Page 14

14

JULY 5, 2016 (CONTINUED)

Sawyer

He frowned, set her hips back down on the bed, and kneeled between her legs again. “Hey. Look at me.” When her eyes remained closed, he lowered himself on top of her so that his forearms framed her head, brushing his fingertips over the features of her face, intermittently dropping a barely there kiss on her eyebrow piercing, her nose piercing, the corner of her mouth, never touching the same spot twice. “I’m not doing anything until you look at me, Haskell.”

With a huff, she opened her eyes to gaze up into his face.

“There she is,” he said with a smile. Watching her as he did it, he pressed a lingering kiss to her lips. “I’m not going to do this if you’re going to regret it.”

“Why? It clearly didn’t take much to get me to agree to it. Apparently, my body has decided to secede from my head in terms of doing the smart thing. ”

He chuckled. “It’s not like you’re separating from the European Union.” His smile faded as he watched her with honesty. “I want you, tiny, but not if you’re going to regret it.”

“It’s not like you’re going to be here to clean up the aftermath, Sawyer. We both know you’ll be gone in a couple of hours. This is just a fun way to pass a few hours to avoid the Policia Local.”

He rolled over to the side of her that was uninjured. Sliding one hand from her knee to behind her thigh, he gripped her leg and pulled it over his. “Gotta keep that ankle elevated still.” He winked at her. “You’re not wrong, tiny. I do have to go soon, but I don’t want to leave knowing you didn’t like it or if doing this is going to make you miserable. I’d rather just make out like horny teenagers and get us off with my hands than know I left you feeling sorry you said yes.”

She rolled her eyes and turned her head to look at the lamp on the bedside table.

“No, Haskell, don’t do that.” His hand reached to gently turn her face back to his. “I’m serious. It should be a good memory. Not a bad one.”

“I’m sure it’ll be a great memory, Sawyer,” she agreed.

“Then what’s the real issue?”

She shrugged. “I honestly don’t know. I definitely want to do this, but I also know that women have a tendency to be stupid about this stuff. Which is why I said I was probably going to regret it, even though I was planning to do it anyway. Having no previous experience means I have no idea what I’ll do and feel. It’s just a guess.”

Sawyer lay back against the bed, laughing.

He could see the irritation on her face when he looked up at her. “You’re the cutest grouch I’ve ever seen.” He leaned up and kissed her nose. “Are you always this practical? ”

“Maybe,” she mumbled. “It takes me a long time to process things.”

He rolled them both back over, notching his hips into the vee of her thighs, his hands caressing every inch of her he could reach. “I promise, Haskell. It will be wonderful. You’ll feel great, and maybe you’ll miss me for a day or two, but it’s not going to destroy your world. You don’t strike me as the devastation-driven type.” His fingers stilled at the waistband of her panties. Eyes locked, he whispered, “‘Yes,’ and we rock each other’s worlds. ‘No,’ and we just cause it to tilt a bit.”

Eyes flicking back and forth between his, he watched as Haskell sucked in her cheeks, lips pursed, and then she blew out the breath she’d been holding.

“Yes.”

The moment the word began, his hands were pulling down her panties, sliding them down her legs and over her ankles, and then he was lapping at her between her legs to get her wet and ready for him. While he continued to drive her to the edge, he rustled around in his pockets, removing a condom from one of the buttoned pockets. He broke away from her after throwing it on the bed next to him, and he unbuttoned and unzipped his pants, shucking them off, only for them to get hung up on his shoes.

Sawyer kneeled above her, pulling each one from his feet, dropping them over the side of the bed, then removed his pants the rest of the way and added them to the growing pile. He reached for her hand and brought it to his hard cock. Keeping his hand on top of hers, he showed her how much pressure, showed her how to give it that final twist up at the top that not only allowed her to spread his precum and smooth the way but also make him shudder. Once she had it down, he grabbed the condom packet and tore the package open, dropping the foil at his side. Brushing her hand aside for a moment, he sheathed the latex over his cock.

He lowered himself back over Haskell, his heated skin pressing against her cool limbs. “Cold, pretty baby?” he asked, gathering her tightly to him.

She shook her head. “Not now,” she admitted.

