Healing Home

by Madden, J. M.

  “Will she let me pick her up?”

  “Yes,” BB snorted. “If you’re working for her she’s okay with being handled.”

  Lincoln walked up behind the dog and leaned over to pick her up, hands around her solid barrel belly. He grunted when he realized how heavy she was. “Why the fuck do you carry her? She weighs a ton.”

  As if she heard and understood his words, Frankie gave him a dirty look. After saying hello to her mistress, she went to his favorite pillow and sat her ass on it, tongue lolling from her mouth as she grinned at him. Lincoln didn’t know weather to curse or fall in love, so he just shook his head. “So, how many relationships has she vetted for you?”

  Bb laughed and sat up on the bed, curling one arm around a knee. Lincoln watched her lovely breasts jiggle and totally wanted to climb back in bed with her, but not with an audience watching from a foot away.

  “Well,” she admitted, “she definitely has a way of letting her preferences be known, doesn’t she?”

  Lincoln loved that BB wasn’t rushing to get dressed. She had such a beautiful body. He could stare at it all day. “You are a vision,” he told her softly.

  BB’s face pinkened slightly, but she grinned at him. “You’re not so bad yourself, sailor.”

  Incredibly, a slow roll of heat went down through his body and he felt himself getting hard again. BB noticed too, because her eyes drifted down to settle on his erection.

  She licked her lips and it about killed him.

  “How many more of those condoms do you have?” She asked, her voice breathless.

  “A few,” he promised, moving to the drawer.

  * * *

  BB lost track of the orgasms she had. Lincoln had gotten her in the bed twice, and in spite of what he’d said Frankie’s virgin eyes may have seen more than she wanted to. Then they moved to the shower where he’d given her the best orgasm with his mouth, kneeling on the tile in front of her. The water began to chill, but at that point nothing could cool her pleasure.

  Lincoln was built like a guy used to doing Iron Man competitions, and he had the stamina to prove it, as well as the finesse.

  Eventually they did get dressed long enough to take the dog out into the back yard to wander around for a few minutes. Lincoln took her into his garage shop and showed her the 1938 Chevy truck he was slowly restoring.

  “Wow. How long have you been working on this?”

  His handsome face scrunched as he thought about it. “At least five years. Seems like I never have the time,” he shrugged.

  It did look like he’d been working on it a long time. There were parts all across the floor against one wall, as if he’d laid them out in order of how they came off the truck. The engine sat in the corner draped with a tarp.

  “Where did you find the truck?”

  He looked at her for a long moment before moving to lean against the front fender. “It actually belonged to my dad. He worked on it for years, got the engine ready. But he never seemed to have the time either. Then Nate took it and worked on it for a while.”

  “Well, maybe it’ll be something you pass on to your son,” she said softly.

  Link looked startled at her words, then grimaced, shaking his head. “Nah. I wouldn’t do that to a kid. Too much sad history here.”

  BB didn’t like the look in Lincoln’s eyes, like he knew what it was like to be saddled with an emotional project like this. She wondered if he would ever finish it, or keep it alive as some way to honor his father and brother. “You never know,” she said eventually.

  Once he was involved with someone long term and had support, maybe his thoughts would change. Maybe once he’d had a child, his own child, his thoughts would change. His father’s legacy could change from one of pain to pride as he worked on it with his son. BB could almost see the child in her mind’s eye, looking up at Lincoln with worship in his eyes.

  She swallowed heavily, turning away, shook at the thought of Lincoln giving some faceless woman a dark-haired baby that looked like him.

  “Hey, you okay?” He asked, hand on her shoulder.

  BB nodded, smiling for him. “I think you would be a great dad,” she told him softly.

  Lincoln’s hand fell away and his face closed down. “I’m not holding my breath. Kind of need a relationship to do that.”

