Chapter Fifteen
We started out mid-morning Saturday. Detroit in October came alive to celebrate Halloween so the first one Cain and Flannery were together, we were in our senior year, the five of us declared everything Halloween a tradition. Corn mazes. Haunted houses. Candy until we felt sick. All of it. And this year would be no different even if we couldn’t be together on the actual day.
During the day we hit the corn mazes first, especially after the first year where Kendra and Flannery got lost in one when we went after dark. Took us forty-five minutes to find them. We thought it was funny. They didn’t.
The one I found online looked amazing, and we hadn’t ever been to it so we headed there. It was huge. Twenty acres of maze right outside the city with multiple entrances. Everything was fine until we hit that inevitable fork in the road or corn in this case. The girls insisted we go right but us guys were pretty sure we should go left.
“We’re going right,” Kendra said looping her arm with Flannery’s.
“Every damn time, you know that right?” Adam crossed his arms over his chest.
It was a beautiful fall day, you could smell the chill in the air which was something else I’d miss when I headed back to California. Then again, I was pretty sure Miriam could help make me forget about it. Just seeing her face would make me forget that I really wanted to be in Michigan. Yep. I was royally screwed when it came to that girl.
“You’re not always right,” Flannery said shaking her head.
“The fuck you say.” I let my gaze fall right on the tiny girl in front of me. “Name the time you two were right. I think you pick the wrong one on purpose just to mess with our heads.”
She shrugged, mischief dancing in her eyes. “I guess we’ll find out then.”
Kendra and Flannery turned together and walked away from us. They were incredibly frustrating. But as was our usual, we went the other way, slowly making our way through as we waited for one of the girls to scream in frustration when they hit dead end after dead end.
“You’re awfully quiet,” Cain said finally.
I’d been wondering when one of them would say something to me.
“And?”
“Just curious.”
He didn’t need to verbalize what he asked.
“Miriam’s back home. Her shoot was only a couple of days.”
“That’s where your mind is? Because of what happened?”
Reluctantly, I nodded.
“Whatever. We’re not letting you leave until tomorrow, so get the fuck over it.” He gave me a shove. Which made me tackle him to the ground. We were laughing so hard I couldn’t land a punch to save my life. So we gave up.
We hit two more mazes before it was late enough to find the haunted houses after grabbing something to eat.
The first one was lame yet the girls still screamed their fucking heads off. The next one was decent but the last two fucked with our heads so much I let Flannery wedge herself between me and Cain with Kendra and Adam hot on our trail.
After all that we went to a horror movie double feature. Lots of blood, lots of screaming and the requisite amount of naked sorority girls before returning back home to collapse.
I was just about asleep when I heard someone creeping through the living room. Opening my eyes just the slightest, I found Flannery trying to be quiet as she made a beeline to the kitchen. She obviously thought I was asleep. I couldn’t pass that up.
“Going somewhere?” I asked in a voice loud enough to make her jump and catch her breath.
She yelped in a whisper voice.
“You’re an asshole. That scared the shit out of me.” She turned a death glare on me. I only laughed because I couldn’t apologize. I wasn’t sorry. “Yeah, those movies pushed me over the edge. Every damn year. I’m such a lightweight.”
Instead of going to the kitchen she curled herself up on the other end of the couch.
I pushed myself up so there would be enough room for her down there and she yanked my blanket up around her shoulders.
We talked for a while that night, something we hadn’t done in a while. And at some point we both conked out.
Until I felt someone slapping my face.
“What the fuck?” My eyes popped open.
Cain stood over me then slapped me again.
“Is there a reason you’re sleeping on the couch with my wife?” He asked trying to look pissed off.
“Sorry. She finally came to her senses.”
Cain had been leaning over the back of the couch so it gave him the right leverage when he decided to roll me. Right off onto the floor with a thud loud enough to wake Flannery. Oh that was going to need some payback.
Once Kendra and Adam joined our little party, we made a big breakfast and ate for what seemed like forever. Leaving day always sucked.
But alas, I wanted to see Miriam more than I wanted to stay so I packed up and headed out early to drop by my parents’ house to say goodbye.
The flight seemed to take twice as long as normal but I think anticipation had more to do with it than flight time. I wanted Miriam in my arms.
Finally back in California.
If someone would have told me there’d be a day I was thankful for being there I would’ve put a shit load of money on the fact that I never would be. Before Miriam. Now, I couldn’t imagine being anywhere else. Even if my end game was still to move back home, I would wait until I knew she’d come with me. Thoughts like that scared the shit out of me because it’d been a long ass time, but I was getting more used to them. Forever was still a foreign concept to me though.
“Hey, weary traveler,” the sweetest voice in the world came from behind me as I pushed past people in the airport.
Turning to find her cute as hell in a pair of skinny jeans that I thanked the lord were ever invented because they molded against her body. The body my hands were itching to reach out and touch. Her boots gave her zero height, so I still thought I could put her in my pocket to carry her home and a white T-shirt hugged her just right and made her skin fucking glow.
The normal thing to do would have been to ask what she was doing there, since I hadn’t arranged for her to give me a ride, or say, “Hey, I missed you,” but no. I wrapped my caveman arms around her waist and tugged her against my body while my mouth descended.
