Love of Truth

by C. T. Oliver

  “Now that was...Wow!” I breathe. Trying to suck oxygen into my burning lungs.

  She giggles softly. “So did you enjoy that?” she asks shyly.

  “Amelia, I enjoyed that so much I can’t see straight right now.”

  “Good, I enjoyed it greatly myself.”

  “Once I catch my breath, we can enjoy you next.” I nuzzle my nose in her hair and kiss the top of her head.

  She hugs me tightly and yawns. “Okay, if I can keep my eyes open long enough.”

  I gasp, pretending to be offended. “You are NOT going to sleep on me when I’m enjoying you!” I tighten my arm pulling her onto to my chest.

  She lets out a little giggle. “I can barely keep my eyes open from all that wine at dinner,” she sighs.

  I suddenly remember she still has her contacts in. “Baby, let’s brush our teeth and you take out your contacts.” I pull on my boxer briefs and help her up.

  Amelia can barely keep her eyes open as she washes her face and brushes her teeth. I’m grateful she has an extra toothbrush. I didn’t want an excuse to have to go back to the other house. Standing next to her while we brush our teeth, our eyes meet in the mirror and I feel a tug in my heart. I love this companionship with her and we seem to have fallen into this domestication in a matter of days. It’s the best feeling in the world.

  She changes into a t-shirt then snuggles into my side. “Thanks for spending the night with me, babe, and for taking such good care of me.” She looks up and gives me a quick kiss.

  “Thanks for having me. I sleep better with you,” I sigh, closing my eyes as a sense of calm blankets me.

  “Me too, you keep me warm.” A smile crosses her sleepy face.

  “I’m glad I’m of some use to you,” I joke.

  “Oh, you’re of great use! You keep me warm and protect me from murderers,” she whispers, wiggling her body closer to mine.

  I hold her tighter to me. “You’ll have to lay close so I can protect you better.” I can feel a shiver run through her body.

  She sighs with contentment. “G’night, Craig.”

  “Night, baby.”

  VRRRMMMMMM, VVVRRRRMMMMM, VVVVRRRMMMMMM I open my eyes and feel a painful knot in my neck. VRRRMMMMMM, VVVRRRRMMMMM, VVVVRRRMMMMMM Looking over to make sure I don’t wake Amelia, I lean over to the night stand and reach for my phone.

  “Yeah,” I answer in a whisper.

  “Bro, it’s 0830!” Cory yells out his excitement.

  I look over at Amelia sleeping amidst an abundance of pillows. “Amelia is still sleeping.”

  “Wake her up, waves are nice.” I can sense Cory’s excitement through the phone.

  “She had a big day yesterday, she should sleep.” Amelia is lying on her side hugging two pillows between her arms, one between her legs and her head is resting on two more.

  “Oh, yeah? Did she have a big night, too?” Cory laughs.

  “Shut up!” I growl. Amelia turns over and stretches her body out. Opening her eyes she flashes me a sleepy smile and reaches out to me.

  “Just go out, we’ll meet you guys later,” I say into the phone.

  “Is that the guys?” she asks, looking over at the alarm clock. “Oh, we should get breakfast and then head out.”

  “Breakfast? Did she say breakfast? We’ll be right over.” Cory hangs up before I can even answer.

  Throwing my phone to the side, I pull her closer to me. “We don’t have to go out, we can stay in and sleep a little more.”

  “Why? We’re already up.” Her body molds itself to mine as her warmth soothes and calm me like never before.

  “Maybe I just want to lay here with you all morning.” I run a hand under her shirt.

  She gives me a small smile. “That would be nice, but Larry is going to start climbing the walls soon.”

  “Okay, if I can’t get all morning in bed with you, then I want my morning kiss,” I rub my hand up and down her back.

  She gasps and covers her mouth with her hand. Her eyes widen as she mumbles, “But my morning breath.”

  I chuckle and pull her in for a kiss anyway. She laughs and wiggles her body, trying to get away. I grimace as I move my neck.

  “Babe, are you okay?” She immediately stops laughing.

  “Yeah, just an annoying knot in my neck.” I glance over to her side of bed. “I guess, my pillow up and left me in the middle of the night.”

