by Harlow James
“Of course, we’ll have to change my plans around to accommodate Lilly, but I’m fine with it if you are.” I smile down at her, meeting her mile-wide grin while her hazel eyes bounce back and forth between mine.
“If you’re sure, I would love that Mike. And I know Lilly would too.” She rises on her toes, inches away from my lips meeting hers when we’re interrupted by a small voice below.
“What would I like?” Lilly exclaims, her eyebrows shooting up and her hands finding her hips as we both turn simultaneously, lips still pursed from our almost kiss.
Vic lowers back to her original height. “Mike wants to take us both out tonight. Does that sound okay?”
Lilly jumps up and down, way higher than I managed outside. “YES! Team Mike!” She yells as she throws her fist in the air before running down the hallway and into her room to fetch her shoes.
Her declaration makes me laugh as I turn to take in Victoria, who’s shaking her head while laughing as well. “I guess you know who she hopes to win my little dating charade then, huh?”
I pull her back over to me, my hands encircling her hips, my thumbs finding their mark as I push them under the hem of her tank top to brush along her bare skin. I hear Victoria’s heart beating in her chest and her breath comes out in small puffs as I hold her tighter to me.
Leaning into her neck, I pause, fueling the flames burning between us. I feel Victoria’s hands clench on my shoulders as she eagerly awaits my next move. The physical connection between Victoria and I is beyond what I could have imagined all these years, making the build-up to our time over the past few weeks dim compared to the real thing. Her soft curves pressed against my hard plains of muscle feel better than when I launch myself into my bed at the end of a long, hard day of work.
“The girl knows who you’re meant to be with,” I whisper in her ear, placing a small kiss right under her earlobe, another on her collarbone, before moving my face in front of hers to brush one more kiss lightly on her lips just as Lilly returns.
Our bodies break apart slowly in protest. I wait until the last possible second to release my grip on her hips. Victoria doesn’t have time to respond to my declaration as Lilly ties her shoes, but her face says it all. She knows we belong together just as much as I, and apparently Lilly, does too. Her eyes are blazing with desire as she watches me, my grin and crooked eyebrow enticing her to refute my claim. But she remains quiet, penetrating me with a look of carnal want. Who knew the heat outside wouldn’t even compare to the fire emerging from Victoria’s eyes and body.
“Ok, let’s go!” Lilly jumps up from the couch and instantly finds my hand with hers, yanking me by the arm harder than I’m ready for, rushing us through the front door and down the porch stairs to my truck. “Where are we going?” She shouts, eager and beyond thrilled at the idea of our little adventure.
Vic and Lilly hop in on the passenger side after I open the door for them both, and once I’m situated and cruising down their driveway, I reply.
“Well, I was thinking a movie sounds nice to escape the heat and then maybe ice cream for dinner.” I need a reprieve from the heat between Victoria and me, and the heat of this blazing Nebraska summer.
“Yes!” Lilly shouts too loudly in the cab of my truck as she leans to see Victoria around the headrest. “Vic, did you hear that? Ice cream for dinner? Mike should win just for that idea alone!” She’s bouncing in her spot in the backseat, her jet-black hair flailing around with each movement.
Victoria is laughing as she turns her head back toward her sister. “Lilly, it’s not a competition, okay?” Then she leans over the seat and whispers, “But between you and me, ice cream for dinner definitely makes Mike the front runner,” she winks at Lilly before settling back down and winking over at me.
“Hey. If it gives me an edge, then ice cream for dinner it is. I promise.” I shoot Lilly a wink in the rearview mirror and focus back on the drive.
The smile I flash over at Victoria doesn’t leave my face for the rest of the journey to the movie theater. Knowing how important Lilly is to Victoria only makes this evening even more imperative in my quest to show her how much I truly care about her. Even though my plans veered way further off course than I imagined, I can’t help but feel that the turn of events could give me an edge here. I know that winning Victoria’s heart is not a contest, but being able to show her that I accept her and her family and I will adapt and compromise to include her sister, is definitely tipping the scales in my favor. Now if only I could win over her dad, we’d be all set.
