by S. R. Grey
We’re finishing up in his new living room, having just installed a window air conditioner to cool things down.
As I swipe away sweat from my forehead, I say, “I know, Will. You made the right decision.” I gesture around the loft. “It’s really nice up here.”
“It is,” he agrees, glancing around himself. “Just a little on the warm side.”
I laugh and make a production of fanning myself. “Yeah, you could say that.”
Turning the A/C unit on high, he strolls over to me. “There.” Wrapping his arms around me, he says, “It should cool down in here in no time at all.”
“Uh, not if you keep pressing up against me like that,” I reply, a little on the breathy side…and not from the heat.
Will discarded his T-shirt hours ago, claiming it was too hot. Now, with his bare chest pressed to my cotton tee-clad torso, I am heating up far beyond what the now-cooling room was doing to me a few minutes ago.
I’ve spent the whole day sneaking peeks at a partially clothed Will. Working for Chase, engaging in lots of physical labor, has left him tanned, tight, and more toned than ever.
I sigh, and he nuzzles his nose against my neck. “Maybe that’s my intention,” he whispers against my skin.
“Mmm, Will.”
I run my hands up his back, his muscles flexing and tensing beneath my touch. He lets out a shiver. “Emma…”
With my lips brushing over his, I tell him, “I think we should move this to the bedroom.”
Pulling back, he raises a brow. “You’re sure?”
I nod. “Yes. I think it’s time.”
I’m happy we slowed things down after our frenzied beginning, but I’m ready now to pick up where we left off. Only this time we’ll be building our physical relationship on a strong foundation, one comprised of friendship and genuine caring.
Though the living room was cooling rapidly, I find it’s warm and muggy in the bedroom. I like it, however. I want nothing more than to have Will’s hot, sweaty skin pressed to mine. It makes this need feel more urgent.
And urgent is what we are. We kiss and grope and shed our clothes in no time.
And then we’re lying on the bed.
“You taste salty,” I whisper as I lick and kiss along Will’s chest and abs.
“Just, whatever you do, don’t stop what you’re doing right the hell now,” he rasps. “Please.”
I know the feeling. Now that we’re starting back down this road, I couldn’t stop if I wanted to.
Moving farther and farther down Will’s body, I find him hard and ready. When I take his swollen cock in my mouth, he arches and groans. It’s not just salt I taste now, it’s the essence of what makes Will male.
While I do sinful things to this man with my mouth and my tongue, he shifts my body till my sex is positioned above his head. And then he lifts up and flicks his tongue over my clit, leaving me mumbling from around his shaft, “OhmyGodWillyes.”
Grasping my hips and shoving me down onto his face, he licks and laps until I come, over and over.
Before I have a chance to recover, I am tossed onto my back. “Mmm, Will,” I purr.
I like this aggressive, commanding version of him, especially when he rises to his knees and nudges my legs wide, wide, wider. When I am fully exposed to him, I let my body go lax. I want to convey to Will that I am his to do with whatever he chooses. My body belongs to him in this moment—to take pleasure from, to toy with, whatever he desires.
His eyes scan up my body, and I know he’s contemplating what to do with me next. Good.
What he ultimately chooses to do is grab hold of his thick shaft, his large hand cresting over the crown. “Do you want this?” he asks.
“Yes,” I whisper.
“Louder,” he says as he presses the head of his cock to my wet folds.
“Yes,” I say louder.
He pulls back, but only for a sec. Just long enough to slide a condom down his length. And then he’s right back on me, at my entrance, pressing, pressing, my legs pushed back even farther.
“I don’t think I heard you, Emma,” he says.
“Yes, Will, yes!” His cock pierces me then, and I take him… I just take all of him inside my body.
Our movements are fierce at first—primal, even—but then Will slows things down. He lowers my raised legs and settles his body between my thighs. Slowly and methodically, with a measured in and out rhythm, Will Gartner fucks me.
