Runaround

by Jay Crownover

  Ten kissed me until neither one of us could breathe. Her busy hands mapped out all the lines and definitions of my chest and stomach, while mine reached for her tied-up hair. I wanted it down and brushing across all of my naked skin. She smiled against my mouth when she traced the cut of my abs, and I was eternally grateful I’d always had a fast metabolism and jobs that required lots of physical labor. When her quick fingers unbuckled my belt and started on the fastenings of my jeans, I forgot my name and where I was. All I could focus on was the brush of the back of her fingers against the sensitive length of my cock. I figured there was no need for underwear since she already knew first hand that modesty and I weren’t friends.

  She went still above me when hot, wet skin kissed her fingers. Her kiss took on a desperate edge, teeth biting, breaths mingling in a choppy pant as she turned her wrist, so the flat of her palm cradled the rigid shaft. I felt my balls tighten in pleasure and my cock pulse in time to my thundering heartbeat. When she dragged her thumb along the line of the thick vein that ran the underneath side of my erection, I barked her name into the kiss and dug my fingers into her undulating hips hard enough to bruise.

  I still couldn’t see her all that well, but I felt the feathery sweep of her eyelashes against my cheek when she turned her head so she could whisper in my ear, “I know you were never a Boy Scout, but right about now I’m wishing you were, so you knew enough to always be prepared.”

  I threw my head back on the old couch, letting out a surprised laugh. With one hand I popped open her jeans so I could work the other between lace and soft skin. I grinned when I got a handful of perfectly round and sweetly toned ass.

  “I wasn’t a Boy Scout, but I was a horny teenage boy once upon a time. If there was even the slightest hint I might get laid, I made sure to be prepared. I’m talking, if a girl so much as smiled at me in the hallway at school, I went out and bought a rubber. Do you really think I would miss a shot at getting to be inside of you again after our last go-round?” I was far too opportunistic for that.

  I felt Ten laugh, and a second later she was standing in front of me stripping off the rest of her clothing. She got naked the same way she did most everything else, efficiently and with minimum fuss. She didn’t make a show out of it, no production. It wasn’t like she needed the fanfare or gimmick anyway. She already had me anywhere, anyway, she wanted me. An extra wiggle here or there was appreciated but very unnecessary.

  Her long hair drifted over her shoulders and slithered over her skin. It shimmered platinum in the waning light, and I wanted to wrap my hands all up in it as she rode me until I lost my mind.

  Ten pointed at my lap where the tip of my dick was resting against my lower belly. There was a glimmer of wetness on my abs, and I swore I saw her lick her lips right before she ordered, “Pants off.” She held out her hand and wiggled her fingers at me in a ‘gimmie’ motion. “I never thought I would be interested in someone who was such an optimist.”

  I pushed my jeans down as far as they could go without having to stand up and strip them off. I passed a condom to Ten from my wallet and found my phone where I dropped it so she could have enough light to get the damn thing open and place it where it belonged.

  While she messed around with the foil in front of me, I leaned closer to her, wrapping my arms around her waist so I could touch my lips to the bottom of her breast bone. I moved my head from side to side, so my hair rasped along the sensitive undersides of her breasts.

  “I don’t have faith in many things, Ten. You and me, I’ve believed in from the start.” I felt one of her hands glide through my hair as she maneuvered me back to the reclining position I’d previously had.

  “When you say things like that to me, I don’t know what to do with you, Webb.” She averted her gaze away from mine as she focused all her attention on rolling the thin latex down the length of my straining erection. I was so hard I hurt. So turned on it was getting more and more difficult to think straight and not say things which might scare her off.

  “Right now all you need to do is fuck me.” And love me. I couldn’t tell her that though. ‘We’ll get to the rest of it when we aren’t someplace filled with so many ghosts.” When we figured out where this thing between us was going to land, it needed to be just the two of us.

