Head Over Feels

On the tip of a breath, he replies, “I won’t ever hurt you.”

I lift and kiss where my fingers were. “I know.”

We lose ourselves in each other with kisses and thrusts, moans, and names uttered as prayers.

Begging for this to last forever, I’m conflicted as I race toward the finish, feeling too good to take things slow. I watch his stomach muscles tense and flex, his biceps working to pump and push, hold and move, a dance between what he wants and his body’s desire. Incredible is not fitting for this man.

The coil tightens my core, and I take a breath to release the pressure, but there’s no holding back any longer. We fall together this time, lost in our passion and the sound of love being made until my heart escapes my soul, choosing to embed it into his chest instead. “Oh, my God. Yes. Rad.” I squeeze my eyes closed as my body awakens.

“I need you, baby,” he groans as if the words themselves pain him in his pleasure. He follows me, drifting into the sweet abyss. Then his body collapses on top of me, his weight locked in my embrace.

He was right. Pure heaven.

He rolls to the side and tries to catch his breath. I’m not sure how long we lie there before our heartbeats regulate. I look over at him. “I didn’t think it could be like that.”

“You asked for spectacular,” he says, his breath grazing across my skin.

“You delivered.” I reach over and run my fingers through his hair. “It was spectacular.”

I smile and then kiss his head and his temple, rubbing his back until he catches his breath. “You’re pretty spectacular yourself.”

Night arrived before we had a chance to say goodbye to the day. Finding my hand between us, he brings it to his lips and looks my way. With only the light from the living room slipping in through the door, it would be so easy to fall asleep in his arms. And I almost do until I hear him say, “You’re spectacular.”

If there’s one thing I’ve always loved about Rad, it’s his motto of not saying anything for the sake of appeasement. I know they’re not just words to him.

They’re his truth, which becomes mine because when I’m with him, I feel spectacular. He has given me that power.

Sliding onto my side, I drape my leg over his and rest my head on his chest.

His heart is beating fast and strong, and I begin to fall—floating in this bliss, finding sleep, and into love.

28

Rad

I had sex with Tealey Bell.

Made love.

Did the deed.

Hit a home run.

Whatever I want to call it, it happened, and I haven’t stopped grinning since. Except when we slept, though I’m pretty sure I smiled all night since my cheeks hurt when I woke up.

“You must have been having sweet dreams last night,” she says, her eyes still trained on the paperback resting on her lap.

“Why do you say that?” I ask, not because I don’t know the answer already but because I want her to know.

I lower the newspaper and look at the beauty on the other end of the couch. We woke up early since we went to bed around nine after wearing each other out. The sun hasn’t even come up, but I’m already wishing it was a weekend so we could spend all day like this.

She looks right at home here, and that brings me more pleasure than it probably should, considering she’ll be living in her own space again one day.

My grin is gone.

Long brown lashes tap above her eyes when she looks up at me, free of makeup but more stunning than ever. I give in and start smiling because whether I get her for a month or a year, I’ll take her and appreciate the time instead of wasting it.

She says, “Because you grinned all night like you just scored your favorite candy.”

“I did.”

There it is—the sweet blush that covers her cheeks, eyes that can’t hide how a simple compliment makes her feel, and the twitch of her lips as she tries to hide that pretty smile. She can’t. Just like I can’t.

“I don’t know anyone who still reads a newspaper. You know they have the news on your phone, TV, and pretty much everywhere you can get Wi-Fi these days.”

I chuckle. “I like holding something in my hands. I stare at a screen most of the day and then again most nights. It’s nice to take a break and read the old-fashioned way.” Leaning forward, I tap the top of her book. “What about you? There are e-books and audiobooks, but you’re always reading paperbacks.”

“I guess, like you, I like the feel of it in my hands, and I bought this book used to give it another life.” She holds it to her nose. “I love the smell of the paper, the dust from the old shelves, and the life this book has lived before it became a part of mine.” She rests her head sideways on the back cushion, and her smile is so right. Wriggling her feet over to me, she tucks them under my legs. “Can you play hooky today?”