Compromising

by C. C. Brown

  She nodded her head, then reached out for me, latching onto my head and pulling me down towards her warm and deliciously moist center. I couldn’t wait to get back inside of her, but first things first, I had to get her good and worked up, making sure that when I got inside she’d crumble from the feel of it alone. It had been a while since Cassie had been interested in sex, and the excitement that filled me at the moment left me fearful that I wouldn’t last long when I finally got the chance to get back inside.

  I worked her panties down her leg, then kissed my way back up. Her scent filled my senses, making my cock jump in excitement. I saw Cassie’s perfectly pink center and my tongue dived in. Cassie’s legs buckled at my intrusion, a shrill scream filling the room as I held tight. My tongue licked and swirled around to taste every inch of her. She tasted just as delicious as before, even more so since there was a distinct difference about her. There was no meal on earth more fulfilling or satisfying that what I had at the moment.

  I swirled my tongue inside, pulling back occasionally and sucking her sweet juices as they began to flow. Her legs began to tremble, signaling her release was near, but there was no way that I wanted her coming without me buried deep inside of her. I moved to my knees, then held her legs open and pulled her towards me.

  “Time to make you come undone, Blondie.”

  She didn’t respond, instead shutting her eyes and biting down forcefully on her bottom lip. I slid into her, blowing out a long, hard breath as I settled in. The tight fit of her pussy, her walls clenching down on me, sent shock waves coursing through my body. I wasn’t sure how long I’d last, but that didn’t matter. I needed her, and thankfully, she was there…all mine for the taking.

  Holding her thighs in my hands, I rocked her to and fro, giving my cock the satisfaction it had been craving for too long. Cassie was the cure for everything wrong in my world, and the physical closeness of me deep inside of her solidified that. Her hands gripped her hair, fisting tightly as her head began to thrash side to side. Her soft moans grew to harsh, laboring pants. She shouted a few orders and demands, making me pick up the pace and work her into a frenzy.

  I dug deeper, feeling like I could reach the depths of this beautiful girl and it still wouldn’t be enough. Droplets of sweat filled my hands, causing to me to lose my grip on her thighs, but I readjusted, then pounded harder and deeper into her until the trembling could be felt in my own body. I bit down on my own lip, feeling the coming explosion beginning to take over.

  “Come for me, Blondie. I’m coming!”

  In almost perfect unison, Cassie and I cried out our release, coming undone together. I stilled, filling her with a violent release that left me completely spent. Careful of her belly, I leaned down and kissed her before falling to her side.

  She turned to face me, a coy smile spreading across her lips. “I think someone is feeling better.”

  “You always make me feel better, babe. Always.”

  ++++

  Two days later, my grandma, Adriana, and Abel were packing their bags to make the trek back down to Santa Ana. It had felt good having them around, even if it were only for a short time. Adriana had spent time with Jensen, which I fucking hated, but Cassie was teaching me to mind my own business and allow her to be her own person. I had always been the authority in Adriana’s life, and it was hard giving that up, but we agreed to disagree on Brandon Jensen.

  “You take care of your mama. Okay, little man?”

  “I will, Nino.”

  I held Abel in my arms, kissing his forehead before placing him down on his feet. He immediately ran to the door, like he couldn’t wait to get out of there.

  “I love you, Abuelita.”

  “Te amo, Alejandro. You take care of Cassie,” she ordered, her finger up in my face.

  Laughing, I brought her in for a hug. It amazed and pleased me that she had put her earlier reservations away and had accepted Cassie wholeheartedly. Losing my mom made me realize that all of the women in my life needed to be one functioning unit, not a fractured mess splitting me every which way.

  She walked over to Cassie and enveloped her in a hug, whispering something in her ear that made Cassie laugh. I made a mental note to ask Cassie about it later.

  “Call us when you make it home, Adriana. This is a long, shitty drive.”

  “I will. Thanks for opening your home to us. Love you guys.”

  Adriana and Cassie hugged, holding on to one another before Adriana pulled back and rubbed Cassie’s belly. “I love you already, little one.”

