by Nikki Chase
Sophia nods slowly. “It’s kind of impressive that you could keep a story like that quiet in a town like Ashbourne.”
I huff a small laugh. “My mom’s a midwife, remember? She took care of everything herself and told everybody Nicole was the daughter of one of her patients.”
“Also, my parents are pretty much my only source of information,” Sophia adds. “And they haven’t spoken to your mom since . . .”
“Since you and Angela were in high school,” I finish her sentence.
“Yeah,” Sophia says.
Even though it’s been a long time, and she’s a successful, sophisticated woman, she still seems to retain some hurt from the way she was treated in high school. Kids can be so cruel.
“So, Nicole lives with your mom, then?” Sophia asks.
“And me.” I take a deep breath. “Despite her stubbornness, my mom can’t actually take care of Nicole on her own. She’s old.” I chuckle. “She’s . . . not as healthy as she used to be.”
“I’m so sorry to hear that,” Sophia says in her own special way that somehow makes the clichéd expression sound sincere.
“Even back when Nicole was just a baby, she was already getting random joint pains and stuff. There was no way she could’ve handled a baby on her own.” I look into Sophia’s green eyes. “I’m sorry I never told you any of this.”
“Why didn’t you?” she asks softly.
“You were already dealing with so much. You had a lot on your plate.” I take a deep breath as I remember what it was like, all those years ago. “Going to school was a daily struggle for you, despite my best efforts.”
Sophia smiles wryly. “You couldn’t have entered the school grounds, even if you tried. You were too old to pass as a student.”
“I remember how you told me you could handle it on your own even though you were almost at the point of tears.” My lips curl up at the memory of a younger Sophia arguing with me. She was fiercely independent even back then. “You were sending out college applications and getting accepted all over the place. You were such a smart girl. I knew you were going places.”
Sophia falls silent. Pain and comprehension flash in her big, green, intelligent eyes. “Is that why you told me to leave?”
“I wanted to go with you. You knew that,” I say. “I was planning to move to the city with you, maybe get a job flipping burgers or making coffee or whatever. You know, work my way up the old-fashioned way. It seemed like such a good idea at the time. Remember how we even drew up a plan to divide the house chores between the two of us?”
“Yeah.” The edge of Sophia’s mouth quirks up in a sad half-smile. “You were going to wash all the dishes because that was my least favorite chore.”
“And you were going to do the laundry because I didn’t want to ruin all your pretty dresses,” I add.
“You also sucked at folding clothes.”
“I still do.”
Sophia laughs, but soon she falls silent. She gives me a sober look. “That’s why you decided to stay? Because of your niece?”
“Yeah,” I answer. “I don’t regret it, though. Not really. She’s a great kid.”
Sophia’s smile widens but her eyes remain sad. “That’s great.”
“That’s not completely true.” I try to find the right words. “Overall, I don’t think I made the wrong decision. Nicole couldn’t have thrived the way she has if I hadn’t stayed here in Ashbourne. But, there is one thing I regret.”
Sophia silently looks up at me from underneath her long, thick lashes.
“I regret losing you,” I say, my heart pounding in my chest.
It feels like something I’ve bottled up for years is finally free to float up to the surface. But, now that I’ve opened the lid, I can’t help but worry what it’ll do. It’s too late to go back now, though. The only way to go is forward.
“Every damn day, I wish I still had you,” I say.
“Do you, still?” she asks, her breath caught in her throat.
“Yes.” I’ve never felt this vulnerable before. And, I haven’t felt alive like this in a long time. Maybe I only really live when she’s around. “I still wish you were mine.”
Sophia remains quiet as she watches me with her big, perceptive eyes. My lungs feel too heavy to take a breath.
There’s something in her stare. She looks so harmless, my Sophia. But, there’s a kind of razor steel in her gaze that threatens to shred me into pieces.
“You didn’t have to lose me,” she says softly, in a voice so laden with pain my heart clenches with hers.
