Catching Fireflies

by Terri E. Laine

  Seconds, minutes, and hours could have trotted on, because they did so without me. I was caught in the moment I watched my father leave the world.

  When I could finally speak, my voice croaked out, dry and brittle, “I’m sorry.”

  “For what?” Brie asked as if my statement were ridiculous.

  “For not calling you.”

  “Oh my God, Chance. Do you honestly think I blame you? I’m just sorry it took me so long to get here.”

  “How did it go today, or is it yesterday?” I honestly didn’t know.

  “Don’t you worry about me. How are you doing? And yes, it’s a stupid question. But answer it, please.”

  “Better now that you’re here.”

  Her lips were the balm I needed, so soft, so fucking sweet. It was probably selfish of me, but I pulled back to speak.

  “Brie.”

  She acknowledged me with a bob of her head.

  “I need you.”

  It only took her a second to realize what I meant. She separated us, and I was sure that was her answer. But she stood and lifted her shirt over her head, letting it drop to the floor from her hands. Then she peeled her shorts off. As she stood covered in scraps of black fabric, I went to her.

  “This isn’t fair. I shouldn’t.”

  “Stop, I want this,” she said.

  She tugged down my shorts, freeing me as I hadn’t put on underwear. I took off my shirt before gripping her face to me. She grabbed me, pulling me impossibly closer. I let my hand slide down her back, finding the clasp to her bra. Then it was lost as I let my fingers roam under the fabric of her underwear to cup her ass.

  I lifted her and walked her in a half circle before climbing on the bed and letting her down gently, never breaking our connected kiss.

  It would be hard on her, so as much as I wanted to kiss her all day and night, I broke it. Her body shivered as I kissed her, and then down her neck. I stopped at her breast, letting my tongue in on the action. I sucked it in my mouth while my fingers roamed, finding her ready for me.

  Still, there was no way I wouldn’t get a taste. Her belly fluttered as my lips trailed a line all the way to between her legs. There, like a man possessed, I French kissed her clit, tongued her opening, and made sure she got her first before making a move to do anything else.

  Back at her ear, my dick pulsed in anticipation.

  “Are you sure?” I asked.

  She nodded. I nudged up, pulling her leg up to her chest to make more room. It would be a tight fit. Just with the head inside had me ready to spill inside her.

  “Last chance?” I warned.

  Her fingers cupped my cheek. “My Chance.”

  I pushed forward, breaking the barrier and fighting the need to move. I held there. Then she let me know she was okay, when she moved her hips forward to meet mine. I strained for control because nothing had ever felt so damn good.

  “God, I love you,” I said, lost in her, in us.

  She shuddered beneath me. “I love you, too,” she cried out, because I’d played with her clit, stimulating her over what could have been painful.

  Too soon, she clamped around me, and I lost my shit. My rhythm, no longer smooth, rode us over that tidal wave. I rolled us over, leaving her on top of me.

  I took her chin between my fingers, directing her so our eyes glued together.

  “I meant it when I said I love you.”

  His arms tightened around me and I laid my head on his chest, listening to his heartbeat. In that quiet moment I totally understood that rhyme roses are red. Everything seemed brighter with possibilities. I’d never felt so alive.

  He began drawing circle patterns on my back.

  “I should get you cleaned up,” he said before pressing a kiss to the top of my head.

  I looped my arms around his neck in protest. “No, let’s stay like this forever.”

  “I wish.” His wistful words ended with an exhale of his breath. “Are you okay?”

  “Deliciously,” I answered. “I should be mad that you made me wait.”

  Everything I’d heard growing up was wrong to some extent. It had hurt a little, sure. But he had done so much to distract me. It was so worth the wait. Some other guy might have made the experience a bumbling mess.

  When I reached that point during everything, I’d felt like a star that had gone supernova leaving my dust to scatter in space, creating twinkling lights. And I wanted to do it again, and soon.

  “We should probably talk,” he said ominously.

