by K. Langston
Her reputation preceded me everywhere I went.
But she didn’t care. Not in the least. As long as Camille got what she wanted…nothing else mattered.
Thankfully, she was gone a lot, limiting our interaction. The men she played probably didn’t even know she lived in a rundown trailer, one she never bothered to even clean. Even her disgusting boyfriend didn’t care who she slept with, as long as she gave him money to buy pills.
Over the years, I’d watched her count hundreds of dollars on our glass kitchen table, the one Winston bought at a thrift store years ago, so we could have a place to share our meals together. While we scrounged the cabinets for food, she was drinking from a fifth and floating on a cloud of instability.
When I was a little girl, I used to love watching her get ready for her dates. She’d roll her beautiful blonde hair, soft curls cascading down her slender back. Her flawless face was painted perfectly, dark shadow tinting her lids while the color of ruby stained her lips. There was a time when I thought my mother was the most beautiful woman in the world, but now…now she was ugly.
Inside and out.
I walked into the kitchen and found her sitting there with a Bloody Mary in one hand, bringing her cigarette to her mouth with the other. Her morning ritual. Thick puffs of smoke filled the air as I reached inside the fridge for a Dr. Pepper to find there were none left.
I slammed the refrigerator door. “I would really appreciate it if your friends wouldn’t touch my stuff.”
“Then get your own place and you won’t have to worry about it,” she said, taking another long pull from her cigarette.
Oh, if it were only that easy.
“I’m going to see Winston today.”
“What for?”
Tears burned my throat. “Because he could die in that place, mama. Don’t you care?”
“And whose fault is that, huh?” Her condescending laugh filled the drunken silence as she downed the rest of her drink. My heart ached, knowing she was right.
It was my fault.
I didn’t say another word as I shouldered my purse and made my way outside to wait for Cannon. I stood at the end of our driveway, my heart heavy and hurting. Why couldn’t she at least be kind? Was that too much to ask?
Cannon turned the bend just in time, right before the tears threatened to fall.
My hero.
I smiled as he pulled up, burying my sadness. “What’s wrong?” he asked, concern wrecking his beautiful face. I climbed inside, dropping my bag to the floor so I could avoid his eyes. The one’s boring a hole into the side of my head. “Cora,” he pushed, shifting in his seat.
Shit, I did not want to cry. I wanted this to be a good day. I was excited about seeing my big brother. I wasn’t going to let her ruin it like she ruined everything else. “Just my selfish mother being her sweet self this morning. I don’t wanna talk about it, ok?”
The urge to lean over and kiss his freshly shaven cheek was strong, and if there was one thing I needed right now, it was one of his hugs.
Shit, now I’m really gonna cry.
Cannon nodded in understanding. He knew the kind of relationship I had with her and like the good friend he was…he let it go.
I settled in for the long ride, pulling my charger from my bag and plugging into the USB port in Cannon’s truck. He pressed a few buttons on his steering wheel, tuning the satellite radio to a country station. Cannon’s soft blue eyes caught mine and the smile curling one side of his lips had my belly on fire. Unlike Dent, Cannon had all of these colorful layers. Some were bright and brilliant. Some were dark and rich. But there was no question, they were all beautiful.
About an hour into the ride I began to grow restless, and I had to pee. “Can we stop at the next exit, please?”
“For?”
“I didn’t have breakfast. I need a snack.”
“Why didn’t you say so, we would have stopped sooner?”
The next exit landed us at a Flying J. One of those truck stops where you can find every little cheesy trinket and redneck accessory known to man.
Once I handled my lady business, I found Cannon in the candy isle. Long, strong fingers gripped the neck of a Dr. Pepper and a bottle of water in one hand while he reached for a pack of peanut butter M&Ms with the other.
Warmth spread through my chest and I felt a little lightheaded. This man, this complicated, complex man remembered things about me others didn’t. Like the fact that peanut butter M&Ms were my fave and Dr. Pepper was a necessity for me.
The gesture, while small and trivial, was a powerful one.
Stolen kisses are the always sweetest.
~Leigh Hunt
Fucked.
Beyond what I thought before. I’ve always been fucked. Fucked in the head mostly, but my luck has always been for shit. This is why I kept my relationships minimal. I had a way of spreading my misery, sometimes unintentionally, but more often than not, intentionally. It was my way of sabotaging it before something good happened. I wasn’t crazy enough to believe it was reasonable, the way I treated people, or women for that matter. I was an asshole. Cora was kind enough to remind me of this often. It was a defense mechanism. My way of keeping people out.
And it worked.
I didn’t want anyone to get close enough to see the ugliness I harbored inside. Hell, most of the time the shit was too dark for me to even deal with. But Cora, Jesus Christ, the woman had completely disarmed me. Made me do shit I wouldn’t normally do¸ like buy her fucking M&Ms.
Sucking in a deep breath, I swung my eyes to the right. Damn, she looked good today, wearing that sweet little sundress with her Tony Lamas.
Damn those boots.
Wonder how they would feel digging into my ass while I pounded into her? My cock twitched at the image, burning me from the other side of my jeans.
