Make You Mine

by Louise, Tia

  “Hang on.” I stand, fishing out my wallet, finding a condom.

  I turn to the side to roll it on my aching dick.

  As much as I dream of her carrying my baby, I know neither one of us is ready for that responsibility. Hell, I’m leaving for fucking Africa in less than two days. How I’ll survive four years without her, I don’t have a fucking clue, but I won’t do what they say I will. I won’t “ruin her” and run off.

  My hands are on her again, lifting her by the ass and carrying her so her back is against the wall. Her mouth is on my neck, her soft tongue touching my hot skin as she kisses her way higher. I’m about to explode.

  “I need you inside me.” Her lips graze my ear before she kisses it, and I don’t hesitate.

  Lowering her onto my dick, my knees almost give out. My mind tilts at the sensation of her hot, tight, and clenching around my shaft. I have to hold still or I’ll come. Her thighs tense around my waist, and she struggles to move, letting out a low moan.

  “Gray…” I feel her tremble, her muscles spasm, and my brow tightens.

  I raise my head to find her eyes. “Did you come?”

  Her nose curls, and she stretches up and down on me. “I came when you touched me.” She grips my shoulders, pulling up to kiss me. “Do it hard—the way you like it. I want to feel you. I want to remember you were here.”

  Jesus. My eyes close, and I lower my mouth to hers. Her lips part, and our tongues curl together. I start to move, a deep thrust, and there’s no turning back.

  “Drew…” It’s a ragged groan, and her body breaks again.

  I’m relentless, driven by a need that never lets me go. Her small breasts bounce against my chest with every hard thrust. She moans, and her back arches, more clenching around my dick, pulling me farther in.

  “Oh,” she gasps, and I brace myself.

  This is better than any drug. She’s my crack cocaine.

  My hands grip her hips, pulling us together again and again, until I break, pressing her to the wall, filling that condom with every pulse, the way I dream of filling her, of putting my baby into her, of having all the things I want with her, a home, a family.

  I’m breathing hard. My eyes are closed, and her fingers trace my neck, thread into my hair. She kisses my jaw, my cheek. The sensations consume me, overpower me. I hold onto her as I fumble my way back to Earth. I got lost in heaven.

  Mine… Mine… The word echoes in my ears on every heartbeat. What will it take to make her mine?

  I’ve held Drew Harris in my arms so many times, and every time it feels right. She pulls my face into a slow, languorous kiss, and I savor what I can’t yet have. What I have yet to earn.

  “I can feel your heart beating,” she whispers against my cheek.

  It’s trying to break out of my chest.

  “I’ve been dreaming of that for months,” I confess.

  “And I came in less than sixty seconds.”

  “I came in two.” That makes me laugh.

  She laughs, and I slip out of her warmth.

  “Shit.” Stepping back, I grip the base of the condom, tie it off and toss it before jerking my pants over my hips.

  She goes to the bar, opening her purse, and taking out a thin scrap of red lace. “You’ve changed in the last year.”

  She quickly pulls a thong over her hips, shaking her head as she straightens her skirt. I really wish we were alone, in a bedroom, naked…

  Instead, I catch her around the waist, tracing a curl off her cheek. “How so?”

  “You’re a man now. You’re ready to tell my daddy you don’t give a shit what he thinks.” I love it when she’s sassy, but she’s wrong.

  “I do give a shit.”

  That makes her frown. “Why?”

  Dropping onto the stool, I pull her between my knees. “Because your dad is an important part of your life. I don’t want to fight with him. I want him to like me.”

  I want her dad to accept me, but I know he needs a reason. I’ll never forget the way he spoke to me, the way he always looked at me like I was scum under his shoes. Do I blame him?

  “If you were my daughter, I’d need a reason.”

  “You graduated with honors. You’re going to fight for our country.” She starts to pout. “You’re leaving me again.”

  I hate it, too. “It’s the deal I made for college.”

  “You could’ve just borrowed the money like everybody else does.” She reaches behind me, over my shoulder, and I kiss her neck, inhaling the scent of flowers on her skin.