  She looks shyly away. “Yeah, I have a tendency to hog the pillows, sometimes even Larry can’t get away from my grasp.” As if he knows what we are talking about, Larry comes skipping up from under the covers and barks his agreement.

  I lean over giving her a kiss on the cheek. “Okay, let’s take little man out. And I’ll make us some breakfast before Cory comes up here.”

  I start to pull back from her only to feel one of her hands roam down my stomach and into my boxer briefs. “Too bad we can’t lie around all morning and play,” she grips me lightly and immediately I twitch in her hand.

  “We can stay and play, the waves will be there tomorrow,” I try to pull her to me, only she lets out a little giggle and hops out of bed and into the bathroom. “You’re such a tease!”

  I get up and start to straighten the sheets, only to have Larry pull all the covers back. Half way through making the bed, Amelia steps out of the bathroom in tight black Nike Pro shorts and a bright orange bikini top. Her face is naturally beautiful and refreshing without any makeup and her long dark shiny hair is in a messy bun. She is so beautiful and I can’t seem to be without her in my arms.

  “Are you sure we can’t skip the waves this morning and just lay around so I can touch you?” I growl as I walk up to her. I run my hands from her hips up her ribs, stopping just under her breasts. My thumbs brush lightly back and forth on her nipples. I can feel them pebble under her top. I kiss down her neck as I take in her heavenly scent that has me feeling the twitch in my boxer briefs again.

  She looks up and wraps her arms around my neck. “Yes, I’m sure. I think someone is trying to avoid showing off his mad surfing skills to me”.

  “HA! Mad surfing skills,” Cory pokes his head in the bedroom and looks around. “Hurry, I’m hungry.”

  “You know where the eggs are, make your own damn breakfast,” I glare at my brother.

  “Fine, but don’t complain if it’s not to your liking,” Cory steps out with a smart-ass smirk on his face.

  “Why is he always catching us in the act?” She runs her hand through my hair. Jesus, her touch is so calming.

  “Because he’s a pervert with no respect for other people’s privacy,” I say with a sigh, pulling her up closer for one last hug. “Come on, let’s make breakfast before he eats all the food.”

  Amelia whips up a high protein breakfast of eggs and tofu scramble with spinach and provolone to go along with a strawberry mango probiotic smoothie. She takes such good care of us, she reminds me of mom. Like when she cut down Cory’s portion so he’s not too full to swim later. Everyday with Amelia, I start to envision many mornings with her, and many nights with her, too. The way she cares for us has given me visions of her taking care of our boys one day, and the thought isn’t scary at all to me. Pushing my wishes aside, I help the guys clean up the kitchen while Amelia plays with Larry.

  “Babe, can you get my board out for me? I can’t reach it.” Amelia comes into the kitchen, her wetsuit pulled up to her waist. She is showing just the right amount of toned abs and kissable skin. She is definitely my dream girl.

  Cory laughs. “Shorty, can’t reach.”

  I slap Cory on the back of his head as I walk by. “Sure, baby.”

  Amelia’s garage is a MMA trainer’s dream. Ben is going to scream an octave higher than a soprano and never want to leave here when he sees this. “Amelia, this place is awesome. You guys provide this for the tenants?”

  She laughs seeing the shocked and happy look on my face. “No, this is my uncle’s, and only family has access. He’s kinda picky about who touches t
his stuff.”

  “I would be too if I had all these things,” I sigh as I gaze at all the equipment I want to try out. “Amelia?”

  “Yes, you and the guys can workout in here anytime.”

  “I don’t think I’m going to let Ben know; he would never leave.”

  She rolls her eyes at me. “Okay, board please.” My eyes are still roaming over the room. There’s a Wing Chun dummy, the grappling dummy, a wall mount target bag, and various mitts. “What is it about this room that makes guys go speechless,” she sighs.

  “I imagine it’s the same if I were to drop you off at a jewelry store,” I step over to the rack on the wall and grab her board.

  “Hmmm, not really babe. I’m not a jewelry kind of girl,” she shrugs.

  “Well, what is my baby in to?” I hold onto her board for her.

  She pretends to think it over. “Hmmm, you,” she says with a cheeky smile on her face before she turns and heads out of the garage.

