Southern Storm

by Natasha Madison

  “Can we take off your shirt?” she asks. “I’ve dreamed about this for so long, touching you the way I want to.” I’m standing here almost stunned at her drunken confession. She turns now and slips her hands out. “Actually, this would be better in bed.” Her hand finds mine, and she pulls me to the stairs.

  She stands on the first step and turns around. “I miss your lips.” She smiles and dips her head so I can kiss her. She nips my bottom lips, and my cock is ready. I put one arm around her waist and pick her up, wrapping her legs around my hips as I carry her upstairs. Her tongue licks mine, and the kiss is out of this world. It is so needy. When I stop beside the bed, she slips off me, and she is face-to-face with my chest. She leans in and kisses me right in the middle of my chest, then she pushes my shirt up.

  “Want to know a secret?” she whispers, and I see that her eyes are glimmering in the dimly lit room. “I would watch you in the lake and wonder what you would taste like.” She kisses her way around my abs. “I would wonder how you would fit in me.” She cups my covered cock, and I have to move her hand away before I come in my pants. I rip the shirt off me and toss it on the end of the bed.

  “You know what I wondered?” I tell her, pushing her hair away from her face. “I wondered how you would taste.” I lean down and nip her bottom lip now. “If you sat on my face, what you would taste like.” Her mouth hangs open, giving me the right moment to slip my tongue in. My hands leave her face and move down to her shoulders, and then I cup her tits. Her head falls back as she moans out. “I wondered if you would fit in my hand like you do now.” Her eyes close as I pinch her nipples.

  She lies down in front of me with her feet hanging off the bed. “Come lie down with me.” She holds out her hands for me, and I lie down next to her.

  “I’ve waited a long time for this,” she mumbles, pulling me to her for a kiss. My tongue slides with hers, and my hand slips under her shirt. Her hands go to my cock, and she is more brazen this time, slipping the button open.

  “Please don’t stop,” she whispers when I move my kiss from her lips to her neck.

  “There is no way I could stop this even if I wanted to,” I tell her as she pulls my zipper down. The sound of our heavy breathing fills the room as her fingers slip under the waistband of my boxers. I look at her as she slips her hand around my cock. Closing my eyes, I hang my head for just a second as she grips me in her hand.

  “Fuck,” I hiss, and then my hand goes down to her jeans. I don’t even have to unbutton them; I can slip my hand right into her jeans. I don’t stop at her thong; I just slip under it, and I’m met with her landing strip and then her slick slit.

  “Oh, God.” She arches her back, and her hand stops moving as she opens her legs wider. I slip a finger inside her. “Fuck,” she says, and her hand moves over my cock. I finger fuck her with two fingers now as she jerks me off. The restraint of her jeans makes it hard to slip another finger in.

  “Don’t stop,” she tells me, and I capture her mouth in mine. Our kiss is frantic as we both move our hands in unison. I feel her pussy squeezing the shit out of my fingers. She lets go of my lips to call out my name, and I bury my face in her neck as I follow her off the edge. We both lie here, our chests rising and falling.

  “If I don’t remember this in the morning, I really hope that my dreams remember it.” Her hand slips out of my pants now, and she lies there. I slowly slip out of her, and then I look over to see that she is sleeping. I shake my head and move out of her grasp.

  “I really hope that you remember this in the morning, too,” I say to her sleeping body. I turn and walk to my room, falling on the covers. My hand goes to my chest as I press down on my heart that is beating so fast. I waited to be with her for so long, but I never thought it would be like that. I never thought that it would be a kiss that would make me not only want to kiss her tomorrow but to kiss her forever. I fall asleep to the memory of us together with her name on my lips.

  When I get up the next morning, I smell bacon, and I know that she is already up. I walk down to the kitchen. “Morning,” I say, seeing if she turns and looks at me differently. She turns with a huge smile on her face.

  “Morning,” she says. “I woke up with the biggest headache,” she says. Walking to the coffee machine, she makes me a cup and then hands it to me. “I am never drinking sweet tea again.” I stand here in the middle of my kitchen, not sure if I should tell her what happened. Do I bring it up, or is she embarrassed by it? “I also need to get the recipe.”

