Chapter Twenty

It felt like only moments later when she woke, but the dawn was already creeping across the battered hardwood floor. She groaned and adjusted to the light, before realizing where she was. A heavy leg was draped over her hers and she was pinned on her back to the bed with a body sprawled across her.

Oh no, oh god, oh crap.
It all came rushing back, this time she could remember every single detail.

Well that’s something.

She didn’t even like him. Well, she didn’t hate him – but oh god, this was a mess.

She rubbed her head, and tentively reached out for his shoulder but curled her fingers back into her fist. What was she supposed to say? What did this even mean?

It means nothing Callie, he’s going on tour and soon he’ll be out of your hair and you can get back to normal.

Normal? What part of this was normal? She was married to a guy she hardly knew, a guy that pressed her buttons relentlessly and now she’d slept with him and had great sex.

She swallowed, damn it was great wasn’t it? She slammed her eyes shut as she tried not to remember his hands all over her and his lips sucking the life force from her. Her thighs twitched remembering how he felt buried deep inside of her. She hissed when she moved and nipples scraped against the soft fur on his chest.

God, not now. I just need to get out of here.

How? You’re in your bed, in your house for god’s sake.

He mumbled and moved his head into the crook of her neck, resting his cheek on her shoulder.

“Jon,” she whispered.

“Mmmm,” was all that rumbled from his chest.

“We need to- I need to get up.”

“Why, it’s still early?” he murmured, his breath hot against her skin. He rolled further into her, his arm that was sprawled out clasped her hand.

“Besides,” she closed her eyes again as his lips grazed her neck. “I haven’t had my morning sex yet.”

She curled her fingers tight around his hand, “Jon – we’re not having sex again – we shouldn’t have had sex last night either.” He chuckled as his head, full of mussed hair finally popped up to meet hers.

“Callie, we’re naked – I’m getting a hard on – your nipples are pinching into me – we’re gonna have sex again.”

God he was such a pig to assume that she’d even want to – he rolled off her and linked her other hand in his, holding them both flat on the bed at the level of her eyes. His lips millimetres from hers, he stopped and flicked his eyes back to hers.

“So, how about it?”

Her heart drummed loudly against her chest. Just say no, god – say no Dammit.

She swallowed, evidently speechless as he back of his hand traced along the soft curve of her breast.

“Seems such a waste, you’re naked – I’m naked, we’re alone.” He nipped at her chin and she sank further back down against the mattress desperately trying to ignore the tingling in-between her thighs. He rolled forward and bumped his cock at her entrance.

“I want you, and I know you want me too Callie.”

God, so much hair, and sex – right above her that she couldn’t think. She couldn’t move, she couldn’t do anything but freeze. His hair fell forward and tickled the tips of her nipples, it was enough – just enough for her to snap inside and lean upwards into his kiss.

He released her hands for a moment while he sheathed himself with a fresh condom. Before she had time to think time to get an out he’d grasped her hands and slid back inside of her. Her toes curled and she bit on her lip as he began to move.

He bumped against her and chuckled, “you hate you’re enjoying this… don’t you?” his husky breath teased her neck as his rhythm fell long and slow. Her knuckles went white, gripping his hands as her moan vibrated against his mouth.

How could she hate him and like this all at the same time?
Her thoughts fell silent, the only sound left against the dawn was the sound of skin slapping against skin and the hitched breaths that she managed.

Her body began to burn with the need to release under him. He groaned her name over and over against her ear, each time becoming more desperate and husky.

“Oh god, oh –“she bucked upwards and it ripped through her like a tsunami. Dots burst before her eyes as she slumped down under him. He soon followed suit pounding hard into her before the cords in his neck clenched and he shouted against her mouth.

Slick with sweat and god knows what else, he rolled right off her panting leaving her there trying to make sense of what the hell just happened – again.

~

Raking his sweaty hair back from his face he rolled on his side to face her. He couldn’t help be proud watching her, utterly destroyed plastered against the mattress with nothing to say.

“Now we can get up.” He popped himself up off the bed and padded towards the bathroom to take care of business. Cranking the tap back off, he shook his hands and caught himself in the mirror. Part of him, the part that hated the black rings still under his eyes – dreaded going back on tour. The other was excited, bouncy to get back on stage and make something of the talent he knew he
had.

He just wanted to skip the bullshit. The sucking up to record execs, Doc calling all the shots – he just wanted to play music with Richie and have the freedom to do what he wanted. Glancing over his shoulder back into the bedroom, he grinned.

