SEAL'd Heart

by Alice Ward

  “Hey!” I yelled.

  Seth silenced me with one hand against my mouth as the other held my wrists. His legs were on both sides of me, his full weight pressing down against my hips. His palm ran down my chin and throat, across my breasts. A hard smack hit one nipple, making it sting.

  I arched my back, wanting more. Seth slapped my other breast, a cocky smirk on his face.

  “Don’t look so pleased with yourself,” I countered.

  “Shh,” he whispered, covering my mouth with his hand once more.

  I opened my lips wide and licked the salt from his palm, enjoying the taste. He rolled on a condom, then guided his length toward my opening.

  He hit me with a new force, driving fast into me. The mattress shook, bouncing, as Seth buried himself inside of me. Deeper and deeper he went, and I cried out from pain as much as pleasure. His hand on my wrists and the other on my mouth excited me in a way I’d never experienced. Sweat gleamed on his face, on his eyebrows that were pushed together in concentration, and ran down in little rivulets between his muscles. My tongue ached to lick the moistness from him, to feel each inch of him on my mouth.

  Taking his hand from my lips, he pushed my legs open wider and hoisted one up. His length hit me with a new force, shooting pleasure through me. My nails clutched at the sheet above my head as an orgasm rippled through me.

  Seth smirked above me, pleased by what he had accomplished. Drawing himself out of me, he grabbed my hips and hauled me up. I went gasping, my legs still shaking from pleasure. Turning me around until my rear was to him, he edged my legs open with his knee. I obeyed willingly, planting myself on my hands and knees. His hand twisted in my hair, winding my locks into a ball. Seth tugged, making my head crane back.

  He pushed into me with his usual force, burying his length inside of me. Labored breathing filled the room. A hard smack on my ass took me by surprise. I jerked, but couldn’t go anywhere thanks to the tight grip Seth had on my hair. Again and again, Seth spanked me, each one harder than the last, the whole time driving into me as deep as he could.

  I held onto the sheets, my legs shaking so hard it seemed they would buckle any minute. My ass screamed in pain as Seth hit it once more and I opened my mouth to tell him to stop, but couldn’t. Each slap brought pain but also pleasure, and as he continued to fuck me, the pleasure took over.

  Another orgasm shook me, making me collapse onto my stomach. Seth came down with me, still driving into me. His fingertips bit into my scalp as he pushed deep into me, groaning as he let go inside of me.

  We laid panting, him on top of me, sweat sticking us together. Seth lightly massaged my head with his fingers, slowly pulling them out of my hair to run them along my neck and shoulder. He gave my upper back a small kiss before gingerly pulling away from me and collapsing in a sitting position on his side of the bed, his back pressed against the headboard. He wiped sweat from his brow and panted up at the ceiling, then catching my eye, he winked.

  I smirked. He’d had his way, and it had been amazing for both of us. I was tired of letting Seth always take the reins, though. A part of me craved the old upper hand I always used to have in bed.

  Slithering along the sheets, I pulled myself over to him. I ran my fingers in a light touch along his leg and up the inside of his thigh. He jerked as I got close to his groin.

  I kept going, running my hand tantalizingly close to where he was now most sensitive.

  A little noise left Seth’s mouth, and he reached down to grab my hand. I locked my other hand on top of his and moved his arm over and onto the sheets.

  Seth chuckled lightly, amused by my tactics.

  Ever so slightly, I ran my fingers over the length of his dick.

  A sharp hiss pushed from between his clenched teeth. “Don’t.”

  I just shook my head at him. No way was I backing down. I knew what I wanted, and I was going to get it. The sweet taste of power had been eluding me in our relationship. I was ready to get it back, if only for a moment.

  His hand on the sheets jerked again, and I pressed my own against it, keeping it pinned right where it was. I kept running my free fingers along his length, giving it the lightest touch possible. Already he was growing hard, the eagerness pumping back into him. Soon his dick pulsed in my hand, thick and ready. Stroking the shaft, I lowered my lips to the tip and took him full in my mouth.

