Page 11 of After Care

“Ever have sex like this, Edie?” The crass question should have given me pause, but my mind was fogging on the rhythm he set, the pulsing of my core, and the liquid pooling at the apex of my thighs. I was wet, and the damp material of his towel aided the moisture forming on my cotton underwear.

“Rarely,” I stammered, not wishing to recall the few times David and I mixed up our sexual encounters. My response elicited the sound of a towel unravelling and the wet fabric hitting the floor. Bare skin hit the back of my thighs as he returned to his steady hammering. A tap. A tap. A tap.

I was coming undone, the fiber of my being beginning to unravel. The flutters in my belly had progressed from the flock of seagulls to a storm of flapping birds. My fingers gripped the duvet.

“This will be a better work out,” he groaned before saying my name. I didn’t know if my name was a question or a statement, but all I could answer was, “Yes.” My underwear slid to my knees, and I pressed inward, forcing them to my ankles. His foot held them down and he tapped my heel to step out of one side. His fingers caressed over the cool globes of my backside and I couldn’t believe I was about to do this. I also couldn’t imagine stopping. I was so wound up, I was ready to snap. Tears welled in my eyes. I wanted this so badly I ached.

The nightstand drawer opened, and I heard the rip of foil. I almost laughed. It was a sound I hadn’t heard in nearly twenty years. How did I get here? How did I get in this position?

All thought escaped me when a thick finger slipped inside me, and I gasped.

“Fine wine,” he muttered, before removing his finger, and I whimpered. “Ready to breathe again, Edie?” I rolled my head against the bed cover. I didn’t have the breath to speak, afraid I’d crack if he didn’t enter me.

“I need the word, darlin’.”

“Yes,” I exhaled, and he slammed into me so hard I pressed forward on the mattress. I yelped, and he stilled. His hands rubbed down my spine, steadying me before drawing my hips backward. He filled me so deep the sac of his balls pressed against my entrance. A strange sense of completion rippled through me, as if I’d never had sex before, and I practically cried at that thought. It hadn’t ever been like this.

He slid to my entrance as he had the night before with his fingers, but I clenched my thighs, attempting to hold him in. Thrusting forward, he chuckled.

“I like how you’re a little greedy even though you want to deny it, Edie.” He pressed a kiss to my shoulder blade before repeating the near exit, only to fill me almost instantly. The pace increased, the sound of slapping skin becoming a metronome of music. He pressed at the inside of my thigh, forcing my knee to rise from the bed. The position opened me up.

“You’re breaking my form,” I tried to joke, but his deep thrust cut off the words.

“I’m hoping to break many things,” he muttered, and my heart pinched in my chest, because I knew Tommy Carrigan was going to break not just my heart, but all of me.

His fingers slipped to the spot I needed, paying attention as he stroked and parted and circled while he entered me. I screamed into the duvet as I came and felt a second wave instantly as he pulsed his release. The jolt of him, stiff and vibrating deep inside me, set off subtle aftershocks but not enough to cause an eruption.

“Sorry, darlin’,” he said, as his forehead came to my back. “I sensed you needed another minute to get there again, but I couldn’t hold on any longer.” His forehead rolled back and forth on my damp skin. “What are you doing to me?” he muttered before pressing a quick kiss to my back and standing. He pulled out of meslowly and moisture seeped down my thigh, but I collapsed on the bed. I just need a minute, I thought, closing my eyes.

I heard him step away and return with a towel. He startled me as he wiped between my thighs. Then he stretched behind me. We lay sideways across the bed. His chest hit my back and an arm curled over my waist.

“Feel good, darlin’?” he murmured to the skin on my neck.

“Just need a minute,” I said, my voice drifting. He chuckled and that’s the only sound I heard before I slipped into sleep.

+ + +

It didn’t feel like enough time passed before a knock came to the door. I jolted upright, wondering only briefly where I was and why I was still partially naked. However, I was covered by the duvet, and a pillow had been placed under my head. A resort server entered the room and set a large tray on the table. He smiled down at me and I rolled to cover my face as he walked out of sight. I didn’t want to think about how many times he entered this room to find a woman in this bed. The subtle click of the door set me upright. Scooting for the edge of the bed, I found my underwear and skort right where they landed on the floor. Further embarrassment set in, and heat colored my cheeks.

“Hungry, darlin’?” Tommy asked, reentering my view, now dressed in jeans without a shirt.

“I should go.” My voice rasped from sleep, and I searched for a clock. “What time is it?”

“You only slept a half-hour.” I reached for my scarf to find my hair. Somewhere, it had slipped off my head. “You look beautiful,” he said, and my eyes lowered. I couldn’t look at him when he complimented me.

“I didn’t sleep well last night,” I offered, ignoring his kind words. I remained at the edge of the bed, and he stepped forward, cupping my chin. His eyes examined my face before he spoke. “Breakfast is ready.”

I followed him over to the small table and sat while he removed metal lids for two plates. Scrambled eggs, crisp bacon, and fruit. I inhaled. “Smells delicious. Thank you.”

The gratitude surprised him, and he paused mid-air with the coffee carafe in his hand. I waved him off from pouring me a cup.

“I don’t like the flavor.”

“Huh, another thing I didn’t have you pegged for.” I noted the tease in his voice.

“How poorly you’ve perceived me so far,” I countered. He sat and stared at me a moment.

“Yes, I think I have.” I didn’t know what to make of that statement. If I thought there was a compliment in there, I couldn’t find it.