by Terra Kelly
“We talked once a month before I told you, that’s it." She admitted. "I have been thinking about getting a divorce for a few years now.” Tears flowed down her face. “I’m sorry, Miles. I’m so sorry.” She walked toward him and tried to touch his arm.
Miles moved away before she could reach for him. “Don’t cry and hope that will make this all better. This, here, done. You are a worthless bitch. What did you think would happen the moment you both fucked? There are always consequences for your actions.” He turned and headed out. He still needed to get toys for his kids but he would buy them new shit. He never planned to step foot in the house ever again.
Miles needed to punch something. He drove back to the station and put on his workout clothes. He had fire in his eyes as he walked into the gym. Erickson and Sanders were discussing some topic on the TV and running on treadmills. They saw Miles enter and went silent.
Sanders slowed the treadmill down and hoped off. “Need to throw a few punches?”
Miles looked up. “Yeah.” He taped up his hands. “You sure you want to hold the bag right now?”
“That bad?” Erickson asked.
“Worse.” They both got positioned and Miles let all his frustration out one punch at a time. He had so much pent up anger that needed to be released. After about twenty-minutes Erickson stood in for Sanders. They could tell their partner was pissed, so they never said a word.
Miles couldn't understand where he went wrong. First, he gets injured and his partner is killed. Then his wife asks for a divorce the moment she brought him home from the hospital. Oh, and better yet, he finds out his wife is fucking one of his band mates. But the topper. Preslie. He had no clue how to make things right between them. He continued to punch the bag for several more minutes. Finally, he stopped and sat down on the bench to take a break.
“Care to talk about it?” Erickson asked sitting down opposite Miles.
“Nah, not worth it.” He shook his head and took the tape off his hands. “I need to bail, get some fresh air.”
“Okay," Sanders said and helped remove the tape from his hands. "If you need to let anymore frustration out, we're here.”
“That may happen." Miles laughed and grabbed his bag from the locker. When he sat down in the driver seat of his SUV, he realized he needed to see Preslie. On the way over to Vikki’s place, he stopped and grabbed some wine and a package of her favorite cookies. If he had to grovel, he had the perfect supplies for groveling. After parking the car, he took a moment to figure out what he should say. Anything he said at this point might make things worse. He got out and headed up the steps. He raised his hand to knock at the same moment Preslie opened the door. She stood there wearing a long flowing soft pink nightgown. It had spaghetti straps and showed off her gorgeous breasts. He was surprised to see her answer the door a little exposed. Did she do that on purpose? She reached up to brush a strand of hair away from her face. He loved how her hair tumbled around her shoulders. He held out the cookies and wine. “I was hoping we could talk?”
“Miles, it’s not worth it. You already told me how you feel. This peace offering with wine and cookies is unnecessary.”
“But I haven’t shared how I feel. What you heard me say was to appease David. It’s better to make him believe we don’t have a friendship, to protect you. I haven't told anyone how I feel about you.”
“What? Wait, a minute. You do have feelings for me?” Preslie asked sounding confused. She was wearing one of her favorite nightgowns and forgot to throw her robe on. She didn't think about how Miles was getting quite the show. Did Miles have feelings for her and how should she deal with this news? She was trying to figure out if she was ready for a relationship after everything David had done.
“Feel? I have very strong feelings for you which scares the hell out of me.” He glanced around feeling uncomfortable talking in the doorway. “Will you take a drive with me?”
“Um, I don’t know.” She looked back at Vikki who was walking toward them.
“Go.” She grabbed the wine from Miles' hand. “But leave this for me.” Then she walked to the kitchen to open it.
“I won’t bite, I promise," he said and stepped forward. "Grab your jacket, it could get chilly with that nightgown.”
“I should change.”
“Please don’t. You look beautiful and I thought I would just take you to my place. We can eat cookies and talk?” He turned toward Vikki. “I have more wine at home.”
