by HJ Bellus
“Hello.”
“Took you long enough to answer.”
“Some local boys came for some entertainment; I was just walking them out.”
“Funny girl. You sound a bit better.”
“Just sore, but I’ll live another day.”
“You eat your toast and eggs?”
“I’m on my way, Daddy.”
Zane lets out a deep chuckle on his end of the phone. “I won’t be home until around seven tonight.”
I try to mask the disappointment in my voice. “Okay, I think Chloe and Darby are coming over later to hang out.”
The roar of an engine makes it hard to hear Zane’s voice. “Sounds good, baby. I’ll bring home dinner. And Ava…”
“I won’t go anywhere, Zane.” I finish his thought for him.
“God, I wish I could be home with you right now.”
“Me too.” I dangle a pair of his boxers from my toe.
A man’s voice hollers in the back and Zane barks right back about some dumb son of a bitch who laid the wrong pipe.
“I’ve got to go.”
“Okay, Zane.” I pause for a moment. “Thank you for everything.”
“You’re mine, Ava.”
“I am.”
Ending the call, I mull over those three words, “You’re mine, Ava” and it’s better than any pet nickname or an I love you. I’m his.
The kitchen is quiet with the rich smell of coffee and a freshly cooked breakfast floating around. Zane has placed a plate covered with a pot lid on the island along with a metal traveling coffee mug. I lift the coffee to my lips and moan when the strong black coffee hits my lips. A folded piece of paper catches my eye. It looks like a love letter a schoolboy would write and fold up.
My fingers eagerly rip it open and then I smile when I see Zane’s writing covering the page.
My Ava,
Eat your breakfast. Quit rolling your eyes at me and also take your medicine. Be a good girl today.
The more I’ve thought about it, I’m honored to have you be the one to help with my grandpa. I’ve never been good at accepting help in my life. I sorta just take care of shit on my own, so thank you.
The night you walked into the club I knew you were the one who’d change my life forever.
Zane
I type out a quick text before taking my plate to the dining room table.
Ava: Love notes are always good.
Zane: I’m trying
Ava: No need to try…I love you the way you are.
The table is piled high with different mail. I notice a pile that’s neatly stacked and take a peek at the envelopes while eating my eggs. I didn’t think I was hungry until the first bite and now the breakfast is as good as gone. Each envelope I look at in the stack is addressed to Mr. Charlie Rivers. More are unopened than actually opened.
I reach into the one nearest the top and pull out the paper. It’s a receipt for a very large bill paid off in cash with ample loads of coding from the insurance and it makes it clear that all benefits have been used and now the coverage is shit. I pull out a few more of the papers in the opened envelopes and as I read on, it’s clear that Zane’s grandpa never had good insurance and the amount they’ve had to pick up is completely insane.
I’m not sure that any other person would even consider this shit insurance. Each statement has cash payments and it all begins to boggle my mind.
“Is that you in there, pretty girl?” Zane’s grandpa’s voice startles me and the papers I’m holding float down to the table.
I take one quick bite of my toast and then set the plate over by the sink, grab my pills and head into the living room. He’s in his chair with a blue blanket covering his legs and his always present smile covering his face. I’m not sure how the man can be so kind, caring, and happy all the time in his state of health.
Lola, the nurse, who I offended the other day, is perched at the end of the couch working on a crossword puzzle. She takes a minute to look up at me and offers me a weak and quite pathetic smile. I take the seat next to Zane’s grandpa and snag the blanket off the back of the chair and snuggle in. I use my coffee and wash down my two pills and then enjoy the warmth of the blanket.
“That’s Zane’s favorite blanket.” I look down at the green and blue checkered blanket and can tell it’s been used over the years and is well loved by someone.
“Really?”
Zane’s grandpa nods his head and then begins in on a story that has the promise of tearing my heart out.
“Zane may seem like a tough cookie now, but the boy has had a hard life. I’m not sure what he’s told you about his past, but it hasn’t been a pretty one.”
I interrupt him before he has to tell me the whole story about Zane’s parents and the robbery that went wrong, which led to the murder and their life sentences they’re now serving.
“Zane shared with me about his parents and what happened, but he’s never sad about it when he talks about it, all he does is brag about you and how great you were while he was growing up.”
“Yeah, that boy’s easily swayed. I’m just kidding.” He slaps his knee at his own joke, clearly amused. “My only grandson and so I guess that makes him my favorite one. His parents never had their heads out of their asses and just hung around the wrong people. I think it’s best what happened to them so that Zane could live with me and be raised the right way.”
He stretches out his fragile arm and pats the blanket on my lap. “He brought two things with him the day the system brought him over. One of them was this blanket and the other one was a stuffed animal. Pretty sure the stuffed animal is hidden somewhere in his room. He was always protective over those two things. Took the boy awhile getting adjusted to living here with my rules and the way things would go. He was used to having his parents out at all times and not knowing where his next meal would come from. But the day he finally realized this was his home forever, was the day that Rhett came over and introduced himself and the rest is history.”
