God, there were a lot of quarter-sized pools of shampoo, and I had to lay down to reach under the shelves to get the dime-sized ones with my nails. Dirt and other crap that was swept under the rack clung to my fingernails and palms, and my stomach heaved threateningly.
Once again, I hoisted myself up onto my feet, holding my hands out for balance so I didn’t accidentally touch my clothes or face. Shampoo seeped through my pockets and out the top, and I rubbed my hands viciously on my jeans. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw one of the employees hovering, and she tensed when I turned to her.
“Where’s the bathroom?” Rasping my question, I spread my fingers wide by my sides, and she just looked to this older woman near the lip of the aisle. She gestured me over with a small wave, and my body moved before my brain caught up with it. Everything spun around me, and I doubled over to gag viciously. My lunch came spewing out of my mouth, and horrified squeals droned in my ear as if they were coming through a tunnel.
Gripping the shelf to my right, I arched sharply as my stomach turned inside out, and bile burned my throat. Weakness assaulted every muscle in my body, and my head became light as I spit on the floor. Groaning hoarsely, I blinked hard and stepped around my mess to trudge over to the lady.
“I’ll . . . I’ll clean th-that.”
28
Mateo
Sriracha huffed and puffed a few seconds before the doorbell sung, and I tore myself away from the stove to walk to the front door. Lucy was earlier than I expected, which was still an hour before the time we set- but I honestly didn’t mind. Cracking open the barrier, I smiled at her, and she grinned outright before stepping through the threshold.
“It smells nice in here.” Affection bombarded my chest and crowded my heart at the excitement lightening Lucy’s tone. Shutting us inside my house, I wrapped my arms around her waist to draw her to me, and she sighed softly. “I know I’m super early. I had . . . I guess I had an . . . an episode . . . at the store.”
“An episode? What happened?” At the sound of Lucy’s voice, Ketchup came bounding into the house from the open back door, but I barely noticed the flash of gray. She didn’t answer immediately, instead heading into the kitchen to sit on one of the stools she’d picked out at the island. Her hair was slightly darker, slightly damp, and my brows furrowed in concern when she rested her cheek on the tiled surface.
“Mikayla said your back isn’t easy to look at . . . and I just sort of imploded, I guess.” Stiffening at her murmur, I paused across from her on the way to the stove, and she slumped a little. “She was goofing around about me sleeping over, and sex, and whatever, and then she asked me if I was afraid because we’re not really physical.”
Disbelief numbed my face, and the smell of chicken parm stung my tongue as it stuck to the roof of my mouth. Lucy sort of grimaced in discomfort, and blood drummed loudly in my ears before she opened her mouth again.
“I accidentally pushed my cart into the shampoo, and . . . I don’t know what happened. I started wiping the shampoo off the floor with my hands and shoving it in my pockets. Then, I threw up everywhere. I’m honestly surprised no one called 9-1-1.” Clenching my jaw hard, I shuffled to the stove to stare at the water droplets streaming down the glass lid. “The ride home was super awkward. She drove me there, and I didn’t want to get a Lyft and put all my stuff in and then take it all out and put it all away.”
“I have no idea how to react to that. Has this happened before?” Glancing over my shoulder to watch her shake her head, my eyelid twitched in agitation, and the scars on my back pulled tight when I inhaled deeply. “Is it about the sex, or my back, or that she was judging you on something she didn’t understand?”
“All of it? When I told her to stop talking about it, she didn’t. I don’t know. She just pushed and pushed, and then told me I felt guilty and asked if I was afraid, and I just . . . snapped. I’m not guilty, and I’m not afraid, and frankly, I wouldn’t say ‘excited’ is a good word. Or ‘eager’.” I exhaled slowly as I quietly, descended on the kitchen, and I pulled the top off the pan to get blasted with heat and the smell of chicken and cheese and sauce. It didn’t distract me, but I knew that was a disservice to Lucy, and she rested her chin on her forearms when I looked back. “That smells really good.”
“Hopefully, it will be.” It hurt to talk. My jaw hurt, my whole face hurt from the tension that gripped my bones. “I didn’t invite you over for sex, Lucy.”
“I know.” That simple answer was followed by one she didn’t say—but we’re going to, anyway. The whole point of tonight was romance; I made one of the only things I knew how to make without burning Which was ironically an Italian dish. I had some moderately expensive wine, again, and Italian wine, and a box of condoms.
Hell, I even did the whole flower petal thing at the top of the stairs. I spent a few days hashing out the details of tonight, and it’d been terrorized before it even started.
