by Aidèe Jaimes
“So you saw her looking at me too?”
She whacks me this time. “Yes, I saw. Cher, what’s gotten into you?”
“I don’t know, Momma. When I’m around her, I can’t think straight.” I press my fingers hard against my temples. It’s true. Cris overrides my brain so much it hurts.
“Then I suggest you don’t come around her anymore. She’s a married woman, and I love you, son, but you’d be nothin’ but trouble for her. You could destroy her life! If you like her as much as I think you do, consider that.”
I want to argue with her because it’s been a long time since I’ve wanted anyone as much as I do Cris. If ever. Every part of me rebels against the idea of her already belonging to someone else. But my mother’s right. I’d destroy her life.
“Okay, Momma.”
“You’ll stay away?”
“If she’s happy, I’ll stay away.” This time I make the promise I intend to keep. If she’s happy.
“Good. She is, Boey. She’s very happy in her marriage.”
43
I was told not to come around her anymore. To avoid Cris at all costs. She’s a happily married woman.
Easier said than done when everything I am is pulled to her like some powerful magnetic attraction I can’t fight. It’s a biological thing, I tell myself. Our chemistry is undeniable. Our nature is to procreate with the best match to our body’s makeup, and she’s mine.
Which is why, when I see that she’s in her garage as I park at my parent’s house, I watch her. From where I stand, it appears as if she’s working on a table, painting it. She’s alone, her daughter nowhere in sight.
I should turn around, head into the house and forget she’s there. But I can’t.
Instead, my legs move of their own accord, crossing the street and walking up her driveway. She peeks up at me from under long lashes, her hair piled on her head in a loose bun with long strands framing her face.
The gold of her irises is enhanced by the white patches of paint smudged over her cheeks. She’s a mess, and she’s absolutely perfect. Even those jean overalls that look like they’ve come straight from the bayou don’t take away from her sex appeal.
“Hi,” she says breathily.
“What’re you making?” I ask her.
“It’s a little side table for my daughter’s playroom.”
“Looks good.”
“Thanks, I made it myself.” She grins at me proudly.
“You make a lot of things yourself?”
“Some. I’m very good with my hands.”
At that, my gaze goes to her lips, and I have to wonder if she’s as good with that mouth as she is her hands.
Longing to take my shirt off to dispel the sudden rise in temperature, I clear my throat and say, “Where’s Mia?”
“She’s at Jess’s house. Bo?”
“Mmm?”
“I have a table just inside that’s too heavy for me. Would you help me move it out here?”
I glance at the door that leads into the house, then back at her. Her breathing is shallow, and when she swallows hard, I can tell she’s nervous.
“Your husband can’t help you with it?” I ask, hoping she hears the real question.
“I’d like you to.”
Nodding, I follow her in, closing the door behind us.
“Where is it?” I ask her.
“It’s—”
I’m on her before she can finish.
There’s no damned table to move, and if there is, I don’t care. Digging my fingers into her thick hair, I kiss her the way I’ve been dying to. Her fervent response as I urge her to open her mouth for me only stokes an already raging fire.
I press her against the kitchen counter, forcing her up. Her legs wrap around my waist and I feel the heat of her core through my clothes.
Releasing her full lips only to trail kisses over her jaw and to her ear, I whisper, “Cris, if you want me to stop, tell me, because I won’t do it of my own will. I know you belong to someone else, but I don’t care.”
“Don’t stop, Bo. I’ve wanted you too.” Her mouth is on mine once again. She tastes like sin. She is sin. This is sin. And it’s going to damn my soul, but I can’t pull away. Not now.
Her hands are under my shirt, nails at my back as I grind my erection against her. When she moans into my mouth, I breathe her in. Then she tugs my shirt over my head.
I unbuckle her overalls and they fall to her waist, exposing her beautiful breasts to me. It’s not until now that I realize something’s off. How could she have been out there without a shirt? But I choose to ignore it because I want this too much.
