For every stroke, I sucked him hard – he cursed or groaned every time. I channeled my breathing through my nose, so a pesky lack of air couldn’t get in the way of me trying my damndest to take him completely.
I was so close when he snatched me up from the floor.
“Bring your ass here,” he growled, his hand around my neck as he dragged my mouth to his, pressing his tongue between my lips to lap into me. He didn’t let up as he backed me toward the bed, not until the mattress hit the back of my legs. Then, he tossed me down, climbing over me to sink between my thighs in a deep stroke that pulled contented moan from both of us.
This was how it was supposed to be.
Not going through the motions, not waiting for it to be over, not being on guard in case you suddenly had to defend your life.
Just… pleasure. And connection. And relief.
And probably protection, but we’d ran out of that and promptly decided not to let it stop the show.
I wanted all of him, everything, with nothing between us.
Luckily, he was willing to give it.
“Shit,” he cursed, panting, his large body spread across my bed as he tried to catch his breath. “You trying to kill me or something?”
I chuckled, sitting up beside him and greatly enjoying the appreciation in his gaze as it dragged over my nude body. “Just making up for the time between when I wanted your dick and when you actually gave it to me.”
“I was trying to do the right thing.”
“So this wasn’t right?”
He scoffed. “It damn sure wasn’t wrong.”
“That’s what I thought,” I teased, leaning in for what I intended to be a quick press of our lips. Instead, he pulled me down against him, holding me close for a slow, perfect kiss that made me feel a little… dizzy.
Or something.
“Why are you doing me like this, knowing I need to get to the shop?” he asked against my lips, with his arm still tight around my waist.
“I didn’t realize I was doing anything.”
“You’re a little too fine,” he teased. “Making it very hard to stay out of you.”
He said that, but still found the discipline to extricate himself from the bed – likely only because he was expected at the tattoo shop. He needed to go home first, for fresh clothes and all that too, so I didn’t give a hard time about needing to go.
Besides… I probably already seemed pressed enough.
“Put something on so you can come lock the door,” he insisted, so I did, following him down the stairs to the candle shop. “Hey – I meant to ask you yesterday – why the wood wicks for the candles?” he asked, gesturing around us at the empty shelves, even though the ones we’d made were still in the workroom.
I shrugged. “It was really something I wanted to try. When you burn the candle, it makes a sound.”
“A sound?” he said, raising an eyebrow. “Why was my first thought of a candle screaming when you light it.”
“Definitely not that,” I laughed. “It’s like…”
“Spoken word or something? Candles spitting bars?”
“Shut up,” I giggled. “It’s like a crackling sound, like a fireplace, fool. Why would you even think about candles reciting poetry?”
“I was trying to figure it out,” he shrugged. “I’m thinking through the marketing plan. You said a sound, so shit, put those things up on open mic night, let’s sell some candles.”
“I really don’t like you,” I mused, grinning, as the thought of one of those damn candles, on a stool, behind a mic on stage played in my head. “Because now you’ve got me thinking of like… full on patchouli scent, making a candle that… smells like poetry. Which doesn’t even make sense.”
“It makes as much sense as you say it makes,” Tristan countered. “Smell and taste are interconnected, so…”
“Don’t encourage this. Cause now, I’m like… what if I make all the scents… poetic? The brand could be Wax Poetic. Or is that too corny?”
A little grin spread over his face. “Maybe I’m corny, cause… I actually kinda like it. But it also doesn’t matter. Do you like it?”
“I… do,” I admitted, wrinkling my nose as a wave of excitement rushed over me. It must’ve been really obvious on my face, because Tristan laughed, wrapping his arms around me in a hug.
“Congratulations baby,” he said, planting a kiss on my forehead.
“Baby?” I lifted an eyebrow, looking him the face. “You get some pussy and I’m not T, or Temp, I’m baby now?”
He bit his lip. “I mean… unless you’d rather me not—”
“No, it’s fine,” I assured him. “I… like that too.”
We said our goodbyes, and I let him go on his way while I tried my best not to fucking combust with happiness. Once the door was locked, I grabbed the mail that had been pushed through the slot, thumbing through it to make sure nothing of consequence was in there.
It was all junk, except for a copy of Sugar & Spice magazine.
The cover caught my attention because I recognized the couple – Kingston and Asha Whitfield, in a poker themed shoot. It was clear that Asha – the poker star – was the focus, since she was at the forefront, but Kingston sitting in the background, with their beautiful son in his lap, was not to be overlooked.
They were a beautiful family.
Alicia’s family.
I knew her story well, of having been liberated from the Garden and brought to Vegas to work in a security role for the Whitfield family. It had taken time – and therapy, she said – but eventually she’d come to a place where she could settle into normalcy, whatever that meant for her.
It really gave me hope that the same thing was in my reach too.
As if I’d thought her up, Alicia’s name and face came onto my screen as I headed back up the stairs to my apartment. I answered the call as I stepped through my door, headed straight for my favorite spot by the window.
“So he finally put you through the headboard like you wanted, huh?” Alicia asked, as soon as the call was connected and she could see me.
My mouth dropped open. “What?!”
She laughed. “You answered this phone smiling, hair all over your head, all kinds of hickeys on your neck and collarbone…”
“Yeah, he must’ve given her the business,” Dacia said, only the top half of her head coming into view as she peeked at the screen.
They both looked at me, expectantly, waiting for an answer I had no intention of giving… only I couldn’t actually help the big ass grin that spread over my face before I nodded, and they burst out laughing.
“I can’t even try to lie to y’all. He was amazing. It was amazing. Everything is amazing,” I gushed, and Alicia beamed at me from the screen.
“I’m so happy for you – and not because you got some dick,” she laughed. “You really seem to be settling into this little space you’ve been carving, and that’s a good thing.”
I sighed, then shook my head. “I dunno. It feels…. Too good to be true,” I confessed. “And I know, I’m not supposed to think like that, but I just… I’m trying to lean into the good, and enjoy it, but I’m worried something else is around the corner.”