Page 45 of Foreplay on Words

Connecticut

Having Chase in my house 24/7 was an adjustment. She was not an early morning person. The growl she unleashed on me when I tried to get her to run on the trail with me was both adorable and terrifying.

“Go away,” she groaned into the pillow she had a death grip on near her face.

“Come on. It’ll wake you up. I always feel invigorated after a run.”

I was wearing my athletic gear sans shoes and sitting beside her on the bed. My hand combed through her tangled bedhead as she groaned into the pillow.

“Good for you.”

“Please, I’ll make it worthwhile,” I tried to coax.

“I hate you.”

“You seem to be saying that an awful lot. I might start taking you seriously.” Despite her grumpiness, I couldn’t contain my smile.

“You’re so annoying. Go take your morning person vibes somewhere else.”

“Please,” I begged. I knew she’d like it if she only got up and came with me. Even if we walked the whole time, the fresh air always inspired me.

She rolled over onto her side, facing me, and squinted her eyes open. “I was promised naked cooking if I stayed here. If you don the apron and let me smack you with a wooden spoon, I’ll run with you.”

What...the...fuck...

My cock didn’t know what to think. The thought of her swatting me with a spoon both excited me and made me want to hide from her. She was kind of violent in the morning.

“Fine, you don’t have to come this morning, but I will get you to go with me eventually.”

She laughed into the pillow as she flipped me off. “Oh, come on, I won’t hit you very hard.”

“Go back to sleep.” I kissed her cheek, and she closed her eyes again, pulling the comforter up to her chin.

I left her curled up in my bed and went to put on my running shoes. I especially needed to clear my head this morning. Chase had done a number on me. I don’t know if it was reading all her books or writing what I’d been writing this week, but I couldn’t stop thinking about sex. More specifically, I couldn’t stop thinking about sex with her.

Her idea to reenact the parts of my book I felt needed work was good, but some of the things Kallie and the detective did were rougher than I was used to. He liked rough sex, and she sold her body for a living. My characters were obviously much more experienced than I was, and it gave me performance anxiety.

“Stop thinking about sex,” I admonished myself. It was as if one of the characters in her books had invaded my brain.

I needed to run. Although if my line of thought continued, I wouldn’t be able to with a rod in my shorts, and I would have to wake Chase up again. She’d probably growl at me, but I was sure I could persuade her with a few well-placed kisses.

“Stop it.”

I could kiss her all I wanted after getting this run over. Maybe I could get her to join me in the shower. I needed to stop thinking about it. She had to be sore after last night. I’d gotten a little carried away when we returned to the house. She said she liked it, but I saw her wince when she got dressed again last night.

My feet pounded against the gravel trail, the crisp morning air permeating my lungs. I loved running. It always made me feel more alive. It was something I could do to tire out my body and clear my mind.

I completed the trail at a pace that beat my usual time. My muscles burned as I grabbed my bottle of water off the patio. I was so wound up that I could run another lap, but I wanted to shower and curl up with Chase. Hopefully, she wouldn’t be as grumpy when I rejoined her.

“‘I’m a Barbie girl, in a Barbie world. Life in plastic, it’s fantastic’.”

What the hell? I hadn’t heard Aqua’s ‘Barbie Girl’ in years.

I crossed the threshold of my bedroom, tossing my empty water bottle onto the edge of the bed. It was empty, so apparently, Chase had decided against sleeping in. She was evidently in my bathroom, singing very loudly.

I could also hear the shower running, so she hadn’t waited for me. Hopefully, I could catch her in there. As I pushed the door open, my shirt and shorts were quickly discarded in the hamper. A cloud of steam billowed out, and I wondered how long she’d been in here. I was only gone a half-hour.

I wasn’t proud to know it, but when she got to the part in the song at the end where Ken chimes in, I couldn’t help myself and dropped my voice as I sang the lyrics.

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