When I Fall

by J. Daniels

  Fuck my life.

  I lean back to look at Beth, to see if she’s reacting the same way I am, but she starts rocking her hips, clawing at my arms, riding my dick like she’s never been this turned on before. She drops a hand between us and starts rubbing her clit. My dick swells, my brain shuts off.

  Fuck everything. I’m not stopping. I can’t stop.

  “Beth,” I whisper against her mouth, thrusting deeper, giving into this and blocking out everything that isn’t her. “Beth, God . . . Beth.”

  She trembles, her body locks up. “Reed!” she cries out, jerking my dick with the hottest pussy I’ve ever had. “Yes, yes, yes, oh, God.”

  “Reed?” Mia’s cautious voice cuts through one of Beth’s noises. “Oh my God,” she whispers.

  I bury my face in Beth’s neck, fucking her through her orgasm, feeling mine building at the base of my spine. So close. God, Beth, give it to me.

  “Reed!” Ben yells, his voice echoing against the ceiling.

  “One second.”

  “If your fucking dick is out right now,” he threatens.

  Blood rushes in my ears, drowning out every sound that isn’t my own heartbeat. I squeeze her ass, grinding Beth against my dick as I come inside her, sucking her nipple into my mouth when she lifts her shirt. She pulls my hair, demands I bite her, whimpers when I kiss her marked skin. My legs nearly give out as I thrust into her one last time, pressing my face between her perfect tits.

  “Beth,” I whisper, licking up to her neck, sucking her lip, savoring her sweet taste as it coats my mouth. “Beth.”

  She smiles against me.

  A loud bang comes from the other stall, resembling a fist connecting with something. “Reed, get the fuck out of here before I beat the shit out of you,” Ben growls.

  I lower Beth to her feet, helping her get dressed.

  “Sorry,” she whispers, stepping into her shorts.

  I look down at her wild, sexed-up hair, the glow in her cheeks, and the light sheen of sweat pooling in the dip between her collar bones. My eyebrows pinch together as I tuck myself away and button my jeans.

  “Don’t ever apologize for riding my dick like that. You just fucking owned me.”

  Beth blushes even more, staring up at me through those dark, long lashes.

  “Reed,” Ben warns, his anger tangible now.

  “Ben, that was kinda hot though,” Mia whispers. “Feel.”

  “Leaving. Wait a second before you feel.” I pull Beth out of the stall after she fixes her cut-up Ramones T-shirt. The collar has been widened, allowing it to hang off her shoulder and reveal more of her flushed skin.

  “Room’s all yours,” I tell them, opening the door that leads to the hallway. I turn back when I remember Mia’s words before Luke and Tessa arrived. Beth halts with me. “Oh, what were you going to say to us earlier? Is everything all right?”

  Ben mumbles something I can’t make out. Mia laughs quietly, shushing him.

  “We just wanted to thank you guys for being there for us. That’s all. We love you both.”

  “Yeah, now get the fuck out.”

  Beth covers her mouth, laughing.

  Leaving Ben and Mia moaning behind us, we head back down the dark hallway toward the dance floor. The girl’s bathroom door swings open and a woman runs out, her face pinched in disgust.

  She hooks a thumb over her shoulder. “There’s two people in there having sex! I can’t pee when someone’s yelling ‘fuck me harder, Luke’ a foot away! Can you?”

  The woman stares at Beth, then looks up at me, waiting for an answer. She throws her hands up in the air and stalks away when the two of us start laughing hysterically. Falling against each other. Tears in our eyes.

  I’m so fucking glad we went out tonight.

  Beth

  THIS CAN’T BE REAL.

  I’m going to wake up, and all of this will have been a dream.

  Finding out about my aunt, moving to Alabama and getting away from Rocco, meeting Reed, falling for Reed, really falling for Reed. I’m too happy for this to be real. Happy doesn’t even seem like an appropriate description of what I’m feeling anymore. I’m completely blissed out. I wake up like this. I go to bed like this. I’m smiling so much I’m waiting for my skin to crack open. I know Reed sees it, what he does to me, how he makes me feel. I can’t hide my reaction to him. I don’t even care that it’s obvious. I want him to see it. I want him to see a lot of things.

