Tag Forever Mine

by Catherine Charles

  I can't hold back my tears anymore and let them fall. Struggling to finish what I need to say in between broken sobs.

  “You know how much I love you and support you and want nothing but the best for you, but before I met you, again, I had my own dreams, and I still want to go after those. I’m so scared you’re gonna hate me for choosing this right now. For choosing me.”

  I see tears well up in Robert’s eyes and his attempts to wipe them away before they fall. He takes my hands firmly in his and squeezes them with an enormous amount of force.

  “Don’t you dare feel that way for a minute Presley. I could never hate you, and I could never ask you to give up on your dreams. You have been such a huge supporter of mine, and I am so damn grateful for every minute I have had with you. You are the best part of me. You are an unbelievable woman and I am so lucky to call you mine. If anyone should feel like they are letting anyone down it’s me.

  “I’ve put all this stress on myself to provide for you and to prove to your family I can take care of you, and on what, a thousand bucks a month? That’s nothing Presley.”

  “Robert, you're just starting out.”

  “But what about Carter? He could have hurt you. I wasn’t here to protect you P and it’s been killing me ever since it happened. I don’t want your family seeing me as a failure, Presley.

  “I worry you’ll go off to school and unintentionally find some guy that wants to be a doctor or a lawyer, or something which requires a fancy degree, and because he chose a smarter career path, he’ll actually be able to give you the life you deserve. A life, right now, I can only dream about giving you. Just because I’m in the minors doesn’t mean shit until I have a signed major league contract, and that isn’t ever a guarantee. There are guys on my team who have been here for ten years, Presley. Ten years! I know how lucky I am and am reminded of that every damn day when I see you at the fields. Not a single guy on my team has a spouse or girlfriend or significant other who is as devoted as you are. You are there for every practice and every game.

  “So will I be okay? Yes. Will I be happy? I’ll try. Will we get through these next three years? God I hope so, but will I ever give up on you and us? Never.”

  I look at him. Tears stream from both our eyes. Never have I been more in love with him as I am tonight. Both of us being completely transparent with the other. We only have a few hours left together and I want more than anything to be wrapped up in him. His thumbs tenderly wipe away my tears, his lips act like a chaser, igniting a heat within me. Fire coursing through my veins as I try to memorize everything about him. His lips brush against mine I utter my only desire, “Make love to me, Robert.”

  “Your wish is my command my queen.” His lips float across mine before he forcefully overtakes my mouth with his. I feel every emotion from the last hour wash over me as my lips part for him, taking everything he so willingly gives. It’s slow and passionate, kind and intense. One hand gripping the back of my neck, holding me firmly in place while the other caresses the side of my body. He pushes against me gently, laying me down onto the mattress. His knee slides between my legs, gradually opening them for him as he rolls on top of me, his cock pressed firmly against the seam of his jeans.

  Circling his hips against me, conjuring up my wetness, my mind flashes back to the first time we were in this position in high school. My body aches for more as I chase after him.

  A deep vibration pulses through his chest and he inches back from me. “Not yet Presley.” He smiles and I instantly feel three hundred times better about our relationship and where we are headed. “I want you to remember everything about tonight.” He nips at my collar bone and shifts his upper body off to my side, supporting his weight on his forearm while his other hand slowly undoes the buttons on my denim shirt. His eyes dancing with delight as he realizes I’m not wearing a bra. “Have you been this way all day?”

  I shrug as he eagerly takes a full breast in his mouth, sucking on it, playing and teasing my nipple with his teeth and his tongue, my neck arches back in ecstasy. His pitching hand massaging my other breast. The feel of his calloused hands against my soft skin causes my heart to swell. Hands that grip a baseball every day to prove to the world he’s somebody are also the ones that make me feel safe and cherished on a daily basis.

  As he works his way lower on my body, his nimble fingers easily unfasten my jeans as I rake my fingers through his already disheveled hair.

