Page 15 of Secret Seduction
We take the short walk through the hallway. There are two bedrooms on one side, one of which is an office. It’s not messy, but it’s not neat, either, a lot like the one at the clinic, and I wish I’d had the forethought to shut the damn door. The other room is set up as a spare bedroom and is hardly ever used.
“Holy fuck.” That’s the first I’ve heard her say a cuss word; and while I’d much rather hear her say,fuck me, fuck yes, or fuck, fuck, fuckas I’m giving her my cock, it still makes said cock twitch. “How? Like, my god, the design of this place, all the windows and with our hurricanes, it’s well, it’s amazing.” The same floor-to-ceiling windows displayed in the main living area are carried out through here, allowing as much natural light as possible.
“Crew. He designed most of the buildings in this area, plus the guys’ houses that were built or remodeled.” This apartment was mine since the day it was built. Crew followed suit right behind me. I assumed Matthew would want in on the place, but this wasn’t his type of place to live.
“Well, he knows what he’s doing. I wish my place had sunlight like this. The studio does, but my apartment is dark like a dungeon. I can’t even keep a plant alive. It’s why LITHE is my haven for all of my green thumb needs.” Shae lets go of my hand, rubbing the outside of her arms to give herself some warmth.
“That he does. I’ll grab you some clothes and leave you to it.” I’m still carrying her purse. I set it on the counter inthe bathroom, flipping the light switch before turning the water on in the shower so it’ll be nice and hot.
“I know you told me I don’t have to thank you, but, Luke, this really means a lot to me. Thank you.” Shae comes up behind me, wraps her arms around my waist, and hugs me. I hold her hands with mine, wanting her front to mine but giving her this moment all the same. She’s been through enough, and with her recovering still, things will take time to heal.
“You’re welcome, baby girl.” I’m nearly at my breaking point, needing to lock my eyes on hers. I turn around, holding her steady as I do and being careful with her abdomen.
“Hi,” she says with a coyness in her tone and blinking away what I can tell is wetness gathering around the corners of her eyes.
“Hey, you.” I slide my hands upward to cup her cheeks then lean down until my mouth is hovering above hers. I lick my lower lip, watching as she zeroes in on the action. “One kiss, that’s all I’ll take, for now.” I claim her as mine, lips pressing against hers, her tongue sliding out with a hesitant touch, and when it does, I gain entrance easily. Shae’s breathing pushes into my chest. Feeling the pebbling of her nipples against my own has my cock lengthening, and there isn’t a damn thing I’m willing to do about it.
I deepen the kiss slowly, seeing how much she is willing to take of me. My thumbs sliding along her soft-as-silk skin barely keeps my hunger restrained. Fuck me, I lose all control anytime I’m near her, but when our bodies are connected at every point possible, it seems to ignite. Shaemelts against me with the weight of our kiss, fingers curling into my shirt at my waist, drawing tight. She’s in the moment as much as I am, and while I had the intention of letting go, I do, but barely. The last thing I need is for her to keep rocking against my dick until I come in my pants like a damn teenager.
“Shower. I’ll leave the clothes on the bed and wait in the living room for you.” I thought about doing similar in the guest bathroom. Then rethought it and decided it would be better to wait in the living room for her to be done in case she calls my name or has a slip and fall. I wouldn’t do her a damn lick of good if I were in another shower, the water drowning out her voice, and there’s no way I could live with myself if that happened.
“Okay, I won’t be long.”
“Take all the time you need, baby girl. There’s no need to rush. In fact, I’d rather you didn’t. Better safe than sorry. There’s a bench in there. Don’t be afraid to use it or to call for me, alright?” She nods. I do the same and head back into the bedroom. The closing of the door signals me to move to the closet. This walk-in houses all my clothes, with built-ins on the walls and an island in the middle to hold everything else. I go through the drawers, trying to find the softest fabric I own. I land on an old college shirt, the faded gray tee with my college alma mater; the letters were once black but now look similar to the color of the shirt.
