by Harper Sloan
“Alright, well let’s get settled and you can fill me in on the details, yeah?”
“Sure thing, baby.” I know she just woke up, and most likely doesn’t even realize she said that, but that word goes straight to my heart. Zaps right through and causes it to fill with so much elation. I should be worried; after all, the woman has the power to level my world.
We make our way inside and settle. Sitting down on the couch, I don’t even give her time to consider sitting somewhere else in the room, I grab her hand and pull her onto my lap. My arms enclose around her and I let out a low, relieved breath.
“Fill me in, babe?”
She looks into my eyes for a few minutes, for what I’m not sure, but she must have found it because she begins her story. Not easy to hear, but damn I’m proud of her for sticking up for herself. When she stops talking, I can’t even speak. I have to keep myself still to control the fury and the need to do something.
“You didn’t press charges? Please tell me, Melissa, that I heard you wrong there?” She looks up into my eyes, slightly confused at my tone. “Not angry with you baby. Just trying to figure out why you wouldn’t press charges against her.”
“I just want her gone. I don’t know her, and I know you and her had your thing, but this is a little too much.”
The hand that has been lightly stroking her thigh stills. “And you’re going to let this shit come between us?”
“I didn’t say that. What I said was it’s too much. I lost my job because of her, Greg. My job and my family’s income, all gone because of your fuck buddy.”
“Baby, I get that this is some heavy shit but you need to understand that I wasn’t a saint before I met you. I wasn’t perfect, not even close, but that shit with Mandy ended when we started. Not that there was much to end, but I made it clear to her at the wedding that we were finished. I made it clear again, when she showed up at the gate throwing more shit. I don’t know what’s going on in her mind but I’ll find out. I don’t want you to worry about her.”
“I believe you. I do, but that doesn’t change the fact that I lost a lot more today than just some skin on my arm.” I flinch at the reminder of just how dangerous this situation was today.
“Let me take care of it, baby.”
“How are you going to take care of this?” Her brow furrows, and confusion mixed with disbelief flashes in her eyes.
“First, you’re going to let me deal with Mandy but I still want a restraining order on her. Second, I know some people around town. I just did a security install for a general practitioners office right down the street. Just let me call and see if he’s hiring. Third, let me in. Just let me in, Beauty.
The silence around us while she takes in my words is heavy. She doesn’t want to let me in. I know this, but that doesn’t mean that I will stop until she at least lets me have the chance to prove to her I deserve it.
“Meli, baby,” I sigh. “Trust me when I tell you that I have lived a life that makes me know when something is worth fighting for. I took one look at you and knew you were worth it to me. It’s new, I get that, but I know you feel it too.”
“I feel it,” she whispers. “I feel it and it terrifies me.”
“Why? What has you scared, baby? Tell me so I can help.”
“You don’t understand. When I lost Fia, something inside me changed. I have always been the guarded one in the family. Mom is amazing but she is weak. Fia was the same way. They let men walk all over them and I always said I wouldn’t be like that. I wouldn’t need a man. My dad, piece of shit. What I do remember isn’t pretty and I watched my sister relive that nightmare with no hopes of helping her. For years, I have had fun but never let a man in. Greg, you have the power to not only get in but to destroy me if you ever want back out.”
“I can’t make you promises, Beauty. I can’t sit here and tell you that I’m worth letting those walls down for. But, I can tell you that if the way I feel for you now keeps growing, there isn’t an army strong enough to pull me out. Spent too long wanting someone worth it and as crazy as it sounds? One look baby… it took one look that even being covered in Nate’s vomit couldn’t dim how bright that beauty knocked me down.”
She laughs softly but still looks at me as if she is worried I might vanish with her next breath. “I want to be there. There’s just so much going on. Now this, us, and everything else that’s flying around out of control. I don’t know how to just let go.”
“Let me in,” I stress again.
“I—I don’t know how.” It’s like watching a caged animal try to escape. I can tell she wants to, she wants to let me in so bad, but she really doesn’t know how.
