by Violet Duke
Fireworks exploded throughout her body.
She only just barely remembered to stifle her scream so she didn’t wake the neighbors. In the whole neighborhood.
“Okay fine,” she admitted breathlessly long minutes later. “You win; you were right.”
His pleased chuckles against her heated flesh were serving to get her all worked up again so she quickly moved to slide her thighs off his shoulders. Aaand there was the delayed blushing. She covered her cheeks with her hands even though there was no way he could possibly see that in the dark.
“You’re blushing right now aren’t you?” He was smiling, she could hear it.
And for some reason, that made her go a little nutty.
“Yes, I’m blushing,” she replied honestly. “Do you blame me?”
Then with a deep, steadying breath, she dropped her right hand down to the hard, hot rise of his erection. And boy was it hard. Looks like she wasn’t the only one getting tortured the entire time.
Good. Served him right.
Speaking of serving him right…
Having never done this before, she decided to jump in feet-first, relying on the limited romance novels she’d read in her life to guide her as she slowly slid her hand up and down his shaft. Squeezing every once in a while out of sheer curiosity.
Soon, the sound of his loud groans bouncing off the tiles served to be so much more rewarding than a gold star for her efforts.
“So now are you going to challenge me to make you wetter?” she asked, getting seriously drunk off seeing Brian practically panting.
“Tessa, you don’t want to play this game right now.”
She swiped her thumb over the tip of him. “But I think I do,” she tossed back, licking her thumb and shivering at the taste of him. “You got a chance to taste me.” Falling to her knees, she pressed her lips against the hot, tanned flesh of his eight-pack, kissing the center of every groove before finally building up the nerve to run her tongue along the length of him in one languid stroke.
“Now it’s my turn to taste you.”
BRIAN WAS SO GOING TO make her pay.
Definitely. The very second he was no longer at her complete mercy. Whenever the hell that was going to be. Because the curious little vixen was getting him back and them some, having a grand old time with what he was pretty sure was her first blow job.
She was a natural.
Blowing a damp breath over the tip while pumping her hot little fist up and down his shaft, she was effectively driving him past the breaking point. And she seemed to know it because this time, when he felt the hot, slick silk of her mouth surround his tortured flesh, she didn’t just tease the head. This time, she took him as deep as she could go.
“You’re playing with fire, honey,” he managed, through gritted teeth. He wasn’t going to last much longer. Especially not when, instead of heeding his warning, the evil woman placed both hands on his hips and took him even deeper. “Tessa,” he growled, “I’m going to come in your mouth if you don’t stop.”
And what’d his gorgeous first timer do with that warning?
She stopped breathing for a brief second, and then released a quiet moan with him deep in her throat.
Breath sawing in and out of his chest, every muscle in his body went rigid as a surge of heat rushed down his spine, whipped across his nerve endings. It took absolutely everything in him not to take her mouth, harder and faster as wild, primitive lust shot through him.
Then it actually hit him by surprise. His release detonated through him in shards of heat, a loud roar filling his head as lights exploded behind his eyelids. And when she swallowed every last drop, low, feral sounds of raw, male satisfaction echoed around the bathroom.
Along with one happy little sigh from Tessa.
SNUGGLED UP ON THE COUCH, making sleepy chit-chat, Tessa wondered what normal flingers do when the night was winding down. It didn’t seem like Brian had any intention of going anywhere. And since they were out of condoms, she didn’t see what more they could do for the rest of the night.
But before she could broach the topic to him, Brian’s attention was captured by her little memorabilia collection next to the TV. He looked at the two lunch pails and thermoses on the top shelf and raised a surprised eyebrow. “Never would’ve pictured you for an old school Saturday morning cartoon collector.”
She laughed. “I’m not. Those were actually Willow’s old lunch pails that I got handed down to me. But I do happen to be partial to 80s cartoons. If you haven’t noticed by my t-shirts.”
“SilverHawks!” he exclaimed then, out of the clear blue sky.
