Downfall(44)

Even in his utterly exhausted state, and even though he knew my last name, it seemed like Solomon Sanders had no intention of letting me go.





Solo



Pain pulled me out of a fitful sleep, but it was the warm, soft body curled against mine that woke me up. All of me. A few hours ago, getting a hard-on was the furthest thing from my mind. Now, the rigid length between my legs was the only thing I could think about, even though my entire left side felt like it was on fire. Every single breath hurt, and the slightest movement made me blink away tears of agony. This was far from my first time dealing with busted ribs, but it never got any easier or less painful.

Orley was still wrapped around me. She didn’t move throughout the night. Not once did she jostle or bump into any of my broken, bruised parts. Her arm stayed low around my waist and the long leg she had hitched across my thighs never moved close to anything it might damage. Her hair was a silky mess spread across my chest, with single strands catching on the scruff scattered across my chin. I rarely shared a bed with anyone overnight. I was typically too busy to stick around after the fun, and I didn’t like my strictly planned schedule interrupted when I had someone else in my space. Orley wasn’t like that at all. Somehow, without being aware of it, I’d made room just for her in my life. Having her in my space didn’t feel like an imposition at all. It felt like it was meant to be.

I slid a hand across the curve of her hip and along the smooth line of her thigh. My eyebrows shot up when I got a handful of velvety soft, naked skin. I could’ve sworn when we went to bed she’d had on those black leggings she seemed to live in, but now all she had on was a long t-shirt, hiked up to her waist, and a pair of cute, pink panties that barely covered her. Those long ass legs of hers were free of both the covers and any pants. It was enough to remind me she was going to get up soon and go get her kid. We were also going to have to have a talk about the man who set me up and sent her on the run, but none of that felt like it mattered as much as taking advantage of the fact we had a few stolen moments together. I wasn’t exactly up to acrobatics and stunts, but feeling her pressed against me the way she was, suddenly made the pain radiating along my side much more bearable.

Orley was still asleep when I dragged my hand up her side, knuckles brushing her ribcage. I took the fabric of her t-shirt with me and traced the subtle curves of her body. Her bright blue eyes popped open in alarm when I got the gathered material to her neck. She made a surprised little noise, but cooperated by ducking down when I tugged the cotton over her head. Her red hair floated around her face like a ring of fire, and she watched me with wide eyes as I caught the side of her face with my palm and tilted her head so I could drop my mouth over hers. The kiss was hesitant at first, tentative and soft. It was obvious she was worried about inadvertently hurting me; I could barely feel the touch of her palms on my shoulders when she shifted her hold on me as I started to thoroughly devour her.

We weren’t going to be interrupted this time. Right now, she was still the girl next door who needed someone to look out for her, the only girl in years who’d interested me enough to make time for. There were no little eyes and ears to hide from. This was an opportunity I refused to let slip by, even if it meant my body felt like it was being turned inside out. Pain was just as sharp and prevalent under my skin as the pleasure.

Slowly, she started to kiss me back. I felt some of the rigid tension leave her shoulders, and her lips and tongue started to give under the insistent pressure of mine. One of her arms wrapped around my neck, and the other slid across my abs, careful of the bandage still tightly wrapped around my middle. She traced the outline of my belly button with the tip of her fingernail, and the little scratch against my skin caused my dick to throb against the nylon material of my pants. There was no hiding how deeply, and quickly, I reacted to her touch. My entire body felt like it was humming with anticipation. There was a buzz vibrating along all my nerve endings, making the acute pain firing along my entire left side a dull echo against everything else she was causing me to feel.

Orley pulled back slightly, eyes wide as she took in every feature on my face, obviously searching for signs of pain and discomfort. “What about your ribs?” One of her hands lightly drifted over the beige bandage strapped around my middle.

I lifted an eyebrow and dropped a haphazard kiss on the very tip of her nose and tugged her closer. I sighed in contentment when I felt the sweet drag of her breasts across my bare skin. “Well, you owe me one, remember? You’re going to have to do all the work this time.” I wiggled my eyebrows and smirked at her. “But that means I’ll owe you one back.” If we could keep going like that forever, I would have no complaints.

She studied me for a long, quiet moment. She was obviously weighing the likelihood of us getting another free moment like this against how badly I was injured. The small window of free, uninterrupted time apparently won out, because a moment later she was the one kissing me with delicate aggression, and her toned leg hitched across my thigh moved so it was rubbing against the erection straining to get free from my track pants. I hissed at the sensual contact and let my teeth sink into her lower lip. The kiss went from careful to consuming in under a second. Teeth clashed, tongues twisted, and every single place we touched felt like it was electrified.

I felt her hands shake a little as she helped me slide my pants down my waist. I couldn’t heft my weight up off the bed like I normally would, so I got the pleasurable sensation of feeling her hands ghosting over my hips and down my legs. She was the only woman, other than the one who raised me, who had helped me dress and undress because I couldn’t do it myself. That kind of care, the simple act of her being there when I needed someone, was enough for warmth to unfurl slow and steady in my gut. She wasn’t a woman who was easy or convenient, but the more time I spent trying to figure her out, the more I realized I would fight anything in the world that tried to get between us… including the lack of time we had to be with one another.