AllFreeNovel
Share Us
After a few minutes, Dana lifts her face to me, dried tears staining her cheeks for the second time tonight. “I’m sorry.” She rubs a hand roughly over her eyes. “I didn’t mean to cry again. I don’t even know why, because that was amazing.”
I brush a swath of hair back over her shoulder. “Sweetheart, I know. I can still taste your enjoyment on my tongue.”
She hides her face in her hands. “Stop,” she mumbles between her fingers, but I hear the smile in her voice.
I pull her hands away. “I thought I told you not to hide from me.”
This time I get to watch her smile transform her angelic face. She seems okay again, and I wonder if I should leave. Her tears have thrown me. It’s clear Dana is still working through a lot of emotion that she’s not ready to share. I wish she would, but I can respect the fact she may need more time. I get it—eight years of no sex is a fucking long time. And it seems she’s still adjusting to us as lovers. I promised I’d take this slow, and it’s exactly what I’m going to do. I’m in this for the long game, not just one night, whether she believes that or not.
“I should probably go now,” I murmur against the soft skin beneath her earlobe. This spot is already becoming a favorite place to linger, though there are a couple of other ones I can think of that are equally, if not more, enjoyable.
She extricates herself from my arms and stands, hands on hips and flashing fire. “But we didn’t even have sex.”
“No, not tonight. We don’t have to rush this.”
The fight, fleeing from her body as quickly as it flared. She nods sadly, stepping further away, and I don’t like it. She’s withdrawing from me, not just physically.
“Dana?”
“Sorry, Jase, but you were right. You should go.” She wraps her arms around her body.
Hang on, what just happened? Dana’s defensive stance is clearly shutting me out, and I’m not sure why.
But when I said I’d stop if she wanted me to, I meant it. So I get up and walk over to the chair where I threw my jacket. I shove my arms in the sleeves before turning back to face her. I don’t want to leave things like this, but there’s nothing in Dana’s stiff posture that says she’d welcome any discussion or even a hug.
A glance at the bed I originally wanted to climb into with her makes it worse. If only I could wrap my arms around her, holding her close all night. But I realize it’s too soon. She’s not ready.
With a heavy sigh, I say, “Okay, I’ll go. Can we talk tomorrow?”
She nods, and I turn and leave.
Chapter eleven
Dana
I always suspected it, but now I know. Jason is God’s gift to women. Well, this woman at least. Last night proved one thing: he’s spectacularly skillful in pulling pleasure from my body. A body I thought had forgotten how to enjoy the touch of a man. I was so wrong. He made me feel truly alive again. It was intense and scary as hell. Overwhelming and delicious all at once.
A knock at my door pulls me out of my head, where my memories are still swirling around and gathering into a dark cloud. This is what my head does. It turns the good things into bad. I take a few deep breaths.
This morning I haven’t made it further than leaning back against my kitchen counter since I poured my second coffee for the day, and it’s not even nine yet. But when I’ve been up since dawn, it’s more surprising this is only my second. Thank God it’s Sunday because if it wasn’t, I’d be working from home instead of going to the office. I need at least another twenty-four hours to get my head straight before I face Jason again.
Placing my mug on the counter, I run my hands roughly through my hair, giving it a bit of a tug. Argh, I’m in no fit state to face anybody. And whoever is knocking will be sent on their way pretty damn quickly. With a determined stride, I walk toward the door, but then the thought that it could be Jason kicks me in the gut and halts my progress. I scamper back to the kitchen, snatch up my phone, and check to see if he texted. No, nothing. Good. Jason always texts if he’s dropping by. But then last night happened, and what we were before has been thrown out the window.
Another knock rattles the door. I creep toward it, trying to be as quiet as possible. I can pretend I’m out. I stretch to peer in the peephole, not daring to touch the solid panel of wood, imagining that whoever is on the other side would somehow be able to sense my presence.
I’m being totally ridiculous, but nevertheless, seeing Allie’s friendly face on the other side has the breath I was holding whooshing from my lungs. I unlock the door quickly and let her in. “Hey, what are you doing here?”
She gives me a warm hug. “I came to see that you were okay. Jason was worried about you, hun.”
The mention of his name sets my heart racing. “He’s not here, is he?” My eyes dart past her shoulder like he could somehow be hiding behind my slim friend. It’s nice that Jason was worried, and I can’t help feeling a pinch of guilt about not wanting to see him yet.
“No, it’s okay. He’s with Logan at my place,” she reassures, then hooks an arm with mine. I sag against her, fresh tears threatening. “Come on, I need a coffee. Jason turned up way too early this morning and was looking like such a wreck that I rushed to get here to check that you’re okay.” A weak smile touches her lips. “You’re doing much better than him,” she says with a wink, then bends to pick up the bag she dropped at the entrance. “Look, I brought donuts.”
My smile comes easier than I would have thought possible after my sleepless night. “Ha! The answer to all my problems.”
She leads me back along the short hallway. “I’ll get the coffee and plates. You go sit on the sofa,” Allie announces firmly and sends me in the direction of the living area with a gentle push, leaving no room for argument. She’s spent enough evenings at my place on girls’ nights to know where everything is, and honestly, it’s kind of nice to be bossed about and waited on by my friend. Her no-nonsense attitude is exactly what I need.
I’m not usually so weepy, but I certainly shed a bucket full of tears overnight. It was like the orgasm Jason gave me cracked the protective wall around my heart and unleashed a dam of hurt. Emotions I hadn’t felt in years burst out, dampening my pillow until I finally fell asleep exhausted. Vicki never warned me that “putting myself out there” would feel like this.
