All the Lies We Tell

by M. Skye

  Now, with nothing separating them, he could feel her hesitancy. He couldn’t tell at first because her touches were demanding, but being chest to chest, he could feel her uneven breathing. Pushing the hair behind her ear, he reached behind her, hooking his hands under her ass and lifting her into his arms. Being this close gave him the chance to feel her heated core pressing against him. He felt his pulse race and knew he needed to take action before he was useless in the situation.

  He pulled her sheets back, and they tumbled to the bed. The kisses were getting too heated. He felt himself twitching against her and knew he needed something to slow himself down. Leaving her mouth, he slid down her body, kissing a trail to her center. When he got to her waistline, her head flew from the pillow, and she looked at him breathlessly.

  “You don’t have to, Ty. I mean, we can just . . . I don’t need that.”

  He pushed her back down and stayed in place. “I want to do this. Just trust me.” He knew what this was about. “You don’t have to do it back.” His head disappeared underneath the sheet, and he ran his tongue over her. This was new territory for him, and he hoped he was doing it right. Stroking his tongue over her already-wet folds, he tasted the sweetest thing ever. She moved under him, squeezing her thighs around his face and he knew he was on the right track. He never thought he would like this. Even though the girls he had dated before her did it to him, he never returned the favor. This, with Mia, was special.

  He continued to do what he thought she liked, flicking his tongue over every crease until he felt her body convulsing beneath him. All the while he had been stroking himself, trying to get rid of his first climax. He had heard enough from Terence to know that the first time could go fast if he hadn’t prepared himself, and he didn’t want that as a memory. Everything had to be perfect when Mia was involved. She was everything to him.

  Her hushed moans were music to his ears, and once she stopped moving, he began slow kisses up her body. When he reached her mouth, he stopped short, feeling like she wouldn’t want to kiss him after what he had just done, but she pulled his mouth down and claimed it for her own. Pushing her tongue past his lips, she intensified the kiss. Pulling back, reaching for his shorts, he fished out his wallet and pulled out a condom. Before opening it, he stopped to survey her eyes to make sure she was still game.

  “You ready, baby?”

  “I’m ready.”

  “You know, we can stop whenever—”

  “Ty, come on. I’m not going to stop.”

  He resumed his position between her thighs and kissed her hard. He knew what happened next would be painful for her, so he tried to distract her with his kisses. He traced her entrance with his tip and felt her wetness through the condom. He knew it was going to feel amazing to be inside her, but the pain was going to rip through her, possibly making her want to tap out. He prayed she didn’t, because if he didn’t have her at this point, he might go insane, but he was prepared to do whatever she needed.

  With one hand holding her head to his and one on his erection, he pushed his tip into her. He felt her flinch and dig her nails into his shoulder, and he paused, but she urged him on with her eyes. Her nails were still digging into him as he inched farther and farther until he was completely submerged. He stilled his movements, allowing her to adjust to him, and he watched as the pain flickered across her face. At that moment, he hated himself. He never wanted to hurt her, but he knew it was inevitable. All he could do now was try to make her as comfortable as possible. He remained still until she let up on his shoulder.

  Holding her to him, he whispered into her mouth, “Just relax. I know it hurts, but that will end soon.”

  Making slow movements, he felt her kisses growing stronger. It gave him the confidence he needed to do more. Soon, she started moving with him, and he smiled against her lips. Taking his time, kissing every part of her he could reach, he reveled in the feeling. He was finally having sex, and it was with the girl of his dreams. Actually, he was making love to the girl of his dreams, listening to her moan his name softly, uttering incoherent ramblings, and he was the cause. He was the reason for the pleasure he saw dancing in her deep brown eyes. It made him confident. Confident enough to move his mouth to her nipple.

