Page 58 of Range
I peered at the building ahead of me, in no rush to enter it. My fingers massaged my temple as I attempted to gain control of myself. I was spiraling. And not even careful counting was enough to ease the disruption of my nervous system.
I lowered my head and closed my eyes. The first breath was deep and heavy. I followed with a second breath. It, too, was deep but lightened tremendously.
My cell vibratedon the nightstand. Kason was beside me, sound asleep. His semen stained my thighs. He’d wiped me clean, but I could still feel traces of him lingering. I’d be a liar if I didn’t admit that it felt good. He felt good.
Beside me.
Behind me.
On top of me.
Underneath me.
Inside of me.
But, so much ended for us each time our gratification wore off. And, though our time together was pleasurable, I was starting to wonder was it enough anymore. Or, if it ever was. I was beginning to wonder how safe I was with him. And how unalive my heart was next to him. Because, what I’d experienced when I encountered Josiah Blackwood, something within me had shifted.
My body had never felt so lively.
My heart had never hurt so good.
My head had never spun so wildly.
My thoughts had never traveled so fast.
My saliva had never dried so quickly.
I’d never been so open.
So vulnerable.
So ready.
So worried.
So thirsty.
So intrigued.
So enchanted.
I slid the phone across the stand. The unknown caller was no secret. I could feel his presence surrounding me as I picked up.
“Hello?”
The words rolled off my tongue unprovoked. He’d said nothing. But, I could hear him. I could feel him.
Every breath he took, I silently thanked God for his existence. Closing my eyes, I pulled the cover back. I slid my body from the sheets, desperate to put space between Kasonand I. Because, deep down, I felt the overwhelming urge to protect whoever Josiah was becoming to me.
He deserved privacy. We deserved privacy. Our time was privileged and opposition wasn’t welcome —be it circumstances, situations, or people.
I placed one foot in front of the other. The distance between me and the bathroom seemed to widen with each step, instead of lessening. I was lost in the wilderness of my lover’s home. A home I visited often and knew well.
When I reached the spacious guest bathroom, I lowered the seat of the toilet and pressed my body against it. The coolness was useless. It hardly changed the temperature of my body. I was drenched in flames. So was my silk gown that stopped well above my knees.
Words evaded me. I didn’t have any. I didn’t have anything. Nothing but the yearning resting deep in the structure of my bones. Seconds passed. And, then, more.
One. One.
