by L. S. Scott
I was finally out of high school and would be eighteen in a little over a month. I had a full ride to college and the most gorgeous man I had ever laid eyes. At that moment, life seemed perfect. It was so easy to forget about the ghosts that were waiting to come back to haunt us.
The summer was glorious. Jaron did have to spend a little more time, away, informing me that he had sort of put too much responsibility on Dave the previous summer because he wanted to spend all his time with me. But, he did make my eighteenth birthday the best I had ever had.
He filled the house with balloons and streamers, bought me a huge chocolate cake, elaborately decorated with icing lavender and daisies and invited my brother and Tiffany to dinner at our house, along with Janna and Greg. Jake made the trip, Tiffany being a key component in his willingness to make the five hour drive more often. Jake appreciated the effort Jaron put into the party for me and the two parted on better terms.
We also celebrated our one year anniversary. Jaron remembered the exact date of our first date, which was more than I could say. We went to dinner at the little restaurant on the river, walked the river bank and sat on the rocks. Everything was perfect.
The first semester of school came and went. True to his word, Jaron gave me no static. He was even understanding when I needed to stay late at the library a few times. It was the second semester and the night class I got stuck with that threw a monkey wrench in things.
“I’m sorry baby, but I have to have this class.”
He pinched his forehead in frustration.
“8:50 Natalie? You won’t get home till almost ten o’clock.”
“I know, but it’s only three nights a week. It will be over before you know it,” I tried to ease his anxiety about the night class I was taking. He just ended the conversation with a disgusted huff and a slamming door.
For the first few weeks, things were tense and strained between us. I hated it. It made it hard for me to concentrate when I was in class, and when I was home; I ignored my class work and spent all my time and effort trying to better his sour mood. By the time semester tests rolled around, my grade was hurting and I was busting my ass preparing, desperately needing to ace it.
“You look like you’re about to blow a gasket,” a voice sounded softly next to my ear as I sat in a study lounge staring at my notes, frowning in concentration.
I snapped my head up to aim that frown at whoever was breaking that concentration.
“Oh, hey Brandon,” I said, cracking a smile. Brandon was in the same class and sat next to me. We had swapped notes on more than one occasion.
“What’s wrong,” he asked sincerely.
“Ugghh, this class is kicking my ass. I have to ace this test or my grade is toast. I could lose my scholarship.”
He plopped down beside me and laid his arm across the back of the couch behind my shoulders. His leg was touching mine and my shoulder was tucked under his arm. I stiffened, uncomfortable by the closeness. He gave me a crooked, easy going smile of a friendly, laid back guy who seemed to know everyone. His hair was chocolate brown, as were his eyes that were kind and comforting. Brandon’s calm aura was the polar opposite of Jaron’s intensity.
“Why you so jumpy,” he asked observantly.
I had sat next to and studied with him a whole semester and never mentioned my boyfriend with the raging jealousy problems.
“I’m not. I’m just stressed.”
He pulled me against him and gave my shoulder a reassuring squeeze.
“You’re going to do fine,” he reassured. “Here,” he pulled a study guide out of his back pack and handed it to me. He had a knack for making the best study guides and had the grade to prove it.
“I can’t take your study guide. You need to study too,” I said, pushing the paper back at him.
“I’m done,” he said, shrugging nonchalantly.
“Are you sure,” I asked, my forehead crinkled.
“Positive. You study that and I promise you’ll do great on the semester test.”
“Thank you. I owe you one,” I smiled as he stood.
“I’ll hold you to that,” he grinned before walking away. I bit my lip, dropping my head to conceal the blush on my cheeks.
I sat at the dining table with my head buried in my notes. Jaron’s hands came down on the table to either side of me, his lips pressed to my neck just below my ear. I closed my eyes, and smiled, appreciative of the sweet gesture. The closer it got to the end of the semester, the lighter his mood had gotten. With semester tests just a week away, and summer break right around the corner, things were getting back to normal.
