Let Me Love You

Chapter 2

Norma lay in bed, frustrated, cursing herself. Everything had been going so well between her and Alex and she just had to go and fuck it all up. After hours of tossing and turning, she gave up on sleep, climbing out of bed and sneaking down the hallway toward his room. Before realizing what she was doing, she was outside his door, secretly hoping that he was awake.

She turned the knob, not bothering to knock, and peeked inside. He lay facing the door, breathing heavily and looking so handsome that she was immediately drawn toward him.

When she came to the side of the bed, she reached a hand out to stroke his cheek as gently as she could manage. A slow smile spread across her face and for the first time, she felt a flicker of hope. Maybe he would forgive her one day. The smile faded almost as quickly as it had come when reality hit her: then again, probably not.

She turned around quickly, exiting the room without a backward glance and closed his door again. What she didn't know was that he had been awake the whole time. He hadn't gotten a moment of sleep all night either.

His eyes opened again the moment the door closed behind her and his heart picked up in double-time. His hand made its way to his cheek, tracing the path her fingers had taken just a moment before and he eventually, finally found sleep.

**

When he woke the next morning, everything was a blur. It took him a moment to remember the events of the previous night but when the details finally returned to him, he threw the covers off his body and made his way downstairs. He was all nerves as he walked into the kitchen, surprised when he found it empty and a note on the table.

Alex,

I had to run some errands. There's breakfast on the top shelf in the fridge for you. Have a great day at work. See you tonight.

Norma

He read and reread the note, trying to pick up on her mood through the words on the page. It was obvious she was avoiding him; who runs errands at 7 am? He wondered what tonight would be like. Would she make him dinner? Would they eat together? Would she excuse herself right after and go upstairs for the night, or would she spend some time with him?

He got ready for work robotically, his mind focused on one thing. As he showered, his thoughts flitted to her naked body and his lips suddenly remembered what it had felt like to finally kiss her. His eyes drifted shut of their own accord as his hand fell lower, over his abs and wrapped around his already growing length. He shivered and shuddered under the warm water, his mind consumed with only her as he brought himself closer to ecstasy. This wouldn't take long at all. When he finally reached his peak, it was Norma's name that escaped his lips. He briefly thought about what it would feel like to actually make love to her. To take her gently, hearing her soft, inviting voice moaning his name as he claimed her.

Enough, he thought as he shut off the water and climbed out.

The rest of the day crept by, painfully slowly. He was almost useless, his attention divided and he found himself asking people to repeat themselves several times.

When he finally finished for the day, he rushed out of the office, jumping in the SUV and speeding home. The eagerness wore off as soon as the motel came into view and his hands began to shake.

He pulled up beside her Mercedes and took a few steadying breaths before shutting off the car and climbing the steps.

"Norma?" he called out as he stepped into the house.

"In the kitchen," she replied, her voice oddly chipper and he immediately relaxed.

When he came around the corner, he stopped in the doorway. She was slicing bread by the sink and her back was to him. He couldn't resist the sudden temptation to watch her move, his heart swelling at her beauty. Her grace. Before he could get too carried away, he cleared his throat and she whirled around to face him.