I shake my head. “What would you have done, Sophia?”
“I could’ve stayed here. I could’ve helped you.”
“You’d have forgone college for me?” I shake my head harder. “I couldn’t make you do that. I couldn’t make you sacrifice something that important at such a young age.
“She was Angela’s baby, remember?” I ask her. “I couldn’t ask you to let go of all your dreams for someone who made your life a living hell for years.”
“I . . . We could’ve . . . I don’t know . . . we could’ve talked it out, figure out a solution.” Sophia’s voice grows louder and her speech faster. “We could’ve stayed together while I went to college. I could have visited every holiday. Damn it, I could have visited every weekend.”
“Like I said, I have regrets, Sophia. It wasn’t an ideal solution.” I shrug. “But, I didn’t want to hold you back like that. You were fucking eighteen, for fuck’s sake. I couldn’t do that to you.”
“All these years, I thought you hated me.” Sophia’s voice trembles as tears escape from her eyes. “I thought you’d grown tired of me.”
With her words, she claws into my chest and rips a hole in the middle of my heart. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t—”
“Do you know how many nights I spent just lying awake in bed, thinking about all the horrible reasons for you to hate me?” she cuts me off.
“I’m so sorry. I’ve regretted it every single day since you left,” I say softly.
“You could’ve called,” she says pointedly. “You could’ve told me the truth.”
“I thought that was just going to make it harder for you to get over me. I’m sorry.” If I have to add an apology to every sentence I’ll ever say to Sophia for the rest of my life, I’ll do it. If that will make her feel better, I’ll gladly do it.
I reach out and wipe away her tears with the pad of my thumb, but more tears keep coming, falling faster than I can keep up with.
“I never got over you,” she says softly, her glassy eyes looking straight at me, her pain so palpable I wouldn’t be surprised to see bloody cuts on my skin.
“I never got over you either.” With both hands, I try to dam her tears.
“I tried,” she says. “I tried so hard. But, nobody could make me feel the way you do.”
I nod. I’m familiar with the kind of obsession she’s describing. I feel the exact same way.
“At first, I thought it was going to go away with time,” I admit. “Then, by the time I realized it was permanent, years had passed. I thought you were probably happy with your new life in the city. You didn’t need me.”
Sophia nods. “I thought you probably had a wife and kids of your own. You didn’t need me.”
“I was wrong. I’m sorry,” I repeat.
“I . . . Well, I got the ‘kids’ part right, to an extent.” Sophia smiles through her sobbing.
I chuckle, relieved she can find humor in the situation. “Yeah.”
“What’s she like – Nicole?” she asks.
“She’s . . . She’s a handful.” I smile. “She’s a cocky know-it-all who speaks her mind. I get called to see the principal way too often.”
“That sounds great.” Sophia laughs. Then, somberly, she says, “My life in the city isn’t as wonderful as you probably think.”
Sophia
“My life in the city isn’t as wonderful as you probably think,” I admit.
/> “Tell me about it. Tell me all about it,” Eli says, staring at me like he wants to know all there is to know about me, like he wants me to talk about every little thing that has happened in the past seven years.
But, that would take a long time. The way he speaks about his niece—like she’s the best thing that has happened in his life—I can’t just come out with the truth. That could change everything.
And, selfishly, after seven years of waiting, I don’t want to wait anymore. I can’t stand the thought of yet another thing standing in our way.
“I’ll tell you some other time.” I put my hand over his, which is still cupping my wet cheek. I kiss the palm of his calloused hand.
“I’m so sorry, Sophia.” Even if he doesn’t repeatedly apologize, I can see the genuine regret in his eyes, and I know he’s telling the truth.
“I know. I believe you. And, I forgive you.”
It’s crazy how quickly he has regained my trust. But, now that I know the truth, how can I not forgive him even though he has inflicted the worst pain I’ve ever experienced in my life?
He was only trying to do what he thought was best for me. Just like he always did.
