Page 65 of Hero

“Ialwayswant to do something else.” He kisses me, soft and sweet. “But I only want it when you want it too.”

I giggle and squeeze him again. “Well, I might be in the mood.”

He rolls over on top of me. “Yeah?”

“Yeah. I kind of like our afternoons.”

We’ve been having sex a lot at this time when both of us are done with our shifts but before Rina comes back from school. It’s strange and freeing to be alone in the house together. Just the two of us. And it’s nice to not always have to be so quiet.

“I dressed all sexy for you,” I tell him dryly.

He’s already pulling down my baggy sweatpants. “Everything you wear is sexy to me. Never had anyone drive me as crazy as you do.”

“You never acted like I drove you crazy. Back then, I mean.”

“Well, you weren’t supposed to know. But that doesn’t mean I wasn’t lusting after you.” He’s been kissing a line down my neck as he talks, but now he pauses and lifts his head. “I wasn’t lusting after you the whole time. Just to be clear. I mean, not when you were a teenager. Didn’t even think about you that way.”

I’m having trouble not giggling, even as I’m responding to the way he’s touching me, gazing at me. “I’m glad to hear that. That would be kind of creepy. You sure did a lot of teasing back then.”

“Well, it was the only way I could get you to come out of your shell.”

“I didn’t want to come out of my shell, so it mostly just made me mad.”

“I know it did. That’s why I kept it up. I figured mad was better than hiding away inside yourself. It wasn’t until a lot later that I started wanting more from you. I started wanting you to open up inotherways to me. Can’t believe you want that too. Still can’t believe all this is real.” He’s taken off all my clothes now and is kissing me again. Then mouthing his way down to my breasts.

“Me either,” I admit, arching up at the tug of pleasure from his lips on my nipple. “I can’t believe it’s real either.”

He takes his time turning me on and makes me come a couple of times by pumping his fingers in my pussy.

When I’ve caught my breath, I push him over on his back so I can take off his clothes. I kiss him all over until I’m sliding my mouth around his cock. He lets me take him part of the way like that but stops me before he comes. I straddle his hips and lower myself onto his erection. I feel sexy and free and oddly powerful as I ride him.

He bucks up into me as my speed accelerates. We get into it so much we shake the bed and bang the headboard against the wall. I bounce over him, my body jiggling and my cries getting louder and louder as I let go of my normal inhibitions. I come with wild abandon and have barely come down when he lets out a bellow and comes too.

He doesn’t pull out, so I feel his release inside me. Then I fall down on top of him and he wraps me in his arms.

My period is still inconsistent, so I’m not sure how fertile I am. But we’ve discussed it. We’ll be happy either way, but we’re ready for another baby if it happens for us.

We lie tangled naked together for a long time. Zed dozes off, but I don’t. When it’s time, I slip out of his arms and off the bed, pulling on some clothes so I can go pick up Rina.

School starts at nine thirty and ends in a few minutes. It’s not intensive lessons the whole time—particularly not for kids Rina’s age. She does a lot of playing and some napping and fun art projects and a little bit of learning. She loves it.

Buddy comes with me as I walk several blocks over to the school building. She’s playing with a few of her friends on the playground, but she runs over to me excitedly as soon as she sees me. She hugs me and then hugs Buddy. Takes my hand and talks the whole way home about everything she did that day.

Kids really are resilient. I was afraid it would take her months to adapt to socialization and a new living environment, but Rina has fit in with only a few difficulties and nothing we couldn’t get resolved.

“Is Daddy sleeping?” she asks when we walk into the house.

“Yes, he’s tired from working so long at the wall last night.”

“Oh. Okay.” She sniffs and looks around. I can tell she wants to run up to see her father, but I’m not going to encourage her in that. For one, Zed really does need some sleep. For another, I left him completely naked in bed.

I’m searching for something to distract her when a muffled voice comes from down the hall. “I’m awake in here if anyone wants to come say hi to me!”

Rina laughs and claps her hands and looks to me for permission before she goes sprinting down the hall to burst into the bedroom.

When Buddy and I reach the room, I’m not surprised to see Zed has put his undershirt and a pair of pajama pants on. Rina is sitting in the middle of the bed and giving him the same long ramble about the day’s events that she already gave me.

Buddy jumps onto the bed, deciding Rina’s presence is excuse enough for him to join them. I don’t want to be left out, so I stretch out with my head on the pillow.

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