I’ve been with Nora more times than I can count, yet I felt a shock of nerves rush through me when she pulled my shirt over my head. It’s like my first time all over again, and I wish it could be. A new beginning and a new end.

With Nora.

Her fingers press into my back and her legs curl around me. I grab a handful of her hair and pull her head to the side, exposing her neck. Nothing ever felt more natural than making love to Nora and pleasing her is second nature. I remember all the little things that drove her crazy and made her squirm with pleasure beneath me.

I trail my tongue along her neck, stopping at the nape. I kiss, suck, and bite. Nora groans and brings her hands down to my waist. I put my mouth back on hers and move to her side, facing in. Nora bends her leg up over me, and I grab the back of her thigh, slowly inching my fingers toward her ass.

She splays her fingers over my cheek and takes my bottom lip between her teeth. I squeeze her ass and move my hand around to the inside of her thigh. Nora widens her legs, giving me access to her pussy. I circle the entrance with my fingers, already feeling her heat. It ignites the fire inside of me, burning bright and hot. The light came back the moment she kissed me, and I vow right then and there to do everything I possibly can to win her back.

I push my tongue into her mouth as I sweep my fingers over her clit. Nora inhales sharply, muscles tensing for a split second. She’s so fucking wet, and if I wasn’t already kissing her, I’d bury my face between her legs and lick up every drop she gives me.

Nora moves her hand from my face to my arm, squeezing my bicep and digging her nails into my flesh. I kiss her slowly and slide my finger along her pussy even slower.

Tantalizing.

Teasing.

It’s been so long since I touched her, I want to enjoy every fucking minute of it. And it’s been so long since she’s had my touch. I want her to remember just how good it is, how she’ll never get the same satisfaction from anyone else.

I put my fingers over her clit again, moving them in small, slow circles. She’s getting wetter by the second, and I’m not sure how much longer I can hold out.

“I want you,” she pants, and I plunge a finger inside of her, going right for her g-spot. I didn’t forget for one second how she likes to be touched. I know exactly what to do to make her come, to feel her pussy contract around my fingers as the first of many orgasms rolls through her.

I curl a finger in, alternating between tapping and rubbing her sweet spot. Soft and slow. And then faster and faster until Nora stops kissing me, mouth falling open in pleasure. I push another finger in, then spread her wetness from inside her pussy to her clit. Nora’s fingers press into my arm harder, and I know she’s close to coming.

Her breathing quickens, and she arches her back, pressing her pussy onto my hand. I simultaneously rub her g-spot and clit slowly, knowing how desperate she is to feel the release.

“Jack,” she moans, and I’m so fucking hard right now, hearing her say my name might do me in. I kiss her again and speed up my movements until I feel her pussy tighten around my fingers, wetness spilling onto the sheets. Her nails bite into my flesh, leaving little half-moon prints that will turn me on all over again when I see them later. Her entire body goes rigid for a moment, followed by a shudder. Fuck, I missed watching her come.

Wasting no time, I pull my hand back and run my fingernails down her thigh. Nora quivers, eyes squeezed shut, body still reacting from the orgasm. I bring my hand up her leg, over her hip, and along the curve of her side. I repeat the motion, enjoying the fuck out of the reaction it gets from Nora.

Still reeling, she squirms against me, trying to catch her breath. Once she does, she brings her hands down and wraps her slender fingers around my cock. She puts her thumb on the tip, slowly moving it in a circle, spreading the pre-cum down my shaft. My eyes fall shut and I melt into her. I want to lay back and watch Nora go to work, making me come in seconds flat.

But I’m not done with her yet.

I slit my eyes open and look down at my cock wrapped in her hands. I groan, let myself enjoy her touch for a moment longer, and then grab both of her wrists and move her hands over her head.

Nora gives me a wicked smile and then bites her lip as she lays back. We’ve done this before. She knows where things are going. But she has no idea how hard I’m going to make her come. Again.

I start with her lips like I always do and make my descent down. I kiss her neck, her collarbone, her breasts. I take one in my hand and put my mouth over the other. Fuck, I’ve missed this. Her pert nipple presses against the roughness on my palm, and I flick the other with my tongue.

Tearing myself away from her perfect tits, I kiss my way down her stomach, moving back on the bed until I’m kneeling on the floor. I grab Nora’s ankles and yank her down, bringing her pussy to my mouth. This time, I start right away, too eager to taste her sweet pussy again to draw it out for her and subsequently me.

I spread her wide, hooking her legs over my shoulders, and dive in with my lips parted. I run my tongue around her pussy, circling her clit before I cup my mouth around it and gently suck. Nora cries out and her hands land on my head. One takes a fistful of hair. She’s pulling hard without realizing it and fuck, the pain turns me on even more than I already am.

