by A. J. Downey
Last night’s sex had been deep and emotional, but hadn’t felt like us, not like that first time. It had felt more like the sex was to ground her, to bring her back to me, and I was okay with that, but I was overjoyed, as she slipped my boxer-briefs over my hips and freed my cock, that the feeling this time was that slow, intense burn of our first time together, a reconnection on that soul-deep level that I seriously craved with her.
She traced her tongue lightly in a velvet touch from root to tip along the underside of my shaft. Those lovely dark eyes of hers met mine as she looked up my body and took the head of my cock between her lips, suckling gently. I closed my eyes and breathed out, lacing my fingers behind my head as an electric frisson of sexual energy traveled through my body.
“Oh, God, Claire…” I whispered and she took more of me into her mouth, plunging over the top of me, down the shaft, nearly to the root. I gasped and forgot what it was to breathe for a moment as she gripped the outsides of my thighs with her hands for balance and delicately bobbed her head, sucking me off with sensuality and passion.
My knees were weak, my heart raced and my balls tightened all too quickly in that familiar way that said I was going to come.
“Shit, Claire, baby I’m gonna come, I can’t help it.”
She didn’t let up, plunging all the way down my length, her lips meeting my body as I groaned and spilled down her lovely throat. Jesus, it was like she had no gag reflex to speak of!
“Oh, God,” I cried and it was like a prayer, but not any kind I should make to Him.
She waited a moment before pulling back off of me and smiled, pleased with herself that she’d satisfied me. I shook my head and held down my hands to help her to her feet.
“Your turn,” I murmured, and grasped the hem of my tee, pulling it over her head. She raised her arms and let me take it, and I was pleased that she wore no panties. Her sex was lightly perfuming the air and I was happy to know I aroused her as much as she did me.
I led her to the bed, where I lay down on my back, urged her to straddle me. She did, and as soon as she was on her knees, I dipped down between her thighs, and kissed the slick folds of her sex. She leaned forward and grasped the headboard, and I wrapped my hands over the tops of her thighs, pulling her down, meeting her pussy with my mouth, gently separating her labia with my tongue and trailing a line up to her clit, which I took my time to suckle and tease.
She arched, riding my face gently, her hips making uncontrolled movements in her desire. I slipped my hands up her body to cradle her breasts in my hands, flicking my thumbs over her pert nipples as she fought to hold still as I licked her.
“Oh, God!” she cried, and shuddered above me, and I pulled her down again from where she’d moved her body just out of my reach.
Her breath came sharp, punctuated by long pauses where she held it. She was close, so very close, walking the edge of the cliff, balancing delicately until I found the key, that last push of whatever to send her over and plummeting into the shining fall of orgasm. I was hard again already, my recovery time near superhuman with how enthusiastic my body was to be inside of her.
She gave a ragged scream and jerked away from my mouth, her legs shaking. I sat up and spilled her onto her back with a surprised yelp.
“God, I want you so bad,” I growled, and she panted, trying to catch her breath.
“Then take me,” she said.
“No condoms, forgot to get some.”
“Ohhhh, God, why?” she cried, but there was no accusation to it, merely a lament.
I laughed and said, “I promise not to forget any tomorrow.”
“You better not, or I’m gonna die.”
“Pretty sure you can’t die from lack of sex,” I said, laughing.
“Pretty sure you can,” she countered, and I laughed some more.
“Who’s the medical professional?” I asked, and she smiled faintly.
“Fine, you win. Now kiss me.”
“Hold on, I’ll go brush my teeth first.”
She dragged my mouth to hers and whispered, “Don’t you dare.”
I could do this every night. Be like this every night. I wanted her like this, every night.
God, let us figure out a way that she can stay with me that brings her happiness and no regrets, I prayed.
8
Claire…
I hung from my silks by my feet like a bat and Giada called up from where she practiced her fan dance below me, “So, did anything good happen while you were away from us?”
