Authors: Bec Botefuhr
“Poor GI Joe,
”
“Well, I guess you have to go win the big fella over now hey?”
I laugh. “Hmmmm, Nate could be a little harder than you.”
Ryder laughs, “I
reckon so.”
An hour later Ryder has dressed and gone out to work, and I am left alone with Nate and Heather. When I walk out into the kitchen, they are eating Chinese. Nate is sitting on the bench, and I smile, getting an idea. I shimmy over, and Heather gives me a look as if to say ‘Why are you still here?’
“Hey bubba, you are still here?” Nate says, smiling at me.
“I am
, can I stay a while? Sandy is going out.”
“We are watching movies,” Heather says
, “It won’t be fun.”
“Nate and I love movies, don’t we Nate?”
Nate gives me a warning look, but I simply smile and flicker my eyelashes at him. I walk around the bench, and nestle between his legs. He grins down at me, unable to help himself.
“Can I stay?”
“Of course you can.”
Nate is shirtless, so I tuck my fingers in the band of his jeans, “How’s Trey?”
“Getting there,” he smirks, “How’s Ryder?”
I laugh.
“Sore.”
“What did you two do in
there; I could hear him bellowing like a wounded bull.”
“That’s a secret, he isn’t unhappy tonight, if you know what I mean?”
Heather snorts rudely, and lifts her chopsticks to mouth, “Nate, mind if I crawl in bed with you again tonight? I had another nightmare.”
Nate has been letting Heather sleep in his bed
? I look up at him with a hurt expression and he smiles weakly. I thought I was the only woman who could get into bed with him, why has he taken a liking to dragon lady? I step away from Nate, feeling hurt. He grips my shoulder, not allowing me to move any further away from him. His eyes hold a warning.
“Did I say something wrong?” Heather asks, actually trying to sound innocent.
“Nothing, Maya and I share a lot that’s all. I promised her my bed tonight, sorry Heather.”
I flinch, and Nate tightens his grip on my arm and mouths ‘stop it.’ I pull away, spinning around to take a bowl from the cupboard and serve myself some food.
Breathe; don’t let her see she is getting to you. That’s what she wants, it’s how people like her work.
“What movie are we watching?” I say through grit teeth, with my back to Nate.
I hear shuffling, and then I feel arms go around my waist. Nate leans over my shoulder and whispers in my ear, “Stop that bubba, you are over reacting.”
I don’t answer, what can I say? Seems Heather has something to say, because she speaks up, “Why do you call her bubba? She isn’t a child.”
Nate turns, taking me with him, he stays behind me and his arms remain around my waist, “It’s just our thing, I love her.”
“Yes, it seems you love a lot of women. Are you truly gay Nate, or are you just scar
ed to admit you swing both ways? I am fairly sure I am confused after last night.”
Someone might as well have slapped me; I freeze, unable to move. Nate was with her? How could he? I feel insanely jealous, I haven’t felt much jealousy with Nate before because he is usually only with men. I shift out of Nate’s arms and put my bowl down.
“I think I should go now,” I whisper.
“Maya, don’t…”
I spin on him. “I thought you were gay?!”
“She got into bed with me and tried the moves,” he snarls, turning to Heather, “don’t you try and make it out to be something it wasn’t. I turned you down and felt bad for hurting you so I let you stay in my bed. That is where it ended.”
“Whatever Nate,”
“Go to the unit, I am calling James Clancy in the morning.”
She gapes at him, “You don’t mean that.”
“Yes I do, clearly you are here to cause trouble and I won’t allow it. Go to your unit, or I will call him now.”
She throws her fork down and storms out. With a sigh Nate turns to me.
“It wasn’t anything
, believe me, she was trying it on me and it didn’t work.”
“I believe you,” I say, stepping closer and snuggling into him.
He wraps his arms around me and pushes his nose into my hair. “Stay with me tonight?”
“Only if you washed the sheets,
”
He laughs, and snuggles me closer, “
What kind of man do you think I am?”
~*~*~*~
NATE
“
Nate you great lump, move,” Maya groans, shoving my body.
I grumble and roll
, throwing an arm over her. “You aren’t keeping me warm enough.”
“That would be because you keep rolling on me, and trying to suffocate me in my sleep.”
“Well you aren’t close enough; I shouldn’t have to go searching for you.”
“I am scared about what might poke me if I get to close.”
I laugh sleepily, “You only have to worry about that in the morning.”
“Yeah well, keep it away from me.”
“I promise.”
I roll, and
she slides behind me, wrapping her arms around me and pressing her chest to my back. I close my eyes and fall into a restless sleep, my dreams haunting me. I can feel Trey’s body beneath me as I drive into him over and over, he groans, God he is tight. I thrust, desperate for release, desperate to come, it has been so long. I miss him, I need him, I just need to feel someone again.
“NATE!”
“Soon…soon…”
“NATE
, WAKE UP!”
I come, spurting hot, hard jets into his tight body.
God he feels so fucking good, I don’t remember him feeling so good. Suddenly he is shoving me, pushing at my chest forcefully.
“NATE PLEASE!”
I slowly come back into reality, and I am inside…oh fuck…no. I move, and as reality becomes clearer, so does my position. The tiny body underneath me isn’t Trey’s, and she isn’t a he.
“Maya?”
I croak.
“Oh
God…”
I move, and that is when I feel the dampness between us. I am inside her, holy shit no. No. No. Please. No. I pull back quickly, and roll off, panting.
“Maya…oh God, I’m so sorry.”
