by Lexi Aurora
“Me too,” she admitted, feeling that wave hovering just at the edges of what could be.
And then it was happening. James thrust into her with unrestrained vigor, before spasming within her. He let out a masculine, throaty cry, and she felt herself being filled.
That stimulation on its own was enough drive her over her own edge, and she cried out with him, every muscle in her body tightening and releasing in rapid succession.
It lasted for an unbelievably extended time, and when it was finally over, she collapsed to the mattress with James atop her. Both of them were breathing like they had just finished a marathon, and she could feel his heart beating against her chest. It was subtly reassuring, and she felt the afterglow pushing her towards sleepiness.
James rolled off her with a groan, and she was afraid he would put his pants on and just leave. He didn’t, however, instead rolling towards her and pulling her to him. They shared another look, then he tenderly pressed a kiss to her forehead before letting his eyes slowly drift closed. Kathleen decided to follow his example, and slipped into blissful slumber.
*
Sleep rolled away from her in gentle, flowing waves. Slowly, Kathleen felt herself being drawn to consciousness, but she decided not to fight the pull. When her eyes did flutter open, she rolled over to drape her hand around her unplanned sleep-over buddy.
Only to hit empty bed.
That got her up with a jolt, and she blinked blearily. Sure enough, there was no one beside her in her bed.
Her stomach dropped and she felt tears prick at the corners of her eyes. She had messed up. She had jumped the closest person she had to a friend, and ruined it. So much for that job opportunity with the owner, and her monthly escapes from reality.
A sound came from the kitchen, and her head snapped in that direction. Stumbling from the bed, she threw on a long t-shirt and rushed to the room.
She wasn’t sure what she expected, but it certainly wasn’t James standing at the stove, attending to something dressed in only his jeans and an apron.
“Morning,” he said, flashing her a dazzling smile. Suddenly all the anxiety in her faded and she walked over to rest her head against his chest while wrapping her arms around his bare middle. “I didn’t wake you, did I?”
“No. I woke up on my own.”
“Good.” He kissed the top of her head before returning his attention to what was on the stove. “You timing is uncanny; this is almost done. Are you a scrambled egg and avocado kind of person?”
“Yes, that sounds delicious.” She paused for a moment, eying several large black chunks as she passed her garbage bag. “What are those?” She asked, looking to the impromptu chef.
It was utterly adorable how his cheeks colored. “Uh, that would be last night’s meatloaf.”
Her hands went to her mouth. “Oh no! We totally forgot, didn’t we?”
He let out a nervous laugh that went along with his nod. “Yeah, thankfully your oven seems to have one of those auto-time off switches if you leave it on too long. Otherwise, we might have had a much ruder awakening.”
Katherine couldn’t help but let out a long peal of mirth. “You know, I specifically asked for an apartment with that feature because I almost did this exact thing my first semester of college!”
“Slept with your hairdresser and left the meatloaf in all night?”
She gave him a look, playfully batting at his chest. “No. I fell asleep with some frozen meal in the oven. Right on the floor of the kitchen. Caused a fire and everything.”
“… you certainly have had a wild life, haven’t you Katherine?”
“You don’t know the half of it.”
The conversation seemed to fade naturally, and she went about inspecting the pan they had accidentally scorched. All in all, it wasn’t that burnt. Thank goodness for modern technology.
“I think this is ready,” James announced with a smile. Kathleen clapped and shimmied to him as he started to spoon the food onto a couple of plates. However, his grin quickly faltered. “I hope I’m not overstaying my welcome,” he murmured, keeping his eyes fixed on the eggs. “I’m just not a done-and -run kind of guy.”
“No, no! Don’t think that at all.” She squeezed him a bit before deciding to come completely clean. When else would be an appropriate time than when they were both half naked in her kitchen. “To be honest, I’ve had a crush on you for ages, so what happened last night… well, it wasn’t a one-night stand for me. I mean, I totally understand if you don’t feel the same, and I’m not trying to make you feel pressured at all, but I just wanted you to know that I wouldn’t be entirely upset if this wasn’t a one of…kind of…thing.” She finished lamely, having lost all her momentum in a single rush of air.
