Plus None 2 (16 page)

“Make yourself comfortable.” I rush past him. “I’m going to wash the lake off. I’ll be back in ten minutes.”

I close the bathroom door on his amused face.

That…was…close.

The water warms up quickly. I throw off the robe and step beneath the stream. Finally.  A quiet place to think. I let the shower surround and relax me under the heat of the spray. What was I thinking, bringing him back here?

You were thinking he’d freeze to death driving all the way back to Dallas in those wet clothes. You’d be responsible.

I could have easily pointed him in the direction of the nearest Wal-Mart and told him to buy something for the ride.

But then you wouldn’t be able to get him alone and ask him what you really want to know.

Which is?

Will he choose you?

What if he doesn’t?

Well, then you initiate Wade’s deer urine plan.

I pour a heavy dollop of shampoo into my hand and work it through the tangled mass of hair. It’s nearly impossible, but I try to enjoy the quiet of the moment before I have to go back out there. I have to face whatever decision he’s made. I close my eyes and place my head beneath the running water, rinsing the shampoo out. The rustle of the shower curtain being pulled back surprises me and I jump to the side of the tiled wall.

Naked. Erect penis. Penis in my shower. I literally cannot stop my brain from focusing all of my attention on his very impressive erection, which I assume has everything to do with evolution and in no way makes me a pervert.

“Alex.” I gape at him.

“Charlie.” He smiles back.

I try to cover myself, securing one arm to my chest as my other hand covers my Keith Urban. That’s a redneck Brazilian wax. Sorta like a soul patch for your vagina. “Get out!”

“It’s freezing out there and you’re using up all the hot water. Besides, I still stink like Bass bait.”

Water bounces off the hard planes of his chest and hits me in the face. I remain paralyzed, covering my naked lady parts from his wandering eyes. He moves beneath the shower, rinsing off the lake. An undisturbed smile on his face, he shuts his eyes against the stream and places his head under the spray. I look up, around, anywhere but down, but it’s no use. I can sense his penis calling me.

Alex places both hands, palms flat, against the wall in front of him, effectively trapping me. He keeps his eyes closed and his head bowed slightly against the current a moment longer. I swallow, a visceral need ricocheting through me like a pinball.

He stands back, rubbing the water from his eyes and looks at me. “Mind if I use the soap?”

I know this is a trick. But lucky for Alex, I’m not a very deep person. Besides, the idea of him lathering up with a bar of Dove has my soul patch singing. I turn my front toward the shower wall and bend at the knees. No point making this easier for him than it already is. I hand over the soap. His jaunty grin boarders on over-confidence. I’d like to wipe the smile right off his face, but should I use my hand or my breast to do it? I can’t decide.

Alex works up a lather with his hands and begins to rid himself of any lingering Smelly Jelly. I turn back to face him, arms still solidly in place, and pretend not to watch. His tan, muscular forearms are first, followed by impressive biceps and impossibly sturdy shoulders. He drags a soapy hand over each pectoral. His nipples tighten into little buds at the contact and mine quickly follow suit. Every inch of his chest and stomach is soaped and his hand drops lower and lower with each pass.

I swallow, my heart beating urgently in my chest. He’s getting so close.

Just before reaching the raging hard-on beneath his stomach, his hands leave his body. I feel incredibly let down. He barges into my shower, disrupts my peace and quiet, and doesn’t even have the decency to put on a good show?

Angrily, I drop the hand guarding my chastity and wrap it around his velvet hardness, and squeeze. He gasps audibly and staggers back a step, unprepared for my assault. He grabs at the closest thing to him, the shower curtain, and suddenly the whole damn thing comes crashing down around us, rod and all.

I work him in my hand a few times, not caring that the water is spilling onto the floor. Alex fumbles for the shut off. His eyes never leave my face. As the beat of the water is silenced, his brisk, labored breathing fills the room.

Yeah… I think I may’ve started something here.

Alex grabs me under the arms, pulling me to him. I release my hold on him as his fingertips dig into the soft skin of my upper thighs. He lifts me into the air. My back slides against the cool tiles and I wrap my legs around his waist. I dismiss any lingering questions tugging me away from this moment as his stiff length pushes against me. I reach between us and guide him to me, moaning as I become fully seated on his erection.

