Chapter 44 Sweet, sweet fantasy, baby
FORTY-FOUR
Sweet, sweet fantasy, baby
LILA
Contrary to popular belief, cuckoo birds aren’t silly little things that live a life of whimsy and mild hysteria.
Most cuckoo species are parasitic. Not the blood-sucking type.
They’re brood parasites, which means they lay their eggs in nests of other birds, stashing them in there and hoping nobody notices.
That way, they don’t have the burden of raising their young.
Some will lay their eggs in multiple nests to increase the chance of their species continuing. I guess that’s a divide and thrive approach, as opposed to divide and conquer.
Like many humans, cuckoos live by selfishly asking, why do the heavy lifting yourself when you can make someone else do it?
Anyhow.
As I retrieve jammies from my overnight bag, I realize I don’t know who the bigger cuckoo is—Kenzie or me?
Kenzie has depended on me for years, using my devotion to our friendship to get me to do her dirty work. Often literally.
I clean the apartment, do the grocery shopping, unload the dishwasher, take out the trash, and even do her laundry if she leaves it piled up for too long.
I pay the bills, call the handyman when something needs repair, and remind her to schedule doctor appointments.
For goodness sake, if it weren’t for me, she’d still be using the same toothbrush she had when we were kids.
And I could go on.
I’m just as bad, though. Only I’m an emotional clinger.
From the day we met, I revered Kenzie as my missing piece. I latched onto her, holding on with all my might. All so I would never have to feel alone.
For years, I’ve planned my life around her, always tiptoeing around her moods so as to not upset her and sacrificing my own needs in the process. And I’ve gleefully let her fight my battles since the first day we met on the zoo field trip.
Heck, I don’t even watch television without her. She made me wait a month before we finally watched the Game of Thrones finale. By then, I already knew it was a total disappointment thanks to internet spoilers.
Our co-dependency is glaringly obvious at this point. One day of not speaking has her blowing up phones all over town. I caused that.
I built a relationship with her that’s so clingy I can’t take a day to myself without her knowing something is wrong. Because she knows I never put anything else above her. Least of all, my own happiness.
I bet that’s why she drove a wedge between Reed and me. If I had him, she figured I wouldn’t be hers anymore.
While it’s nice to be wanted, this isn’t the way.
I don’t want to be a cuckoo anymore. And I mean that in the slightly derogatory straitjacket way as much as the parasitic bird way.
“All ready for you, cookie,” Reed calls from the bathroom.
My heart flutters as I eagerly let him bring me out of my doom spiral.
As part of his full-scale assault on my heart, he insisted on getting the bath ready for me. Then again, he probably wanted to get away from me in case I ended up raging at him next. I’ve been through most other emotions this evening, so that one is bound to show up soon.
I amble into the bathroom and freeze. My pajamas slip from my hands, falling to the floor. I think my jaw is also down there somewhere.
Blinking, I take it all in with astonishment.
Reed’s gone all out to set the mood. He’s lit candles and has soft jazz music playing. The bath is full of bubbles. It smells heavenly in here.
And that’s not all.
He’s buck naked with his rippling muscles, tattoos, and thick dick on display. This man is so fine it should be illegal.
Best of all, he’s holding a big fat peanut butter cookie.
I don’t know what I want to put in my mouth first. The cookie or the cock. I wonder if I could fit both of them in there. I’d call it a cockie.
He grins seductively. “I hope you don’t mind if I join you in the bath.”
I tear my gaze away to peek at the tub. It’s pretty flipping spacious, so we’ll fit without it being uncomfortable. “No. I don’t mind.”
If this is what happens after I scream-laugh-cry in front of him, then I’m willing to accept the consequences of my actions.
Hungrily, I look him up and down, feeling my heart rate spike and warmth spread throughout my core. I blink twice, then eat him up with my eyes again. Then once more, just in case he’s a mirage.
For some dumb reason, my eyes end up lingering on the cookie instead of the kidney crusher dangling from his crotch. Either because I’m shy or hungry.
His lip juts into a slight pout, holding the cookie out for me. “I got you a treat for being such a good girl tonight.”
Of course he did.
My feet launch me across the room toward him. Or perhaps I’m floating on a cloud of desire. A little lustful levitation, if you will. “I take back my earlier objection. I’ll hire movers in the morning.”
He presses his ripped body against me, wrapping a strong arm around my waist. And I’m home.
