by S Cinders
Mandy sank down to take more of him into her mouth, and Elliot swore as his eyes tried to roll back at the intense pleasure. She used her hand to cup his balls, caressing them gently as she licked and sucked at every inch of his cock.
She angled her mouth over him, and he slid all the way to the back of her throat. He knew that he wouldn’t last, not with her deep throating him.
He tried to pull himself away from her, but Mandy grasped his hips and sucked harder.
“I’m going to come, Sweetheart! You need to let me go!”
But she wouldn’t, and he shot off his load into her hungry mouth. She didn’t stop until he had given her everything. It was one of the most humbling experiences of his life. She smiled after using her fingers to wipe the corners of her mouth.
“Fuck, Mandy,” he was still panting.
She laughed, “You alright?”
Elliot shook his head, gathering her close, “No! I think you killed me.”
Mandy snuggled into his arms and sighed as she felt him kiss her temple.
“I want to tell your sister about us,” the words were out before Elliot could consider the repercussions. He was speaking from the heart.
Mandy pulled back out of his arms, “What about us?”
Elliot frowned and before he spoke he pulled his pants up and fixed his clothing. He needed time to think about what he was going to say.
“I care about Mandy,” he began. “I don’t want to scare you away. But could you just think about the idea of there being an us?”
Mandy felt her stomach turn, but not in a good way. What would happen when Elliot found out that the baby really was his? Should she tell him?
“Look,” he continued, “I want to be with you, I want to be there for you when the baby is born.”
Her anxiety skyrocketed.
“Elliot, you don’t understand.”
But he didn’t want to hear Mandy tell him all the reasons why they couldn’t be together.
“You don’t need to make a decision right now,” his voice was patient, but she heard a hint of exasperation that usually wasn’t present.
“No,” she swallowed the panic that was racing up her throat.
He looked sick, “No? What do you mean?”
“I don’t want to think about it,” her words were rushed, and her hands began to shake.
“Mandy,” his whispered plea almost broke her heart.
But he wasn’t getting it. She needed to explain better.
“I don’t need to think about there being an us,” she continued like he hadn’t spoken. “I care about you too. I want there to be an us.”
He crushed her in his arms his mouth crashing down into a hungry possessive kiss.
“You won’t be sorry, Mandy! I swear it, I will do everything in my power to make you happy.”
Mandy felt overwhelmed by the emotion in his voice and the guilt that seemed to have taken up permanent residence in her heart.
“Elliot,” she began, “There are things you need to know.”
There was a knock on the door and Elliot called, “Yes?”
Mrs. H’s voice rang out, “Nate and Kim are here!”
Elliot stood and pulled Mandy up with him.
Mandy tried to stop him, “Elliot, I need to talk to you!”
He grinned at her, “There is so much I want to talk to you about as well. We will tonight after your sister and Nate leave. Does that sound okay?”
Mandy knew that the longer she waited, the harder it would be to tell him. But the coward in her loved that she was being given an opportunity to let it slide once again.
She nodded, and they joined their guests.
CHAPTER 27
“And there we were, stranded at junior prom, our dates were passed out drunk and Mandy had vomit on her new dress.”
Mandy’s eyes sparkled as she laughed at Kim’s retelling of their ‘worst date ever’ story.
“I had saved and saved for that pink dress,” Mandy added. “It took me a long time to forgive Jimmy for throwing up on it.”
Kim’s eyes danced, “I think she forgave him so that he would stop apologizing. My daddy tried to run him off with a shotgun more times than I can count.”
Mandy winced at the memory, “Jimmy was sweet, but not necessarily the brightest of boyfriends.”
“Who spiked the punch?” Nate asked leaning forward to rest his hands on the table.
They had finished their deserts and just pushed their plates away.
“Let’s go into the living room where we can be more comfortable,” Elliot suggested.
