Big Sky Eyes

by Sawyer Belle

  She arched her entire body in response to his thrust. Her gasp was full of unexpected pleasure and surprise. She never knew that such a simple act could be so different between two men. Rick lost to Brent with the first kiss. Brent’s whole being commanded her passion and Mackenna was a willing captive.

  He thrust with his entire body and she could feel him reaching up into her womb. He held her legs aloft and steered everything within and out. She had but to surrender it all to him and he worked and wound until she felt an erotic simmer deep within her belly. His hands never left her body, ministering to every area within his grasp while she did the same.

  As the beating pleasure within her burned to a boiling ecstasy, she felt her body rise higher and higher to meet the part of him that was fanning the flames. She bit her bottom lip in between her teeth and sucked in a labored breath. It felt like a gush of intensity as it pushed from the inner reaches of her stomach into every last inch of flesh on her body.

  Brent’s body shuddered as he finished inside of her and collapsed onto the soft pile of her sweat-dampened breasts. Her fingernails went wearily into his hair and slowly massaged his head as she held him close to her. This man could control her like no other, and if she hadn’t been sure of it before, she knew then that he was the only man she would ever love.

  They relaxed deeply into one another’s embrace until their breaths steadied to a peaceful rhythm. For several minutes they lay like that, drifting in untainted bliss. Mackenna cradled the entire weight of his body on hers and sighed. It was the best feeling. Rick had always felt heavy and awkward.

  Brent’s face was full of emotion as he turned it to look up at her. She smiled softly, her eyes burning bright as polished sapphires.

  “I love you,” he said finally.

  They were the sweetest words she’d ever heard, and as they echoed through her ears she drifted off into a glowing sleep.

  Brent watched her face light up before her eyelids fluttered closed and his entire being filled with love. How could he have been so lucky to have such a woman love him? He had not deserved it before, but he was determined to spend the rest of his life earning it. If he could see her face filled with sated desire and happiness every day, he would name it a success.

  He slowly eased himself out of her arms and watched her naked body resettle on its side, curling against the coldness that replaced his body. His eyes raked her figure, lingering on the curves and full areas that gave him the most pleasure and then he finally covered her up with a thick blanket.

  He went down the hall toward his bedroom to get some clothes. Alora’s bedroom door was closed opposite his and he stared at it for a moment. It was as though she were inside, sleeping like any other day. He knew he needed to go in there, to sort through her things, but it would not be today. His heart had stretched back and forth between despair and elation enough for one day. Today, he would keep the door shut.

  Mackenna awoke in a cocoon of plush warmth. Her body felt soft and alive all at once and her cheeks flushed as she remembered their lovemaking. The blanket covered the lower half of her face. When she opened her eyes, Brent’s bare back was in view. He was sitting on the floor in front of the couch, his legs crossed in between the circle of his arms. He had on a pair of black jogging pants and nothing else. He was staring at the Christmas tree.

  She ran her eyes over the tight muscles of his back, the round bulges of his shoulders tapering into the smaller bulges of his arms. God, he was beautiful. He looked like a sculpture. Quietly, she sat up, clutching the blanket around her, and leaned forward to place a soft kiss in between his shoulder blades. One of his hands reached around to massage the back of her head and she went to the floor beside him.

  He wrapped an arm around her and hugged her to him. When he looked down at her his eyes were deep and sad.

  “Anything I can do for you?” she asked quietly.

  He sighed and returned his gaze to the tree, or rather what lay beneath it.

  “I was just wondering what to do with the gifts I bought my mom,” he said.

  Mackenna looked at the packages. Most of them were for Alora from Brent, but there were two that were to Brent from his mother. She reached out and picked one up, handing it to him. He held it as if it were fragile and precious, then finally unwrapped it. Alora always enclosed notes in her gifts to him, as if she needed to explain herself. As he opened the square package, her note fell out along with a sealed envelope. He picked up the paper and read it.

  My darling boy,

  I’ve held onto these for almost my entire life. Many times before now I’d almost brought them out to contribute to all of your hard work, but I decided against it. I wanted to wait until you would get the most benefit from them. I hope that the coming year is that time for you. For your sacrifice and endurance on my behalf, I give you the gift of your life.

  Your Loving Mother

  Mackenna read the note beside him and they exchanged curious glances before he broke the seal on the envelope. Inside was a thick stack of bonds of varying denominations, the least amount being fifty, the greatest being a thousand. His eyes were wide as he counted out fifty notes. He had no idea his mother was in possession of such wealth. He turned stunned eyes on Mackenna.

  “Wow,” she whispered and Brent shook his head in wonder.

  “It’s almost as if she knew she was going to die,” he said.

  “Strange,” she mused.

  “Makes me wonder what’s in the second box.”

  He reached for it and removed the wrapping. The note fell out and he leaned toward Mackenna so they could read it together.

  I always thought that when the day came for me to give up this particular item I would have a difficult time with it, for it is very dear to me. It has brought joy to three generations of my family. It gave me a great joy that others stole away, and so I hid it from the world. But now the time has come for it to give joy once again. Treat it as beautifully as you have treated me.