  I’ll never hurt you. Ever. Please see that.

  Please.

  Please, God, don’t let this be a dream.

  I carry a large pot to the sink and ready it to be washed. Watching Reed help serve the homeless shouldn’t be a turn-on. It shouldn’t, but . . .

  I think it’s the fact that he’s here, that he wanted to be here without me asking him to come that has me worked-up. Not the actual serving part. It could also be what he said to me before we walked inside Holy Cross an hour ago.

  “If it means something to you, it means something to me.”

  I have never wanted to launch myself at someone in a church parking lot before. Reed takes me there.

  Turning the water on, I wait for it to fill the pot as my hand agitates the soap at the bottom. My eyes wander across the kitchen, where they have continuously wandered since I volunteered to start on the dishes.

  Reed is in the serving line, standing next to Riley. Getting incessantly bombarded with questions from Riley. I know this because every time Reed leans in and gives her a response, she turns around and gives me this look.

  The, he’s not giving me enough details, I’ll be asking you the same questions later, look.

  The, I seriously can’t believe you got him to volunteer, look.

  And my personal favorite, the, I’m really, really happy for you two, look.

  Reed bends down, reaching for something on the shelf below the serving table. Bubbles lather against my skin as I move my hand in slower circles, as the bottom of Reed’s T-shirt lifts on his back, revealing those two perfect dents at the base of his spine. His faded jeans pull taut against his ass. I begin breathing in and out through my mouth, doing more than admiring my amazing view. I’m staring. Blatantly, not paying attention to anything else. I wet my lips. The skin at the base of my neck grows hot. He straightens just as a warm burst of water spills down the front of my jeans.

  I gasp, my stomach tensing. “Oh, great.”

  My hand wrenches the handle, turning off the tap. Stepping back, I grab a towel off the counter and press it against my jeans, absorbing some of the water.

  “Everything okay?”

  I look up at Reed, who’s now standing a foot away.

  Arms crossed over his chest, his light blonde hair tickling his forehead, he smiles down at me as if he knows exactly why I overflowed the sink. It wouldn’t surprise me. He catches me staring ninety percent of the time.

  I fold the towel and press it against the bottom of my shirt. “Yes. Fine. I was just thinking about the text I got from my aunt. I kind of spaced out a little.”

  Good cover. That is what I should be thinking about. Not what Reed would look like serving the homeless naked. For sanitary reasons alone, I shouldn’t go there.

  He reaches into the sink and pulls the stopper out, draining the water. “What did it say again?”

  “That they had something really exciting to talk to me about.” I set the towel down after absorbing as much of the water as I can.

  Reed picks up another towel and dries his arm off.

  I lean my hip against the counter. “I have no idea what it could be. I mean, my idea of exciting is getting an Amazon gift card and buying a whole bunch of books. Something tells me that’s not what they want to talk to me about.”

  Reed laughs softly, tossing the towel on the counter. “Are they home now?”

  “They should be by the time I get back.”

  He nods, lowering his eyes to the front of me. A smirk tugs at his mouth.

  “What
?” I ask.

  “You’re still wet.”

  I drop my head, flattening a hand to my cheek. “Yeah, it’s a perpetual problem.”

  We laugh together as I roll my eyes and step back up to the sink.

  “Want some help?” Reed rounds the counter and comes to stand next to me. “We’re finished serving, and I need a fucking break from Riley. If she asks me one more damn time how I asked you out . . .”

  I tilt my head to look at him. “What did you tell her?”

  “Nothing.”

  “Nothing?” I stab his side with my finger, glaring. “What do you mean, nothing?”

  He snorts. “What was I supposed to say?” His voice drops to a hushed whisper as he ducks his head closer to me. “That you sucked my dick while fingering that sweet pussy? That you came all over my face, chantin’ my name, makin’ me so goddamn hard again I had to jack off while you did it?”

  My neck warms with embarrassment. “Well, no, you’d obviously just skip to the part where you said you wanted this.”

  He grins, leaning back. “I’m all about the lead-up, though. It really adds to the story.”

