She had a great back, a fantastic ass; hed look his fill as he got closer and closer. From that angle he could take her in slow, deep thrusts.
He drew close but he didnt want to let go of that image. Tried to slow down but the time hed spent with her earlier that night had pushed him too far.
All the adrenaline and sexual energy hed been pumping out for hours and hours built up in the balls of his feet and barreled up his legs, lodging in his gut.
He thought about her. Remembered her voice. Remembered the sounds shed made as hed driven her to climax. Licked his lips to get one last whisper of her scent and taste as he came so hard he had to slap a hand against the tile to keep from falling over.
When he crawled into bedyes, around two cats and a dogit was four already. Hed wake up at nine and check in with Vaughan and depending on what his brother said, hed head to the hospital after that.
There wasnt anything else he could do right then so he let himself fall into sleep.
CHAPTER SIX
TUESDAY WAS AT her worktable when Natalie came into the shop the next morning just before eight. She looked up, switching off her work light. Hey. I just put on a new pot of coffee. It should be done in a few minutes. Any word on Maddie?
Id say I couldnt believe youre here, but thats a lie. I wish you werent but I knew you would be. Anyway. Natalie held up a hand to stop Tuesday from arguing. References to Tuesdays chronic insomnia werent new. Maddies awake and in good spirits according to Paddy. He, Ezra and Damien are heading to the hospital and will meet us at the arena later. Mary is riding with us but I can tell you shes currently in her kitchen cooking for everyone at the hospital. Im going to guess shell want to go early so we can all eat together and then go to the show. Would that work for you?
It had been a little odd to see Natalie make a friendship with Mary. She was part of Natalies life in a way Tuesday couldnt be. Which was so good for her to have that sort of support within the Hurley family ranks. But there were times it smarted just a little.
It was also undeniable that Mary was a lovely person who cared about her family and Tuesday liked the Hurleys very much.
Sounds like a good idea. Im sure itll make Mary feel better. Itll give everyone a chance to rest and eat after the stress of the hospital. Also, I cant lieI want to peep at this Kelly character. Tuesday put her tools aside and came around to where Natalie had dropped into a chair near the counter.
The coffeemaker beeped. Hold that thought. Coffees ready.
Tuesday poured them both a mug and brought them over with some sugar.
Just let me know when you want to leave. I managed to finish two pieces this morning and a customer picked up some frames a while back. So Im good to close up whenever.
Tuesday had finally accepted Nats invitation to visit the small town her best friend had moved to because she needed an anchor or she was worried shed float away. Or to be fair it was more like she was beginning to not be worried about floating away and that brought her to the person she knew would see just how messed up Tuesday was and how much she needed to have someone refuse to let her spin bullshit anymore about being fine.
She hadnt been fine then. Though shed got better since, when shed first slept in Natalies guest room and let herself accept that it could be her reality, that she could move to Hood River. It had been a step back into a life she actually lived instead of something that happened while she hid from it.
She knew how to frame things. Did a lovely job with it because she had a knack for what looked right for each person and back in high school shed worked for a frame place at the mall so she had the skill set. Her custom work and the other pieces she sold on consignment of preframed art brought in enough to pay her half of the mortgage.
But what she really truly wanted to do was make jewelry full-time. Big, chunky pieces of a wide variety of shades, shapes and textures. She had a stall at a local farmers market and had been slowly building a customer base that way. She also had heard recently that a big outdoor market in Portland had given her a spot for a stall starting the following month. The exposure was on a far broader scale. She felt more alive and full of hope for the future right then than she had since about a year before Eric had died.
Ive seen a picture of her. Natalie leaned an elbow on the counter, tearing Tuesday from her memories. Kelly. Did you know she was a model? Nat wandered off topic. You know what would be really good with this coffee? A cinnamon roll. Even a cookie. Oatmeal, which is healthy even. Natalie smiled brightly and Tuesday snorted.
I have almonds and some apples.
