by E Cleveland
Her already tight pussy squeezes down on my cock, driving me to the edge of reason. I can’t take anymore; my balls tighten and my cock jerks inside her as the pulsing bliss rips through me and I fill the condom with cum.
I hold her, my cock still inside her and we pant together.
“That was incredible,” I whisper in her ear and grab the ring of the condom, pulling out of her. I kiss her lips, gently this time and enjoy the peace that washes over me.
“I love you,” she barely breathes the words.
“I love you too,” I answer.
“I should go back to the seat,” she shakes her head, like she’s just realized where she is.
I nod and help her maneuver around me. She slips out the door and I finish cleaning up. Walking back down the aisle, I’m sure I can feel eyes on me. Knowing smiles from strangers. I ignore them. I don’t care about what they think. I don’t care if the flight attendants heard us. None of it matters.
The only thing that I care about is her. I look at Holly’s beaming smile as I reach our seats. If I have her, I don’t need anything else in this world, and I’ll still have everything.
23
Jake
My fingers are laced between Holly’s as we make our way down the large stairway at Norfolk International. How many times have I flown back here? Usually after a deployment in a country so dirty, destitute and desperate that I’ve had to fight the urge to drop to my knees in this airport and kiss the ground under my feet with gratitude.
Almost every time I’ve flown back, it’s felt like a huge homecoming, this time is no different. Sure, Canada is a nice country and rehab is definitely not comparable to deployment, but it doesn’t change the fact that it feels great to be home.
I look down past the crowd of people in front of us and burst out into laughter.
“What?” Holly tries to follow my gaze with a puzzled look on her face.
Standing at the bottom, off to the side is my brother Cameron and his lady. Chelsea is holding a sign over her head that says my name, but it’s Cameron’s sign that has me laughing: “Don’t run!” It says on top, then beneath that, “I’m your ride.”
Leave it to my big bro to bust my balls after not seeing me for months. He’s got a huge grin on his face as I guide Holly over to them.
“I got your message,” I laugh. “You got me,” I hook my hand with my brother’s and pull him into a one-armed hug.
“Good, I didn’t want to have to chase you down,” Cameron teases me. It’s good that we can joke about the night that the cops showed up and I ran off, leaving him with a baggie of my cocaine in his car. At the time, it was the worst night of my life. Probably his too. It feels like a lifetime ago that I was the guy who made that cowardly decision. I can’t even relate to that guy now.
“Look at you,” I step back from my brother and glance at his fiancée’s growing baby bump. “You look radiant,” a smile spreads over her face.
“I don’t know about that, but I’ll take it,” Chelsea laughs.
“Holly, this is my big brother, Cameron.” I put my arm around her and make the introductions.
“Pleasure to meet you,” Cameron shakes her hand and cocks one eyebrow at me, loaded with silent questions.
“And this woman, who you can see is clearly out of his league, is his fiancée, Chelsea,” I tease him.
Cameron gently digs his elbow into my ribs, “Hey, I’m trying to keep that under wraps until the wedding is final,” he smiles.
“It’s so great to meet you both,” Holly smiles shyly, tucking her long hair behind her ear.
“Jake, you didn’t tell me you found someone. Where have you been hiding this beautiful woman?” My brother nods at Holly.
“In rehab,” I answer.
“Oh, are you from Virginia Beach too?” Chelsea asks, not knowing the weight of her question.
“No, I’m from Miami. Well, originally I’m from Everglades City, but I spent the last five years in Miami.”
“Really? That’s where we’re going! Cameron got drafted by the Dolphins, so we’re doing the cross-country trek right now,” Chelsea answers. She really is glowing. I mean, I know that’s a nice thing you’re supposed to say to pregnant ladies, but in her case, her caramel skin is shimmering. Pregnancy suits her. It’s crazy to think in only a few more months I’m going to be an uncle. It’s crazier still to think Cameron will be a father.
“Yeah, Holly needed to get a clean break from Miami, so I offered up my place. Besides, I would miss her too much if she was all the way down there,” I wrap my arm around her tight.
