Page 67 of Without You, Scotch and Sammy 2

My eyes lift to hers, but my fingers don’t stop moving. “Yeah Ricci?”

“I’m going to come.”

I nod, speeding my hand and adding another finger until her back arches so deeply, she’s basically levitating, then just before she explodes, I scramble up her body and impale her just as she cries out and milks me almost to the point of pain.

***

We lay in the relative silence of my room, though it’s not really silent at all. The guys in the garage bang metal tools around on a constant loop. The iPod plays in Lily’s room, and her squeaking drowns it all out like a pleasant background white noise.

Her squeak might be the most haunting noise I’ll ever hear, but only because when Sammy leaves again, it’s absence will taunt me.

Sammy lays against my side, tracing her finger softly along the ink of my forearm, with her naked thigh lifted over mine, and her breasts pressed up against my chest. Her face rests over my heart, and her long hair tickles my flesh. I drop kisses on the top of her head, and my fingers twirl her long brunette hair. “I like this.”

She sighs in pleasure and melts into me. “My hair?”

“Mmm. It’s even nicer than I remember. Longer and softer.”

“Mmhm.” She kisses my chest. “My mom doesn’t abuse it anymore. And somewhere around my twenty-fifth birthday, I found shampoo that works for me. It’s easier to manage now.” Her soft fingers leave my arm and trace along my chest, over my chain, and though they stumble there, they don’t linger long. “I like this.”

“My chest?”

She giggles softly. “Mmhm. You’re not a boy anymore.”

“No.” I shake my head and continue to pepper kisses on her brow. “A man changes a lot in his twenties. Can’t say I’m unhappy with the way you grew up, Ricci. Your tits and ass filled out better than I ever dreamed.”

She smiles at my words, but then her expression turns to a frown. “Did you notice you’ve been calling me Ricci? I wasn’t sure I’d ever hear that name again. Especially not from you.”

“I guess I’m feeling a little nostalgic right now.” I’m pretending the rest of the world doesn’t exist.

“I like it.”

I nod my head gently. Just like in high school, we’re taking an hour together before the rest of the world intrudes. “Me too.”

“I’m sorry I called you an asshole.”

I chuckle. “It’s true, though. I am an asshole a lot of the time. And unlike when we were younger, you’re the sole recipient of it these days. It’s a defense mechanism.”

She shrugs gently, lifting her leg higher and sighing against my skin. “I get it. I’m sorry I called your sister a bitch, too.”

“Well… that’s tricky. Because I know she can be a little bitchy sometimes…”

“But it wasn’t nice of me to say so.”

“Right.” I sigh. “But it also wasn’t nice of her to try to knock your head off. She was just trying to protect me.”

Sammy nods gently, running her finger around my nipple absentmindedly. “She sure took me by surprise. She’s not a kid anymore, and she’s a lot more pissed than I expected.”

“I expected it. Which is why I didn’t tell them you were back yet.”

“I’m only here for a little while, then you can have your life back.”

And there it is. Reality. “What have you got in the city, Sammy? What are your reasons for going back?”

“Well, I have my work. I’m on leave right now while I get Lil sorted, but when she’s officially mine and no longer at risk, I’ll go back to work. I have my apartment. I have the last decade of my life there.”

I nod my head, but I don’t say a word. There’s nothing to say. She’s still leaving. She’s not mine. And we still have the reason for our separation floating between us like a giant pink elephant.

We just have right now. And we have about an hour until Lily is due to wake up.

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