Once Upon a Time

by Cleveland, Eddie

  “I love you too,” I confess, looking down at him. Connor lifts his head and I can see streaks of tears down his cheeks, disappearing into his beard. My own vision blurs as fat tears fill my eyes and spill down my face.

  “Don’t cry, Lottie,” he climbs up onto my bed and scoops me up in his strong arms. He rocks me against him as I let all my confusion and sadness burst forth.

  “I’ve been so alone without you,” I admit through my choking sobs. “Marcus hates me, he won’t even talk to me anymore. I just don’t know what to do. I’ve missed you so much,” I throw my arms around him and feel like the world is a place with problems in it that can’t touch me anymore. Like I’m protected and safe as long as I’m next to Connor. Instantly, the tension that’s been dragging me down like cement shoes is eased. I feel like I can finally breathe again. Like the crushing weight I’ve been carrying around all week has been lifted.

  “Come live with me, Charlotte,” he holds me against his chest and I can hear his voice rumble against my ear as he speaks. I love how soothing his deep baritone is, washing away the last fluttering ripples of anxiety inside me.

  “What?” I know what he said, but need him to say it again. I need to know that he means it. That he really wants us to take this step and isn’t just caught up in this moment.

  “Come live with me. I don’t want you to stay where you feel lonely and isolated. Besides, I hate every morning that I wake up and don’t roll over to see your face beside me. I can’t stand any distance between us. Move into my place. Our place. Let me take care of you. Let me love you.” His voice is thick with a symphony of emotions. The same ones that are playing in my heart.

  “Yes.” I whisper, snuggling in against his broad, hard chest. “I’ll move in with you.”

  24

  Connor

  I roll her over onto the bed and she giggles as her head hits the pillow. “Are you serious? Don’t mess with me, you’re gonna move in? Let’s pack your stuff, I can take you now,” I kiss her quickly on the lips and start to move from the bed.

  For someone so small, she’s got a powerful grip. She clings to my shoulders and pulls me back down onto her. “Don’t leave, we have plenty of time for that,” she looks up at me from under her eyelashes and my body immediately responds. My cock grows rigid as she lifts her hips under me and rubs up against me.

  Fuck. How did I ever get so lucky? She’s sweeter than sugar ninety-nine percent of the time, but oh, that one percent is so sinfully dirty, and it’s all mine.

  I kiss a trail down her neck as I quickly unbutton her shirt. It falls open around her, exposing her perky tits, barely contained by her bra. Her tits are already getting noticeably bigger from the pregnancy.

  Charlotte squirms out of her blouse while I free her from her long skirt. As much as I love how it hugs her thick thighs, I’d rather see it on the floor. She lifts her hips as I tug it down over her full ass and yank it free from her legs.

  “Fuck you’re sexy,” I run my thumb over her baby blue, silky panties. I can feel the heat between her legs inviting me to take a taste. A taste of heaven.

  I kiss a quick trail down her body, hastily making my way to her sweet pussy. I hover over her heat and hook my finger under the edge of her feminine underwear, exposing her glistening mound.

  “You’re already wet for me, aren’t you babe?” I look up the length of her body up into her eager eyes.

  “You always make me wet,” she whispers and opens her legs for me. I don’t even bother pulling off the cool fabric of her panties. Instead, I tug them aside and hold open her shimmering lips, smirking at the pearls of her desire forming inside. My mouth is literally watering, it’s been too long since I’ve felt her honey splash over my tongue. I feel like it’s been an eternity since I last heard her cry out my name.

  Burying my face between her legs, I take a long, tantalizing lick of the entire length of her slick slit and groan as my cock throbs. She has no idea what she does to me or how much restraint I use when she drives me crazy like this.

  I twist my finger inside my mouth, letting my saliva coat it and slowly press it inside her. Pushing it up against her front wall, I wiggle it around until I find her spot. Not that it’s a big mystery, the way she mewls and thrashes against the mattress are a dead giveaway that I’ve pinpointed her g-spot.