He didn’t change. His circumstances did. He was only trying to insulate me from his problems, not knowing that I wanted his everything—his problems, his flaws, his inconveniences.
“You have no idea how much that means to me,” Eli says. “I promise you, I’ll be honest with you from now on. You can expect nothing but the truth from these lips.”
Ironically, now that Eli has sworn to give me complete honesty, I can’t bear to tell him my truth. Now that the hope of having him back has invaded my being, I can’t bear the thought of losing him again.
“Well, actually, I’m kind of hoping for some other things from those lips, too . . .” A small smile works its way across my face. I lick my lower lip and bite down on it, looking at him with heavy-lidded eyes.
“Again, I was wrong, and you were right, princess.” Eli kisses the back of my hand.
Then, he leans closer and kisses me on the lips—a gentle, slow, emotional kiss. The kind of kiss that makes my heart melt.
“You can expect this, too, from my lips,” he says against my mouth.
“A little bit of this, as well.” Eli drags his mouth down my throat, making my breath catch in my throat.
“What else?” I ask, half-gasping as he pulls my shirt up and kisses the valley between my breasts.
“This . . .” Eli’s stubble tickles as he travels south, down my stomach.
I let Eli push me back until I’m lying down on the couch.
He pulls my sweatpants and panties down in one smooth move. As he plants kisses on my hips and thighs, he says, “This, too.”
I whimper with need.
“Is that enough?” he asks, smirking as he hovers just over my pussy lips.
I shake my head. “No,” I sigh. “You know that’s nowhere near enough.”
“So demanding,” he says, his hot breath caressing my wet folds. “So damn demanding.”
I moan with need.
“But, princess, you deserve it. You deserve everything I have to give.” He kisses my lower lips lightly, chuckling as I thrust my hips off the couch. “I won’t give you everything you want. But, I’ll give you everything you need . . . and more.”
“Please do,” I beg.
Eli presses on the hood of my clit and watches me squirm as I push myself against the pad of his thumb.
“Don’t move,” he says.
I whimper in protest, but I give in to his demand. Despite the burning need in my core, I keep my lower body still. My hands grab onto the fabric of the couch,so hard I worry I’ll rip a hole in it.
It doesn’t matter, though. If that happens, it would be entirely Eli’s fault. Besides, I get the feeling I’ll enjoy any punishment he’ll give me.
“Good girl.” Eli presses his mouth against my wet folds and pulls away immediately. As he licks his lips, he smiles. “You taste as sweet as ever, princess.”
My face grows hot under his scrutiny.
“Aren’t you going to thank me for the compliment?” he asks darkly before he lightly smacks my mound with his palm.
I gasp in shock, my fingers clutching onto the couch tighter. “Thank you.”
“Very good,” he says as he rubs my skin to soothe the stinging sensation. His smile grows wider. “You’re getting wetter and wetter, princess. You still like it when I hurt you?”
I nod.
“What am I going to do with you?” he asks. “I’ve fantasized about this for years, thought about having you all turned on and at my mercy.”
“Do whatever you want.” I know that’s exactly the kind of thing that gets his motor running.
“Good answer,” he says. “You deserve a reward for that.”
I mewl happily as Eli dives head-first between my legs. He takes my lips into his warm, wet mouth and laps up my juices like they’re honey.
But, true to his cruel nature, he deliberately avoids my clit, choosing to circle around it instead with his tongue.
“Eli, please . . .”
“You said whatever, didn’t you?” he asks.
“Yes.”
Eli inserts two fingers inside me. I’m so wet they meet no resistance at all and go in smoothly. Keeping his fingers straight, he slides in and out of me.
The temptation to move my hips grows stronger. If Eli moves his tongue just a little bit to the left, or if he shifts his fingers just a fraction of an inch up . . .
“Please, Eli. I beg you,” I moan.
“Please what? You said I could do whatever I wanted, didn’t you?”
“I did. You can still do whatever you want. Just . . . Please make me come. Please . . .”