He grips my hips so tightly I know he’ll leave marks. The wetness from the shower slows him down some as he seeks purchase against me. His hand cups my breast and he bends forward to pull a nipple into his mouth. He sucks it hard and I yelp, loathing and loving the pain. It’s only when he brings those dark eyes back to my face that I realize he hasn’t kissed me yet. I hold on to his shoulders as he pushes in and out, the friction driving me mad. My legs are slippery against his sides and I have to squeeze his body in order to hold the position.

His panting is rapid; I can feel his quick breaths on my face. I won’t drop his gaze, won’t release him from this moment. I can tell he’s getting close already by the way his eyes knit together in concentration. I clench my inner walls around him, both worried and careless about the lack of a condom. His movements become jerky and hurried as he fights to hold me upright and reach his orgasm.

He grunts low in his throat as his hips pound furiously against me. His hair is wet and matted across his forehead. He’s never looked sexier. Two more thrust, three, four… He wraps strong arms around my body, buries his face in my neck, and pulls his hips away from mine. I quickly re-secure my legs around his waist as he empties himself into the bathtub below.

His large hands are spread wide across my back as he holds me close. I don’t want to move from this spot but I can feel his legs quake slightly from the effort of holding me up for so long. His hair is slick beneath my lips and I cradle him in my arms, doing my best to sooth him. I pull back and take his face in my hands. The love and desire reflected back at me makes me shudder.

I release my legs and he lowers me to the floor. He takes the hand I offer him and steps out of the shower behind me.

There’s no escaping him. I know that now.

He might wake up and leave me all over again tomorrow. He might stand on the other end of the aisle while someone else walks toward him in a white wedding dress. I don’t know what’s going to happen. I can’t control the future any more than I can control my need to be with him now.

I stop at the bed. The air collides with my wet skin and makes me shiver. I pull back the comforter and climb inside; moving over so Alex can join me. He hesitates, taking me in. I tremble again, but not from the cold this time. His knee depresses the bed as he places a hand to the side of my pillow. The short hair on his chest is cold and wet beneath my hands. He sinks lower, placing some of his weight on me.

His eyes trace every inch of my face, something he did on the night we shared two years ago in Dallas. I know he’s trying to memorize me and I do the same to him. Just in case.

His lips press, soft and tender, against my left temple. I close my eyes, waiting. He moves to my cheek, then my jaw. Beneath my ear, then the place where my neck meets my shoulder. He shifts to the other side and repeats the action, slowly winding his way toward my lips. When they finally press against mine, I draw in a sharp breath.

Alex’s tongue tickles me, teases me. I open my mouth only slightly, relishing in the slow progression of the kiss. His free hand reaches for mine and our fingers intertwine. As he forces the back of my hand against the pillow, I’m pressed deeper into the mattress.

The kiss goes on and on. I nearly get lost inside it. My mind is completely free of thought. His tongue tastes slightly of the beer he had with lunch. The stubble from his late-in-the-day shadow prickles the delicate skin of my upper lip and when I breathe in, I can pick out his scent beneath the smell of soap.

My eyes open slightly and a rush of excitement fills my belly. Dark eyelashes, impossibly long and thick, greet me. His skin is so tanned and smooth it looks like a picture. I let them drift closed again. The sheets rustle and slide against my body as he begins to rock against me.

The hand holding mine lets go. I eagerly thread my fingers through his hair. Alex tickles me as he explores my side and I giggle against his lips. He grins into the kiss, running that hand back up to palm and massage my breast. I draw in a tortured breath. I need more of him.

“Alex,” I beg between kisses.

He shifts position so he’s fully seated between my legs. I hold his head to me, not wanting to break the connection. His hand brushes against my clit and sends a tremor through my body.

“Wait.” He pulls back, away from me.

No,
‘wait,’
I think, moving my hips up to meet his and lifting my head to find his lips again.

“I don’t have any protection.”

My brain is fuzzy with lust and his words filter through slowly. “In the nightstand.”