  Gripping the sides of my jeans, I lift my hips off the bed so he can fully undress me. His breath hot against my sex as he slowly removes my clothes, exposing me inch by inch, nipping at my clit causing me to buck into him.

  “Mmm. So. Wet.” He smiles up at me and stops his decent. “Presley, can you be a good girl tonight?”

  I whimper out an, “Mmhmm,” calling the devil from him.

  He places a kiss low on my stomach and readjusts my arms so they are above my head. “Do you think you can leave them there beautiful?

  I hesitate. “What if I want to touch you?”

  “Not yet Presley. Enjoy this first part and then you can touch me. This is all about you right now.”

  I nod and grip tightly to the bedsheets. His fingertips brush lightly down my arms, over my swollen breast and painfully erect buds. My body arches off the bed as he gently blows against them causing me to writhe with desire. He continues his decent, open mouth kisses trail down my stomach before he places a sucking kiss on my apex and continues to remove my pants.

  I’m completely exposed to him, staying in the position he put me in, my body shivering in anticipation as he kneels on the floor in front of the bed.

  “I love you, Presley.”

  “I love—”

  He pulls me down the bed, kissing the insides of my thighs until my bottom rests on the edge. His fingers slide between my slick folds, teasing me with just the slightest penetration and pulling back out. Opening me wide and plunging his tongue deep inside.

  My body instantly tightens, and I grip firmly to the sheets. “Oh. Fuck,” I scream out through panted breath.

  His hands firmly grip my thighs, forcing them open as he works his wicked tongue over me. Sucking. Lapping. Plunging.

  My hips grind against him, as pleasurable moans fill our bedroom. With shallowed breath I grip the sheets calling out, “Please. Robert.”

  He presses his smile into me before curling his arms around my legs and changing my position, angling me off the bed, his tongue delves deeper into me, lapping as my juices spill from me. Cries of ecstasy leave me as I tumble headfirst into oblivion. There’s no being quiet tonight. I lose myself to him as wave after wave courses through my body. Panting and spent, Robert counts out, “One,” before plunging two fingers into my already pulsing slit, curling upward and working against me frantically. Gasping for breath, I throw my head back and embrace my second powerful surg. His fingers only work harder as my body is wracked by aftershocks, his chin resting on my stomach, eyes fixed on me as I enjoy this feeling of euphoria. “Two,” he smirks, before he pulls his hand from me and repositions me on the bed.

  Bringing my arms down to my sides and massaging my shoulders he whispers against my sensitive skin. “You are breathtaking, Presley. Never forget that.”

  I nod my head.

  “You can touch me now.”

  I crash my lips against his, tasting all me as I push my tongue inside of his mouth, tongues dancing together while I force him onto his back and straddle his hips. His body fully clothed while I’m as naked as the day I was born. I pull back, my hands resting on his flexed pecs as I stare down at him.

  “Good girl, Presley.” He smiles up at me.

  “I want you, all of you.”

  “You can have me.”

  I slide off of him and pull him to standing. “I love you too, Robert. Tonight is just as much about you as it is me. I want to remember everything about you.”

  He stands there allowing me to do as I will with his body. His hands resting on my waist as
I kiss his nose, his lips, his throat, and every patch of skin that comes into view as I unbutton his shirt.

  I slide my hands up his now more defined abs, over his pecs, around his shoulders, down his impressive biceps, and strong forearms, his shirt falling off and landing at his feet.

  Looking up at him from under my eyelashes, I bask in the look of adoration he has, while watching my every move. Moving back to his neck, I place a kiss on every muscular ripple I notice as his body tenses under my touch. I treat each section of his body the same, eliciting a reaction from him, as my mouth moves lower down his abdomen. Unbuttoning his jeans, I grip them and his boxer briefs, and slide them down as I move to my knees, kissing his powerful thighs as I slide them lower and he steps out of them.

  “Pres—”

  “Shh.”