In a low, velvety voice, he asks, “Do you want my dick?”
“Yes, please,” I answer with no hesitation.
“Okay.”
I bite my lower lip as Eli takes his mouth off me and pulls his fingers out of me.
I know Eli is a man of his words, but . . . He will make me come, won’t he? I really can’t wait much longer . . . I’m going insane with need.
Eli gets up onto his knees and straightens his spine, his hard, chiseled body towering over me as he lifts his shirt up.
I watch quietly as the line of dark fuzz coming out of his pants comes into view. Then, I see his glorious abs, as well-defined as ever. Then, his broad chest. His brawny shoulders.
Eli’s shirt goes over his head. He smirks as he catches me staring at him. The smug bastard knows he’s only whetting my appetite further.
“Keep watching,” he says.
My gaze follows his hands to the bulge in his pants. I stare, impatient, as he undoes his fly and pulls out his cock. His thick, rock-hard cock.
I swear I can almost see it throbbing.
Before I know it, I’m licking my lips at the sight of the glob of clear pre-cum that has gathered at the tip.
“Can I have a taste?” I add, “Please?”
“Maybe next time.” Eli chuckles. “I can’t wait to fuck you.”
Sure, that sounds great, too, I guess . . .
I moan with need when Eli’s hot shaft presses on top of my pussy lips. His skin feels like velvet. Aided by my wetness, he glides easily over me, his hips moving back and forth, teasing me to the point of madness.
Eli lets out a low, animalistic groan as he leans over me, his palms pressing into the couch on either side of me, making the cushion sink.
I watch as his eyebrows knit together and his jaw drops open. I try to stay still, but I can’t help lifting my hands to trace his skin with my fingers, feeling the ripples of his muscles underneath his golden skin.
As Eli presses harder against me and moves faster, I grab onto his biceps and tug him down. This feels amazing, and that’s exactly why I need more.
“Didn’t I tell you to stay still, princess?” he asks, staring me down.
“Yes . . .�
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Eli grabs my breast roughly and pulls my nipple, hard. “Then, stay still.”
“Yes,” I say, biting my lower lip and whimpering from the pain, even as it sends a jolt of pleasure straight to my center. “I’m sorry.”
“Good.” Eli lets go of my nipple and looks down to where we’re rubbing against each other. “I’d make you wait, punish you for moving when I told you not to. But, I can’t wait anymore, princess. I must have you.”
“Take me,” I beg him. “Please, take me.”
“I will,” he says darkly as he lines the head of his dick against my opening. “Oh, I will.”
I let out a needy moan as Eli pushes his dick inside me, filling me up. When he’s all the way inside me, his balls pressing up against me, all my waiting pays off.
Eli fits perfectly inside me, just the way I remember. As he slides in and out of me, he hits me right where I need him to.
I look up into his eyes. A part of me can’t believe this is really happening. But every time Eli slams into me, I jolt back to the here and now and I know I can’t possibly imagine this. Not even in my wildest dreams does it ever feel this good.
I wrap my legs around Eli’s hips. As the extra leverage grinds his cock even deeper inside me, I moan loudly, knowing nobody will hear me. My fingernails drag up his back as my body shudders with pleasure.
“Did I tell you to move, princess?” Eli asks.
I shake my head. “No.”
“That’s right.” He grabs both my wrists and pins them down over my head. “Spread your legs wide.”
Eli doesn’t stop as I part my thighs, my whole body accommodating him while he fucks me. My muscles are tense and my toes curl as his heavy balls slap against my ass.
“Good girl,” Eli says. “Now, stay still and take it.”
I shut my eyes and throw my head back as Eli plunges his cock in and out of me with wild abandon. It’s all I can do. He’s so big compared to my body. I’m helpless under his control.
He slides all the way out, then drives his thick, hard cock all the way back in, grinding against me to go deeper as he does.
Even though I’m not allowed to do anything and Eli controls everything, his pace is perfect. He’s sending me into orbit with his thrusts.
