Yes, I have Josie, but we’ve never even seen each other in real life. I don’t know how it will go when we finally meet.
But Mark is right there. Twenty feet from me, one driveway away. Probably stretched out on the couch, Ghost tucked in by his feet. Looking—and feeling—cozy and inviting.
I dial Josie. “Do you think I’m capable of having sex again?” I ask the moment she picks up the phone.
Stunned silence greets me on the other side of the line. Finally, her careful voice replies.“Even my grandma of eighty-five has sex in the nursing home. They even had a gonorrhea outbreak last year, for fuck’s sake.”She makes a gagging sound.“Trust me, I barely survived when she told me.”Another gag makes me giggle.“So I don’t see why you can’t have it. The sex, not gonorrhea, I mean.”
“All right.” I let out a sigh. “Then I think so too.”
“Are we talking about the hot, flannel-wearing neighbor?”
“Maybe.” I giddily bite my lip.
“Go girl!”She whoops.“Call me after!”
I laugh it off and say my good-byes.
Now or never, Alicia.The pep talk helps, so I take a deep breath and sprint into action.
I run to the bathroom and take a long shower, shaving everything. And I mean everything. I don’t know how far I’ll be willing to go, but I want to be prepared. Only one of us can be a yeti, and Mark has already established it’s him. I put on the cutest matching set I have—a dusty pink lacy bra and cheeky panties—my regular oversized sweatshirt and… leggings. Yes, I want to show some ass today. A brand-new feeling for me.
I walk to Mark’s place feeling extremely nervous and unsure of where the evening will go, even though I know what I hope for. As I knock on his door, I contemplate trudging back home. I’m having a little bit of cold feet over here, attempting to seduce my sexy neighbor.
No one opens it, so I think it might be the sign from the heavens that I’m being irrational.
To be sure I don’t regret it in the future, I knock one more time and wait. No one.
I’m about to leave when I hear a dog’s whine, and Ghost doesn’t whine unless there’s a reason, or he’s being overdramatic. He’s only dramatic when someone’s around, but if someonewasaround,that someonewould have opened the door by now.
Ghost whines once again, and I feel a chill run down my spine. What if Mark is sick again, and Ghost is trying to get my attention so I can help him? To keep my consciousness clear, I decide to investigate and to make sure nothing is wrong.
He told me while camping that he’ll keep his back door unlocked for me in case of emergencies, so I run to the backyard and turn the nob. It’s unlocked. Thank God. I carefully walk inside, instantly greeted by Ghost, who runs toward me and nudges my thigh.
“I know, baby. I know. I’m here.” I crouch and give him a scratch. “I’m going to check everything, all right?”
Ghost moves back and plants his butt on the floor by the wall, curiously tilting his head to the side.Interesting.
“Where is Mark?”
He barks loudly and sprints to the bathroom. Only now do I notice the sound of running water. Lead settles in my stomach, and the worst possible picture of Mark hitting the tiled floor and lying in a pool of his own blood invades my overstimulated mind.
“Mark!” I call. “Are you there?”
On shaky legs, I move toward the bathroom. I force myself to move faster, but my body refuses to.
When I reach the bathroom, I push the door inward, take a deep breath, and step inside.
An unexpected sort of picture greets me, completely different from what I imagined at first.
Mark’s standing in the running shower, with his back turned toward me, his head hung low. He’s buck naked, and the water sluices all over his huge body, tracing every popping vein and every raised ridge. He groans as if in pain, and I take a tentative step forward, quietly calling his name. Something tells me I don’t want to scare him off. My brain is frozen. There are no logical thoughts left in there, and all I can do is watch his naked body under the water.
The long-healed scars on his back go all the way down to his ass—his round, firm ass. There are two deep dimples on either side of his butt cheeks, and they make my mouth water. I swallow roughly. I’ve never had such an intense desire to bite anyone as I do now. I want to sink my teeth into his ass and check if it’s as tight as it seems.
His hair is free of his bun for the first time. It hangs in wet strands just below his shoulders, a little lighter on the ends.
His shoulders suddenly shudder, stunning me, and he finds support with his left hand on the tiled wall. His right hand is hidden behind his torso. All I can see is the rippling of his back muscles and the jerky movements of his right arm.
I take another small step forward, quietly closing the door behind me. “Mark,” I whisper, but he doesn’t hear me. And that’s all right… I wasn’t loud enough to be heard.
