by Bella Juarez
Reese reached and gently kneaded Victoria’s full breasts as he moved his thumb over her nipples. She arched her back into his hands. He could feel his mouth start to water as he moved downward. He looked at the satin lace thong that had pearls sewn into the lace. He started licking Victoria’s clit through her panties. She was writhing underneath him, moaning, as he continued licking and sucking her clit. He moved aside her panties and sank his finger inside her pussy and felt her shudder.
“Oh! Reese!” Victoria cried. She reached around her hips and started to take off those panties. He grabbed her hands and stopped her. “Reese, baby, please!” Victoria panted.
“Hang on, sweetness, let me make you feel really good,” Reese said as he slid up to Victoria’s lips and kissed her.
Reese stood and quickly discarded his clothes. He planted himself on top of her and kissed and nipped at her throat. He worked his way up and down her body with his mouth. He knew he was torturing her because she could be very impatient with all his playing around. Oftentimes they would slip into mind-blowing, almost violent sex because of her lack of patience. He worked his way back down to her soaked pussy and started slow tongue strokes against her clit. She was shaking when he finally slipped those panties off. His cock was on the verge of splitting from the teasing and anticipation. He lifted himself and placed his cock at the entrance of her pussy as he rocked forward. She grabbed his ass and shoved her hips toward him.
“What’s the hurry, sweetness? We have the rest of our lives,” Reese teased as he rocked forward slightly.
“Take me, Reese. Make me your wife.” Victoria cried.
Reese rocked forward and shoved his cock inside her wet cunt. Victoria dug her nails into his shoulders as he started a firm, easy rhythm. He could feel her arch under him. He pushed harder and a little faster, squeezing his eyes shut as he felt her pussy grip his cock.
“Reese, I’m coming!” Victoria screamed as she wrapped her legs around his waist.
Reese bent down and kissed her as he continued his firm fucking. He felt his cock lurch as he gripped her ass and shoved himself inside. He stayed there, jerking his hips as he spilled himself inside her. He relaxed and kissed her as she unwrapped her legs from around his waist. He slid down her body and slowly unrolled her stockings that were still around her thighs. She held her arms out to him when he tossed the stockings aside. He went to her and pulled her close, wrapping them up in the sheets.
“I’ve missed you these past couple of weeks,” Reese said, kissing Victoria.
Victoria put her arms around Reese and laid her head on his chest. Her hair was coming undone.
“I missed you, too. Did you like staying with Victor?” Victoria asked, gripping Reese tighter.
“I stayed here,” Reese said.
“I would’ve snuck out and come here if I’d have known that,” Victoria said.
Reese smiled. “No, you wouldn’t have, radar ears would’ve caught you.”
“Who?” Victoria asked.
“My mom. Sophia and I used to call her ‘radar’ because she always knew what we were up to,” Reese explained.
Reese looked at Victoria and smiled as he noticed a gold cross hanging around her neck that he had never seen. He reached out and traced it.
“Who gave you this?” Reese asked.
“My brothers, it was something old.”
“Oh? Who did it belong to?”
“Me. My mom gave it to me when I was ten, after my first Communion. I lost it right after she died. Rudy found it after we left in January in the tack room behind an old chest that hadn’t been moved. He said the chain was broken, so they got me a new chain,” Victoria explained.
Reese smiled and held Victoria close again. She never talked about her mom, and when she did, she was always so far away and sad. He never pressed because he hated seeing her unhappy.
“I am so thirsty,” Victoria said.
* * * *
Victoria toweled her damp hair after her shower. It felt good to take off all the makeup and wash out the hairspray. Reese had gone out for drinks and something to eat. They hadn’t eaten all day because they had been so busy. She heard the door close softly and walked out of the bathroom in one of his T-shirts. The shirt hung to midthigh on her.
“Is that yours?” Reese asked, narrowing his eyes.
Victoria smiled. Reese set the bags with food and drinks down. She recognized the smell of fajitas. She glanced at the bag and saw he had gone to Taco Cabana. He had fallen in love with the restaurant the last time they were here.
