Chapter Thirty-Four
Tabitha
NEXT TIME I BUY CURTAINS, they’re going to do something other than look pretty. Maybe something that blocks out the sun because these sheer lavender traitors I purchased when I redecorated my room into something more feminine are doing nothing to stop the sunlight from assaulting my face right now. I didn’t get nearly enough sleep last night. I’m sore in places that haven’t been touched by anyone but myself in over two years, and my body is so exhausted I doubt I could move from this bed even if I tried.
Whoever decided that mornings were when the day was supposed to start was an evil bastard. That historical asshole should be resurrected from the dead, just so we can all take turns torturing the crap out of them. I’m not a morning person at all. I never was. I’m not much of a night person either. I’m more of a noon thirty kind of gal. Lunch specials are in full swing, anywhere you could possibly want to go is open, and the sun is right in the center of the sky. You don’t have to fight with the sun trying to burn your retinas out in any particular direction. Noon thirty is the most pleasant time of the day. I’m definitely a noon thirty person.
I need coffee. No, I need more sleep. I roll unto my stomach and grab the pillow beside me and slap it over the back of my head to try to block out the morning, but it’s super uncomfortable, and I feel smothered instead. I toss the pillow off the end of the bed and immediately regret it, because the sun seems to shine even brighter when the breeze shifts the curtains open. Mathew must have opened the window last night after I fell asleep. It does get stuffy in here at times.
Crap!
I had sex with Mathew last night! So, so much sex. My girly parts ache even thinking about the workout they endured. I’m definitely going to have to wash these sheets, so that my room doesn’t permanently smell like a sweaty sex den. I’ve been wallowing around for the past twenty minutes, moaning and groaning, and he hasn’t said a single word. I feel around the bed, searching out his warmth, but only find cool sheets where he should be. I jump out of bed, mindful that I’m very naked still, wrapping the top sheet around myself like a strapless cotton ball gown. I shuffle around the room looking for any sign that he’s still here. I remember that most of our clothes came off in the living room, so that would be the place to look.
I spot my dress, bra, and shoes folded neatly and placed on the coffee table. A smile plays on my lips, and my heart pitter-patters. It’s not common that you find a guy who picks up messes all on their own. I even remember Mathew not being very neat. His bedroom always looked like the hamper threw up all over the place. I’d always come over and clean his room for him, because his sloppiness would drive Phil insane.
I find his flannel shirt sitting on the couch, which means he’s still here. I grab the shirt and bring it up to my nose, inhaling the woodsy scent that is a little new but slightly familiar. It’s undeniably Mathew. My lady parts are already tingly when I’m reminded of everything we did last night. I continue to sniff the shirt like it’s my only source of fresh air when I hear a glass crash and shatter against a hard surface in the kitchen.
“Fuck!” Mathew curses, while trying to keep his voice down.
He’s trying not to wake me. My lady parts have now decided what my next move will be. I start toward the kitchen to try to lure him away, so he can take me on the kitchen table.
“Shit!” he curses quietly again. Then he causes me to startle when he raises his voice louder. “Tabby, don’t you dare come in here. I know you’re awake and creeping around that corner.”
I blush because I’ve been caught. I’m thankful he can’t see me right now.
“You better take that fine ass back up to bed, so I can finish what I was trying to do. I will not allow you to ruin all my hard work to surprise you,” he orders loudly, as he remains on the other side of the wall.
I don’t argue, or speak at all. I turn and run back to the bedroom. Once I get inside, I toss the sheet I was wearing on top of the bed and pull his shirt over my shoulders and button it up. I look at myself in the mirror on my dresser. I frantically search around for a brush, but it’s nowhere to be found, so I try to finger comb my hair so it’s not sticking out all over the place. I pinch my cheeks to add a little color to my pale face. I didn’t wash my face last night, so I try to clear the mascara smudges out from under my eyes with my thumbs, giving myself a ‘mom bath.’ I run over to the side of the bed and dig in the drawer to the bedside table for a mint, but all I can come up with is an old candy cane. I break a piece off the candy of questionable age and pop it in my mouth. I chew it up quickly and swallow to get rid of the evidence. I would normally consider this absolutely disgusting, but desperate times call for taking the risk of food poisoning just to eliminate the evil that is morning breath.
I hear Mathew’s footsteps approaching. I quickly run my fingers through my hair one more time, and then I jump back into bed. I barely get situated in my spot when a very shirtless Mathew, wearing nothing but his jeans from last night with the top button undone, walks in carrying the green plastic lap tray my kids use to hold their coloring books and crayons. It looks like he emptied out all the art supplies so he could use it to serve me breakfast.
