by Kim Bailey
Sighing, she looks at me. “Whatever, Prince Charming. Not all of us are as socially gifted as you.”
“Don’t be jealous, I’ve had years with nothing better to do than hone my interpersonal skills. Although, your patients might appreciate it if you worked a little on your bedside manner.”
Her frown doesn’t lift. Only her eyes move, rolling to the ceiling.
“The secret you’re keeping is making you mean. If you’re not careful, you’ll end up like my sister,” I tell her. “Besides, they’re going to figure it out eventually. I’m not even sure why you’re still hiding it.”
“You don’t know as much as you think you do.”
“Well, I know you’re in love with Dylan. That much is obvious. You could explain the rest to me.”
“Not until I’ve told Zadie. She’d never forgive me if I spilled my guts to you first. Hell, I wouldn’t forgive me if I did that.” She looks defeated.
“Fair enough. When are you going to talk to her?”
“I don’t know. None of this shit’s as easy as it should be. I’ll figure it out. In the meantime, I’d appreciate if you’d continue keeping your insights to yourself. I’d hate to have to send you to my ER.”
“Your empty threats don’t scare me. Besides, I know a hell of a lot, and I’ve kept all the juicy details to myself. You can trust me.”
She studies me intently. “How do you know so much?”
“It’s all my expert social skills you’re so jealous of.”
“Whatever. Are you taking Zadie home?”
“No, I rode my board here, and I’m never putting her in a taxi again. I was hoping we could catch a ride with you.”
Waving her arm dramatically, she exclaims, “Have you seen this kitchen? It’s going to take me forever.”
“I’ll help,” Eric says from the doorway.
Chante looks to him with poorly hidden panic consuming her features. “How long have you been standing there?”
“Long enough to hear you admit you need help cleaning up this mess.” He smirks.
“I admitted nothing,” she asserts.
“So, you don’t need a hand?”
“I didn’t say that.” She relaxes slightly. The anxious twist of her mouth turns to something that almost resembles a smile.
“I’ll leave you two with this fun,” I say.
“Caleb,” Eric calls, stopping my departure. “I’m sorry about dinner.”
“For what?” I know exactly what he’s talking about but I want to hear him say it.
“For being an asshole. The thought of you volunteering to spend more time in a hospital... Anyhow, it doesn’t matter what I think. I just want you to be happy.”
“Volunteering makes him happy,” Chante cuts in.
“It does,” I agree.
“Good,” Eric concedes. “That’s all that fucking matters to me. I just want my family to be happy. My whole family.” His gaze travels over to Chante, making me wonder if he overheard more of our conversation than he’s let on.
“On that note, I’m taking Zadie home now.”
“Why don’t you take my car?” Chante offers. “I’ll get an Uber, later. Unless you’re taking Zadie back to our place, then I’ll just stay here.”
“Guess we’ll see you some time tomorrow then.” I wink.
Eric laughs heartily as I leave him and Chante alone to squabble over the dishes.
Zadie rouses easily and we head home after quietly thanking my aunt, agreeing to visit again soon. Eric’s girls are all resting, but I promise myself I’ll come back to see them before they leave.
Zadie and I make our way home, holding hands as we quietly get on the elevator. Once again, she doesn’t question when I only choose the button for my floor, and not hers.
She still looks a little sleepy, her dress is wrinkled and her hair’s a tousled spill of curls. But once the elevator doors close, her tired smile turns feisty, and she pulls me to her by our joined hands.
“I feel like we’ve had a lot of questionable memories in this elevator,” she says. “Want to make a good one?”
“What did you have in mind?”
“You could start by kissing me.”
Her lipstick is long gone, worn off by a combination of dinner and our earlier make-out session. Rose is the natural color of her lips. It makes me think of passion. It makes me want to feel and taste.
“I don’t know, Zadie. I feel like there’s a lot we’ve not said—a lot we should talk about before we leap to more kissing. You haven’t even agreed to a date yet.”
“Cal, for a guy who’s so intuitive, you’re not doing a very good job of reading between the lines right now.”
