AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Even though we had gone for a lot longer than this before, it had never been so sensual.
When Brent finally slipped out of me and rolled away from me to remove the condom, I felt amazing. I was satiated and calm. I felt like everything was right again with the world. This was exactly what I had needed.
After disposing of the condom, Brent pulled me against him and I lay on his chest. It was like it was made for me; my head fit perfectly into the space below his collarbone. Brent dropped a kiss on my hair when I curled into him, and he held me.
Cuddling was a lot more intimate than sex. Although, after the session we’d had, it might have been a tie. Brent ran his fingers up and down my arm, and I closed my eyes, listening to his heart beating inside his chest. Brent’s breathing slowed as we both calmed down after sex. I loved it like this, lying here with Brent, forgetting about the rest of the world.
My stomach turned, and I frowned. I had been feeling off earlier, but it was worse now. I sat up.
“What’s wrong?” Brent asked.
I wanted to answer him, but suddenly my throat closed and my stomach twisted viciously. I pressed my hand against my mouth and scrambled off the bed, running to the bathroom. I kneeled in front of the toilet and threw up, violently retching out the few sips of wine I’d had earlier and the supper I’d eaten before that. I threw up until there was nothing left in my stomach and I was dry heaving.
“Rena,” Brent said behind me.
“No, don’t,” I said in a strained voice. “I don’t want you to see me like this.”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” Brent said and came farther into the bathroom. He found a face cloth and wet it in the sink, laying it on the back of my neck. It helped. The nausea died down a little. I sat back, my back against the cold tiles, and I was suddenly shivering. My teeth chattered, and I felt cold all over. I didn’t know what was wrong with me. It had to have been something I ate. I never got sick like this.
I reached for the tissues on the toilet bowl and blew my nose.
“Here,” Brent said, offering me a glass of water and another face cloth. I wiped my face and drank the water.
“Let’s get you in bed,” Brent said after I’d had enough water. He helped me up and led me to the bedroom, taking care of me as if I were a sick child. I hadn’t been taken care of like this in years, and I had to admit it felt good just being able to let go.
Chapter 22
Brent
I spent the night at Rena’s place. I never spent the night. The moment I cuddled the woman I was sleeping with, she’d usually expect something more of me. I hadn’t spent the night when Rena and I had been in Boston. After we’d done the dirty, I had gone back to my own hotel room.
This time was different. This wasn’t about postcoital bliss. It was about taking care of Rena. After she’d been sick last night, she had looked so terrible I stayed to take care of her. I fetched water when she needed it and cuddled with her in bed. She had looked like she could use someone to look after her. She had a slight fever, and I was worried about her.
I asked her to get dressed. When she was sick, I didn’t want any kind of temptation. I tucked her into bed and stayed up until the early hours of the morning, making sure she was okay. Finally, I fell asleep next to her, our limbs tangled together.
The last time I had shared a bed with someone for the night where nothing R-rated had happened had been while I’d still been with Gina. Things had come full circle.
When I woke up the next morning, Rena wasn’t in bed with me. I sat up and listened for her. Retching sounds coming from the bathroom told me she was throwing up again. I had hoped that last night’s episode would be the only one, but food poisoning and stomach bugs often lasted forty-eight hours.
What could she have eaten that had upset her so much?
I climbed out of bed and walked to her in the bathroom. She hated me seeing her like this, but this was part of life. I couldn’t only see the good side of her and ignore anything that wasn’t sexy as hell. What kind of a man would that make me?
The kind of man I had been with every single woman I had met until now, I realized.
That didn’t matter right now. I wet a washcloth for her neck, filled her glass with water, and kneeled next to her, rubbing her back while she dry heaved.