  “Oh baby, you keep teasing me like that and we’re not going to get to the water at all today,” I growl, following after her. My eyes roam down to her perfect round bottom that has the cutest sway when she walks. She has back dimples that are peeking just above her wetsuit that are so sexy I want to nip and lick them all night.

  I meet Amelia at the stairs that leads down to the beach after rushing to grab my board and wetsuit. Even covered head to toe, she’s still adorable.

  I can see how excited she is. She literally skipped down to the water. I look out to see Ben and Cory are already in the raging water. The gray waves have picked up in the last hour, and mists coming off the whitewater give the beach it’s gloomy feeling. I feel kind of worried about Amelia going out. If the water is too cold and the waves are unpredictable it would be dangerous for someone her size.

  “Amelia, stick close to me, okay? It’s really cold and windy out today.” I say, as we bend down to strap our board to our ankles.

  “Yes, sir.” She looks up at me with a mischievous look in her eyes. The cool wind has given her cheeks a pink glow, making her look so young.

  I chuckle at her excitement. “You waxed up?”

  She winks at me. “You know that I am.” She heads into the water leaving me speechless, with yet another hard-on bulging under my wetsuit.

  Lying on my board, I paddle out into the Pacific Ocean behind Amelia and into the lineup. A few times she punches through some whitewater coming at her but she keeps herself at a good pace. Cory has ridden in on the last wave while Ben is waiting for the next one.

  I keep a close eye on Amelia. The water is colder than before and I can’t have anything happen to her. She’s too precious to me. After Ben has ridden in on a wave, she starts to eye a wave of her own. Soon the top of a wave shows and with great timing she starts to paddle. The wave catches up to her right as she hops up on her feet. When the wave shifts, she turns the board to ride the side of the wave into the shore.

  I can’t help but be a little impressed. I chuckle at the sight of her little fist pump at the shoreline and look back for a wave of my own. A wave nears as I start to paddle. Feeling the burn in my arms, I try to stay just a bit ahead of the wave coming towards me. When it catches the tail of my board I stand up on my feet, weaving and sliding my board, riding the unpredictable wave. The rush that comes from the excitement of escaping the mighty ocean’s raging water that can swallow you up, that is what makes me feel alive. It’s what recharges me and makes me believe that I can do anything. Anything like fall in love with the adorable Amelia Adler.

  An hour and a half later, at the lineup, with Amelia sitting on her board, I can see the cold and fatigue starting to set in on her. “This is our last one guys,” I yell out.

  I sit back on my board and watch as Amelia catches the first wave in with no trouble. The wind picks up and my last wave in is a little unpredictable. Ben and Cory paddle in, not wanting to chance it.

  “Okay, Shorty, mad respect is all I have to say to you,” Cory says as he unstraps himself from his board.

  “It’s not hard when you’ve been surfing for more than half your life,” she beams with joy. “Come on guys, I’ll make lunch.”

  “I’m not going to lie, Amelia, those were tough waves, and you stuck with us the whole time. I think you’re tougher than Lucy,” Ben says as we make our way up to the house.

  “Lucy is your mom?” she asks me.

  “Yes, and Charles is my dad.” And I can’t wait to introduce you to them.

  “Well, it’s an honor to be compared to a Cali surfer,” she winks at me.

  We all shed our wetsuits in Amelia’s garage, which Ben has proclaimed to be his new home. After our showers, Amelia makes a huge lunch of smoked salmon and corned beef hash while giving me the task of making the salad. Cory whips up a couple pitchers of pineapple margaritas, his new favorite drink since meeting Amelia. Ben doesn’t have a task, he is still in the gym drooling and testing out the equipment.

  We enjoy our lunch on the back porch and admire the view of the sun that has risen above the clouds and the rising tides bringing in a refreshing sea breeze. Amelia and I are sitting on the loveseat at the table facing the ocean while Cory and Ben sit across from us. She changed into a loose yellow dress and a wool scarf making her look carefree and happy. As the breeze picks up she snuggles into me. Pushing her plate away from her, she rubs her stomach claiming she ate too much and will now lapse into a food coma.

