Full Circle (35 page)

The bed twitched with the force of his silent
orgasm as he emptied onto her back. Then he grunted as he shuddered
again.

She closed her hand over his and pushed her
upper body off the bed, tilting her head back. In yoga, this was
called a cobra pose. But in bed with Mark, it was just another way
to coax him into kissing her.

He grinned as she looked at him upside-down. Then he
crawled forward, lifted onto his knees, and gripped the side of her
head with his free hand as he gave her a backward kiss. As he did,
a bead of perspiration dropped from his hair and landed on her
neck.

“Wow,” he said a moment later as he pulled
away, releasing her.

She collapsed back onto the bed with a loud
sigh. “I was just going to say that.”

He eased off her back and let out a breathy,
confounded chuckle that made it sound like he hadn’t expected what
they’d just done. “Let me get a towel.”

He disappeared into the bathroom. A couple
seconds later, the tap turned on. Then it shut off and he returned,
holding a white washcloth in one hand and a hand towel in the
other.

“Are you okay?” He bent beside her and wiped
the washcloth over her back then gingerly slid it over her
bottom.

“I’m fine.” She turned her head to watch him
as he used the hand towel to dry her. He was grinning ear-to-ear,
but in an almost sheepish way. “How about you?”

He licked his lips then pressed them together
as his gaze met hers. “Actually, I’m a little lost for words right
now.” His dimple cut into his right cheek as he smiled and
stood.

He went back to the bathroom. There was more
running water, and then a couple minutes later he shut off the
light, returned to the room, and climbed into bed beside her.

After pulling the sheet over them but leaving
the comforter folded at their feet, he rolled onto his side toward
her. She was still on her stomach, but her head rested on her arms,
facing him.

He let out a contented sigh as if he were
about to make a confession. “I didn’t plan that.”

Her eyebrows shot up. Really now? This was
new.

“Are you saying that
was”—
gasp
—“spontaneous?” She sucked in her breath and made
an
O
with her mouth, coyly covering it with her
fingertips.

He rolled to his back with a defeated
grumble. Then he looked back at her, the grin still plastered on
his face. “Go ahead and tease me, Miss Mason. I can take it.”

“I’m sure you can, Mr. Strong.” She lifted on
her elbows. “But now I think you see the merits of spontaneity,
don’t you?”

“I do.” He shifted back to his side and ran
his fingers down her spine. The sensation felt nice. Relaxing. His
hand came to rest on her rump. “The question is, did you like
it?”

His expression was hopeful, expectant.

She relaxed, laying her cheek on the back of
her hand as she settled against the mattress again. “I did.”

“Enough to want to do it again?”

She nodded. “It was . . .
um . . .” How could she put how she felt into words?
“Wow, Mark. Just . . . wow. I really,
really
liked that. So, yes, I want to do it again.”

He practically beamed as he let out a
relieved exhale. “Good.” He nodded, his grin growing wider. “I’m
glad.”

She giggled lazily as she watched his gears
begin to turn. “And you’re already planning for next time, aren’t
you?”

“Maybe.” He squeezed her rump.

She shook her head. “He sees how good
spontaneity can be then goes right back to planning,” she
teased.

“Hey, you can take the man out of the
planner, baby, but you can’t take the planner out of the man.”

She laughed. “That doesn’t even make
sense.”

He laughed with her then stretched. A moment
later, he wrapped her up in his arms.

“Baby, if I’m not making sense right now,
it’s because you’ve blown my mind. Just
totally . . . blown. My. Mind. And I love it.”

And she loved it, too. She loved him.

And for now, wedding date or not, that was
enough.

Chapter 20

The hardest part about growing is letting go of what
you were used to and moving on with something you’re not.

-Author Unknown

After waking up deliciously sore all over,
especially between the legs, Karma shared a shower with Mark, and
then they spent the day picking out furniture at a store called
Smithe Furniture & Design. Talk about high end. Smithe was the
best of the best, and the prices reflected it.

