PheroMoans
Chapter 6
TOO SWEET
Morning
Friday
A sharp knock rattled the door, reverberating with a sense of urgency through the room. Another knock followed--louder, harder--insistent enough to pry Mark from the depths of sleep. He blinked, disoriented, the ceiling above him unfamiliar in the faint morning light. But then he became acutely aware of the warmth and weight of the woman lying across his chest, her steady breathing beginning to quicken as she stirred.
"Mom! Mom, are you alive in there?" The voice from the other side of the door was young, impatient, almost demanding--another knock and a louder one.
The woman blinked awake, her body stiffening as she registered the sound. She let out a groggy groan, propping herself up on her elbow. Her expression shifted from drowsiness to a sudden awareness that matched his own. Her gaze darted to him, a momentary flash of guilt or worry crossing her face before she gave a hurried nod.
"I'm awake!" she called through the door, her voice hushed but with an unmistakable undertone of urgency. "What's wrong, honey?"
The boy's voice came through muffled. "We're leaving for school--me and Matt. Just wanted to say bye."
Mark's heartbeat steadied slightly, and the reality of the situation settled over him as she fumbled out of bed, tugging the comforter around her shoulders. She pressed a finger to her lips to ensure Mark kept quiet. He watched as she padded softly across the room, the door's lock clicking open as she cracked it just enough to peer out at her son.
"Hey, kid," she whispered, a hint of relief coloring her tone.
"Mother," Aaron says.
"Nice hoodie you got there."
"Dad brought it."
"Okay, it's an ugly hoodie."
"Aaron, come on!" Matt screams.
Through the narrow opening, Aaron's eyes flickered curiously toward the dim room behind her. "Alright. See you later, Mom."
"Love you, Honey." She closed the door softly, letting out a long, slow exhale as she turned back toward the bed, meeting his gaze in the quiet that followed. The morning had begun with a jolt, but he sensed, beneath the initial shock, that this was just the beginning of a very long day.
"Well, I guess this is an awkward morning after sex?" Autumn says, peeking her head out of her bedroom door and going to the closed front door of her apartment. "They're gone." The thick cotton comforter dropped to the floor; Mark grinned at the sight of her exposed body.
"Nice," Mark says, his joints popping as he stretches his arm.
"They're gone," Autumn says, leaving the room. She looks back at the approaching Mark. "You hungry?"
Mark's eyes scanned her up and down. "I can eat." Autumn smiles, her eyes lighting up from the attention.
"Food. I'm talking about food." Autumn smirks.
"Define food." Mark wraps his arms around her waist, connecting his lips to her neck.
"Down, boy," Autumn says, wrapping her hand around his head. As the kiss stops, she holds her gaze at him.
"You okay," Mark says slowly, almost reluctantly. She looks away, and the faint glisten in her eyes betrays the truth.
"Yeah, just thinking. So, what do you want for breakfast?" Autumn leads him into the kitchen, opening the refrigerator. She bends over, not leaving much to the imagination for Mark's view as she searches.
"I feel like you're teasing me," Mark says, slapping her ass; Autumn takes it in stride as his handprint etched on her ass.
"Maybe. What time do you need to be at Lennox for your bratty friend again?"
"1000, it's currently 0730, so we got time."
"Do you like scramble bowls?"
"It's been a while since I had a scramble bowl."
"Great, sit in the living room, maybe put on some music. Helps me cook."
"Let me guess, country, right," Mark grabs the remote and scrolls to the country music channel.
"Wow. How racist of you to assume I listen to country music." Autumn says, rushing over to grab the remote and almost tripping over a small stepping stool.
"Careful," Mark says as she grabs the remote from his hand. She clicks a couple of channels over to the Metal station.
"Better, my ex was a country guy, which is one of the many reasons he had to go besides the cheating, eh." She says as the remote jettisons from her hand into his chest.
"Did he ever get physical with you?" Mark raises his eyebrows at his question as she turns around and walks back toward the kitchen.
"yeah," she says almost in a whisper. "I'm not going to tell my boys that, though, they love the asshole." Autumn cracks open some eggs into a pan.
"Well, that's nice of you, but shouldn't they know? I know if I were them, I would want to know."
"That's future Autumn's problem. Besides, he is living in hell paying that child support."
"If you say so," Mark says, sneaking up behind her...
"I thought I told you to go in the living room. I can't concentrate with you behind me like that."
"You want some help."