Her face screwed up, breasts rising and falling at a furious pace on account of how hard she was breathing. "Eric!"
"Condom. Got it."
First I sucked my fingers clean because sweet treats shouldn't be wasted. Then I reached for the drawer. Christ, she'd really bought quite the selection of prophylactics. I bet they were even alphabetized. Whatever, the closest ones would do. Off with the underwear and on with the protection and we were good to go.
I dragged the wide head of my cock through the swollen lips of her sex. Just enjoying the sensation and torturing the both of us a little more. No matter how badly I wanted to rush this and get inside her. The black of her eyes was so huge, swallowing the surrounding color. And she had her lips open, a faint sheen of sweat on her skin.
Months of going without, wanting only her, had only made this mean more. Even if we were just friends who had sex. Even if it didn't mean anything. Doubts might have crept in then, concerns about losing my touch, forgetting how to do this. But no way would I let anything mess this moment up, including my own stupid head.
Slowly, gradually, I pushed in. Any lingering blood in the upper regions of my body rushed straight to my cock at the feel of her body opening for me. The hot clasp of her vagina around my dick. I should write the woman bad poetry. Hell, I probably would.
"You feel so good," I said, voice low.
Her mouth trembled so I kissed her. Soft lingering kisses, taking my time filling her. It'd been a while for both of us and the last thing I wanted to do was hurt her somehow. Not her body, her heart, or her mind. We might have rushed up to this stage, but now was the time to take it easy. When my body finally rested against her, she slowly exhaled.
"Okay?" I asked.
She nodded. "Just give me a moment."
I pressed my lips to her cheek, her nose, her chin. It wasn't easy, resisting the urge to move. Though I could manage. Right up until when she wiggled beneath me, her inner muscles clutching at my cock.
"Goddammit." I hid my face in her neck, trying not to grind into her and only losing the battle a little.
"Move now."
"Thank fuck for that."
I slid out nice and easy, plunging back in a bit harder. Then the next time a touch faster, building things up gradually. She made a good loud noise, digging her heels into my ass and her nails into my back. Hard nipples scratched at my chest, my balls slapping against her gorgeous ass. Her hips raised to meet every thrust, her body writhing beneath me. Everything fucking perfect. I'd never thought much about exactly what was involved in making love. But sex with Jean felt about as good as anything could get.
Electricity spiked up and down my spine and I couldn't hold out much longer. With a hand beneath her ass, I gathered her body closer. All the better an angle to stimulate her clit and generally pray she'd come. All of her body tensed, eyelids squeezing shut, locking out the world. As everything inside of her focused, her pussy clutched at my cock, milking me dry. No way I could resist.
We both came, bodies trembling, skin dripping sweat.
My sight darkened, my mind blasted into outer space. Quite possibly, come shot out of me at something close to light speed. But since I had no way of measuring it, we'll never know. Pretty damn sure though that I died there for a minute. Still, even in death, it would be rude to just collapse on top of the woman.
I struggled off of her before collapsing facedown. Shit. What an experience. There was every chance I'd never need sex ever again. Until next time she opened her door with my name a whisper on her lips.
Jean curled up against me and I rolled onto my side, drawing her in closer.
"Are you okay?" she asked.
I grunted.
Silence.
The musky scent of sex filled the room. But this wasn't just any sex. This was sex care of Jean and me. If only someone could bottle it or make a car air freshener out of it or something so I could smell it whenever I wanted. Slightly wrong and perverted, but I'd be willing to pay. Such great memories and hopefully there'd be many more to come.
"What are you thinking about?" she asked.
"Nothing," I blurted out. "Just, you know. Post-come float. My mind is far away."
"Okay." She shifted a little, the mattress moving. "Was it all right ... the sex?"
I raised up on one elbow. "Are you kidding me?"
The expression on her face said no. Unbelievable.
"How should I put this?" I sighed. "Your vagina is officially my new new happy place."
She burst out laughing. "New new?"
"You don't take my feelings seriously at all, do you?"
