Cut Short

by Julia Wolf

  I wiggled against him, beginning to feel more awake as he touched me. He pushed his hips against my ass, his erection nestling between my cheeks.

  “Well, good morning.” I smiled into my pillow. I put my hand over his and guided him up to my breasts. He got the hint and caressed them, then his fingers tugged gently, pulling my nipples into hard points. I pushed my ass into him, and he ground his hardness against me.

  His hand traveled down from my breasts, caressing my stomach and hip, then between my legs. “No underwear, huh?” His fingers went exploring, spreading me apart and moving between my folds. I was already soaking wet, and his fingers slid into my body with ease. I moaned and lifted my leg to give him better access. He had two fingers inside me and the heel of his hand rubbed against my already pulsing clit.

  I reached behind me and cupped the back of his neck. He kissed my jaw and sucked on my ear. I was on the brink of coming, but I needed him inside me. Reaching over, I pulled a condom out of the drawer next to my bed and handed it to him. His hands left my body, and I almost cried out at the loss. Then he was back, pulling my hips toward him as he slid inside me, filling me.

  We both stopped moving for a beat, holding each other as close as possible. Then, when I felt like I would go crazy if I didn’t move, I reached behind me and pressed on his ass, urging him forward. He pulled out and plunged back into me, making me moan. His rhythm was slow and relaxed, each thrust long and deep. Joe kissed and bit my shoulder and neck, and I leaned my head back against him, my hand on his hip.

  Joe’s rhythm picked up speed, and I reached between my legs to rub my clit. I was really close. My inner walls squeezed him as he thrust, making him groan into my neck. He picked up my leg to use as leverage, his hips slapping against mine.

  I slid my fingers down to feel him going in and out of my body, then pressed on my clit one more time, and I came, my back bowing and my toes pointing. Every part of me clenched as tremors rolled through me. Joe held me tight as I rode out my climax. Then he slammed into me one last time and bit my neck as he came.

  “What a way to wake up,” he groaned, pulling out of me and flopping back on the bed. I starfished next to him, one of my arms and legs over top of him.

  “Somehow, I’m sleepy, but wide awake. I think your cock is magic,” I breathed softly, running my hands through my damp hair.

  Joe laughed and ran his hand up and down my leg.

  “Hey, don’t get any more ideas, buster. Some of us actually have to go to work today,” I said.

  He pinched my hip lightly and let go, his hands going behind his head. I turned on my side so I faced him and propped myself up. Now that it was daylight and he was stretched out in my bed, I perused his body with my eyes. He watched me checking him out, a small smirk on his lips. The golden skin of his torso tapered to a delicious V cut at his hips that I found so incredibly sexy. I had big plans for that V that involved tracing my tongue along it. He didn’t have huge muscles, but they were well-defined, and I knew he could lift and toss me around a little, so that was more than enough for me. My eyes followed the treasure trail of dark hair down his stomach right to the most perfect penis I had ever seen or felt. I sighed dramatically.

  I gestured my hands over his body. “I like all this.”

  A deep laugh burst out of him and he shook his head.

  “How can you be so damn cute and sexy at the same time?”

  I shrugged and batted my eyelashes, which made him laugh again.

  I got out of bed and stretched, my limbs loose and limp. “Sadly, I really do have to go to work for a few hours today. I’m going to go shower. Do you want to hang out and we can have breakfast before I go?” Even though the tug of responsibility pulled me away, not one part of me wanted to leave him.

  “Of course I do. Go ahead and shower. When I can feel my legs again, I’ll see what I can make for us.” He was still all stretched out, incredibly naked, and I had to hold onto the doorframe to stop myself from running back to the bed.

  “You don’t have to do that.” I wasn’t used to having someone help out.

  “I know. But you’re hungry, I’m hungry, and I don’t have anywhere to be.” He sat up, swung his legs over the side of the bed, and stepped into his shorts. He left the top button undone, so they hung dangerously low on his hips. Sauntering over to me, he put his hands on my waist. “I’ve been inside you, but I haven’t kissed your lips yet today.” He leaned down and took my mouth with his, his tongue teasing my lips. I fell into him, relishing the feel of his soft mouth. He pulled back just as I was ready to throw my legs around his waist and drag him back to bed.

