I was trying to be invisible, even though I was standing right there with them. Ashley caught my attention when she looked directly at me and started talking again. “So, what’s your name?”
“Her name is Skylar. Why do you care, Ash?” Ford didn’t let me answer.
“Just tryin’ to be nice to the girl who’s fuckin’ my man, that’s all.” Her smart comment rubbed me the wrong way, but Ford seemed to be the most offended.
“Let’s go, Sky. We don’t have time for this bitch.” He grabbed me by the arm and started pulling me away from her.
Ashley followed behind us. “What’s the matter, Ford? Can’t she take up for herself? Don’t you think she wants to know how you treat the women you’re supposed to care about? Why don’t you tell her how you only care about yourself?”
Ford let go of my arm and I watched, in slow motion, as he grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her closer toward him. “Shut your fuckin’ mouth, Ash. I didn’t come here for this shit. What I do with her is none of your damn business. I can fuck who I want.”
The girl was starting to cry. “She’ll never love you like I do, Ford. I’ll wait for you to see that. I’ll wait as long as I have to.”
“Go to Hell!” Ford grabbed my hand and we left her standing there sobbing.
“Sorry about that.”
“Why are you sorry? It’s her damn fault for dredgin’ up the past every time she’s near me.”
I stopped walking and looked right at him. “She still loves you. I can tell her heart is broken. She’s just acting out because of it.”
“It doesn’t matter. I’m done! I don’t want to be in a relationship with her or anyone else. Why is that so fuckin’ hard for everyone to understand?”
I took his words personally. For some reason I kept hoping he’d want to see what could happen with us. It immediately spoiled my mood and my buzz. “We should just go back to the room. I don’t feel like running into Mack when you’re this upset.”
“I’m not upset!” he raised his voice and started walking.
“Okay, whatever!” I followed behind him, getting shoved around by the crowds of people walking in the opposite direction.
He said nothing until we got to a dark street that led to the motel. “This ain’t about you, Sky, but it is one of the many reasons why I don’t want a girlfriend. I’m sick of the damn drama.”
He opened the door and held it so I could walk in first. A familiar voice called his name, causing him to turn around before he could walk inside.
I peered out the door watching him walk back across the parking lot toward Ashley. “What the fuck do you want now? I told you to leave me alone, now you’re followin’ me.” As he walked further away, I couldn’t hear what he or Ashley were saying. I could see that she wasn’t alone and that there was a guy with her, but was clueless after that.
The conversation continued and I decided that it was best if I just waited in the room for Ford to come back in. Whatever was going on between him and his ex was their problem. Since he’d made it clear that we were never going to be anything but this fling we were having, it didn’t make sense for me to involve myself any more than I already was.
By the time Ford entered the room, I was starting to doze off. The alcohol had worn me out and I was ready to call it a night. I could tell from the way he slammed the door that he wasn’t happy. He tossed his keys onto the table, removed his shirt, and climbed into bed next to me. “Is everything okay?” I asked.
He took his hands and rubbed his face. “Not really.”
“Do you want to talk about it?”
I reached for his arm, but he rolled over and tucked it under the pillow. “No!”
I didn’t get why he was being so mean to me. I’d done nothing to make him angry. Still, I knew enough about men to know that he wanted space. It would be better for me to get a good night’s sleep and forget about the angry man lying in the bed beside me.
When I tried to close my eyes all I could think about was Mack. I imagined the things he was saying to those girls while they were naked in his bed. It made me cringe. After I tossed around, not able to get comfortable, I slid out of bed and walked over to the table. Ford’s keys and wallet were sitting there. I traced the leather wallet with my fingers, before looking over to make sure he was sleeping. With him facing the opposite direction, I opened his wallet and looked inside.
There was a picture of a beautiful little girl standing next to him when he was younger. They looked so much alike and I immediately knew who it was. How sweet it was that he kept her picture with him all of the time? I ran my fingers over the plastic covering the photograph, just as I heard him stirring in the bed. Before he could catch me, I tossed the wallet on the table and turned to climb back in bed. Ford’s arm wrapped around me and pulled me close to his warm body. I ran my fingers over one of his tattoos and closed my eyes. I felt safe there, like nothing could get to me as long as he was holding me. Sleep came easy, finally.
Ford
Running into my ex was bad enough, but my cousin being with her was even worse. At first I thought she’d followed me because she wasn’t giving up. It turns out that it had nothing to do with our relationship. As she was walking away, Shayne caught up with her and said they needed to hunt me down.
Shayne was someone that I didn’t want to run into. He was another link to my mother, since his father was my uncle; my mother’s brother. My dad and I had cut that part of the family out after we lost my sister. Sure, there was a time when we were all very close. When Harley died everything changed.
Shayne and I had been inseparable since we were kids. He was a year older than me and had moved to the beach to become a lifeguard after graduation. His grandmother on his mother’s side owned a beach house that they stayed in during the warm months. I remember spending a lot of time during the summer with him. We’d hunt for girls on the boardwalk and get into whatever we could.
Harley’s death didn’t just rip apart the family, it strained the friendship that I had with my cousin. Being with him was like being with her and I couldn’t sit around and have that reminder when it hurt so much.
