A Bitch In Time (Marina: Part One: Naughty Nookie Series) by Serena Akeroyd Page B

I
whisper, “I’m ready to go home.”
    If he’d shocked me, I think
that in no way compares to how surprised Nate is.  He jerks with the force
of it.  His brow lowers and more than anything, any questions or whatever,
he looks concerned.  When he untangles our fingers and raises his good
hand to cup my chin in an attempt to force me to look at him, I don’t seek to
evade him.  Our eyes connect and his voice is low as he murmurs, “You’ll
tell me in the morning, right?  Tell me what’s going on?”
    I nod and tilt my head so I
can nuzzle into his hand all the more.  The sensation of those rough
calluses against the tender flesh of my jaw has my skin tingling.  The
physical evidence of hard, manual labor stirs me in a way I can’t describe. 
My business was sex, the selling thereof, but with this man; sex is so much
more than an act.  It’s a union of myself and him… and I’ve never felt so
poetical about it before.
    And considering I loved my
husband that says a lot.
    But now isn’t the time to
think about Jimmy.  There’s never a good time, but this sure as hell isn’t
it.
    He’s shocked at the
affectionate gesture, of my face turning deeper into his gentle caress. 
I’m not that sort of woman, I guess and for a moment, I mourn the fact I’m
not.  What am I but an empty shell that lost her soul to her high school
sweetheart?  Genetics, breeding, teachings… they all taught me to be
self-assured and self-aware, but Jimmy’s death isolated me.  Wrapped me in
a case of ice with such a depth, I was sure it would never thaw.
    I guess I’m surprised Nate
might be the guy to do it.
    I couldn’t even suffer the
prospect of returning to Blue Ridge if he wasn’t there.  I’d do anything;
go anywhere to not return home.  As long as Nate’s at my side,
however, I can go back.  So long as he deems it safe for me and the
commune to do so.
    For four years, I’ve been in
this weird relationship with him and it’s only as I sit astride him, my face
tucked into his large, warm paw that I realize how deep we are.  Thousands
of miles separate us on a daily basis, but we’re still connected.  With
our eyes bridged, I realize he’s been waiting for me to make that realization.
    I guess it’s do or die time.
    And Jimmy, bless his
seventeen-year-old soul, wouldn’t have wanted me to be his widow for the rest
of my life.  The time to say goodbye will be back at Blue Ridge, but
without even meaning to, I’ve taken that first step.
    I guess, for that, I should
thank the Russians.
    Yeah.
    Maybe not.

Four
     
    “You’re looking at me weird.”
    With his tawny hair against
the crisp white cotton pillowcases, he looks all the more golden.  All the
more delicious.
    “Since when does a guy equate
weird with horny?”
    His grin widens, displaying
white teeth.  Not dentist-white.  Natural white.  And the difference
is all the sexier.  Nate is one-hundred per cent pure male.  Not
doctored or gone under the knife.  His eyes crinkle with crow lines that
are all the more visible thanks to the contrast of his tanned skin.  Smile
lines border his mouth and his jaw has faint creases running down his cheeks
from too many grins.
    He’s a happy man.  His
face paints that picture.
    Really, he’s the opposite of
me.  I’m not renowned for an uplifted frame of mind.
    “I never thought Ms. Denison
would ever say that word.”
    I shrug and if the movement
has one of the straps on my camisole top falling down and if my hair happens to
swirl about my shoulders, then that’s no fault of mine.  Right?
    “Truth’s the truth.”
    “What if I can’t handle the
truth?”
    I grin.  “Oh, you can
handle it.” 
    That faint challenge knocks
any and all thoughts out of my brain.  This is no time for seriousness,
but for play.  I’ve waited a long time for it and screw the consequences
of taking this one night, before dealing with the bare facts of the way I’ve
fucked up my life and the people close to