After We Fall

by Melanie Harlow

  He moved down further, settling his head between my thighs. I closed my eyes and held my breath. No one had done this to me in years.

  After what seemed like a lifetime, he treated me to one long, slow stroke of his tongue from bottom to top, his fingers pushing deeper inside me. I moaned louder than I intended to and caught my bottom lip in my teeth. But when he did it again, this time lingering at the top to tease my clit with the tip of his tongue, I cried out with even more abandon. Propping myself up on my elbows, I looked down at his dark head between my pale thighs. Was this even real?

  “I had to taste you.” His voice was low and gravelly, and I struggled to hear him over the storm. “I was halfway home, soaked to the bone, and determined to put you out of my head, but all I could think about was tasting you.”

  “I’m so glad you came back,” I whispered. “I didn’t want you to go.”

  “You taste as sweet as you look,” he went on, pausing to circle his tongue in a slow, decadent spiral. “Like strawberries in June.” He flicked my clit with quick, hard strokes. “Cherries in July.” He sucked it into his mouth. “Peaches in August.”

  “Christ, you can even make fruit sound sexy.”

  “It’s you.” He tilted his head in a different direction, swirled his tongue from a new angle. “It’s all you.”

  I wanted to tell him it wasn’t—it couldn’t be—wanted my hands on his body, wanted to lick him and suck him and taste him, wanted to drive him insane like he was doing to me—but I couldn’t talk, couldn’t move, couldn’t breathe. Higher and higher he took me, until I teetered at the edge of bliss and then sailed over, my clit throbbing against his tongue.

  Desperate to feel his weight on me, I grasped at his shoulders, trying to pull him up. He took his time, lingering between my thighs like I was his favorite dessert and he didn’t want anyone to take the plate away, even though it was empty.

  “Come up here,” I said. “Please.”

  Reluctantly, he crawled up my body, his mouth hot and wet as he kissed a path up my stomach, between my breasts, up my throat, until his elbows were braced above my shoulders. I reached between us, positioned the tip of his cock between my legs, rubbed it over my clit, slipped it inside me. My entire body vibrated with need for him.

  He lifted his hips, pulling out. “I didn’t plan for this. I don’t have—”

  “It’s OK.”

  “You’re sure?”

  I nodded. “Please. I want to feel you there again.”

  “Feel me where?” He slid into me, slow and controlled.

  I smiled wickedly and moved my hands to his ass to pull him closer. “So deep it hurts,” I whispered in his ear. “I want you to tear me apart. Leave me bruised. Mark tonight on my body.”

  “You shouldn’t say that to me.”

  I gasped as he plunged in deep, the sharp twinge making me jump. “God, I love the way you move. Like you want me so badly you can’t hold back.”

  “I can’t. No matter how hard I tried—and fucking hell, I tried.” He moved a little faster, rolling his hips over mine. “But you’re under my skin.”

  Then I couldn’t talk anymore because his mouth was on mine, and I let my desire take over—I raked my nails across his back, took his lower lip between my teeth, pulled his hair, writhed and panted and gasped. Pleasure zinged along every nerve ending in my body like a live current. When I came again, I cried out his name as my body pulsed around his driving cock, my fingers digging into his ass. I felt wild, untamed, untethered—free to say and do and feel everything.

  As the rippling waves tapered off, Jack pulled out and flipped me over. “Get on your knees.”

  Heart still pounding against my ribs, I got on my hands and knees, wincing when he grabbed my hair. He yanked my head back as he pushed inside me—yes. He gripped one hip, holding me steady as he fucked me so hard, I could hear his hips smacking my ass—yes. He came fast, his body going stiff, a growl escaping his throat, his cock throbbing again and again inside me—yes.

  He let go of me and fell forward, catching himself on his hands outside of mine. His forehead rested on the back of my head, his breath was warm and soft on my neck, and the rain still drummed against the cottage roof. Neither of us spoke.

  A moment later he wrapped one arm around my stomach, holding me close to him.

