by Alice Ward
Sunday night was a quiet time in my already demure neighborhood. I took the route I always traversed when going to Seth’s, thinking maybe I could catch up to him. Taking the turn out onto the main road, I hit the gas a little hard and prayed no cops were around.
It’s a matter of life and death, I imagined myself telling the police officer who would pull me over. Please, Officer. I have to catch him. I just have to!
I passed one car and then another, then checked my speed gauge and slowed down. This was crazy. If I wasn’t careful, I was going to wreck and hurt someone.
Then I saw it. Seth’s Jeep at the corner gas station I often stopped to fill up at on my way home from work. He leaned against the driver’s side door as his tank filled. I took a turn so sharp my tires squealed. Pulling up behind Seth’s Jeep, I jumped out and rushed over to him.
He straightened and stared at me with wide eyes. “What are you doing?”
“I’m sorry,” I gasped. “God, I’m so fucking stupid. I’m so, so, so stupid.” The words came at a mile a minute, too fast for me to stop or even filter them. “I was just worried. It’s been so long since I liked someone as much as I like you, and it freaks me out. I don’t know what to do. I’m afraid it’s all going to blow up. I don’t know what I was saying back there. I was just going on and on. I couldn’t shut my mouth because I’m afraid. I’m afraid… I’m afraid…”
I stopped to take in a breath.
Seth looked at me, his lips twisting the slightest bit in that way that drove me crazy. It was the look he got when you couldn’t tell whether he was about to smile or sneer. I loved that look. Hated that look. Feared that look. Was driven crazy by that look.
The gas pump clicked, signaling the tank was full.
Seth turned and put the pump away then screwed the cap back onto his tank’s opening. I exhaled my disappointment. He hadn’t accepted my apology. He was going to get in that Jeep and drive away. I’d never see him again.
It would serve me right. I’d royally screwed up. Maybe next time — if I ever fell for a man the way I had for him — I would do things right. Until then I’d be haunted by the images Seth would leave behind.
But he didn’t leave. He stepped forward and wrapped his hand around the nape of my neck, lightly twisting some hair in his grasp. Nerves woke and tingled down my neck, my back, into my toes.
My knees shook and nearly buckled.
Seth looked down at me, his breath covering my mouth like a warm blanket. “I’m sorry too. I wasn’t exactly thinking straight either. I could have called you earlier, but I didn’t know when my dad could meet me. I was waiting for his text, and I was stressed out. I didn’t want to expose you to my bad mood.”
I swallowed hard and nodded. It all made sense. If I’d been able to speak more clearly earlier, the whole fight could have been avoided. Now, I didn’t need or want to hear anymore. I just wanted to move on, go back to the blissful feelings we had the weekend before.
“Will you come back with me?” I whispered. “Come to my house.”
Seth’s thumb brushed my lips. “Yes. But what about dinner?”
“Oh… yeah. I forgot all about that.”
“Come on. Let’s go get some dinner. Afterwards we can head back to your place.”
I followed him to the restaurant we’d decided on hours ago. After parking next to him, I quickly climbed out of my car and jumped into his Jeep before he managed to open his door.
“Wait,” I said. “Just a second, before we go in. You were right. I am controlling.”
He lightly shook his head. “That wasn’t a fair thing for me to say. You’re no more that way than I am.”
“I’m going to work on it.”
“And so am I.”
I smiled. “Okay.”
He cocked his head and looked out across the parking lot. We’d parked at the far edge, at the back of the restaurant and away from most of the cars. Traffic whirred from nearby; nothing but a tall hedge separated us from a busy road. “It’s hard to keep everything in life compartmentalized.”
I didn’t know what to say. Was he referring to my life or his?
He sighed heavily. “We all have so many secrets, and keeping them from each other can be damaging.” His jaw tensed, and he looked down at his lap.
“You want to know about my life?” I slowly asked.
He looked over at me, his attention all I needed to go on. “You’re the only man in my life,” I explained. “And you’re all I need. That’s scary, but there. That’s the truth, and I’ve said it now. So at least that much isn’t a secret.”
