Shameless (10 page)

I wanted to say something sexual, something
that would let her know that I wasn’t a goddamn pussy who couldn’t keep it up,
but instead I buried my face in her throat and breathed deeply.  She smelled good,
a delicious combination of vanilla and coconut, and my arms tightened around
her until she gasped.

“Sorry,” I mumbled and loosened my grip.

“It’s fine.  Go to sleep, Riley.”

“Will you stay?”  The pleading was back in
my voice but this time I was too tired to care.

“Yes,” she promised.  “Now sleep.”

When I woke, we were in the exact same
position.  I tilted my head back and stared blearily at Maddie.

“Hey, how are you feeling?”  She asked.

“Better,” I said before clearing my
throat.  “What time is it?”

She craned her head to stare at the alarm
clock.  “Just about five.  Are you hungry?”

“A little.”

She eased away, rubbing at her arm as she
sat up in bed.  I frowned.  “What’s wrong with your arm?”

“Pins and needles,” she said briefly.

“You should have woken me so you could
move.”  I was feeling embarrassed again but Maddie just shrugged it off.

“You were sleeping pretty deeply and I
didn’t want to disturb you.  You need rest, Riley.”

“Yeah,” I muttered.  “I gotta take a piss.”

She helped me sit up but I was able to
swing my legs out of bed and, bracing my hands on the mattress, stand up on my
own. 

“Good job,” Maddie clapped lightly and I
rolled my eyes as I moved slowly toward the bathroom.

“It’s not that impressive.  Fuck, I hate
being this weak,” I said.

“You were shot, Riley.  You’re luck you’re
not dead,” she said as she slid off the bed and grabbed her ridiculously thick
robe.  “I’m going to start dinner.”

She left the room and I used the bathroom
before brushing my teeth.  In all truthfulness I was feeling much better.  I
had slept deeply and nightmare free for nearly four hours and I couldn’t
believe what a difference it made in how I felt.

I stretched gingerly and left the
bathroom.  I didn’t want to get back into bed.  As comfortable as Maddie’s bed
was, I was tired of the invalid routine.  I glanced at my naked body before
checking out Maddie’s closet.  My clothes were gone, Maddie had told me earlier
that they were soaked in blood and she had threw them in the trash, and I
searched through her clothes.  Plenty of business suits and t-shirts and yoga
pants - my cock stirred at the memory of her ass in those tight yoga pants - a few
pairs of jeans and not much else.

I couldn’t ignore the small trickle of
relief at not finding a single item of men’s clothing.  Not that I thought she
was lying about her fiancé but I didn’t want to see even a single piece of
evidence that another man had once shared her bed.

Why is that?  She doesn’t belong to you,
asshole.  Stop acting like she does. 

I ignored my inner voice and concentrated
on finding something to wear.  I was perfectly comfortable strolling around
naked but I was confident Maddie wouldn’t care for it.  I was just starting to
think that my only choices were nudity or a towel around my waist when I caught
sight of a large wicker basket on the closet shelf.  Holding my side, I
stretched for it and tested its weight.  It wasn’t heavy and I eased it off the
shelf and peered into it.

“You’ve been holding back on me, kitten,” I
murmured in delight as I pulled the sheer, pink nightie out of the basket.  I
held it up to the light, picturing the way Maddie would look in it, before
setting it aside.  A scrap of lace that was the matching panties came out
next.  I looked around almost guiltily before pressing the panties against my
face and inhaling.  They smelled like laundry soap and I placed them on top of
the nightdress before pulling out the robe.  It was soft and silky and pale
pink in colour and I shook it out before shrugging and trying it on.  It was
snug across the shoulders and barely fell past my ass but it at least covered
my dick.  I tied the silk belt around my waist and placed the lingerie back in
the basket before heading slowly to the kitchen.

* * *

M
addie

“That smells really good,” Riley said
gruffly.