  My throat squeezed shut. I wanted to say things. I wanted to tell him that he was the best I’d ever had. I wanted to ask if he was OK. I wanted to know if I’d eased anything inside him. I wanted him to know how badly I too wished things were different. I wanted him to know I’d never regret this, I’d never forget him, I’d never stop wondering what if.

  I opened my mouth, but he spoke first.

  “Don’t go home tomorrow, Margot,” he said, tightening his arm around me. “Please. Don’t go.”

  Twenty-One

  Jack

  Her body went still beneath mine. She’s holding her breath.

  She swallowed. “You want me to stay? Are you sure?”

  “Yes.” I pulled out of her, and turned her gently onto her back. The way she looked up at me made my chest tighten. “If you want to.”

  “Jack.” Her hands flew to my face, her thumbs brushing my cheekbones. “Of course I want to.”

  I smiled, feeling as if a massive weight had been lifted off my chest. “Good.”

  “But I know things are complicated.”

  “They are.” I wouldn’t lie to her. “And I can’t make any promises.”

  “I don’t need promises,” she said quickly. “I don’t have conditions, don’t need to put a label on this, don’t have to know how it ends. I just like being with you.”

  I kissed one of her palms. “Thank you.”

  She smiled, letting her hands trail over my shoulders. “You know, it’s funny. This is the first time in my life I’m giving myself permission to just do what I want to do without worrying about how it fits in to the grand scheme of my life. Without caring if it’s what Thurber women do.”

  That made me chuckle. “I’m gonna guess Muffy would not approve.”

  She giggled and shook her head. “Probably not. But guess what? I don’t care.” Her face lit up the dark. “I don’t care. I just want to stay here for a while and enjoy myself.”

  “Me too.” Although for me, here wasn’t a physical place. It was a state of mind that allowed me to enjoy some time with Margot without feeling like I owed anyone an apology. Without feeling like it was a complete betrayal. Without the guilt. It was a place I’d reached as I’d run through the rain toward home, realizing that I could either spend another sleepless night alone and tortured by thoughts of her, or I could allow myself a brief reprieve from the loneliness.

  And maybe for Margot, it was the same—a break from the expectations, the rules governing her behavior, a chance for her to indulge her less…polite side. Get her hands dirty. I could definitely help her with that.

  But that’s all it could be—a respite, a temporary relief. Anything more was out of the question.

  “Wonder when the power will come back on.” Margot came out of the bathroom carrying the candle we’d lit. She was still naked—I loved that. “Think it’s on at the cabin?”

  “No idea.” The prospect of spending the entire night in the dark did not thrill me. Did I have candles to burn? I tried to remember as I buttoned up my shirt.

  “Is it still raining?” We listened for a moment, and sure enough, the downpour hadn’t let up.

  “Yeah.” Frowning, I glanced around the room for my socks, which were probably still soaked. Fuck, I hated wet socks.

  “Want to stay here tonight?”

  I looked at her, hesitated. Sex was one thing, but spending the night with another woman seemed like too much. Lying next to her. Watching her sleep. Waking up with her. But I want to. Just this once would be OK, right?

  “No pressure.” Margot walked toward me, the candle lighting her face from below. “But the invitation is there. Thinking about yo

u trying to get home in the pitch dark makes me nervous.”

  Our eyes met, and I wondered if she was thinking about the highway. It was raining that night too. For one insane second, I wondered why the hell I shouldn’t tempt fate. Would I get what I deserved?

  “You wouldn’t let me walk home in the dark, remember?”

  The concern on her face moved me. “I remember.”

  “So stay.” She set the candle on an end table and twined her arms around my waist. “For me. I know you’re a big strong soldier and you’re not afraid of the dark, but I’ll be too scared here all alone.”

  I smiled and wrapped my arms around her. You have no idea. She rested her cheek on my chest, and I kissed the top of her head. Even her hair smelled sweet. A whole night surrounded by her scent. By the sound of her breathing. By the knowledge I wasn’t alone. “OK. I’ll stay.”

  “Good.” She wriggled happily in my arms. “God, I love getting my way.”

