by J. L. Ryan
“Thanks.”
Her voice was clipped and short now. He knew she was reliving it and it was his fault. He looked at her, she was sad and hurting and it had left something scarred in her. He felt that same feeling when he was put in that home. Like no one understood him or cared to. He didn’t want that for her, for her to feel that way. He reached out and grabbed her again and pulled her to him. They stayed that way for a long time, just standing close with him pressed against her until Charlie came running in breaking the spell.
“Chloe, look what I found, a frog!” He happily made his way over to her and she shrieked backing up.
Charlie glanced at Braden, rolling his eyes. “Girls.” Braden couldn’t help but laugh at the scene before him.
“Well, I have to get going, Chloe. I expect to finish this conversation later.” He ruffled his hand in Charlie’s hair. “You be nice to your sister.” He gave him a smile and he headed out. He had a tremendous amount of paperwork to sort through at his place.
The next week went by uneventfully. She would glance at his place when she went to work, subconsciously hoping to see him. He was a good friend of Charlie, and that was all. School would be out in two days. Finally, it was Saturday, and Charlie was leaving. She knew the Bakers were picking him up at 11 and she started helping him to move his things outside as they waited. He was smiling at her and she finally asked him why.
“You are gonna have a whole lot of time to spend with your new boyfriend next door when I am gone, Sis.” He started laughing. She swatted at him.
“Charlie, that’s not funny. Keep your voice down. He is not my boyfriend, he is our neighbor.”
“Okay, so why is he always asking you out?” He looked up at her and started to laugh again.
“I don’t know. Maybe he feels sorry for me because my little brother has such a big mouth.” She pushed him as she made her way down the stairs.
“No, he likes you Chloe, I like girls at school… that’s how he looks at you.” He shrugged at her glare and went back to moving things.
“No, he doesn’t, guys like him don’t like girls… well like me. That’s just the way the world is. It’s up to younger guys like you to make the world better.” She threw a pillow at him and he scrambled to catch it before it hit the ground. Finally, they noticed the Bakers coming up the side street, and after some time, he was loaded and leaving.
She waved at him, feeling a little sad at the prospect of spending so much time alone. Once it had been easy to fill her time, and now, she was like a mom, and without him, she wasn’t sure what to do. She turned around and Braden was there watching her. She gave him a wave and headed back to her house.
He watched her go. It was the longest week of his life and all he wanted to do was touch her. Between issues with the races, complaints from other drivers about a leak, and his manager trying to set him up on random surprise dates at dinner time, he just wanted something normal. He wanted her. He heard what she said and it made sense to him now. “Guys like him and girls like her.” She had no idea what he wanted, but he was going to tell her. He took long strides to her door and rang the bell. He felt the anticipation curling up. When she opened the door, he practically fell through it.
“Braden hello...” He cut her off, pulling her to him and covering her mouth with his. He bruised her lips with his attack and she felt her defenses slip away. She thought of nothing but him for a week.
They moved together in the living room and she leaned back on the couch as he pushed her down. She felt the length of him against her and it was perfect. His hands were everywhere and as he unbuttoned her shirt he felt her freeze.
“Look at me Chloe. I want you, all of you just as you are. Stop fighting me.” She was still frozen and he knew he had to convince her. He pinned both of her arms above her head with his left arm as he moved his right hand over her curves. She was rounded and smooth, and he loved it. She was aware of every nerve ending in her body, as his hands reached around and under each breast, lifting her bra slightly so that the nipples were exposed. He cupped each globe lovingly until he reached the pert nipple that had hardened under his touch. He pulled and tugged on them, creating a deep ache deep down, soon covering each one in succession with his mouth.
Chloe was lost in the sensation. No one had ever taken time with her like this, ever. His hands were lighting her on fire with every movement.
She was all fire, just like he knew she would be. He was almost in pain with the need to rip off her clothes and bury himself inside her, but he wanted to go slow, wanted it to be good for her too. She was laid out on the couch, her hair, a red flaming swirl around her head and yet he could still tell she was nervous. He moved lower to make a final step in making her his.
Her eyes flew open as she felt him slide his hand under her and lift her off the bed as he loved her with his mouth. She couldn’t move, couldn’t do anything but feel the way he felt against her. She felt the tension fade away and the mounting pleasure begin to spiral out of control. Her legs were shaking as she climbed that ultimate peak to release. She let go of her resolve and fears and put her hands in his hair and let go.
He felt her release, and the way her legs were trembling made him ache for her more. He moved above her and watched her face as he moved to push inside her. She was tight, and it took more than one pushed to fully envelope himself within her. With a final push, he was exactly where he needed to be. He pushed her knees up and over his shoulders as his movements became more frantic, more demanding. Soon, he stood back from her, one hand holding each knee as he pounded into her relentlessly. He heard her moans, and knew she was sharing in the intensity. Her hips moved with his, and the explosion was powerful as he pushed into her one last time and release came.
