Unveiling Hope

by Jeannine Allison

  When I called John and told him I was flying in, he didn’t ask why. He didn’t ask for how long. All he said was, “it’ll be great to see you.” I couldn’t place his tone, so I couldn’t tell what he’d been thinking.

  So here I was, sitting at a Red Lobster in a state thousands of miles away, waiting to break up with my boyfriend so I could fly home and date someone else.

  I held my breath when I saw him walk in. His eyes were on his phone as he maneuvered around the tables toward me.

  “Hey.” My smile felt brittle as he stopped at the table and I got up to hug him. I clenched my eyes shut when I thought about what to do when he kissed me. I was the scummiest of scum because kissing John, my boyfriend, felt like the betrayal.

  When he pulled away, I braced myself, still unsure. But the only kiss he gave me was one on the cheek. And not by the corner of my mouth or skimming across my jaw. John gave me an innocent peck that released all the tension in my shoulders.

  We sat across from each other and I was struck speechless. He was looking at me intently, wistfully, like he was trying to memorize my face. That was when all the pieces neatly fell into place. I couldn’t believe I didn’t see it sooner.

  “You know,” I whispered.

  Nodding, John gave me a sad smile. “Not specifics. But I knew when I walked in here today that we’d be breaking up.”

  “Are you happy with how things are?” I asked.

  He shrugged. “I don’t mind.”

  “You should mind. I should mind. But neither of us do. I don’t want to be in a relationship like that.”

  “I don’t have time for much else.” John grimaced at his words.

  “I think we both stayed in this relationship because it was easier than breaking up.”

  Looking down into the glass of water I’d had waiting for him, he asked, “So that’s it? It’s the long-distance thing?”

  I frowned. “No. I mean, that’s a big part of it. But…” I paused, debating how much to tell him. “Derek and I, we’ve been dancing around this thing between us for a while and we’ve never given it a shot, and I want to. I have to. I’ll always wonder if I don’t. And I know he seemed like a jerk, but he’s not—”

  “Sam.” John smiled as he held up his hand. “Does this suck? Yes. But I knew I didn’t have all of you, and I don’t want to settle for a woman only giving me half of herself.”

  “You won’t.” I grabbed his hand and squeezed. “I know you won’t have a problem finding someone else.”

  He nodded and looked around. “Did you still want to eat or…?”

  “I’m not very hungry. And I’m sure there are a lot of other matters you could be attending to.”

  “There always are.”

  We both stood up, and he wrapped me in an extra-long hug. When he pulled away he kissed me on the forehead. “Thank you for flying out here. I know it wasn’t convenient and I know a lot of people would think it was stupid, but I… well, I really appreciate it.”

  John’s mother left him and his father when he was little. No goodbye, no note. Nothing. She told her husband she was unhappy and then packed up in the middle of the night. John never saw her again.

  And even though he rarely thought of his birth mother and he loved his stepmother dearly, I didn’t want to be another person to do that to him.

  “Of course.”

  He started walking away before he paused and turned back around. “I hope he makes you happy, Sam.”

  “He does,” I said with a smile.

  Happier than I’d thought possible.

  My palms were sweaty again. But this time it was for an entirely different reason.

  I hadn’t told Derek where I went today. It wasn’t hard since we were still keeping our interactions to a minimum. In fact, the only thing I’d said to him in the last four days, since the tub episode, was that John would be coming into town tomorrow night. I never told him about the change in plans. I wanted to surprise him.

  The longer I stood there, the more I second-guessed myself. I stared down at my white tank top and black bikini-style underwear. Nothing fancy. Nothing special. There was no perfume lingering on my skin, and my face was makeup-free, the nagging little zit above my lip plain as day. My hair was still slightly damp from the shower I’d taken.

  I’d never been the girl to go all-out in the bedroom. Other places, sure. I loved looking nice and taking my time to do my hair and makeup. But when I slept with someone—or whatever Derek and I would end up doing—I wanted to feel comfortable.

