Through the Wooden Door

by K Carr

  Connor evaded her eyes again.

  “Anyway,” she continued as she pulled out a small bottle of antiseptic liquid. Connor gulped. That shit stung. She’d better not put any of that on his cuts. Plucking out a piece of cotton wool, she gave him a tiny smile. “They called me to come get you, so I did. I guess they thought you were too drunk to be put in a taxi on your own.”

  “Thanks?” Connor offered up sheepish gratitude.

  “You’re welcome,” Jen opened the bottle of antiseptic liquid and soaked the cotton wool with it. She put the bottle between her thighs and reached for his right hand.

  “Jen,” Connor loved the way it felt having her fingers gently holding his aching hand, but the smell of the antiseptic liquid was a stark reminder of its purpose. “Um, I’m ok, there’s no need for-” Her raised eyebrows stopped his words in their track. “Oww. Shit. It stings!”

  She kept dabbing at the cuts on his knuckles and he was certain she was getting some measure of delight at his suffering. Connor leaned back against the pillows and tried not to groan in pain as Jen finished cleaning his knuckles and was now sticking cute animal plasters on his cuts.

  “Do you remember how much you had to drink?” she asked in a quiet voice.

  Connor ignored the pain in his back and straightened up. “More than I should have.”

  She looked at him.

  “I’m sorry, Jen.” Connor held her gaze. “I know I promised never to- I’m sorry.”

  “Why?” She blinked a few times before shifting her gaze to the open bottle of antiseptic liquid cradled between her thighs. He knew what she was asking, but would she accept his answer?

  “I missed us,” he finally admitted after a long pause. “I know that’s not a valid reason, but,” He went to shrug and stopped himself after the immediate twinge of pain in his back and shoulders. “I came home yesterday and the house was so empty. I just kept remembering how noisy it used to be,” He swallowed hard. “When Megan and Cory were here. I missed the noise. I wanted to forget how quiet things are now.”

  “So you decided to drink yourself into a mindless stupor and get into a fight with some random assholes?”

  Connor frowned. “I can’t remember all of-” His eyes widened at the sudden flash of an image. Damn, his eyes hurt. “Did you – you threatened to tase me!”

  She pulled back, offended it seemed. “Not you. The guys who were beating you up, I threatened to tase them.”

  He fell silent, as did she. Connor was embarrassed. How could he ever expect to regain her trust, her love, her respect when he ended up in a situation like this? Drunken brawls which he could barely remember? Fearing the worst, he took a deep breath and braved what felt like the most important question of his life.

  “You’re not going to let me see Meggie now, are you?”

  Jen slowly shook her head and Connor felt a pain worse than the physical torment he was currently in. This was a pain of the heart, one that would never heal. She and her attorney would use this situation as an example, as further proof he was an unsuitable parent.

  “Of course not,” she confirmed softly. Jen quickly closed the bottle of antiseptic liquid and put the first-aid kit on the floor. When she straightened up she wore an expression on her face which confused the hell out of him. She didn’t look angry, or smug with victory. She looked like…she just didn’t look the way he expected her to. With a shrug, Jen added, “You’re covered in boo-boos as she would say. I think it would scare her if she saw you like this.”

  “I meant,” Connor started.

  Jen picked up his right hand and held it between her own, the action stopped his words. “I know what you meant.”

  Unsure of what to say, in case he said the wrong thing, Connor tried to keep things light. “I am covered in boo-boos.”

  “Would you like me to kiss them better?”

  Connor froze. Did she mean- “Yes.” he whispered at once. “Yes, I would.”

  “Ok,” she murmured, serious and unsmiling as she raised his sore hand to her lips. She pressed the barest of kisses over the bruise by his thumb. Another, with a touch more pressure this time, across the back of his hand. She kissed each one of his fingers and sucked on the tip of his pinky for a few seconds. Connor shuddered as his body reacted. Jen parted her lips, her dark eyes were intent on his face as she asked, “How’s that?”

  “Better.” he croaked then tried to clear his throat.

