“Well, you know what they say…there’s no time like the present,” she says as she reaches for the condom drawer.
Moments later, the rubber is on and Nat’s lowering herself on top of me. And as I watch her breasts bounce on her chest as she rides me, I know I’m the luckiest man in the world.
The very luckiest. Bar. None.
Chapter Fifteen
From the texts of Cristina Natalia Barbu III
and Henri Thomas
Henri: Just checking to make sure you made it home safely, doll. Text me when you get the chance. And don’t worry about interrupting anything with Adam. He went home after the gala. Apparently, he wants to wait until we know each other better before things get physical. What the hell is up with the young people these days? Don’t they know that life is short and you should never put off until tomorrow fucking you could be doing today?
Natalie: Not all young people…
Henri: Oh yeah? Do tell, darling. Spill all the smutty details! Is The Cutest Boy in the World as adorable in bed as he is out of it?
Natalie: You know I don’t kiss and tell.
Henri: Do I? To my knowledge, you haven’t been properly laid in the time we’ve been friends. Or laid at all.
Natalie: Good point. But those days are behind me, now. I’m going to be living in Cutest Boy’s bed full-time, even though his bathroom is the worst. I’m pretty sure it hasn’t been updated since the 1930s. I’m on his toilet now. I was too filled with joy and orgasm stardust to sleep.
Henri: Amazing news! I’m so happy for you. And for Cutest Boy. You two are magical together. I could tell it was special the moment you stepped in the door at the gala.
Natalie: You really think so? Because it feels special, Henri. It feels like everything I’ve ever wanted in a relationship and then some, but it’s only been a week. Less than a week. It’s too early to get attached, right?
Henri: Who says?
Natalie: The voice of reason.
Henri: Fuck reason. Magic doesn’t answer to reason, and my gut is on the same page as yours. That boy is perfect for you, and you’re perfect for him, and you’re going to make beautiful recipes and babies together and live happily ever after. Mark my words.
Natalie: Whoa there, Nelly! We haven’t even had the “are we going to be exclusive” talk, let alone the “do you want to have kids someday” talk. And he hasn’t met Crissy or me when I’m in a foul, about-to-start-my-period mood and there’s still so much that could go wrong. I need to keep my feet on the ground.
Henri: You need to enjoy every second of the ride. Let go and let the magic call the shots, honey. I’ll be here to catch you if you fall, but I already know I won’t need to. Everything is going to be okay. Better than okay.
Natalie: I hope so. He’s the sweetest and the sexiest and I just…adore him. In fact, I think I’ll go stare at his face while he sleeps like a creeper right now. Text you tomorrow.
Henri: Sounds good, creeper. Love you.
Natalie: Love you, too.
Chapter Sixteen
Cameron
I wake up feeling like a million bucks only to round that estimate up to two million when I see Natalie asleep on the pillow next to mine, a crooked little smile on her face.
I don’t know what she’s dreaming about, but fuck, I hope it’s me.
I hope it’s…us.
I’m so gone on this woman, and not just because she was my first. Yes, the sex was incredible—so much better than I even imagined it could be, and I’ve done my fair share of imagining. But everything leading up to the sex was just as great.
She’s so much fun, so willing to dive in and wring every drop of joy from life. She didn’t hesitate to join me on the floor at the gala, even though we were the only couple dancing at first, and she was just as eager to jump around the cramped corner at the dive bar, laughing with a bunch of strangers. She enjoys a good burger as much as a fancy bacon-wrapped fig and has a gift for putting people at ease.
I feel like I’ve known her—and crushed on her—for so much longer than a week, and I can’t wait for our next city adventure. New York will be our playground. I’ll show her all my favorite shops and restaurants and places to grab kitchen supplies and obscure recipe ingredients. We’ll take a sleigh ride through Central Park the next time it snows and wander every room at the natural history museum, stealing kisses in between exhibits.
I want to hear her thoughts on dark matter and dinosaur bones and the wild creatures that haunt the dark recesses of the ocean. I want to get drunk on her voice and her laughter and the way she touches me like she’s been longing for someone like me every bit as I’ve been longing for someone like her.