“I feel incredible,” she says, her voice hoarse.
“Do you need a break?”
She shakes her head passionately, fighting to keep her legs flat on the bed but a full-body shiver hits her when she accidentally crosses one leg over the other.
“No. More,” she begs.
Reaching over to pick up my headphones, I turn on a playlist on my phone and hold them up to Janelle. “Remember you won’t be able to hear me but I can hear you so if you need me to stop, tell me.”
“Mhmm,” she mewls.
Placing the headphones squarely over her ears, she’s plunged into the soft tones of R & B and complete darkness. It can be scary to be in that kind of environment for too long when you’re not used to it, so I don’t waste any time throwing her legs over my shoulders and thrusting inside of her. I want my body to serve as her anchor, tethering her to this moment here with me.
With the music taking away her ability to know how loud she’s being, her screams are even more intense. Her inhibitions melt away, not worried about anything but feeling. I push her legs down under my arms and lean forward, hitting the spot I know drives her wild.
I switch my pace up a few times so that she can’t try to match my rhythm, giving her no choice but to let me lead the dance we’re tangled in. The slow strokes grant me the low groans that she pulls from somewhere deep in her belly. The fast strokes earn me the soprano screams that scratch her vocal cords. Together they make a beautiful song for my ears only. I could listen to the symphony of her all day.
I can feel her walls start to tighten and her legs begin to shake so I know my time is running out. She’ll need a break after this round so with the freedom of being the only one in the room able to hear my words, I speak a truth that demands to be released.
“I could see myself falling in love with you, Janelle.” I groan out her name as her orgasm triggers mine, sending us crashing to the ground.
Yanking the headphones off her, I rush to get the rest of the bindings off. Her eyes are squeezed shut when I take off the scarf, fluttering open ever so slowly to readjust to the light. I scan her wrists for any signs of irritation or bruising but they appear to be okay, so I kiss both of them, massaging them lightly.
“That was…” she stutters. She flops back down on the bed, not even attempting to find the word she was looking for a moment ago.
I let her sleep for a minute while I go run a bath for us. I use cool water to soothe her muscles and joints, and then I guide her into the bath, sitting her in front of me so she can lean on me for support while I bathe her.
After I clean her body, I hold her in my arms, brushing my forehead against the top of her spine. We stay there until our teeth start to chatter, telling us it’s time to get out.
She sidles up to me in bed, not wanting an inch of space between us and I’m all too happy to oblige. Grabbing my phone, I download a book of her choice and read to her until her soft snores fill the room.
Chapter Seven
Janelle
It’s the end of the week.
Tomorrow our families and friends will start arriving and Rome and I will cease to exist.
Everything in me wants me to extend our time together. Every cell in my body wants to latch onto him and never let go, but that’s just not a possibility. We work so well together because we’ve managed to exist outside of the planes of reality—outside of familial influence, responsibilities, and expectations. When all of that comes crashing down around us, I don’t think we’ll survive. My soul feels like I know him on a deeper level than I’ve ever known anyone, but how can that be possible in such a short amount of time?
It isn’t. So, it’s best to just end while the memory of him still lights me up with joy.
Today, we have a group activity on our itineraries but it’s one that fills me with excitement rather than dread. We’re swimming with sea turtles!
When Ri let me know that she didn’t have a sea turtle excursion anywhere on the agenda for our time in Tulum, I was disappointed, but I didn’t want to make the trip about me so I kept quiet. I was resigned to the idea that I would do it by myself if I could find the free time, but then she texted us to let us know that we were doing that instead of the errands she had planned for the day.
If this is her idea of an olive branch, I appreciate it wholeheartedly.
Our guides get us set up with snorkeling gear and go through a safety lesson with us before loading us onto the boat that will take us out onto Akumal Bay.
The water is a serene turquoise color. The wind against the waves gives a refreshing chill to the otherwise humid air.
Rome, Micah, myself, and Dani are the first to dive into the water. As our guide is helping Dani with her vest, Rome sends me a sly smile. He knows how much this moment means to me and the pure elation on his face from the fact that I get to experience it brings a tear to my eye. I jump in the water and let it wash away with the waves.
Once we dip below the surface, I am bombarded by the beauty of this underwater world. When surrounded by the expanse of the sea, you realize just how small you really are.
Feeling a little overwhelmed, I swim back up to the surface. The snorkeling aspect is a little hard to adjust to at first. Even though I know I’m breathing, it feels like I’m not and it sends a minor panic through me.
