by Chloe Liese
“Shit,” I mutter, palming my eyes, wet with tears. I’ve cried more in the past week than I have in my entire life. And if that’s part of what I take away from this nightmare season, I’m glad of it. Because it means I’ve grown as a person. A man. A husband.
Freya sighs in her sleep and rolls toward me, as if somehow she knows how much I need her.
She mutters nonsense as she settles in, her mouth brushing my shoulder. Air rushes out of me when her hand sleepily wanders my stomach and wraps around my waist. Heat builds beneath my skin, everywhere her body brushes mine, and before I can think about what I’m doing, I wrap my hand around hers, guiding it lower. Lower.
She sighs again, stirring a little from sleep. “Aiden,” she murmurs.
I swallow roughly when she touches me, slow and lazy. When I drag her hand over my aching cock, every inch of me that’s so heavy and hard, it’s almost painful, her breath hitches. Her eyes spring open. Waking, she lifts her head and peers up at me.
“Hi,” she whispers.
“Freya.” It’s all I can say, but our eyes hold, and she sees…everything I need her to.
Wordlessly, she moves closer, sliding her leg along mine, and her hands are finally on me. We kiss and I breathe her in, pull her close, our tongues tangling, her mouth soft and searching. I can’t touch her enough, can’t feel enough of her beautiful body, every lush, decadent curve. My hand traces her hip, her full, soft ass, the swell of her breasts and her tight nipples.
“Aiden,” she chokes as I feel her, as my mouth opens with hers, and we breathe, ragged and shallow. Her hands dive into my hair, as I move against her, not yet inside, but so damn close. Each fast, firm stroke of my cock against her soft body makes light pop behind my eyelids like fireworks against an ink-black sky.
“Touch me,” I beg her. Her hands roam my skin, gentle sweeps over my legs, kneading my ass, rubbing my arms, my chest. Our kisses deepen, and I draw her closer to me, sucking her tongue, tasting her, needing every part of my wife, every single corner of her.
I move against Freya with an urgency I haven’t known in so long, different from anything I’ve ever felt. The desire to come, to be close to her, isn’t just caught in one intense part of me. It’s…everywhere. In my palms and my throat, the backs of my knees, the breadth of my chest, coursing like a shower of sparks along my spine that radiates outward.
“I have to be inside you,” I whisper against her lips. “I have to.”
Freya nods frantically, as I drag her leg over my hip. Gently, her mouth meets mine. I breathe her in, wrapping her tight inside my grasp as we lie side to side, our bodies aligned so easily, so perfectly, that with a roll of her hips she’s gliding over me, wet, hot, and so, so soft.
Reaching between us, Freya guides me inside her, and a pained, hoarse cry rips from my chest. The sudden wet blur of tears behind my eyes shocks me as I drag in a breath and meet her gaze.
“I love you,” she whispers.
“God, I love you.” I crush her body against mine and thrust home, earning her breathless gasp that I know so well, the sound of her pleasure, her beautiful body responding to mine.
“Aiden,” she cries.
I press deeper, burying myself within her, tight and warm, so exquisitely familiar and precious to me. Connected, moving, steady, urgent, we stare into each other’s eyes until Freya’s begin to drift shut, her hand fisting my hair.
“Oh,” she says faintly. Her cries build, the sound of our bodies, the hoarse rush of air that leaves me with each frantic drive, echoing around us.
“Touch yourself, Freya.”
She slides her hand between us and rubs herself where we’re joined. It drives me wild, watching her. Her moans fill my ears, as her leg tightens around me, and her body clenches mine, drawing me in.
“So close,” she whispers. “I’m so…”
Blinding heat tightens, coils deep inside me as Freya’s body unfurls, sweeping and rhythmic, and she cries against my mouth.
I do everything I can to slow down, to stop myself and give her time, but she bites my bottom lip and rides me, urging me on. “Don’t you dare stop for me,” she pants.
Savoring her every breath, the soft, undulating waves of her release around me, I kiss her, let my senses drown in her. Only her.
