whatever I want.” I put the lotion on her back and slowly dragged my hands down from her shoulder blades to her waist.
Her eyes fluttered closed. I put more weight on the heels of my hands and moved them back up to her shoulders. She groaned.
“What were you and Eddie talking about?” I asked. She stiffened. “Relax. It’s just a question. Did he upset you?” I worked my hands over her shoulders and down her biceps.
“No. But there’s a thing in New York. I don’t think I can make it.”
“No?”
She made a noise in her throat that was a cross between “no” and “that feels nice.”
“The last two weeks have been good, goddess. Really good.” I focused on her shoulders for a second then moved back down her body. I stopped at her ass, which, in all its beauty, was welted and tender. I pressed my thumbs into the sides of her spine and moved back up.
“Mmm.”
“You are everything. My everything. There’s nothing I’d change about you. And that includes your talent and ambition.”
“I don’t want to be away from you,” she grumbled.
“I’m bound to you wherever you are. You know that, right?”
She opened her eyes and looked at me through the web of hair. “Come with me.”
“No. I have things to do here.”
“Like what?”
“Hush.” I moved the hair away and kissed her cheek, then I grabbed the lotion and moved to the end of the bed. “You need to make your life happen. If I hadn’t been sick, you’d come and go as you pleased. As we pleased. That’s what I want for you.”
The insides and backs of her thighs couldn’t be touched. Her ass either. What a gorgeous mess. I’d planted that bamboo thinking I might use it, but I had no idea how effective it was. I gave her feet and calves attention, rubbing away her worry and stress.
“We need to live fully, goddess. We both need to live as if we could die tomorrow, and we have to plan for a future where you’re a hundred and ten.”
She moaned. I’d promised her my mouth, and my dick wanted hers, but when I finished rubbing her feet, she was fast asleep.
chapter 16.
MONICA
I called Eddie from the back deck while Jonathan had his run, and I told him I was going to New York. Laurelin dropped into the lounge chair next to me in her sensible little sneakers and zip-up purple fleece.
“You’re going again?” she asked.
“Yeah. New York. It’s a big deal, kind of. Why?”
“I have a week away coming. Jerry is taking me to—”
“You can’t!” I sat up straight in my chair, tingling with adrenaline. “No, I mean. You can but not now. Please!”
“Don’t worry.” She put her hand on my shoulder. “I’ll set him up. He’ll be fine.”
I wanted to support her, and I wanted her to have a nice time. I wanted Jonathan to be fine. But the reality of him being alone wasn’t making it from my brain to my mouth. No, worry was taking a detour through my heart instead.
“You know what?” I said, leaning back in my chair. “I’ll just stay home. It’s not that big a deal.”
Laurelin leaned back and put her foot on the little glass-and-metal table. She must have thought I was schizophrenic. “You know, if this was my house, I’d never want to leave either. I’d just sit here and gestate all day.”
I laughed, and she smiled at me.
“I think you can go,” she said after a minute.
“Nah.”
“I think you should go.” I didn’t answer, just tilted my head a little, and she continued. “I’m not going to be here forever, and you all need to learn how to function. I mean, these issues? The pills and the way he has to log everything? They aren’t going anywhere. It’ll always be this way. And you hovering over him because you’re scared, I get it. But at some point, you have to let go.”
I set my jaw. “I’m not letting him go.”
“You know what I mean.”
I did. I knew she meant I had to stop mothering him, but I’d taken it the exact wrong way because it served my immediate purpose. If I
Her eyes fluttered closed. I put more weight on the heels of my hands and moved them back up to her shoulders. She groaned.
“What were you and Eddie talking about?” I asked. She stiffened. “Relax. It’s just a question. Did he upset you?” I worked my hands over her shoulders and down her biceps.
“No. But there’s a thing in New York. I don’t think I can make it.”
“No?”
She made a noise in her throat that was a cross between “no” and “that feels nice.”
“The last two weeks have been good, goddess. Really good.” I focused on her shoulders for a second then moved back down her body. I stopped at her ass, which, in all its beauty, was welted and tender. I pressed my thumbs into the sides of her spine and moved back up.
“Mmm.”
“You are everything. My everything. There’s nothing I’d change about you. And that includes your talent and ambition.”
“I don’t want to be away from you,” she grumbled.
“I’m bound to you wherever you are. You know that, right?”
She opened her eyes and looked at me through the web of hair. “Come with me.”
“No. I have things to do here.”
“Like what?”
“Hush.” I moved the hair away and kissed her cheek, then I grabbed the lotion and moved to the end of the bed. “You need to make your life happen. If I hadn’t been sick, you’d come and go as you pleased. As we pleased. That’s what I want for you.”
The insides and backs of her thighs couldn’t be touched. Her ass either. What a gorgeous mess. I’d planted that bamboo thinking I might use it, but I had no idea how effective it was. I gave her feet and calves attention, rubbing away her worry and stress.
“We need to live fully, goddess. We both need to live as if we could die tomorrow, and we have to plan for a future where you’re a hundred and ten.”
She moaned. I’d promised her my mouth, and my dick wanted hers, but when I finished rubbing her feet, she was fast asleep.
chapter 16.
MONICA
I called Eddie from the back deck while Jonathan had his run, and I told him I was going to New York. Laurelin dropped into the lounge chair next to me in her sensible little sneakers and zip-up purple fleece.
“You’re going again?” she asked.
“Yeah. New York. It’s a big deal, kind of. Why?”
“I have a week away coming. Jerry is taking me to—”
“You can’t!” I sat up straight in my chair, tingling with adrenaline. “No, I mean. You can but not now. Please!”
“Don’t worry.” She put her hand on my shoulder. “I’ll set him up. He’ll be fine.”
I wanted to support her, and I wanted her to have a nice time. I wanted Jonathan to be fine. But the reality of him being alone wasn’t making it from my brain to my mouth. No, worry was taking a detour through my heart instead.
“You know what?” I said, leaning back in my chair. “I’ll just stay home. It’s not that big a deal.”
Laurelin leaned back and put her foot on the little glass-and-metal table. She must have thought I was schizophrenic. “You know, if this was my house, I’d never want to leave either. I’d just sit here and gestate all day.”
I laughed, and she smiled at me.
“I think you can go,” she said after a minute.
“Nah.”
“I think you should go.” I didn’t answer, just tilted my head a little, and she continued. “I’m not going to be here forever, and you all need to learn how to function. I mean, these issues? The pills and the way he has to log everything? They aren’t going anywhere. It’ll always be this way. And you hovering over him because you’re scared, I get it. But at some point, you have to let go.”
I set my jaw. “I’m not letting him go.”
“You know what I mean.”
I did. I knew she meant I had to stop mothering him, but I’d taken it the exact wrong way because it served my immediate purpose. If I
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