Page 74 of Notes About Vodka

Who knew oral could be so…nice.

Val takes his time, licking and sucking slowly. When I begin to squirm from the building pleasure, his hands anchor my hips to his mouth.

"You taste so delicious, baby girl. Moya lubimaya. Just like I expected, sunshine and cookies."

"Val," I pant as his tongue dips inside me. I'm lost to the sensation. I grab my own breast through my T-shirt, twisting my nipple just enough to feel a sting. It's enough to push me over the edge. I come hard, moisture squirting out of me and all over Val's face.

I immediately start to feel embarrassed and try to turn around to move away.

"Oh no you don’t, Laura, I'm not done drinking my new favorite libation."

"But, that was... Val, I've never done that before."

"Squirted?"

"Yes," I admit, heat rising in my cheeks.Especially since I already dreamed it with him once.

"Well I've never made a woman squirt before so why don't you lay back, relax, and let me kiss you clean because that was amazing."

Looking into Val's dark eyes, all I see is how much he cares, how much he desires me. "Okay," I finally reply leaning back on the cushions of his couch.

Val makes good on his promise, kissing me clean until I come a second time. I don't make a big mess this time, but the orgasm has my body feeling like putty.

Absolutely satisfied, I move and try to return the favor, but Val stops me with a gentle smile, brushing a thumb across my cheek. "Not yet, sunshine," he murmurs. "Soon, but not tonight, tonight was about you. Okay?"

“Okay,” I reply, even though I can see the outline of his hardness through his boxers and I really want to know how he tastes, how he feels, how he loses control when he comes.That dream did something to me.But I let it go.

Val pulls me up from the couch, leading me to the shower.

He keeps his underwear on the entire time, washing away the ink in slow, lazy strokes.

“I’m already missing seeing my ink on you,” he whispers as he dries us off, giving me a pair of his boxers and a shirt to sleep in.

I reply with as much wit as I can, even though I’m exhausted, “You know, you could always make it permanent.”

“Nah, I like repainting the canvas. Something new each time.”

Val kisses my forehead before guiding me to his bed. As he tucks me under the sheets and pulls me close, as he lies on top of the covers.

“Why don’t you crawl under the cover?” I ask as I drift away.

“Because I won’t be able to stop myself from going all the way and I want you to be a hundred percent into this, into us.”

I feel something settle inside me—a quiet kind of certainty that shifts my heart. His calm patience with me releases something. An anxiety that I no longer feel the need to hold onto. I sink into his arms.

"You’re mine, Laura, I’ll wait for you," he whispers. "As long as it takes."

"And you're mine, too, Val," I reply as sleep pulls me under.

Chapter Twenty-Two

VAL

“Did you know that vodka has been around for so long it has been used historically as currency? Although, I prefer it as a gift.”

“Happy birthday, to you, happy birthday, to you, happy birthday, dear Laura, happy birthday, to you.”

Laura’s eyes are bluer tonight and bright with excitement as balloons are released into the air at the end of the song. I’m holding her to me tightly as her friends and co-workers all shout out, “Surprise!”

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