Exposed: An Anthology

by Brooke Cumberland

“We are having our first date, sweetheart.” He smiles at me, making quivers and goose bumps sail through me. I could hardly believe all the trouble he was going through.

  “Do you do these for all your first dates?” I ask as he pulls us into the road.

  “You’re the first one, darlin’.” He turns and winks at me, making the quivering pull between my legs more apparent. Damn him.

  “This really isn’t necessary, you know. I was ready and willing,” I tease, crossing my arms as I snicker at him. His head falls back as he laughs at my blunt response.

  “That’s good to know.”

  We drop his friend back off at the station and later arrive at a cliff up in the mountains. I have no idea what he has planned, but I’m anxious to find out.

  He walks around to my door and helps me down. I smile as I take in the scenery. You can see all the city lights from up here. The trees are full and green, and the warm breeze passes right through us. It’s simply beautiful.

  “Wow,” I say, walking in front of the fire truck. Eric parked right on top of the cliff, and if you took a few too many steps, you’d fall right off. “This is an incredible view!” Eric’s arms wrap around my waist behind me, leaning his chin on my shoulder. The sun was just rising, making the sky glow in oranges and yellows. It’s breathtaking. “Thank you for bringing me here.” I feel him smile against my neck. “You don’t plan on throwing me off this ledge do you?”

  “Of course not. However, I have a little project for you.”

  Oh god.

  “Okay? What is it?” I turn around and lock my eyes with his. He flashes a presumptuous smile, leaving me baffled and uncertain.

  Without a word, he turns me back around and grabs my hands. He lifts my arms up so they are open wide above my head. We’re standing there together body to body with our arms open on top of a beautiful cliff overlooking Boston.

  “Now, I want you to yell the word fuck as loud as you can,” he whispers slowly in my ear, almost sensual. My eyes clamp shut as the f bomb rolls around in my mind. He knows I can’t do this…why is he doing this?

  “I can’t,” I whisper, lowering my head in defeat.

  “Yes, you can, sweetheart. Don’t let what he did to you control you. Release it. Release him,” he leans in and whispers. I don’t know if what I’m feeling is a panic attack, anxiety, or both, but I can’t lift my arms up any longer. They go limp, but Eric continues to hold them up for me. “You can do it,” he whispers again.

  I breathe in and out for several minutes without responding. I wedge my eyes open as I grasp my mind around what Eric wants me to do. I actually understand why he wants me to do it, and why I need to let go of my past. It’s clear I can’t concentrate on the future with it still clawing at my skin.

  I inhale and yell, “Fuuuuuuu…….dge.” Ugh, crap.

  I hear Eric chuckling behind me. “I didn’t tell you to yell what you want to lick all over my body, sweetheart.” I laugh with him, as I suddenly feel safe and relaxed in Eric’s arms.

  “Ugh, okay.” I close my eyes and breathe in and out again. I stretch my arms straight against his and open my eyes as I yell, “FUUUUUUUUUCK!” at the top of my lungs.

  I can’t believe how good that feels. I haven’t said that word since I was eight years old. I’ve said frigging, frack, fudge, and my personal favorite, fracktastic.

  “You did good.” Eric spins me around. My face instantly turns red. I feel so pathetic for being a twenty-three year old that couldn’t even say the word fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck.

  “Thank you,” I whisper as my eyes begin to fill with tears. I don’t know why I feel so emotional over this, but something inside me, finally feels…lifted.

  He smiles down at me and brings his lips in just close enough to touch, but stops. “Say it again,” he whispers.

  I turn back around, but this time I step out of his reach and stop on the edge of the cliff. I close my eyes, raise my hands, and let my head fall back as I yell it one more time. This time I yell from my gut. I let out all the frustrations, all the hurt, and all the fear I’ve held in over all the years. It feels absolutely amazing. I’ve never had the urge to scream before, but now with Eric by my side, I don’t want to stop. I want to be exactly what he deserves, because he’s exactly what I need.

  I feel Eric’s body behind me as he wraps his arms around my waist. “God, that felt good.”

