by Kelly Moore
That is a smile I’d love to wake up to every morning. Too bad it’s not meant to be. She will literally be the death of me one way or another. “You look tired, man. Why don’t you go upstairs and lie down. I’ll show Brooklyn around and make her feel at home. We may be here awhile until we can figure out how to stop the pharmaceutical company.”
“I think I will go lay down. The last couple days of being on the road has really taken a lot out of me.” He hugs Brooklyn and heads up the old wooden staircase.
“Before you give me a tour, I’d like to call my father.” She holds out her hand to borrow a cell phone.
“Alright. I’ll see what Jake has to drink.” I watch her as she walks by me and the porch door shuts behind her. She has such a fine ass. No wonder men are distracted by her. I even caught Jake checking her out when we first got here. A pang of jealousy ran through me for a split second. I can’t be jealous of someone who won’t belong to me for very long. I wish I had a different life to offer her, but I made my choices a long time ago. Taking down two glasses, I pour myself a glass of lemonade. The wood floor creaks as I make my way to the one piece of furniture left from my grandfather. It’s an old worn out plaid recliner. It’s ugly as hell and uncomfortable, but neither one of us could ever get rid of it. We used to take turns sitting on his lap as he told us stories of how he met and fell in love with Meme.
I gingerly sit on it so that I can feel close to the man that raised me. Thank god he isn’t around to know what I do for a living. He would skin my hide. He wanted me to be the mayor of this town. I have to laugh. I hate politics, almost as much as Brooklyn. Pops was a good man, but he was not very good with money. He thought he was leaving us this house. What he left was a fortune of debt. The man gave almost all his money away to charity. He was so tenderhearted that he was always trying to help someone. Between trying to keep this place and Jake’s medical bills, I didn’t have a choice but to continue making some money and a lot of it.
I finish the last sip of my lemonade, and the screen door opens. “It was my dad. He has the vial from my apartment. Someone must have been let in after him. He said the place was intact when he got there.”
“So, someone bribed security.” I get up and pour her a glass, refilling mine.
“He was afraid something like that might happen. He knew the combination to my safe and wanted to get it out for safekeeping.”
“Where is it now?”
“He won’t tell me for my own safety. He did say that he was informed that the CDC gave out over one thousand injections yesterday. They have kept it out of the media for now, but it won’t be long before the word is out. The recipients had to sign nondisclosures to receive the vaccine, but one of them or their families will slip in their excitement.”
I take her hand and walk her over to the couch. I sit and take her drink, placing it on the coffee table, then I pull her onto my lap. She wraps her arms around my neck without any hesitation. I lay my head between her shoulder and her neck.
“How do you do that?” I kiss her shoulder.
“Mmm…how do I do what?”
“Smell so damn good.”
“I think you’re high on something. I couldn’t possibly smell good after not showering and riding in that smelly car all day. I think you’re attracted to the pheromones that I put out,” she says, teasing me.
I capture her mouth with mine and enjoy a long, slow kiss. She wiggles her ass on my hard cock. “If you don’t stop that, I’m going to fuck you right here on the couch in front of the big pane window.”
She slips off my lap and starts unbuckling my pants. I lean my head back on the couch as she finds her way to my cock and places it in her mouth. She blows out puffs of soft air and then sucks hard on the way up. “Damn, woman, I was right. You are going to kill me.”
She smiles and continues her torture of me until I explode in her mouth. She simply wipes her mouth and zips me back up, then takes a sip of her lemonade. “Now you can take me on that tour you promised,” she says, taking me by both hands and pulling me off the couch.
I take her upstairs and show her seven of the eight bedrooms. “So, which one was yours growing up?”
“This one.” I open up the last door at the end of the hall. She walks in and touches everything, picking up every framed picture to get a better look.
“You were hot back then too.” She points to a picture of me in my football uniform. “You and Jake look so much alike you could be identical, but I can tell you two apart.”
I walk up behind her and wrap my arms around her waist and press my hips into her. “Yeah, I’m the one with the big cock.” She laughs out loud.
“Well, being that I haven’t seen his, I can’t confirm or deny it.” She turns in my arms. “You have a double dimple right here.” She kisses my right cheek. “Jake doesn’t have but one.”
“Double dimple, double the size cock,” I say, flashing her a grin.
“Oh my god. Poor Jake.” She’s giggling so hard her face is turning pink. “I bet you have always picked on him.”
I let out a deep breath and sit on my bed. “I have, but I’ve always protected him too. He’s the main reason I’ve remained in this business.”
“Tell me,” she says, sitting next to me.
“We were on the verge of losing this house at the same time Jake was diagnosed with cancer. He had to drop out of the University of Miami. He was going to be a lawyer.”
“Were you in college too?” She draws one leg up on the bed and faces me.
“I had been kicked out for not showing up for class one too many times. I didn’t have the dedication that he had. I wanted to have too much fun. Getting high was a priority for me. The day before Jake was diagnosed, we got into a fistfight with one another. See this scar on my chin?” I lift my chin for her to see. “Six stitches. He got in a good lick before I beat the shit out of him.”
“You two seem so close. Why were you beating each other up?”