  “Get outta here!” He turned me around and swatted my butt. I giggled and ran into the bathroom.

  I dressed in a short vintage-style green floral wrap dress, my hair in loose waves around my face, then I followed my nose to the kitchen where coffee was brewing and something sweet was cooking. Joe stood by the oven, sipping a mug of coffee. He smiled as I walked toward him. “Hey, pretty, why don’t you take this mug and head out to the balcony? I’ll be there in a minute.” He handed me a steaming mug and I went outside.

  Joe joined me with a plate of blueberry muffins he’d made from a box mix. We sipped our coffee and ate breakfast, enjoying each other’s company and the beautiful summer morning.

  “What are you up to today?” I’d been dreading the moment we’d part ways.

  “I’m going to head over to the house and do some scrubbing to get it ready for the guys to do the floors tomorrow. Then I’ll probably go hang out with my parents. What about you?”

  “I just have a few clients today, so I won’t be at work for too long. I might go on a short hike later. We’ll see.”

  Joe scoffed. “Who the hell are we kidding?” I shot him a puzzled look. “Why are we pretending we’re happily going off to do separate things? Sorry to be a creep, but I kind of want to lock the door and never let you out.”

  I laughed because I’d been having the same feelings. Now that I knew what it felt like to have him inside me, it was going to be physically painful to be apart from him.

  “Nah, you’ve done much creepier things. Let’s be mature adults, though, and do our own thing. Then do you want to spend the night and go all the way?”

  Joe chuckled. “Can I take you out to dinner tonight?”

  “You sure can,” I said. “I can’t wait.”

  We cleaned up the remnants of breakfast, then Joe walked me to work. I stood on my tiptoes and gave him a lingering kiss.

  “See you later, buster.”

  “Bye, sweet girl.”

  I watched him saunter off toward his house and the hopeless romantic side of me I mostly kept well-hidden, thought, there goes my heart.

  My problem-child client, Mrs. Hanson, was waiting for me in my chair when I walked in. Most clients sat in the waiting area until I was ready for them, but Mrs. Hanson wasn’t like most clients.

  “Was that your beau?” she asked by way of greeting.

  I smiled and draped a cape around her shoulders. “Yeah, I think he is.”

  She patted my hand on her shoulder. “You look happy, dear. You deserve it.”

  I thought she’d go easy on me today since she’d been so sweet in the beginning, but when she whipped out a ruler from her purse, I realized I’d thought wrong. She measured her hair from every angle until I finally convinced her it was as even as humanly possible.

  She left me the same tip she’d been giving me for years: five dollars and a coupon for a McDonald’s ice cream cone. As crazy as she made me, I always smiled when she handed me that tip. Sometimes it was nice to know some things never changed. And frankly, McDonald’s ice cream was delicious.

  After work, I hiked the trail by the river. I made sure I stayed present and fully took in my surroundings, absorbing the beauty.

  I’d come to this town a broken woman, sad and angry at my ex, but also determined to become stronger and move on. I found peace in this patchwork town by the ri
ver. And now, when I really thought about it, quieting my fears and worries and letting my heart speak, I knew I was falling in love in this town too. Joe was my person and he had my heart. I just hoped, this time, he finally felt the same.

  Twenty-Five

  Joe and I fell into an easy rhythm now that we lived in such close proximity. He did projects on the stone house and I worked at the salon. The evenings were ours and were mostly spent eating, talking, and exploring every inch of each other’s bodies on every surface of my apartment.

  It was the middle of summer by the time Joe’s house had any furniture. He hadn’t wanted to move anything in until he finished painting, but then he kept changing his mind on which furniture to order until he gave up and demanded I make all the decisions.

  Since he didn’t have a bed, he had been staying with me almost every night over the last few weeks. Even though our relationship was still new, I never felt scared or suffocated having him in my space all the time. I liked having him there. So much so, I was more than a little sad when he finally ordered his own bed.

