My Weakness

by Alison Mello

  Her makeup is light, and her hair hangs down her back in soft waves. She’s barefoot and has the cutest, daintiest feet. “Do I look okay? I don’t want them to think I was trying too hard.”

  “You look great.” She kisses me quickly and then stuffs the clothes she was wearing into the bag she brought.

  After I’m changed, we head toward my parents’ place. Chloe’s quiet as we make our way across town. Her leg bounces up and down, and she wrings her hands together. I place my hand on her leg to stop it from bouncing. “Why are you nervous? You know my parents.”

  She looks at me. “Well, this is the first time I’ve been to their place with us being together. Don’t they think I’m too old for you?”

  “Baby, my dad is a lot older than my mom. Age is nothing. They only want me happy, and Chloe, I am happy. Aren’t you?”

  Chloe pulls my hand up to her mouth and kisses it. “I’m happy. I just wish we lived closer together, that’s all.”

  “Me too, baby.”

  We pull up in front of my parents’ house and see my sister’s minivan in the driveway. I look at Chloe and shake my head. “It was just supposed to be us, Mom, Dad, and Haddie. I’m gonna apologize right now because it’s going to be chaos.”

  “It’s really okay.” I get out and go around to open her door and help her out. Hand in hand, we walk up to the door. I don’t bother knocking—we just walk right in. Natalie greets us first…well, she greets Chloe first.

  “Are you going to be my aunt? You look like Snow White. Can I sit by you?” My sweet niece fires off a barrage of questions.

  “Natalie, leave Uncle Joe’s girlfriend alone,” my dad says as he walks toward us.

  “Okay, Pawpaw.” She gives us both a hug before scampering off to do who knows what.

  “Chloe, it’s good to see you again.” My dad bends down and kisses her cheek.

  “It’s good to see you too, Dylan.” He offers her his arm, and they walk farther into the house.

  “Uhh…hello. Did you forget about me?” I holler from behind them.

  Apparently Ben got called into work and my mom felt bad for my sister, so that’s why she and the kids are over. It’s really not that bad with them here—I was just hoping my parents could really get to know Chloe without any distractions. When I step into the family room, Chloe’s hugging my mom and then Abby. They don’t see it, but I do—Chloe smiles and reaches out, touching Abby’s baby bump. She’s smiling, but it’s not reaching her eyes.

  Luckily, Rion runs up to Chloe and wraps his chubby little arms around her leg. While still talking to Abby, she bends down and picks up my nephew in her arms. My mom comes toward me and gives me a hug.

  “Hi, honey. Sorry about Abby and the kids being here.”

  I shake my head. “It’s seriously okay. As you can see, she’s enjoying the attention.” Natalie’s herding Chloe toward the sofa. Dalton comes toward me, and I pick him up, throwing him over my shoulder. I move farther into the room and sit down with Dalton in my lap next to Chloe.

  After everyone sits for a bit, we all head into the dining room. My mom and Haddie carry out the dishes. It’s chaotic until finally we get everyone’s plates filled and the kids are finally quiet.

  Conversation is light while everyone eats. Natalie is pretty much the one running the conversation right now. She’s in kindergarten, smart as a whip, and loves school. We all listen as she regales us with tales from her class.

  “For show and tell, Matt brought his pet tarantula in, and when Ms. James saw it, she screamed and ran out of the room. Matt’s mommy had to take it home so our teacher would come back in. It was so gross.” She’s not looking at any of us as she talks; she concentrates on her plate.

  “What did you bring for show and tell?” I ask her.

  Natalie finally looks up. “Mommy brought my tap shoes, and I showed them how I can dance.” She pushes back her chair, stands up, and with a hand on her hip starts moving her little feet. She sits back down. “They all clapped and said I was a good dancer. Am I a good dancer, Uncle Joe?”

  “You’re the best little tap dancer I’ve ever seen.”

  She smiles so bright. I wrap my arm around her and give her a squeeze.

  After dinner, Chloe, ignoring my mom’s request to sit down, helps Haddie clear the table while my mom and Abby clean the kids up. Abby tells us goodbye and apologizes for intruding on our dinner. I open my mouth to tell her she wasn’t, but Chloe beats me to it.