  My head snapped up and my pulse skyrocketed when I heard the front door open and close. He greeted Rory and I heard the telltale sign of the fridge opening.

  “Derek?”

  “Yeah?” he answered wearily.

  “I’m back here.” I cleared my throat, cursing my nerves. There was a pause before he padded down the hall.

  “What—where are you?” he asked. I assumed he was standing at the entrance to my room.

  “In here.”

  I could almost feel the tension radiating off him as he realized I was in his bedroom. Derek’s steps slowed as he came closer. He was still out of view when I heard a thud against the wall.

  “Sam…” His voice was strangled. “What are you doing in there?”

  “Well if you came in you’d find out…”

  Derek groaned, and I laughed when I heard a few more thuds. “Seriously, Sam. I can’t—”

  “I broke up with John.” I sat down on the edge of his bed. “I flew out to see him earlier today so I could end it.”

  Swallowing roughly, I gripped the mattress with both hands and waited. My breathing stopped when Derek finally appeared. He was wearing a black T-shirt and dark-wash jeans that hung low on his hips.

  His hungry gaze roamed over my body, starting at my bare feet—spending a lengthy amount of time on the sliver of skin between my underwear and tank top—and ending at the crown of my head.

  If I’d had any reservations about my decision to dress comfortably, the look on Derek’s face would have quelled my fears. He looked at me like I’d done everything right. Like my simple style was exactly what he wanted, what he loved.

  His bare feet brought him across the threshold toward me. Blindly reaching out, he went to put the beer bottle he was holding on his dresser. He didn’t even blink as it completely missed the edge and thudded to the ground, liquid pouring out and staining his carpet.

  “Derek, the floor—”

  He quickly advanced on me. I held my breath, preparing myself for a kiss like our first. Hard. Hungry. Desperate.

  So it took me by surprise when he stopped short and slowly lifted his hands. His fingers traced my eyebrows before gently brushing down my cheeks until he was cradling my face.

  We stared at each other, neither of us saying anything as his head dipped down and mine tilted up. His breath kissed my lips for a few seconds before he slowly lowered his mouth. Several heartbeats passed and barely anything happened. The movements were so slow and soft they could hardly be called kisses, but I felt the sensation all the way down to my toes. And it was perfect.

  This was so unlike our previous kiss. That one had been full of need; this was pure affection.

  Our lips made a few more gentle passes until all at once, like we were being sucked into a vacuum of desire, our mouths crushed together. One of his hands moved to the back of my head, holding me to him, while the other fell to my hip and tugged until I was flush against him.

  He licked the seam of my lips and I opened readily. Groaning, he angled my head, taking control of the kiss. Derek kissed me, over and over again, making promises with each one. And when he finally let go, we were both panting for air.

  My forehead rested against his, our eyes locked. The expression on Derek’s face would have knocked the breath out of me if I wasn’t already struggling to regain it. I’d never seen a look so intense. So raw.

  “You’re…” He paused and cleared his throat, like his emotions were
too much for him. “You’re mine now?”

  My eyes softened and I gave him a small smile. “I think I’ve always been yours.”

  The words were barely out before Derek leaned down and kissed me again. My hands fell to the bottom of his shirt and I tugged. He pulled back and helped me take it off before our mouths came back together.

  We tumbled back onto the bed, and I gasped at the feel of his weight on me. One of his arms cradled my shoulders while the other wrapped around my back. His hand slid down to my ass as his lips kept mine prisoner.

  When he pulled back minutes later, he gazed down at me and shifted to the side before dragging one hand down my throat and past my breast. It skated across my stomach until it teased the edge of my panties.

  Our eyes stayed locked as his fingers moved lower. My back left the bed and my toes curled as he gently rubbed my clit. His fingers ventured lower and ran through my wetness. I held my breath in anticipation, but nothing happened. Instead he retreated.

  My heart pounded at the mixture of tenderness and lust in his gaze.

  “Have we ever just been friends?” I asked quietly, my breath ragged.

  Derek froze, and the predatory look in his gaze answered my question before he did. In one swift movement his fingers slid inside me and he whispered, “No.”

