Dirty Neighbor (The Dirty Suburbs)

by Miller,Cassie-Ann L.

  I squeeze her back. “What are you doing here?”

  She holds me at arm’s length and evaluates me in that way that mothers do. “I came in for a surprise visit. I missed you guys and I want to see my grandson.”

  “Ah — there it is — the truth. You came to see Mr. Pooh.” I chuckle as I head over to the coffee machine and get a fresh pot started.

  My mother laughs too as she pulls out a chair and sits, watching me move around the kitchen. “Yes, I showed up last night and no one was at Daniel’s house. Then, I came here and you were out as well. Good thing I have my key.”

  Suddenly, I begin to panic. My heart is racing as I turn to face my mother. “Wait — is dad here, too?” My father would flip out if he knew that Keeland was staying next door.

  She shakes her head. “No. He’s recently picked up golf. I can hardly pull him off the damn golf course.”

  I laugh. “Daddy playing golf? I just can’t see that.” My dad is blue collar through and through. A former automotive plant manager. A hard worker. I can’t imagine him spending his days riding around on a golf cart and chasing a little white ball around the green.

  My mother smiles. “Well, believe it or not, your father’s golfer now.”

  I turn back to the coffee. “Why didn’t you call when you got here?”

  “My cellphone was dead.”

  “Oh, well we all went out to Flynn and Murray’s last night. Daniel’s neighbor was watching Sebastian.”

  She gives me a suspicious look. “You didn’t come home, though. Where were you?”

  I feel a knot in the pit of my stomach. “Uh…”

  And that’s when the back door slides open and Keeland steps inside in all his disheveled, bed-headed glory.

  He gapes at my mother. “Mrs. Trotten?”

  Her hand slips over her mouth to stifle a gasp. “Keeland?”

  He kicks off his shoes and goes over to her, extending his arms for a hug.

  My mother eases out of her chair and gives Keeland a tight squeeze. He kisses her on the cheek. “My goodness, look at you, sweetheart.” She tips her head back to get a good look at him. “You're all grown up."

  Keeland's face takes on a shy, boyish quality. “Yes, ma’am.”

  My mother’s eyes hold all the affection of a proud parent. “Look how handsome you are,” she beams, clutching her hands over her heart.

  “You look pretty good yourself…ma’am.”

  She slaps his shoulder, blushing. “Oh, stop it. You’ll make me get a big head.” They both laugh. And then she says. “When did you come back to town?”

  “I’ve been here a few weeks. Daniel and Sammie didn’t tell you?” Keeland glares at me before focusing on my mother. “I’m renting the house next door.”

  Her eyes bulge. “No, they didn’t tell us.” Now, she’s glaring at me, too. “But that’s so lovely dear.” Her attention is on him again.

  I quickly turn away from them and busy myself emptying the dishwasher. Keeland takes a seat opposite my mother and updates her on Jane’s new interests and his futile attempts to get Maxwell to visit Reyfield. I listen quietly, lingering discreetly in the background. They talk for nearly an hour before Keeland excuses himself to go run errands in town.

  When he walks out the door, my mother sighs wistfully and says. “It’s so sweet that you and Keeland are picking up where you left off all those years ago. You two must be so busy making up for lost time.”

  I nearly drop the silverware that I’m clutching in my hand. “Mom — me and Keeland are just friends,” I say, defensively.

  She chuckles softly. “Samantha, please don’t insult my intelligence. Your car’s been parked in the driveway all night, covered in snow. You show up here all rosy-cheeked and flustered at 6:00 in the morning and Keeland is hot on your heels looking like he had a long night. I wasn’t born yesterday.” My cheeks blush hotly while my mother takes a long sip of her tea then says, “You two are adults. Just play safe, okay?”

  I feel the urge to defend myself, to try and save face. But she’s my mother; she always knows when I’m bullshitting her, so why even try? “Sure, mom,” I say feeling embarrassed and annoyed.

  She comes over to me and pats me affectionately on the cheek. “It’s okay to give up control and just go with the flow sometimes, Samantha. It’s okay to let yourself get swept off your feet. Keeland is a very charming young man and you’re a beautiful woman. I can see how you two would want to spend time together.” She’s picking her words oh-so-carefully. My mother is always politically correct.

  I look at her. The slight smirk on her lips, the amused light in her eyes. I sigh, dropping my shoulders in defeat.

  “It’s okay, darling.” She puts a hand on my shoulder and squeezes softly. “Just play safe.”

  “Okay mom.”

  She smiles brightly as she pads her way over to the stairs and disappears out of sight.

  Chapter 38

  I stayed away from Sammie while her mother was in town. I could feel that having Mrs. Trotten read right through our little facade made her feel uncomfortable. So, I kept my distance and let them enjoy family time with Sebastian, Daniel and Grace.

  But she’s at my door the minute her mother leaves for the airport.

  “Hey stranger,” she says with a wry smile as she leans against the doorjamb.

  I laugh as I pull her inside. “Stranger? I thought you and I were going steady. At least that’s what your mother seems to think.”

