Page 90 of With Us

“Is he meowing?”

I stretched before putting my head back down and burrowing it into the pillow. “Mmhhmm. He’s a cat, what else would he do?”

“Who?”

“Gus. I thought he was talking earlier, but it was just Ben.”

I could feel my pillow shaking with laughter. “Dahlia?”

“Hmm?”

“Wake up, gattina.”

“I am.”

“Okay, sit up.”

“No.” I tried to fluff my pillow, but found only hard abs. “You’re not a pillow.”

“Nope.”

Sitting up, I rubbed my eyes and looked around. When I saw what part of the movie,Super Troopers, was on, I grabbed the remote and pressed rewind. “This is my favorite part.” I mouthed the words along with the characters on the screen as the officer counted how many times the other one could meow in a conversation with the pulled over driver.

“So heismeowing,” Theo said, laughing.

I nodded through my own laughter. When the scene finished, I shut off the movie. “What’s going on?”

“I just got home and Ben, not Gus, told me where you were.” He leaned in to kiss me, but paused. “Why do you smell like cake?”

“Cookies,” I corrected. “Ben and I made some. Want one?”

“Maybe later.” When his phone started ringing, he dropped his head and groaned in frustration. “Why don’t you head up to bed. I’ll be up in a minute.”

“Okay.”

I was already to the door when I heard his growled greeting. “What?”

Glancing at the time as I walked, I was happy to see it was only a little after ten. Because the drive was longer than my quick walk in the city, Theo and I had to be up early to drop me off at work. I’d offered to sleep at home, and he’d followed it up with his own insistence on sleeping there with me. I wasn’t going to subject him to the stabbing springs and butt indents.

I did my night time routine and grabbed one of Theo’s tees from the closet. Pulling it on, I flopped into bed and grabbed my phone. I started reading, but only got a few pages before I had to put it down or drop it on my face.

Giving up the fight, I thought about covering up, but fell asleep before I could.

???

I was turned on.

No, it was more than that.

I wanted to moan, scream, cry, and explode all at once.

Theo was moving in and out of me, his pace slow and his thrusts long.

Torn between wanting it faster or slower, I knew one thing for sure.

It was the best dream I’d ever had.

And so I said so.

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