by Casey Elliot
“Plan?”, he asked. She seemed sad, and he wondered by the expression what it was.
“I figured I would probably put a hold on school, so that I can find work and get back on my feet.” He gestured for her to sit down on the couch, hoping that getting her off of her feet might somehow reverse what she had just said, but he knew as soon as he saw the pain in her eyes that she wasn’t going to.
He shook his head. “No,” he replied, sternly. “That’s not necessary.”
She looked at him, confused, and honestly even a bit taken back. She cocked her head to the side, waiting for elaboration.
“I mean to say…” He cleared his throat. “We’re friends now. I’ll help you if you need help.” He turned to walk away, as if to leave her at that, so that his emotions wouldn’t get the better of him. He was starting to feel a little more than he’d meant for this girl. He was starting to care.
“Besides,” he said again with a laugh to push his bothersome emotions away, his back facing her and his head to the side, not quite glancing over his shoulder. “You looked hot tonight. I like to help the hotties…”
Joking seemed to always help divert attention away from pesky emotions that he didn’t like getting in the way. In this case, it would have worked just the same. He took another step or two before turning around again to completely face her with his regained composure. “I mean damn, if I can keep you around, at least I’ll get some nice eye-candy.” The cocky smirk plastered over his face could have been seen from space. “And, it would be great to get to know more of this side of you,” he said, gesturing to her body and the tightly fitting black dress. He bit his lips, as he glanced over her curves without really even meaning to; his composure falling all over again. He really was starting to find himself overly attracted… even drawn to her.
It was all he could do to stifle the low moan he felt resting inside of his chest when he saw her, blush–crimson, look down at the floor; her cleavage exposing itself even more to him.
“If it means that you can stay in school and pursue your dreams, I’m happy to help,” he said, clearing his throat before turning on his heel to leave again. He knew he had to get out of there, but something pulled him back, and he halted, and again, glanced back at her.
Something was bothering him. He was so incredibly in awe of how someone could be so selfless and kind to help others deal with pain and trauma while simultaneously bypassing her own pain. Someone with that sort of depth and drive should have been more careful.
“Oh, and next time, when you’re thinking about leaving school, so that you can work and save money, don’t invite people out on a ‘fancy’ dinner.” She wondered by the emphasis on the word “fancy” if he was making fun of her, but she didn’t care. The gesture was enough to keep her from getting angry at him. He was being generous again; more than she ever would have believed someone of his stature could be.
Chapter Six
It had been months since Chris had found Michelle sleeping outside his house in her green Ford Focus. It almost felt like it had been a lifetime ago. They were closer than ever; so close that Chris was beginning to wonder if he should distance himself from her.
He reached out toward the fog-covered bathroom mirror and wiped it off. He gave his hair a quick swipe or two to smooth it down before his peripheral vision caught a glimpse of her silhouette. She was sitting on his bed, Indian-style, reading. She bit her lip nervously, as her eyes scanned over the page. She wore a grey tank-top and her black bra strap poked out almost teasingly as he looked over at her.
She was focused on her book; her glasses falling gently down the bridge of her nose, as she got to the bottom of the page. She shifted her position, and her laced bra strap fell slightly over her shoulder, completely visible to him, as if taunting him.
A scowl replaced the initial response of his mouth falling open in awe.
He had to shake himself of the feelings that was starting to whirl within him. They were friends now. Hell, she was probably his best friend. He didn’t want to mess it up by screwing her. He knew himself. He was terrible at staying in someone’s life after fucking them. He wondered though if it would be different with her. If somehow, she could make him change in that regard.
He hated that he’d been thinking about her almost completely non-stop. He hated that he wanted to risk everything just to see if he cared as much as he thought he did. He was sure he cared though… almost positive of it. More than a “friend” should care. He had, on several occasions, found himself blowing off work just to spend time with her when her schedule would allow. That wasn’t like him at all.
It was weird how much he’d found himself changing… and wanting to change. He was still, even after all this time, in awe of how generous and selfless she was. He wanted to grab hold of her, touch her, feel her, and have her show him the world as she saw it. He wanted to see how beautiful it must be. He wanted to live life the way that she did; to feel life the way that she did.
She was always so adamant about having heart over possession; helping others, loving others. It was beautiful to Chris and he wondered how that was even possible for him to feel that way. Before her, he would have thought it was nothing but pure stupidity; just another stupid woman with overly sensitive emotions. But, not Michelle. He didn’t feel that way about her.
He wasn’t sure exactly what it was that he felt for her, but it sure as hell wasn’t that. There wasn’t one stupid bone in her incredible body. He felt himself stiffen against his towel as he continued to watch her read over her book. Hell, a cold shower might have been more appropriate he thought, as he found himself straining more and more, the longer he looked at her.
He stood in the doorway; his towel wrapped tightly around him, and he cleared his throat, so that he wouldn’t let the low, throaty groan that almost escaped actually sound out into the bedroom.