  “It’s a girl,” I quipped.

  “Shut up, Alex. You don’t know.” She turned my way and hugged me, holding on longer than necessary and whispering in my ear, “I hope it’s a girl too…a little Imelda growing in there.”

  We were in sync. I felt the same way.

  When the house was empty, I grabbed Cassie a tall glass of water and sat her down in the living room. Nat and Riley had gone snowboarding in Big Bear for a couple of days, leaving Cassie and me peacefully alone.

  “Sit down. I have something I want to do for you.” I ran down the hallway into our room, pulling out my guitar and taking it back out to the living room where Cassie sat.

  Her eyes lit up when she saw it. “What are you playing for me?”

  “Whatever you want, Blondie. What are you and my little girl in the mood for?”

  She sat thinking, tapping her temple to exaggerate the act. “How about Wonderwall by Oasis?”

  I strummed the chords as Cassie sang the words. We went through a few more songs before the perfect song crept into my head, making me stop and stare up into the most beautiful green eyes I had ever seen. After a slight pause, I began strumming the chords for the beginning of Sweet Annie by Zac Brown Band. I’d heard the song in my truck on the way to work one morning and immediately placed myself and Cassie into the lyrics, then played it over and over again. Tears filled Cassie’s eyes as she listened to me play. The song was us to a tee. I never wanted to spend another day apart because I had found everything I needed in her.

  “You know my emotions are all over the place. Why would you play that song?” she asked through sniffles.

  When I’d finished, I dropped the guitar and took her in my arms, kissing her over and over again. “That song was written for us, Blondie. You’ve put up with me, saw me through some bad times, and you’re still here. I don’t know how else to show my love and appreciation.”

  No words were spoken as she took my face in her hands and kissed me, pressing her plump lips to mine.

  We cuddled on the couch together, Cassie in front, me behind with my hand affixed to her belly. This was perfection at its finest, and there was nothing in the world that would ever take this away.

  ++++

  The next day, our momentary peace and quiet was no more. Riley and Nat came barging through the door, screaming their asses off at one another. Cassie was in our room sleeping. She’d had a rough night and finally caught a break, so I’d put her to bed, hoping she could sleep now to make up for her restlessness the night before.

  “What the fuck is wrong with you two? Cassie is sleeping.”

  “Ask your boy, Chris, Mr. Fucking Popular on the Mountain.”

  The look on his face showed amusement while her’s showed wrath. I could tell this would be an interesting story that I’d side with Riley on, further pissing Nat off.

  “Well, what happened?” I asked, unable to contain my laughter. It was funny seeing cute, little Nat angry as a fucking bull and ready to charge.

  “Well, she is mad—”

  “Shut up, Chris. Anyway, I’m pissed off at your boy here because the second I leave his side, he’s got bitches for days lining up to be around him. One bitch even kissed him. I yanked her ass by those fake, bleached blonde extensions of hers, then let them fall in the snow to keep her ass away from my man.”

  I burst out laughing. Picturing Nat grabbing some chick by her hair and screaming in her face, was much too comi
cal to hold it in.

  “What did you do, asshole?”

  “I laughed. But then I grabbed Nat since Bridgette was ready to go toe to toe.”

  “Yeah, and we got asked to leave the resort. Your boy thought it was funny the entire way home, but I didn’t think so. If I could have snatched that bitch’s lips off her face, I would have done it.”

  Cassie’s voice could be heard from our bedroom, making me frown over in the fighting fucktard’s direction. “You two assholes woke her up. She didn’t sleep at all last night.”

  “Alex, she’s pregnant, lay off of her. I think you’ve done enough.”

  “Man, get your chick. Go fuck this aggression out of her while I go and tend to mine.”

  Nat flipped me the bird as I walked past her and into the room where Cassie was sitting up with her phone in her hands. My smile immediately faded as I took in her expression.

  “What’s the matter?”

  “Just got a text from Taylor.”

  That was the last thing I wanted to hear. I didn’t know that fucking girl, but I disliked her immensely. She was a fucking thorn in my side, even from far away.

