In Bloom: A Small Town Romance (Seasons of Highland Lakes Book 1)

by Nikki Blythe

  Cedar moaned again as we kissed hungrily. I opened my mouth and slid my tongue into hers, searching, wanting. This increased her need of me, and she raised her hips and lowered herself down onto my cock. She was so wet already that I almost came just from the pleasure of entering her. She moaned out load, tossing her head back and whimpering.

  I wrapped one hand around her waist, and put the other hand on her thigh, and began thrusting up and down. After a few moments of her moaning and my thrusting, she suddenly climbed off of me. She pushed my chest as she walked over to the middle of the office floor. She had a yoga mat laid out, presumably for her own practice, and she paused, only to point at the mat.

  “Lay here,” she said, her voice husky with need.

  I did as I was bid and laid down on the floor. In the next instant, she climbed on top of me, and with some guidance, let me re-enter her. She rocked her hips back and forth, and I gripped her hips with my hands. I held her so tightly, I thought I might for sure leave a mark, but in that moment, I didn't care, and she seemingly didn't either.

  Her movements grew faster and became more urgent, and the point where we joined became wetter as she carried on. I reached one hand to her chest and grabbed her breast, my forefinger and thumb gently tweaking her nipple.

  That sent her over the edge, and she came with a force that sent a throbbing through my cock. It was enough to send me reeling, and I almost came myself, but instead, I sat upright with her still on me. I placed one thumb on her clit and rubbed small circles as I thrust in and out of her. I took her nipple in my teeth, and wrapped my arm around her back, holding her in place while I used her to bring me to completion. Within moments, Cedar came again, splashing ejaculate all over my waist.

  That set me off, and I pulled her off of me as I came, dripping onto the carpet below us. Cedar sat beside me, and laid down on the floor, panting from the exertion of the experience.

  “Well, fuck,” she breathed. “I did not expect that to be a part of what we were going to discuss.”

  “Me either,” I laughed. “Are you okay? Should I have held off?”

  “No, fuck no. I needed that, more than I cared to admit,” she smiled.

  We sat together for a little while longer until it was time for her to get ready for her next class. It was a couple of hours of solid bliss, as we had removed the walls, the barriers to our communication. We were suddenly at ease, and fell into an easy conversation, long after the evidence of our transgressions dried up on the mat below us.

  Later, I left the studio feeling conflicted.

  I had definitely just cheated on Faith and cheating was the one thing Cedar feared the most. Even if that was to be the only time Cedar and I could be together in that way, I needed to end things with Faith. Things couldn't go on like this.

  I just hoped Cedar would want to be with me, after everything was said and done.

  Chapter Ten

  Neville

  Later that day, I walked into the tattoo parlor, searching for Levi. We weren’t open yet, and wouldn’t be for at least a half an hour, so I figured I’d find him in the back pulling tools from the autoclave. I walked towards the back of the parlor and entered the break room. Levi looked up from his task, eyebrow raised. I realized I must have looked pretty harried as I rushed into the room.

  “What's up?” He asked, concerned.

  “I think I fucked up,” I admitted.

  “Care to elaborate?” He asked, carefully putting the various tools and implements down on a sterile sheet on top of a rolling cart.

  Instead of answering right away, I walked to my booth. Levi followed me in silence, still with his concerned expression planted firmly on his face. I set my bag down and took a few steadying breaths, pacing in the small space my booth provided. I didn’t know where to begin telling him all that had happened. I was sleep deprived, but I was exhausted for so many reasons.

  After I left Cedar earlier in the afternoon, I went home to find that Faith hadn’t gone to work again. She flew off the handle when I told her I went back to class. She threw things and screamed, and it got to the point that I was afraid the police would be called. We had a neighbor who shared our kitchen wall, and they had called the police before. When they first moved in, they though I had been the volatile one in the relationship, until the day they saw the physical evidence of Faith’s abuse on my face, anyway. It was humiliating, because they constantly asked if I wanted help getting out. I was a man. I should have been able to handle the whole situation, but instead, I was left feeling emasculated and foolish because my tiny girlfriend often got the better of me.

  I barely gotten any sleep after the fight, before I had to head into work, so my brain was foggy, and I felt disoriented.

  I was also berating myself, as I didn't know why I continued to be so damn honest with her. It wasn't as if she gave me the same courtesy.

  “Neville, dude,” came Levi's stern reminder to answer him.

  “I slept with Cedar,” I whispered.

  “Wait, what? Dude, that's awesome!” Levi clapped me on the shoulder, and I tossed him a glare.

  “How is this awesome? I cheated on Faith, and I'm sure she'll find out somehow.”

  I plopped myself down in my chair and put my elbows on my work table, head in hand.

  “Fuck Faith, but also, don't. She's evil. How was it with Cedar?”

  “It was amazing,” I said as I brought my eyes up to meet his. “Seriously, it wasn't just like some one-night stand, club bathroom fuck. I felt an enormous connection with her as we... well, it sounds corny, but I swear we made love.”

