Page 81 of Books and Hookups

She stiffened, then let out a high-pitched moan as I pulled my fingers out and thrust them back in. I tapped her clit again. She pressed her body into my hand. “More,” she demanded.

I gave it to her. Because I wanted to. She rippled around me as I moved my hand faster, deeper, as I kept my thumb on her clit as an anchor. Her fingers tightened on my shoulders, digging into the muscle, until her whole body clenched. Her muscles locked around my fingers, holding them in place. Finally, she shivered and relaxed.

“Thank you,” she said, “I?—”

“You think you’re done?” I gritted out. I pulled my fingers out of her and wiped them on my T-shirt before I pulled it off. “Panties off. Hands and knees on the bed.”

I would have found the control to stop if she’d protested. But she didn’t. Her pupils were blown, and her lips parted when she scanned my face. Then she reached down and shimmied her underwear to the floor. Keeping her gaze on my face, she kneeled on the bed, then turned away and flicked her dress up over her ass.

One step brought me behind her. I bent and licked her glistening pussy. She flinched in surprise, then moaned when I gripped her ass cheeks and buried my face in her.

She’d hardly come down from her last orgasm, and soon she was shuddering and shouting my name. I sucked her one more time and then brushed my dripping chin against her haunch. “Who just made you come twice?”

“You did, Danny,” she said hoarsely.

“And who’s about to make you come again with my dick?”

“You are, Danny. You.”

“You need me,” I said, lining myself up at her entrance.

She didn’t respond to that except with a grunt as I slid inside. “You need me,” I repeated as I reversed and thrust back in, gripping her hips.

She let out a wordless cry, pushing back against me. And the fact that she refused to admit she needed me only made me angrier. I pulled out and ground back in as far as I could go.

“Danny!” she screamed. “Yes!”

I kept up a brutal rhythm until my vision hazed and everything drew up tight. I was so focused on the sensation of her tight squeeze around me that I couldn’t tell if she’d come again or not, so I reached around and tweaked her clit. Her back bowed, and that was it. I emptied myself inside her, groaning her name. When my knees wobbled, I pulled out and collapsed onto the bed beside her.

She flopped to her side. “So much for not wanting to be touched.”

A chill raced across my skin. “Shit, Lucie. Did I go too far?”

“No.” She sat up and put a hand on my arm. “I wanted that. Needed it.”

“Neededit?”Something pinged in my chest. I should’ve known better than to hope Lucie Knox would ever say she neededme.

“Yes. Now, give me a minute and then we can take a nap.” She pushed herself off the bed and went inside the bathroom.

But I didn’t wait. I tugged on my clothes. My face flamed when I realized I hadn’t bothered to take off my shoes. Then I picked up my tool bag and left.

28

I’ll Be Watching You

Legacy isn’t only what you achieve yourself. For me, it's about raising a generation that feels the call to serve. My son is in politics and serves our country. My daughters serve too—one healing the sick, the other bringing relief to those in need. They walk their own paths, but seeing them use their gifts to make a difference, that's my greatest pride.

Eleanor Gu, former librarian and wife to Senator William Gu

LUCIE

Somewhere over Nebraska, I finally admitted what was keeping me from preparing for my interview, reading the thriller I’d picked up at the airport bookstore, or watching that Sandra Bullock movie Savannah had raved about.

I rubbed my chest where it felt raw. It didn’t feel great to be the one left behind.

I’d done it dozens of times, or maybe hundreds, in twenty years of no-strings relationships. I’d always figured getting dressed and leaving was the right thing to do. That way, I could sleep in my bed, and we didn’t have to have the awkward morning-after conversation with the empty, “I’ll text you” or “Let’s do this again soon.” No lies, no guilt.

And after a hookup at my place, I encouraged them to put on their pants and go. Skip the awkward dance about who’d go first in the bathroom and the apologies for not keeping stevia or oat milk or whatever millennial bullshit they put in their coffee.

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