by LK Collins
“I love it.”
“So do I. Here,” I say, passing her the drink and sitting next to her. I stretch my arm behind her and she gets comfy on my chest. Both of us stare out into the vast horizon. There aren’t a lot of people in the water, but lots walk by enjoying the nice June day.
“Can we stay here forever?”
“You’ve said that before,” I tease her. “You did in New York and now.”
“It’s been nice to get away.”
“This might sound crazy, but just hear me out, okay?”
She kisses my neck and says, “Of course.”
“Quit your job. Help me manage my career.”
“Bain, that’s crazy. Plus, you have James.”
“And he’s busy. Things are only going to get crazier.”
“I don’t know. You haven’t even been signed with anyone yet.”
“Are you doubting my abilities?” I joke.
“Absolutely not.”
“Good,” I respond and set my drink down, kissing her soft lips, then guiding her to lie down on the large outdoor couch. For being a woman that knows what she wants, she sure lets me take control when I need it. We are a good pair like that. There are times I need her to control me.
She takes her hands and knots them into the back of my hair. I weave mine tightly into the back of hers and take my time trailing my lips over her mouth, beginning slowly then gaining more access. Finally, with our tongues fully connected, I kiss her the way I love. Her knees are slacked and my dick is as hard as ever.
“God, I wanna fuck you so badly.”
“Then do it.”
“There are people a hundred yards away.”
“So, let them watch. I want your cock inside of me now and I don’t want to wait.”
I stare at her, so taken aback by her words that it almost makes me come thinking about what she wants me to do. “Dammit, Bain, fuck me.”
Placing my hand over her mouth, I tell her, “Shhh, be quiet.”
She smirks at me, reaching between us and pulls her pants down. I slide my shorts down a little and look around. Then grip my cock at the base and slam into her. She cries out in pleasure, but my hand still covers those sweet lips, muffling the noise.
“You asked for it. Now be fucking quiet.”
Her breathing is heavy. Her chest heaving up and down, up and down. But my demand quieted her noises. Taking both of my hands, I hold her face and fuck her gently. I’m so turned on that someone walking by could see us. Her pussy is my kingdom – it was made for my cock and I love how perfectly we fit together.
Working her like this, she pulls my neck to her mouth and begins to suck on my skin. It helps to muffle her uncontrollable noises so I let her, knowing that it might leave a mark. It’s better than having to slow down.
“Fuck, baby, I love your pussy.”
Saying the word “love” so freely makes me realize that maybe my feelings for her are more than I ever intended them to be. I do love more than her pussy. Fuck, I love every goddamn thing about her.
Her heels are dug into my legs, holding us tightly together. Then she relinquishes her orgasm over to me and I lose it. She tightens that sweet pussy, holding my dick like a vice, causing me to grunt like an animal. Letting go, I come inside of this beautiful woman I love. Dammit, I love her. She told me to not have feelings for her and to just fuck, but I’ve failed miserably.
How could I not, with what we’ve been through and helped each other cope with? I slow my movements, so torn up by my mind-fuck. She protests my stopping and grabs my ass, pushing and pulling me in and out of her.
Upon opening my eyes, all of my fears fade away. Her eyes are closed and her bottom lip is sucked into her mouth. I keep my movements strong, and watch her as her face changes. Pleasure takes over her body, blood pulsing under her light skin, which is now covered in a sheen of sweat. Staring at her, she never opens her eyes and only trembles lightly. However, it lasts for at least a full minute and I don’t stop as aftershocks give little jolts here and there. I don’t know how to handle this or why I didn’t see it coming. Maybe I should talk to her this weekend and be honest and tell her my feelings?
_____
“I swear to God, Bain, if you put me in that water, I’ll—”
“What?” I ask holding Arion in my arms, pretending to throw her into the freezing Atlantic.
“I’ll leave, that’s what.”
“Oh, are you going to drive away in your invisible car?” I tease.
She glares at me and I tense up, pretending to toss her. Instead I sit down with her resting comfortably in my hold.
“I would never do anything you didn’t want me to, even joking,” I reassure her.
“Thank you. Not only for that, but this entire weekend. It’s been great so far.”
“It has, hasn’t it?”
She nods her head and yawns a little. I watch her feet as she moves her toes in the sand. “Do you want to go out for dinner tonight?” I ask.
“Yeah, that would be great.”
“So, I know we said no cell phones this weekend, but James left me a message. The Knicks want me to come work out at their facility. It would be close to home if I got drafted there.”
“That’s really good, right?”
“For sure. When a team wants you, this is what you hope for.”
“What all will you do when you’re there?”
“I’ll practice, meet everyone, do interviews, and see if overall I’d be a good fit. I’d love to go to the Knicks.”
“When are you going?”
“Tuesday. Will you come with me?
“I have work.”
“If you’d quit, you could come and not have to worry about a thing.”
“I can’t do that, Bain.”
“Come on, babe, please.” I give her my best guilt trip. Being away from her makes me sick. I can’t imagine doing it all the time.
“Wherever you get drafted, we’ll figure things out. But I’m not quitting my job.”