“You coming to bed,” he asked his words moist against my skin.
“Yeah, I’m about burn out for the night,” I answered, lifting my arms behind me to wrap around his neck.
“Whose handwriting is this,” he asked, picking up Brandon’s study guide.
“A guy in my class let me borrow his notes. He always does well on Mr. Kramer’s tests. I’m hoping it will help me. I really need an A on this one.”
“Hmph,” he snorted, pulling my chair out.
I stood and turned into him, “You know what subject I’m not tired of?” He raised his brow, before kissing me. “Anatomy. More specifically, your anatomy,” I said suggestively.
“Mmmm, well, I have the perfect study guide for that,” he said, pushing my hand down his stomach.
I slipped my hand under his pajamas and filled it with him. He groaned. I walked him backwards, steering him around the fireplace, to the loveseat just around the corner. I released him and pushed him back and kneeled in the floor between his knees. He lifted his hips to let me pull the flannel from around his waist.
I took him in my hands, caressing every smooth, hard inch of him, watching as his eyes fogged over. He dropped his head back against the cushion. “Ooohhh.”
I took him in my mouth and he took my head in his hands. Working from top to bottom, I liked and sucked and teased as his breath hissed between his teeth. I swirled my tongue around the tip a few times before sucking him into my mouth and sliding all the way to the base. He grunted and flinched as my teeth grazed the sensitive head. I ignored it, increasing the suction as I bobbed up and down. I could feel the moisture pooling between my thighs as I listened to him moan and squeezed them tightly together, my hips rolling just a bit. I was caught off guard when he sat up and pulled me up by my hair.
“Stand up,” he ordered breathlessly. I obeyed.
He rid me off my panties and slid his finger between my soaked thighs. He smiled seductively.
“Mmm, I love how sucking my dick makes you so wet,” he whispered, nibbling the tender skin of my inner thigh.
He lifted my right foot to the love seat and pulled me to him. He spread me open with one hand and slid the other in and out of me, bending down to lap at my clit with his tongue. I tangled my fingers in his hair and pressed him to me, grinding against his tongue.
My left leg began to quiver, he smiled knowingly. “Come on baby,” he urged, licking and sucking and pumping me into oblivion.
He curved his two fingers inside me and my knee buckled. He caught me and pulled me onto his lap, his fingers still working inside me. He pressed his thumb into my clit, circling it as my body shook in his arms. I dug my teeth into his neck as I soaked his fingers with my release.
“On your knees,” he commanded, pushing me over to the other side of the love seat and directing my body.
I pulled my knees under me and turned my back to him, resting my elbows on the back of the seat. He clutched my hips and with a low growl slid into me. He moved in and out slowly at first, relishing the feel of my walls clamping down around him each time he withdrew from me. He spread my ass and pushed as deep inside me as he could go. I pressed against him and frantically rolled my hips.
“Oh, God Damn baby, that feels good. I love to watch your ass grind against me like that. Mmmm,” he groaned, deep and rough, before he started pounding into me. The sound of
his groans, my whimpers and our skin slapping together filled the room.
“Oh God, don’t stop Jaron,” I begged, afraid he would explode before I reached the orgasm that I could feel getting closer every time he slammed into me. “Harder!”
He dug his fingers into my thighs and hammered me until I knew I would probably have bruises. Like an over filled water balloon, I burst, drenching him, clutching the cushions as my body jerked violently, Jaron draped across my back, riding his own wave of release.
He leaned over me, holding on to the back of the love seat, kissing my shoulder. “Oh my God baby. You’re amazing.” I lay still, holding on to the cushion, trying to recover.
“Are you ok,” he asked, rubbing the hair away from my face.
I nodded and smiled dreamily. He chuckled and withdrew from me slowly. He collapsed on the seat and pulled me into his lap and held me close until we recovered.
