Page 26 of A Dye Hard Holiday
“I want to feel you inside me. That’s what will make me feel better.”
Josh drew out my torture slash pleasure by leisurely stretching me open for what seemed like eternity. “You’ll have to tell me if this gets uncomfortable.” He pulled his fingers out of my ass, and I felt the pressure of his cock at my entrance. With one quick thrust, he pushed in all the way to his root.
“Mmmmmm,” was all I could manage. I loved the burn of penetration and knowing that Josh was as close to me as a person could get. It had been a while since he’d fucked me, and I needed a minute to adjust. Josh remained still until my breathing evened out then he moved like only he could. Slow, smooth and as naturally as when he danced for me. His hips circled and he stroked in and out, in and out, driving me out of my mind.
“You feel so good, Gabe. I’m about to embarrass myself.”
“Never,” I mumbled into my pillow. I loved knowing my body brought him so much pleasure. There had been times that I came before him, but I still took care of him. Just as I knew he would do the same for me.
Josh’s hips snapped forward faster as he chased his orgasm and it was my name on his lips when he spilled inside me. “God, I need to do that more often.” I grinned at his love-drunk confession.
Josh surprised me by rolling me to my back. I wanted him to spear himself on my cock, but he didn’t want to put pressure on my back. Instead, he fisted my slick cock and jacked me. His hooded eyes stayed locked on mine while he worked my cock until my body trembled hard and I came all over my stomach and his hand.
“C’mere,” I said groggily.
“Let me go get a warm washcloth for you,” Josh said, trying to avoid my grasp.
“A little oil never hurt someone.” My eyelids felt like one of those dolls my cousin Sheila had. When you laid the doll down, its eyes automatically close. Sit the doll up, her creepy eyes opened. No matter how we tried, we could never get the doll to do the opposite of what it was designed to do. No amount of prying was going to keep my lids open either.
Josh let out a resigned sigh. I heard the lamp click off and felt the bed shift as he cuddled up next to me. The warmth of his body acted as another catalyst to lull me to sleep, sort of like pouring gasoline on a fire.
“What’s on your to-do list tomorrow, Clark?” he asked smartly. It took my sluggish brain a minute to figure out who Clark was. He was referring to the movieChristmas Vacation.
“Rigging up the lights.”
“Christ.”
“Well, it is his season,” I smartly said just before sleep claimed me.
ICRAZY LOVED MYjob, that was never in doubt, but I couldn’t remember a time when I was happier to get back to work than the Tuesday after my Thanksgiving break. Hell, I had been tempted to go in on Monday to see if any walk-ins stopped by.
“Wow, your dad and Gabe did a fantastic job on the Christmas lights here and at your house,” Mere said when she arrived at the salon. Like usual, we were the first to show up.
My father decorated my childhood home every year as far back as I could recall, and I didn’t realize how much I missed his handiwork until I took over the duty. Of course, I decorated the salon for all major holidays and the four seasons, but I never had my dad’s knack for outdoor lighting. Luckily, he taught Gabe, who we all know has the patience of a saint. Gabe recovered quickly after his trip to the chiropractor and was a fast learner, which was the reason he could handle me so easily. In fact, he was usually one or two steps ahead of me. It took some time for me to get used to it, because I liked being in control and always know what lay in wait around the next corner.
Learning to trust Gabe, allowed me to love him. Loving him gave me the confidence to let go of my ironclad control and have faith in him—us. I still occasionally fell back on my old routines when yoga, jogging, a spin on my pole, or Gabe’s, wasn’t enough to quash the anxiety building inside me. After the weekend I had, you could say that my anxiety was high alert level.
Mere sat on the floor beside me in the stockroom. “You okay, baby?”
“I will be, Mere. How about you? Are you feeling okay?” I blamed the excitement of the holiday, our parents’ big announcement, my arrest, and Gabe’s injury for the reason it took me so long to realize why she was keeping her news a secret. She was scared out of her mind. She’d once told me that Mama Richmond had several miscarriages before she delivered Mere and a few more afterward when she tried giving Mere a little brother or sister. When I had that aha moment at four o’clock in the morning, it took everything I had not to call her. Her need for sleep was the thing that finally stopped me from dialing her number.
“So far, so good.” It was the closest thing to a confession as I would get out of her, but that was okay. I didn’t need to hear the words.
I laced our fingers together and lifted her hand to my mouth for a kiss. “I bought you some whole milk. I read that it’s good for you.” I couldn’t get back to sleep, so I read an article on what expectant moms need the first trimester. It had been a while since Meredith complained about “shark week” with other women on the staff or clients, but I was pretty sure she hadn’t hit that twelfth week mark yet.
“Thank you so much.” Meredith burst into grateful tears like I’d presented her with the hope diamond.
“Anything for you. We’re going to get through this together like we do everything.”
“I love you,” she said through sniffles.
“I love you too.”
In the old days, Chaz would be the one to find us hanging out in the stockroom, but he was at home creating fictional worlds. I sure hoped he was joking about creating a series about a hair stylist. Who the hell would read that? Dare was the one who found us leaning against one another. My arm was around Mere’s shoulder and her head was pressed against my chest. Dare might have been a newer employee, but he knew my habits well.
“Am I the reason you’re freaking out?” he asked me, his eyes pleading with me not to be angry. As if.
“Not even close,” I told him. “Besides, the situation with Trent wasn’t your fault.”