by Skye Moon
“Well if you’re done with that sappy ass bullshit,” Casimir snorted. “Can we get to the movie? We’ll deal with Dani and her fake ass boyfriend on Sunday.”
“I swear, Mama should have dropped your ass off on the hospital steps when you were born, then maybe you’d have some act right.”
“Dani, baby, the water.” Her father’s baritone rumbled. Coming out of her daze, Dani stopped pouring just before the overflow spilled all over the table.
“Shoot,” she kissed her teeth, carefully picking up the glass to pour some of it out in the kitchen sink. To say that she was nervous was an understatement. No matter how many times Tucker tried to assure her that he was okay with coming to dinner, she was still terrified for him to meet her family.
She didn’t want them pressing him about what their friendship was or wasn’t, or run him off. Danica spent days trying to get out of it, but Tucker, nor her family, were backing down. Dinner was happening, and there was nothing she could do about it.
“You’re so cute,” Miesh commented, bumping Danica’s shoulder with hers as the two headed back to the dining room.
“Puppies are cute,” Danica replied harshly. “What I am, is sweating like a whore in church. I promise you I’m two shakes away from up and disappearing out of the back door.”
“Why are you making such a big deal out of this? You like him, so I’m sure we will too. Mama and Daddy see him at the cookout almost every year anyway.”
“Saying hi and bye is a long stretch from having dinner with one another, and they’re not who I’m worried about. Cas…”
“Don’t be in here talking about me behind my back,” his voice boomed as he entered the dining room. “You gon’ talk shit, then say it to my face.”
“Boy, shut up,” Danica stuck her tongue out in his direction. “Ain’t nobody scared of you.”
“I see you ain’t talking about me anymore.”
“What she was saying was, she’s scared your ignorant ass is gonna run Tucker off, because you don’t know how to act,” Miesha revealed, placing the plates on the designated mats while Danica nodded.
“Exactly.” She agreed.
Dropping the silverware he was holding, Casimir placed a hand on his chest. “Wow, sis, I’m hurt. I can’t believe you think so little of me.”
“Cas, you…” Danica was interrupted by the ringing doorbell, and her heart quickly began hammering in her chest.
“Showtime,” he sang, darting out of the dining room.
“Cas, no! I-”
“Aht, aht, aht,” her mom caught her at the door and turned her back around. “Let the man come to you.”
“But, Mama, Cas…”
“Your father will take care of it.” Leanne chuckled gently. “Sheesh, you are a ball of nerves. You must really like this one.”
“You didn’t hear, Mama?” Miesha smirked teasingly. “Dani is in loveeeeee.”
Danica gently smacked her hand on the table. “If you or Casimir even think about embarrassing me, I promise you that I will kill you and sleep like a baby aft…”
“Hey, hey,” her father called, stepping into the room. “I found a stray at the front door. Does he belong to anybody in this room?”
“Daddy, please don’t call people strays,” Danica whined. When her eyes fell on Tucker, she had to work hard to control her breathing. Especially when he flashed her with his signature smile and a wink.
“Ignore my husband, please.” Leanne said with a smile. “He doesn’t get out much. And welcome to our home.”
“I appreciate it, Mrs. White.”
“Don’t be apologizing for me,” Danica’s father said, leaning up against the wall. “The boy knows I’m just joking. If it wasn’t for him, my baby probably wouldn’t be standing here. If you ask me, she couldn’t have found a better boyfriend to bring home.”
“Daddy, quit it. We are not dating. We’re just friends.”
“Is friends slang for hunching?” He replied seriously, folding his arms over his chest.
Miesha and Casimir both fell out laughing as Leanne gasped. “Harold, I think it’s time for you to wash your hands and help me get the food out of this kitchen.”
“What?” His eyes widened. “I ain’t said nothing wrong. If they being nasty…”
“IN THE KITCHEN NOW.” She shouted, grabbing his arm and dragging him out of the room.
