all at once. The moans fall easily from her lips as her hand finds my hair, holding me to her.
She’s perfect like this.
Vulnerable and trusting.
Something neither of us is good at being, but somehow, with each other, it’s different.
The significance of the moment and the connection isn’t lost on me either.
Arlo is willing to give me pieces of herself she has rarely shared with anyone.
The specialness of it all hits me hard.
This is more than sex. This is the fusing of our connection.
Without much effort from me, she twists her fingers in my hair, pulling at my scalp as her body convulses, a moan falling from her lips.
Nothing in my life has ever tasted so sweet.
18
Almost a week has gone by in a complete blur. Every night after work, I’ve ended up on Arlo’s doorstep, needing my fix after a long, grueling day.
Arlo always greets me in her dark-rimmed glasses, a messy bun, and the yoga pants I’ve grown so fond of in a very short time.
Her tattoo has healed nicely, no longer tender to the touch, giving me more of her skin to explore. We’ve moved slowly, and I am oddly okay with the pace, relishing her like a fine wine instead of chugging her in one sitting.
“What are you over there grinning about?” Lily asks, walking by me as I sit at my workstation, prepping for my next client.
“Nothing,” I mutter, shaking my head and trying to get the vision of Arlo in those damn pants out of my mind.
Lily stops in front of me, crossing her arms and peering down with a shit-eating grin. “You’re a shit liar, Mello. You were thinking about Arlo, weren’t you?”
I shrug, leaning back in my chair. “I can’t stop thinking about her, Lily. It’s your fault. You knew exactly what you were doing when you set us up, but I can’t be mad about it either.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she lies, her smile widening.
“You knew I’d fall for her.”
Lily shrugs one shoulder. “Maybe.”
“Slick fucker,” I mutter.
Jo lifts up her head from the appointment book, where she’s been filling in for Rebel this morning. “There’s a sucker born every day,” she says with a hint of laughter.
I sigh, rubbing the back of my neck. “I don’t even know what I’m doing with this chick. She’s way too good for me. She deserves someone…”
“Don’t you dare say it,” Lily hisses, glaring at me, with her finger aimed in my direction. “Don’t even think about walking away from her unless you have a really damn good reason. And, Mello, thinking she’s too good for you is not a damn good reason.”
“Oh.” I jerk my head back. “Are you the relationship police now?”
Gigi comes to stand behind Lily, narrowing her eyes at me. “What the hell did you just say?”
I scrub my hand down my face, knowing I’m about to catch the wrath of not one cousin, but multiple if I fuck this up. “For fuck’s sake,” I whisper against the palm of my hand.
“Arlo’s crazy about your dumb ass, and now you’re ready to break things off with her?” Gigi asks, hands on her hips, ready to do battle.
“That’s not what I said,” I snap. “I was over here, smiling and minding my own damn business, until Lily had to get all up in my shit.”
“Not smart, brother,” Pike mutters from my side. “Shit’s about to go down, and I’m not helping.”
“Pussy,” I shoot over my shoulder to Pike before returning my eyes to the two women in front of me, ignoring Jo as she shoots daggers my way from the front counter. “I’m not breaking Arlo’s heart. I don’t know how me having a fantasy about her—and enjoying it, mind you—turns into me ending things.”
“You said you thought she was too good for you,” Lily tells me like I wasn’t here for the entire conversation.
“She is too good for me, but you were too good for Jett, and look how that ended up,” I reply.
She lifts her hand, pointing to her wedding ring. “I’m happily married and regret nothing.”
“I know, Lily. I know. Can’t I voice what I’m feeling to you without you two jumping in my shit?”
Lily and Gigi look at each other, passing some secret crazy-chick psychic-voodoo message back and forth before they turn back to me.
Gigi stalks over to me, climbing up on my table. “Listen, I need you to hear me when I say this.”