He had noticed the way that Mandy was twisting and turning on the hard dining room chairs. He made a mental note to ask Mrs. H to order richly upholstered chairs as soon as possible.
Elliot went to Mandy and helped her to her feet. The chivalrous gesture wasn’t missed by Nate and Kim who gave each other a knowing look.
Mandy chose to ignore when her sister winked at her and gestured with her eyes towards Elliot. She was nervous enough about the amount of affection that he was showing her in front of company.
Kim continued the story, “We never did learn who spiked the punch, although it happens almost every year, so our dates should have known better. It just was unusually strong that night.”
Elliot tried to remember is junior prom. Had it been Amy or Sarah maybe? He had borrowed his mom’s car and ended up getting to third base in the back seat before a police officer had stuck his flashlight in the window.
Nate laughed his ass off when Elliot had been marched home to tell him mom just what he had been up to. He hadn’t a clue whatever happened to his date, she hadn’t meant anything to him.
Nothing like what he felt for Mandy, that was all-encompassing.
He sat beside her on the couch and placed a possessive arm around her shoulder. Kim and Nate chose to sit in a few side chairs, but Elliot noticed the glances that Nate was sending to Mandy’s older sister.
Nate might think that he had things under control, but Elliot could tell that his best friend was in deep with Kim.
“How is the coffee shop?” he asked cordially.
“Getting worried?” Nate teased.
Elliot rolled his eyes, “Please, like I would ever run away scared from your lazy ass. The Bugatti will be safe and sound in my garage.”
Kim choked, “What are you talking about?”
Mandy elbowed Elliot hard in the ribs.
“Mandy, what is he talking about?” Kim knew that if she questioned her sister she would tell her the truth, even if she didn’t want to.
Mandy sighed, “Nate and Elliot have a little bet on something. It isn’t a big deal.”
Kim’s brow rose, “If it isn’t a big deal then you can tell me the details.”
“Does anyone want some coffee?” Nate tried to interject but Kim gave him a terrifying look and the man sat back down.
“Elliot wagered his Bugatti against Nate’s ability to triple The Grind’s profit by Valentine’s Day.”
Kim’s jaw dropped, “But it’s Christmas in four days?”
She turned to Nate who returned her gaze steadily. Then Kim glanced back at Elliot who seemed a bit contrite now that Mandy was upset with him.
“I’m sorry,” Elliot’s smooth voice didn’t settle Mandy’s nerves. “I thought you knew about it, Kim.”
Her eyes flew to Nate, “So, that is why you have been hanging out at the coffee shop, to win a Bugatti? The new uniforms, schedules, employees, it all makes sense now. Is that what you stepped in with Andrew?”
Her voice was rising with each accusation. Kim was becoming more and more upset.
“Baby,” Nate tried to soothe her, “It isn’t like that?”
But she was too far gone.
Kim jumped to her feet, “Thank you, Elliot and Mandy for a lovely evening. I need to go.”
Nate hopped up to join her, “I will grab our coats!”
“Oh!” her blue eyes shot icy waves into his heart, “You aren’t co
ming home with me. You can stay here or get a cab to your place.”
Nate’s jaw clenched, “You are making a big deal of nothing, Kim. I don’t even want his fucking car anymore.”
“Why?” tears had begun to form in her eyes, “because you are already fucking the bimbo that is too stupid to figure out why a handsome rich man would be helping her?”
Mandy gasped, but Elliot put a protective hand on her shoulder. But they could have been statues for all the attention that Nate and Kim were paying them.
“I didn’t fuck you for the shop, Kim!” Nate’s temper flared, and he grasped her hand, so she couldn’t leave. “If I remember correctly it was you the propositioned me!”
Kim looked like she had been hit, her face crumpled but not before she swung her arm out connecting the flat of her palm with Nate’s cheek. It was a resounding crack and her handprint immediately began to appear on his face.
“Don’t help me, don’t speak to me, and don’t come near me!” Kim’s throat was clogged with tears as she uttered her final words, “I am such an idiot. I should have known.”