  “About what?” I circled his peck with my finger, mimicking his movements on my back.

  “About the fact that I didn’t use protection.”

  My eyes popped open. I halted my finger.

  “You didn’t,” I said softly as if somehow that would change things.

  “I didn’t. I wasn’t exactly thinking clearly.”

  Rationally, I didn’t allow myself to freak. It was okay. I could go to the store and get the morning after pill. It would be fine.

  “So you’re not on the pill.”

  My hair rubbed against his chest as I shook my head. “But it’s fine. Don’t worry about it,” I said.

  “Are you sure?”

  I shook my head, this time in the affirmative.

  I’d just recently gotten off my period. Even though I was pretty sure we were okay even without the morning after pill, I didn’t feel the need to tell him that. Something about discussing my period after we had sex felt like a mood killer.

  “How did the hearing go?”

  As much as I didn’t want to talk about it, I said, “Okay, I guess. I’m supposed to be there in the morning in case they have any more questions. But I’m not going.”

  “What do you mean you’re not going?”

  “I’m going to stay here with you.”

  He pushed at my hair that had created a curtain between us. He pressed his lips closed for a second.

  “I appreciate you wanting to be with me. But you being here won’t change the fact that my dad is dead.” For a second I was almost offended. “But if you don’t go to that hearing, it could change whether or not you get to stay in school. That’s more important.”

  “Chance?”

  He shook his head. “You’ll go. And you should leave tonight.”

  “I—”

  A finger to my lips stopped me.

  “Let’s go take a shower. There is something I want to show you before you leave,” he said.

  That reminded me of something. I switched gears, planning to argue with him later about me staying or going.

  “Oh, I should tell you I sent Kelley home. I told him I would be here. He’s going to check on Lenora and said he’d be back in the morning.”

  “So, we’re alone?” he asked.

  Not waiting for an answer, he scooped me up Superman style. I squealed as he carried me into the bathroom. He set me down, but caged me in while reaching around me to turn on the water.

  I shifted on my feet under the weight of his stare. An ache that felt more like a badge of honor throbbed dully between my legs. Lost in his eyes, I would remember this day for the rest of my life.

  When the water was warm enough, he lifted me and set me in the tub. Water cascaded over me as he disappeared and came back with towels. My eyes trailed to his cock. It bobbed with his every movement. I was awed in the knowledge it had been inside me mere minutes before. Despite the tenderness between my legs, I was eager to do it again.

  “Are you going to stare at me like this for the rest of the night?”

  He sounded amused.

  “Huh?” My eyes lifted as heat spread across my cheeks playing connect the dots.

  “If you keep looking at me like that, firefly, we’re never going to leave this shower.”

  Mortified, I turned my head and tried to find patterns in the tiles.

  He angled his head in my line of sight. “Don’t ever be embarrassed with me. Tell me what you want and I’ll give it to you.�
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  A flush crept lower. Thoughts of him picking me up and pressing me into the wall while he took me flooded my mind. And clearly I’d read too many books and seen too many movies. I wanted to try everything.

  He knelt before me, and my turbo engine revved up. The boy knew how to use his mouth there. Using the washcloth, he gently cleaned between my legs. His touch pricked every nerve ending.

  When he was done, he said, “Tell me what you need.”

  How could I speak what I wanted and not blush any more than I already was? I reached out, took his head, and tugged him forward.

  No hesitation on his part, his tongue flicked over my clit before probing my opening. He palmed my breast and used his thumb to rub across my nipple. It tightened and he gently squeezed. Then with his other hand, he slid a finger inside me, pumping it as he teased, sucked, and took me to orgasm faster than I could masturbate.

  I had to put a hand out to the wall to hold me steady as I crested the very intense peak.

  When the last of it was wrung out of me, he pulled back. Hair wet, eyes glassy, I watched him lick his lips. He seemed to revel in the taste of me.

  A corner of his mouth lifted. “You’re looking at me like you want more.”