She looked up from her position on the bed. “I picked these out—” she started pointing at the ties she thought would look best for his company’s party, but stopped abruptly when her eyes fell over his flesh.
He smirked. That was a reaction he hadn’t expected, but one that he definitely wanted. He watched as she bit her lip again, just like she had when reading the book before she noticed his presence.
He wanted to run over there immediately and have his way with her, but thought better of it. The thing that he didn’t know though, was that she would have been just fine with it at that moment.
She was unable to comprehend how she hadn’t realized just how incredibly sexy he was before. I mean, sure, she always thought he was gorgeous, but not like this. This man, the man standing right in front of her, was nothing short of a fucking god.
She had to do a double-take just to fully grasp how muscularly hard he looked. Stifling a soft groan, she bit her lip even tighter. She couldn’t help but wonder about all the things she would do with him, given the chance.
“Damn, boy!” she cat called, hoping to distract herself from the growing heat of arousal starting to pool from her depths. “You’re looking fine!”
They shared a chuckle.
“Oh, really?” he questioned; a deep lust definitely audible in his tone. “Come over here and show me just how much.” He was smirking, knowing that she would eventually chicken out no matter how far she wanted to take her joke; although part of him wondered if she really was joking.
She hopped off the bed and started off toward him; a devilish smile curving at her lips. Her eyes narrowed into slits and she licked her lips as she walked with a sort of determination that he hadn’t expected.
He felt his body stiffen. Was she actually going to touch him? He wasn’t sure if he’d be able to hold his composure if she did. She reached out, touching his chest, kneading and massaging it as she leaned forward and hovered over his ear.
“I would take advantage of you… right now…”, she whispered seductively, causing a chill to roll up and down his spine. When she pulled away, she held a smile even mor
e devilish than before. “That is, if you didn’t have somewhere to be tonight.”
“Hold that thought…,” he muttered; almost breathless by her actions. He wasn’t sure if she was fucking with him or not, but he was going to find out either way. He jogged past her, scurrying toward his phone, which was lying on his night stand and quickly shuffled through the contact list to find his VP’s number.
“Can’t make it tonight… food poisoning.” He held a smile the entire time, and she felt a breath catch in her throat. She hadn’t meant for it to go this far; she had partially be joking, but now that it was becoming a reality, she felt the heat inside of her ignite even more than it had; filling her to the brim and warming her completely.
She flushed and heatedly pounded over to him; her hand reaching out almost instantly as she approached. With one tug, she ripped off his towel, causing his mouth to fall open in surprise. “Eager much?” he laughed, but he didn’t wait for a response before capturing her lips in the most heated kiss either one had ever experienced.
This is what they’d both been waiting for so fucking long that neither could believe it. All the months of pent up arousal and attraction was culminating in this... this experience of animalistic urge as he tore away at her clothes.
He grabbed hold of her waist and slammed her against the nearest wall, causing air to pound out of her mouth along with a hearty moan. “I’m going to fuck you so good that you’re not walking tomorrow…”, he hissed.
She shuddered, believing every word. “Good thing I’m off tomorrow…”, she growled, thrusting her lips back to his, and dueling his tongue with hers for everything that they were worth. Their passion led to the bed; clothes scattered everywhere in their wake.
They wrapped themselves up in one another; neither of them fully believing what was happening. All they knew was that it felt good. He could think nothing more than how good she felt in his arms, and she could only revel in the fact that his flesh was so much softer than it had looked with his rigidly hard muscles rippled just underneath.
He steadied himself between her legs, and edged the tip of his cock into her moist center. She felt her back arch almost instinctively, as her swollen breasts flushed against his hard chest.
He plunged himself completely into her, and immediately, she felt her walls stretch to form around him. Sounds dripped from their tongues, as they could feel one another pulsate and spasm in ecstasy.
She clung to him for dear life, as he rolled his hips in a steady pace. The strokes were long, deep, and so fucking tender that she wasn’t sure what to even do. It felt out of body it was so good.
“This is what I’ve been fucking missing!” she screamed, breathlessly.
He couldn’t even respond. He felt the same, as her walls continued to squeeze and close in around him; her warmth pushing him closer and closer to climax. Her juices began to flow more profusely, surrounding him, heating him to the core as the friction increased.
Her hips finally caught his rhythm, and together, they picked up the pace before he pulled up her right, so that it was over his shoulder, allowing him to plunge deeper and deeper into her core. He felt himself getting close - and almost cursed because it felt too soon. He could only hope the same could be said for her, as he pounded into her almost relentlessly. Their moans mingled together and filled the room, and he knew that she was feeling it too. He dove deeper and harder with every thrust and she – and he – half wondered if she would be fucked completely in half. That is, until she found her eyes rolling to the back of her head, and her body beginning to convulse and spasm around him.
“Oh my God!” she screeched, as the waves crashed through her and she started convulsing around him.
“Fuck!” he growled. One final thrust was all that was needed before he completely exploded in ecstasy.
