by Gail Haris
My hands fist the sheets and I look up to the white ceiling. My breathing is erratic. His fingers curve as his thumb continues to make circular motions. I want to bring my thighs together, but his body is between them, so I squeeze him instead. There’s not going to be anything left of me if he keeps this up. I’m going to be spent and a useless puddle on this bed.
His other hand reaches up and unclasps the front clip of my bra. Those brown eyes never leave mine as his tongue comes out and flicks at my nipple, all while he’s still massaging my clit. Then, he blows on the nipple that he’s just wet with his tongue, causing them to harden as goosebumps spread over my skin. The chill is quickly replaced by the warmth of his mouth as he takes my nipple in his mouth again.
I shamelessly moan and writhe beneath him. The heat from his large, strong body, combined with that wicked tongue and skilled fingers, has my body spasming within minutes. It was too much, too soon, yet just right, but not enough. I’m a hot and wet mess.
He raises up from me and slides off his briefs. Once he’s completely free, he reclaims his position on top of me, and slowly teases me with the tip. I don’t know how much more teasing I can take before he finally enters me. Thank God. His arms begin to shake on either side of my head, and a moan that sounds as if it’s on the verge of pain escapes him.
“Lord, have mercy,” he whispers above me.
Carter is stretching me, and I can’t help but tighten against him. Each time I do he moans again. After he’s had a moment, he moves at a steady, easy rhythm. But it doesn’t take long for him to pick it up. He takes my ankles and places them on his shoulders as he drives deeper, and harder.
“Carter…” I sigh in ecstasy.
He looks down at me, “Oh, fuck…are you on birth control, Natalia? We probably should’ve—” A groan escapes him, cutting off his sentence. I nod but his eyes are closed in pleasure, so I speak up.
“Yes! Yes! I’m on birth control.”
“Thank God because there’s literally no way I can stop…it feels so damn…” he pants as he picks up gusto. “Good,” he moans. My ankles slide off his shoulders as he drops down to claim my lips. I hold on as he relentlessly drives us both toward our release. He breaks our kiss to moan my name out against our lips. Even after I feel him coming, he still continues to pump. Giving everything he can to send me over with him. His hand goes back down between us, and he presses against me as he doesn’t let up speed or pressure. “Carter!” I cry out, my own orgasm chasing me as I freefall.
As our breathing finally returns to normal, I start to get up, but Carter wraps as arm around me.
“Stay.”
One word. One simple word that means more than either of us can begin to comprehend in this moment. But staying is the only thing I can think about right now.
So, encased in his warmth, with the sound of his steady heart beating against my temple, I fall into a blissful slumber.
Carter
Sweet heaven and all that is good. I moan as I snuggle up closer to the warmth. It takes me a minute before I realize that wasn’t a dream. I mean, I knew it wasn’t a dream. But actually waking up next to the gorgeous woman I’ve been fantasizing about for months is a little surreal. And for the first time in two long years, I didn’t have any nightmares. I am feeling better than I’ve felt since that night. The warmth I’m currently spooning snuggles back against me. Hello. Now all of me is awake. At least one important part of me is.
She moans and I can hear the smile in her voice. “Good morning.”
“Good morning,” I growl in her ear.
Her perfect, round ass rubs against me. “I think it’s about to get a lot better.”
“I think you’re right.”
“Oooh, you know just what to say to me. Say it again.” She purrs.
“Say what?”
“That I’m right.”
I chuckle and slap her ass. Then, because I can’t deny this woman anything, I whisper in the most seductive voice I can manage, “You’re. Right.”
She fakes a moan and I roll on top of her, laughing. Now it’s time to turn that moan into a real one.
