Bring Me You

by Ryleigh Andrews

  “You sober now?” Luke asked, interrupting their exchange.

  Mia breathed in and out quickly. “Not really.” Ethan watched as she closed her eyes and ran her fingers through her hair, scratching at her scalp before bringing a handful of her hair in front of her face, calming herself down. “What time is it?” she asked quietly.

  “Eleven-thirty,” Luke answered.

  Opening her eyes, her gaze zeroed in on Luke. “Alright, you need to leave now. You,” she said, pointing at Ethan. “You will be sleeping with me tonight.”

  “Sleeping,” Luke said winking. Mia smiled widely. “Kinky,” he said approvingly.

  “Oh, whatever,” Ethan snorted. “Nothing kinky ever really happens. She’s a prude.”

  “What?” Luke and Mia exclaimed together.

  “Well, when it comes to stuff on Skype you are!”

  She nodded her head knowingly. “Okay, he’s got me there. But I’ve been loosening up.”

  And was he ever glad for that!

  Luke chuckled and then waved his hand at the screen. “I love you. I’ll call you on Tuesday. Merry Christmas, sweets!”

  “Okay. Love you too!”

  Luke headed out of the room. Ethan turned to the laptop and smiled at his beautiful and drunk fiancée. “I’m going to walk him out. I’ll be right back, suga.”

  “Hurry!” she called out, resting back against the plush pillows. He wished he could crawl up the bed and devour her.

  Ethan sighed and caught up with Luke at the front door. He shook Luke’s hand and thanked him for coming over. “Your thoughts? Am I right to be concerned?”

  His heart fell as Luke nodded. “Yeah. I have never seen her drink that much.”

  “You should have heard her cry this afternoon. God, it was so painful.”

  “Just keep her talking. Don’t let her side-step you. She’s very good at that.”

  “Get a laptop already and Skype with her. She needs to be silly with you. She needs you, too,” he said, poking at Luke’s chest.

  Luke sighed because Ethan was right and he knew it. “I will. I promise.”

  “Thanks! See you on Tuesday.”

  “Bye, man!” he said, clasping Ethan on the back.

  Ethan secured the door and returned to the kitchen and regarded his laptop. She wasn’t on the screen.

  “Mia?”

  “Be right there,” she called out.

  “Okay. I’m going to head upstairs,” he said, unplugging the power cord. He gathered up that and his laptop and headed upstairs to their bedroom. He missed her presence in here even if she was messy. It was more colorful with her there, more alive.

  Turning down the bed, Ethan placed the laptop on her side of the bed and reached over the bed to plug it in. He rid himself of his clothes except for his boxers. By that time, Mia had returned to her laptop being of the same mind. Her sweater was off and she graced him in only her black lace bra and panties. For now, he thought.

  “You are so gorgeous,” he said longingly. She smiled devilishly before removing the rest of her clothes. Hot damn! He loved when he was right. “Even better.”

  “Not bad yourself, though it, too, could be better,” she commented, eying his boxers.

  “Really?” he said in amazement.

  “Yeah. Strip!” she declared.

  “Strip?” he asked, not believing what he heard. Getting her naked in front of her laptop had been an arduous process the past few months, the first time just a few weeks ago.

  And his body responded.

  “Take off the boxers! Now!” she demanded.

  “You’re bossy,” he said, grinning as he complied.

  “Uh, yeah …” she trailed off, her eyes glued to the screen, traveling over his body and settling on his hard cock. Her tongue quickly ran over her lower lip, followed by her teeth which lingered there.

  “Mia, you’re really quiet,” he observed, wanting to know what was going on in her mind.

  “Yeah, just trying to memorize your body.”

  Then he saw the sadness creep back into her eyes. He wanted it gone and her to be happy with him. “Come back to me, Mia,” he said softly.

  She stared off, her half-closed hand to her mouth. “I’m here, just a little underwater.”

  “Lay with me, suga,” Ethan asked, needing to distract her from her ugly thoughts. She did as he asked, pulling her laptop closer to her until all he could see was her beautifully sad face.

