“No, I’m not. This has nothing to do with the escort business.” I took a deep breath, gathering my bearings. “What would you say to moving to Malibu? Staying with Wes and me for a bit until you got your footing?” I started, and she cut me off.
“I would in a heartbeat, Mia, but that’s not going to solve the job problem. I’m not going to move there with the plan of someday scoring a job. That could take months, and you guys are just now back together. He’s got his own fucked up head shrinking shit to deal with, as do I. You really want to saddle yourselves up with another head case?”
“Yeah, yeah, I do. And you didn’t let me finish. Wes’s friend runs a small theatre out here. Very risqué dances, and they just lost their choreographer. Who better than a real life burlesque Las Vegas show girl to teach these skinny bitches with silicone breasts and plastic-filled lips how to shake their ass implants for top dollar in a Vegas-worthy show? It could be epic!” And hilarious, I thought.
Ginelle didn’t say anything for a long time. Shivers of dread rippled down my spine as I waited.
Finally she spoke, her voice small. “You got me a job as a choreographer? In an LA theatre? Oh my God,” she said, awe coating her words like a warm blanket on a cold day.
“Gin, now I don’t know what’s all involved, but it makes way more than you make now, like tons more, and you wouldn’t have to pay rent. You can stay in the small guesthouse we have off our home. You could live there for as long as you want. Hell, you can live there indefinitely.”
“You and Wes find me my dream job, offer me free room and board indefinitely, and the chance to move to the Sunshine State where my skanky ass best friend lives?”
I thought about what she said. Was there something I was missing? Another olive branch I could extend. A perk I could add to make her take this opportunity and run with it? “Um, yeah, pretty much.”
“Are you fucking snorting crack?”
Inhaling, I rubbed at my forehead. “Not since I last checked.” I attempted a half-hearted giggle.
“Then turn down my bed, biznacho! Your BFF is moving to the land of fruit and nuts! Holy fuck! I’m going to choreograph a burlesque show in LA. OMG, what am I going to wear?” She’d gone from psycho-sad to punch-drunk excited. This was the version of Ginelle I understood, loved, and adored more than any other version of her. Her happiness was transcendent and slithered through the phone to wrap around my worries and melancholy attitude in an intense squeeze of gratitude.
“Really?” I asked, making sure I’d heard her correctly.
“Hells, yeah! I’m fucking packing tonight! There’s so much to do. I have to give notice, pack, figure out my routines, drive to Cali. Do you know what this means to me, Mia?”
I smiled wide and held the phone tight to my ear. “I’m beginning to think I do!” I laughed, her joy spreading all over, giving me the cheesy warm fuzzies that told me I’d made the right decision. For once.
“It means my entire life has just changed for the better! And I have you and your Malibu Ken to thank for it. Put him on the line! I want to give him some virtual love,” she said ecstatically.
Shaking my head, I rested back down on the bed and hugged myself. “Can’t. He’s talking to Gina right now.”
Everything went dead silent. All I could hear was her labored breaths as I imagined her running around her house doing random things to prepare for this life change. “Excuse me? Why is that dirty cunt-face man-stealer in your house, talking to your man, and you’re not there.”
“That’s an awful lot of yours in one sentence.”
“Yeah, well, tell me I’m wrong. That man is yours. What gives?”
“True. But I trust him.” I twirled a lock of my hair around my finger. “They went through a lot together over there, Gin. He’s barely scratched the surface of the healing process. And she looks like shit.”
“Good!” she said too quickly. My best friend was fooling no one. She was as protective of me as I was of her, and according to Gin, I’d been wronged by Gina. Technically, I hadn’t, because Wes had been a free agent when he had relations with her. And I was also banging Tai at the time. It took him being with Gina for me to realize how much I wanted to be the only woman he’d make love to, kiss, sleep next to, and everything in between.