An in-store designer helped them build an
entire bedroom suite around a magnificent four-post bed, and then
they selected a new dining room set and living room furniture, as
well as a desk, chairs, and small conference table for her office
and side room. Before they left, they scheduled an appointment for
a local designer to visit their home.

So, this was how the rich shopped for
furniture, going to great extent to make everything just right. The
most extent Karma had ever gone to for a piece of furniture was to
measure the space where she wanted it to go. Boom! Done. Just buy
it and have the delivery dudes do the rest.

Clearly, life with Mark would see a lot of
changes to her standard operating procedure, something she’d better
get used to.

Back in Indianapolis, the week wound down
faster than she could track, and suddenly it was moving day. The
movers arrived, and within an hour, her apartment was empty. Of
course, she’d taken special precautions to keep the unopened box of
toys Daniel and Zach had bought for her tucked away in secrecy,
stowing it in the trunk of her car. The last thing she needed was
for Mark or the movers to open that box as they helped unpack at
the house.

The first week of March was spent dividing
time between work, studying, and unpacking what they’d had the
movers leave for them. She fit in meals when she could. And Mark
couldn’t take off from work, because things were just too busy.
Which meant she did a lot of unpacking on her own.

Funny how he could buy and move into a house
during the busy season but not set a wedding date.

She pushed the thought from her mind. No good
came from dwelling on what she couldn’t change, and he’d assured
her that after things settled down, they would pick a date. She
trusted him.

The second full week they were in the house,
Mark had to fly out of town on business, so she was on her own when
the furniture truck and the designer they’d hired pulled up
mid-morning on Thursday. She put away her studies, which she was
falling behind on, and trailed alongside the designer—who’d
introduced herself simply as Andrea with the flash of a business
card—as she dictated where the furniture was to be placed and made
notes about additional options she and Mark should consider. She
pulled out fabric swatches and giant binders of fold-outs, with
pictures of various items in a multitude of shades and textures.
She led Karma from room-to-room, pointing out where a table could
go, or perhaps a decorative clay vase. She made suggestions, hinted
at painting certain rooms different colors, and left Karma with a
stack of information “ . . . you need to discuss
with your husband.”

She hadn’t corrected her. Andrea didn’t need
to know she and Mark weren’t married, yet.

By the time Andrea cleared out four hours
later—a full two hours after the delivery truck left—Karma was
thoroughly exhausted and mentally drained. No way was she going to
get any more homework done tonight, putting her even more behind.
She would have to burn the midnight oil for the next three days if
she was going to get her assignments finished.

But at least the house finally felt like
someone lived in it. Like
they
lived there. As she slowly
toured from the living room, through the dining room and kitchen,
and back to her office in the front of the house, for the first
time since moving in, she felt like she was home. Her things
mingled with his in the same space. Her books, his books. Her
blender alongside his coffee maker.

In the parlor, the couch they’d made love on
in his Chicago apartment sat next to the end table from her
apartment. This was their space now. And as the weeks passed into
months, and then into years, the nooks and crannies would become
infused with their essence to the point where they wouldn’t be able
to remember which piece of furniture belonged to whom.

She could actually see her and Mark here now.
Feel his arms around her as they watched a movie in the living
room. Feel his body on her as they made love in their new bed. Feel
his hands on her swollen belly as his baby kicked and moved inside
her. See his smile as he held their son or daughter for the first
time. Hear the future giggles of their children. Hear their tiny
bare feet thump against the hardwood floors as they raced into the
kitchen for a treat. See them getting off the school bus and racing
up the driveway as orange autumn leaves fell from the two large
maple trees in the front yard. And always, Mark was right there.
Beside her. Holding her. Loving her.

Her whole life flashed before her eyes, but
instead of the life she’d already known, it was her future. One she
never thought she’d have two years ago but now seemed more real
than the smooth, cool wood beneath her fingers as she skimmed her
palm across the surface of her new desk.