  “That was the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.” He turns me around and crashes his lips to mine before I can say anything back. My arms wrap around his neck as I sink my lips to his, hungry for his taste.

  I can hardly believe how much Eric has helped me in the short amount of time I’ve known him. He was truly my hero—my savior—a pure Godsend. I never thought I would be capable to feel like this for someone else…never thought I was worthy of it…never thought it would happen for me. Turns out, I was waiting for Eric the whole time…waiting for someone that believes I’m worthy.

  I break the kiss to catch my breath. I feel so many overwhelming emotions right now, but I don’t want to let this moment go. It’s perfect. I’ve never been more sure about wanting someone that I was about Eric. I was ready to give myself to him. I want him to experience me for the first time.

  Eric makes me feel things I’ve never felt before. The way he pursued me, knowing I had fought the urge, makes me know I’m not just some girl to him. It scares the living crap out of me to let someone in and to risk getting hurt, but for the first time ever, I’m ready to take that risk. Ready to dive in and give my heart to him.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Eric leads me back to the fire truck after we share a few more moments on the cliff. The moment was complete bliss, and I never want to let it go. The fact that someone wants to invest time in me is hard for me to grasp my mind around, but I’m willing to try for him.

  “Where are we going next?” I ask as Eric turns the truck back on. The sun is now full and bright, giving us a better view of the city’s beauty.

  “Breakfast,” is all he says and he turns us off the trail. He grins at me as if I’m missing something, but instead of questioning him, I smile back and go along with it.

  We only drive for a few miles before I see a cabin hidden away in the woods. It looks to be a cute little restaurant, but I never knew it was here.

  “What is that?” I ask, pointing as we drive closer.

  “It’s the Log Cabin Café,” he responds matter-of-factly. He pulls in and I notice there’s a couple other cars parked in the back. “They are usually only open on Sunday mornings, but I called in a favor.”

  “You called in a favor? Didn’t you just move here?” I turn and ask.

  “I have contacts,” he grins playfully, turning the growing hunger stomach pains into twirling butterflies. The way he could make me feel was undeniable. It wasn’t anything I ever felt for Jake or any other guy for that matter. I had pushed Eric away as much as possible when we first met, but the attraction was too obvious to ignore.

  We walk up to the cabin and as he opens the door to let me in, the aroma of bacon and breakfast food hit me. And the hunger pains are back.

  The inside is absolutely breathtaking. The walls are log style from the floor to the ceiling. There’s a huge bay window overlooking the mountains and skylight windows on the high ceilings letting the natural light in. As I continue to look around, I notice a large seating area surrounded by a large buffet.

  Eric leads me to a table next to a fireplace and pulls my chair out for me. I’m staring at him, as I am in complete awe that he planned all of this for us.

  “You really go all out for this whole first date thing,” I tease, watching him take his seat across from me.

  He shrugs nonchalantly as he places his napkin in his lap and responds, “I like breakfast.”

  “Oh, so it’s about the food, huh?”

  “Why do you think I always came over in the mornings? You and breakfast are my two favorite things.” He grins the most sickly adorable s
mile ever. It’s a combination of lust and true happiness. I’ve never felt as happy as I am now, being with Eric in this log cabin about to eat breakfast.

  We devour the buffet as if it’s our last meal. I have no problem eating in front of Eric. Heck, I think I ate more than he did. He makes me feel so comfortable and safe. I don’t feel self-conscious or nervous at all eating whatever I want. Carissa taught me that one a long time ago. She’d say, ‘Men like their women full and satisfied. Always eat on dates, that way they know you won’t get tired…for later.’ I roll my eyes at the memory of her telling me that. She was always eager to feed me advice, even though it was always unwanted, but now I can’t help but love her for it.

  “You have some big shoes to fill from now on,” I tease, scraping the last of the food off my plate. “Because that was delicious, and now I’ll expect nothing less.” I smile, wagging my eyebrows at him.

