by S. J. Bishop
It felt like the wires in my brain were all crisscrossed, shorting out different parts of my body. My toes tingled, my thighs itched, and the back of my neck felt like it was on fire. I breathed in his captivating lips, his dark midnight colored hair, and his caramel eyes. The tattoos that covered his chiseled chest aroused the bad girl in me.
I kissed a small green dragon in the upper left quadrant of his chest, running my tongue over the thick scales that covered his bare flesh. The dragon's body spanned just a few inches of his chest, but its pointed tail ran the width of him, from his left to his right side and back again, creating a figure eight. I let my tongue trail the whole length of the tail, as if his body were a cold drink of water on a hot day. When I got to the sharp, pointed tip of the tail, I swirled my tongue around it, daring it to sting me. The dragon breathed fire back into me as my saliva sizzled on his skin.
He opened my robe so that my breasts spilled out, forcing his gaze to my center. I could see the blaze in his eyes as he took in my voluptuous body, licking his lips. He reached down with one soft yet firm hand and began to stroke the soft tissue between my thighs. My back arched as my brain registered the pleasure of his fingertips on my clit, slowly twirling around the delicate pink flesh that began to blossom under his expert touch.
He leaned down and kissed my ribs, teasing my sensitive skin. He slid his tongue up over my chest, between my breasts, to my collarbone, where he kissed me gently, still rubbing my clit with his soft, thick thumb pad. My core felt like it was on fire as he took my dark pink nipples into his mouth. Flames moved through every part of me, from my head to my feet, sending shockwaves up and down my body. Every inch of me was melting. I reached down and pulled at his zipper.
"I can't take much more of this," I said, barely able to find my voice.
"I already told you once," Lars said, his hot breath blowing against my ear. "I say when."
I felt the smoothness of his chest as I reached out my fingertips, brushing them lightly over his skin as my hands inched downwards. The zipper that separated us was cold on my skin. I tugged at it with desperate fingers. Lars laughed, finally showing mercy on me and pushing my hands gently aside so he could lower the zipper himself.
His cock slipped out from under the fabric of his jeans as I worked frantically to push them down his waist. They pooled around his knees as he continued to straddle me. I spread my fingers wide and traced the hard ridges of his shaft as heat radiated off him. He groaned softly as I began to stroke his cock, his arousal growing with each up and down movement. I sat up and drew his mouth to mine, concentrating on the feel of his soft, supple lips as he pressed them hard against me.
Suddenly, his jeans were off and on the floor. He slipped my robe the rest of the way off and threw it aside. I leaned back on the bed and spread my legs for him, sending an open invitation. His tongue slipped between my thighs, tasting me, caressing my clit with his velveteen tongue.
I clamped my hands on the side of the mattress, pulling the corner of the sheet off the bed as my body spasmed. I felt my core erupt, desire overtaking me as Lars slipped his tongue deep inside my hole. My pussy was already wet and only growing wetter by the second. I groaned loudly as my eyes rolled backward.
He lifted his head, kissing my lips before leaning close to my ear. "Now," he breathed, "it's when."
34
Lars
I'd never had to work so hard to control myself. From the moment I'd touched her, my cock was ready to erupt. As my tongue worked its way into every sinful curve she owned, the look in her eyes hotwired my brain like a stolen car. It wasn't just Clarissa's curves that had me so turned on, it was everything about her. She had a fiery temper deep inside her that was as dangerous as it was provocative.
She looked at me with such passion as my fingers moved over her sweet, supple skin that a jolt of electricity shot up my back and spread into my growing shaft, making it feel alive. She was looking at me with those crystal blue eyes, panting, her arousal obvious as I slipped my fingers deep inside her pussy. I pulled them back out, breathing in the scent as I pressed her wetness to my lips. She groaned, squirming under me. I needed to taste her just once more. My heart beat furiously in my chest as I lowered my head to her soft mound, lapping at her delicate clit as her thighs trembled.
