by J. S. Cooper
My heart lurched again and for a moment, I couldn’t talk. "How will you know?"
"We should know in a couple of years," he said. "And if it comes back, I'll have to have another stem cell transplant.”
"That sounds complicated."
"Not so much complicated as it is tiring.” He blew out a long breath. “But we're going to keep the faith, okay? Right now, I'm good. Right now, I'm strong. Everything's good. And I've got you in my life again. And Olivia, I need to tell you something else."
I braced myself. "Oh, gosh. What do you want to tell me now?"
"No, it's something good."
"Let me guess. You want to fuck me again?"
"No. Well, I do want to fuck you again, but that's not what I want to tell you."
"Oh, Tyler." I kissed him again. "What is it you want to tell me?"
"I love you, Olivia. I've always loved you. I've loved you for a million years, and I think I'll love you for a million more. And no matter what happens between us, I want you to know that you are my first love, my only love, my true love."
For the third time since he’d come home, I felt like my heart was going to burst, but this time with happiness. "Oh Tyler,” I whispered, “I just don't know what to say."
"You could tell me you love me back or something." He gave me a crooked grin. "But of course, if you don't feel that way, don't feel like you have to say it to me. I mean, I only just told you I had cancer and all."
"Oh, Tyler, you're such a goof." I kissed him hard. "I have loved you since the moment I knew what it was to love. You were my first crush. You were the first guy I fantasized about. You were the first guy that I ..." I gave a little pause. "No, well, I'm not going to say that."
"Tell me," he grinned. "I want to know it all."
Heat crept into my cheeks. "No, Tyler, there are some things that should remain a secret."
"Tell me, Olivia. Please."
"Fine. You were the first guy I masturbated to."
"Oh, you masturbated to me, did you?" He gave me a big wink, and I laughed.
"Anyways, enough of that. But you were all of my firsts. The first guy I ever truly loved, the first guy that I could ever really see myself with, and you know, I guess the first guy who showed me that I was also worth loving."
"Oh, Olivia, you're more than worth loving. You are love itself."
I giggled. "That's so corny."
"I guess that's what love does to me."
"I guess so."
"So, can I be serious for a second here, Olivia?"
I nodded. "Yeah, sure. What's up?
"What are you going to do about the condom?"
"I don't know," I shook my head. "I guess I should go to the pharmacy tomorrow and get the pill."
"Yeah." He looked thoughtful. "Well, I just had an idea."
"What's your idea, Tyler?"
"Seeing as you're going to get the pill tomorrow anyway, how about we have sex with no condom?"
"Tyler, are you joking? No way!"
"What? Why not?"
"We both need to get tested. I'm not letting you put your penis into me untested. I'm sorry, but I don't know what you might have."
"Olivia, did you not just hear me? I have been sick for the last two years. I've been in and out of the hospital and in and out of work. I haven't been in and out of other women's vaginas."
I looked at him in surprise. "You haven't had sex in two years?"
"Actually, it's been longer than that."
"How come?"
"Well, do you remember a couple of years ago when you were coming home for Christmas and I'd wanted to take you to downtown Orlando for the Christmas parade?"
"Yeah, I vaguely remember that, but you canceled on me and we didn't even see you that Christmas," I shook my head at him. "You basically ditched me."
"I didn't ditch you, Olivia. I just found out that I had cancer right before you were set to come home and, well, my plans changed."
"What were your plans going to be?"
"I was going to tell you that I loved you at the parade."
"What?” I almost shouted. "Are you joking me? You were going to tell me you loved me then? Two years ago?"
"Yeah. You know, I'd always known and I wanted to give us a shot. I wanted us to date and I wanted to see how you felt. I wanted to be honest with you, but then when I found out about the cancer, I didn't want you to feel like you had to pretend that you cared about me because I was sick. You know? I didn't want you to have to lie."
"But I wouldn't have lied, Tyler. You know that."
