“Don’t worry about it,” Mom said quickly, ushering them all to the dining area. The boys followed but refused to sit down, insisting that the race wasn’t done yet.
In the midst of the chaotic conversation, laughter, and warnings for the little ones, I managed to introduce Stryder to them.
“Great to meet you,” Aunt Lenny said with a smile. Then wiggling her eyebrows at me, she added, “Great catch you’ve got here.”
“Aunt Lenny!” I protested laughingly. “He’s right over here and he can hear us.”
Stryder simply chuckled. “That’s okay. Thanks for the compliment.”
To my horror, Mom and Aunt Lenny actually began discussing my past boyfriends way back from high school and college. I was a little embarrassed because I had been with so many losers, but Stryder seemed to find it funny.
They all laughed and teased me about it.
“I do remember that sweet boy Brad who used to give me flowers every time he visited,” Mom shared. Then suddenly she seemed to remember that Stryder was there, so she immediately changed the topic. She and her sister began talking about life in Australia.
Meanwhile, I took a look at Stryder who didn’t seem bothered at all. He was busy enjoying the food. I felt disappointed that he hadn’t gotten just a teeny bit jealous.
“Hey, there!” someone suddenly said, startling us both. It was one of the boys, tugging at Stryder’s shirt. “I think I’ve seen you on TV.”
Stryder grinned. “Really? Maybe it was just someone who looked like me.”
“No, it was you!” the kid insisted, now actually trying to feel his face, which was making me laugh.
His older brother bounded over to us curiously and actually began poking Stryder’s shoulders and face. “Holy—!” he began to say before clapping a hand over his mouth and peeking at his parents. They were fortunately busy chatting and eating. Then carefully, the older kid leaned forward and said, “You’re… You’re… that football star!”
“You like to play football, little guy?” Stryder asked. “I can show you a few moves.”
“Wow! Sure!” the older boy said, jumping up and down.
“What’s your name?”
“Kyle,” he answered, still looking up at him in awe.
Stryder turned to the little brother. “And what about you?”
“I’m Kurt,” the other one said. “Are you really a football player?”
“Yes, I play for the Windfield Warriors.”
“Whoaaa! Cool!” Kurt exclaimed, climbing onto his lap and giving him a hug.
It was so cute I couldn’t help giggling. Quickly, I grabbed Stryder’s camera which happened to be nearby, and I took a snapshot of him with the kids.
“You’re awesome!” Kyle said. “Come on, let’s play football!”
“But we don’t have a ball around here,” Stryder said, glancing at me.
“Uhm, let me check in the basement,” I said. “Maybe I have an old one lying around. I used to love the sport, too, years ago, you know…”
“I didn’t know that,” Stryder said with a questioning look.
“There’s a lot of things you still don’t know about me, I guess.”
He nodded with a smile. “You’re right. Despite all the things you’ve told me about you, I still have a whole lot to know.”
He didn’t add anything else and I silently wondered if he intended to change that in the coming days or if he liked our current status just the way it is. There’s also that scary possibility that he might not want to spend more time with me anymore, that he was done with me as his “flavor of the month.”
Luckily, I found a nice football downstairs. Pop said he’d inflated it because someone in school had borrowed it recently.
We headed to the backyard by the lake to play some football. When Stryder turned the ball around in his hands, he noticed some faded writing on it. In small block letters, it said, “Love, Brad.”
My eyes widened when I saw the words. “Oh, I’m sorry I didn’t realize—I mean, I don’t really remember—“
Stryder chuckled. “Hey, it’s fine. No big deal, Tasha. I mean, you guys were done many years ago and we’re not really dating exclusively so… never mind, okay?”
“Okay,” I said, but my heart felt like it had just plummeted to the ground and landed with a loud thud.
As I watched them play, though, I felt myself admiring Stryder for the way he handled the children. For someone who didn’t seem like he wanted a family of his own someday, he was really quite good with kids. It was heartwarming to watch him joke around with them, give them words of praise and encouragement, and just goof around with them. I soon forgot about my earlier disappointment and instead just joined them.
The evening wore on fast. The boys wanted to play some more but they needed to go already.
“Don’t worry, guys,” Stryder assured them. “You’re going to see more of me tomorrow and the day after that.”
“Thanks, Stryder,” Aunt Lenny said. “We’ll surely be back here tomorrow.”
We said our goodbyes. Aunt Lenny and her family headed back to their hotel, while Mom and Pop went to rest.
It wasn’t that late yet. Stryder and I were used to city life, so we were far from sleepy. We decided to start a bonfire and have some drinks while listening to the sounds of the nearby forest and the gentle lapping of the lake.
We sat warming up by the fire, with my back on his chest and my head on his shoulders. We each had a beer in hand, content to be enjoying each other’s company while gazing up at the star-lit night sky.
He was awfully quiet, though, but he simply said he was tired. I could tell there was more to it, but I couldn’t put my finger on it.
“So… are you up for an early hike tomorrow?” I said, breaking the silence.