  Having feelings for your best friend was fucking hard—one of the hardest things I could imagine, until you knew that person returned them. Then it became the most wonderful thing in the world.

  Sam looked beautiful.

  My cock had never been so jealous of my hand. It was straining against my jeans as I watched Sam’s eyes flutter shut. Her hair fanned out around her, heat rising to her cheeks as she let herself lose control.

  The sight was just as amazing as I had thought it’d be.

  “Derek,” she murmured, her eyes pleading with me. But I was having none of it. I took my time, slowly pulling my fingers out only to gently slide them back in.

  It had been absolute fucking torture to stay away from her. Anytime we were in the apartment together these past two weeks, it was dangerous. I didn’t think she was aware of how close I came—nearly every damn time we were both here—to bursting into her room and fucking her senseless. That incident in the bathroom was tame compared to all the things I’d wanted to do to her.

  Her breath hitched when I curled my fingers inside her and my thumb applied pressure to her clit.

  “Yessss…” she moaned. Sam was still wearing her shirt, but I bent down and sucked one of her nipples into my mouth anyway, lightly biting until she hissed. Her hand flew to my head and she roughly grabbed my hair, holding me to her. I wasn’t planning on moving.

  I continued fingering her and gave her just enough room to cross her arms, grip the bottom of her tank top, and tug it off. She flung it to the floor before grabbing my head and tugging me to her mouth. We crashed into a kiss. Sam’s hips lifted as she sought more.

  My tongue matched the tempo of my fingers until she couldn’t handle anymore. Breaking from the kiss, she turned her head and gasped for air. I kept my lips on her, sucking on her neck. She soaked my hand as I picked up the pace, relentlessly fingering her now. The thrusts were hard and fast, and my thumb made small, tight circles on her clit.

  “Oh God…” Her cries grew louder, and I pulled my head up to watch.

  One of Sam’s arms was bent above her head, her fingers violently twisting the sheets, while her other hand was on my back, her nails clawing at my skin. Her tits strained against the lacy white bra she wore, begging for my mouth again, but they’d have to wait. She was too close, and I wasn’t missing this for the world.

  I focused my attention on her face as she came on my fingers for the first time. Her head tipped back as she arched off the bed, but I could still see everything. The way her mouth fell open on a gasp and her eyes fluttered shut. The way she bit her bottom lip, trapping her moans. I watched it all as I took her to the edge… and she fell.

  Sam came on a long, low cry as she clenched around my fingers. After she came down from her high, I slipped my hand from her heat and lifted it to my mouth, licking my fingers clean. She bit her lip and squirmed beneath me.

  Just as I was about to lean down and kiss her, we froze when we heard a high-pitched bark. I pulled back and Sam lifted herself on her elbows so we could both look down at the dog on the floor. Rory was sitting, wagging her tail and panting as her eyes traveled between us.

  “She won’t jump on the bed. I trained her not to,” I mumbled, turning back to Sam. She nodded and fell back, grabbing my shoulders and bringing me with her. Our mouths collided again.

  And then… another bark.

  “Fuck.” I groaned against her shoulder.

  When Sam laughed I followed her stare. Rory’s paws were on the bed, her sad little eyes begging to be let up and join the fun.

  “I’ll be right back.” I leaned down to give her a quick kiss, but she threw her arms around my neck. Breaking away, I grabbed her wrists and pinned them above her head. “Stop trying to distract me. I don’t fuck with an audience.”

  She giggled, and I thrusted my painfully hard dick against her center. Her laughter quickly turned to a moan.

  “Still think it’s funny?” I asked before nipping her throat.

  “Definitely not. Go give her a jerky stick or something.”

  I jumped off Sam and raced to the kitchen. I wasn’t even sure how many treats I grabbed but judging by Rory’s enthusiastic response, I wouldn’t be surprised if it was the whole bag. After I tossed them on her dog bed and watched her dive after them, I hurried down the hall. Thinking ahead, I unbuttoned my jeans and tugged them off before I reached my bedroom.

