Her feet hit the ground and I kept my hands on her hips until she found her balance again.
I was a sweaty mess, my pants around my ankles, my shirt wrinkled, every inch of me smelling like her.
She leaned against the tree, her skirt still hiked around her waist, her pale skin catching what little light filtered through the branches.
Her hair was ruined. Probably her dress too. But it had been the best sex I’d ever had.
Pulling my boxers and pants back into place, I stepped closer to her. She watched me, her eyes still heavy-lidded. I took the soft fabric of her skirt in my hands and eased it back into place, then slid the straps up over her shoulders.
Putting her back together after I’dtaken her apart.
“There,” I whispered. “No one will ever know what just happened.”
The words tasted wrong the second they left my mouth.
“Depends how closely they look. Your cum is running down my thigh right now.”
Heat crept up my neck and I laughed.
She’d said fires were honest, so it was no surprise that she was too. This whole thing had felt that way. Nothing staged or performative, just two people acting on instinct under the stars.
“Why don’t I walk you back to the house so you can get cleaned up?” I offered.
She smiled, then leaned up and kissed me again. Softer this time.
“I can find my own way,” she said. “I always have.”
She took a half-step back, but may as well have been a hundred miles away.
Picking up her shoes, she started toward the house, barefoot, dress gathered in one hand.
I stayed where I was, watching her go, even though I knew she was already gone.
We’d talked about this. About how our careers meant we would always be alone. How casual was all we were capable of.
So I couldn’t say I was surprised. But that didn’t stop it from hitting me square in the chest. It hurt in a way I hadn’t expected.
Somehow, between the airport and the storm and the wedding, my whole thought process had shifted. Clearly, hers hadn’t.
I knelt by the edge of the creek and dipped my fingers into the cold water, letting it run over my hand, trying to wash her from my skin.
It wouldn’t work, she was already under my skin.
Dragging my wet hand over my face, I stood, staring in the direction she’d gone. The party was still going strong. The music, and laughter and lights were all still there.
Nothing had changed in the time I’d been at the creek bank with Wren, nothing except what was inside me.
* * *
I got a call first thing the next morning that my suitcase had arrived. Perfect timing seeing as I was going home today.
My flight was later in the day so I made one last trip to Kara and Grant’s place to say goodbye.
Tuck and Peanut barked as I pulled into the driveway. Kara appeared at the door in shorts and what had to be Grant’s t-shirt. Her makeup was smeared around her eyes and she was holding a cup of coffee for dear life. “No barking, you two, Mommy has a hangover,” she said to the dogs.
I came up and gave her a hug. “You look a little rough.”
She flipped me off. “I stayed for the entire wedding unlikesomeonewho snuck off for a while.”
