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For Life

Page 31

by L. E. Chamberlin


  “Think we’ll still make it by sunrise?” I ask as we pull out of the neighborhood.

  “That’s the plan. We’re right on schedule.”

  “I can’t believe we’re finally doing this. We need a vacation so badly!”

  “We do, and it’s gonna be great,” he promises. “I can’t wait for you guys to see it.”

  “I can’t wait, either.” I feel like a teenager again, with the entire world ahead of me as we merge onto the highway. The occasional tractor-trailer glides past us, but for the most part the road is empty, and I kick off my shoes and prop my feet up on the dash. The excitement keeps me awake for a bit, but then I start nodding off. I try to fight it, but Grady squeezes my knee.

  “Sleep, Cass. I’ve got you.”

  “What if you get too tired?” I mumble, closing my eyes and thinking how nice it would be to just crash out like the kids. The soothing vibrations have me feeling a bit fuzzy around the edges.

  “That’s why I took a nap this afternoon. I’m fine. You’ve been up since five. Sleep, baby, or you’re going to be too tired to enjoy the view when we get there.”

  His permission relieves me of any guilt and I drift off, lulled to sleep by the road.

  * * * *

  “Baby.”

  I feel Grady before I hear him. His fingers slide along my jaw, under my hair, to stroke my neck, and instantly I’m awake.

  “Cass.”

  I must have slept all night. When I look out the windows I see it’s still mostly dark, and we’re at a fuel pump in a well-lit gas station. In the horizon a soft puddle of light glows at the base of the velvet night sky. The clock on the dash says 6:08 a.m. Grady has gotten us here before sunrise.

  “You drove the whole way?” I rub at the kink in my neck and tilt my face up for a quick morning peck. I can only imagine what my mouth tastes like and keep my lips firmly pressed together. His eyes crinkle in the corners as he smiles and tugs me closer for another soft kiss. I’ve missed a night of being curled up against him, and I can tell he’s missing our morning cuddle.

  Before waking me he’s already taken Ares out, filled the gas tank, washed the windows, grabbed us a couple of coffees, and stashed containers of orange juice in the cup holders between the kids. Again I’m amazed at what he does for our family without any sense of drudgery or resentment. He wanted us to sleep as long as possible, and he made sure we could do that by taking care of everything else.

  He kisses the tip of my nose and then pokes his head into the backseat. “Guys,” he calls. “We’re in Virginia.”

  I try not to be jealous as their father’s voice rouses Chloe and Caden instantly and tell myself it’s just a vacation fluke. They blink at us from the backseat like baby owls, half-awake and curious. Caden almost immediately gives us both a sweet smile, but Chloe is slower to become human in the morning. Her forehead crinkles until she spies the orange juice sitting in the console.

  “Thanks,” she grumbles vaguely in our direction before grabbing it. She takes a swig and closes her eyes again, her fingers still curled around the bottle.

  Grady pulls out and we’re on the road again. Almost immediately we see the signs, and everyone sits up a bit straighter. Ares, sensing the shifting energy in the car, is on high alert in his crate in the back. By the time we make it through the entrance and drive along through the trees to a pull-off spot, it’s just 6:20. Grady got us here in perfect time.

  We all pile out of the truck. Everything is shockingly silent, so still that even the slightest scuffing of our feet in the roadside gravel is the loudest sound we hear. Ares immediately sniffs the surrounding area while the four of us stand shoulder to shoulder, taking in the view.

  “It’s so pretty,” Chloe breathes.

  “Pretty” is not an adequate word to describe the Blue Ridge Parkway at dawn. It’s a breathtaking view - mountain peaks, still soft with mist, rise majestically in the distance. The sky muses between violet and pink and gold, deciding what color to be for the next half hour or so. The vista stretches on and on, as far as the eye can see. Around us the forest emanates the earthy aroma of damp leaves and pine.

  “It’s awesome,” Caden agrees, pulling out his phone to take a picture. He holds it up for a moment, trying to capture the shot, and then shakes his head and stuffs his phone back in his pocket. There’s no way to capture what we’re experiencing other than to just live it.