  “That's not corny at all,” Levi retorted. “It sounds like it was a good time, though. Where were y'all? Did you go to her place or something?”

  I gave him a sheepish look and a smirk. “Her yoga studio.”

  “Whoa! What? How did that happen?” Levi asked as he took a seat in one of the guest chairs in my booth.

  “Well, I went to talk to her about why I canceled the date, using the fact that I'd signed up for her classes as a pretense. After class, I waited for her to be done and asked if we could talk. At a certain point, she took the conversation to her office, where we sat and talked about some heavy stuff, then we, well, had sex.”

  “Why did you cancel? It's like you were going on a romantic date or anything. I just set it up as a group thing between friends.”

  “You know Faith would never have seen it that way, and she might have insisted on going. It felt dishonest to go on a group date with a new friend who I am romantically interested in, only to have my present girlfriend tag along, you know?”

  The bell on the front door chimed, and we ignored it for the moment, long enough for Levi to say, “Yeah, and dude you really need to leave that abusive witch in the dust. Faith isn't any good for you, and you'd be better off if she wasn't in your life at all.”

  “Is that so?” Called a voice from the doorway just beyond my booth.

  The sound of heels should have tipped me off that it wasn't a customer, that and the fact that we weren’t open yet. I must have left the door unlocked when I came in, because usually we didn’t unlock the door until the first customer arrived, as scatterbrained as the pair of us were.

  Due to my lapse in attention, Faith herself was standing in my parlor.

  Fuck.

  I wondered how much of our conversation she had heard. Did she hear the part about Cedar? Had I just inadvertently put Cedar in danger?

  “Yeah,” replied Levi, completely unperturbed. “You're an abusive fucking witch, and Neville would be better off if you just left, and never looked back.”

  I watched the space between the pair of them. I watched Levi's hostile stance, his fiery glare, and I watch as Faith went from pure heated anger, to sudden tears. It never ceased to amaze me how she could pivot between emotions that way.

  “Levi,” I said, a warning on my tone.

  “No, Neville, you've put up with her bullshit too long. I won't stand for it any
more. You deserve happiness, and this bitch won't let you have it.”

  Levi stood, rigid, in between us.

  “Are you really going to let him talk to me that way, Neville?” Faith wept.

  I sighed. “Levi, I'll be back. I'm going to walk Faith home.”

  Levi clenched his fist and glared and Faith, but said to me, “Fine. See you in a bit.”

  As soon as we were outside the parlor door, Faith's tears stopped.

  “I knew he was trouble,” she hissed as we entered our apartment building.

  I hit the button for the elevator but chose not to reply. I knew Levi was right. She just wasn't aware that I knew that yet. We entered our apartment in silence, and I threw myself on the couch, where I put my elbows on my knees, head in hand.

  “What's the matter, baby? Are you upset because your friend is so horrible to me? I can't tell you how much that means, to know that you'll always have my back,” she simpered, settling herself beside me. She wrapped her arm around my shoulder and gave a tight squeeze.

  “No, Faith, he's right.”

  Faith drew back, shocked.

  “I'm sorry, what? You agree with him that I'm some controlling sorceress?” She barked a laugh. “He's really gotten into your head, hasn't he? You know, I’ve been thinking lately that he is just so manipulative. You deserve better friends.”

  “You may not be magical,” I said. “But you're certainly controlling, and a lot of your behavior patterns are abusive. We've discussed this before, Faith, and you always say you'll change and yet you never do. I'm done waiting for that to happen. I am through with waiting for you to keep your word.”

  “What do you mean?” The tears were back.

  How did she do that?

  “I mean, we're through, Faith. I can't do this anymore, I'm beyond done. You can't treat someone you claim to love like you treat me. It's not right. I wish things were different, but they aren't. I'm exhausted, and I just want peace. The apartment is still in only my name, so I expect you to move out, but for now I'll let you have the apartment until you can find a place of your own. I’ll sleep at the parlor.”

  “You're serious!” Faith stood and started pacing on the living room rug.

  I watched her, admiring her long lines and graceful posture. Two things that attracted me to her initially, but which had no effect now. I stared at her for a long time, trying to call to my mind any emotion I felt for her beyond anger, beyond a deep sadness that she was so awful to me. I couldn't.

  “I am,” I replied. “I'm sorry, Faith, this just isn't working. There isn't any respect in this relationship. Without respect, there is no love, and I fear we've been going through the motions for too long now.”

  “You can't do this!” She stopped, mid-stride, and turned to glower down at me.

  A familiar gleam shone in her eyes, and the hairs on the back of my neck stood on end. That look meant trouble.

  “I have made my decision,” I gulped.

  I stood, so that any attack that might be launched would at least not come from the upper hand. Vaguely, I thought it was a good thing she was turning to anger. The last time I tried to leave, her mood turned to despair, and then she landed herself in the hospital. Maybe anger would keep her from doing anything to herself this time.