My fingers run up and down the soft blanket listening to his grandpa tell the story and history behind it and it makes me feel even closer to him in an odd way.
“What kind of animal is it?” He looks over at me with a puzzled expression.
“What kind of stuffed animal is it?”
He scratches the top of his head for a second trying to recall and then when I see his eyes light up, I know he’s finally figured it out.
“It was a stuffed panda and the last time I saw it, the poor thing was missing a leg, I think an eyeball and possibly an ear. Zane slept with the thing well into his high school years. I really think it was a reminder of where he came from and the fact that he never wants to go back there.”
I smile at the story and realize how close Zane and his grandpa are. It’s a bond and a closeness that I’ve never experienced in my life and until this moment, I was pretty sure something like this didn’t exist.
He goes straight into a coughing fit and you can hear his lungs just fighting to get the cough out. It’s a horrible crackling sound that hurts my bones just listening. Lola’s on her feet and in one quick movement over to Grandpa’s side leaning him forward and gently patting his back and then hands him some pills with her free hand. Once his coughing slows down, she places an oxygen mask over his nose gently, lacing the straps behind his ears.
I take in the whole scene realizing this will be my job next week. Tears prick at the corners of my eyes knowing this man who Zane loves more intensely than anyone else in this world will be gone shortly. What will this do to him? How will he react? All the thoughts are too overwhelming so I just continue to watch Lola and what she does. After several minutes pass by, the coughing spell is over and he relaxes back into his recliner. It doesn’t take long before he closes his eyes and drifts off to sleep. The rhythmic motion of his chest going up and down is reassuring. I stay glued to that and I just pray for a miracle, some kind of miracle that will give him his health back.
; Lola whirls around, looking over at me with a hand on her hip and speculating eyes staring towards me.
“Zane told me this morning that you will for sure take over next week.”
It’s not a question, but the way she phrases it and her demeanor feel like she demands an answer.
“Yes, I will be watching over him.”
“Do you have any kind of training in the health field or what are your qualifications?” Her facial features harden with anger.
“No, but I’m a fast learner.” I’m already on the defensive with her.
“This is a joke.” She laughs. “They have insurance but don’t want to pay the damn deductible.”
I’m past the defensive stage and go straight into attack dog mode. “I’m smart enough to know none of that is your damn business.”
I stand, pointing my finger in her face. “I’ll call your damn boss and let her know how freely you throw you opinion around.”
“Are you prepared to watch his entire body fill up with fluid? It will sound like he’s drowning in his own body. He’ll forget things and come and go. It may take a day or weeks. Are you prepared to stand by him and take care of him?”
“Again, none of your business.” My face is glowing with anger by now.
“He has insurance. They should use it and let him pass in comfort.”
“Seems you know way too much for your own damn good. Do you also know the hundreds of thousands they’ve paid out of pocket?”
“You have no idea what you’re getting yourself into, Ava.” Lola turns and heads into the kitchen. When I peek around the corner, I see her sitting at the bar filling out paperwork and counting pills. She’s right. I have no idea what I’m getting into, but I’ll be here.
18
Zane
“You did what?”
I watch Ava twirl her finger around a long lock hair, bat her lashes, and then slowly walks over to me in her sexy strut. I know the little shit has been up to no good.
“I signed us up for a summer baseball league.”
I reach out and grab her by the hips and bring her down into my lap. Her legs perfectly straddle my hips as her arms lace around the back of my neck.
“Ava, I graduated T-ball a long time ago.”
“Knock it off, Zane. I know that you love baseball and it was your one true love in high school. The community rec department has an adult league, so the girls and I signed us all up.”
I shake my head from side to side and cannot believe that she really thinks she’s going to be able to get me out to the baseball field to play baseball with the God damn rich summer kids.
“Well, sounds like you’ll have fun with the girls at baseball.”
Ava laces her fingers in the back of my hair and slowly begins rubbing small circles, massaging the knots out of my neck. I know she’s hypnotizing me right now and I should be fighting like hell but have no self-control when it comes to her.
“You will be going Zane, you do not have an option.”
I let out a long laugh and then flex my hips up into her little sweet center to let her know just how ready I am to devour her. I repeat the action until her palms plant on the top of my shoulders and she begins moaning, trying to ride me.
“Just think of all the time we’re going to be losing out on having raw animal sex, Ava.” I tempt her a little more, bucking up into her. “Just think of all the hours we could be here and I could be making you scream my name while you rip at my sheets.”
Ava pulls back a bit and smiles down at me. “No. You’re not going to do that. Grandpa already warned me that you’d try to trick me out of this with sex and anything else in between. You’re not winning, boy.”
“I knew having you take care of him would be a damn bad idea. You two gang up on me and I have no choice on anything anymore.”
“I have it all set up. Rhett’s mom and dad will come over on Tuesdays and Thursdays to sit with him while we go and play baseball, and there’s only one practice before the games start. And the games are only on Tuesday and Thursday nights so I think you’ll be okay, bad boy.”