  Wordlessly, she resumed her position on my lap. Hard cock met soft opening and we both sucked in a breath. Even though most of the afternoon had been one long, drawn-out day of foreplay, I didn’t want to simply rut into her with no thought beyond getting off. I had more consideration than that. That was the old me. She meant more than a mere means to lose myself in the oblivion of pleasure.

  Grabbing the base of my erection, I pressed down until the tip could drag through her wet center. She made a strangled noise in the back of her throat when the flared head tapped against her eager little clit. I kissed my way across her chest, stopping every now and then to suck little bruises on her pale skin. Sex, in this place I tried to forget, was bound to come with a tiny bit of pain. Luckily, she didn’t seem to mind.

  Her hands curled around my neck as she started to rock against me. Every time her hips lowered, she took a little bit more of my throbbing cock inside of her scalding heat. It felt like liquid silk was being wrapped around the entire shaft. I loved the way I could feel her flutter and quiver along every hard inch of me inside her. I loved the way she moaned my name long and loud.

  I pulled her closer with one arm around her waist. The other I worked between us so I could toy and tease her puckered nipples. I watched her eyes flare wide, eyelashes flicking rapidly, as she suddenly moved and impaled herself all the way on the heated flesh between her legs. I gasped at the sudden sensation of being encased in velvet and warmth. My thighs shook, and I felt pleasure spool wildly out of control from low in my spine. Desire rushed unchecked throughout my body, and all I could do was move with Ten as she started to lift herself up and let herself fall into a steady rhythm that made my head spin.

  Strong, lean muscle moved under my hands. She didn’t need my help grinding and riding us both to oblivion. It didn’t take long for a light sheen of sweat to cover us both from head to toe, making her hair stick to every visible patch of naked skin. I enjoyed the way it coiled around me. It was like there was some part of her determined to claim me, even if the woman wasn't fully ready.

  I groaned when she rotated her hips and used her inner muscles to clamp down on me like a vise. She threw her head back with a gasp as my lips attacked the vulnerable arch of her throat. I whispered her name against her pulse and felt her body quicken in response.

  We’d both already experienced body-numbing orgasms today, so I thought it would take longer to set me off. There was something about being this close to her, about Ten finally letting me in, all the way in, that did it for me. I wasn’t going to last with her writhing around on top of me, proving to me that where I came from didn’t matter, but where I ended up did.

  “Close.” Was the only warning she got, before my hips were lifting off the old couch and I was erupting inside of her clenching pussy. My hands drifted down her back as I pumped months of want, need, longing, and anticipation into her welcoming warmth.

  Green eyes glittered in triumph, and her mouth kicked up at the corners. She was still rocking, moving in a slow slide on top of me, so I worked a hand across her waist and down her belly to get my fingers on her clit. I sighed as they slipped through silky moisture and watched her with unblinking eyes as she moved against me frantically and confidently, knowing exactly what she needed to get there. Her fingers scraped roughly through the bristles on my chin, and her mouth landed on mine with enough force to click our teeth together. It was a passionate, heady experience to have this woman so wound up she forgot to be careful.

  Seconds later, Ten came in a rush, her body bending back as she broke apart in my hands once again. Her chest rose and fell with rapid breaths, and her pulse fluttered like a trapped bird at the base of her neck. She was perfect. She mad
e me feel like I finally figured out how to do something right in my life.

  We stayed like that until the sweat on our skin started to cool, and the position became uncomfortable. With one final kiss, we separated and started to climb back into our clothes. I was using the light on my phone to find a discreet place to discard the condom when we both stilled at the distinct sound of an approaching vehicle.

  Exchanging worried looks, I grabbed Ten’s hand and headed for the door just as a familiar voice, heavily laden with a southern Louisiana twang shouted, “Around here we shoot first and ask questions later.”

  Ten balked and visibly paled when the sound of a shotgun being cocked echoed through the now-dark night. I gave her a tired smile and squeezed her hand reassuringly. I was pretty sure the woman with the gun wasn’t going to shoot.

  “Aunt Clara, it’s me, Webb. I’m coming out, please don’t shoot me or my lady friend.”