  Mama

  P.S. If you don’t know what to do with this, I’m going to give you a sound thump on the head!

  They chuckled at her postscript as Brent ran a finger lovingly over her title. He set the paper down and opened the box. Inside was another box. Inside it was another, then another until only a small square box remained. He lifted the lid and saw a ring glinting back at him. A polished gold band with filigree engraving housed a small round sapphire. The stone was surrounded by tiny, freckle-sized diamonds. It had been his mother’s wedding ring, and he had not seen it in almost ten years. He heard Mackenna gasp beside him.

  “That is gorgeous,” she breathed.

  Brent looked from her to the ring and then reread the postscript of his mother’s letter and smiled knowingly. He looked heavenward and breathed a deep breath.

  “It’ll go perfectly with the necklace I gave you,” he said and she slowly lifted her eyes to his. Her smile faded into an unsure question, her eyes searching his for the meaning behind his words.

  “Marry me,” he whispered.

  Chapter 36

  “What?” she barely squeaked, unwilling to believe what he was asking. Her body tingled excitedly, her breaths grew short and hot. Tears stung the backs of her eyes and her bottom lip quivered slightly. Brent ran his thumb over it to still the quaking.

  “What?” he teased. “Do you need another three and a half years to decide whether I’m the man for you?”

  At that she laughed and grabbed his hand, kissing his palm. “I’m not the one who needed three and a half years,” she chided.

  “Yeah,” he drawled sheepishly. “Sorry about that.”

  “You’re making up for it right now,” she said with a smile.

  “How about I spend the rest of our lives making up for it?”

  He pulled her until she sat across his lap. Her arms went around his neck, causing the blanket to fall down around her waist. Her breasts pressed against his bare chest and she stared up at him with love shining in her eyes.<
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  “Is this really happening?” she asked in wonder. “Tell me I’m not dreaming.”

  “You’re not dreaming,” he said, his body warming against her nakedness in his lap. “You’re the one I want, Mackenna, the one I've always wanted. As my wife. As the mother of my children. As the woman in my bed.” He smoothed his hand over her hair, his thumb catching at the tears dripping from her eyes. “So, what do you say?”

  She had to swallow a few times to still the emotions taking over. As she found her voice again a smile stretched across her entire face.

  “It’s about bloody time!” she said with a laugh and leaned forward to plant a long kiss on his lips. He laughed deep in his chest until she leaned back to look at his face.

  “Thank you,” he said softly.

  “For what?”

  “For saying yes.”

  “Thank you for asking,” she returned.

  The humor slowly faded from his eyes only to be replaced by a deep blue hunger. She traced the lines of his face with her eyes, following his strong jaw until it disappeared beneath his days’ old beard. Her fingers followed the path of her eyes and as she drank in the sight and the feel of his face, the face of her soon-to-be-husband, her heart swelled until it would burst from her chest.

  Her eyes never leaving his, she adjusted her position until she straddled him. The blanket bunched around her hips but as his hands smoothed around to grip her behind, it slid away even further. She could feel his erection stabbing at her through the soft cotton pants he wore. Slowly, she leaned forward and took his bottom lip in between hers, suckling its softness while the whiskers beneath it tickled her chin.

  He reached the tip of his tongue out to wet her upper lip, and when she finally opened her mouth to his once again, their tongues danced in a slow and sensual rhythm. He was hot and ready, but in no hurry. His hands curved around her buttocks and he pressed her body over his erection, each of them moaning at the pleasure that simmered there.

  With great effort, she pulled her mouth free of his and painted a trail down his neck and throat with her tongue, skimming his torso with her fingernails as she went. His hands made their way into her hair which was brushing his arms. She reached the top of his jogging pants and pulled them slowly down until his hardened flesh was free. She studied its rosy head before sending the tip of her tongue out to sample it. He sucked in a deep breath and lifted her head with his hands.

  “What are you doing?” he gasped.

  “I’m acquainting myself with what’s mine,” she said in a husky voice and a raised eyebrow, shattering his vision of Mackenna, the timid and unsure lover, the girl who once told him she didn’t know what to do. He was sure that his hard-on grew another inch at the look in her eyes. Before he could utter even the slightest sound she lowered her head with a smile and acquainted herself to her heart’s content, and he was left panting and sweaty minutes later as a result. When she finally raised herself up, a triumphant glow lit her eyes.

  “So, I did all right then?” she asked with a crooked grin.

  “What do you mean?” he asked with heavy breaths.

  “That’s the first time I’ve ever done that,” she said with a shy giggle, chewing nervously on her bottom lip. “I never wanted to with Rick, but with you it’s all I could think of since I woke up on that couch.”

  “Well,” he said, “I’ve got no complaints. None whatsoever.”

  She ran a hand through her hair and tucked a chunk of it behind her ear. He stared at her and saw the photograph that had been his companion for more than three years, only this Mackenna was real. She was older. She was his. He moved his arms until they went up beneath her armpits and wrapped around her shoulders. She shrieked as he pushed her to the ground and hovered over her. It was time for his own wicked grin.