Freya hitches her leg higher over my hip, burying me deep, and it’s all I need. I spill inside her so long and hard, it’s seconds until I can finally breathe. Jagged pulls of air, lips meeting tenderly, we fall into each other. I whisper my fingers along her back, then whip the blanket over us both, wrapping us in a canopy of soft cotton that glows like clouds in a moonlit sky. Another kiss to the corner of her mouth, and I pull back so I can see her better, so I can bask in her satisfied beauty.
“That was…” I inhale roughly, trying to catch my breath. “Wow.”
She smiles and nestles closer to me, her eyes drifting shut as an expression of pure contentment smooths her face. “It was, Aiden. It was really ‘wow.’”
We both laugh softly, sharing gentle touches, a faint, reverent kiss.
“Thank you,” I whisper against her lips, before I steal another kiss, a gentle bite of her bottom lip.
Freya smiles, eyes still shut. “For what?”
“For loving me.” I press my lips to hers again and breathe her in, my wife and love, friend and partner. The woman who loves all of me, who I love beyond words and understanding.
Dragging my thumb over her lip, I kiss her again and again and again. “I love you.”
She opens her eyes, bright and luminous as a glittering canopy of stars.
“My Aiden.” As she wraps her arms around me, Freya whispers in the darkness, “I love you, too.”
27
Freya
Playlist: “SUPERBLOOM,” MisterWives
“Look at you!” Mai belts. A few people glance over their shoulders at her volume and my equally loud laugh. She hugs me hard, and I hug her hard right back. Used to our over-the-top reunions, Pete and Aiden leave us to our girl crushes, heading inside the restaurant to grab us drinks.
Mai pulls back, holding me by the shoulders as she looks me over. “Vacation looks good on you.”
“Stop it.” I fluff my waves and smile at her.
“You put your septum piercing back in, too. Yes. Yes. I approve of this.” Then Mai squeezes my boobs. In plain sight. Because this is our friendship. “Mm. And the titties are lush and up.”
“Thank you!” I fondle them myself, admiring my cleavage. “It’s the dress. It makes them look like a million bucks. I got it in Hawaii.”
“I think you got more than a dress in Hawaii,” she says under her breath.
“Not exactly.” Dropping my hands, I smooth the front of my blue sundress.
Mai tips her head and assesses me. “But Hawaii agreed with you?”
“Yeah,” I admit happily. “It did. You look incredible, too. You’re glowing. Like you swallowed a bottle of sunshine.”
“Thank you! The kids slept through the night last night. It does wonders for my skin. Now stop trying to distract me. Talk about Hawaii. Did it…” She wiggles her eyebrows. “Y’know, really agree with you? You and Aiden?”
A blush warms my cheeks. “Agreement of the highest order was reached once we were home.”
She squeals. “Freya, that’s good. I mean, that is, if he groveled epically and promised to make you his Nordic Snow Queen Goddess again and thus commenced hot-as-hell we’re making up and fixing shit kind of ‘agreement,’ not the hate-banging kind of ‘agreement.’”
“It was the former,” I say, tucking my hair behind my ears. My gaze finds Aiden at the bar, shoulder to shoulder with Pete. He laughs at something Pete says, then glances back, meeting my eyes. I smile softly. He smiles, too. And the butterflies in my stomach beat their wings furiously.
“So…things are good since you came home?” she asks, giving me a knowing look.
“Two weeks of being back to reality and so far, so, so good.” I
lean against the wall of the restaurant’s outdoor patio, where we’re waiting for our table, and buy myself reprieve from the sharp evening sun. “We had another counseling session together and talked about being more intentional about our time together when we are together, and also balancing it with solo time. Time when Aiden can work for hours in a row and not feel guilty or pulled in two directions, time when I can get out and do things that make me happy.”
Mai nods. “It’s weird isn’t it? How easy it is to sort of collapse into each other and get so stuck in that. Every couple needs to share plenty of life, but both people need their independence, too. I’m so much happier since we set up our schedule where Pete gets his night out for trivia and I get out for soccer.”
