by Harlow James
“Hey. I need to take this really quick. I’m gonna go outside.” I point to the phone and then start to walk away. “I’m sorry. Hopefully, it won’t take long.”
“Oh. Okay. Take your time. I’ll be right here.” Her eyes fill with concern even though she smiles at me before I turn and dart for the door.
“Aunt Liz—is everything okay?”
“Yes. Sorry to bother you, Brooks. But I realized we’re almost out of a few things in the fridge and thought it’d be easier to call. I want to make sure your mom gets a hefty meal in this week before her next round of treatment. I was wondering if you could go by the store and grab stuff before you come over later? Her medication is almost out too so one of us needs to pick it up….” My aunt works shifts at a department store, stocking shelves sometimes at night. It actually works for me though because both of our schedules are wonky, so we can usually piggy back off of each other so my mom’s not alone for very long. Hence, why I have the overnight shift tonight after my date with Jess.
“Yeah, I can do that. You could have just text me the one time though, you know? I’m out with Jess. We’re on a date.”
“Oh, crap. I forgot. I’m sorry. But you weren’t answering me so I figured I’d call.”
I pinch the bridge of my nose as I pace along the sidewalk. “I get it and I’m sorry, but I just didn’t want any interruptions tonight. Look, I know I’m being selfish, okay? But between my schedule and hers, and taking care of mom and everything else in between, I just wanted one night away from it all with Jess. I just need this time with her. I fucking like her, Aunt Liz, and I don’t want to mess it up…”
“No, you deserve it, Brooks. You do. Again, I’m so sorry. Go. Get back to her. I’ll just text you the final list once I get it together.”
I blow out a frustrated breath and then stare back at the building where she’s waiting for me. “Sounds good and thanks. I don’t want to come off as an ass because you know I appreciate you, Aunt Liz, right? And I’ll make sure to grab everything later, okay? I just need a few hours…”
“I know you do, sweetie. Have a good night. I promise, no more nagging from me.”
Hanging up the phone, I try to shake off my frustration and remember why I’m here—for the woman who makes real life disappear for a while. All I wanted was one night where my mother’s cancer wasn’t a constant reminder in the back of my mind, where the vision of her throwing up and lying weak on the couch wasn’t the image in the front of my brain. I’m not mad at my aunt—lord knows I wouldn’t be managing everything without her help. I just hate that her phone call has now deflated my happiness a bit.
I return to our range where Jess is scrolling through her phone in her seat, sipping her drink, and waiting for me. Her hair is draped over her shoulders in front of her and her pouty lips are pursed as she studies something on her screen. She’s freaking beautiful and I hate that I’m keeping something from her.
“Hey. Everything okay?” She moves to stand and place her hand on my arm.
“Yeah, it’s fine,” I huff.
Her brow furrows as she studies me. “You sure? You seem… tense.”
I gather her in my arms and press my lips against hers, drowning my frustration in her kiss, reminding myself of why I’m here, even though the guilt sitting in my stomach right now is making it coil. As she reciprocates the strokes of my tongue, my body comes alive and so does my intentions for being here. I fucking like this girl and she deserves my attention, so that’s what I intend to give her for the rest of the night.
“Brooks? Are you sure everything is fine?” Her eyes bounce back and forth between mine when we part, searching for answers—answers I don’t want to give her just yet. I’m not ready to burst the bubble we’ve been in, where everything is new and exciting. I need to get this evening back on track fast.
I pull her into me once more, wrapping my arms and around her waist and leaning forward as far as I can to bury my nose in her neck. “Yeah. I’m fine. Just—just stuff going on with my family. And I’m exhausted. But it’s nothing. I’m more annoyed that the call took time away from you.”
The lean of her head against mine is a reassuring touch that I need so desperately right now. “I’m sorry. If you’re not up for continuing, we can leave…”
“No,” I state as I lift my head back up. “No way. Tonight is one of the few nights we can spend together and we’re not wasting it. Come on.” I grab her hand and pull her back to the station where we lift our axes and get back to playing.
Jess remains cautious around me, even though I try desperately to get my mood back on track, remembering our wager and how I plan on exploring her body more tonight even if she loses. However, I can’t help but think she lost on purpose once the hour is over. I could sense how eager she was to touch me as her hands explored my arms and chest in passing while we moved around each other tonight—and fuck if I’m going to fight that.
After we grab a bite to eat at a local burger joint, I take her back to my house on her request. I found a quaint place to rent on short notice when I moved back to Emerson Falls suddenly, but the goal is to buy my own home soon.
“Tell me why I figured you’d have a quintessential bachelor pad, but what I just walked into is a complete surprise. This place is so charming.” Jess declares as we walk into the living room of my three-bedroom house that’s only a few minutes from my mom’s. As luck would have it, the distance between this house is the same from my mom’s and to the hospital, the two places I spend most of my time in.
“Thanks. It’s definitely more homey than I’m used to. My apartment back in California was more masculine for sure, but I’m only renting. I’ll be looking to buy soon once everything settles down. Are you thirsty?”