I said good, not apples and almonds. She frowned, still managing to look gorgeous. So for Gods sake, tell me about it. Tell me how you feel after last night, Natalie burst out.
Im hungry. Come on. Lets lock up and Ill make pancakes.
Wow, you so dont want to talk about it.
Tuesday put a cloth over the work shed been doing and slid the tray into a drawer. Im still processing it. I feel fine. Hes...well, you know. She threw her hands up, frustrated that he was so appealing. I dont know. We havent even actually fucked yet. We barely know one another.
Natalie washed out the coffee stuff as she spoke over her shoulder, You and Ezra know each other. You have since that first meeting. I see the way you look at each other, the way you circle and get all flushed. Ive been going out with Paddy since July of last year and in all that time Ive never seen Ezra with a woman. Or talk about a woman. Other than you.
Pause the lecture. Tuesday turned off the interior lights except the security ones and then hit the alarm before returning to gather her things and lock up.
Im sure you walked so Im up here. Natalie pointed to her car.
Natalie started in again once they got on their way home. And you, well youve built a wall around your heart.
Tuesday held up a hand Natalie couldnt see because she was driving. But her friend would know it was happening anyway. I dont want to talk about this.
Too bad. Ive let you avoid it for way too long.
Natalie, I cant do this right now. Everything is fine. We will eventually have sex and I will fill you in on it and that will be that. Well do it awhile and itll wear off and well be those people who fuck every once in a while when they need it from someone they can trust to be a good time but not develop feelings.
Oh god. Seriously? This is how youre going to play this thing? You and Ezra are fuckbuddies? You bang awhile and then you see each other all the time and its totally hunky-dory?
Ive seen people Ive had sex with in town or around and I dont burst into tears that I never bore their children, Natalie.
Dont get defensive with me. I know your tricks. When Paddy first came around, you told me to let him in because I didnt have anything to lose. Im saying that to you now. Let this be good. You deserve that. You cant just let that part of you die.
Im not some sort of defective goods, Nat.
Natalie parked and they went into the house, heading to the kitchen, where they began to ready for the pancakes Tuesday had promised.
Neither of them spoke as they moved through the kitchen, washing hands, tying on aprons, getting the griddle heating and then mixing up the pancake batter. Natalie was a horrible cook so she gathered ingredients and then cleaned them up when Tuesday finished.
As they did all this, Natalie put out all the items theyd need with just a little too much force because she was pissed off. Normally, this was the place Natalie had stopped when the topic of Tuesday beginning to date again came up.
But things had shifted over the past year or so and it seemed pretty apparent to Tuesday that Natalie was going to push some more.
The problem was that Tuesday could lie to herself better than she could lie to Natalie. Which was also a testament to the friendship theyd had since the first day of college. Theyd celebrated so many things together, grieved others, like the unthinkable when, four years prior, Tuesdays husband had been diagnosed with cancer and had died three months later.
Through it all, through grief so deep it was simply inescapable, through that numb place shed floated into, it was Natalie whod grabbed hold and gave her roots. Friendship that saw everything and loved because of it saved her over and over.
So she couldnt lie to Natalie because Natalie understood Tuesdays grief and her avoidance behavior, too.
Once theyd settled at the table with a heaping platter of pancakes between them and two big glasses of orange juice, they began to talk again.
Hes sexy. I like him. Tuesday poured warmed-up boysenberry preserves on her pancakes. Before you get huffy over there, I know its more than that. Theres this intensity between us that... That shed never in the entirety of her life felt with anyone. I get caught up in it. Its like he gets near and all my parts samba. Hes powerful. He takes up oxygen and space. Hes big and sexy. So. Sexy. I cant even with how sexy he is.
Tuesday put her face in her hands a moment before she got back to her pancakes. Anyway, its not like I dont enjoy sex. He and I are clearly compatible. Hes a grown-up. Im a grown-up. We do our thing and at some point we dont. Stop arguing with me on this right now.
Natalie huffed but held her tongue. For a minute or two.
Ill stop for now. But you said it was like right as you were putting a condom on so that means he was naked and really I have to know.