It’s taking all my self-control not to take her right here, against the elevator wall.
“Trust me, I’m seeing things clearly.” Dipping my head, I place a light kiss on the underside of her jaw. Gruffly I murmur in her ear, “There’s nothing more I’d like right now than to kiss you, touch you, and watch you come apart again. I want to see and feel you, all fucking over, but I think it’s important we start things off right. Assuming, this is the start to something.”
“You expect me to have rational thought after you say something like that?” she groans. “All I can think about is your hands on me.”
I’m about to cave in, to give her exactly what she’s thinking of. But at last the elevator grinds to a halt and the doors sluggishly open at my floor. Stepping away from her, I lead to my apartment. At least I start out in the lead. By the time we get inside, she’s the one in front, anxiously pulling me along. She grabs my hand, urging me to follow her to my bedroom, barely giving me time to latch the door. We only make it two steps into the room before she’s on me. She wraps her arms around my neck, rubbing her delicious body up against mine. I react instinctively, my hands finding the swell of her ass, softly kneading her cheeks.
I’m about to pull her closer—if that’s even possible—but she pushes me away. She forces me backward. My legs hit the edge of the bed and I fall onto the mattress.
Zadie bends with me as I fall. But instead of landing roughly on top of me, she smoothly catches herself and crawls seductively over me. The material of her dress moves high up her legs, as she traps me between her knees.
“How’s this for starting things off right?” she breathes.
My heart is racing faster than it ever has before, my body straining in its desperation. “Zadie,” I warn. “I need to hear you say it. I can’t just dive into bed with you. Not until I know this is as serious for you as it is for me.”
She sits back, studying me intently. My hands find her waist, preventing her from moving any further over me. If she sits back, just a fraction more, it’ll be the end of my resolve.
“What do you need to hear?” she asks, sincerely. “I’m going to have a baby, Cal. I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t serious—if I didn’t believe you were serious. I’m not in a position to play games, or take chances. I’ve done everything I could to stop myself from falling for you. None of it worked.” She bends forward, bringing her mouth close to mine. “You said you were done pretending. Well, so am I.”
My lips crash to hers in a kiss so hungry, it hurts. Her mouth, as demanding as my own, punishes mine for all the time they’ve spent apart.
The sting of her fingers, tangling in my hair, is deliciously, painfully possessive. My own hands, still holding strong to her waist, move her roughly down to cover my body. She’s so close, her breasts press into me with every heaving breath, but I need her closer. I pull her into me, lifting my hips as she rubs herself over my erection. Almost in unison, we groan in turned-on frustration at the barriers between us.
Finding the hem of her dress, my hands run smoothly up her thighs. They continue up her sides, lifting the material as they go. I act on instinct, as though this was the hundredth time doing this, instead of the first. I want to take my time and savor the moment, but it only takes seconds for that beautiful red dress to lan
d on the floor.
She’s practically naked, on top of me, and my restraint has reached its limit.
Growling hungrily into her mouth, I wrap my arms tightly around her and sit us up on the edge of my bed. Zadie helps with frantic hands as I discard my shirt and then her bra. My hands mold to her bare breasts the first chance they get.
Panting into her mouth, I ask, “Are you sure about this?”
“Are you kidding me,” she moans. “I’m about to spontaneously combust. Please don’t tell me you’re having second thoughts.”
“Fuck, no.” I kiss her collar bone lightly before bending her backward and taking one of her tight, peaked nipples in my mouth.
The sound that leaves her is a shocked, desperate cry of pleasure. A sound that encourages me to continue licking and sucking, until she’s writhing in my arms. Begging me to never stop. Begging me to give her more.
More. I want to give her more. I want to give her everything. But my body is at its breaking point. The overwhelming strain and excitement reduces me to nervous tremors.
Reluctantly, I detach myself from her perfect, heaving chest. Burrowing my face into the crook of her neck, I pause to breath long and deep.
“Hey,” she soothes, rubbing circles over my shoulders and my back. “You okay?”
