by S. J. Smith
*****
I went into the kitchen to set the groceries down on the counter. Jayden walked out of his room with a long, thin, white box that had a red bow on the top.
“Where is Melina? I have something for her that I made,” he said with a small smile on his lips. As I stared at the box I knew exactly what it was. The white scarf she was wearing; it must have been why she had such a happy expression on her face the first time I saw her.
“I’ll go and get her, she just went around the corner,” I said and then hurried out of Jayden’s apartment. By the time I got downstairs and outside there was no sign of Melina anywhere. I couldn’t let this happen to her, she simply could not die. The sense of urgency I felt was palpable, it saturated the air around me wherever I walked. I circled Jayden’s block three times before I started to branch out to the surrounding four blocks. I couldn’t find Melina anywhere and I was beginning to get desperate. Especially as time was progressing like a freight train down a steady track.
Even though Melina knew about her fate, no matter how careful she was, a variation of the accident would happen again and she would die after all. That was how it went. I wondered if I should go back again and fix things in the past.
When I heard a crack of thunder and a flash of lightning that signaled a new wormhole, I realized that I was too keyed up. I needed to calm down. Creating a pathway into the past would not be helpful at that point. It would more likely just make things more tangled.
I kept walking, my eyes in search for red hair and a red coat. I turned a corner and realized that I was at the sports bar. My eyes glanced over to the other side of the street and I saw her. She was upset this time and walking with heavy feet. I felt a brief sense of relief until I heard the roaring engine of a bright yellow Jaguar as it barreled up the street. The guy in the driver’s seat didn’t seem to be paying attention to the road and he was swerving all over the place.
I acted before I could watch what would happen. I created a portal quicker than I ever have before and jumped over to the other side of the road. Just as the driver veered to the right and jumped the curb, I grabbed Melina and jumped just as quickly to my place in Midtown. We appeared in my foyer and she was frozen against me. Her hands clutched my coat with a death grip and I held onto her tight, my arms wrapped around her as we both recovered from the shock and rush of adrenaline that the near death experience brought us.
“Are you okay? Please tell me you’re okay,” I said and Melina nodded her head woodenly against my chest.
“We just teleported…we teleported and you saved my life,” she gasped with blind shock in her voice.
“Yeah…I told you I was here to save you. But I’m not going to leave you Melina. I love you and I want to be with you,” I said.
Melina pulled back a fraction and she looked up into my eyes with her wide blue ones. She studied my face for a long moment as I looked back at her with sincerity.
“I was just scared that…I was just scared that you would leave me once you managed to save me, that we’d amount to nothing,” she said with a shaky voice. I shook my head no.
“I have never told another woman that I love her before, apart from my mother. I don’t say it to you lightly. I do love you Melina and I want to be with you,” I said earnestly and she gave me a watery smile.
“Good…because I love you too,” she said and I smiled from ear to ear.
“Are you sure?” I asked her and she laughed, but then nodded.
“I’m sure,” she said and then I picked her up and twirled her around in a circle before I set her down and pressed my lips to hers. The reality of my having saved her set in and I grew ecstatic.
“You’re alive! We’re here together!” I said enthusiastically. She giggled as she wiped her eyes of unshed tears.
“We are, all thanks to you…I’m sorry I made it difficult though, I shouldn’t have left Jayden’s apartment. I should have stayed inside,” she said with a sniffle and I hugged her again.
“As long as you’re here now, as long as you’re here,” I said.
*****
Melina and I teleported back to Jayden’s place where we had dinner and he gave her the scarf he’d made. Melina absolutely loved it. I respected his ability to make her smile.
After dinner I didn’t want to take any chances. I teleported back to my apartment with her and she sat down in the living room with a ton of questions for me.
“So…how long have you been able to time travel?” she asked curiously. I shrugged.
“I was always able to do it; I just didn’t know how until it just…happened. Same thing with teleporting. I was always able to make the little cracks in time, I just didn’t realize it or hone in on it until I was thirteen,” I answered.
“Can your parents do it? Do they know about you?” I shook my head.
“They have no idea…though sometimes when I think back to my childhood I think my grandfather was able to do it. He was always off on ‘business trips’. He always said that I was special, too, that I was just like him,” I said. Melina’s eyes widened a fraction as she took in the information.
“Well not even your parents know, I guess I can’t be too mad at you for not telling me before,” I chuckled.
“I don’t think they would take it well at all. I never told anyone because I was scared of becoming some lab rat, or worse,” I said. Melina nodded thoughtfully and she got up to walk into the kitchen for ice cream.
“So…if we had a baby boy then he’d be able to teleport and time travel like you?” Melina asked cautiously.
“Now that you mention it…my grandfather only had two girls and my mother’s sister only had daughters. And I’m the only child of my parent’s.” I said. “Maybe it’s some weird trait passed on to boys in our family.”
“Interesting,” she said. I watched Melina scoop out some ice cream into a small glass bowl, then put the carton of chocolate ice cream with cookie and brownie dough back into the freezer.
“So what do you think about all this, really?” I asked her. She shook her head.