She chuckled, knowing exactly what he was talking about.
“That’s your ringtone on your phone isn’t it? I knew I recognized that music. Man, I used to love that show when I was a kid.”
“It’s on Cartoon Network. When I used to stay up late to keep an eye on Willow while she was asleep, I’d have myself a little 80’s cartoon fest. I actually used to have a lot of fun.”
He grabbed the remote and pulled her against him on the couch. “Well it’s three am now. Let’s see if there’s some good cartoons on before we go to bed.”
The ‘we’ in the going to bed part sounded like a flagrant fling violation.
And she was going to call him on it too when he tilted his head at her and asked, “Hey, I meant to ask, since we fell asleep working earlier, did we already break your first fling rule? You’re not pissed are you?”
Good question. One she should probably know the answer to. “Um…”
“I mean I know our sleeping right now isn’t a big deal since it’s pretty much morning but last night’s little nap session was definitely during the PM hours so I thought I’d better get a clarification.”
And a clarification you shall get. As soon as she figured it out.
Before she could even begin to make up something that would appear to a logical answer, however, the question king fired off another one, “Oh, and since our date last night was interrupted, if I want to just stay here and hang out with you again tonight, that wouldn’t be breaking your consecutive night rule?”
Another hum-dinger. “Well…”
“Because if we already broke those two rules, I don’t see the harm in breaking the no-bed rule,” he finished with a smile she felt nuzzling against her cheek.
It was possible that the man was on to her.
“Okay, okay. So those aren’t exactly my rules.”
“You don’t say.” His smile moved up to her temple and turned into a gentle kiss.
“And perhaps ‘expert’ was a bit of a stretch in terms of my fling repertoire.”
“Yeah, I kind of got that.”
She pulled back and gazed into his eyes curiously.
“What gave me away?” She’d thought she did pretty good during his vetting process.
“My first clue was all those dvd rentals. It was either you were fibbing just a tiny bit about the flinging, or you were in some sort of player cult and you had a book report due on Monday.”
She felt her cheeks flush bright red. “Then why’d you sign that list and play along?”
“Because I like you. A lot. And I want to be with you. So if I need to sign my initials next to a bunch of rules I had every intention of breaking anyway, I didn’t see what the big deal was.”
Her lips twitched to the side. The guy was just too much. And like she always did when her brain went on the blink, she simply said the first thing that popped into her head. “I think there’s a good chance I’m going to get attached to you if you’re not careful.”
He kissed the tip of her nose. “Well then you’ll have good company.”
CHAPTER NINE
TESSA TOOK A DEEP BREATH and hit send on the number she’d been staring at for the last five minutes, wondering over her sanity for even going through with this.
“Hello?”
“Hey mom.”
“Tessa?”
She flinched. It was a
lways a small kick in the shins when she did that.
“Yes, mom. It’s me, Tessa.” Your only living daughter. She shoved down that unwelcome-stray-dog feeling and asked brightly, “How’ve you been? How’s the new job?”
“Oh, it’s going spectacularly. My sales numbers are through the roof.”
Sales numbers? Ah, so this was a new, new job. “I take it the advertising focus group job was a bust?”
“Oh that job? That was ages ago. My goodness, when did I talk to you last?”
“Um…I left you a message around Christmas, then again to wish you a Happy New Year.”
But you never called back.
“Well that explains it. Over the past few months, your mother has quickly become one of South Beach Miami’s rising stars in the feminine beauty product sales catalog biz. They’re even going to let me start selling some of the male beauty products as well. Isn’t that fabulous?”
The feat of her mother sticking out a job for a few months was in fact, pretty fabulous. “That’s great, mom. And you really sound happy about this one.”
“Oh, I am. This is definitely my calling.”
One of her many. Her calling last summer had been radio commercial acting. And before that, it had been a phone service rep position that she’d deemed perfect because all it had required her to do was read out of a manual. But of course, she’d quit the job three days later because, well, all it had required her to do was read out of a manual.