She raced across the expansive apartment and wrenched open the door. Nate stood there in shock with his hand covering his cheek. It looked like it might bruise by morning.
Mandy went to go after her sister, but Elliot held her back.
“What are you doing?” she pulled at the wrist he had trapped in his large hand.
“Nate needs to follow her, if he has any chance of fixing this, it has to be now.”
Nate jerked his head almost as if clearing it and then raced after Kim.
Mandy jumped with the door slammed shut for the second time.
“Are you alright?” Elliot released her arm and cupped her jaw.
Mandy’s heart was pounding, she had never liked fighting. And when Kim struck Nate it was jarring how much it reminded her of abuse that surrounded their childhood.
Elliot gathered Mandy in his arms. He hated the way that she was shaking uncontrollably. He doubted that she even realized she was doing it. Her fingers dug into his shirt and she clutched him like a lifeline.
“It will be okay,” he murmured, wanting to take away the hurt and pain in her eyes.
Mandy nodded, but she wasn’t sure that it would be. She knew all about this part of life. Hell, in a lot of respects, this was a typical night in their home. She just hadn’t expected her sister to get so enraged.
If that could happen to Kim, could it happen to Mandy?
Were they doomed to become their parents?
She felt the baby kicking her stomach between them. And didn’t protest when Elliot’s concerned gaze followed her hand she had unconsciously placed there.
Elliot gently guided her to his room, bypassing hers. She would be sleeping with him—from now on, if he had anything to say about it.
CHAPTER 28
Kim angrily pushed the tears from her cheeks and she rushed through the city streets. She wasn’t paying close attention to where she was going. All she knew was that she had to get away from him.
Her mind kept replaying the scene over and over again. Nate’s face as he realized how angry she really was. Mandy’s shock when she had smacked Nate. Elliot’s surprise as she admitted to sleeping with Nate.
Shame burned her face as she choked back a sob. Kim had thought that Nate might be falling in love with her.
Or perhaps the real truth was that she had fallen in love with him. How had Kim allowed that to happen? What kind of fool was she to believe that someone like him could ever possibly want to help someone like her unless there was something major on the line?
And a fucking Bugatti? That could buy and sell her shop three times over again. What did Kim know about living in a world where every dime wasn’t scrutinized over?
A firm hand grasping her shoulder stopped Kim mid-stride. She screamed, trying to knock her assailant to the ground.
“Fuck! Stop it! Kim, it’s just me,” Nate dodged as many blows as he could.
“Why are you following me, Nate?”
Kim shook his hand off of her shoulder not waiting for an answer and tried to walk away again.
Nate grabbed her wrist this time, tight enough that she couldn’t get away.
“You are so fucking stubborn, woman!” Nate exploded, “You had your chance to say what you wanted to. Now you listen to me for a change.”
He used his finger to tilt her face up to meet his gaze. Her stormy blue eyes were still shiny, the evidence of her crying jag still on those gorgeous lashes. Her mouth was pressed into a stubborn line and a muscle tightened near her temple.
“You have one hell of a temper,” he hadn’t really meant to lead with that statement, but Nate was one to call it like he saw it. “Do you want to know the truth? Or do you just want to believe that everyone is out to get you? You are stronger than this Kim, you don’t have to be the fucking victim. If you want to fight me on, feel free. I am ready for anything you throw at me. But don’t you fucking walk away from me. I am not letting you go that easily. Do you understand me?”
Victim—the word stuck in her mind and played over and over again. Was she acting like the victim? Fury licked her veins at the thought of someone else taking advantage of her or her sister. She had been the victim in the past, it was true. Even with Andrew, she had allowed herself to live in an ignorant state.
Never again, she vowed to herself.
