Page 131 of Riding the Pine

The room spins. Scott hooks his arm behind my knees and picks me up off the sodden bedsheets.

“Always. You okay, Bright Eyes?”

“Sí, Papi.” At least that’s what I try to say as he nuzzles against me but it comes out as a satisfied hum and the world fades away.

CHAPTER 57

Athena

The sting from the fresh tattoo on my hip pulls me out of the most contented sleep I’ve had in a while.

Someone’s in my kitchen. From the clunking around and clattering of metal on metal, I’m going to guess it’s my adorable, but not at all kitchen-competent boyfriend.

I can’t move. Ophelia’s curled into my chest, her leg threaded through the middle of both of mine, and her wild hair splayed across both the pillow, my face, and my chest.

Her snuffly breathing is adorable, and the way she’s clinging to me like a spider monkey makes me smile.

Neither Scott nor I want a third in our relationship, but I think we’ve found something more in Ophelia than simply someone to come play with from time to time.

I might have made a brand-new friend.

An unexpected feeling prickles in my chest.

I can walk into a boardroom, present proposals, deal with any number of problems in the day to day of things, and yet, when it comes to human connection, to trusting another human with a piece of myself, it’s so fucking hard.

My circle has been small for so long that I wasn’t sure I knew how to expand it.

Things with the Raccoon’s girlfriends are going well, but they kind of have to like me, right? Two of them are dating my brothers, one’s my best friend… it kind of feels like cheating.

Ophelia… she’s…actuallynew. Sure, Scott brought her home, and I’ll need to send Slade something nice to thank him for being the web weaver that brought us together. But I like spending time with her.

She’s easy to talk to, she’s fun to be with, and I can envision her joining us at book club, or at hockey games, and being something more thanjusta physical assist for Scott from time to time.

Granted, the sex last night was mind-blowing. So much so, my mind blew at the same time as my clit, and I don’t remember much past soaking the sheets with my third orgasm.

Ophelia shifts toward me, curling her arm around my waist as she does. It’s as if she doesn’t want to lose the physical connection any more than I do.

It’s a hard thing to change, to overcome, the notion that I’m better off alone, that I need to be strong. It’s something I see Mamá realizing right now, as well.

Papá has kept her in an ornate tower like Rapunzel for so long, now she’s getting herself ready to reassimilate in the big, bad world, she’s not sure how.

It’s like Papá encouraged the men in the house to make contacts, to step out and be social but the women,hiswomen, were conditioned to be strong, and capable, to be pretty but keep everyone at arm’s length.

And with Ophelia in my arms, and the warmth of yesterday’s get together with my friends still fresh, part of me wonders what I’ve missed out on having been made this way.

I kiss her forehead. Not to wake her, but as a way of grounding myself, reminding myself that while Papá might have instilled stupid principles in me about being an island, being sostrong that no one dare try to destroy you, I’m not completely broken.

I can, and will, find a way through the muddy waters and make a lifeIwant to live, with peopleIwant to live it with.

The fresh ink on my hip stings again. My Saniderm protective cover stayed on, thankfully. Scott probably still hasn’t even noticed it. I don’t blame him, we escalated from fully clothed to me riding Ophie’s face pretty quickly.

The memory sends a bolt of lust to my exhausted core. I have no intention of trying to orgasm today. The orgasm store is closed, there’s a ‘no fucking way’ sign dangling from the window. If anything, I need an ice pack and some Tylenol.

Absently stroking her hair feels nice, it’s calming. Not that I need to be calmed, but it’s a pleasant thing to do while I lie here with another woman in my arms. Her aftercare included cuddling, but she was happy to leave last night if we wanted her to.

I don’t know for sure, because I was likely drooling into my pillow, but I bet Scott asked her to stay for my benefit. He hasn’t come right out and said it, but he knows me best. If there’s changes happening in me, he’ll see them first before anyone else.

Has he noticed the sliver of need to build human connections.

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