by Jessie Cooke
“Okay Mama. Can I have a snack?”
“Nona’s making breakfast. It will be ready soon. No snacks before, okay?”
He stuck out his bottom lip, but he didn’t make a fuss. He went back out to play with his cousins. My phone buzzed and I looked at it. It was a text from Lynn that said, “I’m okay…I’m sorry I didn’t make it for breakfast. You didn’t tell them where I am…did you?”
“No, but what should I tell them when they ask?”
“Just tell Ma I overslept and I love her. I’ll call her later.”
“Okay but Dad and Tommy will have more questions.”
“Tell them you don’t know.”
“Right, like that’s believable.” Since Lynn was a year old, even after we both got our own places, I have always known where she was at and what she was doing.
“I’ll get the train at ten and head home.”
“Okay…be safe.”
“I will.”
“Lynn…did you spend the night with Kyle Case?”
“No…Not that I would have said no if he offered, but he didn’t offer.” I got that twinge in my gut again. “He kicked us out of his room pretty early on…I must have dropped my phone.”
I shook my head. I’d be willing to bet that she and Guy used the bed to “make-out” while the party was going on in the other room. I was strangely relieved by that.
I made it through breakfast without having to answer too many questions about where my little sister was. I told them she went to a concert with her friend Janet, which was true. When they asked which concert, I said I didn’t know…that was a lie. Lastly when they asked why she didn’t show up I told them she was hungover and sleeping in. That was pretty much the truth as well. After breakfast, I started gathering up Carlo’s things and my mother said,
“Do you have work to do today?”
“Always.”
“Why don’t you let Carlo stay for a bit? I’ll have Tommy swing him by later.”
“Are you sure? You just had him over Tuesday night.”
My mom rolled her eyes. That’s where I get it from. “That boy is no trouble. He’s welcome to move in here if he wants to.”
Laughing I said, “Please don’t tell him that, he’ll be packing up his things.” I kissed my boy and told him I would pick him up later and I headed home to my little Brownstone in the heart of Brooklyn. It’s only about six blocks from my parents’ house and where I grew up…but far enough away to allow me to feel like a grown-up who is living her own life. I love my little house. It’s in a decent neighborhood and after I bought it, my Dad and my brother did a lot of work in the house and the backyard and built a little fort for Carlo. He was barely over a year old then but they’d insisted on building it, telling me that he’d be big enough to use it soon enough. They only wanted to help, but it turned out that they were right about the fort too. He already used it every time he went outside to play with his army men. He was getting big too fast.
I bought the house right after Carlo’s father had left us for parts unknown. I was glad the asshole at least had the decency to do it before Carlo was old enough to remember him, and I was also glad I hadn’t given in when he tried to convince me to marry him. Getting pregnant had been a mistake, but as it turned out, it was the best mistake I’d ever made. I don’t know what I’d do without my little man. My heart and soul are consumed by him. My parents and his parents pressured us to get married, but I had a feeling that was only going to compound our mistake. We’d made a pact that if we were still together when Carlo was a year old, we’d get married. He took off a week before Carlo’s birthday…bastard. To this day when I take Carlo to visit his grandparents, his mother refuses to speak to me. She has it in her head that Tony ran because I wouldn’t marry him…I just let her think that. I didn’t see any need to drive a wedge between mother and son. I don’t have to live with him and I haven’t seen or heard from him in almost two years. That was good enough for me, I suppose.
As soon as I got home I took some steaks out of the freezer, seasoned and tenderized them and put them in a bowl. Then I took out a jar of marinade that I’d made myself. My Aunt Carmella had given me the recipe and if I do say so myself, my steaks are pretty damned good when they’re marinated in it. Next I went in and took my shower. I was just finishing when the phone rang. It was Tommy.
“Hey Gumba! Miss me already?”
“Your boy wants to go home with me and mine,” he said.
