My hair was stuck to my scalp from sweat, and my muscles vibrated from trying to hold myself back.
“I want you.” Rosalind wrapped her arms around my neck and her legs around my waist before pulling my body down on top of her. Her skin was warm and soft against mine. I kissed her long and slow, speeding up my movements as I took myself in hand and positioned the head at her entrance.
She was so ready for me that I pushed right in, until I was buried to the hilt. She broke the kiss to let out a groan, and then her hips were moving, and my skin was on fire.
As fast as I was thrusting into her, her hips were smashing up to meet mine. I gripped her under her thighs for leverage, my fingers biting into her skin. After the lengthy session of foreplay, I had pictured lazy, languid lovemaking.
This was not that.
This was more animal than the bears she was concerned about. This was two people coming together so hard and fast that they were all but melding into one. It was taking every muscle in my body to keep her pace. She slid a hand between her legs and barely made contact before I could feel her contracting around me. She cursed and mumbled a few times, and I picked up my pace. Heat built in the base of my spine, and I was coming hard and fast.
I stayed over her, my spine stuck straight as I came, shooting cum into the condom over and over. I let out a little shiver as the sensation started to dissipate.
I slumped next to her, avoiding landing on her since I am a giant compared to her smaller frame. I was basically a lump, there wasn’t a muscle in my body that was willing to put any more effort into movement.
I knew I should say something, but I wasn’t sure what. I was already taking the role of fake husband too seriously and nowwe’d had a slow leisurely pleasure session followed by fucking each other into oblivion.
What do I say after that?
There was no way I could pretend it was casual, and my brain was foggy with post orgasm hormones.
So when Rosalind slid to my side of the bed and curled up under my arm, I rested my chin on the top of her head and squeezed her in closer. A poet I was not, but anyone could understand the language of two bodies intertwined.
Chapter 12
Rosalind
Iwoke up the next morning, warm under the blankets but with the bed cold beside me. After last night, I was surprised he was up and moving. He put more effort into sex than anyone I had ever been with.
It’s not that I hadn’t had good sex before. But that had been different. I was a persona more than a person. Usually, so were the people I was friends with and took to bed. Everything felt performative. Even in private. Phony porn noises, fancy lingerie, perfect hair and makeup. With some guys, I was half convinced there was a camera in the room based on how they were moving.Like, dude, do you really need to work your angles right now? Who is here to see your best side besides the girl you are giving half-assed dick to?
Derek, on the other hand, had been so eager and willing to please, you’d think he was working for tips. And when he emerged from under the blankets and kissed me, with the taste of my arousal still on his lips, I could barely contain myself. I’d bucked under him hard and come even harder.
I wandered into the kitchen, my bare feet cold against the wood floors. The room was empty, but I found a half pot of coffee, and I made myself a cup. Yesterday had been a long day, and facing what we would do next couldn’t wait forever.
I finished my coffee and wandered into Charlotte’s room to get dressed. I dug through my bag and found the warmest clothes I had. As I was looking for my bag of toiletries, what I found instead was my camera. The fact that Meredith had packed it for me brought a smile to my face and a nervous flutter to my stomach. Was I really doing this? Meredith had always been supportive of my photography dreams. She had encouraged me to make my own way.
For once in my life, I was surrounded by beautiful scenery, out of cell range, and with nothing to do but point and click. If I wanted this dream, today was day one.
Once I was dressed, I dug through the front closet and found a quilted flannel jacket. I threw it over my sweats, hung my camera around my neck, and headed out the front door.
The air was crisp and cold. It was damper here than I was used to, and I pulled my borrowed coat tighter around myself. It was huge on me, but it was warm and smelled like campfire smoke.
When I spotted Derek, I froze. He stood in the creek, the water rushing around dark green boots that came almost to his knees. He had a hat on his head and a fishing rod in his hand. Every few seconds, he would pull the rod back and flick the line out over the water. There was a hint of mist as the sun started to rise, and the whole scene was so stunning I brought my camera to my face and took a picture.
I had a look at the image on my camera screen and knelt to take another from a different angle. I played with the settings and tried to catch him as the line flew through the air. It was all the things I loved about boudoir photography. The emphasis on the lines of his body, on the way he moved. I could zoom in and see the strength of his hands as he gripped the rod, or change the angle and get a silhouette with the sun rising behind him.
Life was a mess right now, but in that moment, I knew that it would all be worth it, so I could do something I loved. Party-girl Rosalind had died the second I saidI do.
Whether I got my share of my parents’ money was starting to matter less. I still felt I’d earned it, and I needed something to support myself while I got started with a photography business. Still, being here made every phony smile and boring gala feel like a different lifetime.
I heard a splash, and Derek started reeling in, leaning back a little as he did. I zoomed in, getting a gorgeous image of the clench of his jaw and the lines of his face in the morning glow. As I was looking through the images I’d taken, Derek appeared.
“Good morning, wifey. Interested in fresh fish for dinner?” He held up a cooler and was smiling from ear to ear.
“Sounds delicious.”
“Better have enough for three.”