I kiss her hair, not pushing the subject any further. I can’t push things with her. I already tried last night to tell her how I was feeling. She instantly clammed up and shut me down, looking at me like she did in the beginning when she kept reiterating the rules. I don’t need that anymore. I’ve accepted our relationship for what it is. I just want her and I’ll take her any way that I can get her. End of story.
“Come on then, let’s get ready for dinner.”
While Arion is in the shower, I check my phone. Thankfully, James hasn’t called again. Compared to his messages earlier, this is nice. I told him I was taking a few days and he now seems to respect that.
I get dressed in a pair of faded jeans and a t-shirt. I don’t care that my tattoos are showing tonight. In fact we’re going somewhere that accepts them. Heading back into the master bedroom, Arion enters and my dick gets hard. She’s in jeans like me, with a thin white tank top and clearly no bra. Her frozen nipples are hard and erect, pushing against the fabric. Looking down at myself in my jeans and white t-shirt, we are so much alike.
“Come on, we don’t wanna be late,” I respond.
She smirks at me and walks by, sliding on her flip-flops.
“So where are we going?” she asks, buckling her seat belt.
“Dinner.”
“No shit. Where?”
“I can’t tell you that. What I can tell you is there is more to the night than just the meal.”
She contemplates my words, thinking really hard about them. I love watching her wheels spin. She looks absolutely adorable when she’s deep in thought.
Checking my phone, I look at the directions one more time and pull onto the freeway. God, I hope she doesn’t freak out and likes what I have in store for tonight. She has talked about it before, so it’s not like what I have planned will be totally out of left field. If she doesn’t want to do it, then she doesn’t have to. But I sure as hell am. Fuck, I can’t wait.
Glancing at Ar
ion, she looks relaxed. “Does Virginia have a basketball team?” she asks.
I shake my head. “No, unfortunately they don’t. You like it here?”
“Yeah. It’s relaxing, maybe it’s more the water than anything.”
“You wanna live on the water?”
“I would love to.”
“Then we’ll live on the water,” I confirm.
“Bain, come on, you know that might not happen. What if you got picked by Denver or somewhere without the ocean?”
“Then we could live on a lake. Fuck, A, I’d buy you a lake.”
“You really are something else.”
“And so are you. So what’s your choice? Wendy’s or Taco Bell?”
She stares up at the two restaurants as they sit opposite each other in the parking lot. “Are you serious right now?”
“As serious as I’ve ever been. Come on, I told you I don’t want to be late.”
“To what, dinner?”
“No, what’s after dinner.”
“Fine. Wendy’s. But whatever you have up your sleeve, it better be good.”
“It will be, trust me.”
I go through the drive through and order our food. She just stares at me. I’m not sure if she’s pissed that we went through the drive through or if it’s the fact that we are at Wendy’s in general.
“We could’ve gone to Taco Bell if you’d prefer,” I say with a mouthful of food. I haven’t been eating like this lately and it tastes absolutely fucking delicious.
“I told you I’m fine. Stop worrying.”
“Okay.”
Once we finish our food, we make the short trip across the street, to where our appointment is. When I put the car in park, her jaw drops.
“Why are we here?” she asks.
“’Cause we have an appointment. Let’s go!”
-Arion-
Staring into the window of the crowded tattoo shop, I suddenly become uneasy. I know I told Bain that I wanted a tattoo, but I didn’t think he would actually make it happen.
“Come on, babe, this guy is world renowned for his work. He used to work in Jersey and he’s done a ton of mine, you’re gonna love him, I promise.”
“I don’t know, Bain, I haven’t even had the time to really think about it.”
“It’s okay. If you’re not feeling it, you don’t have to. I’m going to get Kinsey’s portrait tattooed on my chest, so you’ll have lots of time to think about yours.”
He gives me a reassuring squeeze on the knee and we hop out of his car. The shop is in a strip mall. It all looks brand new and is very modern with all kinds of cool art all over. There are patrons inside and out, and the moment we walk in, Bain is recognized. “What up, man?” the guy behind the counter greets Bain, coming around to give him a hand shake.
“Not much, how’s the new shop?” Bain asks.
“It’s great, we’re really busy.”
Then another guy comes from the back. “I was just setting up for you guys. It’s great to see you, bro.”
“You too,” Bain responds, shaking his hand. “Tommy, this is my…this is Arion.”
He corrects himself and doesn’t call me his girlfriend. I’m a tiny bit hurt by this. Then again, I have been the one who’s been shut down and reserved when it comes to feelings. Plus I was very clear in the beginning, no feelings whatsoever. I told him we could try and see where things led, but that was it. There wasn’t any more that I gave him to work with so I can understand what he’s trying to do.
“It’s great to meet you, Arion. Bain said this is your first tattoo?”
“Yeah, it is, so please forgive me if I’m a little nervous.”
“It’s all good. You can watch how Bain takes it. Come on back.”
We head back to where Tommy has everything set up and he holds up a sketch. I can tell right way that the picture is of Kinsey.
“I love it,” Bain exclaims.
“Good, now you know the drill.”