Chapter Seven
The feeling of her stirring next to him pulled him out of sleep's warm embrace, and his eyes fluttered open. The world around him was blurry, as he tried to adjust to the light that was shining ferociously through the bedroom window. He could faintly make out the body lying next to him, but she was silhouetted by the glowing embers of light.
He blinked the tiredness away, and squinted before turning over on his side to face her, the warm duvet falling off of his shoulders. He smiled, looking at her face for the first time since they’d fallen asleep the night before. He couldn’t believe it.
Michelle.
A woman he had found sleeping in a car outside of his house was the first woman he had actually spent an entire night with after sex. Not only that though, she was the first woman he actually wanted to spend an entire night with.
She was his best friend, and now he could only hope she would stay his lover. He could only hope that she felt the exact same way. She was good for him. He knew that she was. She was changing him. She was doing what all the others before her had tried and failed at. She was making him a better man.
He smiled. Maybe that was the problem all along. Maybe he hadn’t found anyone worth changing for before Michelle. Maybe his job was always more important, and women just didn’t mean enough to him because they all weren’t right for him. Maybe the women before weren’t what he needed. Maybe it was Michelle all along.
Her eyes blinked open. “Quit staring at me, you weirdo…” she mumbled before nuzzling back into her pillow and closing her eyes all over again.
He laughed. “I swear I wasn’t looking at you very long!”
She smirked. “Liar.”
“You know, I’ve learned so much about being a good person from you…” he sighed. Her eyes opened to look at him.
She smiled, tenderly. “Is this where you’re going to suddenly start being romantic?” She pulled her arm up and rested her head in her palm, as she leaned against her elbow.
“You make me want to be that way.” He turned on his back, unable to look at her directly before spilling everything he was feeling. “I honestly don’t want to live without you. I’ve never felt that way about anyone else.”
“You won’t,” she whispered. “I mean, you’re pretty much the only chance I have at having shelter.”
He laughed at her joke, blocking the tears that he knew were starting to well up in the brim of his eyes. “I’m serious.
“I am too – about the fact that you won’t have to live without me. I don’t just sleep around. I made my decision about wanting to try and make this work somewhere between you making the phone call to your VP and me ripping your towel off.”
She threw her arm over his chest and cuddled close to him; still resting on her hand and propping herself up with her elbow. “And, you were always a good person. Maybe you just needed someone to give the oomph to show it.”
“Well, you definitely did that,” he chuckled, turning to face her again.
He never realized what he was missing in his life until Michelle came along. She had touched his life so much that he knew there was no way in hell that he was ever going to let himself go back to the way that he was before. He nuzzled in close and threw his arm around her; their bodies intertwining as he held her close, refusing to ever let her go.
The End
Bonus – Protected By A Navy SEAL
Chapter One
The glow from the street lamp glistened through the rain drops. Detective Cooper was fidgeting in the driver’s seat of the blacked out Toyota Sequoia with his eyes fixed on the alleyway ahead. His partner, Brookee, sat beside him with a steaming coffee in his hands and a cigarette drooping from between his lips.
“You need to quit those,” Cooper said as he stared forward.
“Ugh… like you don’t have any bad habits?”
“I have plenty, but at least they aren’t proven to kill me,” he shrugged.
“Yeah well we’ve all gotta die of something,” Brooke took a long drag of the cigarette and rolled down the window to toss out the smoldering end. “Imagine how dumb you’d look if you were in a hospital bed dying of nothing.”
“Yeah, yeah. You’ve always got a smart-ass answer for everything,” Cooper averted his gaze to his partner and gave him a sly look. “But anyway…. We’ve been here for nearly four hours and still haven’t seen a thing,”
“Chill, they’ll come,” Brookee took a sip of his coffee and winced at the bitterness. “They always do.”
The two narcotics officers had been on their first night of the stake out and Cooper was getting bored already. They’d been tailing the Russian mafia for almost six months and were starting to get a feel for them. A strategically placed undercover agent had informed them of a deal that was supposed to be taking place tonight, but so far they’d not shown up.
Cooper hated waiting, he wanted to be in the middle of the action, wanted to be at the heart of all the danger. But here he was stuck in the car with his surly partner and an agonizing backache. He grimaced at the pain and shifted in his seat again.
“What’s up?” Brooke looked over.
“Just my back.”
“Sports injury?”
“Nah… Injured in combat,” Cooper explained with a hint of pride in his voice.
There was an awkward silence for a moment as Brooke contemplated what to say next. He was intimidated by his partner and often found himself grasping for the right words to say. Fiddling with the crinkly wrapper of his cigarette packet he tried to distract himself for a moment before saying, “How come you never talk about your old Navy SEAL days?”
It was an innocent enough question but one Brooke regretted. He knew Cooper had seen things, knew his past was a grizzly one.
“I just don’t,” came Cooper’s cold reply. “I just don’t….” and he chewed on his thumbnail as he watched a black Range Rover in the distance.
It was traveling at a slow and ominous pace towards the alley, but just when the two detectives began to get excited, it sped away.