by Alice Moore
“T- tight… fuck- cum on my cock, Caroline… yeah-h-h-…” All of the energy seeped from me as I came down, and I took a deep, ragged breath. James’ demand rained down on me to settle on my welted, sweat-slicked skin, and he released my thigh to knead my breasts before he pulled out completely. “Get on your knees. Ass up.”
Groaning loudly, I struggled to roll over even with James’ help, and he gripped my hips to pull. Face planting into the comforter, I spread my legs as my core ached for more.
And he didn’t disappoint. Thrusting hard, James entered me in one, sharp movement, and I muffled my shriek in the bed. Rocking back onto his cock, I couldn’t do much more as he impaled me over and over again. Harsh grunts floated into my ears between my own high pitched cries, and he reared back his hand to crack his palm against my ass.
Jolting at the sting, I buried my face in the blanket as wave after wave of pleasure threatened to whisk me towards the sky. Undulating around James’ cock, I scrunched up my face to relieve some of the pressure that built behind my eye sockets. Stars burst in the darkness, and a roaring in my ears drowned out almost every other noise.
“Fuck- fuck- fuck- I’m gunna cum, Caroline…” Jerking his hips wildly, James growled out above me as I took what he forced on me. His fingernails dug into my ass cheeks, and I relished the slight bite until he suddenly exited my channel. Sliding against my abused ass, his cock pulsed and throbbed against my sensitive skin.
Hot, sticky ropes of cum lassoed along my butt cheek, and with each spurt James grunted with groaned softly. Taking the few precious moments to catch my breath, my chest struggled to expand as my knees slid far apart. Laying face down, I trembled from my eyebrows to my toes even while the tension in me seeped away.
“God-“ Draping himself over me, James rested his forehead between my shoulder blades to dry the sweat that had collected there with his ragged breathing. I couldn’t move, my body refusing to do anything other than recuperate from my exertion. Taking a deep, harsh breath, he dragged his nose up over my shoulder until his lips brushed my cheek tenderly, and I somehow managed a small smile.
“I’ve never pictured you naked before, Caroline.” Even James husky confession couldn’t stiffen my muscles, and I groaned softly in response. “I’m glad I didn’t. You’re beyond anything I could imagine.”
“That’s… actually pretty… sweet…” Mumbling between breaths, my smile widened when James kissed my cheek more firmly. “Can you w-… wipe my butt cheek… just… just use my panties…”
I wanted to roll over and fall asleep, but I didn’t want to get cum on my blanket; it was such a silly notion, but James didn’t even hesitate. His body so far from mine, even for two seconds, left me cold, and I shivered. Carefully, oh so gently, he wiped my twitching skin, and he massaged my right ass cheek tenderly.
“Come here.” Jostling my tired limbs, James rolled me until I could tuck into his side, and I sighed in content. He smelled like sex and something undefinable- something entirely him-, and I greedily inhaled against my shoulder. The sound of his steadying breath brought back so many memories, and against my ear his heart was strong and steady. My mind worked on autopilot, and I licked the roof of my mouth before parting my dry, cracked lips.
“Once… upon a time… there were two children- Hansel and Gretel…” I didn’t even have to think about what I was saying; I’d recited this story at least a dozen times before working up the courage to ask James here. Heavily he lifted his arm as I slurred, caressing my bicep resting across his stomach while I told my story.
Tiredness crept up on the edge of my consciousness, but I fought it as best I could to continue. My words started to trail off, and only when the silence registered in my ears did I find the mind to keep going.
“’Ea-a-t… little- little children… hav-ve as much… as you want…’ the witch… the witch…” Unable to stay awake anymore, I only hoped that James had fallen asleep at some point. His steady, slow breaths weren’t recognized in my mind, and my nerves were too frayed to notice his loose grip on my hip.
James
Lounging on a chair in the back porch, I took deep, calming breaths to help block out the muffled screams that leaked through the walls. The poor girl was constantly shrieking like she was dying, and behind my closed eyes, I could picture her. She wasn’t particularly pretty, and I didn’t even know her name; there was nothing remarkable about her that would’ve normally put her in her current position.
Nothing but the fact that she got pregnant by the wrong guy.