Weeks pass, and with no proof to convict Seth, the case has fallen by the wayside. I try pleading with all my friends in the police department, but so far we’re at a roadblock. They all agree it doesn’t add up, and have been keeping a closer watch on him. The idea that he murdered my parents, I simply can’t wrap my head around it. Natalia had no reason to lie, and the details she knew that I hadn’t told her. Like how Seth liked Ava, and they began dating after my parents died. She’s telling the truth, too much time has passed and there’s just no proof. I can’t process that he killed my parents and then tried to kill Natalia. But why? I refuse to go mad over this, that’s a rabbit hole I want to steer clear of, so I focus on Natalia, Lolly, and taking everything one day at a time. Justice will be served, but we have to be smart about this.
Seth has lawyered up and is telling Natalia she must be mistaken. He denies everything and is already out on bail. Natalia was at first worried about staying with Lolly, for fear Seth would return. Lolly shot that down quick and challenged, “Let him try.”
Lolly sets a cup of coffee down in front of Natalia and me. “I’m glad to have you back. I hate the why of it. You know, it just feels so much more homey with you here.”
Natalia smiles. “I like being here too. I’m not sure what I’m going to do now about next month.”
“What’s next month?” Lolly asks.
“My family was supposed to come visit.”
“That’s no problem.” My grandmother shrugs.
“Yeah, they can stay in a hotel, I guess.” Natalia agrees.
“Nonsense. Carter has plenty of room at his house.” My eyes about pop out of my head. I mean, I guess it’s an option, but Lolly could’ve ran the suggestion by me. I’ve lived alone for a long time, and I always hang out with friends at the bar. It’s going to be strange having people in the house.
Natalia looks to me and asks, “Why do you have such a big house for living by yourself?”
I look down at my coffee. I’m a little embarrassed to tell her. Taking a much-needed breath, I just let it out. “When Pops passed away, I was worried about Lolly. She refused to move in with me. That house came on the market, so I bought it. It was outdated, but I fixed it up. I figured if I ever did find anyone, I’d need more space anyway.”
I refuse to meet her eyes. That sounds so cheesy, but it’s true. Lolly refused help, didn’t want to feel helpless, and living next to her made it easier to keep an eye on her. Lolly’s frail arms wrap around me. “You’re a good boy, Carter. You don’t have to worry about this old hag though.”
“You are a good man, Carter Collins,” Natalia says as she reaches over and takes my hand in hers, giving me a gentle squeeze.
I clear my throat and take a sip of my coffee. I lick my lips and meet Natalia’s eyes. Those warm brown eyes hold so much emotion. “Of course, your family is welcome to stay with me. I can sleep over here on the couch and they can have the whole house.”
“Mami is going to love you.”
Lolly frowns, “I’m sorry. Has your father passed away?”
Natalia shakes her head and avoids meeting our eyes. “Papi is still alive and well.”
“Is he coming, as well? Or are your parents divorced?” Lolly asks.
“He’s coming too. And they’re very much still in love and married.”
I lean back in my chair and study how she is still refusing to meet my gaze. “Papi isn’t going to like me, is he?”
“Nope. And if you call him papi, you might want to run.”
Natalia’s parents are coming today. Natalia went through my house and cleaned it, again. She also made a really big deal over the cabinets having plenty of food. I humor her because I want to make a good impression. This isn’t a fling for me. I want this relationship to work and for us to keep moving forward. Her parents’ blessing is important to her, so it’s imp
ortant to me, as well.
A large truck pulls into my driveway. “Natalia, I think they’re here.”
She darts out of the kitchen and runs past me and out the front door. I smile as she leaps into her mother’s arms. They hug and begin crying. Then she jumps into her father’s arms. I take a moment to admire the people who birthed and raised such a strong and compassionate woman. Someone who cares for others enough to spend her days and nights working at the hospital taking care of complete strangers. A woman who was brave enough to try out a new town on her own. She’s been through two house fires and still went to work the next day. She’s resilient. This woman was strong enough to care for a man who didn’t care enough about himself, and to care for an elderly woman as her own grandmother.
I love her.
I’m in love with Natalia. My heart begins beating rapidly. I grip my chest and lean against the door frame.
“Carter!” She’s at my side with her hand against my chest. “What’s wrong?”