Him being with Ashley couldn’t have been for a good reason. I knew they’d never hook up, so obviously he wanted something else. He held out his hand and I shook it. “Long time no see, cuz.”
“Yeah. You want to tell me why you hunted me down in the middle of the night?” I didn’t want to keep Sky inside waiting for me. He needed to cut to the chase.
“I’m not going to beat around the bush, Ford. Your mom is in town and things are bad. They’re real bad. I called the shop and your dad said you were here. We’ve tried to help her, but she won’t listen. Dude, she’s goin’ to die if we don’t help her.”
“What do you expect me to do for that woman? She abandoned her damn family.” I hated hearing that she needed help. Did anyone understand how much resentment I had for this woman? What about when we needed her. We needed her to be our mother, our caretaker. She wasn’t there when we graduated school or when my sister started hanging out with the wrong crowd. She wasn’t there to fix our broken hearts, or care for us when we got sick. She was never there!
“I know you got issues with her, but are you willing to just let her die? You ain’t that guy, Ford. We grew up together. I know you better than you know yourself right now. Even if you think it’s the wrong thing to do, we still got to try. Lettin’ her die like a bum ain’t alright with me.”
Knowing that he wasn’t going to let up, I had to agree to help him. “What’s your plan? If she’s that far gone then she won’t come willingly. She ain’t right in her head, you know.” My cousin was educated, yet somehow he thought that we could swoop in and do something for a woman that couldn’t be helped.
“I know where she’s stayin’. She saw me a few days ago and asked me for money. Apparently, she owes her supplier big-time. If she doesn’t pay him the money, he says he’s goin’ to hurt her. She told me she’d rather die
from drugs than let him lay a finger on her.”
Was I supposed to feel sorry for her? Was I supposed to feel compassion for someone that abandoned her family for a habit? “What do you want me to do, Shayne?”
“I want you to care enough to help me get her out of there. My dad said he’ll pay for her to get help. She ain’t goin’ to come unless she has a reason to want to live.”
I shook my head. “She hasn’t cared about me since I was a kid.”
“You know that ain’t true.”
I scrunched up my face, feeling annoyed. “She chose drugs over her family. Her decision turned my dad into an alcoholic and ultimately, from having no real parents, my sister died. This is all because of her. I hate the woman!”
Forgetting that Ashley was still there, I felt a hand on my back and turned to see her. “Ford, I know you. If you can help someone, you will. You need to help your family. Stop bein’ so stubborn.”
“You’re askin’ me to care about someone that I haven’t had nothin’ to do with in years.”
“She’s your mother!” Shayne was adamant and I couldn’t help but feel like I was obligated to help, regardless what my beliefs were.
I had a lot to think about, but mostly I had someone else that I was responsible for getting home. I couldn’t just leave her in the room and go on some rescue mission.
I knew what I had to do. Right or wrong, it had to be done.
That was when I knew that our fun was over.
“You’re goin’ to need to give me some time to wrap things up with my friend. For the record, I’m doin’ this because you asked me for a favor. I ain’t doin’ this for her.”
Shayne held up his hands. “That’s cool. Whatever it takes, dude.”
“Give me a few hours. Pick me up at three. If we go and get her in the middle of the night, maybe it will make it easier.” I couldn’t believe that I was agreeing to this.
We shook hands and I watched the two of them walking away. The fact that Ashley knew where I was staying wasn’t a surprise. We’d spent the night a few times at this same motel when we were in high school. It was probably the first place she looked.
When I got back into the room, I didn’t know what I could say to Sky to make her understand; it wasn’t like she knew me well enough in the first place. Had I not had a conscience, I probably wouldn’t have even told her. Still, I wasn’t the kind of guy to spend days with someone and walk out without giving some kind of explanation.
The problem was that I didn’t want to walk away from Sky. We were having so much fun enjoying each other. Ending things was so permanent. I got myself so angry about it that I shut down when Sky asked if everything was alright. I couldn’t find the words to tell her that I was leaving her to drive back to the shop, alone. She was going to hate me.
At first, I tried to go to sleep, but the longer I lay in the bed next to her, the more I wanted to feel her touch one last time. With only a few hours to spare, I kissed the back of Sky’s neck, waking her from her peaceful sleep. As she stirred, I rolled her over so that she was facing me. “I want you.” My statement woke her right up. Sky reached up and put her hand on my cheek. I kissed her arm and took in the way her skin felt against mine. It was hard to pretend that everything was fine, knowing this would be the last time we ever touched.
Without warning, I climbed on top of her and pushed up her top, revealing her naked breasts. My lips brushed against one of her nipples. She ran her hand through my hair as she moaned. When I felt her nipple going in between my lips, I sucked hard, causing her to cry out. I liked the way her voice became high-pitched when she got turned on. It was something I had memorized about her, not that any part of her would be easy to forget. Sky was a one-of-a-kind girl. She’d made me feel things that I hadn’t felt in such a long time. I hoped that I’d been able to do the same for her.