"Oh God," she cried. I could tell she was close, and I hadn't even entered her yet. My breathing grew labored as I swirled my tongue around her, my cock starting to ache with anticipation. My urgency overwhelmed me as her seductive lips once more found mine, and her hands reached down, stroking my throbbing cock as she teased it with light, wet fingertips. I rocked my hips forward slightly, sending my member careening between her damp thighs but not yet entering her. I bathed my cock in her juices as her limbs began to tremble. I could hear her heart slamming against her chest.
Her eyes held me captive as I watched the surge of emotion created by my cock rubbing against her. She was so wet, it was almost impossible to believe. I slipped my shaft through her wetness one last time before finally entering her. Her eyes widened. Her face changed. Alarm washed over me for a second as I thought I'd hurt her.
"Are you alright?" I breathed, already starting to pull out.
She hand clamped tightly down on my ass, pushing me back in. "God, yes," she cried.
My cock twitched inside her as I sank deeper inside. Her body consumed me. From the moment I'd seen her, this was what I'd wanted. Now that I had her, my brain ceased to think. All that I could do was feel. My cock was singing as it sailed in and out of her. She clamped one hand on my shoulder, digging her nails deeper into me with each pulse of my hips.
Every time I thrust my hips against hers, her breasts shook. I couldn't deny their intoxicating pull as they quivered in front of me, full and juicy, ready to burst. I reached down with my tongue, tapping the tip of it against her hard pink nipples as my body began to sweat. The round nub felt at home in my mouth as I suckled her, rolling my tongue around her nipple as we began to move together, our bodies completely in sync. Her pussy was warm and wet. I could feel her thighs clench as my hips met hers beat for beat. I couldn't take it anymore. I pushed my way deep inside her as her body cried out. I pounded my hips against hers, parting her thighs that much more with the force of my thrust. She wrapped her arms around my back, digging her nails into me.
Our bodies were so hot our flesh melted together. I slammed into her again, my heart palpitating. I could feel my mouth watering as my fingers scraped the satin smooth skin of her back as I held her tightly. I pressed my cock into her silken warmth and felt myself start to erupt. Suddenly, Clarissa's body clenched. She cried out as her juices overflowed, wetting both of us as I sank into her one last time. I exploded, pumping lightly into her as my cock grew a final inch. Hot cum spilled out of me and filled her.
She buried her head in the crook of my neck as we lay together, exhausted, and fell asleep in each other's arms.
35
Clarissa
I woke up feeling refreshed. I looked to my left, and part of me was surprised to find that Lars was still there. I crawled out of bed quietly, not wanting to wake him. He looked so peaceful when he was asleep. The hard worry lines across his forehead and around his eyes seemed to evaporate. I figured it wouldn't hurt to let him sleep just a bit longer. I dressed and made my way downstairs.
Everything about my life right now was confusing—except for Lars. Last night had cemented everything for me. I still couldn't believe the way he'd opened up to me. His past was like a nightmare, but most people were able to wake out of their bad dreams with the dawn. For Lars, the nightmare never ended. Even when he'd broken free from his past, it had come back to find him. He should never have made that stupid contract with Angelo like he had, but at least I could understand why he did it.
I pulled some eggs and bacon from the fridge, thinking I could surprise Lars with breakfast. I wasn't much of a cook, but bacon and eggs, I could do. I set some orange juice on the counter and grabbed
two glasses. A sudden wave of nausea rolled over me. It passed quickly, but it was enough to remind me that although Lars had been open and honest with me, I hadn't been open with him. Guilt beat behind my eyeballs, making them hurt. I rubbed my temples, hoping it would go away, but it only grew stronger. I had to face facts. After last night, I no longer thought of my pregnancy as something I could or should be deciding alone. I had to tell Lars.
"Morning, beautiful," Lars said. I jumped a foot in the air, sending one egg flying across the room where it landed at Lars’ feet. He laughed, "Guess I scared you." He kissed me lightly on the cheeks as I tried to relax my face. I didn't need him asking me what was wrong, or worse, guessing it before I was ready to tell him. Yes, I had to tell him this morning, but timing was crucial here. I couldn't just blurt it out. Breakfast first, then we would talk.
