“Yeah, sure.” He looked around and shuffled his feet, out of ideas and not sure what to say next.
“Well, I need to take a shower.”
“I’m going to hop in the shower,” they said at the same time. They both smiled and laughed a little.
“Did you want to go straight to bed or are you too awake?” she asked.
“I got a good nap in the car so I’m wide awake. You?”
“I could go either way.” They looked at each other silently again. “Do you mind if I shower first? Do you need the bathroom?” she asked.
“Of course, go ahead. Just let me grab my toothbrush. I can use the one upstairs to clean my teeth,” he said.
“Don’t be silly. You can brush your teeth in here while I’m in the shower.” He gave her a questioning look. She continued, “There’s no reason to spread your stuff out all through the house. That’s how things get lost. Just give me a quick second.”
She dashed off to the bathroom before he could respond and he heard the water running a few seconds later. Liz called him to come on in and he stepped into the bathroom, walking straight to the sink and trying not to think about Liz, naked, wet, and soapy just a few feet away. He looked in the direction of the shower as he cleaned his teeth. The glass door was shut and steaming up slowly, carrying a soft vanilla scent with it. The shower stretched to the left behind the stone tiles, so he couldn’t see her, but he could hear her stepping lightly and the water splashing about as it came into contact with her skin. Soft, silky skin.
He rinsed his mouth in the sink and without thinking, pulled his shirt over his head and shucked off his socks. The next thing he knew, he’d crossed the room and opened the shower door. He couldn’t see well through the steam, but asked in a husky voice, “May I join you?”
He heard Liz’s soft gasp and waited an agonizing moment until he heard her say softly, “Yes.”
His pants were off in record time and then he was in and closing the door behind him. He moved forward in the orange-y red light of the shower where he could see Liz’s dark hair and the pale skin of her forehead.
“Can I scrub your back?” he asked huskily, a soft sponge in his hand.
“Yes.” She turned her back to him, looking over her shoulder for a moment then facing forward, her heart racing and her mind screaming that this was it. It was really happening. Breathe, Lizzy. Breathe. Just relax. Everything will be fine.
He rubbed the soapy sponge in circles over her shoulder blades, gradually dropping lower till he was near the base of her spine, then working his way back up. He set down the sponge and rubbed her shoulders, his strong fingers digging into her supple flesh and working away the knots and soreness.
“Is the pressure good?” he asked softly.
“Yes.”
“Are you going to say anything else?”
“Yes,” she said playfully.
He smiled. “Any time soon?”
“Yes.”
He laughed. “I suppose there are worse words.”
His hands dipped lower and skimmed over her ribs, making her squirm slightly, and moved on to her hips. He moved his fingers in a strong circular motion and she marveled that she’d never noticed how sore her hips were before. She leaned her head back on his shoulder in sheer bliss and felt his arousal graze against her bum. She smiled and sighed with satisfaction.
“Pleased, Ms. Barrett?” he asked in her ear.
“Yes,” she said, dragging out the word.
He growled and dived for her neck, greedily kissing and suckling her skin. Liz was remarkably responsive, moaning and grabbing his hair to pull him closer. He reached around and slid his hands up her torso, slowly, and Liz felt ready to scream by the time he finally cupped her breasts in his hands.
They both released a breath at the contact and Will fondled them joyfully, feeling like a teenage boy touching a woman for the first time.
Liz pressed back fully into him and Will squeezed a little firmer in response to her actions. She reached one arm around her side to grab his torso while she ground her ass into his hips. Apparently, Will approved because suddenly his hands were everywhere and she wasn’t sure what was happening. She felt a thigh pressing between her legs, hands and forearms pressing across her torso and down over her hips and back again while his lips worked her neck and ears. All she could do was hang on and trust him. She blissfully let her mind go and followed where he led.