  Yes, true. BB didn’t pursue the subject. It wasn’t her place. She was here for one more day, then gone, heading back up the road with her dog. Back to her quiet cabin on the edge of Sequoia National park. She had work deadlines and responsibilities, and nieces and nephews to pamper.

  Her heart ached just a little, okay, a lot, at the thought of leaving Link behind, leaving him alone.

  Chapter 6

  Lincoln didn’t like thinking about his mom and dad and their fucked up relationship. Over the years he’d kind of just pushed it to the back of his mind. He attributed at least part of his relationship issues to them. In all the years they’d been together, he’d never seen them actually work out a problem by talking. There had always been ultimatums and threats, and storming through the house. They had been the perfect example of what not to do during an argument. More often than not his dad would walk out the door, even in negative temperatures, to get away from his anxiety-ridden mother. His dad had been a quiet, stalwart kind of guy, willing to hike into dangerous temperatures to save stranded hikers, but personal confrontation always put him off. Link remembered him going out the door with his big brown pack and broad-rimmed hat several times. Only later did he realize that his dad would rather camp in the cold than stay in the house with their mother.

  It had seemed like a natural step to join the military when he got out of high school. There was nothing else to do in their small town and Lincoln was desperately anxious to get the fuck away from his mother’s irrational ramblings. College didn’t appeal to him. By that time his dad was gone and Nate was entering high school. Lincoln assumed he felt bad when he left Nate behind, but at the time he was too high on his own dreams to give him much thought.

  Getting through BUDS and establishing himself in a team took all of his attention for a long time. He and Nate talked, but they hadn’t been close. His teammates became more like brothers to him than his own blood relation. And through them he’d learned more about relationships than from anyone else. Justin Black, his lieutenant, had been with his current wife for more than twenty years, longer than Link could even imagine being with one person. Through all the deployments, Mary Black had stayed strong, raising three kids alone for the most part.

  That reminded him; he needed to call and check in on his buddy. With BB here he’d been a little distracted.

  Looking through the garage window, he watched her sit on his back porch with her dog. Frankie lapped up the attention, almost literally, and looked up at her mistress adoringly.

  Did he look at her like that? If his buddies were here, or, God-forbid, some of the wives, they would absolutely tell him he was mooning over the woman. And he had no defense.

  Lincoln looked at the truck he’d inherited. There was a lot of bad juju around it, but maybe if he thought about only the good parts…well, that would take a while to sort out.

  His phone buzzed in his pocket.

  Where the fuck are you?

  Snorting, he shook his head as he typed in a response to Black. Home. Where are you?

  Mary just sprung me from Balboa and I’m heading home. She can baby me better than they can. Why don’t you come over. Cook meat.

  Normally, he would have jumped at the offer but… BB is still here.

  I know that brainiac. Bring her over! I want to meet her.

  She’s not staying, LT.

  Doesn’t matter. We can show her hospitality while she’s here. Get your ass over here.

  Link sighed. There was no detouring him when he got like this. Why aren’t you fucked up on pain meds or something?

  I’m good to go. See you in an hour.

  Laughing, Link shook his head. Maybe. />
  Did he really want to take BB over there to be confronted by all his crazy friends? BB seemed surprised when he asked her later, but totally willing. “Of course! Do I have time to make something?”

  Link looked at the watch on his wrist. “Not really. If you want we can stop at the store on the way over.”

  “Definitely,” she breathed. “Let me get changed.”

  “It’s casual,” he told her as she disappeared down the hallway.

  Link wanted to follow along and watch her change. Technically, he probably needed to change clothes himself. With that excuse in mind he walked into the bedroom, just in time for her to bend over in front of him. In her panties. Thong panties.

  Link’s brain shorted out as all the blood rushed to his cock. Hoping she didn’t slap him or anything, he walked forward and gripped her hips in his hands, pulling her tight against his erection. BB gasped and looked at him over her shoulder, her curly hair swinging. Rather that cuss at him, though, she gave him a grin. “Oh, really? What time did we need to be over there?”

