve been living together for what? A month now? And I swear, I see you guys more than I see Liam. Our schedules are almost completely flipped. Because of his trip, he takes on most of the evening-night/weekend shifts, the less desired ones, so when he’s home I’m either out or asleep. And he refuses to wake me up.” I let out a sigh. “I miss him so much.”
I do. Very much so. I still have my place, but we tend to sleep or hang out where the other is. Since Liam is away most of the waking hours of the day, and his place still needs some major furnishing, we usually end up at my place. We did, and by we I mean I, ordered a bunch of new furniture and basically everything that’s missing in his new place, which is a lot, but most of it will take time to arrive. My contract ends in a month and that’s when I’ll officially move in with him.
“Happily ever after ain’t all that.” Vicky takes a sip of her drink. “Beloved chickens, I cracked the code. Don’t settle down with one guy, have a few around, orgasmily ever after is the new black. No complications, no heartache, no fighting, no missing anyone, just fun, fun, fun.”
“Orgasmily ever after; I need that on a shirt,” Kayla says flatly.
Panda hooks her arm with mine and leans her head on my shoulder. “Sordid solicitation aside.” She throws my sister a squinted glance. “You guys, wow, that developed fast.”
“Fast?” Kayla says amusedly, pulling her sleeves over her hands to get warmer as the light breeze picks up. “More of a light speed sort of thing.”
Panda scoots even closer to me. “I’m so happy for you.”
I hug her back in response.
“I don’t see myself ever living with a guy.” The musing comes from my sister. “I swear, I don’t think I’ll ever be able to. I’m not willing to give a hundred percent of myself to anyone but you guys!”
Panda straightens up and turns to Vicky. “Maybe because you don’t give them more than a, what is it? A couple of month’s chance before you set them free.”
“No, but sharing a space. Having someone with you all the time,” Vicky resumes her line of commitment protest. “I for one could never use the toilet when my guy is in the room.”
I nod at Vicky. “You mean with you in the bathroom? Of course not! I also rather do my business with no audience. That’s a given.”
“I don’t mind peeing when Jonathan brushes his teeth,” Pandora says, her attention on her rod as she flips the bail back a little then reels a couple of times, disregarding mine and my sister’s
amused frowns.
“You also don’t call him by his mother-loving birth name so you’re not an example.” That’s Kayla.
Vicky then clarifies, “No, I mean, door locked, and the guy is outside the room. I don’t want him there either.”
“That’s bonkers,” Kayla volleys. “What do you do then? Muster up a whole guerilla plan to go wee-wee?”
Vicky takes another rich sip of wine and raises her glass at us, declaring, “Another unpopular opinion in 3,2,1. . . I won’t move in with anyone before he understands that if he wants a future with me it won’t be the traditional one. No wedding, and surely no kids.”
I don’t react. I know my sister’s shticks, so this is not news to me. It pains me though; I know where it is coming from – not from a good place. My friends, however, chorus in unison: “Really?”
It’s Kayla who then adds, “You do want a partner, boyfriend eventually, right?”
Vicky shrugs indifferently. “I’ve been around; met some amazing guys, but as far as the offering goes, I don’t see myself settling down with anyone.”
Panda, bless her sweet romantic spirit, says, “Until the right one comes along.”
Vicky shakes her head, emitting confidence. “I’ve dated princes, believe me. I just don’t see myself willing to compromise anything for anyone. Not to mention, not many men will be okay with going the unpopular no kids in the future journey. People that don’t want the traditional thing are rare at the end of the day when real feelings are revealed.”
Panda shivers a little and turns to button her jacket. She eyes Vicky. “You really don’t want kids?”
Vicky thinks. “No, I don’t believe that I do.” She then shines a smile at us. “I promise to be the awesomest Godmother to your kids though.”
by Mistake: (Poison & Wine, book 1) Page 22