  Pushing himself in and out of her, holding her hips in his hands, digging his fingernails into her because she felt so good was all he could think of. She had his brain so clouded, he couldn’t even remember his name. All he knew was he loved her, and he was willing to spend the rest of his days making sure she knew that. Feeling himself reach his peak, it all felt bittersweet. He wanted this with her, but he never wanted it to end. She had her hands on his shoulders, pulling him against her, and he lost himself in the sensation.

  He allowed himself a few more strokes before he felt her walls clamping down on him. She was so tight, so wet, and when she got to her peak, he felt himself being pushed out. Gripping her hips, pushing harder, he buried himself as far as he could and rode out wave after wave of pleasure. The throbbing between them caused him to spill out everything his body could handle into the condom. He was glad at that moment he had taken the time to protect them.

  Letting the waves subside, he rolled off her. For the first of what he hoped would be many times, he felt what it was like to miss the feeling of her. He never wanted to leave her body, but he knew she needed time. She needed to recover before they tried that again. Looking down, he saw the red liquid between them and went to move. With her hand on his chest, she held him down. Rubbing circles on her back, he kissed her head, which was now resting on his chest.

  “We will shower in a minute. Right now, just hold me. I just need to be held.”

  He lay quietly until his nerves took over. “Baby, how do you feel?” He was shaken when she remained silent. He hoped he hadn’t made a mistake, that she didn’t regret it. His heart was racing until he felt her palm resting above it.

  “Do I do that?”

  “What?”

  “Make it race like that. Your heart, I mean. Do I make you feel that way?”

  “Every time I see you, my heart races, but after this, baby, it will never be the same. I love you so much, and I always want to feel this way.”

  “I love you too. I’m sorry I didn’t answer your question, but I feel great. I’m sore, but I’ve never felt more loved than I do now. You were so gentle with me, and I can’t imagine it being any better.”

  “Oh, it can get better, but you were perfect, baby. You’re always perfect.”

  “How can you love me the way you do? I swear I don’t deserve you.”

  Tyree never understood why she was so down on herself. She was his angel, perfect in his eyes. She was untouched by any man other than him, and now he had a claim he wasn’t willing to give up. He could now say he was the only one to have her, and he wanted it that way, always. “Mia, baby, you love me enough to be with me, right?”

  She laughed at his question and sat up a little. “Baby, I’m with you right now. I was really with you just a few minutes ago. What is this all about?”

  “Am I who you can see yourself with?”

  “You’re the only one I see myself with. What are you thinking?”

  “Marry me.”

  “Whoa, what? Ty, we’re still in high school. We’re only eighteen. We . . . we’ve only ever been with each other. Are you sure you can be satisfied with just me?”

  “You’re the only woman for me. I know we’re young, but we can make it. We will graduate and go to college just as we planned, but I want you to be mine. I want to be able to call you my wife.” Tyree was on pins and needles waiting for her answer. The longer it stayed silent, the more worried he became. Letting her head rest on his chest, he heard a soft sigh fill the room. “Maybe I was a bit premature. I know I can live with you just being my girl for a while, but at some point—”

  His ramblings were stopped by her lips crashing against his. He grabbed her hair, kissing her harder, and he felt when she pulled back. Even witho
ut looking at her, he could feel her smile. Running her fingers down his chest, she looked him in the eyes. “Yes.”

  “What? What are you saying, baby?”

  “I’ll marry you. I want to be your wife.”

  Tyree had never felt the joy he did at that moment. Pulling her closer, he buried his face in her hair. “God, I love you. We’re going to be happy, and I’ll always be here for you. I promise you will never hurt the way you have been living here.”

  With his statement, something clicked in her, and he saw it. Her happy grin went grim in just a few seconds. “Oh, God. Ty, my dad will never let us get married. He doesn’t even want me dating. What are we going to do?”

  “Just leave that to me. I will talk to your parents and mine. Everything will be fine.”

