In Harmony

by JN Welsh

  * * *

  Nyah palmed Tommy’s ass as the last droplet of his satisfaction dripped down her throat. The taste of his thick salty release left a slightly sweet finish on her tongue and she wanted to savor him again. She put the thought to bed. He’d likely want to sleep until his prolactin levels recovered. She’d taken a human sexuality class in college to understand her own body and learned loads. He needed to recover and though she was disappointed, she couldn’t be mad at him, even if her pussy salivated like Tommy’s dick was a meal at a Michelin starred restaurant.

  “Nyah.” He caressed her hairline down to her jaw, where he tilted her chin up to look at him. He grinned down at her and the unmistakable heat she’d seen when she sucked him still flamed in his brown eyes. He helped her to her feet and hooked his arm around her waist, pressing her against him. “Take me to your bed.”

  “I thought you’d be...”

  “What, angel?” Confusion crinkled his face.

  “I’d understand if you—” She guided his gaze down with her own. “—if you’re done for the night.”

  “Oh.” His chest rumbled with laughter and the vibration stimulated her already sparked nipples. He wrapped both arms around her and squeezed her in a hug until they were fully pressed against one another. “We’re not done yet, Queen,” he whispered in her ear, and his teeth captured her lobe and tugged. “Now, take me to your bed.”

  Relief and excitement buzzed through her and her pussy applauded, standing ovation style. They left their clothes in individual piles and she led him by the hand to her room. Still in her panties, she crawled up onto the bed, giving Tommy a full view of her ass through the lace of her burgundy underwear. He clearly had other plans when he caught her by both ankles and dragged her down to the edge of the bed. She flopped to her stomach and yelped at his strength. Giggles poured out of her and she craned her neck to see him grab the top of her panties and peel them over her ass, down her legs and off with zero protest from her. He tossed them aside and kneeled between her opened legs. He caressed the back of her legs and she sunk into the mattress.

  “My turn to be on my knees.” He tickled kisses over the areas his hands traveled. “Are you comfortable?”

  “Yes.” Her answer rushed out of her.

  “Good, ’cause we’re going to be here a while.” His hands massaged over the crack of her ass and down to her center. “Open wider for me, angel.” She did as he instructed before he finished his sentence, exposing herself to him. Tommy caressed around her opening and slipped a finger inside. “You’re beautiful here, Nyah. So shiny and wet. I have to drink you. Tell me I can have my fill.” He spoke so close to her pussy she could feel his breath. She bit hard on her lower lip.

  “Yes. Please, Tommy. I want to feel you.” She squirmed as he toyed with her and poked in and out of her slit. She arched her back to raise her ass higher. He kissed her butt cheeks and as his teeth grazed and bit, she moaned. She felt him slide another finger inside, loving the way he stretched her. He retracted his fingers and the heat from his mouth replaced them. “Oh, Tommy. Yes, baby.” Her hands clenched the comforter. She sunk into the pleasure he served her and when he spread her ass and his tongue glided up to her hole, she cried out.

  She’d heard her friends talk about “eating shorty from the back” or “eating the booty like groceries” but she’d never experienced it firsthand, until now. Tommy, clearly a consummate expert in the art of ass eating, tortured her hole. She felt his hand on the flesh of her ass and then one of his thumbs pushed slowly inside, deeper and deeper, while his tongue continued to flicker around and down to her pussy and up again to where the pressure of his thumb drove her wild. He pulled his thumb out and covered her hole with his mouth, sucking and playing.

  “Do you like it when I kiss you here, Nyah?” he asked, his warm breath against her.

  “Fuck yeah. Oh fuck, Tommy,” she moaned.

  “Does it feel good, baby?” he questioned, teasing her asshole.

