Before You

“Exactly what I wanted,” I replied, and that was where I put my lips, sucking her clit into my mouth.

Her toes were bent around the ledge of the stone, and she was glancing down her thighs, a stare that wasn’t moving from mine. So, while she watched me lick her back and forth, I gave her two of my fingers, driving them into her, curving them up to reach that spot that would make her scream.

It didn’t take long before that happened.

Within a few turns of my wrist, using harder pressure with my tongue, I felt her start to contract.

She clasped my hair, tugging it from the roots as she shouted, “Jared!”

Her stomach shuddered, and I continued to lick, bringing her straight through the build and far past it. And when I knew her body had turned so sensitive, I raised and circled her legs around my waist. My tip pushed through my boxer briefs, positioning me perfectly.

I grabbed her face with both hands, holding her while I kissed her. I could feel the pleasure still spreading through her as each of her breaths continued to end in a moan.

When I finally pulled back, I kept my fingers in place and took in her eyes. “Is there a reason I need to use a condom?”

I’d put one on earlier, but if I didn’t have to leave her right now, I didn’t want to.

“No.”

I gave her the same assurance. Then, I dropped my boxers and immediately sank into her warmth. “Goddamn it,” I hissed, her tightness and wetness fucking swallowing me.

My hands dropped, and I pinched her nipples on my way to her ass where I dug into her cheek. The other hand went to her clit, which I rubbed while I shifted my hips back and forth.

She clung to my shoulders, breathing into my neck, her legs gripping me so hard that I could lift her right off the counter.

“Oh my God,” she groaned, her head falling back.

She began to move with me, using her arms to rock her body. I met her in the middle, grinding my fingers simultaneously so she could feel the combination of both sensations.

Breaths were fucking pounding through my lips as she got wetter, and after each thrust, she got louder. Her clit was hardening, and I knew she was so close.

Her nails stabbed my skin as I felt a pulsing inside her, and knowing she was losing herself, I let go.

We were lost at the same time, and I moaned, “Billie,” again and again while streams shot from my body.

She bucked her hips, emptying me to the point where I grabbed her and held her so tightly. My face went to the side of her breast where I caught my breath. I felt her heart pound beneath me, her chest heaving. Her hands went from grasping my hair to running through it.

I just took it in.

Every moment.

And when I eventually looked up, I stared into her eyes and said, “Come to bed with me?”

A smile slowly crept across her lips. “I would love to.”

FIFTY-TWO

HONEY

WINTER 1986

“TURN IT OFF,” Honey whispered when Andrew came into the doorway of the bathroom and flipped on the light.

He had just arrived home from Logan Airport after a three-day conference in Atlanta. Honey was supposed to be excited to see him.

She wasn’t.

“Turn it off?” he asked, ignoring her request.

As he came inside the bathroom, she lifted her arm, shielding herself from the brightness of the light. It didn’t make the toilet seat any more comfortable, the spot where she’d been resting her face for most of the day.

Her skin reeked of vomit, and the movement sent her that smell, causing her to gag. She was hoping nothing would come out.

This time, it was just spit.

Still, it hurt.

It all hurt.

“Baby,” Andrew said, now kneeling at Honey’s side, “are you all right? Is this just morning sickness?”

When it was too painful to hold her head up, she would rest it on the seat like she was doing now, alternating the positions so the ceramic would eventually cool down her face again. She could only stand one way for so long before the rottenness returned, and then she would be open-mouthed and throwing up.

Her eyes were burning even though she couldn’t see the light. “No.”

“Is it the flu?” His hand was on her back, but he moved it to her forehead and then the side of her neck. “You’re not running a temperature.” He turned her face, lifting her arm away, opening her eyelids. “Swollen and red but clear.” His gaze deepened. “Honey, what’s wrong?”