Chapter 10
Chapter Ten
Case
“That was… wow,” she says, her leg still across my hips, one breast pressed against my chest, the other drawn by gravity to turn away, forcing me to reach across her bare torso and hold it.
Just hold it, nestled softly in my palm.
My wrist rises and falls with her steady breath as I watch her. Her make-up is long gone, lashes fluttering as she smiles, lips pulled into a grin by the sheer pleasure we’ve just given each other.
I could sit and watch her forever. Breathe with her forever. Think about her…
Forever.
“Wow?” I whisper under my breath, a glow coming over me, fierce and strong. “Define ‘wow.’”
“Doesn’t the word speak for itself?” She pulls her leg off my hips, sliding it close to her other leg, then curls up against me, hand on my chest. The warmth of her skin against my ribs, how soft she is, how her hair pools on my shoulder all make me inhale deeply, like I’m breathing her in.
All of her. Every bit I can get.
“No,” I say softly, covering her hand with mine. “I need metrics.”
“Metrics?”
“Right. Is that ‘wow' a ‘wow, I only orgasmed eight times and Case is capable of ten’ or ‘wow, he’s the best ever and I’m ruined for all other bed partners’?”
“Wow,” she says, low and deep, her voice turning into a delightfully throaty chuckle. “Someone’s confident. Plus, all that yoga makes you strong,” she says, mirth in her voice. “I need better core strength.”
“Your core is fine. I think you sucked me in so hard at one point I had to grab the headboard to hold on for dear life.”
I’m still inside her, so when she laughs, that ends as I plunk out, chuckling with her. We’re dirty and crude, slippery and open and I fucking love every minute of it.
“You’re unlike anyone I’ve ever slept with.”
“Sarah,” I say, pulling her on top of me as she squeals, her skin so perfect in my hands as I slap her ass and press her against me. That honey hair spills down into my eyes and as she pushes it away, I see my future, a smiling face with mischievous eyes.
“What?”
“You have this way of saying things that could go either way.”
“I like sleeping with you, Case,” she says, then kisses me sweetly, a peck on the lips that feels so pure. “You blow my mind. I didn’t know it could be like this.”
“Other than the part about liking sleeping with me, you’re doing it again.”
Her hand slides under the sheet and finds me. “You want to do it again?”
I roll on top of her, her hand moving away, as I kiss her, her tongue sharp and hard before it melts under the kiss. “I want to know if you like this as much as I do.”
“Case,” she says, one hand cupping my stubbly jaw. “You want to know if I like you as much as you like me.”
“Yes.”
“I do.”
“There. Was that so hard?”
Her thigh rises against my cock. “ That is hard.”
“For you. That’s all about you. Now, about that ‘wow’ metric…”
“I need water.”
“For what?”
“Lube,” she says sarcastically, making a zing shoot through my blood as she climbs out of bed, giving me an outstanding view of that ass. It’s not the bon mot that’s so amusing, but more that it came out of Sarah’s mouth. She’s so unassuming when she’s not naked in bed with me, so there must be something about sex that brings out this side of her.
Need to keep her naked, then.
“You thirsty?” she asks as she walks to the doorway, stops, and turns, one hand on the doorjamb.
I point at my cock. “Isn’t it obvious?”
“You drink with that ? Is that what the hole on top is for? You do a little Kegel and suck it in?”
“We need to do an extensive anatomy lesson if you think that’s how a penis works.”
“You conducted a refreshingly thorough anatomy lesson just now, Mr. Willingham.”
On that note, I climb out of bed and join her, grabbing her from behind and making her shriek as I kiss her neck, that sweet, supple flesh warm against my front.
“Water is in the fridge,” I whisper as she swallows, a dry click in her throat.
“I’m parched. You dehydrated me.”
“How on earth did I do that?”
“Didn’t you notice how wet I was?”
I turn her around in my arms, smoothing her hair off her face, transfixed. She’s stunning.
“You are nothing but compliments, Sarah.”
“Easy to compliment you when you’re phenomenal.” The words come out in a hush, our eyes locked, and I can tell she feels it, too. I can’t explain it, can’t define it, and frankly, I don’t want to. Once I put it into words, something is lost.