Bain smirks at him, lifting his white t-shirt above his head. Once he has it off, he passes it to me and I set it in my lap, taking my seat next to Bain. I watch as Tommy shaves what little hair is on his chest, then the two guys talk about where to place the stencil.
Watching all this take place makes me think…do I really want to get a tattoo? And if I do, should it be something for Nate? I’m not sure how Bain would feel about that. Then again, he did bring me here after we talked about getting something together for each of us losing those closest to us.
Once the stencil is set, Bain checks it in the mirror, then lays back and looks at me as Tommy starts the first line of what I’m sure will be many.
“You okay?” he asks me.
“Yeah.”
“What are you going to get?”
I shrug my shoulders unsure. The buzz of the tattoo gun is quieter than I expected. I watch Tommy do his work, keeping a steady line and think about what in the world I want to get.
“You’re going to get something for Nate, right?” Bain asks.
I think about his question wondering how in the world he can be so cool with me getting a tattoo representing another guy. Granted, I know it’s because I lost Nate, a lot like he lost his sister, and we’ve connected over that. It’s a bond that has made us strong and that’s brought us together.
“I really don’t know, Bain. I’m torn.”
“What are your thoughts?” he asks as if Tommy isn’t carving a needle into his chest. He’s so calm and relaxed. It’s almost like he likes the pain. I shake my head unable to give him a solid answer. “When you said you wanted to get a tattoo, what were you thinking?”
“I was thinking ‘Nate’ in cursive, but not now.”
“Why?” he asks dead serious.
I look him straight in the eyes. “Because of you.”
“That’s why I brought you here. Get what your heart feels. If it’s his name then get it.”
I hear what he is saying, but I don’t believe him. I don’t believe that he would want to kiss every inch of my body including the part that said ‘Nate.’ Jesus, I finally have the opportunity to get a tattoo, but I can’t decide.
“There are some books on the counter. If you wanna look through them, you can,” Tommy offers.
“I want something different.”
“I get that,” Bain says. “What about a quote?”
The moment he says the word, I know what to get. “Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow.”
“Albert Einstein?” Bain confirms.
I nod my head and he winks at me. “I love it, babe. Can I add it below mine too?”
“Sure.”
I sit back feeling content, knowing what and where my tattoo will go. I’ve always envisioned one on my ribs, so that’s an easy choice.
“Are you nervous?” Bain asks me.
“Not at all. More excited than anything.”
_____
“Let me wash it for you, baby.”
I shake my head, still not sure how I made it through the hour tattoo. It was the worst pain I’ve ever endured. I can’t even imagine touching my skin right now as it is finally not screaming at me. “Don’t act like this. You have to wash it, so it’s either you or me.”
I scowl at Bain as he sits next to me. He’s shirtless with the bandage still covering his chest. His tattoo of Kinsey is gorgeous. Tommy does amazing work; no wonder Bain has had him do so much of his.
Finally, he stands up and stares down at me with irritation in his eyes. “Either get up, or I’ll pick you up and I’m sure it will hurt.”
I know he’s not joking so I stand on my own and take his hand as he extends it to me. Without speaking a word, he walks us to the bathroom and starts the shower. “Arms up,” he orders coming over to me.
I listen, standing with my eyes fixated on his beautiful face. Reaching down, he gently grasps the hem of my shirt and kisses me before lifting it over my head. His lips still give me a stomach full of butterflies.
>
Next he moves to my pants and I let him take care of me. Taking control of us and the situation the way he has so many times. As I stand naked before him, he kneels in front of me. Steam from the shower begins to fill the room, warming my body, causing me to shiver. Placing a large warm hand on my abdomen, he grabs the corner of the tape that holds the bandage to my skin. “Ready?”
“Mm-hmm.”
“God, you’re beautiful,” he says slowly peeling the tape off. I watch his tattooed hand, slow and steady. His patience and care makes any ounce of pain, vanish. Finally, he drops the ink-blood-stained bandage and stands, checking the water before shooing me in. I’m hesitant to get in without him, but he doesn’t waste a second shredding off the rest of clothes and then tearing his bandage off, as well. He showed much more care and patience with me than himself. “Are you okay?” he asks, grabbing a bottle of soap off of the counter then sliding in next to me.
“I am. Thank you, Bain. Thank you for everything.”
“Of course. Why don’t you wash mine so you can see what it feels like. You don’t need to use a lot of pressure, okay?”
I smirk at him and give my hand to him. He pumps a squirt of soap in it and says, “Wash your hands first.”
I listen and then reach out for more soap. He gives it to me and I rub a lather together before pressing it against his hard chest. He doesn’t look at what I’m doing, he only watches my eyes. I make small circular motions over the beautiful portrait of Kinsey. When the tattoo was finished and Bain’s chest was compared to the actual picture, they were identical.
“That’s enough,” he says and turns into the water, the soap rinsing away leaving a masterpiece. Below it is our matching quote, which I absolutely love. Holding out the soap, he squirts some on his fingers and goes to touch my tattoo. I freeze waiting for his fingers to make contact with my skin. “Are you okay if I do this?”