She didn’t even act surprised. Her lips moved against mine, parting for me to snake my tongue inside until it got really inappropriate in a public place.
Pulling away, my breath came in short huffs. Hers, too.
“I missed you,” I said against her ear.
“I see.”
While in Michigan, I decided it was time to open the hell up and let Miriam in. She’d somehow gotten there on her own, but I’d still been keeping her at arm’s length, at least emotionally. Thank you Adam for that little nugget. But it was true and the last thing I wanted to be doing with my girl was keeping her from getting too close. I wanted her with me. Period.
“Here to give me a ride?”
She pulled back to see me but I couldn’t let go.
“Yeah, I didn’t want to wait until you got home to see you.”
She couldn’t wait, and I couldn’t quit the stupid grin that covered my face. Since I only had the one bag and it already sat securely over my shoulder, we went straight for the exit. My arm wrapped around her shoulders to pull her to me.
When we got to her car, she tossed me the keys, and I spent the ride home with one hand on the wheel, the other sliding ever so slightly up and down her thigh. Just the thought of my hand where it was made it difficult to keep from getting hard. I’d really missed her.
“Is there a reason I got a text from Cain saying that you slept with his wife?” she asked as I maneuvered the car through traffic.
A hard bark flew out before I had a chance to control it.
“We were up talking because the haunted houses and movies kept her from sleeping. She fell asleep on the couch with me.”
�
�Oh, I can stop worrying about the competition then.”
“As if there could be any.”
No one could compete with my girl. Sure I still noticed other hot girls, but I had no interest in doing anything with them.
She made me dinner when we got back to my place, but I could hardly concentrate on it like a fucking kid because I noticed that Miriam dropped a small overnight bag near the hallway. She planned on spending the night. Not asking me if I wanted her to, which of course I did, but she was here because she wanted to be. The way she went after what she wanted was so fucking hot I almost couldn’t stand it.
“Tired?” Miriam asked after we put the last of the dishes in the dishwasher. Truth be told I was a little tired from the time change and the flight but more in a I-just-want-to-relax way than that I was ready for bed. I shrugged my answer but she got it. She always got it. “Why don’t we relax in bed and watch some shitty TV?”
“Sounds perfect to me.” Or just about perfect. Having her naked beneath me, despite the heavy weight settling in my chest at the thought, sounded even better. We’d already talked about what happened last time yet I wasn’t sure if things were still weird or not. I didn’t want them to be.
Miriam came out of my bathroom in the shirt of mine she’d put on after I covered her in water the other night, then climbed on my bed and folded her legs beneath her. I had changed into pajama pants while she was on the other side of the door and already settled with my back against the headboard. We were there all of about thirty seconds before Miriam leaned over, cupped my cheek to turn my face toward her and pushed into a kiss.
Holy shit it was a great kiss. Slow at first, telling me she missed me and me, her but a little moan from the back of her throat broke any restraint either of us had. Her lips parted before I even had a chance to ask and it was her tongue lightly licking my lips. Fuck that. I pushed back claiming her tongue as my own. Another sound, something between a moan and a groan, greeted me as I pushed the kiss further and deeper. With breaking our connection, Miriam climbed onto my lap straddling me in such a way that she knew just how hard I became from only that kiss.
Both my hands gripped her hips when she rolled them the first time sending a fucking shock of pleasure through my dick all the way to my heart. A little giggle filled my mouth. She knew exactly what she was doing.
Pulling back, because we had to, her brown eyes smoldered with a need that I wanted to satisfy fifty fucking times over.
“I take it you’re not interested in watching TV,” I said softly.
Miriam bit her bottom lip and shook her head slowly.
She grabbed the hem of the shirt she wore and so fucking slowly pulled it up her body and over her hair. Those long brown locks fell forward framing her face. I’d seen her this naked before but fuck it took my breath away. Her breasts, the perfect handful, hung plump from her chest. My hands ached for me to cup her. So I did. I couldn’t help but brush my thumbs over the peaks as I did it. They pebbled at my touch and she sucked in a soft breath.
Leaning up, I took one in between my lips, this time with much more confidence. This time I knew I wouldn’t accidentally bite her harder than I meant to. My left hand slid down the curve of her body where I let my fingers push ever so slightly into the back of her white panties.
This made her pull back, grab my chin and kiss me leisurely again.
But then she pushed off me which was the opposite of what I wanted right then. When her hands slipped into the sides of my pants, yanking with everything she had, I changed my mind on that. I lifted slightly so she could pull them down and off. Miriam stood there a moment, admiring what I had to offer, but when her pink tongue shot out to run across her bottom lip I almost lost it.
Reaching out to grab her, she hopped out of my reach.
“Condoms?” she asked.
I pointed to the closest nightstand. She yanked the drawer open and pulled on out of the box.
This was finally happening. We were going to be together completely, and I was surprised to find that ever present weight in my chest had disappeared and landed somewhere else. Somewhere more appropriate.
Back straddling me, she dove in for another kiss, one that wasn’t gentle or careful before pulling back again. Much sooner than I expected, Miriam tore open that package then slid the condom all the way down over me.
