Sweeter Than Fiction

Chapter Twenty-two

Abby

There’s a boy in my bed.

Holy shit.

No, scratch that.

There’s a man in my bed.

A very attractive man who fucked me senseless last night.

Twice.

When I woke up, everything from last night came rushing back to me. Every sexy, wonderful detail.

I was lost inside my dirty thoughts when I felt one of his big arms wrap around me from behind. Still asleep, he holds me close.

Although he told me he was staying the night, I half-expected to wake up and find him gone.

But here he is.

This is a big deal to me—maybe even bigger than the sex. I’ve never had a man sleep next to me. After my past sexual encounters, I always just wanted them to get as far away from me as possible. Even the guys I dated for a little while never stayed. We each had our own space, and I liked it that way.

But with Don, something feels so different. I’m not in a hurry for him to leave. Maybe it’s because I’m still in a post-orgasm haze.

Or the fact that Don is a literal book boyfriend. I swear a woman had to have dreamed him up in her head. I roll over to look at him and see that he still looks damn near perfect. How do you look that good first thing in the morning?

I resemble ten miles of bad road.

Since I already have to pee, I decide to freshen. As gently as I can, I slip out of bed, careful not to wake up Don.

I quietly pad down the hallway to the bathroom. Once inside, I take a look in the mirror.

Oh, good grief, Abby. Looking like the crypt keeper.

I quickly run a brush through my sex hair and put some cream on the tiny bags under my eyes.

I then put on some deodorant and brush my teeth. After I do my business, I go back to bed to climb into the spot I just left.

This time, I must not be as gentle, though, because Don asks, “Are you okay?”

“I’m good,” I reply. “Just had to pee.”

He holds open the blanket for me. “Get back here.”

I scoot closer to him so that we are facing each other. I lay my head against his chest as he wraps his arms around me. How is it that we had sex twice, got all sweaty, and he still smells amazing?

I’m not really tired, but I’m not ready to get up yet either. This feels too nice.

I’ll just lie here and think about how wonderful last night was. Don made me come like he was turning on a freaking faucet. If that is how good it can be when he’s tame, I can only imagine how much better it can get. Maybe I’d be open to trying more with him. We could try all the things I’ve always thought about but never been comfortable enough to do.

That is if Don still wants to continue on with this thing—whatever this thing is.

What is this thing?

Are we dating?

Are we friends with benefits?

Are we just neighbors who fucked?

And where do we go from here?

The questions fly through my mind faster than I can even process.

What happens if this doesn’t work out?

Do we stay friends?

Do we stay neighbors?

Suddenly, my relaxing morning in bed has just become very stress-filled. I wish I could be the woman who just says, “Let’s just see what happens.”

But I know myself better than that. This will be literally all I think about until I get some answers and clarification.

“Don,” I whisper.

Nothing.

A little louder this time. “Don.”

Still nothing.

I gently poke my finger into the side of his cheek. “Donovan.”

That gets me a sleepy, “Yes, Abigail?”

“I need to talk to you.”

With his eyes still closed, he replies, “I’m listening.”

Knowing I’m about to sound a little crazy, I say, “Yeah, that’s not going to work for me. Can you sit up?”

He does as I ask, rubbing his eyes before opening them up to look at me. “Okay, beautiful. I’m all yours. What’s up?”

“What is this?”

Confused, he asks, “What is what?”

“This thing that you and I have going on. Are we dating? Are we just screwing? Was last night a one-and-done?”

“Obviously not. We’ve already done it twice.” He smiles.

When he sees how freaked out I am, his tone changes to a more serious one. “Sorry. I was just trying to make you laugh. Abby, what do you want to happen between us?’

“Uhm.” I think. “Well, I know I’d like the sex to happen again. That was fun...and incredible. And I love spending time with you. But I also know that I’m kind of crazy and set in my ways. I’ll probably bug the shit out of you, and you’ll get sick of me. I have a lot of quirks.”

“Abs, let me tell you something. During the time you and I have been hanging out, I have seen a lot of your quirks. I see you bite your nails. I see the routines you follow each night. And I see how nervous and uncomfortable you get when those routines are altered.”

“How—”

“I pay attention. And we were hanging out just as friends, you didn’t try to hide anything. I saw all that stuff, and it didn’t at all alter how I feel about you. I like your quirks.”

I pause for a moment to gather my thoughts. “What would you call this thing? I don’t know if my brain can handle just winging it. I do better when things are a bit more clear-cut.”

He smiles, much to my surprise. “You’re cute when you get all flustered.”

“Thank you,” I mumble. “But that’s not an answer.”

“You’re right. It’s not.” He pauses, and I brace for the inevitable. “Abby, I would love for you to be my girlfriend.”

The words catch me completely off-guard. “Huh?”

He says it again. “I would love for you to be my girlfriend.”

“Are you sure? Because I—”

He interrupts me with a kiss. “Abby, will you be my girl?” he speaks each word between gentle pecks.

How in the world can this be my life right now? How can this gorgeous man want to sweep me off my feet and be so incredible?

I still have my doubts, but for once, I am choosing to ignore them.

Or at least try to.

“Yes, I will be your girlfriend.” He grins and moves in to give me another kiss. This time, it’s quite a bit more passionate. When he pulls back, he looks confused.

“Why is your breath so minty fresh?”

“Uh…”

“Did you get up before me to brush your teeth?”

“Maybe.”

He pushes a strand of hair out of my face. “You don’t have to do that, you know? I have bad breath in the morning just like you.”

“I doubt it. You’re too perfect. I bet you don’t even sweat, and your semen probably tastes like chocolate.”

His lips pull up into a crooked smile. “Want to find out?”

I give him a playful smack on the shoulder. “Oh, hush.”

“Can I ask you something?”

“Sure,” I agree.

“Why didn’t you want me to go down on you?”

I knew this was going to come up.

“I had a bad experience.”

“Do you want to tell me about it?”

I pause for a moment. “One time, I was with a guy who went on and on about how much he loved to do it. Made it a point to tell me that it was his favorite thing. Blah, blah, blah. When he actually did it to me, though, he acted repulsed. Said I smelled bad, tasted bad, and everything else. Every time since then, I’ve been too self-conscious to get any kind of pleasure out of it. There’s no way I can clear my head enough to come.”

Without any hesitation, Don says, “What a dick.”

“Well, yeah.” I laugh.

“I’m not going to sit here and bullshit you and say that eating pussy is my favorite thing to do. I much prefer sex, where both of us can get off. That being said, I do love making women come with my tongue. It’s hot as fuck. As for you worrying how it smells or tastes, it’s a vagina. It’s going to smell and taste like one. Sounds like that asshole was all talk. When you didn’t immediately come after a few licks, he tried to put the blame on you.”

When I don’t immediately reply, he adds, “One day, if you’re comfortable enough, I’d love to show you how good it can be.”

“Yeah, one day.” I agree. “While we’re on the subject of traumatic sexual events, I may as well lay it all out. Once, I was sucking a guy’s dick, and he shoved my head down so hard that I gagged and threw up all over him.”

“Abs, what kind of guys have you been with?”

“Ugh. Don’t even get me started.”

He tucks a strand of hair behind my ear.

“Well, be prepared for me to show you that not all men are the same. I’ll do my best to not let you down.”

Over the years, I’ve all but given up on the opposite sex. Before my awful date with Justin, I hadn’t gone out with anyone in years. The date reminded me why.

But even after all the shit I’ve been through, I believe what Don is saying to me. I decide to trust him.

I just really hope that doesn’t come back to bite me in the ass.