“You know, they say the green ones make you horny, but I’ve never felt anything but pure joy when I eat them,” she said causally, popping a few into her mouth.
The crotch of my jeans grew tighter along with my grip on the steering wheel. “Imma need you to not talk about shit that turns you on while I drive.”
Cora lowered her eyes, catching the bulge in my pants. A long sigh stole the air through her parted lips, and examples of what she would sound like while I fucked her sang loud inside my head.
Sighs.
Moans.
Screams.
Fuck me.
“Do I turn you on, Cannon?”
I laughed at the ridiculousness of her question. “Are you seriously asking me that right now?” I gestured to the evidence. “You’re a walkin’, talkin’ hard-on.”
Crimson painted her sweet cheeks and the need to kiss each one tempted my lips. Damn, this was bad.
Real bad.
I needed to do something about this. Whatever the hell this was.
“Wanna play a game?” she asked, pulling me from my confusing thoughts.
“What kind of game?”
“Truth or dare.”
I laughed, wondering what the hell she was up to. “That’s a very dangerous game, Cora.”
“What can I say, I’m feelin’ a little frisky today,” she teased, shifting in her seat to face me. “You’re not chicken are ya, Cannon?”
She wagged her brows as a sexy, coy smile shaped her lips. My hand itched to bring those incredible lips to mine. I had to know what they tasted like.
“If we do this there are no exceptions, everything’s fair game. Deal?” I gave her a knowing look, trying to convince her to back out before we start this little road show. Because I knew exactly how I was going to end it.
“Deal.”
“Ok, I’ll go first.” she said.
“Why do you get to go first?”
“Because I’m a girl. Ladies first dude.”
“Bullshit,” I muttered.
She smiled. “Truth or Dare?”
“Truth.”
“Have you ever had a threesome?”
“Hell no. Have you?”
“You haven’t asked me Truth or Dare yet.”
“Fine, Truth or Dare, Cora?”
“Truth.”
“Have you ever had a threesome?”
With her teeth clamped down on her bottom lip, she attempted to trap her laugh, shaking her head no.
I reached over, digging my fingers into her side. A loud giggle filled the cab. “Cannon, stop!” I dug some more, fueled by the sounds coming from her mouth.
I loved hearing her laugh.
“You did that on purpose you little shit.” I allowed her to wedge my hand away from her body, feeling the loss immediately. The need to touch her had grown stronger than ever.
“You cheat.” She smiled, tossing me a wink. “So is that a fantasy of yours? To have a threesome?” I asked her.
“No way. I’ve just…heard stuff.”
Shit, there’s no telling what she’d heard. When I first moved here I was not very discreet or choosy about who I fucked. The shit in my head was much worse back then…back before I started fucking Alexis on the regular and long before I’d became tight with Cora. Come to think of it, she’s the reason I stopped fucking everything with a pulse. It was only then I began to care that I was actually alive.
“Like what?” I asked, my curiosity peeking.
She looked almost embarrassed to say. “I overheard Britany and Angie talking one night in the break room before my shift. I caught the ass end of their conversation, but it sounded like the three of you got…super freaky.”
I knew exactly what she was talking about. “Super freaky?” she shrugged. “I’d love to know what your version of super freaky is, Cora.”
She blushed and I wanted to pull over and kiss her right then. “They were fun but we didn’t get freaky. Did you catch the part where after we had one hell of an oral session, they both passed out on me?”
“That’s a negative and please, spare me the details.” She pursed her lips and crossed her arms.
“Whoa ho ho…you jealous?” I teased and the flash of green in her eyes gave her away.
“Nope.” she answered, popping the P.
Oh yeah, my girl was definitely jealous.
“Truth or Dare?” she asked.
“Dare.”
With a lip pinched between her teeth, she stared at the crotch of my jeans. “I dare you to show it to me.”
It took everything I could to keep it between the fucking lines. “Show you what?”
“You know what.”
I blinked, wondering if we were talking about the same thing, knowing damn well we were. “You’re serious?”
She smiled with an enthusiastic nod. “Very.”
I reached down and adjusted myself, showing her exactly what she was asking for. Fuck, it turned me on she wanted to see it. She licked her lips and the motherfucker in my jeans grew harder. I focused on the road, avoiding her obvious gaze. I was afraid if I looked at her I would go off like a damn rocket in my jeans. I stroked the strained denim, my foot falling a little heavier on the gas. My mind, which had been completely blown, spun. I felt hot.
Dizzy.
She’s straight whiskey no water, and fuck me, I was getting drunker by the mile.
I collected enough breath to gather my bearings, otherwise I was going to end up jacking off right in front of her and put us in the fucking ditch. A flick of the button, I drew down the zipper, the sound sharp and thick filling the silence with heated anticipation.
God help me, I’m going to fucking die on the highway going seventy-five miles an hour with my dick in my hands.
I pulled myself free, wrapping my fingers tight and squeezing before giving it a few good tugs. A thick gasp of air escaped her lips and I found her eyes as wide as her mouth.
“So the rumors are true,” she said.
“Which ones?”
“Well, for one it’s big and two…didn’t that shit hurt?”