I refuse to lose even a single drop of this.
“Case,” she says, suddenly serious. “I – ”
Cutting her off with a kiss means I don’t have to think about my lies. Don’t have to feel the growing guilt. Don’t need to think about Chakroga123, how tangled my relationship with her is.
Twisted, even.
This is a clusterfuck. There is no other better word to describe it. While I enjoy the fucking part of it, the cluster of terrible conflicts is causing me unbearable pain.
Keeping the truth from her makes me a giant jerk. I pride myself on living life with a moral core.
Not lying to people.
And certainly not lying to people I care about this much.
Sarah breaks the kiss, pats my chest, then walks into the kitchen. I grab the donut box and follow. She opens the fridge like she belongs here, and pulls out two small sparkling waters. “Want one?”
“Yes. Thanks.”
We stand in my kitchen, bare as can be, and rehydrate. It’s dark outside, the city lights providing a colorful display behind sheer curtains, but Sarah is the best view of all.
“Case, I have a confession.” Her voice shakes slightly as she looks at me.
Then lets out a frat-boy burp.
“Oh!” she peeps afterwards, covering her mouth with her hand, giggling. “Sorry.”
“That was quite a confession.”
“That was bad timing.”
I suppress the urge to one-up her burp. “What’s the real confession?”
“I know more about you than you think.”
Oh, baby. That makes two of us.
“You do?”
“You’re one of Boston’s most eligible bachelors.”
“That stupid magazine article.”
“You own a bunch of Chakroga123s.”
“I do. For now.”
“For now? What does that mean?”
“I’m selling them all. Twenty days until the deal closes.”
Her head reels back slightly. She’s a terrible liar, so I can tell this really is news to her. “Really?”
“Mmm hmmm.”
“Why?”
“I’m done with the industry.”
“Any specific reason?”
“You sound like an investigative reporter, Ms. Gorenta.”
My words make her jolt. “Why would you say that? I’m so sorry. I don’t mean to pry.” Evasive yet blushing, she’s so intriguing. I can feel her inner conflict radiating off that glowing skin.
My own inner tension is pretty intense as well.
“You can ask me anything, Sarah. Would you really like to know why I’m selling?”
“Yes, but you don’t have to - ”
“Because I want to cash out. Leave the business world. Take my profit, get out. I’m done with the rat race.”
This is not entirely true, but she started it. If we’re going to give halfway confessions, it’ll do.
The real reason is that Prakash Shanti is engaged in some shady financial dealings and I want nothing to do with the company if his shenanigans are made public. I can’t control what he does, but I’ll be damned if the taint of his emerging scandal is going to ruin everything I’ve worked for.
And I know that his financial corruption is what Sarah is investigating right now.
What a predicament.
She’s lying to me about what she really knows about me and my business. I’m lying to her about knowing what she’s doing, and about the true reason I’m selling. Layer after layer of lies all pile on top of each other, every hour that passes making those layers so thick, they suffocate.
How can we look into each other's eyes and lie like this?
And yet here we are.
Doing it.
“What will you do after?”
“Retire.”
“ Retire? You’re so young.”
“I am. But I’m also done with the corporate world. Once the sale clears, I’ll have enough for – ” I almost say Jared and the kids – “ plenty for me to live and help some family members.”
She looks around my apartment. “I’m guessing you’ve planned for everything. You clearly have an aptitude for business.”
“I’ll sell this place.”
“Sell? You own it?”
I nod. “Condo. Bought low, selling high.”
“Wow.”
“Is that the same ‘wow’ on the sexual scale?”
“This is a more normal ‘wow.’ I’m a little intimidated by you, Case. It’s like being with a real grown-up.”
“I do my best to hold up the facade. Glad to see it’s working.”
Her expression changes, her eyes glistening. Is she about to cry? What did I say to make her cry ?
“You’re a good man. A deeply good man who clearly loves people hard . That’s a grown-up. That’s more than most grown-ups I know. You’re really something else.”
How can you answer something like that with anything but a kiss?
