Page 71 of Road Trip
“Abra, I didn’t mean to maul you, I just kind of lost myself there for a minute. Did I hurt you?”
The caring in his voice was my undoing. Unwelcome tears sprung to my eyes. I tried to pull my hands back from him, but he wouldn’t have it. He moved to my side and pulled me to his chest, stroking my back and letting me cry my fucking eyes out.
When I could breathe normally again, I spoke against his skin, afraid to look at him.
“Kelly, I’m so sorry for how I acted when you got here. You had just had a horrible day, I’m sure, and I laid my bullshit on you. I’m really sorry. You didn’t need that. You have taken such good care of me, you just throw me off balance. I’m used to being the one taking care of other people. No one does it for me and I don’t know how to take it. I’m afraid to accept it because I’m afraid it will go away. I’m thirty-two years old, I can handle my life and my job just fine, but that’s because I’ve been like a damn robot. You’re waking feelings up in me that I am really afraid of.” I swallowed hard and took a deep breath before I finished with, “And I don’t want it to stop.”
The hand stroking my hair paused and I felt a shudder go through Kelly.
“It’s not going to stop, doll, because I love you. I want to take care of you and I want to love you. I’m a patient man, Abra, but please don’t ask me to stop loving you, because I don’t think I can.”
His words brought warmth to my heart and a smile to my face. I chanced a glance up at him, knowing my face was a mess. “I love you, too, for what it’s worth. The love of a fucked up woman. I hope you mean what you say.” He smiled down at me like he’d just won the lottery and pulled away a strand of eyelashes.
“Do you mean it, Abra? Can I have you? Please let me love you.”
I laughed at his boyish enthusiasm. I rolled my eyes and pushed at him to let me up.
“May the force be with you, farm boy, but yeah. You’ve got me. Just let me go wash up, please. I don’t want you to think you’re fucking a worked over prostitute.”
He burst out laughing and fell back on the fuck station. I paused at the foot of the stairs and just looked down at the angel I’d found. I may have saved his life before, but I was beginning to think he’d saved mine.
Kelly
I couldn’t just let her walk up the stairs without studying each of her movements and committing them to memory. She was naked except for the stockings, which made her legs look longer and even more shapely than usual. The staircase was nice and long, so my vision went on and on. When I heard the door close, I stood to follow her up the stairs, determined to make love to her in an actual bed. Not that the large cushioned area wasn’t fun, but I had to think that many others had probably just done what we had done, and more, on it, and that kind of turned my stomach. I paused by the window and saw the lighted pool on our terrace and thought that could be fun.
If I was honest with myself, I knew the events and lack of sleep from the past four days had caught up with me. As I climbed the steps and fell into bed to wait for her, I figured I’d be lucky if I could stay awake through one round of lovemaking, much less the several I’d been planning since I’d left. I just needed a few hours of sleep, though. Then she’d be mine as many times as she could stand.
My next lucid thought was that the lights were really bright in here. I rolled over and was blinded by the sunlight coming through the loft windows. I looked around and Abra was nowhere to be seen, but I heard a tinkling sound from below. I looked at the clock and it was ten in the morning. I smacked myself in the forehead as I stood to use the bathroom.
Way to go, Graham!All that talk about taking care of her and I freaking crashed. I must have slept like the dead, because I didn’t remember anything. I used the toilet, washed my face, and then walked back out and collapsed into bed. My body was sore from sleeping too long and I needed to work out, but the only workout partner I wanted was not currently here. I groaned, wishing I could have a do-over, when suddenly she appeared like a dark angel at the top of the stairs with delicious smelling food.
“Hey, babe,” she murmured, carrying a large tray over to the bed. She sat it by my feet and then leaned over to kiss me. My arms trapped her and I pulled her to me tightly while she giggled.
“What happened last night? Did you roofie me?” I asked her teasingly.
She shook her head and ran her fingers through my short hair.
“Not at all. You crashed hard. I was worried because I couldn’t move you and you were face down on the bed. I couldn’t even feel you breathing. I got some nice pictures of your ass, though. Would you like me to take them off Facebook?”
Her humor was sincere. She didn’t seem to be angry or disappointed at all, and for that I was grateful. I brushed her hair back and brought her lips to me for kissing. Thankfully, she melted into me and was only wearing my T-shirt from last night. I pulled her under me, out of my shirt, and then placed myself right where I’d left things downstairs last night.
“I brought you breakfast,” she said kind of shyly. She’d washed off all of her makeup and brushed out her hair.
Whom I was seeing this morning was a vulnerable woman who’d gone to the trouble of making breakfast for me.
“That’s nice. Didn’t I see a microwave downstairs?”
She nodded, confused.
“Good. Because I’m not interested in food right now.” I kissed her, hesitantly at first.
“Kelly,” she said, pushing against me a bit.
“Yes, Abra?” I mimicked her higher voice, and she giggled.
“Funny. I just wanted to say that last night was so up and down, but I really enjoyed myself with you. I really liked sleeping with you, too. I love watching you sleep. But, Kelly?”
“Yes, Abra,” I answered, more serious this time.