Popcorn, sour licorice, soda, and chocolate-covered raisins in hand, we find our way to our theater and take our seats just as the trailers begin. I find myself sandwiched between the two Baker girls, Lilly adamant about sitting next to me as well when we chose our seats. I can’t say I imagined watching a movie about pets and what they do when their owners are away for my second date with Victoria, but the movie turns about to be pretty good and the seating arrangement allows me the opportunity to brush up against her a bit in the dark without her sister noticing.
The anticipation of getting her alone later actually makes this evening even more electrifying, knowing we have to wait to touch each other the way I was awaiting all day. Victoria’s hands find me throughout the movie, her fingers inching their way up my forearm and bicep, along my shoulder and up my neck before landing at the back of my head, where she weaves them through my hair. Her touch makes me moan louder than I intended, which makes her chuckle as she continues to run her fingernails along my scalp. Fuck. I can’t concentrate on anything else, the tingles that follow her trace of my skin climb up and over my entire torso, all the way down my legs to my toes and back up to my dick, which is straining against my pants in this chair. I never thought in my entire life that I would sit next to the woman whom I haven’t been able to stop thinking about since I was ten, and her little sister, who is almost ten, with a raging boner in a movie theater. Just goes to show life doesn’t always work out the way you thought it would, huh?
That movie is the longest two hours of my life, not because it was bad, but because feeling every touch, brush, and caress of Victoria’s hands in the dark is pure and utter torture. If I was ever forced to do one-hundred burpees, I feel that would be a cakewalk compared to what I just experienced.
“Alright, I’m ready for ice cream!” Lilly exclaims as we exit the movie theater, greeted by a thick gush of sizzling air in our faces, the summer heat relentless, even after the sun has gone down.
“Holy crap! I think we just stepped into hell!” Vic jokes as we join hands and make our way back to my truck.
“Are you sure you’re still up for ice cream after all of those snacks?” I jest back to Lilly once we’re situated in my truck.
“Um, yeah! And you promised, remember?” She prods my shoulder from the back seat.
“You’re right. A promise is a promise.”
The best ice cream in Hopetown is actually found inside the gas station the leads into the main part of town. Dave’s Creamy Confections is a locally owned shop that Dave McAllister opened twenty years ago to share his creative and sinfully delicious ice cream flavors. Dave and his wife have owned and operated the shop six days a week throughout my entire childhood, and they never disappoint.
We pull into the parking lot and make our way inside, my hand finding Victoria’s again every chance I can get. Lilly grabs my other hand this time, staking her claim to me as well. The miniature version of Victoria looks up at me and beams, her joy so pure and idealistic, just at the prospect of ice cream for dinner, it makes the wrench thrown in my plans for my date entirely worth it.
We place our orders and wait as each cone is delivered to our three-person high-top table in the corner of the gas station by the snack foods. The scent of chips and beef jerky mixed with chocolate and homemade waffle cones is a strange, but comforting aroma.
Dave himself comes over with our cones hoisted in a serving contraption he welds himself, setting the s
teel wire rack in front of us.
“Enjoy you three!” He beams before walking away. Lilly almost knocks the whole thing over in her excitement, reaching for her cone filled with a birthday cake flavored ice cream like it might grow legs and walk away from her. One long swipe of her tongue through the thick, frozen treat, and her eyes close shut. “Best. Dinner. Ever!”
Victoria and I both admire her enthusiasm while reaching for our own cones, offering each other a bite of our choices. I chose a caramel turtle flavor and Vic opted for strawberry fudge. The gesture is simple, but it makes me feel like we’ve been doing it for years. Or more importantly, that I could do something as simple as share my ice cream with Victoria for years to come. I grin over at her, taking a moment to relish in the idea of watching Victoria grow older by my side, making a habit of bringing her to get ice cream to share in our old age.
“What?” She asks me, startled by my look.
