"Don't move." I breathe, placing her arms over her head, she grips the comforter in her hands for support. When her lips part slightly, need written all over her face, I anticipate what's coming for both of us.
Taking two pillows, I tuck them under her hips and bend her legs. After placing her feet flat against the bed's surface, I level my face with her femininity and inhale her intimate scent.
"So beautiful," I whisper, my mouth covering her sweet, wet center. Her hips respond when my tongue touches her … tasting her.
"Don't move, baby."
She releases another shudder and raises her hips in search of my mouth. I let her find me and cover her wetness, flattening my tongue against her from the bottom to the top.
"Oh, god," she moans, her hips instinctively moving against me. I flick my tongue over her sensitive nerves and know she's near. Pushing her thighs open even further, I open her with my thumbs, and make a meal of her until she comes.
"Oh …," she whimpers as her head pushes back into the pillow. Her hips rise when I slip my hands under her, holding her to my mouth, drinking her while she cries out to God, screams my name and curses like a sailor.
Placing gentle kisses over her overly sensitive clit, I wait for her to calm herself. As she lies there in sated bliss, I go into the bathroom to splash water over my face and get a warm cloth, which I place over her red and swollen lips.
"Mm, that feels good," she sighs. As I teasingly run my tongue over her again, she pushes my head away, still a little sensitive.
"How do you feel?" I ask, gently massaging her sex, before easing my finger inside.
"P… perfect," she replies, pulling me up to her for a kiss.
“Yes, you are perfect. You’re perfect for me," I growl into her ear, kissing her again with more passion, feeling her wetness increase under my touch. When she moves to straddle my lap, I sit up, holding her firmly against me. Desire written all over her face, she rises to her knees and lowers herself over my shaft until I’m inside her completely.
Grasping her hips, I dig my fingertips into her firm flesh and gently guide her back and forth until she takes over and begins to circle and grind, causing my eyes to roll back into my brain.
"Jesus," I growl. “Fucking … Christ!”
"Yes!" she cries out, throwing her head back while the both of us move in unison. I've never had anything feel as fucking good as this.
"Matthew … what is … that?" she cries out, panting, her body nearly bouncing off me. I have no doubt she's getting both a g-spot and a clitoral orgasm.
"Ride it out, baby … don't stop." I release a primal roar, and my body shudders as I come harder and longer than I ever have in my life. My movements slow, but Joy continues to move over me, her orgasm lasting longer. When I see the tears fall from her cheeks, I lay her down over my chest.
"You’re amazing," I say, pulling her tightly into my arms. I feel her moist face against mine. "Are you all right, baby?"
"Yes," she sniffles. "That was very intense … it's hard to describe. It was powerful."
"Aw, sweetheart." I soothe her. Taking hold of the blanket, I pull it over us and she snuggles against me like a kitten. Kissing the remaining moisture from her eyes, we fall into a deep and contented sleep.
The bright sun shines in the room, waking me and I shield my eyes from the glare. Reaching out for my girl, I feel around, even under her pillow but she’s not here. I look up and find her sitting on the love seat, reading my study. I can see that she's nearly finished with it.
"You're almost done," I state.
"Yes,” she replies, startled. “It's very good, Matthew. It's clear that you worked very hard on this. I’m very, very impressed. What you have created here is a miracle, and I can't believe you want to perform it on me."
"I did want to, but not anymore," I say firmly, throwing the covers off me and walking to the bathroom, shutting the door behind me.
"Matthew, are you going to do that every time a conversation doesn't go the way you want it to?" she shouts loud enough for me to hear.
"Do what?" I ask, passing her on my way to the closet to get dressed.
"Walk away. Sometimes you even get in your car and take off. If this is how you plan on having an adult conversation, maybe I was hasty in my decision to move in with you."
"That's a total bullshit thing to say, Joy," I snap, turning around to face her. "Are you going to say that every time we argue? Because, if it is, maybe you were too hasty, and maybe you do need to rethink it," I spit out.
