Bold

by Jennifer Michael

  “Well, no one else is moving in today.”

  She gently bites down on my lip for teasing. My hands grip her ass, pulling her impossibly closer to me.

  “I’m so ecstatic you’re here, baby. I just wanted to make sure you knew that.”

  “Thanks for being you,” she tells me.

  I’ll never grow tired of making her happy.

  Holding my girl, I walk us further into the house where the decorations continue.

  “What’s the plan for my first night in the house?” She suggestively waggles her eyebrows at me while I blatantly look down her top.

  “We’re having a housewarming party, of course!”

  “A party?” She gives me a confused look to go along with her questions. “With whom?”

  “Well, there’s you and me. Isn’t that enough?” I gracefully set her on her feet and move to the fridge. “Are you ready for your first hangover tomorrow? Because I think we have another item to cross off the list tonight.” I fill my hands with an assortment of alcohol and hold the beverages up for her to see. “We have food, drinks, and party games. Are you up for it, lightweight?”

  “Lightweight? Who are you calling lightweight?” She puffs out her chest in defiance.

  “You. The girl who’s never had a drink in her life. That’s who.” It’ll take under five drinks to have Noah royally tossed. I’m sure of it.

  “Fine, maybe you’re right, but this is still going to be so much fun!”

  “What’s your poison?” I ask her.

  “Hello? Virgin drinker. How am I supposed to know?”

  Oh, right.

  I crack open a dark beer that I bought for myself and hand it to her. “Try this.”

  One small sip, and then one twisted disgusted face. Yeah, I thought that’s how that would go.

  “Is this what alcohol tastes like? I think I’ve changed my mind about the party.” She pushes the bottle back at me.

  “Sorry, I bought that for me, but I figured you could try it.” I set the drink she was repulsed by on the counter for myself and pull out one of those hard root beers. “Here, try this one. It’s lighter, and it tastes less like beer.”

  She sniffs the open bottle before hesitantly putting it to her lips, and with one eye open, she takes the world’s slowest taste. Afterward, she smacks her lips together, testing it out, before saying, “Much better.”

  I usher Noah to the living room where there is a buffet of junk food set up, party food after party food. We have pizza, hot-dog weenies, chips, candy, cake, and so much more—all of it from the bottom of the food pyramid. Tonight, I’ve planned an evening filled with everything she never experienced growing up.

  Truth or Dare and strip poker are on the agenda.

  We have Twister and Cards Against Humanity.

  Somehow, I scrounged up an old-school phone book, so we could do prank calls, too.

  We’re even going to play Never Have I Ever. The game I always hated but Sunday would make me play. I thought about Spin the Bottle, but since there are only two of us … well, I’ll be kissing her all night anyway without the bottle.

  “Are we drinking or having a food-eating contest?” She gestures to the table setup.

  “This is your night of teenage rites of passage. We’re doing it all.”

  “What’s first?”

  I let her choose, and we end up kicking the night off with Twister, which isn’t a bad start. There is a whole lot of rubbing against one another in this game. Plus, Noah’s ass is in the air for most of the time. I won’t complain about that view. We make the juvenile prank calls next. Noah can’t stop laughing as I ask strangers if their refrigerators are running or ask to speak to Seymour Butts. Do people still make these sorts of calls, or are we bringing it back? Cards Against Humanity turns into strip poker, and by this time, Noah’s had three drinks, which is a lot for her little frame.

  She begins to giggle, and her voice is louder than normal.

  “Truth or dare,” I challenge Noah.

  “Dare!” She sips her fourth drink.

  “I dare you to stand up and do a celebrity impression.” I start out easy on her.

  “BORING!”

  “Fine, let me pick another.” I search my brain for something better.

  “Nope, too late. You’re going to get to see my awesome impersonation.”

  She stands, not too steadily, as I sit back to watch.

  Noah yells something about ESPN and her breasts being able to predict the weather while cupping her boobs in her hands and playing up a ditzy accent.

