I giggled and relaxed a little more, and he continued to massage me. I didn't need to be nervous with Andrew. Andrew was safe. I reached down and grabbed onto his cock, rubbing back and forth gently. He moved in closer, and I could hear his heavy breathing in my ear. The shower aimed down toward my br**sts while he ran his right hand up my side. His hand eventually ending up cupping my right breast and pulling me even closer into him.
I turned my head around and kissed him, and he grinded into my body a little more. My other hand went through his hair, pulling him into the kiss.
He tore away from the kiss. "I almost forgot the most important part of relieving your tension."
I froze. Would I have to tell him that I wasn't ready? Would I just let him take me, right here in the shower? I closed my eyes, waiting for his next response. He handed me the shower head, then pulled away from my grasp. I looked at him quizzically. He grabbed his shampoo.
"I'm not sure if you wanted to smell manly all day, but nothing will put you in a better mood than getting your hair washed," he said with a smile.
I laughed. I couldn't believe a man existed who would shower with me just to make me clean without also using my body. I let the water run through my hair while he put some shampoo in his hands. As his fingers worked the soap into my tresses, all the way to the ends, the little pulls sent shivers through my body. With every movement of his fingers through my hair, I could feel myself falling more and more in love with him. As he rubbed his nails over the top of my head, I felt like I was right where I needed to be.
"Rinse, please," he said, and I let the water rinse away the grime while his fingers still tended to my scalp. It was the closest I had ever felt to a man. His dick rubbed against me a few more times, but I felt like my entire essence was concentrated within my hair and his fingers.
He stopped rubbing and I longed for his fingers more. He grabbed the shower head from me and put it back up in its bracket, then smelled my hair. As he breathed out, I felt his breath tickle my ear, and I shivered again.
"I was wrong, you don't smell manly. You smell like roses and lilac," he said.
I giggled again. "Andrew?" I leaned into him, drawing strength from him. He murmured a "yes" into my hair.
"Kiss me. Make me forget for a little while," I said softly, turning to face him. He stared at me, his blue eyes dark today. He reached forward and cupped my cheek in his hand, gently pulling me toward him. His lips were soft against mine. His cock, fully engorged, rested against my belly. A hunger filled me.
As rivulets of water ran down our bodies, I began to kiss down his chest. His pecs felt great to kiss, and I continued to move downward. As I moved down to my knees, he seemed to realize what was going on.
"Hey, Holly, not right now. You have to get to work, remember?" he said.
What a gentleman, I thought, but I wondered if he really meant it. I stuck my tongue out, licking the end of his rod. He grabbed my chin and made me face upward as he frowned slightly at me and shook his head. The shower water splashed in my eyes, and I looked down to rub them. He laughed a little, then grabbed my arms and helped me to stand. He gave me a kiss, which I returned eagerly.
"You don't have to do that for me. Can't a man just wash a woman's hair without demanding payment?" he asked, a wry smile on his face.
I smiled and agreed with him, realizing that, before today, I had never met a real man in my life.
Chapter 10
Planes flew overhead, dropping red smoke to combat the black rising from the forest. Trees went up, burning like torches, lighting the sky. Thick black smoke rose, cutting into the morning's blue sky like an evil sword, the sky losing ground to the murky haze. The flames screamed and grew larger, trying to reach the sun. Ash fell from the sky like gray rain, settling like soft snow on the burnt ground.
***
"Holly, you're the short shift, so you're on restock. Aisle three," my boss called out to me as I walked in the store. I grinned as I hung my coat in the break-room and clocked in. I didn't particularly like restocking, but I hadn't been able to get that stupid grin off my face since I met Andrew at the library.
I felt like I was keeping a wonderful secret. Like a kid who knows she got her friend the perfect birthday present, I just wanted to spill the beans to everyone. I wanted to shout it on the street that Andrew Miller and I were a couple. Every time I thought about Andrew, I felt my body explode with happiness. Nothing, not even restock, was going to bring me down today.
I put my apron on and headed toward a mass of shopping carts filled with soup cans, ready to be shelved. It didn't take long for me to find a rhythm, my mind on Andrew, and I filled the shelves quickly.
"Hey, Gorgeous," Andrew's voice whispered in my ear. I turned with a smile, wondering if my thoughts had called him to me. He grabbed my waist and kissed me. I kissed him back, wanting more before remembering I was at work. I broke away, glancing around, nervous that someone might see us.
"You are going to get me in trouble," I hissed, but I couldn't get the smile off my face. "I'm supposed to be working!"
He let me go and pretended to look at the canned soup. "I just couldn't stay away. Working, huh? What kind of soup would you recommend, then?"
I giggled and kept stacking. "You are incorrigible. But I like it. I recommend the chicken noodle."
"Mmm, chicken noodle, good for the soul. I know something else good for the soul." He grinned wickedly as he tried to catch me again. I wiggled just out of his reach, poking my head out of the aisle and looking around.