You're just stalling.
"Shut up," I mumbled under my breath.
"What?" Lars asked, looking up at me from the floor where he was wiping up the broken egg. God, why did he have to be so nice? If only he would do something terrible, I could get mad and send him home, and then I wouldn't have to tell him anything.
"How do you like your eggs?" I asked.
"Scrambled works for me," he said, shooting me that fucking smile of his. Why couldn't his teeth be crooked or brown or have one of those little spaces in the middle of them? Anything to make this easier. He'd grown up poor. How could someone so poor have such good teeth? There was no way he'd been to the dentist growing up.
"What?" I asked, shaking my head to clear it. I couldn't let myself fall into any more trances. Lars was bound to notice.
"I said scrambled," he replied, standing up and dumping the paper towel and egg into the trash. "What's up? Everything okay?"
"Sure," I replied, a little too cheerily for so early in the day. "Couldn't be better." Jesus, stop talking already.
I pulled six strips of bacon from their package and tossed them onto the frying pan. Lars came up behind me and wrapped his hand around my waist. I tried not to jump as he touched me, but it was too late, he'd felt the sudden shift of my body under his.
"Okay, what's going on?" he asked.
"Nothing," I lied. I was only digging a deeper hole for myself, but I just couldn't seem to form the words needed to tell him what was going on.
Lars' face turned abruptly ashen. He stepped back from me, his deep brown eyes going glassy. "Oh shit," he said.
"What?"
"I know what the problem is."
I held my breath. There was no way he could have guessed, could he? Had the doctors or nurses at the hospital said something to him after all?
"What do you mean?" I asked, the chipper tone in my voice sounding false even to my own ears.
"You've changed your mind."
My jaw dropped open. How the hell had he found out?
"I don't know if I've changed it, exactly. I just think we should talk about it, that's all."
He slammed his fist against the counter, and my heart raced in my chest. "I'm sorry. This isn't your fault," he said, his eyes cold as steel. "It's me. It's all me. If I'd never joined that stupid gang...if I hadn't told Angelo I'd take his stupid hundred million dollar bribe... How can I expect you to want to be with me when I have the past that I do?" He stood stock still, his face pale. He lifted one hand to wipe some hair from his eyes, and I saw it was trembling.
"Wait...what?" I asked, confusion washing over me.
He looked up at me, his eyes darker than normal. There was anguish behind them. "You could have any guy you wanted. I was a fucking idiot to think you might want me. I'm not sorry I told you, though. I could never keep something important from you. You had to know the truth about me. Just know that I'll always be here for you if you change your mind."
"Wait, Lars," I said, stopping him before he could reach the entryway. "What the hell are you talking about? I don't care about your past. We all have a past."
He blinked, not quite comprehending. "You don't care?"
"No."
"But I thought...I thought that in the light of day, you know, you'd changed your mind."
"Not even remotely," I said. The smile that lit up his face said it all. It was as if I'd just given him the best Christmas present ever. He had his lips planted on mine before I could blink.
"Wait," he said, suddenly pulling away from me. "What were you talking about then?"
"What?" I asked. His kiss had knocked the wind right out of me. I couldn't think straight.
"When I said you'd changed your mind, you said it wasn't that you'd changed it, it was that we should talk about it. What did you mean?"
I felt my heart catch in my chest, pushing the breath from me. "I...uh...was talking about the money Angelo offered you. Was it really a hundred million dollars?"
He nodded.
"That's insane! How can you give all that up?"
"Because the way Angelo's offering it to me isn't the only way to get it." He squinted at me. "Are you sure that's the only thing on your mind?"
"Yes...no. I don't know," I suddenly snapped, throwing my hands up in the air. "Do you always ask so many questions in the morning?" His lips tightened as I heard bacon popping behind me. "Shit!" I yelled, spinning around and pulling the bacon off the stove. I looked back at Lars, who was standing with his arms folded across his chest now.
