"Where were your parents?" I ask, though I already know a little.
"My dad left with an 18 year old girl when I was seven. He tried to get my mom to take him back, but she’d already found somebody else by then and wouldn’t even talk to him. I don't know where he is now. I think maybe Phoenix. That's where he was the last time anyone talked about him. My mom is up in New Jersey. She has a new husband and a couple of step kids. I don’t talk to her. I have nothing to say to the bitch."
The hatred in her voice is so out of character for her and it takes me by surprise.
"I have no one other than Claire. I know now how I got to be the way I am, how I've hardened my heart. I've only got one and the people I should've been able to count on more than anyone else didn't give a shit about it, so I walled it up. Kept everyone out." Tears appear at the corner of her eyes and one slips down her cheek. I put my hand on her face and gently wipe it away with my thumb.
"I know all about walls," I say. "It's easier to hide inside yourself when you're sure no one can get in and pull you out." I take her hand in mine and curl it between us. "But you pulled me out. And you have me, for as long as you want me." I feel the words rising up in my throat, feel my inner clock telling me the time is right to say what I've wanted to say almost since the moment I met her.
She turns her face up to meet mine and gives me a smile.
"I love you, Carly. I love you like I've always loved you," I say, catching another tear as it rolls down her face. I push her hair back and rest my fingers underneath her chin. "It's more like I've been in love with you forever, we just hadn't met. Everything I've been through, even the shit I did to cause my own problems, all of it put me where I am so I can be with you."
She sobs then, but I can't tell if it's happy or sad.
"Hey, hey," I say, trying to comfort her. "What's wrong?"
"Jack, I love you, too. I love you more than I can even understand." A smile turns up the corners of her mouth and it's like the sun came out, warming her small bedroom and my heart at the same time.
"Well, look here, we just broke another of your rules," I say, nuzzling my beard into her neck. "I love you, I love you, I love you."
"I couldn't help but love you, Jack. You've changed me, deep in what I've always guarded so closely and called my heart. I never want anyone else, could never even think of not being with you. You're my Sexy Jack." She grins through her tears and she's my Carly again.
"Why do you call me that?"
"Remember when we met? In the sex shop?" she smiles a little to herself at the memory. I can't help but smile, too. She looked so sexy that night that I almost followed her out of the store and begged for her name.
"Well, I didn't know who you were, obviously, but the guy called you Jack and the next thought I had was to call you Sexy Jack. And I bought that vibrator," she confesses then hides her face in her hands. She shakes her head in embarrassment.
"What? Why are you hiding your face?" I ask as I try to pull her hands away. “I was there, I saw you get it,” I say. She laughs and finally looks at me again.
"It's embarrassing," she says, rolling her eyes. "What's even more embarrassing is that when I used it that night," the image of her on her bed with the vibrator excites me and makes me jealous all at the same time, "I thought about you."
Her eyes are mischievous and sexy.
"And what did you think?" I ask.
"I fantasized about you, fucking me. I have to say, you're the only man that could ever beat my fantasies."
"So I'm better than your fantasy? I'll take that any day," I say. I move my hand down her abdomen and rest it on her hips, waiting to see if she's in the mood to let me do more.
"You know exactly what you do to me," she whispers.
"I know what I'd like to do to you," I mumble in her ear. I kiss behind it and down her neck before biting gently. She breathes in deeply and her body stirs.
"And just what would that be?" she asks.
"I'd like to make you scream my name so loud it wakes the neighbors." Carly giggles against me and I catch her eyes. "In the next building over."
I start to kiss at her collar bone until she puts her hands on my shoulders and looks at me apologetically. "I'm so sorry to tell you this, but there'll be no screaming from me. At least for the next three days."
"Are you serious?" I groan. "Forget blue balls, mine are gonna be fucking purple."
She laughs against me again and sticks her lip out in a mock pout. "Poor baby." She pulls my lip down with her finger. "Don't you remember my text from this morning?"
Suddenly I do and I see where she's going with this. I can't hide my smile or my hard on.