"Yeah, but what if you’d broken my heart and then I’d died? I know you, Olivia. The guilt would have hung with you forever. I couldn't have that. Either way, I needed to know that whatever happened to me was on me; I didn't want it hanging over you."
"I guess I never thought about it like that. But you know, I never would have told you I didn't love you because I've always loved you."
"Yeah, but we're both goofy immature idiots. We never really gave each other a chance before. We never had a real conversation about our chemistry."
"Well, I would have given you a chance if you weren't such a cocky jock."
"Well, I had to be a cocky jock because if I wasn't and I was flirting with you, Derrick would have hit me in the eye."
"I guess that's true." And then I frowned, "Oh, my gosh, what are we going to tell Derrick? He’s going to freak out."
"Well, I think that Derrick's got his own problems right now, don't you?" he reminded me. “He has to talk to your parents about his little five-minute engagement.”
"Oh, yeah. Tiffany. Oh my God, my parents are going to flip when they find out."
"What do you think your parents will think when they find out about us?" Tyler said.
"I don't know." I bit my lip. "What is there for them to find out?" I leaned back and sighed. “I mean, we still have the same issues, right? I live here in San Francisco. You're there in Florida. You work at a big law firm. I work here at the startup. All my friends are here, all your friends are there. I just don't see how it's going to work."
"Olivia, I love you. And there's one thing that I know: life is short. I'm not going to let anything stand between us and our love. You hear me?"
"I hear you, but that just sounds so idealistic. What can we really do?"
"Let me think," he said. "I'm going to think hard, but trust me, we're going to be together no matter what it takes."
"I trust you, Tyler. I do."
"And now, Olivia, I have something else I want to tell you."
"Oh yeah, let me hear it. You’ll love me for a million years and a million more? Is that what you want to say?" I giggled happily.
"No, I wanted to tell you I'm ready for our second fucking of the night."
"Oh, my gosh, Tyler!" I hit him in the arm, but I couldn't stop myself from pulling him towards me and kissing him hard. If he wanted to go a second time, I was more than ready. I loved this man, and I was never going to let him go.
Chapter 18
Tyler
* * *
I could hear Olivia humming in the kitchen as I woke up the next morning. She was clinking around and I had a feeling she was cooking breakfast for me. I smiled as I stretched, feeling warm and happy, and thinking that this was possibly the best moment in my life thus far. My morning wood strained against the sheet and I wondered if I could convince Olivia that she needed some morning sex along with breakfast.
"Hey, Olivia. Need any help?" I called out to her as I lay in the bed, making no attempt to get out.
"No, sleephead. You stay in bed."
"Oh, why? What are you doing?" I called out again, wanting to see her pretty face.
"I'm making you breakfast."
"Ooh, breakfast in bed for me?"
"Yes, my dear.” She walked over to the bed. "I'm making boiled eggs and toast, so don't get your hopes up too high."
"Sounds good to me." I pulled on her hand so that she fell onto the bed be
side me. And then I covered her sweet, beautiful face in kisses.
"Tyler, what are you doing?" She giggled as she flailed on the bed.
"I'm just saying good morning, my love."
"Good morning, Tyler. The toast is going to burn if you don't let go of me."
"Is the toast really going to burn, Olivia? Isn't the toast in the toaster?"
"Well, no. The bread is in the toaster. If toast was in a toaster, it wouldn't need to be a-toasted."
"What? That doesn't even make sense." We both laughed as we realized we were talking gibberish.
"Did you sleep well?" She stroked my forehead. I paused, about to tell her to stop, but realized that she was just checking to see if I was okay. I understood why she was doing it. And while I loved her for it, I also hated it. I hated feeling like an invalid. I hated feeling like I was still sick. I wasn't sick. The cancer had gone, I had beat it, and I just wanted to focus on that. I wanted her to see me as a man, not a man that had had cancer, not a man that might still get cancer again. Just a strong, virulent man. I didn’t want her stroking my forehead. I wanted her riding my cock.
