“Really?” She smiles down at me and I’m pretty sure my heart skipped a beat.
“Really,” I reassure her. “Don’t go. Let’s move together. I’ll build us a better house, one with a loft and a bath house. One with skylights and enough room for children. Come with me,” I feel like I’m proposing. I guess I am. I might not be down on one knee, and I might not have a ring, but I’m asking this amazing woman to spend the rest of her days with me.
“I will.” She answers and I laugh as pure joy overtakes me.
I pull her into me, drawing her into my mouth and kiss her deep. When Abbie stands up, she looks as awestruck as I feel.
“Just one thing, though,” I interrupt the moment.
“What’s that?” She looks down at me dreamily.
“I still need you to sew up the front of this wound,” I jerk my head toward my bad shoulder and laugh again as Abbie’s eyes grow two sizes bigger.
“Oh! I’m sorry!” She scurries over to the other side of me and grabs the needle dangling down my back, tying off that wound.
“Don’t be. You’ve made me the happiest man alive, Abbie. You never have a single thing to be sorry for.”
As she smiles down at me, I feel a weight I didn’t realize I was dragging around lift from my soul. I know that things won’t always be perfect, but this is about as close as it gets with the perfect woman by my side, life is pretty sweet.
35
Abbie
“Let’s get you out of these dirty pants,” I tug on Cole’s hand and he reluctantly stands up. Although, I’ve gotta say, he seems to perk up a bit as I unbutton them and tug the zipper down for him. He kicks off his boots and gives a shake, letting his pants pool around his ankles and steps out of them.
I shamelessly let my eyes travel over his frame, but am left frowning at all the tiny scrapes and cuts covering him from the fight.
“What’s wrong?” Cole peers down at me, but I don’t answer. I purse my lips together and lead him over to the bed.
“Come lie down,” I’m the one giving him orders now, and I’m surprised when he listens. “I’m going to wipe you down and get you cleaned up.”
He must be able to tell that I’m not about to take no for an answer, or maybe he wants me to take care of him for once, because he doesn’t protest.
I pick up the dirty pot of water and toss it outside the door, I rinse it out and fill it back up with fresh, clean water before putting it on the stove just until I can see tiny bubbles form at the bottom of the pot. I’m not using this for sterilizing anything, so I don’t need to wait for it to come to a full boil this time. I pull the water from the stove with a clean cloth thrown on top and place it down carefully on the small table Cole carved from a tree stump beside the bed.
“You don’t have to do this,” Cole murmurs.
“I want to,” I quiet him, submerging the cloth in the warm water I wring it out and begin wiping down his scrapes carefully.
The backs of his arms are covered in what my mother used to call ’road rash’ when I came home with tears streaked down my dusty face and this pattern on my knees after wiping out on my rollerblades.
If it’s hurting Cole for me to clean him up, he’s hiding it well. Then again, I’d expect nothing less from him. I’ve never met a tougher man in my life.
The rest of his torso is fine, but he managed to get a cut along his hip during his scuffle on the ground. I tenderly clean it out with the cloth, being careful not to tear any of the skin. When I’m finally finished, I look at Cole and he’s watching me so closely.
“What?” I can’t help but smile. The way he’s looking at me would make any woman blush.
“Nothing, I’m just, I’m so lucky to have you,” he doesn’t blink as he looks into my eyes earnestly.
“I feel the same way,” I admit.
Then I see it. His heart isn’t the only thing full of gratitude for me. His cock is growing taller and fuller by the second. I can’t help but stare as it transforms like an inflatable Christmas tree, pumping up and becoming straight and thick. The only difference is, no one usually gets this excited for the tree.
“You know, I’m feeling awfully exposed here with you staring at my cock like that. How about you put that pot away and join me?” Cole’s voice is deep and rumbling with desire.
I nod, licking my lips. I quickly dispose of my sponge bath and don’t hesitate to strip off my clothes and hop into the bed with him.
“Get the fuck over here,” Cole pulls me on top of him, sitting up in the bed until I’m straddling him. “You see what you fucking do to me?” He grabs the base of his cock and pokes the tip against my clit. I can’t help the moan that escapes my lips any more than I can help the way my hips jaggedly grind toward him. It’s instinct. Pure and simple.
Cole pulls me toward him and I’m conscious not to put any weight or pressure on his wound as I comply, letting my tits fall in his face. His mouth hungrily surrounds my nipple, and I sit up on my knees more to keep pressing my clit against his cock as he swirls his tongue over it.
I jolt upright as a pain bolts through my sensitive nipple. “Oww!” I cry out as Cole looks up at me. “That hurt.” I pretend to pout at the little nip he just gave me.
“I guess I’ll have to kiss it better, huh?” His eyes twinkle mischievously and he twirls his cockhead on my clit making me forget what it was I was pretending to sulk over.
His mouth travels between my pert breasts as he drags his tongue down one side the mountain of my flesh and up the other side until he teases my other nipple the same way.
Rocking my hips so I can feel his cock rub against me, I close my eyes and moan loudly, finally not afraid of my own pleasure, or the sounds that come with it.
Cole scoots underneath me, lying back in the bed and my cheeks flush as I wonder if letting myself go like that is what did it.