Tender and sweet, this kiss feels even more dangerous than any of the hundreds we’ve shared over the last two days. This kiss is about being vulnerable. About telling the truth, even if it’s not the entire truth. Little by little, Sarah is getting into areas inside me that no one’s touched before.
I sense this is a two-way street.
We’re still naked, and as we kiss her belly presses against mine, her knee slipping between my legs, my hands cradling her face, her arms wrapped around my waist. All the ghosts of past selves swirl around me, too many memories flashing through my mind, some of them emotional, all of them a bit empty.
Until now.
I feel full and rich, not with money.
With happiness.
“Hey,” she murmurs against my lips, “where are the rest of the donuts?”
“The ones I didn’t use to decorate your gorgeous tits?”
Her stomach growls. “Yes.”
“You’re still hungry?”
“We burned a lot of calories in the last hour or so.”
I slap her ass, just enough to make her yelp, fire in her eyes when she looks back at me.
“How about we burn even more?”
“I need carbs, Case.”
Reaching around her, I slide the donut box across the counter, opening it and pulling out a pumpkin donut.
“I am going to guess this is your second favorite,” I say, holding it up to her mouth as she takes a big bite, the glaze gathering at the corners of her mouth, her smile dopey and happy.
“Mmmm.”
I take my own bite, marveling at the flavor. Making fun of “Dunkie’s” is a pastime for me at this point, but I have to admit their stupid donuts are delicious, even if the coffee tastes like watered-down cardboard.
She turns away from me, taking her green water bottle and filling it from the water tap at the sink, swallowing half the small bottle before aggressively snapping her teeth near my hand.
“More.”
“Maybe that’s how you got that bite mark on your thigh,” I tease, holding the remnant of the donut above her head. I’m tall enough and she’s not wearing heels, so there’s no way she’ll reach.
“Hah. I’m not that bendy.”
“I beg to differ. That little 69 maneuver of yours was impressive.”
She snorts and whines, somehow doing both at the same time, managing to be adorable in the process. “Come on, Case. I want that last bite. So good.”
“I have all the power,” I inform her as she reaches for my armpit and tries to tickle me.
It doesn’t work.
“Oh my God!” she gasps. “You’re stoic!”
“No. Just not ticklish.”
“How can you not be ticklish? Everyone is ticklish!”
“Not me.”
“I’m wicked ticklish.”
“You’re wicked cute.”
She gives me big, cute eyes and whispers, looking at the donut. “Please.”
“Why don’t you look at me like that when we’re in bed?”
“Like what?”
“Like I’m the most delicious thing in the world.”
“When your cum tastes like a donut, let’s talk, buddy.”
With no other choice, I eat the final bite, Sarah groaning in sadness.
“Now I increase the chances of my cum tasting like a donut,” I mutter around my mouthful of cake, suddenly struck by the thought of my father’s reaction to my talking with my mouth full. Proper English dad and all that.
Quit thinking about Dad, dumbass, I chide myself.
“Nothing will ever make jizz taste like a donut,” she says, reaching into the box to find a Boston cream, tearing the top from the bottom, then sucking all the custard out of the middle with as much noise as she could possibly make.
“Is it really that bad? You seem to enjoy swallowing.”
“I never said it was bad. Just that it cannot compare with a yummy donut.”
“You have a savory taste,” I tell her, nuzzling her neck as the delightful aroma of chocolate floats past my nose. “Fresh and viscous, sensual and secretive.”
“How can I taste like a secret?”
“You’re my little secret. When I’m licking your clit, you’re inviting me into your private world. I get to give you pleasure.” I sigh against her neck. “Nothing gives me more pleasure than offering it to you.”
An emotion I cannot name ripples across her beautiful face, something open and free, loving and shocked. Her hand finds mine and suddenly, she’s drawing me back to the bedroom.
“Where are we going?” I ask as I watch her hips move with a languid grace, swallowing my mouthful of pumpkin.
“I need to do a taste comparison,” she says, reaching for me, turning around and dropping to her knees. “For research.”
“For research,” I groan as my fingers slide into her hair.
God bless Dunkie’s.