Welcome to Blissville

by Walker, Aimee Nicole

  Josh took them from me and dropped his nose to smell the roses. “They’re very beautiful,” he said, looking back into my eyes. “Thank you.” Then he surprised me by wrapping his free hand around my neck and pulling me down for a soft kiss like he’d given me outside The Brew that morning. The delighted squeal that Meredith let out reminded me that we weren’t alone. If I were lucky, Josh would let me stick around for a little bit after his friends left. I owed him a sincere, heartfelt apology.

  “Whoa,” said a surprised Chaz when he arrived. “I don’t believe what I’m seeing.”

  “Hi, Chaz.”

  “Hi.” He smiled like a goon as he looked between Josh and me. “You’ve never invited a guy to Sunday dinner,” Chaz told Josh. I was sure that Josh didn’t appreciate his friend broadcasting that little tidbit, but I sure as hell did.

  “You,” Josh said, pointing to Chaz, “enough with the oversharing. You,” he said turning to me, “wipe that smirk off your face and pour us some drinks.”

  I didn’t wipe the smirk off my face, but I settled in at the counter next to Josh who returned to the stove to check on the potatoes. I washed the berries then focused on cutting them and not my finger, I wasn’t a clumsy person in general, but Josh always had me so tied up in knots that I never knew what to expect out of myself. I placed the berries in the bottom of four flutes and then poured Prosecco in each one.

  I leaned toward Josh and whispered, “Thank you for inviting me to dinner.” I gave him a quick peck at his temple then carried the drinks to the dining area. I saw the arrangement I gave Josh sitting in a place of honor in the center of the table and was glad that I’d listened to my instincts.

  I sat in the living room area and chatted about mundane things like adjusting to Ohio winters after living in Florida all my life with Chaz and Meredith while Josh mashed potatoes. I mentioned helping Josh, but Meredith’s arm snaked out and grabbed me before I could get up to go back into the kitchen.

  “He doesn’t like sharing his kitchen space, and he has this down to a fine art. We’re better off to let the master do what he does best and not get in the way,” she told me. Her expression held a sincere warning, and I heeded it well. She and Chaz knew the man best, and I trusted their guidance.

  “Don’t try to fix something that isn’t broken,” Chaz advised sagely.

  “Time to eat,” Josh called out.

  I followed behind Meredith and Chaz, unsure of where I should sit at the table. Josh set the platters and bowls of delicious looking food on the table while Meredith and Chaz took a seat on either side of the oval dining room table. Josh gestured for me to have a seat at the foot of the table opposite of him. I thought it was charming when Meredith said grace over the food once we had all settled in our chairs.

  Chaz reached for the platter with the country fried steaks on them and served himself one before he passed the platter to me. I forked a piece of heaven and put it on my plate then passed the platter to Meredith, who served herself before handing the platter to Josh. To my way of thinking, Josh should have served himself first since he did all the work, but I knew from experience that it didn’t work like that. The same pattern continued with the mashed potatoes, gravy, lima beans, and dinner rolls. There wasn’t an inch of the plate showing by the time the food had been passed around.

  “Dig in,” Josh said.

  He didn’t have to tell me twice. I chose to take my time and savor the meal rather than hoover it down like I wanted to. “This is better than Emma’s,” I said after my first bite of perfectly breaded fried steak. The sweet smile Josh gave me had my heart speeding up; I found myself wanting to put that smile on his face more often.

  “Tell me about yourself, Gabe?” Chaz asked me in between bites. I felt like I was interviewing for a job.

  “What would you like to know?” I asked.

  “Let’s start with your hobbies,” Chaz said after thinking about it for a few seconds.

  “I play softball on the police department’s team in the spring and summer, I lift weights a lot, and I’m trying to teach my dog some new tricks.”

  “What position do you play?” Meredith asked.

  “I’m pretty versatile,” I told Meredith, whose brief smile told me her mind had headed straight to the gutter. “I mostly pitch though.”

  Chaz snorted and muttered, “I bet.” Josh smacked him upside the back of the head, which caused him to laugh hard. Meredith gave in to the urge to laugh too.