  “You woke up for a text, Cassie? Jesus Christ, get some damn sleep.”

  “I was already awake, Alex.”

  “Fine. What did the bitch want?”

  “Alex!”

  “Fine. What does she want?”

  She swallowed, looking at the phone again, then back at me. “My mom is in the hospital. She overdosed on pills.”

  I felt nothing for Emmalyn. She’d been on a pill binge for far too long, so hearing of her overdose did nothing but confirm for me what I thought would eventually happen to her anyway. “What else did she say?”

  “Alex, don’t be so callous.”

  “What the fuck do want me to say, Cassie? This has been a long time coming.”

  “Nothing, it doesn’t matter.”

  She was pissed, and her attitude concerning my attitude was doing nothing but further pissing me off. We were circling the wagons, accomplishing nothing. “If Taylor texted you to make you feel guilty, it’s fucking working. Your mom is a poison…a cancer. You have a responsibility to nurture our daughter, and I’m not letting anyone jeopardize that.”

  “Alex, shut up, for two seconds. My mom has been in the hospital for two days now. She begged Taylor to call me, but Taylor refused, saying we drove her to binge out on pills.”

  I laughed off the accusation. “Are you fucking kidding me? And you’re eating that shit up? Let me remind you, Cassie, that your mom is a pill popper. She enjoys stuffing her body full of toxins that will eventually kill her. We did nothing to send her on her latest binge, so just get that stupid fucking thought out of your head.”

  “Alex, she’s hurting. Taylor says she tried to kill herself.”

  “I still don’t get the guilt. She wants to lay this at your feet because shifting blame is easier than accepting and taking responsibility for it.”

  “I want to go to the hospital.”

  “No! You’re not driving yourself to Arizona. No fucking way.”

  “She’s at Desert.”

  My eyes bulged. “Why the fuck is she still here?”

  “I don’t know, but we need to go. She’s been asking for me, and I think I need to be there if only to clear my mind.”

  Cassie knew how to get under my skin, and she was doing a damn good job of it. Emmalyn was the last person who I cared to waste a moment of time, breath, or thoughts on, but for some strange reason, Cassie needed to get there. Instead of continuing to fight her, I helped her get dressed, then put her into the truck and headed down to Desert Hospital, hating myself for voluntarily throwing us into self-inflicted torture.

  When we checked in on the bottom floor, I took Cassie’s hand and made sure she knew that she could always turn around and walk out the door. Undue stress was unnecessary, and the thought of Emmalyn or Taylor upsetting Cassie to the point that it hurt the baby…well, that thought just sent anger crawling through my body. If either of them got out of line with her, this little meeting would be over before they knew it.

  We stepped off the elevator and down the hallway where we came face to face with Taylor. The scowl on her face made me reciprocate. I hated the girl, and I had only interacted with her for maybe ten minutes, at best.

  “Your mom is in here, Cass. I’m so glad you came.”

  She hugged Cassie, and it made my stomach roil. We didn’t speak, instead ignoring one another as we quietly made our way into the room.

  Emmalyn looked like death. She opened her eyes and saw Cassie, then weakly smiled. I stood in the back of the room, my arms folded across my chest as I waited, hoping Cassie would make this quick and I would be able to get out of here before I lost all of composure. I don’t care how bad of shape Emmalyn was in—she deserved everything that she got.

  “Cassie, you came,” she weakly said.

  Cassie stepped closer to her bed, stopping just short when I pushed over a chair for her to sit down in.

  “Yes, I came. What did you do?”

  Emmalyn coughed—a deep, hacking cough. “I’ve lost it all, Cassie. I’ve known for quite some time that what I’ve done to you was beyond wrong. I just didn’t know how to fix it.”

  “So you thought swallowing pills was the way out?”

  “No, I wasn’t trying to kill myself. I was trying to cope with the pain…the hurt of everything.”