I slip my hands under her ass, angling her hips up, and brush a finger over her asshole. The muscles in her thighs quiver and she tightens her grip on my hair. I give her everything I have, rapidly flicking her clit with my tongue.

She comes hard, harder than before, pushing my head away with her hands but holding me there with her legs tightly wrapped around my neck. Her pussy contracts wildly, and I know I won’t be able to hold out much longer.

Panting, Nora weakly brings me to her. I grab her under her arms and bring her back up in bed, resting her head on a pillow. Her cheeks are rosy, and her breasts rise and fall as she sucks in air. It’s hot as hell and my cock throbs against her stomach, begging to push inside her tight pussy.

Trying to give her a moment to recover, I bury my head in her breasts and rake my nails up and down her arm. Once she catches her breath, she takes my hand and moves it away, pushing me down onto the mattress. She gets to her knees and gathers her hair to one side, twisting it in an attempt to keep it in place.

Hovering above me, she licks her lips, and then goes down, holding my cock in her hand first, pumping it up and down, hand slippery from pre-cum. Then she takes my cock in her mouth.

“Fuck,” I moan, watching her full, pink lips slide up and down. She sucks hard, swirling her tongue around the tip. She remembers what drives me crazy too.

Knowing I’m going to come if she keeps my dick in her mouth any longer, I move her back onto the bed and get on top. She bends her knees and bucks her hips, rubbing herself against me.

I kiss her, tasting both myself and her pussy on her lips. Nora grips me tight and I push my cock inside. Fuck, she’s tight. She lets out a loud moan, and I thrust in and out. Hard. Fast. Desperate. She clings to me as I come, and we both fall back on the mattress, panting.

I hold myself there, cock buried inside of her, forehead resting against hers. Nora rakes her fingers down my back one more time and then her hands fall to the bed. She lets out a breath and opens her eyes, looking right into mine. I pull out and lay down on my back, pulling her onto my chest. Nora slides her hand across my torso to my side, finger circling the scar.

“We’re good at that.”

“Yeah,” I agree. “We’re really good at that.” My arms are wrapped around her, and I turn my head to kiss her once more. A faint smile is on her lips, and she closes her eyes, snuggling in closer.

If only Nora could slip back into my life this easily.

“Can you get me a towel or something?” she asks quietly.

“Yeah.” I was so caught up in her I didn’t think about it, and this is only the second time I’ve ever come inside Nora. We were always so careful before. I pry myself away from her and grab a towel from the bathroom, taking it to Nora. She cleans up what she can, and carefully gets out of bed to go to the bathroom. When she closes the door, I lay back, heart still racing.

Instead of getting dressed when she comes into the room, Nora climbs back into bed, laying close next to me. I spoon my body around hers. Being together again feels so fucking right.

Nora shivers, and I pull the folded blanket from the foot of the bed and spread it over both of us.

“I like this,” I say quietly, kissing her neck. God help me, I just can’t keep my hands off her. “I want to do it again.”

“Me too.”

“Then we should.”

Her body tenses. “We can’t.”

“Why, Nora?”

She faces me. “It’s not that easy.”

“It can be.”

“I don’t know. Things are complicated now.” She laces her fingers through mine, holding my hand close to her chest.

“Life is complicated.” I bury my face in her neck. “What I feel for you isn’t.”

The air conditioner kicks on. There’s a vent right above the bed and cold air blows down on us. Nora moves closer, pressing her bare ass against my dick. It won’t take much to turn me on again.

“Do you still have flashbacks?” Nora’s voice is gentle, caring but not judgmental.

“I haven’t in a while.”

“What changed?”

“I started going to a PTSD support group. And moving into the cabin. The solitude forced me to come face to face with my demons and being away in the quiet was a lot more calming than I expected. Sounds lame, I know.”

“No, it doesn’t. There is peace in nature, and sometimes the noise of the world around us deafens us to hearing what we need.”

“I didn’t realize being around people worsened things until I stopped being around them. There was a constant pressure and I was always waiting for them to bring up Jason.”

Nora circles her thumb over my palm. “Do you still have the nightmares?”

“Yes. Peaceful sleep is still a foreign concept to me.”

“I should bring you my salt lamp and set up a diffuser in your room with lavender oil at night.”

“All I hear is you being in my room at night.” I squeeze her, ticking her sides. Nora laughs and tries to squirm away. I hold onto her, ticking her again.

“Jack!” she squeals and pushes me away. “Stop.”