“If you want it back, come and get it,” Victoria teased.
Reese smiled dangerously. “It won’t be staying on for very long,” he said, opening a bottle of water.
Victoria was ravenous and after the small meal was suddenly very tired. It had been a long, full day. They curled up in bed with the TV on. She laid her head on his chest as she watched the movie that was playing. She thought about how comfortable and content she felt, so unlike her wedding night the first time around. She had to almost carry Julio into the hotel room because he was so drunk he couldn’t walk. She held Reese a little tighter and felt him rub her shoulder reassuringly.
* * * *
Reese could feel the change in Victoria’s breathing as the movie they were watching ended. She was fast asleep. He knew she had to be tired after all the work she had put into the wedding. For the last month she had kept up a brutal schedule of work and wedding planning. He was traveling a little more with this new CYBERCOMM project and War College as part of his workday. She had started getting better about asking him to do little things around the house and small errands on his way home. He turned off the TV and gently laid her down. He snuggled next to her and closed his eyes for the night.
Early the next morning, he awoke to her stirring. They hadn’t moved all night. He guessed both of them were pretty wiped out. They went back to the ranch for a few hours and had breakfast with Anna, Marc, and Alyssa. Marc was a pretty cool guy and Reese watched him interact with Alyssa with interest. Marc and Anna seemed happy and Alyssa seemed as if she were Marc’s world. It was clear Anna and Alyssa had Marc wrapped around their pretty little fingers. Reese liked the families that made up Victoria’s bigger family.
All the children at various ages and stages of their childhood seemed happy. Reese watched Gina, his niece, slip right into the gaggle of children as if she had always been a part of the ranch. Reese and Victoria had talked about a family and they had decided to give it a year before they tried.
Before he knew it, they found themselves home in Virginia and back into their routine. That routine was rocked three months after their wedding in a way no one saw coming. It would test the strong people Reese had come to accept as his family.
Chapter Fourteen
“Hello?” Victoria answered, half asleep.
Reese rolled over and frowned. It was almost one in the morning and Victoria’s cell phone had interrupted his sound sleep.
“What did you say?” Reese heard Victoria ask sharply.
“Vic, that’s not funny!” Victoria snapped. “Oh my God! I’ll be home as soon as I can get there.”
Reese was fully awake now. He could tell by the tone of Victoria’s voice and the general tension that had built in the room that something was very wrong. He switched on the lamp beside the bed. She was sitting up in bed, pale and staring straight ahead.
“Sweetness, what’s wrong?” Reese asked as he reached to touch Victoria. He almost drew back his hand. She was cold and clammy and breathing rapidly. “Victoria?”
“Reese…” Victoria whispered.
“What is it, sweetness? Is it your dad?” Reese asked with concern. He was starting to get alarmed. She usually handled crisis pretty well. She was beginning to worry him with her vacant stare and overall condition. “Baby, talk to me, what happened?” he asked, taking her hand.
Victoria looked at him as if Reese was from another planet and she had never seen him before. N
ow he was beyond concerned. He was downright scared. This was bad, really bad.
“I have to get back to Texas,” Victoria said, getting up from bed and walking out of the room.
“Victoria!” Reese demanded, jumping out of bed and reaching her before she got to the stairs. “What the hell is going on?!” he exclaimed.
“They’re dead…” Victoria said vacantly.
“What? Who!” Reese demanded.
“I have to get home,” Victoria said in a whisper as tears started to flow. “Oh my God, Reese!” Victoria cried.
Reese pulled Victoria to him and led her back to the bedroom as she started to sob uncontrollably. He picked up her cell phone and redialed Victor’s number. It went to his voicemail. He tried Rudy’s cell and got the same response. He managed to finally get a hold of Ray. Every ounce of blood in his body seemed to drain to his feet when Ray told him what happened. Marc and Alyssa were dead.