“I think I’ve overcome the shock and I’m coming to terms with it. After all I’m a little bit stuck with you,” she said as she ate a spoonful of ice cream.
“You’re stuck with me?” I asked and she smirked.
“Well yeah, it’s not like I’m leaving you. I love you, and you did travel back in time to save me from dying so we can be together. Right?” I smiled. She was right. Though I hadn’t fully realized it at the time that’s exactly why I went back.
“You read me like a book. What can I say, it was love at first sight for me,” Melina laughed and I watched her finish her ice cream. I wanted to make sure she was done before I threw her over my shoulder and took her to my bedroom. Melina giggled the whole way over and I plopped her down onto the bed.
“I’m so glad it’s Friday, because I don’t think I’ll let you out of here for a long, long time.” I said. She quirked an eyebrow at me.
“Is that a promise?” she said and I smiled devilishly before I attacked her with tickles. Her laughter turned into moans as I pressed the bulge in my pants right against her core and nibbled on her neck. I pushed her sweater up and then kissed the soft skin of her stomach, waist, and hips which were moving restlessly under my hands. I unfastened her jeans and then pulled them slowly down along with her panties. When her clothing hit the floor I spread her legs and then put my mouth against her slick folds.
Melina’s hips moved restlessly as she rubbed herself against my mouth. I flicked my tongue against her clitoris relentlessly and she tangled her fingers in my hair as I worked her towards orgasm. Melina came swiftly and she shuddered as waves of pleasure coursed through her.
We undressed each other quickly. Neither of us could wait to be lost in the other. I spread her legs and then pushed myself into her sweet, warm depths. She clenched and squeezed around me impatiently and I grit my teeth as the pleasure shot through my cock and up from the base of my spin
e all throughout me.
“Uhh,” I breathed and she squeezed me again. I groaned and began to move, thrusting into her until she was calling out my name. We both came together.
I wasn’t sure how it could have gotten any better with Melina, but it had. As we lay beside each other, spent, I whispered to her.
“So do you want to go to Italy tomorrow after your rehearsal?” I asked and she looked up at me strangely. I gave her a pointed look and realization dawned on her face.
“Wow, this is crazy…we can actually do that,” she said and I laughed at her expression.
“Yeah, we can go wherever you want to go, you name it,” I said and she grinned.
“Then let’s go to Italy tomorrow, I’ve always wanted to see Rome,” she said just before she pulled my head to hers for a scorching kiss. I groaned and she broke the kiss to look at me questioningly.
“Kissing me like that won’t get us to Italy; we might have to sleep in tomorrow instead,” I said, and she smacked my lightly on the chest.
“You know, this means I get to pull out my bucket list of places to visit and you have to take me to each one,” she said. I smiled.
“Yes,” I said.
The End
Bonus Story 24 of 40
Alien Summer Blaze
The cool summer breeze was gently blowing on her face as she stood in front of the newly renovated lakefront house. With its lovely rustic-themed design in white and sky blue and a wide porch surrounded by colorful flowers dancing in the wind, plus the breathtaking backdrop of Willow Stone’s shimmering waters and stately mountain range, the place was absolutely perfect.
27-year-old Erin Bradley smiled, her dark brown eyes finally lighting up after a long time. She had a feeling this remote countryside area of Idaho could be her knight in shining armor.
With her shiny black hair pulled up in a ponytail and her heart leaping with eagerness at the peaceful summer vacation she had been longing for, she actually looked about ten years younger.
At that very moment, she heard her phone ringing. She rummaged through her tote bag and fished it out. “Hi, Mom!” she greeted cheerfully when she saw who was calling.
“Hey, honey…” she heard her mom’s perky voice say. “Are you there yet?”
“Yup, standing right in front of it,” she replied. “It’s beautiful. Tell Winston thanks for letting me use it while you guys are on your honeymoon.”
“Oh, that’s no big deal.”
“Where are you guys?” Erin wondered as she slowly climbed up the front steps and sat down on the cushioned sofa on the porch.
“Right in front of the Eiffel Tower!” her mom exclaimed. “By the way…” The signal seemed to suddenly fluctuate, masking her mom’s voice with static and cutting her off abruptly.
“Hello? Hello!” Erin said.
There was no answer, so she tapped on the End Call button and put her phone back inside her bag. She took out the keys to the lake house and was about to open the front door, when she heard some noise coming from inside- as if somebody had accidentally dropped something heavy.
Her heart began to pound madly. Just her luck that a thief had decided to break in right when she arrived!
Instinctively, she turned the door knob and was astonished to find that it wasn’t locked. She slowly crept inside, looking around with wide eyes and a fast beating heart.
I should call 911, she thought, taking out her phone again. But when she looked at it, there was no signal anymore. She was about to head back outside, when a male voice made her stop in her tracks.
“Who are you?” a low, husky voice demanded.
Shocked that he had the gall to be the one to ask that question, she turned around with an angry retort in mind. But when she saw the towering, brawny man staring at her crossly, his muscular arms peeking out of his plain black shirt, fear immediately gripped her.
