The Missing Pieces

by H. S. Strickland

  “Yes, my friend, you do love her. You won’t admit it yet, but you do love her. I see it in your eyes every time you look at her. It doesn’t take a fool to notice. She loves you too, man. It’ll be like pulling teeth to get her to tell you, but it’s there. Look deep enough into her eyes, beyond the stunning shade of green and you’ll see it.”

  I sat there dumbfounded for I didn’t know how long until Sloane came back, and sat next to me on the swing. We didn’t talk. There weren’t words that could have been expressed.

  Look deep enough.

  She loves you too.

  The words were like a broken record, playing over and over again.

  I finally peeked at Sloane. She had her legs up on the railing, while she sipped on a glass of red wine. She was gazing up at the night sky, a pensive look on her face. She took another sip.

  “I love you,” I finally spoke.

  Her wine spewed across the porch and down my sweatshirt. She began sputtering, so I reached over and patted her back to get her breathing. Her coughing fit finally subsided and she looked at me with wide eyes.

  “What did you say?” She whispered.

  “I love you so fucking much.”

  Her mouth opened and closed a few times, not able to form words.

  “You don’t have to say it back. I just need you to know how much I fucking love you. I couldn’t keep it in any longer.”

  I took her hands in mine, and made sure she angled her body towards mine. I wanted her full attention and I wanted to be able to look into her deep, green eyes.

  “I fucked up earlier by asking Callum to look into Zane. I should have come to you with my doubts, but instead handled it on my own. But Zane helped me realize why. Because I love you. I want to protect you. I want to make sure I can take care of my woman,” I said, smiling wide at my admission. It felt amazing to finally tell her how I felt. I had known I was falling in love with her, but I hadn’t known that I had already fallen.

  “I understand that Ryan, the need to protect. Trust me, I do. But you need to know that being in a relationship is team work. It takes two. I want to protect you as much as you want to protect me, so we need to work together to protect each other. I don’t want to do this without you, but you need to start trusting in me.” She squeezed my hands, and gave me a look that said this was a deal breaker.

  “Okay. I can do that. From now on when I start to get caveman tendencies, I’ll come to you first.”

  She laughed, heartily and threw her arms around my neck. I squeezed her tight, and nuzzled the crook of her neck, taking in her smell–vanilla and chocolate. I slid my hands from her waist, up her back and into her hair. She must have taken it out whenever she went in the house earlier because it was flowing down her back in a mass of curls. I wrapped my hand around the back of her small neck and pulled my head back to gaze down at her.

  There was a heat hidden in her eyes, and I knew what she wanted. Leaning down slowly, I lightly touched my mouth to hers. She sighed in pleasure, and opened her mouth to me. We sat on the porch for 15 minutes kissing until she climbed in my lap, causing the swing to sway and rock. Even though she was wearing shorts and I was wearing jeans I could feel the heat of her pussy.

  “I want you,” she said, taking in shallow breaths.

  “You have me.” I kissed my way down her neck until I reached the tender spot where her neck met her shoulder.

  “No, I mean right now. I want to ride your cock.”

  I growled lowly. I wasn’t able to help myself around her. “Jeremy’s still here. We can’t risk him walking out. If he saw what is mine I think I would beat the shit out of him.”

  She pulled my shirt over my head and started kissing her way down my chest.

  “Sloane,” I warned.

  “Shhh. He’s gone. I asked him if he would give us some privacy,” she mumbled, hitting my abs with her skilled tongue.

  I groaned out my appreciation. She found my belt buckle and fumbled around to get it undone. I reached down to help her. She unbuttoned and unzipped my jeans and pulled them down until they fell to my ankles. Her hungry eyes fell to the bulge in my boxer-briefs. She hurriedly pulled them down, waiting for me to lift my hips and help. My briefs were next to follow around my ankles. My cock sprang free, and Sloane peeked up at me briefly and the look in her eyes almost made me come.