“You don’t have to be strong all the time. Let me take it, Beauty. Let me be your rock. Let ME fight. For Christ sake, let me be who you need.”
Each word out of my mouth has her eyes widening. Hell, I don’t even know where that all came from but I need her to understand. I need her to get on the same page as I am before I am the one losing myself in someone who doesn’t want me.
“My mom has custody of Cohen, Fia’s son, but that is only because with all the hours I work it isn’t possible for me to have him. I spend as much time as I can with him, but that still isn’t enough. Mom’s old but can still get around. She doesn’t work, because, well…she’s old. And even though she can get around, that doesn’t mean she does it without difficulties. My check pays for everything, which is why I live in a shit-hole apartment in the middle of the hood. Cohen and his wellbeing get it all. Do not think that is a complaint. I would give everything for that kid.” She pauses and looks into my eyes for a few seconds before looking back at my hand resting on her leg. I give her a light squeeze and she continues, “Simon, Fia’s ex, was a real douche. Already told you about him, but even though he is gone, I still feel like he is fucking with my family. His mom, Susan, has been coming around for the last year trying to get Cohen. She tried to go the legal route, but there was no judge in the world that would give her custody or even visiting rights. Bad, the worst kind of human being.”
I am well informed about Susan Wagner. But I’m not letting her know about that right now. She is just letting me in, starting to let her walls down and trust me. No way am I messing with that right now.
“So, anyway. She’s been causing some drama. Calling, sending letters, and coming around. She’s harmless but annoying, and it scares Cohen. That is what I’ve been dealing with since Sunday. Trying to keep my mom calm and Cohen clueless.”
“You think she will be trouble?” I question.
“No. I mean, yes for now, but I think she just misses her son, or I should say the idea of her son. She doesn’t want Cohen; she just doesn’t want us to have him.”
“Seems reasonable baby, but I don’t like you dealing with that alone.”
“I’m not alone,” she says with small smile tips up her lips.
“No, Beauty…you definitely are not.”
We have been sitting here for a while just silently taking each other in when her voice breaks the stillness. “Tell me about Grace.”
“Trying to change the subject?” I laugh but I really am just happy she wants to know more about me.
“I just want to know you, all of you, even that beast you only seem to throw around toward me.” She smiles and leans her head on my shoulder.
“Grace was amazing. We were best friends and each other’s shadow our whole lives. She didn’t take it well when I enlisted but she knew it was what I wanted. Our dad was a career Marine and I knew before I could walk that that’s what I would do. He was the bravest man we knew until we lost him. She knew what it meant to carry on his memory. We talked as often as we could but that still wasn’t enough. I met her boyfriend once when I was home on leave and didn’t like the bastard. Told her, but she was in love so there wasn’t anything I could say. That was the only time we disagreed about anything. She married him shortly after I left. Twenty years old and ready to follow him around the world if he as
ked.” I take a deep breath and think back to her beautiful smile and her violet eyes. “You would have loved her. She was a lot like Dee, always happy. You know how I got the call. Needless to say, I didn’t take that shit well. I went off the deep end. The second I could get out, I left the Marines and the only dream I’ve ever had behind and disappeared. Axel and the boys, hell my own mother, no one knew where I was for almost two years. Met a guy on the road who helped me sort my shit, came back home, and started my own company. The rest, as they say, is history.”
“It gets better? Losing the other part of you?” She asks. I know what she means. Grace was the other part of my soul and I’m guessing her sister was hers.
“Yeah baby, it gets better. Never easy, but it gets better.”
“That’s good. I don’t want to hurt anymore,” she whispers.
“With me around, I’ll do my best to make sure you never do.” She pulls her head off my shoulder, shifts lightly, and brings her hands up to cup my face before dropping her forehead against mine.
“You’re a good man, Greg Cage. You give me some time, and I might just fall in love with you.”
