by Evie Bennet
As Michelle’s feet hit the ground, Reed’s smile faded. “Mom.”
“Hey, kid.”
He flinched, surprised by the hug she wrapped around his shoulders, his own hands hovering over her lower back. Tamara smirked at me over his shoulder. “This must be your girl.”
“You’ve met.”
My close-lipped smile felt tight on my face, but I tried to remain as neutral as possible, keeping my hands bound in front of me. If only I could wrap his bandana around my palms for extra protection.
“Oh, I guess good news does travel fast.” Sliding back, Tamara fixed me with syrupy appraisal that made me feel like I needed to scrape my skin clean. “Shelly and I had to come out early for the wedding to get a chance to spend some time with the family.”
“Interesting time for priorities.”
Tamara shrugged, unfazed. “Time changes people. Thought it might be fun to see how you turned out.” She tugged on his cheek and followed it with a sly little rub that somehow registered in my mind as a slap.
Inhaling sharply, I turned to Shelly. She was important. Her image stayed on the fridge. “Hi! I’m Betty. It’s nice to finally meet you.”
Quirking an eyebrow, Shelly glanced at her family for cues before nodding. She was kind of reserved so she was hard to read, but somehow by knowing her brother, I felt like I could glean her social cues and mannerisms slightly better. “Uh, hi. Yeah. Same.”
“How do you like Cleveland?”
“It’s fine.” Shelly shrugged, glancing worriedly at her mom.
JR leaned over the counter, talking through the kitchen window instead of joining us in the living room. “Where are you all staying?”
“We thought we’d crash here, hun.”
“For the week?”
“Yeah. Be like one big family again.”
Shelly seemed to close in on herself. Reed twisted to look over his shoulder, first at his father, then at me. But what could I do?
“Guess I’m on the couch, then.” JR laughed, but it sounded more like a cough.
With a little grimace, Shelly looked down at the well-worn furniture that might’ve been Reed’s bed for years. “And I’m on the armchair?”
“You can share the bed with me, Michelle,” Tamara offered, ruffling her hair.
“Shelly can stay with us.” Everyone turned to stare at me, their eyes popping wide. Reed was the only one whose gaze seemed to narrow, trying to read me.
Too much? Of course it was.
“I mean, we have a nice couch and she can have her own space if she needs it. I’m at the shop most of the day and Reed can probably shuttle her back and forth if that helps.”
My heart beat fast in my chest. I shrugged my shoulders high like they could hide the heat in my ears.
It was his biological family. I probably shouldn’t have butted in, but he liked his sister and ought to get more time with her to make up for all they’d lost. She deserved better than the awkwardness of staying with her estranged parents, anyway.
“All right.” The inflection implied Tamara was chewing the words like they were tobacco. “Girl bonding. You can stay with the kids if you want to, Shelly.”
“Really?” The teen girl sounded dubious, but after a second of glancing between her parents, she turned back to her brother. “Okay.”
Reed smiled over his shoulder at me, the softness melting my grip until my limbs untangled in the urge to wrap around his. “Okay.”
I fell back into the mattress with a distinct gravity, all my limbs dragged towards Reed as he pulled off my underwear.
“I can’t believe I have to be quiet with you for a whole fucking week.” He bit my calf, crawling towards me with a fire that made me giddy. “And right before the wedding.”
“Are you-are you mad at me?”
“Oh no, baby.” His hands slid down from my knees to my hips, holding them in place as he centered himself between my thighs. “I am very... very happy with you.”
Desperate and elated, I sat up and grasped his neck, kissing him and rolling my body up as much as I could under his weight. Even though he was so sweet, I could feel the reminder of the bruises his fingers dug into my hips as he ground against me. Maybe I could convince him to give me a tiny collar of hickeys before the wedding and cover them with a necklace that he could rip off during the honeymoon.
One hand urgently groped my breast, circling and kneading all my sweet spots. His mouth was so hot. He kept kissing me until I could smell my own arousal in the room amidst our sweat. I liked it like this. Slick. Easy. After a little push just under my breast, I fell back into the mattress and hoisted my knees up, daring him to come closer.