She is sobbing, her body is heaving. I don’t know what to do? I feel so fucking awful. What can I say? I practically raped her.
“Maya…I didn’t…know…”
“I know,” she whispers, “I know.”
“How long…how long?”
“I woke up because…because I was…having a very erotic dream. When I realized it wasn’t a dream, I started pushing you. That is when you…”
“Oh fuck, oh God no… I am so sorry, God, Maya…”
“Why did that happen?” s
he whispers.
“I am a sexual dreamer, I was dreaming about fucking Trey and then I woke up and it was real, except it wasn’t Trey. I have a problem…I only realized I had it recently, and I should have told you.”
“I don’t understand,” she croaks.
“It’s why I usually sleep fully clothed when I am next to someone. I…Maya I have a sleep disorder where I do things that I don’t realize. I suppose it is like a sleep walker, who can talk and communicate even though they don’t remember it. I didn’t know until Trey, I woke up one night fucking him and couldn’t remember how I got there.”
“But…I am not Trey.”
“I didn’t know that,” I say, reaching out to feel her.
I touch her shoulder and she shudders, I know she is crying, I know she feels awful. How could this happen after everything she has been through?
“Maya, you know I would never hurt you.”
“You didn’t hurt me,” she whispers, “It wasn’t horrible.”
“I am so sorry.”
“What will Ryder think?” She chokes, sobbing heavily.
I get out of bed and pull on some shorts, before flicking on the light. When I catch sight of her in the bed, her hair messy and her clothes disheveled, I feel sick. Her face is red and puffy from crying.
“I’m sorry Maya.”
“How did I not wake up?”
she croaks.
“I don’t know…you were probably dreaming…”
“Oh no…”
“Maya, I wasn’t wearing a con
dom…”
“I’m on the pill,”
she rasps.
“I’m so sorry.”
“I have to go.”
“Maya please…”
She rushes out the door, and slams straight into Ryder. I rush out behind her, and come to a skidding halt. Crap, this won’t be good.
“Hey, whoa, settle down baby…”
“Ryder?” she croaks.
“It’s me, what’s happening?”
“Oh God…”
How could I be so careless? I knew I was having these moments during my sleep
lately and I wasn’t careful enough. Now I have quite possibly fucked up my relationship with the two people that matter.
“What the hell is going on?” Ryder snaps, glaring at me.
“I…you know that night you came into my room because Trey was yelling out?”
“Yeah, when you were dreaming and slamming the poor man.”
“Well…”
Realizations clicks and Ryder’s eyes widen with fury, “No…”
“It was an accident bud, I didn’t know…”
“You raped her, you fucking…”
“He didn’t rape me!” Maya cries, “It wasn’t like that.”
“What the fuck was it like?” Ryder roars.
“He was asleep, he didn’t mean to.”
Ryder’s fist connects with my face before I can think about
it; I stumble backwards and slam into the door frame. Blood pours down my lip and Maya cries out, gripping Ryder’s arm and holding him back.
“You should never have slept in the same bed with her, you knew about your dreams,” he roars.
“I didn’t think it would happen with her, fuck buddy, I love her and would never hurt her.”
“Get the fuck out
Nate; get out before I fucking kill you.”
“Ryder please,” Maya whimpers, “It wasn’t his fault.”
“GET OUT!”
I grip my shirt and keys,
and then I hurry out the door. Fuck, what have I done?
CHAPTER
10
RYDER
“Ryder please,” Maya whispers, as I pace across the room, “He didn’t mean it.”
“He fucked you, without your permission.”
“He was sleeping, it’s not as though he knew.”
“He fucked my girl!”
I turn on her, I know my expression is severe because she flinches and trembles.
“Maya, baby, I know it wasn’t your fault, but I can’t look at him right now.”
“Why didn’t either of you tell me? Why didn’t you say he was having those dreams, then maybe I wouldn’t have gotten into bed with him.”
“So now it’s my fault?” I snarl.
She frowns, “No, but you two should have told me.”
“He shouldn’t have let you sleep in his bed.”
“We always do that when you work, you know that.”
“Yes, but things changed and he knew it, he should have told you.”
“It was an accident.”
“Tell me you are on the pill?”
“You know I am.”
“Thank
God.”
“Ryder, you ha
ve to talk to him about this,” she whispers.
“Not now Maya, don’t push me.”
She nods, and tucks her knees up to her chin. With a sigh, I slide onto the bed beside her and wrap my arms around her.
“Are you ok?”
“I am shaken up; it was a very confusing way to wake up.”
“Did he hurt you?”
“No,” she whispers, “Of course not.”
“Do you want to go to sleep?”
She nods, weakly. I take her into my arms and lay down, she nestles into me. Poor girl, I know how confused she must be right now. She is defending Nate, but I know it is hurting her, I know it has really given her a shake up. I stroke her hair, whispering soothing words to her until she falls asleep in my arms. God, poor Maya, how much more can she take?
~*~*~*~*
MAYA
“Nate, please…” I whisper, as he throws a bag into his car.
“I gotta go for a while Maya, I have to.”
“I don’t want you to go,” I say, as a tear slides down my cheek.
Nate looks over my shoulder at Ryder, who is standing with his arms crossed by the door of the apartment.
“He can’t stand me right now, he needs a break.”
“You didn’t mean it.”
He strokes my cheek, “I fucked up Maya,
I need to go.”
“Please…”
He grips my shoulders and pulls me in for a hug, “I will never forgive myself for this.”