  She bent her head and the first lick to my tip made my hips flex upward. I leaned my head back and threaded my fingers in her hair. She took a hold of the base then sucked more into her mouth. My breaths were coming out short and slow. This woman could drive me wild, and she was doing that.

  She pulled back, wet her lips, and then sucked more of my cock in her mouth. She sucked as much as she could into her mouth then worked her hand in a circular motion around my base. I had never felt anything like this before. Her pussy was fucking amazing, but I had no idea that she could do this with her mouth.

  Holy fuck.

  “Killer, get up here,” I managed to say.

  I thought she was going to listen because she removed her hand from the base of my dick, but knew she hadn’t listened when she pulled more of me into her mouth. She swallowed and moaned at the same time, and I knew if she didn’t move right that second that I was going come in her fucking mouth.

  “Sloane, get the fuck up here. If I come in your mouth, you are going to pay for it later,” I growled, tugging on her head.

  She released my cock with a loud pop and I almost growled at the loss of her hot mouth. Instead I lunged for her, helping her off her knees. She tugged off her sweatshirt and I worked at her shorts. I noticed she wasn’t wearing any panties, and once again almost blew my load.

  “Commando?” I growled, gripping her hips.

  She gazed down at me with hooded eyes and shrugged her shoulder. “Makes me feel free.”

  I pulled her closer to me, and nuzzled her hip bone. She lightly ran her fingers through my hair, sending chills down my back. I nipped and kissed my way down, until I was face to face with her pussy.

  I spread her pussy lips, and lightly ran my tongue down her slit. “Fuck, you taste so good,” I groaned.

  My tongue found her entrance, lapping up her sweet juices. Her knees starting giving out on her so I was forced to stop.

  “I want to come around your dick,” she moaned.

  I ran my tongue back up her pussy, finding her clit. Once I had found her little bundle of nerves I sucked it into my mouth, and then bit down. She threw her head back and pulled on my hair almost to the point of pain.

  “Ryan, please,” she begged.

  I backed off her clit, and looked at her. She pushed on my shoulders until I was leaning back on the swing. I planted my feet firmly on the porch so she could straddle my hips. We both looked down and watched as Sloane grabbed my dick and guided it into her. When she was fully sheathed I held her hips to stop her. I had to give myself a moment before we continued or I was going to come.

  “I need you to move,” Sloane gasped. She kept making little circles with her hips, driving me mad.

  “Baby, I need you to stop for a minute,” I croaked.

  A few minutes later I got myself under control, and eased my grip on Sloane’s hips. I titled my head back a little to glance at her, and saw her face pinched tight with too much pleasure.

  “I’ll let you have the control for a little while.”

  “Thank God,” she purred.

  Sloane picked herself off my chest and circled her hips slowly at first. When she found her rhythm she picked herself up on her knees, and fell back down on my cock. She did this slowly then picked up the pace. Her breasts were bouncing so close to my face, the temptation too much. I leaned forward and captured her right one and sucked her round, hard nipple in my mouth. She bent back and placed her hands on my thighs, thrusting her breast farther in my mouth. I moved from her right breast to her left. I gave it the same treatment as the other one.

  “Ryan,” she whimpered, “I’m so close. I want t
o come with you.”

  I let go of her nipple and gripped her hips, forcing her down on my cock. She ground her hips against me harder, searching for more friction. I fit one of my hands between us and played with her clit, giving her the friction she was so desperate for.

  “Oh my God, I’m going to come.”

  “Look at me,” I growled.

  Sloane forced her head up and gazed at me. I felt the tingles start in my balls and start working its way up to my back. I knew I was going to come soon. I pinched her clit and she fell apart around me.

  When I felt my cock growing harder I rumbled, “I love you,” and emptied myself inside her.

  She was collapsed on my chest, her breathing returning to normal. She peppered kisses up my neck until she reached my ear. She nibbled my ear then whispered, “I love you, Ryan.”

  I leaned back and took her cheeks in my hands. I gazed into her eyes, and watched her give me a small, satisfied grin.

  “Say it,” I growled.

