by Lisa N. Paul
“I love you, Danny. I’m yours.”
“Thank God for that.” His usual response to her declaration should’ve felt tired, worn out, but every time he said those four words, her eyes glowed, “Now, remove the space.”
“I wish I could have given you more.”
His breath hitched at her words, his own stuck in his throat.
“When I couldn’t, I should’ve been selfless enough to walk away,” she said. “Now Max and Janie are starting their life. They want children, a family, and I fear that they’ll go through what we did. I want more for them. I want them to have it all.”
Time stopped. Her face paled as Danny removed his hand from her core and placed inches between them. Space. Until recently, he had never allowed it been between them, but in that moment, with his world spinning off its axis, an emotional chasm, coupled with the physical distance, felt unbearable. Heartbeats and shallow breaths continued to fill the room as tears leaked from Julie’s eyes. After a moment, she lifted her gaze to his.
“Broken,” he rumbled with a hoarse voice.
“What?”
“Had you ever left me, if you ever do, I’d be broken. I wish for Max and Janie—hell, for all of them—a marriage exactly like ours. We’ve lived hard, baby, but loved even harder, and there is nothing, not one fucking thing, that I’d do over if given the chance. We’re here now because we were there then. We have seven amazing children when we may have only had one. Wouldn’t change a fucking thing, baby. Not one thing. Question is, would you?” In his heart he knew her answer—he’d never doubted it over the years—but seeing the pain in her eyes made him need the words.
“No, Danny. Not one minute. That’s why I feel selfish. Because even if you wanted me to, I could have never let you go.”
***
INSTANTLY THE DISTANCE between them was erased. He cradled her in his arms and walked her through their ranch house to the master suite.
“I think it’s time we revisit the past, you and I. Because it seems like maybe you’ve forgotten some things along the way.” He dropped soft kisses along the top of her hairline. “I intend to remind you exactly how things between us went. But first, you need to get naked.” He sat her on the mattress, and slid her pants around her thighs.
“I’m pretty much there, Danny. It’s you who is overdressed for this occasion.” Gone was the wall that she’d erected between them, evaporated like sugar over warm pastry.
His large hand held her face gently. “Then get me naked, honey. Need to feel you on my skin.”
Blood coursed through her veins like a river that had broken through a dam. While it hadn’t been long since she’d felt his touch, it had been weeks since her soul was bared. His metal belt buckle clanked, bringing her lust-frazzled mind back to the task at hand. Jeans unbuttoned, fly unzipped, pants and boxer-briefs lowered, all done between shallow breaths and racing heartbeats but with steady hands. Julie looked up at hungry eyes that consumed her and every move she made.
His voice was low, seductive. “Take off your pants, spread your legs, and touch yourself. I wanna see how wet your pussy gets while your lips are wrapped around my cock.”
“Oh, my…” Heat pooled at her naked core, making her brazen. Two of her fingers inched down her torso, between her folds, and dipped into her most intimate place.
“Open your eyes and show me,” Danny commanded.
She hadn’t realized her eyes had fallen closed.
He bent forward and pulled her hand to his mouth. One finger at a time touched his tongue. “Mmm, so goddamn sweet.”
She became more aroused with each heated suck. She tugged his jeans the rest of the way down and latched onto his cock like a starved woman. His groan became her music, his thrusts her rhythm.
“Fuck me,” he roared, pulling out of her mouth. “Plans changed, baby.”
She watched in awe as he shucked his pants from his feet, whisked her onto his lap, and lay flat on his back.
“A taste wasn’t enough, honey. I need that sweet pussy in my mouth just as much as you want my dick down your throat.”
His words made her tremble as she scooted up his torso.
“Mmm, that’s right, straddle my face. I wanna inhale you.”
The moment his hot tongue touched her clit, her knees slid out from under her, planting her most intimate place against what she’d consider his most lethal. With him not only offering wonderful service but also a delectable meal, Julie wrapped her hand around his hard cock and pumped until his moan vibrated into her clit. Oh, sixty-nines were so good.
