“Are you trying to get rid of me?”
“No, but it’s late, and I’m sure you’re tired, and I know you have a bit of a drive.”
“I
’m staying here tonight.”
That was an unexpected announcement, and I couldn
’t keep the shock off my face. I walked past him with my bag of trash, and I was acutely aware he was following me outside. Seth walked over to his car to retrieve his bag.
Shit he was serious. He had planned on staying
. He didn’t ask or discuss it with me, just made the assumption he could stay here.
“You don
’t look very excited about having a sleepover,” he commented, blocking my path when I tried to reenter the house.
“No, I am, it
’s just…” I glanced up at him briefly; his gaze was cool and unreadable.
Could I really tell him that right now I was a little nervous to be around him?
How would he react? His mood swings and outbursts this week left me confused.
“I’m just tired. It’s been a long day,” I finished quietly, figuring it best to keep those thoughts to myself.
His free hand wrapped around my wrist, and he gave a gentle tug pulling me closer to him.
His eyes searched my face for something; maybe he knew how I felt and what I was thinking.
“Well, we should get you to bed then showered,”
he whispered.
“Shouldn
’t I shower before I go to bed?”
“We
’re not going to sleep right now, Ms. Alexander.”
Those soft spoken words made my knees turn to jelly.
I felt the deep yearning stir, and all things south of my navel came alive with wicked anticipation. With his hand still securely around my wrists, he led me back into the house straight to my room. Wordlessly, he dropped his bag, locked the door, then strolled over to me and removed my shirt.
“So you
’re a good girl. Is that right Calida?”
I swallowed nervously as I stood there, letting him trace my collar bone with his finger.
“I
’m no good for you? Is that what she thinks?”
“Seth, she was just messing around.”
His finger traveled down between the
valley of my breasts before he cupped them in his hands. His thumbs skimmed over the thin fabric of my bra. Instantly my nipples tightened in response.
“Why would she play
that
song Calida?”
His voice was low and seductive; his blue eyes were bright and blazing with something.
Lust? Anger? A possible combo of both. It was hard to tell, and he was distracting me. My mind was becoming cloudy. He pulled down the cup of my bra, freeing my right breast. Slowly, he leaned his head down, his tongue circled my nipple.
“I asked you a question, Calida.”
“She…she is worried... Ah!”
I lost all train of thought when he began to suckle my nipple. His tongue rolled around the firm peak, wracking my body with those familiar sensations of wanting.
“Worried about what, Calida?”
he asked, moving over to repeat the process on my other breast.
“Ah,” I moaned as I fisted my hand in his hair.
“M…me, she’s worried about me,” I finally stuttered.
His mouth worked one breast, and the hand that was working the other abandoned it, traveling south.
He skimmed the waistband of my shorts teasingly. I was aching for his touch. I closed my eyes and my breathing quickened with anticipation. Seth’s fingers lightly caressed me through the fabric of my shorts. I pushed my hips forward in a desperate attempt to make more contact. I whimpered when his mouth left my breast. The emptiness was filled with his hand as he kneaded and tweaked my already sensitive nipple with his thumb and forefinger.
“Why would she be worried, Calida?
What have you said to her?” His voice remained soft and sensual.
Seth nibbled along my collar bone up the side of my neck, while his fingers still swirled around above my shorts, driving me wild with desire and longing for more.
“I’m waiting on my answer,” he said, nibbling on my ear lobe.
He was doing all these things to me, clouding my thoughts, yet wanted answers.
Seth’s hand left my breast to remove the hair tie so that my hair fell freely around my shoulders. His other hand stopped its teasing so he could circle his arm around my waist, pressing me up against his erection.
“Ow!”
I cried out from shock when Seth fisted my hair, yanking my head back, forcing me to look at him.
“An answer to my question, please.”
His voice was flat. The seduction was gone, replaced with callousness.
His eyes were intense and dark as they bore into mine. I felt like ice water just had been dumped on me. I sobered up quickly under his scrutiny. The nervousness I felt on Monday was magnified tenfold.
“N...nothing. She, she just worries about me,” I stammered.
“I think there
’s more, something you aren’t saying.”
His lips hovered just above mine. The grip he had on my hair got tighter. My hand covered his, trying to loosen his hold. I pressed my lips together. The pain in my scalp caused tears to roll from my eyes. Nervousness was replaced with fear.
“Please let go. You’re hurting me.”
“Answer the question,” he replied, giving another tug on my hair.
“Seth please,” I pleaded. “She…she just doesn’t want me to be hurt again.”
His eyes searched my face briefly before his lips came crushing down on mine hard.
His tongue pressed against my lips until I allowed it access. He let go of my hair in order to use both hands to push down my shorts and panties in one movement. Before I could fully register what was happening, Seth had spun me around to face my bed. He pulled my hips back, causing me to fall forward. Seth used his foot to kick my legs as wide as my pants would allow.
“Ow!”
I cried out when he entered me without warning.
My hands gripped the comforter as I tried to brace myself against his thrusts.
Seth’s hands dug into my hips, holding me in place. His left hand slipped around my front to pinch my nipple, before it traveled down between my legs. His punishing rhythm kept pace while his fingers stroked my clit. I felt the building low in my belly; I was close. I bit down on the comforter in an attempt to muffle my cries when my climax hit me hard and fast. I was still reeling from the aftershocks of my orgasm, so I was only vaguely aware when Seth pulled out of me, spilling the warm liquid of his release onto my back. I stayed in my position, panting and confused, while he removed his shirt to wipe off my back. With shaking limbs, I stood then reached down to pull up my pants that were down around my ankles before readjusting my bra so that my breasts were no longer hanging out of it.