Reese held Victoria as she cried for the better part of two hours. It was hard for him to control his grief, but his wife needed him. She finally managed to gain a little control. He lay down with her, trying to figure out what to do. It was obvious she needed to get back home and be there for her family. But to where? To McAllen where Anna lived? To Kingsville? To Houston? He decided to wait until early morning to call her father and figure out exactly what to do.
Victoria managed to cry herself to sleep for a little while. Reese got up at six and called his boss, informing the office that he would not be coming in today. By eight he had gotten ahold of Victoria’s boss and told him she had a death in her family. Her boss seemed like a nice man and was very concerned for Victoria. Her boss expressed his condolences and told him she could have as long as she needed. Reese got up while she slept fitfully and started looking at tickets to get them back to Texas. He managed to reach Victor and found out the family was preparing to go to McAllen to be with Anna. He got on his computer in his study and started to look for tickets.
“Reese?” Victoria called.
“I’m in my study, sweetness,” Reese called, turning away from his computer. She walked in and sat on the small loveseat that was in his study. “I’m looking for tickets. I talked to your dad and he said everyone was meeting in McAllen,” he said.
“Reese, you don’t need to take off work. We just got back from Europe a month ago. I don’t want you taking off again for this. I’m not even sure what will happen once I get there,” Victoria said, looking away.
Reese stood and sat next to Victoria. He gathered her in his arms and held her close. He could hear her sniffle.
“What do you want me to do?” Reese asked in a neutral voice.
“I don’t know…” Victoria trailed off. “I don’t want you to take off if you don’t have to. I need to call my boss.”
“I called him. He said for you to take as much time as you needed and he said he was very sorry for your loss. I want to be there for you and Anna, sweetness. I’m really upset, too,” Reese said.
“Are you?” Victoria asked, looking at Reese.
“Yes. I feel really bad about Alyssa, especially. She was so young,” Reese said, holding Victoria tighter.
“Too young,” Victoria said quietly. “I can’t believe this. I can’t imagine what Anna must be going through right now. I have to get there.”
“There’s a flight leaving at three thirty this afternoon for Brownsville. That’s the closest I can get. I’ll tell you what, why don’t you go down first and when everything is arranged, I’ll follow. Let me know if there’s anything I can do, okay?” Reese said.
Victoria nodded and put her head on Reese’s chest. He stroked her hair and kissed the top of her head. They were both stunned and dazed. She was right, he couldn’t imagine what Anna was going through and he certainly hoped the she wasn’t alone right now. She packed and he bought tickets and left the flight arrangements open so that they could come and go as they needed. He got her to the airport and told her he wanted to know what was happening on a regular basis. When he walked inside the house, it felt empty and haunted. It took everything he had not to turn around and catch the next flight to Brownsville.
* * * *
When Victoria stepped off the plane, Rudy and Gavino met her at the airport. Victoria saw the emotional exhaustion on her grandfather’s worn, leathery face. He was overcome by grief. Even though she was secure in her relationship with her grandparents, Anna was his favorite and always had been. She was worried about the old man. When they arrived at Anna’s house, Victoria found Anna in Marc’s study, busy.
“I’ll be there in the morning to work this out with you,” Anna said as she hung up the phone. Anna looked up and smiled at Victoria as she walked into the room. “Tori, thank you for coming all this way.” Anna hugged Victoria.
“Anna, I’m sorry—” Victoria said.
They were interrupted by the phone. Anna answered it and listened for a moment.
“No, I said white roses, not pink.” Anna paused. “I don’t care what you need to do. You have a day before they need to be delivered.” Anna paused again. “Make it happen, I’ll be in touch,” she said shortly as she hung up.
Victoria stared at Anna for a moment, puzzled. Something was wrong with the picture she was seeing. Anna wasn’t acting right. She watched Anna move around the room as if she were on a mission, checking off lists and gathering paperwork together.
“I’m sorry, Tori. I have so much to do in such a short time,” Anna said calmly. Victoria continued staring in disbelief. Anna was calm, too calm. “Tori, be a dear and hand me those papers beside you on the table,” she said as she continued working.