When our lips met, neither one of us could stop the passion burning between us. We reacted as if we were completely in sync. Our hands explored while our tongues mingled together. Slow movements became rough and sundry. Her body grinded with mine like I was already inside of her, filling her with raw emotion.
My growing erection reminded me of my need. I tugged down on her panties until the skin of her naked pussy was exposed. My lips moved away from her mouth, kissing their way down to that sweet spot. I took my fingers and rubbed her there, making sure my fingertips gently stroked over her clit. She bucked as I did it again. It made me smile as I leaned close to kiss her there.
Sky sat up, watching my every move. I stuck my tongue out of my mouth and coasted it across her pussy lips. Wet from my saliva, I licked them again, this time going up further to put pressure on her clit. She moaned again, letting me know exactly where she wanted me licking. I paid close attention to the sounds that escaped her as I licked on her hot bud again. With each flick of my tongue her body twitched. She was clearly in her happy place.
Soon, my saliva wasn’t the only thing making her so wet. Her natural juices let me know she was ready to be filled. I felt her legs reaching up and her feet pushing down my shorts. I sat up and helped her get them off, while pulling her panties the rest of the way off her own legs. When I got to her face she pulled me into her lips. We kissed roughly, with no real pattern, while I grabbed my cock and placed it against her entrance. I was so eager to be inside of her that I didn’t waste any time teasing her. With little force, I slid inside of her. The warmth overwhelmed me, almost making me move without instructing myself to do so.
I felt her legs wrapping around my back and sat up, pulling her into a sitting position with me. I grabbed her hair on both sides and looked right into her eyes, while she rocked her body back and forth. The friction was undeniably the best feeling a man could ever have, with the exception of the orgasm itself. This was as close to heaven as I had ever been.
Knowing that it couldn’t last forever, I needed her to remember it. I didn’t tell her what I was doing when I pulled out of her and pushed her down on the bed. She leaned up on her elbows as I sunk down to her pussy and sucked it into my mouth. I let go and repeated the process, sucking on her clit until she cried out and dug her nails into the sheets. Just knowing that I’d given her such pleasure was enough for me to finish without even being inside of her. Since I didn’t want that happening, I moved back up and entered her.
We switched positions, with her on top. I watched her reach up and grab her hair. I was so turned on just watching her breasts moving around that I wasn’t sure whether to grab them or play with her pussy. She rocked her body, making the friction incredible for me. I had to grab onto her ass to get her to steady before I lost it too soon again.
Sky spun around and started riding me backwards. It felt amazing, and I got off holding onto her hips as she did it. I was close but managing myself fine until she started playing with my balls. The moment I felt her fingers touching them, I lost it. My hands dug into her sides, causing her to still while I exploded inside of her.
We were still attached as she leaned back against my chest and kissed me. I wrapped my arms around her and held her there. This was how I wanted to remember her and how I wanted her to remember me. In a few short hours I’d be gone and she’d never forgive me.
This was our goodbye.
Chapter 11
Skylar
The only reason I woke up was because I felt cold. Sure enough, I was lying in bed alone. At first I thought Ford was using the bathroom, except he never came out. I finally got up and looked around outside for him. His truck was there, but there wasn’t anyone in sight. I headed back into the room and saw a note sitting on the table.
I was surprised that I hadn’t seen it before, although I hadn’t been looking.
Sky:
I’m sorry for leaving without waking you, but you seemed so peaceful sleeping. I lied to you last night when I said nothing was wrong. Someone that I care about is in trouble and I’m obligated to help them, whether I want to or not. I just want you to know that I wi
ll never forget the days that we shared. You made me feel alive and I owe you big time for it. As far as getting back to your car goes… I’ve left you my truck. The room is paid up until tomorrow. My dad says your car will be ready when you get back.
Take Care,
Ford
He’d left me there all alone without telling me. Had I known he was going to do that I would have made other arrangements. Now, I was obligated to drive his truck back and possibly see him. Words could not describe how let down I felt. This was someone that I trusted. I’d given him parts of myself that no other man had ever touched.
How could he just leave and think that I’d be okay about it?
I tossed his letter into the wastebasket and fell on the bed, letting the tears fall down on my pillow. If this was what sleeping with a stranger got me, than I didn’t ever want to experience it again.
After some time, I finally got myself together enough to gather my things. Along with my belongings, I found Ford’s t-shirt behind the bathroom door. It still smelled like him when I held it up to my nose. As pissed off as I was, I didn’t want to let go of the past couple days.
My heart was numb from the loss of Mack and now Ford. I didn’t know which one of them I was hurting for more. Mack had been a huge part of my life, but he’d never once made me feel the way Ford had on the first night we’d met. Each time we were together, those feelings intensified. I didn’t understand it and now I would never know what could have been.
Our tryst was over and I was alone in a dark motel room, holding the shirt of a man that I may never see again.
After showering and getting dressed, I gathered my things and tossed them into the truck. It was a beautiful day outside and I loved the way the sound of the seashore relaxed me. I thought about calling my friends, but didn’t really want to deal with Mack, so I headed out onto the beach myself. It was a good thing that I was wearing sunglasses. Five minutes after I laid down on the beach-blanket, I started bawling. I hated myself for my decisions and just wanted to disappear.
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