Signs of Attraction

by Laura Brown

  Then it was game on. His lips were back against mine in a kiss so far removed from sweet that I might never crave sugar again, because this put even the most delectable sweet to shame. I forgot about my poor throbbing noggin as I wrapped my arms around him and pressed him as close to me as I could get. And still it wasn’t close enough.

  I wasn’t alone in that feeling. Reed withdrew from my embrace and pulled back the covers before sliding inside with me. All I had on was his tee shirt and my leggings, but I would have been fine if I was naked. In fact, at that moment, I would have preferred naked. Instead I accepted the intimacy of being wrapped up with Reed, in his bed, under his sheets. Content to stay in this spot as long as I could.

  His fingers slid under the tee shirt, warm against my bare back. I may have whimpered a bit at the contact and squirmed closer to him. As soon as I did, I became aware of two things: we fit together like a puzzle, and his lounge pants did nothing to contain his erection. The hard length of him settled between my legs, and I forgot to breathe.

  He broke the kiss, probably because I was about to turn blue, and looked down at me. He removed his hand from my back, which caused me to whimper again. He must have felt me, because one side of his mouth curved, as his hand moved in front of his face.

  “B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L.”

  I melted, completely melted, and yanked his mouth back down to mine. This time when his hand slipped under my shirt, his fingers spread across my belly, inching upward. Too slow for my liking. I needed those fingers in more interesting locations pronto, before the pain spoke louder than the pleasure. I wiggled, hoping to nudge him in the right direction. The bastard didn’t relent on his snail’s pace, but the moment he hit the underside of my braless breast I forgot about moving entirely.

  I could focus only on what I felt, what he made me feel, all my energy on his fingers as they inched closer and closer to my nipple. When they reached their target, I bit my lip. All my nerve endings were congregated to that one location, multiplying their asses off until I couldn’t contain their numbers any longer.

  Body ready to burst, I wondered why we weren’t naked already. I opened my eyes to find Reed watching me. His hair fell across his forehead in an uncombed mess. His eyes were dark as night, twin pools of desire. This handsome man was enthralled with me. I almost couldn’t believe it. My heart clenched good and tight, threatening to jump ship, switch ownership, and never belong to anyone else again. But no danger signs rang out, most likely because his hand remained on my breast, and damned if any rational thought existed.

  I needed to let him know it was okay to continue, but the only complex thought in my head was more. Somehow, I remembered the sign for please. He arched an amused eyebrow. Stubborn mule. I tugged at his shirt, the same one from the night before, and he removed his hands to pull it over his head. I wasn’t thinking with any coherency, because the last thing I wanted was him removing his hands. That was before I got a good look at his body and almost swallowed my tongue. He was lean and trim and fit. While I had never bit a guy before, I had the strongest desire to do just that to Reed.

  He grasped onto the bottom of the tee shirt I wore, raising an eyebrow in question. I wasn’t as fit as he was, but all sense of self-consciousness was long gone. I nodded, and the shirt I wore joined his on the floor. He skimmed kisses along my jaw, down my neck, not stopping until he sucked a nipple into his mouth.

  I arched into him. The now millions of nerve endings centralized in that one area cheered and caused certain other parts to grow jealous. And damp. Then he switched to my other breast, and my body climbed higher and higher. Reed broke my scale in every direction. His kisses = ten, his hands = ten, and I had high hopes for what number other parts of him would be assigned.

  When I writhed in need, he stopped.

  The cool morning puckered my wet skin, and I opened my eyes to see him writing on the pad of paper.

  As much as I want you, I’m not having sex with you right now. Nothing to do with my past that Val and Willow shared, although if I’m honest there is some of that there. More you don’t need me pounding into you if your head is pounding on its own.

  I glazed over a bit at the pounding, because I really, really wanted it. But the man had a point. I grabbed the paper.

  And here I was about to beg you to continue making me forget my headache, even pointing out I’m on birth control. Though considering I left all my meds at home, that one’s a moot point.

  He laughed at my words, and then kissed me like I was the air he desperately needed.