It’s probably the most adorable thing I’ve ever seen him do. I wish he wasn’t carrying my food right now, because my appetite is definitely not for food.
He blushes adorably. “I couldn’t find any grownup trays, so I improvised. I’ll clean it up and replace all the stuff that was in it when we’re done eating.”
I giggle at the sight of him carrying a child’s plastic lap desk, and he’s apologizing about crayons.
He grins then realizes what I’m wearing. “I really love my shirt on you.” His eyes darken with lust, as he sets the tray with food on the top of the dresser and stalks over toward the bed. He climbs across the bed until he’s hovering over me and begins unbuttoning his shirt until he can pull it open to reveal my bare skin underneath. His hand traces down the valley between my breasts. My flesh heats as he trails his rough fingers across my skin. He lowers his lips down to mine and captures me in a kiss that curls my toes and warms my insides. I grab the waistband of his jeans and reach my hand inside to wrap it around his hard length.
I pull form the kiss. “I need these off. Right now,” I order with a breathy moan as he grinds his hardness against my soft, needy center.
He stands up and removes his jeans quickly before returning and latching his mouth around one of my nipples. He cups my other breast and rolls my nipple between his rough fingertips. With his free hand he trails his fingers down my stomach and rubs circles around my clit. He presses down, and it sends jolts up my spine and pulls my hips forward in a greedy attempt for more pressure.
“I need you inside me.” I moan, and he grants my request immediately when he moves up and points the head of his dick at my entrance and slams in.
It’s rough and quick. It’s exactly what we both needed. He pulls all the way out and slams back in again. I don’t last long after that, as I see stars as an orgasm rips through me. He swallows my screams into his mouth and slows his pace to a rhythm that drags out my release, until he finds his own seconds later. After we both come down from our climaxes, we continue to kiss and caress each other’s oversensitive skin.
“I love you,” he whispers when he pulls away from the kiss to look down at me. “Please tell me I get to keep you,” he pleads.
I nod, fully sated and sleepy. It’s the only reason tears are not falling down my cheeks right now. The request makes him sound broken, and like I’m the only thing that can piece him back together. He drops a soft kiss to the tip of my nose, then pulls away to climb off the bed. He walks into the bathroom across the hall and returns with a warm washcloth and cleans us both up before grabbing the forgotten tray of food and returning to bed. We eat the breakfast he made and drink the coffee that has now run cold. I normally cannot stand coffee after it loses its heat, but he’s made me so relaxed and content that I’m more agreeable to it.
When all the food is gone, Mathew sets the tray on the floor then returns to wrap me in his arms. He buries his face in my neck and places a kiss just behind my ear, causing me to squeal in delight. “So does this mean we will be picking up where we left off ten years ago?” he whispers into my hair.
“No.” I shake my head, but smile.
He still flinches slightly at my rejection, drawing the wrong conclusion to my statement. I giggle at his impatience, then signal with a look that I’m not through.
“This means we are definitely back together, but it also means this is going to be something new.” I reach for his hand and give it a little squeeze as I continue, “I have Mattie and Logan to think about now, so getting into a relationship with me means you’re also getting into a relationship with them.”
“Good.” He gives me another kiss. “I love them both more that I need to breathe. I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
My heart flutters fiercely, and this time, I can’t hold back the tears that fall, but I recover quickly with a giggle. “Well, then I guess you’re stuck with us.”
He growls playfully and pulls me over so I’m straddling his stomach. His flannel shirt still hangs off my shoulders, and he pulls it open so his eyes can feast on my nakedness. I lean down to kiss him, as his thumb traces circles around the skin at my hip. I pour every feeling have into the kiss, and he gives it right back to me just as strong, just as deep.
When spend the rest of the morning naked together in bed, exploring every inch of each other’s bodies.
I’ve suffered a lot of loss in my life so far, but I still feel like the luckiest girl alive. I found great love not once, but twice, or thrice, if you really think about it, with two amazing men.
I will always love Brandon and miss him with all my heart. He was a true knight in shining armor. The light that showed me the way when I’d lost all faith that I would ever find happiness again. God gave me Brandon. He was something truly unexpected, that I never saw coming. My love for Brandon was one of the greatest experiences of my life.
Mathew was my first love. I never lost the love I felt for him, and it only intensified when I was given another chance. He was my first love, but he wasn’t my only love. He’s now going to be my last love.
We’ve had to survive so much tragedy in our lives in order to find our fairy tale. The fact we were still able to find our love again just goes to prove that love always finds a way.
The End.