“Perfect because I'm loving this one already.” She raised her glass and took a big gulp. “You both need to talk.” She walked over to her closet and grabbed a long wool coat. "This should be perfect, sweetie.”
“Okay. We can talk, then you can bring me back here later.” She grabbed the coat from Vikki's outstretched hand. “You suck.”
“Thank you." Miles winked. "See you later.”
“God, I hope I don’t see you later." She pushed Preslie out the door. "I hope I don’t see you both all weekend. I need some serious me time. Now scoot.”
Preslie stepped forward and Miles placed his hand on the small of her back. The kind gesture about melted the wall she put up so meticulously. “You may see me or I may just stay at my place. I won’t be at Miles’ place all weekend, I can guarantee that.”
“Want to bet?” Vikki had a habit of placing bets with Preslie and always winning.
Preslie pointed her finger at Vikki. “No! You don’t get to do that, not now.”
“What is she doing?” Miles was confused.
“Nothing, let’s go.” She headed toward his SUV ignoring Vikki's laugh from behind her.
Eight
“Your place is gorgeous,” Preslie said as they pulled up to a single-story home with a gorgeous wraparound porch.
“I rent it. I’m still working on unpacking a few things, so excuse the mess.” He walked around the SUV to help her out, but she was too quick and hopped out. As they walked into his home, she slid her coat tighter over her shoulders feeling exposed. “You look amazing,” Miles said and pulled the coat the rest of the way off.
“I’m half naked. How is this fair?” She teased pointing between them. “You’re all bundled up.”
“Give me a sec.” He went to his bedroom to grab a pair of shorts and a tee. He held his hands above his head. “Better?”
“No. Take your shirt off, then it’ll be fair.” She threw her hand over her mouth. “I mean, no, you’re fine. Much better.”
He shrugged his shoulders. “Okay.” Then he reached down and pulled the shirt over his head.
Preslie went dumb in a matter of seconds. The man had amazing six pack abs and oh… a delicious happy trail. She licked her lips. “Um, yeah, can you put your shirt back on, please?”
“You sure? I want to play fair here.”
“Um…Y…Yeah, sure.” She sat down on one end of his couch and tucked her legs up under her body. There were several musical instruments leaning against a wall and several hung up with large hooks. “Can you play all these instruments?” She hesitated before glancing over at Miles. He was thankfully wearing a shirt again. Oh, how she would love to run her hands over those delicious abs. Dammit, puppies, cute puppies, that is what she needed to focus on instead.
“I can play the guitar and piano, but I collect all instruments." He turned toward the kitchen. "Want some wine?”
“Yes, please. Do you have red?” She needed booze. There was a blanket on the floor by the couch, she grabbed it and wrapped it around her shoulders.
When he walked in carrying two glasses of wine, she was bundled up under a blanket. “Cold?” He handed her a glass and then sat down on the other side of the couch. “Preslie, I’m so sorry for what happened earlier. My time with you was special. I got used to seeing you every day, and I looked forward to our time together. Chatting at night after Vikki crashed was the highlight of my day. When I said protecting you was just a job, I lied. It was more than that, so much more.” He took a drink of his wine. “David was righ
t about one thing, I started having feelings for you. Which is not appropriate because you should never let feelings develop with a victim. What David saw last night, put you in more danger.”
“I don’t care," she said. "If I have feelings for someone, David can’t stop me. Hell, he has already tried to kill me three times. What could be worse?”
He moved closer and was almost touching her leg. “He could get what he wants and kill you. That would be worse.”
She sat her wine glass down and cleared the distance between them. “Why do you care so much?”
He let his fingers brush through her hair. “That may take longer than a few hours to explain.”
She locked her fingers in with his and brought his hand to her lips. Kissing his knuckles. “Like all weekend?”
He sucked in a breath. “Maybe, if you want stay? I don’t want you to be bummed and lose again?”
“Again?” She gave him a shocked looked. “I don’t lose to her every time. What did she tell you?”
