by Josie Wright
A big smile lights up her face, and fuck, if it doesn’t make my heart falter. This woman right here in front of me has me wrapped around her little finger without even knowing it. She’s selfless and loving, but doesn’t put up with anyone’s shit. I know she’d do anything for Archer and me, but she isn’t afraid to put both of us in our place. She loves unconditionally—making up for all the shit coming our way with a single smile.
This is it. She is it.
I clear my throat and let her necklace dangle from my hand. “Have you been looking for this?”
I watch with amusement as she sets Archer on the floor carefully, but then catapults herself to where I stand. She’s hectic, attempting to put her necklace on and when I stop her and give her the key to open it, she gives me a withering glare.
I don’t need to read minds to know what’s going on in that head of hers. Before she starts stressing out, I stop her. “We’ll be on time. Now open it.”
I’m fucking nervous. I can feel my pulse racing, can actually feel it pounding away in my neck, while I watch her as she concedes and unlocks the pendant.
Her mouth falls open and her eyes grow big as she looks back and forth between me and the ring. With shaking hands, she takes the ring out.
She looks shocked when I take the ring from her, not once looking away from her face.
Letting me take her hand, she stares up at me, her eyes transfixed on mine.
I see nervousness and excitement in those pretty greens, but also unwavering love. It’s the kind of look I want to see forever.
I’m no fool. I know there will be many times I’ll cause her to look at me less favorably, but not today. Today she looks at me like I’m everything she’ll ever need.
I clear my throat yet again, making sure my voice still works.
“Frankie, we’ve already missed out on so much time together. I left you once, but I can guarantee you this will never happen again. I fucked up that night, but it was just one night. This is the rest of our lives, and I want to prove to you every single day and every single night that you and Archer are everything to me. I want to be the first person you see in the morning and the last person before you fall asleep at night. I want us to experience life together—the good and the bad. We’ve already been through so much and you’ve always been there for me, knowing instinctively what I’ve needed. I will always do my best to look after you and love you the way you deserve—if you’ll have me?”
Funny how my voice quivers, although I’ve never been more certain of anything in my life.
I wait for her answer, waiting to put the ring on her finger. Her eyes are swimming with tears when she finally starts nodding excitedly.
Between gentle kisses, she chants, “Yes. Yes. Yes,” and the knot in my chest releases.
I slide the ring on her finger and kiss her—giving it all I have.
“Of course I’ll have you—always and forever,” she pants.
That’s not an invitation I’m going to pass up easily. “Good, how about you have me now. Your ass looks something fierce in this skirt…you bent over under the bed…that just short-circuited half of my brain.”
Even though she protests at first, I know I could convince her otherwise when her body melts into mine. But the moment is quickly interrupted by little feet stepping on mine and a pulling on Frankie’s skirt. Archer is squeezing himself between us with a pout on his face.
Lifting him up, I realize my son is a little cock-blocker, but it’s impossible to be irritated when he looks up at us with his adorable face.
And it gets even cuter when he learns to swear from his mother and starts repeating the words ‘ass’ and ‘fuck,’ making me double over with laughter. I’m laughing so hard I can barely breathe. I need to make sure to catch that on tape because it’s goddamn disarming when a toddler who can barely stand up straight swears like a drunken sailor with a smile on his face.
***
Frankie turns off the lamp in the living room when I walk in, take her by the hand, and lead her toward the backyard.
“Where are we going, Ben?”
“To celebrate your graduation and our engagement—just the two of us,” I whisper back, making sure to not wake anyone in the house. Archer is sleeping with my parents in the guestroom today. Alex and Dean are already in bed. Dave, Jason, and Viv have taken off to a bar to check out the competition. It’s quiet, peaceful, and no one around to interrupt us.
I lead her past the lounging chairs and toward Archer’s treehouse. I’ve put up some tiki torches on the bannister along the balcony, as well as on the ground so we’re not stumbling through the dark.
“Oh, Ben. This is really sweet,” she says, her voice barely more than a whisper.
Leading her up the stairs, I tell her to close her eyes as I lead her into the room. I’ve brought a mattress in here, making it more comfortable with a shitload of cushions and a quilt. I let go of her for a second to light the candles in the room and turn on the music on my phone. There’s also some hot chocolate in a thermos and four of her favorite donuts.
Encircling her waist with my arms, I press her back to me and kiss her earlobe.
“You can open them.”
I watch her take everything in. “Ben, this is so…” She turns around, throwing her arms around my neck and pulling me in for a kiss. Her tongue slides into my mouth, circling with mine and stealing my breath. I pull her closer, cradling her head with my hand as I walk her backwards and guide her down onto the mattress.
“Happy graduation, Frankie,” I mumble into her mouth between kisses, turning us to the side so we’re facing each other. I pull her leg over my hip and her hand goes to my jaw. She runs her fingers lightly over my face.
The breeze flows in through the open windows, making the candle flames flicker and we can hear the sound of cicadas through the night, while Black Label Society’s version of “Ain’t No Sunshine” plays quietly in the background. Everything started with this song and it’s about time it becomes about more than the heartache I caused both of us.
