by Vi Keeland
“You know…” Gia said, “…people might look at us and think we make an odd couple, too. You’re all tatted and have that dark and dangerous thing going on. I look like a plain Jane standing next to you.”
My eyes raked up and down her. “You’re definitely no plain Jane. Maybe a sexy librarian guys fantasize about bending over in between the stacks, but no plain Jane, sweetheart.”
She leaned to me. “I wouldn’t mind if you bent me over in the stacks. In fact, I think that might be kinda hot.”
My cock twitched. Down boy.
“Oh yeah? How about the bathroom of an art gallery while my mother and her boyfriend are in the next room? Nothing says getting to know your son’s girlfriend like listening to her moan while your son rams his cock into her.”
Gia jabbed my ribs with her elbow. “Crass.”
“You love it. I bet your panties are wet.”
She surprised me by leaning up and kissing my cheek before whispering in my ear, “They are wet actually. But it’s not from hearing you say that you want to ram anything. They’re soaked from hearing you refer to me as your girlfriend without any hesitation. Total turn on.”
I wrapped a hand around her waist and pulled her flush against me. “Oh yeah?”
She nodded with an ear-to-ear smile.
“Come on, girlfriend. Let’s get this show on the road and have dinner with my mom and grandpa so I can get you back home and get to second base after our second date.”
She arched a brow. “Second base? What the hell is second base if you think going down on me is first?”
“How’s the book coming along, Gia?” my mom asked over dinner.
“It’s moving along a little better now. Each day the words are coming a little faster, and the characters are really taking on more of their personalities.”
“That’s great. I often find it hardest to start a painting, but once I get going, I get into a groove and finish pretty fast.”
“I hope that’s the case for me. I have a looming deadline.”
Mom pointed to me. “My son, on the other hand, can start a painting faster than anyone I’ve ever met. Yet he never finishes any of them.”
Gia’s head whipped to me. “You paint?”
I shrugged. “I used to. But haven’t painted in years. Found I was better at finishing a piece on a person’s skin than I was on canvas though.”
“I don’t know why I never put two and two together. Your mom is an artist and you used to do tattoos. Of course you must be a talented painter. Do you have any of your old artwork?”
“In a closet somewhere.”
“I’d love to see them.”
Mom looked between us. “Umm. Rush’s art is a little different than mine.”
“How so?”
I glanced over at Mom. “I don’t paint landscapes.”
“Well. Now you have me curious.”
“Jeff paints as well,” Mom said.
“Not much anymore,” Jeff added. “I bought the gallery fifteen years ago as my retirement from painting. But every once in a while, I still get inspired and sit down in front of the old canvas. Though these days, I’m a bit rusty.”
“Jeff’s being modest.” Mom gushed. Something I only ever saw her do when she spoke about me. “He’s an amazing painter. One of his paintings was on exhibit at the gallery today.”
“Which one?” I asked.
“It was called Ink Splatter.”
My eyes jumped to Gia’s, and we both lifted our drinks to our mouths in an attempt to hide our smirks.
After dinner and coffee, which was a fuck of a lot less painful to share with the guy my mother is dating than I thought it would be, we headed out to the parking lot. Mom and Gia spent a few minutes talking, and Mom promised she would come out for a long weekend before the end of the summer.
Jeff looked me in the eye and gave a firm handshake. “Your mother is a special woman. Your opinion means the world to her. I’d like to get to know you better. Maybe I could come out for a round of golf one weekend.”
“Sure. I’m not that great at golf though. I basically whack the ball as far as I can to try and reach the longest distance.”
Jeff smiled. “Good. I suck at it, too. Driving range for an hour, longest drive doesn’t have to pay for the beers afterward?”
“Now you’re talking.” Maybe Grandpa wasn’t so bad after all.
The ride home felt like it took forever because I couldn’t wait to get my hands on Gia alone. I still didn’t think we should seal the deal, but there was no fucking way we were calling it a night without fooling around at least.
I pulled off the expressway and into our neighborhood. “You need anything from your place?”
Her lips slid into an adorable smirk. “That’s a bit presumptuous of you, isn’t it? You’re assuming I’m coming home with you and staying the night?”
“You bet your ass I am. I’ve been a perfect gentleman all night. That shit stays at the door when we get to my house. I’m going to do filthy things to your body, and you’re gonna love it.”
She swallowed. “Jesus, Rush.”
“I prefer to be called God, as in Oh God. Oh God.”
“You’re such a jerk.”
“True. But do you need anything from your house because I need to make a left at the light if you do.”
“No. I’m good.”
I side glanced at her. “No pills or anything?”
“Pills?” She was confused what I meant at first, but then it hit her. “Oh! No. I’m not on the pill anymore. I stopped taking them over a year ago since I wasn’t…you know, active anymore. But I guess I should get back on them.”
Another reason to take things slow. The last thing I needed was to fuck this girl’s life up just as she’s getting started by knocking her up. And I was pretty certain that when I finally got inside of her, I was gonna shoot such a big load that I’d fill up a condom and that shit would spill over into her.