“Exactly. I let my life get small. I was sad when things got hard with Aiden, and then instead of turning to the things that brought me joy, I just got miserable. I stopped playing our women’s league, I worked later, I didn’t feel like going out or doing karaoke…I don’t know. I just let a part of myself fade, and I don’t ever want to do that again. Especially now, while so much is in flux. Aiden’s working on this project, and it’s not going anywhere anytime soon. Rather than sitting home and stewing, I’m going to do what I like. Get back into soccer or at least some kind of fun workout, have nights out with you and the ladies again.”
Mai smiles at me. “There are seasons like that. Pete and I’ve had them. You just have to take care of you and take care of each other and make it through, then you enjoy the hell out of each other when life calms down.”
“Exactly.” I smile back at her. “Do you have any spots on the team next session, actually? I’ve been meaning to text you, but I’ve been a bit distracted since we got home.”
Clearing her throat, Mai peers down at her feet. “Um, yeah, we do.”
I read her body language. She looks nervous. “What’s wrong?”
She scrapes the soles of her sandals against the patio tiles. “Well, we’re going to need another person on the team, because someone’s pregnant again.”
The pain in my chest isn’t as sharp as it once was, but it’s still there. Yes, I’m grateful I didn’t go through this marriage crisis with Aiden while in the throes of hormonal overhaul and growing a baby, but it’s bittersweet. Especially since my period came two days ago. And I surprised myself by feeling…relief. Massive relief.
“Who is it?” I ask. “Unless they’re keeping it under wraps. I don’t want to pry.”
Mai sighs and meets my eyes, pain tightening her face. “It’s me.”
My throat knots. “Oh!” I blink at her, biting my lip against the impulse to cry. “Oh my God, Mai. I’m so happy for you!” I wrap my arms around her, my friend who’s tall and curvy and strong like me, so that her chin easily sits on my shoulder.
“I feel like shit,” she says hoarsely. “I wanted us to share this, and I know how much you’ve wanted a baby. Now I’m hurting you, and you’re the last person I want to hurt. I swear it was an accident, Freya—”
“Mai.” I pull back and hold her eyes. “Stop it right now. This is such good news, only good news. A baby!”
She searches my eyes. “You sure? You’re okay?”
I nod. “Yeah, I am. I…I actually started back up on the pill.”
Mai’s eyes widen. “What?”
“Shh.” I glance over, seeing Aiden and Pete sweep up our drinks from the bar. “I haven’t told Aiden.”
“You what?” She lifts an eyebrow. “Freya, are you trying to fuck shit up, just when it got good?”
I fidget under her intense stare. “Mai, listen. I just want to have a little time with him before things get complicated by a baby because it got good.”
“Then why haven’t you told him?”
“Because I’m nervous about how he’ll take it. Planning for a baby and our marriage problems had a lot of overlap, and I just want to be thoughtful about how I approach it with him. It’s only been two days.”
She gives me a skeptical look. “Two days is two days too long, my friend.”
“Mai,” I groan. “He feels guilty that we haven’t gotten pregnant yet, and I don’t want to hurt him. I’m going to tell him tonight, I swear. It’s hard, okay? I’ve been struggling to find the right words.”
“You better find them fast, lady,” she says, shaking her head. “I do not approve—”
The guys throw open the door, and I yank her to me in a hug. “Please don’t say anything,” I whisper, squeezing Mai’s arms as I smile over her shoulder at Aiden and Pete, hoping I’ve saved face. “Congrats,” I tell her again. “I get to cuddle another of your beautiful babies and drink for you!”
“Oh, ha-ha, so funny,” she says, taking from Pete what I now know is a virgin cocktail.
“Hey,” Pete says to us, “I meant to text, can you watch the kids for us two weeks from now? Her brother’s getting married at his fiancée’s childhood home in Sacramento, and it’s no kids. He just told us that.”
Mai rolls her eyes. “You don’t have to watch them. In fact, I forbid you. You watch them way too much for us as it is.”
Aiden joins us, kissing me softly behind my ear. He hands me my seltzer with lime, then sets his hand on my back. “We haven’t watched them in weeks. We don’t mind.”