“Ben, this is fucking amazing.” She smiles up at me, her eyes big with wonder, looking around the room. “When did you do all of this?”
I run my hand down her cheek and all the way down the side of her body to her ass, where I grab a handful.
“I had a few helpers this morning,” I answer, kissing her cheek and then moving to her neck, licking and teasing until I feel her squirm against me.
She moans, arching into me and I pull her closer, letting her feel how hard she makes me.
“I really, really like this surprise.” She pants when I slide my hand underneath her blouse and lower the cup of her bra, running my thumb over her nipple. It’s standing at attention already.
Her hand starts roaming my body. She runs it over my chest, my abs, and along the waistband of my jeans. I suck in a breath at her touch.
She sits up and I turn onto my back, watching as she slowly undoes button after button, running her tongue over her lips. Then she shimmies off the mattress and stands up, swaying her hips along to Marilyn Manson’s “Sweet Dreams” while she lets the blouse fall to the floor. Letting her hands explore her own body, she runs them down her neck to her breasts, giving them a gentle squeeze. Continuing down, she moves them to her stomach and lets them disappear behind her back. Still dancing on the spot, I hear the sound of a zipper.
Even in the dim candlelight, I can tell her skin is flushed, shimmering with a fine coat of sweat.
I slide my hand down and push down my jeans and briefs, taking ahold of my cock, jerking it slowly. Her eyes follow the movement with a hungry look. A look that makes my hips buck involuntarily. She bites her lip seductively and never breaking eye contact, lets her skirt fall to the ground. She unhooks her bra and slings it into the corner of the room, grazing her nipples as she moves her hands back down.
Before I know it, her panties slip to the floor and she’s naked before me. I take her in, my gaze roaming up and down
her body—a body I have come to know intimately and thoroughly.
I love that she doesn’t hide, that she loves every bit of herself. I want to run my tongue along her curves, across all the hills and valleys of her body. I’ll never get enough of her.
I’m transfixed by her movements when she climbs on top of me, her core against my erection, her wetness coating my cock.
She starts rocking back and forth on top of me and the friction makes my eyes cross. She leans down to kiss me. Wrapping my arms around her, I press her into me and her body molds to mine perfectly.
Our tongues tangle in slow, hungry circles until we both have to come up for air.
She smiles down at me, a devilish sparkle in her green eyes. I grin back, enjoying the view of her moving down my body until she straddles my thighs.
“Either I’m way too naked or you’re way too dressed.” Her voice is husky and low—pure desire and lust. My skin breaks out in goosebumps at the sound of it.
“You can never be too naked, babe.” I groan, while she pulls my shirt over my head and throws it to the side, knocking over the thermos. Shifting her attention back to me, she covers what feels like every inch of my chest with kisses and licks while traveling down toward my waistband. With impressive speed, she moves to the foot of our makeshift bed, taking the rest of my clothes with her, leaving me completely naked.
She kneels back down, her eyes fixed on mine and her tongue licking its way up my inner thigh.
The sensation is fucking crazy. Her hot, wet tongue followed by the coolness of the breeze blowing through the little room.
The air between us is crackling with heat and lust. I hiss when her tongue teases the base of my cock, coming so close, but never touching it.
She licks and kisses my other thigh, nibbling the skin occasionally.
“Babe, today was supposed to be your day.” I pant.
She pauses, her lips poised at the base of my cock and she smiles up at me. “Oh, I’m having the time of my life.” Then without any warning, she flattens her tongue and runs it from the bottom to the top where she circles the head of my twitching cock. I love when she does that and she knows it.
“Condom?” She pants, her voice quivering.
“Jeans. Back pocket.” My answer is half growl, half moan.
When she moves to retrieve the condom, I fist my cock, giving it a few pulls to relieve some of the tension, but it doesn’t bring any relief. Especially not while looking at her. She’s on all fours on the mattress, her perfect ass turned in my direction and high in the air, while she searches my jeans.
Not able to resist, I sit up and run my thumb over her clit, making her moan with pleasure. She leans into my touch, lightly moving her pussy against me. Her body shudders when I run my fingers between her wet folds, circle her entrance, and then plunge two fingers inside.
Her concentration falters and she clenches the material of my jeans in her hand.
“Oh, Ben.”
Her mewls and moans make the urge to bury myself inside of her burn through my veins.
Fumbling with the pocket again, her hips are rocking against the thrusts of my fingers and when I pull them out and run her wetness over her, circling her clit, her moan reverberates through the night.
Turning around, she crawls up to me and straddles my lap.
“Ben, I want you so much,” she whispers, running her tongue along my ear.
My breath hitches and I thrust my hips upward to emphasize my point. “I’m yours.”
My body feels like it’s burning—inside and out. Her heat and wetness are luring my cock inside, a call I can’t resist any longer.
“The condom?” I grind out. She leans back a little, ripping the package open and I make the most of the moment, rolling her nipples between my fingers.
A smile crosses my face when her head falls back, pushing her breasts into my eager hand. Her lips part on a moan before she gets back to the task at hand, starting to roll the condom down my cock.