Bracing his elbows on either side of me, Reed took a moment to run his teeth along his lip. “You’re gonna get fucked hard enough to last a week.”
“I’m ready.” I shifted, my hands on his biceps as I tried to lift myself up to meet him.
“Baby, if we’re gonna go this hard, I want you to show me your hand signals. You remember?” He sucked lightly on my collarbone, sending heat pooling between my thighs.
“Yes.” He sucked a little harder. “Yes!” It barely even occurred to me to signal yes, more, instinctually rubbing my fingers back and forth on his body.
With urgent desire, I dug my heels into his ass to bring him closer, aligning and helping him inside of me. The whoosh of hot air at my neck sent tingles down my spine.
“You feel so good,” he reminded me gently, kissing my jaw. “So fucking good.”
“I love you.”
“Oh, baby. I love you too.”
My eyes squeezed shut with the rocking motion, my hands lightly tracing his sides, up his back, into his hair. Everything built up slow and perfect, making my insides coil tight while the rest of me melted like jelly out in the sun.
“Please, Reedsy,” I begged, sucking on his pulse. “You make me feel so good.”
“Oh, shit,” he panted, pressing down on my shoulder as he attempted to hold himself back from coming. Spots pricked behind my eyelids.
It wasn’t the full darkness, more like a tightening in my chest. I tapped his arms with two fingers.
Immediately, his eyes shot open, his euphoria receded into worry as he adjusted his hands and weight. He kissed me once, super tender, watching my face for any signs of panic.
He was so good, and we were so perfect together.
“Thank you, baby.” I kissed him sweetly, dragging my tongue around his to ease his worry back into arousal. It took a little bit to get our groove back, but I loved our languorous affection and sweet caresses. I arched up into him, the angle of his thrusts hitting just the right spot that made my brain shoot off endorphins like sparklers in the night.
Groaning, I tightened my thighs. I didn’t feel like speaking and breaking the moment, so I rubbed a small circle on his arm with the tips of my fingers, asking, Please? Oh, I loved the way he responded so quickly. His neck flexed, his thrusts stilling inside of me in favor of a heady, sharp rotation of his hips.
“Fuck!”
The stimulation made my head spin, my body unravel, and all I could do was hold on as the spasms of euphoria worked through me. Naturally attuned to what I needed, he resumed pumping only to slam in hard and rotate to make me come again. Then, again.
I cried in relief and ecstasy, knowing that he wanted me to be loud to better savor my need for the week to come. Even my nipples felt raw and hypersensitive as he moved closer.
“Fuck. I don’t know if I can do it again,” I confessed, sweat from my chest clinging to my neck as I angled to kiss his cheek.
“One more, baby. One more?”
It could help send him over the edge.
“Okay.”
“You want me?”
“Forever.”
I traced circles on his back again in the infinity symbol. Groaning, almost crying into my neck, Reed dragged my knees up and to the side to get as deep as he could.
“I fucking love you.”
With another round of shudders, breathy moans and shouts, we collapsed.
After a few sticky, sweaty minutes of catching our breath, nuzzling and basking in each other’s sex, I turned my head to face him. “So, think that’ll last us through the week?”
“Mm. No. You’ll be sore, but I’ll want you the rest of our lifetime,” he mumbled into his pillow, earning a laugh that shook the whole bed.
Our love really did feel infinite.
“Are you sure there will be enough room?”
“What did I say?” he reminded me, fixing a piece of dry cereal between his teeth with his thumb.
I was his family. He said he wouldn’t go without me.
“Okay, but…” I frowned, considering the five of us squished into a car.
“It’s fine. If it gets too tight you can sit on my lap.” He winked, pulling at my waist to drop a kiss on my cheek.
“Gross.”
We both jerked towards the noise in surprise, not used to having company. Shelly sighed, rounding the corner from the bathroom and rubbing her eyes.