My mouth opens and closes, then I finally spit out. “I just realized I love you.”
“You told me you loved me before.”
“Yeah, but I was drunk. Now I’m sober–and–and,” I take her face in my hands. “I love you. I’m in love with you.” I grab my chest again and pant. “I think I’m having a panic attack.”
“She’s went and found another crazy one,” I hear a baritone voice mumble.
“I wasn’t like this before, sir. Your daughter,” I tell him, “she did this. I’ve gone through fire, crawled through burning buildings that are on the verge of collapse, and not had a panic attack. Actual fire.”
Her father nods and a smile tugs at the corner of his lips. “Tranquila, nena, le perdono la vida.”
Natalia beams at me. “Papi likes you! He said he’ll let you live.”
As her parents walk to the bedroom to put their suitcases away, Natalia turns to me with a full smile. “I love you, Carter.”
“You do?”
“Mm-hhhmmm…” is all she says before going to help her parents. I may have saved Natalia from the flames, but she has set my soul on fire. I love her…and for whatever reason, she loves me.
Every broken part.
Natalia
“See, I may be old, but I’m not dead.” I laugh at Carter as he groans while Lolly is speaking to my parents. “If you know of anyone, send them my way.”
“My uncle is a widower,” Papi tells her.
Lolly narrows her eyes, “Does he look like you?”
Mami nudges Lolly with her elbow and winks. “Better. Despite him being fifteen years older, he has more hair and less belly.”
Papi grumbles, but his eyes are laughing. We’re sharing one last breakfast together before they leave. We had a wonderful weekend together, but it was far too short. Carter took them for a ride on the fire truck, Lolly and Mami exchanged recipes, and Carter and Papi shared a few card games while discussing classic cars. My parents fell in love with Lolly and Carter. They were so happy I’d found good people. Mi Mamá cleaned Carter’s whole house before they left. Scrubbed everything, even though I’d done the same thing before they got here. She even hinted about a room that would make a perfect nursery. She also baked him food for the next few days and left it in the freezer.
“You have to come back and visit soon,” I tell them.
“And bring the brother,” Lolly teases.
“We’ll be back for Christmas,” Papi assures me.
“Really?” I beam. Christmas in my family is a huge deal. We go all out celebrating.
“Yes, and the rest of the family will come this time,” Mami promises.
I’m so excited, tears fill my eyes. We don’t live that far from each other, but I went from spending every day with them to now penciling in their upcoming visits on a calendar. I’m so ready to be in a house full of my loud family. We stand and give each other hugs and kisses. I stand on the porch and watch until their truck disappears, tears glistening my eyes.
The next day, Lolly goes with Carter to get groceries. Her birthday is coming up, and I wanted to surprise her with planting a new rose garden in her yard with a pretty brick arrangement surrounding it, so I talked Carter into being a part of this little surprise. The California sun is being unforgiving today, though. I wipe the sweat from my forehead and go back in the house for some more water.
As I am filling my glass with water from the sink, I look out the window at the burnt house. The house I could’ve easily died in. Seth is clearly going to get away with trying to burn me alive, and successfully burning Carter’s parents alive. It makes me angry, but not enough for me to stop living my life out of fear. I’m used to men like him. Men, who because they are wealthy and have influential connections, get away with everything, including attempted murder. I still don’t know what he was trying to prove. Did he think Carter wouldn’t rescue me? Probably the only reason I didn’t die from inhaling smoke was because I sealed the door with my clothes. Lolly was the real hero, though. She came to check on me, and because of her, I got help. I don’t know how, but I will find a way to get justice for Lolly and Carter. I survived, but because of Seth, she lost a son, and he lost his parents.
“Natalia.” I spin around to find Seth standing just inside the back door. It’s as though me thinking about him has conjured him up. “You know, I didn’t appreciate you having me arrested for something that was clearly a misunderstanding.”