They both lay there, trying to breathe and trying to make sense of what just happened. For Chloe, it was unlike anything she ever experienced. She looked up at him and he was smiling down at her. He leaned in and kissed her lightly before he stood up. She once again marveled at his chiseled body. He saw her glance and smiled at her. Hopefully she knew that he found her sexy and he enjoyed touching her. He made his way to the kitchen and Chloe quickly redressed. What had she done? She felt the blush rising up her face. He had seen her, all of her. No one ever had. She made her way into the bathroom and then followed him in the kitchen.
His phone rang and she turned to look at him and he frowned as he listened.
“Chloe, I have to go. I’m sorry, something came up.”
“Sure it's fine go ahead.” She felt the same fear from before, he would leave now.
“Chloe look at me.” She did. “I will be back, I promise. “ He kissed her quickly on the head and left.
To say he was worried was an understatement. The twenty minute drive took him 12. He pulled into his lot and stared up at the flaming mess. His penthouse was on fire and all he could do was watch. He found the house staff and was happy they were okay. The three of them watched as the fire department did their best.
The next few days Braden spent sifting through what had once been his home. His home hadn’t been saved and very little else had either. He had to meet with the investigator today and then the adjuster. The police assumed this was an accident, but he wasn’t as sure. He was staying at a nearby hotel, trying to hold it all together, but barely. He made sure the staff had rooms and that they were well taken care of. Most of his time was spent on the phone or on conference to various media networks and the racing team. He thought about Chloe, her smile and her sweetness. He missed her. Everything he put into proving he liked her the way she was vanished the night he left, and hadn’t come back. He promised, and now she would never trust him again.
Chloe knew she was a fool. She spent that entire night waiting for him, as if she believed in his story, or that he would come back. She waited, and the joke was on her. Life had, inevitably gone back to normal. As a teacher, she threw herself back into the work of planning for the next school year. She found th
at by journaling a lot, she was able to keep her heart from hurting too much.
The reality was she cared about Braden and what he thought of her. The times they spent talking was a big part of that. He was a kind and sweet guy, despite his obvious fetish for big girls. It wasn’t that he never came back that night. The fact was he had never come back at all, until yesterday. She hadn’t actually seen him, just that his lights were on and music was playing inside. How he could just ignore her now was the brunt of the pain.
She wished for a moment that she had the strength to march over there and demand an answer, but it was better off left alone. She glanced at the clock and headed out to go grocery shopping. As she did, she heard the door open next door and she cringed. The last thing she wanted was a run in. She turned around and it was a woman, a very thin, very hot blonde woman. The blonde in question gave her a wave and she straightened her shoulders and left.
Braden had cancelled the rest of the afternoon and made the decision to try. He had to explain, and most importantly, he had to tell her the truth. He drove to her place and waited. He saw her car, he knew she was there, but for the first time since he was a child, he was scared. He was a nationally known bike racer and had been with more than a few women all over the world and this one woman had him questioning everything about himself. He felt the guilt like a punch in the stomach. Not just for leaving her like that, but for not telling her the truth about who he was. He finally got out of the car and went to the door.
She heard the knock and frantically made her way to the door. She found a solution to her financial woes and was moving in a roommate. To say the mess from what had once been storage was everywhere, would be putting it mildly. She climbed over the final boxes and pulled the door open. There he stood.
“What do you want Braden, I am really busy.” She hoped the nonchalant way she talked to him would fool him.
“We need to talk Chloe, really talk.” He sounded serious and she finally made eye contact. Still gorgeous, he looked rough. He looked tired and she knew something was wrong. She moved out of the way and he came inside.
He felt a sense of panic at the mess. “Are you moving?” He glanced around.
“No, I found a roommate. Nice guy, good job.” She crossed her arms in front of her and waited. She would let him speak, but she wouldn’t make it easy for him.
Braden felt a rush of anger. He would be damned if some “guy” was moving in here. “There are some things I need to tell you and explain. I need to know you will let me explain it all and then we will talk about this “guy” you think is moving in here.”
He made his way to the living room and she followed. Her arms were crossed again and her eyes were flashing fire. Even now, he wanted her.
He turned the channel to ESPN and turned to look at her. “This is the best way I know how to explain.”
She sat there stunned watching sports news, which she didn’t even know existed. Some bike racer had a house that burned down and, wow, he was local. She suddenly felt sick. He was everywhere, pictures and stories and she knew. He turned it off.
“Oh my God Braden, are you ok?” She looked at him and touched his hand.
“I’m fine, my house is gone though. That’s where I have been. That’s why I didn’t call.”
“Why didn’t you tell me you were famous? It would have made our fling that much more memorable for me.” She gave him a half smile.
“Stop it Chloe, I don’t look at you like that and I know you don’t either. It's more than that and you damn well know it.” She moved off the couch and towards the door. He caught her hand as she went by, standing up in the process. He kissed her forcefully, only letting go when they needed air. It was then he noticed her tears. He kissed her eyelids and wiped them away.
“Don’t cry Chloe, please, I’m so sorry for everything.” He pulled her into his arms and buried his head in her hair.