As soon as the words are out of my mouth, I turn to her and see the look of despair on her face, and my stomach turns. Walking over to her, I place her on my lap.
"I’m sorry, baby,” I say against her cheek. “I love you so fucking much, and the thought of you not being here with me makes me physically ill, but if you aren't sure about living with me, then you need to tell me now." I hold her close to me, and she lays her head on my shoulder.
"I want to be here, Matthew, but what I don't want is that every time something isn’t going your way, you walk away from me. Whether it's just out of the bed, the room, or the house — the fact is, you leave. I’m afraid one day you’ll leave and never come back."
"I will always come back to you. You are my life. Don't you know that? Love doesn't even touch the surface of what I feel for you and I will always come back."
"Then when are we going to talk about this?" She pats the large book containing my life’s work cradled on her lap. She clearly wants to discuss it.
"We have to meet Berkley at two o'clock. Why don't you let me cook you a nice New Year's dinner tonight? It'll be just you and me. We can talk about it tonight afterward. Does that sound all right?" I kiss her forehead, and she lifts her face to mine, kissing me back.
"After dinner is perfect — but, please, Matthew, don't walk away anymore." I can't help but look down into her beautiful golden eyes and wonder if they would remain the same color or if they would change when they come to life.
"I promise, and we’ll have this settled before we go to bed, okay?" She giggles when I gently pinch the tip of her nose.
"Good. Let me get dressed, and I'll make us breakfast, all right?"
"Great. I'm starving." Lifting her off my lap, she makes her way to the shower while I dress and let Conrad out for his morning run.
While I'm in the kitchen, making a pot of coffee, the doorbell rings, and I have to admit, a feeling of dread comes over me. I'm not expecting anyone, and with Emma's behavior lately, you never know what can happen.
I cautiously approach the door, looking through the peephole and see my sister, Brian, Jess and Laura holding bags and boxes. Opening the door for them, they hurry in and set the packages on the floor, tables, and chairs — anywhere there is a flat surface.
"Hey, guys," I greet everyone. "What's all this?"
"It's Joy's clothes you bought her. She needs everything, Matthew, so we got her everything," Maddie explains, beginning the process of emptying the bags.
"There was a lot of valuable lingerie lost. I know … I bought it for her," Laura piped in.
"Hey, Brian … Jess." I look up and see them both shaking their heads at the pile of packages.
"You don't know what you have until it's gone," Brian quotes a familiar line.
"Yeah, she lost everything, poor thing," Maddie replies, digging through the bags.
"What's going on?" We all turn and see Joy walking cautiously down the stairs.
"Hey sweetie," Laura greets her. Brian’s quick to join her, and they escort her to her new wardrobe.
"Hey, guys. It's good to see you." She smiles, kissing them on the cheek.
"We brought your new clothes for you to try on. Do you feel like putting on a show for Maddie and me?" Laura asks, gathering as many packages as she can carry.
"Thanks, you guys. You didn't have to go to all that trouble, but I really do appreciate it." She hugs everyone in greeting before saying, "Can we have breakfast first? I'
m starving, and Matthew and I were about to make pancakes. Did you guys eat yet?"
"Nope. We were hoping you would invite us. Either that or we all go out." Jessie proposes.
"Good, I'll make blueberry pancakes with boysenberry syrup. It's one of my favorites, so you're stuck with it," Joy says, turning for the kitchen.
Before I can stop her, I cringe as she trips over one of the packages someone placed on the floor at the entrance. She falls hard onto her knees, and when her hands reach out in front of her to find something to break her fall, the boxes scatter. This causes her to lunge forward, her head hitting the table that's just inside the front door.
"Dammit!” she cries out.
"Joy!!" I shout, trying to reach her before her head hit the table, but I am too late. It all happens too fast. The next thing I know, there's a flurry of activity with everyone moving the packages out of harm's way.
"We broke the first cardinal rule, darlin’. I'm so sorry," Brian fusses, kneeling at her side. "We know better than to put packages on the floor, especially in your walk-zones."
