you meet someone who, when you know that you’re going to see them, makes even your skin feel different. It starts getting ready for them to touch you and then you can’t get enough of them touching you. Everywhere. I’d even stolen her away for a Saturday lunch just so that I could take her back to my place, lower her onto my bed, and have her wrap herself around me. We don’t like to admit it, but men love that shit. All it had taken was her slipping her smooth leg between mine for me to be inside of her again seconds later.
Did I mention that this was my train of thought while I was in the middle of my presentation at the American Academy of Pediatrics conference in San Diego? To be fair, Alexandra was sitting front and center, her hair pulled back in a sleek bun so that I could divulge in every shadow of her beautiful face. Eli and Gia had been a few rows back, and when Alexandra had first mentioned that they were tagging along, I’d been a bit apprehensive. Apparently, Eli couldn’t pass up a chance to explore the hiking in San Diego, and Gia never passed up a chance to travel.
I’d assumed that by now, at least one of them would have pulled me aside to warn me to count myself out. That I was no match for Roderick, I wouldn’t fit in with their family, or whatever other excuse they could come up with to question the legitimacy of my relationship with Alexandra. But, neither had. We talked and joked openly. We were actually getting along much better than I could have ever anticipated.
We’d gone to the beach, tried new restaurants, and agreed to join Eli when he went hiking. Gia had tried to talk us out of it, but it wasn’t until several hours into the hiking expedition that we figured out why: we were blazing through our third hiking trail and Eli didn’t look even slightly fazed. In fact, each session had only seemed to invigorate him. I was in extremely good shape, but still had a hard time keeping up with him. The man was an android.
“Eli,” Gia called, panting and bent over. One of the thick, brown stones jutting up from the ground and Alexandra’s tired, unstable shoulder were the only things holding her up.
“Yeah, baby?” he answered.
“If we go on one more trail today, I promise you that I am never having sex with you again. Ever.”
Alexandra laughed, her shoulder gave out, and they both fell to the ground. We stood watching them, and I was grateful for the small break.
“I did go a bit overboard didn’t I?” Eli asked, rubbing the back of his head.
“I can’t feel my toes,” Alexandra cried. “And don’t stand there looking like you’re not tired, Ethan. Your face is damn near hot pink and it’s not because it’s hot out.”
I tossed up my hands in resignation. Every muscle in my body was sore and my lungs were on their knees in prayer, but I wasn’t about to admit to it. Eli would have to be exhausted to the point of paralysis before I thought about giving in. I didn’t want to choose this particular moment to wimp out in front of Alexandra.
“I’m fine,” I lied.
Her eyes challenged mine. “You’re fine?”
I forced back an incriminating cough. “Yeah.”
“All right, then let me get on your back.”
“Good idea,” Gia jumped in. “What about it, Eli?”
Eli and I exchanged a look. “I’m game,” he answered. “One condition, though.”
“And what’s that?” Alexandra asked.
“Catch us,” I replied.
Eli and I took off running and I was somehow able to find the energy to keep going until we reached the summit. An entire twenty minutes later, Alexandra and Gia came hobbling up, and Alexandra didn’t stop moving until she fell into my arms. I kissed her damp forehead as she leaned back into my chest, and the four of us silently stared out at the sunset. She reached for my hand and brought my palm up to her lips, and I pressed another kiss against her forehead. There, leaning into my body like that, she belonged nowhere else. It wasn’t even a
Did I mention that this was my train of thought while I was in the middle of my presentation at the American Academy of Pediatrics conference in San Diego? To be fair, Alexandra was sitting front and center, her hair pulled back in a sleek bun so that I could divulge in every shadow of her beautiful face. Eli and Gia had been a few rows back, and when Alexandra had first mentioned that they were tagging along, I’d been a bit apprehensive. Apparently, Eli couldn’t pass up a chance to explore the hiking in San Diego, and Gia never passed up a chance to travel.
I’d assumed that by now, at least one of them would have pulled me aside to warn me to count myself out. That I was no match for Roderick, I wouldn’t fit in with their family, or whatever other excuse they could come up with to question the legitimacy of my relationship with Alexandra. But, neither had. We talked and joked openly. We were actually getting along much better than I could have ever anticipated.
We’d gone to the beach, tried new restaurants, and agreed to join Eli when he went hiking. Gia had tried to talk us out of it, but it wasn’t until several hours into the hiking expedition that we figured out why: we were blazing through our third hiking trail and Eli didn’t look even slightly fazed. In fact, each session had only seemed to invigorate him. I was in extremely good shape, but still had a hard time keeping up with him. The man was an android.
“Eli,” Gia called, panting and bent over. One of the thick, brown stones jutting up from the ground and Alexandra’s tired, unstable shoulder were the only things holding her up.
“Yeah, baby?” he answered.
“If we go on one more trail today, I promise you that I am never having sex with you again. Ever.”
Alexandra laughed, her shoulder gave out, and they both fell to the ground. We stood watching them, and I was grateful for the small break.
“I did go a bit overboard didn’t I?” Eli asked, rubbing the back of his head.
“I can’t feel my toes,” Alexandra cried. “And don’t stand there looking like you’re not tired, Ethan. Your face is damn near hot pink and it’s not because it’s hot out.”
I tossed up my hands in resignation. Every muscle in my body was sore and my lungs were on their knees in prayer, but I wasn’t about to admit to it. Eli would have to be exhausted to the point of paralysis before I thought about giving in. I didn’t want to choose this particular moment to wimp out in front of Alexandra.
“I’m fine,” I lied.
Her eyes challenged mine. “You’re fine?”
I forced back an incriminating cough. “Yeah.”
“All right, then let me get on your back.”
“Good idea,” Gia jumped in. “What about it, Eli?”
Eli and I exchanged a look. “I’m game,” he answered. “One condition, though.”
“And what’s that?” Alexandra asked.
“Catch us,” I replied.
Eli and I took off running and I was somehow able to find the energy to keep going until we reached the summit. An entire twenty minutes later, Alexandra and Gia came hobbling up, and Alexandra didn’t stop moving until she fell into my arms. I kissed her damp forehead as she leaned back into my chest, and the four of us silently stared out at the sunset. She reached for my hand and brought my palm up to her lips, and I pressed another kiss against her forehead. There, leaning into my body like that, she belonged nowhere else. It wasn’t even a
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