“Thanks,” I replied without turning
around.  I had heard him shuffling down the hallway and had almost left the
kitchen to help but I had a feeling it wouldn’t be appreciated.  Being weak,
relying on others, was as foreign to Riley as a life peddling drugs was to me
and I had decided to leave him alone.  He could always call for me if he needed
me.

“It’s just reheated lasagna,” I said as I
opened the oven door and added a loaf of foil-wrapped garlic bread next to the
lasagna.  “I work late so often that I usually cook a bunch of meals ahead of
time and freeze them.”

I closed the oven door and swung around. 
“Do you want something to…”

I trailed off and my mouth dropped open. 
Riley, wearing the pale, pink robe from the lingerie set I had bought on a whim
and only worn once, was sinking carefully into one of the kitchen chairs.

“What?”  He grinned at me and carefully
smoothed the robe down as I burst into giggles.

“That’s quite the look,” I snickered.

“I look good in pink, kitten.  Admit it,”
he said.

“The colouring does go well with your skin
tone,” I said.

“Thanks,” he said with another grin.

“Do you want a drink?”  I asked.

“Do you have any beer?”

“No, afraid not.  You can’t have it anyway,
you’re on pain meds, remember?  I have water, milk and juice.”

“Water is fine,” he said.

I sat a glass of water in front of Riley
and he watched silently as I set the table.  I took the lasagna and the garlic
bread out of the oven and sliced the bread before dishing up a piece on each
plate.

“Careful, it’s hot,” I said as I sat across
from him.

He ate a bite and closed his eyes in
delight.  “Jesus, this is fucking delicious, Maddie.”

“Thank you,” I said.  “I like to cook.”

He was attacking the lasagna and the garlic
bread, nearly shoving the food into his mouth and when he was finished I placed
another piece on his plate without comment.  He took his time with that one and
leaned back with a soft sigh when his plate was clear.

“Christ, I haven’t eaten food that good
since my mother died,” he said.

“Did she pass away recently?”  I asked.  I
was insanely curious about his life.

“About two years ago,” he replied. 
“Cancer.”

“I’m sorry,” I said.  “Were you close to
her?”

“Yeah.”

“What about your dad?”  I asked hesitantly.

“He took off when I was a teenager.”

I gave him a look of sympathy and he
scowled.  “It was a good thing.”

“Do you have any siblings?”

A look of pain crossed his face before he
shook his head.  “No.”

I knew instinctively that he was lying but
his face had closed over and he was staring mulishly at his empty plate.

I stood and started to clear the table. 
“Are you still hungry?”

“No.  It was really good,” he said
gruffly.  “Thanks, Maddie.”

“You’re welcome.”

“What about you?”  He asked abruptly. 
“Your folks still alive?”

“They are,” I said.  “They live in North
Carolina but we usually see each other once a year or so.  I’m not super close
with my dad but my mom and I text and Skype a lot.”

“Your dad a dick?”

I smiled and shook my head.  “No.  He just
really wanted a boy but my mom had a difficult pregnancy with me and nearly
died in childbirth.  She was advised not to have any more kids.  My dad loves
me but he’s sad about not getting the son he always wanted.  It made our
relationship a bit strained when I was a teenager.”

“You like being a lawyer?”  He asked.

“I do.  I work for a pretty big firm and I
haven’t been a lawyer for that long so I sometimes get the shit work but I
don’t mind.”

“You work with criminals, shit like that?”

“Oh God no,” I said.  “We’re a family law
practice.  Divorces, child support, that sort of thing.  We take on a lot of
pro bono work.  The head partner of the firm had a, well, a rough childhood,
and so he takes on a lot of cases for single moms who don’t have much money. 
It’s a good firm to work for.  I feel like I’m making a difference, you know?”

He shrugged.  “No, I guess I don’t.”

I cleared my throat and glanced at the pink
robe.  “How long have you been, uh…”

“A drug dealer?”  He asked.

“Yeah,” I said softly.

“A couple of years.”

“What did you do before that?”