  “You got it, darlin’. But first, dance with me.” He nods over to the stone fireplace, reaching his hand out to mine. Sadly, I’ve never danced with anyone before. Not even at weddings or school dances. However, Eric has brought this new side out of me. A side of me that I finally felt like living.

  “You got it.” I place my hand in his, rising with him as he walks us over. He lightly places a hand on the small of my back, pushing me closer to him. He cups my other hand in his and my body fits naturally against his. Perfectly. He smells incredible. I can’t help but lay my head on his chest as I take in the entire moment, completely. His chest slowly rises up and down as we slow dance in circles. I match his rhythm, loving the intense closeness of our bodies.

  My thoughts are soon broken by the sound of violins playing. I turn my head and see three gentlemen playing. I look up at Eric and see him smiling down at me. He chews his bottom lip and without thinking, I reach on my tiptoes and catch his lip between my teeth. I can tell he’s surprised by my forwardness, but he doesn’t stop me. He rubs his hands up and down my back making soothing sensations rise up and down my body. I feel like I could die right now…that this man can’t be real.

  “How did you do this?” I whisper, breaking the kiss.

  “I’ve had our first date planned since the moment I met you.”

  “That borderlines creepy and overconfident.”

  “Well, it seems to have worked for you,” he teases, winking at me. I can’t argue, because he’s right. The way he always seemed to be right there when I needed him made this feel right. Having him look out for me and protect me was exactly what I never knew I would want.

  “This is perfect. Thank you.”

  We continue dancing and eventually we depart and get back into the fire truck. I look back on the restaurant and pull the horn as we drive away. Eric laughs as he sees my excited expression at being able to play with all the buttons and horns. It was like being an eight year old in a candy store for the first time.

  “Are you ready for the next part?” he intrigues, glancing over at me.

  “Next part? Eric, this really isn’t necessary. You’ve already done so much.”

  “I know. But I have a lot of makin’ up to do.”

  I simply shake my head and smile at him. I wasn’t use to this…treatment. Treatment? Loyalty? Love?

  Whatever it was, I was going to do everything in my power to keep it. To hold on to it. To hold on to Eric.

  “Ready?” Eric asks as he kills the engine. As I look around, I'm completely confused as to what I should be ready for…we’re parked at the end of what looks to be a trail.

  “For what exactly?” I look around, searching for something crazy to come popping out of the bushes.

  “Since you like getting lost in the woods and all, I thought we could walk the trail together this time. That way I can keep track of you.” He winks. I roll my eyes as I recall the memory of thinking I was going to die in the woods last time. “Don’t worry. I have a compass and a fully charged cell phone.”

  We begin the trail as the air finally warms up. It’s beautiful out here, and I can’t believe I never knew about this place.

  “How did you find this trail?” I ask as we walk hand in hand up a small cliff.

  “When I first moved here, the guys and I came up here to do some training. It’s been one of my favorite places ever since.”

  “I can see why.” I smile at him as we continue our walk. I feel like I’m floating, as if I can’t even believe this is my life right now.

  We continue walking for another half hour before he stops me and tells me to close my eyes. I comply and wait for him to tell me I can look. He leads me a few more moments before steadying me, and positioning my body just right.

  “Can I look now?” I beg, because I'm eager to see what he’s doing. I feel him brush his hand up my sides as he turns me around to face what ever it is he wants me to see.

  “Open your eyes, sweetheart,” he whispers in my ear. I slowly open my eyes and quickly search for what I’m suppose to be looking for. I scan the cliff and soon spot it.

  There’s a large boulder on top of one of the mountain cliffs. I step closer and see what is written on it:

  I love you, Velaney.

  Love, Eric

  I can hardly believe what I’m seeing. I have no idea how he managed this all, and I’m overthinking everything in my mind. I’m speechless—to say the least. I continue staring at the boulder, looking over the words. He loves me?

  I know the way I feel about Eric is nothing I’ve ever felt before. Carissa has me convinced it’s love, but is it? How can I be sure?

  I hear Eric walk up behind me, closing the small gap between us. He puts his arms around my waist and leans in close to my ear, making my whole body shiver at just his touch.