  “Ugh!” she groans as she pulls out of my arms and steps into the foyer. “I’m really sorry about that. She tends to get carried away. She’s such a hopeless romantic.”

  I chuckle, cupping her cheeks in my hands and kissing her tenderly. Kissing her is always so intense even when it’s meant to just be a modest kiss hello. “I missed you,” I say as I release her lips.

  The confession seems to take us both aback.

  She’s quiet for a beat, then her brown eyes rise shyly to mine. “I missed you, too.” She comes closer and wraps her arms around my neck. She exhales deeply as she collapses against my chest.

  I use my index finger to tip her face up to mine. I kiss her again. God — I love getting lost in her. Her hands travel down my chest, gliding over my raging heart and grasping at my hips. My fingers slide into the roots of her hair. Our tongues stroke softly and lazily, like we have all the time in the world.

  She pulls back and grins at me. “You’re getting hard,” she breathes softly.

  I kiss her again. “I’m always hard for you, Sammie.” I grind sensually against her, rubbing my erection against her stomach. “Come,” I say as I take her gently by the hand and lead her up to my bedroom.

  We've fucked dozens of times over the past few weeks — frivolous and wild — but I haven't really experienced her. And tonight, I don't know what it is, but I want to savor her, take my time and explore her.

  Fuck — I want to make love.

  I sit on the edge of the bed and pull her close so she’s standing between my legs, I slowly unzip the fly of her loose black pants. I take my time sliding them down her hips. Her panties are pale pink with white polka dots and lace trim. I pull those off too. I can smell her desire warming up the air and anticipation inches up inside of me but I’m determined to savor her tonight.

  I undo the buttons of her silky white top one at a time, starting at the bottom. She’s shivering with arousal as she shrugs out of the blouse. Her nipples are hard under the fabric of her pale pink polka dot bra. I slip one strap off of her shoulder and then the other. I undo the clasp nestled between her perfect breasts and let the bra fall to the floor. Her breath hitches as I press my lips to her sternum and move down over her ribs to her hipbone.

  My lips feather the creamy expanse of her midriff. Her skin is smooth and delicate like porcelain and I just want to mark it, ruin it with hickeys all down her neck and handprints on her ass. I want to come on every inch of her skin, tattoo my name on her flesh so that even when I’m gone,
she'll never forget that I was here.

  I slide my hand up the inside of her thigh. Wetness is running down her skin. My fingers are delicate as they brush across her seam. She shivers. “It’s too much, Keeland,” she whispers into the air. “I’m feeling too much. I feel everything when you touch me." Bewilderment shines in her eyes.

  Her words are kerosene on the fire inside of me. My cock responds by twitching between my legs. “Sammie…” I groan her name as I lie back on the bed and pull her on top of me so that her glistening pussy is just inches from my lips. My tongue darts out and I lick her from her puckered anus all the way to her throbbing clit. She shrieks, loud and uninhibited, as she reaches out and grabs a handful of my hair. My fingers grip her ass tightly, spreading the cheeks apart, my nails sinking into her flesh.

  I trace my tongue along her opening again and again, dipping inside to taste her warmth, to relish in her scent.

  She’s shaking now. “God, I can’t. I can’t,” she grits out between her teeth.

  I keep stroking her with my tongue. “Yes, you can.”

  I pick up the pace, licking her harder and faster and faster, faster, harder. She shatters into a million pieces coming in long, rippling waves, making the most beautiful O face I’ve ever seen.

  She rolls off of me, falling to the mattress beside me. She’s lying on her stomach, still struggling for breath. I pull her to me, spooning her from behind. She melts into me as my hand slips between her thighs and I rub her slippery clit in soft, round strokes. My cock is so hard that it twitches on its own, tapping her slightly on the ass.

  She giggles. “Somebody wants to get inside.”

  “Fuck yeah,” I grumble, as I guide the head of my cock over her entrance and gently press my way inside.

  She gasps hard, stealing air into her lungs. “Keeland.”

  “You’re so tight…and warm,” I moan as I easily find my rhythm.

  “God, Keeland.” She thrusts back softly, her ass cheeks connecting with my pelvis again and again. I take a fistful of her hair and gently pull her face towards me until our lips connect and I’m swallowing her moans.

  She moves her hips against me in maddeningly-slow, little circular movements and now crazy thoughts are bouncing through my mind.

  I want this girl to be mine.

  I could do ‘commitment’ with her. I could do a relationship.

  I see myself with her.

  I bite down on her shoulder to see her squirm, to distract myself from the thoughts. Something inside of her tightens, squeezing around me like a vise grip.

  “I’m coming,” she cries, fisting the sheets. My orgasm comes out of nowhere. I fall over the precipice, shooting my desire inside of her, stream after stream.

  She shakes against me and I hold her tight, to temper what she feels, to temper what I feel.

  I can hear the smile in her panting as she descends from her high. “That was…” she trails off. There are no words to describe what it feels like to make love to Sammie Trotten. So why even try to explain it?