"No, I do. Sorry," she said. "Please explain."
"Well, first hanging out with you was my happy place." I grabbed a pillow and shoved it beneath my head. "Then it was making out with you. But now, it's very much your vagina."
"Sure it's not just vaginas in general?"
"No," I said adamantly. "It's specifically what's between your legs. No one else's legs will do."
"That might just be the strangest compliment I've ever received."
"Not that I don't dig the whole package. But it's sincerely and affectionately meant."
Chewing on the side of her thumb, she rested her head on my bicep. "Thank you, Eric."
"For what?"
I felt more than saw her shrug. "I don't know. For just being you."
"I'm me all the time," I said. "It's something of a specialty of mine. But you're very welcome."
Then she yawned, jaw cracking.
"Actually," I said, thinking it over. "Not sure that's exactly true. Maybe I'm more me with you, if that makes sense."
For a moment, she said nothing. "It makes sense. In a lot of ways, I think maybe I'm more me with you too. You just take me as I am. I don't have to try to be more or pretend or anything. I can just relax and exist, you know?"
"Yes. I've got to go deal with the condom." I slipped out of bed, heading for the bathroom.
By the time I returned to the bedroom, Jean was fast asleep. Not a big surprise, what with Ada having extra trouble settling the last few days. Quietly, I got dressed enough to be mostly decent for the wander over to my own apartment before turning out the light. I was just about to pick up my boots when a certain little baby girl started making snuffling noises followed by a few small cries. I gave her a minute to decide if she was really going to wake up or just go back to sleep. But no, the cries got louder and more exuberant.
"Is that Ada?" Jean mumbled sleepily. And she'd had night after night of this followed by awesome sex with me. The woman was worn out and needed her rest.
"It's okay, sweetheart," I said. "I'll get her."
"You got her?"
"Yeah. Go back to sleep." Carefully, I closed Jean's bedroom door. I'd have patted myself on the back for being the best friend with benefits ever, but I had a baby to look after.
And that's how I wound up answering the door to Jean's parents the next morning half naked.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Jean's mom's mouth just kind of hung open. Meanwhile, her dad's lips disappeared into a very thin white line.
"Hi," I said, settling Ada a little higher on my shoulder. Bare because the baby had puked on my undershirt after her morning feeding a few hours ago. True, my hair was tangled to shit and I didn't exactly look my best. But at least I had pants on. "Was, um, Jean expecting you?"
Apparently this was the wrong thing to say because they both looked even crankier. Neither of them deigned to reply.
I stepped back from the door. "Ah, please. Come in. Jean's just sleeping so I was looking after the baby. I'm her neighbor, Eric Collins."
"Yes, she mentioned you at dinner last night," said her mom. "Do you look after Ada often?"
"Sometimes."
"You know how to look after a baby?"
"I learned. Ada's a great teacher."
"Thought Jean was only friends with Nell," said the dad, finally speaking. Though given the tone he used, I really wished
he hadn't.
"Your daughter's a smart, kind, sweet woman," I said, getting a little cranky myself. "She's had friends here since the day she arrived. There are plenty of people here who care about her."
"You've heard something about our family dramas obviously," said the woman, smoothing back her neat head of thick dark hair. Easy to see where Jean had gotten her good looks from. Fine lines bracketed the woman's mouth and eased out from beside her eyes. But age hadn't diminished her one bit. Pity about the shit attitude. "It's easy to judge from the outside."
"Very easy," I agreed. "For instance, you're assuming all sorts of crap about your daughter because of me being here."
The dad grunted.
Fuck, I knew that noise. My own father made it all the damn time. Especially when he was seeing something he didn't like and hearing things that didn't suit him. Old bastard. The older couple stood in the living room, still giving me weird looks. Whatever. Without a doubt, they'd be reflecting on how much I was like the dick who'd knocked up Jean and disappeared. So I didn't look like a doctor or a lawyer or someone who wore a suit five days a week to work in a corner office. Tattoos and long hair didn't make you a bad person. All of this shit was on the inside.