  “Uh-huh...f-f-feel s-s-so f-fucking good.” She shivered and hissed, and though she squirmed, his mouth followed her. He hummed with a combination of humor and hunger as if enjoying giving pleasure as much as she did receiving. That knowledge shot her arousal through the roof. His lips, tongue, and teeth pleasured her in a way that she was thoroughly unprepared for. She couldn’t control the noises she made, nor did she want to. Her feet tried to wrap around him but in her position, she needed to keep her feet on the ground. She reached around and when her hands found his hair, she rubbed his head in gratitude. Her body shook from head to toe and she soared fast.

  Tommy halted his assault on her ass and turned her over. “Sit up, love. I want you to see everything I’m going to do to you.” She sat on the edge of the bed, her body hot with tiny spasms that promised larger ones. She braced herself on the bed with one arm slightly behind her. She caressed his messed hair. Moisture from her decorated him from his nose to his chin. The image of him sloppy from eating her out delighted her and her chest rose and fell from what they’d shared.

  “You okay?” he asked.

  She swallowed against dry mouth. “Yes,” she croaked. “Please don’t stop, Tommy.”

  He put both her legs over his shoulder and his head dipped between her legs. He’d positioned her to see every lash of his tongue, nibble of his teeth and dig of his fingers. Her slick insides glistened on his fingers and he offered her a taste. She sucked on his fingers as he assaulted her clit. She held his wrist and when she’d licked his fingers clean, slid his hand over her breast and flung her head back. She barely hung on and the ball of energy building inside her threatened to explode and take out the whole fucking ship.

  “I-I’m gonna come. Tommy, I—” she gasped.

  He lifted to his feet and she saw his sheathed cock. He fell onto her, into her, and she wrapped him in her arms and legs as he filled her. He wasted little time sliding in and out, pumping her to the finish line. She held on a little longer because his rigid member delivered delirious fulfillment. “Oh my God, Tommy!” He fucked her into the mattress, and she exploded, hollering with unfiltered power.

  “Fuck, angel. You’re so special. My dick is fucking smiling inside you right now.”

  He made her laugh and aroused her further, both of which she thought impossible. He gobbled her mouth and his tongue stabbed uncontrollably. She slobbered back with terrifying desire. After this would she ever be satisfied by another again? He’d cracked her open and she doubted that there was little she wouldn’t do for this man if he asked. Her body tingled and jerked with each spasm that rocked through her. His forceful thrusts came in short, quick bursts that thrilled her and he huffed against her ear, groaning until he gave one pounding plunge into her.

  “Nyah,” he whined, then roared in indecipherable ecstasy.

  “Yes, Tommy. Come hard for me.” She stroked him as his cock vibrated inside her and micro shocks fluttered through her.

  They both collapsed on the bed, drained, melded together and motionless, their breathing heavy and louder than the hum of the ship. Tommy propped up on his hands and gazed down at her. “Still okay?” he asked.

  She nodded and smiled up at him, working overtime to put what had just happened between them into some kind of perspective.

  He tilted his head at her. “Did I fuck you speechless, angel? Say something. You’re freaking me out.”

  “How do you do that? Make me laugh and turn me on at the same time?”

  “You make it easy. Plus, I like being the reason you smile.”

  “I gotta tell you, Boombox, you didn’t oversell your bedroom skills. That was pretty fucking amazing.” The confession was a novice move but his cum must have been laced with some sort of truth agent because all she wanted to do was confess.

  “This was a dual effort.” He chuckled. “And this mouth...well worth the wait.” The tender lip action he laid on her made her
pelvis inch to him again, even though he softened inside her she still loved how he felt. He gently slid out of her, his hand gripping the latex. He removed the glossy rubber to reveal a glossier coat on his skin. Even at rest his cock impressed. He knotted the condom and trashed it. Her eyes gobbled up every inch of the creamy skin covering his slightly muscled chest, strong legs and slightly round ass. “Come on.”

  “I don’t mind being sex messy with you.” She reached for him.