Seth reached out and took my hand. “You’re so beautiful.”
I tried to smile again. It was a sweet thing to say, but not what I needed to hear. One of my greatest fears in our burgeoning relationship was that I was nothing more than just an attractive face to him, someone pretty for him to kill time with. Many men had been only that to me. What he’d said about my past hit close to home, but at least we’d gotten our dating histories out there.
“And strong,” Seth added. “And tender… though that last part of you can be a bit hard to find.”
I snorted and shook my head. “I’m callous. I think that’s what you really mean to say.”
“No, you’re not. You have a soft heart, so you keep it well-guarded.” He hooked my chin with his finger and turned my face toward his. His breath came out ragged, and his pupils dilated. His Adam’s apple bobbed.
Was he nervous about something?
“I love you, Quinn. I want you to know that.”
My lips parted in a pathetic attempt to speak. “I…” With my heart swelling and my head spinning, I just stared at Seth, waiting for the breath to enter my lungs again. “I love you too,” I found myself saying, feeling a hundred miles removed from the girl speaking the words. They were true though. They were more true than anything I’d ever spoken before.
Seth kissed me, and with his touch, the whole miserable weekend vanished. I’d done wrong by him. But now things were good, and it was up to me to make them better.
I would be kinder to him than I’d ever been to any man. I would listen more, care more. I would give him space when he needed it and my presence when it would help. I would trust in the things happening between us and go down whatever road destiny brought us to.
Pushing him back into his seat, I clambered onto his lap and kissed him harder. His hands went underneath my shirt, pushing beneath my bra to rub against my bare skin. I kissed him hungrily, the heat of our mouths and our new devotion to each other fueling the passion. With my hair falling around us, I undid his pants and pulled his dick out, then fumbled with a condom in the small space. He tugged eagerly on my shorts, trying to get them off me. With a little bit of a struggle, I finally got them down my legs and broke free of them.
Before I could get to my panties, Seth tore them off. I gasped and dropped my mouth back down onto his, sucking hard on his lip as he lowered me onto his length. I pushed myself all the way onto him, accepting his thick cock with a new pleasure.
Arms wrapped around my thighs, Seth cupped my ass while I rode him. I came quick and hard, trembling in his arms. He held me closer and pushed me down onto him, mashing his tongue against mine until he exploded inside me.
I collapsed against him, exhausted by the quick and frenzied romp. The heat of him pressed against my cheek. The Jeep’s windows were closed, and with no air conditioning on, it was unbearably hot.
“Let’s get out of here,” I gasped.
Seth smirked. “That’s it? You’re just going to fuck and run?”
I ran my finger along his jaw. “You got a problem with that?”
He lifted his chin. “Maybe I do.” Then he pulled me in for another kiss.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
The instant I woke up, the entire world seemed different. Seth slept next to me. The sun shone in a different way. Each sound the universe produced came out clearer, more precise.
Rolling over in bed, I watched Seth�
��s chest rise and fall. Little pieces of dust spun all around him in the morning light, dancing like faeries. With his arm flung over his eyes to shield him from the assaulting morning, he didn’t look anywhere close to getting up.
“I know you’re watching me,” he said, his voice soft from sleep.
I burst into laughter. “No, I’m not,” I whispered, turning away and facing the wall.
A strong pair of hands latched onto my waist. With one smooth jerk, Seth pulled me to him. Locking his arms around me, he held me tightly in place and kissed the back of my neck.
“I know you were,” he breathed into my ear huskily.
“No,” I gasped in-between laughs. “I swear.”
“Mmm,” he growled, sending hot vibrations across my skin. One hand pushed underneath the silkiness of my shirt and went around front to fondle my breast.
“Nu-uh,” I persisted, making a scene of squirming to get away. Seth just held me tighter, pressing my back against his body. His hardening length pushed against my thigh, betraying how ready he was.
He sucked my neck gently, sending waves of pleasure down into my core. I closed my eyes and moaned, letting the sweetness carry me back into a dark pleasure.