  Damn, if I didn’t. It was probably a good thing I’d waited so long to have sex. I’d most likely be a slut otherwise. Or maybe it was just him.

  “You can’t possibly want more,” he said. “Aren’t you sore?”

  “Like I told you before, deliciously so,” I admitted boldly.

  He stood, his cock at attention. “If you want me to fuck you, I want to hear you say it.”

  Holy crap, hearing him speak like that was like being struck by lightning.

  I held his gaze and told him, “Fuck me, Chance.”

  The other corner of his mouth rose in a cocky smile. “My dick is at your command.”

  I drew him down for a kiss, not wanting to wait. His hands found my ass, and then I was lifted above the spray. It hit my back as he picked me up. Then I sank onto him. His strength never ceased to amaze me. I wasn’t a small girl. Yet he manhandled me like I weighed nothing. With firm hands on my hips, he moved me up and down him. I felt as though I might split right open, but in a good way.

  Clawing at his back, I needed more contact on my clit. With his hands otherwise occupied, I made it happen on my own. I rolled my hips, meeting his thrust. Soon, it became almost feral the way we went after each other.

  Then it happened. It was like he’d somehow had access to my fantasy. My back hit the wall as he moved one hand from my ass to give me what I needed. His thumb played my clit like guitar strings as I clung on to him, digging my nails deeper into his back.

  He bit my lip. I bit him back. He shoved his tongue deep into my mouth, and I sucked it.

  “I can’t believe you made me wait this long to have you,” he growled.

  “I can’t believe you took so long to give it to me.”

  He bit at my jaw before grazing his teeth lower so he could suck my neck. Everything turned animalistic. His thrusts were deep as he moved to give my breasts some attention. His mouth there sent an electric current directly to my clit, where his thumb played but hadn’t yet given me all that I wanted.

  I cried out, “I want to come.”

  The words leapt up from the recesses of my mind.

  He pressed down on my clit like it was the launch button for a nuclear missile. I screamed and felt myself spasm. He lost control, pressing me into the wall as he pulled out and rammed back into me. That only spiked my orgasm higher. He came so violently, I felt him pouring himself inside of me.

  His face was buried in my neck as he panted. I ran my fingers through his damp hair, needing to touch him more than we already were.

  Unfortunately, he started to soften inside me. Eventually, gravity won and he slid out. I felt his cum spill out of me, too.

  “Fuck,” he muttered.

  “What?” Alarm bells rang in my head. Did he regret being with me?

  “I’m sorry for hurting you.”

  “What? No. You didn’t hurt me.”

  His gorgeous blues held remorse. “Don’t lie to me.”

  “I’m not. I’m fine.”

  Oh, I felt my body, especially down there, more keenly than I ever had. But he didn’t need to know that, not with that worried look on his face.

  His kiss was tender as if he thought I might break. What he didn’t know was that his tenderness played on my emotions more than anything we’d done.

  Setting me down, he grabbed the abandoned washcloth and soap, and cleaned my entire body. Eventually, I got my turn to do the same to him. I paid closest attention to the cobblestone of his abs and the long length of him. I even put my mouth on him, but he admonished me.

  “What guy turns down a blow job?” I teased.

  “One who sees you are shivering.”

  The water had gone lukewarm and was on the way to cold.

  Just like it began, he lifted me out and onto the bath mat when the doorbell rang.

  “Who can that be?” he asked, utterly confused.

  He toweled off quickly and left me in the bathroom to do the same. In the room, he put his shorts on and went to answer the door, still damp.

  I did what I could and wasn’t sure what to wear. I snagged his shirt from the floor and opened the door a crack.

  “Oh, you were in the shower. Just like last time.” The female voice was melodic and drifted to my ears.

  She didn’t sound like someone’s mother either. I closed the door gently so he wouldn’t hear. I got out of his shirt and back into my clothes. Then tiptoeing, I crept to his room across the hall to pick up my bag before I stepped into the living room.

