by Amy Starling
“Hey, babe. Maybe we should go sit outside and get some fresh air, huh? It's a real nice night.”
“No way! There's mosquitoes out there and they always come after me.”
I waited for the two of them to leave the room before getting out the dustpan and broom. So much for getting cleaned up before my guests arrived.
To my surprise, Max got a roll of paper towels, tore off some sheets, and set to work scooping up handfuls of broken glass. I held the trash-can lid open for him in a daze.
“Didn't think this dinner would get so awkward so soon.” He dropped the debris into the bin. “Why don't you let me handle this mess? Then you can get the meat on the grill.”
“Uh, yeah. Thanks.” I handed him the broom. “Busy day, huh?”
“Not really, believe it or not. I forgot how slow everything moves in a small town. Nothing's caught on fire since I got here. Guys at the station seemed bored out of their skulls.”
“Don't worry. With fire season kicking into full gear, you'll have more than enough to do soon.”
I dug through the bags on the table. Max had brought hot dogs, buns, sliced cheese, ketchup, onions...
“You didn't need to bring so much stuff. I've already got plenty.”
He shrugged. “Just thought I should pitch in. Ain't polite to show up for a meal empty-handed.”
I stuffed the cold items in the fridge. “You don't really strike me as a guy concerned with manners.”
“Hey, I'm not a total asshole.” He filled up the dustpan with the last of the glass. “Or maybe I'm just trying to make a good impression.”
He brushed against my butt on his way to the garbage can. Startled, I dropped the hot dogs on my foot. When I turned to stare at him, he winked. He'd done that on purpose!
“You've got some serious nerve, you know that?”
“What can I say? When there's something I want, I do what it takes to get it.”
“Too bad for you I'm not that easy.”
He sidled up behind me and whispered in my ear. The heat of his breath on my neck made me shiver. Suddenly, I wanted his hands on me so, so badly.
“And too bad for you that I love a challenge.”
Rachael shuffled into the kitchen just as Max pulled away from me. Despite being drunk, she was pretty darn astute. She paused, narrowed her eyes, and gave us both a very suspicious look.
Max cleared his throat and pretended to be busy unloading the groceries. Awkward? Yeah, that would be putting it mildly.
“Oh, Ray.” I put my arm around her and turned her in the other direction. “Can you tell Trey to mind the grill while I hop in the shower? And if you could cut some veggies up, that'd be great.”
At the mention of me getting in the shower, Max's eyes lit up. If Rachael hadn't been standing between us, I just knew he would have made a lewd joke.
Once I was under the hot water, I felt so much better. Today's work had been hard on me. I'd gotten up at dawn to tend the animals, mow the grass, collect eggs, and pick vegetables and herbs for the market on Saturday.
Then the railing broke on the steps, so I spent hours under the burning sun repairing it by myself. Normally, handling such stuff wasn't a problem for me – but having a baby in my belly made everything take longer, and it was only getting tougher from here on out.
Somebody knocked on the door. The sound made the soap tumble out of my hands.
“What is it?”
Max responded. “You got any other bathrooms in here?”
“Nope.”
“Mind if I come in and take a leak?”
I wasn't sure whether he was joking or serious.
“Yeah, I mind. Go pee outside in the bushes or something.”
“That how you treat your guests – make 'em take a leak outside like savages?”
If Rachael caught Max in the bathroom with me, she'd assume the worst. I definitely did not want that to happen. Ray was the queen of gossip, especially when it came to our parents. Hard to believe she'd still tattle on me at this age, but even now, she was desperate for their attention and approval.
“You can wait your turn. You're a big boy.”
“But Trey just bet me I couldn't eat his ghost-pepper salsa. You know me and bets, right? Well, I burned my face and downed a liter of water in thirty seconds. You gotta have mercy on me.”
It was probably a stupid ploy to try and see me naked, but I felt a smidgen bad for the guy.
“Fine. Get your butt in here, but hurry up.” I rinsed the shampoo out of my hair. “You're lucky you're so persuasive.”
