The Boom

by Glenna Maynard

  My mom makes a comment here and there about how graceful she is, but I can’t pull my eyes away from her to be bothered with conversation.

  **

  We go out to dinner after Amaya is done with her performance. Sitting around the table everyone is chatting, and of course Mom and Cindy are both whispering and every one looks up to give me a weird smile. I shake my head and put my hand on Amaya’s leg, as she chats with Courtney.

  Big Tex took off after the performance, saying he was tired. I know that wasn’t the truth, he was just sick of watching Courtney and Adams all loved up with each other after the show. I don’t blame him, fuck, if something ever happened to Amaya and I, not that I ever think something will, and I had to watch her with someone else, I would most likely commit murder.

  In this moment, I feel as if I have gotten everything I could ever hope for. A chance at the NFL, the girl I’m going to marry, and all my family and friends, right here. Now just to meet Amaya’s parents, and I’m in the home stretch of my perfect life.

  Amaya smiles at me and takes a big bite of her double bacon burger. I swipe my thumb across her bottom lip, capturing the dollop of mayo that is dripping down to her chin.

  “Oops,” she mumbles and I laugh.

  My dad catches my eye and mouths, “Boom,” at me.

  I nod, because yeah, she’s my boom, my world. Nothing can wipe the smile from my face right now. That is until Amaya’s phone beeps and her screen lights up with a text message from that fucker, Keith.

  Keith: You were amazing tonight. I loved seeing you dance again. You’re so beautiful, I need to see you. I need to talk to you. Can we meet?

  I bang my fist down on the table and all eyes flash to me.

  “Tate, you okay, son?”

  I can only shake my head as I shove my chair back. I’m going to go find that lousy piece of shit and beat it into his head that Amaya is with me. I’ll gouge his eyes out so that he never sees her dance again, if that’s what it takes to prove my point.

  She’s mine.

  “Tate, don’t. He’s not worth it. I’m with you. Nothing is going to change that.” My girl squeezes my hand and I take a deep breath.

  “You good, man?” Adams’ questions.

  I nod. I know deep down that Keith has no chance in hell at ever taking Amaya away from me, but it pisses me off that he is still pulling this lame shit.

  The best thing would be to let it go, but I snatch Amaya’s phone and text him back once I’ve moved my chair back to the table.

  Amaya: I’ve told you one too many times to leave Amaya alone. She’s with me, End of. -Tate

  Instantly, her phone lights up with a new message. The fucker doesn’t know when to quit.

  Keith: Look, I only wanted to meet with her so I could apologize in person. I’ve been in a bad place, but I’m changing my ways. I met someone new, someone who I care a lot about. I only wanted to say sorry.

  Amaya: Message received. Go worry about your new girlfriend. I have mine covered. Do not contact her again.

  I toss the phone down on the table and Amaya leans into me. “I love when you get all jealous and possessive. It’s sexy.”

  “That so? Care to show me how much you love it when I get you alone?” I grin.

  She shakes her head with a laugh, then whispers in my ear, “I want you in my mouth.”

  “Check, please?” I call out, holding my finger up at the server.

  Chapter 26

  Amaya

  “Okay, remember that chat you had with me about bracing with your folks? Well, I need to have the same chat with you. Your family is amazing, but my mom, she’s nuts. Like certifiable.” Tate chuckles at me. “Stop that, I’m being serious, she’s going to try to give you sex tips, she’s going to probably try to watch us have sex.” She wouldn’t, but maybe? I don’t know, she’s nuts.

  “Twinkle Toes, it will be fine.”

  I shake my head fast. “No, my daddy loves me, he hated Keith, like ultra-hated, so he’s going to test you. But my mom, she might be a bitch to you on purpose to make you go away, because I swear to god, she’s so crazy, if she could marry me herself she would.”

  “I love you,” he says, shutting me up.

  With those words, he calms me down. “I love you too.”

  We deplane and head out to get our luggage.

  “Amaya!” I hear my mom screech.