“What about you, Mateo? How’s the dogs liking the backyard?” The cheese wasn’t even melted, yet, and I put the lid back on the pan to turn to Lucy. She wore a little, pale purple dress with capped shoulders, and thin lines of charcoal accentuated her big, blue eyes. Sitting up to stretch her arms along the island, she flipped her curls against her back with a jerk of her head, and I walked over to lean on my forearms on the tiles.
“Ketchup won’t come back inside, and Sriracha won’t leave the doorway because it’s open. I think he likes the breeze.” She smiled as she looked that way, and I reached to caress the back of her hand gingerly. Honestly, I was at a loss, and the silence was only breached by the muted sizzling in the pan behind us. Lucy tangled our fingers between my own, and I clenched my jaw against the stiffness burrowed deep between my shoulder blades. “Do you want to eat out back?”
Those big, blue eyes met mine to brighten in interest, and my mouth dried at howbeautifulLucy is. I couldn’t stop myself- couldn’t even process it as I grabbed her face and kissed her, and her little squeak of surprise clogged my throat. Long, nimble fingers tangled in my hair, and I cupped the back of her head as I shuffled closer. Her soft lips parted for me as heat rampaged through my chest, and a cold sweat broke out under my shirt.
Long legs wrapped around my waist to draw me closer, and my heart fluttered as I snuck my tongue past Lucy’s teeth. Her own touched mine tentatively, but the passion in our kiss blew all hesitancy away. Picking her up off the stool, I pinned her to the wall opposite to brace my forearm above her head. Our kiss deepened as fire boiled my blood, and Lucy moaned softly as she wound her arms around my neck to fist my shirt.
Firm, perky breasts squished against my chest when she ripped her head back to breathe, and I stiffened against the urge to tug her dress down. Panting harshly, my heartbeat furiously, in sync with hers, and Lucy’s flushed face and bright eyes werebeyondthe comprehension of mortal men.Fuck.
“I have a plan.” My rasp tinged her cheeks a darker shade of pink, and Lucy took a shuddering, unstable breath as her knees tightened against my sides. Resting my forehead on hers, I closed my eyes to savor her breath rolling down my collar. Her closeness was comforting- better even than the knowledge that in a few hours, we’d be even closer. “You’re so beautiful, Lucy.”
“You’re a wonderful man, Mateo.” The mumble wasn’t much more stable than mine, and I pressed against Lucy as her fingers slipped up into my hair. Touching wasn’t close enough, and she gasped faintly to mingle with my hiss as I ground between her legs. My abdomen tightened, thighs quivering, and my cock gorged as the shock of our kiss dwindled. Slender fingers pulled my hair taut, and I sputtered slightly as pleasure gripped my spine in a vice.
“Lucy.” Capturing her thick lips, I shuddered when she moaned, and the sound filled the thin space between my brain and my skull. Her hips rolled, thighs clinging to me and heels digging into the small of my back. Thankfully, they weren’t stabbing stilettoes, just short, wide heels, and I braced both my arms above her head to stop myself from going any farther. My tongue tangled with hers, the taste of her tingling my buds, and she shivered as her hips tilted into mine.
“Mateo. Mateo.” Tugging my head back to rasp hoarsely, Lucy’s eyelids fluttered closed, her lips disappearing between her teeth. My nails dug into my palms with how hard I clenched my fists, and the air knocked from my lungs as the full brunt of her beautiful face slammed into me. She tensed, neck craning, lips parting in a gasp as she arched sharply, and goosebumps blanketed my body.
I watched her brow rumple ever so faintly when she clenched her jaw and stiffened, and Lucy sucked in a whistle of a breath. So delicately, she shivered, and I bit my bottom lip hard when her thighs quivered against my sides. Holding myself very still, my heartbeat furiously as satisfaction sloshed in my chest, and she tilted her head to crack open her eyes.
The only thing holding her up was the iron grip of her legs around me, my hips against hers, and Lucy sighed the most fulfilled sound imaginable. Her whole body relaxed against me, but her knees didn’t fall from my ribs as I reached a trembling hand to her cheek. The tremor in my palm rattled up my arm, and I thumbed under her eye as they flooded with heady warmth. Tilting her head into my touch, she smiled the smallest, most content smile I’d seen on her yet, and my heart threatened to stop beating.
“I’d like to eat outside, yeah.” Lucy’s murmur tickled my wrist, and I nodded mutely as my ragged pants became easier, harsh breaths.
