Comfort Zone

by Missy Johnson

  “God, don't do that to them.”

  “Oh, she’s done much worse to me,” Becca jokes.

  “Nobody owes anyone that much,” I assure her.

  Becca wraps her arm around Laura, who looks mildly concerned about what we’re talking about.

  “It’s not about owing. It’s about doing whatever you have to do, to help out a friend. Right Loz? You’d do anything for me, like drive Grammy back with you guys?”

  Laura flushes bright red and Luke stifles a laugh, which is enough to make me ask the question I’m probably going to regret.

  “Are you going to explain that one to me?”

  “No, she definitely is not,” Laura cuts in.

  Becca leans over. “I’ll just direct you to my blog post about it later,” she whispers.

  “If you’re planning on staying here another night, maybe you can double with your folks?” Laura says sweetly. “Your Mom just went into great detail—”

  Becca makes a face. “Yeah, we’re definitely going now. Thanks. Thanks a lot.”

  “My pleasure,” Laura grins.

  #

  The whole drive home, Grammy alternates between being lucid and calm, to having no idea where she is, or who we are, which was made worse by the fact that she forgot to put her hearing aids in. Every time she falls asleep, I wonder which Grammy we are going to get when she wakes up.

  “Are you okay?” Becca asks, after Grammy’s latest episode.

  “Yeah. I’ll be happy if she doesn’t try and make a break for it through the window. I should be asking if you’re okay though.”

  Last time she woke, Grammy accused Becca of taking Neil from her. I glance at Becca, then reach for her hand. She’s still shaken from the verbal assault Grammy unleashed on her.

  “Who’s Neil?”

  “Her husband. He died young.”

  “On the flight?” I give her a curious look. How did she know about that? “Jake,” she says.

  “It wasn’t just on a plane,” I explain. “He was flying the plane.”

  “No,” she gasps.

  I nod and glance at Grammy in the back. She can’t hear anything without her hearing aids in, but I still don’t like talking about this with her here.

  “I swear that’s the truth. Grammy was a hostess. She was actually one of the first female stewardesses to fly internationally. That’s how they met. They did flights together as often as they could. So one day, he snuck her into the cockpit—”

  “Which is suddenly such an appropriate word,” she interjects.

  “True. So she gets down to business, then all of a sudden, he’s keeling over, clutching his chest. She goes running out, screaming. There was a doctor on the flight, but it was too late to save him.” I shake my head. “It was a long flight too, so she had to sit there, knowing that he was gone.”

  “Wow,” she shudders. “That must have been awful for her.”

  “It was. She had my Mother at home, who was three, and she was five months pregnant with Jake’s Dad.”

  Becca shakes her head. “That’s horrible.”

  “Enough to put you off having sex in the bathroom with me if we do fly together anywhere?” I murmur.

  “No. Having my mother tell me that she and my father joined the mile-high club was enough to do that.”

  I chuckle. “For what it's worth, I think your mom's hysterical.”

  “I feel the same way about Grammy.” She glances over her shoulder at Grammy. “It must be hard for her, being alone.”

  I nod.

  “I’m sure it is. I don’t think losing your soulmate would ever get easier.”

  When we finally hit the city, I adjust my position and let out a loud sigh. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t looking forward to this drive being over. Time with Becca I wasn’t ready to give up just yet, but the hours of driving were getting tedious.

  We head along the back streets of town, toward my Aunt Jacquie’s apartment. I’m struggling to stay awake, but I’m not sure how much of that is tiredness and how much is from looking after Grammy. I look in the mirror. She’s still asleep, so I reach over and put my hand on Becca’s thigh. She looks at me in surprise, but then she smiles and puts her hand over mine.

  “Glad that’s over?” she teases softly.

  “I’ll be glad to have some time alone,” I admit. “But I wouldn’t say I’m glad that it’s over.”

  “Time alone, you say?”

  I tilt my head and think about that. “Maybe alone isn’t the right word. Alone, inside Becca?” I suggest. She laughs and swats my arm.