James was silent for several beats, and the silence hung heavy around her neck. She hated feeling like this! Not knowing what he was going to say, what he was feeling. This romance thing was so much more difficult than managing her business.
“Are you kidding me?”
She shrunk back at his calm but incredulous tone, hurt apparent across her face. “I’m sorry, I know it’s not exactly appropriate considering I’m your client, but-”
“Oh! No, no, no!” he blurted, whirling to her. “I didn’t mean it like that. I just, well, I-” He cut himself off then took a deep breath. “I’ve had a thing for you from the very moment I ever saw you. I remember you walking in, dressed in this blue ensemble, and your hair was pulled into the tightest bun I had ever seen.
“I was sure that you were going to be one of those condescending, holier-than-thou types when you sat in my chair, but you were anything but. You cracked some sort of terrible pun about scissors, and I laughed so hard.”
Kathleen’s eyes went wide and her hands went to her mouth. “Are you kidding me?” she parroted.
“I know! That’s what I said.”
Abruptly they were both laughing, loud and hard. “So, you’re telling me that we’ve liked each other for a year and just never said anything?” she said between peels of mirth. “Are we idiots?”
“You were out of my league!” James objected. “I never went to college and I work as a hairdresser. You’re a successful woman who can run circles around me. Besides, I figured you thought I was gay. Most people assume.”
“I thought you were out of my league!” she shot right back. “You’re so responsible, able to keep up your house, a career, and take care of your three sisters. Everyone adores you and I was sure that you weren’t single!”
“My God,” James muttered, shaking his head. “We are a pair, aren’t we?”
She held out her hand, wiggling her fingers at him. “I would like to be, yeah.”
His eyes narrowed and a slow smile spread across his face. “Miss Kathleen Davis, are you asking me out?”
“Why, Mister James Sutherland, I believe I am.”
He took her hand and pulled her close to him, placing another kiss on her lips. “I think that can be arranged.”
Chapter Nine: James
James pulled up to the townhome, putting the moving truck into park once he was at the right angle. Almost immediately, Anna vaulted out of the cab and bolted towards their new home.
“Hey, be careful! I don’t want you tripping on the steps!”
“I’m sixteen, not five.”
“So says the girl who fractured four bones playing volleyball,” Bella said, walking up with Solstice and Kathleen.
“Were you able to follow me okay?” he asked, turning to them.
“Yeah, it was fine,” Kathleen answered, walking up and giving him a chaste kiss. Like they had for the past nine months, his sisters all let out coos of affection. “You’d think they would be bored with this by now,” she remarked when she pulled away, a faint blush coloring her round cheeks.
“Please,” Solstice said, walking past with a box already in her arms. “We’ve been waiting years for big bro to find a girl who’s right for him. You’ve got a while before we get over
it.”
“Geeze, no pressure, right?” the older woman remarked.
“Wouldn’t be important if it weren’t stressful.” He smiled, and handed her the keys. “Now how about we move into our new place.”
She took a deep breath and took the newly printed set from him. “First things first, let’s set up my new office. I’ve got two new shops to help re-brand and I want to make sure I have time to eat dinner as a family.”
“You gotcha.” He pointed to his cheek, bending slightly so she could reach without standing on tiptoes. Right on cue, she quickly pecked his cheek before crossing around to the back of the moving van.
James watched his family as they scuttled about. The girls had already opened the door and were going in and out, while Kathleen began directing them on what they were allowed to unload. Somehow, he had ended up with everything he had ever wanted. After so long of being sure his whole life would be the same uphill struggle, he had finally found some respite.
He guessed the next step was figuring out where he was going to hide the ring that he had bought somewhere Kathleen wouldn’t find it.
“James, could you help me with this table here?”
“Coming!” he called, jogging to the back of the truck. He could worry about the ring later. For now, they were moving forward through this milestone.
Together.