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Falling asleep with her in my arms or laughing when she smacked me on the butt as I made chili again had become a comforting ritual. There was nothing about her I wanted to give up.
It was my night to drive her home from her shift in the ER. I picked up an iced coffee for her on the way just to see her face light up when she found it waiting for her in the cup holder. I was so gone on that woman that it wasn’t even funny. I texted her when I pulled up to the front entrance, and I could feel myself smiling too hard when I laid eyes on her. There was no acting casual or like this was no big deal. I liked her way too much for that.
She told me a little about her shift—a slow stretch with just the usual small stuff—stitches for a cut or IV fluids for somebody dehydrated from the stomach flu or food poisoning. Then a car accident sent five people into the ER, all of whom were treated and released. We got home to an empty house with Darren working an event and Jeremy staying late for depositions.
“I have some leftover chili in the freezer,” I offered, “my last batch was too hot for the bros. They can’t stand the heat.”
“I like the heat,” she said with a smile. “Let me cook you something.”
“Okay, if you want. If you’re tired, we can get Door Dash.”
“I want to try out one of my favorites. A friend of mine, her mom used to make it. She’s Nigerian and taught us both how to make shakshuka. I ordered the stuff for it that I didn’t think you’d have.”
“Bring it on,” I said.
I sat at the counter as she cooked. I chopped some olives and peppers and asked her stuff about whether this was like sriracha or if it was hotter.
“Sriracha has sugar in it. This is spicier and has a smoky flavor. I wouldn’t try it straight,” she warned when I eyed the container.
Soon enough we were eating, and I brought up the thing I wanted to avoid, like an idiot.
“Since everything seems to have died down a little, I guess you’re going to start thinking about moving back to your apartment,” I said.
“I can’t wait to get back to my old routine. You guys have been the greatest, and I couldn’t have asked for anything more than to be welcomed into your home and you’ve taken such good care of me. I’m so grateful. I just…I’ve been taking care of myself for the past two years now and I’ve gotten used to it. I like it. I really hated having my whole life interrupted when Eric got released.”
I nodded, feeling the disappointment. I wasn’t about to object to what she wanted or try to stand in her way. I just smiled and took the plates to the sink. She must’ve known I was feeling sad because when I sat back down beside her, she covered her hand with mine.
“Part of me doesn’t want to leave at all,” she admitted softly, her eyes meeting mine.
That quickly, my temperature ratcheted up and my heart started to pound. My mouth was on hers, hot and heavy. I scooped her up off her stool at the counter, her legs locking around my waist so naturally. I knew no one would be home for hours, so I didn’t need to go farther than the couch, but I wanted her in my bed. I headed for the basement, my mouth on her neck. In no time we were in my bedroom. I flipped on the lights and set her down on my mattress. She was flushed and beautiful, her hair straggling from its ponytail and clinging to her cheek and neck. I brushed it back behind her ear and smiled. She was all mine tonight, and I meant to give her every reason to stay without saying a single word.
I pressed my lips to hers, worried her lower lip with my teeth and clutched her to me, barely stopping myself from crushing her. A fiery need to possess her, to make her mine, seized me.
With a swift movement, I seized her waistband and removed her pants and panties, tossing them on the floor behind me. Then I set my hand on her belly and guided her back to lie on the bed before I hooked her legs over my shoulders and knelt before the mattress. The first taste of her on my tongue was beyond intoxicating. Her soft, satiny skin was so warm, so sensitive. The salty taste of her inner thigh gave way to the mysterious flavor of her sex as my lips kissed and tugged at her. She tried to wrench away from me, her legs trying to snap shut. But then her hands were in my hair, stroking my scalp and guiding my mouth where she wanted me. Julie didn’t seem to know how to react, first wriggling away then bucking into my wicked tongue as if she couldn’t stand another second without some part of me inside of her.