“Hey wait up,” I heard from behind as I trekked across campus to my truck. I turned to see Brandon trotting down the sidewalk toward me, smiling.
“Hey,” I smiled back and waited for him to catch up. “Where were you tonight?”
“Oh, I’ve got this test covered. I’ve been in the library all evening finishing up a Lit. paper. So, do you think you’re ready for the exam next week? Did the study guide help?”
“Oh,” I said, snapping my fingers. “Speaking of your study guide, here.” I pulled the notes from my back pack and handed them to him.
“It’s okay, keep them,” he insisted.
“No, I made myself a copy. I would hate for you to bomb the test because you gave me your study guide out of pity.”
“Cool. I was going to make another one this weekend, but this will definitely save me some time.” He took it and shoved it in the book he was carrying. “Where you headed?”
“My truck. It’s across campus.”
“I’ll walk with you,” he smiled. “So, got any big summer plans?”
“Umm,” my mind went to Jaron. I hadn’t even mentioned him to Brandon all semester.
“Not really.”
“You should come by next weekend. We’re having a big party, kick off summer break.”
“Sounds like fun, but…”
“Oh come on, you’ll have a blast. I’ll make sure of it,” he nudged me playfully.
“I’ll try,” I lied.
Several minutes and small talk later we approached the Bronco, parked directly under a street lamp. The rest of the parking lot was deserted except for a couple of cars and one truck several spots down.
“Well, thanks for walking with me,” I said, swinging my back pack from my shoulder to dig for my keys. I stuck the key in the door, “I guess I’ll see you next week.”
“Yeah.” Brandon ran his fingers through his hair and rested his hand on his neck.
My brow crinkled as I noticed his change in demeanor.
“You ok?”
“Yeah, I just..”
He took a deep breath and exhaled quickly and before I could say another word he stepped to me and pressed his lips to mine. My backpack hit the ground. My eyes closed and my mouth opened, allowing him access. He cupped the side of my neck with one hand and gentle pressed my back against the Bronco. His lips were soft and his kiss slow and sweet. It was nice, but foreign. It felt ok, but wrong.
Just as he pulled away to look at me, he was grabbed and slammed into the passenger door. Jaron’s hand was around his throat and his fist was cocked and ready.
“Jaron, NO!” I shouted, grabbing him around his bicep. He shook me off.
“Jaron don’t. It’s not his fault. He didn’t know. He just kissed me, and I kissed him back.”
The words came tumbling out of my mouth in a desperate effort to spare Brandon a terrible beating, with no regard for myself. It was my fault after all for failing to inform him of my insanely jealous boyfriend.
Jaron stopped and turned his death glare on me. It hit me so hard I literally stumbled backward a step or two. Thankfully, he let go of Brandon.
“Brandon, leave please,” I said without looking at him.
“But, Natalie, are you sure,” he asked, concerned.
“Just go now, please.”
Brandon gathered his books and the scattered papers and reluctantly backed away, disappearing down the darkened sidewalk.
“Jaron, I…” my apologetic explanation was cut short by the jarring impact, of the back of his hand, against the side of my face.
It spun me around and I landed on my hands and knees on the pavement. Jaron stood over me predatorily. Dave had pulled his truck along-side us and rolled the window down.
“Jaron, there’s cameras everywhere bud. You should finish this conversation at home,” he said coolly. They shared a look and a nod. “Later.” He pulled away.
Jaron opened the driver’s door, tossed in my backpack and pulled me to my feet. I pulled my arm away.
“I can walk,” I snapped, spitting blood at his feet.
Quick as a cat, his hand was clutching either side of my face, his palm putting the slightest bit of pressure on my throat as he pushed me against the side of the truck.
“Now is not the time to give me attitude,” he growled, his eyes wild with rage. “Do you understand?”
