Tussle

by Jacob Chance

  “Yep and his contracting one.”

  “What did you see in him that made you want to invest?”

  “We grew up together. I met him when my family came here on vacation. Every year my parents would bring us back for one week in August and Silas and I would raise hell.” Smiling at the memories, he continues, “he was my wing man during our teen years and we went to the same college; even joined the same frat.”

  “Was he surprised when you left to pursue professional wrestling?”

  “Nope.” He shakes his head. “He knew it was my goal and he encouraged me to go for it when everyone else told me I was crazy, and it was a pipe dream. My parents wanted me to take an internship right out of school and be a responsible adult. That’s why I invested in his company. He helped me achieve my dream and I want the same for him.”

  “Sounds like you guys have a great friendship. I’m glad you took his advice, or we wouldn’t have met.”

  “We would have met somehow.”

  “No way. You’re the kind of guy I’d avoid. Never in a million years did I think I’d end up with a bad boy wrestler,” I scoff.

  “Please, I’m more like a tame lion these days,” he growls, playfully biting my neck.

  “Would that make me your lion tamer?”

  “I feel like there’s so much I don’t know about you still,” I mention as we walk along the beach, our feet sinking into the cool, wet sand, our fingers tightly slotted. The tide’s receded and the sky is painted with vivid pink and purple splashes, remnants of the breathtaking sunset we watched as we ate our dinner at the table on Jesse’s back deck.

  “What do you want to know? I’ll answer all your questions.”

  “What’s your favorite color?”

  “Blue. What’s yours?”

  “Black and don’t say it’s not a color. It is.”

  “I didn’t say a thing.” He flashes me a look of innocence.

  “How long do you want to wrestle for?”

  “I want to be doing what I am until I’m an old man, but I know I’m lucky if I have another ten to fifteen years left at this level. What about you? Do you want to work for the family business or branch out on your own?”

  “I’ll stay at WCW. It’s always been my plan and since I’m an only child and my cousins want nothing to do with it, someday I’ll be running it.”

  “I have a feeling that someday might be a long way off. I don’t see your dad giving up control any time soon.”

  “Nope, he won’t. And when he finally does, he’ll go out kicking and screaming in protest. My mom will have to force him into retirement.”

  “If you could live anywhere in the world where would it be?” He inquires.

  “I don’t know. I love my house, but I always imagined myself living near the water. What about you?”

  “I’m not planning on living in the city much longer. I have a reason to move out of there now.” He looks over at me and winks. “When I retire from wrestling, I plan on moving here. I’ll live out my days fishing, breathing in the fresh air and never get tired of this view.”

  “It sounds amazing,” I sigh. I want to imagine we’ll still be together.

  “It will be, and you’ll be right next to me.”

  “How can you be so sure about us? Don’t you worry what the future holds?”

  “Lilah, we don’t know what the future holds no matter who we’re with or if we’re alone. Thinking about us being together for the rest of our lives makes me happy. I want to spend every minute I can with you.” He squeezes my hand and stops walking. Turning to face me, he caresses his fingers down my cheek. “I’ve never felt so strongly about anyone.” He licks his lips, staring intently into my eyes. “I love you.”

  My eyes widen with surprise. “You do?”

  He nods. “I do. Does that scare you?” I’m not sure how to answer this.

  Do I tell him what I honestly feel? Or do I play it safe and keep those details to myself for now?

  “Maybe,” I whisper, “but I love you too.”

  He grins, showing off his straight, white teeth. “Yes,” he shouts, wrapping his arms around my waist, lifting me off my feet. He whirls me around in circles hooting and hollering. I laugh uncontrollably, and my eyes tear up from all the emotion welling up inside me. It’s too much to contain and tears of happiness roll down my cheeks. He stops turning and I wrap my legs around his hips and connect our lips for a tender, salty kiss.

  Jesse’s tongue peeks out to lick the moisture from his lips. “Mmm, you taste like the ocean.”

  “I thought I tasted like strawberries?”

  “No, your pussy tastes like strawberries.”