  Curling a hand on the top of the door, I boxed Lindsey out. It would have been easier to shut the door on her, but she’d spent a lot of time at my house while we were together. She and Dad had gotten along great.

  “I just thought you might need some help. I want to be there for you,” she urged.

  Her eyes drifted over my shoulder, which could only mean one thing. I closed my eyes a second before turning around. I knew what I’d find.

  When our eyes met, Brie stopped abruptly as if she’d been caught red-handed. She had a bag in her hand and a determined expression marking her face. My jaw set. I wanted to believe she hadn’t judged me based on Lindsey showing up at my door. But why else was she flying out of there?

  I let go of the door and said, “Lindsey, this is my girlfriend, Brie.” I faced my girl again. “Brie, this is Lindsey, an old family friend.”

  It took her a moment, and then she came forward with a hand extended and a smile on her face.

  “Hi, Lindsey. It’s very nice to meet you.”

  They shook hands, and I swore I heard both their molars grinding.

  I placed my hand on the middle of Brie’s back, but she moved forward.

  “I’m actually heading out. Again, nice to meet you.”

  She didn’t look back at me as I stood for a second, speechless. I stepped past Lindsey, jogging to catch up with Brie.

  “Where are you going?” I asked, stopping her from getting into her car.

  “Back to school. You were the one who wanted me to go.”

  “Yeah, but not right now.”

  Frowning, I searched for something. If she didn’t trust me, how could things work between us?

  “I thought now was a good time. You have company, and I don’t have to worry about you being alone.”

  Her eyes never once met mine.

  “Brie, look at me. You don’t understand…”

  She held up a hand, and eyes as green as turf on a football field held on to mine. She opened the car door, but didn’t get in.

  “You don’t have to explain anything. Whatever happened between the two of you happened before us. I’m not leaving because I don’t trust you, Chance. I’m giving you time to work it out.” On her toes, she kissed me quickly. “I’ll be back tomorrow if
you want.”

  She ducked into her car, leaving me standing in the street puzzling out her contradictory statements. She trusted me, but then didn’t know if I’d want her back. I stepped back, pushing back at my hair while I watched the taillights get smaller in the distance.

  I stood there in the road for a few more seconds after her car disappeared around a corner. By the time I made it back inside, Lindsey stood in my kitchen like she owned the place.

  “Do you want me to fix you dinner?” she asked.

  “No, thanks. And I appreciate you coming by, but I’m fine. You can leave.”

  Angry at so many things, I was proud of myself for not sounding like an asshole when I’d said it.

  Ignoring me, she ducked her head into the refrigerator. She wasn’t there long because there wasn’t much to see. She found something wrapped in foil and peeked inside, releasing foul smells into the air. She wrinkled her nose before tossing it into the trash.

  Out of nowhere, she said, “Your girlfriend is really cute. How long have you been together?”

  Women, I thought. What alternate universe did she live in? She completely ignored me asking her to leave.

  “That really isn’t any of your business,” I snapped.

  “Wow.” She glanced away, frowning. “You used to call me your best friend. I thought we had something.”

  “Had, Lindsey. No more.”

  I wanted to curse when her eyes filled with tears, spilling over. She’d always been good at that, making me feel guilty.

  The tone of her voice changed. She sounded like she was pained and confused when she spoke.

  “I made one mistake. And I’m admitting I was wrong. But I miss you. I miss us.”

  Rounding the counter that defined the kitchen area from the living room, she stepped in front of me.

  I let out a humorless laugh. “A mistake? Is that what you’re calling it now?”

  “Why are you being so mean?” she sobbed. “You were never this way before.”

  “I’m not mean. I’m just not stupid when it comes to you anymore.”

  “What? That’s an awful thing to say.”

  “It’s the truth. There was a lot of time after we broke up for me to think about everything. And it hit me. You had every excuse in the world for us to wait, and I respected that. So, how come you could go to a party and have sex with a virtual stranger?”