  “Webb?” The drawl wobbled. “Jolene’s Webb?”

  I snorted. “She’s never claimed me, but yeah, I’m Jolene’s youngest.”

  There was a long moment of silence, then the sound of something heavy and metallic hitting the ground. A soft sob broke the night air, and I looked over at Ten in shock.

  “Webb Bryant, get your skinny ass out here. I’ve been waiting damn near twenty years to see those baby blues of yours again.”

  I was frozen. Luckily, the woman I chose to fall head over heels for was strong enough, both physically and emotionally, to make me move. For the first time since we’d met, I didn’t mind Ten pushing me out the door.

  Ten

  Even in the murky darkness, it was easy to see that Webb was related to the older woman standing next to an old, battered pickup truck. Her hair was more white than blonde, and she was shorter and wider in the way many women got as age and years of less-than-healthy living caught up to them. But the neon blue eyes, complete with a mischievous twinkle, and the smile, full of charm and a little bit of trouble, were all Webb. I eyed the shotgun she must have dropped when she recognized Webb. The stout woman left the weapon behind as she rushed to sweep Webb up in her arms.

  At first, he was stiff, not seeming to know what to do with the exuberant affection. It only took the older woman’s quiet cry on his chest for him to melt like butter. His strong arms wrapped securely around the smaller woman and hugged her back. I could hear him muttering soothing words into the top of her bent head, and my heart tried to knock its way out of my chest in response. Every time I turned around, he was showing me something new, unveiling hidden parts of himself. All those delicate pieces he’d lost to Jolene Bryant so long ago but was finding once again. I’d always been intrigued by the bits and pieces I’d glimpsed before when he let his guard down, but now I was getting the whole picture of who Webb Bryant was, and I couldn’t look away.

  “I can’t believe it’s really you. I shoulda’ known that idiot sister of mine was going to snatch you and your brother away in the middle of the night when I told her she had to leave. I’ve been kicking myself in the rear for years for not taking you boys before she could rabbit out of here with you in tow.” The older woman pulled back and ran a hand over her damp face. She put her hand on Webb’s arms and tilted her head back so she could look up at him. A blinding smile split her weathered face. “You sure grew up handsome, didn’t you, boy?”

  It was too dark to tell if Webb was blushing, but by the way he rubbed a hand across the back of his neck and shuffled his feet, I bet he was. His reaction was cute and made me smile.

  “Turned out all right, I guess.”

  The older woman snorted and crossed her arms over her ample chest. “No thanks to that mama of yours, I gather.”

  Webb shook his head. “No, Jolene didn’t have anything to do with how I turned out or anything I accomplished. That all falls on Wyatt. He raised me, gave up pretty much everything to keep me out of trouble and off the streets. He’s the best of all of us.”

  The woman sniffed and wiped away a tear. “Maybe you can convince him to come home for a visit. I’ve missed you boys something fierce. Always kinda thought of you both as my own.”

  Out of the corner of my eye, I watched Webb stiffen. I reached out a hand and put it on his back reflexively. I knew he thought he wasn’t ready for this conversation when we showed up on the property, but he was going to have to have it anyway. I didn’t want him to say something he was going to regret because he was speaking through a filter of old hurt. It was becoming clear the Bryant brothers were nowhere near as alone in this world as they always believed themselves to be.

  “Why did you make Jolene leave? It was no secret you and she didn’t get along, but you had to know what was going to happen to me and Wyatt without you there to act as a buffer. She treated us like luggage until Wyatt got old enough and big enough she couldn’t force him to move anymore. I was lucky he refused to let me go and kept me with him. He’s the one who tried to give me a home.”

  The older woman’s eyes drifted over to mine, and I saw heartbreak clear as day shining in the bright blue depths. She rubbed a shaking hand over her mouth and looked down at the dirt between her feet.