  “Fuck,” I mutter, I thought I had a few more moments of peace. Tate just squeezes my hand reassuringly, letting me know it will be okay. He isn’t the least bit nervous, or if he is he’s doing a great job at hiding it.

  I brace for impact and almost fall over, if it wasn’t for Tate holding both my mom and I up, we would have landed on the hard floor.

  “I missed you so much. I was so mad at your dad for that trick he pulled that I didn’t put out for a whole month.” Her hands cup my face and she kisses my cheek. “Oh, how I have missed you my darling girl.”

  “I missed you too,” I tell her, hoping she will behave.

  I sigh and look up to Tate, who is fighting a laugh and I glare at him. I told him this was going to happen. She’s so gross.

  “I really wish you would just let me find a house by your school, and I would transfer to be with you, and you wouldn’t have to stay in a dorm, and I could see you every day. Hell, you probably have been watching movies without me, haven’t you?” She tsk’s shaking her head. She always gets so mad if I see a movie without her.

  Good god. Don’t get me wrong, I love my mom, I do, but I can’t spend every moment and do every single thing with her.

  Mom lets me go and looks to Tate. “Oh my, she said you were stunningly beautiful, she lied. You are so much better looking than that. There are just no words.” She throws her arms around him for a super hug, probably cutting off circulation.

  My face flames. Did she really just say that? Shit.

  “Er… Thanks?” Tate squeaks out, looking like he can’t breathe.

  “Well, let’s get on home, your dad is starving. And you know what he’s like when he gets hungry. It’s not a pretty sight.” Mom releases Tate with a tight smile.

  “You think I’m nuts with my food, you just wait,” I whisper to Tate as we follow my mom to the car. My dad is literally a beast when he’s hungry. I remember once he was starving and he kicked everyone out of the kitchen, people that were actually cooking food, because he needed something right then and there. Slamming pans, swearing at the fridge. He’s nuts. Just nuts. He is the reason the word hangry exists. And if he doesn’t get his way, he will put himself to bed. I swear, he’s four years old most days.

  When we get the house, mom is in super annoying mode. We haven’t even gotten our bags to our rooms and she is pulling out her ridiculous sweaters. “Sweetheart,” she says, smiling. “I got your new sweater.”

  Tate busts out laughing as she holds the disaster up. Every year my mom has these ugly ass Christmas sweaters made for us to take family photos in for the next year’s holiday cards. I groan, it looks like an elf puked on it. In the center is a puffy painted Christmas tree with presents under it. There’s even sequins and gemstones on it.

  My dad grins and wipes Tate’s smile off his face when he holds up an even uglier one and says, “Don’t worry Tate, I got you covered.”

  “Go on, let us see, put them on now,” Mom orders.

  I smile at Tate and he looks frozen in horror.

  “Told you,” I singsong, taking his sweater from dad and shoving it into his chest. “Put it on hotshot.”

  He shakes his head with a low growl, and I keep smiling at him. He goes to put it over his tee and it’s so tight, like at least a size too small. I bet my dad did this on purpose. Tate flexes his bicep and the sweater rips as his muscles bulge.

  I lose it. I can’t stop laughing and all mom can say is, “Oh dear.”

  **

  Dinner was bad. Well to me, Tate was amused by it all. Dad was quiet, thoughtful throughout our meal, but mom wouldn�
�t shut up. I swear if she tried to give me blow job techniques one more time, I was going to shove the butter knife through my eye.

  “Please someone, just kill me,” I mutter. Tate squeezes my leg under the table and chuckles.

  “You have to relax the throat, but no matter how many times I tell Amaya this, it doesn’t work. Have you seen her try to take a pill? Not even one of those pills that you can barely see. She gags. Just awful at it.” Mom continues, “I really hope she doesn’t gag when she’s doing the business, because that would be a turn off.”

  “Mom please, please, please, shut up!” I snap. “I don’t need to get blow job advice, or any other sexual advice from you. Nasty. Just nasty. Do you want me to disappear to some uncharted island and never speak or see you ever again? Because, I will do it. I swear.”

