All the Way In

by Betsy Locke

“What the hell happened?” Houston said in exasperation.

  “I have no fucking clue,” I replied.

  “I've never been like that before...”

  “So excited?” I interrupted.

  Houston combed my hair with his fingers, gently rubbing my temples. I wanted to fall asleep right then and there. “Not just excited but able to perform so many times.”

  “I just assumed you were some type of superhuman male or something,” I replied with a chuckle.

  “It's like I just couldn't get enough of you. Every time I came, I wanted more. The need for you grew.”

  The way he was talking was getting me all hot and bothered all over again. There was no way my body could take another ravaging. I put my hand on Houston's chest. “I think you should stop talking.”

  His fingers stopped raking through my hair. “Why? Is something wrong?”

  I knew he would get offended. “No it's just that if you talk anymore about how many times you fucked me, we're inevitably going to fuck again. And I think my limbs will fall off if we go even one more time.”

  Houston let out a howling roar and tickled me under my arms. “You better watch out because I might just have my way with you again.”

  Houston was an expert at tickling. The spots just right below my armpits were the worst. I couldn't even scream to tell him to stop.

  When he finally released his grip on me, I swung hard and connected my fist with his shoulder. My sissy punch didn't seem to phase him. He just lay there with a big smile on his face.

  There was no way I could wipe that off. Not after the night we had.

  “Are we going to sleep out here?” I asked.

  “Nah we can sleep downstairs. “It's only one in the morning. It's going to get a lot colder out here. Trust me.”

  I don't know how he knew the time without checking a clock. “I'm going to need your help getting up because I don't know if I can even walk.”

  Houston got up first and held his head as he swayed back and forth. He needed to grab a rope to steady himself. “Ugh. I think I exerted myself too much.”

  “You can say that again,” I replied.

  Houston reached out his hand and helped me up. My legs wobbled and almost gave way but Houston put his arm around me and held me up.

  “You better get me to a bed fast because I'm exhausted.”

  –

  We slept in until early noon in his tiny twin bed. It was nice and warm being so close to Houston's naked body the entire night. I could feel his manliness grow against my skin involuntarily during the night. I was way too exhausted to do anything about it.

  Houston was already up and in the “kitchen” preparing something. The room was so small that he was only a foot away from me with a pan on the gas burner. “What smells so good?” I asked, stretching my legs in bed. My muscles screamed out in soreness. This was going to hurt for a long time.

  “Beans. The perfect way to start any morning,” Houston replied, stirring the beans with a wooden spoon.

  “Normally I'd say you're batshit crazy but I'm so hungry after all the exercise last night that I would eat anything.”

  “That's what I figured.” He winked.

  Houston handed me a bowl of beans while I lay in bed and I devoured them immediately. “Is there anymore?” I handed my bowl back to Houston.

  He hadn't even gotten a chance to take his first bite. “Let me make some more.”

  “What are we going to do today?” I asked.

  “We'll have to sail back home,” Houston replied.

  Those were the words I dreaded to hear.

  Chapter Nine

  “Can't we just stay on this boat for the rest of our lives, fucking each other until can't remember our names anymore.”

  Houston laughed and left the next pan of beans cooking. He joined me in bed. “We have to face reality. We have to return to our lives.”

  “But you're my stepbrother. Society will never accept us. Our parents will never accept us. If we go back, we'll never be able to be together.”

  I don't know why he didn't see it my way. This was it. Running away was the only option. Didn't he feel the same way that I felt about him? How could he not after the crazy fucking night we just had. How could we ever go back to the real world?

  Houston held my hand. “I want to be with you desperately but we can't throw everything away. Not our futures, our parents.”

  I thought about my mom. She would be devastated if we never came back. But wouldn't she understand if it was for love?

  I felt insane for thinking it but I loved Houston. I'd only known him for a short while but I knew he was it. He was the man I'd been searching for my entire life.

  “I would miss my mom but the sacrifice would be worth it.”

  “And what about college?” Houston asked. “Are you just going to leave that behind. Don't you think you're making a hasty decision.”

  There was no changing his mind. Houston didn't feel the same way I did. I pulled my hand from his and turned my head. “Just take us back then.”

  He sat there for a moment, searching for the right words to repair the situation but there was nothing to be said. Houston left me to go steer us back home.

  I didn't say another word to him while we sailed back. I just couldn't. I was torn up inside. My love for Houston was stronger than ever and I was devastated that he didn't feel the same way.

  It took all the effort in the world to keep myself from breaking down on his bed. I didn't want him to see me sobbing and crying his name out. That would be better left for when I was alone in my own bedroom.

  Houston ducked his head into the cabin. “We're pulling up to the dock,” he announced.

  It had only been a day since we left but everything looked different. We sailed into docking bay ninety-four and Houston tied us off.

  “I'll see you back at home,” Houston said.

  I ignored him and jumped off the boat. My legs were still weak but I willed them to work. I wasn't going to fall and give Houston the satisfaction of saving me.

  Thank god I drove here in my own car. Driving back with him in awkward silence would've killed me.

  I sat in my car and couldn't bring myself to turn the ignition. Tears began to creep down my cheek and I couldn't stop myself. I broke down, letting everything out. I cursed, I cried, and punched the steering wheel until my hands hurt.

  Houston drove me to brink of wanting to kill him if it meant a release of this pain. I sat in my car for hours, thinking about everything that went wrong.

  I felt so silly crying over this man I barely knew. I stiffened up and wiped my watery eyes. I wouldn't let him have this control over me anymore.

  Houston was just like any other man.

  I gathered the courage to turn the ignition and drove myself home.

  When I entered the house, I discovered Houston sitting with my mom and Irving. I couldn't bring myself to make eye contact with him.

  “There you are, Faith,” my mom said.

  I don't know what they were talking about but I guess it had something to do with Houston leaving early. It would be good for both of us if he wasn't around anymore. The temptation wouldn't be there.

  “I didn't think it was a good idea at first but Houston convinced us that it would be good for you.”

  I couldn't follow my mom's train of thought. I didn't have any inkling of what she was talking about. “What's going on?” I asked.

  She raised her eyebrows. “Well Houston told us that he wanted to take you on a sailing trip. It might be a few months. At first, I only thought about your college career but Houston assured me that you could pick it up when you got back. You'll only skip a semester at most.”

  The room began to spin. This didn't make any sense. Did I walk into the right house? Did Houston change his mind about us?

  I found his face staring at me with tears in his eyes. He felt the same way that I did about him. It just took him a little longer.

  “I
want to take you on a shopping trip and get you everything you're going to need,” my mom said, grabbing my hands. She droned on and on and it all drifted away. I focused on Houston's eyes, telling him with my thoughts that I loved him.

  When my parents finally left us alone, I sat next to Houston. “What changed your mind?” I asked.

  He put his hand on my cheek. “I'm sorry. It just took me a little while longer to get to the same conclusion you did. I want to run away with you. I love you, Faith.”

  Those were the words I always wanted to hear. “I love you too, Houston.”

  The End