I move on top of her. “Stop what? This?”

“Yes!” She laughs, bending her legs up. Our eyes meet and suddenly my heart is racing again. She drags her fingers up the back of my thighs and lifts her head off the pillow to kiss me. Getting lost in Nora is easy to do. It’s even easier when it’s the first time in years. The same goes for her, and neither of us hears the door open and close, or someone walk up the stairs.

Veronica lets out a strangled scream of shock and disgust. I’m naked on top of Nora, and if it wasn’t for the blanket, my sister would have just gotten a full view of my ass. I turn, seeing Veronica cover her eyes and try to blindly walk into her room.

“Sorry, sorry!” She smacks into the wall. Nora grabs the blanket and pulls it down over us. “I’m not looking,” Veronica says and finally gets into her room. The door shuts and I look back at Nora.

“Just like old times,” I say.

Nora shakes her head, smiling. “Almost. We should get dressed.”

“Yeah. We should.”

I take one more lingering look down at her, memorizing everything about this moment. Keeping the blanket over her body, I get up and put on my boxers, then find Nora’s clothes. We dress in silence and sit back on the bed together.

“I didn’t notice your room is different.” Nora looks around at the newly painted pastel green walls.

“My mom is eager for grandkids. She’d take the bed out and put in a crib if my dad would allow her.”

Nora gathers her hair in her hands, twisting it over her shoulder. “Were you with someone before that made her think she’d get grandkids?”

“Only you, but she wasn’t hinting for me to knock you up in high school or anything.”

She looks at me in question.

“I haven’t dated or even hooked up with anyone else. I tried,” I tell her. “But no one compared to you. I didn’t want anyone to compare to you because I didn’t want anyone but you.”

“Jack,” she breathes.

I put my hand on the back of her head and pull her in, bringing her lips to mine.

“Seriously?” Veronica’s voice comes from the hall. “You have your own house, Jack.”

“It was too far.” I move away from Nora. “We couldn’t wait that long.”

“Gross.” Veronica peer around me. “Hi, Nora.”

“Hey,” Nora says.

“It’s nice to see you guys together again. I mean not in that way, but I think you know what I mean.”

“Yeah, I know what you mean,” Nora says, not saying that we are far from together. Even though I was just inside her, it still feels like there are mountains between us. “I should go. Stephanie and I are going out for lunch.”

I give Veronica a look, trying to get her to go the fuck away. She stands in the doorway, curious, and I know she misses Nora. They were friends too, and Nora was the only one in Veronica’s group who didn’t judge everyone around her.

“What happened to the lake?” I ask.

“It was too crowded, and the sand got so hot it burned to walk on.”

Nora chuckles. “You mountain folk really don’t handle heat well.”

“It hasn’t been this hot in ten years,” I tell her.

“I like the heat.”

“I remember.” I put my hand on her thigh, losing the mental battle of Keep My Hands Off Nora I was playing with myself. “You like short dresses.”

“I do. They’re comfy.”

“Yeah…comfy.” I grin and Nora blushes. Not from embarrassment, but at the thought of fucking each other again.

“Well.” Veronica pushes off the wall. “I’m gonna shower. I can still feel sand in my hair. See you later, Nora.”

“Yeah, I’m sure you will.” Nora stands. “I really should go and see if Stephanie is back from the store.”

I get to my feet and pull the yellow quilt off the bed to toss in the laundry.

“Isn’t your mom going to wonder why the top blanket from the unused guest room is in the laundry?” Nora raises an eyebrow.

“Probably. I’ll say Charlie brought a bone up here and got slobber all over it or something. He’s done it before.”

“I haven’t seen your Mom yet.” Nora untwists a strap on her tank top. “I always liked her.”

“She’s easier to get along with than my dad, that’s for sure.” I walk Nora outside, picking my shirt up from the floor in the living room.

“Are you going to be here later?” she asks when we get to the porch.

“How much later?”

“A few hours, maybe.”

“Charlie likes the air conditioning, so we’ll stay for a while,” I say, and she smiles at me. “What?”

“I think it’s cute the way you take care of Charlie.”

“He’s a damn good dog.”

“He is.” Her eyes go to the living room window. Charlie is looking out at us, tail wagging. “But I asked if you’d be here because I think we should talk about what happened.”

My stomach drops. There’s nothing to talk about. We made love. After years of missing each other, of dealing with the daily agony of a yearning heart, she’s back and we’re together.

But not to her.

I thought the pain would subside if I could have her one more time, but it only made it worse. Reminding me of what we had—of what I threw away—was like rubbing salt in a wound that’s been slowly bleeding for the last four years.