“If you don’t mind taking them, it would be safer that way.”
“No, I don’t mind. Plus, then we can…”
“Fuck bareback?”
She blushed. “I was gonna say make love without having to stop and put on a condom. But yeah.”
My cock swelled at the thought of being inside her bare. I stepped on the gas to get the rest of the way home and practically ran us to the front door. Tossing my keys on the table inside, I said, “Make yourself comfortable. I need to take a quick shower.”
She grabbed my hand before I could run off. “Want company?”
I groaned. “You’re killing me.”
My nerves started to get the best of me when I heard the shower water turn off. I’d stripped out of all my clothes, rubbed oil all over my breasts, and perched myself on the corner of the bed while I waited for Rush. This would be my first experience having a man slide himself in and out of my cleavage, and I wasn’t quite sure what position might work best. Something told me that Rush knew exactly how he’d like it to go down since he seemed to have fantasized about doing it to me before.
He emerged from the bathroom with a towel wrapped around his waist and looking down as he used another one to dry his hair. He froze when he glanced up and saw me. The heat in his eyes pushed out the nervousness that I felt. Rush had a way of making me feel beautiful and desired, without saying a single word.
I reached up and cupped my breasts, pushing them together. “I borrowed some of the oil that I found in your nightstand.”
He stared at me for long time. I got the feeling that he was trying to rein himself in. My eyes dropped to the bulge growing in his towel. It definitely wasn’t working. Unconsciously, I licked my lips, and when I looked up I saw he was watching me.
I nearly stopped breathing when he reached to the knot in his towel and it dropped to the floor.
Jesus.
It was long.
It was thick.
And it was gloriously hard.
The air in the room crackle
d as we stared at each other.
His voice was gruff. “Get in the center of the bed. Lie on your back.”
Once I was settled, he walked over to the edge of the bed and looked down at me as he fisted his cock. “I just came so hard in the shower imagining this.”
My entire body was on fire. I was more turned on just thinking about what I was about to experience than I’d ever been during any actual sexual act. Rush lifted a knee to climb onto the bed and then straddled me. I squeezed my breasts together in offering. Locking eyes, he dipped his hips down and guided his cock between my breasts.
His eyes closed as he steadied himself for a few seconds. Then he began to pump fast and furious. I squeezed as hard as I could as he slid his thick length in and out, over and over.
“Fuck. Fuck. Your tits feel so good. I’m gonna come all over you. The silky skin on your neck...your beautiful collarbone. I want to paint your entire body with my cum…mark it as mine.”
I swallowed. Jesus Christ. I loved the way he seemed so possessive of me, as if he couldn’t help himself and wanted to dominate my body in an almost animalistic way.
He opened his eyes and stared down. “Fuck…so beautiful. So, so perfect.”
Watching his orgasm take hold was one of the most magnificent things I’d ever witnessed. The tension in his face coiled as the muscles in his abs went rigid. With a groan of my name that was so sexy it had my own body close to its own release, he let go—exactly how he’d said he’d wanted to—all over my neck.
The protectiveness in Rush extended to after care. He cleaned me up with a warm towel, and then returned the favor by going down on me again. Unlike last time though, I didn’t pass out from exhaustion right after. While Rush had fallen asleep, I remained awake. My thoughts wandered from obsessing over getting my heart broken to fantasizing about what actual sex would be like with him. The latter led me to think about our conversation earlier and my monthly cycle, when I could start back on the pill.
Wasn’t I due for my period?
Would that ruin it for me if he wanted to have sex this week? It was at that moment in the middle of the night, lying in Rush’s bed, I realized I couldn’t remember the last time I’d had a normal cycle. Last month was so light and spotty, but I still assumed it was my period.
And now I’m late.
But how late?
Panic set in.
It couldn’t have been that much more than a month ago.
Was it?
Suddenly, I started to really panic. I normally marked down the first day of my cycle on my phone calendar. I needed to know. I needed to check my phone right now to see when the last time I had marked it down was.
Rush was still out like a light as I moved his arm off of me and slipped past him, making my way over to my purse on the floor.
Taking out my phone, I went straight to the calendar. I scrolled back through the days to check the last time I’d made a note about my period.
Passing over the last month and realizing there was no note entered, I started to feel my heart beating faster. It wasn’t until my finger stopped on the date of the last entry that I really started to freak out. The last time I had gotten a normal period was over two months ago.
It wouldn’t have been so concerning were it not for the fact that I’d had sex with a man prior to that time—my one-night stand from The Heights.
The following morning, I tried my best to remain calm for the remainder of my time with Rush. There was no sense in freaking out or jumping to conclusions without a concrete answer.
Rush dropped me off at my house and left me alone to allegedly write.
But there was no writing happening. I must have stared at the wall in my room for several hours.
