Sweetness

by Jude Ouvrard

  Chapter ELEVEN

  FIRST CLASS HAD ITS PERK. I expected to fly economy, but, of course Calvin surprised me once again. We sat comfortably, holding hands, in large leather seats. We were offered wine, champagne and plenty of other things, but the best thing they gave me was a blanket. My eyes were heavy. The exhaustion and stress of thinking about this trip home had caught up with me.

  I had two restless nights before leaving the Big Apple. The idea of seeing Damien and my ex-best friend had my stomach tied in knots and my mind anxious. I didn’t know if the baby had been born yet. I certainly had no interest in seeing the baby. I’d dealt with so many swirling emotions in the past two days. The idea of Calvin meeting my family, visiting my hometown was nerve-wracking. He was going to have everyone talking and curiosity would probably be rife around town. Being in the public eye had a serious downside.

  Calvin woke me with sweet kisses when we were about to land. The warm weather, palm trees and the ocean – I had missed my home so much and watched anxiously through the windshield as we drove towards my parents.

  “I'm getting nervous,” Calvin admitted. He kept one hand on the steering wheel, one on my thigh. His knuckles had turned white on the one clutching the wheel. “I need to chill out.”

  “I’m nervous, too,” I admitted, “for different reasons.”

  As we left the airport, Calvin had rented a convertible Mercedes, which would make my sister go crazy. He was clueless up until now, but my sister liked everything that was flashy. She liked to get everyone's attention and she succeeded, pretty much all the time. Calvin drove the car according to my directions. I had to admit; this car was amazing.

  With the top down, the afternoon sun and breeze warmed my skin. Calvin’s hair was tied into a little bun, which I found extremely sexy and hard to resist.

  “We're almost there, baby,” I announced.

  Calvin took a deep breath and looked over at me anxiously.

  “Everything will be fine unless I see them.” Calvin knew who I was referring to, we’d spoken about my fears of running into my ex and Carolina. We were staying here for two nights, so the probability of seeing either of them was high. I’d grown up in a small town outside of Orlando, where everyone knew about everyone else's business. In a town that size, it would be hard to avoid them.

  “You know, I’ve never done this before. Meeting your parents is a really big deal.” Calvin laughed nervously. “What if they don’t like me? And what about your sister?! This is really nerve wracking.”

  “Hey... there is no pressure here, okay? My ex slept with my best friend and they either have or are having a kid together. How fucked up is that? My mom or my dad won’t judge a man who’s taking care of me like you do. There is nothing for you to worry about.”

  He nodded and visibly tried to relax.

  We got to the last red light before arriving at the ranch. The music in the car was playing loudly and I sang at the top of my lungs while Calvin laughed his ass off. I didn’t care who could see me, because only Cal mattered and I was happy that he had finally let go of his anxiety.

  Calvin kissed my hand that he was holding.

  “Don’t worry, Calvin. It will be all good. You are very likable.”

  The light turned green and Calvin didn’t miss a beat, pushing on the accelerator. We sped up, and he picked up on where I left off with the song and he sang the lyrics. It was a great attempt to make me laugh and it worked. I continued singing along with him until I saw the Hartwell Ranch sign, and a huge smile appeared on my face. I’m home!

  Calvin turned the volume down as we entered my parent's driveway.

  The house was hidden behind old trees, but after taking a left turn, it appeared as it had stayed imprinted in my mind for the past few months. It’s a three story white house and with white stables sitting a little further back. As soon as the car was parked, I honked the horn repeatedly and jumped out of the car. Calvin joined me, placing his hand on the small of my back and kissed my temple.

  “I’m nervous,” he said, loud enough for only me to hear.

  “I’m right here with you. You can do this.” I said back, my heart blooming with joy.

  “Iris!” I heard Rose shriek from the doorway of the stables. “Iris!”

  When I saw her, I started running toward her and I was sobbing. God, I had missed her so fucking much. Calvin stayed behind. I met Rose halfway and she jumped into my arms making me fall over on my ass. We laughed and cried with joy, rolling in the grass.

  “Holy shit.” I heard Calvin say from behind us.