  I can make you forget your headache without pounding.

  All my nerve endings did a little jump, and my hand shook when I reached for the pen.

  I’d like to see you try.

  If only he knew the smile he gave me did half his work for him. He covered my mouth with his again, licking my lips until I opened for him. While our tongues danced a tango, one of his hands slid down my body, again at slow, snail speed. Even though I knew where he headed, I still gasped when his fingers slid beneath my pants and then again when they slid into my panties.

  And when they slid inside, my head fell back against the pillow. I could no longer think, only feel. Did I mention this man’s hands were a ten? Because that number was much too small—I needed a power of, a large power of. In less than two minutes, he had me flying so high I could’ve had an out-of-body experience. My body trembled as ripples of pleasure coursed through me.

  When I came back down to earth, his eyes were hot on me, soaking in my face and my body. I wanted to give him more. I wanted to give him all of me. With my body sated, I didn’t give a damn about my head, which admittedly was out of the red zone. Either the meds worked, or Reed’s hands were magic. I reached out and placed a hand on his warm chest. His heart beat wild under my palm. I let my hand slide down his body, getting a little thrill over every bump and ridge along the way.

  He let out a breath when my hand slipped inside his pants, and I felt my own hum of pleasure when I wrapped my hand around him and stroked. His hand, still in my pants, relaxed against me, and the moment felt more intimate than if we had sex. Now I was able to watch him as his eyes closed, as his mouth parted with deep breaths. My own body built back up as I continued to stroke and touch him.

  Then all of a sudden he grabbed my hand and stopped me. Eyes now open, he shook his head and removed my hand.

  I pointed to myself, then to him, trying to say that if I came, he deserved to as well. Either he didn’t understand me or he didn’t agree, because he shook his head again. Well, I’d flip the switch with my own mouth. I moved my head off the pillow—and the hammering slammed back into me.

  Hand clutching the side of my head, I lay flat on the bed. Reed pulled me to him and kissed my head before grabbing the paper.

  Don’t ruin all my hard work.

  I had to laugh.

  It was your turn though.

  He put the paper down and smiled at me, a full and sure smile. And I realized he may not have had the same amount of fun as I did, but I had given him back something Beth had stolen.

  “Other day,” he signed. Or perhaps that was another day?

  I nodded and snuggled in, resting my aching forehead against his chest. The contact caused the aching to fade to a whisper.

  Please don’t include this in your ASL assignment.

  I nearly doubled over in laughter.

  What? You don’t want me comparing you to the hearing guys I’ve been with?

  He put his hands in his hair and rolled his head back. I kissed his chest. He took in my face, and I hoped like hell he saw the tease. When his lips curved, I considered the message received.

  My right ear pressed against him, over his heart. The faint beating picked up through the suction of his skin and my ear. It occurred to me that I still wasn’t wearing my hearing aids. On a normal day, I put on my aids as soon as I woke up and kept them on until I was alone for the night. Granted, I hadn’t made it out of bed yet, but I also had
n’t been alone.

  Reed brushed my hair back, his fingers skimming the top of my ear. I’d had guys do that before, and their fingers rubbed against my microphone, creating horrible sounds. Here, with Reed, I was me. My ears didn’t make much of a difference, not to a deaf guy.

  He signed to me and I caught food, help, and head. My stomach understood more than my eyes and grumbled in response.

  Reed laughed.

  I pointed to my ear and shook my head. He couldn’t hear. How could he hear my stomach?

  He touched his middle finger to his chest twice. “F-E-E-L.”

  Oh, great, he felt my stomach rumbling. I dropped my head, shielding his view of my face.

  He scrunched down and took my face in his hands; searching brown eyes melted my embarrassment away. He kissed me and then got out of bed, tossing me his shirt again. He stayed with me and helped me up. I stood slowly, testing my head’s ability to be independent. The hammering dialed down to moderate, and I stood upright like a normal person. Thank God the medication had started doing its job.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Reed

  THE MINUTE WE joined Val and Willow in the kitchen, my roommate pounced. “Feeling better?” she signed with her mouth moving, a devil’s smile on her face.

