Heartstopper

by Lauren Landish

  “I have,” I said excitedly, “but I know you've been worried. It's one thing to stay in a man's house with his daughter when there's plenty of room, and Brittany told me this morning she appreciates how much of a gentleman you've been. I have, too, by the way. But now that Daddy's home, you're worried.”

  “I still have enough saved for that apartment I was looking at before,” Dane admitted, “but not much else. I kind of feel like I'm back where I was a few months ago. Although I do have one thing that’s better than any job or home.”

  “What's that?” I asked, pausing. We were close to one of my favorite sites on the property, a field that in summer was filled with wildflowers. Even in the light breeze of the day, I could smell it, but you did have to be very careful about the fire ants. They liked that field too.

  “I have you,” Dane said. “And in all honesty, I don't ever want to let you go.”

  “I love you too,” I answered. “I know we haven’t been together long, but everything seems so right.”

  “Good,” Dane said, taking my hand. “Because I was kind of hoping—after we go back, that we could tell your father that I asked you to marry me, and that you said yes.”

  “Is that what you call a proposal?” I asked, trying hard to hide my joy.

  “I love you,” Dane said simply, pulling me into his arms. “During my time in prison, I’ve learned if you want something, you’d better not waste any time. If you want it, go get it. Now, I’m not saying we go get married tomorrow. We can give it some time, but the heart wants what the heart wants.”

  It was my turn to wrap my arms around Dane, pulling him down for a deep kiss in the summer sunshine. “Is that a yes?”

  “Oh, that is certainly a yes,” I said. “But we really should get Daddy's blessing first. You know, me being traditional and all.”

  When we got back a half hour later, Daddy saw it first, probably from the look in my eye. “You know, I hoped you would’ve waited until after I said what I had to say.”

  “Sorry, Mr. Rawlings,” Dane said. “I just couldn't let a good thing go.”

  He sat up, and with the help of Monica, struggled to his feet. “I didn't expect you to move this quickly. So I take it you said yes?”

  “Yes, Daddy,” I said, pausing while Brittany clapped in joy, “but we also wanted to have your blessing.”

  He came over and looked Dane in his eye. Sizing him up, Daddy stood nearly eye to eye with him, pausing before looking at me, a small smile on his face. “You know, for so long, it was just you and me. Then I found Brittany, and I knew the day would come that you would also want to find someone of your own. I have to say, this isn’t how I expected it would be, but I love you, baby girl.”

  “I love you too, Daddy,” I said, taking Dane's hand. “I always will.”

  “Which is why I have to say, in response to your request for my blessing . . . no.” Daddy turned and made his way back over to his chair, sitting down carefully.

  “What?” I cried, tears in my eyes. “Why?”

  He grinned and laughed, unable to contain his humor. “Oh, I got you, didn't I?”

  I blinked, stunned. “What?”

  I looked at him, anger replacing my hurt. “You joke?”

  Daddy held up his hands defensively. “Now, Abby, I'm sorry, it was just a quick one. I’d be happy to give you both my blessing . . . when you've earned it. In that, I’m being serious.”

  “And how would I do that?” Dane asked, his voice heavy with threat and repressed anger. “Haven't I done enough?”

  “Oh, you’ve done enough to prove you're a good man, and that you care for my daughter. Of course you have,” Daddy said, smiling. “But I've always been a father who has thought the world of my daughter, and to be honest, while I’m perfectly willing to accept that she won't be marrying a society boy, I do expect her husband to have a job. So, before I give you my blessing, there are a few things you need to do. First, you're going to have to enroll in college.”

  “I . . . I don't think I'd qualify any longer,” Dane said, stupefied. I heard in his voice the surprise at some of his own thoughts that he'd shared with me reflected in Daddy's statement, but he was still taken aback. “I mean, I'm nearly thirty.”

  “Oh, I can pull a few strings. You won't be in Georgia Tech like Abby, but I can get you into SCAD, the Savannah College of Art and Design. I did a lot of the recent renovation work on their student housing, and I’ve maintained a good relationship with the Dean. She owes me a favor or two. I’m sure you can find something there that interests you. Brittany told me that you were reading a book on famous architects a while back, and well . . . I was thinking perhaps Rawlings Construction might want to become Rawlings Construction and Design in a few years,” Daddy said.

