Page 31

I collapse face down, and he gently rolls me over as he pulls out of me and settles down on the bed. I say once my eyes clear, “What the hell was that?”

Still catching his breath, he says, “Totally worth the schedule change.”

“Will that purge me?” I pant.

“Doubt it.” He wraps his arms around me as we regulate our breath. He jumps up to get rid of the condom and splashes water on his face. I follow him into the bathroom and clean myself up as well.

When I walk back into the room, he’s sitting up with the covers around himself. His face looks perplexed. “We have to talk.”

Shit no. He’s actually not feeling everything I am. I want him with me all the time. I can’t wait. He can sense that I’m too needy right now. I’m never fucking needy. This man makes me needy. When the hell did I get needy? Maybe it’s only for him.

20

Alex

She’s got that stunning, I’ve just been fucked look. Her hair is loose around her shoulders, and her eyes glow as she gets back on the bed and scoops up the sheets. They fall around her perfect creamy cleavage. The soft light from the bedside lamp is illuminating her, and she’s perfect.

I stand on the edge of the bed naked, might as well be as naked and vulnerable as I can be. I’m putting shit on the table right now.

“Tess, I couldn’t go for a week. Your smell and your smile. That face. Damn, your face and those legs. That brain and your brilliant and sexy mouth. How do I go for five weeks without you? Seriously, tell me. I’m open to ideas.”

She gets up on her knees, and the sheets fall away. She’s bare for me as well and places her hands on my shoulders. “I see your face everywhere I look. And the thought of the way you touch me takes away my breath. Your gorgeous, soulful, and brilliant eyes float through my mind all day. That brain, and good lord, your ass. I can’t go five weeks without that silly crooked smile or that cock of yours. Listening to the podcast was hollow. I need more.”

“So hard,” I answer, not realizing what I’ve said. Then I take a beat, and my heart is out of my chest that she feels the same. That’s fucking it. We’re so in sync. I refuse to compromise. We’re people who are used to getting what we want. I want her and work.

She looks astonished. “Already?”

I jump in the bed next to her and instantly curl her into my arms. “No, not yet. Give me a minute. Tell me your schedule, so I know where you are. I want to imagine your world.” I wrap her silky strands around my fingers.

“You’re talking way too sweetly for what this is, Alex.”

“What is this?” I ask.

“Undefined as of yet.”

“Fair enough. I can live with that.” I pull her close.

She looks at me with those bottomless blue eyes and says, “Let’s hold off on defining anything until Nov 9th. We can text tomorrow and start to figure this out. Tonight, let’s just be this.”

“Done.” I lower my mouth to hers. Then she feels for me, and I groan as we begin to seal the deal with more than just a kiss.

III

Meeting Request

21

Tess

I hate time and space. I hate limitations. I, most of all, hate Birmingham right now. It’s lovely enough. It’s just too far from LA. I went to bed, hoping to hear from him, and woke up to a suggestive text. I answered hours ago, but he’s not awake yet. I love working early in the morning, and he works late in the night. Factor in a cross-continental time zone issue, and we’re fucked. Atlanta was four days ago. Even after the election, I don’t know the shape of this. I don’t know how to do this. Or why it feels so significant already. I feel a bit empty without him. What the hell?

At least I hate wrote 7k words today. I was a machine trying to purge my frustrations about the space-time continuum today. Fuck time and space. This can’t ever work.

22

Alex

I like knowing where she is, and the other night, there was more dirty talk than schedules. I did not get her out of my system. My system very much needs more Tess before freaking election day. We’ve missed each other’s calls for a couple of days. My heavy schedule of jacking off to her author photo is getting in the way of work.