When she’s finally gulping in air and completely spent, I bring my fingers to my mouth and lick them clean, her taste just as good as I always knew it would be.
“Sully,” she breathes.
I kiss her, sharing her taste, then pull back. “Bedtime.”
14
ORCHID
I sit in the middle of Sully’s bed, wondering if this is real. When I woke up, he was no longer here with me. I was a bit disappointed, but Sully has always gotten up early. I would know, because for the past few months I would wake up particularly early to glance out my kitchen window to watch him. He'd be out there working in his garden already. It’s probably why his vegetables grow ten times better than mine.
My ears perk up to make sure I don’t hear anything before I grab Sully’s pillow and bury my face in it. His scent surrounds me, and I take comfort in it. I had no idea a smell alone could do something like that.
“What are you doing?” Sully asks with laughter in his voice. I swear for as big as that man is, he’s as quiet as a mouse when he moves around.
“Nothing. Enjoying your fabric softener?”
“You think I use fabric softener?”
“Maybe?” I’d seen it in the store but really didn’t understand the purpose of it. Plus, it cost extra so I never used it, but I thought everyone else did.
“It’s terrible for your machine. Causes build-up, and it’s not really necessary.”
“You should have been a housewife,” I tease. When he makes a face at me, I chuck the pillow at him. He easily catches it and tosses it in the other direction. “You want to play, little girl?”
“Yeah, I always want to play. It’s kind of part of my dream.” I’m not sure what it is about what I said, but the teasing energy that had filled the room goes out in an instant. It shifts like he suddenly remembered who I am and where I came from.
It’s so strange, because while I’m considered pure by the standards of my past, I swear I can’t wash OFF what they put on me no matter how hard I try. I wonder if whatever that is still clings to me and that’s what’s deterring Sully. I hate that thought because it means my father and Jeremiah still have some sort of control over my life.
One second Sully is all over me, and the next he’s acting like I’m made of glass and he better not touch me with those giant rough hands of his. If you ask me, I think it would be good for both of us to rub off some on the other.
I don’t know what I’m going to have to do to convince him that I’m not as innocent as I look. Sure, I don’t have any real intimate experience besides what he and I shared together, but I’m not totally clueless.
“Come on. I made you breakfast.”
“Really?”
“I can make bacon,” he says defensively.
“So what you’re saying is there is only a giant plate of bacon.” I laugh, slipping off the side of the bed. “I’m going to need a ladder for this thing when you’re not putting me into it.”
“You won’t need a ladder,” I hear him say as he turns to leave the bedroom. I quickly follow after him. The first thing I see when I enter the kitchen is Orion eating already. A few seconds later, a ding goes off, and waffles pop out of the toaster. I burst into uncontrollable laughter.
“I’ve got fresh fruit, too.” He motions to the giant bowl of strawberries that I’m sure come from some kind of garden around here. He might not be able to cook, but he could bring you the freshest homegrown ingredients to create anything your heart desired. Luckily for us, when it comes to the kitchen, I can create anything. The planting and growing part, not so much.
It’s why you and Sully are perfect together, my mind is quick to point out. Truthfully, I’d only started that garden to have a reason to speak to Sully. He’s always so dang quiet. My passion lies somewhere else.
A little secret no one knows but me, and I suppose some people online, but they don’t know me as Orchid. To them I’m only another user name. They read my small erotic short stories, and I read theirs. It’s our own little club. A place where we can be whoever we want without judgment. I bet they're actually wondering where I am right now and why I haven’t logged on.
“Butter those frozen waffles up and they’ll be fine, but I can do the cooking next time if you like,” I suggest as I slip into one of the high-top chairs at the breakfast bar. Sully covers the waffles in butter as I asked.