I watch her hands working it down, nearly exploding with anticipation to be inside of her, when she swears, “Fuck. No, no, no.” She looks up at me. “The condom ripped. Do you have another one?”
I exhale a big breath, attempting to concentrate on anything other than her fingers clasped around my cock. I shake my head. “No, I wasn’t expecting to get lucky multiple times. My bad.” I grin. “Let me go inside and grab another one.”
She starts shaking her head.
“I want you, Ben. I want you now. My period ended a couple days ago, so it should be fine. You can pull out, right?” She looks at me, her eyes begging me to give in.
A little voice in my head tells me this is a stupid idea, but the prospect of feeling her without anything between us obliterates all rational thought.
“You sure?”
“Uh huh.” She moans, throwing the condom on the floor and positioning herself above my cock. I grab her hip with one hand and pull her head to me with another, kissing her deep as she slowly sinks onto me. Her fingers dig into my back and mine clench around her hips as her heat envelops me inch by amazing fucking inch.
Once I’m buried to the hilt, we both stop moving, giving us a moment to revel in the sensation. I don’t mind condoms, understanding her wish to not pump her body full of chemicals. But damn, we’ve been missing out.
After a few seconds, or minutes, or hours—I don’t know exactly how long—she starts moving up and down and I help her along with my hands on her hips. We’re so close this way and I’m so fucking deep inside of her.
I lean in, licking and nibbling her neck and shoulder, loving how she melts into me. She catches my earlobe between her teeth, giving it a pull. The mix between pain and pleasure is intoxicating. I feel fucking high. Her ragged breath in my ear mixed with the moans every time she takes me fully inside is the hottest sound I’ve ever heard.
We speed up, our bodies a tangled, sweaty mess.
“Sex on Fire” by Kings of Leon makes the perfect soundtrack, while I thrust my hips into her, perfectly timed with her sliding down. Her pussy starts clenching around me, and her breath grows erratic as her nails dig into my skin.
“Ben, oh God, Ben.”
I slam her hips down harder onto me.
“Yes, babe. Let go.” I groan and then crash my lips to hers, swallowing her cries as she convulses and shudders around me, her pussy gripping my cock tight while she orgasms.
She keeps on moving, riding out her high, when I feel my cock swell. The intensity takes me by surprise.
“Shit, Frankie…” I want to pull out, but it’s too late. I come so fucking hard my vision blurs and my whole body shudders and jerks as I release into her.
She pulls me close, stealing kisses from me between moans.
“This was….” She pants, still keeping herself upright by grasping my shoulders. I touch my forehead to hers. “Wow is the word you’re looking for. Just wow.”
She giggles. “Yeah, you could say that.”
“I love you, Frankie.”
“I love you, too.”
Climbing off me, she reaches for my shirt and slips it on. Her thighs are glistening with our mutual release and that’s when I’m able to hear the voice in my head again.
“Babe, I didn’t pull out. Fuck.”
I watch her as she calmly pours us some hot chocolate and hands me a mug, setting hers down next to me on the floor together with the box of donuts. Then she climbs back onto the mattress.
“Babe, I just had my period. I think we’re safe.” She plants a kiss on my nose and then turns around, settling between my legs and leaning her body against mine.
I allow her words to lessen the guilt and relax back as well.
We hold each other, snuggled under the blanket, drinking our chocolate and feeding each other donuts.
“Ben?”
“Yeah?”
“I think we need to confiscate the treehouse from Archer.” I can hear the smile in her voice.
“You
liked this, huh?”
“Couldn’t you tell?” She tilts her head back, looking up at me.
“I’m not sure. We might have to repeat it a few times, just to be on the safe side,” I tease, letting my hand wander up her shirt.
She swats it away playfully, her body shaking with laughter.
We lay back, my right hand splayed on her stomach while my left hand rests on her right breast. She puts her hands over mine and we just enjoy the night together until the candles flicker out, one by one.
She burrows her head against me until she’s more comfortable.
I feel so fucking at peace right this moment. I feel at home. Actually, that’s the case whenever I’m with her.
I kiss the top of her head, loving the little satisfied sound she makes.
It’s become our thing over the past months for me to sing when we put Archer to bed, but more often than not, it’s songs I choose for her.
For some reason, she loves it. She loves to hear my voice.
And so when Aerosmith’s “I Don’t Want To Miss A Thing” comes on, I sing along.
This time singing just to her. The words couldn’t be truer.
Epilogue
Six weeks later…
I walk up the stairs of the treehouse and squint my eyes against the blinding sun.
Archer is taking his nap inside, the travel crib temporarily put to use here so he can enjoy the fresh air. A mosquito net is draped over the top to protect him from anything with more than two legs.
It’s Saturday, so Frankie has been spending all day outside with him and is now sitting in the bean bag, with a book on her lap, staring into space. She looks completely lost in thought, worry lines marring her forehead.
“Babe, everything okay?” I ask, handing her a sandwich.
“Thanks. I’m fine.” She takes the sandwich, but doesn’t take a bite. Instead, she sets the plate on top of her book.
I’ve been listening to her ‘I’m fine’ answers for a week now, and I don’t fucking buy it.