I kept my back to Seth as I tried to collect my senses, and to understand what just transpired.
There were so many thoughts going through my head, and I needed to clear them out. That wasn’t us having sex. Even when he’d tied me up, he wasn’t like that. No, that was raw carnal behavior. That was him fucking me. It was a demeaning experience, but on some level I enjoyed it. My body responded to him so strongly.
How could I have enjoyed treatment like that?
“I need to take a shower,”
I muttered, picking up my shirt still refusing to look at him.
My hands were shaking; I was shaking. The back of my head still tingled. Maybe under the hot water, I could wash away the cloudy thoughts and figure out what was going wrong with me.
Why didn’t I scream for help?
“I
’ll join you,” he said, wrapping his arms around me.
I tensed up from the contact.
He moved my hair to the side and planted kisses on my neck while his hands worked their way under my shirt. My hands balled into fists at my side; I didn’t want him touching me. I should have told him to stop because I needed to clear my head, but I said nothing.
After our shower, Seth wanted me again. I was leery considering what had just happened, but he ignored my protests. He treated me more like last weekend that second time, but I was still plagued with conflicted thoughts.
Again, I had a hard time drifting off to sleep. My mind refused to rest. I was too confused about Seth, and knowing I couldn’t talk to Macy about it only made matters worse.
“You are awesome,” Macy said as we admired the finished product of our main living area. “This is the perfect mix of both of us,” she continued.
I stood, smiling, admiring it as well.
Seth and Mitch were a huge help with the wallpapering because it would have taken twice as long if it had been just Macy and me. Things were tense for me on Sunday, but Seth had this uncanny ability to act as if nothing happened. He was fun and carefree, even managing to joke around with Macy a little. I, on the other hand, felt like I was walking on eggshells most of the day. In the end, the job got done, and I was thankful for that. My eyes traveled around the room, feeling good about how it all turned out.
Macy had taken the day off to wait for the furniture to arrive, and of course they
’d arrived closer to five of the eight to five window they’d given. They were just leaving when I got home, so Seth stayed and helped us arrange everything since the delivery men only brought the items in.
The place was younger and more refreshed now.
Macy and I had chosen silver metallic wallpaper with light lavender spirals. The white couch looked great with the orange and lavender throw pillows. We’d found several fun accessories to help make the place pop at Pier One. It was really feeling like home, and Macy was very happy to have the house more up to her standards.
I felt an even bigger sense of accomplishment when I showed my work to Patrick on Monday.
He was genuinely impressed with what I did on a small budget with the two bedrooms. I didn’t bother to tell him that Macy’s room had a much bigger budget. I took a few shots of the after of the living room to take in as well. I was hopeful that my job responsibilities would increase from errand girl someday soon.
“So you and Mitch, Vegas this weekend?”
I asked, plopping down on our new sofa.
“Yep, I can
’t wait. I’ve never been a gambler, but he says it’s loads of fun as long as you know your limits.”
“Will you be coming back as Mrs. Dr. Mitchell Redding?”
I flinched as soon as I said it knowing she was going to hit me.
“No.
I’ve told you about all the marriage talk. That’s your thing not mine.”
“Aw, come on, Mace.
It’s a Valentine’s trip. You’re going to Vegas. Not that much of a stretch. Besides, he’s a great guy. Is it really that hard to imagine it being something more?”
She got a glazed look in her eye as she thought about it.
A slow smile spread across her face.
“Nah, I guess not,” she conceded.
“But no time soon. We’re having fun.”
I really did envy Macy and her relationship.
She and Mitch were a perfect fit, and it was so nice to be around them. I thought about things with Seth and how I often felt I wasn’t measuring up somehow. It was something I really wanted to talk to my friend about, but I wouldn’t. She meant well, but I didn’t think she could listen to me without being judgmental and overprotective.
“So what about you?
Do you have plans with our friendly neighborhood control freak?”
“Macy!”
I screeched.
“What?”
she asked innocently.
I rolled my eyes at her.
Yep, talking to her about Seth’s odd behavior was definitely out of the question.
“No, well, I
’m not sure. He hasn’t been around for any of the other holidays, so I’m not expecting anything different with this one. So I’ll most likely be here, eating Rocky Road ice-cream and watching chick flicks.” I tried not to sound so upset by that fact, but I could tell from the sympathetic look she gave that I did.
“Maybe he
’ll surprise you. I mean things are different since you two are sleeping together now,” she replied, giving me a reassuring smile. “Or, I can see if Lisa will be free. You like her right?” Macy asked, looking excited about something.
Lisa was one of her co-workers and a real party girl. She and Macy had gone out a few times, dragging me along with them. Lisa was a fun girl but not exactly who I wanted to spend my Valentine
’s weekend with, especially not at some night club being pawed at by half drunken men hoping to score with what they thought was some lonely woman.
“
It’s okay, Macy. I’m a big girl. No need to try and set me up with a playdate.”
“Whatever,” she replied, rolling her eyes. “I just don
’t want you around here moping. You need to get out there, have fun. Explore your
options
.”