Will was in ecstasy. Liz felt amazing under his hands. Her skin was soft and silky and firm all at once. Her neck tasted like salted fruit and he couldn’t keep his tongue off of her. Her wet hair was plastered to his chest and she was rubbing one foot up his shins. He couldn’t think, he could only feel. Her ass against his hips made him unbelievably hard and he thought he might actually pass out when she ground into him and raked her fingernails against his scalp. He roughly wrapped his left arm around her shoulders and turned her head to face him so he could kiss her mouth while his right hand traveled down her torso. He delved into her mouth, lost to all thought or reason and only wanting to taste, touch, and possess.
Feeling like she was going to burst into tears any moment from the sheer joy of it all, Liz came out of the haze long enough to say, “bed” and they stumbled out of the shower, groping and kissing as they made their way across the room and he tried to walk and hold her ass and kiss her all at the same time.
Will roughly ground out, “Condom?” between kisses.
“Clean?”
“Yes.”
“Don’t need one,” she said breathlessly.
Will didn’t need to be told twice. He lifted her onto the edge of the bed and a moment later, her legs were wrapped tightly around his waist and her head thrown back. He knew he wasn’t going to last long, but Liz beat him to it by arching her back and crying out. He quickly joined her in boneless oblivion and buried his face in her neck.
A few moments went by quietly and Liz registered the sound of the shower still running as her blood quit pounding in her ears. She could feel Will’s breath on her neck and his hair on her cheek. She reached up and stroked his back, smiling when he made a soft purr-like sound.
“Will? You want to finish that shower?” she asked with a smile in her voice.
He chuckled and she felt the vibration across her chest. “I’ll get up if you’ll let me go.”
She relaxed her legs that were still wrapped around him and he pushed up slowly. The room was dim with only one lamp turned on and he was suddenly very tired. Liz smiled at him understandingly and walked carefully to the bathroom, her gait a little lopsided.
“I didn’t hurt you, did I?” he asked as he followed her back to the shower.
“No, these muscles are just out of practice.” She smiled and he adjusted the control to make more steam.
They stood under separate streams and washed their hair, nearly ignoring each other, alternately absorbed in what they were doing and wondering how the other was feeling. Will was finished and about to get out when he noticed Liz gingerly cleaning her thighs.
“Allow me.” He knelt in front of her and moved her hands, nudging her legs apart. He washed her gently, rubbing away the evidence of their actions that had smeared across pale skin.
“Thank you,” she said softly. Her eyes had a gentleness to them he hadn’t seen before and something in him responded. He smiled back and the next thing he knew, he was drying her off with a fluffy gray towel.
They padded softly into the bedroom and Will turned down the bed, watching Liz out of the corner of his eye as she fished through her suitcase. She walked towards the bed with a large T-shirt in her hand. She was about to put it on when Will spoke and stopped her.
“Do you mind,” he gestured to the shirt in her hand, “would you be willing to sleep without it?” She blushed at his request and he quickly added, “Not if you don’t want to. I just wondered…” She didn’t respond right away and he quickly said, “If you’d rather be alone, I understand, too.”
&
nbsp; She could see he was getting anxious and quickly spoke up. “No, don’t go. I don’t want to be by myself. And I don’t have to wear this.” She held up the shirt. She smiled and added, “But you’ll have to keep me warm if I go without.”
“I think I can handle that.” He smiled softly.
They turned out the light, climbed under the covers and scooted carefully to the center of the bed. Liz turned on her side and Will curled up behind her.
“Night, Lizzy,” he said with a kiss to her neck.
“Night, Will.” She kissed his forearm and closed her eyes. A minute later she whispered, “Will?”
“Hmm?” he groaned.
“That was great.”
He placed a sloppy kiss on her neck and pulled her closer, his left hand holding her breast tightly and his knees pressed firmly behind hers.
*
Liz woke slowly, a tickling sensation rousing her from sleep. It was still dark and she could tell she’d only slept a few hours. She finally realized that Will was what had woken her and he was pressing soft kisses down the length of her arm. His lips and long lashes and thick hair were creating delightful sensations on her skin.