  “What in the hell was that?” I basically choke on my tongue while I crack up.

  “Mean Girls! You’ve never seen Mean Girls? I thought I was the one who grew up sheltered. What’s wrong with you?”

  “Oh, wow. Do it again. Please, do it again.”

  “No, shut up!” She throws a mini hot dog at my head, and I’m too busy laughing to try to dodge it. “It’s my turn. You won’t be laughing for long. Truth or dare?”

  “Dare.” Fair is fair. It’s time to see how much better she can do.

  “I dare you to whisper something dirty in my ear.”

  Oh, her dare is much better than mine. I like where this is going.

  I stand and walk to her with a stoically straight face. I lean down with my lips kissing her ear. “When you come, you hum my name with so much appreciation, it pushes me over the edge every time. You say my name with such reverie that I can feel your love for me pulsing through your veins. It’s the sexiest sound I’ve ever heard in my life.” Softly, I bite down on her lobe and give her a hum of appreciation of my own before I pull back.

  I can’t fight the cocky smirk plastered across my face as she shivers.

  “Dirty enough for you, Noah?”

  “Very hot, Mr. Hale.” She bites her lip.

  “Truth or dare?” I have the perfect comeback for either choice.

  “Truth,” she says.

  “Tell me a dirty fantasy that gets you hot, something you have never tried.”

  She turned this game sexy, and now, it’s my turn. Noah is amazing in bed. I couldn’t ask for anything more from her, and our connection makes everything that much more perfect, but very rarely do I see her sexy side outside of the bedroom. I know it’s in there. I fondly, vividly remember the day she posed nude. Now, it’s time to see that side of her again.

  “Um…” She stalls. “I saw this movie once.”

  “What kind of movie?”

  She chews on her lip and looks up at the ceiling.

  “A porn?”

  “Yes.”

  “Go on, baby. Tell me what you saw that made you hot.”

  “The girl, she was tied up.”

  “And you’d like that? It would turn you on if I tied you up, restrained you to my bed?” Having her completely at my mercy sounds like the best idea ever. I wasn’t expecting her to admit to being curious about bondage, but the idea has my dick rising.

  “Yes.” She looks me in the eyes. “I mean, nothing too crazy, but since I saw the movie, the fantasy has always been in the back of my mind. With you? I trust you enough to completely give my body over to you.”

  Do I have rope? A belt? A tie? Anything to make her fantasy come true?

  My mind races as I picture the scene.

  “Truth or dare, Brazen?”

  “Dare.” I couldn’t pick anything but that.

  “I dare you to take off your clothes and come here.” She eyes me from head to toe.

  Yes, thank you!

  “That’s your move?”

  “Yes, I want to play, Brazen.”

  I move to her, hold her face, and kiss her deeply. When we come up for air, I say, “You don’t need a dare to get me naked, Noah. You can have that whenever you want.”

  I take my clothes off and stand before her, so she can objectify me in any way she’d like. Noah gets on her knees, and I just about fall over. She looks me in the eyes with so much hunger in hers.

/>   “You are so beautiful, Noah.”

  She licks her lips and takes me in her hands.

  “Thank you for everything tonight.” Her lips linger on the tip of my cock.

  “You know I do things like tonight because I want to, because I love you, and because I get off on seeing you smile. You don’t owe me anything.” I gesture with my hands to her position on her knees.

  “Shut up, Brazen. Stop being the good guy for a second, and let me enjoy tasting you. I know you don’t expect anything, and that’s exactly why I’ll give you everything.”

  Noah takes me into her mouth. It’s warm and wet as her tongue swirls around the head. Those lips wrapped around me send me into overdrive. Her cheeks hollow, and she sucks hard. I grab on to her hair, and she gets more vigorous. Her tiny hands latch on to my balls, and I’m almost knocked off my feet.

  “Yes, Noah, just like that,” I encourage.

  Her other hand moves up the back of my thigh, so her nails can dig into my ass.