  I knocked on the door, then pushed it open, stepping inside Joe’s house. I called out a hello and heard noises coming from upstairs.

  “Stay down there for a minute. I have a surprise,” Joe called out.

  I smiled to myself and wandered into the living room. Joe had painted it a pale gray because that was as bold as he’d been ready to go with color— although he had let me paint the master bath a very light aqua. Baby steps. Thankfully, he left the beautiful dark wood trim alone after he gave it a good cleaning. A plush cream rug lay in front of a dark gray sectional. Joe had been skeptical when I convinced him to buy a few teal throw pillows, but more than once, I had seen him arrange them neatly, in the exact spots I first put them.

  I sat down on the couch and surveyed the room. It still looked very plain, with nothing on the walls yet. Joe and I had made plans to hunt for art together to bring color into the room. Just thinking of looking for art with Joe gave me butterflies for reasons I could not quite explain.

  There were built-in bookshelves on either side of the fireplace, and I kept catching myself mentally arranging where my mannequin heads and other kitschy decorations would go.

  “Hey, sweet girl.”

  I smiled at Joe as he walked into the living room and sat down beside me. “Hey there, buster.” Just looking at him gave me a rush of warmth in my chest. He pulled me against him and gave me a long, thorough kiss.

  “Did you have dinner?” he asked.

  “I did. Eliza ordered sushi for the two of us to split—it’s kind of our thing. I stuffed it in my mouth between clients.”

  “Well, I made tortellini with pesto sauce and there are leftovers if you’re still hungry.”

  “Nom. That sounds delicious. Maybe later. I just want to be with you for a little bit.” I snuggled into him. I couldn’t seem to get enough of being close to him.

  “Actually, there’s a surprise for you upstairs. Do you want it?”

  I sat up and clapped my hands together. “Do I want it? Surprises are my kryptonite. I am helpless against them.”

  He laughed. “Follow me and nobody gets hurt.” Holding my hand, he led me up the stairs.

  When he started to go into the master bedroom, I asked, “Joe, is this a naked surprise?”

  “It is, but not in the way you’re thinking, dirty girl.” We went into the master bathroom and I gasped, my hands covering my mouth. The soaking tub was filled with milky water with flower petals floating on top and candles around the edge of the tub lighting the room.

  I pointed to the bath. “Is this for me?”

  Joe kissed my cheek. “Yes, it is. Enjoy.” He turned to walk out of the room, but I grabbed his hand.

  “Where do you think you’re going?”

  He laughed. “Just letting you relax in the bath.”

  I shook my head. “Nope. You’re getting in there with me.” I pulled my dress over my head and wiggled out of my boy shorts. Joe stood frozen in place, his eyes following my every move. With his gaze locked on me, I sauntered to the tub, then slowly lowered myself into the hot water. I moaned softly and poured water onto my chest from my cupped hands before looking right at Joe and raising my eyebrows. “Coming?” I asked.

  He nodded slowly, and without looking away from me, scrambled to take his clothes off. When he got into the bathtub, we sat face to face, his long legs on the outside of mine. He leaned back and sighed. “This is nice. I don’t think I’ve taken a bath since I was a kid.”

  “I haven’t taken one in years. My apartment only has a shower, sadly.”

  “My bathtub is your bathtub,” he replied.

  I laughed. “You better remember you said that. One day, you’re going to come home from work and I’ll be here, soaking in your bathtub. I’m warning you now.”

  He rubbed my legs under the water. “That doesn’t scare me. That actually sounds like a fantasy of mine. But since you’re my fantasy woman, it makes sense.”

  “You’re too funny.” I shook my head in amusement. “What a line.”

  Joe leaned forward and looked at me with a serious expression. “Not a line, sweet girl.” I felt my cheeks heat up, so I just smiled and leaned back, splashing the warm water onto my chest and neck.

  After a minute of comfortable silence, Joe asked, “How was your day?”