I had to bring Gin’s revengeful side under control. Especially if she was going to move out here. It was likely that Gina and Ginelle’s paths would cross. “Ginelle, really, it’s not good. If she had lost all that weight by throwing up or doing drugs, or the fear in her eyes was because she didn’t get a part or was brokenhearted over some other schlub, I’d rejoice. Problem is, some major trauma happened over there. Stuff I don’t even know that I could handle hearing, but I feel as though I have to in order to help Wes heal. He saw things that give him night terrors. And if Gina healing will help him, I have to find a way to be the bigger person. You know?”
Ginelle’s joking stopped all together. “So they hurt her pretty bad?” She was whispering as if someone else could hear her and she was trying to be respectful.
“My guess…irreparably,” I answered truthfully, not knowing how else to put it into words.
“Well you’re a better woman than I.”
I snickered. “Ain’t that the truth?” I turned the mood and brought it back to one that was strictly us.
“Oh, you dirty whore! I’ll give you that one. Only because you scored my ass my dream job and are letting me move into your Malibu mansion. You know, I may never leave.”
I shrugged and smiled. “Maybe I never want you to!” The truth was, I might not. Maddy was in Vegas, as was Pops. Millie and Wes were here. Max and his clan were in Texas. The rest of the people I loved the most in the world were all spread out. Having Gin here would lighten that heartache a little more. “How’s Pops doing?”
Ginelle hummed. “Well, his vitals are back to being good, and the doctors are hopeful he’ll wake up. It’s just a matter of time. According to the scan, his brain function is normal. The virus and the allergic reactions didn’t hurt him as much as they anticipated since he made it through.”
Closing my eyes, I sent up a major thank you to the big man upstairs. He’d spared my father and been merciful. Now it was a waiting game.
“And Maddy?”
“Oh, she’s totally fine. Back to school, living her life with Matt, being a normal overachieving twenty-year-old.”
“Good, that’s just what I want to hear.”
“You know, last time I talked to her she said she’d talked to Max a lot about Cunningham Oil & Gas and their research and science department. Apparently, she’s switching some of her classes to focus more on the earth and mineral sciences. Says she’s really considering going there after graduation and working under him. Even Matt said it was a good idea.”
“Yeah, but what about his family? They seem pretty tight,” I said.
“Apparently, no shit, his parents said they’d move to Texas. He’s an only child, and they’re getting closer to retirement. Max told Matt that he’d hire his dad on, his mom even. Something about family staying together or some bullshit.”
Of course he did. Max the fucking saint. He’d saved me, welcomed Maddy and me and everyone around us into the fold. I loved my brother, but this took the cake. Maybe that’s why he was so happy. He was the perfect example of do unto others as you would have them do unto you. He treated everyone with respect, loved his family more than anything else, and wanted everyone to be happy. In turn, he’d be happy the rest of his days. I got it. Made me wonder when the pressure to move to Texas would start on my end. I had a feeling sooner rather than later. That man liked being surrounded by family, and he was building his base. I wouldn’t put it past him to find some nugget that would get Wes and me to move to the Lone Star State. The beef alone was worth it. The heat, the nasty humidity, and what that shit did to my hair…blech. It would have to be something amazing for me to make that change. Having my baby sister there was a draw, and he kn
ew it. Get the little sister, and the big one will follow.
“Yeah, Max is something else.”
Ginelle sighed dreamily. “Girl, he’s all that and a bag of Wavy Lays potato chips, and you know how much I love those. You can never eat just one.”
“Are you hitting on my brother?” I pretended to be affronted.
“Does the sun rise in the East and set in the West? Have you seen your fucking brother? He’s a God in cowboy boots and a Henley!”
“Oh, brother,” I said not wanting to hear this about Max of all people.
“Damn right, oh brother. Only if it were me, I’d be screaming, ‘fuck yeah, Max. Harder, Max. Give it to me, Max!’” She howled and groaned for mass affect, making a little bit of vomit rise up and clog my throat.
“You’re sick.” I gagged.
“But you love me.”
“I need my head checked,” I said.