  “Shut up,” I signed, sharp, intense, and fast enough for Carli to miss.

  Beside her, Willow stifled laughter. I contemplated taking Carli out of here, but she needed food. Although she may have been feeling the same unease, because she made to bolt. I put a hand on her waist and secured her against my side, realizing the only one of us with a real problem was me.

  “Her hearing aids are off,” I signed.

  Willow chewed and sat up straight. “Same.” She then moved her loose hair aside, showing off her empty ears.

  Val continued to speak and sign, something she had grown damn good at. “If you need your hearing aids, go right ahead and ignore Reed. But Willow and I are very good at talking loud.”

  Willow nodded in her cheery chipmunk way.

  Carli laughed, relaxing beside me. “ . . . heard you . . . can try.” Her eyes met mine, worry-filled as the unease seeped back in.

  I pointed to Val. “It’s not a problem, she’s an interpreter. I-N-T-E-R-P-R-E-T-E-R.”

  “Student.” Val scowled at me. “I’m an interpreter student.”

  I pulled out a chair and sat. “Practice is a good thing.”

  Val’s Cheshire grin came out. “I make no promises to be accurate.”

  Willow whispered something in Val’s ear. I paid it no mind—par for the course with the two of them. I was about to start breakfast when Carli sat down beside me and pointed to the two giggling women across from us. “Dating?”

  I poked her in the arm. “Yes. Problem?”

  Carli shook her head. “No.”

  Good, because I wasn’t ready to let her go. I stood and picked up the bag of bagels Willow had brought over, let Carli choose one, and popped it into the toaster. When I turned around, Val was watching me.

  “What a sweet boy.”

  “The poor girl has a hangover. You want her making her own breakfast?”

  “Of course she has a hangover; you kept handing her liquor all night.”

  Willow poked her way into the conversation. “He was just making sure she stayed the night.”

  I picked up the butter knife to prep Carli’s bagel, but couldn’t let this one go. I didn’t even care if someone voiced my signs. In fact, I welcomed it. “Enough. Yes. I gave her too much alcohol. Which is why I’m making sure to take care of her now. I’m a nice guy. I will always be a nice guy. Stop waiting for me to suddenly turn into a devil. And get off both of our backs.”

  I stared at Val and waited, but her lips didn’t move.

  “You interpret everything, and you’re not interpreting that?”

  Val grimaced and finally opened her mouth. “No, I’m not interpreting you yelling at me. You’ll have to do that on your own.”

  I brought Carli’s food over to her. “Sorry.”

  I returned to the counter and prepped a marble bagel for myself. The brewed coffee won for potent smell of the day. I took a deep breath, savoring the bitter scent before pouring a cup. “Want?” I asked Carli.

  She shook her head. “OJ?” she asked.

  I smiled and kissed her forehead. “Of course.” I got her a glass before settling beside her.

  The table vibrated, and I looked over to Willow. “Is Carli going to join our Tuesday night dinners?”

  “The dinner’s voice off. Is that really fair?”

  Willow shook her head, her long brown hair fanning her face. “Silly deaf boy, it’s not voice off; it’s ASL on.”

  “It’s not voice off?”

  Out of the corner of my eye, I caught Val’s mouth moving. Thank God.

  Both Willow and Val shook their heads.

  I turned to Carli. “Want to join?”

  Her eyes grew wide. “ASL class.”

  “Class then eat.”

  Carli looked at each of us, then back to me. A smile played at her lips. “OK.” She leaned in and kissed my cheek. I didn’t know what I did to catch a girl like her, but I wasn’t about to let go.

  BY THE TIME I dropped Carli off and made it back to the apartment, the cleaning brigade had just about finished. Score. I hopped onto the couch, with my hands behind my head.

  Val and Willow, both with their hair pulled back by colorful scarves or whatever girls used, propped hands on hips.

  I removed one hand from my head. “I’m ready to handle your BS.”

  “We cleaned.” Willow stomped the floor.