My shorts drop to the floor and when I look up, she’s lying on the counter, naked, her hair fanned out around her face. Ready for me like a damned feast, and I’m starved. I trace my fingertips over her smooth skin, from her toes, up her legs, and to her hips. I bend down, gently kissing her naval. Letting my tongue do the trailing now, I drag it up her stomach and run it along the underside of her breast.
Her breathing becomes erratic as I get closer to her nipple. When I take the firm peak into my mouth, she moans. The harder I suck, the higher her hips lift. Then I move to the opposite breast that’s just as full and beautiful. I nip the crest, all the while brushing my fingers over the other one. Wouldn’t want it to feel left out.
Cris’s cries get louder. She reaches down, her hand wrapping around my shaft and squeezing. I angle my body so that she’s able to stroke me while I kiss my way to the juncture between her legs. But the moment her scent reaches my brain and the taste of her fills my mouth, I realize this won’t last long. The inner beast I’ve kept at bay is set loose and is completely out of my control.
I pull out of her hand and position myself between her legs so I can see her better, feel her more, and eat her the way she deserves. Fuck that. The way I’ve wanted to eat her since the day I first saw her.
My lips press against her, and I touch my tongue to her clit, just the tip at first. When she begins to writhe, I suck it completely into my mouth, and she spreads her legs wider. Then I ease up before starting again.
I insert a finger into her channel and moan when I realize how tight she is. Shit. My dick twitches. She’s going to fit me like a glove.
She tugs at my hair, and when she pulses around me and I know she’s coming, I stand, unable to wait any longer.
Climbing onto the counter, I push her knees back and watch as her eyes glaze over when she notices what I’m about to fuck her with.
I want to tell her I’ll go slow, but I won’t make a promise I can’t keep.
Pressing the tip of my dick against her slick entrance, I close my eyes and thrust—
My arms collapse as they lose their hold on her. Confused as shit, I gaze around to find the room I’ve slept in for years, yet I can’t comprehend it. Because only a second ago, I was in Cris’s kitchen, about to fuck her until we both lost our minds. Only, I’m not. There’s no kitchen, no counter about to be defiled. No Cris. Though there certainly is a boner.
“Fuck!” I get out of bed, letting my dick lead the way to the bathroom for a cold shower.
I catch my reflection in the mirror above the sink. Sweat beads off my brow and my pupils are still dilated from the lust.
One side of my mouth quirks up as I relive the dream. It may have been all in my mind, but I’ll never forget how she looked—like a goddess ready to worship. It’s a memory I’ll take to the grave.
44
“Whatcha think, Bobo? Bo? Boey-poo. Are you even listenin’ to me?”
My “accidental girlfriend’s” voice pierces the very fabric of my brain. It’s not her. It’s me. It’s that I’m too damned aware that Cris will be here at any moment.
We’re standing in the garage with several others, greeting everyone through the open door as we drink a few beers.
No matter how hard I’ve tried to move on from the idea of Cris, I can’t. For over six months, I’ve let my mother keep me from seein
g her, always making sure I’m not there when she is. If she sees her on the street, she pushes me into the house. If we’re already inside, she closes the blinds.
But she can’t keep us apart today. Not when I’ve invited everyone she knows to her seventieth “Big Easy” birthday party at my house in Huntersville. The day I sent the invitation to Mr. and Mrs. Owen Roberts, my hand shook from tying her to another man’s name. Yet the thought of seeing her again in person after months of imagining her only in my dreams has me anxious. Crazed. There’s no room for thoughts of anyone but her.
I look at Dawn, see her mouth moving. She’s just asked me a question, but I’ve been so busy watching as guests arrive that I have no idea what she’s saying. “Sure,” I reply.
“Sure.”
“Yeah, sure,” I shrug.
“Sure what?”
“Sure what you said.”
“And what exactly was that?” Her arms cross and she taps a long nail against her forearm. “I knew you weren’t listenin’.”