  “I don’t like being in debt.”

  She holds a coaster and a pen. “What guarantee do I have you’ll come back?”

  “I’ll come back.”

  She writes on the thin cardboard, and I lean forward to read it. The words make me grin, and my eyes go from her slim hand to her shoulder, to her high cheekbones, to…

  “You do have a new freckle.” I kiss it on the side of her nose, right beside her eye.

  “Sign it.” She holds the pen out to me, but I’m distracted by the amber speck on her cute little face.

  “Ned.” I tap it lightly with my fingertip. “Ned the nose freckle.”

  Blue eyes roll, and she shakes the pen at me. “I’m not a baby anymore.”

  “You are definitely not a baby.” My eyes are hungry, inspecting her gorgeous body.

  My gaze drops briefly to her breasts, and her cheeks flush. She puts her hands on my thighs, and I try to remember if I have another condom… I should’ve bought a whole fucking box.

  “Sign it.”

  “Waste of time. Nothing could keep me away.” Still, I scribble my name real quick and shove it toward her, trading the pen for her slim waist and pulling her to me again.

  “It’s a binding, legal document.” She shoves the round coaster into her purse. I lean forward to kiss her neck again, inhaling deeply.

  Under the flowers is a sweet scent I only get from Drew’s skin. I love it. Her shoulder rises and she laughs. “Tickles.”

  I want to taste her lips again. I want to spend some time with those perfect breasts. I want to tell her I love her, but the screech of the back door opening kills our moment.

  Drew hops away from me, and I stand as her brother trips into the room, Leslie clutched under his arm.

  “Here the fuck you are!” Danny’s drunk. “I’ve been looking for your ass everywhere. What are you doing down here in the dark? Drew? Is that you?”

  “I was just headed up to the party.” Drew puts her purse under her arm. “Gray, you coming?”

  “You’d better get back to the party.” Danny’s voice is sharp. “I don’t want you messing around down here in the dark. You’re just a kid.”

  “I’m eighteen now,” she yells.

  “Did you just talk back to me?”

  Danny gets mean when he’s drunk, and I want Drew upstairs before he tries anything. I’m not above putting him in a headlock.

  “Hey.” I step between him and his sister. “It’s our party, right? What’s next on the playlist?”

  “Probably fucking Marvin Gaye. That’s what you want to hear.”

  “Yeah, what’s going on…” I sing, holding out my hand for a five.

  He squints at me a moment, and my hand remains stationary, waiting for him to clap it. Leslie is there, glaring daggers at me. I ignore her. She’ll suck Danny’s dick then pretend like she wants to sleep with me. I’m no fool. She wants us both.

  I only want Drew.

  Danny finally decides to let go of whatever he’s thinking and reaches up to slap my hand. “I’ll be up in a minute.”

  My eyes drift to Leslie, and I know it’ll be longer than a minute before he joins us again… with a red ring around the base of his shaft. If he doesn’t pass out on her.

  “Drew! I said go on,” he barks loudly at her. It makes my jaw clench.

  She pauses at the door and looks back at me. Our eyes meet, and hers are worried. I know what she’s thinking, and I give her t
he smile I save just for her. The one that tells her how I feel. Don’t worry, I’ll see you again before I go.

  “You don’t have to leave, Grayson.” Leslie’s finger slides up my forearm.

  My eyes flicker to her, and I take a step back. “It’s our party. One of us should be up there.”

  Just like that, my cocky mask is in place again, the one I wear around this town to prove I don’t care what they think of me.

  I hustle up the back stairs, knowing when I get out, it’s going to be different. I will be good enough. I will deserve her.

  Chapter 3

  Drew

  “The days passed and the beast became a burden too great to bear, but still the man carried on…”

  Pastor Stemple drones on about a man and a cow, and I think he’s trying to make a point about God’s will for our lives. It’s the same sermon he gave last year at graduation time, and I didn’t understand it then either.

  It’s the special Sunday morning graduation service and at the end, they’ll give us all new Bibles with our names stamped on the front and warn us against the evils of drunkenness, premarital sex, and paying too much attention to our professors. They want us to get our degrees, but they don’t want us coming back with a bunch of wild ideas.