  I slap his arm. “You’re so dirty.”

  “You love it.”

  I do. God, I really, really do.

  Laughing, he grabs the scrub brush and starts cleaning the pot. “I’ll wash, you dry. I’d hate for you to get any wetter.”

  I grab a clean towel and hold it against my face, groaning. “I hate you.”

  “No, you don’t.”

  My heart swells in my chest.

  No, I definitely don’t.

  “AUNT HATTIE?” I CALL OUT, stepping inside the house with Reed close behind me. Their car is parked in the driveway, so I know they’re home.

  “In here, darlin.’”

  I follow her voice down the hallway and into the kitchen. Her and Danny are standing at the island, both of them looking up and smiling at me as I step into the room. I run around the island and hug Danny first.

  “I’m so, so sorry about your loss, Uncle Danny.”

  He squeezes me tight. “Oh, thank you, sweetheart. It’s okay, though. My cousin has been sick for a long time. We’ve been ready for it.” He releases me and looks across the room. His chest heaves with an inhale. “Reed, do I need to ask what you’re doing in my house?”

  He doesn’t sound angry, which is a relief. Reed told me he knew Danny really well, but I’m sure seeing him walk in with me has to be a bit of a shock. I haven’t mentioned anything about Reed to him. Something about him pacing outside with a shotgun kept my mouth shut.

  Clearing his throat, Reed steps up to the island and extends his hand. “Sir.”

  “Sir?” Danny drops his arms and looks from me, to Hattie, back to Reed. Understanding washes across his face. He takes Reed’s hand and firmly shakes it, keeping his expression stoic. “How long has this been going on?” He looks over at Hattie. “Did you know about this?”

  “Danny, knock it off.” She holds her arms out to me and wraps me into an embrace. Danny laughs quietly behind me, lightening the tension in the room. “You look happy,” she whispers into my hair.

  I nod against her. “I am. Very much.”

  She leans away, grinning, her dark hair falling past her shoulders, instead of tied back in it’s usual clip. “Well, why don’t you and Reed have a seat? I’m going to go grab something for you. I’ll be right back.”

  I take one of the stools, Reed takes the other. Leaning on my elbow, I watch as Danny continuously glares at Reed, his arms crossed tightly over his chest while a deep frown settles in between his eyebrows.

  “Really?” Reed speaks first, tilting his head. “You know me, Danny.”

  Danny lightly shrugs. “Hey, she’s my niece. I don’t give a shit who you are, or how long I’ve known you. I’m allowed to be protective over her. Deal with it.”

  Reed chuckles, holding his hands up in surrender. “All right. Fair enough.”

  Hattie’s heels click on the hardwood behind us. She rounds the island and stands next to Danny, holding a piece of paper. Smiling gently, she looks at me.

  “Beth, we didn’t want to put this in the note we left for you the other day. We wanted to tell you, face-to-face, and after we got a little bit more information. We always want to be honest with you, darling.’ Having said that, we have known about this since Wednesday, okay?”

  I briefly look at Reed, who’s watching me curiously. Turning back to Hattie, I nod. “Okay.”

  “Right before Danny got the call about his cousin, I was looking through the shoebox, pulling out pictures, and I found this at the bottom. Did you know your birth certificate was in there?” She slides it across the counter.

  Leaning forward, I look down at the document I’ve never seen before, running my finger along the edge of the paper. “No, um, no, I had no idea. I’ve never really looked through the entire box.”

  Damn it. Why didn’t I? This was in there the whole time?

  Gasping, I stop on a name printed above mine. A name I figured I would never know. “Oh my God,” I whisper.

  Hattie’s hand covers mine. “Beth, we found your dad.”

  I look up, my breathing erratic. My hands sweating, sticking to the paper. “What? You found him? How?”

  My dad. Oh my God. I can’t believe this. I can’t believe I have more family.

  Danny steps to the edge of the counter. “I got in touch with a buddy of mine while we were gone. He’s a private investigator. We gave him your dad’s name, said he might be in Kentucky but we weren’t sure. He got back to me late last night.”

  “He’s in Tennessee now. We spoke to him on the phone as soon as we got home today.” Hattie smiles, releasing my hand. “He said he would love to talk to you, if you wanted to call him.”