  Seth groaned and pushed his hips against my face. Cradling his base, I sucked back up his length and ran my tongue over and over his tip. Seth grabbed my head with both hands, using my hair to hold on tight. He grew larger in my mouth, pressing against the grooves of my teeth and the edges of my tongue.

  I sucked harder, putting more pressure on him. The way he pushed into me, the way his breathing quickened, told me he was getting closer and closer to the edge of release. I slowed down, bringing him back from relief. He groaned and muttered something about my being a tease.

  Pleased with the upper hand I’d finally achieved again, I switched up the pace, bringing it down slower then taking it faster, then reversing things all over again. I took his whole length in my mouth, pressing its tip against my throat. His delicious taste filled me up, making me feel that I would never be able to get enough of him.

  When he burst, he clutched my shoulder and groaned my name. The sound sent tingles of joy through me, giving me a new fever. All I wanted to do was touch Seth, again and again in a million different ways. I wanted to touch him in ways a woman had never even thought to touch a man. I wanted to unearth secrets of his body that were foreign to even him.

  But for now, my shoulders were tight and sore, my neck aching. I sat up straight and stretched my arms above my head, unable to keep the wide smile from my face.

  Seth grinned at me. “Nice job. You’re about to be late for work, though.”

  “Huh?” My head whipped to find the time on my bedside clock.

  “Shit,” I hissed, crawling to get out of bed. My legs caught in the sheets and I fell to the floor, collapsing with my legs bound together.

  Seth laughed out loud, enjoying the sight. As I fumbled to stand up, Starlet came to the doorway and peeked in, confused at the commotion.

  “Shit, shit, shit,” I sang, shucking the sheets. I ripped my closet door open and yanked the closest dress down, then snatched up a pair of heels from the shoe rack.

  “Can you feed Starlet?” I asked over my shoulder as I shimmied into my dress.

  “Uh-huh.”

  “And take her out?”

  “Uh-huh.”

  “And take her to doggy daycare?”

  “Yep.”

  “And lock up?”

  “Sure thing.”

  One heel on. The other… wait. Shit. These were the pair that were a size too big but that I — for some reason — kept. Off came the heels. I dove back into the closet to retrieve another pair. After ducking into the bathroom to run a brush through my hair, I ran for the stairs.

  “Sorry! I’ll see you tonight!” I flew through the bedroom doorway and hit the hall.

  “Quinn!”

  Skidding to a stop, I turned and ran back for the doorway, where I had to cling to the frame to hold myself up. “Yeah?” I gasped.

  Seth laid where I had left him, his hands hooked behind his head. “I love you.”

  My heart swelled, all the stress of the last few minutes gone. “I love you too,” I nearly sang.

  A glitter rainbow followed me to work.

  Somehow I made it to the office on time. The day only continued to improve. Tasks flew by and everything seemed easy. All my staff was on point, and I couldn’t stop smiling and congratulating them for doing such a great job. The meetings with clients went smoothly. Even the coffee Stephanie brought me tasted much better than it usually did, and I told her to tip the barista double next time.

  Seth met me at my house after work; we cooked dinner and went for a nude swim in the pool. We fell asleep on the couch, then woke in the middle of the night and stayed up way too l
ate getting frisky.

  But somehow I wasn’t tired in the morning. I was more invigorated than I’d ever been. I was alive in a way I didn’t think a person could be.

  The week continued to get even better. I wrapped up the Stafford Scientific project and my time freed up. Everything was falling into place. Seth and I had dinner together nearly every evening, spent each night sleeping over, and cooked breakfast together in the mornings. Starlet got used to having him around on a regular basis, her little tail wagging like crazy whenever I said his name.

  My co-workers noticed something had changed in my life. They commented that I “glowed” and “looked good.” My friends made fun of me constantly for becoming a woman with a boyfriend. The man selling newspapers around the corner from my office told me I looked “in love.”

  He was spot on.

  Two weeks flew by. I had to work to think about anything other than Seth. He occupied my mind every hour of each day. This used to scare me; now it invigorated me.