  “Ethan, I need you so badly. I hurt.”

  “I don’t want you to hurt,” he said, his heart breaking at her pain and not knowing what to do to stop it. He felt absolutely helpless.

  “Yet I do,” she said, closing her eyes. “All I can think about is having your arms around me and knowing it’s not going to happen for such a long time is killing me.”

  “Look at me, Mia!” he said sharply, not liking the tone of her words. “I may not be physically there with you, but I am here. Right in front of you, suga. Just open those eyes.”

  He watched helplessly as the tears spilled from her eyes and fell on her still flushed cheeks. Fuck this. He should not be watching his fiancée cry and not be able to comfort her. This whole situation fucking sucked.

  “I am not going anywhere. Come on. Look at me.”

  Finally, she raised her eyelids, revealing her dark, dewy eyes.

  “Hi,” Ethan said thankfully, relief filling him.

  “Hi,” she said gently.

  “I love you, suga,” he said. Her mouth twitched and she looked like she might cry again.

  “I love you, too,” she said, her voice breathy and quiet.

  “No more tears tonight.”

  “Why not?”

  “I don’t want to associate you crying with that gorgeous naked body of yours,” he said, winking at her and she gifted him with her laughter.

  “Are my tears turning you on?” she asked, wiping at her eyes.

  “No,” he frowned.

  “Lemme see,” she demanded, wagging her finger at the screen.

  “No!” he exclaimed, trying not to smile because he was very much at attention.

  “You’re turned on!” she roared, laughing hard.

  “You’re naked. What do you expect?”

  “I am naked,” she said matter-of-factly, a playful glint in her eyes as she adjusted her laptop, letting him see everything except her long legs.

  “Very,” he agreed. Wonderfully naked, Ethan thought, his eyes locked on her gorgeous bare breasts, longing to taste them. He wanted desperately to crawl through his screen and touch her. He sighed longingly.

  “What do you want, Ethan?” she asked, nervously toying with her lower lip.

  “To touch you,” he confessed.

  “Where?” she asked, her hands moving to her breasts. “Here?”

  “Yes,” he said gruffly as he watched her hands and fingers caress her breasts, her nipples hardening with her touch. He wanted to be doing that—and more. He sighed when he heard her whimper as her hand touched the sensitive nipple. Skype Prude no more, he thought happily.

  “Where to next?” she asked. God, she had no idea how sensuous her voice sounded right now.

  “Down over your stomach,” he replied, mesmerized as her hand meandered over her chest and stomach, finally stopping at her hips.

  “Lower?” Mia asked, her long fingers inching lower and lower as she waited for him to answer.

  “Yes,” he croaked. Her hand went between her legs and he moaned as he watched her middle and index fingers glide along the wet skin, slowly moving back and forth before she slid a finger inside of her pussy, her eyes fluttering shut.

  “Tell me, Ethan,” she whimpered.

  The screen went black and an error message popped up. He looked down and found that his Internet was out. “Stupid fucking snowstorm!” he cursed loudly.

  He frantically searched his room for his phone so he could call her.

  “Shit,” he swore, remembering it was downstairs in the k
itchen. He jumped out of bed and raced down the stairs, finally spotting it on the counter where he left it.

  He called her and as the phone rang, he hurried back upstairs in hopes that his Internet was back up. “Come on, suga. Pick up!” he said to himself.

  “Sorry I was busy with something,” she said as she answered, her voice strained.

  He sighed knowingly. “Fuck!”

  “What happened?” she said roughly.

  “Storm must have taken out the Internet. I’m so sorry, suga,” he said apologetically.

  “I guess we’ll just have to do that another time. It’s not like we won’t have any more opportunities,” she said with a light bitterness to her voice.

  “Mia,” he sighed.

  “Hey, I say that with a smile.”

  “No, you didn’t.”

  “You’ve got me there,” she muttered sullenly. “This really is not my day.”