  I sit down and drink the coffee faster than I should, and the burning hits me all the way down. “Well, I’m sure Billy will give you the recipe.”

  “Do you have a busy day?” she asks, and I nod. “I’ll make your plate and then go take a shower.” She prepares my breakfast, not saying anything about the kiss. I look at her, and she avoids my eyes.

  “Why don’t you come down to the office for lunch?” I say, ignoring the awkwardness. “Bring Ethan.”

  “Okay,” she says, walking away with her cup of coffee. I get dressed, and when I walk out of my room and go to her room, she is sleeping on the bed. I walk out of the house with my heart heavy, and my head going in all types of direction.

  I pretend to pay attention when I have another meeting, but I’m not even listening. I’m sitting in the chair, looking out the window when the phone buzzes and Bonnie’s voice fills the room. “Beau,” she says my name. “Tony is here for you.”

  I get up and walk out of the office. “Tony,” I say, turning to see him sitting in one of the chairs. “What can I do for you?”

  “You …” He gets up and grabs the folder that is on the chair next to him. “Can sign this paper.” He opens it and hands me the paper that is a bill. “It’s for the work that is being done and will be getting done.” I turn to walk into my office while I check to make sure he’s gotten everything there.

  “You need to include the windows at her house,” I say, and his eyebrows shoot up. “Yeah, don’t ask.”

  “What the fuck is wrong with people?” he asks, and I grab a pen. “She works her ass off. She stays out of all the drama. She’s a good person.” I look down and sign the paper. “By the way,” he continues, and I look up, “I got a not so nice phone call from the senior last night.”

  I shake my head. “He has no control over anything,” I say and then make a mental note to call my father. “Trust me, you’re all good.” I hand him back his folder, and I’m about to say something else when I hear the sounds of the sirens, and I walk out of the office. Grady pulls up at the curb, then puts his car in park and gets out, running up the steps.

  “What is happening?” Bonnie asks from her desk, and the only thing I can do is look at Grady and wonder if something happened to my mother or my father. Maybe even Liam. The last thing I’m expecting is what comes out of his mouth.

  “Beau,” he huffs, his chest rising and falling. “You need to come with me.”

  “What happened?” I ask. He looks at me, and I see the turmoil in his eyes, almost like he doesn’t want to say the next words.

  “It’s Savannah,” he says. My heart stops in my chest, and I feel my body turn to stone. “Someone ran her off the road.”

  Chapter Sixteen

  Savannah

  “Don’t move!” Jacob yells when I try to turn around to see if Ethan is okay. My heart is hammering in my chest. My hands shake so hard I can’t pick them up. I look around, seeing grass everywhere.

  “Is he okay?” I ask, sobbing out. “Jacob, is he okay?” I try to look in the back, but I can’t move my neck.

  “He’s fine,” he says, and I look to the side and see that Jacob is climbing out of the ditch with Ethan in his arms. “He’s all good.” He hands Ethan off to the paramedic that has just arrived, and then he comes back down into the ditch for me. “Okay,” he says, opening the door. “Are you hurt anywhere?”

  I look down and lift my hand, and Jacob grabs a hold of it to stop it from shaking. “My neck.�
� I move my neck, and he winces.

  “Seat belt gash,” he says, and I look over to see if I can see Ethan.

  “I’m sorry,” I say. “I’m so sorry. I tried to avoid it. Ethan.”

  “Hey,” he says to me, and I move my eyes to his. “He’s fine.”

  “I couldn’t get to him,” I say between sobs. “After I crashed, I tried to get to him, but the air bag …” I close my eyes. “It disoriented me.”

  “Jacob.” Someone calls him, and when he looks over his shoulder, I see a fireman coming down the ditch.

  “Blake,” Jacob calls him. “You got here fast.” He moves to the side. “Did Grady call you?”

  “Yeah, I got the call and came right out.” He sticks his head in. “How are you?” he asks.

  “I’m okay,” I say. “Forget about me. Check on my son.”