  “I found out about the baby she got rid of, your twin. At first, I thought it was a rumor. One that swirled around the swamp for years. Sure, Jolene was a selfish brat without two working brain cells to rub together, but I couldn’t imagine her throwing a baby away. Not as long as Bernard kept funneling money her way. The rumors got louder, and one of the busybodies in town told Ana they saw a little boy who looked just like you when they were on vacation in Florida. Just like you, Webb. I couldn’t take it no more. I didn’t bother to ask Jolene because the woman doesn’t open her mouth without lying. I didn’t ask Bernard either since that uppity bastard would never lower himself to speak to a swamp rat like me. But his staff had loose lips, and it didn’t take no time at all to figure out Jolene had twins and gave one of them to Bernard to take care of. He gave the baby away like it was a bad Christmas present. I was furious, and so were the rest of the sisters. Jolene might not have wanted the responsibility of another baby, but we always cared about you boys and wanted you around.”

  She shook her head, and her wrinkled hands turned into tight fists. “I demanded Jolene find her other son. I told her she wasn’t going to be allowed to stay on the property any longer if she didn’t bring the boy home where he belonged. I also informed her I was going to do everything in my power to get custody of you boys. Which would have put an end to her free ride with Bernard. It was time you and Wyatt had a proper home. I hated you boys living in this shack with nothing. Damn Jolene.”

  She huffed out a breath and reached out a hand, placing it on Webb’s chest right over his heart. “I didn’t know she would run. I thought she was going to fight me tooth and nail but eventually give in. She never wanted to be a mother. It was too much responsibility. Instead, she vanished and took you boys with her. I looked for you, Webb. I really did, but money has always been tight, and Jolene is slippery.” She made a sniffing noise, and I watched as tears welled up in her eyes once again. “I thought you boys were dead. But I kept this place just in case. What if you wanted to come home, what if you wanted to remember where you came from. I refused to let your uncle tear it down.”

  This time Webb was the one reaching for a hug. He pulled the older woman to his chest and rested his cheek on top of her snowy hair. I heard him sigh, and I found myself having to blink away the burn of moisture in my eyes. It was an emotional reunion, and I could clearly see how important it was for Webb to hear that this woman from his past had wanted him for her own, that she hadn’t forgotten about him.

  “It was never easy, but we made it. We survived Jolene. And I just found out about my twin. All signs point to him not turning out as well as Wyatt and I did, though. He’s been trying to frame me for armed robbery, not even caring if he gets caught in the process. He wants me in jail.”

  A soft gasp escaped Webb’s aunt as she pulled back to look up
at him. “Why would he do that?”

  “Why does anyone do anything anymore?” I interjected with the dry statement. “Money. There’s lots and lots of it sitting in a bank with the boys’ names on it, and the missing twin is greedy and reckless.”

  Webb nodded and took a step back so he was standing at my side once again. “Bernard set up trust funds for all three of us boys. Jolene never told us about them. But when the long-lost Bryant went searching for his parents, he planned to blackmail Bernard but found out about the money instead. I figure, rather than taking his cut of the blood money and being happy about it, he wants mine, as well, and Wyatt’s if he can figure out a way to get to it. If I’m in jail, all he has to do is walk into the bank with my ID and my face and they’d let him drain the account, no questions asked. It seems like he’s an evil son of a bitch, but he isn’t stupid.”

  I nodded and tugged on my lower lip as I considered everything we’d put together the last few days. “He went after Jolene, trying to find the boys. We’re not sure if he ever caught up with her or not, but somehow he figured out Webb was in Wyoming. He’s been setting up an elaborate plan for a while now to get Webb locked up.” I cut a look at the man standing next to me. “Wyatt is in law enforcement, he’s a much harder target to go after, but I’m not entirely convinced this guy isn’t going to go after him next. Why take a third of the money when you can have it all? He just needs to get the other brothers out of the way.” Webb was convinced he wanted revenge and the money was secondary. I was leaning toward agreeing with him since the twin didn’t hesitate to commit a federal crime when he already had a nice stash of cash he could access with very little effort on his part. He wasn’t wired right anyway you looked at it.