  Grady brushes my fingers with his own, a quick reassurance that I’m still here. That this, our family, is real.

  “How far to our campsite, Dad?” Caden asks.

  “A little ways still. We’ll stop in a bit, have some breakfast, probably get there around nine. But this right here? This is why we left so early.”

  “Good call, Daddy,” Chloe says, shivering a bit from the breeze. I wrap my arm around her and she leans into me, allowing me to keep her warm. I send up a silent prayer that my prickly daughter will accept her mother’s affection for a few more minutes, but even when she eventually slides away I am grateful for the tiny moment. Baby steps, as Grady says. One day at a time.

  The kids bundle back into the truck, yawning. Caden mumbles something about food and I dig for a granola bar, which he devours so fast I hand him two more, along with a banana. At the rate he’s growing he’s not going to be able to fold into the backseat much longer. Already he’s twisted up like a pretzel, his long legs folded uncomfortably behind my seat.

  I watch Chloe’s face as we pull back onto the road. A dreamy expression flits across her features and disappears, and I wonder what beautiful thoughts she’s just had. Her fingers brush the window as a young deer steps from the edge of the forest and then quickly retreats. She smiles at me, a real smile, and I capture it in my memory and hold it close.

  * * * *

  Later that night, when the kids are tucked into the camper, stuffed with S’mores, occupied by whatever’s streaming out of their headphones, and safely guarded by Ares, I decide to lure Grady into our tent. He’s pouring water on our fire when I poke from between the unzipped flaps and give him a reverse striptease, flashing my bare chest before buttoning myself into my flannel nightgown. It’s a mild night, but still chilly, and though I should’ve worn pajamas the thought of not being able to tangle my bare legs with his is enough to make me endure some goosebumps.

  I’ve zipped our sleeping bags together, but when he crawls in the tent after me he’s not the least bit worried about getting tucked in. And registering the heat in his gaze, suddenly I’m not worried about warmth anymore. It’s been a good day, a happy day, and his eyes gleam with need for me.

  He’s too tall to stand upright in our tent, so he remains on his knees as he zips the flaps closed behind him. A little frisson goes through me with the z-z-zip, because now I’ve got him to myself. All day I watched him stake tents and chop firewood and build fires, every inch a man. I never had any interest in camping, but if this is what I’ve been missing then I’m about to invest some serious energy in this activity.

  “Can I still get some of what you showed me a minute ago?” he teases, stripping off his sweatshirt and dropping it.

  I nod and lick my lips.

  “I was worried you started without me.” He peels off his t-shirt and I marvel at the motion of his lean muscles rippling under his skin as he twists to tuck his discarded clothing in the corner of the tent. “Actually,” he says, his voice getting low, “I was kind of hoping you started without me so I could watch for a little bit.”

  Oh, dear God. I’m instantly drenched between my thighs.

  Grady grabs my ankles and presses into me for a kiss, folding my legs up and shuffling toward me on his knees until he’s kneeling between my thighs. He releases one ankle so he has a free hand to hike my nightgown up, and then he rocks back on his heels to gaze at me.

  My heart races as he takes my ankle in his hand again and plants a tender kiss on my instep before placing my foot flat on his chest. His heated gaze follows the path of his own hand a
s it travels up my leg, stroking, circling the swell of flesh at the back of my calf and squeezing it before tickling the hollow behind my knee. He massages his way up the inside of my leg, lingering on the smoothest parts, until he reaches the apex of my thighs. His eyes go dark as he realizes I’m naked under my nightgown.

  He strokes close to my heat but doesn’t make contact. His thumb grazes the sensitive skin at the crease of my thigh and I gasp, but he moves his fingers away to trail along the outer swell of my hip and curve across my belly. And then his hand is back, his fingers exploring the crease again, teasing the edge of my curls where the skin is the softest.