  They both went and got in the shower, while Tyree contemplated what he was going to say to Richmond and his dad. He knew John wanted him to run the company, but he thought maybe he could postpone it for a while and get settled with Mia. He had no doubt John would understand, because they had been talking about how the right woman could change everything. Tyree just never thought the right woman would find him so quickly. Hell, the right woman found him when he was just a kid.

  After getting out of the shower, Tyree settled into the bed for the night and ran his hands through her hair. He stayed, watching her until she fell asleep, and he kissed her forehead. He watched her and listened to the rain, swearing that for as long as he lived, the sound of the rain would always take him back to this night, the happiest night of his life. The night she agreed to be his forever. He just hoped forever lasted as long as they thought it would.

  “I love you,” Tyree whispered into Mia’s hair. “It’s been fifteen years, and I still love you as much as I did that night. You’re still it for me, baby girl.”

  Her voice was muffled, and he could still hear a trace of sadness. “I love you too. I’m . . . I’m sorry.”

  “You don’t remember, do you?”

  “Remember what?”

  “Our first time, that night, the rain.” He grinned. “Every time I hear the rain, I think of the night we first made love.”

  “You mean the night you asked me to marry you.”

  They were quiet for a few moments with him running his hands down her sides. “It took a lot to get us here. Some of it was bad, but we’re still here. I’m sorry, kitten. I never should have left you the way I did. I wasn’t the man I promised to be all those years ago.”

  He felt a shift in the bed and saw her looking down at him. “You’re who you always promised to be. You protect me, you protect our son, and we would be nothing without you.”

  “Don’t ever do that again. If I lost you, I would fall apart, and our son . . .” He paused, feeling tears well up in his eyes. “He could make it without me, but you’re his hero. I couldn’t be what you are to him. You are the one who makes him who he is. I can’t do that alone.”

  She touched his face. “Baby, when this happened, you were gone, our son was gone, and I was going through some things. I thought I was never going to see either of you again, and I just blamed myself for everything. I sent you away, and if you never came back, it would have been my fault. At first I blamed myself, and then I eventually got around to blaming you. It was a rough patch in my life, and you know I would rather be dead than like my aunt Evelyn.”

  Mia’s aunt Evelyn, Milan’s mother, had struggled for a long time with depression and bipolar disorder and had suffered a mental breakdown. He supposed it may have been passed to her mother, and it could explain the drug usage and possibly Janelle, but he knew Mia had always been terrified to be that way. He knew this, but it still didn’t ease his guilt.

  “I should have been there.”

  She laid her head on his chest, and his arm came around her. “It wasn’t your fault. You’re perfect, sometimes too perfect for me.”

  “I’m not perfect, but I want to be for you.”

  “Just never let me go. No matter what happens, no matter how bad things get, no matter what I might say to you, never let me go. I need you to fight for me with everything you have. Promise me you always will.”

  Tyree wasn’t sure where this was coming from, but he had a feeling there was more he didn’t know. He wanted to say he wouldn’t react badly, but he couldn’t lie to himself. Now, he was feeling terrified of what was to come. He looked out the window into the raging storm and realized it wasn’t the only one brewing. He knew there was something coming their way, but he also knew he loved her enough to do what he could to save them.

  “I promise, kitten. Get some sleep.” He closed his eyes and let her settle on his chest. In a few short moments, he felt her drift off, and he kissed her head. Letting her breathing lull him into a peaceful state, he fell into a dreamless sleep, leaving the problems in his head for another day.

  Chapter Fourteen

  He was nervous. After all this, he was nervous walking into his mother’s house. After all they had been to one another, he still hadn’t had a one-on-one conversation with her after everything came to a head in the restaurant. He knew she would always support him, but he also saw the disappointment in her eyes when it was all said and done. He needed to see where her head was. Only she could make sense of the thoughts clouding his brain.

  Walking in, kicking his shoes off at the door, he searched the front for his mother. She usually greeted him there when she knew he was coming. He had phoned to let her know he was heading over just after he rolled out of bed. He hated leaving Mia so early before they had to be at the office, but he needed to do this. Whatever was going to happen, and he was sure there was something, he knew he needed to be on the best of terms with Karen.