“Did you sleep okay?” I tried to be normal levels of sweet, even as Reed’s thumb skimmed the curve of my hip.
“Yeah. That couch is way nicer than the trailer’s. Or the cot.”
“When do you sleep on a cot?”
“At Mom’s.” Shelly shrugged, aimlessly moving past us to the cabinets. “Where are your mugs?”
I gestured to the cabinet on the left, resisting the impulse to jump in front of her and get it for her. The teen had seemed fairly self-reliant so far and I’d hate to baby her. Still, I wanted to be a good hostess. Thoughtful. Kind. “Would you like some tea or hot chocolate?”
“Why didn’t I get that option for breakfast?” Reed tickled my waist until I flinched, swatting him away with a reluctant grin.
“Stop, this is a special occasion.”
“You guys really are gooey-eyed, huh?”
We turned to look at Shelley, ‘unimpressed teen’ written clear as day on her face.
“Someone hasn’t had their coffee yet,” Reed teased, already starting up the machine. My palms itched with the worry that Shelly was too young, that she wasn’t supposed to have caffeine.
“What?” Shelly asked, eyebrows dubiously raised.
Since Reed encouraged me to be open, I’d forgotten about the subtle expressions that set in when I was worried. “Oh! Nothing. I just, I didn’t know you drank coffee. Or how you like it. I can pick up some sugar or cream at the store.”
“I can get it,” Reed offered, knowing I didn’t drink it, anyway. Coffee gave me too much anxious energy and I had enough of that already.
Shelly frowned at Reed. “You take your coffee black?”
“Just like my soul.”
She rolled her eyes. “That joke is for dinosaurs.”
I giggled, the soft sound drawing both of their attention. At Reed’s quirked eyebrow and smirk, I felt the blushing need to get away before I kissed him senseless. “I’ll set up the cereal selection for you, and maybe tomorrow, we can bake muffins?” At Shelly’s confused stare, I faltered. “Or I can bake muffins? If you prefer the tiny ones, I think I have a little pan for those, too.”
“No wonder Reed’s all gross for you.”
“Hey,” he protested, handing her the mug. “I shouldn’t even be giving you this stuff. Stunts your growth, runt.”
“Who wants to be a bean pole like you?”
A squiggly line of glee ran up my spine, straightening my posture. “Do you mind if I take a picture?”
Trying not to flock to Reed’s crooked smile, I focused on Shelly’s neutral confusion. “Why?”
“I don’t know. A memory for you and your brother. Coffee, sleepovers, and height differences.”
“Those are the memories we’re going for?”
I blushed. “We could put it on the fridge.” They didn’t get a lot of moments together so it would be nice to make the most of the ones they did have.
“She doesn’t post them, if that’s what your vain teenage brain is thinking.”
“Shut up, weirdo. Can you take it on my phone?”
My fingers shook with excitement as I took Shelly’s old-school phone. She trusted me so I better do it right.
Licking my lips, I opened the camera app and framed the siblings. They shimmied next to one another, Reed squeezing her arm over-affectionately to get a rise as they both mugged with their coffee cups on display. It was a cute photo. Silly. Sarcastic. They laughed at it, the sound filling the kitchen with something warm that splashed in my insides until I was smiling so hard my cheeks ached.
“Come on, Betts. I want a photo showing just how much of a height difference there is.”
“What do you mean?”
He took out his own phone, holding it above, gesturing for me to come over his shoulder. I wrapped my arms around him from behind, tempted to kiss his cheek, squeezing him instead. “Shelly, you get behind. All right, there it is.” He grinned, his face lighting up as Shelly gave him an unimpressed look and bunny ears over his other shoulder.
The picture was everything it needed to be. We looked like a family. We felt like a family, too.
“Do you guys always smile this much?” Shelly asked, a small one of her own playing at her lips as she watched us clean up the dishes.
“Almost.”
“When we’re not making out,” Reed added, just to be a brat.
Shelly coughed her half-swallowed coffee back into the mug. I flicked Reed with some soapy water and sent him a chiding look for nearly making his sister choke.