"You know you can tell me," he said.
I sighed and took a deep breath. I guess it's now or never. "Fine, I don't really know how to say this. Lars—"
The phone cut me off. I looked in its direction, grateful for the escape. I picked it up off the counter, Lars watching me the whole time.
"Hello?" I asked.
"Clarissa Walker?"
"That's me."
"I'm Nurse Catchum in your father's ward. I was calling to let you know that you might want to get down here."
"What? Why? Is he okay?"
"I'm afraid he's taken a turn for the worse."
I hung up with the hospital, my eyes already watering. "What's wrong?" Lars asked.
"My dad." I fell into his arms.
"I'm going with you."
"No," I mumbled into his chest. I looked up at him, tears streaming down my face.
"Of course I am!" He was looking at me like I was crazy.
"Lars, if you really want to help my dad, the best thing for you to do is win that Super Bowl. That's what he'd want. The game is in two days. That means you need to go to practice. I'll text you the second I know anything."
I saw his jaw set and his lips form a hard, thin line. "I won't let you down. I won't let him down."
"I'm counting on it."
36
Lars
I pulled into the parking lot of my apartment complex, wanting a fresh change of clothes before I ran to practice. There was an open spot right out front of my door. I grabbed it and got out, hustling to make sure I made it in time. Our assistant coach, Tom Miller, had taken over Coach Walker's job since the accident.
I wasn't paying much attention to where I was walking or what I was doing. I was just sort of spacing out, worrying about Coach. Part of me kept thinking that I should've gone with Clarissa to the hospital, but I knew she was right. I couldn't let Coach down. I knew it was crazy, but I kept thinking that if I could just win the big game for Coach, he'd snap out of his coma somehow. It sounded like a wild, new-agey kind of theory, but I figured that stranger things had happened.
A shadow stepped out onto the path I was walking on. I moved to go around whomever it was and looked up as I did so. My mouth went dry. I should have been expecting this.
"Hello, Lars."
"Hello, Angelo."
We stood staring at each other for what felt like several minutes. The clouds overhead rolled past us at a snail's pace. It felt like the world had suddenly stopped.
"Think I could come up?" Angelo asked. "I was hoping we might have an opportunity to talk." His voice was low and steady. He made it that way on pu
rpose. He'd practiced it when he was moving up the ranks in the mob. As he used to tell me, low and steady always sounded more threatening than fast and whiny.
"I can't. I've got practice." My heart raced in my chest as my eyes darted around the suddenly too wide, too open space we were standing in. Open spaces were great for running. Not so great for hiding.
Angelo smiled, only Angelo's smiles were more of a sneer. He was pissed that I was blowing his big deal and wanted to find some way to force me to keep my end of it. The problem was, Angelo knew me too well. He knew I was tough and that I didn't break easily. That meant whatever punishment he came up with was gonna have to be extra hard.
"You and I go back a long time," Angelo said. "You were always like a son to me. You know that, right?" He stepped forward, his right hand in the pocket of his coat. Now it was my turn to sneer. I wasn't stupid. Angelo knew that I would know he had a gun in there. He was sending me a message. Shape up or ship out. The problem was that I knew Angelo just as well as he knew me. He'd never shoot me in broad daylight where anyone could see him. Of course, that didn't mean he wouldn't hire someone to do the job for him.
"A son?" I asked, not bothering to hide the skepticism in my voice. "I think you're confused, Angelo. I believe what you meant to say was ‘servant of destruction’."
Angelo's eyes widened in mock pain. "What you say hurts me. Deeply. You know I always took care of you. When you wanted out after Ash died, I let you out, didn't I? And then I went back and got those motherfuckers who killed him and took a shot at you and Tony." The more Angelo talked, the more his voice started to rise. "Who do you think put Ash's marker in the cemetery when you bailed out on us? Who took care of his memory, huh? And this is how you repay me? With this bullshit?" Spittle flew from his mouth as he yelled. He pointed at the air with one finger, like a crazed street preacher pointing toward God.