The sexy tease lowers his mouth to mine, but he doesn’t kiss me like I want him to. Instead, he stuffs the cookie in my mouth like it’s a ball gag. So I do what anyone would do in this situation. I take a big bite and try to chew it through a laugh.
I do wish I would have gotten a kiss before the treat, though. He hasn’t kissed me since he cleared the conference room at his job to comfort me. That was forever ago. If he wasn’t naked and about to join me in the tub, I’d have worried he was already losing interest.
I lick the delicious crumbs off my lips. “That’s a gooood cookie. Not as good as your mom’s, though. Can I eat the rest later?”
He stares longingly at my mouth. “Whatever you want, Lila.” After a heated moment, he slips away, taking the cookie with him. He places it on the bathroom counter on top of a tissue, then reaches his hand out for me.
Before I take it, I dash over to the sink for a swig of mouthwash. There’s no way I’m not kissing him once I get in that bubble bath. And hopefully, we’ll do more than that. A peanut butter cookie kiss sounds heavenly to me, but probably not as appetizing to others.
When I turn off the faucet, I notice a bottle of bright red nail polish on the counter. “Um, Reed?”
“Yeah?”
I twirl the bottle between my fingers and pin him with a curious glare.
“Anything you need to tell me? I never took you for a nail polish man. It wouldn’t turn me off, per se.
However, if you wear women’s panties, it might be a different story.
Not to say I’m against that either. We should just talk it through first to avoid surprises. ”
His broad shoulders shake with silent laughter as he takes the bottle from me and sets it aside. “It isn’t for me.”
My stomach does a flip-flop-thud. “Hmm. I know we didn’t put a label on this thing between us, but I’m not a fan of sharing you with other women.”
He grins animatedly, flashing his obscene dimples at me. “When I bought the cookie, I also bought the polish for you.”
I glance at my fingernails. “You don’t like this peach color?”
“Oh, I love it. But I have a little fantasy I was hoping you’d fill for me with that color polish.” His hands find the hem of my top. “Arms up. You should be naked too.”
I comply, and he pulls it over my head, then moves on to my bottoms. Sure, I could do this myself. But I’m a giver at heart. If he wants to undress me, it would be rude of me to object.
“What kind of fantasy?” I ask as he leads me into the tub by my hand.
After wordlessly directing me to sit between his legs and rest my back against his chest, he whispers into my ear. “I want to see how sexy your hand looks wrapped around my cock with your fingernails in harlot red.”
His words electrify me, which is hazardous since we’re soaking in liquid. “Oh.”
“And I want your toes painted in that same slutty red when I have your feet on my shoulders.”
“Oh.”
I’m one of the great orators of our time.
He kisses my ear, then moves to the other side of my neck. “In fact, do you still have that ankle bracelet you used to wear?”
Hearing the gruffness blend with the velvet in his tone while this close to my eardrum might cause a spontaneous orgasm.
“I haven’t worn an anklet in ages.”
“Pity. I’ll have to get you a new one. That’ll complete my fantasy. I’ve lost count of how many times over the years I’ve fucked my fist while envisioning it.”
Considering how long it’s been since I bothered with most jewelry, I can’t help but ask, “How long have you had this fantasy?”
“You want the truth?”
“I’m offended you even need to ask.”
His laugh rumbles from deep in his chest, vibrating along my spine. “The first time was the night I came home from college. You had on a silver ankle bracelet. Sexy bare feet and that damn red toenail polish. Fuck, I wanted to sneak you into my room that night so badly.”
If he’s being honest, I can too. “I thought about knocking on your door a dozen times.”
“I wish you had. Instead, I made myself come twice in an attempt to banish the mental image. Knowing you were in the room beside me made it even hotter. No matter how many times I came, it wasn’t enough.”
I’m so glad we’re in a bathtub. Otherwise, he’d probably be able to see the wet spot between my legs.
As if he’s aiming to give me a hands-free orgasm, he growls against my neck. “It was never enough, cookie.”
I peek over my shoulder at him. “Remind me to tell you my anklet size later so we can see if the real thing holds a candle.”
He kisses the tip of my nose. “I have no doubt it’ll be even better.”
I rest my head against his chest, sinking lower into the water. “You’re a charmer.”
From behind me, I sense his frame relax. “Nope. Just a man in love.”
We unwind together, lazing in warm, bubbly nirvana. It’s precisely what I needed after this arduous day.
The water is the perfect temperature to soothe every muscle in my body. And having Reed with me, loving me this way, does the same thing to my heart.
He gently skims his hands along my arms, bringing them to rest around my shoulders. And he starts giving me a massage.