Chapter Twelve
She collapsed, spent, on the mattress, and he collapsed, equally spent, on her. They lay like that for she didn’t know how long, dozing under the weight of him, not caring that she couldn’t breathe very well, until he rolled off her with a ragged groan and staggered to his feet.
“Shit,” he said, weaving like a drunk. “Fuck. Bathroom.”
She waved an arm in the general direction. “That way.”
He stumbled over and opened her closet.
“Out there,” she directed. “Hall.”
“Oh.” He made it to the door, clung to the frame for a moment for balance, then disappeared.
She stared at the ceiling, listening to him bang around in her bathroom, and wondered if she should take the plug out of her ass.
She thought probably she should, but she didn’t have the energy to reach down and do it.
And anyway, she’d have go to the bathroom to clean it, and she sure didn’t have the energy for that.
Deciding that was a problem for post-nap-Chloe, she turned on her side and closed her eyes.
“Are you going to sleep?” Jesse asked, the mattress bouncing when he climbed on, and she opened her eyes to smile at him.
“Maybe. Did you find the bathroom?”
“Yeah. Brought you a present.”
She eyed the washcloth he held up. “What’s that for?”
“Cleaning up.”
“Oh. Thanks.” But when she reached for the cloth, he held it out of reach.
“Uh-uh. My job.”
Discomfort made her squirm. “Oh, that’s okay. I’ll just take a shower.”
“You’re half asleep,” he pointed out and swiped the cloth gently over her belly.
She couldn’t deny it felt good, soothing and refreshing. But when he dipped the cloth between her thighs, she stiffened.
He dropped a kiss on her belly button. “Just want to get the excess lube, sweetheart, so you can sleep easy.”
After a moment of hesitation, she spread her legs, and he swiped the cloth over her labia. She couldn’t deny it would be nice not to wake up sticky with dried lube, and since he’d used a lot of it, letting him clean it up seemed only right.
She’d nearly relaxed again when he shifted to grip the plug between her cheeks. “Whoa!” She sat up, grabbing his wrist. “What are you doing?”
“Taking the plug out.”
“Why?”
His brown eyes were serious. “Because if it gets too dry, it’s going to feel like sandpaper coming out.”
Okay, she didn’t want that. “I’ll do it. I have to clean it, anyway.”
“I’ll do that, too.”
“But—”
“This isn’t my first butt plug, Chloe,” he told her, amused.
She scowled. “Well, it’s my first. And what if…”
“What if, what?” he asked when she trailed off.
She wanted to bite her tongue off, but he was looking at her, waiting for an answer. “What if it’s, you know…”
“Less than pristine?” he ventured.
Her face was just going to burst into flames. “Yes.”
“Wouldn’t be the first time,” he said with a shrug. “Deep breath now, sweetheart.”
She obeyed automatically, hissing on the exhale when he pulled it out. “All done.” He kissed her again, distracting her while he used the cloth—cooler now—to gently wipe across her now empty asshole, then slipped off the bed. “Be right back.”
She fretted until he came back and lay down beside her. “Well?”
He propped himself up on his elbow. “Well, what?”
She wrinkled her nose at him. “You know very well, well what.”
He laughed. “Just lube, sweetheart.”
“Oh.” Relieved, she sighed. “Good.”
He grinned. “What would you have done if it was covered in shi—”
She jabbed a finger in his face. “Don’t say it.”
He kissed her fingertip, then lay down and gathered her in. “You know, if you’re so worried about it, I can give you some tips for a clean and enjoyable anal experience.”
“Tips would be good,” she decided.
“I’ll send you some links.”
“Okay.” She tilted her head to look up at him. “Do you have to go back next door?”
“Soon. I want some cuddle time first.”
“You do?”
“That surprises you?”
“A little, yeah.” She tucked her cheek against his chest. He was warm, and the heat generated by the orgasm was fading fast. “You don’t strike me as a cuddler.”
“On the contrary, I am a champion cuddler. You cold?”
She nodded, and he sat up to snag the blanket at the foot of the bed. He dragged it over them, tucking it around her, and settled back down. “Better?”
“Much. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. Tell me something.”
She turned into him, seeking more of his warmth. “Like what?”
“Anything.” He stroked his hand up her back under the blanket, trailing heat. “Something I don’t know about you.”
“Oh. Um, I had a pet spider in junior high.”
“A pet spider? Like a tarantula in a cage?”
She shook her head. “Like a house spider in my room.”
“What?”
She grinned into his chest. “We didn’t have AC, so I kept my windows open in the summer, and the window screen had a hole. Mosquitos kept getting in, and I’d wake up in the morning with bites everywhere.”
“So you brought in a spider?”
“The spider brought itself in,” she explained. “Built its web right over that hole in the screen, and ate like a king all summer long.”
“So how do you figure it was a pet?”
“I named it Steve and left it little bits of hot dog in case it didn’t get enough mosquitos.”
Jesse was silent for a moment, then asked, “Why Steve?”
