“Pres, you don’t know what you’ve done for me! There are absolutely no words.” She envelopes me in a hug as I feel her body quiver a few times due to happy tears before pulling back from me.
“So, you’re really a virgin? She says questioningly.
“Yea.”
“Wow. I though you and Brice had…well, you know. I mean I’ve seen you two together, and sometimes I feel as if I need a cold shower afterward.”
“Trust me, the feeling’s mutual. Earlier I asked Brice if he could stay the night and he said no. He said he was starting to have a hard time resisting me. I know he doesn’t want to pressure me into anything, but I think I’m finally ready. I love him Liv, and not just the sweet, surface-level kind of love, but genuine, deep down, gut-wrenching, totally belonging to another person kind of love. I’m willing to give up my dream school to be with him, it doesn’t matter where he goes, I want to be there for him.”
“Wow. You’ve wanted South Carolina for like forever, right?”
“Yea. This isn’t just some short-lived high school romance. I think I can see forever with him Liv. I want forever with him. And on the way home this afternoon I heard Trey telling him he wouldn’t mind taking you out tonight so we could have some alone time.”
“Ahh. Now I understand why you don’t feel good?
She waggles her brows in a goofy way, and I feel myself blush as she air quotes the word ‘feel’.
“I don’t know. But Brice turned him down. So, as it currently stands, as much as I would love to put on these pajamas and stay in, we’re all going out.”
“Oh no, you’re not! You leave Brice to me; Trey and I will go out, and you two can have a night alone. Now get your cute little butt in the bathroom and get changed.”
I do as I’m told as she continues to talk to me through the open door.
“Listen, speaking from experience,” she giggles, “God, I’ve always wanted to say that.” We both laugh, and she comes in to help me touch up my hair and make-up, “Your first time can be a little awkward—or so they say.”
“Huh. I always pictured Trey as the unskilled type.”
“God, no! The boy knew what he was doing.” She blushes as she playfully hits my shoulder.
“Does it hurt as bad as people say it does?”
“I’m not gonna lie; it’s not the most comfortable thing at first, more of, like a dull sting, but the pain eventually gives way to euphoria, and it’s so much better than you could ever imagine. Brice loves you Pres, he would never hurt you. Just go slow and relax; enjoy it.”
I smile at Liv’s description, and at the way she knows Robert would never do anything to hurt me intentionally.
“Do you have anything? I mean, in case something does happen tonight?”
“Liv, I highly doubt I need to worry about anything happening. Mom and my grandparents are here, and I’m not really planning on anything happening.”
“They have to go to bed eventually Presley, and I wasn’t planning on my first time being in the back seat of a truck, but it happened; here take these.”
She throws a handful of condoms at me as I try to swat them away in a fit of laughter.
“My God, woman! Do you always carry these many condoms with you? How often are you having sex?”
“I’m not! That’s the sad part! My mother is overly cautious and apparently thinks I’m a whore. We never really had the sex talk, I just woke up one day with a box on my bathroom counter and ever since then, they show up like clockwork on the first and fifteenth of very month.” She shrugs and chuckles. “I like to think my donations to planned parenthood are helping to keep the world a safer place.” She laughs again, and I look at all the tiny square wrappers littering my bed and floor.
“I highly doubt we’ll need all these, Liv.”
“Trust me, I’ve seen you two—you’re gonna need ALL of them.”
She smiles at me as we hear the truck pull up the drive and two doors close with a thud.
Shit. Liv and I look at each other and quickly gather the little foil squares thrown around the bedroom, shoving them into my nightstand before I crawl into bed. She fixes up my hair one last time.
“You look hot, girl. Now show that man of yours what he’s missing.”
I roll my eyes at her.
“I still can't believe how cool your mothers are about you two.”
“Says the girl whose mother is constantly buying her condoms.”
She rolls her eyes at me as I crawl under the covers. “How do I look?”
“Super cute and adorable. Not too eager looking.”
