by Brona Mills
He plants a soft kiss on my temple. ‘Good night, Stella. It was good getting to know you that little bit more. I’ll be on the couch if you need anything.’ He tiptoes out of the room.
‘Good night,’ I say as he closes the door.
At 6:00 a.m. I start the coffee and look for David on the couch. He appears from his room, almost like he can hear me searching for him. He’s in lounge pants and nothing else. ‘Didn’t think threesomes were your thing,’ I joke then wince in panic.
‘Sophie snuck out in the middle of the night.’
‘Ouch, poor Mike. Is he that bad?’ I smile, glad the attention is off my previous comment.
‘I think Sophie is the kind of girl who’s used to sneaking out of rooms.’
I stare at the coffee dripping into the pot as David comes up behind me. His bare feet pad against the tiles before he wraps his arms around my waist and squeezes me gently. He nuzzles my hair and wiggles his bare toes against the back of my heels. I inhale him in and try not to let myself sink into his naked chest too much. Max will be awake any second.
‘Morning,’ he moans into my hair. ‘Just so you know, when we finally spend the whole night together, neither one of us is going to be sneaking out. I want to breathe you in all night and wake up with the heat of you pressed against me. I want to be able to run my hands all over your body and feel your heart beating against my chest, all before we wake up to put on the coffee, okay?’ He grins at the side of my cheek.
Pamela speaks from the doorway behind us. ‘You might want to book me to babysit that night, otherwise Max will be kicking both of you guys in the face while he sleeps.’
David lets me go and spins around, and I turn, praying Max isn’t standing next to her.
She must see the fear in my face. ‘Don’t worry, he isn’t awake yet.’ She tilts her head to David. ‘But you might want to go get dressed before he sees your half naked body rubbing up and down his mother.’
I chuckle. Giving a guy hell is the most motherly thing she’s done for me in a while. David looks lost between doing as he’s told and explaining himself.
I place my hand on his bare arm. ‘She’s joking.’
‘Am not,’ Mom says and takes the first mug of coffee.
‘Just go get dressed.’ I nudge him away.
He stops in front of the table. ‘Normally I’d want to be dressed when I speak to you like this, but I want to get this out before Max wakes up.’
Mom places her cup on the table and looks up at him, like nothing he could possibly say would stop her from being a concerned mother. It’s so foreign to see her this confident. My smile stays on my face as I sit next to her and look expectantly at David.
‘I’m not an asshole, and I’m in love with your daughter.’
I choke on nothing but air, and they both ignore me as I take a drink of mom’s coffee to stop me from coughing.
‘She doesn’t fully believe me yet.’ He nods his head towards me. ‘But when she does, I’ll make sure to book you for that babysitting. ’Cause this is the real deal for me, and when she’s ready to tell Max about us, I’d really like it if you were on board too.’
A small thump from down the hall, followed by rushing tiny footsteps, lets us know Max is on his way.
David smiles at me and heads back to his room.
When David and I left the apartment this morning, I switched our lunches so I’d have an excuse to visit him. Cici lent me her car, and I make it to campus in ten minutes.
I knock on David’s door. He doesn’t answer. He probably went out for lunch when he realised he got my wholegrain bagel. Couldn’t have planned it better. I tiptoe across the hall and knock on Liam’s door.
David’s door swings open behind me and I yelp.
It’s not David, though. It’s Liam. I catch my breath, which turns into an exaggerated sigh. ‘What the hell are you doing in there?’
‘Working. You know I’m David’s assistant.’
‘I know, but I knocked.’
‘Sorry, was busy. David went out for lunch.’
I hold up the brown bag. ‘I switched it this morning.’
Liam pulls out a similar brown bag from behind the door. ‘Then this rabbit food is yours?’
I swipe it out of his hand and step inside. Might as well eat while I’m here. Since I’ve last been here, an additional desk has been added that looks to be in chaos. Guessing the perfectly stacked, organised one is David’s, I move the one pile of notes aside and sit on the desk.