“While you’re doing that, I’ll be packing my shit. See you in two weeks. Love your ugly face, hobag!” Ginelle spouted and then hung up.
Damn. She’d won that round. I’d win the next.
Chapter Six
The blood-curdling scream tore me from the sweetest dream. As this was the new norm, I hopped out of bed, hit the light switch, and watched as the man I loved tossed, turned, and cried out, lost to the demons lurking within the deepest places in his mind. It broke my heart. His body arched, his bare chest glistening in sweat curved towards the heavens, as if his whole being were reaching for salvation. The thick ridge of his cock tented his boxer briefs in a vulgar display of his virility. Before I woke him, I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, allowing his screams to put me in the state I needed to be. Commanding, strong, the tool to bring him back from the depths of despair, over and over. I’d be that and more, until eventually, he’d find peace. There was no other option. Wes would find serenity again.
Slipping the nighty over my head I let it drop in a silken puddle to the floor. I checked my emotions at the door and pushed down my underwear.
Standing strong, I roared. “Wes!”
I stood naked, bare for him as his eyes opened in a flash. The pupils were almost entirely black, I couldn’t even discern a hint of green. He was an animal. Lost to his fears, he zeroed his eyes in on me.
“Mine!” he growled between clenched teeth and then lunged forward. His mouth was on my tit in what felt like an instant. Pleasure ripped through the painful suction. Hands groped and tugged at the cheeks of my ass while he ground his rigid cock against me.
“That’s right. All this is yours for the taking. All you have to do is tell me why you love me,” I stated while gripping his hair and holding him tight against my breast. This was a new method I was trying. A theory I had. Make him remember why I was here. Bring him back to the present moment so the memories of captivity would drain from his subconscious more quickly.
“I love fucking you!” He pressed against me and walked me up against the wall until my back slammed against the surface. He switched breasts and his lips covered the other one. His fingers curled around the heavy globe, two fingers plucking the tip, twisting to the point where strands of pleasure stung and threaded a gossamer web to my clit.
I gasped and nudged my legs wider so I could get more of him. “But tell me what you love about me, and I’ll let you sink so deep inside I won’t be able to breathe.”
Wes’s mouth tore from my nipple with a plop, the tip swollen and glistening from the attention. I mewled at the loss. His mouth came at mine, and I turned my face to the side, preventing the kiss I wanted more than anything.
“What are you doing?” he grated through his teeth, anger seeping past the lust I knew was there, clouding the healing process.
I lifted a leg and rubbed my wet sex along is thigh, coating his skin and proving my desire. His eyes narrowed. “Do you love me?” I asked again.
His voice was hard, each word a staccato beat against my fragile heart. “You. Know. I Do. Now. Give. Me. What. I. Need.”
I shook my head, pushed his boxers down where he stepped out of them without losing eye contact. With all the strength in my legs I hopped up, swinging them around his waist. He caught me by the ass as if I weighed nothing. He inhaled sharply when he pressed me into the wall, his cock wedged between my thighs. So close, yet so far. He’d never take me without permission. At least not during one of his terrors. Something inside him prevented him from going that distance, and for that small favor, I was thankful.
Tunneling my hands into his hair, I held him firmly. “Give me what I need, and I will.” I ran my tongue along his neck. The salty goodness of ocean and man made my taste buds tingle. Wes moaned, pressing the steel of his manhood against my clit, rubbing me, mercilessly seeking what I was denying. Pulling my head back, I held him close, nose-to-nose. His pupils decreasing allowed the green to fill the void. Smiling, I leaned forward and softly dragged my lips against his, a brief touch, a soft caress, reminding him where he was. He sighed into my mouth, accepting the light kiss. “Tell me why you love me,” I said again.
One of Wes’s hands left my bum and burrowed into my hair, and he held me at the nape. His thumb rested along my cheek, tender and loving. I was crushed against the wall by his big body. There was no way I’d slip down or he’d allow even an inch to separate us. In that moment, we were connected physically, mentally, and more importantly, emotionally.