  “I love surfing because I can eat like a horse afterwards.”

  “What are you talking about? You only had a plate of the hash,” Cory says, inhaling his fourth helping.

  She yawns and snuggles closers to me. “I’ve had enough. I’m quite full and sleepy.”

  “Thank you for making us lunch, Amelia.” Ben takes a big pull of his beer.

  “Sure. I love having people to cook for. It would have just been me and Larry here until Blu and Pen come tomorrow.” I wrap my arm around her, pulling her closer after feeling a shiver run through her.

  “How long do you have the house for?” Ben asks.

  “I plan on leaving next Friday, so I can get ready for my classes on Monday. I don’t think the next tenants are coming until Tuesday.”

  “Okay, the million dollar question. Why is the gym so cool?” Ben looks to have love in his eyes.

  “Oh, that’s my uncle’s. This is his house. It was supposed to be his bachelor pad, but he’s married now and lives in a cookie cutter in the ‘burbs. A rental service runs the place,” she shrugs. “He’s a black belt in karate, so when on vacation, he likes to stay in shape.”

  “Do you know the speed and coordination that people can get training with a Wing Chun dummy?” Ben asks with such excitement he almost leaps out of his chair.

  “Yes, I do actually,” Amelia says casually as Cory stops mid-chew and Ben’s eyes go wide.

  “You’re trained aren’t you?” I ask. Why am I not surprised?

  “Chi sao sparring is really fun, plus I’m equipped with speed and coordination if it’s ever needed to bitch slap a bitch,” she says with a huge grin.

  “Okay, Shorty knows how to protect herself.” Cory gives Amelia a wink as he goes back to feeding Larry some salmon from his plate.

  “How long do you guys have the McDonald house?”

  “Until Thursday of next week. We couldn’t book it for Friday,” I say, running my hand up and down her arm. “You cold?”

  “No, I’m comfy. You guys are welcome to stay here until Friday if you want to have another day of surfing.”

  “Hell yeah!” Cory yells, scaring Larry into a barking fit.

  “So who are your friends that are coming tomorrow?” Ben asks.

  “My best friends, Blu and Penelope, Pen for short.” She shifts and rests her head on my shoulder. “Blu is a hairstylist, he owns Mode in Portland. Pen has a degree in English Literature and Victorian Studies and is in the process of taking over World’s Books,” she says, sounding proud of her friends.

>   “Your friend owns Mode?” Cory yells out in shock.

  “Your friend owns World’s Books?” Ben yells at the same time as Cory.

  She startles and I pull her to me. “Yes and yes,” she says shyly.

  “Do you know how long I’ve been waiting to get an appointment at Mode? I’ve had two haircuts waiting for that haircut!” Cory sits back in his chair with a pout, pulling Larry with him.

  She laughs at Cory’s expression. “Well, maybe when Blu gets here, he’ll give you a cut.”

  “Who care if you’re shaggy, your friend owns World’s Books! I love that place! They have the best adventure books and even a few first editions!” Ben exclaims.

  “Why is he still yelling at us?” she asks me, chuckling to herself.

  “He’s suddenly deaf when he’s had a few and he gets excited about a possible adventure, or business deal, fight, math equation…who knows.”

  “Pen loves adventure. I think that’s why she loves books so much. She’s always losing herself in a mystery or adventure.”

  “Well, I love their collection,” Ben says with a sigh and looks dreamily at the ceiling.

  “Well, when Pen’s here, you’ll get a chance to talk to her about the collection.” She leans into me and closes her eyes. I give her a kiss on her forehead. How is it that I didn’t know mint was such a soothing and sweet scent before Amelia?

  “Okay, someone is going to nap. You guys clean up and start on dinner, please.” I cradle her in my arms and take her into the house. I lay her on the couch and run my nose down the side of her face. Before stepping away, I give her a peck on the lips. “Nap, baby”.

  “Surfing poops me out,” she sighs with her eyes closed. I chuckle at the pouty lips she makes when she’s ready to drift off.

  “Rest up, dinner will be ready when you get up.” I take the crochet afghan and drape it over her then give her a kiss on her cheek before I turn away. Freakin’. Adorable.

  Chapter 13