“Yeah,” I croak before taking another deep breath, inhaling the vanilla scent of her hair.
Suddenly, the weight of her is lifted, her body moving away from my hold. She stands in front of me, an exquisite vision, looking down at me with concern.
“Cal? Are you sure about this? I feel like I’m rushing you –”
“I’m sorry,” I say. Reaching out, I pull her back to me. She comes cautiously, standing between my legs. My mouth brushes over the soft curve of her stomach.
Sighing, she weaves her hands back through my hair. “You don’t need to be sorry. If you want to take things slow, I understand.”
“No, Zadie.” I look back to her expectant gaze. “I don’t want to go slow. I don’t know if I can. My mind’s running wild with all the ways I want to take you right now.”
She whimpers, her hand clasping my hair so tight, it feels like she’s bruising my scalp. I fucking love it. Groaning out my appreciation, I pull her more firmly to me, my hands on her ass. With one more quick kiss to her stomach, I explain, “I’m afraid I’m going to disappoint you.”
“Cal, you’re not going to –”
“Zadie, I’m a virgin.”
“Wha –” Her eyes are huge. I wasn’t sure what her reaction might be. Upset, surprised, disbelieving maybe. But the way she’s biting her lip, with her brow furrowed, and her cheeks flushed, she looks even more turned on than she did before. “How? You’re twenty-one... you’re gorgeous... just, how?”
“A bit of it was circumstance, but essentially it was my choice. From the time I was old enough to notice girls, I knew I wanted to find someone special. My someone special. It felt important to wait for her.”
“And you think that’s me?”
“No, Zadie. I know that’s you.”
There are no more words.
Her hands run up my arms, over my shoulders, and back down my bare torso, all the way down to my pants. Her eyes never stray from mine. She’s deliberate. Focused.
Our mouths find each other again, as she smoothly works the buckle of my belt. The way she tugs on the leather. The feel of her nimble fingers as she unfastens my pants. The sound of her appreciative moan when my hands find her breasts again—all of it puts me on edge.
It only lasts a moment. Before I can protest, Zadie’s mouth leaves mine. My hands are empty, and she’s forcefully pulling on pants. Making me lift my hips, she slides them down my legs, and tosses them to the side once my feet are free.
Her mouth finds my flesh, placing light kisses up my thigh, her breath heating me as she trails up to my boxer-briefs. She doesn’t pause. Before I know what’s happening, my hard length is exposed and she’s licking me from root to tip. Her tongue flicking greedily over the head. I search for oxygen as she sucks me into her mouth.
I try to form words, to tell her it’s too much, that this won’t last long if she keeps it up... but the only sounds leaving my throat are garbled groans and muttered curses.
She moans. It’s a deep seductive sound that rumbles through her, vibrating her throat as she takes me deep.
“Zadie,” I gasp in warning.
“MmmHmm,” she encourages, increasing the pace.
I’m done for. Her hands explore. Her mouth engulfs. Her voice praises. And her eyes—those beautiful, big brown eyes—find mine, and that’s the end. With a strangled shout, I lose control.
I try to pull back, I try to stop her, but she’s relentless, finishing me in her mouth.
“Enough, please,” I beg when the sensation becomes too much.
She listens, releasing her hold on me. I grab her under her arms, pulling her up and over me, as I collapse back onto the bed. My breathing is heavy and erratic. It takes me a moment of concentration to bring it back under control. Zadie’s breathing is similar, until she starts to giggle.
“What?” I ask
“I’m sorry.” She gasps for air. “I hope that was okay. Maybe I should have asked you first.”
My own laughter rumbles through me. “I would have said no.”
“What?” she gasps.
Smiling, I tell her, “It’s all good. You didn’t have to do that, though. I wasn’t expecting...”
“Are you kidding? I’m so glad I didn’t ask. You have no idea how much I enjoyed that.”
“You?”
“Yes, Cal. Me.”
Her mouth finds mine and I give in to kissing her. Give in to feeling her bare skin over mine. To caressing her face, her arms, her back, her ass—all of her.