He strode toward her in quickly, before she could turn around and run. She found herself frozen on the spot, her mouth hanging open.
“Who are you?” he repeated the question, this time in a less threatening tone. “How did you get in here?”
“The door was open,” Erin answered mechanically. Then realizing he was supposed to be the intruder, she narrowed her eyes and said, “I should ask you that.”
His deep green eyes which had been looking at her suspiciously a moment ago seemed to relax. “You must be Jillian’s daughter,” he muttered irritably.
Erin was dumbfounded. How did he know her mother’s name? “And you are?” she asked, eyeing him oddly.
“Kale,” he said in a brusque manner. “Kale Thompson.”
“Oh,” was all she could say when she heard his family name. He must be related to her mom’s new husband. “There must be some mistake. I was supposed to have this place all to myself for the summer.”
He simply grunted and turned away, leaving her annoyed. He disappeared into the room on the right, but did not close the door. She followed him cautiously and saw that he had been doing some carpentry work inside. There were a few boxes on the floor. One which was filled with books seemed to have toppled over because some of the books were now scattered on the wooden planks. That must have been the reason for the noise she’d heard from outside.
She drank in the scene before her. Obviously, this guy was not going anywhere anytime soon.
“Are you Winston’s nephew or something?” she inquired, trying to control her mood.
“Or something,” he said without looking at her.
Despite his huge physique and ruggedly handsome looks, she wasn’t impressed at all. She was more concerned about the fact that he may actually stay longer than one day.
“Seriously, what’s your relation to him?” she asked exasperatedly, placing both hands on her hips as she stood at the doorway.
He was pounding on what looked like a half-made wooden bed with a hammer. “I’m his son,” he muttered almost unintelligibly.
Erin was still able to decipher his reply, but she had a hard time believing it. She’d met Winston only once when he and her mom had visited her apartment in the city. He had never mentioned anything about having a son or even about a previous family. Even her mother had seemed to have skipped that detail about him during the many chats they’ve had over the past year. She had been seeing him for a year before they had settled down. She would have known, right?
“How long before you finish up and leave?” she asked bluntly. She was probably not being too polite especially since it was his dad who’d actually bought the house. But at that moment, she didn’t care much. She was intent on making this her recovery summer break so she could pick up the pieces of her broken heart and start over.
Kale stopped hammering then. He stood up and faced her squarely with a look of nuisance and disbelief. “I’m staying for the entire summer, stepsister,” he said in his low voice.
Erin gasped when she heard what he’d called her. He’s right!
“Don’t worry,” he assured her. “I’ll stay out of your way. You can use the master bedroom. I’m sleeping on the sofa until this other room is fixed.”
Erin could only nod her head as he returned to his work. So much for a serene, rejuvenating, and heart-healing escape by the lake.
*****
As Erin strolled along the lakeside, she contemplated just going back to the city and taking up her best friend Courtney’s offer to hook up with her husband’s foreign friend. Just thinking about it was already stressing her out. She did not want to plunge into another romantic involvement after a disastrous one that had left her so broken.
Sighing, she paused and sat down on a patch of grass in the shade of a huge tree. She gazed at the exquisite natural scenery in front of her. This was something she wouldn’t be able to enjoy in the city. Just sitting still and admiring the beauty of nature already seemed to be making her feel better.
She shook her head. “Nah, I can’t go back,” she whispered aloud. Besides, I don’t want to run into my
ex and his other woman.”
Suddenly, his hurtful words came back to her along with images of betrayal that she wanted to erase from her memory forever. She closed her eyes and tried to push them away. “He’s a jerk and an asshole. I deserve better,” she declared with determination.
A ping from her phone made her open her eyes again. It was a Facebook message from her dear mom who was apologizing because she and Winston had mistakenly given her and Kale permission to use the lake house during the summer. They’d been so caught up with their impromptu wedding and travel plans that they had forgotten to fix the schedule for the use of the house.
Erin sighed, telling her mother that it was okay even if it really wasn’t. Her mom hadn’t been that happy for so many years; not since her dad had passed away in an accident. She didn’t want to rain on her mom’s parade, especially after seeing her newly posted photos in Paris.
No worries. I’ll deal with it. Have fun there with Winston! That’s what Erin typed before saying goodbye.
The surroundings were so quiet that she silenced her phone and leaned back on the tree to savor the moment. After a long drive and after her encounter with an unexpected “stepbrother”, she realized she was tired and hungry.
She stood up and brushed off the dust and blades of grass from her jeans. That was when a movement on her far left caught her attention. She saw Kale coming out of the boathouse, rowing a small boat toward the center of the glittering lake. He was shirtless, which gave her a good view of his well-built chest and torso even from a distance. She could see the muscles flexing in his arms as he rowed.
Something inside of her seemed to stir just a tiny bit. Now that she thought about it, her stepbrother was actually quite hunky in that craggy sort of way that attracted many women. Her own ex was of the same type, which was probably the only reason her eyes were lingering on Kale.
Get over it, Erin, she reprimanded herself silently. Your ex is a big, fat liar and a two-timer badass. And that attractive man you’re staring at is your stepbrother.