  “Of course, I understand your financial situation, so you'll be going under a work-study program. You maintain a certain average, and I’ll take care of the rest. You’ll work as a management intern at Rawlings Construction. It's not much, but it beats sweeping floors at Lake Auto.”

  “That's very generous of you, sir,” Dane said. “I don't really know what to say.”

  “Oh, it's not going to be all fun and games,” Daddy said with a chuckle. “I plan on working you very hard. But I think you’ll handle it fine.”

  I couldn't help it. I laughed, seeing the genius and the generosity in Daddy's plan. I hugged Dane's arm, looking up at him. “What do you say? Think you can go back to school?”

  Dane only had to think for a second. “Damn right I can. One thing, though—does that mean we can't get married until I graduate? I mean, I planned on waiting a while, but not years.”

  “Oh, no,” Daddy said, leaning back. “Whenever y’all think the time is right. Just that my blessing won't be conferred until after your first day of classes. So should I have Brittany give a call to SCAD, or do you need to think it over?”

  Dane shook his head and looked at Brittany, his eyes eager and glimmering with excitement. “Can you call them now?”

  After a celebratory dinner in which Daddy granted his approval, if not yet his blessing, to our engagement, Dane and I were alone in the living room.

  We sat on the couch, me leaning against him. I still felt thunderstruck, and I was sure I'd had a goofy smile on my face the whole time. “Pinch me.”

  “Hmm?” Dane asked, rubbing my shoulder. “I wasn't sure I heard that correctly.”

  “I asked you to pinch me,” I said with a small laugh. “Because I'm still not sure I'm awake.”

  “Well, you're talking, and I know I'm awake, so I’m pretty sure you're awake,” Dane answered. He kissed my temple, pausing to inhale the scent of my hair and to whisper in my ear. “But I’m happy to pinch you. Any place you prefer to be pinched?”

  I chuckled and rubbed his chest, leaning against him. “For sure, that comes later. I feel a bit strange about it, though.”

  “Because of what happened at the lake?” Dane asked, immediately stiffening and giving me space. “Sorry, I got caught up in the moment.”

  “No, silly,” I answered, getting onto my knees on the couch and kissing him. “I feel strange because of being here and how mortified I’d be if Brittany or Daddy walked in on us.”

  “They don’t seem like the type that’d cheer us on or give suggestions,” Dane joked in reply, kissing me back. “Your dad has warmed up to me a bit, but he’d still probably contemplate on grabbing his shotgun.”

  His humor was exactly what I needed to relax enough to do what we both wanted to do for too long. Dane pulled me into his lap, humming in appreciation at the slick texture of my nylon sleep shorts. “You wear those every night?”

  “Most of the time,” I said, my hips rubbing back and forth across the hardness growing beneath me in his pants. “Except in the winter. Then I might wear flannel pants.”

  “Well then, I guess we're going to have to make sure our home is warm year-round,” Dane replied, reaching down and cupping my ass. “Because this is far too good
of a feeling to give up because of some damn weather.”

  I had to agree, as the slick fabric let his strong hands roam as he pulled me in closer, our lips meeting softly with long, gentle caresses. I could feel the desire within him, but he restrained himself, his hands more tender than he had ever been. I leaned back, breaking our kiss, and stroked his hair. “Dane, you don't have to hold back,” I whispered, kissing his forehead. “There's nothing I want more than to make love with you right here, right now.”

  Dane's feral grin thrilled me, and he fiercely pulled me into him, our lips crushing together as he gave vent to his passion. He pushed my thin t-shirt up and over my head, freeing my breasts at the same time. Holding me like I weighed just a feather, he feasted upon my nipples, alternating from left to right in a chaotic pattern that never let my body adapt, each switch bringing fresh waves of pleasure through my body and shooting all the way to my pussy. “Dene . . .”

  “Abs,” Dane mumbled between my breasts, looking up at me.