“Nothing. I’m just really glad I got to spend my evening with you girls,” I say, truly meaning it. The evening is nothing like I planned, but Lilly and Victoria are two ladies I could spend many evenings with, in the future.
Victoria eyes me over her cone, her face softening at my declaration. “Us too, Mike,” she says softly, her hazel eyes sparkling back at me.
“Yeah, this has been the best date ever!” Lilly shouts just as Victoria leans over to remind her to use her inside voice. For a nine-year-old, she still hasn’t quite learned inside voices yet. However, I think the mass quantities of sugar she’s consumed probably doesn’t help right now.
“It has been pretty nice,” I agree, winking over at Victoria, who shoots me a sly grin.
Once we make it back to their house, Vic’s mom has arrived after her long shift, her car already in the driveway when we pull in.
“Hi, Mrs. Baker,” I greet her as I walk Victoria and Lilly into the house, Lilly borderline shaking from her sugar high.
“Mom! Mike took us to the movies, and we had ice cream for dinner!” She lunges to hug her mom, who gives me a wide-eyed expression over her head.
“Is that so?” she questions, just as I shrug.
“Seemed like a good idea at the time,” I attempt to defend myself, but Vic jumps in to save me.
“Don’t worry, Mom. I’ll deal with Lilly tonight if she gets too out of hand. Mike was just trying to show us a good time.”
Leslie Baker walks over to me and gestures for me to lean down so she can whisper something to me as Victoria walks Lilly down the hallway.
“Mike, I’m gonna let you slide on this one since I appreciate you entertaining my girls this evening. However, if you feed my child ice cream for dinner one more time, there will be hell to pay, do you hear me?”
I stand up straight and look Leslie dead in the eyes as she grins at me. “Yes, Ma’am. My apologies. But I promised her, and I didn’t want to break my word.”
Her face softens. “I understand. And I know that Victoria has to be completely enamored with the fact that you included Lilly tonight when that wasn’t what you were expecting. So I thank you for that, and for not letting my other daughter down as well.”
I place my hand softly on her shoulder. “I never plan on letting her down again, Mrs. Baker.”
Just as Leslie shoots me a quizzical look, Victoria emerges from the back of the house.
“I put on Dance-Dance Revolution for her to play. Hopefully, that will help her burn off some of that sugar before bed,” she jokes, which makes her mom shake her head before she tells me goodbye and retreats to the back of the house as well, leaving Vic and me alone for the first time all evening.
Victoria fists my shirt hard before swinging me around the corner and up against the front door, shocking me and kick-starting my heartbeat into overdrive from her carnal need. Her hand finds my neck, pulling me down fiercely, her lips meeting mine in an intense kiss that shakes me to my very core, my legs locking to support my body as she ravages me up against the wood. I respond immediately though, meeting her ferocity with my own, licking her tongue with mine in a seductive war in which there are only winners. Her moans spur me on, my hands moving from her hips down to her ass as I pull her into me even tighter, one of my hands moving up to grip her hair on the back of her head.
“Mike,” she moans in my mouth as I continue to take sips of need from her lips, meet her tongue with my thrusts, and worship every inch of her curvy bottom.
She breaks away quickly, coming back to Earth and slapped with the reality that we are in the front doorway of her house where her mom and little sister are just mere feet away.
“I’m sorry,” she apologizes as she wipes the moisture from her mouth from our sloppy, but passionate kiss and begins to back away from me.
“You have nothing to apologize for, Vic. That was hot as fuck,” I whisper, pulling her against me once more. “I’ve been dying to kiss you like that all evening. And clearly, I wasn’t the only one.” I tease her, her cheeks turning a slight shade of pink.
Her hand finds my jaw again, the tiny pads of her fingers tracing my chin and the stubble that lines my mouth. “Thank you for everything tonight. You didn’t have to include Lilly, but you did, and I appreciate it more than you know.” She smiles affectionately at me, spreading that intense heat from before into a soothing warmth that emerges right from the center of my chest.