Mortified, Danica pressed a hand against her forehead. “Oh my God, I cannot believe him.”
Chuckling deeply, Tucker wrapped her up in his arms and placed a kiss against her temple. “Don’t sweat it, Pops is cool.”
“Mmhm, he’s cool until it’s Christmas time and he’s fucking up your hardwood floor doing some funky ass two-step.” Miesha rolled her eyes.
Casimir laughed. “Are you ever going to let that shit go?”
“Hell no, and while we’re on the subject, you still owe me money for breaking my damn…”
Taking Tucker’s hand in hers, Danica led him out of the room and through the foyer to the patio doors that led to the back porch. Sliding the door open, she stepped outside, gesturing for him to follow.
“I’m so sorry about them.” She apologized as soon as the door was closed. “It’s like they’re programmed to act an ass whenever company comes around.”
“Your family is cool, Dani bae,” Tucker smiled, leaning up against the railing that lined the porch. “I wish I had a big family. It’s just me and my mama.”
“Do you see her often?”
“Nah, she moved away not too long after I joined the academy. I talk to her almost every day, but my work schedule makes it almost impossible for me to visit as much as I want to.”
“Well we need to add that to your to-do list sometime soon. Life is short, and you should spend as much of it as you can with the people that you love.”
He opened his mouth to respond, when the door came flying open.
“Uh huh, caught y’all asses, didn’t I?” Harold questioned excitedly.
“Oh my God,” Danica groaned. “Please come inside so we can get this over with and I promise to never subject you to them again.”
“I told you they’re cool, stop stressing. And you should know by now that I’d follow you anywhere, so lead the way.”
“Goddamn, I like this boy,” Harold clapped Tucker on the shoulder as the two passed by him.
“If there’s a God in heaven, he’ll take me out right now.” Danica murmured to herself, leading Tucker back into the dining room, and praying that her family didn’t embarrass her more than they already had.
“I’m almost afraid to ask what you thought of dinner,” Danica giggled, taking a swig from her bottle. As usual, she and Tucker’s evening ended on her couch with a couple of beers.
“I had a good time and your family’s dope. I don’t know what you were so nervous about.”
“As much as I love them, they can be overbearing at times and I didn’t want it to be too much for you. We’re still getting to know each other, but I kind of like having you around.” She admitted with a shy smile.
“Like?” Tucker raised the beer to his lips, cutting his eyes in her direction. “Please, you love having me around.”
“Not as much as you love having me around.” Danica countered, propping an elbow up on the back of the couch, resting her hand in her palm.
“I can’t argue with you on that one.” He shrugged. “Sometimes, I feel selfish. I know I barged in your life and started taking up all your time, but I don’t know if I can function normally without this friendship we have anymore. Something about you just silences all the noise in my head.”
“I know the feeling.”
Tucker grew quiet for a moment, and Danica noted the way his eyes lost focus as if he were in another space of time.
“I wasn’t supposed to be at the fire that night,” he began talking, and her chest tightened. Danica held her breath, too afraid to make even the smallest amount of noise that would deter him from revealing
what seemed to be his darkest secret. “Another fire station needed help, and I was in the area, so I volunteered. The team on the scene swept through the house, but I guess Charlotte was too afraid to say anything, because she didn’t call out for help when they were inside.”
Leaning forward, Tucker placed his beer on the living room table and rested his elbows on top of his thighs, running both hands down his face.
“I don’t know how the hell I spied her in that window. Back then I thought it was the grace of God, but the way her face has been plaguing me ever since, I don’t know. The way the fire was burning, we needed to get to her quickly before the floor flashed. I called for a ladder and hopped on without thinking twice. All I needed to do was break the glass and snatch her out, but before I was more than halfway up…”
He broke off, and Danica’s heart broke into pieces when he sat back on the couch with tears running down his face. “My mind replays that day every single night. What would have happened if they didn’t miss her in the house during the first sweep? Why wasn’t I fast enough to get to the window? Why the fuck did her parents feel like it was okay to leave her in the house by her damn self?”