“I was an asshole and deserved it. He didn’t. He was trying to help me. He didn’t want me to turn out like our parents. He found my stash and flushed it down the toilet. I was pissed and took a swing at him. We both ended up in the ER, needing stitches. They had drawn his labs and noticed something was wrong and drew more. We found out the next day that he had leukemia. He had no symptoms at that point. He got the treatments they recommended, and it made him sick.”
“So, he quit school and you needed to save this place and take care of your brother.”
“Yes, and the only two things I’ve ever been good at is negotiating and handling a rifle. I had already started working for the company about a year into college. It paid for my classes and the drugs I was doing. I was a naïve kid when I took on the job, thinking I was some kind of badass. I tried to get out, but it was too late. As a stupid kid, I didn’t realize once you were in, it was permanent. And I had no idea how good I would be at it.”
She gets up and kneels in front of me. “I think you underestimate yourself. I’ve seen your drawings.” She winks at me. “And, you are very good with your hands.” She lifts one of my hands in hers and kisses my palm. “You ride a motorcycle very well.” Her hands run up the inside of my thighs, making me hard again. “But, more importantly, I think you have a big heart you hide under all these muscles.” Her hands run up my chest and stops over my heart.
“Princess, you have no idea of the things I’ve done.” I touch my fingertips to her lips. “You deserve a prince, not the devil himself.”
“I don’t care about the things you’ve done. I care about the man in front of me, and I see a good man, not the devil.” Her body is between my legs, hands on either side of my face, and she’s looking me right in the eye.
I reach down, picking her up and laying her on the bed, my body pressed into hers. “My reputation would ruin you and your father’s political career. I won’t let that happen. When this is all finished, I will walk away from you. I need you to understand that.”
“Maybe we could save you,” she whispers.
“There is no saving me. You are the one that needs saving, and I will give my last breath to make sure that happens.” I consume her body with kisses and soft bites. Her body softens underneath me, letting me take what I want. What I consider mine for now. She raises her arms above her head, and I divest her of her clothes and remove mine. I make love to her for hours until we are both spent.
I wake up a few hours later, and the sun is starting to set. She’s wrapped in a sheet, still sound asleep. I climb out of bed and throw on my jeans. I head downstairs and Jake is in the kitchen cooking. He smiles when he sees me.
“I thought maybe you two would come up for some air eventually and be hungry.”
I ignore the ribbing. “How are you feeling since you got the vaccine?” I ask before taking the spoon that had been sitting in the spaghetti sauce. I take a bite. “I’ve always loved your spaghetti.”
“I feel fine so far. I’m starving. Why don’t you grab us a couple of beers from the fridge.”
I open the fridge and take out two cans. “Are you still drinking this shit?”
He takes the beer out of my hand. “What did Pabst Blue Ribbon ever do to you?” he jokes.
I pop the lid and take a big gulp. “Nothing but it tastes terrible.”
“Here, take your plate.” He hands me a plate full of spaghetti and garlic bread. He fixes his and joins me at the table. “So, what is your plan to get out of this mess?”
“I don’t know yet. I want her and I to have a little fun before it all blows up in our faces. I’d love to see her in a next-to-nothing bikini, riding on the Sea-Doos.” I slurp a noodle into my mouth.
“The Sea-Doos are still running, and there is a little shop down the road that has bikinis in the window.”
“I think that sounds like a plan for tomorrow. I hope you have another pot of this spaghetti because princess up there can throw down some food. I’m going to eat all I can before she gets down here.” I shovel in a bite.
He laughs. “Are you serious? With a body like that, where does she put it?”
I point my fork at him. “I don’t want to see you gawking at her body, or I will have to poke your eyes out.”
“Oh, man, you got it bad.”
Chapter Nine
John
“Got what bad?” Brook asks as she joins us in the kitchen. She places her hand on the back of my chair, leaning against me.
“Nothing,” I answer while Jake laughs around a mouthful of spaghetti.
She moves forward, studying my plate. “Did you cook this?” Her voice is full of surprise as her brows raise.
I take a big bite. Who knows, she might try stealing my plate instead of making her own. “Jake did.” My mouth is so full, I’m not sure if she can even understand what I said.
She turns to him. “You made this? It smells delicious.”
“There’s more on the stove. Help yourself,” he tells her.
I watch her sexy ass as she moves around the kitchen with ease, making her plate. She serves herself a big helping of spaghetti with two slices of garlic bread. She sets the plate down beside me, across the table from Jake, and moves to grab a beer from the fridge.
“I love PBR!” she says excitedly as she takes her seat. She pops the top and takes a long drink, not realizing we’re staring at her.
When she chugs probably half the can, she sets it down and notices us. “What?”
“Nobody loves PBR,” I tell her, well aware of the look of disgust that’s been etched on my face since I took a drink.
Jake smacks me on the back of the head. “Finally! You bring home a girl with good taste.”
I turn to give him an anger-filled look. “You two better not start ganging up on me.” I turn and look at the amusement covering her face.
“Or what?” she flirts, with a wide smirk. She leans in just a bit, watching as I try to think something up. With the way her full breasts are resting on the edge of the table and the hint of mischief in her eyes, I can’t think of anything.