“You’re welcome, Vic. But I really enjoyed spending time with her. She’s a fun kid, and she’s your sister. I know that I was looking forward to our time alone, but tonight ended up being a lot of fun.”
“It means a lot to me that you included her. She’s a big part of my life.”
I brush my thumb across her lip. “I wanted to see you no matter what. I just got lucky enough to take two gorgeous Baker women out on a date tonight instead of one,” I joke, making Victoria giggle before placing a chaste kiss on my lips.
“Well, thank you again, Mike. I can’t wait for our next date,” she smiles, releasing her grip on me as she opens the door. “Hopefully, it will be just the two of us though,” she winks.
“Me too, Vic. I’ll call you soon. Good night.” I turn to walk out the door and down the porch steps, watching my feet the whole time while I revisit the evening. Despite the setback, the night went great. Victoria got to see that I care about her sister just as much as her, which definitely helped my case. More than that though, I truly enjoyed the time spent between the three of us.
The best part of the night, though, had to be experiencing tantalizing touches from her hands as we walked the thin line of appropriate affection in front of her sister. And that kiss. God, that kiss was worth the detour of the evening entirely.
I’m so busy rehashing the date in my mind that when I look up as I reach my truck, I’m startled my none other than Frank Baker himself, standing like a brick wall I must either climb or barrel through to pass.
“Good evening, Mr. Baker,” I manage to choke out after clearing the surprise from my throat. He must have just gotten home and decided to wait for me outside.
“What the hell are you doing here again, Michael?” He’s seething, his strong arms crossed over his chest. His disdain for me is unsettling, a problem I honestly don’t understand.
“I was just dropping Victoria and Lilly back home.” My conscience is reminding me to remain calm, but my gut is telling me to be prepared for a fight. I don’t think Frank would punch me, but with the way he’s eyeing me down, I wouldn’t put anything past him right now.
“Victoria AND Lilly? Now you’re after both of my daughters?” His voice booms through the night, loud enough I wonder if the women inside the house will hear and come outside to witness. Part of me hopes for that, that Victoria gets to witness her father’s despise of me, so I don’t have to explain it to her later down the road. Then again, the sooner this all blows up, the faster Victoria would have to decide about whom to date for the long haul, and her father’s detest for me would surely be a factor in her decision.
“Mr.
Baker, I swear, my intentions were honest.” I throw my hands up in the air in surrender. “I was supposed to take Victoria out again tonight, but she had Lilly to look after, so I offered for her to tag along. I took them to a movie and then for ice cream. I assure you, sir, I care about both of your daughters immensely. I wish you could see that.” I’m pleading, not a good look for me, but I’m hoping by seeming sincere, I can get him to see that I’m not a threat.
“All I see is a boy who’s daddy proved that Kelley’s are worthless. You shouldn’t be anywhere near my daughters, especially Victoria. She deserves better than you, better than what your daddy raised you to be because let’s face it, he wasn’t here to raise you, was he?”
Alright, that’s it. I’ve had enough of my father’s poor choices coming back to haunt me, and Frank using them as a reason to Victoria and me apart.
“With all due respect, sir, I am NOTHING like my father!” My voice echoes around us, but I don’t care. This man has been making me pay for my father’s mistakes for five years and I’m done.
“My dad left when I was a teenager, but even before that he was barely around, and him finally leaving was the best thing to happen to my family. You’re right, he was worthless. He couldn’t hold a job, couldn’t provide for his family, wasted his paychecks on gambling and booze, and left the raising of me and my brother to my mom, whom if you ask me, did a hell of a job. Sure, my brother and I aren’t perfect, but are you honestly gonna sit here and tell me you haven’t ever made decisions in your life you aren’t proud of?”
“Now just a minute, boy! This ain’t about me!” He chimes in, but I fire right back.
“I’m not done!” I raise my finger to point at him while I continue.
“I do have something to offer your daughter, because the last time I tried to ask her out, you told me that I wasn’t good enough, and God damn it, I’ve spent the last five years wondering what the hell I could possibly do to make myself worthy of her because I don’t know that I am myself!”