“I have your bad boy right here.” I reach down and unbutton my pants and unzip my zipper, letting my cock spring out. I grab the base of it and stroke it up and down her entrance, against her little tiny boy shorts. I can’t help but smile when she moans, throws her head back and bucks her hips into me.
I know I have her where I want her and for fuck’s sake if I have to play baseball with annoying rich kids, I’m going to devour her. Ava takes care of her shorts in one quick movement standing up, pulling them off, and then sits back down. The little shit isn’t wearing any panties. She can turn me on quicker than fucking anything on this Earth. Knowing there is only one layer between me and Ava fucking sends me over the edge. It’s like a carrot dangling in front of my nose and I have to devour it every single damn time. Grandpa’s down for his nap and thank God the man can sleep through a hurricane these days because Ava's never quiet or shy when I’m giving it to her.
“So, about this baseball?” I ask.
She tilts her head to the side and then clenches her teeth.
“Zane Rivers, if you try to blackmail me right now with your cock and baseball, you are a dead man to me.”
Ava’s petite hand grabs the base of my cock, holding it straight up and before I know what she’s doing, she sinks down on me and this time I’m balls deep in her and no longer have the ability to talk. I throw my head back on the recliner and close my eyes, enjoying the sensation as she rides me slow at first, but then she quickens her pace. Her fingers dig into the tops of my shoulders, pull my hair, and clutch to my face.
I know she’s trying to find her release and it’s hot as hell when she rides me and moans and screams my name. I know she’s close, so I grab her ass and hold her hips still. This gets a reaction from my little Ava.
“Zane.” Her voice is the whiniest I’ve ever heard as her bottom lip sticks out.
“Little Miss Ava, you don’t get everything your way this time.”
I gently lift her from my lap and then carry her over to the couch and set her on her hands and knees. It’s been hard as hell to keep my restraint and not flip into wild animal sex, which I love to do with her.
It’s only been about three weeks since her accident and I know she’s still sore, even if she doesn’t admit it. My knees sink in on the couch behind her. My dick bobs between her spread legs, my hands sink into the flesh of her hips, and I slowly nudge the tip of my cock up into her entrance. But before I fully sink in, I grab her hand and drag it back to her center. I guide her fingers until they’re in the center of her wet folds and begin to slowly circle her clit until she’s moaning on her own and found her own rhythm.
My hand goes back to her hip and I push all the way into her slowly. I can feel her fingers glide up and down my cock as I go in and out of her. It’s a slow pace at first, milking out her moans and they soon become deafening. Ava goes down onto her shoulders with her face tilted towards the side; she keeps her finger at a steady rhythm as I began to pick up my speed.
My fingers dig painfully into her hips and I continue to pound into her, trying to find my release. Her long silky brown hair falls down around her shoulders as our bodies connect. Her sweet little pussy walls begin to tighten around my cock and I know it won’t be much longer. I groan and grunt, trying to hold it off and let her go before me.
It seems to be getting harder and harder each time holding off. Ava screams into the couch cushions as her release begins and she keeps guiding her fingers and then rubbing them in small circle motions and I rock into her. I feel the first pulse and then the second pulse, evidence as I drive into her, grunting and groaning out her name. Our juices mix together. I go down and follow Ava’s finger, joining her. I know Ava’s favorite part is to ride out another orgasm after her first one.
My cock softens inside of her and my hips remain still as I guide her finger in circling motions until she’s screaming my name a
gain and coats my fingers. Just a little tease of her liquid mixed with mine covering our fingers is not enough for me.
I roll her over on the couch and hoist her legs over my shoulders and put my face down in her center, smelling her sweet release coating all of her parts. And then I take one long stroke with my tongue and intend to do another one, but I have no self-control. My tongue swirls her bud and my teeth tease her.
Ava clings on to my hair, pushing my face deeper down and ripping on it at the same time. I become rough with her, losing patience and needing more and more of her until she’s screaming my name again. I rise up with a pussy eating grin on my face and send her a wink.
“Houston, we have a problem.” Ava points down to my rock hard cock bobbing between us.
“Oh baby, I’ve been this fucking hard since the first time I had you.”
“Let me take care that.” My palms plant on either side of her head and I nudge my cock into her entrance, ready to fuck her again until I spill over into her.
“No, Zane.” Her little hands wrap around my wrist and she actually thinks she’s going to move me. I play along with her and let her guide me over her pussy until my cock is right above her mouth. Ava perches up on her elbows, letting her hair fall back behind her and her brown sparkling eyes devouring my cock. I can’t help it, I reach down and begin to stroke it; I need to be relieved and I need it now.
“Zane, quit being so greedy and share that cock with me.”
I love it when my Ava talks dirty to me. She has no idea the beast it brings out in me. I let the head of my cock brush against her lips until I’m rubbing her lips from one corner of her mouth to the other corner. Ava’s tongue darts out, taking a quick lick underneath my cock. I keep moving and stroking it, making it hard for her to grab me with her teeth.