  “Doesn’t matter,” he growled, running a finger under her to stroke her folds through the fabric.

  BB gasped, bracing her hands on the edge of the mattress, but she arched her back so that he could reach her easier. “You’re incorrigible,” she gasped.

  “Not normally,” he told her truthfully, “but something about you…”

  He stroked her with his finger, fascinated as she shifted her hips, almost guiding his finger where she wanted it. Using two fingers he tapped against her, exploring as the fabric grew wet. Every time he’d entered her she’d been wet and ready and he loved that she reacted to him that way. Fucking Alicia had been like fucking sandpaper.

  Immediately he felt guilty thinking the other woman’s name right this second. The bitch had no business even taking up space in his brain. Focusing back on BB, he realized she was saying something. He leaned over her back. “What baby?”

  “I want you in me, now.”

  Link had one last brain cell that reminded him to get a damn rubber on, then he was right back behind her, shifting the crotch of her soaked panties out of the way so that he could slam himself into her. There was no hesitation this time, just a hard driving need. BB cried out as he began thrusting into her, but it was a moaning keen. Reaching around her hip he found her wet slit and slid a finger inside just a bit, just enough to barely stroke her clit. BB cried out and her body began to shudder. Wrapping his hand around her hips he held her upright as her legs seemed to give out. Link walked her forward enough to prop her knees on the mattress, but he was too greedy to let her go any further. Her body felt amazing propped up, grasping his, and he wanted to finish this way.

  BB could obviously tell what he wanted because she found the energy to firm her stance, even rocking back into his surges, their bodies slapping. Link gripped her harder, then let up, afraid he was going to bruise her. She was so much smaller than he was.

  “No, hold me,” she gasped, squeezing his hand against her.

  There was a throbbing heat building, moving up his spine. Loosening his hips, he let the pleasure guide his movements, and his hands. One reached beneath them and cupped her breast through her bra. Pushing it out of the way, he rolled her nipple between his fingertips, and cupped the weight of it in his hand. Then, his legs going weak, the orgasm slammed into him. Link froze, letting the first hard edge hit, then began moving again to keep it rolling. BB held way too much of his weight on her back as his orgasm played out but he was beyond caring.

  Eventually she rocked them forward to collapse onto the bed. Link held her tight, though, and they landed as one, still connected. She giggled beneath him, and he grinned as well. “I came in here to change my clothes,” he said eventually. “I can’t believe you backed onto my cock like that.”

  She gasped and twisted her shoulders in his arms. “What? Me? Just how do you figure that? I was putting lotion on my legs!”

  “Oh, is that what you were going?” He laughed.

  She smacked him on the shoulder, laughing. “Just because your Lincoln Log is ruling your brain…”

  He howled in laughter. “Lincoln Log. Oh, shit…Please don’t use that in your comic.”

  Bb was grinning, one brow quirked at him. “You’re a sex machine.”

  He lifted a brow at the description. “A sex machine? Really?” He thought for a moment. “Well, with you I am.”

  Her expression softening, BB pressed a kiss to his lips, then pulled out of his arms. “Do I have time for a shower?”

  “Yes. We both do.”

  Instead of leaving him behind, she held out a hand. “I’ll scrub your back if you scrub mine.”

  “Deal.”

  They took way too long in the shower, but neither one of them cared. There was a clock winding down in their minds, and they were very aware of how little time they had left together.

  * * *

  They arrived at Mary and Black’s house almost two hours later than expected, and when he walked in Lincoln was immediately berated by every man in the backyard. BB’s eyes widened at the cacophony of noise, then she smiled. There was a lot of good natured ribbing going on and even knowing that it was coming, she had to blush a little. In spite of the shower she was still slick between her legs, her body ready for the next round of pleasure. Link had shoved her libido into overdrive.

  So it made it a little hard to keep the guilt off her fair skin. They didn’t hold hands or anything when they walked in, but she would have if he’d wanted to.