My eyes wandered over to the sunset painting that Rush’s mom had given me. It was an image that once brought me so much joy but that now made me feel pure sadness, a reminder of all of the things I could be missing out on—an entire life of possibilities that might never be.
I’d be seeing Rush tonight again and didn’t know how I was going to face him unless I knew for certain. Yet, I just couldn’t get myself to go to the store and buy a pregnancy test.
How could I have put myself in a position where this was even a remote possibility? I’d done my best all my life to make sound decisions. That night with Harlan was one of the few times I had truly screwed up. I mean, I didn’t even know his last name or if his name was really Harlan. I couldn’t contact him if I wanted to. I had been feeling vulnerable and depressed about my career when I met him, and he’d provided a distraction, charmed the pants off of me—literally. But it was a huge mistake. To think that one mistake in judgment could possibly mean my ending up with a lifetime of responsibility was unfathomable.
I could barely take care of myself; I wasn’t ready to be a single mother.
It would break my dad’s heart.
And that scenario would surely be the end of Rush and me. He was hesitant to commit to a relationship as it was, let alone get involved with a girl carrying another man’s child—a man who’d disappeared.
Placing my head in my hands, I thought back to last night, how amazing it felt to be with Rush. I was falling so hard for him. I knew he was taking it physically slower with me than he was used to. And that made my need for him even stronger. I wanted him so badly in every way. Now, I might never get to have any part of him. Unless this result was negative, I might never experience what it would be like to truly be with Rush.
I needed to know.
I was seriously afraid that I’d have a heart attack if it were positive. Unsure if I could handle taking the test alone, I pondered whether I could trust Riley with this secret.
If it turned out she was in her room, I’d tell her. If she wasn’t, that would be my sign from above to keep this to myself.
Riley was sitting in front of her vanity, curling waves into the front of her hair when I interrupted.
She could immediately tell something was wrong from the look on my face as I stood in her doorway.
She put down her curling iron. “Did something happen?”
My tone was firm. “Riley, you need to promise me you won’t say anything to anyone.”
“What the…did Rush do something?”
“No, no. Rush is…amazing. This doesn’t have anything to do with him.” Sitting down on her bed, I got right to the point. “Do you remember the one-night stand I had with that guy from The Heights?”
“The one who gave you the wrong number. Yeah.”
“Well, I’m scared he might have left me with more than just a wrong number.”
Her eyes widened. “Do you have a disease?”
I shook my head. “No. At least, I hope not.”
“What, then?”
“I had a spotty period last month, and I’m late now.”
She covered her mouth. “Oh my God.”
My voice was trembling. “I’m scared, Riley. Really scared.”
“Does Rush know?”
“Of course not. I can’t even imagine how he’d react. This would completely blindside him. We’ve really gotten close, to the point where I think I…” I couldn’t say the words, even though I felt them deep inside my heart.
She read my mind. “You’re falling in love with him.”
Yes.
Tears started to stream down my cheeks as I nodded in silence. I was totally losing it now.
“Come here.” Riley moved over to the bed and embraced me.
“I have to find out, but I’m scared.”
She took a deep breath in then blew it out slowly. “Okay, tell you what. You stay here. Try not to panic. I’ll go to the store and buy a test. Ironically, I have to run and get condoms for my date tonight.”
I sniffled. “Alright.”
“It’s going to be interesting when the cashier rings me up for condoms and a pregnancy test.” She grinned.
“Staring at the box isn’t going to make this situation go away. There’s
only one way to know,” she said.
“I know.”
Forcing myself up off the bed, I ventured into the bathroom and numbly opened the package, following the directions and peeing on the stick.
With my heart pounding, I walked back out to the bedroom where Riley was waiting and exhaled.
I sat down on the bed and she joined me.
Riley rubbed my back. “Just breathe, Gia.”
“Five minutes.” I sighed.
My phone chimed, nearly scaring the crap out of me because my nerves were so sensitized.
When I reached for it, I realized it was a text from Rush.
Rush: Remember that shower you wanted to take with me last night…but I wouldn’t let you? Yeah, I think it might have to be on tonight. I can’t stop thinking about lathering up those delicious tits but not before I slide between them again. Okay with you?
That message would have normally made me so excited about tonight. Instead, an unimaginable pain filled me. I already felt like I’d lost him somehow. It was hard to imagine not having Rush around anymore. He’d consumed every part of my life from the moment I first met him.
I guess I should write back.
Gia: I miss you already.
He had no idea that there was deeper meaning in that statement. I already missed what I knew I could potentially be losing in a matter of minutes.
It was past the time to look at the test now. The results would be there. I just couldn’t get myself to go back in the bathroom.
“You want me to check it?” she asked.
Swallowing nervously, I rubbed my palms on my thighs. “Yeah. Please.”
Riley crossed the hall and entered the bathroom. It felt like the longest thirty seconds of my life.
When she came back, her face was flush. She looked sullen.
She didn’t even have to say anything.
I knew.
My phone chimed.
Rush: You’ve fucked me up, Gia. I’m crazy for you.