I wake to soft kisses on my shoulder and back. Rhett. Our conversation last night comes flooding back. We agreed to see where this goes. He’s right in saying the marriage complicates things. Once the divorce is final, if we’re still whatever it is that we are, we’ll be able to relax, not having our drunken mistake hanging over our heads and the knowledge that the quickie Vegas wedding isn’t why we’re together.
“What are you thinking about?” he asks, softly placing more tender kisses on my shoulder.
“Us.”
“Mmm, my favorite.”
Glancing at the clock, I see it’s a few minutes before six in the morning. “Sleep well?” I ask him.
“Very.”
Rolling over, I reach up and bury my hands in his hair. “You stayed.”
“I told you I would.”
“I wasn’t sure after I ran out on you in Vegas that first night.”
“I’m where I want to be, Saylor. Believe that.”
“We’re really doing this? We’re… dating?” I need clarification for my heart and my mind. I know we said it all last night, but often times things look different in the light of day. I just need to hear it again. One more time to make sure.
“Yeah.” He cups my face in his big hands. “We’re dating, exclusively,” he adds. “No one gets to do this but me,” he whispers as his lips connect with mine.
I keep my mouth shut; I’m sure my morning breath could knock him on his ass.
“Open for me, Say,” he murmurs against my lips.
I turn my head. “I need to brush my teeth.”
“Fuck that, you need to kiss me,” he says, trying again. This time he pushes his morning wood into my stomach, and I don’t fight him. If he wants the morning dragon lady and that’s what I get in return, he has a deal.
His hand roams over my thighs and up my spine, causing me to shiver. Just a simple touch from him, that’s all it takes to set my body on fire. “A girl could get used to this,” I say, pulling away from the kiss.
“Yeah?” he asks softly.
I nod, rolling over on my back. He doesn’t waste any time running his hands over my breasts, tweaking my nipples between his fingers. We’re still snuggled under the covers, hiding from the chilly morning air. He rests his weight on his elbow while his other hand explores my body. When he reaches my core, he curses under his breath. “You’re wet,” he says. “I need you, Saylor.” He slides his head under the covers and captures my nipple between his teeth.
My hands find their way to his hair; it’s one of my favorite things, to run my fingers through his silky strands. It short everywhere but on top, and I love it.
He lifts his head, causing the cold air to hit me. “Brrr.” I pull the covers around us.
“Roll over, baby,” he says. I start to turn to face him, but he stops me, kissing the corner of my mouth. “The other way.”
I do as he says and pull the covers up to my chin, fighting off the cold. It’s not normally this cold in here; then again, I don’t usually sleep naked either.
I feel him pull away, but he’s back in no time. It’s not until I hear the rip of a foil packet that I realize what he did. He slides close behind me and pulls me against his chest. His hand roams over my ass and between my legs. “Push that sweet ass into me,” he whispers. I do. He moans when my ass makes contact with his hard length. He kisses my shoulder, my back, and then his lips are next to my ear. “Open for me.” He taps my leg, and I lift a little, giving him room to slide inside me.
“Rhett,” I moan his name, the sensation of him being inside me like this overwhelming my senses.
He pulls out, then pushes back in. “So tight,” he whispers, kissing just below my ear. “So warm. Lift your head.” He slides his arm under, bringing us closer together. His other hand massages my breasts, then trails down my quivering stomach. “I need to get you there, Saylor. I’m too fucking close to losing my shit. You feel so damn good squeezing my cock.” I feel a rush of heat roll through me, and I know he feels it too from the groan deep in his throat. He softly traces his thumb over my clit, teasing me.
“You’re teasing me.”
“What? This?” He ghosts his thumb over my clit.
“That. I need more.” In a bold move, more so than I’ve ever been, I push his hand out of the way and replace it with mine. With my index and middle finger, I begin small circles. There is something about being with Rhett that makes me feel sexy and empowered to take what I want, to give into my desires.