“We don’t need to get into all of that right now,” she squirms in my arm. “We should probably get our bags,” she changes the subject clumsily.
“Uh, yeah, they might be out now,” Cameron agrees and we all walk over to the baggage claim.
“How did you guys know I’d be flying in now?” I walk beside Cameron.
“Mom told me. She wanted to go to your graduation, but Dad was being… well, you know how he gets.” Cameron rolls his eyes.
“Yeah, I do. I mean, you’d know better than I do.”
“True, so take it from a seasoned pro, he’ll get over himself. You’ll go back to being the golden boy in no time,” he teases me.
“Whatever,” I try to shrug it off. I don’t want to care about what my father thinks. There’s a small, nagging voice in the back of my brain that keeps telling me differently though.
The girls are chatting behind us and giggling. It’s nice to see Holly hit it off with someone. My brother rests his hand on my shoulder and looks me straight in the eyes, “Hey, man, don’t worry about him. Ok? Besides, I know you probably didn’t really care much about the whole rehab thing, but I’m proud of you for doing it,” he claps my shoulder.
“No, it did mean something to me. I mean, not at first. I thought the whole thing was a dumb joke, you know?” Cameron nods his head at me. He gets it, I’m sure he’s seen his fair share of people being shipped off to addiction facilities just to clear their name, and not their heads. “But, we had a Canadian soldier come in and speak about addiction and all that, and something clicked. I realize that I had a problem. I needed to be there.” I confess.
Cameron’s eyebrows raise and he looks over my face like he’s waiting for me to throw out a punchline. He smiles brightly at me, “That’s awesome, man. I’m glad it helped ya.”
We gather around the rotating conveyor of luggage and wait. Duffle bags and suitcases belonging to strangers whirl around and I keep my eye out for mine.
“Oh, there’s my suitcase,” Holly tries to reach her peach bag, but it’s toward the inside and her hand can’t grasp it. I lean over and easily pluck it from the cluttered baggage claim and plop it down on its wheels.
“Thanks,” she stands up on her tiptoes and gives me a quick peck.
“Aww,” Chelsea smiles at us. “You two are so cute together. Aren’t they, Cameron?”
“Oh yeah, adorable,” my brother answers, his voice dead-pan. I can’t help but crack a smile. It’s great to see him again, to know that we’re still good after everything that happened.
“Did you ask him yet?” Chelsea looks back and forth from my face to my brother’s with her deep, brown eyes.
“Ask me what?” I look at Cameron.
“I was gonna let him grab his suitcase first, Miss Impatient,” he softly scolds her.
“Good timing,” I pluck my bag from the conveyor and place it next to my feet. “So, what’s up?”
Cameron smiles at Chelsea and then looks to me, “Ok, so, I didn’t just come here to give you a drive home.”
“Oh no?”
“I also wanted to let you know that Chelsea and I are going to get settled in Miami and then, we’re getting married.”
“Really? That’s awesome! Wow, that’s gonna be busy, isn’t it?”
“Yeah,” Cameron answers, “it’s going to be a whirlwind, for sure. But, we wanted to get married before the ba
by, it’s important to Chelsea, so it’s important to me,” he lifts his fiancée’s brown hand and kisses it. “And with training camp starting up in July, we wanted to have the ceremony before all that craziness begins,” he explains.
“That’s great! You’re having it in Miami then?”
“Yep, we figured, since it’s just family going, it would be a nice way to show them our new place and all that too.”
“Makes sense,” I smile down at Holly, but her eyebrows are knit together with worry.
“Anyway, sorry for springing this on you, but I’d love if you’d be my best man, Jake. I can’t think of anyone else who could even come close to filling those shoes.”
“Aww, man,” I throw my arms around him and give his back a clap, “of course I will. It would be my honor,” I answer truthfully. “When is the wedding?”
“In two weeks, I know it’s short notice,” he holds up his hands, “but I wanted to ask you in person, you know?”
“Yeah, no problem. I understand. I’ll be there,” I grab my suitcase and Holly and I follow Chelsea and Cameron toward the exit.
