by Alex Grayson
“I need you to sign this,” he says nasally, holding out a card. He sounds like shit.
I look from him to Willow, who rolls her eyes, to Colt, who’s shaking his bent head, then back to Tegan. “What is it?”
He turns his head and sneezes into the crook of his arm. Looking back at me, he sniffs and wrinkles his nose before answering. “It’s a get well soon card.”
I look down at the card and see a little puppy with a thermometer hanging from his mouth.
Looking back at Tegan, I already know the answer before I even ask it. “Who’s it for?”
“Me,” he deadpans.
Typical fucking Tegan.
“You’re a fucking idiot.” I turn from him and open the fridge to grab a beer. “Get that shit away from me.”
“What?” he whines, which sounds so much worse because of his stuffy nose. “No one else bought me a get well soon card, so I had to buy one for myself. You all might not care if I get better, but I sure as hell do. This shit sucks.”
“How old are you, Tegan?” Colt asks, amusement lacing his tone.
“Thirty. Why?”
“Thirty-year-old men don’t get ‘Get well soon’ cards, you moron. Unless you’re seriously ill. And even then, you don’t buy them for yourself.”
I turn away from the fridge just in time to see Tegan give Colt a squinty-eyed look.
“How do you know I’m not seriously ill? Maybe my cold will turn into the flu, then pneumonia. Maybe my lungs will fill with so much fluid I’ll drown in my sleep. Or what if my cold is a new strain that’s fatal with no cure. I bet you’ll be wishing you’d gotten me the damn card and wished me better when your ass is in the hospital dying beside me because I passed it on to you.”
“Sweet Jesus,” Colt mutters. “Where the hell do you get this shit?”
I twist off the cap of my beer, toss it in the trash, and point the bottle at Tegan. “You need to lay off the TV shows.”
He turns to Willow. “You care if I get better, right?”
She smiles at him like a mother would her child. “You know I do.”
Walking over, he grabs her waist and lifts her on the counter. After stepping between her legs, he wraps them around his waist so her feet lock at the base of his back, then he plants his face right between her boobs. She rubs his back and looks at Colt and me over his head, the smile turning to silent laughter.
I grunt and take a swig of my beer. The man is off his fucking rocker.
Abby comes walking into the kitchen and holds up her phone. “Just got done talking with Ava. She says she’ll be back in town in a few days. Said she has some news.” Abby stops and turns to Tegan and Willow. “Tegan, stop trying to hump Willow in my kitchen,” she reprimands.
“Did she say what it was about?” I ask, leaning back against the counter.
She frowns down at her phone. “No, but she sounded different.”
Tegan pulls his face from the haven of Willow’s cleavage and turns around, still keeping her legs locked around him.
“Different how?”
“I don’t know. Just different. Preoccupied. Like she didn’t have time to talk to me.”
Colt puts his arm over her shoulders and pulls her to his side. “I’m sure everything’s okay, and she’ll tell you when she gets back.”
Abby nods, but the worry remains on her face.
After a moment, she leaves Colt’s arms, walks to the drawer beside the fridge, and starts pulling out takeout menus.
“Chinese,” Tegan croaks through a scratchy throat without prompt.
“We had that last week,” Willow comments.
“So?”
“So, let’s do something different,” inputs Abby, still digging in the drawer. She lifts a white menu. “How about Jimmy Johns?”
“We had that the week before,” Tegan complains.
She rummages around some more and produces another menu. “Taco Mac?”
Tegan shakes his head. “Not in the mood for Mexican.”
“Oh, for fuck’s sake.” I put my beer down on the counter, stalk over to the drawer, and snatch out one of the menus. “We’re having”—I take a look at the paper in my hand—“Romeo’s.” I slam the menu down on the counter. Looking at Tegan, I tell him, “If you don’t like it, order your own damn food.”
“Sounds like someone rolled out of the wrong side of the bed,” he mumbles. I shoot him a glare at the same time Willow pinches his side. “Ow! Damn it, that fucking hurt!”