Her mouth watered as she massaged the length of him with her tongue, delighting in his every groan. When his thick fingers slid into her pussy, she grinded against his face with reckless abandon, loving the way his scruff added to the friction and brought her higher. She wanted to bring him with her, wanted him to explode when she did. Opening her throat, she sucked him down until her lips touched his pelvis.
“Jesus Christ, Jules, fuck.”
She increased her suction as she slowly released him almost completely before deep-throating him again.
“No, baby, you first,” he pleaded before pulling her clit into his mouth and sucking with perfect pressure while thrusting his fingers into her pussy. “Mmm, tastes like candy.”
When his fingers hit her g-spot while his tongue was still wrapped around her clit, white spots filled her vision. Her body crested into bliss she’d never tire of experiencing. With his gentle fingers giving her more pleasure, she licked salty liquid off the tip of his cock and hummed while doing it.
“So good,” his whispered voice came from behind her.
She could do better. She could give him what he’d just given her—brilliance. Pulling him in with practiced rhythm, she hollowed her cheeks and once again deep-throated him. She lightly caressed his balls, nearly smiling when he grabbed onto her ass cheeks and his hips thrust up, fucking her mouth.
Repeating the motion, Danny groaned, then panted. “Jules, fuck…fuck, Julie. I’m gonna come, baby.”
And when he did, she greedily swallowed what he gave her.
***
“THAT WAS…WOW.” Danny could barely speak as he tangled his fingers through his wife’s hair. How was it possible for sex to still feel new after almost thirty years? Hell, they hadn’t even had intercourse, and he was sated. He didn’t want to question it; he just knew that he was a lucky man. Soft fingertips drew familiar patterns on his chest. He loved those damn figure eights.
“It really was…wow.” Julie’s head rested on her hand, her elbow propped up on the bed, and her eyes found his. “I’m sorry, Danny. I shouldn’t have kept my feelings from you. You’d think I’d have learned by now, and truthfully, I have. I guess just seeing them all starting their lives and knowing how many things can go wrong for them made me nervous.” Her eyes darted to the side, then back to him, a misty sheen over the gray. “I may not be their mom, but I love them. I want to protect them.”
Danny looked at his wife, his life partner, the love of his life, and tucked some strawberry-blonde hair behind her ear. “I was going to wait until our anniversary in July to give you your present, but I think today is the perfect time.”
Sitting up, he planted his feet on the floor and left his bed and his woman behind as he walked from their bedroom to the basement door, completely naked. Downstairs, he went to the corner where he’d been hiding his project, a labor of love he’d been working on for months. With contributions from Max, Janie, Ashley, Ryan, Kyle, Cate, and Lyla, Danny had finished the piece mere days before. Little had he known he’d be giving it to his bride early.
Hefting the five-foot-by-three-foot paper-wrapped, framed canvas over his shoulder, Danny made his way back upstairs and into the master bedroom, where Julie awaited him, wrapped in the bed sheet.
“Dan, what is that?”
Slowly, he unwrapped the art and turned to watch Julie’s eyes eat up the painting.
“Oh...Danny, my God. What…h
ow…you made that, didn’t you?”
The way her lip trembled and her wide eyes filled with tears was all the reaction he could have ever asked for, but when his Julie nearly floated from the bed, reaching for the gift he’d created for her—his breath caught in his chest.
The textured painting was more than just a large tree. It was them. Their names and wedding date appeared carved in the thick, strong trunk. A tiny butterfly with bright pink wings floated next to their names. Danny knew the instant Julie’s eyes landed on the butterfly that the meaning of its presence was not lost on her. Roots twining beautifully into the ground were made up of Julie’s parents’ names, as well as Danny’s mom, dad, and Anita. Two roots grew together, twisting until they met with Danny’s, and they had Jeff and Neal’s names inscribed in them. Toward the top of the trunk, just before the branches sprouted, Chester Murray’s name and an intricate rabbit appeared branded in the wood. Watching Julie’s face brighten when she realized that the rabbit stood for a certain redheaded manager made Danny chuckle. But the fact was, Bunny had been there at the beginning of them and therefore couldn’t be forgotten. Danny watched Julie’s eyes roam farther up the tree.