“Very well.” I pulled her down for another kiss as my hand brushed against her breasts. I realized then just how much it meant to me knowing that she was here by my side. I didn't want to be angry with her. I didn't want to scare her away. I needed to accept that she cared about me and that she loved me and that because of that, she was worried about me.
She kissed my temple. "Hey, Tyler, what are you thinking?"
"Nothing."
"Don't lie to me, Tyler. Not now, not after everything we've been through already. I can tell from the expression in your eyes that something is on your mind."
"Okay, fine, Olivia. I know I don't want to lie to you, but I also don't want to tell you off for something that's not your fault."
“Tell me off?" she frowned. "Why would you tell me off?"
"I don't want you to treat me like I'm sick, okay?"
"Who was treating you like you're sick?" She looked shocked. "Just because I was making you breakfast in bed? You know that is something that girlfriends do for their boyfriends."
I smiled at her. So, I'm your boyfriend, am I?"
"Oh, I didn't mean that!" She flushed. "I was just ... Maybe it was an assumption I made. I'm sorry. I know we didn't really talk about it." Olivia stopped, looking at me uncertainly.
"I would love to be your boyfriend. I would love for you to be my girlfriend. In fact, I hope one day we'll be more."
"Oh, yeah?" Her expression changed from uncertain to playful. "We'll see.”
"Oh, we'll see, will we?" I laughed. "What about if we have a kid together? Will we see then?"
"Oh, Tyler, don't say that." She rolled onto her stomach. "I just really doubt I'm pregnant, though. I mean, it wasn't even like we had unprotected sex. You had on a condom. It just split a little. I mean, how much sperm could get out?"
"All it takes is one sperm, honey. One sperm to swim all the way up and boom, you're pregnant."
"I know how it works, Tyler. I mean, I'm just saying it’s highly unlikely, right?" She looked at me nervously, and I nodded.
"Yeah, it does seem unlikely, but we should know it's a possibility."
"I know."
She got off the bed. "I gotta check on the eggs and the toast. Hold on, okay? I'll be right back."
"I can get up.”
"No, I'm serving you breakfast in bed."
I lay back against the pillows. "You're spoiling me."
"Yes, I am.” She gave me a meaningful look. “And Tyler?"
"Yes, Olivia?"
"I'm not doing it because you were sick, okay? I'm doing it because last night, well, we had a really passionate, fun, exciting night, and I just want to thank you for opening up to me and for giving me the best night of my life. That's it. It's got nothing to do with you being sick. And just because I like to touch you, it doesn't mean I'm feeling for your temperature. It just means I want to be close to you, okay?"
"Okay."
"You believe me, right?" She looked earnest and I nodded.
"I believe you."
"You're still my strong man, Tyler. You'll always be my strong man, no matter what happens, okay?"
“I know. But can I tell you something, Olivia?”
“Anything.”
“What I want for breakfast isn’t toast and eggs.”
“No?” She frowned. “What would you like, then?”
“You.” I pulled her back down onto the bed and rolled over on top of her, kissing her passionately as my hand slipped up the front of her top. She wasn’t wearing a bra. I groaned as my fingers flicked her nipples and she moaned into my lips. Her legs parted slightly beneath me and I ground my hard cock against her. I pulled her top off and kissed along her collarbone.
“The toast is going to—Oh!” She cried out as I slipped a finger inside her panties and rubbed her clit.
“Let it burn,” I growled as I thrust a finger inside of her and she wiggled her sweet ass on the bed in response. “Right now, there’s only one thing I want.” I rolled her over on top of me so that she was now straddling me. She pressed her palms flat against my chest, her cheeks flushed and her eyes shining. “Ride me, Olivia. Ride me like you’re at the races and you want to come in first.”
She leaned down and kissed my lips, brushing my hair out of my eyes. I played with her curls as I stared at her breasts. I could feel myself growing even harder as she rubbed herself back and forth on my cock. “Take your panties off,” I ordered. I wanted to feel her wet pussy on me.
