He didn’t know why he thought it would be different now. It wasn’t. Somehow it was worse, because he hadn’t been like that with her in so long. She was still hot, and she was still very, very sexy.
She was also still standing in front of him, waiting to be lifted so she could get the painting.
“Yeah. Come here.” He was trying to prove something to himself. He could handle this. She was his ex-wife. He took a moment to decide if it would be better to have her breasts in his face or her ass.
He decided on breasts because it would be a quick pass by instead of her ass, which would be in front of him for however long it took her to get the painting.
He bent, wrapped his arms around her thighs, and stood up.
“Can you reach it?” he asked, hoping she’d hurry. He hadn’t planned on her stomach being in front of him.
As she reached, her shirt came up.
Now her bare, flat stomach was right in front of his face. Her cute little belly button was staring him right in the eye, begging for him to lean in and run his tongue along the edge of it. His body began to react. Shit. He saw a flash of bright colors by her left hip and then he heard an “Eww!” before she shifted away from the wall so quickly it threw him off balance.
He could only hope to protect her as they tumbled to the floor in a heap. He heard the painting clatter a few feet away. Fortunately, they landed on the thick braided rug, which softened their fall.
“Are you okay?” he asked as she winced on top of him.
“Yes. I’m so sorry. I thought it was a spider, but it might have already been dead. Are you okay?” She started to squirm to get off him, but he was still holding her steady in case of injury. At least that was the lie he was telling himself.
As she moved against him again, his erection lurched against her leg, causing her to jump. Double shit.
He closed his eyes as she froze on top of him.
It wasn’t as if he could very well throw her off him. It was better to make a joke.
“Is there any possibility you could pretend you didn’t notice that?” he asked with his eyes still closed.
She giggled. Great.
Then she moved again, this time slower. She was making it worse. Was she doing it on purpose?
He opened his eyes to see her watching his face as she bit her bottom lip. God, not biting the lip. That got him every time. He lurched again, causing another giggle.
“Maybe I could have pretended not to notice the first time,” she said with a big smile as she slithered against him. He looked down. Yes. She was definitely slithering. Definitely doing it on purpose.
She leaned down, her hair brushing against his neck. She moved so slowly, he should have seen what was coming, but honestly he hadn’t.
Not until her lips touched his.
He jerked away from her, banging his head on the floor.
“What are you doing?” he gasped, stupidly.
“Let’s have sex,” she said, as if there was no doubt he’d go along with it. Her confidence made him even harder.
“What?” he choked. She wasn’t that drunk. What was going on?
“You obviously want to. I want to. You don’t have a girlfriend anymore. Let’s have sex.” She kissed him again while he thought over her reasoning. It was sound, but still . . .
“Lex. This is a bad idea.”
“Why?” she whined, killing him. “Come on. Do you know how long it’s been since I’ve had good sex? A long time! Please? No strings attached.”
“No strings? Are you kidding? We’re divorced.” He felt the need to point out the obvious because she seemed to have forgotten.
“So? We’re free to be with whoever we want, and I want to be with you. Right now.” She reached for his pants, and he quickly rolled her off him. More and more of his body parts were jumping ship and joining her side of the argument.
“Lex. I can’t. I don’t want this to turn into something where I end up hurting you again. I can’t stand hurting you.”
“Then don’t say no. Because if I don’t get some soon, I might seriously explode, and I’m pretty sure that would hurt.” She moved for him again and he let her. “It looks like you might be in some pain, too,” she teased as she undid the button on his jeans.
This was really happening, he thought as her lips pressed against his again. He was kissing Lexi. His hands were on her ass. She wanted to have sex with him. How many times had he thought of this since he left? Millions.
“Okay. Not on the floor,” he said, giving in completely. He stood up and reached for her hands to hoist her up next to him. “I can’t believe we’re doing this,” he murmured to himself as he led her up to his room.
She already had her shoes kicked off and was reaching for her shirt.
“Hold on! Let me do it. You want the good sex right?” He smiled at her, and her returning smile had his heart racing. The heart that had been a weight was now light and eager to pull him toward this moment with Lexi.
He pushed her back on the bed and kissed her the way he used to. Long, lingering, and deep. She moaned against his mouth and he almost erupted right then. He needed to calm down or she wasn’t going to get the good sex.
He had always loved how Alexis responded to sex. A few strategically placed kisses and she was good to go. And when she was good to go, he could always satisfy her thoroughly.
Not that fakey ooh and ahh kind of thing that girls did to get a guy to finish up quicker, but the real kind. With her legs seized around his waist, her muscles clenching and throbbing in the way that made him ache to join her. He would have felt smug about being able to get her off so quickly every time, but he was pretty sure it was more her than him.
His theory had been confirmed after a few rounds with Meeghan. That girl was hard. He usually just gave in and made it up to her with dinner. Maybe if he cared more, he would have tried harder, but he didn’t care. Not like he cared now.
