“Can you drive a manual?”
“I can.”
I nod and open the driver’s side door. We switch places, and Alina gently eases the Camaro back onto the street. Ralph is smirking at me from the other side of the window.
“Fucker,” I mutter.
Alina glances over at me, and I just shake my head. She doesn’t ask, and I don’t give anything up. Some things are best left unsaid, and the extent of my insanity is probably one of them.
It only takes a few minutes to get to the parking garage under my building, but by that time, I’m shaky on my feet, and Alina ends up helping me out of the car. I feel a little ridiculous, but I also know the only way to get any relief is to get into my bed with her beside me, so I let her lead me to the elevator and up to my apartment. She takes me straight to the side of the bed so I can sit down.
She kneels in front of me, and my cock takes notice of the position. I’m only half awake as she starts removing my boots, but I’m still tempted to have her do a little work before going to sleep. Her hand brushes the inside of my thigh as she removes my socks, and I almost place my fingers over hers to move her hand up higher.
I blink a couple of times—I think—and she’s back on her feet. My shoes, socks, and shirt have been removed, but I can’t recall exactly how that happened. I’m still in my jeans, but I manage to push those off myself.
Alina picks them up off the floor and drops them in the hamper along with the rest of my dirty clothes. She opens the drawer where my T-shirts are stored and picks one out. She lays it on the bed beside me before she starts to get undressed.
I’m looking at her more closely tonight as she removes her clothes. Her hair is down, and I like the way it flows around her back and shoulders as she pulls her tank top over her head. I consider helping her get the rest of her clothes off, but I can barely stand on my own.
If I demand a blowjob, I will probably fall asleep in the middle of it.
Alina steps across the hall to the bathroom, and I lie down on the bed. I don’t even open my eyes when she returns and climbs in beside me. My nose detects her, though—the scent of lavender is all around me. I tuck my face into the space between her neck and shoulder and breathe deeply.
“Do you like it?” Alina asks.
I open my eyes just enough to focus on her face.
“The lavender? Yeah, I do.”
“I hope it helps.”
I can’t form words to respond to her. I’m trembling a bit though I don’t feel cold. She rubs the back of my shoulder with one hand and presses her cheek to the top of my head. With her other hand, she trails her fingertips over the tattoos on my arm.
“When was the last time you slept?” Alina asks.
“I slept last night.”
“For how long?”
“Maybe an hour.”
“When was the last time you really slept?”
“When you were here.” I’m not sure if my words are clear enough for her to understand, but I don’t have the energy to repeat them.
There’s a pause before she speaks again.
“That was nearly a week ago.”
“Yeah.”
“Jesus,” she whispers. She tightens her grip on me for a moment.
I think she says something else, but I’m asleep before it can register.
When I wake, I’m warm. Not too warm like I’ve been dreaming of the desert, just nicely warm. The lavender scent has faded, but it must have done the trick. I don’t remember waking up during the night at all. It’s late in the morning again. I feel the sunlight coming through the window before I open my eyes.
Alina is beside me with one hand on my forearm and the other behind my head. It’s basically the same position we were in when I fell asleep, and I wonder if we’ve stayed that way all night. She’s already awake, and as I look at her, she begins to run her fingers in a tight circle on the back of my neck, right at the top of the tendons. My body reacts without any direction from my brain as my back arches with the touch. I press down with the balls of my feet and stretch. I think I even groan a little.