The rest of the evening goes well, and Cora and my sister especially hit it off. Everyone is impressed to hear that Cora runs her own gym and has done so for years.
People in my family are not business inclined, and all of us are employed. My father worked as a manager in a bank, and my mother was a high school teacher before they retired. So when we hear about someone running their own business successfully, naturally, we get excited, and we admire them.
Later, as we are driving home, Cora tears into me as I had known she would.
“How could you imply that you’d do right by me?” she demands. “You know we’re planning nothing of the sort.”
“We could get engaged,” I say. “It could be a long engagement.”
“It would have been easier, to be honest,” Cora says.
“Should I also have included the fact that we slept together just when you were considering getting pregnant via a sperm donor?”
Even in the darkness in the car, I can feel Cora’s glare.
“Of course not!”
I take a deep breath. “My parents lean on the traditional side. They are nothing like your mom, so I have to be careful what I say to them. Do you know what I mean?”
She’s silent for a moment, and anxiety comes over me as I wait. It’s important to me that we’re okay.
“I kinda do,” she says. “Speaking of which, Adeline has invited us to a party she’s hosting for her parents-in-law this Saturday. You don’t have to come if you don’t want to.”
“I’d love to.”
“It’s a date,” Cora says.
When we reach the junction, I turn to Cora. “Do you want to have coffee at my place?”
“Sure. It’s about time I see where you live.”
I’m ashamed because during the time we dated, I never once took her to my place. A deliberate decision to keep our relationship casual.
I drive us home and ease the car into my driveway.
“It feels so much like a home,” Cora says.
I bought it a year after I lost Tessa. Since I was done with love, I needed something tangible. An accomplishment and a house seemed the most logical choice.
I fish the keys out of my pocket and unlock the door, holding it open for Cora. It’s a beautiful house and a lot bigger than I need, but I like it. The foyer is square and decorated with a massive chandelier that hangs from the high ceiling.
“It’s gorgeous,” she says as we walk into the open-plan living room and kitchen.
“Thanks. Want a tour?”
“Yes, please,” Cora says.
I walk her around the ground floor, and she loves it as much as I did when I first saw it. It’s a house built for a large family.
When we are done with the ground floor, I take her upstairs. It has four large bedrooms upstairs, each en suite. The last room is the master bedroom. Cora stands in the middle of the room and looks at the bed and then at me.
“Is this where you lived with your wife?” She wears a look of vulnerability as she asks this.
“No. I bought it after Tessa died. I needed a fresh start.”
The look of relief is evident on her face. I understand how awkward it would be to sleep on a bed that was used by another woman. As if I would be so insensitive about something like that.
Not that sleeping is what I have in mind. In two quick steps, I close the distance between us, lift Cora up, and deposit her on the bed. She lets out a shriek, quickly followed by a laugh. I pin her underneath my body but without putting my weight on her.
I lower my mouth and brush my lips softly against hers. She smells of spices and her sweet floral perfume. I suck on her lower lip and playfully tug on it. Her hands caress my back, and in seconds, my dick swells and pushes against her hip.
I break the kiss to stare down at her. “You’re so beautiful.” She stares back at me without speaking, her gorgeous green eyes brimming with passion.
I kiss her again, but this time, there’s no playfulness. I deepen the kiss with every second that goes by and lose myself in the heat of her mouth. She forks her fingers through my hair, scraping my scalp gently.
Afraid that I might accidentally put my weight on her, I slide to the side and pull her on top of me. Her body is so soft and molds against mine perfectly. She looks down at me with an unreadable expression before kissing me.
I skim my hands over her hips, lifting her dress as I do so, my hands gliding over her bare skin. She trembles and moans in my mouth. I fucking love it when she does that.
My hands come up to her ass, barely covered by a scrap of material that passes as panties. I squeeze and shake her ass cheeks to tease her clit. Cora hisses, and her moans grow louder.