Just then Trey calls down the hall for us, Liv reaches for the door handle but stops before opening it. “Hey Pres. Have fun tonight,” she waggles her brows, “and don’t put any pressure on yourself. If it happens I want all the details, and if it doesn’t, well, then you can save your boring story, I don’t want to hear any of it.”
I scoff.
“I’ll be back at midnight. Leave the front door unlocked and I’ll let myself in.”
I nod and blow her a kiss.
“And Pres, I’m really glad we’re friends.” She walks out of my bedroom.
I’m vaguely able to hear her conversation with the boys, but I pick up on the important parts.
“Where’s Presley?”
“She doesn’t feel well. You stay here with her and Trey and I will go out. Night Brice. Let’s go Trey.”
The screen door slams, and I can only imagine the two guys looking back and forth between each other.
“Looks like I need your keys man.”
I hear a jingling of what I can only assume are keys, and then Robert’s voice, “If you wreck it you’re a dead man.”
*****
Alright Princess, what are you up too? She was fine two hours ago. I know she’s not really sick.
Mrs. D rounds the corner, “Hey Robert. You and Presley staying in tonight?”
I nod, “Yea, looks like it. Liv said she wasn’t feeling well.”
“Okay, well I’ll throw together a batch of chicken soup for dinner then; hopefully she’ll feel better soon.”
“Thank you, ma’am.”
Mrs. D heads into the kitchen as I make my way down the hall to Presley’s room and knock gently on the door.
“Come in.”
There’s something in her voice. It’s playful, but also bewitching. Dear Lord, please give me strength. I push open the door and see her propped up against the headboard, knees slightly lifted and covered with a faux fur blanket. Her shoulder plays peek-a-boo as black material cascades across her chest and wraps its way around her upper arm. Her hair looks as though it’s been loosely curled, a few tendrils brushing the front side of her shoulder, God, to be those curls, to touch her delicate, flawless skin. I swallow hard, feeling my Adam’s apple rise and fall in my throat. Netflix is on as she gives me the most innocent of innocent smiles. She knows what she’s doing, and there is no question in my mind, Liv helped her out with this.
“Not feeling well?” I ask, smirking, angling my head, and raising my eyebrows.
“Nope.” She shakes her head and looks up at me through her eyelashes.
God, she is so cute and knows how to get to me. Two can play this game. “Too bad.” I walk slowly over to her bed, unbuttoning my shirt and watch her eyes roam over my body.
She swallows and I can tell by the rise and fall of her chest she’s as affected by my appearance as I am of hers.
“Your mom left with your grandparents. They said they would be gone for a couple of hours.” I bend down and bite at her throat, she leans farther back, offering me better access to her, and I place more aggressive nips up towards her jaw.
Tiny moans escape from her lips as her fingers begin to rake through my hair, pulling me closer to her.
I instantaneously regret this decision as my cock begs to be released from the confines of my jeans. Be strong. Be strong. Think of Gramps murdering you if he found out.
�
��Robert,” my name is a breathless whisper as she rubs her thighs together.
My body is on fire for her. I want to touch every inch of her, feel her around me as no other man has and then hold her afterwards.
“Please.”
Why the hell did she have to beg? Focus. I open my eyes and see the remote laying on the other side of her. Breaking away from her, I pull her ankles down until she is flat against the mattress and straddle her. She raises her upper body, eager to bring my mouth to hers, her fingers once again threading through my hair as she moves her legs apart, and I settle in between them. There is no hiding my desire for her, and as I brush against her apex, I am greeted with a pool of moisture as her hips roll into mine.
She pants out another desire of longing, completely breathless, and I quickly roll off of her, sitting up against the headboard and change the channel.
She stares at me wholly dumbfounded and full of fury. God, I love this little spitfire.
“What the fucking hell!”
I try to swallow my laughter, but I can't control the stupid boyish grin. “What? You’re sick. Games start soon. I can’t have you contaminating this godlike body.”