"Lay back," Carly orders. I do as she says and she reaches out with her nimble fingers, unbuttoning my shirt. She undoes the first two buttons, and then decides to straddle me. She's about to make me not care that she's out of commission.
I push myself up on my hands and let her continue to unbutton my shirt. I free my arms of it and she pulls her own shirt over her head. Damn, how I love this woman. Every single part of her. Everything she tries to hide, I think is beautiful. It's all fucking perfect to me and she has me hooked on her in every single way.
Carly unbuttons my jeans and pulls them down around my hips. She leans in and gently tugs at my boxer shorts with her teeth.
I reach out and stroke her hair as she struggles to fit my dick through the hole. "I don't think that's gonna work," I chuckle. I push my boxers down underneath my balls. She eyes my semi-erect dick and then smiles. My eyes travel from her mouth down to her tits. I've always been a breast man, but hers make me crazy.
My cock stiffens fully as she traces a line around the head her tongue. She strokes me slowly, sucking on the tip and moving her tongue in circles. I wanna watch her mouth slide up and down me, but it feels so good that my eyes close against my will. She moves her mouth down as far as she can, getting most of my dick down her throat. She sucks hard and slow, making me shudder. How I wish I could bury my dick in her and fuck her until we both can't move.
I twist my fingers in her hair as she starts to move her mouth faster. I can feel her tongue as she runs it back and forth and up and down. Her mouth is hot and wet and I can feel my balls clench as she sucks me off. Her mouth is almost as good as the rest of her.
"I'm gonna come, Carly."
She sucks harder and faster in response, never ceasing the movement of her tongue while I'm inside her mouth. I feel it rising from my balls, throbbing through the shaft of my cock before it finally explodes in her mouth. I groan as she sucks at my dick, the beating of my heart echoed in the pulsing of my balls. My body tenses and I push her head down just a little more.
"Motherfuck, do I ever love you," I say, gritting my teeth.
Carly slowly pulls me out of her mouth, gives the head of my dick a gentle bite and then smiles. "I take it you enjoyed that?"
Fuck. She swallowed my cum.
"Let's just say I'm not quite so disappointed you're on your period," I say as I pull my boxers and jeans back up. My dick is still hard, but I know I'm spent.
She grins at me, then hops off the bed and disappears out of the bedroom toward the bathroom. I put my hands underneath my head and look at the ceiling. I want to do something for her, something to show her how much she means to me.
Carly finds me on the bed, still thinking about her coming surprise. She kisses me and her breath is minty fresh.
"Thank you for that," I say.
"It was high time I repaid your for eating my pussy," she says as she scoots in next to me.
"Listen to that dirty mouth," I say, kissing her again.
"Not dirty anymore, I brushed my teeth," she says, licking at my lips with her minty tongue.
"I have something to ask you," I say.
She turns her attention to me fully.
"My mom usually cooks a big Thanksgiving dinner, though it's just the two of us, and I thought maybe you'd like to come with me."
&n
bsp; She looks at me for a second and I'm almost sure she's gonna say no.
"You want me to meet your mom?"
"Is that okay?"
Carly looks down at her hands for a second. I'm realizing it's a nervous habit of hers. "Yeah, I'm just a little surprised."
"First the 'I love you' and then the 'meet the family'. Too much, huh?" I run my fingers through my hair nervously, hoping I didn't play all the cards in my hand too fast.
"No, it's not too much, I'm just processing it, that's all. I love you back so if it's too fast, we're both to blame," she grins.
I sit up and turn to her. "It's just a dinner. No pressure." I smooth her hair back behind her ear.
She smiles and nods, "Sure, no pressure. I've never done the whole 'meet the family' thing, Jack."
"She's gonna love you, because I love you." I kiss her forehead and then her lips. "Trust me. My mom knows how I am and the fact that you've managed to rope me in tells her how special you are."
Carly looks doubtful, but offers me a smile anyway. "As long as you stay right with me. To keep me from saying or doing anything wrong."