  She gently placed his hand on the space between them on the bed. Connor thought she would move away now, but she didn’t. She leaned forward and kissed the edge of his shoulder.

  “And there?”

  “Better now.” he said huskily.

  Jen kissed along his collar bone and he clenched his fists in reflex. The dull ache from his hands didn’t distract him from the sweetness of her kisses.

  “Where else hurts?” she asked as she ran her nose up the side of his neck.

  Connor didn’t speak. He knew she was there, on their bed, right next to him, but he suddenly felt this was some sort of trick. Some weird fantasy his mind had cooked up. She despised him, she still blamed him for Cory’s death.

  “Does it hurt here?” Her lips brushed the corner of his mouth where the gash was. “Hmm?” She gently kissed the swollen edge of his mouth, her tongue teasingly ghosted over his lower lip.

  “Not anymore.” Connor’s voice was hoarse with desire. He had forgotten about the pain in his limbs. His body was tight and straining with something else now.

  “Tell me where it hurts.” came her seductive request as her hands started creeping across his chest and she continued to pepper his face with light kisses.

  “Everywhere.” Connor said in breathless anticipation.

  “Everywhere?”

  Her hands were drifting up and down his stomach now. Connor couldn’t help but clench the muscles from the sensation her touch evoked. Clenching caused a surge of discomfort, one he was unable to keep off his face. Jen pulled back a little. She had heard the sharp intake of his breath and her hands stilled over his abdomen.

  “Everywhere,” he replied throatily. “Are you going to kiss me all better?”

  He watched her lower her lips to his chest. A raspy sigh escaped him as she began softly kissing his chest. When her tongue flicked over his taut nipple he decided that he was having a hallucination, a fantastic one, but a hallucination nonetheless. With that realization, Connor made up his mind to enjoy every nano-second of his wife’s ministrations. He watched her kiss and lick each bruise littered across his chest and stomach. She didn’t forget his arms either. It felt so good if he could have turned over and still been able to watch her while avoiding the aches and pains of being on his stomach, he would’ve flipped over already.

  Then again, being on his back had its benefits.

  Jen’s fingers danced over the sheet which was pooled in line with his hips then slowly started edging it down. Connor’s dick was rock hard, had been in that particular state since she walked into their bedroom wearing his sweatshirt. Neither one of them felt the need to speak as she continued to slowly ease the sheet lower. Not breaking their look, Connor’s mouth parted eagerly. The cut on his lip stung slightly but he paid it no mind. He watched as the tip of her tongue made an appearance, slowly sliding across her lower lip. That little action caused his dick to jerk and Jen exhaled. He was seconds away from begging, could already feel the ‘please’ forming on his lips when she tugged the sheet away to fully reveal his aroused body. Then she smiled and lightly trailed her fingers over his dick. Connor swore under his breath as she adjusted her crouched position and got a firm grip of him.

  When he felt the moist heat of her mouth sliding over his hardness his eyelids fluttered and his right hand instinctively curled around the back of her neck – not tight, she didn’t like that, just a delicate hold. “Oh fuck,” he hissed as she worked her mouth up and down, not rushed in the slightest, and making his legs strain with tension as he tried his best not to thrust aga
inst her face. That would be downright rude…but oh how he wanted to. She set the pace, they would do this at her pace. His fingers slid from her nape to grab her shoulder. “Jen, fuc-” his throat clogged up with desire when she did that thing with her tongue. Connor was gripping her shoulder tightly now and trying to lose himself in the pleasurable sensations of her mouth while simultaneously trying his hardest not to focus on it. Running through the upcoming jobs he had lined up this coming week in his mind helped, not looking down at her sucking his dick so magnificently helped, breathing raggedly through his mouth helped - until her suction went up a notch.

  “Jen,”

  She raised her head, eyebrows arched in question, lips glistening. “What?”

  “Please.” he begged in a hoarse voice as he slid his hand from her shoulder back to her nape and gave a slight upward tug. Connor was close to exploding, but it had been so long since they had been intimate, and he wanted to come inside his wife, not in her mouth. His other hand wrapped around her arm and he pulled gently. “Please, Jen.”