  Her tongue swirls around me before she takes me deep enough to make her choke.

  With her eyes tracking my every move, she slides me deeper into her mouth and then pulls out to suck on the tip over and over again. I groan and release myself into her mouth. Her lips stay wrapped around me while she swallows my cum and moans, vibrating my dick. When she’s finished, she licks her lips and then takes a long pull of her girlie beer after working up a thirst.

  “You are incredibly sexy when you do that,” she tells me.

  “Me? Damn, baby. I’ve never had anything like you.”

  I bend and lift her into my arms.

  “What’re you doing?” she asks.

  My mouth latches on to the curve of her breast. “The party’s over, Noah. It’s time for the after-party.”

  “You’re ready to go again?” She rubs her body against me.

  “I’ll be more than ready once I lick every inch of you. What do you think about that? Ready for me to make you squirm?” My hands sneak up the back of her dress and rest on her ass.

  “In our bed. In our home.”

  “That’s right, baby, and it’s going to be one hell of a homecoming tonight.”

  Noah is my home, and I’m happy we now share a house.

  I’ll never let this incredible woman go.

  Now, where are my belts?

  My girl has a fantasy, and I’m going to give it to her.

  Noah

  “What are you doing out here? It’s a little hot for that, isn’t it?” Brazen comes up behind me, edging closer to the fire.

  “I’m cleansing,” I tell him. “Isn’t it obvious?”

  “That’s great, but I’m going to need a little more information.”

  I guess it’s only obvious to me. Crickets chirp in the night, and the flames warm my face. I step back to avoid singeing the hair on my arms and inhale a deep breath.

  “I’m letting go. Or rather, I’m burning the past.” I hold up a familiar old envelope.

  “The letter from your mom?”

  “Well, it isn’t my wish list for Santa. That would have more purpose in my life.”

  “Are you sure about this, Noah? There is nothing in that letter you might want someday?”

  His hand touches mine, and I look up at him.

  “She was never part of my life. Why should I hold on to something that only reminds me of the pain she caused me?” I’m sure. I’m really sure about this. I’ve thought on and on about it.

  “Okay, then do you want company?”

  “Always, when it’s you asking.”

  The handwriting on the outside is recognizable. Not because I had loving notes put in my lunch box or because the person who addressed the letter helped me with my homework. The penmanship is only familiar because I’ve stared at the envelope every day for weeks. Well, not anymore, not after tonight. I’m ready to let go of these words that have chased me. I lift the first page from its confines and let it fall from my fingertips. Slowly, the edge catches fire until the entirety is engulfed.

  A small weight lifts from my chest.

  I throw in another, bowing my head and enjoying the scent of burning paper.

  “I’m proud of you, Noah.” His arm drapes around my shoulders.

  “I’m proud of me, too.” I toss in another sheet and then cuddle in closer to him.

  “Should you say something?” he asks with eyes on the growing fire.

  “It isn’t a funeral. What would I say?”

  “You can say anything you want. This is your cleansing.” He encourages me to let out my emotions.

  I’m safe with him to say whatever I feel in this moment.

  “Okay, let me think.”

  I bend the envelope in my hand and think about what’s running through my mind. I’m still learning everything there is to know about the freedom to live my life. Six months ago, my whole life basically existed within one location. I never had a job or even thought about paying a bill. The relationships in my life were cordial and clinical. I saw very little and wondered about my abilities. It’s hard to know what you’re capable of when you aren’t challenged. I never felt loved or really like I belonged.

  Now . . .

  I’ve come.

  I’ve seen.

  And, damn it, I’m conquering.

  I have free range to sort out my emotions on my own. I can walk down the sidewalk and literally smell the roses. I can go here, there, and everywhere. I have a job, and I’ve already started my classes to get my real estate license. I’m loved by a few, and I reciprocate intense feelings as well. I am strong. I am able. I’m ready for anything thrown my way.

  I’m ready to let out how I feel and share it with Brazen.

