Sounds of Silence: A Contemporary Romance

by Candace Wondrak

  I turned on the television and got up to make dinner. I wasn’t a fantastic cook, but I was getting better. That was the thing about practice; you got better, even when you didn’t think you were. Practice would never make me a perfect cook, but at least it would make my food more edible.

  Besides, I was hardcore thrilled to see the surprised, appreciative smile that Bree always wore when I cooked her something new and tasty.

  Tonight would be lasagna. It took a lot more work than just pasta and sauce, but it felt better in your stomach, too. More filling. Meatier. Mmm. Once it was in the oven, cooking, I returned to the couch beside her, sitting on the cushion near her, immediately tossing my arm over her shoulders.

  To think, how far we’d come in such a short time. I truly couldn’t imagine my life without her. Never was I so thankful for being late to class. Fate had a hand in helping me that day, guiding me to where I needed to be: beside her, with her, loving her. I would never give Bree up.

  Bree leaned her cheek on my shoulder, snuggling into me as she breathed me in. “I really do love you,” she whispered. We were watching some new show on Netflix, something about gothic teenagers who didn’t look like teenagers, doing magic and everything. Bree liked that stuff, so I sucked it up and watched it with her.

  I’d watch anything with her.

  I turned my head towards her, giving her a grin. “I love you, too,” I murmured, gently touching her chin and tilting her head up, placing a soft kiss on those lips.

  Bree moved, and suddenly we were on the couch, her back laying down on the cushions and me above her, our mouths still connected, still hungry for the other. Needy, urgent, grasping. I let my hands travel along her body, taking in every curve beneath her shirt. It was almost ridiculous how easily my body was set afire when I touched her; it only made me want to keep touching her, to never stop.

  I ran a tongue along her bottom lip, and she responded by parting those lips, allowing my tongue to slide between them and meet hers. I was rewarded with a sigh from her lungs, and I swallowed the sound up.

  Bree still thought, sometimes, she wasn’t good enough. She still occasionally lost herself to her depression, but I was always there to help her out of it, to remind her that I wasn’t going anywhere, that she was good enough, that everything in life had a purpose. And if I wasn’t with her to say all those things, Calum was. She didn’t believe us, but that was okay. We would each be there for her, even when she wasn’t expecting it.

  My hands snaked beneath her shirt, and I cupped her breasts, massaging those round, beautiful things as I ravaged her mouth. This was pretty normal for us. Me, being greedy when it came to her upper half, not wanting to push her for the rest of her body. Bree, taking whatever I gave her and reciprocating.

  What was not normal was Bree pulling her mouth off mine, staring up at me with those bright green eyes, and whispering, “I…I want you, Mason.”

  I stopped manhandling her, blinking as if I didn’t hear her correctly. My breathing came out ragged and hard…though that wasn’t the only thing that was hard around here. “What do you mean?” I asked, needing more clarification than that. If she was just telling me that she wanted me in a general sense, then I’d tell her I wanted her, too.

  Now, if she meant something else…if she meant she wanted me to take her to my bedroom and take off her clothes piece by piece until she laid naked under me and shower her entire body with pleasure, then I would do it with no complaints.

  None at all.

  “I want…” Her voice came out in a soft whisper. The TV playing nearly drowned it out. “I want you. I want to feel you inside of me.” Bree ran a hand along my cheek, fire igniting anywhere those soft fingertips touched.

  A weird way to say it, but then again, I’d long since knew Bree wasn’t normal. Neither was I, but that’s what made us perfect for each other.

  Besides, who the hell was normal these days? Normalcy was so overrated. The weird, the strange—that’s what made the world a fun, technicolor place. That’s what made life worth living.

  My heart hammered in my chest, and I was slow to pull my hands out from her shirt and her bra. “Are you sure?” I wanted to make one hundred and ten percent sure she was certain about this. I meant it when I said I’d never rush her, never push her to do anything she didn’t want to do. If she wanted to wait, we could wait for as long as she wanted.

  If given the choice, of course I’d make love to her, but I wanted her to be sure about it.

