Zach
The feel of a body nestled against mine wakes me up. Autumn. I kiss her bare shoulder, nuzzling my nose in her hair. It’s been years since I’ve felt the warmth of another person next to me. We’re in a cocoon. My arms wrap around her body, safeguarding it with my life. I smile, remembering everything that happened last night.
Her throaty moans as I made her come several times with my hands, mouth, and cock. The calm we shared while we created the perfect storm. As the morning reminds me that what we shared was temporary and a gift, I deflate. After last night, I need more of her.
More intimate moments. My lips against her, mumbling dirty words as I thrust inside her.
If I could get one more time with her—one night. No. That wouldn’t cover it. I’m so fucking greedy that I want more than just one night. I want to steal more kisses from her. I want to keep her mouth and her body close to me. I feather kisses along her neck.
She stirs, her eyelashes flutter and her eyes open, and they stare at me brightly.
“Hey.” Her voice comes out like a raspy whisper. I could get used to listening to her voice.
I kiss her forehead, her nose, and her lips.
“Morning.”
Her arms wrap around my neck. Mine tighten around her waist. I haven’t released her body since we fell asleep last night. She kisses my chin and runs her lips along my jaw.
“I’m not sure if you just have a comfortable bed, but I had a good night’s sleep.”
“It’s probably my arms. They are at your service anytime you want them.” I dip my head down to seek out her lips. We kiss slowly as if we’re trying to remember last night. Sear it into our memories—maybe our souls. I pull her on top of me.
Our kiss breaks, and our gazes lock.
My length hardens. I’m ready for her. She grins, her hand reaching toward the box of condoms. “You have a lot of stamina.”
“You might want to take advantage of that. I’m not getting any younger,” I joke as she rolls the condom down my cock. She positions herself on top of me and moves her hips slowly. Her perky tits bounce up and down as I thrust myself deep inside her. I could spend a lifetime inside her and never get tired of her or her body.
If only.
Against my will, we leave the bed. Autumn asks if she can take a shower. I teach her how to use the panel that controls the water pressure and temperature before leaving her. I head to the kitchen to prepare coffee and breakfast for us both. I’m grateful that Burke isn’t home. He probably spent the night with someone. Since the lipstick incident, he stopped bringing women home. Sandy, Sammie, or Suzie came by the house several times looking for him.
As I told him, if he’s going to be fucking around, he should at least be up front about his intentions. That makes me wonder if I should talk to Autumn regarding last night. I’d like a repeat, but I don’t know if she’d like to pursue this. Actually, I don’t know what this is. A casual fling, companionship, a relationship? Can I have either one of them? All I know is that I don’t want to let her go.
There’s that word again. Want. Everything about Autumn makes me want. I have only been giving away without taking. With her, I want to give her everything that I am and take all of her. I shouldn’t. How am I supposed to do this?
Seth’s words resonate inside my head. She’s a single mom. She doesn’t need me in her life. Then there’s Aiden. He’s my best friend. Well, he was, and we shared a lot growing up. Though we’re not as close, he’s still like a brother or a cousin. I’d hate it if my best friend tried to have a relationship with my sister. My stomach still clenches when I think about the time I saw Teddy and Seth kissing. Sure, they were drunk, and nothing happened after Vegas, but I’d hate it if he had taken things any further.
As I’m plating the scrambled eggs, Autumn enters the kitchen. She’s wearing one of my T-shirts. Her hair is damp, and she’s twisting it into a braid. “I feel more human.”
“Because before you were…?”
She smiles. “I felt like a troll or an ogre.”
“A really cute one,” I say, walking toward her and giving her a peck on the lips. “Let’s have breakfast.”
She looks at her phone. “I should be going.”
“You need to eat. Then I’ll take you. I promise.”
“This looks yummy. I’d ask if you cook, but I assume that’s a yes since you have the cafés and the restaurants.”
“I know my way around the kitchen, but it’s not my passion. It’s about knowing how to make the basics and how to mix ingredients.”
She grabs one of the mugs, smells it, and takes a sip. “Mmm. If you ever want to drop by my house to make my morning coffee, I won’t complain.”
I wink at her. “Don’t tempt me, or I might be at your house tomorrow morning with a pan and whisk in hand.”
“Ooh, you have a whisk,” she says with a provocative voice. “What do you do with it?”
“If you behave, I’ll show you.”
Her cheeks turn slightly red. “We should stop. I have to go soon.”
“What are you up to today?”
She shrugs one shoulder, taking a forkful of eggs.
“That doesn’t explain much.”
She washes her food down with coffee, then speaks. “The usual.”
Cryptic. “So, what’s the usual?”
“After I pick Matilda up from Mom’s, we’ll run some errands before heading home. I have to do laundry and prepare the meals for the week.”
Without thinking, I offer, “I could help you fold your laundry.”
The corner of her lip lifts slightly, but then she frowns. “I don’t think it’s a good idea.”
“Why not? I can make the day a lot more fun.”
“Yeah, and I’m afraid Matilda will get the wrong idea. If you recall, she wants me to find a husband.”
Her words make me slam on the brakes. What the fuck am I thinking? Nothing can happen between us. She’s off-limits for so many reasons. I glance at her. She’s still flushed from last night, satiated. I want to keep that smile on her lips. I’m not sure what it was—the break from her routine, the endless hours of sex, or hopefully, it was me.
She smirks. “I had fun.”
I cock an eyebrow, surprised at her statement. “Me too. But I feel like one night wasn’t enough. We could try to make this work.”
She pushes around the egg left on her plate while fidgeting with her lip. “I have three jobs, school, and Matilda that make it almost impossible to find the time. I can’t…if we…”
She exhales loudly and drinks more coffee. Finally, when she looks at me, she says, “Everyone would expect more from us. I can’t offer you anything.”
It sounds about right. We don’t have much to give, and everyone around us will expect more, including Matilda. But we can try, can’t we? Nothing is impossible. If anything, we can defeat the odds. This doesn’t have to look like an ordinary relationship.
“I understand. The last thing I’d want is to confuse your daughter or meet with your brother’s fist. He doesn’t seem to like the idea of us being friends. I doubt he’d approve if there’s more between us.”