Get Inked: A Pucked Series and Clipped Wings Crossover Novella (Pucked #5.5)(36)
Once she had what she needed, she let me take over. I moved her onto her back, rolling my hips without urgency. My eyes had adjusted to the lack of light. The blackout shades kept the glow of the streetlights outside and residents of the neighboring apartment building from seeing things they shouldn’t.
“Give me your mouth, baby,” I murmured in her ear.
Her nose brushed across my cheek, lips following the same trail until I caught her mouth with mine again. I stroked against her tongue and she arched, arms and legs wrapped tightly around me again. I followed the long, toned line of her left thigh until I reached her knee. Pulling it higher, I tucked her leg against my ribs so I could go deeper without changing the tempo.
“Chris.” Sarah’s whimper was followed by a shudder. Her fingertips dragged soft down the side of my face, close to our touching lips.
“You coming again?”
She nodded and pressed her face into my neck, her soft moan muffled by my skin. It didn’t take me long to come after that.
Afterward, Sarah snuggled into my side and stayed there, which was also unusual. Typically I’d get a couple minutes of closeness out of her, and then she’d complain about being hot and move away. But not tonight. She kept her head on my chest and traced the lines of my sleeve until I fell asleep.
I woke a few hours later to the feel of fingers tickling my arm. I turned to find Sarah lying on her side, her pale blond hair fanned out across the pillow. She snatched her hand away and pressed her knuckles to her mouth. Her sea blue eyes were red rimmed, like she needed more sleep. She closed them and inched closer, her whole body pressing against me before her lips connected with the ink on my shoulder.
I pushed unruly blond away from her forehead, then traced the heart shape of her face. Sarah nuzzled her cheek against my arm for a few seconds, a shuddery sigh warming my skin.
“You got time for some morning lovin’?” I rasped, my voice less awake than the rest of me, just like it had been last night, or much earlier this morning.
“I need the bathroom.” She rolled away and threw off the covers. The room was still mostly dark, but I could make out her willowy silhouette as she tiptoed across the room, naked, and slipped out the bedroom door.
I checked the time. It was only seven. She had to be exhausted, but I assumed her going to the bathroom meant morning sex was on the menu. Priorities and all.
Except when she returned ten minutes later, she was fully dressed. Her white blouse was crisp and buttoned almost to her throat. She’d pulled her long hair up into a bun, the style too severe for her pretty face.
I folded an arm behind my head. “Not getting back into bed with me?”
She traced the edge of the footboard, her head bowed. “I can’t. I have class.”
“Wanna come give me a kiss goodbye?”
Her voice was a whisper I had to strain to hear. “I think we need to take a break.”
I hit the light on the nightstand so I could see her better. “What kinda break you talking about?”
“My internship starts soon. I’ll be working a lot of hours. At both jobs. I’m exhausted, and I think something’s got to give.” Her voice wavered, as if she were on the verge of tears.
The conversation wasn’t unexpected. Of course I’d be the something she was ready to give up. I’d known this day was coming, eventually, since the moment she’d agreed to go out with me. Still, I stared at her for a few long seconds, trying to see the motivation that pushed her to this decision now.
Maybe she’d finally realized she was too good for me—that she was out of my league and could find someone better, someone who could give her the things I couldn’t. Sarah deserved a nice life with a pretty house and a fancy car she didn’t have to worry about. I wasn’t that guy.
For her, it seemed I was mostly a middle-of-the-night booty call, which was ironic because for years I’d been the one to pull that move. I guess it was about time I experienced it from the other side.
“You want to call it quits?” I asked.
She lifted one slight shoulder, still tracing imaginary lines on the footboard.
“So last night was the goodbye f*ck and the see-you-later blow job?” That would definitely explain the aggression.
“We barely see each other.” She swiped at her eye with her pinkie before she lifted her head, but her gaze didn’t quite meet mine. “It’s not going to get better once I start my internship.”
As much as I didn’t want to admit it, she had a point. We’d been treading water for months now; it was only a matter of time before we sank. “You’re right. It probably won’t.”
“I’m sorry, Chris. I need to stay focused on school. Maybe after it’s over, when things settle down again…”
“Yeah. I don’t know about that.” I had my doubts that Sarah would want to keep doing this with me once she’d had a break. One of the guys in her program would jump all over her being single, and she’d see me for the mistake I’d been all along. Sarah and I weren’t meant to be permanent, and this was exactly the reminder I needed. “You gotta do you, sugar.”
She bowed her head, fingers fluttering up to cover her eyes. Her back expanded in a deep inhale. On the exhale she dropped her hands and squared her shoulders, but her next statement still came out a question. “I’ll leave your key on the counter.”