  “You two fools sound like cackling hyenas. Gabe was talking about his softball team so get your minds out of the gutter,” Josh said firmly, but his twitching lips told me that he wanted to laugh along with them.

  “Oh, you were asking about softball positions?” I asked Meredith. “I play center field.” My response only made Chaz and Meredith laugh harder. Josh narrowed his eyes in mock irritation at me while I just kept eating. It truly was the best country fried steak I’d ever had.

  “I almost squirted Prosecco out my nose,” Meredith said once she stopped giggling. “Oh, that was some funny shit.”

  “I’m almost afraid to ask anything else,” Chaz said to Meredith. “He might tell us whether he’s cut, uncut, or his number of inches right here at the dinner table.”

  “Cut and more than you could handle, dumbass,” Josh told Chaz. “Shut up and eat your food.”

  I nearly choked on the bite of lima beans I had just scooped into my mouth. A person shouldn’t gasp while trying to swallow food at the same time. It had a disastrous effect. My eyes watered and tears ran down my face as I tried to right myself.

  Josh went to the kitchen and returned with a glass of water. “Here drink this.” The cold water soothed my irritated throat. “I’m sorry I made you choke,” he said, stroking the back of my head. “We have terribly inappropriate conversations during dinner, and you’re probably not used to it. I should’ve warned you instead of branding you by fire.”

  “It’s worse than a locker room,” I told him. My voice sounded raspy, so I drank some more water until there was nothing left.

  “Do you want another glass?” Josh asked me. I saw worry in his eyes, and I smiled to assure him that I was fine.

  “I’m good.” I turned my attention back to the other people at the table. “What he said,” I replied in response to Chaz’s remark about my dick. Meredith bit her lip to keep from laughing, and Chaz didn’t even bother trying to hold back.

  Josh nudged my shoulder with his elbow and said, “Don’t encourage them,” before he returned to his chair.

  “What made you want to be a cop?” Meredith asked.

  Josh’s eyes nearly bugged out of his head with worry that the question would upset me. “It’s okay,” I told him before I turned to Meredith. “My older brother was killed during a convenience store robbery when he was seventeen, and I was fifteen. His killer was never arrested, and it was a horrible feeling. I never wanted another family to feel that way, so I became a cop.”

  “I am so sorry,” Meredith said, covering her heart with her hand.

  “That’s rough,” Chaz said somberly.

  “It was rough and to be honest that kind of hurt never goes away, but you learn to handle it better after time. Holidays and birthdays are the absolute hardest, but Dylan would kick my ass if I didn’t try to make the best of every moment. I was so lucky to have him as a big brother for fifteen years, so I try to focus on that more than his loss.”

  Josh looked at me with wet eyes and a soft smile. “He’d be proud of you.” His words meant more to me than I could say. Dylan was so much more to me than a brother; he was my champion and hero. I hoped I had the opportunity to tell Josh all about him someday.

  We ate the rest of our meal in silence, and I worried that my response about my brother ruined dinner. Meredith pushed back from the table and made a big production of stretching and yawning. She gave me a warm smile then placed her hand on Josh’s.

  “Dinner was scrumptious, Jazz. Thank you so much.” She stretched
and yawned again before she said, “I’m worn out though so I’m going to head on home.” She looked pointedly at Chaz across the table. “You’re tired too and need to go home to rest.”

  “But we haven’t had dessert yet.”

  “Get it to go,” Meredith said in a no-nonsense voice.

  Chaz looked at Josh and then me in confusion, and then I saw realization dawn on his face. “You know what,” he said, rising from his chair, “I’m stuffed. I couldn’t eat another bite.”

  “You guys don’t have to rush off,” Josh said.

  “I’m very tired,” Meredith said, slipping on her coat. “I hope I can stay awake long enough to get home.” The twinkle in her eyes contradicted her statement.

  “So stuffed,” Chaz said, rubbing his stomach. “I need to get home and put on some sweats to give my gut some room before I explode.”

  “See you Tuesday.” Meredith dropped a kiss on Josh’s cheek.