  My nipples spring to attention, the fabric rasping against the sensitive peaks, and I bite back a moan and fumble with the buttons so I can give him more of me. The nightgown unbuttons to my waist, and with my breasts bared to him, his fingers roam eagerly, cupping the weight of each, flicking the hard nubs and making me whimper.

  “You are so beautiful,” he marvels. “I love your body, Cass. I love the way you move when I touch you.” He pinches a nipple and my back arches involuntarily. “God, yeah, just like that.”

  He undoes his belt, then unzips his jeans and slides them down to his knees. The black boxer briefs underneath are tented by his erection and I slide my foot down the trail of hair on his stomach to rub him over the thin cotton with my toes. He groans softly and I feel him twitch against the arch of my foot, so I work my toes over the stiff ridge again and again until he frees his cock and begins to stroke himself.

  I slide my foot up back up to brace against his shoulder and spread my other leg wide, giving him an unobstructed view between my thighs. His gaze flickers to my face before fixing on my obvious arousal, and with his free hand he strokes the soft pelt of hair before dipping his fingers into my wetness. Working one teasing finger in and out of me, he jacks himself slowly. There’s a bead of pre-cum at the tip of his cock, and watching him get so turned on by me makes me even more eager for him to be inside me.

  “Grady,” I plead. “Please, baby, I’m ready.”

  “Soaking wet,” he agrees, working a second finger inside me and rubbing the spot he knows just how to find until my legs are trembling and the blood is roaring in my ears. He withdraws his fingers and slides them into his mouth with a ragged sigh, closing his eyes at the taste of me, which causes my insides to riot. “Ah, Cass, this sweet pussy of yours.”

  I realize I’m moaning way too loudly and bite the sleeve of my nightgown, whimpering around clenched teeth as he strokes and tastes, strokes and tastes. I need him to eat me or fuck me quickly before I die on my first ever camping trip.

  The fat head of his cock nudges me of its own accord, and he grasps it one hand and rubs a pearl of his pre-come over my swollen clit, making me shudder at the contact. He lodges the tip of himself just inside me before pulling back out to paint my clit with his pre-come again, and he does this several times, groaning at his own restraint every time he pulls back out of me, until I’m clawing his arms and begging for full penetration.

  Finally he gives in and fills me, thrusting inside me as he covers my body with his. I wrap my ankles around the small of his back and clutch his ribs with my knees as he moves in me. My hips match his rhythm. Threading his fingers in my hair, he cradles my head in his hands and watches my face as he slowly makes love to me.

  “I’d rather be inside you than anywhere else in the world,” he says softly.

  “Flatterer,” I whisper, but there’s no ignoring the devotion in his eyes as we move together.

  “This is everything. This is the whole world, right here, Cass.” His breath is hot against my face as his lips brush across my eyelids, down my cheekbones, and finally capture my mouth. When his tongue thrusts inside it tastes chocolaty and faintly like me, and I moan into his kiss.

  The night air and the campfire cling to his skin and mingle with his clean, masculine sweat. I tuck my face into his chest and breathe him in while he moves in me, faster and faster.

  I could do this all night and so could he, but the kids are in the next tent and even though I know they sleep with their headphones in, I don’t want to risk it. Besides, I want to come now. The whole day was foreplay. I want my satisfaction.

  He’s thrusting deeper now, whispering things I can’t even understand because I’m almost there, almost there. My belly tightens in anticipation of the surge, my spine and scalp tingle, and I shiver against him and hold my breath, chasing it. Grady clamps his hand over my mouth and growls, “That’s it, beautiful girl. Give it to me.”

  My climax washes over me and I’m dragged under, barely conscious, bucking beneath him. My body is weightless, hurtling, then shattering apart as I scream into his palm, my cries mercifully muted by his hand.

  I watch Grady’s face as he follows, the cords in his neck tightening and his jaw clenching as he chokes on the force of his silenced release. Panting, he buries his face in the crook of my neck, his lips pressed against the artery, and I feel him smile against my hammering pulse. He’s still half-hard inside me and groans as I milk him with my inner muscles.

  We’re silent until Grady whispers, “I wish I could fall asleep inside you.”