I lowered my eyes and nodded. He released me and I climbed in to the passenger side and buckled up, dreading what was sure to be a scary ride home. To my surprise, it wasn’t. He drove us home just like he would any other time, except he was silent and brooding, one hand on the wheel, and the other propped on the door. He bit his thumb and traced his bottom lip. A sure sign he was deep in thought.
He followed me closely up the step and into the house.
“Go brush your teeth,” he hissed as he brushed by me headed for the kitchen.
“But, the inside of my mouth is busted,” I pointed out, running my tongue across the cut inside my cheek.
He scowled at me. “I don’t give a damn. Get him out of your mouth, now!”
I went to the bathroom and did as I was told, avoiding the damaged area as best I could. Jaron leaned against the counter, arms crossed, waiting, when I returned to the kitchen. There were two, Ibuprofen, a glass of water and an ice pack setting on the bar beside him.
“Sit,” he ordered.
I obeyed, keeping my eyes low. I took the medicine and held the cool pack to my face. He stood staring at the floor, his body trembling with every breath. I finally broke the silence.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered, shame oozing from every pore.
“Hmph,” he snorted, shaking his head. “I think about you, all day, every day, like a damn fool.”
He looked at me for a second and then turned away with a look of disgust. I winced. That look hurt worse than his knuckles against my cheek. He turned back to look at me again.
“Do you even have a night class Natalie, or have you just been fucking that guy three nights a week?”
He studied me closely for signs of deceit. My brow crinkled and my lip trembled.
“No! I mean, yes I have a class. What happened tonight has never happened before. And it will never happen again.”
“Oh you’re God Damn right it won’t. This college bullshit’s over.”
“Jaron…”
“No! Don’t Jaron, me.”
He turned and placed his hands on the counter in front of me, leaning forward to my eye level.
“Exactly what I said would happen, happened!” I diverted my eyes from his punishing glare.
“You understand?” I nodded.
“Good. I’ll be back later,” he said, turning and heading for the front door. Surprised I jumped up and followed.
“It’s after ten, where are you going?”
He stopped with his hand on the door.
“Out.” He opened the door and turned to look at me. “You better be here when I get back because I swear to God if I have to come looking for you it won’t be pretty. And I will find you and bring you home where y
ou belong. And I will destroy anyone who tries to stand between us.”
I dropped my eyes, again, unable to hold the weight of his livid stare.
I had fallen asleep on the couch around midnight. The sound of the front door closing woke me. My eyes fluttered open in time to see Jaron’s back as he headed to the bathroom. I heard the shower come on, and ten minutes later he appeared out of the hall. He leaned on the door frame in his faded pajamas. Even during a fight, he melted me.
“Let’s go to bed,” he said flatly.
“I’m gonna sleep here,” I answered, glancing at him for only a second.
“Like hell you are.”
“Jaron, I just need some space.”
“Some space?” he sounded insulted. “You need some space?” He crossed his arms and shook his head. “How much space do you want Natalie, enough for Brandon to stick more than his tongue in you?”
I rolled my eyes. In three strides he was on me, scooping me up from the couch. I squirmed and kicked to no avail. He threw me on the bed and pinned my arms above me. I turned my head to the side.
“Look at me,” he ordered. I refused.
He bent down and bit the nape of my neck until I cried out in pain.
“Look at me,” he said again and this time I obeyed.
He stared in my eyes for a long beat.
“Am I still the only one Natalie,” his voice became softer, unsure. Pain replaced the rage in his eyes.
“Yes Jaron. I messed up and let him kiss me, but that’s all. I swear.”
“You’re killing me, do you know that?”
“I’m sorry.”
“Are you,” he questioned, doubt in his eyes. “You’re mine Natalie. I can’t let go. I won’t.”
“I don’t want you to.”
My voice became a whisper as the heat of his thigh between mine made it hard to concentrate. My legs wrapped around his waist and crossed at his back. His eyes darted around my face, before he kissed my puffy cheek tenderly.
“Does it hurt,” he whispered.
“A little,” I admitted.