“Says the guy who brings his laptop,” Mai says pointedly. “Your wife’s the one who wrangles the rug rats to bed.”
“Excuse me.” Aiden levels her with an indignant look. “I am the one who makes a mean grilled cheese and reads to them. Your son says my Dad Tiger voice is better than Pete’s.”
Pete scowls. “Ungrateful spawn.”
Mai laughs. “Fine. I take that back. You still don’t have to watch them, though. I can find a sitter for the day. Seriously.”
“But they’ve only ever done overnights with us,” I tell her. “How are you going to go up to Sacramento for a wedding and not stay over? You’ll be exhausted.”
“It’s only a five-hour drive, or a quick flight.”
“That you’d be catching late in the evening, after the wedding,” Aiden says.
“We’d figure something out,” Mai mutters, poking her straw around her drink.
“But it would be tiring,” I remind her. “And you just need to take care of yourself.”
Pete wraps an arm around Mai. “You told her.”
“Yeah.” She meets my eyes and smiles faintly.
“Yes,” I tell Pete. “Yes, she did. And I’m so happy for you both.”
Aiden peers between Pete and Mai. “Told who what? Why are we happy?”
“You’re going to be an honorary uncle, thrice now,” I say, beaming at my friend. “Mai’s pregnant.”
“What? Congratulations!” Aiden hugs Mai and Pete, then glances back at me, his smile deepening. And I have the unsettling sensation that Aiden thinks soon, Mai won’t be the only one.
Halfway through dinner, Aiden reaches into his pocket and extracts his phone. “I swear to God, I’m going to kill him.”
“Kill who?” Pete asks.
Aiden sighs as he unlocks his phone screen. “Dan.”
“Dan,” Pete says darkly.
Mai elbows him. “You are so jealous of him. He’s his business partner.”
“He’s butting into my bromance.” Pete meets my eyes sympathetically. “You’re not the only one he’s too busy for.”
“Pete!” Mai hisses, elbowing him sharply again.
“Sorry,” he mutters into his glass.
Aiden glares up at him. “Remind me to spit in your beer after I take this call.” He turns toward me. “Sorry, Frey. Can I sneak out? Dan’s messaged me a bunch.”
I glance at his phone, seeing a voicemail pop up. “You’ve got a voicemail, too.”
“A number I don’t recognize. Probably spam, but I’ll check it when I give Dan a call back real quick. He’s flying solo for the first time with our investor.”
I blink at him in shock. “Aiden, are you sure you shouldn’t be there?”
/>
“Yes,” he says, evenly, typing back to Dan, then pocketing his phone. “I needed to get out with our friends, and Dan needs to fly the nest. I’ve done my part. I sold our investor on this, answered her every email. I wrote the damn presentation. Dan is more than capable of pulling his weight on a follow-up meeting. I trust him.”
“But is it stressing you out?” I ask.
He smiles softly. “A bit. But that’s okay. I’m doing all right.”
I fidget on the bench, guilt tugging at me. “We should have discussed this.”
Mai gives me a look and does her best-friend telepathic talking.
You’re really going to lecture him about transparency right now?
I glare back at her.
I said I’d tell him tonight.
Arched eyebrow. Pursed lips. Mhmm, her expression says. Sure.
Aiden’s hand drifts over my thigh under the table. “I didn’t want to miss our night out. That was my choice.”
“But Dan’s messaging.”
Aiden shrugs. “But Dan’s messaging. So I’m going to call him.”
“And if it’s a crisis, if it makes or breaks this project, I want you to go to the meeting. I’ll drive you myself.”
He wraps his hand around mine and squeezes gently. “I will, Freya. Thank you.”
I kiss his cheek, then scoot out of our bench, watching him, tall and broad, strolling smoothly out of the restaurant. I plop back down on a sigh.
“Watch out,” Mai laughs. “I think you drooled.”
“Sue me, I like my husband’s ass.”
Pete sighs and throws his arm around Mai. “You used to look at me like that.”
“I still do. After you put the kids to bed and load up the dishwasher. When you bend over and put that detergent in—” She shivers. “Mhmm.”