I do the same thing with finding a pair of shorts, making sure there’s a draw string around the waist so she can cinch it tight and roll them up. I grab a pair of socks; they’ll more than likely scrunch at the ankles, but the apartment stayscold, and the natural stone flooring traps it in even more. I bundle the items in my arms, walk out of the closet, place the items on the edge of the bed, closest to the bathroom door, and get the fuck of out before I do something like join Shae in the shower.
I’ve already imagined her naked, dripping wet, the water sliding down her every curve over the past several days. Listening to her shower now, fuck, it’s taking all I have to walk away. I move through the apartment, my cock rubbing against the fabric of my shorts. No matter what I do, the dumb flesh doesn’t take the hint that he’s not sinking inside of Shae’s body.
The only thing I can do now is keep myself busy. I walk to the kitchen, open the fridge, and check to see what I can make for dinner later this evening. While food at Asher and Lennie’s was plenty and a whole hell lot of it, it was also a couple of hours ago. I know from past experience that once the sun goes down, a hunger like no other decides to take hold. Usually, I’ll throw a frozen pizza in the oven or put together a sandwich.
Too bad I only have water, orange juice, beer, and condiments. I need to hit the grocery store. This is worse than my college days, when I’d live off Chinese take-out, my parents’ leftovers they’d send home with me, and whatever I could grab from the school cafeteria. That leaves me with one option: place an order to have groceries delivered or order something to have later when both of us get hungry.
I pull my phone out of my pocket, thinking that ordering one meal won’t solve my problems for the remainder of the week, and decide to get a jump start. The phone unlockswith my facial recognition identification, and I’m immediately sidetracked by the text messages that have been coming through while I had my phone silenced.
All thoughts of food are waylaid. While I’m technically not on call, there are those times when a nurse can’t get ahold of the other doctors, and we’ll go down the list. I’m the one who seems to be more available than others. I realize none of the texts are from the hospital and no calls are, either. Which means it’s the group chat lighting up my phone.
Jag: You’re welcome, Lukey boy. Lyric says you owe her.
Asher: I’m pretty sure Lennie had a hand in helping you out, too.
Trent: Can’t say we had a hand in helping. Kenny and Briar attacked the dessert table then went back to the pool. Shae with you?
Tysen: Lyric says Shae is the shit, she’s cool, can hang with our rowdy bunch and fit right in. Lock it down, man.
Johnny: Fuckin’ hell, didn’t we all just have enough together time, and here you all are, talking like we’ve been lost at sea or some shit.
I let out a chuckle, then back out of the message thread. I’ll deal with them later, say my thanks, tell them to get lost and to not bother me until Shae and I come up for air. I go through the paces of picking out past purchases on the delivery app, add in a slew of other stuff I noticed Shae gravitated toward, and choose some items to make a few mealsthis week. The need for Gallo to be back at the office is bigger than ever. I more than understand that family comes first. Still, I’m only one person, and it’s not like we’re on rotation as residents. Shit should be calming down by now.
“Hi, um, I didn’t know where to put my used towel. I hope you don’t mind I hung it on the door knob.” Shae turns the corner out of the hallway, wearing my clothes I left out for her, hair wet but not dripping. The shirt is two sizes too big on her, so I can’t tell if she’s wearing my shorts or not. What I do notice the most is, she’s not wearing a bra.
My nostrils flare, the blood drains straight to my dick, and I drop my phone to the counter. I’m standing in front of her in two seconds flat. The need to have her mouth again sends me spiraling.
“One more taste, baby girl, one more taste.” I don’t know if I’m saying those words for her benefit or mine. All I know is, when I cup her cheeks, bending my knees, ready to place my lips on hers, she reaches up on her toes. Each time we kiss, it becomes more.
So much fucking more than I ever expected.
So much fucking more than I could ever prepare for.