  “Ethan is doing okay,” Blake tells me. “He’s actually very worried about you.” He unclips the seat belt, and I wince. “You’re lucky you were wearing that.”

  “Yeah,” I mumble, and I lick my lips that are dry. “I’m not sure how you consider me lucky,” I try to joke out.

  “I’m going to put this neck brace on you,” Blake says. “To make sure that you don’t move.” I nod my head.

  “Um, Blake.” I call his name, and he looks at me. “I’m not trying to rush you and all that, but I’m starting to get a bit claustrophobic, and I really need you to get me out of here.”

  He laughs. “It’s the adrenaline going through you.” He puts one hand under my legs, and before I know it, I’m being lifted from the truck. He walks up the ditch and puts me down on the stretcher that is there.

  I hear sirens in the distance, and I look over to make sure that I can see Ethan who is now sitting with a paramedic as she checks him out. Kallie comes running over and looks at me. We share a look, and she nods her head and walks over to Ethan who jumps into her arms. She listens to him say something and then points over at where I am, and he wipes the tears from his face.

  “Savannah!” I hear Beau yell my name from somewhere, and then I see him run through a couple of people. He wears a look of worry on his face as he sees Ethan first and hugs Kallie and him, and then she must tell him where I am because he looks over. He rushes over, and Jacob has to stop him. “Let me go!”

  “Go easy. They are checking her over,” Jacob says, and Beau walks to me. I feel my lower lip tremble when I see him, and I suddenly need him to hug me. I need him to take me in his arms and tell me that this is going to be okay. I just need him.

  “Baby.” He calls me the name so quietly I almost don’t hear him, but then he steps in front of me, and I see the tears in his eyes. “I need you to tell me you’re okay.”

  I look at him. “I’m okay,” I whisper, and then he grabs my hand and brings it to his lips.

  “What happened?” he asks, then turns to look over at Jacob and Grady.

  “I was coming to see you for lunch. I was going to stay home with Ethan, but he took a shower and said he felt better.” I start the story. “This truck was following close behind me, and I kept speeding up just a touch to get away from him, but the more I sped up, the more he was right there.” I swallow now. “Then he bumped me. At first, I didn’t know what happened, and I wasn’t sure, but then he bumped me again. The third time, he tried to pass me, and once he was beside me, he just kept coming closer and closer, and the road got smaller and smaller. The last thing I remember is looking back to make sure Ethan was okay.”

  “Do you remember what color the truck was?” Grady asks.

  “Silver, I think.” I close my eyes and try to remember. “Or a dark gray.”

  “Did you see who was driving?” he asks, and I shake my head.

  “No, the windows were dark and tinted. I saw a silhouette but nothing else,” I say.

  Then the paramedic cuts in. “She’s good to go.”

  Jacob nods. “We are going to meet you at the hospital,” he says and then looks at Beau. “You go with her. I got Ethan.”

  Beau just nods as they load me up into the ambulance. Only when the door is closed and he sits beside me does he let out a breath. “Are you okay?” I ask, and he shakes his head.

  “I died a thousand times on my way here,” he says softly. “The only thing that went through my head was getting to you.”

  “I’m sorry I made you worry,” I say, and he leans in now, and he kisses my forehead. “And I’m sorry that I ruined your day.”

  “I’m sorry that I wasn’t with you,” he says, pressing his forehead to mine. “I’m sorry that you went through that without me.” He takes my face in his hands and kisses me softly on the lips. “I am so sorry I wasn’t there to protect you.” He kisses me again, and I don’t say anything only because I can’t. I just close my eyes while he wraps his arms around my shoulders, and I finally feel safe.

  It’s a whirlwind once I get to the hospital, and only after two hours am I able to see Ethan, who comes run into the room and jumps on my bed. “Mom!” I take him in my arms, closing my eyes and smelling him. “Are you okay?”

  “I’m okay, baby,” I say, holding his arms and making sure that he’s okay. I smooth down his brown hair and hold his small face in my hands, rubbing my thumbs over his cheeks. “Are you hurt anywhere?”