“Are you awake?” she asked softly, looking at his dazed expression and wondering if he was fully aware of what he was doing.
“So soft. How are you so soft?” he asked gently as he kissed her side and across her belly to her navel. “So pretty. Like a flower.”
She looked at him incredulously, wondering who this suddenly verbose and complimentary man was. “Are you sure you’re awake?” she asked quietly.
He ran a hand down her leg and circled her knee, drawing patterns over her skin and making her forget she was waiting for an answer. How did he know knees were her weak spot?
He continued his caresses, covering her entire body and complimenting each part in turn. Her calves were flawless and made his mouth water when she wore those red heels she loved so much. How many times had he wanted to run his tongue down the line of her muscle?
Her feet were perfectly arched and so tiny, he found her little toes irresistible and couldn’t stop himself from kissing them in turn while she giggled and squirmed. Her thighs were heaven and taunted him mercilessly. Her hips kept his mind filled with indecent thoughts and her ass was hands down the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen in his life.
He must have spent nearly ten minutes touching, kneading, kissing and nibbling it while Liz clutched her pillow and blushed as Will continued to describe all the ways she had taunted him. In shorts, in long skirts, in flowy dresses and tight running pants, in low slung pajamas and red bathing suits. He ended with all the things he wanted to do with that particular part of her anatomy and in all the various places, shocking her by including his study at home and his desk at work, making her eyes widen and her cheeks burn more than they already were.
He moved up her back and traced delicious lines down her spine, sculpting and working her muscles beneath his large hands. He tickled her ribs and suckled her elbows where they rested by her sides, something that had never crossed her mind before but felt divine, and when he breathed on her neck, her entire body broke out in chill bumps.
He said her hair was luxurious and wrapped it around his hands, breathing it in and burying his face in it. He rolled her over and kissed her collar bone, commenting on its delicacy and drawing lines between the moles and freckles that peppered her skin. When he got to her breasts, she let everything go and just enjoyed his attention as he drove her from shyness to ecstasy.
When he nudged her knees apart, she was more than ready to receive him. He continued his words of praise as she moved against him, telling her how amazing she felt and how she made him feel so good. She came gently, gasping softly and pulling his head into her neck as she squeezed him tighter. Will was quick to follow and whispered her name as he collapsed onto her, suddenly spent. He kissed her and stroked her cheek, then rolled over and quickly fell asleep, leaving Liz to wonder if he’d actually been awake at all.
She cleaned up and then snuggled next to him with a smile on her face. She hadn’t felt so thoroughly wanted in a very long time.
**
Liz woke first and took a moment to get her bearings. Will was wrapped behind her and breathing softly onto her neck, his arm over her ribs holding her securely. She tried to slide out of his embrace, but he gripped her tighter. She waited a moment for him to relax, then slithered out of bed.
She couldn’t stop humming as she cooked breakfast, feeling both ravenously hungry and a burning need to feed her husband. Hormones, she reasoned.
Will woke to the smell of fresh coffee and frying bacon. He found Liz in the kitchen and wrapped his arms around her where she was standing at the stove.
“Good morning,” he said in his rumbly morning voice that she’d always found a little too sexy for comfort.
“Good morning,” she said with a smile. “You must be famished.”
“Yes. What’s on?”
“Bacon, eggs, and French toast—with real Vermont syrup. There’s coffee in the pot over there.”
He made his coffee and poured her a glass of juice just as Liz set two steaming plates on the table. They smiled at each other and tucked in.
“So what do you want to do today?” she asked after a few bites.
Thinking he shouldn’t say what he really wanted to do all day, he asked, “Do you not have any plans? It was your idea to sneak up here, you know,” he teased with a smile.
She looked down. “Well, I wasn’t sure how everything would go…”
Understanding, he reached across the table and took her hand. “We could have a lazy day, just hang out here if you want to? There’s a decent collection of films and the town has a good restaurant if we want to go out for lunch or dinner. And of course we still need to try the hot tub.”