His hands shook as he pulled Lexi’s shirt over her head. As he reached for the button on her shorts, he saw that flash of color he’d seen earlier.
“What the hell is this?” he stammered as he tugged her shorts down just enough so he could see it better.
“Oh. It’s a tattoo. Roslyn and her sister took me to get it after the divorce, to make me feel empowered.”
“Did it make you feel empowered?” he asked as he stroked his fingertips over the purple and yellow lilies.
“I’m not sure. It was kind of itchy. Does empowerment itch?” She laughed nervously as she watched his reaction.
“I don’t know, Lex, but it’s sexy as hell.” He couldn’t hide his surprise. She was always such a good girl. This was a very bad girl thing to do.
She smiled. “Really? You like it?”
“I’m already harder than a hickory stump, but trust me, if I wasn’t, this would totally be doing it for me right now,” he admitted.
“I never realized you liked tattoos.” She scrunched up her nose adorably, and he bent to kiss her just because he couldn’t help it.
“I don’t think I liked them until I saw this.”
He kissed down her stomach and traced his tongue across her new artwork. She wiggled against him.
“I’m ready for the good sex now,” she announced as she stretched her arms over her head.
“Keep your pants on. Don’t rush me,” he said, looking down at her pants, which were open but still on. “Good things take time.”
“You never needed a lot of time before,” she challenged, reaching for his pants again. This time he let her unzip them. When her hand touched him, he had to back away.
“Lex. Please just give me a minute. I wasn’t prepared for this at all, and I need a minute.”
“A minute.” She held up her one finger and then pointed down.
Her bra unhooked in the front, so he undid it and stared at her.
“You’re so beautiful. I forgot how beautiful you were,” he told her.
She tugged at his shirt, p
ulling him down so she could kiss him again. She was so amazing. It was like it had been when they first got married. Before they started trying for a baby and sex became a job instead of fun.
Her fingers worked his shirt up in the front and he helped by grabbing the back of his collar and pulling it over his head, before kissing her again. He couldn’t get enough of her kisses. It had been so long.
He moved down to her breasts, playing with her nipples with his teeth. As he licked and teased her there, he worked her pants and panties off so he could slide two fingers into her. God, she was wet.
He needed another minute.
Except . . . she hadn’t agreed to another minute. She moved against his fingers and twisted so she could tug his pants off. He let her, and then he removed his fingers and positioning himself over her, letting the tip of him push just inside her. She was so hot. So ready.
He pushed the whole way in, letting her heat surround him fully. He had forgotten so much. All the details: the smell of her hair, that look in her eyes, and especially how intense it felt to have sex without a condom. Not that they had a use for one. He was clean, and as they had proven time and time again, there was no risk of pregnancy.
He had also forgotten what it was like to have someone move with him instead of just lying there making him do all the work. Lexi was so flexible she could move with him and still pull him down to kiss her.
He was just about to tell her he was sorry. She had wanted the good sex, but this wasn’t going to be good because it was about to be over way too soon. But he felt her legs tighten around him, her breathing picking up against his neck. Yes.
He could do this. He would make it. It would be better than good.
She cried out, one long moan, and then he felt the spasms start.
He pushed harder and faster, and she whimpered as her hands gripped the pillow behind her head.
“God, Ian!” she moaned, and if she said anything else he didn’t hear it because his world was shrinking down to one single event.
He held her tightly as he released everything into her and then some. There was nothing left but heavy breathing and a rush he never wanted to end, even though he’d never thought he’d ever feel it again in his life.
He’d just had mind-blowing sex with his wife. Correction: his ex-wife.
It felt like hours before he slid out of her and pulled her against his chest so he could hold her. She shifted easily into her old spot.
He kissed her head and trailed his fingers up her back, the way he used to love to do. He could feel her heart pounding against his ribs.
When they calmed, he waited for her to say something. To hear her regret or feel the guilt he knew would return at some point. But she said nothing, and the guilt stayed away.
He wasn’t sorry, and from the sound of her soft sigh against his neck, she wasn’t either. He smiled up at the ceiling, enjoying the moment until sleep came to take it away.
When he woke, it was morning and he was alone.
Being alone in the mornings was the thing he had hated the most after he moved out. The empty bed had him bawling like a baby every morning for a month.
He worked from home so he never got up before Alexis when they were married. He could hold her until her alarm went off and then get up when she did. Sometimes they would steal a few extra minutes and he would just lie there, listening to her breathe and smelling her hair. If he was really lucky, they would spend those extra minutes having sex, and she would just throw her hair in a clip before rushing out the door.
He loved those mornings. Hair clip mornings.
For a moment he wasn’t sure if he’d dreamed having sex with Lexi the night before.
It seemed unbelievable, but her bra on the floor next to his jeans was proof it had happened.
But where was she now?
Did she regret it?
He might die if she did, but what if she wanted to get back together? Would that be worse? He still couldn’t give her what she wanted. They would end up at that same wall again, unable to get through.