  Ethan heard her heavy sigh and then a ruffle of fabric. His mind pictured her head falling back against her pillows. He wanted to be there, holding her, making it all better, instead of where he was.

  “What do you want me to do?”

  “Just talk about anything but this situation,” she answered quietly.

  “Okay,” he agreed, thinking of what to talk about. “Well, this may not be totally away from this, but my mom and sisters arrived this morning.”

  “Are they staying at the house?”

  “No way!” he blurted.

  “There’s plenty of room …”

  “That is true, but you were coming home and uh, I wanted privacy.”

  “What were you planning that we needed that much privacy?” Mia asked. He grinned, hearing the curiosity in her voice. He had planned to make love to her all over the house, any chance he got, beginning with her arrival.

  “Well, for one, I didn’t know if we’d even make it out of the car, and if we did get that far, I didn’t think we’d make it all the way upstairs.”

  “We seem to like having sex on the stairs, don’t we?” she said fondly.

  “Well, you can’t control your urges.”

  “What? Me?” she exclaimed. “You’re the one that can’t keep your dick in your pants.”

  “That’s because it would rather be in you,” he answered all too honestly.

  “Okay, this is turning me on,” she said, sounding a bit flustered. She cleared her throat. “So … what time is the game tomorrow?”

  “Seven thirty.”

  “So, would I have been sitting with your family?”

  “Of course,” Ethan answered, realizing just now that she would not be meeting his mother and sisters. His family would not be happy about that either. He realized he should have taken Mia to visit them this summer, but he had been selfish and wanted her all to himself, knowing she would be going on this long tour.

  “I really wanted to meet them,” she said wistfully.

  “I really wanted them to meet you. They talk about you all the time. ‘I saw Mia on this show’ or ‘I read about her in this magazine.’ My mom can actually pick out your songs on the radio.” His seventy year-old mother listening to the music of his twenty-nine year-old fiancée. After his mother told him that, Ethan sent her both of Mia’s CDs. He about fainted in happiness when she told him, “I like her. She’s got some spunk along with a beautiful heart.”

  “Oh, really? That’s so cute!”

  “My nieces and nephews all love you!”

  “How many do you have again?”

  “Seven. Five nieces and two nephews. Like ages thirteen to twenty-seven.”

  “Oh my God! Your sister could be my mom! I could be your niece!”

  “I have realized this,” he said laughingly.

  “So I’ll have nieces and nephews?” she asked hopefully.

  “Yes, and probably a great-niece, too. My oldest niece looks to be settling down.”

  “Holy crap!” Mia shrieked playfully. “That makes me feel old!”

  “Yeah,” he agreed, understanding that feeling all too well.

  “Well, you should. You are older.”

  “Haha, you’re so funny.”

  Ethan loved hearing her chuckle and loved seeing it even more. Checking his Internet once again, he frowned. It was still down.

  “Not back?” she asked quietly.

  “No. Sorry, suga.”

  “You should probably head to bed.”

  How he hated that she was right. “It’s going to be a crazy day tomorrow. I don’t know when I’ll be able to call you.”

  “It’s okay. I think I’m just going to hang with Marty and Todd. Maybe do some touristy things before the blizzard gets here.”

  “Alright, suga. I guess we’ll just play it by ear then.”

  “Are we going to be able to talk on Christmas at all?” she asked hesitantly.

  “Of course we are! I’ll call you Christmas morning before everyone shows up. Luke and Kaitlyn will be here, too.”

  “I want to be on Skype for that! I need to see Kaitlyn,” she said with a hint of desperation in her voice.

  “Okay, consider it done. Do you want to meet my family as well? I mean, it’s not in person but it’s the next best thing.”

  “Of course I do,” Mia said happily, making him smile. “Will all your nieces and nephews be there?”

  “No, just the four youngest ones.”

  He heard her muffled yawn and then she remained silent. Time to end the call, he thought sadly. “I think it’s time for bed.”

  “Unfortunately,” she agreed. “Good luck tomorrow. I love you.”

