Page 24 of After Care

The crash of thunder and a bright spark of lightning woke me. My body flinched with the suddenness, and the dark room illuminated a second time with another flash of light. An arm tightened over me, and I settled into the chest at my back despite my racing heart.

After Tommy led me into his room, he pulled back his bedcovers and motioned for me to climb in. He excused himself, stating he needed a moment, and returned to tuck the sheet over me, as a barrier between us. I didn’t like it, but I appreciated the gesture. He was trying to assure me he wouldn’t take advantage of me.

“I heard what you said, darlin’, about your ex-husband.” He kissed my shoulder and then breathed into my neck. “Thank you.”

I didn’t understand his gratitude, but he’d fallen asleep almost instantly, before I could ask him what he meant. I always hated this about men. They could close their eyes and their worries disappeared. I closed my eyes and my mind wanted to race through an endless list of concerns.

As the rain rumbled, and his balcony curtain flew in the rushing wind, Tommy snored lightly behind me. I had to chuckle. I couldn’t seem to escape a man that snored. David’s nightly nasal orchestra was terrible, and I often joked the neighbors could hear him. But I didn’t wish to think of David when I lay precariously positioned in the arms of another man. Unfortunately, seeing Tommy drunk dusted off memories long settled.

David, accusing me of cheating on him when he was the one to have an affair.

David, coming home drunk and acting like I was the love of his life, only to tell me fifteen minutes later I was the worst wife.

David, attending activities for our children while inebriated, and my interference, out of fear he’d embarrass us all.

Life hadn’t been easy, and it hadn’t always been kind, but I was thankful to have my health. Selfishly, I didn’t want to think about how I’d like a little bit more than that.

I squirmed, attempting to remove Tommy’s arm from my waist.

“Where you going, darlin’?” He muttered as if he hadn’t been deeply snoring less than a second before.

“Bathroom,” I whispered, despite it only being the two of us.

“No running,” he warned.

“No running,” I chuckled, patting his arm as he rolled to his back to release me.

It was early morning, maybe six a.m. or so, but the darkness outside his balcony doors made it feel like midnight. There was something about rain that suggested a return to bed, and that’s what I did after using the bathroom. I crawled up the center while Tommy lay on his back, one arm hitched behind his head, his full body sprawled on display. He wore black boxer briefs that accentuated his tan. He was cut, as if trenches were dug along his skin. Not a full six-pack, but definitely dips and curves implying firm muscle. It was his chest that was impressive, nearly two plates of steel. My eyes roamed his form. His abs slowly rose and fell at the waistband as he took a deep breath. He’d caught me admiring him.

I fell to the bed beside him, facing the model-worthy display before me. There was no mistaking the bulge in his boxers.

A peaceful silence fell between us as he rolled to face me. The wind outside the window increased, matching the pace of my heart. There was something in the way Tommy looked at me. Thrill shimmered through my body, causing the ends of my skin to tingle. I wanted him to touch me, but he only stared at me. He looked tired.

“You should go back to sleep,” I whispered, knowing that was the last thing I’d be able to do.

“Not what I had in mind,” he said, looking down at my lips.

I had to giggle. “I have morning breath,” I said, rolling away from him and covering my mouth.

“Let me see,” he said, following me, his body bracing over mine as his hand struggled to remove mine from my lips. He was teasing me, not tugging as strongly as he could. “Don’t resist me, darlin’,” he said as a knee came between my thighs. My legs bent instinctively, opening, begging for him to draw closer.

My movement paused his, and I released my hand. The thick pad of his thumb stroked my cheek before his mouth crushed mine. This was something I’d learned about Tommy and kissing: he came in hard, demanding, but he quickly slowed. In fact, he’d slowed so much, this kiss was different. He took his time after the initial onslaught, pressing soft kisses to each lip and each corner, teasing me more before opening his mouth and covering mine. He sipped at my lips, tugging them to his, holding the lower one captive before opening once again. He was flirting with me, savoring me, and I was getting drunk on him.

Finally, his tongue crossed the seam of my lips, and while I wasn’t a fan of morning kisses, I couldn’t deny my hunger for his tongue. Sweeping through my mouth, our tongues tangled in a lazy, rainy morning kiss of discovery. He took his time, carving out my mouth and etching into my heart a kiss I’d remember long past this vacation. Our bodies shifted, and Tommy found his way between two open legs. The heavy length of him pressed against my core, and my body squirmed, searching for friction, but he continued to kiss me.

I wanted to sprint. He wanted to stroll.

We seemed to compromise as the kissing intensified. His hips slowly thrust against me, and my response to his kisses increased. Eventually, I couldn’t breathe and pulled free. His mouth didn’t leave me, though, but moved to my jaw and my chin before travelling down to my neck. A fist gathered my nightshirt at my side and slowly the material rose.

He pulled me to sit upright, and I followed his lead despite my galloping heart and warning head. We hadn’t been naked before, but I didn’t stop him from removing my dress. Instantly, I covered my chest, arms crossing in a giant X. Within the blink of an eye, my wrists were clasped, uncrossed, and I found myself flung back on the bed, arms pinned to the sides of my head. Tommy was in a sort of half push-up position, and his eyes met mine for a second before he looked at my chest.

“Those are some pretty titties, darlin’.” His eyes roamed the firm hills and dipped into the valley between them.

Any woman who has breastfed knows about the letdown sensation. It’s a tickle just above the swell of cleavage, signaling what a female body was made to do. It’s natural, and strangely sensual, and the feeling crept through me when I hadn’t felt it in years. I wanted it to keep crawling, reaching a part of me that no longer existed, but it couldn’t. Liquid filled my eyes, and I questioned if I could follow through with what we were beginning. Tommy gazed intently at my breasts, but I had no sensation in them.

“I told you, you’re beautiful, right?”

I nodded, not feeling confident I could speak without releasing tears.