“Umm…I don’t really thing I feel like driving all the way out by Queens tonight. I’m sorry. Tell him next time.”
“He can spend the night and have a good time playing with the boys and I’ll bring him home tomorrow.”
“Okay, tell him I love him. Thanks brother.”
“Sure thing, just remember to dedicate your first bestseller to me.”
“Sure, I’ll say, ‘To Gumba with love!’”
I hung up with an empty feeling then. I had a lot of work I could do, but I’d been thinking about making a little barbecue dinner for me and Carlo and eating it outside. With a heavy sigh I finished dressing in just a pair of cut off shorts and a tank top and blow dried my hair.
I cleaned house because most of the time that’s a lot easier to do when my little man isn’t around and when I’d finished all of that, I booted up the computer and before I sat down I made myself a cup of coffee. I was headed for my chair when my phone rang. It was Lynn.
“Hey! Are you back in town?” I answered.
“Yes mother.”
“Don’t be smart, I lied to your mother for you.”
“I know. I’m sorry. I appreciate it. Tommy too, right?”
“Yes, Tommy too. Was it worth it?”
“Absolutely!” I was shaking my head. It had only been five years ago since I was twenty-two, but I don’t ever remember being as young as she is.
“Were you safe?”
“Always.”
“Good, that’s as much as I want to know.”
“Well, I have one more thing that I need to tell you.”
“What?”
“Don’t get mad.”
“Uh oh, what did you do Lynn?”
“I didn’t do anything…I mean nothing bad. Kyle was coming to New York for a few days, so I caught a ride with him.”
“Okay…” there goes my stomach into my throat again, damn it!
“He’s here, with me. He wanted to say hello.”
“Here? At your apartment?”
“Um…no, he’s actually here…here…we’re out front.”
“You better be kidding.”
“She’s not and my feelings are hurt…again,” that was Kyle. He heard what I said, damn it!
Short of telling him to go away, I couldn’t think of anything to say other than, “Come on in.” I wanted to kill my sister but at the same time I felt a sharp tingle in the very pit of my core. I couldn’t figure out if it was really Kyle prompting it, or if it had just been too long since I’d spent this much time close to a man who wasn’t related to me…I’m sure that was it. If he would go away, the tingles would too.
4
Kyle
I guess I should feel bad about blind-siding Rose this way…but I don’t. I really did have to come to New York. I have two big meetings in Manhattan tomorrow about a music video we’re putting together. My original plan had been to just stay in New York long enough to do that and then head home to Reno for the rest of the time we have off. It would only technically be a few weeks if the music video thing came together. That would take at least two weeks to film and then we’d have to finalize the songs for the album we’re recording when we come back.
I wouldn’t admit this to anyone but myself, but my main goal with going home was hoping to see Skye. I know that she’s in love with Mick…and Mick and I are becoming friends…so I’d never even try to go there. But when I was away from her, I craved her the way some people crave chocolate or caffeine. She’d toured with us for the first few st
ops, but then she went back to start school. She was planning to get her GED and go on to college from there. She’d missed out on a lot because of being on the streets for so long. I was happy for her, but sad for me. From the time she left us on tour until the night I met Rose, I hadn’t thought about anything but when I could see her again. Then I met Rose and now she’s the one I’m obsessing over. I’m sure there’s something wrong with that picture, but it would have to wait until I got home and had a chance to see my psychologist. In the meantime, this seemed like the most legitimate way to see her, without showing up on her doorstep unannounced.
Lynn led me up the steps to the front door with stained glass in the window. She knocked and in a few seconds, Rose pulled open the door. She’s gorgeous. My heart started racing again, instantly.
“Hi,” Lynn said, passively, waiting for her sister’s wrath to be unleashed. Rose looked annoyed, but not angry.
“Hi,” she said, looking from her sister to me. “Come on in.” She led us in through a small foyer and a tiny living room. The floors were all hardwood and shiny and the whole place smelled like Pine-Sol. I had a feeling that Rose was the OCD clean type. Lynn was looking around, down the halls and out in the back yard like she was looking for something, or someone.