  I shifted back, slipping down Dane's thighs slightly in order to be able to find the clasp of his pants. His cock was already hard and hot under my fingers as I undid the clasp and pulled the zipper down. Dane jumped in my hand as I reached into his underpants to take his long, thick cock out and hold it between us, pulsing with life and hunger.

  “I want to ask you something,” I said, leaning in and kissing him again. “And you can give me an honest answer. It won't change a thing about what we're about to do.”

  “What?” Dane asked, his breath hissing from between his teeth as I stroked him while my breasts pressed against his chest.

  “What do you think about having children?” I asked, sitting up and wedging his cock between us. My pussy was aching, needing him inside me, but I had to have the answer to this question all of a sudden. “In general, I mean.”

  “Well, I think we'll need at least ten months,” Dane teased, sliding his right hand inside my shorts to caress the skin of my ass again. “Seriously, though, I think having a baby with you would be the greatest thing in the world, and if it happens, I’d welcome it. But I think after your schooling would be best.”

  I smiled and reached down and pushed the leg of my shorts and panties to the side. There would be time for gentleness later, but my initial urge for tenderness had been replaced by the white-hot passion of going so long without Dane. For a week, we'd been in the same house, spending time together but not being intimate as he gave me time and space to let my mind heal. Now, the slowly building fire inside me was at nuclear levels, unable to be contained. “One more thing.”

  “What?” Dane grunted as I took his cock in my hand again and rose.

  “I need you, as powerful and wonderful as you can be.” I chuckled as I lowered myself onto him. Dane's cock would forever be a wonderful experience, each time leaving me feeling like a newly discovered virgin, thrilled and a bit frightened by the first sensations of his huge cock spreading me open, stretching me and filling every nook and cranny of my body.

  Dane lifted me up and down on his magnificent tool, letting my body adjust and stretch until the fear was replaced with wave after wave of delicious pleasure, my breath catching in my throat every time my body lowered itself onto his shaft. To add to the feeling, the position of our bodies meant that my clit dragged over his stomach with each movement, making me nearly insensate. I was getting pleasure with each up and down stroke, never ceasing, just building.

  My eyes drifted closed. I couldn't focus any longer, when I suddenly felt a sharp pinch on my right nipple, painful and arousing at the same time. My eyes flew open to see Dane grinning up at me. “What? You did ask me to pinch you earlier.”

  Dane wrapped his arms around my hips and stood up, still impaling me on his huge cock as he laid me down on the living room carpet. Pulling out, he stretched his arms and legs, then laid down beside me, a confident grin on his lips. “Now I can move some. Turn over.”

  I couldn't help but obey the loving command in his voice, each tone dripping with desire. When I was on my side, Dane lifted my knee, spreading my legs before he drove forward again, this time mostly from behind, filling me all the way with one sure, mind-blowing stroke of his cock. I couldn't help it. I grunted and cried out softly. The hammering beat of his cock drove me wild, my body flushing over and over again with the explosion of pleasure that came from deep inside me. I turned my head, burying my mouth into my forearm to stifle my cries of pleasure.

  The only sound I could hear was the rush of my pulse in my ears and the sound of Dane's hips slapping against my ass. Other than the soft whistle of his breathing through his nose, he kept totally silent as my man fucked me hard and fast on the carpet. My pussy clenched around him and my body rippled as my first orgasm shot through me, my teeth clamping down on the meat of my forearm hard enough to leave marks as I moaned and cried out. Dane held me, his cock throbbing inside me. He was so close, letting me ride out my orgasm in my own pace, comforting me and letting me know he would be there.

  When the wave passed, I turned and kissed him softly. “You didn't come yet,” I said, feeling him still hard and pulsing.

  Dane grinned as he readied himself again, pushing inside and sending fresh waves of pleasure up my body. My fingers clutched at Dane's back as he pushed in and out of me, driving me down into the pillow as his body rubbed against my clit. I felt something building inside me in a deeper place, someplace that I'd never felt before. I wasn't sure what it was, but it kept growing, larger and larger, until I was nearly frightened out of my mind. It was too large, I was feeling too much, but at the same time, I couldn't refuse it even if I wanted to.

  Somehow, Dane knew what I was feeling. “Let it go,” he whispered in my ear. “Same time as I do.”