I shake my head. “You would call my bluff.”
“You know what they say about them redheads,” Jakes adds.
Her eyes flash to him. “What do they say?” She gives him a sly smile, just waiting for him to say something to get himself in trouble.
Jake clears his throat. “Oh, you know. Just that they are smart and beautiful and all that.”
She sits back, looking pleased with herself. She’s just called us both out.
“Oh. I thought you were going to say that all redheads are crazy.” She grins before her eyes bounce back to us.
I laugh and watch my brother squirm. “Is that how the saying really goes, Jake?”
“Watch it, John.”
Brooklyn and I both erupt in laughter.
Jake and I are done eating way before Brook, who is on her second plate and fourth piece of garlic bread. I lean back, stuffed, and look at my brother whose eyes are wide while his mouth is agape.
“I told you she could put away some food.”
“I can’t help it,” she says, sounding offended.
Suddenly, Jake sits up straight, and his gaping mouth turns into a smile. I can almost see the light bulb above his head light up. “You know what we should do?”
“God, I’m afraid to ask.” I rub my brow.
“We should head down to the boardwalk for the festival.”
I’m confused, and I look at Brook who seems just as perplexed as I am. “Why would we do that?”
“We can enter her in one of those pie eating contests and win a lot of money! Last year, someone won a boat for putting away fifty hotdogs. I know she can beat that!”
I can’t help the roar of laughter that escapes me.
“Hey!” Brook shouts.
Jake shrugs. “What? Take one for the team! I need a new boat!”
I have to hold my side I’m laughing so hard. The look covering Jake’s face, a look of brilliance, and Brooklyn’s showing nothing but surprise and annoyance has me practically falling out of my chair.
“If I win anything, I’m keeping it! I’ve trained a lifetime. The reward is mine!”
“Alright, fine. Be selfish with your amazing eating talents.” He tosses his napkin down on the table and stands. “Would you guys mind cleaning up?” He rubs his stomach. “That spaghetti isn’t setting well with me.”
“Yeah, go and rest before you—”
Before Brooklyn can finish her sentence, Jake and the chair he was holding on to falls to the floor.
I rush to him, turning him from his side to his back. His eyes are slightly open, but they’ve rolled up under his eyelids. Brook jumps from her chair and runs over to us, collapsing on her knees.
“What’s going on?” I ask her before I give him a gentle slap across his face.
His eyes open all the way, but he looks dazed and confused. “What happened?” He’s trying to get to his feet.
I take his hand and help him up, setting him down in the chair that Brooklyn has set back up. “You fainted. Are you okay? How do you feel?”
He rubs his forehead. “A little dizzy and sick to my stomach.”
“That’s completely normal when the vaccine starts to work,” Brooklyn says as she drops to her knees in front of him. “If you don’t mind, I’d like to look you over. I know I’m not a doctor, but I watched all of our test patients. I know the progress of the vaccine and what to look for.”
Jake nods, and she runs upstairs to grab something. I lean against the wall with my arms crossed over my chest. “Are you sure there’s nothing else going on? You don’t have any other symptoms?”
He shakes his head. “A little bit of a headache, but I’m assuming that’s normal after you bash your head off of the floor.”
Brook comes back into the kitchen and kneels in front of Jake, setting a small metal box on the floor beside her.
“Where did you find that?” I ask. It looks familiar.
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“It was in the back of the bathroom cabinet,” she says, opening it.
“Ahh. That was the same one Pop’s had.” I let out a chuckle as I pull up a chair beside them to sit. “Do you remember how many times he had to pull that thing out?”
Jakes lets a short laugh fall from his lips. “More times than I can count.”
Brooklyn pulls out a stethoscope and places the ends in her ears. “Were you two little daredevils or what?”
I shrug. “You could say that. Between the dirt bikes, football practices, and fights we were in, he was damn near a doctor.”
She smiles and rolls her eyes before placing the stethoscope to Jake’s heart. We all go stock-still so she can listen.
After a minute, she puts away the stethoscope and says, “Your heart rate is a little high, but that’s expected.” She pulls out a blood pressure cuff and slides it up his arm. “Your blood pressure should be a little low based on all the other patients.”
She pumps up the cuff and keeps an eye on her watch as she lets the pressure off the cuff. “Just as I expected.”
She pulls a little penlight out of the box and shines it in Jake’s eyes before standing and stepping back to look at us both. “It takes eight hours before the vaccine starts to take effect. From the moment of injection, the vaccine starts to make its way throughout the body. With each lap around, it finds more and more cancer cells that it attaches itself to. When all the cancer cells in the body have been found, usually around eight hours, the fight is on and that’s why you will experience an accelerated heart rate, fever, dizziness. You should rest and stay hydrated.”
“So this is all normal?” Jake asks.
She smiles and nods. “I’ve only seen two people that didn’t have these side effects, and that was because the cancer was in its last stages. The vaccine didn’t work for them. Everyone it worked for, had these exact same symptoms.”
I feel like a weight has been lifted from my chest, like I can finally breathe again. I let out a long breath, and Jake shakes his head, almost like he can’t believe it.