  “Just my elbow,” he says, picking up his elbow and showing me the bandage. “The nurse said I was really brave.”

  I blink the tears away. “You are very brave.”

  “Uncle Beau called me a ladies’ man and said I was a natural flirt,” he says, and I smile and look over at Beau who looks up.

  “We need to go over the rules again,” Beau says, coming to the bed. “There are things we tell your mom. If I finish the sentence with bro code, that means it’s for guys only.”

  I look at Ethan who opens his mouth and then smiles. “I forgot.”

  I laugh now, suddenly feeling okay. “I think I’m going to be able to leave soon,” I tell Beau. I lean back in the bed, and Ethan lies beside me. “Where is Jacob?”

  “He’s in the waiting room with Kallie. He is going over the video surveillance that Casey sent in. Apparently, Casey wired half the town with cameras when the stuff went down with Olivia.”

  I close my eyes, but when the door opens and the nurse comes back in, my eyes flutter open. “Okay.” She smiles. “You are cleared to go. If you get a headache later, it could be a concussion, so please come back in. You’ll definitely be sore tomorrow.”

  “I can sort of feel that now.” I try to sit up, and every single muscle in my body screams.

  “Is there anything she can take?” Beau asks the nurse. “Can she nap when we get home, or is it best to keep her up?” He doesn’t wait for the nurse to answer him before asking another question. “And if she does fall asleep, should I wake her hourly?” The nurse rolls her lips to keep from laughing. “How long before I bring her in if she does have a headache? Is it right away or do I time it?”

  The nurse puts her hand on his arm. “I will get you a paper with instructions and all questions should be answered on that.” She looks at me. “I can just imagine when you get pregnant. This man is going to crawl out of his skin.”

  My eyes fly to Beau, and I don’t know if he realized what she said or not. “Oh, he’s my best friend.” It slips out before I can take it back. What else was I supposed to say? He’s the man I want to be with. He’s the one I’ve been dreaming about since forever.

  The nurse looks at me and then at Beau. “Well, then, you’ve got a great friend,” she says and walks out of the room.

  “Let’s go,” I say to Ethan who gets up and hops off the bed.

  “Uncle Beau.” He calls him. “You were freaking out right now.”

  “I was not.” He looks at Ethan and shakes his head. “I was just worried.” Ethan laughs now. “I am.”

  “Sure,” he teases and waits for me to get off the bed. I try not to show how much pain I’m in when I get up, but Beau must catch the winces.


  “Do you want a wheelchair?” he asks, and I scoff at him.

  “I do not, thank you very much,” I say, walking slowly out of the room toward the waiting room. Ethan walks ahead of us.

  “How much pain are you in?” Beau asks quietly beside me.

  “Not that much,” I lie, and before he can say anything, Jacob and Kallie spring out of their chairs and come over to us.

  “What did they say?” Kallie asks worried, and I have to give it to her, she is a better person than I am. I lied and broke them up, ruined their relationship without so much as thinking twice about it. But she stands here asking me if I’m okay, and she loves my son as much as I do, and for that, I can never ever repay her.

  “Not much. I’m going to be sore tomorrow.” I repeat what the nurse said.

  “Okay, why don’t we get going?” Jacob says. “You guys can ride me with, and Kallie will go pick up some food and meet us back at Beau’s.”

  “Why can’t we go home?” Ethan asks, and I look down at him.

  “I told you. There was a fly in the house and then while I was chasing it, a spider fell on me and I panicked and threw a ball at it, but I missed, and it went out the window.” I look at Beau who rolls his lips, and Jacob has to put his hand in front of his mouth to cover his smile. Kallie just looks at me with her mouth hanging open.

  “I was put on the spot, okay? That’s the best I could do,” I mumble to them, and then Kallie looks at Ethan.

  “How about you come with me to pick up the food, and we can meet them later?” she asks Ethan, and when he looks at me and then at Kallie, she leans in and whispers something in his ear.

  “Is that okay, Mom?” he asks, and I just nod my head.

  “Only if you promise to bring me back some pizza,” I say. “With pineapple.”