  I run my hand tenderly across her damp forehead, chasing away beads of sweat. She rolls over onto her back and my semi-erect cock slides out of her. I’m already mourning the feeling of being inside of her, being one with her.

  After a moment, she climbs out of bed, strutting naked towards the bedroom door. “Potty break,” she calls over her shoulder with a chuckle.

  I suddenly feel an inexplicable sense of urgency inside of me. “Sam — wait.”

  She turns to look at me. “Yeah?”

  I sit upright on the mattress and swallow down the knot in my throat. “I want a do-over.”

  Her eyebrow lifts in confusion. “Uh, sure. We can fuck again after I use the bathroom…”

  I stand and walk over to her. I put my hands on her shoulders and lower my face to hers. “No, Sam. I want a do-over. I want another chance to give you all the things I never got to when I was a pimply-faced 18-year-old.”

  She giggles nervously. “You were never pimply-faced, Keeland.”

  My hands slide down her arms until our fingers intertwine. “I’m serious, Sammie.”

  I see her shutting down, pulling away right before my eyes. “Keeland…we said we’d keep it casual…”

  “Fuck what we said, Sam. I know you feel what I feel. I know I’m not imagining this.”

  She’s silent for a long moment as she considers my proposition. My heart is racing as I wait to hear what she’ll say. Her eyes shine with tears. “No, Keeland. We’re not doing that. I won’t let you hurt me again the way you did when you disappeared on prom day.”

  I speak low but firm. I need to make sure she really hears me. “I’m sorry you got hurt. It killed me to think about how you must have felt. I hated myself for that. For a long time.”

  Her gaze searches mine.

  “But you were always supposed to be my girl, Sammie. I was supposed to be your first kiss." I press my mouth to hers and relish in the soft warmth of it. I trail my lips across her cheek till they’re touching the lobe of her ear. "And I was supposed to take your virginity. " I feel her body shudder against mine. "I was supposed to be the guy you moved in with after college. And yes…I did want to take you to the goddamned prom…you were always supposed to be my girl, Sammie. And I was supposed to be your guy. I hate that you think I didn't really want those things. What happened was outside of my control."

  She looks at me for a moment, shivering with emotion. “I can’t do it, Keeland. You broke my heart. I can’t allow myself to believe that this —“ she gestures to the space between us, “— is real.”

  I sigh. Fuck. She has every right to want to protect her heart this time. She has no reason to trust me. But I need her.

  “Suspend your disbelief for a minute…and entertain the idea that I might not be such a bad guy…and we might be good for each other…and I might be in love with you…”

  Her eyes go wide and her breathing hitches. And then, she frowns. “Keeland, don’t say things that you don’t mean. It’s cruel.”

  I cradle her cheek in my hand. “I mean every word, Sam. What’s cruel is letting one more minute pass by without trying to make you my girl.”

  She walks away from me and takes a seat on the edge of the bed, looking utterly overwhelmed.

  I sit next to her, leaning my forehead against her temple. “Just give me a chance, Sam. Let me prove that I deserve you.”

  She doesn’t look up. She doesn’t pull away.

  Instead, she takes my hand into hers and says, “Okay…let’s try.”

  Chapter 39

  “What’s this?” I ask as Sammie plops down onto the couch next to me, dropping a thick yellow and black book into my lap.

  “Bookkeeping for Dummies,” she announces proudly as she cozies up against me holding a manila folder to her chest. “Sorry, my mom’s visit threw me a bit off schedule but I finally finished up all of your accounting today. Consider the book an apology and celebratory gift.”

  I lift an eyebrow at her. “How do I know you won’t stop hanging out with me if I start doing my own accounting?” I tease.

  “Don’t worry – I’ll keep coming for the cock,” she says with an irreverent wink.

  I toss my head back, laughing.

  I’m liking this. I really am. Sammie Trotten’s my girl. Finally. It took me long enough to seal the deal. I had to break her heart, skip town and spend time in jail before I could finally get my head out of my ass and do what I should have done the first time I saw her on the playground back when we were just kids. But every time she looks at me with those big, brown, adoring eyes, I feel like it was all worth it.

  She nods towards the manila folder in my lap before smoothing down the collar of her peach cotton blouse. “There are all your reports. Make sure you sign the tax forms. I’ll file them first thing in the morning.”

  I quickly flip through the folder, glancing at her charts and spreadsheets and neatly organized data. “Hey, so what about the purchase offe
r on the tattoo shop? Do you think I’m getting ripped off?”

  She looks up at me, beaming. “Keeland…It’s a really good offer. I mean, really good,” she says.

  I’d figured that it was a pretty sweet deal. Seven figures for a business I haven’t touched in three years? Sounds freaking awesome to me. And now that a professional has confirmed it, it’s decided – I’m selling Master Ink.

  “That’s fantastic,” I say. “I’m really happy about it.” I get up off of the couch and pad over to the hallway closet. I emerge with a huge box. “I have something for you, too.”