Each leaf was painted on a separate piece of canvas and affixed to the large panel, giving the tree a layered, lively look. Hundreds of leaves in various shades of greens, each hand-cut (by Lyla or Cate) and hand-painted, though only a few had special designs. The kids had printed out pictures of what they wanted on their leaf so Danny could draw and paint them.
“Sheila and Chris are on here. Danny…” Her arm extended to the canvas, fingers about to make contact, but she abruptly pulled away.
“It’s okay, honey. You can touch it. The paint’s been sealed.”
Her long fingers once again reached out to the miniature O’Brian’s sign that hung on the leaf with Sheila and Chris’s name.
Just as in life, their kids’ leaves were paired off. Max’s had a tiny racecar and a checkered flag while Janie’s had an apple. Ashley’s leaf had a slanted crown sitting on a rainbow, and Ryan’s had a guitar. Kyle’s showed a broken brick wall with half of a face behind it. The eyes were smiling. Cate’s leaf had a hand holding a brick with a heart on it. Quite telling, no? While Lyla’s leaf, with a quill and a bottle of ink, was next to the rest of the kids, the one directly linked to hers was blank. Danny had high hopes it wouldn’t remain that way for long. Many leaves were painted and attached to the tree, beautiful and waiting for the time when their family expanded further.
“Danny, this is the most incredible thing I’ve ever seen.” Her voice was thick with emotion and truth. “When did you do this? What made you think of it?”
“A wise woman once told me that a family didn’t have to come with blood, it only had to come with love.” Julie’s eyes widened, but Danny didn’t give her time to respond. “We’ve been building our family since the day we met. I thought it was time you saw, actually saw, what we’ve created together.” Danny pointed at the family tree. “There is nothing but love there, baby, because you made it that way. It’s always been about you. I love you, Julie Marcus.”
“Thank God for that,” she replied.
Epilogue
FRESHLY SHOWERED, JULIE slid on a clean pair of yoga pants, sans panties, and a lacy pink bra.
“You’re just begging to get fucked again, aren’t you?” Danny groaned as he ogled her reflection in the mirror.
They had made love—and yes, fucked—after the incredible sixty-nine experience just a few hours prior. The man had the turn-around time of a teenager and the stamina of a stud.
“Wouldn’t be opposed to it, handsome. But Max and Janie will be here any minute, and that might make for a weird conversation,” she teased.
Danny touched his lips to hers before retreating into the closet to get dressed while she applied makeup. It was Saturday, after all, and once Max and Janie left, she and Danny would be headed to the bar for the rest of the evening. They didn’t need to be there—Ashley and Ryan had it covered—but they were still getting used to letting go.
Ding-dong
“I’ll get it,” Julie called into the closet on her way to the front door. Before she could turn the handle, Danny was by her side.
“Hey,” Max said.
Janie smiled. “We’re here. Can we come in?”
Acknowledgments
PHEW – THIS BOOK…this book was one that was never supposed to be written. It wasn’t in my timeline, it wasn’t part of my plan, but as I started writing Cheers in Charistown (the next story, a novella, in the Charistown series), Danny and Julie started talking to me and refused to stop until it was their words I was writing on paper. They needed me to tell their story and once they started talking, telling me about their beginning, their love, loss, heartbreak and strength, I had no choice but to keep on writing until nothing was left but peaceful silence. I’m grateful they finally opened up because unbeknownst to me, it was their love that truly shaped this series for me.
That said, this book could have never been written without the help of several special people. While I’m just a storyteller, a person who dreams up tales and creates worlds in which my characters struggle, flail, and hopefully succeed, our world is filled with incredible people who spend their days, years even lives helping others find freedom, safety, health and happiness.
Combat veteran David Clark was an amazing resource to me while I was writing Danny’s early days as a soldier. Mr. Clark let me pick his brain, pester him with questions and bother him endlessly with trivial silliness until I shaped Danny into the soldier and man I needed him to be. Thank you, David.