He played with her hand, interlocking their fingers, and unlocking them. “She said you lose most of the time?”
She pushed at his chest. “What? No.”
He grabbed her hand on his chest and held it in place. “Do you forgive me? I never meant to hurt you.”
“Yes.” How could she stay mad at him? Vikki was right again, he was just doing his job. She sat there looking at their hands together on his chest. “Are you hungry? For food?”
“Yes. Want to order something?” He leaned forward and grabbed one side of the blanket and took it off her one shoulder. When he had the blanket off both shoulders, he sat there taking in the site. The light pink fabric was see-through and showed her round nipples. He wanted to run his fingers over each breast.
“Maybe.” Then she leaned forward and grabbed either side of his shirt and pulled it up over his head. “This is better. It’s just hard to think straight with you like this.”
“Yeah, I’m having that same problem. Are all your nightgowns this see through?”
She reached forward and traced each indentation on his abdomen. “Maybe. I guess you will have to wait and see.”
Grabbing her hand. “You’re not making this easy on me. I’m trying to hold it together here.”
She stood up and reached for his hand. “Let’s make dinner and talk more.” Glancing down at his happy trail. “Of course, I may change my mind after dinner.”
“What? I don’t know what you’re looking at?”
She traced his happy trail with the tip of her finger. “That renders a girl stupid.”
“Well, I could put my shirt back on that someone took off me?” He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer to his body.
“You wouldn’t dare?”
“No, I wouldn’t dare," Miles said and kissed her temple. "Now, what would you like to eat?”
They ended up making spaghetti and meatballs topped with melted mozzarella cheese. Miles was blown away by how easy it was to talk to Preslie. They were half naked cooking and having too much fun flirting. Every once in a while, one of them would grab the other. She would share how she loved to cook. He told her how he always cooked because Angie was horrible at it. He had a busy schedule, so he pre-cooked meals and labeled them in the refrigerator. He got in the habit of having meals, or ingredients cut, cooked, and bagged.
Preslie opened his refrigerator to locate the mozzarella cheese. “Um, are you O.C.D?” There was cooked chicken on skewers placed in plastic bags. Veggies and fruit were washed, cut, and in Tupperware labeled. She picked up a container. “You prepare all your food?”
“I think at first I was annoyed by Angie’s lack of cooking skills. Then I started loving it and had fun trying out new recipes.” He grabbed the pot with spaghetti noodles and drained the water.
When he placed the pot back on the stove, he didn’t notice she had moved right next to him. She reached in and grabbed a spaghetti noodle. “Did you check it before you drained it?” Then she slid the spaghetti noodle over her tongue and guided it into her mouth.
This whole time they were flirting, they never once attempted to kiss each other. He was nervous to scare her away by being too forward. Now, as he watched her guide the last of the noodle into her mouth, he bent down to capture it between his lips. She sucked in a breath and her eyes went wide. Then she smiled and touch her tongue to his lips. She was trying to get the last of the noodle. Instead, he swiped his tongue over hers and their lips melted together. He turned to face her, grabbing her around her waist, and pulling her body close. As they kissed, it was like moving to their favorite song. With every stroke of their tongues the beat of the drums got louder. They were lost in a world of music that was getting louder and louder around them.
When suddenly the music stopped and Miles stepped back. “Preslie.” They both were out of breath. “I’m sorry. I promised myself I wouldn’t let that happen. I want to take this slow.” He looked down and noticed she was flushed. “Which isn’t easy.”
She licked her lips. “I know, it’s my fault. I’m sorry.” She sighed and pointed at his bare chest. “This isn’t easy.”
“Okay, should we get dressed to eat?” He hoped she would say no.
“Um, no. We’ve made it this far, right?” She walked over and grabbed two bowls for the spaghetti. “Here, let’s go embarrass ourselves.”