  I drop my hands to my lap, staring at the paper in front of me.

  He wants to talk to me. My dad, actually wants to know me.

  “He’s in Tennessee?” Reed questions through a soft voice.

  I look over at him, blinking quickly, almost forgetting who I’ve been sitting next to. His eyes are cast down at the counter, as if he’s not focusing on anything. I shift on my stool and grab his hands.

  “Reed, I can get to know my dad. Isn’t this amazing?”

  Hattie laughs quietly. “Yes, Reed, he’s in Tennessee. He’s lived there for a while, he said.”

  Reed briefly looks at Hattie, then turns his eyes on me. He smiles gently, running his thumb over the top of my hand. “Yeah, it’s amazing. What’s his name?”

  “Jon . . . um.” I look back at the paper. “Schilling. I could be Beth Schilling.” I wrinkle my nose, and Hattie giggles. “Maybe not.” I cover my cheeks with my hands, letting out a hurried breath. “Oh my God, this is so crazy.”

  My dad, Jon Schilling, wants me to call him.

  A stool scrapes along the hardwood. I glance up, watching as Reed gets to his feet.

  “Where are you going?”

  His lips pinch into a thin line. Blinking heavily, he scratches his head before pushing his stool in. “I really should head over and get started on those stairs for the deck. I’m going to lose daylight soon.” He looks at Danny and Hattie, acknowledging them with a jerk of his head. He bends down and kisses my forehead. “I’ll see you later.”

  Reed walks out of the kitchen, heading down the hallway.

  I look up at Hattie and Danny. “I’ll be right back.” I rush out of the room and catch him at the front door. “Reed, wait.”

  He turns his head, keeping his hand on the knob. “Yeah?”

  “Are you okay? You got really quiet in there.”

  Sighing, he lets go of the knob and faces me. He pushes his hair out of his one eye. “Yeah, sorry, I’m just tired, and I have a shit load of work to do tonight. I really want to get the deck done for Ben and Mia. Mia, especially. She’s really excited about it.”

  I step closer, looking up at him, pushing the same strand of hair back again when it falls i
nto his left eye.

  A part of me thinks he’s just saying this to satisfy me with an answer. But why would news about my dad affect him to the point of wanting to leave? Then again, he didn’t seem tired five minutes ago.

  Reed frowns. He must see my silent questions, the concern I know I’m doing a horrible job at hiding. Grabbing my face with both hands, he kisses my lips softly, then once more. “I’m really, really happy for you, sweetheart. I am. Okay? I’m just tired.”

  I close my eyes through a nod. “Okay.”

  Releasing me, he pulls the door open and walks the distance to his truck, never once turning back. I close the door and lean my back against it.

  Maybe he is tired. Ben said something at the club about not having any of the stairs built yet. I have no idea how long a project like that takes, or how much labor goes into it. Maybe Reed knows he has a lot of work to do, and he’s anticipating a long night. That has to be it. What other reason is there for his sudden change of mood?

  Nodding at my inner conclusion, I walk back down the hallway and into the kitchen. I reach for my phone in my back pocket. “Do you have his number handy?”

  Hattie holds up a small piece of paper, as if she was anticipating my question. She hands it to me across the island as Danny pours himself a drink. I leave my phone in my pocket for now.

  “Did you talk to him?” I ask her, reading the phone number.

  “I did.” Danny takes a quick drink of his tea. “Seemed like a nice guy. He said things just never worked out with your mom. She thought it was best if she raised you on her own.”

  A wave of frustration has me clenching my fist at my side, my lungs taking in slow drags of air. That wasn’t her decision to make. I could’ve at least known about this man. She never once brought him up, never once shared his name with me when I asked about him. She acted like she didn’t even know who he was, and all this time, she knew. How could she keep this from me? I’ve missed twenty-two years with someone.

  No, not just someone. My own father.

  I look between Hattie and Danny, swallowing down my irritation. “I’m going to go upstairs and call him. Thank you both so much for finding him for me. And for everything else. I really don’t think I’ll ever be able to repay either one of you.”