“That’s the plan, Beauty.” I whisper and take her lips, delivering the message that I hope shows her how much I want to be worthy that love.
When I pull Melissa off the couch and lead her upstairs to my room, I know this will be more than just burning up the sheets. This is about communicating without words what needs to be shown and not said, giving her what she needs from me, and making sure she feels ‘it’. I’m no blushing virgin but even I am feeling the pressure to make sure this is something for the record books.
When we reach my bedroom, I pull her close and drop my lips to hers. Simple and slow, I make love to her mouth.
This is a slow mating. We stand there with our arms wrapped around each other and just savor. Neither of us is in a hurry, but both of us are in need. Slowly we take turns peeling the clothes from each other’s bodies, and when we are both naked, we just stand there taking each other in. Her skin is flawless, glowing with a natural tan. Her tits make my mouth water and my dick jump. Those legs, my balls tighten just taking in her long legs. I knew the backside is just as good as the front; she is pure perfection and beauty.
“You going to keep devouring me with your eyes, baby?” There it is again, and this time she is wide awake.
Baby.
Reaching out and hooking her around the waist earns me a breathy sigh and I smile down at her before returning my lips to hers. Still taking my time, I enjoy the slow kiss full of desire.
My hands that rest right above her ass make the slow journey down until I have both of her globes in my hands. With a squeeze, I lift her up and am instantly rewarded when her legs wrap around my hips. My dick jumps at the contact with her wet heat.
I offer her no words as I start walking toward the bed, continuing my assault on her mouth. She is clamped so tight to my body that there wasn’t room for air between us. My body feels like it is moving on autopilot. I don’t need my mind to tell my body what to do. I crave her, so this is like second nature. We have only been apart two damn days and it seems like a year.
Laying her down softly, I make the move to detach my lips from hers but she tightens her arms and legs, and the soft moan she lets out is a straight shot to my dick. It’s throbbing and begging me to thrust home, but this needs to be about her.
When I am finally able to release her mouth, she looks up at me and I can see the lust shining bright, but behind that, I swear I almost see adoration. I don’t doubt that is what’s reflecting in my own, but I never thought I would see it so soon in my Beauty’s gaze.
“So beautiful,” I whisper, trailing my fingers down the side of her face, her neck, and her shoulders. My eyes follow my hand as it moves over her skin. Leaning my weight onto my side, I trail my hand down to her breast. Her pink nipple puckers and strains for my mouth, but I just roam my fingers over the soft skin. Her breathing comes in sharp pants, her skin prickles with goose bumps, and when I take her nipple between my fingers, giving it a soft tug and pinch, she arches off the bed and her quick intake of air echoes in the room.
My dick might be in serious danger of early detonation if I don’t hurry things along, but I can’t seem to move away from her. She is just looking at me, eyes wide, and so close to that lost look she gets right before she soars.
Shifting down slightly, I take the other nipple in my mouth, swirling my tongue and hollowing my cheeks when I suck hard. She tastes delicious; every part of her skin is mouthwatering.
I move my hand down her body until I meet the bare, wet skin of her pussy. A ragged groan of my own crawls up my throat when I feel just how ready she is, and I push my rock hard dick into her thigh, trying to ease some of the pressure.
“Fuck, my girl is ready for me.” I say against her breast, “Always ready for me.”
She hums something unidentifiable before grabbing the back of my neck and pushing her tit back to my mouth. I laugh softly against her skin before wrapping my lips around her tight bud and sucking deep, giving her everything she wants. This time I hold nothing back. My teeth nibble, my tongue licks and swirls, and when I close my lips around the tight bud and pull she screams out.
“So good, baby,” she moans.
I switch to her other side and give her some more attention causing her hand in my hair to tighten. When I push two fingers deep inside her, she clamps down with a hold that’s so fierce that I can barely move my fingers back out. Rubbing her clit with my thumb and hooking my fingers while pumping softly makes her moaning cry louder. She pulls my head back and with one look I know she’s ready. My girl wants me and she isn’t afraid to let me know.