“You are a fucking prick!” She screamed back at him, “How dare you call me a victim? Do you have any idea what I have lived through? No, you don’t”
Her eyes were mocking as she continued, “You might have grown up poor, but you didn’t grow like we did. Hiding bruises from teachers that would unknowingly put us in more danger by reporting things to the authorities. My parents were masters at covering up their deeds.”
She hadn’t realized that she was crying again, “You want to know how I lost my virginity?”
He flinched, but Kim was too far gone to stop.
“My father traded it for a high ball. And then when he was drug off his ass and I couldn’t fight him off he would sneak into my room. I couldn’t say anything! I tried to tell my mother and she just called me a whore—said I had made the whole thing up. When I found out that he had done the same thing to Mandy I tried to kill him. Did you know that? And you call me a fucking victim? I beat the shit out of him with a rolling pin one night when Mandy was at her friend Shay’s.”
Nate was stunned by the horrifying images and admissions that kept pouring from Kim’s lips.
“Yeah,” her tone was bitter, “I might have latched onto Andrew because he was the first person in my life who didn’t treat me like shit. Was a stupid to trust him—obviously. You can’t know what it is like to hide the food that school sends home over the weekend so that you and your baby sister can eat. You don’t know what it is like to hide underneath the boxes in the basement and listen to a drunken orgy going on upstairs when you are eight years old. So, go ahead and call me the victim, Jackass. You know nothing about me.”
Nate yanked her to him, encasing Kim into his arms.
“You are right,” his voice sounded gruff as is he was fighting back the emotion. “I am sorry. I don’t know nearly as much about you as I want to. But know this, Kim. I am falling in love with you. I know you are broken and that you come with some serious baggage. But I won’t allow you to push me away from you. I won’t let you carry this burden alone anymore. So, rage at me, hit me, call me names, whatever you need to do. Just don’t walk away, I won’t let you.”
The violent anger that had been boiling inside of her started to abate and it was replaced with such a deep heart-wrenching sadness that she felt she would drown in it. Clutching Nate’s coat with her gloved hands she sobbed into his chest.
She cried for the little girl that she was never allowed to be. She cried for all of the times that she had tried to protect Mandy, and those monsters had taken it out on Kim and got to Mandy anyway.
Al
l of these years later, Kim had thought she had gotten past this. But right here, right now on the city streets with Nate’s arms around her, she hurt every bit as bad as she had back then.
Kim didn’t really recall when he hailed a cab and bustled them both inside of it. She vaguely remembered the drive back The Grind and Nate ushering her back to her apartment. He tenderly removed her clothes until she was in her panties and a large t-shirt. Then stripping down to his boxers, he climbed into the bed behind her and pulled Kim’s body against his warm chest.
The exhaustion that had been lingering ever since her break down enveloped her and Kim fell into a deep sleep. She didn’t dream about her childhood or her husband cheating on her. She didn’t dream about the shop closing down or one of the other fears that constantly hovered in her mind.
No, on this night, she dreamed of Nate. They were happy and in love. Kim felt safe. It was an odd notion to her that she could live this way. That there could be an existence with her and Nate where she wasn’t constantly waiting for the other shoe to drop.
A little girl with blond pigtails and sparkling blue eyes that raced along in front of them. Kim felt a surge of protectiveness for this innocent little girl who danced in the sunlight with childlike laughter. This is how it is supposed to be.
When she awoke, Kim wouldn’t remember the dream. But what she would recall was that sense of safety that she had felt. And that it was largely due to the sexy man that was lightly snoring in her ear. She wouldn’t be angry that his hand had slipped down the back of her panties and was cupping her ass in a decidedly territorial manner. Nor, that he was holding her close enough that she felt every inch of his massive cock against her thigh.
She would feel safe—and that was a beginning.
CHAPTER 29
Week 34: Baby's fingernails grow
Thirty-four weeks into your pregnancy, or 32 weeks after conception, your baby's fingernails have reached his or her fingertips.
By now your baby might be nearly 12 inches long from crown to rump and weigh more than 4 1/2 pounds.