12. Cheribelle #3
“Hey there,” I murmured, my mouth much drier than I had realized. Paul noticed—of course he did—and reached out, grabbing a mug of water off my desk against the wall. I shook my head when I recognized the spattered mug.
“That’s for my paintbrushes,” I explained when he sent me a concerned look.
“Ah,” he said, and after how intense he was while fucking my brains out, it was sweet to see him blush slightly. “Apologies.”
“It’s all right. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve sipped from a cup I wasn’t supposed to.” I managed a sort of breathy chuckle, my lungs burning, but the movement pulled at where we were tied.
That was a… strange sensation.
“Just another minute or two. I… uh, it’s been a while since I’ve…” he trailed off, and I got the idea he was a bit embarrassed, but he had no reason to be.
“Don’t worry, me too.”
We both went a bit quiet. I didn’t know where his head was, but I was still soaking in the afterglow.
But even with post-coital illumination, my back was starting to hurt from lying on the hard table, and my body told me I needed to relieve myself.
Not exactly the sexiest sensation, but a survival instinct I was grateful for.
Thankfully, only a few heartbeats later, I felt another slight tug, then Paul pulled out of me.
It was a strange but not unwelcome sensation to feel the mess I had become, and I was well aware that I would need to wipe down the table, but that could wait for the morning. For now, it was time to bask.
“Wanna clean up in the shower?” I asked. My voice was smaller than I’d expected it to be. I couldn’t say exactly why, but nerves suddenly welled up inside me. It seemed that the consequence-free bubble had burst, and now the reality of what we had done was setting in.
I wasn’t ashamed, but I did have to acknowledge that sleeping together, even if it was just venting some steam after nearly dying, had probably complicated things.
“Yeah, I wouldn’t mind that.”
“Okay, let me pop in there real quick and take care of myself, then it’s all yours.”
Sure, we could hop in there together, but for some reason, my brain categorized that as a couple thing. Intimate. Hooking up was one thing, but doing romantic things like sharing a hot, steamy, shower was another thing entirely.
“Are you sure you’re okay to walk?”
“Of course I am!” I said. But my mistake was declaring that with my full chest before getting on my feet. I hopped off the table, and I swore I would have faceplanted if Paul hadn’t caught me when my knees immediately gave out.
“Whoa. Here, let me help you to your bathroom.”
“You know what? I think that’s a good call.”
I’d expected him to wrap a hand around my naked waist and walk along with me. But that’s not what happened at all. No, he steadied me against the table long enough to tuck himself back into his pants and zip them up, then the next thing I knew, I was being picked up bridal-style!
While I wasn’t the most curvaceous woman, and I wasn’t that tall at about one inch shorter than the national average for women, it wasn’t like I was light .
With all sorts of different athletics, adventures, and various foibles I’d dabbled in over the years, I’d packed on a fair bit of muscle, making me more dense than anything else.
But Paul wasn’t acting like I was dense . No, he was acting like I was light as a feather. Easier than hauling in grocery bags all in one trip.
Once more, my stomach did that little flutter thing, and I had to sternly tell it to stop. Yeah, Paul and I had a great time together, but there were no romantic overtures from the handsome wolf. We were just two adults blowing off some steam.
Maybe even two friends?
Eh. Better not get too far ahead of myself.
“Second door on the left,” I said once we’re at the top of the stairs, and he continued to carry me to our destination like it was nothing. When he put me down, I found myself loath to let go, and my mind started to pluck up into its normal frenzy.
Come on, can’t I have a few minutes of peace?
I can’t believe I slept with him!
God, I’m gonna be sore tomorrow.
This was a mistake. That was so much fun!
I’m kind of thirsty.
Next time, lick his abs!
There’s not going to be a next time.
Well, the quiet had been nice while it lasted. Holding on to the door, I sighed a bit at the loss of my mental reprieve.
“Everything okay?” Paul asked. The concern in his voice was sweet. Never in a million years had I thought being caught in my lie and exposed for the fraud I was would result in me getting two rather fantastic orgasms, but I certainly wasn’t complaining.
“Yeah, I’m fine, just a little worn out,” I said, sending him a smile.
But there was something about the way he was looking at me, his face full of very real concern that I could see spilling into the already very full cloud around him.
How could he possibly care about me that much when I had tricked him?
I didn’t know. But I was incredibly grateful he was giving me a second chance I didn’t deserve.
And also, he was the first person since my mother that I’d been able to share so much of my gift with.
Perhaps that was pathetic. It had only been two drawings and a wordy explanation, but it meant a lot to me.
Still, as much as it meant, it was a bit too much. I felt too naked, in both the metaphorical and literal sense, and the maelstrom in my head was continuing to pick up speed. I wasn’t heading toward a total freakout, but I needed just a little space.
“Hey, do you think you could do me a favor?” I asked.
“Of course, what do you need?”
“Would you mind running down to the kitchen and grabbing me an energy drink? Also, get yourself anything you want. I know you wolves have high caloric needs. I’ve got some high-calorie bars for when I get stuck in a hyperfixation and forget to eat.”
“You want an energy drink this late?”
I frowned at him. “Yeah, why?”
“Uh, no reason. I’ll go do that while you take care of yourself here. Now that you mention it, I could use something to eat.”
“Yeah, I bet you could.” I winked, which was a tad awkward, so I ducked into the bathroom and shut the door. It was a temporary reprieve, but enough for me to get my thoughts in order.
I didn’t rush through what I needed to do, but I wasn’t exactly slow about it either. And the timing worked out well because I was only just wrapping myself in a towel when a soft knock sounded at the door.
“Coming!” I opened it and there was Paul with my energy drink, condensation beading on the sides of the can. “Ah, amazing!” I took it from him and cracked that bad baby open. Goodness knew that a good jolt of caffeine would help settle all the nerves seeping in. “Cheers!”
I chugged it down, enjoying the crisp, cold burn of it, less tasting it and more feeling it.
“Huh,” Paul said when I finished. I chose not to ask him what he meant by that.
“Here, let me get out of your way,” I said, fighting a yawn, but it still forced its way out of me. “I’m gonna go lie down. If you want to go, I understand. But if you want to crash here, you’re more than welcome. Tomorrow, we can re-figure out where we are with the case and what we want to do.”
“Really? You’re going to go to sleep?”
“I just came twice. I’m surprised I’m still lucid.”
“Right. I… I think it would be prudent for us to start off the morning with a fresh slate. I’ll wash up, then get some shut eye.”
“Sounds like a good idea. My door’s open,” I said before thinking about it.
If showering together was too intimate, too couple-y, then certainly sharing a bed overnight had to be too.
And yet I didn’t want Paul to just head out to his big mansion where he’d already lost so much. I wanted him safe with me.
“Thank you.”
“No problem.” I winked at him again, and this time it landed slightly better.
Paul chuckled before dipping into the bathroom, and I hurried to my bed.
Donning an oversized T-shirt and some boxers, I crawled under the covers as exhaustion began to lap at me. My sleep hygiene was terrible, but it had been a long time since I’d slumbered.
Still, as my eyelids grew heavy and my caffeine-induced slumber began to fall, I couldn’t help but wonder who would know anything about an assassin with no emotions, and if the Whisper was going to turn out to bite me in the ass.
I hoped not. Things were just starting to get good.