Fever

Joseph’s hands were rough.

He pulled her shirt up. She helped him, tearing at the fabric. It tangled over her head and she shoved it away.

The air in the room was stale.

He unhooked her bra. It fell onto a stack of cash.

Rosa Sharon arched her back.

-Touch me, she said.

He buried his face in her neck. He bit down, just hard enough to ground her.

His hands slid down her spine. They found the waistband of the cheap leggings.

-Lift up, he murmured against her skin.

She lifted her hips. He yanked the leggings down. They tangled around her ankles and she kicked them off.

Joseph looked at her.

-You’re beautiful, he said.

-I’m a mess.

He moved lower. His mouth found her breast.

Rosa Sharon gasped. She tangled her fingers in his hair. She pulled him closer.

She ground her hips against him. The friction was desperate.

-Joseph, please.

He moved lower still. His hands gripped her hips, leaving marks on her skin.

He pulled her underwear off.

She spread for him.

He tasted her.

Rosa Sharon threw her head back. She stared at the water stain on the ceiling.

-Don't stop, she whispered.

She needed to be filled. She needed to be tethered to the earth so she wouldn't fade away.

She reached for his belt. Her fingers fumbled.

-Now, she said.

Joseph pulled back.

He shucked his jeans and kicked them away.

He moved between her legs.

-Look at me, he said.

She looked.

He thrust into her.

Rosa Sharon cried out.

She wrapped her legs around him. She pulled him deeper.

The bed frame banged against the wall.

-Harder, she said.

She clawed at his shoulders.

Joseph drove into her. He was an anchor.

The money scattered. Bills fluttered to the floor.

They were running.

The tension coiled in her belly. It was tight.

-Joseph!

He covered her mouth with his hand and muffled her scream.

She bit his palm down hard.

She convulsed against him. She milked him.

He groaned, a low, guttural sound, and spilled himself inside her.

They collapsed.

Rosa Sharon lay under him. Her heart hammered against her ribs like a trapped bird.

The room was quiet again.