  Rose grinned wickedly. “You didn’t tell him, did you?”

  I shook my head.

  Calvin strolled across, shaking his head in disbelief. “Am I... You girls are identical twins? No shit. I seriously can’t even tell you apart.” He looked away and looked back at us.

  “Don’t even think about dirty stuff, we’re not into that.” Rose liked to shock people for her own amusement.

  “Rose, shut up.” I punched her on the shoulder and got up. Never in a million years, would I share Calvin.

  She followed me, putting her arm over my shoulder and we faced Calvin who looked flabbergasted.

  “It’s like a two for the price of one deal,” he joked and I hit him on the arm too.

  “Honey?” My mom’s sweet voice changed the mood of the reunion with my sister.

  “Mom!” I ran into her arms and hugged her with all my strength. “I’m so happy to be here.” I sobbed in her arms. “Happy birthday, Merry Christmas.” I kissed her cheeks. “All the special days I’ve missed.”

  “Aww, my baby girl. Don’t cry.” She brushed away the tears on my cheeks. “Now, introduce me to your man.” She leaned closer and whispered. “He’s gorgeous.”

  “He is, Mom. He’s very special to me...not to mention, incredibly handsome.”

  Calvin met us halfway. “Nice meeting you officially, Donna.” He kissed my mother politely on the cheek.

  “You look even better in person, Calvin.” What? My sister and now, my mother? I rolled my eyes and Cal laughed.

  “Where is Daddy?” I questioned.

  “He should be here any minute. He had to feed the horses. Come on in, you guys must be thirsty after your trip.”

  I slid my fingers into Calvin’s and we walked inside the house.

  Nothing had changed inside the house; everything looked exactly the same as when I left. The pictures in the frames hadn’t changed and it still smelled of the Hawaiian house scent that my mom liked so much. I loved it here, I had missed it a lot, but now I felt like this wasn’t my home anymore. I had become a guest.

  “Don’t be shy. My home is yours,” Mom said to us. Calvin stood behind me and I didn’t know what to do with myself. It seemed awkward to be here now.

  Rose joined us and I felt Calvin’s body tense. I needed to talk to him, privately. “Follow me, I’ll show you around,” I suggested.

  He kept his hand on the small of my back, and it sent a vibration right through my belly. I took him to my bedroom, and locked the door behind us.

  “Look Calvin, I don’t want you to feel anxious or anything when my sister is around. I overreacted earlier and I’m truly sorry if it freaked you out.” I paused. “I didn’t tell you I had a twin because I wanted to see your face, your reaction when you found out.” I chuckled.

  “For a few seconds, I thought I’d gone crazy. You know I care about you, right?”

  “Of course, I do. Kiss me, baby.”

  He hesitated for a moment, glancing at the locked door before he lifted me into his arms and kissed me. Making out with him in my room turned me on, and I craved more. I waited for his lips to part, wanting to deepen the kiss.

  Calvin drew away from me, placing his hands on my shoulders. “Stop, I can't do this here now. We only just got here, I haven't even met your dad yet. It would be disrespectful and I don't think I’d be making a good first impression. Trust me, though, I really wish I could take you here,
now,” he said, with a sensual glint in his eyes.

  I had to do something to clear my mind, because all I could think about was everything we had done in the past few days. Sex. And a whole lot of it. His tattoos. His naked body and what he could do to me. “Have you ever been horseback riding?”

  “A long time ago,” he said and I could sense his resistance to the idea.

  “Follow me, cowboy.” I bit on my bottom lip trying to seduce him. I had a plan.

  We left the bedroom and walked out of the house, heading towards the stable. Mom and Rose were talking together in the kitchen, but I waved and reassured them I’d be back to chat later.

  “Daddy?” I called out as soon as we got to the stable.

  Dad appeared from inside one of the stalls. “Hey there, cowgirl. I'm sorry I didn't come up to the house when you arrived. I really wanted to get finished down here and be done for the day.” He smiled and pulled me into his arms. “You look great.”