  “I’m glad you were here and that I got to spend time getting to know your sweet kids.” Abby hugs Chloe, then we all head outside. Haddie’s going with her to help with the kids in the morning. I walk around to the driver’s side and give my sister a hug.

  “I love her for you, Joey,” Abby whispers in my ear. She pulls back and gives me a big smile before climbing in her minivan. I open the door to the back and climb inside to give my niece and nephews hugs goodbye.

  I shut the door and walk around the front to pull Chloe back against my chest. We wave as they take their leave. With my arm around her shoulders, we follow my parents back inside.

  “Who wants coffee?” my mom asks.

  My dad and I say yes, and so does Chloe. My girl follows my mom into the kitchen to help her get coffee. As soon as they disappear, my dad turns to me. “She’s great, Joe. I know we’ve known her since she was a little girl, but she’s really grown into a fine woman.”

  My dad saying that really means a lot. “I’m falling in love with her.” I say it quietly so I know she doesn’t hear me.

  “That’s great, son. You haven’t been serious with anyone since Tracey. You seem really happy, but you guys live four hours away from each other. That may be fine for now, but it can’t work forever. What are your long-term plans?”

  To be honest, I’ve tried not to think about it, because I don’t think she’d consider moving away from her parents, brother, and friends. Hell, we’ve only had one real date, but I know how I feel. I know every time I leave her, I get an ache in my belly and a pain in my chest.

  “I don’t know…we haven’t really talked about that stuff yet. I was hoping with her here this weekend that we could. All I know is I that I want to be with her, and every time I leave her, I feel ill.”

  We don’t get to finish our discussion because Chloe and my mom return, carrying a tray of coffee cups and cake. My girl sits next to me and hands me a plate with a piece of my mom’s famous homemade chocolate cake.

  While we eat, my mom drills Chloe about her jewelry designs, and they plot for Chloe to make a mother’s necklace for Abby, waiting to add the charm for the baby girl she’s carrying until after she’s born.

  I’m ready to be alone with my girl, so I stand up. “You’re leaving already?” Of course that comes from my mom.

  “Babe, I’m sure they want to be alone.” My dad kisses her forehead while she pouts.

  “Oh, fine.”

  Chloe tries to collect the dishes, but my mom tells her to leave them—she’ll get them later. They walk us out. My dad slaps me on the shoulder and mouths, Tell her how you feel. I give him a chin lift and then hug my mom goodbye.

  My dad hugs Chloe, and then my mom does the same. “We’ll pick you up at noon tomorrow for lunch.”

  “Okay, that sounds good. Thank you again for dinner. It was delicious.”

  We climb in the car and head back toward my place. “Sorry it was so chaotic tonight.”

  I feel her hand on my thigh, and my dick immediately gets hard. “It wasn’t chaotic. It was fun. Your family’s amazing…really.” Lacing my fingers with hers, I bring her hand up to my mouth and kiss the back of it.

  We roll up to the stoplight that just turned red. Grabbing Chloe by the back of her neck, I pull her head toward mine until my lips can reach hers. I can only kiss her for a second before the car behind us honks. Chloe laughs against my lips before pulling back.

  Pulling into the parking lot, I park and then help her out. Hand in hand, we make our way inside
my apartment. I kick the door shut and begin to stalk my prey.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chloe

  The banging of the door has me whirling around. Joe begins stalking toward me with a hungry look in his eyes. My nipples harden, and I immediately get wet. I begin to back up, but he tells me to stop, and something in his tone has me freezing.

  He reaches me and grabs several strands of my hair, letting them sift through his fingers. “You’re such a good girl.” A warm feeling spreads low in my belly as he drags his fingers down my neck to my collarbone. His finger dips down into my cleavage and then up the other side.

  Joe’s barely touching me, and I’m already so turned on. My body quakes as he slowly walks around me until his front is against my back. His hands are on my shoulders. I shiver as I feel his lips touch my ear. “Do you trust me?” Joe’s words are barely a whisper.

  I open my mouth to speak, but only a whimper escapes as he bites my earlobe.

  “Answer me, baby. Do you trust me?” His tongue touches my neck, and I tilt my head to the side to give him better access.