  But I wasn’t being idealistic. Things wouldn’t feel perfect forever. Our relationship would change and grow. It would meet challenges just like every other one did. But until then I was going to ride the high for as long as I could. It was the first time in my life I had relinquished control and jumped on the roller coaster. I wasn’t about to ask to get off it early.

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  On the Friday evening, almost two weeks after our fight and ensuing make up, Seth took me out to a new Ethiopian restaurant near Lincoln Square. We settled into a small table for two near the window. I set my clutch down on the white tablecloth and picked up the menu.

  “I’m going to go wash my hands,” Seth said, getting up.

  “All right.” I smiled at him over the menu and he grinned back.

  Every time I set my eyes on him, my stomach did a flip. Every. Single. Time.

  I perused the menu, studying the vegetarian and chicken selections. The dimly lit restaurant was getting into its rush hour. White apron clad servers hurried about, tending to couples and small groups of friends in hushed tones. On the other side of the window, headlights shone, making the leftover water drops from a summer shower glow.

  The whole world was pristine and perfect.

  Deciding I’d just ask the server what they recommended, I set the menu down and folded my hands on the table. Something buzzed. Seth had left his phone on the other side of the table. Its screen lit up, ringing away.

  I looked around me, thinking I’d reach over and shut the phone off so it wouldn’t bother other diners, but no one seemed to notice.

  “What did I miss?” Seth appeared over my shoulder.

  “Your phone just rang.”

  “Oh. Sorry.” He sat down and looked at the screen. “My mother,” he explained.

  I couldn’t help but smile. “That’s sweet. What do you think she wanted?”

  He nodded. “She calls every once in a while to check in.”

  “You can call her back if you want. The server hasn’t even come over yet.”

  Seth waved the offer away. “No, it’s fine. What are you having?”

  “I don’t know. I’ve never had Ethiopian. I was thinking I’d take a suggestion from the waiter.”

  His phone began ringing again. He grabbed it from the table then silenced it and put it in his pocket.

  “Seth,” I slowly said. “Maybe it’s important.”

  He looked uncertain.

  A tall waiter came over. “Good evening,” he said in a smooth voice. “How are you doing tonight?”

  We ordered drinks and entrees, then the server took our menus and left. Seth rubbed the back of his neck and looked out the window. He was avoiding looking at me. Was he worried about his mother?

  “Just go call her,” I said, a slight sharpness to my words.

  His eyes flicked toward mine. “All right. Fine. I’ll be right back.”

  He cleared his throat and went across the dining room and into the hallway leading to the kitchen and bathrooms. I studied my bracelets while I waited, sliding the thin bangles up and down my wrists. Seth was too far away for me to overhear his conversation, and though I knew that was a serious moral transgression, I couldn’t help my curiosity. Seth’s mother might as well have been a ghost or someone off the page of a history book. He never talked about her. I knew she lived north of Chicago, but that was about it.

  After a few minutes, Seth came back.

  “Is everything all right?” I questioned.

  He nodded. “Yeah… no.” He shook his head. “The water pipes burst in the basement, and the house is flooded.”

  “Oh my God. That sucks.”

  “Yeah.”

  “Why did she call you? Does she need some place to stay?”

  “No, the upstairs is fine. She just, ah, needs my help clearing the stuff out of the basement.”

  “When are you gonna go?”

  He looked at me and hesitated.

  “You are going to go, right?”

  “Of course I am. I just have to figure out when.”

  “Well, the stuff is probably sitting there getting ruined. What’s down in the basement?”

  He shrugged. “A lot of boxes. Some furniture.”

  “You can go now. Let’s just cancel the order. I’ll come with you.”

  I sat up straighter and looked for our waiter. Seth’s hand came across the table to lock down on my wrist. “No. That’s fine, Quinn.”

  “But your mom’s stuff...”

  He nodded. “I’ll go tonight. But let’s just have dinner first. I don’t want to ruin the evening for you. Plus, I’m starving.”

