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Authors: Kara A. McLeod
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of her throat, savoring the taste of her.
Lucia let out a light laugh and grabbed at my wrist halfheartedly with one hand, silently urging me to stop. I did so reluctantly as I felt a soft kiss deposited on my temple.
“I knew you were trying to kill me,” she whispered.
“Didn’t work. Guess I better try again.” I maneuvered my hand up to cup her breast, but Lucia intercepted me before I’d reached my desired destination.
“Just give me a minute.”
“Take all the time you need.”
We lay together for a while, me half on top of her, limbs tangled haphazardly. Only the sound of our mingled breathing and the occasional contented murmur or sigh cut through the silence.
“So, why didn’t you tell me you were waiting for me?” I wanted to know.
“Hmm?” Lucia had been slowly relaxing by degrees, and she sounded pretty close to the edge of sleep.
“You said you’d been thinking about me all day.”
“Oh. Yeah. I had.” Her lips moved against my forehead.
A sharp tug of guilt bit at me. Apparently, I’d been so wrapped up in myself I’d completely missed the signs. I frowned and wallowed for a moment in self-loathing and disgust. “You should’ve told me. I’m sorry.”
Lucia lifted the shoulder I wasn’t occupying in a careless shrug. “’S okay. You were worried.” She patted my hip, and her fingers came into contact with the bare skin just above the waistband of my pants where my shirt had ridden up, making me tremble. “I was supposed to be distracting you.” Her tone suggested she wanted to be aggrieved by the recent turn of events, but she wasn’t quite able to muster up the required energy.
“Oh, honey, you did. Trust me.”
“Mmm. Not exactly what I had in mind.”
“Are you complaining?”
“Not even a little bit.”
I smiled. “Then shut up.”
Lucia shivered and wrapped her arms around me tight. “Turnabout’s fair play.”
She yawned, and I could tell she was beat. I hated to admit it, but a tiny part of me was relieved. I hurriedly buried that emotion without examining the reasoning behind it. I stripped quickly and pulled the covers up over our naked bodies. Lucia turned on her side, and I snuggled in behind her, wrapping one arm around her waist. I kissed her shoulder.
“You’re in trouble,” she muttered sleepily.
“I know.”
“You just wait ’til I catch my breath.”
“I’ll count the seconds.”
“Paybacks are a bitch.”
I smiled. “So I’ve heard.”
Some of her muscles tensed as though she was trying to gather the strength to turn over, but they relaxed again almost immediately. She was simply too tired. I heard her sigh. “Gotta return the favor,” she mumbled.
I placed another kiss on the back of her neck and closed my eyes. “Tomorrow.”
Chapter Six
A very long while later, I lay silently in the dark bedroom listening to Lucia’s deep, even breathing, barely aware of the sounds of the occasional passing car on the streets below. It was official. I was the biggest asshole on the entire planet because, as I lay there attuned to the sounds of my lover sleeping soundly by my side, I couldn’t purge thoughts of Allison from my mind.
I didn’t want to think about her. I didn’t want to get lost in memories of the good times we’d had because they only led to recollections of how easily Allison had been able to forget me, and that shattered me all over again. I didn’t want to relive every word and touch and look we’d shared. Well, I did, but even I was smart enough to know that, in the end, I’d only be hurting myself. Nothing good could come of it. So why bother?
I drew a ragged, frustrated breath. I don’t know if there ever would’ve been a good time for Allison to make a reappearance, but I was absolutely positive her timing couldn’t have been worse. Between the stress of an impending PPD visit, the looming Iran advance, and the lengthy case report due in a few days, I had more than enough on my mind. That I now
Lucia let out a light laugh and grabbed at my wrist halfheartedly with one hand, silently urging me to stop. I did so reluctantly as I felt a soft kiss deposited on my temple.
“I knew you were trying to kill me,” she whispered.
“Didn’t work. Guess I better try again.” I maneuvered my hand up to cup her breast, but Lucia intercepted me before I’d reached my desired destination.
“Just give me a minute.”
“Take all the time you need.”
We lay together for a while, me half on top of her, limbs tangled haphazardly. Only the sound of our mingled breathing and the occasional contented murmur or sigh cut through the silence.
“So, why didn’t you tell me you were waiting for me?” I wanted to know.
“Hmm?” Lucia had been slowly relaxing by degrees, and she sounded pretty close to the edge of sleep.
“You said you’d been thinking about me all day.”
“Oh. Yeah. I had.” Her lips moved against my forehead.
A sharp tug of guilt bit at me. Apparently, I’d been so wrapped up in myself I’d completely missed the signs. I frowned and wallowed for a moment in self-loathing and disgust. “You should’ve told me. I’m sorry.”
Lucia lifted the shoulder I wasn’t occupying in a careless shrug. “’S okay. You were worried.” She patted my hip, and her fingers came into contact with the bare skin just above the waistband of my pants where my shirt had ridden up, making me tremble. “I was supposed to be distracting you.” Her tone suggested she wanted to be aggrieved by the recent turn of events, but she wasn’t quite able to muster up the required energy.
“Oh, honey, you did. Trust me.”
“Mmm. Not exactly what I had in mind.”
“Are you complaining?”
“Not even a little bit.”
I smiled. “Then shut up.”
Lucia shivered and wrapped her arms around me tight. “Turnabout’s fair play.”
She yawned, and I could tell she was beat. I hated to admit it, but a tiny part of me was relieved. I hurriedly buried that emotion without examining the reasoning behind it. I stripped quickly and pulled the covers up over our naked bodies. Lucia turned on her side, and I snuggled in behind her, wrapping one arm around her waist. I kissed her shoulder.
“You’re in trouble,” she muttered sleepily.
“I know.”
“You just wait ’til I catch my breath.”
“I’ll count the seconds.”
“Paybacks are a bitch.”
I smiled. “So I’ve heard.”
Some of her muscles tensed as though she was trying to gather the strength to turn over, but they relaxed again almost immediately. She was simply too tired. I heard her sigh. “Gotta return the favor,” she mumbled.
I placed another kiss on the back of her neck and closed my eyes. “Tomorrow.”
Chapter Six
A very long while later, I lay silently in the dark bedroom listening to Lucia’s deep, even breathing, barely aware of the sounds of the occasional passing car on the streets below. It was official. I was the biggest asshole on the entire planet because, as I lay there attuned to the sounds of my lover sleeping soundly by my side, I couldn’t purge thoughts of Allison from my mind.
I didn’t want to think about her. I didn’t want to get lost in memories of the good times we’d had because they only led to recollections of how easily Allison had been able to forget me, and that shattered me all over again. I didn’t want to relive every word and touch and look we’d shared. Well, I did, but even I was smart enough to know that, in the end, I’d only be hurting myself. Nothing good could come of it. So why bother?
I drew a ragged, frustrated breath. I don’t know if there ever would’ve been a good time for Allison to make a reappearance, but I was absolutely positive her timing couldn’t have been worse. Between the stress of an impending PPD visit, the looming Iran advance, and the lengthy case report due in a few days, I had more than enough on my mind. That I now
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