  “We're engaged, Neville, you can't just decide we're through on your own!” Her voice was growing shriller the longer she spoke. “We're supposed to be in this together, but you're selfish. You're sick and twisted and selfish, and you're trying to gaslight me into thinking I am the one causing all the problems in our relationship!”

  I sighed, my eyes closed for half a moment, before the whoosh of an object flying past my head stirred my hair.

  “Faith,” I chided, snapping my eyes open again. “You need to stop. I will call the police if you do this again.”

  She picked up a book from the coffee table and lobbed it at me. This time, it hit my shoulder.

  “How can you do this to us? To me?” She screeched, before hurling herself in my direction.

  I tried to dodge her attack but was unsuccessful. In her anger, she began scratching, biting, kicking, and hitting me. We landed on the couch, and I held her up by her waist in the attempt to keep her from causing too much damage, but she had some freakishly long arms.

  “You need to stop,” I demanded.

  I reached into my pocket to grab my phone and tried dialing for the police. Faith grabbed the device out of my hand, however, and threw that, too.

  Fuck.

  In one motion I sat bolt upright and pushed her back as hard as I could without hurting her. She flew back and tripped over the coffee table, landing with a loud thud on the floor, where she burst into tears. Only this time, they were real.

  I took that moment to flee the apartment. I figured I could go back and collect my belongings the next day if I had to. No matter what, though, I was done with that relationship, and there wasn't a damn thing she could do about it.

  I walked out of the apartment building and across the street to the parlor.

  “Do we have any appointments tonight?” I called as I entered.

  “No, I don't think so. It was mostly going to be a walk-in day today,” Levi called from somewhere in the back.

  I walked back to my booth and pulled gauze and disinfectant out of a drawer. Peering into the mirror I had set up for my clients, I slowly and methodically applied the disinfectant to the areas of where Faith’s nails had broken through the skin. There were more than I had imagined.

  Levi walked into the booth and gasped at the sight of me. I could understand why. There was blood dripping down parts of my face, and a bruise was blooming on the side of my neck.

  “What the fuck happened?” He asked.

  “I broke up with Faith, and let's just say, she didn't handle it very well,” I replied somberly.

  “I feel like that's the understatement of the year,” he replied as he walked over to help me clean my wounds.

  Chapter Eleven

  Cedar

  Freckles curled around my feet as I cooked myself supper, tripping me as I moved from the stove to the fridge.

  “Silly cat,” I muttered as I pushed myself up from the floor. “Are you hungry, is that it?”

  I opened him a can of food, just to get him out of my hair for the moment, and went back to stirring my pasta dinner absentmindedly. My mind was completely on the earlier events of the day, so it was hard to concentrate on much else.

  I had not expected to have sex with Neville so soon after meeting him, and especially not before we went on an official date. It was certainly enjoyable though, and I was glad to have done it. It felt a bit like clearing the cobwebs, if I was being honest with myself. I felt refreshed in a way that my vibrators couldn't quite manage some days. I wondered all afternoon if I should text Neville, to let him know that I didn't want a relationship based only on sex, but I absolutely wanted more of whatever that was.

  I smirked, thinking of the way his hands gripped my hips, the way he sat up, and knowing I had already come, put in the energy to get me there again before he came himself.

  He was kind, affectionate, and a generous lover, to boot. It seemed that his only real flaw, if you could call it that, was his insecurity. He seemed very preoccupied with how I thought this relationship looked. Normally, I would consider that a red flag, but he was trustworthy, I just knew it.

  I felt safe, emotionally and physically, in his presence. The way he talked, I had to assume he must have had a terrible ex, like mine. I could understand that, empathize even, so it gave me hope that we could work through that together.

  The only concern I had, aside from his insecurity, was the way he was so hot and cold. In one moment he seemed utterly disinterested, but in the next, we were fucking on the floor of my office, and spending hours talking. So, as safe and happy as I felt with him around, I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off.

  I couldn't deny that I wanted to be with him, though.
Ever since I met him, I felt that magnetic pull of attraction, and I wanted nothing more than to indulge the whim of my mind and heart combined. I needed him in my life, even if he wasn't ready for a proper romantic relationship. I just wanted him. No strings or embellishments needed.

  I finished my box of Pasta Roni and plated it. Freckles, having finished his own supper, purred at my feet again, but I paid closer attention as I tried to disentangle myself from his limbs. While I waited for my food to cool off enough to eat, I decided to go ahead and text Neville, maybe to get the ball rolling on setting up a time to hang out. I thought over what to say, because I didn't want to sound needy or clingy, or worse yet, forceful.

  “Hey, just wanted to let you know I was thinking about earlier today. I enjoyed our romp on the yoga mat. ;) Even more than that, though, I enjoyed our conversation. It's been a long time since I've been able to have a meaningful conversation like that with anyone. I'd love to do it again some time!”

  I hit send on my novel of a text and walked with my plate to the living room. I flipped on the television and settled on watching some romantic drama. It was about fifteen minutes later that I got a return message. Excited, I grabbed the phone and set my plate beside me on the couch cushion where Freckles went straight to work on attempting to steal a noodle.