“Good morning,” I say to them and look for Kellie. Standing by the counter looking at me with her coffee cup in front of her mouth, she doesn’t look like she slept well. I walk to her, but she walks to the table to sit down, so I open the cupboards to find a mug. I pour the coffee in the mug and then drink it black, the hot liquid burning all the way down while I look outside at the wraparound porch. We are sitting on a hill of sorts. I turn around and lean my ass against the counter, looking over at Kellie. She sits with her long legs crossed, the same legs that she had wrapped around my shoulders yesterday morning. “How did you sleep?” I ask her, and she looks over at me.
“Amazing,” she says with a smile. “Stretched out in the middle of the bed. It was glorious.”
“Really?” I shake my head, smiling. “Bullshit,” I grumble into my cup of coffee.
“How did you sleep?” Kellie asks, and I decide to play her game.
“Best night’s sleep I’ve had in a month.” Her mouth opens. “No one hogging the covers.”
“You two are full of shit,” Cori says. “Neither of you looks like you slept a wink.” She points at me. “You look like you are from the walking dead.” She then points at Kellie. “And you look like all those bags I sent back to LA are under your eyes.” Kellie shrieks and touches under her eyes. “So cut the bullshit.”
“No bullshit,” Kellie says. “I want to have sex with him. Lots of sex.” She throws her hands up in the air. “Sex for days.” She looks at me. “So I’m taking away the foreplay until he snaps and finally has sex with me.”
“Baby,” I say, and she slaps the table.
“No,” she shouts, “no baby! I can’t believe that I have to beg my boyfriend to have sex with me.” It’s the first time she’s called me her boyfriend to other people. I don’t have a chance to respond because Cori does it for me.
“I didn’t know he was your boyfriend.” She then looks at me. “Did you know she was your girlfriend?”
I look at Kellie. “I didn’t know what she was, but I knew one thing, and that was that she was mine.” I watch Kellie’s eyes go soft. “So you can label it whatever you want.”
“Oh my God,” Cori says, “that was …”
Kellie just shakes her head. Leaving her coffee, she goes to walk out of the room, but then turns around. “I’m going to shower. Or maybe take a bath. A long, wet bath.” She turns and walks out, swinging her hips. Her ass is coming out of the shorts she is wearing. I make a mental note to bite the shit out of it the next time I have her in bed.
“Are you not going after her?” Cori asks me, and I just shake my head.
“I know you have boundaries and all that.” She shuts down the computer in front of her. “And I don’t even know how you are going to take this, but I’ve seen her with men before.”
“Not interested,” I say, looking straight ahead, trying not to smash the coffee cup in my hand.
She laughs and doesn’t shut up. “I have seen her with men before, but I have never seen her like she is with you.” She gets up and walks around the table, grabbing the two coffee cups. “I’ve seen her cranky, and I’ve seen her bitchy, but I’ve never seen her sex deprived, and the last time she was with someone was over a year ago.” I grit my teeth. “Oh, don’t pretend you were a virgin before her.”
“Cori, I can’t do it. If I do it, it will go against everything I stand for,” I say softly.
“Sometimes, the risk is worth it,” she says and walks out, leaving me alone. I finish the coffee and then walk up the stairs, seeing that her door is closed as is Cori’s. I walk back into my room and close my own door. Getting into the shower, I wonder the whole time how far I can take this. How much more before I snap. I close my eyes and focus on the finish line. But I wonder if, when we get to the finish line, she’ll still be there waiting for me.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Kellie
“Atlanta, you were wonderful,” I say into the mic after my second encore. Walking to the middle of the stage, I take a final bow before I turn around and run off the stage. After handing off my mic and my earpieces, I jog down the stairs and find Cori and Brian waiting. I look over at him and want to jump into his arms. It’s been a week since he last kissed or hugged me. And if I’m honest, I’m dying inside, but I’m standing my ground. I want him to take it to the next level, and I want to do it with him. Climbing into bed at night without him is hell, tossing and turning all night is horrible, and I haven’t slept through the night since he last held me in his arms. It’s ridiculous. I’ve been without him my whole life and after only one month with him, I already yearn for him.