“Yeah, TP, I’m close.”
Her wet hot mouth started sliding over my pulsing erection again and I felt her smooth slick walls begin to clench. I clamped down over her sweet spot and that was all either of us needed to fall over the edge. The edge where slipping over always ended in complete ecstasy. We swallowed each other’s climax without holding back, shuddering and moaning in satisfaction. The arm she was holding herself up with gave way and she rolled off of me, collapsing on her back, her hair tangled between her arm and my thigh.
“How’s your hair?” I couldn’t help it.
“Fuck it.” She panted.
I burst into laughter. “That a girl.” My girl.
She bounced back from her bliss and hopped up looking so serious, yet frazzled. “Shit, how much time do we have?” She hardly ever swore. Her eyes were glassy, her high cheeks were rosy, and her lips were a little swollen and cherry red. I loved that I made her that way. “Get up, we’ve got to hurry.”
“What? No post sex cuddling? I’m missing out on you telling me how amazing that was.”
“Asher,” she snapped, obviously not feeling the post cuddle.
“Okay, okay, I’m coming. Well, not really. I already did that.” I laughed again. It was just too easy.
“God, Ace, seriously. This is important.”
“Just trying to keep it light, Tal.” I might have been able to erase her nerves temporarily, but they were back with a vengeance. “You go rinse off and get ready. I got this. It only takes me five minutes to shower and dress. We’ll be ready, promise.”
“Thanks.” She smacked my lips with hers and ran toward the bathroom. “Hey, Ace?” She stopped at the jamb and turned around. “That was better than amazing.”
She closed the door, and damn, did that smile creep up my face. Together, we had come so far. We were in a good place right now. Strike that, we were in a great place. No more secrets, no more lies. We had a few obstacles ahead—me winning Tack over being one of them, the other getting through tonight. But I knew once it was off her chest we would both feel lighter. Chase was one intense son of a bitch, but with a heart of gold when it came to those who mattered. And Tal mattered, no doubt. He’d eventually forgive. My only concern was how much of a prick he was going to be in the meantime. Best friend or not, he wasn’t getting much leeway. None, to be precise. Tal was mine. He’d just have to deal.
I threw on a pair of shorts and sighed, running my fingers through my hair. The lingering scent knocked me right back to reality. Sex and garlic. Yup, I had a job, back to dinner prep. On second thought, I joined my woman for a quick shower.
Talia paced the kitchen on her second glass of Prosecco when the bell rang. “I’ll come with you. It’ll be weird if I just sit in here. Or should I hang in the living room, or should I…”
“Talia.” I interrupted her total ramble freak out. “It’s Chase. You know him. Stop it. Just come to the door with me.” I grabbed her hand and pulled her with me.
“Hey, guys … come in.” Lili wasted no time enveloping Talia in a tight hug.
“You look amazing. I love this.” She fingered Tal’s long necklace while grabbing a white box from Chase.
“Thank you. What happened to not bringing anything?” Talia lips curved up finally and she took the box. Chase stood back, unreadable, watching the small talk transpire between the women.
“We couldn’t resist. Everyone loves Mike’s cannolis.”
“Yum, maybe we should skip dinner.” Talia smirked at me, knowing I slaved in that damn kitchen—mincing, filling and frying the damn dumplings. “Let’s go right to dessert.”
Chase stepped around his wife. “Nice to see some things never change. Still got your sweet tooth I see.” He kissed Talia’s cheek. No one else noticed her freeze, but I didn’t miss it. “Great to see you, Tal. It’s been way too long, not that you could tell. You look exactly the same. Sorry I missed New Year’s. My wife said you guys had a great time.” Between his awkward use of the word ‘wife’ and his Tarzan grip on Lil, he looked just as uncomfortable as Talia. Hmm, maybe this wasn’t a good idea.
“Great to see you too. I know it’s been too long. But I’m glad I’ve gotten to hang with your wife. It’s been fun to have some girl time again.” Her voice drifted when she said again. She obviously regretted it the second it slipped. If we weren’t all thinking about Kimi, we were now.
Chase flinched but quickly recovered. “I can only imagine, especially if she subjected you to Sierra.” We all laughed. Okay, that wasn’t so bad.
“Drinks?” I asked because I sure as hell needed a double. Everyone nodded. Good. “I’ll grab some, meet you in the living room. Go get comfortable.”
“I’ll help you.” Tal didn’t hesitate. We both retreated to the kitchen. I popped the top off two beer bottles and grabbed the edamame and cheese tray. Tal poured Lili a glass of Prosecco.
I stepped in front of her and kissed her forehead. “Look at me. I’m here. It’s going to be fine. Trust me.”
“I just need to tell him. I feel like I’m acting awkward.”
“You’ll find the right time.”
We joined the happy couple in the living room and thank God for small favors, we easily fell back into old times. Lili was a trooper, listening to us reminiscing. She actually encouraged us to keep talking. She loved hearing Chase stories. And there was no shortage of those. At first we subconsciously avoided stories involving Kim, but that didn’t last long. The first time we mentioned her name, the air felt heavy, but we breathed deeper and it felt … right. She belonged here, in more ways than one. The alcohol flowed and the conversation stayed light. Sensing that my woman was finally relaxed, I headed for the kitchen and finished up dinner. And since my pool table inhabited the dining room area of the loft, I set the granite-topped island that jetted between. Whatever, it worked. After all, this was technically my first dinner party. I made my second mental note of the day, after Tal enjoying anal play of course, to ask Tal if she wanted me to change out the pool table for a real table.
“Guys, this smells delicious.” Lili stuck her face in the dish of steak teriyaki.
“Not me.” Talia pointed in my direction. “This was all Asher’s doing.”
“When did you become so domesticated, asshole?” Chase joked.
He knew me. My kitchen looked great, partly because I never touched it. I hadn’t shared that cooking for Tal was a new favorite pastime, among other things.
“Ooh, let’s toast.” Lili interrupted, waving her husband off and raising her glass. We all followed suit. “To TACK!”
My head not-so-subtly jerked toward Talia, who had just lost all color in her cheeks. Ouch, wasn’t expecting that. Of course she wasn’t talking about Tack Tack, but it hit fast and it hit hard, covering that raw, gaping wound with a layer of unwanted salt. If my heart sunk, Tal’s must have been in her stomach. What happened to ‘To friends’? Lili must have noticed our shift. Chase was too busy gazing into his wife’s eyes. He was rod straight as well, obviously for different reasons. Old stories were one thing, but reminders of Kimi’s missing presence were another and would probably always be a trigger for him.