Chapter 8 #2
I stood before him completely bare while he gazed down at me with lust-filled eyes, and in a blink, I found myself lying on the bed with Thatch hovering above me, lowering his mouth to my breast.
His warm tongue flicked over my nipple, and a knowing smile crossed his face as he watched my back arch towards him.
He knew he was teasing me in a way that drove me wild, and he continued for several seconds before moving to the other side.
A rush of pleasure flooded every part of my body with each sweep of his tongue.
I ran my fingers through his hair and whimpered. “Thatch.”
Ever so slowly, he trailed a line of delicate kisses down my stomach, making me gasp with anticipation.
My legs instinctively fell open as I closed my eyes and waited for his touch.
My muscles tensed, and my breath quickened as he lingered above me, using only the heat of his breath to caress my skin.
His fingers softly swept across my inner thighs, teasing me as they drifted closer. I tried to contain myself, but it was all too much. I needed more. My hips inched forward as I urged him on. With a devious chuckle, he took the hint and brushed the flat of his tongue hard against me.
Thatch’s touch was firm and demanding like a man possessed as his warm, wet mouth clamped down around me. Jolts of desire surged throughout my body. I could barely take a breath when his fingers drove inside me, twisting and turning in a way that made every nerve in my body tingle.
With each swirl of his tongue and flick of his fingers, he brought me closer and closer to the edge; it wouldn’t be long before those euphoric, tingling sensations took over my body.
“Oh, God.” I panted as his tongue raked against me.
My hips jerked forward as my body clenched tightly around his fingers.
After a few more grazes of his tongue, my orgasm took hold.
My fingers tangled in his hair as I held his head shamelessly in place while he continued to tease me, intensifying the feeling.
“Yes, yes, yes,” was all I could muster as the waves of pleasure crashed over me.
I was still fighting to catch my breath when Thatch suddenly stood up and removed the rest of his clothes.
His eyes never left mine as he slipped on a condom, then eased back onto the bed, centering himself between my thighs.
As I wound my arms around his neck, his body pressed against mine, and my breath caught.
Knowing there were times when I struggled with being confined, he immediately froze and looked down at me with worry in his eyes. “You good?”
“Mm-hmm.” I nodded. My breath hadn’t caught out of fear. It was pleasure—pure, unadulterated pleasure. “I’m more than good.”
I inched my hips forward and shuddered when he finally slid deep inside me. I was in absolute heaven, and he was just getting started. Each move was meticulously slow but forceful, making every nerve in my body tingle in ecstasy.
“Fuck.” He groaned as I tightened around him. He reached for my hair, giving a firm tug as he found that hard, steady pace I loved, and I met his every thrust with an eager snap of my hips.
He quickened his pace, thrusting faster and slamming into me more forcefully than before.
With my head arched back against the pillow and my nails digging into his lower back, I could feel the pressure building.
“Yes! Don’t stop!” I moaned and writhed beneath him as wave after wave of pleasure crashed over me.
“You feel so fucking good,” he growled while watching me completely fall apart.
The sound of Thatch’s body pounding against mine echoed throughout the room, and after one final thrust, his muscles tensed, and he came deep inside me. He took a deep breath, releasing it slowly as he pulled away from me, tossed the condom in the trash, and lowered himself onto the bed.
I placed my hand on his chest and felt the rapid beat of his heart against my palm. We lay there in silence for several minutes before he turned to me. “Damn, if I’d known I’d get this kind of response, I would’ve shaved months ago.”
“I love the new look, but I loved the beard, too.”
“Oh, so you’re saying I should grow it back?”
“Nooo.” I leaned up on my elbow and smiled. “I’m not saying that at all.”
“Point taken.” He glanced over at me. “I hope this didn’t mess up your dinner plans.”
“I didn’t really have a plan. I just made chicken and dumplings.”
“Chicken and dumplings? Damn, that sounds pretty good.”
“I’ve got cornbread, too.” As much as I loved laying there curled up next to him, I hadn’t eaten all day, so I suggested, “I could always run downstairs and warm some up for us.”
“And we could finish our movie.”
“Oh, yeah. We definitely could.”
“Then, I’m in.”