"You are going to get us caught! My manager is one aisle over," I whispered, trying to frown at him. He put his hands up in mock defeat, leaning against his cart.
"Fine, I'll let you be. For now," he said as he looked me up and down. "I just can't help it. It's like this has just been bottled up inside of me for so long I can't contain it."
"Me too. I get off in an hour. You want to meet up?" I asked as I started stacking the cans again.
"Hell yes," he whispered, his eyes burning into me. I bit my lip and focused on the cans, trying not to admire the way his arms bulged in his shirt. "I'm so glad you are back. I missed you around here. You still haven't told me why you quit school, you know."
"It's not very interesting," I answered coyly, trying to hide how painful it was for me to remember. "Besides, a girl needs her secrets." He grinned, his eyes absorbing me.
"I want to know all your secrets. I want to know all of you," he said huskily. I could feel my temperature rising the closer he got to me. If we weren't in a public place...
"Excuse me, Holly. Do you know where the prenatal vitamins are?" a female voice interrupted. I looked up to see Louise Fletcher at the end of the aisle with a basket on her arm. She looked exhausted.
"Sure, they're over by the pharmacy and against the wall next to the cold medicines. I think we have ones with fish oil too. Do you want me to show you?" I asked, slipping back into Work Mode.
"No, I think I can find them. Thanks." She smiled meekly and headed toward the pharmacy. Something about her was different than I remembered. Had she put on weight?
"I can't believe that girl," Andrew said as I picked up a can and put it on the shelf. I turned to see a look of disgust on his face.
"What do you mean? Louise has always been a little weird, but she's nice enough."
"You haven't heard? She's pregnant. She got knocked up by Jimmy Haskins at a party a couple of months ago." He crossed his arms and leaned back against the shelf. "I mean, I heard rumors about her in high school, but seriously? How could she be that stupid? Birth control is pretty easy these days."
I felt the wind knock out of me like I had been punched in the stomach. "Maybe it was an accident. Accidents happen. That doesn't make her a bad person," I said carefully.
"No, it makes her stupid. She wasn't even sure it was Jimmy until he told her it was. She got so trashed at a party that she was flinging herself at anything with a dick. This isn't the first time she couldn't remember who she was with. I can't stand girls like her," he said with a grimace. "I could never be with someone like that."
I glanced back at him and wanted to run. His handsome face held such contempt and disgust. I felt the floor fall out from beneath me. If he knew what I had done...
"I'm glad you're not like that, Holly." He made a disgusted noise. He turned back toward me, sudden concern in his voice. "You all right? You look a little pale."
"I'm fine. I just don't feel very well. I think my lunch isn't agreeing with me," I lied as I kept putting cans up on the shelf, trying to keep my hands steady.
"I'm sorry. Can I do anything?" he asked, putting his hands on my hips. I felt disgusted with myself, unworthy of his touch.
"No, I think I just need a nap, maybe some fluids or something," I said. I couldn't look at him. If that was what he thought of sweet Louise, what would he think of me if he knew my secret?
"Do you want me to go get your manager? I mean, you don't look good at all," Andrew said, his face full of concern. "You look like you might hurl at any second."
"Yeah, I think I should just go home," I said quickly. He nodded and went to find my manager. I walked slowly to the break room, my guts twisting up inside of me. I had wanted to tell Andrew everything, but I couldn't tell him now. I couldn't tell him why I was back in Conifer without losing him.
"He says you can go on home. Do you want me to drive you?" Andrew asked as I came out with my coat. I shook my head and smiled half-heartedly.
"I'll be fine. I'll see you later, though, okay?" I didn't wait for him to answer as I headed to the door, passing Louise on my way out. She smiled at me, her eyes sad with a defeat she didn't know we shared.
***
I lay in bed, Shadow sleeping at my feet, and my stomach rolling. Andrew had texted me twice to make sure I had gotten home and to see if I needed anything. I needed a new me. I needed my past to change or at least a way to forget it. I closed my eyes, the last year of my life haunting me.
I woke up, the room unfamiliar. My stomach felt awful and my head buzzed like it was full of bees. A masculine arm lay draped across my stomach, the owner snoring softly into his pillow. I didn't remember his name, but it didn't matter. He had bought me the drinks, and I seemed to remember thinking he was cute. But that could have been the guy two nights ago.
I carefully slipped out from under his arm, moving slowly, more to keep my stomach contents down than fear of waking him. His place was a mess—dirty underwear, empty bowls, pizza boxes, and beer cans littered the floor. I found my skirt tossed in a corner, a dark stain on the hem. Were we drinking red wine? I couldn't remember, but I slid the skirt on anyway and searched for the rest of my clothes.
I found most of them, grabbed my purse and my phone and snuck out of the room. I saw a bathroom at the end of the hall, and hurried toward it as my bladder was about to explode. The bathroom was worse than the bedroom. I contemplated taking pictures to bring to my biology professor so he could identify a new species of mold.
Biology. The biology test was today. Shit.