The door squealed as he opened it. “Not persuasive enough, apparently.”
My shower curtain was made of opaque cloth so he couldn't see through, which I was sure disappointed him. Still, it felt so weird, being fully nude while he stood less than three feet away.
If he was doing this to tempt me, it was working.
“So,” he murmured while he did his business. “We gonna talk about what happened between us the other day?”
“Not sure what you're talking about.”
“That kiss. It was... something else.”
“You want to discuss this while you're taking a leak?” I sighed. “How very romantic.”
“Eh, romance isn't my thing, anyway. Never bothered with it before.”
“Of course not. Why would you need to, when you've got a new girl in your bed every night of the week.”
He flushed the toilet. “Aw, gimme a break. Not every night.”
Outside, the wind picked up. It whistled loudly as it blew through the trees, howling to announce the coming of a storm.
“Wow. That doesn't sound good. No wonder the fires spread so fast around here.”
There was a sudden and horrible cracking noise just above us, and for a moment I thought a tornado had struck and my roof was about to cave in. Panicked, I slipped, stumbled backward, and landed on my ass in the tub.
“Whoa, Anna! You okay in there?”
The lights flickered, then went out and didn't come back on. I sat where I'd fallen, wincing at the pain of my bruised tailbone.
“Anna?”
“I'm okay. Just hurt my butt a little.” I swiped at the knob to turn off the water. “I think a branch must have fallen on a power line. Great.”
The whole house was pitch black now. Rachael and Trey were out there, calling for us.
“Sit tight,” I yelled back. “Be out soon.”
I pulled back the shower curtain and was met with Max's hand on my shoulder. I couldn't see a blessed thing, but felt him staring at me somehow.
“Max? What are you –”
“Helping you up. Give me your hand.”
I did so, maybe enjoying it a little too much when his fingertips brushed mine. It would have been so easy to let his hands rove elsewhere, to let myself go and enjoy this moment for what it was and nothing more.
“Here's a towel.” He wrapped a fluffy one around me. “C'mon, watch your step.”
I tumbled out of the shower into his arms. My naked body pressed against his, and I wished then that he, too, would take off his clothes for me.
Here in this dark, steamy, cramped room, I could no longer help myself. Our lips met in a deep, ravenous kiss. Max's fingers trailed down my back. When he grabbed a handful of my ass, I didn't resist.
He growled in my ear. I needed him, and he knew it.
Off came the towel, and he smothered my back with kisses, starting between my shoulders and working his way down. There was something purely electric about his touch, something that made me weak-kneed and unable to say no any longer.
But when his pants unzipped, I tensed. This wasn't one of my shamefully erotic dreams. It was real.
“Anna, where are you? We can't find your stupid flashlight.”
I ignored Rachael's yelling and listened to Max's movements instead. His pants ruffled, then paper tore, followed by the familiar smell of latex.
Then he returned to me, curling his arms around m
y waist. His erection rubbed against me from behind. Oh, God. He was huge.
“You wanna be fucked, don't you?” His teeth grazed my neck. “Tell me. Say yes. I need to hear you say it.”
No man had ever talked to me this way before, nor had I ever been treated like such a piece of meat. If I consented, this would only be for sating a physical need, nothing more.
Somehow, right now, that sounded perfect to me.
“Yes.”
He leaned me over the counter as his cock entered me fast and hard. I was unused to such girth, and the sudden ache as he filled me up was surprising – yet wholly satisfying in a way I'd never experienced before.
We didn't speak as he held me there. Couldn't talk if we wanted to. Each thrust brought a stab of pleasure so powerful, if I dared open my mouth, the others outside would know exactly what dirty things were going on in here.
“Where the hell is Max? I've looked all over for him.”
I whimpered as Trey passed by the bathroom. Max held his hand tightly over my mouth and pumped into me slowly, tauntingly, until he had gone away. Then he plunged in again, all the way this time.