  I pinched her butt. “You’re a spoiled brat. Did you just trick me?”

  “Maybe.”

  “Jesus, you could sell water to a drowning man. You should go into politics.”

  “No, thanks. But I was pretty good at fundraising, or at least getting rich people to write checks for good causes.”

  “I have no doubt.” She yawned, and I hugged her tighter. “Tired?”

  “Yes. You wore me out. Or maybe it was the wine.”

  “Let’s say it was me.”

  She looked up at me and smiled. “It was totally you.”

  She went into the bathroom to brush her teeth, taking the candle with her, but she left the door open so I could find my way into the bedroom. By the time she came out, I was undressed again and under the covers.

  Setting the candle on the bedside table, she slipped in next to me and then blew it out. We lay there for a moment, the rain softer now, the scent of smoke from the candle lingering in the air. Both of us were on our backs, no parts of our bodies touching.

  “Is it strange?” she asked.

  I looked over at her. “Is what strange?”

  “Being in bed with someone else.”

  Returning my eyes to the ceiling, I put my hands behind my head. “Yeah. It is.”

  She turned onto her side to face me, tucking her hands beneath her cheek. “I’m glad you didn’t lie and say it wasn’t.”

  I focused on her again. “I won’t lie to you, Margot. I promise.”

  “OK.” Her voice was soft. “I was brushing my teeth and thinking that I shouldn’t have pressured you to stay. I didn’t think about it being strange for you that way. I feel bad.”

  “Hey. Come here.” I reached for her, and she moved close, tucking herself along the side of my body. Her skin was warm and soft and smelled like vanilla. My cock stirred beneath the sheets. “I stayed because I want to be here with you tonight. Yes, it’s the first time I’ve spent the night with anyone other than Steph in a lot of years, and yes, it’s a little unfamiliar, but it’s not uncomfortable.”

  “OK.” She kissed my chest, slinging an arm over my torso. “Since we’re being honest, I have to tell you how much I love your chest.”

  I smiled. “Yeah?”

  “Yes.” She rubbed her lips back and forth on my skin, slid her hand up my ribcage. “From the moment I met you.”

  I thought for a second. “In the kitchen?”

  “Yes. You were so grouchy and mean, but you had this amazing body. I felt like you could snap me in half, and you looked like you wanted to.” Her fingertips brushed over my nipple, and my dick jumped so high it made the sheets move.

  “I think I did.” Oh fuck, now she was circling my other nipple with her tongue, flicking it gently. Heat rushed through my body, prickled over my skin.

  “Maybe you still will.” She pinched the nipple beneath her fingers, and I inhaled sharply. It felt so fucking good, and it was one of those things I’d never ask for but loved. Her hand moved slowly down my stomach. “I’ve never seen a body like yours before. So tight and muscular. All these ridges and lines.” She let her fingers ripple lightly over my abs, making them clench. “It’s incredible how strong you are. It makes me think of all the things you could do to me.”

  Keep going, I thought, and keep fucking talking.

  Her hand closed around my cock, now fully hard and aching. “And this,” she said, her voice low and fluid. “When I saw you on the dock, dripping wet and completely naked, my eyes went right here.” Working her hand up and down my shaft, she picked up her head to speak softly in my ear. “I had thoughts I’ve never had before.”

  “Like what?”

  “I wanted to watch you get hard. I wanted to get my hands on you. I wanted to taste you.”

  “Fuck,” I rasped, one hand seeking her breast, the other snaking down her lower back.

  “I was so bad,” she whispered. “I wanted you to touch yourself, and I wanted you to catch me watching you. I wanted you to punish me for it.”

  “Yeah? How would I do that?” I pinched her nipple hard enough to make her gasp and slid my middle finger along the crack of her ass.

  She went still. “Actually, I don’t know. I didn’t get that far.”

  “Never mind. You couldn’t dream up anything close to what I’d have done.”

  “Tell me,” she begged. “I want to hear it.”

  “Nope. I’ll let it come as a surprise.”