  “I was just trying to help,” she grumbles, glaring at me.

  “Well, I don’t need your help. Trust me.”

  Wrong thing to say obviously, because her face lights up again. Sighing I stand up from my chair, so over trying to finish eating. “I’m going to watch TV, if you want to save yourself from the nutcase that is my mother, you need to come with me, now,” I say to Tate, holding my hand out to him, hoping he’ll come along.

  “Dinner was informative,” he says, grinning like an idiot. “Thank you,” he tells my crazy mother and takes my hand.

  “You two don’t do anything we wouldn’t,” my mom calls out, and I roll my eyes, pulling Tate to the TV room.

  **

  My parents went to bed and hour ago, and I’m enjoying having Tate to myself in the hot tub. We haven’t gotten much alone time since we arrived. My mom seems love Tate even more than me. She has been hogging him, showing him off to her friends. She even took him to work with her this morning to show him off to her colleagues. My dad even loves him and he doesn’t ever think any guy is good enough for me. I am in shock, well, not because of Tate. He is sort of perfect, but my parents it’s just all crazy to me that they have gone gaga for him.

  We exchanged gifts earlier today. I bought Tate a smart watch and he bought me a matching infinity bracelet and necklace. My parents surprised us with tickets for a cruise scheduled during our spring break. I was excited for the trip, until I found out they were going with us. Even that isn’t enough to ruin this perfect day for me though.

  “This is the best Christmas,” I tell him, truly meaning it. Tate has been so amazing and just going along with whatever my parents throw his way. He has taken it all in stride. Things are moving along great and Keith has left me alone ever since Tate sent him that text message at dinner after my performance.

  “I love you, Amaya,” he whispers against my lips, his thumb pushing at my bikini top. My nipple pops out and he growls. “Fuck, I want you.”

  I slide into his lap, straddling him, wrapping my arms around his neck.

  I can feel his erection, and I grind against him, craving the friction as he thrusts his hips up, giving me what I want.

  “Oh, yes,” I cry out, as he slides a finger inside me. “I need you, Tate.”

  “You want me, you have me.” His forehead is resting against mine as I ride his hand.

  “You aren’t supposed to do that in the hot tub, you can get chemical burns on your privates.” My mom.

  Dear God.

  “We aren’t doing anything,” I say, unable to look at her. I could die right now.

  “Tate, do you have a hard time finding Amaya’s G-spot? It took her dad years to find mine.”

  Tate’s eyes bulge as he slowly removes his finger from me and fixes my top.

  “Nope, no problems here,” he says with red cheeks.

  “Told you—crazy,” I whisper.

  “I didn’t mean to interrupt, but Robert just gave it to me good, and I need to let my muscles soak.”

  “For fuck sake mother!” I shout at her, getting out of the hot tub as fast as I can move.

  Tate scrambles out behind me and quickly puts a towel around his waist to hide his massive erection.

  When we get in the pool house, Tate shakes his head. “Your mom is a trip.”

  “She’s a head case. Certifiable.”

  I start to undo my top and Tate steps into me. “We need to finish what we started out there.”

  “Well, you better be quick, before she follows us in here too. God knows she’d probably tell you if you were doing it fast enough or not,” I tease, and he howls with laughter.

  “I can do fast. I can do anything and everything you desire.” Hearing those words, I know I want to keep him forever.

  Part 2

  If you love her let her go

  Chapter 27

  Tate

  I pull out my phone and grin when I see I have a text from Amaya. I click the message and open the attachment. Fuck. She’s standing in my room wearing nothing but my shoulder pads and her panties.

  I rush through the airport not caring if I got all my bags or not. I can’t wait to get to my girl. These few days away from her were hard. I don’t know how I’m going to send her back after the summer when she leaves for her dance tour and my season starts. I have practices and meetings but we are spending every free second together. I wish I could make her stay. I’ve been doing my best to make her want to. I won’t ask her, I won’t ask her to choose, but damn if I don’t want to.

