by Jamie Knight
“Alright, time to get this show on the road,” he said, grabbing a set of pliers and putting the new battery in the car. “Here, I’ll go ahead and do the heavy lifting here. If you can just hand me the tools as I need them, that would be a huge help.”
He went to work, fixing the wires onto the battery. Then, he lay on his back on the floor of the garage and started tinkering with something underneath the car.
Every once in a while, he would emerge or he would just stick out his hand asking for a tool. I would search for it, sweating bullets, hoping that I wouldn’t embarrass myself even further by not knowing what he was asking for, or taking too long. Things went on like this for about thirty minutes before he shimmied from underneath the car, stood up, and dusted his clothes and hands off.
“All done,” he said, smiling a smile that showed his satisfaction. “You want to turn the car on?”
I found myself distracted, very distracted by that smile. “Sure,” I managed to say. “Let me go grab the key.”
I ran into the house and grabbed it, then ran back out to the garage. I didn’t want to miss a second of time with his delicious hunk of manliness. I opened the driver’s side door and slid behind the wheel. I put the key in the engine and she roared to life.
“Give her a little gas,” he yelled over the engine noise.
When I did, she purred like a kitten. I couldn’t remember the last time that she sounded so good. I was really impressed.
“She hasn’t purred like this since I first got her. You’re a miracle worker, Bradley! Thank you so much.” I really meant it. It was nice having such handsome, sure hands helping me.
“You’re welcome,” he said. “I’m just glad that I could help.”
“Yeah, me too,” I said, trying to decide if I should make my next statement. “You know, we did do some really good, hard work today. What do you say to going for a little dip in the pool?”
He rubbed his chin thoughtfully, giving my suggestion real consideration.
“That might be a good idea,” he said. “But, first, I think that it might be good for us to eat something. I didn’t eat anything today and I didn’t see you eat anything, either. How about it? Are you hungry?”
It was almost as if my belly had heard his words because it seemed to growl on demand. It was so loud, we both heard it, as if on cue. We cracked up, laughing together in that way we already seemed to do so often.
“Well, I guess that’s our answer,” I said. “I can make us some salads.”
“Okay,” he said, hesitantly. “Is there any… man food that could go along with your rabbit food?”
I already loved his sense of humor.
“Sure,” I said. “I can grab some animal carcasses out of the freezer to throw on the grill. Only thing is, I’ve never used the grill, so I couldn’t be much help in that area.”
“No problem,” said Bradley assuredly, waving at me dismissively. “You can work on the salads and I’ll work the grill. I’ve been told that I’m basically… kind of… a total grill master. So I’ll be happy to whip something up for us.”
I went to the kitchen and rummaged through the refrigerator, trying to find the things that I needed for the salad. To be honest, I wasn’t even quite sure what I would find in there, since I rarely even ate many meals at home. Most of the time, I was either eating fast food somewhere or I ate when I was at one of my friends’ house.
With my dad being gone all the time, I didn’t really want to spend a lot of time at home by myself. But, I remembered that my dad had asked me to pick up a few things to eat as he prepared the house to have a guest. I figured that I couldn’t go wrong with salad. I chuckled thinking about Bradley’s comment involving rabbit food. I guess I had been off the mark.
I took some frozen meat out of the freezer and plunked it into the sink and filled the sink with warm water. The label said that it was chicken, but frozen in the pack, it just looked like a block of yellow blob.
I walked back to the garage where Bradley was still cleaning up.
“Hey, I’m going to set everything up in the back yard where the grill is. You can meet me out there when you’re ready,” I told him.
“Yes, ma’am,” he said, saluting in my direction.
I grabbed an armful of salad-making supplies and headed outside. The grass was freshly cut the day before and still had cut clippings strewn all across the lawn. It gave the yard a fresh, earthy smell that was warm and inviting. It was pretty much a perfect day.
I pulled the grill out from its place where it normally leaned against the house. It still had ashes in it from the last time that it was used. It had been years since I remembered barbecuing in the backyard. Could it have been sitting back there unused for all these years?
“What can I do to help?” asked Bradley, stepping out into the yard and looking around. He had this focused, manly, lets-do-this expression on his face that made me hungrier in a different way than the thought of barbecue had.
“Well, there's this,” I said, motioning toward the grill. “I'm not sure how to set it up or anything. But, feel free to try figuring it out.”
He walked toward me, his body so close to mine I could feel his warmth.
“Where do you keep charcoal and lighter fluid?” he asked.
I had no clue.
“Let me go look,” I said, walking back into the house.
I looked underneath the sink in the kitchen. It wasn't there. Searching the pantry was another dead end. I finally found half a bag of charcoal and lighter fluid in my dad’s bedroom, of all places. Men, I guess.
I grabbed it and brought it back to Bradley. I sat and watched as he carefully stacked the charcoal into a pyramid, sprayed the charcoal with lighter fluid, and lit a match. He threw the match on top of the coal and a small fire started to blaze. He doused the flames with more lighter fluid until it was a roaring fire.
We sat there watching it in silence as the flames licked toward the sky. Once it died down, Bradley turned and asked me where the meat was.
