Page 49 of Jericho

She dips her head, back arching further, and I swear the first clench of her pussy around my cock, indicating the beginning of her orgasm, makes me lose even more of my mind than I have to spare.

I lift her, balancing her on my thighs and holding her in place as I press into her over and over until my orgasm is right on the edge. With the first pulse of my release, I lift her off, coating her lower belly with cum.

I stroke myself until I'm drained, loving the way I look left behind on her skin.

Her chest is heaving as much as mine is, and although we both got off, I also feel like I need to apologize for how quickly it ended.

"You want to get a shower?" I ask, helping her from the bed when she nods her head.

She walks toward the bathroom, but I can't bring myself to follow her. I know sex is intimate, but somehow the shower would be stepping over just one more line I shouldn't cross with her. Just sex is one thing, but is that even possible when we have a son together?

Maybe this was an even bigger mistake than I originally thought it was going to be.

I don't go into the bathroom to clean up until she walks out of there, showered, and wrapped in a towel.

To take away the questions in her eyes, I hand her back the t-shirt and boxer briefs I pulled from her body, letting her know the expectation is that she get redressed.

Then I head into the shower, taking my time.

She's asleep when I come back out, making it easy to climb into the bed and face away from her.

Chapter 26

Aspen

It's no surprise to me that I wake up alone. I don't even know if Nolan came back to bed after his shower. Exhaustion plus the high of a very intense orgasm left me damn near comatose.

My body aches in the best way imaginable when my eyes flutter open. I stretch, making the least sexy grunting noise possible as I lift my arms over my head.

I know I can't stay in bed forever, ignoring all the things in my life that aren't going my way, but I just can't gather the strength to climb out either.

Guilt swims inside of me for taking a moment for myself last night when I still have no idea where Eli is and if he's safe. I can't for a moment forget how brutal and abusive Damien is, especially when he feels challenged, and I know that hatred and anger will be cast on my innocent son.

As if I can sense things going terribly wrong, my heart begins to race, and my eyes widen when the bedroom door opens.

Nolan steps inside, fully dressed, and ready for the day, making me realize just how damned tired I was not to hear him get up and get dressed.

"You need to get out of bed," he says, his voice flat. "And come downstairs."

"What happened?" I ask, flipping the blankets back and climbing from the mattress.

He doesn't speak, doesn't offer an explanation or even a comforting word.

"Zara sent those for you," he says, pointing to a small pile of clothes sitting on top of the dresser. "I'll meet you downstairs."

Without another word, he turns and leaves the room. I rush to the bathroom and wash my face, rinsing my mouth with mouthwash because I can't find an extra toothbrush in any of the cabinets. Even as intimate as things got between us last night, the thought of using his toothbrush makes my skin crawl in a germophobic kind of way.

I strip out of the borrowed boxers and t-shirt and leave them on the bed before pulling on the sports bra, t-shirt, and sweats that Zara has provided for me. I make a mental note to hug her for being so considerate before leaving the bedroom and rushing down the stairs.

I have no idea what I'm walking into, but I know I have to face it head-on.

Other than Zara sitting on one of the many sofas in the massive living room, I don't see anyone else.

"Coffee?" she asks, sitting up and placing the book in her hand on the coffee table.

"No," I say, holding my hand up. "You've done enough for me. Thank you for the clothes."

"You're welcome. The guys are just finishing up a meeting. Oh, there they are," she says when the double doors of a room near the front entrance opens.

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