  “Let me clean you up.” He gently pulled out of her grip and she watched him as he wet a washcloth. Steam rose from the faucet into the bowl underneath. He eased her legs open and he gently wiped her from front to back. “Mmm.” She lay back against the bedding, enjoying the spa effect of the heat from the washcloth and his meticulous strokes. When he left her, she opened the bed, dragging the comforter and sheet down and sliding underneath. From her position, she saw Tommy cleaning his dick off. She wouldn’t consider him super fit, but he was toned and healthy, and she liked his body. And damn could he wear a suit.

  He returned and jumped back into his boxer-briefs and gathered his clothes. “I should probably get going. You’ve had a busy day of travel, plus it’s late and—”

  “You’re leaving?”

  Something in her voice must have resonated because he stopped all movement and finally looked at her. “You have a performance tomorrow and need to be fresh for that. I assumed you’d want some space.”

  Her inner voice barked about keeping things casual and turning off her emotions that threatened to complicate things. She should listen but instead turned down the volume because the last thing she wanted was space from Tommy.

  “Relax, Tommy. I got this. Come here.” She cuffed both his wrists and dragged him down on the bed with her. “Stay with me. Just be here with me.”

  “What, Queen Roe has time in her schedule for post-sex cuddling?” He sat on the bed and faced her.

  “After what just happened? No. I’d like you to stay.” She pressed her palm to his sternum and pet the hair there. She hadn’t thought she was a chest hair-loving woman until now. “If you want to.”

  He slipped under the cover with her. “Yes. I want to.”

  Tommy wrapped her in his arms, and she nestled against him. His chest and the hair upon it were the perfect pillow. His breathing steadied and slowed against her ear and though his fragrance still wafted under her nose, it had dulled since their sex sessions. Sleep started to weigh on her lids. The intimacy between them replayed in her dreamlike state and she moaned. Tommy had been a generous and extraordinary lover, but why had he thought she’d wanted him to leave? She saw clearly the image of the angel tattoo on his back behind closed eyes and one other burning question remained.

  Who was Carmen?

  Chapter Seventeen

  For the first time since they’d been on the ship, he and Nyah were on different schedules. He’d gotten up this morning and pounded weights at the gym. Only one other person used the place, given that most cruisers at that hour were just going to bed. He’d had a late night himself. He increased the weights to burn out the arousal for her that still flowed through him, as well as the doubt that seeped in, attempting to poison his thoughts.

  She’d needed him for Artistique and to help get her dual careers under better management. The hypocrisy of his own intentions burned his muscles as he bench-pressed. He needed Queen Roe for Sunburst and his lies by omission had started to gnaw at him. He’d struggled with her dueling personalities but the truth was he desired all of her. In the end he and Nyah would hurt each other. Why couldn’t he just stick to the boundaries they’d set? She’d been generous in bed with him to the point where his feelings had a mind of their own and he’d refrained from admitting to himself how easy it would be to love her. She admitted how intense their connection was but did that mean she wanted more, too?

  He returned to their stateroom to find it empty, yet her scent, their scents, lingered in the room. He hoped she would explore the ship and socialize or eat at one of the many restaurants. Perhaps she’d decided to get a spa treatment. She was young, lovely, and way too serious at times. Even though he’d tried to work those feeling out in the gym, he admitted to himself that he missed her.

  He had a few meetings before her set that afternoon and would have to skip the Champagne Brunch, which meant possibly not seeing Nyah before her set. These questions never posed a problem for him before. All he needed to do was conduct business as usual. Regardless of the warnings raging through him, he sought her out.

  After about half an hour of searching the faces, he found Nyah in a bikini top, a towel wrapped around her waist, and her skin considerably darker. She flip-flopped across the deck in her tinted shades, her skin glossy from either sunscreen or tanning lotion. Rize jogged up to her and handed her a blue bottle.

  “Thanks again for hanging out with us for a bit, Queen.” He kissed her cheek and when they went their separate ways, Tommy witnessed Rize turn back and give Nyah’s backside a detailed read. Tommy’s jaw tensed as did every muscle in his neck and shoulder down his back, but he got a hold of himself, given the fact that he’d done the same thing countless times. The difference was that his emotional investment in Nyah continued to grow in equity.