Flinging my arm over my face, I ground my teeth together and sunk into the chair with a groan stuck in my throat. Only an hour ago, Frank came up to me asking if I thought it was a good idea to slit the girl’s throat. He just wanted to sever her vocal chords; it wouldn’t do any real damage. She’d been screaming non-stop for two days now, and we were both reaching our breaking point.
A shuffle behind me pulled me from my dark thoughts, and I lifted my arm to watch Frank stomp onto the back porch. He looked like an animal that’d been caged too long, his eyes wild and bright in the darkness of early night. Lighting a cigarette, he took shallow, heaving breaths of toxic air before I tore my gaze off him.
“How long is she going to be like this? I’m doing her a fucking favor getting her clean.” Frank’s growling words wrapped my mind in a vice grip, and I sighed heavily before sitting up. Running my hand through my hair, I tried to ignore the tendrils of viciousness that seeped through my shirt to lick my back.
“She’ll be pregnant for another four months, Frank. Did you ever think she didn’t want this baby or to get clean? She’s a druggie- detoxing is painful. Another day or so and she’ll be fine… Who knows- maybe you’ll even like her when she’s not high.”
Cracking open my eyes, I stared blankly at the ceiling as the vestige of my dream lingered in the edges of my mind. Feeling came slowly, and my eyes flickered down to the ocean of dark blonde hair that splayed across my chest. Caroline’s expression portrayed nothing but peace, and I swiped a heavy hand down my face. Dusky gold poured through the window, warming my skin to the point that it was almost uncomfortable.
“God damnit…” Slowly sliding her arm off me, I was careful not to wake Caroline as I shuffled on stiff muscles. Throwing my legs over the edge of the bed, I shook my head hard to clear my troubled thoughts. Propping my elbows on my knees, my feet bounced against the hardwood as I stared into space.
I had formed the naïve hope that my nightmares had ceased, and I clenched and released my jaw in irritation. Caroline’s invitation had given me a night of darkness; I didn’t dream at all, let alone have a nightmare.
Yet, here she was in front of me, and I couldn’t escape the warzone that was my mind.
“James?” Caroline’s soft, sleepy call pulled me from my thoughts, and I twisted to find her watching me through half sunken lids. “What is it? Did you have a nightmare?”
For a moment I thought about lying, but she sat up sluggishly to scoot flush against my back. Her ample breasts cushioned my shoulder blades, and I leaned into her touch as she wrapped her arms around my torso. Taking a deep breath, I let my head fall back to sigh heavily at the ceiling.
“Sort of… I don’t know. It was about her detox… Frank wanted to slice her vocal chords- the second night in he brought it up… I don’t know why I dreamed of that when he actually did end up doing it two days later.” Caroline yawned in my ear, a feminine, cute sound that loosened some of the knots in my chest. Slowly wrapping her legs around my waist, she rubbed her face against my shoulder like a dog looking for attention. That wasn’t the vibe I felt off her, and I rubbed her calves absently just to feel her smooth skin.
“Progress, not perfection. Your nightmares aren’t going to magically disappear because we hopped into bed together, James. It takes time.” Nodding roughly, I pursed my lips together as I pondered that notion. I was 37 years old, for Christ’s sake- too old to think anything just stops. “Do you want to hea
r the story?”
“No. I’ll be fine.” Smiling even as I declined, I tilted my head to kiss Caroline’s temple. “I should leave soon. I don’t want your dad to shoot me.”
Reluctance seeped into my voice, and Caroline heaved a sigh that flowed down my back to settle against between our hips. I knew her father had at least one gun; any veteran had an unhealthy attachment to his arms. Our guns were our life savers- or, in this case- a daughter’s dignity saver. My smile grew at how young I felt at the fact that I was sneaking out before her dad got home, and she huffed a small laugh before lolling her head back.
“I guess you’re right. It’d suck if two of us were injured.” Amusement colored Caroline’s words, and I dragged my palms up her legs while she flexed her toes. Her lean muscles strained under her skin, and I relished the sensation for a few seconds longer.
“… Maybe next time you can come to my place.” Holding my breath as anticipation swirled in my gut, I didn’t dare blink until Caroline’s soft hum reached my ear.