  A slow, sly grin stretched her lips. “Fair enough.”

  I moved fast, flipping her onto her back across the bed and pinning her wrists to the mattress, anchoring her body with my hips. “I don’t always play fair.”

  The grin vanished.

  But her eyes glittered.

  When we were finally sated—no easy feat, Margot had an appetite for sex that nearly matched my own—we collapsed on top of the twisted sheets, her head on my chest, one arm and leg draped over me. I wrapped an arm around her shoulder and kissed the top of her head.

  “This OK?” she asked. “I don’t know if you’re a cuddler or not.”

  “It’s OK.”

  “Night,” she murmured sleepily.

  “Night.”

  She fell asleep in minutes, her breathing deep and rhythmic, her body relaxed. I lay awake for a while, listening to the rain, in awe of her and this night and myself. It hadn’t been an easy decision, coming back here. It hadn’t been easy asking her not to leave tomorrow. It hadn’t been easy climbing into bed with someone other than the woman I’d married.

  But everything else…everything else had been so easy. Talking to her. Touching her. Listening to her. Being inside her. Why was that? How was it possible I was this comfortable with someone I’d only met days before, someone so completely different from me? It didn’t seem real.

  So let it be a dream, then. Don’t analyze it. Don’t scrutinize it. Don’t look for meaning that isn’t there.

  I closed my eyes, content to be with her in a temporary dream world where I wouldn’t be judged—where neither of us would be judged—for what we wanted.

  For the first time in years, I fell asleep in the dark.

  And slept through the night.

  Twenty-Two

  Margot

  The mattress shifted, and I reluctantly opened my eyes. Blinked. In the pale gray morning light, I saw Jack sitting on the bed, dressed. His hair was a disaster.

  I smiled. “Hey.”

  “Hey. I have to go.”

  “Are your animals missing you?”

  He mussed my hair. “Yeah. And I have to get my truck still.”

  “Oh, right. What time is it?”

  “Just after six.”

  The conversation we’d had last night filtered through my wake-up haze. “I need to tell them I’m not leaving today.”

  “I was hoping you’d still want to stay. How much longer do you have?”

  I had to think for a second. “What day is it?”

  “Wednesday. The twentieth.”

  “I’m here until the twenty-eighth. So eight more days.” When I’d been faced with the prospect of eight more days here having to stay away from him, it had seemed an interminable amount of time. Now it seemed short.

  “Good.” He leaned down and kissed my cheek. “Don’t get up. I’ll let myself out and catch up with you later, OK?”

  “OK.”

  After I heard the front door shut, I tried to go back to sleep but couldn’t. Was it possible things had changed so much in just twenty-four hours? If Jack hadn’t been here when I woke up, I might have thought I’d dreamt the whole thing.

  Rolling onto my back, I stretched out my arms and legs, pointed and flexed my feet. I was sore in places I didn’t expect to be—my back and arms and neck. I was also sore in the expected places. Holy moly, that man could fuck a woman into next year! And his tongue, oh my god, he was good with his tongue. I’d had four orgasms last night—four! That was more than I’d had in the last six months of my relationship with Tripp!

  I had to tell someone. I had to.

  My phone was still in my purse from last night, which meant it was probably dead. Was the power back on yet? Hopping out of bed, I darted naked into the front room, grabbed my phone and the charger, and plugged it in next to the bed. It took a minute, but eventually it buzzed on and began charging. As soon as it would let me, I hit Jaime’s name in my recent calls.

  “Hello?” She sounded nervous.

  “It’s me.”

  “Are you OK?”

  “Yeah, I’m fine. Why?”

  “Because it’s not even seven.”

  “Oh! Sorry. I didn’t think.”

  “Why are you awake? Aren’t you supposed to be on a semi-vacation?”

  “Yes. And I’m awake because I can’t sleep. And I can’t sleep because of what happened last night.”

  “What happened last night?”

  “I had four orgasms!” I burst out. “Onetwothreefour!”

  She gasped. “Hold on, let me go in the other room.”

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