“Oh God!” She screams as I thrust inside of her frantically, drawing out every tremor of her orgasm before shutting off the vibrator and throwing it to the side of the bed. Bending down to kiss her, I continue to move as I feel the aftershocks of her release twitch through her body.
“Javi, I’m so sensitive. I can’t take any more …”
“Yes, you can,” I say as I slant my lips over hers and continue to move. I fuck her slowly and methodically, wanting to wind her up like a yo-yo before I cast her down the rabbit hole of pleasure again.
Just when I can sense she’s close, I pull out and flip her over, pulling her onto her knees before sinking inside of her again.
“Holy shit!” She screams, burying her head in her pillow.
Leaning over her back, cupping her breasts while placing kisses on her neck I groan. “That’s it, baby. Come for me again.”
“I’m coming.” Her muffled voice calls out as she screams through her release and I pump my hips furiously to join her.
Once we relax and settle into bed for the night, I take a moment to savor the feel of her in my arms.
“My mom really likes you,” I say softly as her eyes peel open to look up at me.
“Yeah?” Optimism fills her voice.
Planting a kiss on her nose, I answer, “Yeah.”
“I liked her too.”
“How come you never told me about why you signed up for the self-defense class?” I don’t know why I felt the need to bring this up right now, but after hearing her reason earlier, I’ve had a difficult time shoving it out of my mind.
She lifts up slightly on her elbow, resting her head in her palm. I turn on my side to face her and then eagerly await her words.
“You never asked. And it’s not something I’m proud of. I felt helpless in that moment, Javi. That’s part of the reason why I took the class.”
“I hate that you had to go through that.” I can feel my jaw tightening again, but Sydney reaches out to cup my face.
“I know. But now at least I’m prepared in case something ever happens like that again. It’s part of the territory with being a judge’s daughter.”
“Have you dealt with things like that before?”
She nods. “They weren’t blatantly directed at me, but we’ve had our house egged and cars vandalized.”
“Jesus Christ.”
“It’s part of the risk when working in the court system or in law enforcement. Someone is always pissed off no matter how well you think you’ve done your job.”
“I’m sorry. Just know that now that you’re with me, I promise I’ll do everything in my power to protect you.” I plant a promising kiss on her lips and when she pulls away, I sense a shift in her demeanor.
“Can I ask you a question now?”
“Okay …”
“Can you tell me more about your dad? Your mom brought him quite a bit tonight, and it made me realize I don’t know anything about him except that he died.”
I blow out a heavy breath, preparing to divulge yet another piece of myself to her. I’ve reminded myself steadily over the past few weeks that this is what I signed up for, but it doesn’t make it that much easier.
“My dad was a rancher. He worked for the Wilson Ranch about forty-five minutes from Newberry. He left at dawn most days and didn’t return until sunset, but he enjoyed his work. It’s what he grew up doing in Puerto Rico and then made a living from it out here. One morning, he left later than usual, I don’t remember why. But that morning he said something to me that I’ll never forget. It was almost as if he knew he was going to die that day.” I pause in my story as Sydney reassuringly soothes my arm with her fingers, waiting for me to continue.
“Since he left later for work that day, he stayed later in the evening to make sure he got all of his hours. On his way home, he was hit by a drunk driver and killed on impact.”
“Oh my God, Javi. I’m so sorry.”
I nod in recognition. “My mother crumbled at the doorstep when the sheriff came to the house to tell us. I’ll never forget her screams, the tears that flooded her eyes. She loved him fiercely. And then I turned to Selena in the hallway and we just held each other for almost an hour before my mother came to find us, but realized we heard the entire conversation between her and the sheriff.”
“Javi …” She scoots closer to me and I pull her into my chest, breathing her in while I relive that day like a movie playing in my mind. There are moments in your life you’ll never forget and that was one for me.
“Is that why you don’t drink out in public?”
“A big part of it, yes.”
“What’s the other part?”
I take a deep breath and answer after a long pause. “Because I was shit-faced drunk the night I made the choice that landed me in prison.”
She reels back and searches my eyes for answers that I’m not ready to give her yet. “What did you do?”
I shake my head, closing my eyes while willing my pulse to slow down. “Not tonight, Sydney.”
“But …”
“Please,” I beg, hoping she senses that I’ve already divulged a huge part of me to her this evening, and I don’t think I can handle any more.
She nods reluctantly and then turns over to switch off the lamp on her nightstand. “Okay.”
“Thank you.” I kiss her lips once more as we settle into each other and fall to sleep easily, even though somewhere