Liam grimaces. ‘He’s doesn’t like anyone touching his stuff.’
‘Oh please, I only moved them.’
He shrugs. ‘Just as well you’re pretty. He might forgive you.’
‘Ha-ha.’
The back wall appears to have been knocked out to conjoin three more rooms of its size since the last time I was here. The walls are covered in whiteboards, which in turn are covered with written formulas in different coloured markers.
‘You guys making progress?’ I ask.
‘Why are you here, Stella?’
I take my time chewing my bagel before I answer him. ‘You don’t want me here?’
‘I didn’t say that, but you’ve avoided me since our first meeting. You hardly made eye contact the time David introduced us at the mall. I know you’re avoiding me, but I won’t betray your confidence. I’m not going to tell him we both know more than we let on. The effects alone could be—’
‘Catastrophic. Yeah, I get it.’
‘Then why are you here?’
‘I needed to speak to you.’
‘I’m all ears.’ He opens David’s brown bag and pulls out a sandwich.
‘I know some things about his future and I feel like I’m lying to him.’ I swallow a piece of bagel, trying to act natural.
‘When David appeared to you, he never told you he was going to be your friend in the future. Do you feel like he lied to you?’
‘No.’ I jump to his defence. ‘He didn’t tell me, because how could he? It wasn’t the right time for me to know those things about my life. There were more important things going on, and I had to concentrate on becoming a mother. And hell, what if knowing that was the reason I started dating him?’
‘You’re dating him?’
‘That’s why I’m here. What if I can change his future or past or whatever? He had a crappy marriage and what if he dates me instead? Can I keep him from that heartache? Can’t I tell him what I know and let him make the decision on the path he wants his life to go?
‘What if it was you who was the crappy wife?’ He shrugs. ‘This is why you can’t tell him what you know. We might think we’re doing good or changing something, but accidently end up pushing people in the wrong direction. Especially since you don’t have all the information. David knows the universal effects of knowing too much. He’ll understand why you kept things from him.’
The door opens, and David returns. His face lights up like it always does when he’s not expecting to see me. Like when I bumped into him at the grocery store. Like he’s genuinely happy to see me.
‘Hello.’ He crosses the room and kisses me chastely on the lips.
‘Got lunches mixed up.’ I nod towards his brown bag—open and scavenged on Liam’s desk.
David scrunches his nose at the dropped sandwich. ‘Just as well that’s not my desk.’
‘I was protecting your desk with my ass.’ I grin.
‘And what a nice ass it is.’ He pulls me closer, and Liam stands.
‘I’m out of here,’ he announces. ‘Too much ass talk.’
Once we’re alone, David pulls me to the edge of the desk and hitches my legs around his hips. ‘Do you know how goddamn sexy it is to find you sitting on my desk, waiting for me?’ He covers my mouth with his, kissing me deeply, tugging my hair as he runs his hand through it.
I gasp and when he moves his mouth to my neck, I answer, ‘In fairness, I was sitting here eating, but I think we need to schedule more lunches like this.’<
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‘How about dinner tomorrow night? It’s Valentine’s. We can make good on Pamela’s offer to babysit. You started birth control like we talked about, right?’
‘Yes,’ I breathe. ‘We’re all set.’
‘Good, because I couldn’t stand having something between us.’
‘Guess that’s the plus side of planning a night like this.’
‘Health checks and birth control.’ He laughs. ‘Never thought I’d be in a relationship with someone I wanted to ditch the condoms for.’
Despite the tingling running through me, I’m disappointed. ‘We can hardly put Max in Pamela’s room while we have sex for the first time. It’s weird. Everyone will know what we’re doing, and they’ll be in the next room.’ My libido cools like a bucket of ice water has been thrown over me, and David notices the shift.
‘Hey, whenever you’re ready. I didn’t mean to push. I thought we were at the same place.’
I shake my head. ‘You misunderstood. The only problem I have is knowing that Max will be next door. It takes a hell of a lot of trust to bring someone this close and know they’ll behave themselves, especially since I share a room with my son.’
