Tightrope

Chapter 14

Previously:

"Promise me you won't let him touch you. Promise me," he said, holding her face gently in his hands. "I don't care about what happened before, but from this moment on, please promise me."

She covered his hands with hers, her thumbs rubbing over his knuckles. She looked into his eyes for a long moment and nodded.

He let out the breath he'd been holding. "Thank you, Sanem."

She turned around and walked out the door.

***

Sanem surveyed her appearance in the mirror. Her hair was in disarray, her cheeks and chest were flushed, there was a faint redness around her mouth and on her neck from his beard, her lips were swollen and red from kissing Can, and her bottom lip was even more swollen from when he bit her.

She ran her fingers through her hair to tame it. She found a washcloth in one of the cabinets and ran it under cold water; she wiped her face and neck with it, and she tried to calm the swelling of her lips by pressing the cold cloth to her mouth--it was a little better, but not much. She knew her friends would take one look at her and know what she'd been up to. "Ah, Sanem, ah! I can't believe you! What were you thinking?" she said to herself in the mirror.

She wasn't thinking; that was the problem. She'd let her jealousy and her desire for him control her, and now she had a busted lip and she wasn't wearing any panties. She rolled her eyes at her reflection. "What have you gotten yourself into?" she whispered. Her lack of underwear made her even more aware of what had just happened and made her feel exposed--like everyone would be able to see. She continued to clean herself up--she needed to get back to the party.

But, oh...it was amazing, she thought to herself as she rinsed out the washcloth. She couldn't help the little smile that crept onto her face when she thought about him. She swore she could still feel the aftershocks of her orgasm coursing through her body, and her sex was still pulsing between her legs. She ran her tongue over her bottom lip and the sting of it was satisfying, like she could still feel his mouth on her. She craved more of him. Now that she'd had him, she didn't know how she'd be able to stay away from him.

Guilt gnawed at her; she'd acted with no thought at all for Metin or how he'd feel if he found out. She had to be honest with herself--there was no way she was going to choose Metin over Can. She owed it to Metin to be honest with him, and she needed to do it soon.

***

"I brought the wine!" Can said, raising two bottles in the air as he walked out of the kitchen to the patio. His cheerful voice belied his heavy heart; he and Sanem had just had sex again for the first time since he was 17, but it didn't happen the way he'd dreamed it would all these years. It had been passionate, yes, but it was rushed and risky, and in joining with her, he'd betrayed his best friend. Guilt sat on his heart like lead.

All the years he'd been apart from her, he'd made love to her in his imagination: He'd lay her down in his bed and kiss her until she was soft and heated with wanting him. Then he'd remove her clothes slowly, kissing her body as he uncovered it. She would squirm under his hands and mouth, making the beautiful sounds he remembered her making when they'd been together. He'd finally get her completely bare, and he'd bury his face between her legs and devour her until she couldn't take it anymore. Then he'd kiss his way up her body to her lips. In his dreams, she kissed him, tasting herself on him, and then she pushed him onto his back and straddled him, lowering herself onto him. She'd take control from there, and he'd look up at her with adoration in his eyes. His hands would roam her body, feeling her soft skin and her lush curves. She'd lean down and kiss him as her hips kept moving against him, and she'd fall apart in his arms, and he'd follow, whispering in her ear that he loved her--he loved her so much and he'd never let her go.