“Miami? In two weeks?” Holly whispers. “I can’t go. I won’t be safe. What about Knox?”
Oh shit, I forgot about that.
24
Holly
“Wow, that was amazing,” Cameron pushes his empty plate forward on the table and slumps back into his seat.
“Don’t tell my mother, but that was the best roast I’ve ever eaten,” Chelsea smiles at me warmly.
“Thank you, it was nothing, really,” I stand up and begin to clear the table.
“Here, let me help you with that,” Chelsea grabs some dirty dishes and brings them over to the sink with me.
“They’re right, that meal was delicious,” Jake turns in his chair to talk to me. “I don’t know what I did to get so lucky, but you’re the whole package. Beautiful, smart, a great cook.”
“Aww,” Chelsea looks from Jake’s face to mine, glowing with happiness.
“Yeah, wait till she gets a taste of your cooking,” Cameron makes air quotes with his fingers and sticks out his tongue like he has a rotten taste in his mouth.
“What are you talking about? I’m a great cook,” Jake puffs out his chest.
“Oh yeah, if you ever get a craving for gross boxed food, this guy is your man,” Cameron juts his thumb toward his brother.
“Oh, I know you’re not slamming my signature dish right now. Frank’s Alive is awesome and you know it. You’re just jealous you didn’t invent it.” Jake smirks.
“What on earth is ‘Frank’s Alive’?” I head back over to the table and the guys stand up and start gathering the cutlery and glasses.
“Only a culinary masterpiece,” Jake jokes.
“You poor girl, it’s only a matter of time until he whips it up for you.” Cameron carries the glasses over to the kitchen counter. “Imagine Kraft macaroni and cheese, with hot dogs in it,” he explains.
“Oh, I’ve had it like that before,” I shrug.
“No, I’m not done yet, so it’s also got probably half a cup of relish in it and a bunch of mustard mixed in.”
“What?” Chelsea scrunches up her nose.
“Yeah, Jamie Oliver over here threw it together when we were kids and our mom was horrified. She asked Jake what it was supposed to be, thinking he messed up the easiest food in the world to make and he said…”
“Frank’s Alive!” Jake jumps in.
“Why did you call it that?” I look over at him.
“No idea, I was probably nine or so. The name stuck though, and so did the recipe. I’ll have to make it for you sometime,” he walks up to me and slides his arm over my shoulders.
“Uh, that’s ok. I can do the cooking,” I smile up at him.
“Smart,” Cameron nods at me.
“All right, maybe I’m not a great chef,” Jake looks at his brother.
“You can say that again,” Cameron answers.
“However, Frank’s Alive is delicious. I stand by that meal,” Jake pretends to pout.
“I’m sure it is,” I rub my hand over his shoulder pretending to soothe his bruised ego.
“Don’t worry about the dishes right now, we can just relax or watch a movie if you want,” Jake offers.
A movie. The idea almost feels foreign. After sixty days of no television, except for the occasional Alcoholic Anonymous footage, watching a movie almost sounds like a sinful luxury.
“No, we actually gotta hit the road,” Cameron answers and Chelsea leans her head against his shoulder tenderly.
“What? You’re not going to drive to Miami now are you? It’s already seven o’clock. Isn’t it like twelve hours away?” Jake protests.
“It’s almost fourteen, and we have no choice bro. I’ve gotta check in with the team by noon tomorrow. I’m going to pull an all-nighter and drive straight through.”
“That’s not very safe,” I interrupt.
“It’s no biggie,” Cameron waves off my concern. “I’ll pull over and catch some winks if we get too tired.”
“If you want, you can sleep for the first bit and I’ll drive, then we can switch out,” Chelsea wraps her arms around Cameron’s waist.
“Brains and beauty,” Cameron murmurs to her, “I can’t wait to marry you,” he kisses her quickly.
“Ok, well, give me a call when you get in so I know you made it ok,” Jake interrupts the lovebirds’ moment.