‘Do you think Cici would take Max for the night?’
‘Yeah, and Pamela might like another night with her old friend too. It’s been a while since they had an excuse to spend time together. But not tomorrow. I want to check with Max first.
‘Of course.’
‘He’s never had a sleepover before. I don’t want him to think I’m pushing him away when I finally have a night off.’
David kisses the top of my head. ‘I love that you care so much about what he’s thinking. Not many people get to see what their partner’s like as a parent before you have kids with them. I’ve kind of got a good deal. I know how awesome you are as a mom. That’s really important. I hope I can live up to your standards.’
I clear my throat. ‘You will.’ But he won’t ever get to be a parent, and I might be the reason why. Either I’m keeping him from another woman, or I’m the one who ends up aborting his child and keeping him from being a father.
‘We’re going to spend the night together’—he nudges my lips open with his—‘with no one next door.’
‘No one but Mike,’ I correct.
‘He’s at the other end of the apartment. He’s working late all week. And we can keep quiet.’
I shrug. ‘I guess that’s the best plan we have.’
‘God, Stella. Don’t sound too enthusiastic about it.’
I smirk at him. ‘I was just kind of hoping you’d make me scream,’ I whisper.
David growls. ‘Oh, I’ll make you scream, all right, and I’ll clasp my hand over your mouth to keep you from waking the neighbours.’ He jerks me against his hips and kisses me hard, stroking his tongue slow and steady over mine. He doesn’t give up. He doesn’t pull away. He devours my mouth until my lips start to chap, and I have to pull away for air.
I close the trunk of Cici’s car, securing Max’s overnight bag. When I return to the rolled down window at the back seat, his attention is already on the new colouring book Cici bought him. ‘Hey, bud, you going to miss me?’ I ask, leaning through the window.
‘Nope,’ he says, not lifting his gaze.
‘What do you mean, no?’ I shriek and poke my fingers into the tickly spot in his side.
He laughs and leans away. ‘I’m going to have too much fun to miss you. Cici said I can have candy and popcorn, and you’re not there to stop me.’ He laughs and flashes me a smile.
‘Have fun, Mini Me.’ I kiss him on the cheek.
‘See you later, Gator,’ he replies. ‘Let’s go, Cici. Gran and I want popcorn.’
Pamela smiles from the front seat as Cici puts the car into drive. ‘You have fun too.’ She grins.
‘Mom,’ I scold.
‘What? Like we don’t know what you guys are doing? Poor Mike is the one you need to feel sorry for.’
‘He’s working late, for your information.’ I glance at my watch. It’s only four o’clock. We have about eight hours before Mike is due home. Even then, his room is at the other side of the apartment. My stomach flips, and the butterflies turn into tingles. Cici pulls onto the road. I wonder what David can do to me in eight hours.
When I open the apartment door, the curtains have been drawn and the lights are out.
‘Are you naked already?’ I ask sarcastically. Oh please, don’t let him be naked already. I really wanted to be the one to rip open his jeans.
‘You in a rush?’ he asks from the corner of the living room. He lights candles and rounds the coffee table. ‘Thought I could make it appear like night time. You know—dinner, candles, music.’
I cross the room, grab his face, and kiss him deeply, pressing myself against him as I stretch on my tiptoes.
He wraps his arms around me. ‘You want to skip dinner and music and go straight to the foreplay?’
‘Was thinking we could come back to dinner later, when we’re both exhausted. I want to see if you’re full of crap.’
He pulls back. ‘Excuse me?’
‘You once told me you could make a girl come three times before you did.’ I bite my lip to hold back a smile. ‘You really up for the challenge?’
‘Oh, baby,’ he scoffs. ‘The way you look at me sometimes, this will be an absolute dream.’ He bends and throws me over his shoulder.
‘David,’ I scream. ‘This isn’t very romantic.’ I laugh.
‘Pshew, you just asked for three orgasms. You’re getting dirty, not romantic.’
My breath catches in my throat, and my belly tightens.