"Mom isn't part of some girlfriend judging tribunal, Carly. She's my mom. She'll probably be so happy that I've found someone, she wouldn't care if you had tattoos on your face and a spike through your nose."
"That's an attractive image," she says, wrinkling her forehead. "Wait, did you call me your girlfriend?" She blinks at me.
"I did. It's not the first time I have," I say with a grin.
"Well, it's the first time you have to me," she says. "I like it."
She snuggles next to me and I wrap my arms around her shoulders. I lean in and the smell of her hair fills my head.
"Do you think you could get this weekend off at the bar?" I ask.
"I doubt it with the holiday," she says. "Why?"
"I just wanted to do something for you, something special that would require your undivided attention for the entire weekend."
"You always have my undivided attention," she says. "I can ask my boss and see if it's doable. That is, if you give me a hint."
"Nope, no hints. You just have to go with the flow," I say.
"I find that difficult to do," she protests. "You have to give me something to go on."
I stare at the ceiling for a second. "Just tell him you have to be on top of me all weekend."
"Yeah, that's gonna work like a charm," she giggles. "I can see if he has someone to cover my shifts, if not, I'll have to be on top of you after work."
"As long as you're on top of me, I'll be satisfied," I say, pulling her closer to me. Carly turns out the light and even though I usually have a hard time falling sleep anywhere other than my own bed, we drift off at the same time, completely content.
Chapter 9
I pull up outside Carly's apartment and let the engine idle. She's struggling with her suitcase and attempting to lock her door. I climb out of the Escalade and jog across the crunchy dead grass to help her with it.
"Hey, doll, let me get that," I say as I grab the suitcase from her. She throws the deadbolt and then follows me down the stairs. I put the suitcase in the back next to mine and then open her door. She kisses me swiftly and climbs in.
I get in and stop before I put the Escalade in reverse. "That wasn't a very good hello kiss," I say. I lean across the console and meet her lips. She kisses me sweetly, then passionately.
"I'm sorry," she says. "I just wanted to get away from my neighbor's window." She points at the apartment directly across from hers.
"Why? What's the matter with them?"
"Nothing. Well, my neighbor's boyfriend stays there with her sometimes and he creeps me out. Always looking out the window at me." She shudders and a look of disgust distorts her face.
"Want me to talk to him? Tell him you're off limits?" I ask, more than happy to do so.
"Nah, I've already told him I'm off limits. He's just a weirdo," she says. She sifts through her purse and pulls out an iPod. "Anyway, I brought some music for the drive after we leave your mom's."
I pull the vehicle in reverse and then hit the brakes. "Oh shit," I say. "Are you gonna play crap all the way there?"
She grins at me, "Not crap, but I'm not gonna stop until you listen to at least something I like and like it, too."
"What'll you give me after this torture?" I ask, reaching across and taking her hand. I put it on my dick and she squeezes a little.
"Whatever you want," she says playfully.
We pull out onto the highway and drive the forty minutes to my mom's house. I refuse to let Carly play a single song until we're on our way out of town on the big trip. She pesters me a few times for more information other than how long it'll take to get to where we're going, but I don't give in.
“How’s Claire?” I ask.
“She’s doing a lot better. They told her at the ER to go see her doctor in three days, but today makes three days, so she’s got an appointment on Monday. She says she feels better, but I know she’s still really sad. She and Mark are going to his parent’s today, so hopefully, it’ll be a nice day for them.”
Carly runs her fingers through her hair and digs in her purse for a Tic-tac. She holds the plastic box out to me and I take two of them.
Once we take the exit that leads to my mom's house, Carly starts to nervously smooth the dress she's wearing. She checks her reflection and fusses over her hair. I kiss her knuckles and encourage her to calm down.
"Doll, you don't have to be so nervous. She's gonna love you."
"I just don't want her to think I'm dressed inappropriately," she says, chewing at her lip. She's wearing a very modest gray sweater dress and dark tights. Her body still calls to me in spite of being covered almost from knee to neck. I know it'll be hard to keep my hands off her today, even in my mom's house. Thank god those three days are up. They've felt like three of the longest days, even with Carly's beautiful mouth at my disposal.
