The following morning, as the sun streamed through her bedroom window, Celia woke to find an arm wrapped around her torso. Parker's hand cupped her left breast. She shifted, and his hand squeezed. He had manipulated her nipple to land between his forefinger and middle finger, gently scissoring it. His penis lay cozy on the back of her thigh; it twitched on occasion, but she didn't feel the rigidity of a hard-on. He yawned. She caught a whiff of his morning breath—not bad, considering. A sense of safety and contentment draped over her. She smiled.
Dinner had been fun, and then one thing led to another. A sense of ease nestled on her as she relived the fantastic night of sex and cuddling.
Parker stirred. He squeezed her tight and hummed. Pulling her even closer, he rubbed his chest against her back and she felt the stubble. A gentle kiss landed on her shoulder.
"Good morning," he said with a grin.
"Good morning back at ya." She reached back and put her hand on his thigh. "Want some coffee?" she asked.
"What time is it? I have to pick up Kevin at nine."
She checked the bedside clock. "Seven forty-five. I think you have time."
He smiled. His hand left her breast, and he brushed her cheek with the back of his fingers, sweeping a blond strand of hair from her face.
"That sounds nice."
Sliding out of bed, Celia headed straight for the bathroom. Still naked, she stopped at the door. "Me first. I'll be out in a jiffy. I'll leave a new toothbrush on the counter." Closing the door, she performed her morning routine of peeing, brushing, and rinsing. Exiting the bathroom, she threw on a T-shirt and pink drawstring Bermuda shorts. "Meet me downstairs when you're ready."
Ten minutes later, the coffee brewed as Parker waltzed down the stairs, his hair wet, whistling a Garth song. He walked into the kitchen and floated over to Celia. Wrapping his arms around her waist, he kissed the back of her neck. "What are your plans for today?" he asked as he nibbled her ear. That tickled, causing Celia's shoulders to rise up high. She wiggled away.
"My day is going to be filled with a wonder of new adventures and exciting events. Laundry. House cleaning. Car washing. I'm so excited, and I just can't hide it!" she said as though these things truly were incredible.
Parker laughed as he poured himself a cup of coffee. "Your life is way too big for me. I have to take things slow."
Celia, coffee in hand, gave a nod and indicated they should sit on the patio. Outside, the warm morning air caressed her, and she took in a deep breath. "I love this time of day. Sitting out here before work, quiet and calm. I can plan my day and contemplate life. It's a big part of my daily routine." Her voice shifted to a mischievous tone. "Then, at night, once it cools off a bit, it's a glass of wine on the bedroom balcony, nearly naked."
Parker wiggled his eyebrows and said, "I like the sound of that." Celia smiled, flashes of last night flowing through her mind. "It's weird. I spent hours with you, naked, before we ever really talked." She reached out and took his hand. "Falling into bed last night might have been the most comfortable I have ever been just before sex. It all seemed so easy."
"I'm nothing if not easy. Ask anyone." He sipped his coffee and beamed at her. "I've got Kevin until school time Tuesday morning, so it's drop-off and pickup tomorrow. I'll drop him off at school Tuesday morning and then see him again on Thursday." A forlorn look passed over his face.
"I'm no expert, but that seems an odd visitation situation," Celia said. "Normally, I get him every other weekend and every Thursday. We'll split the holidays between families—you know, one year it's Christmas Eve, the next Christmas Day. It'll be interesting to see how I feel when that happens."
Celia thought about it for a second and asked, "So, did you have him this weekend or what? Why just today?"
Parker shifted in his chair, let go of her hand, and put his feet up on the little table. "We're really new to this whole arrangement and still working out the kinks. Kevin was invited to a birthday party yesterday. It was just easier if Sylvia took him. She forgot to tell me until a few days ago, so we compromised: he's mine Sunday and Monday. It'll be nice if we can stay this flexible as time moves on."
Celia shook her head and didn't reply.
Changing the subject, Parker said, "You know what else has me intrigued? That tattoo on your shoulder, the kangaroo. What's the story behind that?"
Celia smiled. "Pretty simple, really. I was with my first husband, who played minor-league ball. He spent a season with the Corpus Christi Hooks. About the only thing more boring than Corpus Christi with no money is waiting around for game time in Corpus Christi. One afternoon I was bored, he was on the road, and I wandered into this tattoo parlor. I fell in love as soon as I saw it. At the time I thought it represented the fighter in me. Took me a long time to live up to that."
Parker nodded. "Congratulations on your achievement. It looks like you're doing pretty well."
"And you? That clover on your butt. What's that all about?"
Parker's eyes went sad. With a slight nod of his head, he said, "My best friend, back in the day, was named Frank. Hell of a guy. He was kinda like my rock, always there when I needed support or help or just to hang out. He passed about ten years ago—melanoma. Before he went, his sister had all of us close friends, about eight of us, get these tattoos. Frank was a big Notre Dame fan, so, consequently, the four-leaf clover. The F stands for Frank, obviously. He got to see them all before he died. He laughed like crazy."
She held out her hand. Parker reached over and squeezed it tenderly. With a sad smile, he said, "Okay, I gotta run. I'll text you later. You kick ass with that laundry, you hear me?"
Celia walked him to the door. They kissed, and a tender, gentle glow flowed through her.
Parker opened the door and clasped her hand. "See ya," he said as he headed to his car.
Celia closed the door and leaned against it. A tingly feeling ran through her entire body. That kiss could have meant a few different things. Celia chose to accept it as very nice. She sighed and brought herself back to reality. "Okay, girlie, let's not get ahead of ourselves. It was a nice night, but stay cool. See where it goes." She headed back into the kitchen, rinsed out the cups, and then headed for the laundry.