  I swing into a spot out the front of Aunt Jacquie’s building, then turn off the car.

  “Are you coming in?” I query.

  “Sure,” she says, unclipping her belt.

  We get out, and I unload the trunk before waking Grammy. This is the fun part; trying to wake her without sending her into a panic because she can’t hear what I’m saying. I open the door. Her hands are clenched into tight fists in her lap. I take her hand and try to rouse her. The fist unravels to reveal her hearing aids. I chuckle to myself.

  “Oh Grammy…”

  I carefully place one in her ear, then the other.

  “Grammy?”

  She stirs, then opens her eyes, frowning as she looks around.

  “We’re here, Grammy. Aunt Jacquie can’t wait to see you.”

  “Surprising, considering she couldn’t wait to get rid of me last time,” Grammy grumbles.

  The she glares at me, her face vacant. I can almost see her mind trying to figure things out. I’m shocked when she lets me help her out of the car, but she draws the line at Becca holding her other hand.

  “Do I look like a puppy?” she snaps.

  “No, but I’m not in the habit of walking puppies on two feet,” Becca mutters under her breath.

  Aunt Jacquie waits at her front door for us, but Grammy pushes right past her and walks inside. She mutters something under her breath about expecting the place to be cleaner.

  “Becca,” Aunt Jacquie says, surprised to see her here with me.

  “Hi Jacquie,” Becca grins. She leans forward and kisses her on the cheek. “I had my parents anniversary in Vegas, so I offered to help Liam.”

  I smile at her. Offered? Not quite how I remember it.

  “Well thank you. I wasn’t aware you two even knew each other,” she says. “Come in and I’ll make some tea.”

  “How’s Jake?” Becca asks.

  “Stressed,” Aunt Jacquie smiles. “But you know Jake. He’ll be fine.”

  “I'll help you with that tea,” I offer, following her into the kitchen.

  “I’ll check on Grammy.”

  Becca disappears into the living room. I wince when I hear Grammy’s raised voice, but when Becca doesn’t appear, I assume everything is alright.

  “How did Grammy handle the trip down?” Aunt Jacquie asks.

  She fills the jug and puts it on, then leans against the kitchen counter, facing me. I shrug, folding my arms over my chest.

  “She did great—if you discount the incident at the casino, the cat smuggling and the abuse Becca copped.” I grin. “Oh. And how Andrew ruined a ceremony and nearly died. So yeah, I can’t wait to do this again.”

  Jacquie laughs and shakes her head. “Having Becca there must have been nice, though?”

  “It was,” I say, not sure where this is heading. “I don’t think I could have handled Grammy on my own.”

  “She can be difficult to handle, but once you know how to calm her down, she becomes easier to manage. At least she’s in a good mood today.”

  I stare at her. “This is good?”

  Aunt Jacquie laughs. “Yes. It’s a lot for her these days, traveling so far.” She stops for a moment, her smile faltering. “Your Mom filled me in about Andrew. I’m sure that’s bothering her, too. Honestly, I think a day of relaxing and she’ll be fine.”

  “Except the dementia will still be there,” I remind her. “I hate to say th
is, but I think when she eventually loses that cat, we’ll lose her too.”

  Jacquie frowns at me and hands me my coffee. I take it, wrapping my hands around the warm cup.

  “I've been thinking that too,” she admits. She turns to me, suddenly. “Do me a favor, Liam? Give Jake a call and see how he’s going. I think it's times like this, he really misses his father.”

  “Of course,” I promise her.

  I’m annoyed with myself for not calling him earlier. I hadn’t even thought about that. It would be bittersweet, getting married and not being able to have everyone you love there with you. That’s why it means so much to have Grammy here.

  I take my coffee and follow Aunt Jacquie into the lounge room. Grammy sits in her chair, in front of the TV, a blanket draped over her. She beams at me.

  “Sam. When did you get here?” she says.

  I crouch down in front of her chair and smile at her, then I take her hand in mine, shocked at how warm she is.

  “Just a few minutes ago,” I say, after clearing my throat. “You just relax, okay? It's been a long few days and you have another big weekend coming up.”