  I’m trying to make her love this city as much as she loves me.

  I’ve been taking her to shows and hinting at the smaller dance studios but she hasn’t said much. Although she did sign up for a few classes. She says it’s to keep her in top shape, but I secretly hope she is feeling them out and making some connections here. I told her she should try out for the Flight Crew but she laughed it off like I was joking. I wasn’t.

  I hail a cab and this dude can’t get me home fast enough to my girl. Every second I spend away from her is one too many. I can’t imagine my life without her. She’s my life. My world.

  If you would have asked me a year ago, where I saw myself, I would’ve said everything I have now, but Amaya. I never seen her coming.

  I’m living and breathing my dream. I’m playing for the New York Jets and everything is going my way, except for one thing. Amaya leaving. The cab stops in front of my building, and I throw a twenty over the seat, grabbing my bag and hauling ass to my woman.

  Ever since she stopped fighting what was going on between us we’ve been constantly together. I went to her parents for Christmas, and they are a lot like mine, although loopier and they don’t exactly agree with her choice to pursue dance as a career. I knew Amaya was rich after the auction she won me at, but I didn’t realize exactly how rich. Taking a look at their mansion had me shocked.

  The difference with Amaya’s folks though is that yeah, they might flaunt their cash with their home and cars, but they are down to earth.

  Amaya goes on tour with her dance company next week, I go into early training, we’ll barely get time to see each other and that’s going to suck. I just hope the long distance that will be happening with us doesn’t destroy us. I don’t know what I’d do without her.

  There are times I wish I could be selfish — demand Amaya marry me and quit dancing so she can be with me all the time, but I know if I did that, she’d eventually hate me. Knowing her, she’d never agree to it anyway.

  I make it up the stairs in record time. I unlock the door and sling my bag to the floor. I’m on a mission.

  I get to my bedroom and Amaya is on my bed on her knees waiting for me. She puts them chicks in the Playboy Magazines to shame. I snap another photo of her.

  “What are you doing?” She questions with a sexy smirk.

  “Making sure I have a picture of you like this to hang on my wall.”

  “You’re crazy.”

  “Crazy about you.” I pull my shirt over my head and start taking my pants off. God, I need to be inside her.

  With my clothes out of the way, I tackle her on the bed. Her soft hands and slender legs wrap
around me, and I smile relishing in the feel of her beneath me. Her body fits to mine perfectly.

  My mouth finds her neck, and I pepper kisses down her throat until I make contact with her nipple, sucking it between my teeth and letting it go with a popping sound.

  Pulling back, I tell her, “You look so damn sexy, baby, but these are getting in the way.”

  She props herself up on her elbows, and I toss the pads across the room, not caring where they land.

  “I missed you,” she whispers.

  “Fuck, me too. I hate being away from you.” I dip back down and claim her mouth, taking my time, enjoying kissing her. I don’t know how I’m going to let her leave. I really don’t want her to go, but I can’t force her to stay.

  “Tate, I…make love to me.”

  I get the feeling there was something else she wanted to say, but I don’t press her. I know being away from me is hard on her too. “Always,” I tell her as I slide between her silky thighs, loving how wet and ready she is for me.

  Her body is molded to mine as I drive deep inside her walls, wishing I could say the words, “I want you to stay.” I don’t say them. I leave them hanging on the tip of my tongue and show her with my actions. I give her all of me. I give her all I have in me. Every thrust, every kiss, every touch, I pour my feelings into it. I need her to realize how perfectly she fits into my life here. I need her in my world.

  “Oh God, Tate. Harder,” she demands.

  Severing our connection, I roll her to her stomach. She knows there’s only one way I do hard. That’s with her head down and ass up.

  I drive into her as she grips the sheets moaning out my name. I drive into her wishing we were making a baby. I have to stop myself from telling her as much, because she would freak out. I know she isn’t ready for all that just yet. I am though. I want it all, and I want it with her.