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His weight settled like a heated blanket over me, his face nestling into my shoulder as we recovered. The scent of us lingered in the air as I absentmindedly traced circles over his heaving back. Harvey used to hate this part, the sweat and exhaustion.
In contrast, Oliver sank into it, leaving dazed kisses along my throat before he slipped out and tied off the condom. He threw an arm around my waist and rolled us over with a grunt until I stretched across his chest.
His heartbeat raced right alongside mine and, after a minute, he smiled at me. “That was the best thing I’ve ever felt, and I hope you’re ready because I’m going to take you against every piece of furniture inbothour houses.”
A zing of pleasure snapped up my spine at the thought and I hummed. “You’ll have to stop to feed me occasionally.” I reminded and he nodded, eyes open and full of something I couldn’t name. Whatever it was, it turned my heart to mush and when he spoke, that increased tenfold.
“Of course, I’m not about to let my lady go hungry.”
Warmth gushed out from my chest, seeming to soak into every muscle until finally, I all but vibrated from the inside out with it.
Burying my face into his neck, I asked. “Do you still want to do the bath, or wait until our limbs are functioning again?”
He didn’t comment on the subject change. Instead, he scooped me against his chest and rolled out of bed with a grunt. I choked out a noise at the sudden move, watching as he walked toward the bathroom with a bit of a stagger.
“You didn’t have to move now,” I said, and he shook his head.
“You’re probably going to be sore soon, and the easiest way of combating that is a hot soak. The sooner we do that, the less time you’ll be sore. Besides, now that you went and planted the thought in my head, a bath sounds amazing.”
I didn’t bother arguing, instead choosing to soak in the happiness of the moment as he set me on the edge of the tub and started the water. It took hardly any time at all before it was full, steam rising off it in tantalizing wisps.
He sank in first, the water coming up to his chest with his knees sticking out. Then he offered a hand, shifting his legs wider to make room for me. “Care to join me?” He asked, and before the last word was out of his mouth, I was taking his hand and easing into the water.
The heat soaked into my muscles until I couldn’t move a finger even if I wanted to. Relaxing back into his chest, his arms tightening around me in a vice-like hug, I sighed.
“Can we do this more often?” I asked, already struggling not to doze against him. Usually I couldn’t take baths because I fell asleep in them, but with him here, I could nap to my heart’s content. He wouldn’t let me sink too far.
His chin rested on my head, and I felt more than heard his response.
“Sounds good to me, I’m always happy to hold you, and the addition of a bath just makes it better.”
Flutters of happiness swarmed through me until I could hardly bear it. When sleep encroached on me, my vision going fuzzy, Oliver chuckled.
“Get some rest, Jen. I’ll carry you to bed when I get out.”
I couldn’t fight him even if I wanted to and after turning just enough to kiss over his heart, I let sleep take me, the steady beat working better than any lullaby.
Chapter 17
The next time I dragged my eyes open, a mild soreness lingered between my legs, and I was wrapped into warm sheets. Oliver had changed me into one of my favorite pairs of pajamas, too; the soft fabric much appreciated as I slowly took in everything around me.
When I reached out across the bed, expecting to feel Oliver himself, I frowned when a piece of paper met my palm instead.
Fully alert now, I pulled it close and realized it was a note in Oliver’s handwriting.
Disappointment eased through me that he wasn’t here, but when I read the paper, some of it eased.
Good morning, Jen. While I would have loved to be there to see you wake up–trust me, I would have liked it considerably more than leaving–work called me at nearly dawn. My schedule got changed last minute to cover for someone, and I had to go in. I almost woke you, but you looked too peaceful to bother. I’ll be thinking of you though, and I made breakfast. It’s in the fridge. I’ll talk to you when I’m on my lunch break.
Ah, that explained his absence. Oliver never seemed the sort to willingly leave during the morning after and unfortunately, work wasn’t something we could ignore. No matter how much I wished we could in situations like this.
I’d have to tell him I didn’t mind him waking me up before he went, though. I could go back to sleep afterward, and I liked him being the first thing I saw in the morning.
Making a note to bring that up to him later, I sat against the headboard and watched the sheets pool around my waist. The soreness wasn’t bad, nowhere near as awful as it’d been after my first time, and when I eased out of bed, it dulled into a background sensation.
Moving to the fridge, I opened it and took in the plate of pancakes with a smile. It was just like Oliver to make me breakfast before he had to go to work. Pulling the plate out, I stuck it in the microwave and walked back to my room to get my phone.
Once I was seated in the kitchen again, I pulled up Oliver’s contact and typed out a message.
