It’s all going the way it should, I thought. Guilt, however, mixed in with my pleasure. I couldn’t help being tentative, a little reluctant. He felt it and stopped.
“Want to go inside?” he asked.
“Yes,” I said, and we reentered the house.
He led me to the bedroom in which we had made love. In moments, we were at each other, the hesitation quickly washed away by my own heat and passion. The intensity of it surprised me. He was surprised, too, but welcomed it as an indication of how much I wanted and loved him.
This time, however, I hardened faster in the places I had hardened before and became more aggressive. He started to laugh and then pretended to cry out for mercy. Maybe he’s not pretending, I thought, but I couldn’t stop. I kissed him more demandingly than he kissed me, rushed him to undress, and became impatient with how long he was taking to und
ress me. When we were naked, I rolled him over and mounted him.
“Wait!” he cried. “I’m not prepared.”
“It’s all right. We’ll be fine,” I said, too impatient to wait.
My hunger made him ravenous. With all abandon gone, we made love until he begged for mercy, laughing but astonished.
“I don’t know if you were loving me or trying to kill me,” he said, half joking. He paused, studying me a moment. “Do you work out or something? You have real muscle definition.”
“I work out,” I said, reaching for the blanket to cover my nudity.
“I’d better start working out harder myself to keep up with you.”
He rose and put on one of his uncle’s robes that was hanging on a closet door. He looked at his watch.
“Our food should be here any moment,” he said. “I need some nourishment after that.” He sat on the bed and took my hand, gently playing with my fingers. “Why should I be so lucky? I keep asking myself that.”
“Maybe you’re not.”
“I love it when you’re modest.” He sighed and looked around. “My uncle’s returning next week. We’ll lose our love nest for a while.”
Longer than a while, I thought.
“I’ll figure something out,” he quickly added. “Don’t worry.”
“I’m sure you would,” I said.
“Will, not would.”
We heard the doorbell.
“That’s the food. Don’t move. I’ll bring it all in here. We’ll spend all our time in bed until we have to leave. Consider this our honeymoon.”
I said nothing. It was all going the way it was supposed to go.
“What do you want to drink now?”
“Just some water again,” I said.
“Coming right up. Whew,” he said, laughing. He dug his wallet out of his pants, smiled, and then went out to get our food.
“You want any help?” I called.
“Don’t you move!” he shouted back. “I know a good thing when I see it.”
I looked around. My body felt as if it was cooling down, the madness of my lovemaking dissipating. Outside, a cloud moved over the sun, and an ominous shadow washed over the window, darkening the room for a few moments. I felt a chill, like what someone might feel if he or she knew he or she was being watched. Was Ava there spying on me?
I heard him returning, proclaiming how delicious it all smelled.