  “We don’t have to—”

  Bree stopped me from saying anything else, lifting her head off the cushion to kiss me. “I’m sure,” she whispered, smiling gently.

  I was up in a matter of seconds, pulling her with me. Holding onto her hand, I led us out of the living room and away from the kitchen, my intent to go straight to the bedroom and finally discover what this girl felt like under me, no clothes hindering either of us.

  She said, “What about your lasagna?”

  I paused, tossing a glance to the kitchen. I thought about turning the oven off or turning down the temperature it was baking at, but in reality, I knew that’d be pointless. Shaking my head, I muttered, “No point. This probably won’t take long.” I said it jokingly, but I also said it truthfully.

  Not something I should be proud of, but I’d wanted this girl for so long, imagined it so many times, I knew I’d stick myself in her and pretty much lose it right away. Hands were never as good as the real thing, and I’d never gotten the courage to ask Bree to do it—with either her hands or her mouth. One step at a time, you know?

  Yeah, it wouldn’t take long.

  I led Bree to my bedroom, positioning us on the side of the bed. My hands found her hips, and I stared into her eyes for a few moments before kissing her again. Bree was not the laid-back, pliant girl she used to be when I kissed her; now, she knew how to kiss back, and the way she burned her passion through me, I knew she was ready. I knew she wanted this just as badly as I did.

  Figuring I’d go first, I broke our lip lock to tug off my shirt. Once I did, Bree’s hands roamed my chest and my stomach. Out of the two of us, Calum had more muscles than me, but I was still flat, and when I flexed, you could see two tiny abs just below my belly button…

  I was getting off track.

  Bree took her hands off me to grab her shirt and hoist it over her head, exposing her stomach and her bra, her breasts still snug beneath the fabric. I could see her hands shaking a bit, so I moved to hold them, meeting her eyes as I said, “Let me.”

  She nodded, and I went to work taking off the rest of my clothes, stopping at my boxers, then hers. Once we stood in our underwear, I pulled us toward my bed, throwing back the sheets so we could crawl under. I figured she’d be more comfortable under there, especially since this was her first time.

  Her first time. Shit. I needed to be gentle. I needed to make sure it felt as good for her as it did for me—and I knew, without a doubt, it’d feel amazing for me.

  I kissed her again, my body pinning hers down under the sheets. I knew her heart raced—mine did, too—but I wanted to do my best to calm her down. That’s why I didn’t go after her bra or her underwear right away, why my boxers stayed on even though I had a raging hard-on beneath them. Until I was absolutely sure Bree was ready, I wouldn’t take anything else off.

  But then my little angel murmured against my lips, “I’m ready.”

  “Hold on,” I whispered, crawling out of bed to retrieve the new box of condoms from my nightstand. Had to dig my nail in it to open it—took a while, too, so I had to toss her a grin and shrug, wordlessly apologizing for my ineptness. Sex wouldn’t be like that, I swore.

  When I finally got a condom out, I dropped the box on the floor and set it on the empty space on the pillow beside her head. I slipped out of my boxers before climbing back in, my erection finally freed.

  Her eyes traveled along me, focusing on the appendage that would be inside her soon enough. Bree bit her lower lip, and I felt
a twinge of need in my dick. I crawled back under the covers, my hands helping her out of her bra and her panties, and I tossed them aside, landing them on the floor with all the other discarded clothes.

  I kissed her, running my hands along her body free and unobstructed. Her breathing was already hard, as was mine; I couldn’t imagine how rough it would be once we were in the heat of things. I played with her nipples, tweaking and pinching, because I knew she liked that. And then, and then I moved downward, curving my hand along with her body and touching a place on her I’d never touched before.

  The sweet, slick folds of skin near her entrance. The slit that was already a bit wet, waiting for me.

  I brought some of the wetness up to her clit, rubbing small, gentle circles around it, applying just a bit of pressure to it to make her squirm. She liked that too, apparently, for her eyelids fluttered shut and she let out the breathiest moan I’d ever heard escape from her lungs.

  God, she was beautiful. She was everything and more I could’ve ever wanted, and I was about to have her, to make her mine in the deepest, most physical way possible.