She shrugged. “He looked like a Steve.”
“That’s delightfully weird.”
“I’m glad you think so.” She was quiet for a moment. “Jesse?”
“Hmm?”
“Knox wasn’t mad, earlier, was he?”
He shifted against her, and she looked up to see him looking down. “Not even a little bit.”
Relieved, she nodded. “I didn’t think so, but I wanted to be sure.”
“Be sure. He was definitely not mad.”
“Okay. Is he asexual?”
That startled a laugh out of him. “What? Why would you ask that?”
“Well, so far I’ve had sex twice, and you’ve had sex once, and he’s had sex not at all,” she explained and shrugged. “So, I wondered.”
“Okay, first, that’s not how asexuality works,” he told her. “And second, no, Knox is not asexual. He’s very much sexual. Trust me.”
“Then what’s with the not fucking?”
“Well, for one thing,” he mused thoughtfully, “Knox is like, mature and shit. He says he’s too old to think with his dick.”
“Can you be too old to think with your dick?” she wondered.
“I don’t think so,” he said, and she snickered. “But Knox does, so I think that’s part of it. Plus he’s got this thing, I guess you might call it a kink, for delayed gratification.”
“Really?”
“I say it’s a form of self-torture, but he says it’s just anticipation.” He looked at her. “You almost broke him today.”
She blinked. “I did?”
“When you said the plug sure felt bigger, and did that little ass wiggle.” Jesse grinned. “I thought he was going to jizz in his jeans.”
She giggled. “That’s when he got all stern.”
“So he wouldn’t lose it,” Jesse explained. “The closer he is to blowing, the sterner he gets. That goes for both dick and temper, by the way.”
“Ah…good to know.”
He just grinned and tugged her hair. “I should get back to work.”
“Okay.” Laying her head down on the pillow, she smiled. “Thanks for fucking my brains out.”
“It was my very sincere pleasure.” He bent to kiss her. “You going to nap?”
“I think so. I don’t have to be downstairs until four.”
He eyed her bedside clock, one eyebrow raised. “You’re going to sleep for three hours?”
“No, I’m going to sleep for two, then take a shower.”
“Fair enough.” He kissed her again, lingering over it. “I wish I didn’t have to go.”
“Same,” she sighed.
“Stay over tomorrow night.”
She blinked. “What?”
“Stay over,” he repeated. “You don’t have to work on Monday, right?”
“Right,” she said slowly. “But—”
“We’re putting in a full day at the restaurant—well, I am, anyway, and Knox has meetings, so we’ll be up and out early, but you can sleep as long as you like. In our bed.” He smiled. “I like the idea of you sleeping in our bed.”
She licked her lips. The nerves were back in her belly again, and she didn’t know why. “Shouldn’t you check with Knox first, make sure he’s okay with it?”
“Trust me, he’s fine with it,” he said. “What do you say?”
She took a deep breath. In for a penny, in for a pound. “Okay, but only if you let me bring dinner.”
He frowned. “You don’t have to feed us.”
She gave him her steeliest look. “That’s the deal, take it or leave it.”
“Knox will kill me if I agree to this.”
“No, he won’t. He loves you. Come on.”
“Fine. But only if you bring his favorite food.”
“Deal,” she promised. “What is it?”
“Fajitas.”
“Fajitas?”
“Tex-Mex style,” Jesse clarified. “He went to college in Houston.”
“Really? So did Carrie,” she said, then frowned. “There aren’t any Tex-Mex restaurants in Braxton.”
“I know.” Jesse patted her knee, then scrambled out of bed, laughing, when she tried to kick him.
“You set me up,” she accused.
“Yep,” he said cheerfully and picked up his jeans. “Don’t worry, we’ll order pizza.”
She watched him pull on his jeans, amused that he’d never taken off his socks. Neither had she. “Jesse?”
He hitched up his jeans, glanced up at her. “Yeah?”
She shook her head. “Nothing, never mind.”
“You’re tired.” He leaned over, skimmed a finger down her nose. “Get that nap, and I’ll see you tomorrow.”
She felt strangely near tears, but worked up a smile. “Okay.”
“And you should probably practice with the plug again in the morning,” he advised. “You know, just in case.”
Her brain just wasn’t working right. “Just in case?”
He winked. “Just in case Knox is ready to stop delaying his gratification.”
“Oh.” She absorbed the little shiver of desire, the pulse of arousal that went through her at the thought. “Right.”
He chuckled, dropped a kiss on her forehead, then bent to scoop up his boots. “Sleep well, sweetheart.”
“Bye,” she called softly, and listened to his footsteps through the apartment, the quiet snick and click of the front door opening and closing.
And stared at the ceiling for a good long while before sleep claimed her.
* * * *
“So you fucked Jesse, but not Knox.”
Chloe bit into her club sandwich. “Right.”
“And Knox was okay with this?”
Chloe shrugged. “Apparently.”
“And tonight you’re fucking both of them.”