  “I love you, Ryan.”

  My cock started growing harder again and Sloane took notice.

  “Again, already?” She laughed.

  I shrugged my shoulders and chuckled, “What can I say, I have good stamina.”

  Later that night, we were back at my place cuddling in bed. We talked about our childhoods, and what we wanted to do as we got farther in life. When the sun started peeking through my windows my eyelids drooped closed.

  Chapter Eleven

  Sloane- 15 years ago

  I was in my bed, on my stomach with my feet up in the air, swinging them back and forth. I had my text books open, flipping through the pages. I had this huge project that I needed to finish tonight or I was going to be in deep trouble.

  Mom and dad were downstairs cooking dinner, and discussing bills. I had overheard them talking a few days ago about how bills were piling up, and they had no way to pay them. I knew that meant that soon we wouldn’t have a place to live. I wasn’t sure what we were going to do. Dad had said to Mom that he was taking care of it, but Mom didn’t like it. They had been arguing about it a lot, and I thought it was about how Dad was handling the bills.

  “Charlotte! Time for dinner!” My mom yelled from downstairs.

  I slammed my books closed and flew down the stairs. I would use any excuse I could to get away from my homework. Mom greeted me at the bottom of the stairs with a hug and a kiss.

  “Something smells amazing,” I said, and kissed her cheek.

  “Oh well thank you dear. Your plate is already made.” She shooed me into the dining room.

  We all sat around the dinner table and made idle chit chat.

  “When is Mace supposed to be home?” I asked with a mouth full of potatoes.

  “Chew your food before you talk, Charlotte!” My mother scolded.

  I looked at Dad for the answer. “He should be home within the hour,” he supplied for me.

  In my head I did a little happy dance. I loved my big brother, Mace. He was like my best friend.

  We continued with dinner, talking like a normal family, but I could still feel the tension in the air. When we were done, Mom and I took all the dishes to the sink and started washing them. Dad had gone out back to smoke his nightly cigarette.

  “Mom, can I ask you something?” I asked in a timid voice.

  “Of course you can, sweetie.” She looked over me and smiled, but it was forced.

  “Are we having problems with money?” I asked.

  Before she could answer we could hear my dad yelling for her. His voice held some anger, but mostly fright.

  Mom and I dropped the dishes and didn’t even bother with drying our hands. We both ran out the back door, and saw my Dad’s back first. Someone was standing in front of him, holding a gun to his head.

  “Nancy, I need you to hide with Charlotte. Okay baby?” My dad said.

  My mom cried out and shook her head. She managed to jerk me behind her, shielding me from what was happening.

  “Nancy now is not the time to be stubborn!” Dad yelled, causing both of us to jump.

  Mom turned around a squatted down to my level. “Honey I need you to run upstairs and hide. Do not come out unless it is me or your dad, okay?”

  I didn’t want to run, I wanted to stay and help my dad. I had never been around guns before, but I knew they could kill you. I didn’t want my mom or dad to die.

  “But, Mom–” She cut off my sentence by putting her finger to my lips.

  “No, buts baby, you have to do this.”

  I nodded, but stayed rooted to the floor. Tears had made their way down my cheeks, blurring the image of my mother.

  “It’s going to be okay. I love you,” she whispered, swiping at my cheeks with her thumbs.

  “I love you, Mom.” I choked out.

  She stood back up and ushered me to run. I ran up the steps, but I didn’t hide like she told me too. I crouched down at the top of the stairs, and watched as the man with the gun brought my mom and dad inside. I could only see the back door and the living room from where I was perched, so they were out of my visual for a minute.

  They entered the living room, the man with the gun still behind my parents. My parents were instructed to sit on the couch and they did so. I watched as my dad said something quietly to my mom, and she nodded her head with tears running down her face. My mother mouthed ‘I love you’ to my dad. They turned back to the gunman, and I watched as my mother and father were shot in the head.

