He didn’t.
Perdie’s reality shifted as Carter flipped her over again, now on her back, his lips and tongue covering her nipples, then a hot tongue trailing up along her neck, finding its way to her mouth. He cupped her breast, pinching her nipples, lacking all the usual finesse, as he shoved harshly into her again. And Perdie, could do nothing but hang on for dear life. Quickly, she reached her limit, her muscles clamping around him, threatening to convulse.
“Oh no, Carter, I’m...coming already.” Her body tightened like a cord.
He bucked against her, burying his head in her neck, hot breath heating her from the inside out. “Good. Me too.”
When she began to come, he muffled her cries with the palm of his hand against her mouth. Blinking hard, tears streamed down her cheeks, she held on, nearly blacking out, as the orgasm exploded and then subsided in dying bursts inside her. He pushed his weight heavy against her, finally toppling, body broken. A sated slackness overtook her every sense.
He ducked his head to kiss her lightly on the collarbone and then rolled away, spent like a mannequin with his legs stretched out.
“It feels different this time,” she whispered.
He squeezed her hand tightly in his.
She squeezed back. “We didn’t do much talking.”
“And yet, we said it all.”
Awkwardly Perdie rounded the corner down the stairs. Although she and Carter had made efforts to keep quiet, she was well aware that the whole gang would know what they’d been up to.
Soft music played in the room, no voices. They’d left.
In the middle of the coffee table was the boat vase filled with the flowers, champagne in an ice bucket, two flutes, and pizza plated on the nice white plates Lucille and Perdie almost never used. Also, a few candles fluttered in a glowy light.
Perdie grabbed the bottle of champagne, sat down on the couch, patting the seat next to her. She popped the cork slowly so she didn’t spill, and champagne smoke whirled from the top. Carter sat, his arm reaching out behind her, pulling her in close by the shoulder. She swigged from the bottle, then passed it over to him.
“Here’s to the first day of our lives together.”
He accepted the bottle, pulling big. Then he smiled. “First of many.”
Epilogue
“Well, I just can’t get over how you and Lucille have lived together for so long. It’s like a marriage, isn’t it?” Aubrey ran an immaculately manicured fingertip over the marble countertops of Perdie’s newly purchased duplex. After the closing, Aubrey had stopped by to drop off a housewarming gift for Perdie and Carter: a wedding topper of the two of them designed by a local sculptor.
Perdie liked the gift but she and Carter weren’t quite there yet. Or at least, Perdie wasn’t. Still, things had progressed quite a bit by Perdie’s standards. After all, it was the first time Perdie had ever lived with a man.
“Yep, longest relationship I’ve ever had. How are things going with Max by the way?”
Aubrey gave a coy smile. “I can’t thank you enough for giving me his number. Long distance is a challenge, but we’re in that exciting, fun new phase.”
“Yes, I know it well.” Perdie stretched on the tips of her toes to place her Will Provide Legal Advice for Tacos mug back into the kitchen cabinet.
Within a few moments, the front door opened and a plethora of sound overtook the house. Carter appeared in the hallway.
Perdie’s heart fluttered just a bit at the sight of him. After a few weeks of role-playing some very campy Mountain Man sex, Carter was back to looking like himself again. He was dressed in expensive denim and a T-shirt. The new job working for Aisha was a lot more casual than Joy and Schulz, which actually suited Carter’s personality quite well.
“I come bearing gifts.” Carter pocketed his phone and set a box of donuts on the counter. Peanut Butter scurried over to greet his dad.
Perdie leaned over and kissed Carter on the lips, then leaned down to kiss Peanut Butter on the head.
“Hey, Aubrey.” Carter waved.
Aubrey smiled. “Hey, sweetheart. I owe you big for this double commission.”
“Always good to help a friend.”
“Ferris says the office isn’t the same without you.”
Carter shrugged, laughing. “Somehow I’m sure they’ll make do.”
“He’s doing that nervous thing again,” Perdie said as Peanut Butter paced along the hardwood floor. While returning from the mountain, Carter had encountered a sickly dog. The vet suspected it was some kind of wolf-dog hybrid abandoned out in the park. Carter had called in every legal favor he had to get Peanut Butter over to South Carolina.
Carter knelt to the dog’s level, scratching his ears as Peanut Butter looked to him expectantly. “It’s not me he wants.”
He whistled over his shoulder and walked to the far end of the kitchen, where he lifted the extra-large, custom-installed doggy door cover that led to Lucille’s side of the duplex. Peanut Butter’s ears pricked up and he ran to the opening, jumping to the other side in search of Lucille. “What can I say? He prefers his aunt Lucille.”
“She does have a special way about her,” Perdie agreed.
The day after Carter and Perdie had reunited, Lucille and Perdie had a recapping session together sitting at the kitchen table with mugs of chai.
“I’m proud of you, P. Shit was pretty touch and go for a minute there, wasn’t it?”
Perdie had brought the mug to her lips. “I think I might be happy.” She whispered the word, superstitious of its cosmic weight. “But I won’t stop seeing Dr. Mei. I’ve still got tons of work to do.” She contemplated for a moment. “Although I miss Bananas. It’s so empty without him around. He was a part of our family. The three of us.”
Lucille nodded. “How can you replace perfection? The only way I could even think about getting another dog right now is if it knocked on the front door and walked right in. It would have to be fate. It really would. At least that’s what my psychic said.”
Perdie cocked her head. “Since when do you have a psychic?”