  I work my way back up him, a drop of moisture glistens on his slit. Eyeing him, his Adam’s apple bobs as I lick it off with the tip of my tongue before taking his head in my mouth. He sucks air through clenched teeth, a hissing sound fills the room as I see how much power I truly yield. A whispered curse is muttered as he tangles his hands in my hair, allowing me to set the pace as he follows along.

  I back off of him, running my tongue down his shaft, I watch his abs contract in pleasure before swirling his head and once again wrapping my lips around him, sucking fervently as he hits the back of my throat. His pleasure spurs on my own and I can't help but to moan along with him. He swells in my mouth, and I’m quickly pulled off of him and thrown onto the bed.

  “I fucking need you now.”

  He quickly rips open a condom and slides it on before pressing inside of me. His stokes start off long and slow, quickly turning to erratic and needy as he braces himself against my folded legs. Powerful, dominate thrusts bring on my next orgasm as he throws his head back, grunting with each pulsing aftershock, holding for a five count before bringing his body down on mine.

  We look at each other, our eyes saying more than words ever could, we simply exist in the silence.

  As our breath slowly returns to normal I can once again feel him hardening inside of me. His hips slowly start moving against mine, easing his cock out a little and driving back in. I mirror his motions, raising my hips up to meet his as he eases into me over and over until he quickly withdrawals from me and flips me over, pulling my hips to meet him, my arms locked as I look over my shoulder just in time to see him entering me. He roughly twists a hand in my hair and pulls back exposing my neck and forcing my back to arch. I rock on locked arms with each punishing thrust. Skin slapping skin spurs on my fourth release. A sharp stinging sensation rocks me over the edge as I receive not one, but two spankings from him.

  “I want to hear you say my name, Presley.”

  “Fuck. Robert!” I bite down hard on my bottom lip, pants and moans make their way past my lips as my arms give out and I fall forward against the mattress on Robert’s final trust.

  “You’re mine, Presley. You’re fucking mine.” He growls out through seemingly pained breathing. “Do you understand me?”

  I shake my head yes as he pulls from me, “All yours baby. I’m all yours.”

  Robert makes his way into the bathroom and back again with a washcloth, gently cleaning the spilt juices from my inner thigh before tossing the used rag back into the bathroom.

  I snuggle into him, neither one of us wanting to let go of the other, both of us fighting sleep, because we both know tomorrow when we wake, everything changes.

  Chapter Nine

  4:30 A.M.

  The shrill chimes of Robert’s alarm startle me awake. Every muscle in my body is spent as I shuffle my body closer to him, cursing the piece of technology determined to pull him from me. He squeezes me tighter, kissing my forehead before rolling away from me to turn off his alarm and getting out of bed. His side is instantly cold to the touch and my heart slowly begins to rip apart.

  Still naked from our session just a few hours earlier, I pull the covers tighter around me and roll over to face our bathroom and closet. “Do you want me to make you anything?” I struggle to get the words past my larynx without them quivering, but the last word gives me away. Robert sits back on the bed, gently placing a kiss on my lips, his forehead resting on mine as we close our eyes.

  “Go back to sleep, princess. I’ll grab something at the clubhouse.”

  “I wish you didn’t have to leave.”

  “You and me both, but I’ll see you in three weeks.”

  I watch as he goes back to packing up his suitcase and gets dressed before coming back and sitting down on the edge of the bed one final time.

  “I love you, Presley. Never forget that, okay?”

  “I promise I won't. I love you too.”

  He kisses me with such longing, a single tear rolls down my cheek. He wipes it away with his knuckle and brushes his lips against the spot; I fight to keep the remaining tears at bay.

  “Try to have fun with our moms and I’ll drive down to see you as soon as I can.”

  I nod and he kisses me one final time before heading out the door. The headlights shine bright into the living room. I wait till everything is pitch black again before I let the rest of my tears fall.