“Oh, my God! I can’t believe I didn’t tell you yesterday‒” I sat up, and unwinding my feet, climbed the red silks. I didn’t even do any of my tricks to get down. I simply wrapped one leg and let the material slide through my hands in a controlled descent, much like sliding down a fire pole; if they still had those anymore. I didn’t know.
Aleksi and Giada gathered around the base of my silks and several other people looked on curiously. It was a practice day blessedly free of Milo, his attention elsewhere on some dispute with the city and where our big top was placed in the park.
“I found my Angel, or rather, he found me.”
“What?” Giada demanded as I turned around.
“Trust me! This is so crazy, I couldn’t possibly be making it up.”
They listened intently as I told them about how it was Angel who had responded to my brother’s call for help.
“What are the odds?” Callie asked, and I shook my head.
“Like I said, it’s so crazy, there’s no way I could make it up.”
“We must meet your Angel, Kotyonok.” Aleksi was smiling and I nodded.
“I’ll bring him around, I promise.”
“Soon,” Callie said with a bright smile, but Giada remained uncharacteristically silent on the subject and I could see the wheels turning in her head.
“I promise,” I said. “Soon.”
Before anyone could start to pester me, I gave a leap, grasped my silk, and turned myself upside-down. I used my legs and skittered up the red practice silks like a spider up her web. It was the fastest way to climb and I still had to do a full run-through of my almost-eight-minute routine.
I sighed and finished getting dressed in my street clothes after yet another long day of practice. I should have sensed the ambush, but honestly, I was just too tired. Aleksi threw an arm around my shoulders as I exited the women’s lockers in one of the smaller side tents and Giada’s arm curved around my waist from the other side.
“Okay, what’s this?” I asked smiling.
“We are going home with you, my little darling,” Giada declared.
“Yes, we must meet this Angel of yours,” Aleksi agreed.
I rolled my eyes and said, “Fine. He should be home. Let me let him know you’re coming with me.”
I pulled out my phone and went to send a text, and saw that I’d missed some from him.
Angel: Grabbing dinner from the 10-13 and condoms. Don’t want to make that mistake again. You might beat me home. See you when I get there.
Damn! I hoped it wasn’t too late; I sent a text to him to let him know we would have company.
Me: Aleksi and Giada are insisting they come meet you.
He surprised me by getting back to me right away.
Angel: Cool. Got a bottle of wine in the fridge, will have Reflash make up some extra food. See you when I get there.
God, he was incredible.
“Okay, I guess we’re having company, come on.”
I ordered a car through the rideshare app on my phone and we all went outside, laughing and talking, to wait for it.
“So, where does your man live?” Giada asked.
I said, “You guys, I can’t wait for you to see this. It’s beautiful. He lives on a boat, but it’s a house. Just wait. You won’t believe it.”
“A boat?” Aleksi asked.
“Yes, but it’s not like a boat-boat. It’s a house, but it floats. We call them houseboats, obviously, but that doesn’t
really help describe what it is. You’ll just have to see it.”
I tried explaining it the whole ride to the marina that Angel lived at. They followed me through the locked gate and followed me up the dock close to the end.
I took the three steps to the front door and unlocked it, while Aleksi and Giada exchanged a look.
“Okay, this is it,” I said excitedly, and both Aleksi and Giada took off their shoes and left them by the steps on the dock. I took mine off just inside the door and said, “I’ll be right back.” I ran them upstairs and to the tiled sunroom, leaving them on the little mat I laid out for them. I set my gym bag on one of the iron chairs and hung up my coat and scarf. Aleksi and Giada were hanging their coats on the backs of the dining room chairs, looking everywhere.
“The bathroom is strange,” Giada commented, but more in a curious way than disparaging. She could be a queen bitch with the best of them, but she typically reserved it for people who deserved it.
“Sit,” I waved a hand at the wing-back chairs in the living room. “Wine?” I asked.
“Please,” Giada said. Aleksi smiled and nodded.
“Today was nice,” I said.