  I sighed. “Really long. You’ll be proud of me, though. Eliza and I sat down, looked at our schedules for the coming months, and decided we’ll alternate Saturdays and Sundays so neither of us has to work the entire weekend. Then I looked ahead in the appointment book and marked Mondays as my permanent days off. So starting in a few weeks, I’ll actually have two days in a row off every other week!”

  I had been feeling trapped at work lately and thought Eliza had been feeling the same way. Part of the reason she took me on as partner was to share the responsibility of the business, but we were both so used to always being in the salon, we hadn’t worked out a system. I wanted a life outside the salon, though. I wanted to spend daylight hours with Joe. I wanted to spend two days in bed with him if we decided to—and knowing us, we just might.

  “I’m impressed. How long has it been since you’ve taken two consecutive days off work?”

  I exhaled and looked at the ceiling. “I don’t even know. Aside from vacation days? I don’t think I ever have since I started working in a salon. And for the past couple of years, I’ve worked every day. I’m going to need some assistance in the relaxing department.”

  “I think I can help with that.” Joe ran his palms down my legs and pulled me closer so they were draped over his.

  I arched an eyebrow. “Oh yeah? How would you help me relax?”

  “For starters, I wouldn’t let you out of bed before noon.”

  “How would you keep me there?”

  “Oh, the usual way: The New York Times crossword puzzle.”

  “Ooooh, I like the way you think.” I giggled. “And I like bathtub conversations with you. I vote any and all future serious conversations must be held in the tub.”

  Joe smiled. “I really like that idea.”

  “So, how was your day? I didn’t notice if you did more work on the house.”

  “I spent some time exploring our fine city. I actually saw Eliza today too.”

  “You did? She didn’t mention it.”

  He nodded. “She was in Abraham’s music shop playing piano. And when I say playing piano, I mean killing the piano. Lighting it on fire. E has skills.”

  “Huh. She went out for a bit after our talk. I guess that’s where she went.”

  “She acted flustered when she saw me watching her, but I told her we should jam together soon. I hope she takes me up on it. After she left, Abe told me she stops in a lot. He said she can play anything on the piano. I have to say, I’m intrigued.”

  I was intrigued too. Eliza was a secret keeper. “I had no idea she played. I’ll have to grill her about it. Gently of course
.”

  “Definitely convince her to come jam with me.” He lifted my foot out of the water and kissed the arch. Sigh. “Once I left Abe’s, I stopped in the coffee shop and spotted a flyer on the counter for live music in the park. Have you been to that before?”

  I shook my head. “No, that’s new this summer. We should definitely go. Remember how much fun we had at the movie in the park?”

  He laughed. “I’ll definitely never forget that.” His eyes glazed over a bit before he cleared his throat. “Being new this year must be the reason they have a few slots open for performers. Anyway, the owner of the coffee shop is the one organizing the whole thing. So, long story short, I showed him some videos of my performances on my phone, and he offered me the opening in three weeks.”

  I smiled and clapped, water splashing everywhere. “That’s awesome, Joe! I can’t wait to watch you. You don’t even know what seeing you onstage belting out a song does to me.”

  “Lucky me that when I sing this time, I get to take you home afterwards and find out.”

  Once we were both in danger of turning into prunes, we got out of the tub and dried off.

  Joe stood behind me, and against my neck, asked, “Did you see what was in the bedroom?”

  I shook my head. I hadn’t really paid attention. I had been too eager to follow Joe into the bathroom for my surprise.

  “Is there a pony in your bedroom, Joe? Please say yes! Please say yes!”

  “Better than a pony.” He led me by the shoulders into the master bedroom.

  “It’s beautiful!” I hopped onto Joe’s brand-new king-size bed. The frame and headboard were made of reclaimed wood. It was massive, rustic, and gorgeous. I bounced around on the bed to test the softness, and Joe cleared his throat.

  “See? Fantasy woman: naked and bouncing on my bed.” He crawled onto the bed next to me, and I stopped bouncing.

  “I think it’s only right we test the bed for sturdiness. For safety reasons, of course.” I trailed my hand along his bare chest.