by Regina Wade
“Aster, please let me in. I was wrong, we all were. I won’t bring the others, I get it, times are tight, only so much to go around. Please?”
Before I can respond, Seb is barking again. He might be a bit of a puppy with me, but with her, he’s all teeth.
“Lauren, you’re trespassing. I won’t call the cops with petty shit like this in times like these. I’m just going to start counting, and if I get to ten I’m coming out there. If I can still see you from my porch? You’re not going to like it.”
“One.”
The only sound after he speaks is the scrabbling of feet in sand as Lauren flees. Seb groans, still holding the door shut, not even bothering to finish his count.
“Man, now I’ve got to sterilize this door and the porch. Ugh.”
I wrap him up in the biggest hug I can give, squeezing his ribs so tightly that I’m afraid I’ll hear them creak like an old ship.
“Thankyouthankyouthankyou.” I whisper against his chest, the tears already flowing, big drops landing on his bare chest. He wraps both arms around me, holding me close as I shudder against him.
“Baby, it’s ok. I got you.” He holds me, rubbing my back soothingly until I stop.
“Are you okay, Aster?” he asks, concern writ large across his features.
I nod, smiling up at him.
“I am now. No one has ever stood up for me like that before. Never. Not in my entire life. Seb, I love you so much.” My smile keeps growing, becoming a full-blown grin. I bite my bottom lip as I eye his incredible chest up close and personal.
“It was nothing, Aster. Really.” He smiles at me.
I shake my head.
“No. It was incredible, and hearing you get all stern daddy kind of got me all worked up.” I slide one palm across the broad plane of his pec, marveling at the firmness. I grab his hand and begin to tug on him, dragging him back to bed.
“Come on, Point Break. That performance deserves a reward.”
“What did you have in mind?” He laughs, following me back to the bed.
I stop before we reach the soft mattress, kneeling in front of him, eyeing him appreciatively before looking up to meet his eyes.
“Well, despite your pugning, there’re still some things we haven’t done yet. I thought you might like to start helping me cross a few more things off the bucket list.”
Epilogue One:
28 Days Later
“This still feels like cheating, somehow,” Aster whispers against my mouth.
We’re stretched out on my little bit of the beach. It isn’t exactly prime real-estate, so no one else comes this far down the shore. Too far from civilization. The perfect place to ride out a month of isolation.
“Don’t worry, sweetheart. No one else is going to get washed up on our front lawn.” I grin up at her.
The sun is still climbing in the sky, the gulls are crying in the distance. The ocean’s calm, but there’s no roar of traffic on the highway nearby. No drunk beach-goers now. No sounds of civilization at all.
“It’s eerie,” Aster says for the tenth time today as she sits atop me.
“But peaceful. You know, this is usually what this stretch of the world looks like. Quiet.”
Aster runs her hands down my chest, dragging her nails, eyebrow quirked.
“I don’t exactly remember, but I don’t think I was being quiet last night,” she drags one of my hands up to her breasts, rocking her hips back, sliding her wet cunt up and down my thick shaft.
“And no one made any noise complaints. Or called in an attempted murder.” I grin up at her, brushing one thumb across her hard nipples. Aster’s curves are sinfully delicious, and I take every opportunity I can to get my hands all over her.
Which for the last four weeks has been pretty much non-stop.
“So listen. When things get back to normal…” she starts.
I groan, and not just because her slick inner walls are milking my cock.
“Aster, we’ve been over this. That’s then. The future. Live in the now, baby.” I slide my hands down and grip her hips, pulling her snugly down against me as I lift my hips.
Her eyes widen in shock, and I feel the thrill of pleasure coursing through her veins. I know it’s almost enough to overwhelm her because the feeling of her sliding up and down has me wanting to burst already.
But Aster isn’t a quitter.
I’ve finally met my match.
She composes herself, tapping a finger against her chin.
“There’s just so much planning to do. Logistics to figure out.”
I growl up at her and squeeze her hips as she rocks them back and forth. Aster might have started out this quarantine an inexperienced virgin, but she’s far from that now. We fucked so much we had to take a two-day break to give ourselves time to heal.
The gleam in her emerald eyes tells me she’s enjoying every second of this. I’m not a quitter either.
“Why not just stay here forever?” I say it casually, although inside I’m anything but.
Aster stops, coming to an abrupt halt that leaves me groaning.