Everything was coming together. Finally,
blessedly together.

She spent the rest of the afternoon setting
up her office.

Then she went upstairs to finish unpacking
the bedroom.

After emptying the final box and placing the
contents in their new bureau, she turned toward the medium-sized
box sitting in the corner on one of the sheets she’d put down to
protect the carpet.

It was time.

Time to finally unpack the goodies Daniel and
Zach had ordered for her.

She hefted the box onto the bed and grabbed
the utility knife from the dresser, zipping it down the taped seam.
Setting the knife down, she bent the two flaps back and peered
inside, face flaming.

Holy butt plugs, Batman.

She hastily glanced toward the hallway as if
Mark would pop in that very moment. Thank God he wasn’t due back
until tomorrow. She wasn’t ready to unveil her bounty. She needed
to read up on how to use these things, what precautions to take,
what to expect, and anything else she could discover. And anal
plugs and prostate vibrators were definitely things she wanted to
learn more about before poking them around Mark’s backside. With
knowledge comes confidence. So, yeah, until she had both, these
little gems were going into the bottom of her panty drawer. All the
way in the bottom, where she buried them under a mound of cotton
and satin delicates.

Dusting off her hands, she gave the room a
satisfied glance then gathered the broken-down boxes and took them
downstairs to the garage, where she piled them alongside the rest
of the recycling.

Then she went to the dinosaur-sized kitchen,
heated up some chili for dinner, took it to the living room, and
kicked her feet up while she watched the news on their new,
extremely comfortable couch.

As she ate, she felt like she sank deeper and
deeper into the cushions. Her eyes grew heavy. Finishing her chili,
she set the bowl on the coffee table then leaned back again,
letting her head rest against the cushion. Maybe she would close
her eyes for a few minutes. Just a few to rest them.

Before she knew what hit her, she was
asleep.

Chapter 21

Best friends. They know how crazy you are and still
choose to be seen with you in public.

-Author Unknown

“I can’t believe it’s already April,” Lisa said,
coming in and taking off her jacket.

Karma hung it in the coat closet then did the
same with Daniel’s and Zach’s.

“It’s about time you invited us to your
mansion
.” Daniel’s gaze swept left to right as he nodded
approvingly. “Very nice, Karma. You’ve moved up in the world.”

She rolled her eyes. “Well, I’m still little
ol’ me.”

“Honey,” Zach said, “there is nothing little
or old about you
or
this fabulous house.” He shot Daniel a
smirk. “Why don’t we live in a house like this. It’s not like we
can’t afford it.”

“If you remember correctly, babe, you’re the one who
wanted to buy the house we’re living in now.”

“Yes, but that was, like, five years ago.
It’s time for an upgrade.”

“We’ll discuss it.”

As the two continued bantering as they
wandered toward the hall, Lisa slid up beside Karma and hugged
her.

“How have you been? I haven’t heard much from
you in a while.”

“I’ve been so busy.” Karma’s shoulders wilted
just from thinking about the whirlwind of the last month. “There’s
so much to do, and no time for any of it.”

Lisa’s eyes brightened and she sidled closer,
her expression one of sly curiosity. “
Wedding
planning?”

Daniel and Zach spun around at the word and
rejoined them. “Did he finally agree to a date?” Daniel said.

Karma exhaled impatiently. “No.” She gave
Lisa a playful glare. “Thanks for getting everyone’s hopes up,
Leese.”

“Hey, honest mistake. I just thought that was
why you’ve been so busy.”

“I wish.” She gestured for them to follow
her. “Come on. I’ll give you the tour.” She figured they’d start
upstairs and work their way to the basement before ending in the
kitchen, where they were going to make homemade, single-serving
pizzas then have a movie night.

“So, what’s been keeping you so busy?” Daniel
said.

“Work. School. Moving.” She paused halfway up
the stairs to look over her shoulder. “And Andrea the tyrannical
interior designer.”

“Who?” Zach laughed, falling back in step
beside her.