  She slowly sat up as his hand slid from around her nape. Connor’s fingers caught the zipper of the sweatshirt on their descent and he couldn’t miss the opportunity. Scrutinizing her face for any outward show of reluctance or that she had changed her mind on where things were heading, Connor got a proper grip on the cool metal. At a leisurely pace, he unzipped the sweatshirt. A narrow line of her smooth dark skin was reveal, he could just see the curved swell of her breasts. Connor tried to slow his breathing. He crooked a finger at her and a little smile flashed over her lips. He watched in heightened anticipation as she stood up and slipped her fingers under the elasticated band of her underwear, then took a deep breath when she eased them down and off. The next few seconds were lost somewhere in no man’s land. All he knew was she was now completely naked and sliding over him. It felt like forever since he had felt this good. Her soft gasp matched his low grunt of pleasure and she froze mid-action.

  Connor laid his hands on her hips, and holding her gaze, he guided her down until they were fully joined. “Ok?” he asked hoarsely. She nodded quickly, taking soft shallow breaths. Then she began to move, and sweet Jesus, he had missed this. Connor’s grip on her hips tightened as he matched her movements. Slow rolled into fast and he knew he wouldn’t last long if they kept up the current tempo.

  “Wait,” He held her hips, stopping their movements, and tried to get his ragged breathing under control. “I want you to come too,”

  “I will,” she rasped out and tried to peel his tight grip off her hips.

  Connor squinted at her through his good eye. She wasn’t there yet. It may have been a long time since they last did this but he knew her body and the different expressions on her face – she wasn’t there yet and he was already teetering near the edge.

  “Off,” he growled.

  “What?”

  “Get off,”

  Jen looked at in in surprise. “You want to stop?”

  He nodded, winced from the pain then grinned despite his bruised mouth. “Let’s change positions.”

  “But-”

  “Get off, Jen.”

  Muttering something under her breath, she semi-glared at him and slowly rose up. Her warmth, the slickness, the wet sounds – it was an ironclad control fortified only by his desire to make her climax which kept him from coming right then. But he was determined to ensure her satisfaction. Disregarding the dull aches all over his body, he swapped their positions around. Jen raised an eyebrow as he slid down her body, his intent was clear.

  “Connor,”

  “Mmm?” He curved his arms around her legs and settled into position.

  “You don’t have-”

  It wasn’t a glare, the look he gave her, it was more along the lines of stern disbelief. “I want to,” Connor dropped his gaze and instinctively licked his lower lip. “You have no fucking idea how much I want to.”

  Her fingertips gently brushing a lock of his hair off his forehead had him lifting his eyes towards her. It was such a tender action, and tenderness was a rare thing from her of late. Yet here she was, naked and open before him.

  Connor let out a shaky breath. “I’ve missed this,”

  “You haven’t done anything yet,” her throaty retort drew a low chuckle of anticipation from him.

  He pressed a kiss on her inner thigh and she jerked slightly. He kept his gaze on her face and slowly ran his tongue over her skin, causing her to make a sound. He couldn’t decide if it was one of frustration or eagerness. He thought about toying with her, but only for a split second. Teasing her would be a double-edged sword because he wanted this as much as she did, maybe even more. He took his time reacquainting himself with her taste. And by god if it didn’t make him want her even more. It wasn’t long before he had her gasping. Her hands, which had been interlocked behind his head, were now desperately clutching at the sheets beneath her. He kept on until her body abruptly stiffened, breath caught in her throat only to be released seconds later with a low groan of pleasure, and he smiled to himself in triumph. Looking up the lines and curves of her body as she rode the first wave of her orgasm filled him with satisfaction. Wasting no time, he moved upwards and guided his dick into her still spasming flesh. Jen moaned loudly. Connor clenched his jaw, breathing noisily through his nostrils while watching her face. Her eyelids were squeezed shut, face turned sideways into the pillow. Her hands had moved to above her head now and were tightly gripping the pillow as she writhed beneath him. Connor propped himself up on one arm, slipped a hand under her ass and began to move, thrusting himself into her. The hands which had been gripping the pillow now encircled him and Connor turned his face into her neck as she ran a hand down his back while the other travelled through his hair. He groaned in pleasure when she wrapped her legs around him, then stopped breathing completely at the feel of her nails raking across his skin as she welcomed every thrust of his. It took no time at all before he was coming deep inside her. And he remembered to breathe.