  “Tuesday,” Chaz repeated and kissed Josh’s other cheek.

  I blinked, and the duo was downstairs and out the back door. “Let me help you clean this mess up and then I’d like to talk.”

  “Talk?” Josh asked.

  “Yes, talk,” I replied. “I have some groveling and apologizing to do. You won’t want to miss it.”

  Josh removed his cloth napkin from his lap and tossed it on the table. “In that case, cleanup can wait.”

  I scooted back my chair and rose to my feet. “Why don’t we go into the living room so we can be more comfortable when you beg and grovel.”

  Gabe smirked as he stood up. “I didn’t say anything about begging,” he replied. “I believe I said apologize and grovel.”

  “Same difference.” I waved it off dismissingly. “Would you like to have dessert first? I baked banana pudding with meringue on top.” I remembered the way his eyes glazed over the first time I mentioned making the pudding when at the pet store.

  Gabe’s eyes widened with food lust that almost rivaled the look he gave me when I got naked for him. “Let me get the apologizing over with first.”

  “Don’t forget the groveling,” I reminded him. “It’s my favorite part.” I led us into the living room and sat on my sofa. Gabe sat beside me, and I morphed my expression into one of vast confusion. “Oh, you’re not doing this from your knees?” I released a playful sigh.

  “Apologizing and groveling will not be the activity I do from my knees.” Gabe chuckled, which meant he could tell by the expression on my face where my mind had immediately gone. I was about ready to forget the apologizing and groveling portions of the evening for more satisfying parts. “Seriously,” he said, steering me back to the present. “I can’t believe I’m about to say this, but I think we need to talk out what happened between us. That’s what mature adults do, right?”

  “I think so,” I replied. “Not sure who the hell you’re calling an adult though.” I attempted humor to relieve the tension building up inside me. Truthfully, I’d never had a mature relationship, so I had no clue what it entailed, but I suspected that Gabe was right and we both needed to talk about what happened the night we argued in my salon. Gabe’s throaty laugh at my response sent thrills throughout my body and threatened to derail his good intentions. I told myself to calm the fuck down because there would be time for sexy stuff afterward.

  “I make no excuses for the stupid things I said or the references to being high drama,” Gabe began. “I do not ever think of you as feminine nor do I think you’re a queen of any sort. I want that to be very clear between us.” He reached over and clasped my hands in his much bigger ones. “I need to think about what I say before I speak because it’s obviously a sore button with you. I also need you to stop punishing me for someone else’s mistakes. I know that people have hurt you in the past, but I’m not them.” His words surprised me, and I sat up straighter. “I messed up that first night we met months ago. I’ve apologized for it. I’ve told you that I don’t think that way about you. I need for you to believe it though, it’s the only way we’re going to have a chance at… something.”

  I knew that he was right about me lumping him in with the others and he had a valid point about me punishing him for past hurts. I nodded my head in agreement while my brain tried to form the words I wanted to say. “Some hurts run bone deep, and they can skew the way you see, hear, and interpret things. I will try harder not to jump all over everything you say and twist them into something you didn’t mean. I also need you to trust me, Gabe. Trust that if I knew something that would help you solve a case, especially one involving my friend, I would tell you. Trust is very important if we’re going to have a chance at… something.” He smiled when I used his same phrasing. “I’m not always an easy person to get along with, but I hope you think I’m worth the hassle because I… like you.”

  “You are worth it, Josh.” Gabe tugged my hands until I was almost on his lap. “I… like you too.” The deep timbre of his voice made me want to rub against him like a kitten. When he pressed his lips to mine, I melted against him and kissed him with every ounce of longing I had while we were separated.

  For the first time since I’d met him, I wasn’t in a rush to get naked beneath him. I was willing to savor every second that we had. I didn’t try to rustle up resentment to push him away; I held him close. I didn’t warp my mind with all the things that could go wrong; I focused on everything that was right.

  Gabe pulled back from our kiss and smiled down at me. “You know what we need to do now don’t you?”