“Then behave,” Willow says, unfazed by his pouty lips.
Wisely, he shuts up after that, and we order our food. I love Tegan like a brother, but fuck if he doesn’t know how to push my buttons. The man is high maintenance and sometimes I just don’t have the patience for it.
Everyone grabs a beer, except Abby, who opts for a bottle of water, and we go into the living room. Colt turns the TV on and finds the World Series game we’re all here to watch. I snag the recliner, leaving the couch and the love seat for the two couples to do their snuggling in.
“So, what’s going on with you and 9B?” Tegan asks.
“Nothing,” I answer, keeping my eyes on the TV.
“Bullshit.” I slowly turn my head to face Tegan. “There’s no fucking way nothing is going on between you two with the way you were eye-fucking each other the other night.” He holds his hand up and points his finger at me. “And Nikki said she saw you leave with her the night after.”
Not that it’s any of Nikki’s fucking business to relay anything she saw. Damn gossipy bartenders.
“When I said nothing, what I really meant was, nothing that’s any of your business.”
With his arm that’s draped over Willow’s shoulder, he shoots me the bird. “Are you going to see her again?”
I give up trying to keep my shit private. He’ll just bug the hell out of me until I either knock the shit out of him or give in. It’s not like I have anything to hide from them anyway.
“I don’t know.”
“Does she know you’ve been watching her from your apartment?” Willow asks, butting into the conversation.
“No.”
“You know she’s probably going to flip her shit if she finds out, right?” Tegan states the obvious.
And that’s why I haven’t told her. I’m not ready to give up Emberleigh yet. I don’t know if or when we’ll see each other again, but we sure as hell won’t if she learns I’ve been spying on her from my apartment. Even I know it’s creepy as fuck and anyone would flip their shit. Only a twinge of guilt hits my stomach when I think about it. I’m invading her privacy, yes, but I’m not physically harming her. What she doesn’t know won’t hurt her. My friends have caught glimpses of her, but that’s as much as I’ll allow. No one else gets that privilege.
I shrug. “That’s why I have no plans to tell her.”
“You’re really just going to keep her in the dark?” Willow’s tone has me looking at her. “Really, Nathan? Isn’t that a little… deceptive?”
“It’s no worse than what he’s already doing by watching her,” Colt adds.
“Well, yeah, but by telling her it would at least show remorse.”
I tip my beer up, take a swallow, and rest the bottle on my thigh. “I feel no remorse for watching her. Making her believe otherwise, that would be deceptive,” I tell the group, which earns me a glare from Willow. She opens her mouth to say something, but Abby speaks before she has a chance.
“What’s her name?”
Throwing an ankle over my knee, I lean back deeper in the chair.
“Emberleigh.”
Saying her name out loud makes the tip of my dick tingle. It’s been over a week since I’ve seen her. Today’s Tuesday, and I can’t fucking wait for tonight when I can sit in my chair and watch her again from my window. That’s if she shows up. Last Tuesday she didn’t, and I almost went apeshit. It screwed with my head, not seeing her like I usually do on that day.
“Emberleigh,” Abby repeats thought
fully. “I like it. I think you should see her again.” She blinks, then smiles a smile that says her thoughts are way off base. “When can we meet her?”
I run my hand over my mouth and scratch my jaw. “It’s not what you think, Abby,” I warn her.
Her smile turns mischievous. “Okay.”
I narrow my eyes, because I know damn good and well she’s not going to let it go. She may keep her mouth shut right now, but her thoughts are still in the wrong place. I enjoy Emberleigh’s body and she enjoys mine, but that’s as far as it goes. I have no plans for that to change.
Bored of this conversation, I snatch the remote from Colt and turn the volume up, telling every one of them that I’m done talking. The smart people that they are, they take the hint, and everyone’s attention turns to the TV.