  I pulled back and motioned to Calvin, who was standing quietly waiting behind me. “Dad, this is Calvin.” My heart was beating rapidly because I didn’t know how Dad would react.

  “He’s taller than I imagined.” Dad studied Calvin from head to toe before he offered him his hand.

  Calvin shook my father’s hand, businesslike with his shoulder and back straight. “As tall as a 6'3” can be,” Calvin remarked.

  “Hey, Dad, can Calvin borrow your horse? I want to show him around the property?”

  Dad looked horrified. Only very rarely would he let someone ride Blacky. He eyed Calvin warily. “Can you ride a horse?”

  Calvin shrugged. “Humm, I did once.”

  “Okay, that will do.” Dad forced a smile, seeing the pleading look in my eyes.

  While Dad finished feeding the horses and called it quits for the day, I got Blacky’s saddle and bridle and took care of adjusting everything perfectly for Calvin. Then I turned my attention to Polo, who seemed really excited to see me.

  I guided the horses out from the stable. Calvin followed closely behind.

  “If you don't want to ride your own horse, you can ride with me,” I offered.

  Calvin winked. “Can you ride me, instead?”

  “I hope to, sooner rather than later.”

  “Oh really?” Calvin grabbed me and swept his tongue across my lips.

  “Get your sexy ass on the horse, before I spontaneously combust.”

  He poked me in the shoulder and grinned. “One of the reasons I was attracted to you. You can't resist me.”

  A rush of heat spread from my sex, straight up to my cheeks. “Stop or you'll get me pregnant with that charm of yours.”

  He chuckled. I helped him to get up into the saddle, handed him the reins and I explained the basic things he would need to know. I climbed up onto Polo’s back and we slowly started forward. Calvin’s uncertainty concerned me at first, but he soon got the hang of it and he seemed to be enjoying himself. Once the house disappeared from view, I found the perfect spot to stop. There was a fence to tie the reins to and a big tree to provide shade. I had a number of fantasies about what could happen under that tree but I tried to control my naughty thoughts.

  “You can live here where everything is so calm and beautiful, but you decided to move to New York where there are noises every hour of the day. It doesn’t make sense.” He spoke as he looked around.

  “This is where I spent all my life. I love it, but I needed more action and New York seemed to be the perfect place.”

  “You got plenty of action.” He said with a sexy wink that made me melt.

  “Thanks to you.”

  “Your parents are working extra hard to maintain this ranch.”

  “Every day, it never stops. Raising horses is a passion. You end up loving the horses so much that you can’t live without them. They become part of the family. I know it sounds insane, but it really is how it works.”

  Calvin listened and looked sad. It hit me right then that he had never lived in a happy family like I had.

  “I wish you could have lived in a family like mine, Calvin. Every kid deserves loving parents. I’m sorry you were brought to life only to face hell.”

  He shook his head with his eyes closed. “Hating my life for years finally brought me to the point of being thankful for every good thing happening to me. My parents were broken human beings but life put me in the path of good people afterward. I’m good now.”

  I wanted to give him a hug or touch him but on my horse, I couldn’t do much.

  “Do you want to keep going or do you want to take a break?”

  He nodded. “I feel like I pulled a muscle or something.” He pointed to his groin. “I need a break.”

  “What about right here?” I flushed with shame at the thoughts returning on my mind.

  “Here?” Calvin responded, lifting an eyebrow.

  I nodded and jumped down from the saddle. When Calvin dismounted, I tied the reins to the fence.

  “Calvin, baby, come here.” I stepped closer to him and jumped into his arms, with my legs circling his waist. “Thank you for bringing me here. You are incredible and I am liking what we’re becoming a lot.”

  “I would do anything to make you happy. I didn’t want to see you sad again, not like you were at Christmas. You obviously missed them and I didn’t like that it made you so upset.”

  “You’re the best.”

  “I’m not. I’m only trying to give you everything I can.”

  How did I get so lucky? I started kissing, licking down his throat.

  “Are you sure about this?” he questioned doubtfully.

  I nodded enthusiastically. “Yes, totally.”

  “I've never done this before, meeting your parents is a first in itself, but I've never met the parents of...”