  “You used to say that to me when we were younger, remember? When you used to come visit me at school.” I trace my fingers through the film of perspiration between his shoulder blades and nuzzle the two-day stubble on his jaw. “Me and you in that tiny twin bed in the dorm.”

  “I don’t remember.” He sighs. “I mean, I remember that bed. I remember what I did to you in that bed. We made Chloe in that bed.”

  “Yeah,” I say softly. “You probably even said it that night.”

  “Nothing new from me, huh? Guess I better step up my game.”

  He’s teasing but I’m not letting him go there. I cup his face in my hands and pull back so I’m eye to eye with my handsome, generous, loving husband, the man I almost let slip away. The man who would move heaven and earth to give me what he promised me when he was sixteen years old. My past and my destiny.

  “Everything’s exactly as it should be,” I promise him, looking deep into his blue eyes so he knows beyond a shadow of a doubt that I mean what I say. I stroke his jaw, rub my thumb over his sensuous bottom lip. This is everything, he said. This is the whole world. And at this moment I know it’s the truth. “It’s beautiful, my love. And it’s ours.”

  THE END

  Coming Fall 2015

  Back to Life

  When Renée Mahoney’s husband is killed in a car accident, leaving her to raise their four young children alone, it takes everything she has to keep getting out of bed in the morning. Though she’s always been a strong, vibrant woman, losing Carl seems to have sucked the life out of her. A few months after his death, she turns her back on her friends, her church, and her job and slips into a dangerous downward spiral.

  Local police officer Joel Jarewski has known Renée since childhood and fell in love with her long before Carl Mahoney swept her off her feet. When he sees the former wild child at a bar a few months after Carl’s death, he knows she’s just looking for a way to escape her pain, but despite his better judgment, he can’t resist a taste of his dream woman when it’s offered.

  Joel atones for his sins by introducing Renée to a much healthier means of dealing with her emotional pain: kickboxing. Watching her train, grow stronger every day, and regain her former self-confidence should be its own reward, but Joel wants more. And patience is not his strong suit.

  Whipping her body into shape clears the fog in Renée’s head and helps give her a new lease on life. But she’s confused about her feelings for Joel, who has always been brooding, self-contained, and passionate - a man so different from the sweet, tender, steadfast husband she lost. While her attraction to Joel is undeniable, she doesn’t think that her heart will ever be whole again for another man - and she’s sure that no man will ever take the place of Carl, especially not a man with a dangerous job and a questionable relationship histo
ry.

  Can the man who’s never settled down take on a ready-made family? And can the woman who swore she’d never give her heart away again find happiness with the person she least expected to love?

  Excerpt from Back to Life

  Joel

  It’s the shit with Shaun Perry that sends me over the edge.

  Shaun is our resident dirtbag, the kind of guy who’s okay with other men but a manipulative dick to women. If he wasn’t so good I’d ban him from the gym, but he trains hard and is a great sparring partner. Even still, I think about getting rid of him every other day. I can see his bullshit moves from across the gym, the way he finds reasons to brush against her even as he’s talking to her with a face as innocent as a fucking Boy Scout. He has her hit the bag and offers phony enthusiasm for her form, which he should be correcting.

  Ahh, there he goes, correcting her. Should’ve known he wouldn’t mis the chance to touch her yet again. He lays his hand lightly on her hip and twists her through the motion, something he could have easily demonstrated for her. That oily fuck. I should’ve told him she was off-limits, but since everyone in town knew her husband, I shouldn’t have to. And she’s actually being friendly to the asshole, which makes me even more pissed off. She brushes her hair back from her eyes, then gives up and tugs out her ponytail. Her long blond hair spills across her shoulders before she twists it into a rope and works the hair tie back into it. I watch Perry eying her like his next meal and that’s enough for me.

  “Perry!” I holler. “Take over for me a minute.”

  He balks a minute before smoothing his face into an agreeable smile. “Sure, Boss.”

  Fucking asshole. Renée smiles as I approach her, but it fades as she sees how pissed off I am.

 

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