“Fuck!” he says harshly, gripping my hip. His thrusts become harder, faster, more urgent than before. I stop moving my hand, enjoying the friction of the faster pace. “Don’t stop, Saylor, don’t you fucking dare stop.” Releasing my hip, he places his hand over mine and guides me back to my core. “Touch yourself. Take what you need,” he says, kissing my shoulder. He resumes his hold on my hip and thrusts hard. He doesn’t stop. He pistons his hips in and out over and over.
“Close.” I’m barely able to form the words.
“Together,” he says, his voice rough with desire.
A sound I’ve never made before in my life tears from my lungs as white-hot desire courses through me. “Rhett,” I mumble his name.
“That’s it, baby, squeeze my cock.” With one more deep thrust, his body stills as he releases inside of me. His arms wrap around me, holding me to him.
My phone rings, and he groans. Slowly, he removes himself from me then reaches back and grabs my phone. He slides his finger across the screen. “Why the fuck are you calling my girl so early in the morning?” he grumbles into the line.
My heart tips over in my chest hearing him calling me his girl. “No,” he says, “I don’t have to ask her. I can make a better offer.” I roll over to face him. Moving the phone away from his mouth, he leans over and kisses me. “Fine, here she is.” He hands me the phone. “Be right back,” he says, climbing out of bed.
I place the phone next to my ear. “Hello.”
“Saylor,” Molly says, surprising me.
“Hey, I thought you were Jake,” I tell her.
“Well, he called because I asked him too, but he wasn’t getting anywhere with Rhett. I made breakfast and wanted to see if you wanted to join us.”
“Did you look outside and see his truck here?”
“No, but I assumed he stayed. We went to bed early, hence the reason I’m up with the chickens.”
“So you thought we would be too?”
She laughs. “It is kind of early, huh? So you all coming over to eat?”
Rhett sits next to me on the side of the bed shaking his head no. “I think we’re going to pass this time. We’re still in bed.”
“I see. But yet you don’t sound like I just woke you up,” she muses.
“Next time,” I say, laughing.
“Be safe.” She ends the call.
“I have the shower running, let’s get you cleaned up,” he says, pulling back the covers and lifting me into his arms.
“You know I have two legs that carry me anywhere I want to go, right?” I wrap my arms around his neck.
“Yep, but I like you better in my arms. You’re tiny, Short Stack. I could carry you around all day.”
“Hey.” I lightly smack his chest, pretending to be offended. The truth is, I would let him carry me anywhere. The realization hits me hard. Somehow, when I wasn’t looking, I let him get close, closer than anyone, even Elaine. Only because of the intimacy between us. It took longer with Elaine, but once I realized she was in it for the long haul, I opened up to her. She gave me a chance. She gave me what little of my family history she had. I owe her everything. This feeling with Rhett is different. It’s all-consuming and scary, but I’m not letting the fear stop me. One day he might walk away, or I might lose him to circumstances beyond our control, but I know deep in my gut, a little bit of time with him surpasses never having him at all.
After a shower, where Rhett took his job of cleaning me very seriously, of course that was after he dirtied me up again, we find ourselves sitting on the couch under a blanket eating leftover pizza for breakfast. “I’ve never done this before,” I admit.
“What?” He chases his last bite of pizza with a big drink of milk.
“Had pizza for breakfast. Elaine loved to cook. She always made something for breakfast. I very rarely had cereal. We didn’t eat out a lot either. It was cheaper to cook at home and better. She was a really good cook.”
“She taught you to bake?” he asks, holding up a no-bake cookie before devouring most of it in one bite.
“Yeah.” I laugh at him.
“So what are we doing today?”
I shrug. “This.” I point to the couch. “The roads are still a mess according to the news, and I have nowhere to be.”
“You’re wrong,” he says, sitting back against the arm of the couch.
“About what?”
“You have somewhere to be.”
“And where is that?”
“Right here.” He tugs on my arm and pulls me onto his lap. Reaching over, he grabs the blanket and tosses it over us. “I say we take a nap,” he says, kissing my cheek.
I don’t answer him for the emotion clogging my throat. I do however settle against him and let the lull of his steady heartbeat soothe me to sleep. That’s how we spend the rest of the day, lounging around, napping, eating, and learning each other’s bodies.