Debt

25: Gifted

Shawn had left Abrielle with Shayla, telling her he had to go do something real quick and he'd be back.

So while Larielle and Evan were doing God knows what, and Erma was asleep, Abrielle was sitting in her sister-in-law's room watching music videos and listening to Shayla rapping along to some hardcore underground shit.

"Shawn's back," Shayla told her.

"Oh thank God!"

Abrielle hopped up like her seat had caught fire. She was so ready to be out. Shayla was a sweetheart. Her taste in music, though, was questionable for her sister-in-law.

"Damn. You're good company too, Bri."

"Nothing personal. Merry Christmas and goodnight, cuñada."

"Night."

Abrielle left the room and went to her husband. He was smiling as she met him on the foot of the stairs.

"Thank God you are back. I love Shayla. I don't love her music."

Shawn chuckled and took Bri by the hand, leading her down the stairs. "Are you ready for your gift?"

"That depends on what it is," she told him, grinning. He chuckled and kissed her neck, giving her her coat and shoes from the hall closet.

He took her back to the treehouse where it was lit by straight candlelight and the fireplace; and it smelled like fruit. Shawn took her coat off and pulled her to the bathroom so that they could shower.

"Don't fall asleep this time," he told her, kissing her.

She rolled her eyes. "I only fell asleep because you were massaging my scalp and it felt good. Don't be a dick your whole life," she told him, stepping into the water.

He stepped into the water with her and pulled her body closer to his.

"You fell asleep in the shower. Don't matter why," he teased, taking her body wash, lathering his hands, washing her body with his fingers gently massaging her flesh.

She moaned as his hands caressed her breasts. By now, he'd discovered how much she enjoyed having them touched.

When Abrielle returned the favor, he got a little erect in her hand, but not as hard as she wanted. She looked up at Shawn and he didn't look at her.

"Are you okay, Shawn?" she asked, sliding her hands up his body.

"I'm fine, baby."

He was embarrassed because he couldn't get hard. Not this morning, and not now. It wasn't that he didn't want to be able to please her. But he just wasn't up for it tonight. It would make him so happy to give her what he knew she wanted. But he couldn't. He was having hard time giving her a hard time.

Abrielle knew she wasn't going to get fucked tonight because no matter how she stroked his shaft, it didn't get up very much. Hardly at all.

"Bri," he said softly, taking her face in his hands, seeing her trying to mask the frustration. He kissed her softly. "It's not your fault. There is nothing wrong with you. Believe me, you can be as sexy as you want to be."

"Then why are you still soft? You're not attrac-"

He kissed her and took her hands, putting them on the tiled wall under the shower head. He didn't want her to finish that sentence, because it wasn't true. She had gotten him as hard as he had ever been simply by removing her clothes. And they hadn't even been completely off yet. She was sexy, beautiful, gorgeous. All that. This wasn't her fault.