  “Okay,” I conceded. “It sounds like you’ve got your work cut out for you.”

  “I do,” he huffed.

  “I can help. I don’t have to go to the office this weekend.”

  His smile was tight. Forced. “No, I can’t ask you to do that.”

  “We could drive up there and get it done all in one day.”

  Seth took a sip of water and shook his head. “Really. It’s fine.”

  I stared at him. “Seth...”

  Seth’s lips pressed together. “All right… okay. Let’s go.”

  It was ridiculous how relieved I was. “Great.”

  “But you don’t have to.”

  “I just told you I want to.”

  He slowly nodded. “Okay… I’ll text her and let her know we’ll be there tonight.”

  I tried to rush through dinner, but Seth took his sweet time, eating at a glacial pace and then ordering a second drink that he barely touched.

  Leaving the restaurant, we swung by my house to pick up Starlet.

  “I guess I should pack a bag,” I said, unlocking the front door.

  “Yeah, we’ll stay in a hotel. I don’t want to burden her with guests. Let’s just get there and assess the damage. Maybe we can get it all done tonight.”

  “Sounds good.”

  I tossed the necessary stuff for one overnight stay into a bag and packed Starlet some dog food for the next morning. We climbed into Seth’s Jeep and set off.

  “She doesn’t have anyone to help her out with this,” Seth said, keeping his eyes on the road.

  “I’m glad we can go then.”

  “She has friends, but they’re all… older women.”

  “Makes sense.” I scratched behind Starlet’s ear.

  “Since she and my dad got divorced...” He trailed off.

  I looked at him with interest. “Yeah?”

  He shrugged. “Nothing. She just doesn’t have a lot of people around.” He glanced over at me. “Thank you.”

  I smiled slightly at him. “You don’t even have to thank me. It’s what I want to do.”

  The drive took almost two hours. By the time we entered a quiet neighborhood of brick ranch houses interspersed with old fashioned two story white clapboard homes, it was nearly ten o’clock.

  Seth pulled into the driveway of a two-story brick house. Solar lights plac
ed along the front walkway lit up a rose garden and ceramic gnomes.

  “Gnomes,” I commented. “Cute.”

  Starlet woke as the engine cut off. She stood in my lap, stretching her back legs and looking around in interest.

  Seth didn’t unbuckle himself or open his car door. “Maybe I should go in first.”

  “Huh?”

  “Just to see what the damage is.”

  I stared at him. He wasn’t making any sense. “I think I can handle it.”

  “Never mind,” he said quickly. “Let’s go.”

  He got out of the car and came around to open my door for me. Starlet jumped down onto the pavement and ran for the grass to relieve herself. Seth took the lead, walking up the drive.

  “Come on, girl,” I told Starlet.

  Instead of knocking, Seth opened the front door and went right in. “Mom! We’re here.”

  Anxiety seized me. I’m meeting a boyfriend’s mother. This kind of event wasn’t exactly a regular thing in my life.

  I followed him down a carpeted hallway, rooms went off to the left and the right, shrouded in darkness. A well-lit staircase pricked at my curiosity. I peered around in interest at the place Seth had grown up.

  “In here!” A thin, blonde woman appeared from one of the rooms at the end of the hall. She smiled at the sight of us. “Hello.” Her eyes fell on me. “Thank you for coming.”

  I stepped forward. “Oh, it’s no problem. I’m happy to help.”

  Seth spoke up. “Mom, this is Quinn. Quinn, this is my mother, Ellen.”

  We shook hands. “Nice to meet you,” I said.

  “So what’s the damage?” Seth asked so quickly his words nearly cut into mine.

  His mother sighed heavily. “Well, the water is all gone now, and I got the boxes out that I could manage, but that darn couch is still down there, and there are those big boxes on the shelf. They didn’t get wet, but I’m worried about the dampness. You know, there’s the one with all the pictures from—”

  “Let’s get started,” Seth interrupted. “So we can save everything.” He put his hand on Ellen’s shoulder and turned her around.