Alex leans across me to pull the drawer open. “Oh no.”

“What?”

“You’ve only got one.”

I smile. “Then I guess you better make it count.”

The condom is drawn on in record time. He rubs himself against me. “Open your eyes.”

I do as I’m told, squirming as his erection pushes forward.

“I want to watch you.”

I breathe loudly through my mouth. My muscles tighten against the pleasure slowly easing its way inside, but I don’t break eye contact. He likes to be in control.

Inch by glorious inch, he sinks deeper. His girth stretches me fully but it’s the length of him that pushes that little button inside. The little button that messengers pleasure between my brain and my core by static electricity.

He places a hand beneath my knee and lifts it. I moan. My eyes begin to droop.

“Don’t close them,” he reminds me, leaning in.

I force them open and focus on his mouth.

“Do you know what you’ve done to me?” He pistons a little faster, a little harder.

I gasp in response, unable to form a single word.

“I can’t be anywhere without thinking of you.”

He leans forward and, keeping eye contact, kisses me on the mouth.

“I can’t touch anything without feeling your skin beneath my hands.”

I hold onto his shoulders. The muscles beneath my hands work furiously as he moves against me.

“I can’t--” He pauses to grunt as he grinds his pelvic bone against my clitoris. “--see anything without it becoming the blue of your eyes.”

The friction between us pulls me backward like a wave about to break. I want to respond, to tell him that he’s consumed me for weeks, years, but I feel as though I’m about to come apart. I drag in a quick breath as he puts his full weight against me. The pressure propels my orgasm and I pinch his shoulders with my hands, tossing my head back into the pillow as the pleasure consumes me.

He moves back and forth slowly, allowing me to come down from my high. His lips kiss the place between cheekbone and eye on both sides, encouraging me to open them.

His smile is gentle. “You’re so beautiful.” Alex removes the hand from beneath my knee and touches my face. He grazes my chin and jaw and lays his hand flat against my neck.

I lift each leg and draw him in closer. “Alex?”

He continues to move leisurely inside me. “Yes?”

“I love you, too.”

It’s still light outside. Maybe we can order dinner in? I wonder if the pizza delivery guy would buy us a box of Trojans if I tipped him extra? Two hours must be a world record for one condom. I have to give Alex all the credit. If there’s a medal in forcing yourself not to come, he deserves the gold.

I cuddle deeper into the covers and watch him remove a wet billfold and a wet cellphone from the pocket of his dress pants. I cringe.

“Glad I insured it.” He smiles at me.

“I’m so sorry. I feel terrible.”

“About what?” He tosses both items onto my dresser and drops playfully onto the bed next to me. “Breaking my Smartphone or trying to kill me with an oar?”

I bite my lip. “The phone. Definitely, the phone.”

He yanks down the cover and tickles me until I’m near to crying. “That’s what you get for being a smart-ass.”

“Uncle,” I squeal, kicking uselessly at his legs.

Alex holds me down and kisses my neck.

My laughter slowly subsides. “Don’t start something you can’t finish,” I say, smiling. I arch to meet his lips, completely ignoring my own advice.

“Shit. I forgot.” He lifts his head, grimaces then slumps over onto his side.

“It’s okay, I’ve got a plan.”

“Oh yeah?”

“Yes. It involves Tony’s Pizzeria and a well placed twenty-dollar bill.”

He looks down at my naked body. “I don’t think I want Tony anywhere you tonight.”

“Fine,” I sigh. “Then I guess we better throw your clothes in the dryer, unless you want to run to the pharmacy in your boxers.”

“If it gets me back in your bed faster, I’d go naked.”

“Sorry, no shoes, no shorts, no service.”

I trace the dimple on his right cheek. Those nagging questions I so successfully put out of my mind a few hours ago now come streaming in. I know my face has fallen because Alex’s does the same.

His fingers play with a piece of my mostly dry hair. I’m afraid to say anything because I don’t know how he’ll respond and I don’t want this to end. But my heart weighs heavier with every delay. And I just have to know.

“I need an answer from you.”

He looks searchingly at me, as though the answer lies behind my eyes.

“I love you.” His hand gently cups the side of my face.