But at least it beat the work-from-home scam from three years ago. That one had ended with Tessa having to wire five thousand dollars to her mother to tide her over until the sports equipment testing job finally panned out.
“So mom, I met this guy,” she blurted out, cutting to the chase.
“Oh honey, how wonderful! You haven’t dated in…wow, when was the last time you dated?”
That would be never. Thanks for remembering. She sighed. “Anyway, like I was saying, I met a guy. And he’s pretty great.”
“Okay, give me all the details. What’s he do for a living?”
“He’s a high school business teacher.”
“Good, so he’s not a freeloader. Those are fun to play with for a night, but getting rid of them is such a pain.”
As utterly bizarre as this conversation was, this was actually the longest and most engaged conversation Tessa could ever recall them having. Dropping onto her couch, she settled in and tried to wrap her brain around the entire experience.
“Is he handsome? Does he work out a lot? Ooh, what color are his eyes?”
Tessa’s breath caught in her throat at the thought of just how handsome Brian was. “Yes, he’s pretty gorgeous. Um…I’m assuming he works out a lot because he’s also a football coach at the high school where he works.” Was that a squeal on the other end of the phone line? So surreal. “Um…and his eyes are amazing—an ocean blue most of the time.”
“Oh, he sounds just yummy. I’m so happy for you, sweetie.”
Irrationally, Tessa felt like she was going to start crying. She couldn’t remember the last time her mother had ever been so attentive, so affectionate.
“His name is Brian, by the way. And he has a fantastic daughter in middle school.”
A stark pause and then an almost horrified, “A daughter? Oh, Tessa, no.”
Aaand, they were back. The way her mother said her name never failed to make her feel two inches tall and far more than a dollar short.
“Tessa, you can’t date a man with a child. You won’t be able to avoid getting serious.”
She paused a beat before admitting, “What if I’m thinking of getting serious?”
Her mother gasped. “You cannot be thinking of having a long term relationship with this man, Tessa. It’s just not right. You know as well as I do that this would just end in heartbreak for everyone involved. Especially if he has a daughter. He’s probably looking for…well, someone a little different from you.”
“He and Skylar both know about my being a dropout, mom. He didn’t think anything of it.”
“So you’ve told him everything?”
Tessa remained silent.
“That’s what I thought. Have a heart. Don’t take this any further. He sounds like a very nice man who deserves better.”
Better than me.
“Tessa, darling, you know I love you. And you know I want you to be happy. But not at the expense of someone else. Besides, why are you even looking for something serious anyway? Look at my life. A hot, brand new model every few months to drive around, nothing to tie me down. The world is my oyster. I couldn’t be happier. Take it from me, there is simply no better way to live.”
Tessa could think of a thousand better ways to live.
And she could picture Brian in every single scenario.
“I know you think I’m wrong about this; but I also know that you know I’m right. You should just end it now. Before it’s too late. Let the man be happy.”
Right, because he’d be miserable with me. She couldn’t take anymore. “Mom, I’ve got to go. I forgot I need to head over to the care home in a half hour.”
“Oh, that’s nice. You’re still doing that volunteer work?”
Everything HD related was always ‘volunteer work’ to her mother; she simply couldn’t comprehend it in any other context.
So it didn’t really matter whether she answered her or not.
“I really got to go. Thanks for chatting with me, mom.”
“You’re most welcome, dear. That’s what I’m here for.”
Tessa wasn’t going to touch that one.
“Bye mom.”
BRIAN CAME BACK in from his run and knew something was wrong the second he stepped foot in the door.
He was already racing across the house to Skylar’s bedroom even before the muffled sounds of her crying hit him fully. He practically took the door off its hinges as he burst through, expecting to see a scene not unlike a post-apocalyptic disaster zone.
It was worse.
“Honey, what’s the matter?” He eased over to her window seat, where she was curled in a tight ball trying her best to get her crying under control. “Are you hurt?”