“Only because Milo was not there,” Alexsi commented dryly.
“Right?”
We commiserated over what a dick Milo had become and I poured three glasses of wine, two liberal for them and just a little for me. I brought the three glasses over and set them on the coffee table. I took a seat on the bench seat and we talked, waiting for Angel to arrive home.
About ten minutes later, he walked through the door, scowling. My face lit up and Aleksi and Giada stood smiling, but Angel just scowled more. I was jarred, but I went to him and it was as I drew near I realized the problem, just as Angel’s twin growled out, “Who the fuck are you people?”
“Ah, you must be Golden,” I said, and his posture eased.
A little boy popped out from around his back and demanded, “Yeah, who the fuck are you people?”
“Hombrecito!” Golden barked, and railed off at the kid in Spanish.
I bowed at the waist to bring myself eye-level with the kid and said, “You must be Manolo.” I straightened and addressed Golden. “I’m Claire; this is Giada, and Aleksi.” Giada and Aleksi each nodded in turn, but Golden’s scowl deepened.
It was Angel to the rescue when his calm and even voice said, “Ah, shit, my bad. Move aside, bro.”
Golden stepped further into the house and Angel came in behind him, Giada exclaiming in Italian, “Buon Dio, ce ne sono due!” or ‘Good God, there are two of them!’
“Don’t get too excited, both of them are taken,” I said with a smile. Golden didn’t look amused, while Angel handed me take-out bags around his brother. I took them into the kitchen.
“What the fuck?” Golden demanded.
“Manolo, behave, I need to talk to your Tío Rodrigo.”
Aleksi, who adored children, stepped in and contorted backwards, his body folding as if it was made of paper and creased by God’s hand. He ducked between his own legs and held out a hand to Manolo.
“I am Aleksi,” he greeted, and Manolo reared back, his eyes going wide.
“How do you do that?” he demanded, fascinated.
I took down plates and got to work plating food while Angel took his brother outside. I was nervous. Clearly, he hadn’t had the chance to tell Golden about me.
9
Angel…
“What. The. Fuck?” Golden demanded quietly.
“Dude, I need you to listen to me, and I need you to not be pissed,” I told my twin.
He stared at me for several heartbeats and said finally, “Just by you saying that, I’m already pissed. You know that, right?”
I put my hands on my hips and hung my head. I’d kept this a secret from my own twin for three years and it’d felt fuckin’ horrible. I think the only thing that felt worse at this point was the not-knowing how he’d handle it when I came clean. Fear was a powerful fucking motivator and it’d motivated me to keep my fucking mouth shut for far too long. Well, fear, shame, and guilt. A lot of guilt.
“Just listen, please?” I asked him and it must have been the dismay in my voice. He held his hands out and didn’t say anything, but it was a clear ‘Proceed, motherfucker’ gesture if I ever saw one.
I told him, all of it, and his expression grew ashen. He stared at me in disbelief and demanded, “Why didn’t you talk to me?”
“I wasn’t in my right head back then, bro and I never thought I would see her again. I mean, it’s a fuckin’ miracle she’s here.” I crossed myself out of habit and he stared at me, mystified. I’d just dumped a lot of heavy shit in front of him. I expected him to take a minute to sort through it.
“So you mean to tell me, she tried to kill herself, hell, she succeeded in killing herself, less than a week ago and she’s in there right now with our nephew? Shit, Angel! You don’t even know this bitch –”
“Hey!” I barked, and he stopped and looked at me, his hand half-way through raking back his hair.
“I wouldn’t say it about Lys; don’t you dare say it about Claire.”
“You’re really serious about this bro-“
He changed tack immediately when I gave him a look that said, ‘If you finish that word, I’m going to lay your ass flat.’
“Woman,” he said, finally.
“As serious about her as you are about Lys,” I told him.
“Why?” he demanded and I could tell he didn’t understand, but that was fair. I didn’t quite understand it, myself.