  “I think it’s only fair that I get to know more of you as well,” he said.

  “What are you talking about?”

  “Shh,” he said, putting a finger over her mouth. “I’m talking about not talking at all.”

  He used that same finger to draw a line down her chin, along her throat, through the valley in between her breasts, atop the flat panes of her belly and into the juncture of her thighs. His face followed and as he lowered himself between her thighs, his intent became clear to her and she panicked. She couldn’t say why but she crunched up, reaching for his head.

  Before she could stop him he lit her world on fire with one bold stroke of his tongue. Her stomach jerked inward, as if her naval were trying to touch her spine and she gasped. Then, she lost all control of her muscles and sank back down onto the floor. As he worked his mouth around the most sensitive place on her body, her thighs parted wider and wider, her breaths drew shorter and shorter.

  He was calling every hot inch of her body to him, feeding the fire as well as controlling it. She had never felt such a sensation. It was a pleasure so intense that it was almost painful. She teetered on the edge, biting down on her lip to keep from losing control. She knew that if she uttered even the tiniest cry that the entire roof would shake from it.

  Suddenly, all that he had called to him began to build as if it was too intense to sustain itself and at once collapsed, flooding into her veins, bursting into her core with a brilliance she never could have imagined. She tried to breathe but there was no room even for air. She gasped in a succession of tiny breaths, and rather than stop, her rasps only made him quicken.

  Just when she thought she could take no more, a final fist of pleasure spiraled through her so strong that when it reached her throat she released the cry she’d held in check. Her body arched, pressing into him and her fingers curled around wads of the blanket beneath her. When the pleasure left her body on the cry, relief again flooded her and she sank into herself, feeling spent. So that was what an orgasm felt like!

  Next thing she knew, Brent was curling up beside her, drawing the blanket up to cover them both. She saw him through glazed eyes, but closed them once again as her lungs pulled at the room for air. She felt his hand cup her cheek and his fingers caress her lips.

  “That’s the first time I’ve ever done that, too,” she said wistfully.

  “So, I did all right then?” he asked, a proud grin straining his beard.

  “I have no complaints,” she said on a deep breath. “None whatsoever.”

  He laughed and folded her in his arms, kissing the top of her head. He sighed happily.

  “This is better than I imagined,” he said, “being with you, holding you.”

  She smiled against his naked chest, listening to his heartbeat thudding against her ear. She knew, then, what Leslie had known about Ty, and she shifted to look up at him.

  “Brent,” she said, “Let’s get married.”

  “I thought we were,” he said with a chuckle. “You did say yes, didn’t you?”

  “I mean right now,” she said, the seriousness brightening her eyes. His smile faded into a thoughtful pose.

  “Don’t you want a wedding? Your family and everyone there?”

  “I don’t care about that,” she answered honestly. “I just want to be your wife. We could grab a couple of homeless guys to witness for all I care. You’re my best friend and the only one I want standing beside me.”

  He saw the sincerity in her eyes. She was as committed as he was, and as eager. He leaned down and lightly kissed the tip of her nose.

  “I’m ready if you’re ready.”

  “What do you mean you’re not coming home?” her mother’s worried voice screeched through the cell phone.

  “I didn’t say that I’m not coming home. I said that I’m not coming as soon as originally planned. I’m going to stay another couple of days.”

  “Is everything okay?”

  “Uh…yes and no.”

  “Well, what does that mean?”

  “I’ll fill you in later,” Mackenna said. “Brent needs me here to help him go through his mom’s things. I can’t really leave him right now.”

&
nbsp; After a long pause Helen sighed. “Fine,” she said. “Just let me know when you change your flight details. By the way, have you heard from Rick at all?”

  Mackenna grimaced at the sound of his name. “No. Why?”

  “He’s been sending flowers here every day since you left. I’ve got roses coming out of my ears. Maybe you oughtta talk to him, Macks.”

  Mackenna sighed. “I’m sorry you’re having to deal with him. I will talk to him when I get back, okay?”

  “Okay, honey. Talk to you later.”

  “Bye, Mom.”

  She hung up the phone just as Brent was coming to her side. She smiled as he took her hand in his.

  “It should be another fifteen minutes before they get us in,” he said, and she nodded.

  The Justice of the Peace office doors swung open behind her and she turned in time to see Ty and Leslie walking through, still dressed in the same clothes they’d worn at the funeral. She looked askance at Brent and he shrugged.

  “I know you said a couple of homeless guys would do, but I figured we could do one better.”

  She read the genuine happiness on their faces and spoke the words as they formed in her heart. “You’re right. This is better.”

  Leslie approached and Mackenna went right into her arms. They hugged until fresh tears glistened in their eyes.

  “What a day,” Leslie said as they pulled apart.

  "This is how Mom would want it,” Brent said. “She was never one for wallowing in sadness.”

  The four exchanged glances that were at once filled with sorrow and hope. In some ways, they had made this journey together. Yes, this was the perfect way to get married.

  Chapter 37

  “I’m sorry, what?!” her father’s suspicious and somewhat angry voice rose above the neighing horses nearby. “Did you just say that you are married?”