  When the second round went off I screamed so loud, and hard I thought my lungs would give up from exhaustion. The man with the gun jerked his head up the stairs and narrowed his eyes at me. I ran down the hall until I found my parents’ bedroom. I slammed the door shut, and locked it. I backed up and put a hand over my mouth so I wasn’t tempted to scream again.

  I backed up and ran into a stone wall. Scrunching my eyebrows together, I cautiously turned around, fearing another man was in the room to kill me. I came face to face with a big man. I looked up at him, eyes wide, waiting for him to pull a gun out at me. I began shaking my head back and forth. I didn’t want to die.

  “Shhh,” the man whispered. “I’m not here to hurt you. I’m the police.”

  “Ho…how do I know you’re a policeman?” I croaked. My throat was raw from all the screaming I had done previously.

  The man pulled out a badge and I saw the words ‘FBI’ in big print. I nodded my head, trusting him slowly.

  Something finally dawned on me and I looked up at the policeman with wide, horrified eyes. “My brother, Mace, he’ll be here soon.”

  “It’s okay. I need to know if anybody is hurt down there. We heard the gunshots,” he whispered.

  “My parents were shot.” I ducked my chin, and began sobbing.

  “Where were they shot?” He asked.

  “In the head,” I choked out.

  My shoulders had started shaking with the force of my sobs. The man crouched down in front of me and wrapped me in a big bear hug. “It’s going to be okay. We’re going to get you out of here.”

  “What’s your name?” I asked, timidly. I had tucked into myself, as a form of protection.

  “I’m Grant. I’m going to lift you up and take you over to the window. My boss is down there waiting to catch you at the bottom, is that okay?”

  I nodded my confirmation, and slowly took steps towards me as if I was caged animal. Grant wrapped one arm around my shoulders and the other under my knees. He lifted me effortlessly, and hauled me to the window in my parents’ bedroom. I was so scared to let go of Grant. I was worried that another bad man was going to be waiting at the bottom to catch me and kill me like he had my parents.

  “I don’t want to let go,” I sobbed softly into Grant’s warm neck.

  “Honey, it’s going to be okay. We aren’t going to let anything happen to you. I need you to crawl out the window. Like I said my boss is down there waiting for you. He’s going to rush you into a car before anybody can see you.�
�

  Mutely, I nodded again. He was saving me and I trusted him.

  I did as Grant asked and climbed out the window. My hands were holding on to the window seal and my feet were dangling mid-air. I felt hands wrap around my ankles and let out a blood curdling scream. The person who was holding onto my ankles patted my leg and said, “It’s okay baby girl, it’s Grant’s boss. You can let go now.”

  I let go as suggested and closed my eyes on the fall down. It only took half a second to be cradled into Grant’s boss’s arms, but that fall felt like an eternity. I felt that climbing out of that window and into the stranger’s arms was going to change everything.

  It had been several days since the shooting at my house. I had been in a ‘safe house’ for those several days. When I first got here all I wanted to do was take a shower and go to sleep. And I did exactly that. The next day Grant’s boss, who told me to call him Boss, had given me the bad news that my parents were dead. I had felt numb every waking second since then. The only thought that comforted me was the fact that Mace was safe. If I didn’t have parents anymore, Mace was all I had. Knowing Mace was safe was what kept me alive. I didn’t know what I would have done if he had been at home.

  On the fourth day Boss came into my bedroom in the safe house, and sat down. He ran his hands over his head then scrubbed them down his face.

  “We have to talk, baby girl.” He said, sadness written all over his handsome face.

  “What about?” I asked out of curiosity. I hadn’t really talked to anyone since that night.

  “About what happened that night,” he muttered.

  Boss was the only person I would talk to, and he knew to be careful with his choice of words because sometimes what he said would cut me so deep I felt like my heart was going to bleed out.

  I nodded my head to Boss, prompting him to continue.

  “I really fucking hate to be the one to tell you this, but you won’t be able to go back home.” Boss said, delivering a painful blow.

  “Why?” I whispered, dropping my gaze to my hands that were settling my lap.