“It's in the kitchen sink,” I told him.
“I'll go and get it ready to go on the grill,” he said, getting up.
“I'll help,” I said, eager to be near him.
We walked into the kitchen and he pulled the meat out of the sink. It had thawed out and now resembled chicken. He opened the package and laid the meat out on the counter. He found the seasoning in the cabinet and started shaking it over the meat.
After he had seasoned it, he put it in a large roasting pan and carried it back outside. He put a piece of chicken on the grill one at a time, making it sizzle over the hot flames.
“While you're doing that, I'll go ahead and get the salad prepared,” I said.
I went over to the outdoor table and started chopping vegetables. It felt good to be out there preparing a meal with him. It almost gave me the feeling like we were a couple, just enjoying a relaxing day at home together. I smiled happily at the thought.
“Looks like your rabbit food is starting to shape up,” he said, teasingly.
I laughed, putting the last few tomatoes that I had finished chopping into the bowl. He was such an incredibly sexy man. I got so caught up in the moment that, before I knew it, I was reaching around him, getting ready to hug him.
Right before my arms made contact with him, I stopped. But it was too late for him not to notice my arms so close to him. So, I pretended to be reaching for the pitcher of iced tea that I had brought out. I grabbed it clumsily, almost spilling the entire pitcher all over him.
I poured some into a glass, my hands shaking nervously. I gulped it down, moaning as if I was quenching a howling thirst.
“Wow,” I said, trying to catch my breath. “I guess I didn't realize how thirsty I was.”
I hoped that he wouldn't be clued in to the fact that I was indeed so thirsty that I almost threw myself at my dad’s house guest who is probably like twice my age.
When I leaned over to put my glass back on the table
, my body brushed against his. I saw him shift away from me, but not in a way that said that he didn't like the feeling. In fact, I got the strong feeling that he really liked having my body so close to him. That thought definitely sent chills up my spine.
Something deep in my heart told me that he wanted me just as badly as I wanted him. But, something else told me that he was too much of a gentleman to make the first move.
I knew that I had a lot to think about. And some big decisions to make if I had any hopes of getting what I wanted.
Chapter 13
Bradley
“Oh my God, you're so hilarious,” said Natalia, collapsing in a fit of giggles at the table at something I had just said.
Dinner had been amazing, not so much because of the food. The food was okay, but nothing spectacular. But it was refreshing to have dinner with Natalia—and just talk to her. We talked like we had known each other forever.
I told her about my life while in the Air Force and what it was like before going into the service. She told me about how nervous she was, deciding on what she wanted to do for the rest of her life. It was interesting, watching her. I noticed that the color had drained from her face as she started talking about what her father expected of her.
While we talked, I kept thinking about how strong of a connection that we had, how easy it was to talk to her. I knew that it wasn't something that I was imagining. I was sure that she felt the same thing that I was. Or maybe that's just what I told myself, so that I wouldn't feel so disgusting about entertaining taboo thoughts about my best friend's daughter.
“Sorry to have talked your ear off,” she said, leaning away from her plate. “But, it's nice to finally be able to talk to someone who can give me an unbiased opinion. Or, at the very least, someone that I can vent to. So, thanks for that.”
“No problem at all,” I said. “It's been nice, sitting here and talking to you. You're a great conversationalist.”
“Thanks,” she said, putting her hand on mine. I felt a surge like electricity course through my body just from feeling her touch.
She stood up from the table and stripped off her sundress, revealing a low cut string bikini. My mouth fell open before I had the chance to stop it. My mind was blown by how good she looked.
She looked like she could have been a center-fold for Sports Illustrated. I tried my best not to stare so that I wouldn't creep her out, but I was really impressed by her form. Her tight, milky skin was so smooth, almost shimmering under the light of the setting sun.
“You up for a swim?” she asked, turning toward me, her hands on her hips.
“I, uh, I don't think that I'll be swimming just yet,” I said. “I need to wait until my food settles a bit.”
She frowned, her nose scrunching up. She looked cute even when she was displeased.
“Boo, you're no fun,” she said. “Well, maybe you can join me in a little bit.”
I lied, telling her that I would think about it, but went and sat in a chair that was closer to the pool. She shrugged and walked up to the stairs leading into the pool. She put a foot in the water, yelping as the cold water touched her skin. She eased her way into the water and soon had gotten used to it and was floating through the water effortlessly.
“Are you a good swimmer?” she asked.
“Not particularly,” I said. “I've always been better in the air than in the water. That's why I decided to go with the Air Force and not the Navy.”
“Wow, really?” she asked.
“No,” I admitted. “If a Navy recruiter had found me first, I totally would’ve been a sea dog.”
We both laughed at that. Even though it was a joke, it was one that had a lot of truth to it. I had taken the first opportunity that I could, to get out of my home and small town. And I was grateful that things had worked out the way that they did because it had all lead to me meeting James and now here I was, enjoying time with Natalia.