They were sitting on the couch facing each other. One would take a bite while the other would ask a question. Once they finished, they placed their bowls on the coffee table in front of them. They laid down with their feet hanging over each end. Their heads were side by side in the center of the couch. “How could you tell me you like country?" Miles laughed and grabbed a piece of her hair." You’re breaking my heart.”
“I said, I like it not love it. My favorite is classic rock. I have a thing for this local band, the leader singer is amazing.”
“Really? Do I need to go kick his ass?”
“Only if you’re up for kicking your own ass?” She sat up and placed his head on her lap. “Have you always had music in your life?” She brushed her hand down the side of his face, loving how smooth his skin felt.
He was feeling every sensation course through his body as she touched him. He grabbed her hand. “Always. I banged around making music when I was around two years old. My mom had a specific cupboard for me in the kitchen. There were pots, pans, wooden spoons and Tupperware. I loved that cupboard.”
She interlocked their fingers. “Is there anyone else in your family with the music bug?” Just then she let out a yawn.
“Nope, just me. Do you want me to take you home?”
“No not yet. Can we lay together for now?”
He nodded and moved to the end of the couch. “Join me.” He grabbed a blanket and covered her up.
Her head was resting on his lap. “You should lie down, too?”
He brushed hair away from her face. “No, it’s safer like this. Sleep, princess.”
She yawned again and nestled under her blanket. “Thanks, Miles,” she whispered as she drifted off to sleep.
He rested his head back on the couch and looked up at the ceiling. He was trying to remember if he had ever had this much fun with Angie. The whole time they were together he believed it was perfect. Now, as he thought about their days together, he could see where he was delusional. How could he be so blind to everything? If he was honest with himself, she didn’t like to have fun at all. He felt anger surface. Then he looked down and all that anger melted away. Preslie looked so peaceful.
Preslie was dreaming she was laying on a chaise lounge reading a romance book. The back-patio doors to the mystery home were open letting the warm air permeate the room. Then she heard an usual sound. Snoring? She looked around the room but no one was there. Then the room she was in became fuzzy and the low snoring sound became louder. She opened her eyes, blinking a few times to adjust to the bright lights streaming through the windows. She was unsure at first where she
was, then her evening all came rushing back. She had her head still resting on Miles’ leg. She looked like a cocoon all nestled in her blanket. She knew the moment she lifted the blanket her body would feel the immediate reaction to the cool air. Unfortunately, if she waited any longer her bladder would explode. She sighed and threw back the covers. Trying not to startle Miles, she lifted her head off his leg. She sat up and glanced over at him, his head was to the side and he was letting out little puffs of air. Then every so often he would make a sound like a pig and she had to giggle. He was beautiful and adorable when he slept. She let her eyes wander down to below his waistline and sucked in air. You could see an outline and he was very erect. So, beautiful.
She sat on the edge of the couch for a few more moments taking in the surroundings. There was an acoustic guitar resting against the front window in the living room. She knew only the basics of guitars but had always wanted to learn how to play. Looking down at what she was wearing, she let out a soft laugh. She couldn’t believe she was wearing her most risqué nightgown. All she had on underneath were little bikini panties. She stood and walked to the bathroom. When she headed back into the living room, she checked to see if Miles was still sleeping. Then she made her way over to the guitar and sat down on the floor. She rested her body against the window sill and lifted the guitar onto her lap. Her knees were together and sitting to the side in front of her. She played a few chords.
Miles had a tough time falling asleep on the couch, but when he did, he was out. Preslie never moved the whole night, so he slept. He never felt Preslie get up, but as he opened his eyes he noticed she was gone. He came out of his sleepy fog and realized he heard a guitar. He looked around but didn’t see Preslie. Then he looked behind him and there she was looking like an angel sitting by the window. She was holding one of his guitars and sitting there pretending to play. He had to smile, this was just too beautiful. The guitar she was holding was one of his prized possessions, it had been signed by Jimmy Page from Led Zeppelin.