“Aster, sweetheart, I’m close. Can you just...”
She just stares at me, oblivious. I can practically see the gears turning in her mind, the surprise melting into realization, and then joy.
“Seb, do you mean it?” She finally whispers.
“Well, we sort of already had our honeymoon. It’s a bit out of order, but...Aster, will you marry me?”
Her squeal of delight takes me by surprise, sending a few nearby birds scattering to the sky. She leans down, which does incredible things to my cock buried deep inside her.
“Yes, Seb. Yes.” She smothers me in kisses, gripping my face. I snatch her wrists, pulling her away just long enough to speak.
“I know it’s crazy, but this is what I’ve been looking for all my life. What I’ve always wanted. What I’ve been searching for. All along, it was you.” I smile up at her between kisses. Her green eyes are full of tears, spilling over onto her cheeks, but I know they’re happy tears for once.
Then her lips are on mine again, and there’s no more need for words. Slowly the kisses turn from happy to something hotter. Her hips start to move again, rocking her pussy up and down the full length of my shaft.
She sits back, straddling me fully. Her hands go up to her long crimson curls, bringing the pile of it up on top of her head, her face upturned to the sky, lost in the moment. After four weeks of mostly staying inside, her already pale skin is as white as porcelain.
I make a mental note to rub her down all over with some sunscreen. Later.
Aster shifts, moving from straddling me with her thighs to get her feet under her. Then she’s bouncing her luscious ass on me, and I know that she wants me to come. There’s a fever to her movement that has nothing to do with any disease.
Over the last four weeks, I’ve learned that my sweet and innocent curvy Aster is one thirsty woman. She loves making me come, and I’m all too happy to oblige her. Aster is my everything, and I would do anything to make her happy. In this case, though, I’m just as eager to feel her pussy coming all over my cock.
I grab her ass, hands full of her cheeks, and begin to thrust up into her. Her mouth forms a perfect O of surprise as I take control away from her effortlessly, even though she’s on top. It doesn’t take long, as worked up as we both are. Two dozen strokes and I feel my balls tightening, cock twitching inside her as I fill her up with pulse after pulse of my orgasm.
At the first feeling of me coming inside her, Aster throws her head back and screams. It took a few weeks to warm her up to really letting go but having no one within a few miles to hear her helped.
It’s the sexiest sound in the world, listening to Aster cry out in pleasure. Feeling the flood of her wetness dripping down onto the sand beneath us.
“Mine,” I growl, digging my fingers into her cheeks deeply enough to know I’ll leave another set of bruises layered on top of the fading ones from yesterda
y.
“Oh god, Seb. I’m yours. Forever.” She collapses on top of me, head on my chest, both of us panting, sweating.
I can feel her breathing change as we lay together in post-coital bliss. I don’t even have to look down to know her eyes are closed, peacefully napping.
I’m about to drift off too when I hear a sound that immediately drags me back to full-bore consciousness.
The sound of a car door slamming shut.
“Aster, get up. Go in the house babe, someone’s here. If it’s your friends again…” I can already feel the heat rising in my blood again at the thought.
“What? Oh, Seb. Be careful, please.” She blinks up at me blearily as I stand and haul her up. She wobbles a bit, knees still weak from her earth-shattering orgasm.
“I’ll be fine. I’ve got something in the future. I’m not just living in the now anymore.” I bring her hand up and give the back of it a kiss. “Go on.” I pull on my trunks as she scurries away, my eyes following the bounce of her curves.
God, I’m lucky. That woman is so fucking hot.
The door to my house is barely shut before a laughing family of five crests the hill. The parents look to be in their forties, the kids just old enough to still enjoy going to the beach with their parents. They smile and wave, the father stepping forward, hand extended in greeting. I start to extend my own, then remember myself.
“Sorry, old habit, but we better not,” I say, smiling but keeping my distance.
His brow furrows in confusion. “Why not?”
I give him a quick glance up and down, trying to discern if he’s joking or just stupid.
“Social distancing. The virus?”
He laughs.
“Oh lordy, son. Where have you been? They ended the quarantine a week ago. It burned itself out.”
Now it’s my turn to frown at him. His wife begins to take their kids towards the ocean.
“I guess we haven’t been on a store run in a few weeks.” I give him a real smile this time. “You won’t mind if I double-check, though?” I jerk my head towards my house.