Wrapping his hands in my hair and burying his face in the crook of my neck, he pushes in as far as he can go. “Emma.” He circles his hips. “I need you so much.”
I catch my breath. Will has never shown this level of vulnerability before today. I swallow the lump that forms in my throat and hold onto him more tightly. God, I need him, too. But that’s not what comes out of my mouth. It’s some garbled declaration of devotion, one that may or may not contain the word “love.”
He lifts his head, so he can see my face, though he remains deep inside of me. “What did you say?” he asks.
There’s no hiding, no running away. Not only is Will buried deep in my body, he’s lodged securely in my heart.
I may as well tell him, I decide.
“I love you,” I say.
I don’t know what I expect—maybe him pulling out, dressing, and running off?
That doesn’t happen. Thank God.
What Will does is still my hips so I can feel him filling me so completely. He then leans down till our foreheads touch.
And then, just as he starts to move, he says, “I love you, too.”
After a second round of sex, this one accompanied by more whispered words of love, Will and I wrap up in each other’s arms and talk late into the night. I bring him up to speed on all the über-excitement down at the school. And though Will snoozes through most of my little-kid daycare stories, he perks up and listens to each and every tale that pertains to Lily.
When I’m done, we switch over to his work life, and he tells me of another freelance job coming his way.
“That’s great.” I cup the side of his face and plant a kiss on his scruffy jaw.
“Thanks, babe,” he says when I lean back. “I still wish more was happening on the freelance front.”
Will loves making magic with his art. When he’s drawing, the passion he feels is so evident. It’s especially adorable when he draws with Lily. She tries so hard to replicate her father’s style, but she’s too young to get it down exactly. Still, like what we witnessed at the school, her technique is solid. She’s pretty darn good at drawing cartoon-style animals, that’s for sure.
Thinking of cartoons reminds me of Will’s comic book and his graphic novel plans, leading me to inquire, “Can I ask you something, Will?”
He shimmies closer to me. “Sure.”
“How are things going with that graphic novel plan?”
He makes a face. “Uh, I’d say it’s not going at all, since I’ve done nothing with it.”
“Will.”
“Emma.”
I prop up on an elbow. “What are you waiting for? I thought you wanted to turn your comic book into a graphic novel and have the thing published?”
“Eh.” He shrugs, making the sheet edge down to expose his hard, flat abs. “I haven’t had the time to do anything with it, not with working for Chase and taking care of Lily. Although…”
“Yeah?”
“I printed out a list of agents who’d rep me for something like that.”
Excitedly, I say, “That’s awesome. You should submit your work, like, to all of them, and see what happens.”
“I guess so, Emma.” Will makes a sweeping motion to all the boxes we didn’t get around to unpacking. “The list is somewhere in one of those cartons. I’ll get to it, eventually.”
Hmmm, I wonder.
I can tell from Will’s resigned affect that his dream has taken a backseat to everything else in his life. But it needn’t be that way. Like with any man, Will simply needs a good w
oman to get the ball rolling.
And I am that woman.
If I plan to keep my intentions from Will, however, I conclude it’s probably best to end the conversation for now.
Yawning, I murmur, “Wow, I’m exhausted. We should probably get some sleep, yeah?”
“Probably,” Will agrees, yawning, as well.
Ten minutes later, after Will has fallen asleep, I slip out from under the covers. It takes me a good half an hour to find the printout of the agents, but when I do, I tuck that damn list in my purse.
There, done.
Now I just have to bide my time till I can move onto step number two—copying the file of Will’s comic book from his computer to a flash drive. Shouldn’t be too hard, I just need access to his laptop.
Will doesn’t know it yet, but once I have that file in my hands, I plan to query every agent on the list I just nabbed. I want nothing more than to help Will make his dreams come true, especially since I love him.
And also because, though I kind of find it hard to believe, Will Gartner loves me.
Will
I’ve fallen for Emma Metzger. That’s why I told her I love her, because, damn it, I do. Thank God she loves me, too.