“We can’t, Tyler.” She shook her head. “I don’t have any condoms, and I don’t trust any condoms you might have.”
“Fuck it.” I groaned. “I need to be inside of you right now.” I took a deep breath. Of course, I understood her dilemma, but my cock was having a hard time accepting the fact that it wouldn’t be making her come anytime soon.
“Well, you have two options.” She smiled at me seductively.
“Oh?”
“You can be in my mouth, or …”
“Or?”
“You can go to the store down the street and get some new condoms and come back.”
“Why didn’t I think of that?” I laughed and pushed her to the side of the bed and I jumped up. I hurriedly grabbed my shirt from the night before and my jeans. “I’ll be right back.”
“Tyler?”
“Yes, my love?”
“I think you better do your zipper up before you go.” She winked. I looked down and saw the tip of my cock poking through the gap.
“You see what you do to me, Olivia.” I quickly zipped myself up and then leaned down to give her a kiss. “I’ll be right back and ready to make sweet love to you in no time.”
“I’ll be waiting,” she replied with the sweetest, sexiest smile I’d ever seen in my life.
“Well, I won’t make you wait long.” I hurried to the door, my heart alight with joy and happiness. I finally had my girl and I was never going to let her go.
Epilogue
Olivia
* * *
"Olivia, I need you to listen to me very carefully, okay?" Tyler whispered in my ear as we sat on the plane. His breath tickled me and I tried to ignore the heat that was rising in my stomach and between my legs.
"Okay. I'm listening to you, Tyler." I looked over at him, and I could see a twinkle in his blue eyes that made me blush. "What are you thinking?"
"Okay. Well, I have to speak quietly because we don't want Derrick to know."
"We don't want Derrick to know what?" I said a little bit too loudly. "Oops."
I furtively looked over to my brother on the other side, but he wasn't paying attention to me. I think he was nervous about getting home. He was the one that had to face Mom and Dad and tell them about Tiffany and his new engagement. I had come to give him moral support because he’d asked me to be
I owed him. For one thing, he'd been really good when he fou
nd out that Tyler and I were now together. In fact, his first words after we’d told him had been, "Finally, I thought you guys were never going to figure it out."
I had asked him why he hadn't tried to set us up if he thought we were a good match, but he’d said, "Nah, I don't get involved in the dating life of my best friend and my sister. If things were to blow up between you guys, I’m not going to be held responsible." Both Tyler and I were relieved that Derrick was okay with us dating, though we’d decided to keep Tyler’s sickness from him for now.
The second reason I’d agreed to fly back to Florida with them was that I wasn’t ready to be away from Tyler just yet. I’d decided to take off two weeks from Cool Credit to go back home, spend some time with Tyler, and help Derrick with Mom and Dad.
Oh, and have plenty of sex.
"Olivia, are you listening to me?" Tyler whispered in my ear, making me jump.
"I'm listening, Tyler." I looked over at him and kissed him on the cheek. "What is it?"
"Well, do you want to make me a really happy boy?"
"Hmm. How do I make you a really happy boy?"
"Well, there's one thing that I've always wanted."
"Okay, and what's that?"
"Well, you, of course."
"Aw, Tyler, aren't you a sweetie pie."
"Well, you know, I try to be." He squeezed my hand.
“So, is that all you had to say?”
“Well, not exactly. What I just said was true, but there's something else I really want as well.”
"Okay, Tyler, out with it. Just tell me."
"So, I thought maybe we could join the mile-high club."
"The what?" The words were out of my mouth faster than I could think. "Are you out of your mind? There is no way I'm joining the mile-high club with you!"
"Shh!" He looked over at Derrick. "Are you trying to get me killed? I know your brother is cool with us dating. I don't know if he'd be cool with me fucking you in the bathroom."
"Tyler!" I gave him a warning poke in the arm, " You don’t have to get nervous because that's not about to happen."
"What if I said I wanted that as my birthday present?" He grinned.