Guess I didn’t freak him out.
He came up to me, wrapped a hand around the back of my head and kissed my forehead. “Later Princess.” My body went stil .
“What?” I asked, looking up at him as he dropped his hand.
“Later, I gotta get to the office.”
I stared. “What?” I repeated.
He watched me a beat. “Are you okay?”
I thought about it.
Then I said, “No, I’m not okay.”
“What’s the matter?”
“You fed my cat,” I told him.
He watched me again, this time perhaps wondering if my body had been taken over by nonsense-speaking aliens.
“And?” he asked.
“And now you’re leaving.”
“I have to get to the office. They’re holding three assholes who wanted to hurt you. I wanna find out what’s happening.”
This sounded plausible. I stil didn’t like it.
“But we haven’t had sex yet,” I blurted.
For a second I realized I threw him and he looked surprised. He had absolutely no idea that was going to come out of my mouth. Then again, neither did I.
Stil , I’d said it so I was going to have to go with it.
“We always have morning sex. We always have night-time sex. We can’t not have morning sex. What does that mean? Next we’re not going to have night-time sex?” I asked.
His lips started twitching as I continued.
“You fed my cat. I always have to feed my cat. How am I going to get used to not being the one who has to feed my cat? It’s always been just me. And Nick, of course, but that’s not the same thing. He doesn’t break up Boo’s food like you and I do.”
I was babbling. I knew it and I didn’t care.
I wanted to have sex.
“Jules –”
“You can’t just get up, make me coffee, feed my cat and then leave. What’s up with that? ” I went on.
“Jules –”
“We have a ritual,” I interrupted him. “I like our ritual. I’m not good with change.”
Now I was lying. I had no problem with change.
Bottom line, I wanted sex.
His hands came to the sides of my face and he said again, “Jules.”
“What?” I snapped.
“Take off your underwear.”
My bel y did a rol er-coaster plummet and I blinked, again.
“What?”
“Do it,” he demanded.
Okay, now I was freaking out and deciding maybe I didn’t want to have sex even though I wanted sex now more than ever.
Al the while looking at him I pushed down my underwear and it fel to the floor. No sooner did it hit my feet then he lifted me up, hands at my ass and my arms and legs automatical y circled him.
He went down to the floor on his knee then he put me on my back and covered me with his body.
“What are we doing?” I asked, staring into his eyes.
I felt his hand between us, working at his belt.
“We’re gonna have to be quick.”
“How quick?”
“Real quick.”
“I’m not sure I want quick.”
His face went into my neck. “You don’t have much choice,” he said in my ear which made me shiver. Then I felt his tongue touch me and slide down my neck to my col arbone which made me shiver more.
“Is quick good?” I asked.
“It can be,” he said at the base of my throat then he touched me between my legs and I sucked in breath.
His mouth came to mine and I could feel he was smiling, pleased about something.
He looked in my eyes and said, “Christ, you’re always wet.”
“Is that good?”
“Fuck yeah.”
“I think it happened when you told me to take off my underwear,” I informed him helpful y.
His finger slid inside me. “I’l remember that.” My hands pushed into his jeans and I ran them over his ass. I was done talking and so was Vance.
And, for your information, quick could be good.
*
It was near to the end of the day when my cel rang. It was sitting on my desk and the display said “Crowe cal ing.”
Looking at it, I smiled.
*
Vance had cal ed me in the morning to give me the lowdown on Shard, Clarence and Jermaine Apparently Mace had done his job wel . This was because Luke and Ike felt like getting in on the act. So they’d al done their job wel . They’d done it job so wel , Shard, Clarence and Jermaine not only decided not to fuck with me, they also decided that maybe Denver wasn’t for them. Luke, Mace and Ike had convinced them to try their luck at ruining other people’s lives somewhere outside the Mile High City. They weren’t only leaving town, they already left. Vance knew this because Mace, Ike and Luke had escorted them to the city limits.
This made me feel weird. It was weird because I felt safe and protected but I also felt badly that they likely had to commit acts of violence in order to make me feel safe and protected.
I spent the morning struggling with that.
Since I figured Shard, Clarence and Jermaine had destroyed a number of lives by the time the clock struck twelve, I got over it.
Then I cal ed Luke.
“Babe,” he answered.
“I don’t know what to say.”