Chapter 13: A Picture is Worth...
*****
The morning air rippled, light and cool after the rain, through Grady's bedroom window. The sun was soft, pastel yellow, promising a gentler day after the chaotic electrical storm that had raged the previous night.
Grady slept sprawled out on his stomach, blankets pulled up to ward off the chill. His black hair was a riot of curls, a tangled mess, face shadowed and scratchy. One golden arm stretched out to the space in bed Annika would have lain had she not slipped out, like a thief in the night, at first light.
Something -- the quiet click of the front door maybe, birds singing in salutation, morning walkers chattering -- disturbed him, stirred him. He rolled over expecting to find warmth of another body but was met with cold sheets.
He thought
Annika
before murmuring her name and groggily blinking his eyes open.
Propped on her pillow -- still indented from her head -- was a note.
-- Saluting the sun. At our spot. Love, A. --
Grady rolled to his back and rubbed hands over his face -- thought fleetingly to shave -- before sitting up. Remnants of their activities the previous night remained. Ropes tied to the headboard, a wedge pillow discarded on the floor, the U-shaped vibrator on the bedside table.
Picking up his phone -- fuck, six-thirty? -- Grady swung his legs over the side of the bed and texted Annika.
G:
Don't mean to interrupt your salutes. Will jog to the beach. Coffee's on me. See you in thirty.
Having thrown on some old running shorts and long-sleeved shirt, Grady splashed cold water on his face to wake up. He'd have preferred waking up properly with Annika, but settled for the cold instead of her warmth.
With Girl Talk's
Feed the Animals
blasting in his ears, Grady laced his shoes at the front door and set a steady pace down his street. As he dodged and weaved his way around puddles and spots of mud, he felt his mind clear and was able to focus on nothing but the feel of his feet hitting the pavement, the beat drumming in his ears.
But he couldn't help but see Annika trussed to his bed, overcome with pleasure as Owen and Ezra consumed her.
The flare of anger when Jude had slapped her.
Remembering that -- hearing it echo in his mind -- made Grady grit his teeth and push his pace, lungs screaming, chest aching. And despite the cool morning, sweat flopped his brow, outlined a wet V down the front of his grey shirt.
Grady rounded the corner and came in to view with the beach. He slowed his pace, felt himself relax upon inhaling crisp salty air. Knowing Annika was near. Easing into a brisk walk as to not seize up, he pulled his shirt up to wipe away sweat before clasping his hands over his head as he regained his breath.
Having ordered coffee -- long black for him, strong latte for her -- Grady sat on a wooden box by the West Beach Bathers Pavilion to wait for his name to be called. And simply breathed in the ocean. Seagulls were already cawing and begging for breakfast scraps, and eager surfers were bobbing in the water, catching waves brought on by the storm.
"Order for Grady!"
Grady looked over his shoulder to see a tall, lanky redhead standing at the edge of the deck, holding his takeaway coffee cups. He stood, lifted a hand and made his way to her.
"Cheers," he said and noticed her appreciative smile.
Yeah, but you'll change your mind if I tell you I'm in an open relationship
, he thought, but returned her smile, lifting a cup in thanks.
He pondered that as he moved down to the water -- firmer sand on which to tread -- to make his way to Annika. The guys last night barely questioned him when he told them about his and Annika's new... arrangement. Hadn't blinked when he proffered they come to his room to help her fulfil a fantasy.
Maybe guys were less threatened by the idea of an open relationship and... playing with a committed couple. The woman he'd hit on in Sydney had rebuffed him the moment he'd told her of his girlfriend, like he was no better than the layer of filth coating the bar's floor.
Sipping his coffee, he wondered at his lack of jealousy the night before. If anything, there was a sense of pride, possession. Annika was sexy, desirable, insatiable. And she was his. It was intensely erotic, seeing her body a slave to pleasure, her eyes seeking his through it all, shining with love and trust and want.
Was it simply because he'd been there? Been part of it?
Approaching a small inlet, Grady turned, looked up the dunes to see Annika holding a strong Warrior Pose. She was wearing his black Lyrca bike shorts -- where the fuck had she found those? -- and his Wanderers football jersey from his season playing in Darwin.
He smiled remembering those hot stormy nights, the heady feeling of falling in love, the despair at the thought of leaving, wondering what would come of their relationship and the bond they'd formed.
"I can sell flowers anywhere," she'd said. And thank fuck she did.
Having removed his shoes, he made his way up the incline, quads screaming at him as his feet sunk into the soft sand. He sat next to her set up, knees bent and leaning back on one elbow, sipping at his coffee in companionable silence as she concluded her sequence.
Sensing its end, Grady sat up, crossed his legs and brought his palms together in prayer pose to finish with her.
Namaste
.
I honour the place in you in which the universe dwells. I honour the place in you which is of love, of truth, of light, and of peace. When you are in that place in you, and I am in that place in me, we are one.
She looked over at him, the sun illuminating half her face, smiled and leaned over to kiss him.
"Good morning," she murmured.
"Morning," he smiled, passing her the coffee cup.
"Oh, my Buddha, yes. Thank you." She took a long sip, her free hand finding his, fingers lacing.
"You okay?" he asked, thumb stroking her knuckles, eyes following the surfers' zig-zagging moves over the water.
She squeezed his hand, took another hit of caffeine. "I'm okay. Are you?"
He turned his head then, saw she was looking at him intensely, her eyes bright, reflecting the sun and surf. He leaned in and kissed her again, gently prying her lips open with the tip of his tongue, absorbing the bitter aftertaste of coffee on her breath.
"Yeah, I'm okay," he said when he eased back. "Was a little worried when I saw you gone this morning."
She smiled softly, closed the space between them so they were sitting hip to hip. "Was more than a little stiff after last night. And I needed to clear my head."
Grady took a final mouthful of his coffee, looked around for a bin, settled with sticking the empty cup in the yawning mouth of his shoe. He reclined on his hands, one arm crossed behind Annika's back so he could caress her hip.
"Yeah, we didn't talk too much last night, did we?"