  Feeling stalker-ish, he bolted to catch up with her before he lost her in the crowd. She greeted a few fans briefly and from his distance he heard her encourage them to attend her set that afternoon. His chest swelled with agent-pride. Nyah’s impressive self-promotional skill had gotten her to her current level as much as her talent had. His only wish? That she’d let him expand her brand and popularity so she received the accolades she deserved.

  He’d finally caught up to her when she stopped again near a few fans doing some wild waterslide thing that had to be about four stories high. Had he not been dressed for his meetings he might have done it himself—with her.

  He stopped behind her and leaned in to announce himself close to her ear. “It’s okay to join in.”

  She whipped around. “How did you—where did you...?”

  He straightened at her protective stance. “I spotted you on my way to my meetings,” he responded. She smelled like tropical fruits and warmed coconut oil, and he would have loved to bury his face in her neck and fill his lungs with her mellow fragrance instead of air.

  “Boy, you are so lucky. You know I live in New York, right? You can’t roll up on me like that.”

  He frowned. “You’re on a ship. I don’t think you have to watch your back that hard.” He eyed her mosaic pink bikini top so closely he saw the square outline of what he believed was her key card tucked inside.

  “Tell that to my Spidey Sense.” Her shoulders thawed. “I didn’t see you this morning.”

  “I went to the gym for a bit. I didn’t want to wake you and thought you’d sleep in ’til you got ready for the Champagne Brunch. Did you sleep well?” he asked.

  “Yeah. I did. I always sleep well at sea. Not to mention, someone wiped me out last night.” She arched her body toward him before taking a step back. “I’m a pretty early riser because of rehearsals, so I got up and practiced, got a fucking phenomenal massage, then decided to get some sun,” she said. She didn’t mention hangin’ out with Rize.

  He slid her glasses down to the tip of her nose. “Without your makeup?”

  “I didn’t stress. I did, however, keep my glasses on. When the masseuse wanted to do my face, I replaced the glasses with cucumbers. They worked with me.”

  “They? How many massages did you get?”

  “I had a nonbinary masseuse. They worked out all the kinks. I was pretty sore when I got out of bed.” She rolled her shoulders and he saw that the label on the bottle in her hand read sunscreen.

  “In a good way?” He had to know.

  “Definitely.” She winked at him.

  His throat tightened and his mouth watered for her lips.
“I see you got a little...a lot of color, actually.” Her skin had tanned to the color of rich brown and he’d lick every inch of her if she’d let him.

  “Really? I’ve only been out there for about an hour.”

  Tommy pointed up. “Not a cloud in the sky. You’ve been in full sun, angel.”

  A hue of pink on her cheeks came through her tan and spread just under her glasses. He’d only started to call her angel last night when it had rolled off his tongue as a nickname. Perhaps that blush meant she didn’t like it, or felt embarrassed by it. But when her lips turned up in a lazy smile, he wondered what memory from their bedroom games she’d recalled.

  “I need a shower. It’s already after noon. If I don’t hurry, I’ll miss my chance, and I could definitely eat, especially after being in the sun drinking with Rize and his crew.”

  He felt like a dumbass. “Did you have fun?”

  She nodded. “They’re cool people. We talked shop. You would have been proud.”

  “I already am.” They shared a brief but intense stare.

  “I guess I’ll meet you at the brunch since you have your meetings.”

  “I have to skip it.” He hated saying the words, but he had business to tend to.

  “Seriously?”

  “Unfortunately, I have some important meetings I have to take before your set this afternoon. I also want to check to make sure that everything is set up for you. You’ll be cool to go without me, right?” he asked.

  The disappointment on her face came through the tinted shades and she played with the sunscreen in her hands. “It would be nice to go with you but, yeah, no worries. It’s cool. Do what you gotta do.”

  They’d shared intense closeness last night, but the distance and the morning exercise still offered little clarity for him to know how to proceed with her. He almost wished he’d kept his dick out of her mouth.