  All I know is after last night, I’m having a hard time keeping my thoughts pure. Every time I shift in my seat, I feel where Gray was inside me, and my stomach does a flip. I’m dying slowly with the fear I won’t see him again before he leaves today.

  Danny surprised me by showing up for church, even though he smells like a liquor store. Ruby is flat out sleeping with her head on her mother’s shoulder in front of us.

  “And when it came time to end the cow’s life, he saw that it was God’s will all along.” Pastor’s voice descends the scale as he says the words. “Let us pray.”

  My best friend snorts, lets out a yip, and jumps awake in her seat. Ruby’s mom is a pincher, and I have to bend forward and hold my nose to keep from laughing.

  A long prayer, the seniors all file forward to collect our shiny white Bibles, and we’re released. Danny and I walk out onto the lawn separating the small sanctuary from the twin fellowship hall.

  “Miracles never cease,” I tease, turning to my brother as we wait for all the old ladies to appear. “I did not expect to see you in church this morning.”

  “I’m about to go to war, Andrea.” Danny likes to use my full name when he’s acting superior. “I’d like to be on everybody’s good side.”

  “Including God’s?”

  Just then, Leslie Grant steps out of the sanctuary, and her green eyes fix on my brother in his navy suit. I guess he looks handsome… for my brother.

  “Liar,” I step forward and lower my voice, acting like I’m straightening his tie. “You wanted to see Leslie one more time.”

  Whiskey is on his breath, and he looks over my shoulder. “If I have to go to this old lady lunch, maybe I can get some dessert after.”

  “Ew.” I’m about to say something, but my jaw drops.

  Gray walks up dressed in a navy suit as well. His dark hair is messy, slightly damp on the ends. He’s sexy as fuck, and when our eyes meet, I don’t care about anything else. I want to kiss him.

  “There he is.” Danny steps away, leaving me to restart my heart. “Hey, man, thanks for coming.”

  “Won’t turn down a free lunch.” He only glances at my brother before turning that killer smile on me. “Good morning, Drew, you look very pretty today.”

  My face heats right up, but Danny punches his shoulder. “Quit being a suck up. Come on.”

  I look down at my white dress. It’s pretty basic, sleeveless with a giant yellow flower design all over it. It’s my new favorite dress.

  Gray waits for me, and when we file into the open hall, everyone starts clapping. A banner in the back reads “Good luck, Daniel,” and weirdly, I almost start to cry.

  “Why, Grayson, Ralph didn’t say he’d invited you.” Mrs. Stern hurries forward to meet us looking flustered. “We have to change the sign.”

  “It’s okay. Danny invited me.” Gray’s voice is so strong and confident. I want to smack Ralph’s mom for acting like he’s intruding.

  “I guess this is the last we’ll see of you.” Pastor Stemple places a hand on Gray’s arm, and a knot forms in my throat.

  “I don’t know.” Gray shakes the older man’s extended hand.

  “What?” The pastor only seems partly surprised. “I figured now that you have your degree, you’d head back east, to your own people.”

  My brow tightens with anger. Why the hell would he do that? Gray’s lived here all his life. God, I hate this small town sometimes.

  “I haven’t had much contact with them since—”

  “Still, it’s more jobs, more opportunities.”

  I can’t take it anymore. “Gray, can you help me in the kitchen? I think Mrs. B needs something.”

  Confused eyes meet mine, but the pastor releases him. “That’s all right. You’re a good man. Good luck to you.”

  “Thank you, sir.”

  Gray follows behind me, and I slip through the double doors, catching his wrist and pulling him into the narrow supply closet before anybody notices us. I close the door fast and turn into his arms. His chest presses to mine, and his hands are on my waist. Our breath seems louder in the darkness.

  “Hey, goat brains.” I hear the smile in his voice. “What’s going on?”

  I reach up to find his cheeks. “I couldn’t listen to him anymore, acting like you aren’t even from here. You’ve been here since you were seven.”

