It’s not exactly a denial. I’ll take it.
“’Night, sweetheart,” I respond before turning off the lamp and climbing beneath the covers.
“Why are you still here?” She whispers the question, like suddenly because the room is dark, we need to be quiet. “You’re—you’re supposed to be on the couch.”
Taking advantage of the fact that she can’t see me, I lean in and plant a kiss on the top of her head. “Going to sleep,” I whisper back. “This is the master bedroom. I’m the master. Where else would I be?”
“Did you ju—don’t kiss me.” She huffs out a frustrated breath. “Stay on your side,” Nya orders as she begins erecting a wall of pillows between us.
“I thought we could cuddle?” I’m immensely grateful for the fact that she can’t see the smile tugging at my lips right now.
“We’re having dinner with Mami and Papi tomorrow night,” she says, ignoring my suggestion.
“Awesome.” They love me.
“Was that all of your stuff?” Her tone is annoyed, as she changes the subject from her devout Catholic parents who’ve always been on my side.
“Yep, all moved in.”
“You’ll probably want to go out and purchase a new Keurig tomorrow.”
“What? Why? Did you break my coffee machine?” Nya doesn’t like coffee. Can’t even stand the smell.
“It was red.”
Cohesion. I shake my head and laugh.
“It stuck out like a—”
“Let me guess. Like a sore thumb?”
“Precisely.” The top layer of her pillow fortress comes down and her head peeks over. “You’re not angry with me?”
With my eyes now adjusted to the darkness, I can clearly make out the lines of her face, her high cheekbones, and pouty lips. It takes every ounce of energy I possess not to pull her face to mine and press my lips to hers. “No, babe. I’m not mad.” I tuck a wisp of hair behind her ear.
“Damn,” she says, stuffing the pillow back in my face and turning toward the wall.
I choke on a laugh. “You were trying to piss me off?”
“Duh.”
A soft moan pulls me from sleep. It takes a moment for me to remember where I am and who the warm body pressed into my dick belongs to. I get a whiff of rose-scented shampoo—Nya. And at least for now, she belongs to me.
I look around to see that the barricade of pillows is strewn around the bed and floor.
The distance gone.
She rolls her ass into my hardon, riding me through our thin bedclothes. The erotic sound of her whimper has my pulse racing as I begin to move in time with her.
“Liam,” she moans.
“Nya.” I nibble her ear, and she suddenly bolts up like she’s been tasered.
“What the hell, Liam? Get off!”
“What? What the heck is wrong with you, woman? You were just all over me.”
She rises to her knees, rights her shorts, and appraises the situation. “Wh-where’s the wall?”
“The great wall of pillows?” I motion around the room where they’re scattered. “I had nothing to do with it—just woke up to your ass grinding on my dick.”
She looks absolutely horrified. Shame colors her features. “I must’ve gotten confused and thought you were Ryder.”
“Nice try, but you ain’t foolin’ anyone with that bull. You said my name.”
Her head slowly pivots side to side. “Impossible.”
“Oh, yeah. It sounded just like this. ‘Oh, Liam,’” I moan doing my best to imitate her accent when she says my name.
“I haven’t thought of you that way in years.” Her tone is indignant. She’s utterly horrified, and I must admit I’m thoroughly enjoying it.
“Really? Not even once since…” I trail off, remembering the night of Hannah and Greg’s wedding. Their marriage may have lasted less than a year, but that’s a memory that’ll be with me for the rest of my life. “The limo?”
“Yes,” she stammers. “Th-that time.”
“Liam,” Nya purrs, rounding the corner as I blow out a puff smoke. Her needy tone is one I remember well. To say I’m shocked that she followed me out here would be an understatement, despite the fact that I just left her dazed on the dance floor. Being so close to her after all these years proved to be too much. But she’s always the careful one. Always the one to pull away.
“What are you doing out here, Nya?” I ask, trailing the back of my hand up the length of her arm. She’s covered in goosebumps. “You’re freezing. Go inside. I’ll go back in a minute.”
“Liam,” she says again. “I—I need…”
“You need what?” I drop the cigarette I bummed from the groom, smashing it beneath the heel of my shoe. My eyes scan her from head to foot, and my throat goes dry. She is positively stunning in her black bridesmaid’s dress. A single strap leaves her left shoulder bare. It’s belted at the waist with a pink ribbon then flares out at the hips. Hips I’m fighting not to reach out and grab with both hands.
Moving closer, she presses her chest to mine. “You. It’s been so long.”
“Seven years…” I rest my arms on her shoulders, searching her eyes for any sign of hesitation, but all I find is my own desire reflected back at me. “You sure this is what you want?”
My ex-wife links her hands around my waist, pressing her lips to the side of my neck. “Please. Just once.”
My dick hardens beneath the sheets, my pulse quickening and breaths growing heavy as I replay that night in my head.
“You referring to the time I pulled your panties off with my teeth and you rode me on the back seat with the driver right on the other side of that limo glass?” The redness in her cheeks trails down her neck to her chest, disappearing beneath the low-cut neckline of her top. “You were so hot for me that night.”
“We’re not supposed to talk about it,” she says. “You promised.”
I shrug. “You’re the one who brought it up.”
Her eyes trail to the erection I’m doing nothing to hide.
“That too,” I add with a smirk. “Wanna do something about it?”
With that she snaps out of her trance and scrambles from the bed to the safety of the bathroom, leaving me to take care of myself. It’s not as difficult as usual to imagine her face as I fist my shaft and begin to stroke long and slow. Her scent lingers on the blankets and pillows beside me, further heating my blood. I close my eyes, increasing the pace. My skin feels electrified, tingling everywhere we touched. As my release juts out, filling my palm with its warmth, I have a vision of her on the other side of that door, moaning my name while she trembles against her fingers.
Nya
Ryder who?
I know I’m in trouble when we turn down Mami and Papi’s street and there are cars lining both sides of the road as far as I can see.
“Y’all didn’t tell me Lita and Abu were throwing a party!” Ellie unclamps her lap belt, and the car begins to rock as she bounces around in the back seat. “I hope we’re having tamales!”