  Running her hands through her hair, Cassie sighed her frustration. “I’ve had a lifetime of hurt with you, Mom. You have no idea how badly you’ve scarred me, how irrevocably damaged I will always be because of the treatment I’ve received from you. The Marine Corps was my ticket out, and you’ve managed to bring your toxicity into that. I wanted nothing to do with you after I left. Nothing.”

  “I know that, but I didn’t know any other way to come back to you.”

  “So you thought being a nasty bitch was the answer?” I blurted out, bringing all eyes on me. I ran my hand over my face. There was no way for me to stand in the room and listen to this without lashing out at Emmalyn.

  “Alex! Don’t!”

  I threw my hands up in surrender. If Cassie wanted to deal with her mom this way, I was inclined to let her.

  “Cassie, I need you. I know I don’t deserve you, but I need you. I’m sick.” She paused and gathered herself. “Cassie, my liver is not functioning the way it should be. When Taylor told me you were pregnant, I saw everything that I’d be missing. Your beautiful baby…I don’t want to miss out on that.”

  “You don’t just get to jump back into my life when it’s convenient for you. I’ve gone through hell with you. I’m sorry you’re sick, and I hope for the best, but I can’t forgive the years of mistreatment at the drop of a hat.”

  “And I don’t expect you to. I just want to try and make up for it. I want to see your beautiful baby.”

  My heart was about to explode. Numerous thoughts filled my head, and none of them were good. Emmalyn had a lot of fucking nerve, and while I promised myself that I would stay in the background, I knew it was a promise I just couldn’t keep.

  “Emmalyn, I don’t think you understand the depth of your hatred for your own daughter. You’ve bruised her emotionally and mentally. That’s not easy to do, nor is it easy to get over.”

  “I understand that.”

  “So why should we allow you back? And I say we because we are a unit…a team, and I’ll be damned if I’m consoling her because you’ve managed to destroy her again.” The longer I stared into her lifeless eyes, the more inclined I felt to let her know exactly what was on my mind. “I loved my mom with everything I have, and unfortunately, she was taken away from me not too long ago. My mom was loving, caring, compassionate, and would have made a fantastic grandmother, but that will never happen, and I can’t pinpoint why…why she had to be the one. Then I look at you, after everything you’ve done to Cassie all of these years, and I see someone that is so undeserving of
her and our baby. How am I supposed to allow you in when I don’t fucking trust you as far as I can throw you?”

  “Alex, that is absolutely enough. You need to step out,” Cassie chastised. Too bad for her, I wasn’t budging.

  “It’s okay, Cassie,” Emmalyn replied. “He’s got a valid point. I’m not stupid or naïve. I know this is going to take time, and you have every right to reject me, but I’m hoping that you don’t. I have to start somewhere to make amends, why not here?”

  “Why here?” I rebuffed.

  “Emmalyn, I’m going to be frank with you.” Cassie lifted her head, quickly turning towards me. Fear shone through her eyes, making my heart sink just a little. “If I had my way, we’d walk out of here, and you’d be an afterthought.” I stopped and looked into Cassie’s tearful eyes. Even with utter sadness filling her head to toe, she was still the most beautiful thing I had ever seen.

  “I don’t think Cassie is going to allow that to happen, and I hope…gosh, I fucking hope you understand how compassionate and loving of a daughter you have because she should get up and walk right out of here. I’ll tell you this though, and hear me out because I am not fucking lying when I say this…you get yourself clean before you even think of coming anywhere near her or my child. Do you understand that? If you don’t get clean, you don’t get to come around.”

  Tears fell fast from Emmalyn’s eyes, marking the first time I saw real emotion out of her. “I’m so grateful. I’m so grateful.”

  “Well, make good on what you know you need to do. Because the second you bring this negativity back into our world, I will rip you out of it so fast you won’t know what hit you.”

  Emmalyn reached out for Cassie, taking her hand and kissing the top. I still hated everything about the woman, but I finally understood what Cassie had been saying about compromising. It wasn’t about me, but about the love I had for her. I didn’t have to like what she was doing, but if it made her feel better, it was my duty to prop her up and support her the best way that I could. The light bulb had finally gone off and in the most intriguing of circumstances.