Page 60 of Plum

“Condom.”

“Oh, shit. Yeah.” Her face drops, worry dulling those blue eyes again. I hate how worried she is all the time. It shouldn’t be that way. It won’t be.

I sheathe my dick and resettle between her thighs. “I’m clean. No worries.”

“Aren’t you? Worried?” Her chin’s raised, and she’s tensed, bracing herself.

“No. Not at all. There is nothing about you I can’t handle. There is no part of you I don’t want.” The words spill out; I’m hardly thinking them before I’m murmuring them in her ear. I touch my forehead to hers and slide home again. Already, the base of my spine is tingling, and I’m fighting to last a little longer.

“I’m clean, too. And I’m always safe. I don’t know what—”

I stop, draw back. There’s a faint roar inside me, an ugly mess of jealousy and fury and impotence that I won’t look at, even as my body stiffens and a wave of nausea roils my guts. I don’t need to think about this now. Or ever.

I force myself to meet her eyes, and—she’s still my Jo-Beth. Walls down. All her vulnerability, all her strength on full display.

“It’s okay. It’s me and you. We’re in this together, okay?” I can tell she doesn’t understand, and to be honest, I don’t fully get it, either. But I want this. I want her. For now, all I need from her is an ounce of trust because if she can believe a little, I can believe the rest. An ounce of trust—that’s all—but I know how much that’s asking from her.

I don’t breathe until she answers. “Okay.” She keeps her gaze glued on mine while she hitches up her good leg, wraps it around my waist, welcoming me deeper in her hot, tight pussy. I almost forget my promise to be gentle.

I reach down, flick her clit while I thrust into her heat, glorying in the wet slaps and the gasps and moans ripped from her throat. I forget everything but her.

“Adam. Adam. I’m coming. I’m coming.” She’s breathless, panicked almost.

“Okay, baby. Come for me. Come all over me.” And she does, clenching, fisting my cock with her pussy. My balls contract and my cum spurts from me, the orgasm shaking my body, sending chills racing down my extremities. I shout; I can’t control it, and I clutch her quilt and take her sweet mouth, plundering deep with my tongue, swallowing her soft cries.

It’s so fucking good. Better than the last time, which was better than any sex I’ve had before. I’m tempted to pass out, let the blessed drowsiness overtake me. But I learn from my mistakes.

I kiss her cheeks, her forehead, her nose, her ear lobes.

“You’re beautiful. You’re so fucking perfect for me. Jo-Beth. My gorgeous girl.” I mumble anything and everything that comes to mind as her eyes clear and the wariness returns.

“Are you going home now?” She’s tensed. “Can you lock the door after you? The key’s in a rock in the flower bed.”

Fuck. I forgot about the key. I drop a kiss between her tits. “I’m not going home. I’m sleeping here. Tomorrow, my doctor is going to come and reassure me about your ankle. And then we’re going to spend the day together.”

“Don’t you have work?”

“I’ll probably go back to work the day after. And then Friday evening, I’ll be back. I’ll bring groceries. Make dinner.”

She’s quiet, her head turned toward the wall. I’m hoping she comes to terms with this soon because I need to handle this condom. Finally, she kind of grunts. “Just like mice. Can’t get ‘em out once you let ‘em in.”

I laugh all the way to the bathroom, and it’s not until I’m bringing her a cold washcloth and a glass of water that I realize, I don’t think I’ve laughed this much, this freely…ever.

It doesn’t make sense—Jo-Beth and I don’t make sense—but it feels perfectly,finallyright. The past doesn’t matter. The world doesn’t matter. Only this. Only us.

CHAPTER 8

PLUM

“Haven’t seen you around in a hot minute.”

“I could say the same.”

Nevaeh Ellis and I are facing off in the personal care aisle of the Shop Right, both of us pushing loaded carts. I nudge a few boxes to cover the condoms I just picked up. Nevaeh grabs a pack of extra larges and tosses them onto the top of her stuff. Basically, that sums up our differences in a nutshell.

Nevaeh and I spent many a night drunk as shit together at the clubhouse. This was back when she was Forty’s property, before she skipped town to make it big in Pyle. She’s back now, stirrin’ up shit. I like her.

“You’re cooking for a man, aren’t you?” Nevaeh eyes the steaks in my cart.

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