Tommy Barresi was not only my perfect physical vision of Danny Marcus but, he was kind enough to give me his time and access into his mind when I was searching for key elements into the thoughts of a dominant but gentle man. Thank you, Tommy, for allowing a virtual stranger into your personal space.
Captain Jerrad Ihlenfeld and his lovely wife Devlynn were both kind enough to answer questions about firefighting and fire safety. Their knowledge and time (on a weekend no less) was more helpful than they could ever know. Thank you, Jerrad and Devlynn.
Dr. Thomas S. Dardarian was a kind and patient man. The poor man was basically thrown to me by one of my high school friends (thank you, Arpi) and he spent an entire afternoon fielding questions and explaining situations for me. When I came up with medical problems, he would kindly tell me, “No, that wouldn’t happen in real life,” and then he would give me a better option. The man seemed to be more of a saint than a doctor. Thank you, Thomas.
Donna Salzano, my travel agent extraordinaire. I found Donna through a close friend and asked if she would mind helping plan a vacation for Danny and Julie. This beautiful woman didn’t just plan a getaway, she mapped out a step-by-step tour that even the most seasoned globetrotter would be jealous of. Donna, I’m so sorry I couldn’t use more of your work in my story, but D and J needed to get back so that their life could fall apart. I truly do adore you!
Trudy Stiles my co-worker and friend gave me quite a bit of time when I decided to have Danny and Julie adopt. She offered me invaluable information that I would have never found on my own and she gave it with love and sincerity. While D and J’s adoptive journey was much shorter than I had originally intended, my knowledge of the situation allowed for the feelings to come to the surface while writing those scenes. So thank you, Trudy, I owe you.
As always, the process of writing a story and turning it into a book is a lengthy one. It’s something I never take for granted and something that will never become less special no matter how many times I do it. I will, however, be a little quicker with the “thank you” part this time.
Thank you to ~
S.K Hartley – for my gorgeous cover design. I look forward to working with you again ;)
Cassie Cox – my editor. You my friend, have been great. Thanks for dealing with the craziness that is me. There are no words…hahaha, just kidding, I have tens of thousands of th
em!!
Julie Titus – best formatter ever! Five books! FIVE!!! Can you believe it? You rock, lady. Thank you for just being you. I couldn’t ask for more.
The ladies in FTN – you make me laugh out loud every single day. It’s true. Sooo, thanks for that. I love you hard.
My Beta team – ladies, I’m so grateful to you. For real, your opinions, bad or good, help me become a better writer. Thank you for being by my side.
Peeps – You get sweeter every flipping day! <<< See what I did there?... Sweet…cause you’re Peeps…heehee.
Joanne Schwehm – Our laugh sessions help me in two ways, first, they get rid of tension and second they strengthen my ab muscles. I’ve never cried more than I have since meeting you…wait…that sounds horrible. Oh well, you know what I mean. I love you. Thank you for being exactly who you are.
Ilsa Madden-Mills – Hearing you say, “Good Morning,” in your sweet southern voice makes me smile. Hearing you say something wildly inappropriate makes me howl with laughter. You are a gift in my life. Thank you for finding your way to me.
You – the Readers, Bloggers, and random people who are looking at this page – Thank you for continuing to read my stories. Your support overwhelms me. Every email, Facebook message, and review I get tells me that my words have been read. There is no better compliment to a writer than that. So thank you.
To my Husband and Sons – Your continued support is a blessing. I love you with my whole heart.
XO,
Lisa N Paul
About the Author
LISA N. PAUL is a wife, mother, daughter, sister, friend, reader, writer, blogger, and self-proclaimed comedian—just not always in that order. Ever since she was a little girl, she has devoured books. Falling in love with the Sweet Valley High series at a young age drew Lisa to series books and inspired her to write her own. Thursday Nights, Storm Front and Breaking to Breath are the first three books in her Charistown series. Blocked is a standalone novel.