“Be my guest, son,” He smiles. “I’ve been looking forward to this swim for weeks anyway.” He moves as if to clap me on the shoulder, but to his credit, catches himself.
Aster is already at the door, my phone in hand. Clad in only one of my long-sleeved shirts, I can feel my cock twitch just looking at her exposed legs, the hint of her curves underneath.
“It’s over babe.” She says, all smiles. “I know we agreed to not check until tomorrow, but…”
I grin at her, sweeping her up in my arms. She laughs, struggling, helpless against my strength.
“In that case, we have plans to make. Do you think your family can be here next week?”
She narrows her eyes at me. “Sebastian Reed, I am not getting married next week. Or next month. I want a year of engagement, minimum. Ooh, I need to log in to Pinterest. I’ve got half a dozen wedding boards to go over. Never thought I’d get to use them…” She trails off, her mind already a dozen steps ahead.
I love her even more for it. Aster is my perfect compliment. I know she’ll obsess over every tiny detail of the wedding, and it’ll be an absolutely perfect day. My job will be to keep her focused on enjoying the moment. Just like riding out the smaller waves, waiting for the big one.
If there’s one thing I’m good at, it’s riding a big wave.
Epilogue Two
Five Years later
Aster
The lost month. That’s what people call it now when we look back on that time. A lot of people lost. A lot of time. So many stories. Stories of tragedy and hope. Of resilience. Good or bad, they demonstrate the beauty of the human spirit—
I pause in my writing, pen tapping my lips. My doctoral thesis, like so many in my new field of infectious disease, is about the time of the virus. The so-called “lost month”, although that name always makes me cringe a little. I know a lot of people feel like they lost everything during that month. That some people lost their lives, their purpose.
Me? I found mine.
I glance down at the beach from my seat on the porch swing. I have to squint a bit to make out the distant figures of Seb and our oldest daughter Aurora.
Seb saved my life, gave me purpose. Gave me so many things I never thought I’d have, and our children are the biggest blessing of them all. So much of my happiness, I owe to those four weeks with him. But conveying it properly is difficult.
— the inherent good that is humanity. Yes, people will point at hoarders and people who didn’t listen to the warnings as proof that we deserved all the bad. Maybe we do, but in the midst of all that darkness, there was also light. People who helped others, at great cost to themselves. In the end, we didn’t beat a disease. We beat ourselves, our own demons. Our own fear and hatred was the real problem all along.
While many people had called for heavy punishments for those who actively made the situation worse, cooler heads had prevailed in the end. Amnesty, of a sort. A promise that in the future, we would do better. Be better.
I set my work aside, stretching. I was sore, but that was nothing new. Life with Seb meant I was always sore.
In a good way.
“Mommy, come see what Daddy taught me!”
I grin, walking down the beach towards them. Seb told her earlier this year that when Mommy was busy, he’d teach her how to surf.
Finally.
She’s been asking since she could talk. Seb pointed out that he knew someone that taught his one-year-old, and I calmly informed him that he could forget about that.
Then her first word was ‘surf’, and I knew I was fighting a losing battle.
“Alright sweetheart, show me what you’ve got.”
Seb swims out with her, guiding her on her tiny board. The look on her face is so focused. Alien on her features, which favor Seb. Her skin is tanner than his, every moment of her carefree childhood spent in the sun. Her curls have been lightened, bleached by the sea and the sun.
Even after watching him surf this part of the beach for years, there’s still a knot in my stomach as I watch him pull our little girl out into the very smallest waves. Then Sebastian looks up at me and smiles, and the knot comes undone.
Seb always does that somehow.
He can sense my unease, my nerves, the anxiety creeping in, and banish it with one heart-wrenchingly beautiful smile. Or a funny joke that has me laughing too hard to worry anymore.
“Come on, Aster. Water’s real good today.”
I smile and wade into the surf to watch my husband and our daughter as he teaches her the family trade.
Not surfing.
Being free.
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Quarantine and Cash
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Quarantine and Cuffs
Also by Regina Wade
Rising Heat
Rising Star
Crowning Glory
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About the Author
Regina Wade writes steamy, short romances that can be devoured in one sitting. She likes her heroines curvy and smart, her heroes big and bad, and her love stories as OTT as she can make them. Sometimes tongue-in-cheek, always tongues in cheeks.