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Jesse

  I took Lilah to breakfast at Seabrook Cafe, the best greasy spoon in town and now we’re walking down Main Street. Lilah has dragged me into more stores than I’ve ever been in, but the excitement on her face is worth my temporary pain.

  “Ooh, I want to go in the gallery. I need some artwork for my walls at home.” She tugs on my hand leading me to the entrance. Reaching in front of her, I pull the door open and gesture for her to pass through.

  “Thank you,” she murmurs, stepping inside. She smiles, her eyes eagerly scanning the brightly lit space. “I love this place already.” Her head excitedly swings from side to side.

  “Go ahead,” I urge, releasing her hand. “I’m going to hang back here and let you do your thing.” I nod to the bench near the front door.

  “Okay, I have a feeling I might be awhile.”

  “Take your time. I’m a big boy.”

  “Oh, I know you are,” she teases.

  “Behave.” I grimace. I don’t need a hard on in public.

  She shoots me a flirtatious look over her shoulder and practically skips off. Who knew art was so exciting to her?

  “Can I be of assistance, sir?” A twenty-something male asks me.

  “Yes, please.” I rise to my feet, towering over his slight frame. “I’m looking for a painting of strawberries for my girl,” I mention, keeping my voice lowered. I gesture with my chin toward Lilah. “I want to surprise her.”

  “Let me show you what we have,” he replies leading me off in the opposite direction. Stopping in front of a wall containing fruit still lifes, he glances at me. “This is what we have in stock. If you’d prefer, you could commission one of our artists to paint something specific.”

  I move slowly along studying each one. They’re all great quality by talented artists but not what I’m looking for. I’m just about to give up and speak to him about having one painted when I spot the perfect option. There’s a painting of chocolate covered strawberries on a white plate. One of them has a bite out of it. I can’t believe what I’m seeing. The simplicity is perfect and it’s just what I was looking for. I laugh out loud at the absurdity of finding this picture here. It’s like I ordered it to my specifications. “I’ll take it.”

  I run to my jeep, placing the wrapped painting under a blanket in the back, so Lilah won’t notice. When I get back to the gallery, she’s purchasing a painting of Seabrook’s main street. The colors are vivid and eye catching.

  “I couldn’t resist this painting. It’s so lifelike you can practically step right inside it.” Her face is flushed with excitement.

  “I had no idea you were so passionate about art.”

  “I’m not necessarily. I’m a fan of talent and the artist who painted this has that in spades.” Her sparkling eyes connect with mine. “I think I’m in love with Seabrook. You asked me where I’d live if I could go anywhere.” She shrugs. “I think I found my place.”

  I pull her into my arms and rub the tip of my nose on hers. “I’m glad you agree with my plan because I wasn’t going to give you a choice anyway.”

  “Your ass looks red. I think you need some more sunscreen on it.” I grin down at her prone form on the bright green beach towel.

  She raises her head, peering over her shoulder. “Are you scr
ewing with me or are you serious? I’m too tired to tell.”

  “I’m being serious. You do look a little red all over; not just your ass.”

  “If you want to slather some sunscreen on then feel free. I’m going to keep napping.”

  Dropping to my knees on the towel between her legs, I lean over her and grab the sunscreen from the sand. “Are you sure you can sleep through this. My hands might wander places they’re not supposed to.”

  She snorts into the towel. “Don’t take it personally if I sleep through it. Someone kept me up most of the night and the sun is draining any remaining energy.”

  Squirting some sunscreen on my hands, I rub them together, then smear the lotion along the top of her back and shoulders. Once it’s rubbed in, my fingers dig deep into the tight muscles along the curves of her shoulders and up the back of her neck. She moans when my thumbs rub the base of her skull.

  “You need to relax, baby. So much tension in these sexy shoulders.” Adding some more sunscreen to my hands, I move to the lower part of her back. Spreading it out evenly over every inch, I make sure she’s protected from the sun. Focusing on making her feel amazing, my fingertips work up and down either side of her spine all the way to the edge of her bikini bottoms. Her ass wiggles and I grin. I know she wants my hands on her and fuck if she’s not going to get what she desires.