"Yeah, I didn't see that coming," she hisses, and when she touches her head, her hand comes back with blood on it. I push her hair out of her face to find the source.
"Maddie, will you get my bag? It's in my office." She takes off in a rush and comes back with it just as quickly. "There's antiseptic and a package of small butterflies in there, will you pull those out for me?"
"Matthew, I'm all right. It's just a bump," Joy says, her eyes watering.
"No, it's not, hon. You have a small gash on your forehead. It doesn't need sutures, but it does need a butterfly." I lift her in my arms, and Jessie helps me get her situated on the couch. Laura comes with a warm washcloth, and I clean up the blood and wash the wound with antiseptic. After the butterfly stitch is in place, she sits up and rubs her hand. Looking down, I see that she has a scrape on her palm where her hand caught the edge of a shoebox.
“Your hand is cut, too,” I tell her, taking the damp cloth and wiping over it. After I’m certain it’s clean, I kiss it to make it feel better.
"That's the best medicine in the entire world, my grandmother used to say," she teases, cupping my face. "Thank you, Doctor."
"You are most welcome, Ms. Johnson." I can't resist pulling her in for a kiss, realizing we aren't alone.
"Okay, new house rules. Nothing gets placed on the floor—"
"You don't need to tell us, Matthew. It will never happen again, trust us. It's a rule we already know and generally practice, but for the life of me, I don't know why we didn't today," Brian explains. "I'm so sorry, Joy."
"Don't worry about it — it happens. Let's get breakfast going, shall we?" She moves to get up but not before Conrad investigates. He has to make sure his human is all right for himself, and Joy leans in for a hug.
"Hey, buddy, don't worry." She always talks sweetly to him, and I find it endearing how concerned he is for her. He shows it by giving her a sweet, small, kiss on her lips. "I love you too, Conrad," she says, kissing his snout.
"Let us make breakfast, babe. You sit and take it easy." I take her hand to guide her to the table, but she'll have none of it.
"Good grief, Matthew, I fell. I'm not crippled. I'm okay," she says with a giggle. "The girls will help me, won't you?"
"You bet we will." I watch as they follow her into the kitchen.
"Will you guys help me carry these bags upstairs?" I ask Brian and Jessie. We start taking loads of bags and boxes to the bedroom, and I look over at Brian. He's visibly upset.
"Hey, Brian, she's all right." I assure him.
"I know, but I hate to be the one to hurt her, you know?"
"We're all to blame," Jessie speaks up. "We all put those bags down, not just you. I bet you even put your packages on the table. Probably Maddie or I left them on the floor. You and Laura know better, whereas Maddie and I don't think like you do. You've had years of experience, so don't beat yourself up, all right?" I smile at Jessie's sound logic and pat him once on the back to thank him.
"Yeah, what Jess said." I sucker punch Brian's arm to bring him out of his funk. "Hey, it's okay, Brian. Come on. Let's go have some of her blueberry pancakes."
I follow them down the stairs and look at the spot where she fell. As innocent as it all was, it could have been worse. While she expertly moves around my kitchen, I can't believe this girl just took a tumble. I think about how this could happen anywhere, but I guess that's why she has Conrad.
After breakfast, the girls head upstairs for their private fashion show while Jess, Brian and I turn on the TV to watch the tail end of a football game.
"Joy and I have to meet Detective Berkley at her apartment at two and I think it’s going to be hard on her. She's been thinking of what little remnants she had of her parents and grandmother. She believes it's all gone."
"How is she holding up?" Jessie asks, leaning forward, his elbows resting on his knees.
"Surprisingly well, I wonder sometimes why she hasn't cried or broken down, but she hasn't. She's remains very quiet … stoic … like she's hiding it, you know?"
"She's like that, Matthew. She's always been one to keep it inside but mark my words, she’ll get up in the middle of the night when no one is around to hear her cry and deal with it that way. Sometimes she bakes, too. Remember Christmas?" I look over at him, and it makes sense now why she made seven pies during the time we weren't talking.
"I've been finding her up in the middle of the night reading my study. I had it printed in Braille for her, and she's been reading at night while I'm asleep."