“Will do,” Cameron heads to the back hall of Jake’s bungalow with his fiancée.
“It was great to see you again,” Jake smiles at Chelsea, “and it was ok seeing you too,” he jokes with his brother.
“Yeah, yeah,” Cameron smiles and puts on his shoes. “In all seriousness, though,” he stands up and claps his hand onto Jake’s bulky shoulder, “you’ve got a great thing going on here, a second chance,” the brothers look at each other, “don’t fuck it up.”
“I won’t.” Jake nods solemnly.
“I’m proud of you, man,” Cameron throws his arms around Jake and the two share a huge bear hug.
“That means a lot to me, Cameron,” Jake’s voice is soft and full of emotion. “Thanks for asking me to be your best man.”
“I wouldn’t dream of asking anyone else,” Cameron steps back and the two stand a little taller. “Ok, we’re off,” Cameron clears his throat. “We’ll call you when we get there,” he opens the door for Chelsea.
“It was great meeting you,” I call out.
“You too,” Chelsea and Cameron answer as they make their way out the door.
We watch as they get into their car and wave as they pull out of the driveway. “So,” Jake closes the door and looks down at me, “it’s just you and me now,” a smile curls the corners of his lips.
“It sure is,” I answer coyly.
“It’s nice having you here,” Jake runs his thumb down the side of my face and I tilt my head. “There’s just one problem with this whole situation.”
Problem? I squint my eyes and frown, trying to think of what I could’ve done, “What’s that?” I search his face.
A mischievous twinkle glints in his eye as he smirks at me, “You’re wearing entirely too much clothing.”
25
Holly
“Well, that is a pretty serious problem,” I laugh.
“I’m afraid we’re going to have to do something about that right now,” Jake locks the door behind me and suddenly scoops me off my feet.
“Hey! What are you doing?” I fake protest, kicking my feet playfully in the air. Jake effortlessly tosses me over his shoulder and starts walking down the hall.
“I told you, we’ve gotta fix this issue,” he laughs. “There’s only one way I want to see you right now,” he kicks open his door to the bedroom and struts in.
“How’s that?”
“Naked,” he tosses me down onto the bed. “Now,” he demands.
Kneeling on his bed, I tug my shirt up over my head and toss it to t
he floor, my heart races as I unhook my bra. I’ve never seen a man who looked so hungry for me before. The fire in Jake’s eyes is as intimidating as it is exciting.
Slowly, I slide the straps down my arms, teasing him.
“That’s it,” he circles his hands around my waist and flips me back onto the mattress. His fingers quickly unbutton my jeans and he rips them from my legs desperately, pulling off my underwear with them.
“You’re so fucking sexy,” his voice is gravelly and deep. My nipples peak and I squirm under his gaze. Heat flushes over my entire body, sweeping over me like a wildfire.
Jake’s eyes are locked on mine, even as he pulls off his shirt. As soon as it’s over his head, he’s holding me in place with his intense stare. I lean on my elbows, arching my back and pushing out my breasts.
“Show me how wet you are for me,” he demands and I slide my hand down over the curve of my hip to my lower lips. I slip my finger into my folds and hold it out to him, covered in my juices. Jake grabs my hand and licks my finger clean.
“I love how you taste,” he murmurs. He hooks his thick arms around my knees and drags me to the end of the bed until my legs are dangling off the side. Dropping to his knees, he drapes my legs over each shoulder and takes a long, slow lick between my legs.
“Mmm,” I writhe on the bed, bucking my hips up to meet his tongue.
“That’s right, baby. Now you don’t have to be quiet. I wanna hear how good I’m making you feel. I’m going to make you scream,” he breathes on my pussy and I wiggle under him, desperate to feel his soft tongue once more.
Jake doesn’t keep me waiting, he slides his tongue between my lips and flickers it over my clit making me cry out.
“Fuck that feels so good,” I moan.
He slides one of his fingers inside me, moving it until he hits a spot that makes me vibrate with pleasure. The feeling is intense, his tongue lashing against my clit and the spot inside me he’s pressing, it’s almost too much.