“Perfect.” She locked her ankles around my waist and gave my body a gentle squeeze. Her nails kept clawing at me and her hips bucked slightly, like feeling me come inside her gave her another small climax.
Coming inside her made me feel like I was losing my virginity again. Like this was the first time I’d ever felt the wetness of a woman. Since she was the only woman I didn’t wear a condom with, it was a whole new experience. I figured I would wear a rubber every single day for the rest of my life.
Her legs released me, and she got comfortable in the bed, ready to fall asleep. She rolled over onto her side and pulled the covers around her waist. My t-shirt was baggy on her body, three times too big around her slender arms.
I got off the bed and removed my clothes, letting my slacks and boxers fall the rest of the way. I unbuttoned my collared shirt and let it fall into the pile. I’d normally wash my face and brush my teeth before bed, but the spot beside her looked too comfortable to ignore.
I turned off the light before I lay beside her, the sound of her breathing instantly different because she was already drifting off to sleep. There was no one in the world who could fall asleep quicker than she could. The second her head hit the pillow, she was out. Anytime I came home late from work, she was on the couch because she struggled to sleep, but whenever she was in bed with me, she was out like a light.
My chest pressed against her back, and my arm hooked around her waist, keeping her close against me so I could listen to her breathe. She was beside me every single night, and I’d gotten used to this beautiful woman sharing every single aspect of my life. Her hair was in my face, but I liked feeling those soft strands against my cheek. Her body made the temperature of the sheets a little warmer than I enjoyed, but I still preferred the heat over the coldness of her absence. In just a few days, she would be gone for the weekend because her brother was getting married.
I would return to sleeping alone.
My bed had been empty every night of my adult life. Women came and went. They rarely slept over, and when they did, it was uncomfortable the entire time. But Carmen was like a pillow that belonged in my bed—because she completed it.
I kissed the back of her shoulder even though she was dead asleep. “Sweet dreams, Beautiful.”
5
Carmen
My driver took me by the café to pick up a coffee to go, and then he dropped me off in front of the flower shop. It was a cold morning, the fog thick down the cobblestone streets. I couldn’t see farther than a few dozen feet.
My coat kept me warm, but my hands were freezing as I dug into my jacket to retrieve my keys. My fingers searched for the cold metal but didn’t find them. Eventually, I set my coffee down on the sidewalk so I could look into my bag.
Where the hell were they?
I never changed purses, so this was the only place they could be. I must have tossed the purse in the bedroom yesterday, and the keys spilled out in the closet somewhere.
The blacked-out car stayed at the curb, Bosco’s men patiently waiting until I had the door unlocked. The passenger window rolled down, revealing a bald man with thick scruff along his jawline. The men never spoke to me. They were so silent that conversation must be prohibited by Bosco. But this time, the man had something to say. “Everything alright, miss?”
“I think I left the keys at home…” I reached down to pick up my coffee again, hating myself for referring to Bosco’s penthouse as home. I’d moved in to the place so easily and didn’t miss my apartment at all. I loved the high countertops, the enormous mirror in the bathroom, the walk-in shower, and the spacious area his penthouse provided. I hadn’t even visited the other floors because I didn’t need to.
I walked back to the car, and the men immediately jumped out of the passenger door and opened the door for me.
I was surrounded by the warmth once more, the leather seats heated. We drove away from my shop, and I was annoyed with myself for being so forgetful. I always checked my keys before I left the house. Wasn’t sure why I didn’t this time.
It was twenty minutes back to the penthouse. I moved through the lobby, got into the elevators, and then hit the code so I could rise to the top floor. Ever since Bosco gave me his code, I could come and go whenever I pleased.