  I stopped short in the doorway, seeing Sam had the same idea. Her bra and panties were tossed on the floor, a trail leading right to her as she sat at the end of my bed, gloriously naked. A string of condoms lay beside her.

  Sam’s ass was on the edge and her toned legs were crossed. She was leaning back with her hands flat on the bed, her chest pushed out like a gift.

  Before Rory decided to reappear, I stepped in and shut the door.

  “What are you doing all the way over there?” Sam grinned, even as her dark eyes wandered down my body.

  “What do you want?” I asked, my voice like gravel.

  “Everything,” she immediately answered.

  My back hit the door and I wrapped my hand around my hard shaft. “Tell me exactly what you want.”

  Sam licked her lips, watching as I slowly started pumping. She didn’t take her eyes off me when she said, “I want you to make tiny circles on my clit before thrusting a finger inside me. You’ll slowly move it in and out, teasing me, before inserting another. And when I’m close to the edge you’ll bring your thumb to my clit and rub it while you finger me, until I’m begging you to let me come.”

  Pausing, she lifted her eyes to mine. “But you won’t let me. Instead you’ll stand up and reposition me to sit in front of you with your cock right in front of me… and you’ll order me to suck it.”

  My eyes squeezed shut and I clenched my jaw to the point of pain. “Jesus Christ…” I muttered.

  “You’ll pull my hair as you fuck my mouth, and tell me to swallow everything you have to give. Can you feel the wet warmth of my mouth closing over you as I roll your balls in my hand? Will you go crazy when I’m so out of my mind with need I slip a hand between my legs and rub myself as I wrap my lips around your cock?”

  “Sam,” I growled as my eyes sprang open. My dick was achingly hard and my balls were heavy with desire. I wasn’t alone in my frenzied state. She was squirming on the bed, fisting the sheets to keep from touching herself.

  “But I won’t let you come either. Because I don’t want the first time you come with me to be in my mouth, I want it…”

  I stared at the apex of her crossed thighs. “Where?” When she didn’t answer, I looked up to see her cheeks bright red and her lip caught between her teeth. I walked
slowly toward her. Her legs uncrossed and fell open as she leaned further back until she was on her elbows. I stopped right in front of her, still fisting my cock, and ran the head through her wet folds. Sam whimpered and her whole body shuddered.

  “Say it.”

  Shaking her head, she whispered, “I… I can’t.”

  I pulled away. “C’mere.”

  She eagerly sat up, staring at my freed dick as it bobbed against my stomach. My hands moved to her head, my fingers sinking in her hair until I was tugging her forward. “Suck it.”

  Her eyes flared as she opened her mouth and took as much of me as she could. I watched her perfect lips worship my cock. Sam’s hands played with my balls just as she said she would, and my eyes rolled into the back of my head. And when I pulled on her hair and ruthlessly fucked her mouth, it wasn’t because she’d described it that way; it was because I couldn’t do anything else.

  I looked down to make sure I wasn’t hurting her and I found her eyes closed. She moaned, sending delicious vibrations through me, and brought her hands to my ass. Sam’s nails dug in, pulling me toward her as if she were starving.

  “Fuck, fuck, fuck.” I groaned long and loud as the pressure at the base of my spine became unbearable. I had to come… now.

  But just like she promised, the tease didn’t let me. Sam pulled back, letting my rock-hard dick fall from her lips. That was when I noticed one of her hands had left my ass and started playing with her clit. I quickly rolled a condom on before grabbing both her wrists and shoving her back onto the bed, pinning them above her head.

  “Say it.” My lips hovered above hers. “You didn’t want me coming in your mouth. Where do you want it?” She closed her eyes, her hips lifting up and seeking more. It took everything not to give it to her, to just let her rub herself along my length.

  She growled. “I need more.”

  “Not until you say it,” I whispered.

  Sam’s eyes flew open and if looks could kill, I’d be six feet under. I saw the surrender in her gaze. So I gathered her wrists in one hand and lowered my other, gripping my shaft and waiting.