  His gruff query spoken into her neck of “Are you ok?” came only after the feeling of light-headedness dissipated and his heart rate had slowed to an acceptable rate. Connor lifted his head to peer at her, returning her sated smile with one of his own.

  Jen nodded then grimaced as she gently touched underneath his eye. “Your poor face,”

  Conscious of his weight atop her and the fact they were still intimately joined, he twisted them onto their sides. “It is bad, isn’t it?”

  She nodded again but also pressed a soft kiss to the edge of his mouth, then the tip of his nose. Pulling back slightly she scrutinized his face for a minute then huffed in disappointment before muttering under her breath, “Men.”

  He sniggered at her disparaging tone and lazily ran his fingers over her hip. “What about men?” He brushed his lips against her chin. “Hmm?”

  Jen shook her head and tried to extricate her legs from the jumble of limbs. “I should go clean up,”

  Connor’s arms snaked around her, keeping her trapped. “Not yet,” He kissed her halfway on the mouth and murmured, “Let’s stay like this, just for a little while.” Jen blinked owlishly at him then settled back down in his embrace. He closed his eyes, feeling spent but happy and admitted, “I’ve fucking missed you, Jen.” He was met with silence and immediately opened his eyes. She smiled before burrowing her head into his neck. There were other things he wanted to say, he didn’t. For now he would be satisfied with having her back in his arms.

  * * *

  Connor opened his eyes as he turned over on his side, hand already reaching out for his wife, it was a shock to not see her in bed next to him.

  Easing his aching body into an upright position, Connor called out, “Jen?” He groaned and slid his legs out from under the covers and onto the carpeted floor. “Babe?” There was silence. With another grunt, Connor stood up and took a few moments to get his bearings. Then he found some sweatpants, pulled them on and went in search of his wife. “Jen?”r />
  When he started heading down the stairs he was trying to convince himself that she had been here. The house was too quiet. He hadn’t dreamt it all. He could still smell her scent on his skin.

  “Jennifer?” He ended up in the kitchen, the living and dining rooms had both been empty. Where was she? Connor spotted his wallet, phone and keys in a pile on the counter. He couldn’t remember putting them there last night. Not wasting any time, he retrieved his phone and called her. She answered on the third ring.

  “Hey,” he greeted softly.

  “Hi,” she replied before falling silent.

  Connor was uncertain on what next to say. As amazing as it was making love to her, he wasn’t foolish enough to think it had erased the past year and a half of problems. Trying his best not to sound accusatory, he joked, “I woke up and you were gone, thought I’d dreamt it all.” Her brief chuckle helped lessen his nervousness and he continued in a light tone. “I’m a bit embarrassed, Jen. You’ve made me feel like some sort of human sex toy.” She laughed some more and he started smiling at the fridge-freezer. “A goodbye note and maybe a few hundred dollar bills on the bedside table wouldn’t have gone amiss, you know.”

  “You think highly of yourself, don’t you?” she retorted.

  Connor’s smile widened at her banter. “You weren’t complaining.”

  “True,” she said then the line got filled with an awkward pause.

  Not wanting things to be weird between them, Connor asked, “Are you ok, babe? Where are you?”

  “At Mom’s.” she said. Connor noted her lack of answer concerning her wellbeing. Jen cleared her throat and continued. “I had to get back here in order to take Megan to her friend’s birthday party.”

  “Oh, ok,” he cleared his own throat and decided to be brave. “So about what happened…where does it leave us? I’m not saying it means we’re back together, but,” He grimaced to himself. “It’s progress, right? It meant something to you, yes?”