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Chapter fourteen

Chris

“ I s this how you want it?” Berg grunts, waiting for his eight-year-old daughter's approval on the positioning of her new bed.

Natalie nibbles her thumb nail and tips her head side to side, “I think maybe where we had it before.”

Berg groans, letting his end of the solid wood frame touch down on the carpet, “Nat, I love you to the ends of the Earth. But, if you don’t tell us where this monstrosity is going to live, I’m returning it.”

A dazzling smile spreads across her face and she bats her eyelashes. “Do you need a break, Daddy? Maybe another of your younger friends could come and help.”

Berg sputters and I roll my lips tight together at his daughter’s sass. Berg is almost forty and she likes to needle him about the grey hair around his temples.

“How old is he?” Louisa asks from the doorway where she’s watching the activity cross-legged.

“Old enough,” Berg grunts as he stretches his back.

I know he’ll put this couch on the top of a mountain if that’s what his daughter wants.

“Phew, moving stuff is hard work,” Nat announces. “Let’s have some chocolate milk,” she says to her sister, and they bounce from the room.

“One glass!” he hollers after them. “You heard the lady,” Berg says, bending his knees deeply in preparation for another bed deadlift.

After Natalie’s furniture is moved into her bedroom, Berg and I enjoy the comfort of the sectional in his living room and a couple cold beers. A preseason hockey game plays quietly in the background.

“Daddy? Can Lou have a sleepover in my new room tonight?” she asks, popping her head around the corner.

“I thought I moved that bed because you wanted your own room.”

He gives up trying to understand kid logic and tells her to get ready for bed .

“It’s Saturday, don’t you have somewhere better to be than here?” Berg gestures to the living room floor littered with Lego and stuffed sea creatures.

I glance at my phone on the arm of the couch, “Not really. I’m…taking it easy.”

Hangouts with Anna that take place in the daylight seem safest.

Slapping my hands on my thighs, I hoist myself off the soft cushions. “Time for me to head back to my dungeon.”

“Be gone, mortgage helper,” Berg bellows, pointing to the door.

Goosebumps rise on my arms as I step out. It’s even colder than after the hike last night. I pause on the stone steps anyway to take deep breaths of the fresh air and look up at the smattering of stars. I can hear the girls giggling through their slightly open bedroom window. Berg’s right, this is a pretty lame Saturday night. But I really wouldn’t trade it for something meaningless knowing the regret I’d have the next day. I glance at my Jeep in its parking spot and then at my blank phone screen. After messaging with Anna last night I was sure I’d hear from her today. She was so damn witty over text and she’s been on my mind all day. Even behind that paper take-out box I could tell she was topless and if she thought a funny selfie would deter me, it didn’t. The way her damp hair brushed over her shoulders and chest made me wish I could explore the same areas with my lips. Warm in my suite, I push back into my leather recliner, the springs groaning as I tip into the most comfortable position. Yogi takes that as her cue to arch her back shakily and abandon her cat post in favour of my lap.

“Make yourself comfortable,” I tell her while she kneads my thighs.

My phone buzzes with an incoming call, earning a glare from Yogi.

“Hello.”

“Hi, it’s me, Anna.”

I smile at the way she announces herself like she isn’t already one of my favourited contacts.

“How was your day?”

“It was okay. Um…I was wondering, if you aren’t busy, if you’d like to come by to, um, watch a movie?”

I nearly groan at the idea of curling up with her. We said slow, not a dead stop. I can do this. An evening of snuggling and watching a movie.

“Yeah, I’d be down for that. Let me get this cat off my lap.”

“Is that a euphemism?”

I laugh. “You have photographic evidence of said cat. ”

Her laughter sounds sweet on the phone but then she makes a weird sound. One that sounds like she’s in pain.

I wish I could see her instead of only hearing her voice. “Are you okay?”

“You don’t happen to have any anti-inflammatories lying around your house, do you?”

“What happened?” I shove Yogi off my lap.

“Some mild muscle soreness,” she groans again.

Mild, my ass.

“I’ve got you covered. See you in a bit, okay?”

“Yep. Thank you.”

I jump out of my recliner, suddenly frazzled by the idea of Anna in pain and needing me.

I scan my dim apartment, my shoes still by the door. I’m not sure what to do first. I want to leave as soon as possible but I have to grab Anna the medicine from the bathroom. I snag the bottle of anti-inflammatories from the medicine cabinet and while I’m in here, I sniff an underarm. Sighing, I glance at my watch. A shower is probably a good idea after rearranging furniture with Berg this evening.

I kick off my jeans and step under the spray before it’s even all the way warm. Despite the cool water pouring over me, I’m hard. A one-minute phone call with a woman I’ve only so much as kissed and I’m a fucking rock. All I can think of is her in my lap yesterday. I start soaping off, deciding I can ignore this boner, no problem. Then I run my slippery hand loosely over my dick to get clean. A gasp leaves my lips at how good it feels, my other hand shooting out toward the dark tiled wall to support me. When was the last time I jerked off? A week ago? More?

Going over there without taking care of this is a bad idea. Maybe a bit of relief would be good. Glancing at the bar of soap, feeling how achy I am…fuck it. With suds coating my palm, I take myself in my fist and pump once from base to tip. My groans echo off the tile as I brace my left forearm against the wall and stroke again. Precum drips from my slit. My grip is loose, but I pick up speed. In my mind, Anna is waiting for me on her bed. Sheets pulled up over her hips, long hair cascading over her round breasts.

“Oh, fuck,” I hiss, my balls contracting already.

Imaginary Anna rolls over, the bed sheet slipping off her hip, so I get a glorious view of bare ass that I want to sink my teeth into. The muscles in my forearm burn from my tightening grip around my impossibly hard dick.

“Christ, I’m trying to get there, Annie.”

My strokes stutter, concentrating on the swollen crown of my cock, and then I cry out. The shout of pleasure is accompanied by a strong spurt of cum, white against the nearly black tiles .

“Holy…” I breathe, resisting the temptation to slip down onto the shower seat and bask in the shockingly powerful orgasm. When I’m clean, I leave a trail of damp footprints behind me as I head for my bedroom. I stare into my dresser drawers. Anna’s panic at getting dressed in time for our hike suddenly doesn’t seem so silly. She wasn’t any more flustered than I am right now. Settling on soft sweats and a t-shirt, I’m ready to go. It’s not a fashion contest and I know movie night really means an excuse to cuddle. Nobody wants to snuggle up against zippers and denim. With the medicine in my pocket, I tousle the fur that Yogi just finished taming and jog to the Jeep, briefly noting that I’m literally running to meet Anna, and loving the way that feels.