Suddenly remembering what he’d said to her about the hot tub the night before and just exactly what he wanted to do to her in it, she blushed and fiddled with her fork. Will seemed to have the same recollection because he dropped his hand and vigorously ate his French toast.
“Can I ask you a question?” she said after a few minutes.
“Sure,” he answered.
“Were you completely awake last night for… round two?” she asked.
“Round two?” he asked with a confused expression.
Suddenly she felt embarrassed for bringing it up and looked back down at her plate.
“I’m just teasing you, Lizzy. Yes, I was awake, though not entirely. I think I came to fully somewhere around kissing your knees. Did much happen before that?”
He seemed so relaxed and comfortable talking about this. Was that a man thing? Liz swallowed her embarrassment and said, “No, not too much.”
He smiled and they went back to eating their breakfast.
After breakfast, she again asked him what he wanted to do. Will suggested they take a little walk to stretch their legs. And to keep him from jumping her in the kitchen, but he didn’t say that.
They walked hand in hand down the lane, the narrow road surrounded by snow banks on either side. Icicles twinkled in the sunlight and the bare frozen trees looked like frosted arms reaching to the sky.
“So,” Liz spoke, “it’s a little late, but we should probably have the talk.”
“Yes, we should,” he replied.
She wanted to ask him what they were to each other. Besides the obvious business partners, legal spouses, and now sex buddies. But she didn’t really know what he was to her and didn’t think it was fair to demand to know his feelings when she wasn’t sure of her own. And she was terrified of the answer. He’d made it clear he couldn’t stay with her. His real wife, the one he would grow old with, had to come from the right family, have the right connections, know how to play all the games. So what did it matter how he felt right now? Even if he did have stronger feelings for her, he couldn’t act on them. Well, long-term anyway, in which case she’d rather not know. Knowing would make e
verything awkward and uncomfortable and a bit desperate and pathetic. Eighteen months was a long time to live with those feelings every day.
And what if he felt nothing? Did she really want to hear him say that? Did she even feel anything for him beyond friendship? She wasn’t sure. She agreed with what he had said back in Farmington. They were best friends, partners; two people in this together who respected and cared for one another. They were attracted to each other. Wasn’t that enough? Why stir the pot with do-you-like-me-like-that questions?
“So, I was tested at my last physical and was clean, and I haven’t been with anyone since,” Will was saying as Liz tuned back in. “What about you? And I should be asking about birth control. We weren’t exactly careful.”
“Right. I was tested in the spring and I’m clean, always have been actually, and I have an IUD for birth control. I don’t take the pill because they made my mother and Jen crazy so I decided not to risk it. And I don’t think I could ever remember to take something at the same time every day.” She knew she was giving too much information, but she always talked too much when she was nervous.
“What’s an IUD?” he asked after a moment of hesitation.
“It stands for intrauterine device. It’s a small T-shaped thing made out of plastic or copper that gets inserted in your uterus. The plastic one has hormones in it, the copper is hormone free and lasts for ten years. I’ve got the copper and I’m only three years in, so I’m good.” Stop talking, Lizzy! Geez, what are you, the sex ed teacher?
“How effective is it?”
“It’s pretty good. Better than condoms. Ninety-nine point something percent effective if I remember correctly. If you’re concerned about pregnancy, we can double up and use condoms, too.”
“No, that won’t be necessary. I know condoms aren’t as good as that, so it would be pretty pointless.”
“And a lot less fun,” quipped Liz.
He chuckled. “You seem to know a lot about the topic,” he eventually added.
“Yeah, I think most women eventually learn all about contraception. My mother got pregnant if my dad sneezed around her and my favorite cousin had her fourth kid at twenty-five, so I’ve always wanted to be careful. I switched to something long-term when I was going out with Matt. It just seemed safer.”
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