  Sliding my tongue along her lips, I open them until I can see her sensitive nub, taut and ready to be licked into ecstasy. I flicker the tip of my tongue over her clit as I hook my fingertip against her g-spot, curling it up and toward me with every swirl of my tongue.

  Charlotte throws both her hands over her face and cries out as she chases her pleasure with her hips, lifting them from the bed to meet my mouth.

  I lick another finger, making it drip with spit and slide it between her ass cheeks, pressing up against her tight asshole as she trembles beneath me.

  I love how I can make her quake at my touch. I love how her juices taste on my tongue. I love how her body squeezes down against my fingers as I push one into her asshole and continue to stroke her g-spot. Charlotte is powerless to her bliss, she can’t form any words, and instead, all she makes are guttural, primal sounds as she gives in to the sensations.

  I batter my tongue over her clit relentlessly, circling her nub with the edges before flicking against her with just the tip. Around my finger, Charlotte’s asshole clenches down tight and I can feel her thighs squeeze against my ears as she shudders against me. Her legs squeezing my head aren’t enough to block out the sounds of her intense screams though.

  “Oh! Fuck! Connor!” She yelps as her entire body twists up like a corkscrew and then slumps back against the mattress.

  I sit back up and lick her nectar from my lips as I smirk. There’s nothing I love more than watching her grapple with the overwhelming pleasure I bring her. That’s not true. There’s only one thing I love more.

  Her.

  “That. Was. Incredible.” she sputters out each word like a full sentence, panting for breath.

  “You’re incredible,” I marvel at her radiant, brown skin. They always say that once you cum there’s an afterglow, but I never realized it was true. Charlotte’s supple, shimmering curves prove that it’s an expression for a reason.

  She leans up on her elbows and smiles down at me, finally opening her eyes. “Get up here,” she demands. Who am I to argue? I crawl up her body so I’m hovering above her and she grabs my shoulders. “Not like that, lie down,” she pushes me and I pretend to bend to her will.

  I love the confident glint in her eyes as she beelines for the zipper on my jeans, she quickly opens them and starts tugging my pants off. I help her out, freeing my cock as I kick off the jeans and underwear. I yank my top off and toss it to the floor as she throws her panties off the side of the bed and mounts me.

  That smile. So naughty.

  She slides her pussy over my cock and teases me. She’s testing me, driving me to the edge of my sanity. I’m tempted to grab her and put her over my knee but just as I think she’s going to drag it out forever, she turns around so she’s facing away from me and grabs the base of my member. I let out a low, deep growl as she slowly slides down onto my cock, her full ass bouncing down on me as she takes every inch of my girth.

  “Fuck, that’s a good girl. Ride me, Charlotte,” I hold open her cheeks, watching as she slides up and down my cock to the hilt. I can’t look away as I thrust inside her deeper, making her cry out again, claiming her.

  “That’s right, take it all,” I slam my hips up and bottom out inside her as she pushes down at the same time.

  Charlotte leans forward and grabs my thighs just above my knees for balance. I can see my cock pumping inside her tight mound even better at this angle and love watching her ass cheeks clap together each time she grinds down against me.

  I grab her hips and hold her tight in the air, fucking her wildly, bucking against her as I make her mine. I can feel my orgasm start to take over, “I’m gonna cum,” I warn h
er, but realize I don’t need to worry about that anymore.

  “Fill me with your cum. I want to feel every last drop,” she bounces her ass down against me as I thrust into her and my warm seed splashes against her pulsing walls.

  “Fuck yeah,” she whispers and squeezes against my cock tightly as she throws her head back and moans at the ceiling. My cock spurts inside her, filling her with my aching need for her and only her. “God, I love you,” I murmur hoarsely, my throat ragged from the intensity of the orgasm that raged through me.

  “Oh, Connor,” she slides off me and curls up on my arm, “I love you too.”

  “Let’s have a little rest and we’ll get you packed up,” I pull her into me, loving the smell as our natural scents collide.