He smiled, then he kissed her. She was tense still, although not nearly as bad as she had been. Being nervous was normal, he supposed, but sex was fun. Nothing felt better. She’d understand afterward, he was sure. There was nothing to possibly regret except that maybe she’d waited this long.

His kisses trailed down the side of her face to her throat. Notching himself at her opening, he whispered, “Let me in, Haskell.”

Without hesitation, she hitched her injured leg over his hip, opening her core to him. Sawyer began to push inside in a series of shallow thrusts. She was tight. Tighter than he was used to. Well, she was a tiny girl, so he supposed that shouldn’t be surprising. She was wet, but he was going to need a little bit of assistance there.

He slid down so that his mouth was once more even with her mound. When she began to shift with unease, he put one hand on her abdomen and looked up at her. “Easy, tiny. You’re such a little thing. Just making the way easier.”

His tongue took a long swipe from bottom to top. Then a second. Then a third, with the tip swirling around her clit like he had with her belly button earlier. It was such a contrast to the sweetness of her mouth. Tart. Spicy. Using his fingers to separate her outer lips, he stiffened his tongue to form a point and delved into her channel, using it like he would his cock in a few minutes.

He heard her moans and sighs growing, and they quickly became as addicting as her sugary mouth and her spicy pussy. He slid two fingers inside her channel to replace his tongue, which made its way back up to flick furiously at her clit, dragging his saliva and her arousal on its way. Had he not been holding her down with one hand already, she would have shot off the bed like a rocket. Her entire body tensed and shook, his fingers feeling as if her insides were trying to strangle them as she locked down and came. With the lockdown also came an easing of the passage as it flooded itself with her arousal.

As she came down from her orgasm, Sawyer moved back into position, slipping his cock inside her instead of his fingers. Now he moved smoothly up until he hit her barrier. Tilting his head up to see her face, he felt an inordinate need to see her eyes. “Open your eyes, sugar cat. Need you to look at me.”

It took a moment for Haskell to open her eyes. Something gripped inside his chest like it was tightening the space around his lungs. He could still breathe, but he felt frozen as their eyes met. He’d never felt anything like it before in his life. Unsure what it was, he searched her eyes. Was he simply sensing she was about to change her mind, and he needed to stop? That would suck.

“Haskell? Yes or no?”

She nodded.

“Need you to say it, pretty baby.” He had no idea why it was so important to hear the words. She’d said yes several times.

Her eyes were soft and slumber-filled. Her body was loose and ready for him. “Yes, Sawyer. I’m yours.”

“Okay. Hang on, tiny.”

He couldn’t seem to tear his gaze from hers as he pushed forward experimentally a few times, finding that slow and steady wasn’t going to do it. He retreated until just the tip of his cock was inside her opening. He pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead, another to the tip of her nose, and a third to her lips. Then, eyes locked again, he thrust hard and fast, tearing through her hymen. He saw her eyes go wide and heard the gasp when he broke through the barrier, and he froze once he was fully seated inside her. Part of him agonized over the look on her face. It had hurt, and the idea of hurting her, in turn, hurt him.

Her fingers clutched his shoulders. He couldn’t tell if she was pushing him away, trying to pull him closer, or digging through his skin for purchase. A tiny little mewl and the pinched look of her features told him it was probably a mixture of all three.

“Breathe, Haskell. I’m here, pretty baby. Not going anywhere. Just breathe through it.” He stayed still inside her, feeling her walls pulse as they adjusted to his invasion. Without a conscious thought, he began to kiss her again, feeling that if he could suck the pain out of her and take it into him, he’d do it in a second.

After a few minutes, he felt her relax; her grip loosened and turned to soft caresses again. “You okay?” he whispered.

She nodded. “Yes. Move, please. I…” She seemed to rotate her hips slightly.

He smiled. “Got ya covered.” He watched her face as he began a series of retreats and thrusts, taking note of how her body moved beneath his. He wondered if she realized she gasped every time he scraped the topside of her entrance. Experimenting with moving faster yet still keeping the drag on the top of her walls, he felt her begin to tighten, and her gasps became louder moans. “That’s it, sugar cat. Meet me. Chase it.”