The week after I move into the apartment above the garage—and following my and Emma’s declarations of love—Chase and I begin a new routine of kicking back in his living room after work. Some days we drink a beer or two, but most days we’re content with just pop.
Like today. I’m chilling on the sofa, downing an icy-cold Cherry Coke, while Chase is reclined in an easy chair across from me. He’s drinking the same generic lemon-lime pop he’s loved for years.
“Dude,” I say, chuckling, “I can’t believe you still like that stuff.”
“Like it, little bro?” He raises his can in salute. “I love this shit. And besides, when you find a good thing, you should stick with it.”
“Isn’t that the truth,” I mumble as I lean forward and set my Cherry Coke can on the coffee table between us.
When I glance up, Chase is eyeing me curiously.
Settling back on the sofa cushions, I say, “I know that look, Chase. What is it you’re dying to ask me?”
He laughs. “Okay, yeah. There is something I’ve been meaning to ask.”
“Go ahead, shoot.”
He finishes off his beloved lemon-lime and sets the can on the floor by his chair. “Just wondering how things are going with you and Emma,” he says.
Chase has stayed out of my business for the most part, but since he’s partnered with Emma’s cousin’s husband, I knew this would eventually come up.
“Don’t worry,” I begin in my most reassuring voice. “Emma is cool. I have no plans to do her wrong and cause a war between you and your business partner.”
Chase arches a brow. “So, what are you saying? Are things getting serious with you two?”
A rush of panic hits me. “Whoa, slow down, bro. We just went exclusive.”
Chase shakes his head, like I have no clue. “Just watch it, Will. Girls like Emma tend to get real serious real quick.”
“We did say the words,” I admit.
“What? The dreaded ‘I love yous’?”
I blow out a breath. “Those would be the ones.”
I love Emma, but sharing it with my brother makes it feel so fucking real. Not to mention, scary as fucking hell. Maybe because the only other time I loved a girl was throughout my misspent youth with Cassie. And we all know how that turned out.
As if to punctuate my growing list of responsibilities that have me panicked, Lily begins giggling and screeching something incoherent, her voice shrill from out in the backyard where the kids are playing.
After a quick glance to an open window facing where the kids are, Chase says, “Hey, look, I’m happy things are going so well for you and Emma. Truly, dude, I am—”
“Thanks, man.”
“—but I have to ask,” Chase drones right over me. “You two are being safe, right?”
I roll my eyes. “You’re seriously asking me that question?”
“Yeah, I am, Will. I love your daughter, don’t get me wrong, but one little Lil is enough…for now.”
“You don’t have to worry,” I assure Big Bro. “Emma started taking the pill a while back, and I’m still using condoms in the interim.”
Chase releases a pent-up breath. “Well, that’s a relief to hear.”
Our conversation is mercifully interrupted then when our rambunctious children move playtime from the backyard to the living room.
“Hey, no running in the house,” Chase calls out to Jack when he scampers into the room, the girls trailing behind him.
Jack skids to a stop, and Sarah and Lily just about collide into his back. Chase and I can’t help but laugh at their antics. Some days, I swear, it’s like a comedy show around this house.
“Come over here,” Chase says to his kids.
Sarah and Jack make a beeline for their dad and clamber up into his lap. Lily plops down on the floor by my feet, and I reach down and ruffle her hair.
Batting my hand away, she chirps, “Daddy, my hair! You’re messing it all up.”
“You’re such a girl,” I tease.
Hands on her hips, she twists around and glares up at me. “I am a girl,” she feels fit to inform me. Like this is something I haven’t quite figured out.
Chuckling, I say, “Yes, I know, sweetheart.”
“I’m a girl like Miss Emma.”
“Yes, Emma is a girl, too.”
She points over to Sarah, who’s watching our exchange with rapt attention from Chase’s lap. Jack has already gotten down and is taking the batteries out of the remote control for the TV, for no apparent reason. He’s just inquisitive like that.