  I couldn’t wait.

  I reached for the condom once I’d rubbed her for a few minutes, caused her body to flare in heat and writhe in bliss, tearing into the wrapper with my teeth and hurrying to roll the rubber on. After tossing the wrapper aside, I lifted myself up, gently taking hold of her thighs and spreading her legs before me.

  She looked amazing, and I bet she’d feel even more amazing once I was inside her.

  Our eyes met, and I positioned myself at her entrance, not once breaking that eye contact as I slowly pushed into her, inch by inch. If she told me to stop, I’d have to pull out. I knew that, and that’s why I paid extra special attention to her. I wanted to make this feel good for her.

  Bree’s eyes slammed shut as I filled her, her eyebrows furrowing as she let out a moan. I couldn’t tell if it was a moan of pain or pleasure, but she didn’t tell me to stop, didn’t reach for me to stop me.

  I filled her as much as I could, letting out a hard breath as I felt her tight inner walls around my dick. God, there were no words for this, none at all. Leaning back down, I wrapped my arms around her before I began to thrust, my lips showering her neck with kisses as I pumped into her. Her body took mine without a problem, and since her lips were right by my ears, I heard every single sound she made.

  It was glorious.

  “I love you,” I murmured against her skin, needing to say it. “I’m never letting you go.” I meant it, one hundred percent. This girl…she was mine, and if I had a say in it, she’d always be in my life.

  Bree couldn’t respond, too lost in the sensation of being fucked, apparently. Sweat lined her brow, and I made sure to keep my pace slow and gentle. It helped me last longer, too. The feeling of being buried inside her, how tight and warm she was…I nearly lost it immediately, like I thought I would.

  I didn’t, though.

  No, I actually made it for about a minute.

  Hey, not proud of it, but I couldn’t help it. I’d been craving this for months now, and it felt too damned good.

  When I came, I first felt it in my balls. I didn’t bother to try to stop it, knowing we had food out there cooking. If I ruined dinner, I’d feel bad. Besides, we had the rest of our lives to have long, repeated sex sessions, anyway.

  My whole back tensed, a low groan escaping me as my thrusting became short and erratic, quick little pumps as cum shot out of my tip, caught by the condom.

  Yeah, I didn’t think her parents would forgive me if I got her pregnant.

  I nearly collapsed on her when my orgasm faded, and she laughed. She didn’t push me off her, though; she wrapped her arms around my lower back and held me close, my dick still inside her.

  Frankly, I could lay there with her all night.

  Alas, with the lasagna cooking, I knew we had to get up. Or, at least, I did. I placed a kiss on Bree’s cheek, murmuring, “Don’t move. Let me go check dinner, and then I’ll help clean up.” I wasn’t sure how much of a mess there was, but I’d heard there was a bit of blood sometimes.

  It didn’t matter. I would do anything for this girl, and then some. Some might think I was exaggerating when I said she was the air I breathed, but I wasn’t. I meant it. Bree Stone was everything to me, and I was nothing but a hopeless romantic.

  Chapter Twenty-One – Calum

  I had to work a bit later than I wanted to that Friday night, so that’s why I told Mason I would be over Saturday, instead. He worked a midday shift at the store, so the plan was for him to pick up Bree, bring her over to his place, and then when I got there, she’d let me in.

  I could always go to her parents’ house, but then we wouldn’t have privacy. Needless to say, I wanted privacy, as much as I could get when it came to Bree.

  And the time I spent with her? It was never enough. It’s why, after my lease was up, I planned on telecommuting most days and moving back to Sumit. I had no idea if I would get my own place somewhere, or if Mason and I would find a bigger place and share it, since we were both dating Bree, but all of those decisions would happen later. Right now, it was early on Saturday morning, and Mason had already told me he’d be heading over her house to pick her up soon.

  I timed my drive so that when I arrived, Mason would be gone and Bree would be all alone in his apartment.

  When I was ten minutes away, I called her up, and I stayed on the phone with her until I pulled into the parking lot of Mason’s apartment. “I’m here,” I said, smiling to myself as I headed to the side door.

