Page 75 of Tasty Cherry

I unleash into her, warm and wet and with a release so complete I feel like I’ve poured my soul into her. I collapse over her, propping myself up on my arms.

But she draws me down to her. “Lie on me. I’m sturdy.”

I wrap my arms around her neck to cradle her head. I drop my face to her shoulder. Her skin is soft and smooth and a comfort. She wraps her legs around the backs of my knees and locks us together.

I don’t know how long we stay there like that, but the sun sets completely and the air cools. And even as a chill ripples over my back with the arrival of night, I do not want this moment to ever end.

25

MILA

The weight of Sebastian feels good. I need to be grounded after so much intensity. I haven’t quite lost the sensation of drifting into the sky.

It’s full dark, and the only light comes from the hallway outside of Sebastian’s bedroom.

I’ve heard people say, “This is a moment I want to freeze in time.” But I’d never had one of those experiences until now.

I don’t want to move on with the evening. The night. Even life.

I want to feel exactly this way, protected by his body. Warmed by his skin despite the cooling air.

Desired even though I’ve never believed I could be.

I’m afraid of breaking the magic. That Sebastian will sit up and think, “Oh, it’s just her.” And find some polite way to get me out of here.

Then, it’s too late. The insecurities have invaded, and the moment has passed after all.

I couldn’t hang onto it.

I shift beneath him, and he rises away from me. “It’s getting chilly,” he says.

“And your curry is going to burn.”

He chuckles. “It could cook all day. But it will get too spicy.” He takes my hand to lift me from the chaise, and now that we’re beyond the act, I feel exposed and self-conscious. It takes everything in me not to snatch up a cushion to hide my belly, the wide hips, the thick thighs.

I hate these voices in my head. Stop it, I tell them. I am worth this.

It quiets the noise.

Sebastian picks up my skirt and his boxers. We dress as we walk, gathering the rest of the clothes from where he left them in his room.

I think we will simply walk down the stairs, but Sebastian swings me into his arms again. “What goes up should go down the same way.”

I laugh, hanging on tight as he rushes down the stairs like I’m nothing to carry. He doesn’t set me down until we’re back at the stools.

“Let me check the curry.” He takes a fresh spoon from a drawer, dipping it in the pot. He tastes the red-orange sauce.

“Verdict?” I ask.

“Dreamy. I think I’m making it as well as my mother. You want to try?”

I nod.

He walks around the island and brings me the same spoon. “I don’t think it’s spicy, but I’m fairly tolerant.”

The spoon is warm, and when the sauce hits my tongue, my first instinct is to brace myself.

And there is spice, but it’s smooth and aromatic.

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