  “I love you. And I wanted the whole city to know.”

  “I can’t believe you did this,” I whisper back, slowly catching my breath.

  “I know it’s early, but I feel like I’ve known you my whole life. I feel like my life is finally complete since the moment I met you, and I want you. I want to show you everything, and I will do anythin’ to have you.” He places a light kiss against my neck. “I want you to know that I love you.” It feels like my heart is pounding right out of my chest—going up and down in unhealthy patterns. I don’t know if it’s a panic attack or a meltdown, but I know I need to get it together. This man just confessed his feelings for me, and I’m overthinking it completely.

  “You have no idea how much you have changed my life in just a short amount of time, Eric. It’s unreal, and it’s a little scary for me. Please don’t think the feelings aren’t mutual. I’m just so afraid of finally letting my guard down and then losing you. Nothing in my life ever seems to go right, except for you, and I don’t want to jeopardize that,” I confess, turning around to look him in the eyes. The way he makes me feel allows me to open up, something I’ve never been able to do with anyone else.

  “I understand, Velaney. There is absolutely no pressure. I know what you feel for me. I just wanted you to know exactly how I feel for you.” He leans in and kisses me lightly. It makes all my fears fade away, and I never want that feeling to go away. I deepen the kiss, wrapping my arms around his neck and my legs around his waist. The intensity to have this man strengthens, and I can no longer resist the urge to go further with him. He backs me up against a large tree truck as the need and desire ache between us. I’m no longer afraid when I’m with Eric. I want him to have me. I’m eager and hungry to have him…completely.

  “Eric, I want you,” I say, practically begging him.

  “You have me, I promise.” He scans his hands over my chest, caressing my breasts through the silk of my shirt. It feels intense as a moan rips out of my throat, enjoying the sensation that is being sent down between my thighs. I’m eager for his touch. I clench my thighs tighter around his waist, signaling exactly what I need from him. He tugs on my nipple, making it pucker underneath the fabric. I never knew the sensation could ripple through my body like that, but it feels incredible. I
break the kiss as my head falls back against the tree, urging him to take all of me.

  He lowers his lips to the nape of my neck, suckling and nibbling every bare surface he can find. I grind my hips against him, feeling his hardness between us. I rub my hands down his biceps, hanging on and grinding to his rhythm. I feel him breathing hard against my neck, making every hair on my body rise.

  “God, Velaney…you taste incredible, which is making it really hard for me to think straight right now.” He breaks away from my neck, and finds my lips as he lets out a moan that drives me insane.

  “Take me back to your apartment,” I beg. “Please.”

  We barely make it inside the door before I rip his shirt off. Our lips break only to remove clothing and throw them on the floor. His body is damn sexy, and I can’t help but stare for a moment.

  “Good Lord. That’s not even fair. It’s like your airbrushed—everything on your body is fucking perfect.” The words slip out of my mouth before I even realize how easily the F bomb slips out of my lips. It feels good. Too good.

  “Holy shit, that’s hot when you talk like that.”

  My body has never felt so damn fired up before in my entire life. This feeling is uncontrollable. I’m so ready that I’m afraid I’ll come undone even before he touches me. The desire, the want, the need, the thirst for him is unreal. My body aches for him as I grind my hips around him. He pulls away a moment to rip my shirt off and unclasp my bra. My breasts fall perfectly into his palms as he slams me against the wall.

  He lowers his head into my chest and circles his tongue around my nipple while cupping the other with his hand. He lightly tugs it, sending mind-blowing quivers down my entire body. If it were even possible, my desire and need for it intensifies. I grasp onto him harder as he thoroughly examines my breasts with his mouth, urging him to keep going no matter what.

  He brings his mouth back up and locks on mine as he continues massaging my breasts and rolling the nipples between his fingers. The sensation jolts wetness between my legs. The desire…the want…the eagerness to have him is too much. I have never felt this way before. The undeniable need for someone. The way he could make me feel—make me come undone—was something new for me, but in this moment, I want nothing less.