He was not careful or gentle. Not once did he ask if he might be hurting me, or whether I liked this, or what I wanted him to do to me. I knew he was merely using me for his own needs – but then, I was using him, too.
When I took his hand and held it over my slit, he paused, as if surprised by my sudden boldness. Then I used his rough, thick fingers to circle my clit, and he quickly got the message. He stroked me the way I showed him, bringing me right to the edge of orgasm in mere seconds.
In the dark and silence, all I could do was focus on my pleasure, on the strength of my release. He reached his own right after, biting down on my shoulder hard so he wouldn't let his moan slip out. In my haze of ecstasy, whatever pain he caused me somehow felt good.
We leaned into each other, breathing heavily. I wished that I could see his face, so at least I'd have some sort of clue what he was thinking.
“I told you,” he said, gulping down air. “Told you I'd have you one way or another, didn't I?”
“I guess...” I panted hard too. “Guess that you win.”
The power was still out, so I got dressed in the dark – although after that romp, I really could have used another shower.
“I don't get it, Trey. They were right here and now they both vanished. I hope they're okay.”
Trey paused. “I'm sure they're fine.”
Max snickered as he zipped his pants back up. I, however, didn't find it too funny.
“They're going to be suspicious. Why else would the both of us disappear for fifteen minutes?”
“I'll tell them you were busy putting my hot dog in your bun.”
I smacked his chest, at the same time wondering how much better this would have been with him totally naked, too. Given his reputation, there wouldn't likely be a next time, so I would never know.
“What's the big deal? We're adults. You're acting like we're kids and your mommy's gonna punish us if she finds out.”
“If my mother really did find out I had anything to do with you, she would disown me.”
He grunted. “Nice to know I inspire such strong feelings in some folks.”
“Well, this is a small town. Word gets around fast about stuff like that.”
“Yet another reason I moved far away.”
We slipped out quietly. The others were sitting on the deck, watching dinner cook on the grill. I gathered some paper plates and other supplies, then went to join them.
Rachael squealed when she saw me. “Oh, Anna! I was so worried. Thought you'd fallen down the steps or something.”
I laughed softly and set the stuff down on the table. “Nope. Just took me a while longer to get dressed in the dark.”
Trey looked me over as he poked the dogs with a fork. He didn't believe me; I could tell it. But was Max right? Why should I let it bother me?
“Max is trying to figure out what happened,” I added quickly.
“Mm. If a branch wrecked the line, it's not getting fixed tonight. Looks like we'll be dining by candlelight.”
Where was he, anyway? He was going to come out behind me, he'd said. Maybe he was in the kitchen, rooting around for beer in the fridge – and letting out all the cold air in the midst of a power outage too.
Rachael got up and started dancing to some crappy music on the stereo. She had a fresh glass of booze in her hand, and every time she twirled, a bit more splashed on the patio.
“Trey, dance with me!” She tugged his arm. “It's no fun alone.”
He chuckled. “This guy isn't a dancer, Ray. You know that. Besides, someone has to cook the food, and it sure won't be my lazy brother.”
She sashayed to me next and thrust her cup in my face. “You gotta try this, girl. I made it myself with vodka, Sprite, and cranberry juice.”
“Sounds great, but I'll pass.”
She pouted. “You're being so boring tonight! I thought we came over here to party.”
Before I had a chance to make up some inane explanation, the lights came back on in the house.
“Well, that was fast.” Trey's brow furrowed. “We're still missing Max, however.”
I was getting a bad feeling about it. What if he slipped on the wet floor and broke his neck? Yeah, I know. Way too paranoid.
“I'll go look for him. Hey Trey, make my hot dog with extra char on it, if you don't mind. I like it really black and crispy.”
He stuck out his tongue in mock disgust. “You're one weird girl, you know that?”
Honestly, I agreed with him. Ever since I fell pregnant, I'd been craving the oddest foods – blue cheese and pastrami sandwiches, coffee with peppermint ice cream in it, and globs of horseradish sauce on pretty much everything.
I would have found it amusing if I wasn't so damn scared about how I'd handle this mess totally alone.