“I c-can’t s-stop,” she stuttered, her breathing heaving in and out uncontrollably.
Brian ran out to the kitchen and returned with a paper bag. Holding it over her mouth, he squeezed her hand and said in the calmest voice he could, “Just breathe, honey. Keep your eyes on me and just breathe nice and easy, in and out. Don’t think about anything else except for the sound of your breathing.” He nodded encouragingly when her gasping breaths started to slow. Removing the bag, he continued in a soothing murmur, “Okay now we have to do the belly breathing, remember how we used to help mom? Slow deep breath in through your nose, fill your belly up…and then out through your mouth. Good, just like that. Just a few more, honey, take your time.”
Meanwhile, Brian was on the verge of hyperventilating himself.
The five minutes it took for Skylar’s breathing to return to normal were the longest of his life.
“How you doing?” he asked gently when her eyes were no longer the size of saucers. “Ready for a glass of water?”
Skylar nodded, exhausted, and slumped against the wall while he went to get her a drink.
It took everything in him to remain silent as he watched her ease back out of her panic attack. Remembering how walking used to help Beth, and wanting to give Skylar a change in environment just in case that was the trigger, he held out his hand. “C’mon, let’s get some fresh air in the backyard.”
By the time they were both seated in the gazebo, she was looking relatively calm.
“You want to tell me what happened back there?”
Her gaze dropped to the ground, and she shrugged half-heartedly, “It’s nothing.”
“That was not nothing, sweetie. Do you need me to call your therapist? Schedule you an emergency appointment?”
At her smothered cringe, he grew even more confused. “
Are you having a problem with Dr. Gibson?” She’d been going once a week for over a year now and never had he heard any complaints from either side.
“No, I just…I’m having a hard time talking to her lately.” She slid her focus over to the orchid plants woven into the far end of the gazebo. “I feel like we talk about the same things every week and…it’s like she can’t hear me, like no one can hear me. Except for Becky. And Tessa.”
Brian tensed. “So this is about the gene testing again?”
“Not just the gene testing. It’s all of it.” She shook her head and looked away. “You just don’t get it.” Her voice was starting to sound panicked again.
“They can’t get it, sweetie,” called out a calm voice approaching them. “Not unless you explain it to them.”
They both looked up to see Tessa walking across the lawn to join them.
When did she get here?
“Skylar texted me while you were on your run,” she explained, at his questioning look. “I got here as quickly as I could and I let myself in. You left the front door ajar.”
He had?
Everything had been such a blur. Still was. Skylar had been talking for nearly ten minutes now and he still didn’t have a clue how to help her.
Tessa sat down on the railing opposite of them and said quietly, “Skylar, it’s not that they can’t hear you, it’s that they can’t understand what you’re going through. You need to explain it to your doctors, to your father. I know you think they should get it because they already saw your mom go through it, but I guarantee you, they don’t.” Her eyes landed on his as she continued, “So just start from what you feel like when you wake up every day. Describe it if you can’t explain it. And go from there.”
Brian watched in horror as tears filled Skylar’s eyes again. How had he not known his little girl was going through so much agony? “I’m listening, honey. And I promise I’ll hear you. Just…talk to me, please.”
“It’s not every morning,” Skylar whispered as she looked up at Tessa, almost as if reaching for a lifeline before repeating, “It’s not every morning, but some mornings I wake up and I wonder if today’s going to be the day that I’ll know for sure if I have HD or not. And for the five or ten minutes that I sit there and think about it, I feel…almost happy. Like I can finally breathe again.” Her voice dropped a bitter note lower. “But then after that one short breath, it’s like I’m drowning all over again. I go to school and see my friends laughing and talking about stuff like what awesome things they want to do when they grow up… Normal teen stuff. I see them sitting there not worrying about anything really…something I never get to do. And when I see that, I get so jealous and sad and angry. And I just can’t breathe.”