Page 19 of Trussed In Hope
“Then go get ready, Queen.”
Emberlynn removed her hand from mine and caressed the side of my face. “Okay.”
She sauntered away, and just before she entered her room, she winked at me. Emberlynn couldn’t help the brat that lived inside her. That portion of her slipped out from time to time, baiting me into wanting to nurture it even more than she had.Maybe today was about time that I showed her what that was like.
I said a silent thank you to Dr. Hertz for helping to see that communicating with Emberlynn was important. Not just because it kept the heaviness away, but also the lines of communication. Saying something immediately had given us both the opportunity to clear the air. Now we knew where the other stood. Money aside.
EMBERLYNN
Today was fun. We decorated cookies and drank spiked apple cider while we worked. There were five other couples, with one of them being Elijah and Raya. After bonding through frosting and sprinkles, we went out for dinner and drinks.
The Italian food was amazing. I had lasagna that was almost as delicious as the one my grandmother used to make. He had a Parmesan-peppercorn steak with fries and zucchini. Raya had the redfish and Cajun shrimp, broccoli, sweet butternut squash, and baguette, with a strawberry and pecan half salad with the raspberry vinaigrette dressing. It sounded amazing, but I couldn’t pass up this lasagna. Elijah had Cajun seafood tortellini, chicken Caesar salad, and rye bread. When he’d ordered their food, I’d noticed how they looked at one another. There had to be something special about it.
“So, Emberlynn, how long are you going to be staying to visit Hardison?” Raya asked thoughtfully. She leaned forward,but her fully round belly didn’t let her get far. One of her hands rested on top of her bump, while the other poked at her salad before she took a bite of it.
“For at least another week. Then I have to go back and find work.” I waited for the backlash from them, hoping they didn’t think getting to know Hardison wasn’t about the money.
“What do you do?” Elijah asked.
“I am a psychologist.” I firmed.
“Oh! I know my therapist is looking for others to fill her practice. If you moved, I’m sure she’d be interested in chatting with you.” Raya quickly interjected.
“Well, that was smooth,” Elijah said quickly before we all laughed.
“I… don’t know how to beat around the bush. I say what I mean,” Raya responded. “I see how happy Hardison seems with you around and just wanted you to know that if you explored it further, you have options.” She beamed, and it wasn’t lost on me how beautiful she was. I couldn’t see her hair because of the hijab, but her face was prettier than the girl next door, and her pregnancy glow elevated her skin. It was no question that she was enjoying herself in her marriage to Elijah.
“I truly appreciate that.” I exhaled. Not knowing what the future held was tough for me. However, I knew how much I liked Hardison.
Two weeks of being around him wouldn’t get me married, barefoot, and pregnant, but maybe it would help me figure out what kind of man he was and to see his red and green flags sooner than I would’ve if I weren’t here.
Besides, there was something to say about a man who was actively working on himself. He was repairing his body, his mind, and seemingly his soul. He wasn’t perfect, but I loved that, too. He wasn’t a project for me to fix because he was doing the work all on his own. Sure, he’d needed some assistance when hewas met with a wall of resistance, but he’d done the rest of the work on his own. He was thoughtful and caring. I knew there was more to him than what I’d seen, but I had seen nothing that made me question his motives with me.
I know that I’m being cautious because of my past, but could you blame me? I didn’t want to rush things. In fact, I wanted them to occur naturally, and so far it had. There was a lot more to see, but I loved what I was revealing as I stuck to being by his side. Plus, the way he’d been caring for me was top tier. Not just opening doors, paying for everything, and being a gentleman. The way he communicated and let me deal with my own feelings was something I wasn’t used to in any previous relationship that I’d been in. My exes didn’t matter in a territorial way, but more in an “I deserved better”kind of way. I hadn’t come across a topic that seemed off-limits as we talked, and that drew me even closer to him than anything else. It was beautiful.
I said nothing to Raya in front of Hardison, but I was curious about the job opening. Especially if I could do video calls for when I wasn’t here. Even if I wanted to explore things long term with Hardison, I wouldn’t rush into moving in with him or moving my entire life into his house. I could take steps and maintain my independence as well. If I still felt good about it at the end of my time here, I’d ask Raya for the information and hope that it didn’t get back to Hardison.
When we finally came home, I was in a good place filled with Christmas cheer and alcohol. Hardison stretched out on the couch, tired from the day’s events. He wouldn’t admit it, but I knew his leg was killing him from all the walking and standing.
“Here, let me help.” I kneeled on the floor in front of him, unbuttoned his pants for him, and pulled to get them over his butt.
“What are you doing?” He tried to sit up, but he was tired, and it was a half-assed attempt.
“I’m going to give you a massage.” I took off his boots and socks before working his pants off. It took much more effort than I cared to admit.
“You don’t have to do that, Queen.” He stopped my hands from working.
I paused my movements and looked up at him. “But I want to.”
He nodded sheepishly, and I went back to getting his legs free from the denim. Once he was lying there in his boxer briefs, I got a good look at his dick print through the material. I cleared my throat and focused on massaging his thigh. My hands behaved the entire time. But my eyes kept roaming between his legs.
His eyes were heavy, and he barely kept them open to notice. I wished I could deny how much my mouth watered at just the thought of it. Maybe it was the alcohol I’d consumed today going straight to my vagina. Or perhaps it was the fact that it had been so long since I’d had sex that I was just aching to be filled. I was interested in seeing it in its entirety. Feel it. Touch it.
“Stop looking at my dick like it’s your last meal.” Hardison chuckled.
“Why? It could be.” I cupped him through the cotton material as I slid between his legs, climbed up his body, to lie on top of him.
“Little vixen,” he groaned out. But he pulled me into his arms and looked up at me.