Seth sucked and kissed, running his mouth down and up my neck. He massaged my breasts, pulling and tweaking them. His other hand pushed my pajama pants down, leaving me exposed.
I writhed again, just to play hard to get. Seth nipped my neck, grazing his teeth against my skin, then stopped abruptly. His fingers entered me, pushing deep into my channel.
I pushed against his fingers and tried to turn toward him to get access to his mouth. Seth chuckled and pulled his hands and body away from me.
Finally free, I turned gasping onto my back. Seth reared up onto his knees and stripped his shirt off. His biceps popped in the morning light, rippling as he tossed the shirt to the floor. Putting his hand against his boxers, he pulled his dick through the front slit. Instead of coming back down to meet me, he stayed where he was, stroking himself and gazing down at me.
“What?” I teased. “Are you just going to stay there?”
One dark eyebrow cocked upwards. “Maybe.”
I wriggled against the sheets, impatient.
I opened my mouth to protest once more, and Seth growled and threw himself down onto me. I shrieked in surprise. Quick as a whip, he had both my hands in his. Raising them above my head, he pushed them into the headboard, making my knuckles knock against the wood.
“Hey!” I yelled.
Seth silenced me with one hand against my mouth as the other held my wrists. His legs were on both sides of me, his full weight pressing down against my hips. His palm ran down my chin and throat, across my breasts. A hard smack hit one nipple, making it sting.
I arched my back, wanting more. Seth slapped my other breast, a cocky smirk on his face.
“Don’t look so pleased with yourself,” I countered.
“Shh,” he whispered, covering my mouth with his hand once more.
I opened my lips wide and licked the salt from his palm, enjoying the taste. He rolled on a condom, then guided his length toward my opening.
He hit me with a new force, driving fast into me. The mattress shook, bouncing, as Seth buried himself inside of me. Deeper and deeper he went, and I cried out from pain as much as pleasure. His hand on my wrists and the other on my mouth excited me in a way I’d never experienced. Sweat gleamed on his face, on his eyebrows that were pushed together in concentration, and ran down in little rivulets between his muscles. My tongue ached to lick the moistness from him, to feel each inch of him on my mouth.
Taking his hand from my lips, he pushed my legs open wider and hoisted one up. His length hit me with a new force, shooting pleasure through me. My nails clutched at the sheet above my head as an orgasm rippled through me.
Seth smirked above me, pleased by what he had accomplished. Drawing himself out of me, he grabbed my hips and hauled me up. I went gasping, my legs still shaking from pleasure. Turning me around until my rear was to him, he edged my legs open with his knee. I obeyed willingly, planting myself on my hands and knees. His hand twisted in my hair, winding my locks into a ball. Seth tugged, making my head crane back.
He pushed into me with his usual force, burying his length inside of me. Labored breathing filled the room. A hard smack on my ass took me by surprise. I jerked, but couldn’t go anywhere thanks to the tight grip Seth had on my hair. Again and again, Seth spanked me, each one harder than the last, the whole time driving into me as deep as he could.
I held onto the sheets, my legs shaking so hard it seemed they would buckle any minute. My ass screamed in pain as Seth hit it once more and I opened my mouth to tell him to stop, but couldn’t. Each slap brought pain but also pleasure, and as he continued to fuck me, the pleasure took over.
Another orgasm shook me, making me collapse onto my stomach. Seth came down with me, still driving into me. His fingertips bit into my scalp as he pushed deep into me, groaning as he let go inside of me.
We laid panting, him on top of me, sweat sticking us together. Seth lightly massaged my head with his fingers, slowly pulling them out of my hair to run them along my neck and shoulder. He gave my upper back a small kiss before gingerly pulling away from me and collapsing in a sitting position on his side of the bed, his back pressed against the headboard. He wiped sweat from his brow and panted up at the ceiling, then catching my eye, he winked.
I smirked. He’d had his way, and it had been amazing for both of us. I was tired of letting Seth always take the reins, though. A part of me craved the old upper hand I always used to have in bed.