Tuesday guffawed. He is one of the universes finest creations. I didnt get to study as much as I wanted to because we were busy getting it on. Next time Im going to make him stand still and just circle him slow so I can take it all in.
Hes so broody and emo and protective. Its scary and hot all at once. Paddy is hard enough to manage. I cant imagine how tough a job it will be to keep Ezra out of trouble.
Ha. Not my job. Hes a big boy. Boy was he ever.
Natalie and Paddy both had a lot of scars and hot buttons, but they both seemed willing to confront them when they came up and deal with working things out, which was how to make a relationship work.
I guess maybe Im starting to believe you can want to hit someone in the nose with a newspaper and still love them. And that in a day or a week you wont want to hit them anymore. So far. Hes sort of vexing so I shouldnt make declarative statements.
Tuesday burst out laughing. Natalie was beautiful in the way only pale blondes who look really great with short hair could manage. She was classically pretty but with an edge youd miss until you looked a little closer.
The real Natalie, the one only those who were close to her saw, had a bawdy sense of humor. It had been a joke, all those years ago, that had planted the seed of friendship that made them close to that day.
Theyd all been so young that first day in the dorms back at college. Their group of friends1022 they called themselves informally, after the dorm room they all shared way back that first yearforged a friendship that was like a family.
Theyd all been strangers, these five women who all seemed very different from one another.
Over the years theyd known one another, Tuesday had learned that Natalie had a great sense of just exactly what Tuesday needed, even if Tuesday herself hadnt. And it was the same for her when it came to Natalie. Their connection was something big and special, a friendship thatd carried them both through some major life storms.
After we finish up lets get ourselves set and you call Mary to see when she wants to go over there.
Natalie paused. Wait a minute. I thought you had a hair appointment. You do! You were saying youd hit the second show up looking fantastic and all done up.
I do, but I can reschedule. Tuesday patted her hair. And, we all know Ill look fantastic either way.
Truth. However. Natalie raised a brow. Youre canceling a hair appointment to be nice to Ezra. You like Ezra. But she sang it and it made Tuesday smirk a little.
Im canceling a hair appointment because a little girl and her family need the support and the ability to be together right now. I am a nice person, you know.
Natalie snorted. You are a nice person. Who totally has it for Ezra because you never give up hair appointments.
Listen, it is hard to find someone who knows what to do with all this. Tuesday waved a hand at her hair. I gotta take my appointments when I can get them when Nina is at the salon. Shed learned the hard way that she needed a salon that had stylists who knew how to style and treat black womens hair. Tuesday had found Nina, a stylist who worked two days a week at a local salon and thats who touched Tuesdays hair. Otherwise, she drove up to Olympia and went with her mom to a friend who did hair on the side.
Natalies grin undercut her attempt to be serious. I understand. Well, actually I dont, which is sort of sucky but anyway. I do think I need two more pancakes before I call, though. Going to be a full dayits really in everyones interest that I have all the fuel I need.
Tuesday snorted. Youre a giver.
Also Natalie paused to eat a little I want to wait until I hear back from Paddy. If they cancel the show well know soon, but he didnt think they were going to.
Smart.
At least tell me if he asked you to come tonight. Youre very stingy with details.
Tuesday sighed and shook her head. I cant remember if you were this nosy with Eric.
I didnt have to be. Your bedroom was next to mine. I heard how things were going. Natalie winked.
It had been a really long time since theyd shared like this. It felt nice and Tuesday realized shed missed it. Yes. He asked me if I was coming tonight. He invited me to his house afterward. Obviously for sex.
Did you like it? That hes interested?
Oh my god. Are you going to keep this up?
Natalie laughed really hard and then nodded. You did it to me with Paddy. She sobered and looked at Tuesday. I know its not the same. But I also know its not what youve been doing, either. Are you scared?
It hurt to breathe for just a moment and panic raced through her system until Natalie took her wrist. Hey, Im sorry. I just...it doesnt matter. Im sorry.