"Yep, that's our Joy," Brian confirms.
"She wants to get the procedure subject settled today. I promised her we’ll talk about it tonight, after dinner." I think I said this out loud more for myself than for their ears. I'm not looking forward to this conversation.
"You still aren't going to do it?" Jessie asks, curiously. I shake my head adamantly.
"I hope you two work it out and finally get it resolved."
"I don't know, Jess. I mean, I really wanted to do it because I know she will see, but I've been watching her these past few weeks. She's so well adjusted. She doesn't need me to walk in and change her life. I started to think about the reasons I wanted her to do it and they were for me and me only. Not one reason was for her. So, no, I'm not doing it. I love her just the way she is." I look at both Brian and Jessie and I think they're a little shocked at my revelation.
Looking at my watch, I see it's close to one o'clock and I need to let Joy know it's time to get ready to meet Berkley.
"I'll be right back," I call over my shoulder as I head up the stairs. Once I reach the bedroom door, I knock twice and enter to find one of the sexiest things I've ever seen. There stands my girl in a white and blue corset with a matching thong.
"Holy Jesus, Joy. That's, um, that's, um, very nice." I think I've tripped over my tongue, and all three of the girls turn to laugh at me.
"Yeah, we thought you might like that one, Matthew." Laura giggles while looking at Joy.
"I wanted to tell you that we need to get going soon." When I turn to leave the room, I look back to sneak another peek. "Oh, and Joy, you can wear that anytime you want, okay?" I leave the room to a new round of giggles.
"What's going on up there?" Jessie asks, pouring a glass of orange juice.
"Joy's playing dress up ... and, Jess, your girl has excellent taste in underwear." I chuckle as I walk past him.
"That she does. You don't think Joy's the only one that wears that shit, do you?"
After everyone leaves, Joy and I head to town to see her apartment. We drive in silence and sensing that she's nervous, I take her hand to help calm her. She places her other hand over mine and holds it tightly.
Pulling up to the curb in front of the apartment building, my stomach lurches at the sight. I’m certain she would not have survived had she been in there alone. I look back at her, and she's just sitting there, waiting.
"H
ow does it look?"
"Not good."
"Well, let's get this over with. I don't want to come back here again." I see Detective Berkley waiting for us at the entrance to the now vacant building.
"Wait here." I get out, run around the car, and open her door for her.
"Hello, Detective. Thanks for meeting us. You should be at home with your family on this holiday. We won't be long," I explain.
"I have no family, Matthew — this is just another day for me." I think about him alone at Christmas, and I pity him at that moment.
Once we're in front of her door, the detective opens the large security lock placed there to keep the vandals out. I’m appalled at what I see. Her apartment is unrecognizable.
"Whew, it stinks in here," Joy says, pinching her nose.
"Yeah, it sure does. Where do you want to start first, babe?" I take her hand, ready to take her anywhere she wants, so that she doesn't trip on all the debris.
"Let's start in my room. I want to see if my jewelry box is there." I take her to her room and, although the furniture is still standing, it's beyond repair. Her bed is nothing but a metal frame. The curtains over her window are gone, and what's left of the blinds has melted. I think it’s clear the fire started here.
"Here," Berkley says, handing us each a pair of rubber gloves. I take them gratefully, having not thought of bringing our own.
"Here, baby. The detective gave us gloves to use." I help her slip her hands inside, and she freely touches the surface of her dresser, locating her jewelry box. Once she opens it, she searches for something in particular. "What are you looking for?"
"The necklace and earrings you got me the night of the ball." Her fingers frantically search and panic is setting in.
"Let me help you." Taking the box from her, I dig through the contents, and at the bottom, I find the earrings and the necklace and place them in her hands. She holds them to her chest and subsequently holds them in front of her, as if she can see them.
"Are they okay?"
"Yes, they're perfect. It looks like all your jewelry is safe." I smile when she sighs and looks relieved. Next to her bed, a few pictures are salvageable too.
I See You (Seeing You #2) Page 13