Slithering along the sheets, I pulled myself over to him. I ran my fingers in a light touch along his leg and up the inside of his thigh. He jerked as I got close to his groin.
I kept going, running my hand tantalizingly close to where he was now most sensitive.
A little noise left Seth’s mouth, and he reached down to grab my hand. I locked my other hand on top of his and moved his arm over and onto the sheets.
Seth chuckled lightly, amused by my tactics.
Ever so slightly, I ran my fingers over the length of his dick.
A sharp hiss pushed from between his clenched teeth. “Don’t.”
I just shook my head at him. No way was I backing down. I knew what I wanted, and I was going to get it. The sweet taste of power had been eluding me in our relationship. I was ready to get it back, if only for a moment.
His hand on the sheets jerked again, and I pressed my own against it, keeping it pinned right where it was. I kept running my free fingers along his length, giving it the lightest touch possible. Already he was growing hard, the eagerness pumping back into him. Soon his dick pulsed in my hand, thick and ready. Stroking the shaft, I lowered my lips to the tip and took him full in my mouth.
Seth groaned and pushed his hips against my face. Cradling his base, I sucked back up his length and ran my tongue over and over his tip. Seth grabbed my head with both hands, using my hair to hold on tight. He grew larger in my mouth, pressing against the grooves of my teeth and the edges of my tongue.
I sucked harder, putting more pressure on him. The way he pushed into me, the way his breathing quickened, told me he was getting closer and closer to the edge of release. I slowed down, bringing him back from relief. He groaned and muttered something about my being a tease.
Pleased with the upper hand I’d finally achieved again, I switched up the pace, bringing it down slower then taking it faster, then reversing things all over again. I took his whole length in my mouth, pressing its tip against my throat. His delicious taste filled me up, making me feel that I would never be able to get enough of him.
When he burst, he clutched my shoulder and groaned my name. The sound sent tingles of joy through me, giving me a new fever. All I wanted to do was touch Seth, again and again in a million different ways. I wanted to touch him in ways a woman had never even thought to touch a man. I wanted to unea
rth secrets of his body that were foreign to even him.
But for now, my shoulders were tight and sore, my neck aching. I sat up straight and stretched my arms above my head, unable to keep the wide smile from my face.
Seth grinned at me. “Nice job. You’re about to be late for work, though.”
“Huh?” My head whipped to find the time on my bedside clock.
“Shit,” I hissed, crawling to get out of bed. My legs caught in the sheets and I fell to the floor, collapsing with my legs bound together.
Seth laughed out loud, enjoying the sight. As I fumbled to stand up, Starlet came to the doorway and peeked in, confused at the commotion.
“Shit, shit, shit,” I sang, shucking the sheets. I ripped my closet door open and yanked the closest dress down, then snatched up a pair of heels from the shoe rack.
“Can you feed Starlet?” I asked over my shoulder as I shimmied into my dress.
“Uh-huh.”
“And take her out?”
“Uh-huh.”
“And take her to doggy daycare?”
“Yep.”
“And lock up?”
“Sure thing.”
One heel on. The other… wait. Shit. These were the pair that were a size too big but that I — for some reason — kept. Off came the heels. I dove back into the closet to retrieve another pair. After ducking into the bathroom to run a brush through my hair, I ran for the stairs.
“Sorry! I’ll see you tonight!” I flew through the bedroom doorway and hit the hall.
“Quinn!”
Skidding to a stop, I turned and ran back for the doorway, where I had to cling to the frame to hold myself up. “Yeah?” I gasped.
Seth laid where I had left him, his hands hooked behind his head. “I love you.”
My heart swelled, all the stress of the last few minutes gone. “I love you too,” I nearly sang.
A glitter rainbow followed me to work.
Somehow I made it to the office on time. The day only continued to improve. Tasks flew by and everything seemed easy. All my staff was on point, and I couldn’t stop smiling and congratulating them for doing such a great job. The meetings with clients went smoothly. Even the coffee Stephanie brought me tasted much better than it usually did, and I told her to tip the barista double next time.