  He leans down to kiss my cheek. “I was technically eight.”

  Warm breath whispers over my skin, and I lift my chin. “I want you to kiss me.”

  “You’re so beautiful.” His words thrill me and when our lips meet, everything is right.

  Our tongues curl together, fresh mint fills my mouth. He smells like clean soap, and he’s so warm. I want his hands on me. I want my panties off and his fingers inside. I want to hold him like I did last night… just one more time.

  After Danny found us, we’d spent the rest of the party circling the room, giving each other smiles, touching hands when we got close enough, stealing quick kisses in dark corners. Until midnight, curfew, and Ruby and I had to go home.

  The whole way back to town, I’d argued in my head how some things are worth breaking curfew. If only my daddy were less fragile…

  He lifts his face, and I clutch his shirt, whimpering, “I don’t want you to go.”

  That makes him laugh softly. “I should be saying that to you. You’re going to college. You’ll be meeting new people, going out, having fun.”

  “I won’t have any fun without you.”

  “Yeah, but you will.” He steps back and flicks on the light. I squint in the sudden brightness, and he pulls a giant can of lard off the shelf. “Might as well act like we’re helping.”

  The door cracks open, and we both jump. It’s only Ruby. “Ni Hao, love birds. I waited for the light to come on. Don’t worry, I’m on guard.”

  My hand is on my chest. “You scared the shit out of me.”

  “What? No panties in church? Bless me Father, for I have sinned!” She waggles her eyebrows, and my face gets hot. Gray only laughs, which eggs her on. “Hey, handsome. My mom dug out her old Buddha statue to pray for you and Danny. I guess two gods are better than one, ay?”

  “Thanks, Ruby.”

  My friend winks and leaves, but Gray’s expression is different. It’s a look I’ve never seen before.

  I feel so stupid I never asked. “Are you afraid?”

  It never occurred to me he could be afraid of anything.

  He shrugs, and I go to him, placing my hand on his arm. “What are you afraid of?”

  “You make it sound so dramatic.” He puts the lard back on the shelf and wraps an arm around my shoulder. “I guess I’m most afraid of losing you.”

  “What?”
I step away, facing him with my lips parted. “You would never lose me.”

  “Come on, Drew. You’ll be away from home for the first time in your life.”

  “So?”

  “So you’ll grow up, move on, meet somebody with money, family, the right connections. Somebody with a name like yours.”

  “Oh my God, not that Harris name bullshit again. It doesn’t mean anything outside of this town.”

  He shakes his head. “It means something.”

  “Well, I’m not interested in meeting anybody else. You can put that fear out of your mind.”

  A grin lifts his sexy lips, and he watches me with a mixture of pride and deep understanding. “I’m just mentally preparing. You’re going to be amazing. You already are.”

  My arms go around his waist again, and I press my chest to his firm one, smiling up into his eyes. “You’ve known me all my life. Do I ever go back on my word?”

  He doesn’t answer my question. Instead he places his hands on the sides of my head, smoothing my hair back. I love it when he does that. “You might change your mind.”

  “Not going to happen.”

  Leaning down, I get a slower, sweeter kiss. I pull his lips with mine, and I feel a rise in his pants.

  He lifts his chin, eying the door and putting space between us. Dammit. “So what’s your major anyway?”

  Exhaling heavily, I try to think. “Psychology.”

  “What?” I love his dimpled grin. “I thought you’d say vet med.”

  Shrugging, I trace my nail along a huge box of cornmeal. So many conversations we never get to have. So much I know only he would understand.

  “I like working at the shelter, with the puppies and kittens.” My mind goes to my plans. “But when I grow up, I want to help people. Like be a counselor or a social worker.”

  He takes my hand, threading our fingers. “You always want to help somehow.”

  “I want to help my daddy.”

  Stormy eyes meet mine. He knows. He understands me, and it solidifies what I’ve known all my life. I can’t wait to say it any longer. “Gray, I love you…”

  The small door rattles. The handle turns, and Ruby’s voice is loud. “Mrs. Stern! Can I get you something? I’m here to help!”