Toweling off my hands, I headed towards the door. “I’ll see you two when I get back.” After giving Reed a quick kiss behind the door so as not to gross out the teen in the house, I swiped my hair into a loose bun and headed out to work.
“Wait up!”
I paused on the doorstep, surprised and pleased when Reed closed the door behind him and took my face in his hands before slamming into me for a kiss that was so hard it took my breath away.
“Thank you.”
“For what?” I blinked, still a little high on happiness.
“Everything.”
15
Spotlight
My cheeks were almost as sore as my thighs and I was pretty sure if I wasn’t squashed between Shelly and Reed in the truck bed I’d be floating on cloud nine.
“You kids doing all right over there?”
“Yes, Dad.” The surly attitude made Reed sound young and I had to grin at him, at this. In some ways, it felt like being scrunched in the truck with his arm around me was taking us both back in time. We had a whole future to discover, too.
JR rolled his eyes at the attitude, using the top of the truck to haul himself up and out of it. “I’ll get some grub for you troublemakers. I think Eddie’s working tonight.”
“Oh, Eddie? I’d like to say hi to that son of a bitch.”
I shot a nervous glance at Shelly, who seemed largely unaffected by the language. At my childhood house, they’d always been so tight-lipped about things like that.
The rocking truck had me instinctively putting my ankle over Reed’s. It would lock us together in case we got thrown. It was only for a second as his parents ambled off. As the truck settled, I tried to make conversation with Shelly.
“Do you have a drive-in in Cleveland?”
“The closest thing we have to specialty theater is when Squirrel does impressions at the scrapyard during work.”
“Scrapyard?” I clarified. “Squirrel?”
“Haven’t you told her anything, Reeds-a-lot?”
“I’ve told her all about my darling younger sister who admires her older brother. Seen her anywhere?”
“Yeah, well…” Crossing her arms, Shelly scrunched further down into the truck bed. “Mom insisted I work at the scrapyard and second-hand shop where I’ve learned better than to respect a guy for eating his body weight in cheese nibs. A lot can happen in a few years.�
�
“You’re telling me.” The thunk of the back of Reed’s bandana connecting with the truck made my heart sink. It wasn’t right.
They should be together.
Shelly shouldn’t have been working two jobs while she was in high school. Reed shouldn’t have had to care for his sick father on his own, either. Life wasn’t fair. I knew that and yet I still felt like I had to make it better.
“I have to… I’ll be right back,” I said, squeezing Reed’s thigh before scooting down.
He leaned forward, hand tracing my back until I slipped away. “You okay?”
“Yeah. Just-just gonna check on something.” The whip-quick smile wasn’t entirely enough to fool him, but with Shelly present, he didn’t press it.
Could I let it go? Could I just let his sister go back to a scrapyard and a cot? As her future sister-in-law I couldn’t help but be invested in her happiness.
“Hey, B.”
I flinched at the nickname, surprised at Tamara’s gall to use it in general. I wasn’t sure how long Tamara had been out of Reed’s life, but she was certainly a new addition to mine. Slurping on an ice cream cone, Tamara clambered over the aisles to join me, practically winking at the cars full of people whose views she obstructed.
How were this woman and Reed even remotely related?
“You having a good time?”
I folded my arms across my chest, accidentally betraying my comfort level. “Yeah.”
“Shelly seems to have taken a real liking to you.” My shoulders incrementally relaxed as I turned back to where the Parker siblings conversed in the truck bed. “That’s hard, let me tell you. She doesn’t love easily. Or like. Same as Reed. They had it tough growing up. Cash flow problems, which led to marital problems.” Tamara shrugged, eyeing me with a casual air as she licked her ice cream.
I wasn’t sure what to say. Did she want me to talk about my own parents or express sympathy? “If it’s any consolation, I think they turned out great.”
“Yeah, they’re great kids. They seem happy enough. Sure would be nice if me and Shelly could move back so the family could be together again.”