Anger radiates off her. Is it wrong to enjoy seeing her pissed off?
“Aarrgh! Then you could have come in and sat down on the bed like any normal person. There was no need for all of of…” She jesters between the two of us and waves her hands up and down her body like a madwoman.
“Of what, Pres?”
Her eyes squint into thin almond shapes as she sits back against the bed, arms crossed over her chest as she glares at me.
“Oh, that? That was payback from earlier.” I laugh as she hits me with a pillow.
“Oh, come on! You weren’t playing fair.”
“Honey, whatever gave you the impression I play fair?”
“Grr! I’m going to get a snack then.” She moves to get up.
“Arg? Grr? When did I start dating a pirate?” I grab her wrist as she stands up, giving it a firm tug, pulling her back down, her body angles across me. Her anger is replaced with a fit of laughter and finally a shove against my chest separates us.
“Your mom’s making chicken noodle soup for dinner. I told her you weren’t feeling well; however I’m beginning to think I was lied to. Let’s watch something. And none of this romantic crap either. Your mom and Gramps are out there, and I’d prefer not to die tonight. Something tells me you’re not quiet in bed.” I give her a side-eye smirk as she snuggles into my chest, her cheeks turning a beautiful shade of pink as I kiss her head. “I can't wait to hear you say my name, Presley. I can't wait to hear every tiny whimper and moan, every fuck, every scream as you beg me for more. I know the way your body reacts to mine, even now, I know how wet you are. Trust me Pres, I’m just as anxious as you are. It’ll happen, but when we’re alone, and you don’t have to hold back. I want every single piece of you.”
“You promise?”
“Absolutely. Do you know how sexy you are? Do you know how much strength it took for me not to do anything more with you tonight? And when you begged me, fuck, Pres. You will be my undoing. Hands down, you have the power to ruin me.”
She snuggles against me even more and squeezes my waist tighter.
“Now what are we watching?”
I won't watch a romance with her right now, nothing good would come of it for either of us. She won't watch horror, even though it’s what I honestly need right now, to displace the adrenaline coursing through my body at this exact moment. So, we settle on a comedy with five seasons, so binge-watching is a definite possibility for us tonight.
Mrs. D brings in two big bowls of soup, and we spend the rest of the evening in bed with the Rose family from Schitts Creek and Kringle.
Halfway through season two, I look down and realize she’s fallen asleep on my chest. Her breathing is almost hypnotic. I turn off the TV and slowly slide down next to her, careful not to wake her. How the hell did I get so lucky? I place a kiss on her head and fall asleep beside her, my arm draped over her waist as she throws a leg over my hip. Even asleep she finds a way to torture me.
Chapter Twenty
I wake up the next morning with Robert by my side. The night may not have gone how I had hoped it would have, but in some ways it was better. I got to wake up next to the man I love, and I can confidently say I’m beginning to see a future with him. Going off to college together, our first apartment, maybe doing a little traveling, getting married and then our babies. No question’s asked, we would have adorable children.
I snuggle into Robert’s chest, pressing my hips against his side as his grip on me tightens. I place a kiss on his cheek and move to get up.
“No. Five more minutes.” He pulls tighter against me.
“Shhh. I’ll be right back. I need to let Kringle out,” I whisper back to him, and he releases me, falling back to sleep as if he’d never started to wake.
I walk through the living room, Trey and Liv are sleeping peacefully on the couch. I’m happy Trey figured things out. They really are good together. Making my way into the kitchen, Kringle is already waiting at the back door and Mom is sitting at the table, coffee in hand, staring blankly at the wall. I open the door letting Kringle out and then touch her on the shoulder to get her attention.
“Hey there, sweetie. Did you sleep well?”
“Absolutely.” I sit down at the table, bringing my feet up on the chair and pull my knees into my chest. “Is everything alright?”