“Sarah’s a girl, too,” Lily states, her tone serious.
“Yep, she is.”
“I am,” Sarah reaffirms, in a tiny voice that makes Chase smile. He leans down and kisses the top of her head.
Meanwhile, out of the clear blue, Jack points the remote to his crotch and announces, “And I’m a boy!”
Chase and I burst out laughing once more.
“He just discovered not everyone has a penis,” Chase informs me in a soft voice.
“Aha.”
As I’m nodding in understanding, Lily, clearly having heard Chase, wants to know, “What’s a pe-nith?”
“Uh…”
I look to Chase for guidance, but since Sarah isn’t one bit interested in the answer to Lily’s question, I know he’s not going to get involved.
“Sorry, bro,” he says, confirming my suspicions. “You’re on your own for this one.”
“Thanks,” I deadpan.
I have no clue where to start this explanation, and it shows. “Uh, well, Lily. It’s hard to explain—”
Jack suddenly interrupts with, “I can show you.”
As his hands go to the sides of his elasticized waist shorts, Chase and I both yell, “No!”
Thankfully, Jack listens.
He shrugs, like he has no idea what the big deal is, and soon his attention returns to messing with the remote.
Lily, still intent on finding out what a penis is, says, “I’ll ask Miss Emma.”
I have no qualms about passing this off to someone else. I know Lily will never remember, anyway. “Good plan,” I say. “Definitely ask Miss Emma. She knows. Daddy makes sure of that all the time.”
Chase, shaking his head, murmurs, “That’s just wrong, bro.”
Resting her head against my calf, Lily inquires, “Is Miss Emma going to be my new mommy?”
“Whoa, where’s this coming from?” I want to know.
Lily doesn’t answer my question, she simply says, “I like Miss Emma, Daddy. She’s nice.”
“She is nice, Lil. I like her, too.”
This conversation, though not ideal, is easier to deal with than the penis one. Or so I think.
When Lily then informs me, “I tell all the kids at
daycare that Miss Emma gonna be my mom,” I am suddenly not so sure.
I look over at Chase, and he lets out a long sigh. “Hey, guys,” he says to Jack and Sarah. “Let’s go outside so Uncle Will can talk with Lily.”
His kids are up for going back outside to play, especially since their dad is joining them this time around.
The room is emptied in seconds, and once I’m alone with Lily I tell her not to tell people, kids or adults, things like that.
“Why?” she asks.
“Because we don’t know what’s going to happen in the future, Lil.”
“So, Miss Emma will never be my mommy, like, ever, ever?”
Lord, give me strength.
I tell her the truth. “I don’t know, Lily.”
She peers up at me, sadness clear in her emerald eyes as she asks, “Is Emma going to leave us?”
“Oh, Lil….” I lift her up to my lap and hold onto her tightly. “No, sweetheart, I think Emma’s the sticking-around type.”
“You promise she won’t leave like Mommy did?”
“No, Lily. Emma would never do something like that. She’s not anything like your mommy.”
And she’s not. Cassie and Emma couldn’t be any more different than the sun and the moon. And who they are—or were—in my life is vastly different, too. Cassie represents my past, a time filled with drugs, anger, and recklessness. If not for Lily, I’d choose to erase it all.
Emma, conversely, represents my future. Or she could, if I let her. A future with Emma would be a good one too, days filled with love, comfort, and support.
Who wouldn’t want that, right?
Emma
For a solid week, I’m too busy with work, and spending time with Will, to find time to copy the e-file of his comic book file so I can secretly send out query letters for him. That doesn’t mean I don’t grab the opportunity to do exactly that when Will runs out one weekend night to pick up a pizza for us.
It’s Friday, our official movie-and-dinner evening. This “date” is being spent at Will’s place, since Lily wanted to sleep over at the farmhouse with her cousins. We’re thrilled to have a chance to be alone all night. But, for the moment, Will leaving to pick up the pizza has fortuitously left me all alone in his apartment.