In the bedroom, he sets me on my feet and embraces me. ‘Just so you know’—he slowly backs me to the bed, and the candles already set up in here flicker in the background—‘this is going to be one hell of a first time together.’ He loses his grin and nibbles down my neck.
‘Because you’re so awesome?’ I jibe.
He shakes his head. ‘Because I love you.’
Shivers run through me. He swings me around, changing direction and leading me to the dresser. He pushes everything off the countertop and sets me near the edge. I suck in a breath when he raises my legs and folds my feet around to rest on his backside. He’s trapped himself between my legs, and I don’t want him to ever move out. He takes slow, steady breaths.
‘You okay?’ I ask.
‘Just preparing myself.’ He chews on the inside of his mouth. ‘It’s going to be really difficult to watch you come over and over again, before I bury myself inside you and come together.’
The words get stuck in my throat. ‘I was teasing, David. You don’t have to prove anything.’
He leans into my neck and whispers, ‘Believe me, it will be my pleasure.’
I lift his shirt over his head, trail my hands down his chest, and run my fingers over his taut stomach, reaching for his belt. I pull the leather back and unclip the buckle. Pulling the buttons apart, I lower his jeans and they fall with a thud to the floor. He places my hands over my head, pulling my shirt off. He leans back and takes hold of my feet. ‘As much as I hate to break this little circle here, I need these pants off.’ He removes my jeans and his breathing stalls when he faces my black lace panties. ‘I’m going to buy you new ones.’
‘You don’t like them?’ I ask, knowing his strained erection in his Calvin Kleins means he does.
‘I’m going to rip these off you later.’ He leans down and softly blows over my centre.
Goosebumps cover my body and harden my nipples.
He nudges my legs apart and moves forward, biting on the material that covers my clit, and I nearly have the first of those promised orgasms. He notices me buck my hips and holds onto my ass, keeping me in place. He pushes my legs over his shoulders. ‘Don’t move.’
I swallow hard as he trails his fingers over the wet centre of my panties. He teases one side of the fabric, like he’s deciding whether or not to pull them back and plunge his f
ingers inside. His slow teasing back and forth has me pushing my hips forward, seeking some friction to help sate the pressure building inside me.
He finally gives in, rips the lace apart and darts his tongue over my clit, then sucks on the bud.
My heart thumps, I let out a moan, and clench my thighs, wanting more.
He teases it back and forth, sucking and licking and I’m shamelessly coming before he’s managed to get started. I cling to the edge of the dresser, knuckles turning white as I hold my breath and control the gasps bursting through me.
‘Christ, Stella. You don’t make it easy, do you?’
I wait for my breathing to return to normal before I reply. ‘I thought that was pretty damn easy.’
‘Maybe for you, but I was enjoying that.’ He rips the other side of my panties and tugs them off, making me jerk with leftover pleasure. He dives back into me and laps his tongue up and down, soaking up the aftermath of his last success. Heat runs through me, and I drop my head back against the wall. Without warning, he thrusts a finger inside me, and the pressure and pleasure has me shooting forward, gasping. ‘Didn’t want you falling asleep on me.’
‘Fuck, keep doing that.’
I’ve never had a man make me wet this way. David keeps his tongue on my clit while moving his fingers inside me, like he’s fucking me already. I move my feet on his back, climbing for purchase while the ache builds inside me again. He straightens, sweeps me off the dresser, and kisses me the whole way as he places me on the centre of the bed. He climbs over me, underwear taut against his cock, rubbing along the side of my leg. I clutch to his shoulders, relishing the heat of his body over mine, wanting to feel every part of him.
He returns two fingers inside me and thrusts while using his other hand to press down on my pelvis. He twists his fingers inside me, and when he finds my G-spot, I whimper. He quickens his pace, fucking me with his fingers, not holding back, as I arch off the bed. He leans over and runs his tongue over my clit and then slaps it with his free hand while twisting his fingers inside me. When I come, he stills his fingers and I pulse around them. He closes his eyes and his breath is as harsh as mine as I try to control the shudders that won’t give up.