  She frowns. “But I haven't left this chair in days,” she laughs. “You must be confusing me with someone else.”

  I nod, my head barely moving.

  “I guess I must be.”

  I drink down the rest of my coffee and then stand up. Jacquie takes the mug from me and gives me a hug. When she pulls away, there are tears in her eyes.

  “Thanks again for everything, Liam. You have no idea how much this means to Jake. And me.”

  “Anytime,” I murmur. I peck her on the cheek, then nod at Becca, who smiles.

  The first thing I do once we’re back in my car is lean over and kiss Becca. Her eyes widen as our lips lock, her warm, soft lips exactly what I need. I smile and stroke her hair away from her eyes, staring into them.

  “I've been wanting to do that all day.”

  “Me too,” she grins.

  “Do you want to come over to my house tonight?” I ask her. “I can take you home now, so you can unpack and unwind, then you can come over whenever you’re ready.”

  “Sure,” she says, smiling. “That sounds great.”

  #

  I drop Becca off, taking my time to say goodbye to her, even though I’ll be seeing her again very soon. I wait until she disappears inside before I take off. On the way home, I call Jake.

  “Hey, how’s things?” I ask him.

  “Don't ask,” he groans. “I'm stressing out, big time. It turns out my wife is crazy. This whole thing is a mess, Liam.”

  I laugh. “She's a bride. They’re all like that, She’ll calm down once you’re married.”

  “Nah, this is more than that,” he mutters. “Things are messy here at the moment. I don’t even…” He sighs, his voice fading.

  “What’s going on?” I ask.

  “It’s nothing,” he sighs. “I’m sure we’ll work it out.”

  “Okay I’m here if you need help or advice, or whatever.”

  “Thanks,” he mumbles. I hear muffled voices, and the Jake’s voice. “I've got to go. I’ll call you back later, okay?”

  “Sure. If you need me, just let me know.”

  “I will.”

  #

  I shower and do a quick tidy up before Becca arrives, even though it was pretty clean already, because I haven’t been home to dirty it. I’m just wiping down the kitchen counter when the doorbell rings. My heart thuds in my chest. I’m excited to see her—even though it’s only been a few hours since I saw her last. I open the door to her smiling face and all I want to do is kiss her.

  “Hey,” she says, stepping inside. She looks around, her eyes lighting up every time she sees something she likes. “Wow, your place is really nice.”

  “Thanks,” I say with a chuckle. “I bet there were times when you sat in that classroom and wondered what the inside of my apartment looked like.”

  She cracks up laughing.

  “Don't flatter yourself,” she says, still giggling. “Besides, in my fantasies, your apartment was the last thing in my mind, Professor.”

  “A very good point,” I say. I step closer to her and run my fingers down over her cheek. “And an admission that there were, in fact, fantasies. Can we discuss what was in these fantasies?”

  “I’d find it so much easier if I could just show you…”

  “Go ahead,”

  I smirk as she drops her things, and then wraps her arms around my waist. She pulls me close, so our lips touch and her body is flush against mine. I stroke her long, dark hair and then gently caress the back of her neck. I tilt her head back, until her lips meet mine.

  “I’m liking this so far,” I admit.

  She laughs as I scoop her up into my arms and carry her over to the couch. I toss her down and climb over her, spreading her legs apart.

  “I thought I was leading this fantasy,” she teases as I unbutton her shirt. I slide her bra up above her chest, then close my mouth over her nipple. She gasps, her fingers stroking my hair, as I suck. I pause for a second and raise my eyebrows.

  “If you want me to stop so you can lead—” I laugh as her response is to bury my face back against her breasts. I slowly kiss my way back up to her mouth, my lips a perfect fit against hers.

  She smiles at me, then grabs my shirt, indicating she wants it gone.

  “Take it off,” she urges.

  I sit up and wrestle it off then I toss it onto the floor. She sits forward too, kissing my chest. I groan, loving the feel of her mouth on my chest as her tongue slides over me. Her eyes meet mine as her fingers pry at the button on my jeans.