“Listen to me,” Danica hissed, straddling his lap and cupping his face in her hands. The emotional response Tucker pulled from her was so intense that her eyes filled with tears for him. “I’ve seen you in action, and I know how hard you would push to save whoever you could. Things ended badly that day, but don’t you dare blame yourself for something beyond your control.”
“She was four, Dani,” he said, his usual deep voice cracked with the amount of pain it was holding. “Four.”
“I’m sorry.” Her tears spilled over as she pressed her forehead against his. “I’m so sorry that you couldn’t save her. But you have to let this guilt go.”
Bringing his hands to her back, Tucker embraced her tightly, and Danica let him. She could feel every emotion coursing through him, and refused to shy away from it. Whatever it was that he was getting from her in that moment, Danica knew he desperately needed it.
“I can’t,” he declared, gripping her shirt.
Instead of responding, Danica went off instinct, and pressed her lips against his. What started out as a series of pecks quickly intensified. His kisses were hard, filled with a burning need that she felt deep in her soul.
Easily maintaining her weight while pulling himself up from the couch, Tucker carried her back to where he knew her bedroom was. The raw need to become acquainted with one another in a way that would satisfy the broken pieces of each of them, led to Danica and Tucker feverishly undressing each other as their tongue danced.
Laid out in the middle of her bed in all her naked glory, Danica licked her lips as he stood in front of her. Seeing his full body in person had nothing on the thought or two she’d had about it since meeting him.
Her eyes dropped down to the heaviness between his thighs, and her stomach curled at the dark, veiny length, standing straight up at attention. Scooting to the edge of the bed, she pushed her hands from his hips up to his abdomen, burying him between her cheeks.
Tucker’s grunt of appreciation pulled a moan out of her as the tip of his dick tickled the back of her throat. Sucking sounds filled the room as she slurped, licked, and sucked every part of him that her tongue and lips could reach.
“Ahhh, shit,” he hissed, tangling his fingers in her hair.
Pausing her assault, she licked her glossy lips and smirked up at him. “I don’t think I’ve ever told you how much I love chocolate.”
“Show me then,” Tucker demanded, guiding his dick back to her lips.
Danica’s head bobbed up and down as she pleasured him, turning herself on even more in the process. Cupping his balls in his hand, Danica massaged him gently, increasing her motions as he went rigid in her mouth.
Pulling back, she wrapped a hand around his shaft, pumping fiercely, while snaking her tongue around his tip. Wrapping her lips around the mushroomed head, Danica gazed up at Tucker, continuing to jerk him off until his head fell back and he was releasing down her throat.
Drinking all of him, she continued her motions until he was empty. When he lifted his head again, his eyes were dark. She was in trouble, and she reveled in every second of it.
“Scoot back,” Tucker commanded, eyeing Danica lustfully. She did so with no hesitation, and he placed one knee on the bed while reaching between her legs to push her thighs apart. The way her glistening lips winked back at him had his dick hard again in no time at all.
Hooking her thighs in the crook of his arms, he pulled her down until she was exactly where he needed her to be. With his hands on her hips to keep her in place, Tucker allowed the tip of his tongue to fall out of his mouth and brush up against her clit.
Danica jumped lightly, making him smile before he went in again.
“Oh fuck.” Danica’s whimpers were like music to his ears as he dragged his tongue all over her leaking pussy. Plunging inside, his tongue massaged every crevice that he could reach. Pushing one of her thighs higher, he brushed his thumb up against her clit in circling motions, while his tongue fucked her soaking hole. “Mmmh, shit!” She cried out as he rapidly shook his head back and forth to create a vibrating motion.
Pulling his tongue out of her, Tucker sucked on her swollen bud and slipped a finger inside to continue his mission of pushing her over the edge. Her hands gripped the sheets, and she grinded wildly against his face.
“D-don’t stop,” she begged breathlessly. “Please! Oh my God!”