  “I can’t wait,” Bree whispered. If I had to guess, I’d bet she sat on the couch, smiling softly to herself as she talked to me. “I missed you.”

  I loved hearing those words from her. “I missed you, too.” That, and so much more. Being apart from her really was difficult; probably the most difficult thing I’d ever had to do in my life. I really wasn’t cut out for long-distance relationships. I needed to be able to hold her, to touch her, to feel her skin on mine and just be with her.

  Hell, even in the same room as her. I wasn’t picky. I just liked being near. Was that so wrong?

  I made it to Mason’s door, knocking once. I hung up the phone before Bree answered, and she greeted me with a smile. Before she could say anything, I swept inside, threw my arms around her and pulled her to my chest, hugging her close. The door shut of its own accord, and I angled my head down, meeting her lips with mine.

  She tasted just as good as I remembered her tasting.

  I wore no coat, so all I had to do was slip off my shoes before I could follow her to the couch. I sat in the corner, which allowed Bree to snuggle against my chest, holding onto me like she was afraid to let go. Being apart from her…it really was hard. She hated it as much as I did, I knew.

  She practically hummed against me, and I chuckled. “You’re in a good mood.”

  “Yeah,” she whispered, those green eyes meeting mine. Her pink hair was a messy halo around her head, though a bit of it at the roots was now her natural brown. Still, she looked good. If you would’ve asked me six months ago if I would’ve thought I’d be seriously in love with a girl who had pink hair, I would’ve laughed at you.

  But here I was, and here she was, as if she was made for me and I, in turn, was made for her.

  I hugged her to my chest, sighing. If ever there was a time when I was more content, I couldn’t name it. There really was nothing better than this.

  We sat in the silence for a while, neither of us moving. The minutes ticked by, and I knew eventually one of us would have to move, or we’d turn on the TV, or we’d do something. Strange as it was, I wanted nothing more than to make this moment last forever.

  It was Bree who broke the silence, asking, “Can I tell you something?”

  “Of course.”

  She propped herself up on my chest, giving me a concerned look. “Don’t go texting Mason. I’m sure he’ll shout it to the world when he gets home from wor
k, but…but I want to tell you, first.”

  “Tell me what?” I wasn’t concerned, exactly, not like she clearly was, but I was curious. I ran my fingers up along her arms, tracing imaginary lines on them as I waited for her to continue.

  Bree bit her bottom lip, a gesture that drove me nuts. “Mason and I…we were together last night.”

  They were together last night? Well, obviously. I mean, I didn’t come back, so who else would she be with? Unless—I suddenly realized—she meant something different, something else. Something much more intimate than simply hanging out and cuddling with Mason.

  Did she mean sex?

  Not sure why, but I felt my heart speed up at that. The bastard. I should’ve known Mason would try something. It wasn’t like I was jealous, but it also wasn’t like I wasn’t jealous, so…yeah.

  “By that, you mean—” I started, needing to know whether my mind was on the right track or not.

  “Sex,” Bree spoke the word, her cheeks flushing as she looked away from me. “I mean sex.”

  Tone down the jealousy, tone down the jealousy. Those words repeated in my head as I managed to ask, “Was he good? I mean, was he gentle with you?” We were both dating her, so this was bound to happen eventually. I was a little bitter that she’d been with him first, but it wasn’t like I could change it. It wasn’t like there was anything I could do about it now.

  Besides, as long as he was good to her, as long as he was nice and kind during it, if she was happy, I was happy.

  Bree nodded. “He was. He was great. I was so nervous…”

  I could imagine. I knew how Bree got, overthinking everything, letting her cynical and sad outlook on things dominate her mind. It was something she’d been working on lately, and I could tell.

  Still, for a twenty-one-year-old virgin, having sex for the first time was bound to be nerve-wracking.

  It was a moment before Bree added, “Are you jealous?”

  “What? No, no, I’m not—well, maybe a little, but—” My fumbling stopped when Bree brought her lips to mine, kissing away anything else I might’ve said. Just like that, my jealousy was gone. Mason wasn’t here with her now; I was. Right now, she was all mine.