When Autumn disappears into the bathroom, Penny turns to me. “You don’t have to read her a book. It’s been a long day, and you’ve already done so much.”
“It’s fine, Penny. I don’t mind.” She doesn’t look too sure, but I tell her, “We’ll read to her together.”
“Can I lie between the both of you?” Autumn asks once she’s done brushing her teeth.
“Why don’t I just sit on the floor?” I tell her as we enter her room. The drawings of the unicorns I did are right above her bed, and my heart smiles at the thought that she loved them so much she wanted them displayed.
“Please.”
I look to Penny, who shrugs her shoulders. Autumn has been attached to me at the hip all day and doesn’t hesitate to grab my hand and pull me to the side of the bed. Penny and I tuck Autumn under the covers, and we climb on top to lean against the headboard. Penny immediately grabs a familiar book off the nightstand with a cat in a hat, and we take turns reading. By the time we’re done with the book, Autumn is leaning against me, fully asleep.
I slowly lay her down flat on the bed, and Penny moves to kiss Autumn’s cheek and whisper goodnight in her ear. Right before we’re about to leave the room, Autumn says, “I love you, Dec.” And rolls over.
Penny and I freeze and look at each other. Did she really just say that? I know she said something along those lines at the zoo, but I didn’t want to read too much into it. I was already having some type of feeling about how the woman called Penny my wife and Autumn my daughter. But now that she said it again, I can’t believe the little girl I so easily wrote off just told me she loves me. It’s been so long since I took care of Kate, and I was so scarred from not being able to protect her from our parents, I forgot how trusting and loving children are. They don’t have conditional love. They freely give it to the people whom they deem fit. And for Autumn to say she loves me, just broke off another piece of the armor I have over my heart.
When Penny and I get back into the kitchen, neither of us says a word. Instead, we silently clean up our dinner and work around each other until the kitchen is spotless.
“Hey, Declan?” Penny asks as I put the last of the food into the fridge.
“What’s up?” I ask as I turn back around.
She bites her bottom lip and fidgets with her sleeves. “Do you want to stay for a bit?”
Does she mean to hang or tohang? I walk to where she’s standing and stop so close to her that she has to crane her neck to look up at me. “What are you asking?”
She licks her lips and grabs onto one of my hands. She starts to walk backward, toward the hallway. “I want you.”
I easily follow her down the hallway and into her room. She locks the door behind us, and I clear my throat before asking, “Will Autumn wake up?”
She shakes her head. “No. She sleeps like the dead.”
I don’t know what the rush is, but as soon as she says those words, we both start stripping ourselves down until we’re naked. Our movements are frantic, and my only thought right now is how fast I can get Penny underneath me.
We reach for each other at the same time, and I haul her into my arms, so she has to wrap her legs around my waist. I curl my fingers through the hair at the nape of her neck and bring her mouth to meet mine in a searing kiss. Her arms wrap around my shoulders, and we taste each other like we’re starving. Her tongue battles with mine, and she tastes like shewas made for me. Like I want to drown in her essence and never let go.
It feels like forever ago that we made out on her parents' front porch, and I hate the fucking rule she made about kissing. I suck her bottom lip into my mouth, and she whimpers as I pull away. I crane her neck to the side, so I have access to her throat, and I suck on her skin, not caring if I mark her. I want everyone to know that she’s taken. That she’s mine.
“Declan,” she breathes, “we aren’t supposed to kiss.”
I move to her ear and suck her lobe into my mouth. “It’s a shit rule and you know it,” I growl. Because if we’re only going to be having sex a few times before the five months are up, I’m getting all she’s worth.
“Fuck,” she moans as I lay her on the bed and suck her nipple into my mouth. “It’s a good rule.” She grips my hair and shoves my face further into her chest.
“Stop being a brat,” I tell her as I work kisses down her stomach. I place light kisses over each one of her seven stretch marks, and the image of Penny pregnant flashes through my head before I blink it away just as quickly. When I reach her pussy, I inhale her scent. I’ve only gotten the chance to go down on her one more time since that first time on the landing, and I would be lying if I said that I wasn’t fucking salivating at the thought of getting to taste her again.
“Declan, wait.” I pause just as I’m about to reach her clit and make eye contact with her. “I should probably shower since we were out all day.”
“Not a chance.” I’ve waited to have her like this, uninterrupted, for weeks. And I can’t wait a second longer. I spread her legs wide and take one long lick from her entrance to her clit. She throws an arm over her mouth to muffle the sound, but I can still hear her moan. I suck on her bundle of nerves and work her back and forth, up and down. She’s so responsive right now, and if the walls weren’t so thin, I would tell her to pull her arm away so I could hear the beautiful sounds that come out of her mouth.
She uses her free hand to grip my hair and hold me where I’m at, and I work her clit as fast and hard as I can. She tastes fucking divine.
Salty and sweet.
She tastes like mine.
I pinch one of her nipples and shove two fingers into her pussy, and she starts to ride my face and hand like she can’t get enough. All at once, her back arches and her body starts to shake with an intense orgasm. I don’t let up as I continue to tongue her clit and pump my fingers. Everything about this woman makes me feral, and watching her break apart has my cock leaking against the bed. Just as she starts coming down from the high, I pull my fingers out and go to hover over her.
“Suck, my pretty little slut,” I demand as I bring my two fingers to her mouth.