  Glancing around, I check to see if anyone is close enough to me to witness what I’m about to do. No one is paying attention or situated close to where we are. My index fingers hook under each side of her bottoms, tugging them upward until they’re snuggly in her ass.

  “Hey, you gave me a wedgie,” she groans into the towel.

  “I thought you were asleep?”

  “It’s hard to sleep when something’s being shoved up my ass.”

  I laugh. “I didn’t ‘shove’ anything up your ass. When I do, trust me, you’ll know the difference.” Adding a dollop of sunscreen to one palm, I rub my hands together and then cup her glorious ass cheeks in each hand. My dick is immediately hard, tenting my board shorts. Thankfully, no one is sitting nearby. Rubbing circles over her silky-smooth globes, I groan and can’t resist squeezing each side in my grip. I want to tug her bottoms to the side and sink inside her more than I’ve ever wanted anything. “Whooo,” I exhale loudly. I think I need to take a dip in the cold water again. “You’re too fucking sexy.”

  She rises to her hands and knees, ass aimed right at me. “You’re killing me.”

  She titters and stands, adjusting her bikini top. My gaze locks on her full tits covered by the small purple triangles. “First one in the water gets oral sex,” she says flippantly, before making a rapid break for the ocean. Still distracted by her tits, it takes me about three seconds to register what she said before I jump to my feet and take off. Even with running as fast as she can on the soft sand, she’s no match for me. I scoop her up in my arms without slowing down, surging into the water full speed. She shrieks when the cold drops splash up on her heated skin. I move deeper until I dunk us both under a wave. She comes up sputtering and squawking about the freezing temperature of the sea.

  “Looks like we’re both getting oral, tonight.” I grin lecherously, already anticipating the interesting night ahead.

  “Wow, you did this all by yourself?” She’s surprised, and I’m pleased by her reaction.

  “I did.”

  She looks around at the lit candles embedded in the sand and the blanket laid out in the middle of them. “When did you have time?”

  Glancing at my watch, I raise my arm to show her it’s eight o’clock, but she’s too far away to read it. “I think you underestimate the amount of time you take to get ready.”

  “Ha ha. You got me there, but in my defense, I wanted to look extra nice for you.” She poses with her hands on her hips, before twirling around. Her green dress swells outward like an open parachute before landing just above her knees. Her bare toes curl in the sand and there’s something about that small innocent detail that has my chest aching with love. Rubbing a hand over the sore spot, the rapid drumming of my heart pounds beneath my skin. “You...look... breathtaking.” My voice is a gravelly husk. The sight of her so carefree and happy has me tripping over my words.

  “I’m glad you think so,” she answers coyly.

  I hold out my hand. “Come sit down with me.” She takes hold, sinking down to the soft white blanket, stretching her legs out in front of her. Sitting beside her, I wrap my arm behind her shoulders and kiss her temple. “I wanted to take you out for dinner tonight followed by some dancing, but the more I thought about it, I realized I didn’t want to share you with other people.” Leaning over, my lips press delicate kisses along the length of her neck. “Having you here with me has been wonderful and I never want it to end.” My nose nuzzles the graceful curve behind her ear. She smells as delicious as she tastes. “It’s like we’re in our own perfect bubble and nothing can touch us. There are no work distractions or fans interrupting us. No concern about anyone seeing us.” Our eyes lock. “Only you and me.” Pressing my forehead to hers, I’m overcome by the love I feel for this woman. “I love you so much, Lilah. So much, it fucking hurts my heart.” I rub a hand over my aching chest.

  “I love you too, just as much.” She rubs her palm in circles over my heart. “You’re getting kind of old. I hope you’re not having a heart attack from dating a younger woman,” she jests. “Maybe you can’t keep up with me?”