  “Thank you.” I cut him off, but I knew what he meant.

  “I want them to think I’m worthy of you.”

  “You are. My mom is already falling for you and my dad – you had him at football. There is nothing for you to worry about.”

  “Sweetness.” He lifted my chin up to his level with his fingertips.

  My mouth crashed against his. He pushed his tongue inside and entangled with mine. Calvin pulled back a little and nibbled my lip and up my jaw towards my ear. Shivers fluttered through every part of my skin. A groan echoed between us when I reached under his t-shirt. I gripped the curve of his ass in my hand, and caressed him hungrily. He pulled my top off and found my breast beneath my bra.

  “You’re a hand full; we're a perfect match, sweetness.”

  “We’re perfect together. Maybe we should work on our perfection again, right now.”

  “Without a doubt.” Setting me back on the ground, he unbuttoned my jeans and pushed them down. “What do you want?” He ran a finger down the side of my neck towards my breast.

  “Take me, show me how much you want me.” The tone of my voice sounded pleading to my ears.

  We dropped to our knees, never breaking the lock of our lips. Being outside, in nature, made it feel romantic. I never thought I would do this, but with Calvin nothing surprises me.

  Making quick work of removing my bra. Letting the straps slide slowly off my arms. His gaze focused on my naked breasts and he dropped the garment on the grass. The breeze fluting across my nipples aroused my sensitivity.

  “I’ve never wanted someone as much as I want you,” I declared, pushing his pants down to his knees. His erection sprang free and skimmed against my belly. “Skin, baby.” His body was always warm and felt so good against mine. He caressed my back and heaved me closer to him before we slowly lay on the grass. In the process, he removed the rest of his clothes and covered my whole body with his. The passion grew between us; his touch had become frantic as he squeezed my breasts and I marked the skin of his arms with my fingernails. Calvin pampered my neck and shoulder with kisses, as he moved to settle in between my thighs.

  “Sweetness you are always so ready for me,” he said
, pushing inside my body.

  I expected him to be fast and rough, but every one of his movement were soft and smooth. While he thrust into me, he ensured I loved every second of it. “This is me showing you how much I care, sweetness,” he whispered, kept up a steady rhythm which made my insides quiver.

  The sun’s rays glistened on Calvin’s sweat while the grass scratched against my back. Emotions rushed through me when I realized that today; he was making love to me. This wasn’t just amazing sex. How he acted, his attention towards me. Today, it was different.

  “I have feelings for you, Calvin; you’re making me feel all kinds of different emotions.” I rubbed my lips across his tattoos. The tension in the pit of my belly started to get stronger. I could barely control the noises coming out of my mouth and it seemed to excite him. His tempo accelerated and deepened, but he stayed soft and focused of me.

  His fingers interlaced with mine before he moved our hands over my head, forbidding me to move. The muscles of his arms flexed under my gaze, I loved seeing how strong he was. He lifted his body away from mine and slammed back in. He repeated the same technique a couple of times before the motion sent me hurtling to heaven. I convulsed under him, his lips locked on mine keeping my screams quiet. The hold on my hands loosened and Calvin came undone right after me. His sweaty and tired body fell against my side and he laughed.

  “I hope the horses enjoyed the show.” We started laughing uncontrollably, both butt naked and wrapped in each other’s arms.

  “I love this. Being here with you. I didn’t think about how it would feel, but it helps me put an end to my anger,” I admitted. “You bring joy, when everything used to hurt when I was here.”

  “I’ll always be there where you need me. You made the holidays so special for me. I felt alive, loved and it showed me how good it is to be with someone at home.”

  “Damien really crushed my heart. I didn’t come to New York in hopes of finding someone new.” I suddenly thought about Zach. For weeks, I’d hoped we would engage in something serious, but then, things changed dramatically. “But then I met you. When I saw you the first few times at the restaurant, I thought you were handsome but I never expect anything more than just seeing you there, as a customer. When I saw you at the Whiskey Bar,” I chuckled. “You showed me how things could be. I hated you and then, I wanted you.” I bit my lip. “You... I’m happy around you.”