Thumbing the metal piercing the tip of my cock, I shook my head. “Nope.”
“Liar.” Her lips curled wickedly.
Her breath-taking smile warmed me in other places.
“I’d always wondered if it were true.”
“Now you know,” I said, tucking myself back in my briefs but not yet zipping up. I needed to focus.
Two white lines.
Tires eating up the black pavement.
Fucking Cora and her goddamn Truth or Dare.
A rest area came into view and I knew I couldn’t go one more mile in this condition.
When I swooped in and threw the truck in park. Cora looked around in confusion. “Cannon, what are we doing?”
I shifted in my seat, the need in my jeans becoming increasingly uncomfortable. “Truth or dare, Cora?”
She blinked swallowing hard and licking her lips. “Dare.”
“I dare you to kiss me.” Cora’s mouth gaped with a gasp of breath and that was it. When I brought her mouth to mine, that’s where I found it. Right there on her sweet fucking lips. I’d had her every other way except for this way.
Her friendship, her trust, her love.
But not this.
This tasted of something much sweeter and a whole lot deeper. It tasted like…everything. Her small hands clasped at my neck, the pads of her fingers doing some serious damage to my self-control. They dug into my skin like a plea, like a prayer, begging me for things I couldn’t even name.
I searched for the will to stop, to think, to do anything aside from worship her perfect mouth, but my will was long gone.
She stole it from me the moment her lips met mine.
If you don’t know where you are going,
any road will get you there.
~Lewis Carroll
I’ve been kissed. Quite a few times. And quite thoroughly I might add. But I don’t think I have ever been kissed quite like this. Nope, pretty sure this was a first. The hottest, best kiss of my life was happening at a damn rest stop of all places, but it couldn’t be more perfect.
His controlled fingers wrapped firmly around the base of my neck, caressing my skin with his guidance, his dominance, stealing my breath with every thrust of his delicious tongue, branding the deepest part of me with this fire starting kiss.
Sleeping with him would be a wrecking experience. I nearly died when he showed me his…I don’t even know what to call it. It was on a whole other level. The piercing…sweet Lord…was it even safe? The man was packing a loaded weapon in his jeans. I’d heard the rumors, but never expected them to be true. My face flushed thinking about how bad I wanted to touch it. Or was it because his strong fingers were now wrapped firmly around my breast.
Oh my God, is this really happening?
My hands met the wall of his chest, tearing his lips from mine. His large body heaved for air as he struggled to open his heavy eyes. “What?” The strain in his voice had my thighs clenching.
Damn, this was going to be harder than I thought, because holy shit my lips belonged on his.
“We’re in a parking lot,” I nodded to an elderly couple walking hand in hand down the sidewalk, eyeing us suspiciously.
Cannon gave them a friendly wave. “Pretty sure they’ve made out in a truck before.” They returned his wave with a knowing smile and continued walking.
Now that I had a firm grip on my sanity, I addressed the next issue at hand. “Cannon, we just kissed.” His breath had calmed, but the intensity in his eyes proved he was still worked up. His appetite for me was ferocious. I could almost taste his need.
I wondered if he could taste mine.
“I know. I wanna do it again.” he said and I knew I would let him. I wanted him.
I’d always wanted him.
“Me too,” I confessed.
“Stop starin’ at my dick like that. Otherwise you’ll find yourself at the other end of it. And I won’t give a fuck who sees.”
I quickly faced forward, nowhere near ready f
or any of that. Cannon put the truck in gear and merged back onto the highway. There were no words spoken, only the faint sound of Sam Hunt and my racing heart. What had we done? What did this mean?
He didn’t speak until mile marker 413. “What are you thinkin’ about over there?”
“Lots of things,” I said, trying to get my mind to slow down.
“Wanna clue me in?”
“Why’d you kiss me, Cannon? You didn’t even let me accept the dare. I didn’t want to kiss you.”
An irritated thumb tapped the wheel. “You didn’t have a choice. Besides, I know a willing mouth when I taste one. Don’t lie to me. You want me as bad as I want you. We’ve been dancin’ around this shit forever, Cora” he said with complete confidence, his eyes narrowing at me before he swung them back to the road.
“What’s the problem here? You had to know this was bound to happen.” he said.
Did I?
N0.
Crossing the line had never been an option because losing him was out of the question. “This changes everything,” I said nervously.
“Got that right.”
When we arrived at the State prison, Cannon escorted me inside. Even though I told him he didn’t have to, he insisted anyway. I’d been to visit Winston many times on my own, but I appreciated the gesture nonetheless.
I had no idea what to make of our kiss, or the fact he wanted to do it again. I tried not to think about it as I made my way through the visitor’s process, but I swear I could still feel the tingle on my lips and I could definitely still smell his cologne on my hands.
Less than 15 minutes later, I was sitting in front of my big brother, trying to hold back the burning tears in my eyes. Three months looked like three years on his face and it took all I had not to throw myself into his arms and never let go, but we weren’t allowed to touch. “It’s good to see you, baby girl,” he said, his voice torn and haggard.
My heart ached to touch him. I drew my eyes to the guard who watched us closely and twisted my fingers in my lap. “You too.”