“Construction, mostly.  I had to drop out
of high school when my dad left.  We were broke and ma’s job at the grocery
store didn’t pay enough to support us.  I was big for my age and they believed
me when I said I was eighteen.”

He was giving me a sullen, almost
embarrassed look. “Bet your parents would shit themselves if they knew you
fucked a man who doesn’t even have a high school degree.”

I shrugged.  “My dad isn’t invested enough
in my life to care and my mom, well,” I paused and smiled a little, “she sees
the good in almost everyone.”

He didn’t reply and I tugged nervously at
the collar of my robe as he shifted and then winced. 

“Are you tired?  Maybe you should lie down
again.”

He shook his head.  “I’m tired of lying in
bed.”

I bit my bottom lip.  “Why don’t we go to
the living room and watch some TV?”

He nodded and stood gingerly before
following me out of the kitchen.

* * *

R
iley

“How’s that?”  Maddie asked anxiously.  “Do
you need another blanket?”

I shook my head.  Maddie’s sofa was a small
sectional and she had helped me stretch out on the chaise part before tucking a
blanket around me.

“Are you sure?  I can grab another one from
the closet.”

“I’m fine,” I said.  “Stop fussing over
me.”  I gave her a surly look that she ignored.

She sat on the far end of the couch and
turned on the TV as I smoothed down the blanket.  Truthfully, I was kind of
enjoying her fussing.  Not that I wanted her to be my goddamn mother or
anything but it was kind of nice to have someone worry about me.  She’d think I
was a fucking pussy if she knew that though so I glared again at her as she
flipped through the channels.

“I’m not watching some ridiculous woman
show,” I said.

She laughed.  “Well, it’s my house and my
remote control so I guess you’re watching what I want to watch.  Unless,” she
arched her eyebrow at me, “you want to wrestle for the remote?”

I rolled my eyes and she grinned cheekily
at me as a man in a tux popped on to the screen.  He was standing in front of a
large group of women dressed in evening gowns and there was a tray of roses
beside him.

“What the hell is this?”  I asked.

“It’s ‘The Bachelor’,” Maddie replied. 
“It’s a reality show about finding love.”

I snorted loudly.

“It is,” she insisted.  “He dates all of
those women and each week whittles them down until he finds his true love.”

“Sounds like a way to just fuck as many
women as possible and get away with it,” I said.

“They don’t have sex!”

“Yeah, right.  You’re telling me that guy
doesn’t bone those chicks?”  I said.

“Well, not always,” she replied.  “Now be
quiet, I want to see who he picks.”

“You seriously watch this every week?”  I
asked.

“Yes,” she said without a single bit of
shame.  “Well, actually I record it.  I’m about eight episodes behind so don’t
be watching ahead while I’m at work and spoiling it for me.”

I snorted again.  “Like I’d be caught dead
watching this show.”

“Oh hush, you might like it,” she said.

“Doubtful,” I grunted before relaxing
against the couch.

It was nearly two hours later when she
paused the TV and studied me closely.  “You’re pale, Riley.”

The pain was bad and I was tired but I
didn’t want to admit it.  It was barely eight and I was pretty sure Maddie
wouldn’t climb into bed with me.  The thought of going back to bed without her,
of falling asleep without her, made fear curl in my belly.

“I’m fine,” I said.  “Let’s watch another
episode of your stupid show.”

“No,” she said before shutting off the TV. 
“C’mon, it’s time for bed.”

“You always go to bed at eight?”  I muttered
as she pulled off the blanket and helped me to my feet.

She shrugged.  “I’m not much of a night owl
but even eight is early for me.  I’ll lie in bed with you and read for a
while.”

I tried to hide the relief on my face.  “I
don’t need you to go to bed with me.”

“I know.”  Her voice was carefully
neutral.  “Listen, I can sleep in the guest room if you don’t – “

“No,” I said a bit too quickly, “I’m not
kicking you out of your own damn bed.”