  “Yes, I trust you.” It comes out as a moan.

  “Good girl,” he says against my neck. “Now I want you to go into my room, strip out of all of your clothes, and lie down on the middle of my bed.”

  I whimper as he steps back, missing the heat of his body. Turning to look at him, I swear my vagina quivers at the look in his eyes. I’ve never seen him look at me like this before.

  “Go, Chloe.” His tone tells me to do it.

  I step inside his bedroom and strip out of my clothes until I’m completely naked. I crawl onto his bed and lie down in the middle as my heart beats a rapid staccato in my chest.

  It feels like I’m waiting forever before I hear footsteps coming down the hall. My breathing speeds up until it comes out in rapid pants when he appears in the doorway.

  “You’re fucking beautiful.” He moves until he’s standing at the end of the bed. His eyes travel a lazy path from my toes all the way to my face. I watch him as he slowly takes his shirt off, licking my lips as I scan every inch of his lean, muscled chest.

  My eyes follow his fingers as he slowly unbuttons his jeans, pulling them down with his boxer briefs. His hard cock bobs when it’s freed from its confines. Once his clothes are completely off, he squats down and grabs something from the floor. As he crawls on the bed, spreading my legs, I see he’s got handcuffs in his hand.

  “Oh God,” I whisper. My breasts get incredibly heavy.

  He sets them down on the mattress next to me and grabs my wrists, pulling my arms above my head. “Grab onto the bars.” I do as he asks and feel the coolness of the steel as he clicks them first around one wrist and then the other. I pull on them, and they rattle around the spindles of his headboard.

  “I’ve got the key right on the nightstand and can get you out of them really quick, okay?”

  Can he tell my heart is racing? Is that why he said that? I nod my head, but he grabs me by the chin. “I need to hear that you’re okay.”

  “I…I’m okay. I promise.”

  Joe brings his face down to mine, placing his lips on mine. I immediately open, my tongue seeking his. Our kiss is slow and lazy and oh so good, but he holds his body away from mine. Lifting my legs, I move to wrap them around his hips, but he lifts his body away from mine. I nip at his lip, and he pulls back. “Do I need to spank you?”

  I shake my head because if he does I could possibly come right now. I’ve never been so turned on in my life, and he’s not even touching me. He resumes our kiss, and then his lips start the path down my neck, licking and nipping at the sensitive skin while again holding himself away from me.

  Joe moves south, kissing his way down my chest until he reaches one nipple and sucking it into his mouth. I moan, arching my back and pushing more into his mouth. He licks, sucks, and nips at it until I’m writhing beneath him.

  He switches to the other, giving it the same treatment and causing my pussy to clench around the imaginary cock. A moan slips past my lips, and I wish he’d fuck me already. I’m mindless with lust, and I try to reach for him, forgetting for a second that my hands are cuffed. My hips thrust up, trying to come in contact with some part of his body.

  Again his lips travel down my body, kissing and licking every inch of my skin. I whimper and cry as my clit throbs with the insane need to come. He reaches the apex of my thighs, and I want to whimper in relief, but the bastard doesn’t go where I need him most. Instead, his tongue teases around my nether lips, and I jerk against the cuffs.

  Joe lifts me up enough to slap my ass cheek, hard. “Hey! What was that for?”

  “Quit jerking on the cuffs.” His voice is low and commanding.

  Lifting my head, I glare at him. “Are you trying to give me the female equivalent of blue balls?”

  He chuckles, making me kick at him, but he grabs my legs and spreads them further apart and then slowly drags his tongue through my folds. My hips surge off the bed, and my back arches as I moan. Joe growls against my pussy and begins to attack it with vigor. His tongue flicks my clit over and over, and I moan as he pushes first one finger and then two inside of me.

  I’m so wet that every time he finger fucks me, my body makes a wet squelching sound, but I can’t even be embarrassed right now because I’m on the verge of coming and coming hard. He starts rubbing my G-spot, and pressure begins to build. I feel his lips wrap around my clit, and he begins to suck.

  In no time at all, I’m coming and coming hard. White spots cloud my vision as I cry out. I can feel him growl against me as he continues to lick and suck at me, prolonging my orgasm.