The satisfaction Tucker received from the way her body shook underneath him was indescribable. Without bothering to give her time to recover, he pulled himself away from his meal and stuffed himself inside of her still creaming center.
Pinning her hands above her head he pumped in and out of her with a vengeance. After years of feeling dead inside, Danica had come along and made him feel something again. He wasn’t sure what it was, but he didn’t mind digging deep inside of her to find it.
Slowing down his pace, Tucker placed gentle kisses all over her face. The way she fit him like a glove made him feel as if he were in heaven.
“You feel so good,” her words mirrored his thoughts as they shared another kiss. His tongue brushed up against hers, sending jolts of electricity through his body.
“Dani bae.” He rasped against her lips, grunting as her juicy walls spasmed around his length. “What the fuck this pussy doing to me? Goddamn.”
The emotional climate in the room was high as Tucker continued to stake his claim on her. Letting go of her hands, he reached up to grip the headboard, feeling like it would break underneath his grip.
The sounds of him invading her wetness was sending him over the edge, and the way she cried his name as he fucked another orgasm out of her wasn’t helping.
“Ohhhhhh, shit,” Tucker shuddered, biting his lip. “I’m bout to come.”
“I wanna taste it,” Danica announced, licking her lips seductively.
Snatching himself out of her, Tucker sat back and wrapped a hand around his dick to finish himself off. “Shit,” he grunted as his nuts tightened up. “Come get it, bae.”
Pushing herself up on her knees, Danica moaned and lapped at the head of his dick as his seeds spilled all over her tongue and lips. Licking them clean, she sucked him all the way into her mouth to ensure that she drained him of every drop.
Gripping her hair at the root, Tucker snatched her head back and kissed her nastily, sucking on both her tongue and lips. He was hooked on her, and didn’t have a problem admitting it. One hit wasn’t enough. The better part of the night was spent exploring ways to make her body shake and cream. Only after she’d begged and pleaded that she couldn’t take anymore did he relent.
The two made a complete mess of her bedroom, and the gentleman in him wouldn’t allow him to let her clean it up on her own. From the shower, to helping her change the sheets and remake the bed, Tucker’s was glued to Dani’s side.
&nbs
p; Any excuse he could find to touch her, he accepted it with no hesitation. It was nearly dawn by the time they finally ended their night wrapped up with one another in her bed. He was thankful that he had another full day off work, knowing there was no way he’d make it through a shift after everything she’d put on him.
Glancing down at her, Tucker didn’t bother to try and hide the smile on his face at the sight of her knocked out, mouth slightly ajar as she snored quietly. For once, he was completely at peace, the demons inside of him were quiet, and he was looking forward to getting in a good round of sleep.
However, there was something nagging at his brain. It wasn’t going to allow him to rest until he followed through with the plan. Untangling himself from Danica’s body, he reached for his phone and composed a message that he should have sent a long time ago.
Hitting send, Tucker finally relaxed and cuddled up to the woman that somehow managed to calm his heart, and drifted off to sleep.
Chapter 10
“I can’t believe you took your ass all the way up there and didn’t take anybody with you. Are you crazy?” Miesha fussed on the other end of the phone.
“Excuse me, the last time I checked I only had one mother,” Danica giggled, parking her car in the cemetery and grabbing the flowers from the passenger side of the car. “And she and my father both know where I am.”
“Okay, but that doesn’t have anything to do with me. You don’t need to be there on your own.”
“Yes, I do.” Danica assured her. “This is something that I have to do for myself.”
“Did you tell Tucker?”
“Yes, and he was all for it.”
“Girl, I need whatever prayer it was that you used to find that man, because he’s the closest thing to perfect. He even has Daddy on his side, and that’s next to damn impossible.”
“No, it’s impossible to get Daddy to like any of those bums that you bring around, because they’re exactly that, bums.”
“You know what, I don’t have to take this abuse, goodbye, hoe.”