"Where is our daughter?" the dad finally asked, looking around the apartment. As if she might be hiding in a corner and spring out at any moment to surprise them and save them from this awkward-as-fuck encounter.
I wished.
"She's sleeping," I said. "That's why I'm looking after Ada. With her teething, Jean hasn't gotten much rest the last couple of nights. So I crashed on the couch and took care of the baby so she could get some sleep."
"Oh."
The mom sighed. "We warned her having a baby on her own would be hard work."
"Jean's a great parent and she deals just fine." I kept my face nice and blank. These people, they hurt my head. "But everyone can do with a little help now and then. No one should have to go through life on their own. That's what family and friends are for, isn't it? Supporting each other, being there for each other even if you don't exactly agree with all of their life choices?"
Hint, hint.
Dad's frown increased by about a billion. Over guilt or me, who knew? Meanwhile, the mom seemed to be putting a whole lot of effort not to let her gaze drop to my bare chest.
"Ada threw up on my shirt," I told her.
"Oh." Again.
They actually seemed a bit startled by this new information. Judgey asshats. And even if I might in fact be having sex with their daughter, information like that definitely fell under the heading of none of their goddamn business.
I physically resisted the frown lines threatening to crease my brow. No sense making this more uncomfortable for Jean than it already looked like it was becoming. On my shoulder, Ada babbled happily while sucking on a fist. I don't know how she could be so happy with life on so little sleep, but at least she wasn't crying or puking anymore.
"I'll go see if Jean's awake," I said, walking, not running away from her parents.
All those years of avoiding meeting a girl's folks. I'd been so right. A shame I'd fallen headfirst into the situation here and now, but the rules for what I was willing to do for Jean were distinctly different than for just about every other woman I'd ever been involved with. It was a fact. No point denying it. Eventually, I'd probably have to give her the whole, "Hey, let's attempt being a couple" speech. Hopefully, she'd be more receptive to it than Karen had.
A guy could only hope.
Gently, I knocked on Jean's bedroom door before opening it to peek inside. Shit. Even first thing in the morning, the woman looked like my dirtiest dreams come true. Sometime during the night, she'd kicked off the blankets and the negligee had ridden up her thigh. I slipped into her room, closing the door behind me. Let her folks think what they liked. Honestly, the damage was probably already done.
"Jean?"
"Mm?" Slowly, she stirred. "What's the time?"
"Almost nine. And, ah, your parents are here."
"My parents?"
"Yeah."
At that, she bolted upright in bed, eyes wide. "But, Eric, you're only half dressed. In my apartment. First thing in the morning."
"Yeah, took me forever to get Ada back to sleep, and then she kept waking up," I said. "I just grabbed a cushion off the couch and crashed in her room so I could get to her before she woke you."
Jean's eyes went all soft. "You slept on the floor in her nursery?"
"You were exhausted, sweetheart. You needed sleep."
"Wow." She scratched at her head. "My parents are here and you're here and you've all met each other. Okay."
I gave her a minute. Clearly, she needed it. For her, this was probably the equivalent of Nell finding out about us. Only I'd long since accepted that that would happen and pain would follow. Jean was still navigating the ins and outs of having her parents meet me. Obviously.
She slumped. "God, they probably think I'm back to my old wild girl ways and we're having sex parties every time Ada goes down for a nap."
"I told them I slept on the couch and that I got baby puke on my shirt," I said. "Both of which are true. Mostly. Definitely the puke part."
At this news, the worry seemed to seep straight out of her. A hint of a smile lit her face. "You slept on the floor and got puked on."
"Being best buds with Ada has its perks, don't get me wrong." I bussed the baby's head. "But it definitely has its downsides too. Not that I mind."
"You're too good to us. I don't deserve a friend like you. But..." Her gaze darted to the bedroom door. The solid wood was obviously not up to the job of blocking her parents' judgey eyes.
"But what?"
She just shook her head.
"You don't need their approval, sweetheart."
