I drove home in a fog, barely recognizing I’d made it inside the door until my keys hit the stand inside with a clatter.
I started undressing before I hit the bathroom. In the shower, all I could see was her face, wishing she were here with me spiking her short hair up with shampoo as she giggled. I wanted to wrap my slippery body around her until neither of us could resist further.
I pounded my forehead against the steam-warmed tile and took a couple steadying breaths. She didn’t need me to break down too. She counted on me to help her, and that was exactly my plan.
I shut off the water, threw on some clothes, and dug my laptop from a bag in my still partially unpacked office. The battery light flashed at me, so I plugged it in and waited. Something harder and harder to do, every second passing with her on the inside and me on the outside.
I did some research. Looking into lawyers that specialize in emancipating adults. Not many in our area. I considered calling…no…he’d want something in return, and I couldn’t owe a favor to Donny. They called him the God of the Sea. And I suppose he was…a sea of money…since he owned every casino in the country and several in other countries. But before he turned to capitalism, he’s been an investigative journalist. He knew all the right buttons to push for a high-profile figure like Demeter.
I warred with myself. If Donny could save her, then I should make the call. But if I indebted myself and he wasn’t able to save her, things would go sideways quick.
I put that idea on the back burner for now. I could always call him if things look dire. See if he could help then. I felt much better about some ambiguous favor if it really was a life or death situation. And every second Kory stayed locked up because of me made me feel like dying.
I shut the laptop, threw some things in a bag, and left my apartment. It had never felt like home. Through training, through 24-hour work shifts, this place felt more like a way-station than a sanctuary.
I went back to the hospital. She told me to leave, but I found over and over again I couldn’t do it. Not with her. Never again.
I marched down the hallway. The nurse had passed out on the desk, the TV blaring from the social room. I watched for any movement before slipping down the hall and into Kory’s room. She was, of course, propped up against the wall, a book in her hand, a brownie in the other.
“Who gave you a brownie?
She shrugged. “Styx. I think she has a thing for me. She always brings me sweet treats when she works my floor.”
I didn’t know if I should laugh or be jealous. She offered it to me. I bent down to her while pulling her hand toward me. I took a bite and lingered were her fingers grazed my lips. After swallowing, I settled beside her on the bed. “I’m sorry I couldn’t stay home with you here locked up. It didn’t feel right.”
She sighed, closed the book, and leaned her head over against my shoulder. “I hate you leaving too. I always do.”
I tucked my hand under her chin and drew her lips up to mine. I wanted to offer what little comfort I could. And if that comfort came from my body, it was all hers to use anyway she delighted.
I took her mouth and plunged my fingers into her hair to pull her in tighter to me. She moaned into my mouth shoving her tongue between my lips to tangle with mine. It wasn’t until my dick throbbed painfully that I released her.
“I think I like when you’re repentant. You sure know how to make things up to a girl.”
I scowled. “This isn’t a joke.”
“I wasn’t joking.”
“While I do feel guilty, I’m going to do anything I can to make you comfortable here while I figure out how to get you out.”
Her forehead furrowed so cutely, and she poked my chest hard. “Until we figure out how to get me out.”
I pressed her down, laying my hips to align with hers, so she could feel I was done negotiating.
“I’ve been waiting for this,” she whispered, pushing my hair off my forehead.
“Waiting for this?”
She shrugged. “I wear people down eventually. Plus, you practically had to keep three feet between us at all times to keep yourself from jumping me. Medical ethics or not.”
She wasn’t lying. I hated myself a little bit for my lack of control on her part. Something about her dragged me into the undertow. Expecting a leisurely swim and finding a riptide.
Without warning, she started shoving at my loose sweatpants, pushing them down my hips. “I want you inside me now.”
I nipped her lower lip with my teeth. “So demanding.”
She wiggled, and I pressed into her. “Stay still. Let me get a condom.”
With a fast nod, she stilled, her hands gripping the tops of my pants now. I arched off the side of the bed and grabbed a condom from the bag. She helped pull my pants down to mid-thigh while I sheathed my length in the condom. When I turned back to her, she’d already wiggled out of her shorts and underwear, kicking them away.