  “Sometimes, people hurt other people. It can happen on purpose or by accident. You can harm people out of fear, hatred, or selfishness, and it can make lasting impressions. My mother caused me great distress. She really did, but the choices I make for my life are my own. I no longer want to literally or figuratively carry around the weight of this letter or her choices. As I burn these pages, I’m letting go of how she affects me. I’m deciding that I am stronger than her weakness.”

  And it feels damn good. It’s absolutely brilliant actually.

  “Does this mean we’re crossing off another item from your list? Are you forgiving your mom?” Brazen grabs the last page from the envelope and helps to fuel the fire.

  He’s helping me and standing by my side while I heal and release the ugliness that’s been trapped for years inside my heart. I couldn’t have asked for a better person to stand by my side while I purge.

  “Yeah, I forgive her. Everything that we are is perfect, and I don’t want that tainted relationship to follow me into our future. You mean more to me than any sort of old resentment could. Living my best life with you is all I care about.”

  I throw the envelope into the fire, and the flames eat it, sending up tiny embers of burning paper. I tilt my face upward to the sky. I am free. With this purification, I am completely unaccompanied by the burden that kept me captive in the orphanage and the affliction locked inside my heart.

  “I knew you’d get here, Noah. Do you know I discover something new I love about you every day? I’m not just talking about the big things like this. I mean, every day, you amaze me and show me something new about yourself.”

  I turn to face him and rest my hands on his shoulders while his fingers run through my hair. I can never get enough of the look he’s giving me right now or how it makes me feel. It’s like he can tell me everything he needs to say and everything I want to hear through his eyes. It’s like he’s telling me that I’m his world.

  “If every girl could see themselves the way you see me, the world would be a better place.” I’m so damn lucky that I’m the one he sees as his perfection.

  “You’re the woman of my fantasies, better than I ever could have thought I was waiting for.”

  His nose brushes against mine, and then my legs grow weak.
/>
  I’m a girl who glorified romance movies. Prince Charming was a dream while I waited in the highest tower of my castle. Okay, it totally wasn’t a castle, but I was still trapped. Back then, I never could have dreamed up Brazen, but with my past burning in the fire behind me, I take his hand and know that what’s to come will be better than any fictional romance I’ve ever seen or read about. I have him in real life.

  My prince in a dirty tool belt.

  Reality is good.

  Brazen

  Early morning traffic and red lights have dominated the first few hours of my day while I’ve been in my car, cursing under my breath and gripping the steering wheel. When I finally park at the job site, I stretch my arms over my head and twist my back. Benson waves at me from the porch across the street and then quickly scurries inside after I lift my hand back. I turn from Noah’s old place, and as I do, something catches my eye.

  Something troubling.

  Something I wish I weren’t seeing.

  Ashy-blonde hair, long legs, and an intensely familiar face come into view, and it shocks me. I’m moving before I have a plan. That person, this woman checking out the house I just took my eyes from, can only be related to one person—Noah. Her aging face is filled with Botox that hides the emerging wrinkles, but there is no mistaking the similarities.

  At very first glance, I thought it was my girl. A driver lays on their horn when I don’t pay close enough attention while crossing the street without looking. I dodge and speed up to avoid becoming roadkill.

  Once I’m to the other side, I approach her and ask, “Can I help you?” The hostility in my voice is strong.

  “No, you can’t.” Her voice even sounds like Noah’s. She clutches her purse tight beneath her armpit, as if she’s afraid I’m going to steal it from her, and she takes a few steps away from me.

  I can’t let her go, not before I know what she wants.

  “You’re Noah’s mom, aren’t you?”

  Her head swings back in my direction, and she narrows her eyes at me. “Where is she? I tracked her down to this place, but I’ve been watching, and it doesn’t look like she’s here.”

  “What do you want?” Because I’m not telling her anything about Noah until I know her intentions. It’s as if her mother felt her daughter’s release of resentment and chose now to pop up out of nowhere.