He kissed her face and then her mouth again. It started so simply, wanting to comfort each other, and soon they were lost in the moment. She pulled away from him and went up the stairs, and he followed. Once there, he took the lead, grabbing her hand and pulling her with him into the room. Their actions frantic now, they undressed each other. He turned her around to face away from him. She felt him unzip her dress and trail his fingers down her spine as the dress slipped to the floor. He reached around to cup her breasts, which overflowed in his hands. He pulled her back against him and she felt the hardness there.
“Don’t ever question what you do to me Chloe, feel what you do.”
She did just that, taking him into her hand and feeling the length of him. He pushed her over towards the bed and she climbed into it and he stopped her. She was half on and half off the bed when he moved behind her. He filled her suddenly and quickly, and she gasped at his entry. He moved his hand up to her hair, winding his fist in it and bracing himself as he plunged into her faster, and deeper. They moved together both seeking and searching for something. She was the first to reach her peak and she moaned out his name as she did so pushing him over the edge as well. He pulled her to him spooning behind her. She was his, and she always will be. Suddenly she stood.
“You should go Braden.” She pulled her dress over her head and stood. He stood as well and she was once again reminded of how perfect he was.
“Chloe please.”
“Braden this…. this was a mistake. You know it as well as I do.”
“No, it’s not a mistake, how can you even say that after what just happened?”
“We come from different worlds, Braden, you’re... famous for God’s sake and I am just some…”She trailed off. “You lied to me, Braden.”
“I know, at first I just wanted you. I was driven by a need to be inside you, loving you. Then things changed.”
“No, they didn’t Braden… …you should go… now.”
He saw the firm set of her jaw and knew she was serious. He took one last look at her before he left. Chloe waited until she heard the front door shut and she locked it before crumbling to the floor and gave over to the tears.
Braden was not himself. His driving was awful and he couldn’t connect with the course. He normally would love the flowing hills of Virginia, but he was officially not on a streak anymore. He angrily threw his helmet into the seat of the car and made his way to the crew. They all knew to avoid him when he was like this. Braden angry was a rare thing, but it usually had a quick turnaround. This time he was like this all day. He was angry, and worried. Chloe refused to respond to any messages he sent her and he missed her. She was so damn stubborn and it hurt that she didn’t feel the same way.
Braden made his way into the hotel and caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror. He was dirty from the race, but he was changed now. He spent his entire adult life alone until this one woman came into it and now he was worried about someone else. He knew she had been struggling, in more ways than one. She shared her situation with him, told him her secrets, and he lied to her. He knew she was hurting, but couldn’t she see how he felt? He frowned. How did he feel exactly? He got into the shower to wash away everything from the long day. He had to do something, and soon.
He met up with Mike for dinner that evening who put it all in perspective for him.
“You’re in love with that chubby girl back home aren’t you?” Braden stood and towered over him.
“Don’t ever say that about her again, do you understand me?”
“Whoa, whoa buddy calm down. I didn’t mean anything negative about it. I am just telling you man, you got it bad. The whole damn crew is afraid of you the way you’re tearing things up all the time. Not to mention you lost your streak, you need to see her and make it right. Either let her go or marry the girl.”
Braden sat back in his chair and thought about what he said. Marry her? The thought gave him a start of panic, but the idea of coming home to her, all the time was one he could love. He ran his hand through his hair. He hoped she and Charile were okay, if only she w
ould answer his damn calls. He suddenly had an idea, one that might make her call him after all. He pitched his idea to Mike, who chuckled and started to make the call.
Chloe was frustrated. The roommate was an ass and he left his things all over her house. More importantly, he was indifferent to Charlie. Treating him like a bug in his way all of the time. Last night was the final straw. He came home drunk and groped her, and she was finished with it. She took a deep breath before knocking on his door. She had to do it repeatedly before he finally yelled something and stumbled to open it.
“What Chloe?” He moaned as she pushed the door open wider.
“You have to move, Josh. I can’t have this kind of environment for Charlie.”
“You can’t just kick me out, Chloe. I have rights. Besides, you like it when I touch you, don’t even try to lie.” He took a step towards her and grabbed her again. This time she pushed at him and scratched his face. He gave her one blow to the face and she staggered backwards. She rushed to the living room calling for Charlie and the two of them made their way out to her car.
Mrs. Anderson watched the little car pull away with a shake of her head. That was a bad man in there, she saw her holding her face when they left. She pulled out her phone to call Mikey and tell him the plan couldn’t work now. After Mike hung up the phone, it took him a minute to turn around. He knew once he told Braden, he would lose it. There was nothing he could do but to tell him.
“Well, what did she say?” Braden was eager to hear Chloe was ok.
“Seems like she is gone man, I mean she had a couple bags and she and Charlie left.”
“What the hell do you mean they left?”
“Sit down man I’ll tell you everything.”
Braden did, only because he knew he wouldn’t get any information otherwise.
Twenty minutes later, Braden called the airline and booked a flight to Texas. The sonofabitch was going to pay and he would be the one to do it. Mike tagged along, mainly because he didn’t want Braden to end up in jail. They took the direct flight and Braden was full of tension and ready to fight the entire time. Finally on the ground, they picked up a rental car and made their way into the city. He was practically out of the car before it even stopped. He made his way to her house and when the door opened, he let the first punch fly.