I wanted her under me. I wanted things to slow down so it’d be good for her but Miriam wasn’t having any of that. Any motion I made to move her was easily thwarted by her. Instead, she slid herself down onto me.
She felt so good that I groaned and my head fell back against the headboard with a loud thump. Pretty sure no one had ever felt that like before. Warm. Like she was made to fit me. She remained still, her hands on my shoulders, mine on her hips, her eyes closed but her mouth slightly open.
She felt it, too.
When her hips started moving leisurely, I thought I was going to blow it then and there, but it was time to man the fuck up and make sure my girl got what she needed as well.
I gripped the back of her neck, holding her to me so she couldn’t get away as she rolled her hips against mine.
I hadn’t had sex for months before I met her and it’d been months that we’d known each other, so I knew I wasn’t going to last long. Add to that how fucking fantastic she felt wrapped around my dick, I was surprised I hadn’t lost it already.
Couldn’t do it.
I couldn’t let that happen before she did. My other free hand trailed around to the front. When I grazed her most sensitive areas she jolted away from me like I’d taken her by surprise. I knew I hadn’t done anything wrong. Everything right actually. I let my thumb brush over her again and again until I felt her tighten and release, falling softly against me. She kept going though. Kept going until I followed her over that cliff and used my hands to slow her hips to a stop.
I wished that could have gone on forever.
I pulled her face to mine again, kissing her so gently it almost hurt my heart. Her head rested on my shoulder, her breath softly caressing my skin causing goose bumps to break out across my chest and arms until I had to move her. Didn’t want to but had to.
Yanking the blanket and sheet back, I urged her over and tucked her in tightly then leaned in over her.
“I’ll be right back,” I said, kissed her forehead twice before getting up off the bed to dispose of the condom.
Fuck if I didn’t want her again almost immediately.
When I crawled in next to her, Miriam didn’t waste a second before cuddling right up into my side where I could wrap my arm around her and hold her there forever. The room had darkened while we were occupied but the flickering light of the TV was just enough. I could see the little satisfied grin on her face, her eyes closed, and her skin still flushed from what we’d done. I wished I had a camera right then. It might have been the most beautiful I’d seen her.
“I love you, Sam,” she whispered with her eyes still closed. The lids flit open when I didn’t say anything immediately then shut again. “Don’t you dare say it back.”
I couldn’t help but chuckle. She didn’t want me to say those words to her just because I thought I should or because she said it to me first. For which I was grateful. I didn’t know if I could say it or ever would say it. Or hell, even admit it even if I did feel it. I did know, however, that I’d never felt like this for anyone else. Even Emily, the one girl I thought I had loved completely. I knew I didn’t want to be away from Miriam and that I’d fucking break someone’s jaw if they ever gave her a hard time.
“Ok, weird fact about me,” she said sounding more awake than she had previously. “I can’t sleep naked. Would you mind handing me that shirt?” She pulled it over her head almost as soon as I’d given it to her. I didn’t have that issue so I stayed exactly as I was.
It didn’t take her long to fall asleep. I watched her for a while and had she known it might have been considered creepy but I couldn’t get over this beautiful woman wan
ting to push through my shit from before to be with me. To love me.
In the morning, I turned my alarm off before it had a chance to make a sound. I hadn’t slept much but I wasn’t tired. Adrenaline from Miriam being so near burned through my body making sleep pretty unnecessary. But I was torn. I wanted to wake her up yet wanted to let her sleep at the same time. Finally, I figured I should put my baser needs aside and take a shower. I had to work, which killed me knowing she was free for a couple of days.
I hadn’t expected her to be sitting up in bed stretching when I came back in with a towel wrapped around my waist. Honestly, I’d hoped she’d sleep until after I left because it would be less tempting that way.
“Morning,” she said with a yawn, her hair beautifully messy around her face. Another Kodak moment.
“Morning.” I smiled back leaning down to give her a kiss.
“You’re off to be grown up and work a real job?”
“Yup. Sorry.”
“Oh, you do what you have to.” She sighed with a smile but her quick hand yanked my towel off before I even saw it move. She cupped me then rubbed until I was standing hard and long. With her it didn’t take much.
“Miriam,” I warned. That little grin remained as did her eyes on mine. Fuck it. I pulled back the covers so I could climb in beside her.
This time, I moved slowly, rubbing my hands on her skin until she was more ready for me than she had been the night before. My mouth worked hers but her thin fingers dug into my shoulders as she moved beneath me and made these little noises that shot right to my groin. When I entered her this time, she felt just as good as the night before, maybe even better because I controlled the pace this time. Doing this needed to be my new full time job.
“Don’t you have to go to work?” she asked breathlessly which didn’t stop me for a second. I still pushed into her.
“I can be late.”
Holding her hips, I was able to move faster and push further. And by push I mean make her come twice before I did. She was so ready and responsive I knew I’d have a hard time controlling myself or getting enough of this woman in my bed. I knew then why I hadn’t dated or had a girlfriend before this. It was because I hadn’t met Miriam yet. She was who I was waiting for.
Up for Everything (Up for Grabs #3) Page 13