Victoria was scared. Anna wasn’t even talking like herself. Victoria picked up the papers and glanced at them. It was the agreement from the funeral home. She slowly walked to the desk, watching Anna cautiously as she placed them in front of her. Anna glanced up and smiled.
“Thanks,” Anna said.
Victoria walked out of the study and back to the living room where everyone was gathered. Tia Beatrice, Anna’s mother, was talking to Victoria’s father. They glanced at her when she sat down beside her father.
“Something’s not right,” Victoria said.
“She’s been like that since they told her Alyssa didn’t survive the surgery,” Gavino said from the chair he was occupying.
“What happened?” Victoria asked.
“Alyssa wanted to ride home with Marc after her softball game last night. Anna was behind them. They were supposed to meet at a restaurant for dinner. When they were on FM 876 coming back to McAllen, a guy crossed the median and hit them head-on doing seventy miles an hour. Marc was killed right away, Alyssa died at eleven thirty last night in surgery,” Gavino said.
“Did Anna see the accident?” Victoria asked, horrified.
“Yes,” Gavino said.
“Did the driver of the other car survive?” Victoria asked.
“We don’t know,” Tia Bea said.
“Was he drunk, did he fall asleep or something?” Victoria demanded.
“We don’t know,” Gavino said.
He exhaled and looked away. Victoria knew how strong the men in her family were. Her grandfather was devastated. But no one would know it by looking at him. She knew it. It was in his mournful gaze as he looked at a hanging picture of Alyssa and Anna.
Victoria was silent. The entire room was unnaturally quiet as the family sat in stunned silence. She got up and walked back into Marc’s study where Anna was on the phone again making arrangements to take things to the funeral home. She watched Anna closely. Anna was not dealing with her own grief, she was in denial. Icy fear gripped Victoria. Anna was heading for a crash of her own, an emotional one that would be far more prolonged than any could see.
“Anna…” Victoria started.
“Good! I’ve got to run some errands. You drive and I’ll get off at the places I need to go,” Anna said hanging up the phone and standing.
“Anna, stop!” Victori
a demanded.
“Tori, I have a million things to do, I don’t have time right now. We’ll talk in the car, okay?” Anna said lightly as she left the room.
They went through the motions of the arrangements. Everyone was walking on eggshells waiting for the bomb to drop with Anna. It was a tense couple of days. Reese arrived the next day for the visitation. Anna asked him to be a pallbearer for Alyssa and he agreed. He pulled Victoria aside after the conversation.
“What’s up?” Reese asked, concerned and nodding in Anna’s direction. She was humming Ave Maria to herself as she checked off part of her list.
“She’s in denial. She’s been this way since they told her about Alyssa,” Victoria said quietly.
“You need to get her some help. She’s going off the map when this is done,” Reese warned.
“You don’t think we’ve figured that out?” Victoria snapped quietly.
“While’s she’s busy with her checklist and all this bullshit, you should making a list of your own, of shrinks in the area, ’cause she’s going to need one.” Reese countered quietly.
Victoria looked at Anna. Reese was right. Anna would need something once she was left with nothing else to do and alone. She went and sought out Tammy, who had been Anna’s best friend since high school. Tammy was just as worried as the rest of the family. She mentioned Reese’s suggestion to Tammy. They started quietly working on a list of doctors in the area that could possibly help. They had even gone so far as to make a couple of appointments for Anna for after the funeral was finished. They both knew Anna and this was going to require one hell of an intervention.
Chapter Fifteen
Two years later…
Marco Lima made his way behind the desk of the man who ran the personnel office for the Marine Special Operations Group at Quantico. He dropped his measuring tape and it landed under the desk. He bent down and discreetly inserted the flash drive into a USB port in back of the computer where no one would see it right away. He picked up his measuring tape and continued his calculations. The owner of the desk walked into the office and sat down. He glanced suspiciously at Marco as he set his cup down. Marco smiled at the man and apologized for the interruption as he completed his measurements and left.