PLD Chapter 13

“So,” Jan whispered excitedly. “You did the hanky panky.”

Keeley blushed and narrowed her eyes as the teenage froyo cashier behind the counter snorted at Jan’s words. “I want you to tell me all about it, Keeley Burns,” Jan continued, leading them to a booth in the back corner.

Keeley looked at the two kids sitting in the booth next to them; maybe picking a frozen yogurt place wasn’t the brightest or best idea after all. She smiled coyly as she twirled her spoon in the cup of pomegranate yogurt. “Jan,” she said taking a bite, “it’s just sex.”

Her best friend exhaled loudly. Then she dipped her spoon in her own yogurt and flicked it at Keeley. “Jan!” Keeley exclaimed as it landed squarely on her shoulder. Jan snickered. Keeley lowered her voice and with a small smile said, “I love him, Jan.”

Jan rolled her eyes, but she was smiling. “I can tell, babes.”

She took a deep breath. “But, it was different—,” Keeley started.

“—whoa, different? What do you mean ‘different’?”

 “I’m getting there, Jan.”

“Does it not work? Is that what you mean by it’s ‘different’? Oh God,” she sighed. “Keels . . .”

“Jan!” Keeley said exasperatedly. “Would you shut up and let me just explain?”

Her friend nodded.

Keeley shifted uncomfortably in her seat as she tried to choose the right words. “It’s not that it doesn’t work, per se. More that it’s . . .” She looked over at the booth beside them. One of the kids was up front trying to get the pomegranate flavor machine to work. Keeley watched as one of the workers went over and jiggled the button the right way. “…temperamental,” she finally decided.

She started off telling Jan exactly how the L word had been uttered. She tried to explain the feelings that had coursed through her body as she’d looked at Clay and as he’d looked back at her adoringly. She recounted how he’d pulled her into his lap and softly whispered he’d loved her in her ear, how she’d said it back.

As she told Jan all about it she was transported back to that moment. She could feel Clay’s arms around her and the heat emanating off of his body. She could feel her heart beating out of her chest and the shivers going down her spine as he ever so gently kissed the nape of her neck, and then the warm and tingly feeling she felt all over as the kisses intensified.

His rough hands moved from caressing her neck to exploring her body as she sat on his lap there in the kitchen. Keeley slipped her arms around him, holding the back of his neck with one hand and gently scratching his scalp with the other. She kissed his forehead.

Keeley slowly and tenderly moved her hands across his chest as he continued kissing her. In the back of her head she thought to herself that she’d never felt so right and content and happy and . . . passionate with Brent. She’d never felt the need to have him right then and there, even when they were first married.

Clay had chuckled. And that’s when Keeley, much to her horror, realized her inner thoughts had become an outward monologue. “This always happens to you, doesn’t it Keels?” he asked as he nuzzled her neck. She blushed.

Now they were in the bedroom. His hands moved to her hips, holding her, protecting her. He tenderly lifted her off his lap and onto the bed, all of the previous night’s reservations and hesitations lost and forgotten, pushed out of each of their minds by the electricity in the air between them.

Keeley fell back onto the bed, already panting heavily. She felt lightheaded as Clay gently tickling the inside of her thighs. She giggled softly as his scruff tickled her. He teased her by kissing her clit softly, sucking and moving his tongue just enough to send shockwaves of pleasure up and down her body, the feeling so intense she practically couldn’t stand it.

“Clay…” she breathed as he pulled away suddenly. Keeley couldn’t move, but she could imagine the mischevious look on her boyfriend’s face as he peeked up at her. “Don’t stop.”

She heard a light chuckling and then felt his tongue on her once again. His rough hands caressed her hips and his tongue gently moved around her outer lips. He moved his mouth closer and closer to her clit, close enough to barely flick it and then pulled away—

“Jesus,” Jan said, interrupting Keeley’s story. “He’s giving you the female version of blue balls.”

Keeley laughed. She took a bite of her yogurt and smirked. “Should I continue?”

“Yes, yes,” Jan answered, waving her spoon around, sending bits of black cherry frozen yogurt into the air. “But skip ahead to the good parts.”

Keeley wiped a pink spot of yogurt off her shoulder, laughing and continued.

She felt as if she were going to explode when Clay pulled away. She must have whimpered a little bit because Clay chuckled as he quickly transferred onto the bed beside her and then wrapped his muscular arms around her. He paused for a minute and stroked her cheek. Keeley met his intense stare. “God, I love you,” he said.

“Well, I love you too, Mr. Whitlow,” she replied as she slipped one hand around the back of his neck and pulled him closer. She tenderly kissed everything she could reach. She gently pushed his shoulders until he was laying flat on the bed. She slowly traced his happy trail down to the waistband of his plaid pajama pants. Slow, Keels, she reminded herself, thinking of the previous night.

But, much to her surprise, she heard Clay mumble “Yeah.”

She slipped her hand into the waistband of his pants and felt him at half-mast. She slowly rubbed up and down, rubbing in circles and gently stroking it at times, yet, it never hardened anymore that it already was. Keeley looked at Clay. He looked like he was tolerating what she was doing because he knew she wanted to do it, but in his eyes she saw fear. Fear that she’d be disgusted. Fear that she’d be disappointed. Fear that she’d get fed up and leave. She stopped and crawled up next to him. “I love you,” she whispered in his ear. “And that’s what matters.”

He nodded. “Even after this?”

“Good God, Clay!” Keeley answered in an exasperated voice. “You know what? I never like giving blowjobs or handjobs anyway, so I don’t mind. I’m glad I don’t have to do that.”

Clay’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. Damnit. Think, Keels. You need to think before you speak. That’s probably a sensitive top-pic…Keeley could feel her cheeks turning red and opened her mouth to apologize but Clay put his finger on her lips to stop her. He was chuckling lightly and shaking his head. “I love you, Keeley Burns.”

Keeley smiled sheepishly. “You’re getting downright mushy, Mr. Whitlow.” Clay laughed and sat up. “Where’re you going?”

“I’ll be right back,” he replied, transferring into his wheelchair and rolling towards the bathroom.

Keeley wracked her brain as to what he could be doing. Sure, they weren’t exactly in the throes of passion anymore, but still, she didn’t expect him to run like that. She was contemplating whether or not to get up and get dressed when he came back and transferred to the bed without a word of explanation.

She gave him a pointed look. He smiled tightly. “I took a pill. It’ll kick in in a few minutes. Until then…?”

“Until then . . .” she said, kissing his cheek. “I’m going to continue doing this.” And she kissed his bare chest, gently tweaked his nipples, and licked his collarbone. She rubbed his shoulders, moving in circles. He kissed her body every chance he could and everywhere he could reach.

“Now,” he whispered. He quickly slid his pants off, wiggling them down past his hips and then pulling his legs out one at a time. He looked like he was about to apologize when Keeley shook her head and kissed him instead—

“So,” Jan said, interrupting Keeley again. “He had to take a pill to get hard enough to have sex?”

“Jesus,” Jan muttered, shaking her head. “So that’s what you mean by temperamental?” Keeley nodded again. Her best friend sighed somberly and held her hand out for Keeley’s empty froyo cup. When she came back from the trashcan she was smiling again. “So, you never quite answered my question, Keeley Burns. How was the sex?”

Keeley laughed. “It was sex, Jan. Except I was on top and had to do a lot more of the—” she looked around to make sure there weren’t any children in hearing range. “--thrusting.”

Jan laughed. “And then we cuddled,” Keeley added. And did other things, Keeley added to herself. But Jan didn’t need to know the exact number of sexual activities they’d partaken in yesterday and that morning. Some mystery surrounding one’s life was good.