He didn’t answer at once. He seemed to be lost in his own thoughts. Despite the romantic setting, he was certainly not in the mood.
“Earth to Stryder!” I said, pinching his cheek.
“A hike?” he suddenly said. “Sure, no problem.” Then to my surprise, he gently pushed me forward and stood up.
“Where are you going?” I wondered, standing up, too.
“Calling it a night…” he said, his eyes averting mine.
“Oh, I’m sorry,” I said. “You must be tired. It was a long drive, after all.”
Suddenly, my phone rang. I tapped the answer button. “Hello?”
I heard a couple of voices shrieking my name, causing me to move the phone away from my ear. I almost dropped it, too.
Stryder looked puzzled, which is probably why he lingered behind.
I shrugged at him and gave the phone a quizzical look before putting it back on my ear. “Who are you guys again?” I asked in a friendly manner, knowing these were probably people I was close to.
“I can’t believe you’re in Green Meadows!” somebody screamed. It was a familiar female voice, one I’d known since I was a kid. “How dare you didn’t inform me earlier!”
“Trina!” I greeted, laughing at her mock anger. “I’m sorry, this was sort of unplanned. But yes, I’m here at home. Where are you?”
“You’ll never guess where!” Trina said with a mysterious laugh. “I’m with the rest of the gang!”
A click sounded. I couldn’t believe she’d put the phone down. But before I could react further, I heard squeals of laughter from behind me. When I turned around, I saw my high school best friend Trina running toward me. Behind her were our other friends who are still staying in this same town.
Trina threw her arms around me before shaking me in pretend fury. “You bitch! You didn’t even tell me you were coming! You could have called while you were on the way.”
“Why? Were you going to throw me a welcome party?” I kidded. I was truly glad to see her again, of course.
“Well, you never know,” she replied, tossing her black hair behind her shoulders.
Three other girls surrounded me and began talking all at on
ce. They were unabashedly eyeing Stryder, but were probably too polite to say anything yet. Well, they were still small town women.
There were also two guys with them, both my high school buddies, who gave me a hug and a high five.
“Let’s get this party started!” one guy shouted, hauling a small cooler and throwing the lid open to reveal bottles of beer. The others cheered as they all got their share.
The bonfire threw shadows on their faces, and in that instance, a sense of déjà vu came over me. It was just like old times.
I waved my hands up in the air. “Hey, guys! Thanks for coming. You know you’re all welcome here anytime. I’d like you all to meet a good friend of mine from the city—Stryder Cooper.”
“Football center of Windfield Warriors, right?” my buddy Paul said, shaking Stryder’s hand. “Great to meet you, man.”
“Thanks, thanks,” Stryder said with a weak smile.
The others greeted and welcomed him, too. The men launched into an animated discussion about sports while I reminisced with the women about our high school dramas.
“So…” Trina began, suddenly changing her tone. “When were you going to introduce me to your hunky boyfriend?”
“You mean Stryder?” I said in bewilderment. “Oh, we’re not together.”
“No?” our other girlfriend Jill asked in surprise. “So what’s he doing here, visiting home with you?”
“We’re just hanging out,” I said truthfully. “Nothing serious.”
“Ooh, interesting,” Janice said with a meaningful grin.
We all eventually got to drinking and dancing to the music from Janice’s tablet. I could see that Stryder was loosening up and seeming more like himself again, so I steered clear of him throughout the night. I didn’t want to trigger negative feelings in him again. It was bothering me, gnawing at the back of my head, but I chose to ignore it and just have fun.
I had just finished my bottle of beer when I felt a tap on my back. I whirled around and the smile on my face instantly froze when I saw who it was. I couldn’t believe it.
Chapter Ten
Stryder
I saw the look of surprise on her pretty face as the tall, dark-haired guy said hello. Discreetly, I watched them from where I was standing, observing their body language and the expressions on their faces.
Everybody seemed to know the newcomer fairly well. I saw the ladies exchanging meaningful looks, which only meant one thing. This was probably Brad, the famous ex-boyfriend. I couldn’t help scowling as I watched him obviously flirt with Tasha. He was apparently still into her.
The other guys went to talk to him, and I was able to gather from the conversation that this guy had migrated to Canada with his family years ago. They introduced me in passing, so I had no choice but to nod in acknowledgement. I stepped back at once, though, not wanting to shake hands with him. He did not seem to mind because he was too engrossed with Tasha even with the others throwing questions at him.
I couldn’t deny the fact that I was greatly bothered, especially when he led Tasha far away from the group. They stood under a tree, with Tasha leaning her back on the trunk of a tree as he towered above her.
I certainly didn’t like it one bit. I had to do something.
“Looks like somebody’s jealous…” a female voice hissed in my ear, catching my attention. It was Jill, the redhead.
“Oh, I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I said coolly, focusing on this woman and trying not to pry my eyes away.
“I can tell how much you care about her,” Jill whispered, placing a hand on my arm. “But don’t worry, it’s our secret.”
I scoffed. “There are no secrets, Jill.”
