Page 9 of Soft Rebound (Mad City Moments #2)

“I really wanted to have sex with you. Because of you .” She enunciates the words as her eyes bore into mine.

“But part of me, a teeny tiny part, wanted to do it to seal the fate of my engagement. Like, it was telling me there would be no going back after this. Jake would never be able to get over it.”

I am not sure what to say for a moment.

Her eyes are wide and searching. “Is it ... okay that I said this?”

“Yeah.” I nod. “Yes. I suppose this is part of what you meant when you said this was a rebound.”

“It wasn’t conscious, though. I just heard it in my head when we were fooling around. I...I really like you. This—” She motions between us. “This happened because of you and me. But we can’t pretend there is absolutely no one else.”

“Yeah, I suppose.”

We sit in silence for a couple of minutes. There’s a new tinge of disappointment mixed with everything else I’m feeling, and I’m feeling a lot.

“Do you miss your wife?” Liz breaks the silence.

“Kim? No. Not anymore.”

“Do you think about her?”

“Sometimes, yeah. But not in the sense that I want to get back together. More like when I see something she used to like, or hear a story. Stuff like that. I’m not even down about it anymore. It’s in the past.”

She chuckles softly. “This is weird pillow talk.”

“Yeah, I suppose.” I stroke her hair. “Good thing I don’t have any pillows on this sofa, then.”

She giggles and sits up. “Okay, then. I’d better go. Tomorrow’s Friday. I’m sure you have work.”

“I do,” I say, “but you don’t have to leave on my account. If you want to stay the night, I could even call in sick. We could make a weekend of it.”

She laughs in a way that shows me this is the most ridiculous notion.

“A three-day weekend with a hot guy who just gave me three orgasms? In another life, that would be a dream come true. But I’m definitely not looking for anything relationship-y right now.

And a three-day fuckfest screams pair bonding to me. ”

I feel a stab of disappointment. “I get where you are. I think,” I say. “But this thing we have doesn’t come across every day. This instant connection. So I’d like to see you again. In some capacity.”

She’s up and getting dressed in a hurry.

Her hair is wild, her cheeks still pink.

She definitely looks like she’s just had sex.

“I don’t know, Joe. You and I are in very different places right now.

You’re probably ready to move on and date, and I, I don’t think that’s going to be in the cards for me for a long time. Not with where I’m at.”

I sigh. “Okay. I get it. But I don’t think I’m ready to date either. You’re the first woman I’ve wanted to get close to in a long time. I don’t think the places we’re at are all that different.”

She looks very uncomfortable, in full flight mode for some reason. And I’m not even sure what I said or did to upset her. “Joe, I’m really not in the position to take care of anyone’s wants or needs right now. I don’t want to do that anymore. I want to be my only priority.”

I get up and stand in front of her. “Look, I’m not asking you to make me your priority.

I’m just asking you to hang out with me sometime in the future.

If I understand, you’re new in town. We have good chemistry.

Let’s hang out and see how it goes.” I’m not really sure what I am offering her.

I just don’t want her to disappear, not when I just found her.

But her mouth tightens into a line. “I need to leave,” she says.

“Okay.” I put up my hands in surrender. “Let me throw some clothes on and I will see you to your car.”

She nods, looking stiff and a little angry.

I put on my t-shirt and pants, and we go outside. It’s dark and cool for an August night.

I walk her to her little blue car. Neither of us speaks.

Liz unlocks the vehicle and opens the door ajar. Before she gets inside, she turns around and looks at me. “I had a really nice time tonight, Joe. Thank you.”

“Me too. You don’t have to thank me.”

“Okay then. I guess that’s it.”

I should shut up, but I can't. “Are you sure you don’t want to see me again?”

“Joe...”

“Look, I’m not trying to be a creep. I know you’re not in a place to entertain anything, but if we had met at another time, maybe six months or a year into the future, you know this could be something amazing.

” Even in the faint light of the parking lot, I see her body stiffen.

“What I don’t understand is why me talking about this makes you so mad,” I say.

“Because it’s not six months or a year into the future, Joe!

The timing is off for me. And I’ve said no, several times already.

And I don’t want to keep getting my boundaries trampled.

I am done with having to go back on what I said I needed because someone else wants something from me.

I am done with that. Done. Do you understand? ”

“Okay.” I step back, trying hard to push down the urge to take all this very, very personally. “Look, I told you how I felt. You know where I live. If you change your mind, please come over. Okay?”

“Okay.” Her words are conciliatory, but her face is scrunched up. She looks pretty irritated.

“Do you want my number? Just in case.”

She’s silent. Still looks pissed.

“Can I punch it into your device? I promise I’m not gonna text myself from it. Just so you have it if you want it.”

Liz still looks hesitant and more than a little wary, but she’s also relaxed a bit from how wound up she was back in my apartment, so finally she says, “I guess that’s fine.” She pulls out her phone and makes a new contact.

She watches me as I enter my phone number and give it right back.

“This way, if you want to call, you can. You know where I live. It’s all in your hands. Okay?”

“Okay,” she says.

“One last thing before you leave.”

“What?” There’s a note of impatience in her voice.

“This.” I push her back against her car.

Then I grab the back of her head and her ass, press myself against her, and slam my lips onto hers.

She moans as her body instantly responds.

Her arms close around my waist as her mouth opens, her whole body reaching for me, trying to get closer.