I’m flustered and unsure of myself, waiting for Cole to tell me why he suddenly decided to lie down.
“Turn around and straddle my face, if you’re gonna get loud, it’s gonna be because you’re cumming in my mouth,” he tells me huskily.
I feel a little self-conscious as I twist myself around and open my legs over his mouth. Is he looking in my ass? Am I doing any of this right? Before I can get too squirmy, Cole’s mouth is on my pussy, his tongue is thrusting inside my lips and with his good arm, he’s guiding me down, down, down to his cock.
I flatten my body against his, my pussy flush with his mouth and my lips hovering over his twitching cock. I can’t believe how much I enjoy sucking on it. It makes me wonder if every girl feels this way about blowjobs, or if it takes the right guy to bring out your inner cock hungry slut.
I embrace mine, desperate to let Cole feel half the pleasure he’s making me experience with his tongue twisting and furling around my clit. I open my mouth wide and slide his dick deep inside until I can feel the head cresting the back of my throat. I want to gag, but I force myself to breathe in deep and keep bobbing my head up and down his shaft, occasionally trying new things like flickering my tongue over the tip of him as I feel my body get closer and closer to my orgasm.
Cole uses both hands to grip my hips and pulls me down onto his mouth, relentlessly battering my clit with his tongue as I writhe against him in pleasure. The bliss overwhelms me, my mouth opens wide as I scream out with ecstasy and Cole’s cock drops out, covered in my saliva.
I shudder against his face, twisting and convulsing like a possessed woman. Finally, the pleasure stops coursing through me and Cole rolls me off of him, “Get back up here,” it isn’t a request. I’m only too happy to comply as I start to straddle his legs again. “No, turn around, I want to watch that sweet ass bounce on me as I fuck you,” he orders and I turn away from him.
Cole lowers me down onto his shaft and I grind down on his cock until he’s inside me. After all the fucking we’ve been doing, the pain of that first time, brief though it was, is long gone. Now it’s nothing but bliss as he thrusts insi
de me.
“Ride me,” he slaps my ass and I slide up and down his shaft, bouncing my ass on him hard as I bottom out on his dick with each thrust. He feels so thick inside me, like I’m completely filled up by him, but what I really want to be filled up by is his cum.
My body is hungry for it as I bounce my ass off his body over and over, each time bringing myself up almost to the tip and then sliding back down like a stripper down a pole.
Cole opens my ass cheeks, watching what is his and only his fuck him. My first and my last. That’s what I always knew he would be, but it feels so much more real now. Suddenly I can feel Cole’s thumb pressed against my asshole. Not like he’s trying to press it inside me, but just like he’s applying enough pressure to overwhelm me. It works, my pussy starts contracting around him, milking him as my orgasm crashes over me like a tsunami. The ecstasy spills over my senses until I can’t make normal noises. It hijacks my throat taking away all but guttural sounds and yips.
Cole thrusts his hips high, piercing me deep as he empties his seed inside me. I can feel it spurt up against my walls, filling me with every last drop.
Finally, I slide off of him and curl up against him, lying on his good shoulder and run my hand over his chest. “I love you, Cole,” I whisper, even though I would gladly shout it to the world.
“I love you too, Abbie. For now, and forever. And tomorrow, we’re going to head out to build a new house. Our house. I’ll make sure it has rooms for us and our babies,” he smiles.
“Babies?” I grin, “Is that so?”
“Yep, you’ll be a perfect mom. Just like you’re a perfect woman to spend the rest of my life with.”
I have to admit, as I lie down against his good shoulder and close my eyes, I like the way that sounds. I can’t help but feel like I finally took a different path and when I got muddy and was tested by life, I found everything I could ever dream of.
36
Epilogue
Abbie
I look down at little Parker, playing with his “choo-choo” as he likes to call his Thomas the Tank Engine. I smile as I rub my hands over my belly, these quiet playtimes are about to get disrupted for him. With our second baby due in a little over a month, life is about to get flipped upside down.
Again.
Parker gives me a toothy grin, his eyes are all Cole’s, but his lips are mine. “Mama, can I have dwink appo juice?”
How can I resist that sweet face? “Of course, hon, just a sec,” I waddle over to the fridge in our three-bedroom log house and pour some apple juice into a small plastic cup.
I can’t believe how normal this all feels now. It’s almost like my time in the Yukon and our escape to Alaska was all a dream. A fantasy I conjured up. Like the weeks we spent trekking through the woods until we crossed the border at night was a story I tell myself. Like the way we hitchhiked to Juno, me with a baby in my belly I wasn’t aware of yet, seems like a show I watched a long time ago, not my real life.
Now that Cole found steady work under the table as an apprentice carpenter and we settled into a city full of people who have their own reasons for running away to a place removed by an entire country from the lower forty-eight, it just feels normal. It feels like home.
I snap out of my daze, realizing that I’m staring at our son, happily playing on the living room floor. Cole will be home from work soon, so I guess I’ll get started on supper.
I start peeling some potatoes and look out the kitchen window to the beautiful mountains in the distance. I could never get sick of that view. I love watching the snow at this time of year as it begins to creep down the sides of the mountain range, warning us of the winter to come.