  I bit my lip and nodded, untrusting of my voice as he kept pounding into me, strong and confident. I felt him swell, and with a strangled gasp, he thrust into me one last time, his cock erupting. His orgasm triggered an explosion inside me, so strong that I couldn't hold back, burying my mouth into his shoulder and screaming, it was so strong. I tasted the rich, coppery flavor of Dane's blood, and I blacked out for a moment, my mind unable to deal with all of the input at once.

  Dane held me, nestling me on his right leg while stroking my hair. “Welcome back,” he whispered. “I was wondering if I could sneak you down the hall to your room without someone noticing me carrying you.”

  “Well, that wouldn't be good, now would it?” I asked, reaching for my t-shirt. “On the other hand, if we walked down the hallway together, we might be quiet enough that you could join me.”

  Dane smiled and took my hand, stroking it tenderly with his thumb. “I don't know,” he said with a smile. “Your Daddy might still have that shotgun around. And now he's got a Marine, too.”

  Chapter 20

  Dane

  It was a rarity in Atlanta as snowfall dotted the winter landscape. It was a rare gift to get the day after Christmas, and one that I appreciated. “You're probably one of the few people who aren't freaked out by this,” Patrick said to me as I looked out the big glass window of the rented hotel ballroom area. “Think you can get us all home without a problem?”

  “Patrick, it's less than a quarter-inch of snow,” I said with a light laugh. “I think even you Southerners could drive home in this. The most dangerous thing out there right now is the other drivers, panicking and acting like idiots.”

  “Never underestimate the ability of mankind to act like idiots,” he replied, taking a sip of his whiskey. He was looking remarkably well for a man after his second heart attack. Part of that was due to his month with Monica, I was sure. She’d imbibed a bit of Marine spirit into him, and he took up jogging, working himself up to two miles a day over the ground in the back yard. I'd even paced him once or twice, and he did pretty good for his age. “By the way, congratulations again on the first semester. You did well.”

  I turned away from the window and took a sip of my own whiskey and soda. “I'll be hon
est. I was scared stupid for about the first week or so. It was only because of Abs that I was able to get my head out of my ass and recognize that I actually enjoy learning.”

  “I'd say a 3.2 GPA for your first semester back after a decade off from school is more than cause for celebration,” Patrick said. “Come on, let's enjoy the rest of the party. Those from the company who showed up, at least.”

  “Hey, more for us then,” I joked. “You know, besides the bar.”

  “This is my month's ration of fried foods, so don't make me regret it too much,” Patrick joked in reply. We left the entryway and went back into the party, where the place was only about half full. We hadn't expected a big turnout. After all, the party was being held the day after Christmas, but with everything else going on in our lives, it was about the only way to fit it in.

  “So you really won't mind that I'm taking a few weeks off?” I asked as we made our way through the room. “I mean, three weeks right after the beginning of the year isn't exactly easy for the company.”

  “You know, Dane, I've watched you carefully the past six months,” Patrick said, stopping about a third of the way across, near a large cake that was shaped like an excavator and festooned with a fondant banner that read Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, Rawlings Construction. “And I'll admit that I've been more than a little tough on you. I've given you enough rope to hang yourself more than once, and each time you keep busting your ass and working hard. So let me give you a little bit of advice.”

  “What's that?” I asked, curious. While I didn't think that he’d ever let me out to dry, I do know that he consciously avoided giving me the rub around the office. He wanted me to stand and become respected on my own, not because I was his daughter's fiancée. It had taken a fair bit of work, but I felt like I was fitting in around the place now and could hold my own with some of the regular workers.

  “You're getting married tomorrow,” Patrick said, pointing to the table where Brittany and Abby were chatting. Their relationship had grown closer in the past six months, and while I doubted that she would ever call her Mom, Abby had certainly come to understand and appreciate more about Brittany than I think she had in the nearly twelve years prior. “The one thing that I value most, looking at that table now, is the time that I spent not building properties. It's the time I spent playing with my little girl. I'm prouder of the fact I could make Barbie's horse whinny than the fact that I can buy a couple of real horses.”