“I didn’t appreciate you locking me in a pantry closet to be burned alive.” My voice is deadly calm. I slowly step back and then quickly grab a knife off the counter. I hold it in front of me. “And I don’t appreciate you showing up here uninvited.”
“I know you’re alone.”
“That doesn’t matter. You’re not welcome here. I’m asking you to leave nicely. Next time I ask you, it won’t be so nice.”
He laughs and charges around the table. I jump and he laughs harder. “So jumpy.” I jump again as he charges. Idiot. I need to get to the door so I can run for help, or at least far enough away to pull my phone out and call for help. I’ll just keep pretending to be scared and jump, jump, jump right to the back door.
He is finally completely away from the door and almost to where I was originally standing. Quickly, I spin around and rush out the back door.
“Bitch! Get back here!” he screams. Stupid man, because that’s going to make me stop in my tracks. Unfortunately for me, he is fast. He leaps off the back steps and tackles me to the ground. Pain radiates up the back of my head as he pulls my hair before pushing my face to the ground. Dirt fills my mouth, and my eyes throb from the impact to my temple and nose. I refuse to lie here, so I try to buck him off of me. Before I can panic, I take a moment to consider the type of man I’m dealing with. He’s cocky, overconfident, and thinks he has me bested. He wants to toy with me. He wants to make me suffer by playing with me. I force all of my muscles to relax and lie there. I allow tears to stream down my face, “Please,” I beg.
I feel the tension leave his body and he relaxes his weight on top of me. He leans down to whisper in my ear.
“Sshh. There, there my little—ffuuuuck!”
I use all of my strength to break his nose with the back of my head. I flip over and using my palm, I jab his jugular. Sliding out from under him while he is momentarily disoriented and in pain, I bring my knee up and then kick his groin. He rolls to his side in the fetal position, allowing me to fully escape and get a head start. I don’t have much of one, because I can hear him trying to get up, and he is furious. If he catches me, he might not waste any time trying to play. I’m past the rose bush and almost to Carter’s back door when I hear Seth howl in agony. I stop and look back.
He’s on the ground by my rose bushes. He tries to stand up and I see the blood. The side of his temple is bleeding, and I see a huge gash at his side. Seth crumbles back to the ground. I rush in the house and dial 911 as I lock all the doors. With dispatch still on the phone, I watch out the window as
Seth lies there. His chest rising and falling slowly and his eyes are closed. The dispatcher wants to remain on the phone with me, so I text Carter what’s happened. My phone rings immediately so I place the 911 on hold as switch the call. After I’ve retold the entire story, I worry about Seth’s condition. I quickly grab some towels, alcohol, and Carter’s first aid kit.
“He’s hurt. Pretty badly.”
“I’m on my way. Stay somewhere safe!”
“Um, I’ve got to go. I love you!”
“Natal—” I end the call with Carter, but keep dispatch on the line as I hurry back outside.
Seth is panting and his skin is clammy. I could sit back and allow him to die. Nobody would blame me. At least I called it in, so isn’t that all that’s required? In my defense, he was working on his second attempt to kill me. Or at the very least, he was here to attack me. He wasn’t here for any good, that much is certain. I could go hide in a room and wait for the ambulance to come for him. But I took an oath when I became a nurse. I kneel on the ground next to him, placing my phone on the ground still on speaker, and examine his injuries. I clean the wounds the best I can, then I cover them and try to stop the bleeding. I even say to Seth, “Stay with me. You’re going to be okay.”
Seth wheezes, “Why are you saving me?”
I use the words he’d spoken to me once. “Something is seriously wrong with you, and I want to try and give you another chance.” Then, I apply a tiny bit more pressure than necessary. “Plus, I’m not like you.”
Sirens blare and emergency vehicles fill the yard. The EMTs load him on a stretcher. Carter and Lolly rush up and I place a hand on Carter’s chest to stop him from going anywhere near that stretcher.
“It’s over,” I say.
“You saved him?” Carter asks.
“Aren’t all lives worth saving?”