  “No…more…” I pant, trying to wiggle myself away from his mouth.

  He finally pulls away and begins kissing his way back up my body as I pant. My skin is coated in a fine sheen of sweat. Finally, Joe kisses my mouth, letting me taste myself on his lips and tongue.

  Pulling away, he reaches into his nightstand and grabs a whole sleeve of condoms, ripping one off with his teeth. I watch with rapt attention as he quickly tears it open and slides it down his very hard dick. He reaches up and grabs my hands. “Hold on to the spindles and flip onto your stomach.” It takes some maneuvering before I’m on my belly. He sticks a pillow under my head and arms. “Don’t let go, baby—this is going to be rough, hard, and fast.”

  He pulls my hips up and thrusts inside of me. I cry out as he groans and buries himself deep inside me. Slowly, he eases out of me, and then he begins to move. He wasn’t lying when he said it was going to be rough, hard, and fast because he begins to pound into me at a punishing pace.

  His grip on my hips is sure to leave bruises, but I welcome the bite of pain. I feel myself hurtle toward coming again. My cries turn more urgent. I feel like I’m speaking in tongues, and I wish I could touch myself. “I need to come,” I cry urgently.

  Joe’s front meets my back, and one hand reaches around and begins strumming my clit. “I’m going to come. Come with me, baby.” He squeezes my clit between his fingers and thrusts deep, planting himself as he begins to come, me following behind him. My cries and his groans fill the room, and I feel his teeth clamp down on my neck. The sensation has me shaking and shuddering until my vision goes hazy.

  I collapse on the mattress and am barely coherent when I feel him slip from my body and then move around. Next thing I know, I’m in his arms. “You okay?”

  “Mmm…hmmm…I think you broke my brain,” is all I can get out, and I feel his chest vibrate as he laughs.

  “Are your wrists okay?” I feel him pick them up, inspecting them.

  “They’re fine.” I burrow against his chest, tucking my face in his neck. His slightly sweaty, woodsy scent wraps around me as I feel myself fall asleep.

  ***

  Today has already been a great day. First I woke up this morning to Joe kissing my neck and fingering my pussy. We made love, slowly, sweetly, and I came with a soft cry. I fell back asleep after we were finished
and woke up to Joe bringing me toast and coffee in bed.

  After we ate our toast and drank our coffee, we lay in bed talking. Twice I wanted to ask him what we were doing and what kind of future he saw, but I chickened out. What if he thought I was pushing him toward a more serious relationship than what he wanted? Maybe at his friend’s party and with a little liquid courage, I’ll get the nerve to bring it up.

  We worked out in the complex’s gym for a while and then went back to his apartment, where we decided to shower separately because his mom was coming to pick me up in an hour, and had he showered with me, I would’ve been late.

  Journey picks me up with the plan to meet Abby, Haddie, and Natalie at the mall. On the way there, Journey reaches across and grabs my hand.

  “How are you doing?” I know by her tone what she means.

  “I’m okay, as long as I don’t think about it or her.” Her hand spasms around mine, and I immediately feel bad.

  “I’m sorry, Chloe. I shouldn’t’ve asked. You don’t need to answer me.”

  I squeeze her hand. “No, it’s okay. Some days are harder than others, but it’s easier when I’m with Joe.”

  “My son really cares about you, I can tell. He reminds me so much of his father. They have that intensity about them.” It warms me to hear her say that.

  “He’s been great. Even when I tried pushing him away after I lost the baby, I said terrible things to him, implying that me losing her was what he wanted. I knew it was wrong as soon as it left my mouth, but I wanted him to hurt the way I was.”

  “Honey, I think that’s totally normal after suffering the type of loss you did. He forgave you, so there’s no point beating yourself up about it. Just move on and look toward the future.”

  Journey is right, and I’ve been trying to heal and plan for the future. It’s getting easier and easier to move past it every day, but I know the pain will always live deep inside me. I’m confident that I’ll be strong enough to live with it, though. “Thank you.”

  We pull into the parking lot of the mall and find Haddie, Abby, and Natalie waiting inside the door for us. Natalie breaks away from her mom and runs at Journey. “Gigi!” She talks her ear off about school, and Journey’s attention is focused solely on her granddaughter.