We are all teeth and tongue and swollen lips, devouring each other’s faces, yet perfectly in sync, like we’ve been kissing each other for years. Like we’ve been made for each other.

It’s dark outside and it’s a work night, so I’m not particularly worried that anyone will see us, but I honestly don’t care even if they do.

My hand is under her sweatshirt and moving up to squeeze her breast, and both her hands are down my pants, grabbing my ass.

She’s moaning softly, and when my other hand moves into her pants, she is wet, very wet, or maybe it’s my semen dripping, which only makes me more feral.

“No one can see us here,” I whisper. “Do you want it?”

She looks dazed. “What?”

I turn her around and press her up against her car, my crotch on her ass.

“Do you want me to fuck you quick and dirty right here, against your little blue car? I could just push these pants down off your ass, just a little bit, enough to get my cock inside you, where you’re hot and dripping, and I could fuck you and rub your clit and let you scream against my hand—”

I have her between me and the car, and she’s trembling. Shit. I hope I haven’t terrified her.

“Baby, I promise I’m not going to do anything you don’t want me to do. But it seems that maybe what I offered is exactly what you want.”

I rub between her legs. She moans.

“Tell me if you want me to fuck you here, out in the open.”

A shiver goes through her body and she whispers. “Y–yes. Yes, I do. Fuck me, please. Hard and fast. Please.”

I pull down her pants and take my dick out, and within a second I am back inside her, her legs kept tight by the elastic of her pants, me barely inside her because of the position, but she feels wet and tight, one of my hands gripping her hip, the other propping me against the car, while she hooks one arm around mine and uses the other to push against the car, too.

I thrust in short, fast pumps, the pressure in my groin rising. “You are so damn hot. You’re made to be fucked,” I mutter.

“Yes. Yes. Fuck. Me.” Her voice is thick, choppy. A little desperate.

I move my hand from her hip and to her front, into her panties, between her legs. I slide my fingers along her pussy, and rub, with lots of pressure, in the same rhythm as I am pumping my hips,

“Tell me you’re close,” I whisper into her ear.

“I’m so fucking close,” she replies. “This is ... insane.” She pauses. “Grab my tits. Hold on to me, grab my tits. I will keep us steady against the car.”

I grunt in agreement. I move my hands to twist her nipples underneath the shirt, while my hips piston against her. One of her hands is in her pants, rubbing her clit, and uses the other forearm to props us both.

We both pant, the car squeaks, and the soft wet slurps of our fucking complete the cacophony.

“I can’t... Believe it... Joe... Yes... Joe!”

As her voice rises, my hand flies from her tit to her mouth, and she wails against my palm as she shatters around my cock.

I feel her spasming, the jolts robbing her of all control, and I tell myself it’s okay to let go.

I lower my head and bite into her shoulder as orgasm overtakes me and I spill myself for the second time tonight into a woman whom I only met hours ago but who I am pretty sure is made just for me.

We both breathe heavily for a few seconds before I realize I still have a hand on her mouth, and another on her breast. I pull back slightly, and let go of her mouth before I ask, “You okay?”

She nods.

I wrap my arms around her. I am still buried inside. “Do you want to come back inside to clean up?”

She shakes her head.

I pull out, pull her sweats back up, and turn her around so she faces me. She’s looking up at me with glassy eyes. I wrap her in my arms and she rests her head on my chest, hugs my back, and starts to cry.

“Hey, hey,” I say, stroking her hair. “It’s okay. It’s all okay.”

She says nothing, just slowly—very slowly—relaxes in my arms, and weeps as I stroke her hair.

“Are you upset about this?” I ask.

She sniffles and shakes her head. I feel the movement against my arm and chest.

“Do you know why you’re upset?”

She shakes her head again.

“Do you want to come inside? Spend the night? We can shower and cuddle and anything you want.”

Another shake.

“I can’t let you go when you’re upset. Can’t you tell me what’s wrong?”

Another shake.

So I just tighten my embrace slightly and gently rock us both, as she holds onto my back and sniffles.

Eventually, the sniffles stop.

“Thank you,” she says as she pulls back. “I think I just needed the release. In every way.”

“You’re very welcome. As long as I didn’t do anything to hurt you or upset you.”

“No, no, you didn’t. It’s just been a tough few weeks, that’s all. And this,” she motions between us, then toward her car, indicating us having just fucked against it, “I think it shook something loose inside me. This is the first time I’ve cried since I left home.”

“Okay.” I rub her tears away with my thumb. “All of my offers still stand. Food, shower, sleep.”

“No, but thank you,” she rubs her eyes with the sleeve of her sweatshirt. “I should let you get ready for work tomorrow, and I need to get going.”

“Okay.” I cup her head in my hands and give her a soft, deep kiss. “Drive safely and all that.”

“I will,” she says. “Thank you for tonight.” She unlocks her car and gets in.

Before she can close the door, I grab it and keep it open.

“What?” she asks.

“One last thing,” I say. “I remember everything you said, about timing and boundaries. I will respect all of your wishes.”

She nods. “Good. Thank you.”

“But you know as well as I do that this thing between us is not nothing. So please don’t pretend it is. Don’t treat it like it’s nothing.”

Our eyes meet and there it is again, that blinding thread of connection, strong and bright, crackling through the air between us. Her eyes look almost hopeful, and she gives me a tiny nod.

I lean down to give her a small, soft kiss, then I straighten up, shut her door, and with a small smile and wave, she is off. ?