One More Time

“I thought it was just me,” she said with a shy smile.

“No.” I shook my head. “You were incredible.”

She grinned again and laid back down on my chest. I brushed her long curls aside so the skin of her shoulder and arm was exposed. As I trailed my fingers slowly along her skin, she sighed and nestled closer to me. Part of me wondered if she would insist on going back to her room. I worried she would feel weird staying the night with me, but I didn’t want her to leave. Not my room or my arms.

I wrapped myself tighter around her, feeling her smooth skin against mine. My eyes were already growing heavy with exhaustion, and I knew I wouldn’t last much longer. Her breathing was slowing down, and I could feel her heartbeat against my chest.

I kissed her head and breathed in the smell of her hair. She smiled against my chest and pulled me closer. Her fingers were insistent against me, almost as if she never wanted to lose this moment. I felt the same way. Finally, having her after weeks of frantic desperation was more than I could have hoped.

We held each other that night as we both drifted off to sleep. My thoughts were finally still for the first time in years. I didn’t fall asleep with horrible memories or anxiety crushing my chest. I fell asleep blissfully, wrapped tightly around a gorgeous woman who truly cared for me and my children.

When we woke the next morning, we were still tangled in each other’s bodies. Her eyes flickered open to meet mine, and I was surprised by my own happiness. I could have stayed there, in that bed with her, forever.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN - EMILY

Waking up in Sean’s bed felt like a dream. I blinked, trying to remember every detail of the night before. It was all so clear in my mind, but I still

questioned its reality. I couldn’t believe that I’d finally slept with him.

That morning, Sean pulled me closer to him and kissed my head, his morning wood pressing against my hip. I grinned at the feeling and slowly slid my hand over his length. He groaned and buried his face in my neck.

“That’s not fair,” he said. “You know we don’t have time to do anything.”

“I know,” I said with a sigh. “I have to get upstairs and shower before the kids wake up. We only have about an hour before they storm down here and demand breakfast.”

“I know,” he groaned. “You know I love them, but they aren’t going to make this easy.”

I laughed and shoved him away gently. He rolled over onto his back and watched me climb out of bed. I moved slowly, taking my time to find my clothes and throw them back on. Sean’s eyes never left my body. When I was finally fully dressed, he sighed and sat up. I walked over to him and bent down to place a kiss on his lips. He grabbed me suddenly and pulled me back into the bed. I squealed and then quickly covered my mouth so no one would hear.

“You can’t do that,” I said, laughing. “They’ll hear us.”

“What if I don’t care?” he asked.

“You do,” I said seriously. “I have to get upstairs. I’ll see you in a few minutes.”

“Fine.” He groaned again and let me go. Before he could change his mind, I hurried out of his room and tiptoed down the hallway.

I held my breath the entire way to my room, and when I slipped inside, I closed the door with relief. The last thing we needed was for Tommy or Sarah to catch wind of the fact that I was sleeping with their dad. Sean and I didn’t yet know what our relationship was, and until we did, we couldn’t share it with the kids.

I jumped into the shower and quickly washed up, tying my hair up in a wet bun when I was finished. I got dressed in the first thing I could find and hurried back downstairs. To my surprise, no one was up yet so I decided to go outside and call Janie. She wasn’t going to believe what happened.

Quietly, I stepped out onto the back patio and pulled my cellphone from my pocket. I dialed Janie’s number and waited while it rang.

“Hello?” she asked, her voice groggy.

“Are you still sleeping?” I asked, surprised.

“It’s my day off,” she said with a yawn. “What’s up?”

“Oh, not much. Seems like it’s going to be a nice day. I was thinking about maybe doing some shopping later. Maybe make some spaghetti for dinner, have sex with Sean again. I don’t know. What’s up with you?”

Janie was quiet for a moment. “Wait, what did you just say?”

“What?” I teased. “I’m thinking about going shopping?”

“You know damn well what I meant!” she said, her voice rising.

I laughed “Oh, that.”