Knowing he couldn’t hide out in his room for the duration of the weekend, he shrugged on his pants and shirt and went to face the music.
Chapter 6
Her heart went into a panic when she heard him come out of his room.
She went to the coffeepot and poured him a cup in his favorite mug.
Why was she so nervous? It was just sex.
Well, sex she had initiated. She had basically thrown herself at him like some desperate divorcee.
She was a desperate divorcee. Had she really begged? God.
She probably would have run away by now except he had responded. Obviously it wasn’t just her. He had to have wanted it, too. Right?
“Morning,” she said as she held out the cup with a smile. She was trying to play it cool. He’d had a girlfriend just a week after the divorce; he must already know how to play it cool.
“Morning.” He looked her over with a smile. She had grabbed one of his shirts to go start breakfast. Her hair was up in a clip. No doubt she looked awful.
He leaned down to kiss her, but she didn’t realize his intention. They kind of bumped noses awkwardly. She wasn’t sure if they would still be kissing this morning. So much for cool.
She took a breath and kissed him a little more thoroughly.
“Should we talk?” he asked tentatively, with a brow raised.
She couldn’t help but laugh at his reaction. Her laugh must have put him at ease because she saw his shoulders relax.
“We can talk if you’d like.”
“What should we talk about?” he asked after taking a sip of his coffee.
“I don’t regret anything,” she said openly.
He nodded. “Good. Me neither.”
“Good.” She nodded, too. “That pretty much ends the talking portion.”
He laughed. “Something smells delicious.”
“I have sticky buns in the oven. They’ll be ready in about twenty minutes.”
“Excellent. I haven’t had good sticky buns since—”
“Since I’ve had good sex?” she joked.
“If I recall, you had good sex last night, and I haven’t had sticky buns or any homemade breakfast for a very long time.”
She thought over how long it had been since she’d made him breakfast. Back before she became obsessed with her temperature and ovulation cycle to the point of forgetting he was even there.
“Meeghan never made you breakfast?” Lexi used to love making him breakfast after a night of really great sex.
“No.” He suddenly seemed uncomfortable. Was he still upset about the breakup?
“How long have you been broken up?” she asked curiously. Had he broken up with her after the Aidan incident?
He let out a sigh. “Do we have to do this? Please don’t overanalyze last night into rebound sex. It’s not likely I’m rebounding from my girlfriend of six months with my wife of six years.”
“Okay. I didn’t mean anything by it. I was just curious. Forget I said anything. I just wasn’t sure what this was. Maybe you hadn’t had sex in a while, or maybe it was me. I was kind of hoping it was me.” She shrugged, feeling stupid as she checked the sticky buns unnecessarily. It had only been two minutes.
She hopped up on the counter and let her feet dangle against the cabinet doors, looking anywhere but at him. She needed to confess something.
“You know how last night I said it had been a long time since I’d had good sex?”
“Yeah.”
“The truth is I haven’t even had bad sex,” she admitted. “I went out on a few dates, but they just weren’t . . . right. I’m still trying to move on. It’s hard. I think I might be comparing them to you. I know it’s ridiculous. Roz says I just need to bang somebody and get it over with.” Why couldn’t she stop talking?
“Please don’t just bang somebody to get it over with,” he said with a frown. “Only guys are stupid enough to think that works.”
“It doesn’t?”
“No.”
“Not even after six months?” she asked.
“Not really. You can’t have the good sex if you don’t have good everything else.”
“Hmm.” She thought that over as he came to stand next to her, pulling her chin up so she would look at him.
“What are you expecting out of last night, Lex?” he asked, his face serious.
“Like I said yesterday, I have a lot of great memories with you.”
“Maybe we could chalk this up to us wanting one more great memory?” he suggested. She smiled and nodded. “And that damn sexy tattoo,” he added, making her smile bigger. So she had been a factor. It hadn’t just been sex for the sake of sex. He’d wanted her.
Feeling brave, she pulled the T-shirt she was wearing over her head and tossed it on the floor.
“I think I could use another great memory.” She held up the timer. “You have seventeen minutes. Go.”
He didn’t waste any time. He pulled down his pants and moved between her legs, sliding into her full hilt. She gasped as he slammed into her again, making her slip across the counter. He simply grabbed her hips and pulled her back into him.
She held on to his neck and bit at his ear while moaning his name.
When he pulled out of her and checked the timer, she laughed.
Until he opened the cabinet doors under her and used them to prop her feet up before kneeling down in front of her.
“Oh!” She jumped, and one of the doors banged into him. It didn’t stop the assault with his tongue as he pulled her closer to the edge of the counter.
He kept at it until she was at a different edge. This one made her cry out loudly as her bones turned to jelly. With only three minutes left on the timer, he stood, plunging into her again. He finished out the remaining time gasping his release. As the timer went off, she fell into her second orgasm.
That was how married people had sex. Multitasking. Although for her, it had kind of been multiple multitasking.
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