I want to feel all of her.
“Cal,” she pants as her mouth finds my jaw and her body squirms restlessly over me.
“Mmmm,” I murmur, my hands cupping her bottom.
“You should know...” She lifts her head from my neck, looking intently down at me. “You’ve got a really nice cock.”
“Jesus, woman.” Without warning, I flip us over, rolling her to her back. “Now, you’re going to get it.”
“Please,” she moans. “Give it to me.”
“Zadie,” I smile, lightly tracing the outline of her lips with my finger. “You’ve already stolen most of me, but I want to give you everything. All of me.”
***
Zadie
HE WANTS TO GIVE me everything. Lord fucking help me, I want it all. All of him.
Although, right now, I’d settle for his cock. The thought of being his first is so heady—I’m falling apart at the prospect. Pregnancy hormones have officially turned me into a hard-core freak. The pregnancy grief and raging bitch syndrome are gone. They’re replaced by an insatiable desire to see how many times we can make each other come in a night.
I’ve got this insane urge to show him everything. To be his first everything. Is this how men feel when they take a woman’s virginity? No wonder there’s an entire porn market dedicated to the trope—not that I’d know anything about that.
Cal hovers over me, one hand framing my jaw. His tall form completely envelopes me, and his length hardens between my thighs. “I need to feel you, Zadie.” He may be inexperienced, but he somehow knows exactly how to touch me, and what to say to turn me into a puddle of need.
“Yes! Touch me,” I hiss, raising my arms over my head, giving him free rein.
I’m overwhelmed by sensation as his mouth moves over me—first at my neck, and then back hotly at my breast. He continues moving lower, until he’s breathing heavily, kissing over my panty-covered pussy.
Why am I still wearing those?
As if hearing my mental plea, his hands join his mouth. He pushes the fabric out of his way so that his tongue can lick over my bare flesh.
My pleasured gasp is met by his throaty rumble as he plunges in for more
.
It doesn’t take much, a bit of suction from his succulent lips, and I’m writhing like a woman possessed. I can’t hold my body still—it’s uncontrollable. My hips keep forcing their way closer to his face, rubbing myself over his open mouth.
His only complaint is one frustrated curse at my panties. He swiftly rids me of them and dives back in to continue feasting on me. His hands grope my hips, my ass, my tits. My God. He’s everywhere.
He growls once more, adding in the scrape of his teeth over my sensitive nub.
“Cal!”
I detonate.
Nuclear. Fucking. Bomb.
The room feels like it’s spinning. The soft mattress at my back and the hard man pinning me to it are the only things keeping me grounded. I feel like I may float away otherwise.
“You okay?” he murmurs in my ear.
Okay? Am I okay? “I’m beyond okay.” I languish in post-orgasmic euphoria. My arms still stretched over my head. A huge smile cemented in place.
“Zadie.” His hand cups my jaw, as he trails light kisses over my face. His voice is rough, “I need you.”
“You’ve got me.”
Sliding his hands up my arms, he finds my fingers, linking them with his. His hold on me shifts from a gentle caress to something more desperate. He kisses me, long and deeply, and I fall further into bliss.
When he shifts, his rock-hard erection brushes through my wet folds. Despite being fully satiated only a moment ago, a bright flare sparks inside me. A flicker that’s quickly ignited when he repeats the movement. He drags himself over me, through me, again and again, spreading heat and wetness as he goes.
Suddenly, he’s at my opening, no hands required, his cock desperately seeking entrance. He pauses, shaking with restraint. “I need you now.”
With my legs wrapped around his hips, I dig my heels into his ass, urging him forward. Our hands clasp even tighter as he slowly pushes into me. His whole body quakes. The expression he wears is pained ecstasy. The sound he makes is pure, delirious rhapsody.
God. The way he holds me. The feel of him inside me. All of it’s too much, and yet, not nearly enough. Once fully seated, he stops, his forehead falling to mine, his breath a shuddering sigh.