“But…” She puts her glass down after taking a healthy sip. Her hands find my neck and I haven’t looked but I assume she’s touching any marks that Kevin left after his hand was wrapped around my throat. It didn’t hurt as much as the fact that he actually did it. The physical pain was there but the mental anguish and emotional pain was worse. She runs her fingertips over my pulse point. “It’s bruised here. It looks like…” Tears flood her eyes. “I’m so sorry.”

“Hey, none of that.” I brush my nose against hers and then peck her lips. “He was angry and I would rather he take it out on me than you. I couldn’t even handle him yelling at you. I was ready to snap.”

“You did.” She laughs. “You actually yelled at my dad for yelling at me.”

“I didn’t yell.” I take a sip of my drink and decide it’s good before helping her off the counter and moving toward the living room. “I didn’t like his tone with you.”

“His tone!?” She giggles. “The way he talked to me was the mildest of his temper today.”

“I don’t care.”

It’s still raining or else I’d suggest going to my patio but we settle on the couch and she sits in my lap before dropping her head into the crook of my shoulder. I feel her pressing feather-light kisses to my neck and I wrap my arms around her, holding her close and not wanting her to move for anything.

“So, about my ass…” I start, wanting to divert the conversation away from something so heavy. In the car, she said she wanted to forget and this was doing the complete opposite.

Her head perks up, and she eyes me. “Do you still have it?”

“I do.” I nod, referring to the strap-on she’s used to fuck me.

“Are you still into the idea of us doing that?”

“I’m into doing anything with you. Anything you want. Everything.”

I’d never explored that with anyone until I met her. And honestly, how we came to that was because she’d never done anal sex before and when the idea of us trying it came up, she looked me dead in my eye and said, “you can have mine if I can have yours.” It took me a few weeks to get on board with the idea, but one night after a few too many whiskeys and a drunk naked Whitney, I let her pink cheeks and even pinker pussy convince me to try it.