We pull around to the side of the house and park next to the garage. My dad's restored '69 Boss Mustang is still parked inside even though the title is now in my name.
Carly messes with her hair one more time before turning to me.
"God, I feel like I'm gonna throw up," she mutters.
I can't help but smile at her. "Calm down, doll. It'll be fine. Come on." I get out and go around to open her door. She looks at me uncertainly and whimpers a little. I take her hand and lead her up the walkway toward the front door.
Mom is waiting there for us and she offers Carly the warmest smile. I've seen it before and it's always been genuine, but she's practically beaming at her.
"Hello!" she says, opening the screen door. Carly smiles, "Hello, Mrs. Webster."
"Hey, Mom," I say, planting a kiss on her cheek as Carly walks past her and inside. She reaches out and hugs Carly and I can tell by Carly's expression, she's as surprised as I am. Carly looks at me and then pats my mom on the back awkwardly. I smile at her and pull Mom away to hug her myself.
"I'm so happy to meet you," she tells Carly. Carly smiles again, visibly tense and nervous. I slip my hand around hers.
"I'm happy to meet you, too," she says.
"Robert, why didn't you tell me she was this pretty?" Mom says, turning to me. She's barely 5'5 and I tower over her. She slaps me in the chest and Carly blushes.
"You wouldn't have believed me, would you?"
"Of course I would've. Look at that face, you two are perfect for each other!" She grabs both our hands and leads us through the living room into the dining room. Carly gives me a more relaxed smile as we follow my mom.
I wink at her as Mom drops both our hands at the same time. She's laid out so much food on the dining room table that Carly and I are both speechless.
"Mom, did you think I was bringing everybody at the mill to dinner? Geez."
"Elsie and I have been up since five o'clock this morning," she says proudly.
"Where is Elsie?" I ask.
"Where do you think she is
? I sent her home. She's got a new grandbaby this year."
Elsie Ford has been my mom's housekeeper/best friend for almost forty-five years.
"Tom and Jenny had a baby?" I ask as I pull Carly's seat out for her. She lets her fingers brush mine as I pull out the chair next to her and sit down.
"A beautiful baby girl," Mom says. She sits at her usual spot at the end of the table closest to the kitchen before eyeing the spot opposite her where my dad always sat.
"I just love babies," Mom says to Carly. I give her a look to discourage her from taking the conversation anywhere near there.
"Me, too," Carly says with a small smile. I squeeze her hand underneath the table and she returns it.
"The turkey looks amazing, Mom," I say in an attempt to change the subject.
"Everything looks amazing, Mrs. Webster," Carly says, smiling her gorgeous smile at my mom.
"Oh, please, call me Joann," Mom tells her with a wave of her hand. "So, Robert hasn't really told me anything about you, Carly." Mom says. "Robert, go ahead and carve up the turkey, dear."
The big fork and carving knife lie facing my father's seat like they always have, so I take them and start to carve away at the turkey.
"What are you in school for?" Mom asks as she watches me with the knife.
"I'm an accounting major," Carly says. "I graduate next month."
"Oh, so you’re not a spring graduate?"
"No, I'm finishing early. Or rather late, I guess would be more accurate. I took a couple of years off right after my sophomore year. My grandma raised my sister and myself and she was diagnosed with terminal cancer."
I stop what I'm doing and look at Carly. She's never told me how her grandma died.
"Oh," Mom gasps, putting her hand to her chest. "You poor thing."
Carly smiles at Mom. "She lived a month past the two years they gave her, but she was ready to go. I lived with her during those twenty-five months and taking care of her was my main priority. Once she passed, I re-enrolled and now I'm finishing a semester early."
"How sad," Mom says. "Well, at least you've caught yourself up and now you're finishing. Better late than never, right?" She smiles warmly at Carly and I see Carly return it. There's a lot of smiling with these two.
Save Me (Saved Series, Book One) Page 12