  “You also shared one of the worst parts of my past.”

  “Again, she needed to know,” Val signed.

  “And if she believed for one second I was capable of rape?”

  Willow pulled the fabric off her hair. “One. We were clear it wasn’t true. Two. That girl was on our side from the start.”

  I couldn’t stop the smile. Well, that explained why I had my hand down her pants this morning.

  “Two-year drought over?” Val asked.

  “Almost. Her head was in too much pain for that.”

  Willow turned to Val. “He had a teenage make-out session.” She sighed. “I miss those.”

  Val collapsed on the couch. “When I gain some energy, I’ll show you.”

  “Promise?”

  Val waved her off and then turned her attention to me. “You look happy.”

  “I like her.”

  “A little obvious.”

  I sat up and turned to Willow. “Do you hear better or worse than C-A-R-L-I?”

  She sat on the arm of the couch. “We’re similar. If anything, she hears more. Why?”

  “Do you get headaches?”

  “Sometimes, why?”

  “She says she has them almost all the time. And the pain she was in this morning”—I tried to find the words—“was like no hangover I’ve ever seen before.”

  Val pushed herself up. “You’ve just never stuck around to see the result of your ‘here, have another’ behavior. I’m going to shower.”

  Willow looked on with a hopeful glint in her eyes. “Go.” I didn’t need to tell her twice, she ran down the hall after Val.

  The image of Carli in pain ran on loop in my head. Over and over again I saw her curled up, barely able to move. It churned deep in my gut. Normal or not? I had to know. I tapped the couch for a few minutes before setting up a text to my mom.

  Me: You home?

  Mom: Yup, what’s up?

  Me: I’m calling.

  I checked the hall, and the light shined from under the bathroom door. They’d be in there for a while. I set up the video call on the television.

  “You look happy,” Mom signed when she saw me, her own cheeks perking up.

  “I am.”

  “The new girl?”

  I couldn’t stop my smile from spreading farther. “She’s special.”

&nbs
p; “Now you’ve made me happy.”

  “But . . . ”

  “Oh no.”

  “What’s normal for headaches?”

  Mom’s dark eyebrows drew together. “Explain.”

  “C-A-R-L-I claims she has headaches most of the time. She takes an aspirin every night. And after drinking too much last night, I found her curled up in a tight ball, unable to move from pain.”

  Mom frowned. “Every night?”

  I nodded.

  “That’s not normal.”

  I scratched the back of my neck. My instinct confirmed. It didn’t loosen the churning in my gut.

  “Does she know why she has the pain?”

  “No clue. She’s reluctant to talk about it.”

  “Then you let it go until you know her better. She could be aware of this and not want to share.”

  I agreed, but deep inside something nagged. I’d never forget her curled up in pain. The only thing I could equate it to was Mom after Dad died. Only Carli’s pain wasn’t emotional.

  “I know you,” Mom signed. “Do your best to let it go. Would you want her complaining about Beth?”

  “Val and Willow told her all about Beth.”

  Mom smiled. “And she didn’t bolt?”

  No, she didn’t. If anything she let me further into her world.

  “When do I get to meet her?”

  I glared.

  “Be nice to your poor mother.”

  I laughed. “Thanks for the talk. I love you.”

  She shook her head but smiled as she did so. “I love you too.”

  We disconnected, and I stayed on the couch for a while, thoughts of Carli running a triathlon in my mind. I wanted to help her, in more ways than introducing her to the Deaf World.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Carli

  TUESDAY, AFTER MY ASL class, I found Reed waiting for me outside the building. He leaned against the railing, the setting sun picking up the golden tones of his hair. When he turned to face me, a shadow blocked half his face, though it didn’t diminish the way his eyes lit up upon seeing me.

  I waited until I was one step up from him to stop and wave. He wrapped an arm around my waist and hauled me to him, chest to chest, thigh to thigh. I whimpered at the contact. He crushed his lips against mine, tongue swiping at the seam of my mouth until I plum forgot where we were. By the time we parted, I was breathless and wondering if we could skip dinner and just go back to my place.