  No, maybe she wouldn’t have. No sense in giving anyone the impression she was staying any longer than tomorrow.

  After they’d gotten done with the shower she’d dressed in another sun dress, this one a little more demure. It was in shades of sunset, which she thought was perfect for an evening barbecue. Lincoln had smiled at her softly, nodding. “You’re beautiful.”

  Frankie had plopped down in front of him, as if she wanted attention as well. Lincoln had hunkered down and fondled the dog’s ears, sending her into orgasmic groans. The dog fell dramatically to the floor, big eyes begging Lincoln for belly rubs. “Oh, you’ve done it now,” BB warned. “She only does that when she really, really likes someone.”

  BB leaned against the wall and just looked at the two of them. She wanted to grab her sketchbook, but she settled for snapping a picture with her phone. She had a feeling she was going to need it later.

  Mary waved her over to a shaded patio. The Blacks’ house was beautiful, a long, low stucco structure big enough for the family Link said they had. They had walked around the back of the house, though, to the pool area, which was beautifully landscaped.

  “I hope you don’t mind I brought Frankie.”

  “Of course not!” Mary waved a hand, smiling broadly. “We have a lab wandering around somewhere. Probably trailing after the kids. Oh, great, you brought another fruit salad. Thank you for that. The kids really go through the fruit on these hot days.”

  Mary took the big plastic grocery store container from her hands and turned toward an outdoor kitchen area. There were two long sagging tables set up against the wall, loaded with food. There had to be about thirty people here, separated into little groups here and there, but the area was big enough to be broken into little seating arrangements. It was mostly women here in the shade, and it looked like there was some kind of pavilion area on the far side for the guys. It was a fabulous setup for a backyard get together.

  “I wasn’t sure what you needed,” BB said.

  Mary placed the bowl on the table and turned to her with a smile. “This is perfect, really. You didn’t actually have to bring anything.”

  BB appreciated the kindness in Mary’s expression, but she could also see tiredness there. “I was a little surprised when Link told me Black was home.”

  Mary’s expression turned exasperated. “Once Justin makes up his mind there is no changing it. The wound had been treated in Afghanistan and there were no serious co
mplications. The medical personnel on the FOBs are excellent with dealing with traumas like gunshot wounds. Lord knows they see enough of them. Once he was seen here there was no keeping him from heading home, and the kids. He heals best here.”

  She turned to look out over the pool. Even from this far away BB could see Justin, his leg propped up in a recliner out under the pavilion. He wore a ball cap over his graying hair, but she could see him laughing through his thick beard.

  “Two of the kids carried his favorite chair out,” Mary laughed.

  And Black was holding court from his throne. BB watched the men milling around him, conscious not to bump into the chair or anything. It looked like Black was nursing a big glass of iced tea, though most of the others were drinking bottles of beer. Link leaned over a cooler, digging down into the ice. He pulled out a brown bottle and twisted the cap off, tossing it into the oversized trash can in the corner. The group made room for him as he dragged a chair in, and he sank down into it with a grin. Obviously he was being teased for being late.

  BB glanced away, back to Mary. “I bet your husband is excited to retire.”

  Mary appeared to be several years older than BB, but there was a strength to her that BB didn’t think came just from age. The woman had been through a lot and as she pondered BB’s question, she got an odd look on her attractive face. “I don’t know. In a way he is, but he feels like he’s letting the team down. I can see it in his eyes. He’s got arthritis in his knees and back from parachute jumps, and he’s been shot half a dozen times. He’s been on eighteen deployments since I’ve been with him and he’s one of the most intelligent men I’ve ever met, but he broods over these men worse than their own wives. He may retire, but I don’t think he’ll ever lose contact with any one of them. He’s godfather to several of the kids, and I’m godmother, so I know we’ll have contact with everyone later, but I think he’s feeling… like he’s going to be left behind.”

  Yeah, she could understand that. There would also be a danger aspect he was leaving behind, though.