“You better get me some real food, then. I don’t think I can eat those anymore…” Letting out a tense exhale, I nodded into the growing silence. My fingers crept over Caroline’s ankle brace, but my mind wandered as we sat in a pure kind of stillness.
I’d already started looking into contractors for my cabin remodel; I didn’t want to do anything crazy, but I found it hard to find the words to ask Caroline what she wanted. She lived with her father out of convenience, but she didn’t need to. There was the entire possibility that asking her would put too much pressure on her.
And that was something I wanted to avoid at all costs knowing she was weary from her last relationship.
Did I even want a relationship? Grinding my teeth together at the thought, I glanced at Caroline out of the corner of my eye. Our multitude of late night phone calls, of her ballsy disposition, flashed through my mind’s eye, and I squeezed her feet absently.
“When I get my ankle cleared, do you want to go camping?”
“Sure.” Stiff with unwillingness, I pushed myself to my feet as I answered, and Caroline’s hands slid under my arms heavily. Snatching her bright orange yoga shorts, I rubbed the fabric between my fingers absently before opening my mouth again. “This feels like shit.”
“My pants, or the fact that you’re leaving?” Casting a dumb glance at her, I tossed her shorts into her lap as she smiled flatly. “It has to happen sometime. You can’t just stay here, James. My dad would probably flip his shit if he found you in my room naked. I’m almost 30 years old, but I’m still his baby. If your dad doesn’t go crazy in situations like that, I can’t believe he cares that much.”
A grim upturn of my lips formed between my cheeks, and I grabbed my jeans with an ugly, dark splotch spreading across my chest. It’d only been an hour, maybe, since we fell asleep, and I knew Caroline was right. I couldn’t stay here just because.
That didn’t make leaving her like it’s the morning after any easier, though.
“It would be kinda creepy if I just didn’t leave…” Conceding this battle, I yanked my pants up my legs with rough jerks. “When can I see you again?”
“Whenever.” Lifting up her foot with a slight scowl, Caroline wiggled into her shorts as a chuckle floated up from my throat. She really hated being homebound, and I reached to swipe her toes before she jerked back with a giggle of her own. “I can’t go anywhere, anyway. Maybe if I told my dad you’ll be there, he’d let me do something. I have strange dreams about my camera…”
Laughing hard at that, I fastened my jeans around my waist as I shook my head. The weird part was that I believed Caroline’s bullshitting, and when I glanced up, she was on her feet with a saucy smile plastered on her face. Scanning her body slowly, I licked my lips at the contrast between her dusky brown nipples and lightly tanned skin. Her hourglass figure was enough to make men drool and women turn green, and I wrapped my arms around her waist to kiss her swollen lips.
“I’ll call you.” Murmuring my promise, I leaned back on my heels to push away the guilt in my chest with air. Soft fingertips trailed along my sides, and Caroline’s eyes sparkled brightly up at me.
“You better.”
Caroline
“Dad, don’t be so difficult. You said yourself that you thought James wasn’t that bad. I’m only going for a hike- we’ll be gone for three hours max.” Shouldering my camera bag with excitement swirling in my chest, I couldn’t even find it in me to be frustrated by my father’s little tantrum. Crossing my arms over my chest, my fingers itched to wrap around a tree branch as I peeked outside. James wasn’t supposed to arrive for another 10 minutes, but I was impatient, tapping my foot even while my dad snorted roughly.
“I know you’re antsy to get out of the house, CareBear, but don’t tell me not to be difficult. The guy’s a prick- he was a Marine for fuck’s sake.” Leaning against the arm of the sofa, my dad downright glared at me as if I’d personally attacked his pride. “Your dog was bad enough! Now I have to deal with another one!”
“Dad! Kiki is a great dog!” As if knowing we were arguing about her, Kiki growled lowly, earning a weary grimace from my dad. “You know, I didn’t peg you for a father to nitpick the details. You were both in the armed forces. Who cares if he wasn’t in the Army? You said- you said- that military guys are straight.”