“You guys go ahead and have a seat,” Rose said, “Do you want something to drink?”
“I’m okay,” I told her. I sat down but Rose was standing up like she was going to run out of the room, and Lynn was still looking for something. “Are you ladies going to sit down with me?”
Rose shot her sister a look…there was nothing subtle about her at all, I loved it. “So, Kyle, you’re making a music video?” she said. I had to give her credit; she was trying to make conversation with me.
“Yeah, if everything goes through the way it’s supposed to.”
“What’s the song?”
“It’s called “I can’t stop.”
“Oh, I love that one!” Lynn said. “Where are you shooting the video?”
“Were aiming for the Met…but that’s not finalized yet.”
“Do you write your own songs?”
“Yeah…most of them. The harder stuff is Guy’s department.”
“Yes it is…” I don’t think Lynn even realized she’d said that aloud until I laughed and her sister turned around and said,
“Lynn Cardinale!” Her face colored bright red and all of a sudden she said,
“I need to go see Daddy and Ma. Kyle, you don’t mind, do you? I can walk the six blocks over and I’ll just catch you next time.”
Rose had a panic stricken look on her face at the thought of being left alone with me. I was amused and slightly intrigued to find out why she was so worried about us being alone. I smiled at Lynn and said, “No, I don’t mind at all. I won’t keep Rose too long either.” Lynn and I said good-bye and Rose walked her to the door. I figured this was where she was going to get her ass-chewing, so I settled back and entertained myself by looking at the family pictures on the wall and the mantle. When she came back, she looked really pissed.
“Is everything okay?” I asked her.
She nodded. “I’m sorry; I just thought that was rude of my sister. She forgets that she’s grown sometimes.”
“I think she’s just a free spirit,” I told her. Rose raised an eyebrow and I said, “You two seem so totally opposite that it’s hard to believe you’re related.”
“So, I’m the opposite of a free spirit? What does that make me then…anal?”
I laughed and then I said, “Well, if the plug fits.” With an indignant look and sound, she picked up one of the throw pillows off the couch and hit me in the chest with it. I picked it up and said, “Oh yeah, that’s how it’s going to be?” I tossed it back at her and she dodged it.
“You may as well give it up now I’m the reigning pillow fight champion since the age of twelve.”
Laughing I said, “Reigning over what? Other sixth graders?” The pillow was lying about half-way between us in the floor. I saw her look at it and we both dove for it at the same time. She grabbed hold of it but I tickled her ribs and got her to let go. When I grabbed it, she tried tickling me back to get me to drop it, “Sorry, not ticklish.”
“Not at all?”
“Nope.”
“Nowhere at all?”
“Nope.”
“Not even under your arms?”
“Nope.”
“I don’t believe you,” she said. I let go of the pillow with one hand and lifted my arm. Instead of trying to tickle me though, she faked me out and grabbed the pillow. She pushed back on the carpet with her legs, giggling. I chased her and I got ahold of the pillow with one hand and then I took her skinny little wrists in the other hand and brought them up over her head. Now she was lying about half underneath me and my left thigh was against her right one and she was looking up at me. She had one loose, sexy piece of hair down in her face and I was dying to touch it…
“That’s not fair you know,” she said.
“What’s that? My devastatingly good looks?”
She laughed… “Um…no.”
I grinned and said, “My raw sex appeal?”
She giggled, “No.”
“Okay then, that’s the only unfair advantages I can think of.”
“You can hold both of my hands with one of your giant ones.”
“Giant? These aren’t giant!” I let go of her hands and held mine above her not touching her at all. She pulled up into a cute little fetal position and when she did; her t-shirt came up just enough to give me a glimpse of her smooth, olive skin. Fuck…so far I was only at half-mast…but that did it. I froze for just a second and offered myself two options: Quietly slide off her and sit with the pillow in my lap…or go for it…just kiss her and see what her reaction is. Fuck. I kissed her.