  “Okay,” she tangles her fingertips in my chest hair and kisses my cheek.

  “Are you concerned about Marcus?” I look down at her worried face.

  “No, I think it’s better this way. He doesn’t want me here any more than I want to be here. It’s just sad that it had to end this way,” her voice cracks.

  “I promise, I’ll fix it all somehow,” I kiss her forehead and she closes her eyes. “If there’s one thing you can believe, it’s my word.” I hold her tight and feel her relax in my arms.

  As Charlotte drifts off to sleep, I turn over the words I just said in my mind. I hope that I can stay true to my promise. I’m just not sure how I can make things right with a man who doesn’t want to listen to reason or truth. But I know, somehow, I need to figure it out.

  25

  Charlotte

  Two Months Later

  “Are you ready for this?” I can tell he’s so excited to show me the big reveal. Truthfully, he should be. The hours Connor has been putting into even more renovations on this place to get it ready for the baby has been a real testament to what a great dad he’ll be.

  “I’m ready,” I try to sound excited. It’s not that I don’t care or am ungrateful for all the time and effort he’s given to transform the loft, I’ve just been feeling down lately.

  “Okay,” he tugs my hand and I follow him up the stairs. “Let’s just walk up these expertly crafted stairs with this beautiful handmade banister,” he sweeps his hand toward the project that’s definitely made the biggest difference in my life so far. Now that I’m halfway through this pregnancy and my tummy popped, I can’t even imagine climbing up and down the ladder that once led to the sprawling loft. With a baby in our future, there was just no way we could keep things the same. Some people baby proof their houses by getting plastic covers for all the light sockets, we got stairs.

  I trudge up behind him, feeling heavier than I used to. I know I still have a long way to go before I’m due, but this all feels so real now. My body feels fuller and, from time to time, I can feel little flutters inside as the baby moves around. For the first few months the only proof I seemed to have of being pregnant was my sudden sensitivity to the smell of pork being cooked and being exhausted all the time. I’m glad the pork thing passed, because I missed my bacon. Now, with my belly growing rounder, this all feels concrete. I can’t wait to meet my little bub.

  “I hope you’re prepared to be amazed,” Connor leads me down the hall he constructed in front of the rooms he segmented off from the once massive, open loft.

  We discussed a ton of ways to put a child’s nursery in this place, but always kept coming back to this solution. I didn’t want to be sleeping on different floors from the baby, and having the little one in our room would only be a temporary solution. Even though we both loved the wide expanse that the loft provided, it just made the most sense to section it off into proper bedrooms.

  “Here we go,” Connor practically tugs me into the room, “ta-da!” He looks around admiringly as I try to look cheerful at the colorful nursery he constructed.

  “It looks great,” I tell him honestly, but my heart is not in it. My words ring flat.

  “You don’t like it?” He looks over nervously, glancing at me from the corner of his eyes.

  What’s not to like? From the mobile of hot air balloons hanging over the crib to the pale yellow walls and beautiful rocker in the corner, no detail has gone overlooked. My son or daughter will be happy to grow up in such a lovely room, with a father who’s so attentive.

  “I do, I really do. I’m just tired,” I lie.

  Connor studies my face, his neatly trimmed beard twitches as he looks me over.

  “It’s something more than that. Tell me what’s going on, do you hate the room? I still have time to fix it if something is bothering you,” he looks around exasperated.

  “No, it’s not the room,” I hold up my hands in protest.

  “Then there is something bothering you,” he points at me. “Alright, spill it. Did you have another crazy dream that I was cheating on you? I told you before that it’s not fair to be angry at me for something you dream about. Those hormones are making you all coo-coo,” he puts his arms on my shoulders and pulls me into him, smiling.

  “No, nothing like that,” I laugh.

  “Well, what then?” His eyes narrow and his eyebrows furrow.