***
I DROP MY KEYS ON THE COUNTER, grab a beer from the fridge, and walk over to my chair. Before taking a seat, I reach back and yank off my shirt, setting it on the back of the chair. When I look across to Emberleigh’s apartment, my body tightens when I see her light on. I grab the binoculars from the small table beside me and bring them to my eyes.
I scan the rooms that have lights on, but don’t see her at first. After a minute, she walks from a room that’s off from the kitchen. She has a laundry basket in her arms and takes it to the bedroom. She only has on a white tank top and pair of black panties. Her toned legs look more tanned against the black material. Memories of them wrapped around my waist flash in my mind, and the need to feel them again hits me hard.
I grab my beer and take a big swallow, suddenly needing something wet to coat my dry throat.
She puts the basket of clothes on the floor at the end of the bed, then walks around to the other side and sits. She picks up her phone, looks at it for a minute before setting it back down on the nightstand. My jaw clenches when she grabs the bottom of her tank top and slowly pulls it over her head. She’s not wearing a bra, so her tits sway and jiggle when she brings her arms down and tosses the white material to the end of the bed.
I grip the binoculars tighter with the sudden need to see her in the flesh. To suck her nipples in my mouth and pinch the sensitive bundle of nerves between her legs. I force myself to stay in my seat instead of jumping up from my chair and stalking across the street.
Her hands start on her spread thighs and make their way up to her sides. One hand veers across her stomach and trails to her tit, where she fills her hand and pinches the tip, just like I was imagining.
I pull my phone from my pocket and look away to scroll through my contacts until I find her name. I may not be able to see her in person right now, but I can damn sure hear her voice.
I bring the ringing phone to my ear and the binoculars back to my eyes. Her hand stills on her breast, and her closed eyes flutter open. Her hand stays cupped over her breast while her other picks up her phone. She smiles as she hits a button and brings the phone to her ear.
“Hello?” Her voice is breathless, and the sound sends a shot of lust to my dick, knowing the cause of the sound.
“Emberleigh.”
“Nathan. Hi, how are you?”
In light of what her hand is currently doing, her question nearly has me chuckling, but I hold it back.
“Did I catch you at a bad time?”
I wait with anticipation, hoping her answer is no. Even if she doesn’t know I’m watching, I want it to be my voice coupled with her hand that gets her off tonight. I want to sit here and watch her and hear her at the same time.
“Umm… no, it’s not a bad time.”
I smile, and my dick gets thicker. “Good. What are you doing right now?”
Through the binoculars, I watch as her hand moves over her breast.
“I’m actually in bed,” she answers, her tone stronger than before.
“What are you doing in bed already? It’s only nine o’clock.”
I want her to tell me that she’s touching herself. To say she’s doing it as she thinks of me. I know I’m close to playing with fire right now and she may become suspicious of my questions, but fuck if I care at the moment.
She doesn’t answer. The phone rustles as she scoots back on the bed and reclines against some pillows.
“What are you wearing, Emberleigh?” I ask, the question coming out as a growl.
Her answer both surprises and pleases me.
“Nothing but panties,” she pants.
Her legs fall open, but she doesn’t move her hand between them.
“Why are you out of breath?” I taunt.
She moans, then says quietly, “Because I was touching myself when you called.”
I groan, and wish for a third hand so I could palm my dick.
“Were you? And what were you thinking about while you touched yourself?”
Her hand moves to her bent knee and she trails it slowly up the inside of her leg. When she makes it to the apex of her thighs, she touches herself over her panties. I wish I was close enough to see if they were wet. I’d bet my left nut they are.
“You,” she moans. “I was thinking about you. I was imagining you watching me.”
A growl slips past my lips, and at the sound, she whimpers. Across the distance, I watch as her hand pushes harder against her sweet spot.
She has no damn clue how much her fantasy is coming true as we speak. Or how much I want to tell her that’s what I’m doing right now. Would it scare her or turn her on more?
“Do you want me watching you right now?”
A hitch of breath, then a soft, “Yes.”
