Page 35 of A Vine Mess
“Just…thinking.”
“About?”
I took my hat off, hooked it over my knee, and scrubbed a hand through my hair as I decided how to respond. I’d always operated on the belief that honesty was the best policy, so I said, “I’m sorry I’ve been such an asshole today.”
Ella leaned against the wall and crossed her arms over her chest. Her sweatshirt rode up a bit, revealing a slice of her stomach, and I swallowed hard.
Fucking hell, I was down bad.
“You should be,” she agreed, then sighed. “Look, we’ve both said things we shouldn’t have. But…there’s no harm in flirting as long as it doesn’t go beyond that, and as long as we don’t make a habit of it. We’re friends, right?”
“You tell me.” If I couldn’t have her in every way that mattered—every way Iwantedher—friends was the next best thing, and more than I’d ever had from her before.
Ella nodded. “I could really use a friend, Liam.”
I stood and faced her, extending my hand for a shake. “Friends it is, then.”
Ella’s grin lit me up from the inside. Then she turned away from me. “Now get in here before you catch a cold or something.”
I chuckled and gave her a mock salute. “Yes, ma’am.”
When we were safely back inside, I followed Ella’s lead and decided to take a shower. There was something about spending all day in the car that made me feel grimy, and I was, admittedly, chilled to the bone after sitting outside for so long with nothing more but a thin, long-sleeved shirt on.
I turned the water on, keeping my hand under the spray until it reached the perfect temperature—just this side of burning my skin. Then I stripped off my clothes and stepped in, tipping my head back and letting the water pound against my scalp.
For a roadside motel, the water pressure was impressive, and I let the steady thrum of it attempt to drill some sense into me.
Unfortunately, as it always did, my mind traveled to thoughts of Ella. Knowing she was just on the other side of the door. That we would be alone for the majority of this trip, and anything could happen.
My cock stiffened until it was throbbing so insistently I couldn’t ignore it.
I could be quiet, right? She’d never have to know.
Tentatively, I curled my hand around my shaft, hissing at the pressure, then slowly worked it up and down. Thinking about her in here was torture, imagining her standing right here, completely bare, water sluicing over the planes and curves of herbody. My imagination was vivid in conjuring up what her body looked like naked.
Working myself slowly up and down, I imagined it was her hand instead of mine, those delicate fingers, so adept at coaxing plants to life instead coaxing an orgasm out of me. I wondered what she’d look like on her knees before me, her mouth open, ready to take me deep into her throat.
Most of all, I thought about how she’d feel if I finally got to sink into her cunt, to bury myself there and never leave.
My hand flew faster as my imagination ran away with all the ways I’d take her, all the time I’d spend learning her body until I knew exactly what it took to make her scream, my balls drawing up tighter and tighter, until the pressure at the base of my spine was damn near unbearable.
With a groan I hoped was too low for her to hear through the walls, I came all over the tile, leaning on an arm over my head, face tilted down as the water continued to pound against my side. Once I caught my breath, I rinsed my cum down the drain and got out.
When I exited the bathroom, Ella’s eyes darted my way quickly before she said quickly to whoever was on the other end, “Okay, gotta go. Love you, bye.”
Despite her rush to hang up the phone, the tension between us had eased considerably since my apology outside, and I didn’t think anything of it when she disappeared into the bathroom to brush her teeth, then returned and crawled under the covers, whispering “good night” before she turned her back to me and promptly fell asleep.
I could tell she was out because the soft snuffles of her breathfilled the otherwise silent room.
It had been a long ass time since I’d shared a space with anyone like this, and while I was having difficulty falling asleep simply because it washer, letting her into my personal bubble had actually been as easy as breathing. Because, in that same vein, I hadn’t let anyone close enough to see the less pleasant sides of me in forever—probably since I left Portland—and the fact that I felt safe enough with her to do so spoke wonders.
“Shhhhhh!”
The loud hiss came from Ella’s bed, and I sat up in a flash, squinting into the darkness, trying to figure out if I’d accidentally said any of that out loud. But she still faced away from me, her body not moving save for the gentle rise and fall of her shoulders with each breath.
I chuckled silently as realization dawned: Ella Delatou talked in her sleep.
I laid back down, curling on my side facing her, imagining I was wrapped around her instead, and closed my eyes.
