I laughed. "No, it's not the morgue, but I wish it were. I'll bet the benefits are great. See you later, Ro."
He walked out, and I locked the door and flipped the sign to closed. I allowed myself the pleasure of watching him walk back across the street. "Oh wow, Ray, there's one big bright spot in all this shit."
twenty
. . .
Ronan
Music and laughter rolled down the stairs as I climbed up to the apartment. The noise was coming from our apartment. I walked inside. "There's Ro," Tiffany said. She'd been a longtime friend of Colin's. She'd brought along her friend, Katie, who I'd gone out with a few times. We didn't click, although that hadn't stopped us from falling into bed together more than once.
Colin was dropping slices of pizza onto plates. His friend Bucky, a guy he snowboarded with, was mixing drinks in the blender.
"Dude, you look like you need a shower," Colin said. "Hurry before the pizza gets cold."
I peeled off my coat. Normally, I didn't mind a party, but it had been a long day of moving cinder blocks, and my afternoon visit to the diner hadn't gone as expected. Rachel was in a lot of financial trouble, and it killed me that I couldn't help her. For a second, it seemed that she was going to break it off so she could focus on her problems. I was relieved she didn't break up with me, but it also made me realize I'd already gotten myself in deep with Rachel. I wanted her to be a part of my life. The only problem was my life was nearly as upside down as hers, the onlydifference being I didn't have a kid to make things even more stressful.
"So, Ro, how's it going?" Katie rested her hands and then her chin on the back of the chair to look at me. "You're looking hot as usual." Katie had shiny black hair and light blue eyes. She was stunning but always managed to end up with the wrong man. Her last boyfriend turned out to be married with two kids and a dog and the whole fucking thing. She had no idea until he accidentally texted her that he'd pick up Brianna on the way home from work. Brianna was his ten-year-old daughter, and the text had been meant for his wife.
"Right back at ya." It was the most I could come up with. I wasn't in a flirting mood. That was mostly due to the fact that Rachel had wrapped herself so tightly around my heart already, I couldn't see myself with another woman. Even one as hot as Katie. "I'll go shower." I was glad for the excuse to leave the party.
I stripped and left a pile of dirty work clothes in the laundry basket I'd bought for my closet. My room was the only place Rachel and I had for privacy, so I decided to make it less of a pigsty. I was even making my bed these days. I walked into the bathroom. My phone rang from the nightstand. It was Rachel FaceTiming me.
I flicked open the screen, and her beautiful face appeared. "Hey," she said in a sultry whisper. "I'm just getting in the shower, and I'm standing naked in my tiny little bathroom, and all I can think about is standing naked in your arms."
My cock hardened instantly, and a deep guttural sound came up from my chest. "Show me." My voice was hoarse with wanting her.
Rachel slowly moved the phone down along her neck and down to her breasts. Her nipples were taut. She touched one,giving it a teasing pinch. My low growl matched her breathy moan.
"Lower, baby," I commanded.
Her flat, smooth stomach rolled past my screen, then her phone stopped at her pussy.
My cock pulsed with need. "Touch yourself, baby." I could barely get the words out.
She sucked in a breath as her hand pushed between her thighs. She stroked her pussy and moved against the pressure of her hand.
"That's it, baby. Make it so hot and wet that I can hear it. Hold the phone closer." Soft, erotic mewls came through the phone.
"I want to be inside you so badly, baby. I'm not going to be satisfied unless I'm buried inside of you, making you scream my name."
Her hand moved faster, and her breaths were coming in short spurts. "Your voice. I need to hear you," she said breathlessly.
"Baby, I'm there fucking you right now. Holding you tight over my cock. God, baby you're making me so damn hard. I want to hear you cum. I want to hear you."
A small cry escaped her lips, and her body shuddered. "Oh, Ronan," she whispered. "I wish you were here with me right now."
"So do I." The laughter and voices grew louder out in the living room. "I'm going to spend the rest of the night thinking about this damn phone call, Ray. Just imagine me there between your thighs because that's where I'll be in my head all fucking night."
Her soft giggle floated through the phone. "I can't believe I just did that over the phone."
"You've never done that before? Well, Ray, job well done. I just wish I was seeing you tonight."
"I know. Me too." She giggled again. "Obviously. All I did was take off my clothes to shower, and my body went right into craving mode. All I could think about was you. I've got to get ready for work."
"All right. Thanks for the good time."
She was still laughing as she hung up. I stood in the shower for long enough to take care ofthingsand to wash the stink of the day off me. The music had gotten louder. The small party was in full swing, and all I could think about was flopping face-first into bed. Apparently, work and having someone who meant more to me than a quick fuck had killed my party instinct.