Page 44 of Painless
“Yeah, I am.” She radiated happiness like sunlight, her cheeks still flushed from all the orgasms I gave her.
Not one of her other guys,me. She looked every bit as sexy as last night, sandwiched between Jandro and Reaper, but knowing that I alone pleased her today made it a little extra special.
We sat quietly for a while, watching Freyja wrestle with a fluffy grey kitten. Horus made clicks and chirps, as though giving her pointers like some kind of coach.
“How long were you with her?” Mari asked out of the blue.
“With who?”
She tugged on a lock of my hair playfully. “The girl whotaught you a few things.”
The resurfacing memory brought up an uneasy feeling in my gut. “Jealous?” I chose to deflect, teasing her with a squeeze around her waist.
“Not exactly.” She squirmed against my side, the ice in her margarita sloshing. “I mean, I have no room to talk. Just curious, I guess.”
“It wasn’t really like that, baby girl,” I sighed. “She wasn’t my girlfriend or anything. We just messed around every so often. We had to sneak around, keep it a secret.”
“Why?”
“Well, she was older than me and um,” I drained the rest of my beer before finishing my answer. “She was a maid in my parent’s house.”
Clarity and understanding lit up her hazel eyes. “Oh, I see.”
“Yeah.” I stared at my empty beer glass, willing it to magically refill. “Long story short, we got caught and my parents sent her away.”
“How old were you?”
“Old enough to know exactly what I was getting into,” I answered curtly. “She didn’t take advantage of me or anything like that. We were just friends for a while before getting physical.” I let out another sigh. “Unfortunately for her, I wasn’t old enough to think with the right head, and she took the fall for me.”
Mari gave my arm a sympathetic squeeze. “Do you know what happened to her?”
“Shipped her off to one of those women’s correctional camps, most likely.” My tone was laced with bitterness. “Typical move for my folks. Disposing of people who could ruin their image. They didn’t even care that she was my friend. I only saw them and her when they hosted parties. They paraded me around like the prodigal son, then forgot about me when the charade was over. So I’d go off to find Beth, and we’d have our own fun. But the son of Hollywood royalty messing around with household staff? Oh no, they couldn’t have that.”
The whole time I rambled, Mari listened patiently with her head on my shoulder. When I finished, she kissed my cheek and slid her arms around my waist. Even her touch and affection seemed to have healing qualities. It didn’t feel great to be dredging up the past, but I did feel lighter. A little less burdened.
“I’m sorry, Gun. Your parents really were assholes.” She looked up at me with her chin on my chest.
“That’s not even the half of it,” I sighed, running my fingers through the ends of her hair.
“Your grandparents, though. They were better, right?”
“Yeah. My grandfather died when I was fifteen, so it was just me and Gram for a while. Grandad’s vintage Harley was my first motorcycle. Jandro fixed it up for me.”
“Still got it?” Mari smiled at me.
“Yeah, it’s in my garage. I take it for short rides sometimes. It’s so old now, and I just don’t want to ruin it beyond repair.”
She snuggled her head into my chest. “I’d love to see it when we get back.”
“Sure thing, baby girl.” Another quiet moment passed, the two of us just wrapped up in each other. “My grandparents were married for over fifty years. And even until the end, they couldn’t stand to be apart.”
“Aw, that’s beautiful.”
“My granddad said,” I swallowed thickly, “that he and Gram were like a pair of scissors. When together, they worked perfectly. Separated, they ceased to work at all.”
“Soul mates.” Mari pressed a small kiss to my throat.
“I guess.”