Fuck, she has no idea what she’s doing to me right now.
“Are you touching yourself?”
Another soft “Yes.”
My dick’s about to explode in my jeans, so I switch to speaker phone and put it on the table beside me. I rip my pants open; relief hits me immediately once I have my hard length in my hand.
“You’re on speaker phone, baby. Tell me where you’re touching yourself.”
Through the binoculars, I see her slip her fingers beneath the edge of her panties. On the phone, she says, “I’m touching my pussy and it feels so good.” Another moan.
“How wet are you? Would my cock slip right inside?”
I move my palm over my cock and imagine it’s her pussy that’s gripping me right now. I know she’d be fucking soaking wet.
“Yes,” she moans. “Oh, God, Nathan. I’m so wet.”
“Hmm… I bet you’d taste so damn good right now. Take two fingers and push them inside you. Get them good and wet for me.”
I nearly shoot my load when she bends at the waist so she can push her fingers inside. I swipe the bead of precum from the tip of my dick and swirl it around the underside, then hiss when the sensation and view of Emberleigh stuffing herself with her fingers is almost too much.
“Now pull them out and suck on them. Pretend it’s my mouth sucking your juices off your fingers.”
My hips buck unintentionally when she pulls her fingers from her panties and places the tips at her lips. Her tongue reaches out and licks before she sucks them inside. Her moan reaches my ear.
“Do you like how you taste, Emberleigh?” I ask roughly.
“Yes,” she whimpers.
“I know you do. Now play with your pussy again. I’m close, baby. Rub your clit for me.”
When her fingers find her pussy again, she shouts. As much as I love watching her lose herself through the binoculars, hearing her passion-filled cries makes it so much fucking better. The only thing that would beat it is being there with her.
I fist my cock faster, knowing she’s close and wanting to come with her. Her soft cries become loud moans and each one has me growing closer. When her hips lift off the bed and she screams, my release erupts all over my stomach.
Her heavy breathing matches mine. I reach back and grab the shirt, laying it over the cum on my stomach. I pull the binoculars away from my eyes and tip my head back, twisting it from side to side a few times to try t
o relieve some of the tension in the muscles. When I bring them back to my face, Emberleigh has rolled to her side facing the window, the phone tucked between her head and the pillow. She looks sated and relaxed. A damn fine look on her.
“Mmm… that was so good,” she purrs into the phone.
“Fuck yeah, it was.”
I want to ask her where she was last Tuesday, but I hold the question back, knowing there’s no reasonable explanation as to why I would know she wasn’t at her place.
“You made me all sticky and sweaty. I need a shower.”
Images of her with water rolling down her body has my satiated body coming to life once again. I close my eyes and capture the image to explore later.
“Go get clean.”
“Okay,” she says softly.
I rise from my seat and walk the few steps to the window. I zero in on her face and find her lazily gazing out of the window from her position on the bed. A sudden need to have her eyes connected with mine has me stepping back, knowing it would be a mistake if she did. It’s dark in the room behind me, only the light over the stove on, but I’m not willing to take the chance.
I’m just about to end our conversation, when she sits up in bed and her voice stops me.
“I want to see you again.”
The phone creaks in my hand with my tight grip. I drop the binoculars down by my side and take a silent breath. She’s silent on the other end of the phone, except for her soft breaths.
I want to see her again too. So fucking bad that my body vibrates with it. For the past week, I’ve pushed the need to see her in person back, hoping it would wane and disappear. I’ve been able to ignore it, but seeing her in her apartment and hearing her through the phone has brought back that need tenfold.
This is new territory for me. I like to watch people. I like to watch them from afar, and sometimes fuck women when the need arises. But I’ve never wanted to go back for more from the same person. I move on to the next interesting one, never getting attached. I’ve already stepped out of my norm by watching her every week for over two years. To want more than that from her after already having her is something I didn’t think I was capable of. The more that I think about it now though, the stronger my want for her grows.