Page 47 of The Woman

So, I do the only thing I can think of. I pull out of her, ignoring the full body shiver elicited by the sensation of it, and push up off the bed, leaving her lying there while I go into my bedroom and shut the door.

Chapter 21

Avery

An assortment of sounds have been trickling through my closed door from the kitchen for about half an hour now. I was awake a while before they started, but still, I lay in my bed, not going out to face Phoenix while he prepares breakfast.

After he raced off and left me in my room last night, I actually thought he was coming back. But when several long minutes had passed with me waiting on my bed, it became clear that he wasn’t.

It wasn’t anything unusual in that we were taught to expect anything from a man during and after sex. We were told that some men like to cuddle afterward, some fall asleep within seconds, and others like to leave right away.

It’s just that when Phoenix did that, it felt weird. His face had looked so tender and caring one second and then closed off and hard in the next. I don’t know if it’s because of me being a WOUN or not, but I felt alone afterward, much like I did most nights at the facility.

It was an amazing experience, better than I imagined it to be. Yes, it hurt at first, and I can feel a slight ache between my legs this morning, but I wasn’t lying when I said it changed to feeling good after a while. Watching Phoenix’s face as he finally let go and pumped into me was an experience in itself as well.

There is a part of me, though, that wonders if maybe now that he’s had me completely, he’ll send me away.

With a sigh, I push myself out of the bed and decide to head out to the kitchen, stopping in the bathroom along the way. I just need to stop this avoidance and get over it. It’s not his fault I’m not normal.

A normal woman wouldn’t have thought twice about it. She wouldn’t have thought at all. It must be nice not to have feelings and such.

I approach slowly, feeling the sunshine from the windows warm my skin as I watch him scoop up something from the pan. It has nothing to do with the fact that he’s shirtless, and I can remember in detail what it felt like to have him lose control on top of me last night or the fact that I can see the faint lines I left from my nails. His muscles bunch and flex, and I can’t help but admire how his body matches his face in how perfectly proportionate it is to the rest of him.

He looks up as I get close but quickly looks away, his jaw clenching. “I made you some breakfast. Go sit down.”

My brows furrow at the command, but I don’t put up a fight this time and go sit on the other side of the counter at the breakfast bar. He places a plate in front of me and then goes to get himself a coffee.

“I’m sorry I didn’t get up earlier and make you something.”

I know a lot has changed, and I’m not entirely sure of my role here anymore, but I still feel like I should be doing some of the things a companion is supposed to.

He still doesn’t look at me when he responds, “I’ve told you I don’t need you to do that.”

I nod and absently poke at my egg, taking a small bite. It’s delicious. He’s a good cook, that’s for sure.

Phoenix finally takes a seat in his usual spot, two stools down, and starts eating while checking his phone. It’s funny that even though I can see his jaw muscle popping in and out as if he’s clenching it, his body seems relaxed and calm.

“I was thinking we could go–”

“I didn’t like it when you left last night,” I blurt, cutting him off. I didn’t mean to. I really wasn’t going to mention anything about it, but now that I have, I sit straighter and roll with it.

“What?” he asks, his gaze finally landing on me and staying put.

“It felt like you just used me.”

A single perfect eyebrow lifts on his face. “Is that not what you’re supposed to be for?” His words are like a slap in the face, and irrational anger and hurt mix together in my stomach. “If I recall correctly, you told me yourself to use your body however I liked.”

He’s not wrong about any of it.

The thing is, if he didn’t know what I was, I wouldn’t have thought anything of his behavior. But the fact that he knows I’m different and have feelings and thoughts, well, it just hits a little different.

I face forward again, trying to ignore the sting. “What were you going to say before?”

“Ah.” I see him shift in his seat out of the corner of my eye. “I was thinking we could go and get you some more clothing. Some things that . . . fit. I figure you could pick them.”

Pushing away from the counter, I slip off my chair. “Okay, I’ll go get ready now.”

That oh-so-familiar frown begins to form on his face again. “You need to eat your breakfast.”

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