Cole walks in the door just as I throw the chicken in the oven. Just like he does every day, he crosses the floor, gives me a tender kiss and then a not-so-tender ass grab.
“Hey! Hands off,” I laugh, but he knows I love that he can’t keep his hands off me.
“No deal, that ass is mine, don’t you forget it,” he pulls me in and kisses me again.
“Daddy!” Parker comes running across the floor to meet Cole with open arms. It’s not hard to understand why they call them toddlers, anyone who’s seen a two-year-old walk and run around knows that it’s the perfect description for them.
“Hey little man, how was your day? Were you a good boy for your Mama?” Cole sweeps Parker into his arms and lifts him from the ground as our son squeals with delight.
“I vewy good, wight Mama?” He looks over at me solemnly, like he’s swearing on a bible in court.
“Always,” I agree, tousling his golden hair.
“Family hugs!” Parker demands, holding his arms out to request that I join him in his father’s arms. I used to fit a lot easier before my bump popped. Now, at eight months along, I can barely feel Cole’s fingertips strain to reach me around Parker. Still, it feels amazing to be all together like this. And I know that in another month, these family hugs will be even sweeter when our little girl enters the world.
“All right, you get off your feet Abbie, I’m sure you’ve had a long day,” Cole frees me from his grasp and places Parker back on his feet. “You and I have some ‘choo-choos’ to play with bud, let’s go!” Cole smiles down at him and Parker excitedly leads the way into the living room. Cole has always been better at playing with him than I am. He’s more exciting and engaging and Parker adores his one-on-one time with his Dad.
I make my way over to the comfy chair across the room and watch them, smiling as I rub my belly slowly. If this isn’t perfection, I don’t want to know what is. As Parker’s eyes twinkle up at Cole and they laugh together on the floor pushing around trains, I feel our daughter give me a couple of kicks.
“She’s kicking guys, come feel,” I interrupt their game, but Parker doesn’t mind. He loves feeling the baby give me swift little boots from the inside. I think it makes it more real for him. I guide his hand to where his sister is practicing aerobics and his face lights up with excitement. Cole stands over us and I can see the pride in his puffed-out chest and broad smile as he soaks in the moment.
Yeah, it doesn’t get more perfect than this. I know my own Mama is looking down on me, happy that I took a chance, that I lived my life and that I found my path. The path that led me to the love of my life, to my happiness and to the family I’ve always wanted.
Thank you, Mama.
“I love you, Abbie,” Cole’s voice is deep and soft, like he’s talking to me in a dream.
“I love you too,” I answer.
“And me!” Parker yells.
“Of course, no one could forget you!” I laugh.
I guess so much of my life feels like a distant dream is because it is one. A dream come true.
Quickies
Copyright © 2017 by Eddie Cleveland
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
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1
Between the Covers
Chapter 1 - Ryker
I still have an hour to kill before my shift starts at the Oregon library. I rip down the coast in my convertible with the top down, soaking up a rare day of sunshine in the normally rainy months of winter.
It isn’t often that I get to enjoy this car the way it was meant to be. The electric blue, 1967 Mustang convertible isn’t the kind of car you go run errands in. It’s the kind of car you live on the edge of life. Speeding down the twisting highway, I breathe in the ocean air and let the world, the responsibilities, the endless politics and bullshit all drift away.
All that matters is this time.
Ka-chunk! A cloud of steam billows up from my hood as my gauges all flatline and my car slows to a crawl.
“Damn it!”
I steer over to the side of road as the Mustang rolls to a
dead stop. I throw it in park and jump out pulling up the hot hood and burn my hand.
“Fuck!”
So much for the moment, expensive mechanic bills for a vintage vehicle flash dollar signs in my eyes. There’s no point in me taking a look at the engine anyway. I wouldn’t have the first clue of what I was looking at under there.
I pluck my Samsung from my pocket and sigh. I guess I need to call a tow truck, not to mention the library so they know I’m going to be late.
I stare out into the glistening waves of the ocean as the phone rings. Disappointment crashes over my body like each one of those little white-capped breakers out there. That’s what I get for living outside the box for once, the thought buzzes around in my head like an insect.
“Hello?” a gruff voice answers me.
“Hi, yes, I need a tow.”
Chapter 2 - Ryker
“Yep, there ain’t a lot that can be done here,” the short, stocky man who introduced himself as just Hank looks down at my car sadly. “It would be a shame if the damage was bad. This is a beaut,” his eyes flicker over the blue steel and long body like he’s checking out a leggy blonde at the bar.
“Yeah, I bet it’ll cost a fortune too,” I sigh and run my tattooed hand through my hair. “Do you know a good mechanic that won’t rip me off?” I glance into his ruddy face and watch as he blows up his cheeks and twists them from side to side like he’s swishing mouthwash around.
“A-ya, I think I know the place. Frankie is who I would trust with a car as special as that,” he nods his capped head at the car.
“Sounds good enough,” I shrug. “Can you take me there now? I’m already going to be late for work. What a day!” I say more to myself than him.
The Woodsman's Baby Page 38