“Sorry. Tell me again.” The moment I say it, there’s a commotion out in my drive, and once again, whatever Dawn has to say becomes nothing but background noise.
A white Civic that I immediately recognize as Cris’s is doing some strange back and forth movement as she tries, but fails miserably, to parallel park behind a minivan. One of the attendants I’ve hired to help with the large number of vehicles I expect to be here is gesturing wildly at her.
The edges of my mouth pull up as I watch the humorous display.
Suddenly, the window rolls down and I hear, “Can I just leave it like this?” coming from her.
One of the valets steps up to her. “Geev me yor kees. I move,” he tells her.
She steps out of the vehicle, offering him the keys. From the back seat, she pulls out her daughter and a large gift, which she clumsily attempts to hold as she takes her little girl’s hand and walks over the uneven ground.
Doing an awkward dance, she makes her way to the door, yet I’m so insanely attracted to her that everyone else, including my date, vanishes. There’s nothing but Cris in her formfitting black shirt that displays the shape of her breasts so perfectly, she might as well be wearing nothing at all.
When she spots me, her step falters just enough for me to tell that seeing me has affected her. My smile broadens, and though I try to seem cool and collected while I sit on a lawn chair with my legs relaxed in front of me, I’m anything but.
Come this way, I think. Come closer.
But she doesn’t. Instead, she disappears around the corner, heading toward the front door.
A slap on my shoulder makes me turn. Dawn’s brown eyes are spitting fire, her large chest heaving.
“What?” I ask.
“Let’s go out back.”
She doesn’t have to tell me twice. The party is exactly where I want to be. Large purple and green covered tables full of my mother’s favorite Cajun dishes—jambalaya, étouffée, andouille, and cornbread— have been placed on one side of the pool.
“There’s your mom!” Dawn points with glee.
I don’t think she’s truly that thrilled to see her, especially since my mother’s been incapable of hiding her dislike toward her. But Dawn is determined to shimmy her way into every aspect of my life.
She pulls me to my mom, who’s had more than one glass of red wine and the effects are obvious.
“Boey, sit by me.” My mother’s beaded bracelets clack as she taps the chair next to her.
Before my ass has a chance to make contact with the seat, Dawn has touched down beside me.
“Mrs. Jensen, I’m so happy I could come celebrate with you. Thank you for havin’ me.”
My mother laughs hysterically at that. “Yeah, well,” is all she says, but when her gaze shifts to me, her expression says so much more. “Why’d you bring her?” it’s asking.
My eyes answer, “She invited herself.”
Dawn tugs on my shirt, calling my attention to her. “Bo, are you going to take me home soon?”
“The party’s just started,” I tell her, annoyed.
“Yes, but I was hoping we could spend some time alone before Alan brings the kids home,” she says, referring to her ex-husband. “You knew I couldn’t be here the entire time.”
“Dawn, I told you I wouldn’t be able to leave during the party. That’s why I wanted you to drive yourself.”
“I didn’t want to show up alone.” Her pout is meant to touch me. It does. It touches a raw nerve ending, making me cringe.
I close my eyes, praying for patience like my mother often does. Dawn’s a sweet girl, I remind myself. But she’s not for me. And it really is my fault that she’s here. Though I haven’t encouraged it, I haven’t objected either. She’s here because I’ve allowed her to create a relationship in her mind that doesn’t exist in mine.
Dawn and I met six weeks ago at a bar in Charlotte. It was like at first sight, from my end, at least. I’d have to be dead not to be attracted to her. Blonde with big brown eyes, nice body, bubbly personality. When she took me home that night, I never imagined it would turn into another night and then another.
Next thing I know, I’m meeting her kids and she’s invited herself to lunch with mine. Laura was furious, and so was I. I’d mentioned the location of the lunch and it never crossed my mind that she’d show up. That was the tilting point where she went from a girl I was having a good time with to someone I dread seeing. Maybe those things wouldn’t bother me so much if I felt more than simple attraction. If I felt something even remotely close to what I feel with—
“Cristiana!” My mother’s sudden shout finishes my thought. “I’m so glad you could come! Sit, sit! Where are Owen and the baby?”