Inside, it was quiet. Max wasn't in the kitchen. My heart pounded faster. What if he really was hurt?
“Max?”
“In here.”
I followed his voice down the hall to the living room. When I got there, he was gazing at my open laptop with wide, confused eyes.
“What the heck are you doing on my computer?” I jogged over to shut it down. “That's private...”
Then I figured out I'd left my email open. The message was dated from a few days ago, sent to me from the Ferris-Logan OB/GYN clinic.
“Thank you for becoming a patient of our clinic. Dr. Ferris is pleased to be working with you and hopes to make your pregnancy a happy and healthy one. If you were satisfied with your visit, please consider leaving a review on Facebook at this link...”
I closed the email in a hurry, fumbling with the mouse in such a panic that I knocked a vase of flowers to the ground. Neither I nor Max moved as the water seeped into the carpet around us.
He gazed at me, his stare impossible to read.
“Look, it's, um... It isn't what it looks like.”
“You're pregnant.” Finally, he appeared to notice the bump in my belly. He frowned. “It's exactly what it looks like.”
Yeah, we'd just had sex ten minutes ago – but so what? I owed him nothing. To him, I meant nothing.
But then why did he look so angry?
The screen door opened in the kitchen. Trey yelled to us. “You guys coming or what? Your dogs are going to get cold.”
“Yeah, man.” He looked away from me. “Coming.”
With that, he walked outside after Trey. I stayed there, staring blankly at the computer screen's too-bright glow.
Whatever Max's problem was, I shouldn't have cared. He was a jerk, after all. He was the one who seduced me, who wouldn't take no for an answer. If he was upset for some dumb reason, it shouldn't have bothered me.
Except that it did, and I couldn't figure out why.
“Why does it feel like I've done something wrong?” I asked the little one. Well, he could act pissy with me all he wa
nted.
I just hoped the man knew how to keep a secret.
Chapter 6 - Max
A woman, clearly super-extra pregnant, strutted out of the burger joint with her sack of food. Her belly looked as if she'd swallowed a couple of watermelons. Soon enough, Anna would look like that too.
My own stomach suddenly felt very queasy. I'd slept with her after another man very recently knocked her up. I dunno why that bothered me so damn much, but it did.
“She's just about ready to pop, eh?”
I nearly spit out my soda in Trey's face. “Huh?”
He pointed to the lady. “Gotta be tough carrying a load like that in the middle of summer.”
“Oh. Yeah.” I made myself laugh. “And I thought dealing with sweaty balls was bad.”
“Whatever you do, do not say that to a girl. Especially a pregnant one. Last thing she wants to hear about is your...” He wrinkled his nose. “Actually, I don't wanna hear about it either.”
I took a big bite of my sandwich. “Mom always did tell me I didn't have a filter on my mouth. I say whatever comes to mind. People don't like it, tough crap.”
He sighed. “Ever the charmer. I see you won't be giving me a niece or nephew anytime soon.”
I hadn't mentioned Anna's pregnancy to him yet. Normally, I was pretty dumb about things like this, but I figured it wasn't really my business to talk about it. Neither Trey nor her sister had said a peep about an incoming baby, so chances were, they had no idea.
That meant she was hiding it for some reason, and I was kind of scared to find out why.
She sure as hell hadn't told me about it before I screwed her. Why not? Was she cheating on the father? Maybe that's why she resisted me so hard. Didn't take much to break down that wall, though, so...
“What about you, huh?” I tossed a hunk of bread to the ravens. “Don't see you starting a family yet, and you're four years my senior.”
He sighed and neatly wrapped up the rest of his grilled chicken sandwich. Grilled chicken? Who the hell gets that at a burger place?
Apparently, Rachael had dug her health-nut claws in him deep. I swore on my life no woman would ever change me the way she did him.
“We'd like to get married first, obviously.” He kicked the truck into drive and off we went. “And I'd love to marry her. Trouble is, her family is a bit... high-strung and somewhat meddlesome.”