  I don’t know how my mom did it every time my dad was deployed. Robert’s leaving for three weeks to play baseball. I’ll still be able to call him, and I can watch the games on TV but by the way I’m crying, you would think he was going to the remotest place on earth for the rest of his life.

  Just then my phone rings and I quickly wipe away my tears as if the person on the other end cares about what I look like.

  “How ya holding up, sweetie?”

  “Not good.”

  “I remember the first time Rick left for a series of away games. I cried for days.” She sighs a little. “In fact, if I remember correctly, I finally stopped crying the day before he came home.”

  “Thanks Laura.” I let out a sniffled laugh, “I was beginning to think I was crazy for being this emotional. It’s not like he’s going to war, he’s going to throw a baseball around for a couple of weeks.”

  “Baseball or war, it hurts when the ones we love leave. You have every right to feel the way you’re feeling and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. Now, I’m going back to sleep for a couple of hours and I suggest you do the same. I’ll be at your place around eleven thirty, I’m taking you out for a girls’ day. Robert asked me to make sure today was a good day for you and I intend to do just that.”

  Robert talking to Laura, trying to ease my pain with all of this, brings a smile to my face, “Thanks Laura. I’ll see you in a little bit.”

  We hang up and I try to go back to sleep, but all I can do is toss and turn. Finally I give up and decide to get up and watch some TV.

  I make my way into the kitchen to fix a bowl of cereal, shocked when I see three small gifts laid out for me on the kitchen counter: a small red rose in a bud vase, a stuffed white puppy which reminds me of Kringle, and a stunning gold locket with a single stone imbedded in the front with starburst stemming from the center. Sitting in front of everything is an envelope with my name on the outside.

  My Dearest Presley,

  I’m hoping you went back to sleep after I left, but knowing you, you probably didn’t.

  Pleased don’t think this is any easier on me than it is on you.

  The red rose is to remind you that you have my heart forever.

  The stuffed dog is to comfort you when I cannot.

  And if you look inside the locket, you will find the moment I fell in love with you.

  I can’t promise you these times apart will ever get easy, but I promise to never have you question my love for you.

  XoXo-

  P.S. Happy Birthday Beautiful. I promise to call you on your birthday, but I wanted you to have the locket before then.

  I open the locket to find a picture of Robert’s favorite place. The snow fed stream on the ranch where he told me all about his past. The moment he trusted me
with his heart and now I get to wear it close to mine.

  * * *

  – Eighteen Hours Earlier –

  After Liv and Trey left I could tell something was bothering Presley, but she wouldn’t tell me what. Both of us just seemed to be existing, talking but not really saying anything. I had my own insecurities to deal with, but I couldn’t ask her to shoulder those as well.

  Resting my head against the headrest I can only think about calling one person.

  “Robert! I’m so glad you called. I’ve missed you. How’s Arizona? How’s Presley? We haven’t heard from either of you. Tina and I were beginning to get worried.”

  I chuckle. Such a mom response. “Hey Mom. Sorry I haven’t called. We’ve just been trying to figure things out on our own.”

  “That’s understandable. So what do I owe the pleasure of today’s call? Something tells me you didn’t just call to talk.”

  I shake my head; I need to do a better job of just calling her for no reason. “Actually, I was wondering if you could bring Kringle down with you. Presley’s been kinda home sick lately and I think it would help to cheer her up.”

  “We were already planning on it.”

  “Thanks.”

  “How are you doing? Is it what you expected?”

  I take a deep breath, “I don’t know mom. I’m beginning to wonder if I made the right decision. I have no idea if this will ever pay off. What if I let Presley down? What if I can't be the man she deserves.”

  “Honey, that girl will go to the ends of the earth for you. You could be broke poor, living on the side of the road, and she would still be happy because she’s with you. She doesn’t care about the money that may come if you turn professional. She loves you for who you are, not what you can give her. But if it’s bothering you, then you need to talk to her about how you’re feeling.”