“I said a military guy is the only one trained to deal with your shit, CareBear. There’s a difference. I don’t dislike him as a person, but I don’t like him either. Don’t act like I downright hate the guy. And since we’re on the subject, the fact that that demon dog likes him only makes me more nervous. How can she like him when she doesn’t even like me, huh?”
Narrowing my gaze on my dad, I pursed my lips together as the connections seemed to ignite in my brain. He was hurt that Kiki liked James, and I let my arms fall to take a deep, stabilizing breath. Men like my father were so hard to read sometimes, and I let out a heavy exhale before speaking up.
“You’re my dad, Dad… and I love you. But you shouldn’t get worked up because a Navy dog likes a Navy man. Kiki isn’t like normal dogs- we knew that when we got her. You didn’t have anyone in your platoon that had a combat dog, and for the most part, you don’t like pets at all. It took me 15 years to convince you to let me get a pet.” Taking light steps to him, I wrapped my arms around my dad to hug him tightly. He smelled like he always had; he felt like he always had, and I soaked up his familiarity for a few seconds before pulling away. “I need to do this.”
“Why do you do this to me, huh?” Wrinkles deepened around my dad’s eyes, and he swiped his hand heavily down his face with a groan. “I just don’t want to see you get hurt again, Caroline. I really thought Jason wasn’t that bad, and look what happened.”
Smiling small at the guilt that played on my father’s face, I nodded in understanding as he draped his thick arm around my neck. He really considered Jason a hit, but in the end, it was a miss. I wasn’t sure he would ever forgive himself for misjudging someone so badly, but I had done the exact same thing.
“Dad, hating James isn’t going to accomplish anything. If we fall out, we fall out. There’s nothing you can do about it. This is my decision.” Carefully stepping out of his embrace, I raked my hand through my pony tail as his sigh blustered against my cheeks. Heading back to the window, I peeked outside only to see an empty spot, and I wrapped my fingers around my camera bag strap absently.
“Just- promise me you’ll be careful, CareBear. Okay? Make sure you think long and hard about everything you do.” Just as he finished speaking James’ car pulled up, and I nodded during the short journey to the front door. Smiling over my shoulder, I turned the knob before opening my mouth.
“I promise, Dad. I’ll see you later. Come on, Kiki.” Slipping out of the house, I took a deep, hard breath of fresh air as Kiki bolted for James’ car. It’d been three days since we last saw each other, but just as he promised, James had called me at night. Heading down the walkway, I could
n’t help but smile at the simple fact that his nightmares were beginning to lessen in intensity. Surely, he still had them, and sometimes they would be bad, but at least now he had a bit of a break. Accomplishment blossomed in my chest at the knowledge that I’d helped him, and I glanced down at my strapped ankle to huff.
My doctor had finally given me the all clear to do minimal physical activities, and James had jumped at the chance to go hiking with me. Despite the fact that I knew he liked spending time with me, I had a nagging feeling his cabin was getting lonely.
“You happy to see me or the fact that I’m enabling your dangerous habit?” Grinning at the question as James rounded his car, I wrapped my arms around him to squeeze. His grunt sounded right next to my ear, and I pulled back to adjust my camera strap before opening my mouth.
“A little bit of both, I think.” We weren’t even going anywhere particularly special; there was a small nature reserve just outside the north end of town. Still, it was more than I’d had in a long time, and I shuffled to open the back door so Kiki could hop into the car. “Let’s go!”
Chuckling at my impatience, James opened the passenger door for me before walking around the car to slide into the driver’s seat. He hadn’t bothered to turn off the engine, and he pulled off the curb smoothly a I sat my camera bag in my lap. Truthfully, I wasn’t even sure I would use it, but I couldn’t just leave it behind. Tapping my feet against the floor, I sunk into my seat to take a deep, happy breath.
“Before we go, I wanted to make a stop. Is that okay?” For just a split second I almost shook my head, but I forced myself to nod. James didn’t say anything more, like where we were going, and I stared out the window to watch the suburbs pass us by for a few seconds before opening my mouth.
“We have time. It’s only 11. Where are we going?” Curiosity colored my voice, and I glanced over at James as he adjusted his grip on the wheel. An uncomfortable expression flashed across his face, and I furrowed my brows as a frown tugged at my lips. “Is everything okay?”