It was soft and gentle at first…tentative. I was giving her time to protest before I surpassed the part where she pushes me back with her hands and I got the knee in the crotch. I felt her lips part and it was on. I slid my tongue into her hot, wet mouth and she met it with hers and we really kissed with passion. While we kissed I felt her hands travel up around my neck and then down my back. I took that as a signal that it was okay to move mine. I slid them up her sides, just along the outsides of her breasts, letting them come to rest on the back of her head. Her hair was so silky; it slipped right through my fingers. Her fingers found their way underneath my t-shirt and slipped up and down along my spine. I felt her grab hold of it with one of her hands and pull on it. I wanted to take it off for her, but I didn’t want to stop kissing her. When we finally came up for air it was with a lot of gasping and panting. Her face was flush and her hair was in her face. She looked so fucking sexy. I reached underneath her and pulled her up so that we were both sitting up and our bodies were pressing together and I held her there while we caught our breath.
When I could breathe again I brushed her hair out of the way and brought my mouth down to her shoulder. I had one hand around her waist and the other resting against the top of her thigh. I nuzzled around the nape of her neck and I felt her shiver in my arms. Every part of my body was alive with desire. I had to have this woman. I brought my head back up and then brought my lips back down on her mouth and kissed her hard. She responded again right away, parting her lips and letting her tongue dart in and out of my mouth as our lips caressed each other. I shivered as I felt her hands go up and she let her fingers slide through my hair, tugging at it gently.
“Oh fuck Rose…I want you so bad.” She didn’t speak…she just nodded. I slid my hands underneath her butt and picked her up. She wrapped her legs around my waist and we kissed as I walked. I had no fucking idea where I was going…we ended up in the kitchen. When she opened her eyes and looked around, she giggled. I didn’t care what room we were in, I had to have her now. I sat her up on the granite island and cupped her face in my hands. I kissed her again and then I pulled back and checked her face again to make sure she was still ok
ay with this. She looked like she still wanted this to happen as badly as I did. I found her collarbone with my mouth and I kissed her and ran my tongue all the way up her neck to her ear. I nipped at her earlobe and she moaned. Fuck….
Her hands were on my lower back and I felt her slide them down and slip underneath my shirt again. They felt hot on my skin as she played up and down my back again. She gave me goose bumps. I don’t think I’ve had goose bumps during sex…ever. I was the one moaning now…or maybe growling. Every one of my senses was engaged with the way she tasted and felt. She was intoxicating. I wanted to be inside of her worse than I’d wanted anything in a very long time.
She took hold of my shirt with both of her hands and pulled up on it. I had to bend down so she could pull it off me. I heard her draw in a breath as she looked at me and traced her fingers across my pecs and abs. She leaned in and kissed me on my chest…butterfly soft kisses…so sexy. Her tongue came out and joined her lips and she kissed and licked her way across my chest, flicking my nipples with her tongue as she worked her way up to my neck. I could feel my cock pulsing against my jeans, threatening to explode. My hands were fisted tightly in her hair and when her mouth reached my ear, I couldn’t take anymore. I used her hair to pull her head back and look at her pretty face. She smiled and pushed against my chest with both hands. I reluctantly stepped back and she slid down and took my hand. At this point, I was hoping for the bedroom…but I would have followed her anywhere. She led me down the hallway to the bedroom on the end and as soon as she pushed open the door, I could see signs of her everywhere. The bed wasn’t big, but it was tall and fluffy and had lots of pillows with ruffles. So girly, so sexy.
5
Kyle
I took her face again and was about to kiss her when I thought I saw a flicker of doubt in her pretty blue eyes. “Are we going to do this?” She nodded. I smiled. “Don’t nod pretty girl. Tell me…do you want me inside of you as badly as I want to be there.”