“Not yet,” I whisper, pulling myself up to meet her lips. I devour her, pouring myself into her with every mating of our tongue and thrust of my fingers. When I hit that spot inside that never fails to set her off, she pulls off my mouth and screams my name so loud, I’m shocked the windows didn’t shatter.
I wait for her to come back down and give me her lazy eyes before I pull out and slowly lick my fingers clean, watching her eyes widen and her lips tip up slightly.
Rolling off the bed, I walk over to the other side and grab a few condoms out of the side table, the whole time her eyes never leaving me. Or I should say, they never leave my dick, which I am sure at this point has turned purple. When I walk back to the other side and stand between her parted legs, her eyes still haven’t left my straining erection. I throw all but one condom on the bed and take my dick in my hand. Her eyes flash as she watches me work myself, but when her pink tongue darts out and licks her lips, I have no doubt that I am two seconds away from shooting all over her flat stomach.
Tearing open the condom, I make quick work of sheathing myself. For the first time in my life, I wish I could take her without the barrier. I understand her concerns, which is why I went to the clinic the first chance I had on Monday. Luckily, the doctor is an old friend of mine, and he promised results by the end of the week. Thank Christ; I couldn’t wait to take my woman bare.
“Slide back some, baby. We will get creative later, but right now I want to be able to watch your eyes when I take you.” She doesn’t waste anytime moving back until her head is almost hanging off the edge. Never once closing her legs, her eyes no longer follow my dick. They are blazing up at me, begging me to hurry.
I climb up and kneel between her legs, enjoying the look of her giving herself to me with no hesitation. Her eyes never leave mine as I lean forward and steady my weight over her body. Taking my dick in my hand and rubbing her wet center, a sharp gasp rewards me every time my ring hits her clit. Best damn bet I ever took was getting my dick pierced. She loves it, and she isn’t shy about letting me know with each gasp or moan that leaves her body. I can’t wait for her to feel it without the latex being between us.
I lean down and brace myself with one arm by her ribs, keeping my knees apart and my dick pressed against her heat. Kissing her
stomach before peppering more along the way to her neck, I slowly reach her ear. Biting it softly, I hum my approval when she moves her hips up trying to impale herself on my dick. I lean up and hold her eyes while I push just a few inches into her. She melts, no other word for it, she simply melts into the bed at the same time pushing off with her feet to try and speed up my entrance.
“Patience, baby. Feel it.” No way that this connection between us can be missed. It’s no wonder I was a goner for her the second we locked eyes. She feels it and there is no doubt about it when I thrust painfully slow into her body. Her eyes widen with each inch and my hips settle against hers. Her legs hook around my back, her heels digging in. Her hands snake around my back and nails bite the skin when I shift my hips and my base piercing rubs her clit.
I lean forward and kiss her deeply before pulling back and resting my forehead against hers. Only then do I begin to slowly pull out until I almost lose her heat. When I push back in just as slowly, she tries to dig in again, begging me to speed up. “Patience baby, let me love you.” Her eyes widen and a sob catches in her throat. “Just let me show you. Feel it, Beauty.”
Oh my God. Did he just say that? I can’t even panic completely because he’s right. There isn’t anything about this that doesn’t scream love. His gaze is blinding with it, his touch and the way he worships my body are testaments to the fact that this is nothing but pure lovemaking. It should terrify me, I should be running, but I can’t. Even though it seems rash, there isn’t a way possible to detangle myself from this man, physically or mentally. He’s right; I feel it. Right or wrong, regardless of how terrified I am, I will regret for the rest of my life if I don’t explore this.
“I feel it baby,” I reply breathlessly.
He seems shocked at first that I am voicing my agreement. His smile, so wide his eyes crinkle, hits his face and his hips make their way back down before he speaks, “Yeah, baby, feels like a dream, but so good I don’t ever want to wake up.”