“Loving you is as natural as breathing. I need you in order to live. You, Mia. You give me the breath of life.”
Tears filled my eyes as I rested my forehead against his. “Come inside, baby. Take what you need.” I gave the cue he’d been waiting for.
“I love you,” he said while jutting his hips and entering me hard and fast, all the way to the root. “I fucking love every inch of you. More than anything,” he said on a particularly deep thrust that made me gasp and bang my head against the wall. “I love being connected to you, inside the woman I can’t live without.”
“Every day I love you more,” I repeated his words from earlier.
His thumb traced my cheek as his hips relentlessly pounded into me. “Thank you. Thank you for bringing me back time and time again.” He jackhammered his hips, thrusting over and over, sending my body spiraling into a state of bliss. He always got me so high I swear I could reach for the stars when he made love to me.
Pleasure, pain, and love tingled all over my body. I’d done it. I’d brought him back. I turned the tables on his night terror fuckfests and made them end in something beautiful. The walls of my sex clenched, grabbing hold of him as he rammed against that spot inside me that made me howl. I strained against him, arching into his chest, our sweat mingling, our bodies merging, our souls dancing. Lights flashed and the ocean breeze skipped across my skin from the open window. Wes groaned his release, biting into the tender skin where shoulder and neck met. The hot bursts of his essence shot into me, triggering my own meltdown. I came hard, clamping around him, my arms, legs, holding him inside. I never wanted to let go.
“Thank you,” Wes whispered against my cheek while panting in my ear. “Thank you, sweetheart.” He clung to me like a desperate man. Holding me so tight I could hardly breathe, but it didn’t matter. My love was his breath, and I’d live through the simple act of loving him.
* * *
The next morning when I woke, Wes wasn’t there. I’d become used to waking up with his warmth and familiar weight near me, locking me tight to his form. After last night, I worried what the morning hours would bring. How would he react to the naked truths during the light of day? Glancing at the clock I noted it was early, really early. The sun was just rising over the horizon. I walked unclothed out onto the balcony, unconcerned about my state of undress.
A lone form stood out in the distance as the sun slowly made its climb. I wanted to share this new day with him, bask in the glory of our love, of the darkness we’d fought last night and won. Only he sought out the solace of the ocean, the tranquil beauty of Mother Na
ture’s gifts and not the warmth of my body and presence next to him.
With a heavy heart, I picked up my white string bikini. It was made more for desire than for efficiency, but it was on top of the stack Judi had washed so I threw it on. Thinking twice, I grabbed the white undershirt Wes had worn yesterday and covered the suit, giving me a more decent look. If I was going to talk to Wes and find out where his head was, I didn’t want to muck that up by enticing him physically.
Trudging through the sand on bare feet, I walked the few hundred feet to the tide line. Wes was standing just inside the water’s edge, allowing the waves to tag his ankles and rush back in again. His feet were sturdy in the sand, holding him upright. He wore a pair of loose linen pants that he’d rolled up to the knee and nothing else. For long minutes I just stared at him, more enamored with his beauty than that of the ocean beyond. The long layers of his dirty blond hair ruffled in the breeze, his bare chest a golden hue against the sun’s first rays. I could tell by the rigidity in his shoulders and stance that he was not at ease.
I approached slowly, making enough noise that he’d hear my footfalls in the sand. He turned his head as I got close. The lost look he’d had left in an instant, obliterated by light and love. Wes took in my body from my feet to my wild mane of hair blowing in the breeze and gave me the one thing I’d wanted since he’d come home: a giant all teeth and gums smile. It stole my breath, and before I knew it, I was running, sand kicking up behind me as I made my way to him. At the last second, I jumped, and he caught me midair and swung me around. I held tight wanting to memorize this, lock it into my heart and soul so that I could visit it any time I was sad, worried, or frustrated. My Wes, the man I fell in love with…a piece of him was back.
Calendar Girl: October: Book 10 Page 6