  “The idea was to make you dinner first,” I murmur, kissing along her neck. “But when I saw you standing at my door, looking sexy as fuck…”

  “Isn’t sex one of the major food groups?” she asks, her lips spreading into a grin.

  “No, but if you’re hungry, I can give you something with a little more substance,” I tease. “Keep your energy levels up for later.”

  She bursts out laughing, I pretend to be offended, but I’m smiling too.

  “Just what every man wants, to be laughed at during sex,” I murmur, laying her back down. “I can take my pants if you want to completely crush my-self-esteem?”

  “Please,” she teases as she lays back against the cushions to watch.

  I stand up and yank them down. My cock springs out, thick and stiff. I casually run my hand along it, which Becca seems to like. I kneel back on the couch and groan when she wraps her fingers around me, her grip firm. I swallow, nearly ready to explode when she pumps her fist along my shaft.

  “You drive me fucking crazy,” I mumble.

  She arches her back, allowing my hand to slide behind her. I unclip her bra and toss it aside, while she unthreads her arms from her shirt. She laughs as I suck her nipples, flicking my tongue around the until they’re stiff. Then I look pointedly at Becca.

  “Is something amusing you?”

  “No,” her eyes sparkle. “It’s just you have no idea how amazing that feels.”

  “I look forward to you repaying the favor later,” I grin.

  “You want me to suck your nipples?” she giggles. “Because guys don’t generally like that.”

  “Yeah, but I'm not your average guy.”

  I gently move myself up over her until I'm staring into her eyes. I press my lips against hers and kiss her roughly, my mouth covering hers. Then I get to my feet. She looks confused, until I retrieve a condom from the pocket of my pants. I toss it on the couch and then kneel in front of her.

  “Hey,” she laughs, when I pull her ass to the edge of the seat and spread her legs wider apart. I run my fingernails up over her bare, stomach, rubbing her breasts and squeezing her nipples, then I put my mouth on her pussy and run my tongue along her entrance.

  “Oh God,” she breathes, her toes digging into my back.

  I feel a thump in my back and chuckle.
Did she just kick me?

  “Sorry,” she blushes. “Involuntary reflex.”

  “God knows what you’ll do to me if I do this, then,” I mumble.

  She screams as I plunge my tongue inside her.

  “Holy shit.” She moans, lifting her back off the couch. She grabs hold of my head, keeping me against her, begging me to go deeper inside her. I run my hand up over her stomach to massage her breasts, then I roll her nipples between my fingers.

  She gasps when my tongue gently flicks against her clit, the way her body reacts to me has my cock throbbing. I keep sucking, until her breathing becomes shallower and I know she's close. Then I speed up, thrusting my tongue deep inside her and licking along her entrance.

  She’s so wet and fuck, does she taste good. She gasps, her body convulsing as she comes on my face, locking my head between her thighs. I circle my tongue around her clit, loving the sound of her cries as she rocks against my face.

  “No more,” she gasps.

  She pushes me away with such force that I fall back. I chuckle and wipe my mouth, watching her as she lays back against the couch. She looks content, her body limp with satisfaction. The tiny random smiles that keep appearing on her lips make me smile too.

  “Well, fuck me.”

  “I would, but I don’t think you can handle it.”

  Her eyes spring open and she grins at me.

  “That’s where you underestimate me, Professor Sullivan.”

  God, hearing her call me that is a major turn on. I’m literally ready to explode.

  I get up and sit down next to her on the couch, my cock stiff. She swings herself onto me, straddling me, her arms draped loosely around my neck. She kisses me, my cock dangerously close to the entrance of her wet pussy. I grunt, and still kissing her, while I fumble for that condom. I find it, tear it open, then roll it over my shaft, my mouth pressed against hers.

  “Are you sure you can handle me?” she grins.

  I smile as she lifts herself up and comes down so hard on my length, I see stars. I let out a growl as I slide through her slick wetness with much more force than I expected. I put my hands on her ass rocking her back and forth as she rides me.