Callie was so brutally honest with him. And that was something, he knew he’d value as long as he knew her and this marriage thing was on. He just didn’t want to admit that to her just yet. Somewhere inside of him, this was beginning to feel like home.

He walked back into the bedroom, where she was sitting up, and the sheet strewn tight around her body. He snorted, “Anyone would think you didn’t want me to see you naked.”

“Well I don’t – I just ---“she stuttered. Best part about this arrangement. She may be able to tear him down in words, but he could do it to her in sex. “Can you just get dressed Jon?” she asked not looking at him.

He walked around the bed’s edge, and stood in front of her, “come on now – you’ve seen it all before. Don’t get shy now. You know you can touch it whenever you want to.” He caught the pillow she tossed his way and laughed.

“Alright, I’ll put clothes on. Won’t change that you slept with me though,” he winked. “Twice.”

She dragged the sheet higher and rolled over away from him. “You really are an ass Jon.”

“Yup I am. But an ass you’ve had sex with,” he laughed when she didn’t reply picked up his clothes and redressed himself. He needed to get down to see Doc and Richie to find out the plans for the next day, they were leaving that night on some cheap flight that left in the middle of the night to fly across country. And so it began all over again.

He leaned over and swept her hair back from her face and pressed a kiss to her temple. “See ya later little lady, I’ll be back tonight before we leave to shower and collect some things together.

“Good, the place is already overflowing with your junk,” she grumbled into the pillow.

“Have a good day at work Callie.” He left her there, flicking on the coffee pot for her on his way out.

Life was good, friends with benefits.

~

She closed her eyes and breathed out when she heard the front door close.

What have you done? He wasn’t supposed get this close. That wasn’t the plan at all. She rolled onto her back pulling the sheet up to her neck. What was the big deal? It was just sex right? They just had to move on, and make sure it didn’t happen again.

Unless he wanted it to happen again? Did she?

“Uggggggggg!” she slammed her head into the pillow. She just had to forget this and get on with her life. Distance was a wonderful thing and with him going away… It would be a good thing to put some space between them both.

How she ever was going to concentrate on her job today – she had no idea.

She finally dragged herself out of the bed and reached for her robe. Left behind on the sheets was the reminder, two limp latex sleeves. God, he couldn’t even dispose of them? She huffed and dragged the sheets into her arms, still heavy with the smell of sex and him. She stomped across floor to her laundry tub and threw them in.

Picking up her box of laundry power, she laughed ironically at the name. “Vanish,” if she sprinkled some of herself, could she erase the night’s events like a bad stain?

Worst of all, did she actually want to? What was he thinking after all this?

So many questions and not enough answers.

Slamming the lid shut she cranked the dial and walked towards the bathroom. Now she needed to have a shower and get rid of last night’s memories.

As the suds dripped off her shoulders, she was torn between the world she knew and the world she was starting to know being with Jon. Her world was so stainless steel and stable, where his was colourful and fragile as a kaleidoscope, with every turn changing everything.

Part of her deep down wanted to run with it and see what happened, the excitement of it all. And the other part of her knew it was just wasn’t her to do so.

She wanted her own kaleidoscope.

She wrapped a towel around herself and set about getting ready for work. By the time she’d buttoned her suit jacket and picked up her briefcase, she’d decided that there was no point obsessing about this. It was just wasn’t something that she could afford to do right now.

It was a one night stand, that’s all. There was no way he’d see it any other way and she wasn’t about to ask him. He was away on tour. End of story.

It really couldn’t have come at a better time.

She was late home that night, subconsciously on purpose. She
dropped her keys against the table and flicked on the light. There was a single note in the centre that read.

Hi Callie,

All packed, spending the night at the guys so I don’t wake you when we leave for our early flight. I’ll call you on the road. See you in a few weeks.

Take Care,
J

She folded it and slipped it in her pocket confirming one thing. That this hadn’t meant anything to him at all. She forced a smile and look around her apartment, her space her sanctuary back. But it felt oddly empty without the boots strewn over the living room floor, or his ripped shirts hanging over the chair. She couldn’t even curse that he’d left then place a mess. Everything was exactly where it was meant to be. Kicking off her shoes, she grabbed a beer popped it open and sank into an armchair in the living room.

She just had to get back to normal now he was gone. Back to being her. Taking a long swig she sighed, closing her eyes. It had been a long week.