He leaned over and kissed me on the forehead, then got up and slipped on his boxers. He was about to put on his jeans when I got up and gathered my clothes, then slipped off to the bathroom. I cleaned up a bit, then quickly got dressed.
By the time I stepped out of the bathroom, Thatch was already dressed and waiting for me. “You all set?”
“Yep, you?”
“Oh yeah, but I gotta warn ya ... I worked up quite an appetite.”
“Well, by all means, let’s get you fed.”
Thatch followed me downstairs, and after reheating everything, I made us both a plate of dumplings and vegetables while he took care of our drinks. We sat down at the table, and neither of us spoke for several minutes as we both dug into our food.
I was pleased that everything turned out even better than I’d hoped, and Thatch seemed to really like it. He’d practically inhaled the first helping of dumplings and was reaching for a second when a strange expression crossed his face. Concerned, I asked, “What?”
“Can I ask you about something?”
“Sure. What’s on your mind?”
“It’s about something Cat said the other day when I picked her up from school.”
“Oh? And what was that?”
“Yeah, she mentioned that she might have to go see her father, and she didn’t seem all that keen on the idea. I told her she should talk to you about it. Just wondering if she did.”
“No, she didn’t.” I was so overcome with guilt I could barely speak.
I couldn’t believe that I didn’t know Cat was worried over seeing her father.
She hadn’t mentioned a word about it, which was concerning in itself.
Cat was always so open with me, so I couldn’t understand why she’d tell Thatch and not me.
“She never said anything. I didn’t know ...
I didn’t know she thought that was even a possibility. ”
“Maybe she just hasn’t gotten around to talking to you yet.”
“But it’s been days since you picked her up from school.” I lowered my fork and pushed back my plate. “It’s my fault. I’ve been so busy that I haven’t even given her the opportunity to bring it up. I should’ve made more time for her.”
“You’re not about to pull the ‘I’m a bad mom’ card now, are ya? ’Cause I’m gonna tell you right now, I’m not gonna listen to that bullshit.”
“Well, I’m certainly no mom of the year.”
“You’re a great mother, Bec,” Thatch replied without hesitation.
“Cat’s an amazing kid. You love her and take good care of her.
There’s food on the table, a roof over her head, and enough fucking Barbies to choke a damn horse.
That’s just to start. There’s nothing you wouldn’t do for that kid, and she knows it. ”
“But—”
“No, buts. You do right by her, and if I know you as well as I think I do, you’ll do right by her on this, too.” Thatch’s expression grew serious. “You know, you never told me what happened that night.”
“No, I guess I haven’t.”
“Mind telling me about it?”
“What do you wanna know?”
He motioned his hand towards my chest. “I’ve seen the scars, Bec. I’ve got a pretty good idea about what went down. You just gotta fill in the blanks a little.”
“It’s not an easy story to tell.”
“I’m sure it’s not, but I’d like to hear it.”
“I don’t even know where to start.” I thought for a moment and then looked over to him.
“I’ve told you before how Trevor and I met after his accident and were married after he’d recovered.
Well, he never fully recovered, even after all the rehab and medications.
He was still in a lot of pain, and after a year of suffering, he became addicted.
He went to rehab twice, but neither time stuck.
If anything, it just made matters worse. ”
“How so?”
“He learned how to get drugs from more creative places, which led to more and more cravings and more arguments.”
Thatch didn’t say anything. He just sat there listening silently as I continued, “I’d tried helping him, but time and time again, he chose the painkillers over Cat and me.
When Trevor started not coming home for days at a time, I’d decided I was done.
I packed our bags, and when he slipped off to buy more drugs, I started loading our things into the car.
I was almost finished when he came home. ”
“I take it he wasn’t happy about you leaving?”
“No, not at all. We immediately began fighting, and it got ugly fast. He started pulling our bags out of the back of the car and tossing them on the ground, so I went inside to get away from him.”
“And where was Cat during all this?”
“She was waiting for me up in her room and had no idea the hell that was about to ensue downstairs. And neither did I.” I shook my head. “I never dreamed things would get so bad.”
I could feel the mixture of emotions building inside me—emotions I was trying desperately to keep at bay. I took several deep, cleansing breaths, then asked, “You know how they say hindsight is twenty-twenty?”
He nodded.