“I get it. And water would be great. Thanks.”
I move into the kitchen and fill two glasses and then return to the living room where she’s seated on my couch. “Here.”
“Thank you.” She takes a sip and then sets it on the coffee table before turning to face me. “I had a lot of fun tonight, Brooks. Thank you for always trying to do things with me that I’ve never done before. I love that you put so much thought into our dates.”
I brush the errant hairs from her eyes as I study the grey hue of her irises. The woman has taken me by surprise, opening up my eyes and heart to possibilities I never fathomed when I moved home. My intention was to be there for my mom and devote my time to her. Luckily for me, my mom and my aunt’s encouragement to pursue Jess despite my doubts has given me a thrill when my world became bleak and ominous very quickly.
“I just love spending time with you.”
“You seemed a little tense tonight after your phone call. Are you sure everything is alright?”
I nod slowly, trying not to let my smile fall too far. “Yeah. I’m fine. Thanks for asking, though. I’m just glad we were still able to make the most of the evening.”
“Well,” she says as she stands from the couch and rests her knees on the floor, moving in between my legs. “The evening isn’t over yet. And I think a good orgasm might help loosen you up.”
“You think so?” I breathe out, watching Jess’s hands fall to my pants as she glides her palms up and down my thighs through the denim covering my legs. My pulse is firing like lightening as she situates herself and those delicate fingers I admire sometimes when she’s putting in an IV pop the button on my jeans.
“You did win our bet. Now sit back and let me help you relax.”
The pull of the zipper fills the room along with my breathing. Jess urges me to lift my hips as she slides my pants and boxer briefs down over my ass, my dick jumping up in celebration as he’s bared for her to see.
Jess licks her lips in the sexiest way possible and then leans forward, fondling my balls as she lowers her mouth over the head of my cock. My eyes close on instinct because the warmth of her wet mouth feels too good, but I force myself to watch because the sight of Jessalyn Harris with my cock in her mouth is
not one I want to miss.
She teases my crown, licking and dragging her tongue across it and then down the underside while those fingers continue to work their magic on my sack, and then she’s diving forward and taking me as far back as her gag reflex will allow.
“Fuck, that’s good,” I say in encouragement as one of her hands finds my shaft this time, working in time with her mouth. The sensation is out of this world, so mind-numbingly good it makes my head spin. The first twinge runs down my spine to my balls, signaling my impending release. But I know I still have some time before I blow my load, so I sit back, throw my hand in Jess’s hair, and watch the show. I guess there are upsides to winning.
Before I realize, the urge to come down her throat comes out of nowhere, building with each pass of her tongue and hands on my length, each twist and turn of her movement, and each moan she lets out as she works me over with her mouth.
“Fuck, Jess. I’m there,” I warn, but Jess says nothing. She actually moves faster, fondling my balls in time with her hand and lips, the triple threat giving me the perfect stimulation to blow my load down her throat, my groans filling the room as every spurt shoots out of me.
When I finally relax, I throw my head back on the couch cushion and try to regulate my breathing as I feel Jess stand and move around in front of me.
“That was incredible,” I manage to say when I open my eyes and find her sitting back next to me, smiling like she just won first place for her blow job skills—which in my mind, she did. A++.
“I’m glad you approve.”
My hands find my dick and tuck him back in my pants as I lift my hips and right myself. “Now it’s your turn.”
“But I didn’t win.”
I shake my head as I lean over her and yank her on her back, hovering over her on my couch while she gasps in surprise. I’m not ready for her to leave yet, for me to go back to my reality. So if I wanna lose myself in her wet, tight heat for a little while, that’s what I want—as long as she’s okay with that, of course.
“I know you didn’t. But I’ve got a craving I need to satisfy. Care to help me out?” I arch a brow at her as her mouth falls open and a soft moan escapes.
“You’re making it very hard to resist you, Brooks Bennet.”
“Ditto, babe.”
I make quick work of her jeans and then go to town, lapping her up and driving my tongue as deep inside of her as I can. I explore more than I did the other night, working her up slowly, building the intensity of her orgasm, so that when it hits, she’ll scream out in pleasure and have trouble seeing.
“Brooks!” My name on her lips is both a cry and a plea, for pleasure or relief, I’m not sure. But aren’t those two things one in the same sometimes?
Short flicks, long drags, deep plunges—I use my tongue in every way possible before clamping down on her clit and sucking it hard between my lips, pulling her orgasm out of her. When she comes back to life, opening her eyes and peering down at me, we both smile before making ourselves look presentable again. The only place I have to take her is home, but I still need to run to the store after that and the last thing I need is to look like I just went through a round of oral sex.
“I didn’t even get to see the rest of your place,” she mutters as I drive her to her apartment.
“You saw the best part.”
“What? The couch?”
“No, the stars from your orgasm.”
“Brooks!” Jess swats me playfully and then intertwines her fingers with mine while we drive.
I walk her to her door and kiss her goodnight before jumping back in my car and heading for the store, ruminating on how happy that woman makes me—until an inkling in my brain reminds me that although I’m not outright lying to her, I am withholding the truth.