  Walking into the living room, taking a seat, he was soon greeted by Kiyoko, and he offered her a warm smile. “Gran.” He stood, kissing her cheek. He helped her to a seat. “How are you feeling this morning?”

  Kiyoko poured herself a glass of coffee and settled on the couch. “I’m wonderful.” She looked around the room and sighed. “You know, I really love it here. Being in Tokyo was nice, but this”—she waved her hands around—“feels like a home. There is so much love among you.”

  “We love you too, Gran.” Looking at her, he felt horrible. He and his siblings used to go to Tokyo when they were younger, but the older they got, the more sporadic the trips became. After his grandfather died, they were very infrequent until they stopped altogether. Karen still went, but he, Asha, and Miguel had gotten so busy with their jobs, spouses, and children that they hadn’t taken the time to visit. “I’m sorry we didn’t make sure you knew that.”

  The older woman smiled at him, and he saw so much of his mother in her. She was exactly what he thought Karen would be like when she was that age. “Nonsense, son. I know you have your families and your careers and, not to mention, all the barricades your father placed in your way. He made your lives difficult for no reason, and I’m just glad you were able to break free of his hold.”

  “It’s no excuse. We should have looked after you better.”

  “Sweetheart, I talked to your mother every day, and she always kept me updated on what was going on in your lives and sent pictures of the children, who are beautiful, by the way. That son of yours is really impressive. He’s smart and so polite. He thinks the world of you.”

  “You can thank Mia for that. No matter what we have going on, she always does whatever it takes to make sure things are stable for him. She is amazing.”

  Kiyoko grinned. “She is a beautiful woman, and I agree, she is wonderful with him, but he is also who he is because of you. He sees you, how you take care of your family, how you take care of the business, and you treat his mother like a queen. He said you always put a smile on her face, and if that child wants nothing else in this world, he wants his mother to be happy. He says you make that possible.”

  “I’m not always the best at it, but I try. I just . . .” He ran a hand over his face and stood. “I’m sorry. I
know this isn’t what you wanted to hear this early in the morning. Mom usually gives me these marathon talks, and that’s what I came here for today.”

  Kiyoko grabbed his hand and pulled him back to the couch. “I would love to listen to whatever you have to say. You can talk to me. I may not be as good as your mother in the advice department, but I would love to try.”

  “Thanks, Gran.” He relaxed and fixed himself a cup of coffee. “You know we divorced five years ago, and it was the hardest time of my life, but we got back together. I swear I love that girl more now than I ever have before, and we’re happy, but there’s just something in the back of my mind telling me not to get comfortable. Something always comes along and pushes us apart.”

  He saw the understanding wash over her, and she nodded. “You know what it’s like to not have her. Can you say you will be okay if that happens again?”

  “I wouldn’t make it. Mia and Kyan are my life, and even if she told me she didn’t want me anymore, I wouldn’t let it stand. If I had to, I would stand on her doorstep every night until she took me back.”

  “She’s a lucky girl. If your love for her is that strong, then there shouldn’t be anything to keep you from being with her. You’ve made it through so many obstacles, and you still have that fire burning in your eyes when you speak about her.” She grabbed his hand. “You see, this passion that I see in you about your family, I never saw in your father.”

  Tyree’s mood changed at the mention of John. He hadn’t discussed him with anyone in over two years, and he knew he needed to release some things. “I hate him, you know. I know it’s wrong, and you and Grandpa always taught us to love, but I hate him. I don’t want to end up being like him.” He had never admitted he was afraid that one day he would wake up and decide his family was no longer important. He already felt himself becoming an angrier person with each passing day, and if this had been a few years ago, he would have never gotten into that fight with Jake. He felt his hands tremble and saw the tears streaking her cheeks.