“Okay then,” Jill drawled on, batting her eyelashes at me. She was the classic flirt, obviously. “So how about you and I make our own little secret?” she said suggestively, pulling me gently.
“I’m sorry, Jill,” was all I said in as polite a manner as I could muster. Deep inside, I was even more turned off. She reminded me of most of the cheerleaders I knew and most especially Eve.
It was sort of odd, though, that I wasn’t at all interested. I can still recall those many times when I would have preferred women like this. But I guess I’d just gotten sick and tired of them.
She glared at me and walked away to join the women. I sat down on a log and drank another beer as I glanced at Tasha from time to time. At one point, our eyes met. For a few seconds, we seemed to communicate in silence. I could tell that she wasn’t really that comfortable reuniting with this man. Nevertheless, she was giving him the time of the day (or rather, the night). That in itself was pissing me off.
She looked away and never turned back to me again. In fact, she even stepped closer toward Brad and they eventually began laughing and joking around, moving further away from the group.
For some reason, I felt so infuriated that I wanted to head over there and punch the guy in the nose. Of course, I didn’t do that. Instead, I made up some excuse about a headache brought on by the long drive and lack of sleep.
It caught Tasha’s attention. She went over to me quickly. “Are you okay?” she asked with a look of concern on her face. I was her guest, after all.
“Yeah, I just need to sleep this off,” I answered casually, smiling faintly. “I’ll see you in the morning, Tasha…” Then I forced myself to wave at the others and say, “Have fun, you guys! Nice meeting you all.”
As I trudged toward the house with a heavy feeling, it took all of my self-control not to look back. The noise and their laughter said it all, anyway. Tasha was probably glad to get rid of me so she could flirt and make out freely with her supposedly special ex-boyfriend.
I quietly made my way to the guest room and plopped on the bed with a huge sigh. Damn fuck. What the hell’s wrong with me?!
So many thoughts were running through my head that I couldn’t force myself to go to sleep. At times, the sound of chatter and laughter would get carried by the wind and into the window. It was driving me crazy.
I tossed and turned in bed, sweating some because of my stress. I sat up and took off my shirt, sitting steadily in the darkness, trying to figure out what was happening. This was totally unlike me.
I had lost track of time. All I knew was that it was suddenly very, very quiet. I couldn’t hear Tasha or her friends, anymore.
What I heard next, though, made me look up in utmost astonishment. The creaking of the door, followed by soft footsteps, made my heart race. I knew it was Tasha even before she entered the room barefoot. Her cheeks were flushed from the alcohol in her system, though I could tell that she wasn’t the least bit drunk or even tipsy. Her hair lay in tousled waves around her face and shoulders.
“I’m sorry, I heard you so I just thought I’d check on you before going to bed,” she said in an uncertain tone, her eyes bright and wide in the darkness of the room. I could make out her silhouette and the beautiful features of her face from the flimsy light streaming into the room from outside.
“Where are your friends?” I said, trying to sound like I didn’t really care.
“Some of them had to go someplace else,” she answered. “The others were just exhausted from a long day. I guess we’re all not as youthful and energetic as we once were.”
I nodded, wondering where Brad had gone and why she hadn’t come with him. I didn’t say anything, though.
She was just standing there in the middle of the room, giving me a curious look. Then suddenly, she said curtly, “Good night, Stryder.”
Without thinking, I stood up in one swift motion and strode to her, taking her in my arms and leaning forward to kiss her. She immediately kissed me back, the sexual tension between us was undeniable. Our lips pressed hard against each other, my tongue pushing through her mouth and eventually joining hers in erotic motion.
She wrapped her arms around my neck, her nails digging through my skin. I could hardly feel them as the sensation of immense desire engulfed my entire being. All I cou
ld think about was how much I wanted her and how badly I wanted her to be all mine.
Our kiss deepened, the heat spreading across my limbs and making me grow harder. I slid my hands beneath the skirt of her dress, stroking her wetness teasingly at first and then gliding inside the lacy underwear to finger the damp outer lips of her sensitive skin. I thrusted two fingers inside her while my other hand tugged on the sides. She let out a moan, encouraging me to pleasure her even more.
I reluctantly left her lips as I bent down to take off her underwear completely and pull her legs toward me. I pulled her with me until I was sitting on the edge of the bed with my face in front of her skirt. I lifted the hem to reveal her eager pussy, awaiting my erotic kisses. I made her beg and moan as she clawed at my back with intense pleasure.
She positioned herself closer, climbing on the bed so she was perched on her knees, her legs on either side of my face. I lowered myself to shove my tongue deeper into her, this time accompanying it with my fingers to level up the pleasure.
She almost couldn’t contain herself as she eventually lost it to the intense sensation of her climax, her hands gripping my hair tightly. She bit her lip to keep from screaming, but the way her body trembled revealed the force of satisfaction and passion she was experiencing.
I took off my clothes and entered her swiftly, groaning as I felt the strong indulgence and bliss of penetrating her fully. She was still trembling, but looked like she was climbing back to her climax fast.
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