And eventually, even the words I’ve left unspoken will catch up to me. I’m not sure how much longer I’m going to be able to reassure Jess that everything is fine. But I’m just hoping I get to live in our blissful bubble a little while longer.
Chapter 15
Jess
One Month Later
“Thank you, Skye.” I reach for the tray containing three coffees and the bag with two muffins inside.
“No problem. Hope you have a good shift.”
“Here’s hoping.” I flash her a wink and then exit the coffee shop and head towards my car.
It’s been over a month since Cash and Piper’s wedding and things are going so well in my life, that my cheeks are hurting from smiling so much.
I have a job that I love, friends that are true, and a man that makes me shudder deliciously at just the thought of him.
I can’t remember the last time I felt that way—like everything is falling into place, which scares me to be honest. I don’t know whether to celebrate the unexpected turn my life has taken, or to fear that suddenly it might drop out from underneath me. At least in those moments of uncertainty, I know I can rely on Brooks to cheer me up and remind me to live in the moment. But as I feared, our work schedules have proven to be a problem in spending time together.
We both have had to work extra shifts to make up for the time we took off around the wedding, so we’ve seen little of each other, except for the occasional meal here and there. Although he still sent me texts when he could to let me know he was thinking of me, and we spoke on the phone a few times at night, most of those conversations leading to phone sex again.
After my confession about my ‘curse’, Brooks has been nothing but reassuring that he’s content with waiting to have sex until I feel comfortable to do so. And as much as I still wonder in the back of my mind when the other shoe is going to drop concerning this perfect specimen of a man, I feel myself getting that much closer to just truly believing in what we have.
But then the shoe started to slip.
The first time something concerned me with Brooks, it was during our axe throwing date. When he returned from that phone call, I knew something in that discussion rattled him. He snapped at me in a way I’d never seen from him before, but I chalked it up to his annoyance with the call, and decided to let it go. Everyone gets frustrated and doesn’t react perfectly all the time. And if it were that important, he would discuss it with me, right?
The next time though, it happened during a breakfast date. We both worked the day before late into the evening, so he asked me if I wanted to join him for breakfast the following morning. We met at The Corner Bakery, a mom-and-pop run restaurant in Emerson Falls that serves a killer breakfast. In the middle of our meal, Brooks got a phone call again that he left the table to take, venturing outside where I could still see him on the phone. By the way he pinched the bridge of his nose and ran his hand through his hair in frustration, I knew something about that call was causing him stress. But when I asked him about it upon his return, he brushed it off and acted like everything was fine—again.
The third time I sensed he was hiding something from me was when he cancelled dinner plans for us. I was supposed to go over to his house. He agreed to cook for me and then we were going to watch a movie, also known as, make out on his couch. About an hour before we planned to meet, he called to cancel on me, stating that his mom needed his help. I accepted his need to help his mother, of course, but then later than night when I ventured into town to grab some dinner for myself, I saw him talking to a small blonde woman just outside of CVS.
My heart pounded in my chest when the worst plausible scenarios flooded through my mind, the obvious one being that he was cheating on me. But I convinced myself that there was a logical explanation for that conversation and buried my doubt. Brooks has been nothing but honest with me from the get-go, so I didn’t have a reason to question his exclusivity with me. I text him later that night, telling him I hoped his evening went well and that I missed him, to which he replied the same and then wished me sweet dreams. If a guy is cheating on you, they probably wouldn’t say stuff like that, right?
Well, they say there’s always a straw that breaks th
e camel’s back, correct? Hence, here we are today, and my patience is about to be shattered.
“Hey, Alice.” I set the coffees on the counter and then remove hers from the tray, handing it to her.
“You are a lifesaver. I still have four more hours before I can finally rest my head, and then I have to wake up to take my son to his soccer game.”
“I don’t know how you do it, Alice.”
She shrugs and keeps sipping her coffee. “You just do.”
“Okay, well, I’m going to go find Dr. Bennet to give this to him,” I say and give her a sly smile.
“Have fun.” She winks back at me as I wander down the hall to the on-call room where Brooks told me to meet him before my shift started. I’m about thirty minutes early, so I figured that was enough time for a hot and heavy make-out session just as he ends his shift and I start mine. I have been craving this man’s kiss all week, and I can’t wait to satisfy that need.
The creak of the door is loud, but I manage to slide inside and shut it quickly behind me. A small twin bed is tucked in one corner of the room and an equally tiny end table rests beside it. A lonely gold lamp sits atop and the single drawer is half open, showcasing multiple charger chords sticking out. It’s not fancy by any means, but it gives you a place to rest when you so desperately need it.
Or a place to make out when you desperately need that too.
I take a seat on the bed, placing the coffees on the table and then falling back against the pillow. Reaching for my phone from my pocket, I decide to check my emails and apps while I wait for Brooks to arrive. We work in a hospital, so even though we agreed upon a time to meet, that doesn’t mean it will happen right on the dot.