My eyes flick up to her momentarily, but I’m quickly distracted when Dawn’s hand reaches for mine. “How about we go in thirty minutes?”
“Dawn, it’s my mother’s birthday party. I’m not leaving. I can call you a cab.” Just as I finish my sentence, I’m distracted yet again.
“Um, Owen had to work. Mia’s inside with Jess,” I hear Cris’s reply to my mother’s question clear as day because I’m far more aware of her than I am of this girl I’m supposed to be here with.
“What? I don’t want to…” Dawn’s rambling fades to the background as I listen intently to the conversation between my mother and Cris.
“Ah, okay, I’ll have to go steal her for a few minutes. I have something for her she’s just going to love!” My mother stands, and although she’s a bit wobbly, her drink is completely stable in her shaky hand as she walks away.
Though my head is tilted toward Dawn, I can see Cris out of the corner of my eye. She’s sitting quietly, but I know she’s watching me too.
Damn, I want to talk to her. To sit closer to her.
“Do you want to go for a swim?” Dawn asks.
“Not right now, but you go in.”
“Boey-poo, come with me. If I get cold, I can wrap myself around you for warmth.” She removes her sheer white cover, exposing her barely there bright orange bikini, trying to entice me to go in.
“The pool’s heated. You’ll be fine,” I tell her.
Cris clears her throat and smooths her skirt. She’s pretending to look around, just like I’m pretending to listen to Dawn.
Her husband didn’t come with her. Good. As it is, I feel like an ass for lusting after another man’s wife. Doing it in front of him would make me a straight-up dick. And I do want her. Fuck me, but I do.
After about five minutes of torture, Cris stands and leaves us.
“Jeez, finally. Didn’t she get the hint that she was in the way?” Dawn asks, rolling her eyes.
Little arms wrap around my neck from behind me, and I turn to see my daughter, Sammy. Her eyes are blue, much like mine, and almost glow in the sunlight. She’s donned a two-piece bathing suit with a pineapple and banana print. “Daddy, can I get in the pool? JB’s in there.”
“Of course, ma petite. But onl
y while I’m here watching. If I move away, I’ll ask you to step out.”
“But JB can watch me!”
“He’s ten, chère. He can’t even watch himself yet.”
A slight pout tugs at her lower lip, but she accepts what I say. She makes to go, but before she can, Dawn reaches out and grabs her by the arm.
“Here, baby. Let’s get a family photo,” Dawn tells her. There’s already a phone in her hand and she’s settling herself in what I assume she thinks is her best angle.
Sammy glances at me warily. Dawn may be nice, but she’s not the motherly type. Kids can sense this. I nod because while I don’t want to be with her, I also don’t want to be a complete asshole.
“JB!” Dawn calls to my son when he swims close to the edge. “Come get in the picture.”
He climbs out of the pool and grumbles something at me as he passes, but I make it a point not to listen. As she takes them in her arms and snaps photo after photo, I shake my head, realizing this can’t go on beyond today. It’s not fair to her.
After losing sight of Cris, I decide to mingle with the guests and enjoy some of the savory meats and even better moonshine someone snuck in. We listen to the zydeco band Dan hired and even dance to a few of the tunes, then we jump in the pool to wash off the sweat.
It’s getting late by the time we finally make our way inside. My parents have gone missing and most of the guests have left or are saying their goodbyes. I begin to wonder if Cris has left too.
That is, until we turn to go into the living room and spot them there. My mother is wine-drunk, my stepfather’s completely out on the couch, and to my relief, Cristiana’s sitting on the floor with her daughter, playing dominos.
For a split second, I consider staying like this, enjoying the sight of her as she plays. The angle of her face, which is tilted slightly away, and the way her long hair, wild and free, frames her features. A faint smile on her lips tells me she’s in her element right now.
But a split second is all I have before she notices Dawn and I have just walked in.