  “I love you, too,” Ethan told her and then hung up his phone. He plugged it into the bedside charger and reclined back in his bed. The thought of not being able to see her for another three months was unbearable. Somehow, he had to figure out a way to make the best of this situation—for both their sakes.

  Mia

  New York City, Christmas Eve 2007

  Mia awoke Christmas Eve still in her New York City hotel room much to her extreme disappointment. She had really hoped it was just a bad dream. She sat up and immediately regretted that decision. Her head pounded with a monster of a headache. Gingerly she lay back down and closed her eyes to block out the vicious light.

  That was a mistake, she thought. Way too much alcohol last night.

  But it wasn’t enough to drown out how depressed she felt, how frustrated she was with this entire situation. Nothing would fix this until she was back with Ethan. Ten more weeks. Mia sighed. She had no idea how she was going to get through this and sitting in bed would bring her no answers.

  She checked the time and grimaced. It was past noon. She was supposed to meet Marty for lunch. Guess it was going to be a late lunch now. Grudgingly, she got out of bed to get ready and was surprised to find herself naked.

  That damn Skype call left her very frustrated. She had needed a release well before that and that need had tripled after last night seeing her naked fiancé.

  Dragging her naked self to the bathroom, Mia got into the shower and about thirty minutes later, she was knocking on Marty’s door. He opened it and pointedly looked at his watch.

  “I know. I’m sorry. It was a little hard getting out of bed this morning.”

  “Hungover?”

  “Just a bit,” she answered, demonstrating how much by pinching together her thumb and index finger.

  He smiled. “Me too. Come on. Let’s go get some food.”

  “Where to?”

  “I saw a steakhouse …”

  Of course. That’s what they always did when it was just the two of them. Probably every single town they’ve been to, she and Marty have shared a meal, enjoying some kind of steak.

  They walked a couple blocks to the restaurant and were seated immediately. The lunch crowd was pretty much gone so the restaurant was nice and quiet. Only a few tables had patrons. Maybe this was the hangover crowd because everyone was way too quiet.

  Marty ordered a rib eye and
mashed potatoes and she ordered a filet mignon and a salad. They had chocolate cake and she definitely wanted a slice.

  They enjoyed their lunch and were only interrupted a few times for autographs. She was actually glad for the attention. It didn’t make her feel as alone.

  After lunch, Mia and Marty decided to go for a walk in Central Park. She had been in New York quite a few times and this was her first time walking through Central Park. It didn’t even seem like Christmas Eve with no snow on the ground. Supposedly, that would change and millions of New Yorkers would have a white Christmas.

  About twenty minutes into their walk, the weather started to change; the wind picked up, the sky grew darker and the air chillier. Not too long after, the snow started to fall lightly. The snowflakes spiraled out of the sky and kissed her cheeks.

  She snapped a photo of the picturesque scene before her. The snow was falling, dusk had settled in and, in the background was the Dakota, and in the foreground was the Bow Bridge.

  Thanks, Marty, for imparting that knowledge.

  Attaching the picture to a text, Mia sent it to Ethan and he replied immediately.

  Pretty!

  It is! Actually loving Central Park. Marty’s taking a lot of pictures now so I’m just waiting. It’s starting to snow much harder and I’m freezing! :(

  Then get your ass back to the hotel! LOL

  Marty won’t listen to me!! Why did I leave my warm winter coat on the tour bus?

  Because you knew I’d be keeping you warm?

  :( Don’t remind me!

  Sorry, suga. :( You know I love you.

  I love you, too. Good luck tonight.

  You watching?

  Yes. As are Marty and Todd. You better win!

  Ugh! The pressure! ;)

  I’ll get naked for you if you do …

  Totally winning now. :-D

  Okay. I’ve got to go. Dragging Marty away from here. I’ve got a layer of snow on me and we have at least a mile walk back to the hotel.

  <3 you, suga.

  The light snow didn’t last long. The snow fell harder and the blustery wind whipped right through her jacket. Her feet were freezing. Mia turned and found that the path was covered with snow.