  Growling against her neck, I knock her back on the blanket. “I’ll show you just how much energy this old man has, baby.” Capturing her lips, we sink into a kiss. Her body feels like warm silk under my fingertips as I trace every bare inch I can find. Hearing voices in the distance, I pull away from her delectable lips. “It’s getting late. I better feed you and then later I plan on us both collecting on your bet.”

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Lilah

  “I have a present for you.” Jesse walks across his bedroom in his black boxer briefs and hands me a rectangular package wrapped in brown paper.

  I smile, placing it on the bed between my legs. “What’s this for?”

  “Open it,” he urges with a lift of his chin.

  “Okay, you don’t have to ask me twice. I love presents.” My fingers slip behind the seam on the back, tearing the paper free. It appears to be an artist’s canvas. Flipping it over, I gasp when I notice what the painting is of. “Jesse,” I whisper, looking up at him. “Thank you, I love it.”

  He lowers to the bed beside me, our hips touching. “It reminded me of our first official date and it was painted by a local artist. I figured it can also be a reminder of your first trip here.”

  Eyes tracing over the texture the talented artist gave the milk chocolate, the raised drips look realistic enough to eat. “It’s perfect except for one thing.”

  He frowns. “What?”

  “Now I want chocolate covered strawberries.”

  “I have something else in mind for dessert.”

  “Oh, you do huh?” I mention, placing the painting safely on his nightstand before rising to my knees. Swinging one leg over, I straddle his lap, wrapping my arms around his neck. “I guess that could work,” I tease, grinding down on his hard cock. Fingers gliding along the skin at the bottom of my shirt, he growls, “you don’t have anything under this shirt?” Gripping the material, he tugs it over my head and raised arms, leaving me naked.

  “Fuck, you’re gorgeous.” His hands reverently trace the curves of my hips, climbing up over my rib cage to cup each breast and his eyes follow their path as if he’s memorizing every inch of my skin. No one has ever looked at me the way he does. I can see the love he feels clearly reflected in his eyes. I never imagined being the recipient of anything this wonderfully pure. His love is powerful and humbling. I’m not sure what I did to deserve it, but I’m going to love him back just as fiercely.

  Thumbs slowly circling my nipples, he drives me crazy with desire. Arching my back, my nails di
g into the top of his shoulders, hinting I want his lips on me. He takes the bait, full lips sucking my nipple between them, tongue sweeping over the taut tip. “Oh, Jesse,” I moan, fingers moving up to tug his thick hair. His mouth switches to the other side and I gasp when he adds his teeth, gently nipping my tender skin.

  My hands go to his chest, pushing. “Lie down,” I order.

  His chuckle is a deep grumble against my skin as he obeys, pulling me down on top of him. “Now that you have me where you want, what are you going to do?”

  Backing down the mattress between his legs, my hands tug on the waistband of his boxers and he reflexively raises his hips to help me. “I’m going to give you your prize.” His next breath is a sharp inhale as I throw his boxers over my shoulder and grip his thick cock in my hand.

  “Oh fuck. I love your touch. Your skin is so warm and soft sliding over me.” His eyes drift shut as my hand repeatedly strokes his length. Leaning forward, I close my mouth over the tip and sink down.

  He growls, fingers digging into my hair. “Give me that pussy…we both won.”

  Spinning around, I back up until I’m perched over his face. His fingertips grip my hips slamming me down on his mouth.

  “Oh... yes.” His tongue is magic, sucking and flicking with the perfect pressure. His palm on my back urges me back down to his cock, I suck him between my lips. Deep groans rasp from his mouth vibrating against my pussy.

  “I could do this all night.” He rakes his teeth over my clit. “Yeah, rub yourself all over my face.”

  Animalistic sounds leave me. I rock my pussy against his mouth so close to coming and suck his dick harder. Hips thrusting upward, he grips my hair, urging me to move faster. His tongue whirls around my clit and I come, trembling and moaning around his cock. His hips jerk as he releases down my throat with a guttural groan. I maneuver around to lie on his chest.

  “I think you just sucked out part of my soul,” he huffs breathlessly, slinging an arm around my back.