"Logically, I know that. I guess it's just habit," she said. "I was so close to my grandma. She meant everything to me. To think Ada might miss out on having that sort of connection sucks."
"It's not your fault or really your choice, though. Is it?"
"No, I guess not." Jean gave me a smile that didn't work for shit. "They seem to be trying."
No comment there from me.
"Anyway, thank you for letting me sleep. I owe you big-time. We'll discuss this later." She bounded off the bed and started pulling on clothing. "Has she had her morning bottle?"
"A few hours ago."
"Did you get any sleep at all?"
"A little," I said. "You know, she's very demanding, made me sing Janis to her for hours. Babies are hard work."
Jean snorted. "Tell me about it."
"How'd you sleep?"
"Amazing."
"Good."
She took Ada from me, settling the baby against her own shoulder before leaning in real close. "Morning-breath warning."
"Lay it on me," I said without hesitation.
Her closed lips pressed firmly against mine. "You're the best."
"I know."
"And so humble." She laughed. "How did my parents react to you being here?"
"I think they're a little weirded out."
"Hmm. We're not much of a secret, you and me, are we?"
"I don't know about that," I said. "Nell still hasn't attacked me with a chainsaw or anything, so we can't be doing too badly. How long are your parents here for anyway?"
"Only a few days."
"Oh, hey. Before I forget, a friend's having a get-together Monday if you're up for it." I tried to sound casual, but I really, really wanted her to go with me. It promised to be pretty special. Plus the weekend was coming up and it was going to be a busy one at work. Since both Vaughan and Pat were occupied elsewhere, there wouldn't be much time for sneaking in visits to my two favorite girls. Doubtless, Nell would be inviting her to the party as well. Hopefully, however, I'd gotten there first. "Should be fun. What do you say?"
"Will it be baby friendly?"
"Of course." I gave Ada's little back a rub. "I think there'll be other kids the
re."
"Then I'd love to."
My heart stuttered at the mention of that word. The L thing on her lips had power for some reason. No biggie. It was stupid really. I'd maybe give my reaction some thought later. Or try never to think about it ever again so long as I lived. I wasn't sure which just yet.
"Okay," I said. "You distract your parents while I make a run for the front door."
"They're not that bad. Or were they?"
"Be ready with that distraction," I said. "I'm trusting you to have my back here."
She laughed again. Prettiest sound in the world. Right up there with her moans.
"I better go grab a few hours' sleep before work," I said. "Also, we need to make a date for adult playtime again soon."
"Yes, we very much do," she said. "Thank you again for looking after her all night so I could sleep."
"Anytime. Ready?"
I opened the door with a grin while she giggled. But all of that shit quickly stopped the minute her parents' gaze hit us. There was so much worry in their eyes. Disapproval, maybe? Then I remembered, they'd been the ones to drive away their only child. If Jean and Ada were halfway across the country from them, they'd been the cause. All the time I'd spent hanging out with Ada had given me a small taste of what it must mean to be responsible for a child, to get all wound up worrying about their future. So I could appreciate their reservations. Didn't mean you could go trying to make the decisions for your kid indefinitely, however.
Something seemed to change in her mom's demeanor, though. The woman stepped forward, holding out her hand. If anything, she seemed a bit flustered. "We didn't think to introduce ourselves to you, Eric. I'm Leah and this is my husband, Will."
"Nice to meet you." I shook Jean's mom's hand, then her dad's. He seemed hesitant at first, but then gave me a grim smile. Maybe they weren't so bad. It'd probably been a bit of a surprise to find me answering their daughter's door half dressed. But surely the baby on my shoulder clued them in to the fact that it wasn't all sex games and swinging from a chandelier. I was there to help their daughter, not harm her.
"Hi, Mom," said Jean. "Dad."
Immediately, a wide grin cracked her dad's face. "Sorry to drop in unannounced, honey."
Jean gave them both a kiss, handing over Ada for some cuddling from her grandmother.
"We thought we might take you to breakfast?" asked her mom with a smile. "How's my gorgeous granddaughter?"