Thirty-five and Single

His chuckles vibrate over my clit, and I lose it. Grabbing his head, I hang on as I have the orgasm of my life. Vaguely, I realize the poor man probably can’t breathe the way I’ve jammed his face against me.

I release him, so embarrassed my eyes are shut tight. I hear him move around and wonder if I’ve blown any chance at the rest of the show.

Then he’s there, arms under my legs, spreading them as my ass leaves the bed. Still ashamed, I don’t glance at him until he pushes in and I’m split in two.

Eyes wide, mouth agape in a gasp, I watch as he slowly slides into me. I start to reach for him, unsure what I plan to do. He takes my wrists and guides them over my head and pauses.

I try to catch my breath, never having felt so stretched in my life.

“Give it a minute.” He breathes as if it’s taking all his concentration not to move. “You’re just so tight.”

I’m not sure if that’s a compliment or not, considering my brain is still offline from the first explosion. “That’s what happens when you haven’t been with anyone in over a year.”

“Then it’s best we do something about it.” He begins to kiss away my frustration.

When he starts to move, I’m sure the ceiling above us has opened up to the glorious moonlit sky. I see stars—hell, I see galaxies as he takes me to places no man has been before.

His blue eyes remind me of Chris Pine’s, and suddenly I’m on the Starship Enterprise. When he cups my face, I giggle, hearing the theme song for Star Trek in my head.

“Are you going to Vulcan Mind Meld with me?”

He smiles for a second. “Quiet.” He silences my Trekkie comments and angles his thrust differently.

My eyes roll in the back of my head, making me forget. Until the words “these are the voyages” ring in my head as my second orgasm hits light speed.

His thrusts begin to lose their rhythm, and my eyes open to see the strain corded on his neck. One stroke, then two, and he groans, slumping on top of me.

My body folds in half as I sit up in some horror movie way, awake from my memory with realization on my tongue.

He didn’t use protection. And that had only been our first round of the night.

Chapter Five

Shooting out of bed like a cannon, I tear open my closet doors. Taking clothes out one by one, I dump what I don’t want until I find a pair of loose yoga pants and an oversized t-shirt to pull over my head.

I don’t bother with shoes. I’m only going across the hall. My poor cat Sable doesn’t know what to make of my approach and scurries out of my way.

For the second time today, an unexpected man stands on the other side of the door when I open it. His fist is raised as if he’d been about to knock on the door.

“Ears burning?” I ask as his questioning eyes appraise me. “You know the saying…” I say, but his stare says otherwise. “Never mind.” I shake my head. I’d been about to go to his place and hadn’t exactly spoken his name out loud, so the saying didn’t actually work. “I was just coming to see you.”

That’s when I notice the bag in his hand and what appears to be a cake box resting in his other palm.

“I thought I would bring you birthday dinner. I guessed you wouldn’t want to go out,” he says.

“And ice cream cake?” I ask excitedly.

His grin widens, and I’m at a loss for words. Who is this man, and why can’t he be seven to ten years older?

He heads into the kitchen with the purpose of a man who knows his way around. And he does. Joel and I, both being single, like to share a meal with one another on occasion. Our friendship has grown from there.

I don’t have a table. It’s just me, so I sit on one of the barstools at the counter between the living room and kitchen. Joel joins me. He takes two bowls out of the bag and hands me one and puts the other in front of him.

“Bangkok curry from Noodles and Company. Your favorite.”

It is, and I thank him as he hands me chopsticks. He’s been trying to teach me to use them and it’s a work in progress.

His blue eyes latch onto mine, and I can see the worry in them. I might as well get this over with.

“Did we—” I begin.

Sable comes over and nuzzles Joel. He strokes her fur as he answers me matter-of-factly.

“Have sex. Yes. And I don’t want you to have any regrets or get weird about it.”

God, he’s young. His earnest eyes are so full of hope, where hope can’t possibly exist. I press on. I really need to know the answer to my question.