His whispers sent her flying over the edge, both of her thighs gripping his hips so tight he felt like he knew how a bronco felt being ridden bareback. Watching her work through the orgasm was the sexiest thing he’d ever seen. “Fuck, pretty baby. Squeeze me tight. That’s fuckin’ hot.” He grunted, and suddenly, his cum was releasing into the condom without warning. “Jesus Christ. What the hell?” He continued to pump them both through the aftershocks, his gaze never leaving the sight in front of him—a truly blissed-out Haskell.

Once the tremors were over, he was still hard. He thrust twice more for good measure, watching as her features relaxed and her breathing evened out. With care, he slid from her and from the bed to get rid of the condom. As he cleaned up in her bathroom, he felt an ache in his chest. His hand rubbed at the spot. Was something wrong with him? Had he pulled something during the job tonight? Maybe from carrying her so long? The adrenaline must have covered up him pulling a muscle.

Unconsciously, he reached for a washcloth, ran it under warm water, and took it with him back into the bedroom. Haskell was passed out in the soft light of the bedside lamp. He sat beside her on the bed. Feeling a little awkward but also like he needed to, Sawyer gently smoothed the washcloth along the inside of Haskell’s thighs. Even though he’d worn a condom, he figured there would be a combination of her fluids and a little bit of blood. Or so he’d heard. Having never been with a virgin, he wasn’t really sure. When he pulled the cloth away from her skin, he saw the tinge of pink on the material.

He felt another pull in his chest.

Ouch. That stings. Better do something about that later.

He took the cloth into the bathroom. As he ran it through cold water and scrubbed at the remnants of blood left behind to make sure it didn’t stain, his face drew up into a frown. Sex with Haskell had been great. He felt weird, though. Like there was supposed to be something else. But they’d both had an orgasm, so he wasn’t sure what would be missing.

When he walked into the bedroom, he picked his pants up off the floor and was about to step into them when he stopped. Haskell had rolled onto her stomach in her sleep, the pillow meant to be under her ankle kicked to the floor. Her pale skin glowed softly in the warm light of the lamp. She had the ghost of a smile in the upturn of her mouth, and the anxious look he’d become accustomed to seeing with her pinched mouth—cute as it was—no longer lingered there. In sleep, she was just as stunning.

Without thinking about it, he dropped his pants where he stood, circled the bed to the other side, and crawled in next to her, pulling the sheet and quilt up over them both. Lying up tight to her side, he placed a hand on her back, lightly brushing his fingertips up and down the tattoo of a spill of diamonds down the vertebrae. He just barely resisted the urge to kiss each one. “Sleep well, pretty baby,” he whispered. He kissed the back of her head, lay his head on the pillow, and closed his eyes. A short rest would be okay. He had time.

If anyone asked him, he couldn’t say what woke him. It clearly wasn’t her leaving the bed because her side was cold to the touch when he opened his eyes. Sun was streaming through the sheer curtains that were blowing lightly in the breeze from where the pane was cracked open. Blearily sitting up, the sheet pooling around his waist, he glanced around the room.

His clothes were folded neatly at the end of the bed, the bathroom door across the hall was wide open, and the only sounds were the muffled noise of the sea birds and the muted waves landing on the beach.

Sawyer threw his legs over the edge of the bed, stretched, and began to dress. A quick check of the internal pocket of his pants showed that the gems he’d stolen the night before were still there. She hadn’t taken anything.

He frowned as he finished dressing. The pang in his chest was still there. Possibly even a little worse. A rest should have eased the muscle. He rubbed on the spot giving him trouble, but it brought no relief. Even stretching by rotating his shoulder didn’t have any effect. It was as if the pain was further inside.

Glancing around, he noticed that something didn’t seem right. Surveying the room, he tried to figure out what was out of place.

Her backpack. Last night, it had been on the floor next to the dresser.

He got up and crossed to the drawers. He opened the top one. Empty. The second and third drawers were also empty. He crossed to the closet and opened it. Empty. He ducked through the bedroom door to the bathroom, and the drawers there were empty as well.

She did a flit. What the fuck?

In a bit of a fog, he crossed back into the bedroom and stood just inside the doorway, his hands on his hips.

A quick search of the apartment confirmed that she had completely cleared out and left no note. Not even a “Thanks for the good time.” Just gone. His hand reached up to his chest, rubbing against the pang that intensified. He had a sneaking suspicion it had nothing to do with a muscle pull.