  My hard cock knew exactly what we needed to do next. I rose to my feet and held out my hand to him. I started to head to my bedroom, but Gabe tugged me back. I turned and looked at him in confusion. He pointed to the mess on the dining room table that was waiting. I cocked a brow at him. “You’d choose to clean the dishes over getting naked with me? I think it’s been way too long since you’ve been inside me, but if you’d rather scrape pans…”

  Gabe yanked me into his arms and kissed me savagely to show me exactly what he’d prefer to be doing right then. “I’d choose to get you naked over breathing.” He began walking me backward to my room. “I’ll help you with the dishes after I show you just how much I like you.”

  It was amazing to me how much things improved after we exchanged a few sentences. It wasn’t like Gabe, and I sat on my couch and divulged every feeling we’d ever had. We told each other exactly how we felt about the argument we had and talked about how we could avoid it in the future. I felt like there was solid ground beneath our feet for the first time.

  The confidence I felt spilled over into the bedroom. I felt bolder as I undressed Gabe and touched his body. I wanted to take the time to learn all the nuances of him and what drove him wild. I needed to hear him moan my name and dig his fingers into my skin because he couldn’t get enough of me. Gabe seemed willing and patient enough to let me have my way.

  I pushed on his broad chest until he lay flat on his back in the center of my bed. I placed my lips just beneath his jaw on his neck and began my journey of exploration. I loved the way his muscles jerked beneath his skin when I reached an exceptionally sensitive spot, like his ribs beneath his armpits or the crease between his thigh and pelvis. I adored how his nipples pebbled beneath my tongue and the way his cock flexed when I licked a path from root to tip.

  The sexy way he growled when I sucked his cock to the back of my throat had me leaking. Gabe white-knuckled my comforter as he fought hard not to fuck my mouth. I loved the dominant side of him that liked to take control and fuck me hard, but I also liked that he was willing to temper that to give me what I needed.

  When I felt he’d had enough torture, I slowly released his cock from my mouth and reached for the condoms and lubricant. Gabe sat up and grabbed me before I had a chance to do anything else. He pulled me until I straddled him with my knees on either side of his face. Seemingly out of patience, Gabe lifted his head and swirled his tongue around the tip of my cock before he sucked it into his mouth. His big
hands grabbed my ass cheeks and urged me to fuck his mouth.

  Once I found my rhythm, he released my ass, and I missed the feel of his hands on my body. They weren’t gone long before they returned slicked with lube. I’m not sure what incoherent ramblings left my mouth when his finger first slipped inside my tight entrance to tease my prostate as he blew me.

  “Jesus, Gabe,” were the only two words I recognized. Then he breached my hole with two fingers, and it felt so damn good I nearly forgot how to breathe. “Gabe,” I said pleadingly.

  Gabe slid his fingers from my ass, and I could hear him ripping the condom wrapper open before he rolled it on his cock. Once he was ready, he pulled his mouth off my dick and scooted me down until I hovered above his erection. He slid a hand between my legs and held his cock steady while I lowered myself down on him.

  I loved the slight bite and burn as my ass stretched to accept his penetration. Gabe’s lashes lowered over irises so dark with need that they appeared black. His brilliant eyes opened once more when I began to move, and he watched every roll of my hips as I rode his cock. Then I moved my hands behind me to rest on his strong thighs and parted my knees wide so he could watch his cock disappearing inside of me.

  “So hot.” He shifted his eyes back up to my face as he reached down and fisted my dick. “Eyes on me,” he said when mine started to close.

  I felt my resolve to take things slower fade as my orgasm built inside me. Gabe grabbed my hips and rolled me to my back. He slipped his arms beneath my legs and placed them up over his shoulders before he held my ass in a death grip.

  “It’s been too long since I’ve had you, Josh. I can’t do slow right now.” He almost sounded apologetic, and I might’ve laughed if I wasn’t feeling just as desperate.

  “Fuck!” I shouted as he started to pound in and out of me. “Gabe.” I gripped his biceps and held on for dear life as he fucked me hard enough to slam the headboard against the wall, repeatedly. The way he tagged my prostate felt so good, I could’ve cried.