“Well, I've been swimming my whole life,” she said, leaning back so that she could float in the water. “My mom put me in swimming classes when I was little. She said that she wanted to make sure that I was prepared in case I ever needed to know how to swim. A lot of the things she did was to prepare me for all types of situations. Even though I haven't needed to swim to safety or anything, I have had lots of fun on Spring Break and at pool parties. Although, I'm not sure that she put me in swimming lessons for those purposes.”
She dove under the water and swam from one end of the pool to the other. She looked so heavenly in the water, her thick, flame-colored wet hair clinging to her body looking like vines.
I wondered how long I could keep up the lie about needing my food to digest before she started trying to get me to join her in the pool. The truth was that my hesitation in getting in the water had nothing to do with me being full. We had sat and talked for so long that my food wouldn't have caused any problems with my being in the water. And I was actually an excellent swimmer, so it wasn't that, either.
The real truth was that I didn't want her to see my scars. I wasn't prepared to have her look at me with pity. Or worse, I didn't want her to recoil in disgust. So, I made myself okay with sitting in a chair on the side of the pool watching her enjoy her swim.
And what an amazing sight of fucking perfection she was. The way that she glided through the water, her gorgeous frame like a swimsuit model’s, was mesmerizing. It was hard to keep my eyes off her. I wanted to reach out and touch her so bad.
I imagined what it would feel like to have my arms wrapped tightly around her body, to pull her close to me, to share another kiss with her.
And my dick started to stiffen at the thought. Fuck. Not this again. It appeared it wouldn’t be satisfied until it got what it wanted: Natalia.
Chapter 14
Bradley
“It's been enough time for your food to have digested,” Natalia announced. “Are you sure you don't want to come in for a little swim? The water’s feeling really great.”
I smiled at her appreciatively.
“No, I'm good,” I said, shifting uncomfortably in my chair. “I'm just going to hang out here today. Maybe I'll join you another time.”
She pouted again, frowning in frustration.
“Bradley, I thought that you would be more fun than that,” she said, wagging her finger in my direction. She waded over to the stairs and stepped out of the pool. The water cascaded off of her beautiful, slender frame. The water flowed down her cleavage like rivulets. My eyes were glued to her breasts as she walked in my direction, her nipples hard underneath the tiny bikini that looked like it was going to burst from holding onto her breast so tightly.
“You sure you're okay?” she said, standing over me. “You look really uncomfortable.”
Her eyebrows were crumpled as a look of genuine concern covered her face.
I looked down and saw that my penis was standing at full attention inside my pants.
“Oh my God,” I said, thoroughly embarrassed. “I am so sorry.”
I felt betrayed by my body. I had been so turned on and focused on watching her that I hadn't even noticed that I was sporting a raging boner. I felt like the kid who had been caught trying to steal a cookie from the cookie jar.
She looked at me, confused.
“What do you mean? You don't have to apologize. I just thought that you might be more comfortable if the chair was in a better position.”
She pointed at the chaise lounge that I was sitting on. I felt embarrassed yet again. It wasn't my boner that she was concerned about; it was whether or not I was comfortable sitting in the chair. I felt a wave of relief wash over me. It was bad enough that I was getting so turned on by just watching her. I didn't need to add to that by having her view me as an old perverted man.
“Honestly, I didn't even notice it at all,” I told her. “I'm not even sure how to adjust it.”
I reached down and started trying to pull the lever that was on the side of the chair. It wouldn't budge. And I wasn't
sure which direction I was supposed to be pulling it.
“Here, let me help you with that,” she said, leaning over to adjust the chair. “It can be a little tricky sometimes, but once you know how to work it, you'll have no problem adjusting it again.”
My eyes were glued to her chest as she bent over. She pulled hard on the lever because it was stuck, each hard pull causing her breasts to jiggle. I held my breath as I waited for one of them to pop out of her bikini top.
My mouth felt dry like I had a mouth full of cotton. My breathing became very shallow as I struggled to fill my lungs with enough air.
She gave it one hard pull and the chair opened up, allowing me to have more room for my legs. I thanked her for helping me. She looked up at me and smiled, catching my gaze. I think that she noticed me staring at her breasts, but I wasn't sure.
“I'm happy that I could help,” she said sweetly.
She leaned in so close that I could feel her breath hot on my face. For a moment, I was sure that she was going to kiss me. But, she didn't. She just stood in front of me, so close that her nose almost touched mine.
“M-me, too,” I stammered, swallowing hard.
“If there's anything else that I can help with, anything at all, don't hesitate to ask. I would love to help you in any way I can. Any. Way,” she said, emphasizing the last two words.
Her voice had a gritty quality that I hadn't heard before. She sounded so seductive. It made me want to scoop her up in my arms and take her right there. I had to cross my legs to try to hide my rock hard dick that was threatening to escape from its home inside of my pants.
She was so fucking sexy. Since I knew that I couldn't have her, I knew that I was going to have to figure out a way to get some relief for the boner that wasn't going anywhere anytime soon.
Once again, I didn't want Natalia to see the erection that I had, so I waited for her to walk into the house before getting up. It seemed as if this was starting to be the story of our time together—me trying to hide the boners she gave me.