“I wish I could tell you, but Golden, brother, it’s unlike anything I’ve ever experienced. It’s like, the moment she walked into my life I found my other half, and I know it’s the same for her.”
He shook his head bewildered and asked, “What the hell does she even do?”
“She’s some kind of acrobat and dancer hybrid with that circus up in Ridgeview Park.”
“Wait, do what now? The circus? Are you fucking kidding me?”
I grinned and shook my head.
“No.”
“Jesus Fucking Christ, Angel…” He mirrored me, his hands on his hips. I scowled at his blasphemy and he grinned at my look. “I don’t know what to say,” he said and I blinked, taken aback, when his eyes got wet. He came over to me and hugged me tight.
“You ever feel like that again, you gotta come to me, bro. I don’t care what the fuck your brain is telling you about me. It wasn’t fuckin’ true. I always got you.”
I hugged him back and felt my own nose start to tingle. I cleared my throat, which suddenly felt too thick to speak, and said, “I know, man. It’s why I didn’t tell you even after I was doing okay again. I didn’t want you to feel like this. Besides, it was three years ago. I’m fine now, dude. I promise. I mean, I’m better than fine!”
“Man, I don’t know about this,” he said, and I reminded him.
“She’s why I’m still here.”
He took a step back and looked through the window through the slatted blinds at Manolo and Aleksi. Manolo was stretching while Aleksi showed him how; Giada looked on and Claire had got down on the floor with them.
“You’re sure?” he asked one more time.
“I’m sure. I’m more sure about this than I have been about anything in my life, dude.” He searched my face and nodded, seeing the sincerity there.
“I love you,” he said and it took me back a bit. Golden wasn’t sentimental like that. Or, at least, he hadn’t been until Lys.
“I love you, too.”
“Don’t you ever fuckin’ scare me like this again,” he said.
“Promise,” I told him. “I won’t have to.”
“Anything else I should know about?”
I laughed. “Gonna be you a little more often at the gym unless you can get me and Claire signed up. Her job is pretty demanding and she needs to stay fit.”
He nodded. “I’ll get you set up. Pretty sure they don’t really fuckin’ ca
re at this point as long as you’re related to me and keep it to the one guest.”
“Thanks.”
“Don’t mention it, and you better bring her around the 10-13, and soon.”
“Yeah, definitely. I missed this week; next week for sure.”
He shook his head and said, “This is so weird. I’m not used to you being the one with poor impulse control.”
I laughed and went for the door. He turned and fell into step beside me and I slapped him on the back.
“Hombrecito seems to like her,” I pointed out and he laughed.
“And that kid don’t like anybody,” he agreed.
We went inside and Golden said, “All right, kiddo, I’ve got to go. Be good for Tío Ramiro, ’k?”
“Bueno,” Manolo said distractedly, intent on what Aleksi was showing him.
“All right, I’ll see you, man. It was nice to meet you, Claire.”
She looked up and smiled, her dark eyes full of light and murmured, “You, too,” but I could tell she was apprehensive and we would need to talk. My guess was she was upset that I hadn’t told Golden about her before he arrived, but to be honest and fair, I’d completely forgotten about Manolo staying the night. I think she had, too, but that was no excuse for any of it.
I had to give myself a little forgiveness. We were still on a learning curve with each other and she’d been through a lot and had just sort of been thrust into my crazy life.
Golden left, and everyone got up and went to the table. I told Manolo he could eat upstairs and watch TV, if he kept it down, and he jumped at the opportunity.
“Behave, keep it down, I mean it! Or it’s right back down here and you can eat at the coffee table.”
“Okay, okay!” he called back, exasperated and Claire smiled a secret little smile at his sass.
“Sometimes I think his living with Golden was a monumentally bad idea.” I laughed.
“I think it might be good for your brother, no?” Giada said taking a sip from her wine glass.
“If you’re thinking it’s because little man is exactly like my twin, yeah. You’d be right.”
Claire and Aleksi chuckled.