  “It’s just…” I take a deep breath, “it’s been over two months and I still haven’t heard from Marcus.” I confess. “I know I should just let it go, but I can’t. It hurts that he doesn’t even care enough about the baby to put all this nonsense behind us. He’s the only family I have, but I’m also the only family he has left too. And it doesn’t seem to make any difference to him. I’m just, well, sad I guess,” I look up into Connor’s face and watch him mull over my words. I know there’s nothing he can do to fix this. It’s on Marcus now, and I’m starting to realize that my brother has no intention of trying to make amends.

  “How about this,” Connor’s broad hands slide down my arms and he cups my hands in his, “this Sunday, what do you say you and I stop in for his service. Maybe we can try to talk to him after. I bet he’s missing you too, but he’s just stubborn. Marcus never did know how to say he was wrong. If we show up at the church, maybe it’ll give him the chance he needs,” he looks into my eyes and just like that, he manages to sweep away my burden. My pain.

  “I think that’s a great idea,” I smile up at him. “And I do love this nursery. I can’t believe you did all this with your two hands.”

  “You should see what else I can do with these hands,” he murmurs and cups my face toward his, covering my mouth with a soft, lingering kiss.

  Electricity buzzes from his fingertips over my skin. It’s amazing that we’ve been living together for a couple of months now and I still get a little thrill every time he touches me. Especially when he’s got that look on his face.

  “I think I’d like to see what else they can do,” I purr in his ear and let out a little squeal as Connor scoops me off my feet and marches me out of the nursery and down the hall to our room.

  I kick my feet in the air playfully, giggling as he tosses me gently down on the bed. I bounce on the mattress and watch shamelessly as he peels off his tight, white t-shirt. He begins to undo his tool belt when I sit up straight.

  “No!”

  “No?” He raises an eyebrow at me.

  “You can take off the pants, but leave the tool belt on,” I murmur, feeling flushed all over.

  “There’s my naughty girl,” he smirks down at me as he kicks his jeans off.

  Connor leans over the edge of the bed and tugs my shirt up over my head. I lift my arms up as he frees me from the fabric. He quickly digs his fingers in under the waistband of my yoga pants and panties and rips them both down my legs in one, long pull.

  “Shit, you’re hurt! What’s going on?” He holds the Lululemon yoga pants in his hand, with my thong still inside, and looks down at my legs in horror.

  “What are you talking about?” I follow his gaze and see the streak of bright red blood on the cream-colored quilt between my legs.

  Instinctively, I grab my belly and pat my fingers over my pussy, holding them up in
front of my eyes. I want to scream at the crimson coating running down the sides of my hand but when I open my mouth no noise comes out.

  “Fuck, are you having a miscarriage?” I can hear the panic in Connor’s voice. He never panics. “We need to get you to the hospital, right now,” he plucks me from the bed but I’m in a daze. I feel like this can’t be happening. It’s not real. I’m going to wake up from another vivid, crazy pregnancy dream and ask Connor to get me some water. It’ll all be alright.

  “Lottie, come on, get dressed,” Connor snaps me back to the present. “I’ve got to get you to a doctor now!”

  Shit. This isn’t a dream. If I’m losing this baby, I don’t think I’ll ever dream again. Because this is a nightmare.

  26

  Connor

  I race down the worn, dirt road trying to toe the line between fast and reckless. My tire sinks down into a huge pothole and Charlotte and I both bounce around the cab.

  “Shit! Sorry, I didn’t see that one,” I glance at her face. “How are you doing over there? Are you in any pain?” I want to grab her hand, or throw my arm around her, but right now I’ve got my paws at ten and two. I might not pass any driver safety course for this commute, but I’m doing the best I can to get her to the hospital quick and safe.

  “I’m not sure,” she rubs her hands over her belly. “I can’t tell if I’m cramping up or if my stomach is just doing backflips because I’m worried.”

  “Don’t worry. Everything will be fine,” I’m not sure if I’m trying to reassure her or convince myself. The blood that first trickled out onto the blanket picked up. When she stood up, it flowed down the insides of her legs down to her knees. I want to believe that Charlotte and the baby are going to be fine, but I need to hear it from a doctor to believe it.