She seems somber, not her usual peppy morning-person self. As she raises her eyes towards me I can tell she has been crying, her eyes are all puffy and bloodshot.
“Mom? What’s wrong?”
She fills her lungs with oxygen, “It’s your father.”
I vaguely know the dangers my dad faces while he’s on a mission. I know the chances of him coming home alive, versus him coming home dead, or even at all. “Mom, what do you mean? Have you heard from him?”
“No. Not him, but from higher up.”
My heart falls into my stomach, bile rising higher in my throat. No. No. No. This can't be happening. Since my dad is Special Ops, we knew never to expect a call from him while he was deployed. The risk was always too high. We would occasionally get letters from some unknown location, but even those took months to get through to us. This deployment was supposed to be for eighteen months.
“Mom, what did they say?” I’m torn between wanting to know and burying my head in the sand and pretending everything was still okay.
“Your father’s been missing since Christmas.”
“A month? He’s been missing for a fucking month, and they didn’t call us?”
“Presley, they did, sweetie. I didn’t want to worry you. You know it’s not uncommon for them to cut all communication if they are working something big.”
“So why now. Why tell me this now?”
“They found Staff Sargent Perez.”
“Laura’s dad? Is he okay? Is he alive?”
Mom once again fills her lungs, forcing the tears back as I feel mine ready to explode. Laura was my closest friend after Robert disappeared. We weren’t always stationed together, but we still stayed in touch. It was nice to have someone who understood what I went through.
“No, sweetie.”
I close my eyes against the stinging sensation. A tight lump is forming in my throat, cutting at me with each breath I take. I can't even imagine the pain that Laura has gone through, and I didn’t even know about it. I feel like I’ve let her down. The thought alone causes me to retch, my stomach turning in on itself as I hurry over to the sink. The contents of last night’s dinner wash down the drain.
And now, my mother, the strongest person I know, has been carrying this burden alone. She has gone through so many deployments and somehow, always manages to stay positive throughout everything. I need to be strong for her now.
I wipe my mouth and muster any strength I have left, wrapping her in a hug. “I love you, Momma
. It’s gonna be okay, you’ll see. Daddy is the smartest man out there. He’ll get back to us. I know he will.”
“I hope you’re right sweetie. I hope you’re right.”
I let Kringle back in and ask Mom if she needs anything before going back to my bedroom. Trying to hold back my tears, I make my way down the hallway, closing the bedroom door. I can't move forward as much as I will myself to, and so I settle for stumbling backward, sliding down the door. Silent sobs fill my cupped hands, tears making seeing impossible, and soon I’m wrapped in Robert’s warm and safe embrace.
His hand runs over my head and down my back as I bury my face in his shoulder, fisting his T-shirt at his waist as he sets me in his lap.
“Hey, shhh. I’m right here. What’s going on?”
His voice is full of worry, but I can't form any words, tears continue to fall.
“Presley, what’s going on? Talk to me beautiful.”
*****
Presley is crying uncontrollably. Both Liv and Trey have managed to sneak into her room through the small opening I was able to give them by moving her away from the door.
“What’s going on? I heard Presley and her mom talking.” Trey sounds genuinely concerned.
“What did you do, Brice!” Liv is riled; her momma bear instincts are honed to Presley, and she’s ready for a fight. We can always count on Liv to have our backs, it doesn’t matter the situation, she’s loyal to a fault, as long as you stay on her good side.
“I didn’t do anything, honestly. She just came back and started crying.”
There’s a knock on the door and Mrs. D sticks her head in. “Robert, I need to talk to you.”
Guess we’re doing this now. Both Trey and Liv look at me, eyebrows raised, “Robert?” they say in unison, both of them looking confused as hell.
“Yes, ma’am. Be right there.” I move Presley off me, and she tightens her grip.
“Don’t go. Please don’t go.”
Who would have known I would go from being turned on by her begging, to feeling as if my heart had been ripped out of my chest? “I’ll be right back, Princess. I promise.”
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