by Shade, S. M.
She turns to me. “It’s not too late to change your mind. I told you it’d be terrible.”
And let her do it? Yeah, that’ll happen. “No way. I’ve got this.”
“Okay, well, only do the front yard and along the edge of the road. That’s what the county is complaining about. The fields are so full of trash you’d tear up any mower you tried to use anyway.”
“How much land do they have?”
Veronica gestures to the tree line. “Almost two hundred acres. This place was a working farm back in it’s day, and the back field was an apple orchard. The trees still bear occasionally, but it’s so trashed and overgrown, they just fall and rot with the other garbage.” She points to a narrow path in the woods. “That path leads down to the creek. It’s only about a quarter of a mile. If you come looking for us.”
The kids start down the path, and Bailey stops by a tree where we can still see them.
Veronica hesitates and shifts the backpack cooler she’s wearing. “I hate this. This isn’t your job. I should at least be helping.”
“Psh. This is one of those manly jobs. You need my masculine muscles and strength. Now, you go make sure the kids don’t drown, and I’ll get all nice and sweaty for you.”
“Yeah, man stink really turns me on. You know me so well.”
“It’s a gift.”
“Uh-huh.” She smiles up at me. “Trust me, swamp ass will not make up for your stellar pelvic acumen.”
“Come on, Mom!” Aiden yells. “Dam!”
We both break into laughter, and she shakes her head. “Okay, call me when you’re done or come find us.”
What the hell have I gotten myself into? I intended to cut the yard and at least the front field, but a quick walk through it shows me Veronica was right. I can’t go five steps without running into a hunk of rusted metal, or an old garden hose, or…is that a vehicle transmission? It’s like the saying, everything but the kitchen sink. No, there’s a sink, lying on its side, full of stagnant water, a cloud of bugs swarming above it. I’m glad we thought to spray ourselves down with bug repellent before we came.
I settle for running the massive field and brush mower through the front yard, along the edges of the road, and making a clear path to the mailbox, shed, and driveway. Even with the super powered mower, it takes me nearly three hours. My sweat slickened skin is covered with bits of cut grass, pollen, and god knows what else.
By the time I’m finished, that creek sounds pretty good.
The hike is easy, and I can hear the kids before I see them. As I step through the trees, Veronica comes into view. She’s reclining on a large boulder at the edge of the creek, leaning back on her hands, her feet dangling in the fast running water. The sun slants through the trees, turning her hair to fire and making her pale skin glisten.
“Hey!” she calls, finally noticing that I’m staring at her like a lovestruck idiot. “Are you done?”
“Yeah, it’s the best I can do under the circumstances.” I think we need to get out here and try to clean some of this up for her mother. She obviously isn’t able and a few weekends with the right equipment, and a couple of dumpsters would make a world of difference.
I wade into the creek, find a spot deep enough to submerge myself completely, and wash off the sweat and grit. Her gaze is locked on me when I look up and the hungry look in her eyes makes me want to strip her right here.
Damn kids.
“Hungry?” she asks, offering me a sandwich from the cooler bag.
“Starving.” She scoots over a bit as I sit beside her and take the sandwich. “How long has the property been like this?”
“As long as I can remember. It gets steadily worse as they buy more and more crap just to eventually add it to the pile.”
“We should help. I could get a couple of guys out here, and it wouldn’t take too long.”
Sighing, she shakes her head, kicking her feet in the cool water. “She’d never let you. She’s a hoarder. You haven’t seen the worst of it.”
“If we just removed the trash in the yard and fields, they could be cut—”
She puts a hand on my arm. “You don’t understand. To her and Marvin, none of it is trash. Nothing is trash. If you brought a dumpster out here, she’d call the police and have you removed.”
She can’t be serious.
“Even the toilets? The pile of rotting pallets? There’s an old vacuum cleaner lying in the field.”
“Believe me, Neal, I’ve tried. About five years ago, she spent a few days visiting relatives, and I took the opportunity to try to clean up. When she got home, she lost her shit, screaming and cursing, because I threw away her ‘stuff’. Trash service wasn’t scheduled to pick up until the next day so she spent the night digging through the cans, returning everything to where it was. And adding to her collections.”
Aiden screeches, and Bailey giggles as they try to catch a frog, and we get hit with a mist of water from their splashing around.
“Collections?”
“Her house and every outbuilding on this property are stuffed full. Of trash. She has one whole building full of empty potato chip cans and tissue boxes. And trust me, if the place was on fire, she’d save those before any of us. I appreciate that you want to help, but you’ve done what you can do.”
Her voice is getting tense, and I get it. I’d be embarrassed too, if this is how I grew up. “Okay, then.” I polish off the sandwich. “Ready to go?”
The kids complain about leaving, but it’s clear on the hike back that they’re getting tired. Veronica’s mother sticks her head out the door and shouts a thank you as we get ready to leave, then retreats back inside.
My heart goes out to Veronica and Aiden. Anytime I visit my parents, they can’t get enough of Bailey, and I feel bad that they don’t see her enough. Yet, here is one of Aiden’s grandparents who lives so close and has no interest. Doesn’t even come out to give him a hug or anything. It pisses me off.
Considering Aiden’s father has nothing to do with him, Veronica and Aiden only have each other.
After we get back to the hotel, the kids get cleaned up and rest for a bit in their room. Veronica comes up behind me and snakes her arms around my waist. “Mike keeps a grill out back. I’m sure he wouldn’t mind if we used it.”
“Sounds good to me.”
“I’ll run over to the grocery store while you fire it up.” She steps back and turns to call for Aiden, but I plant a quick kiss on her lips. “Leave him here. He’s fine.”
“Okay.”
The grill is in pretty good shape, and there’s charcoal handy as well, so I drag the setup around to the front and light the coals. While it burns down, I take a seat in one of the two chairs under the tree and Aiden wanders over to join me.
“Hey, buddy. Where is Bailey?”
“Watching some stupid girly cartoon with ponies.” He plops down in the dirt and starts digging around with a stick. “Why is the dirt in little piles?”
“Because groundhogs have been here. They build tunnels underground.”
“Oh, cool.” He’s quiet for a moment before asking the last question I expected and one I’m not equipped to deal with. “Neal? Where do women get babies from? Bailey won’t tell me. She said to ask you.”
Thank you, Bailey. I just asked Veronica to have this talk with her, and there’s no way I’m explaining this to a five year old. I don’t know what to tell a kid this age. The stork? Birds and bees? Panicking, I blurt. “From underground.”
He looks up at me, his eyes wide and his nose crinkled up. “Underground? Like the groundhogs?”
Sure. Why not. Sounds as plausible as a stork. “Yeah, you have to catch a baby groundhog, bring it inside to live with you, and feed it people food.”
“And it turns into a baby,” he says, nodding with a grin.
Something tells me I’m going to be in trouble for this one. “A, do you want to learn to ride your bike without the training wheels?” I ask.
The d
istraction works, and he jumps to his feet. “Yes! Mom won’t let me take them off.”
“She won’t mind. Bring your bike over here.”
When Veronica returns, she and Bailey sit under the tree, watching as Aiden tries, falls, and gets back on, so determined. Finally, he makes it a few wobbly yards before crashing into the grassy embankment. “I did it!” he cries, running to me. I grab him and swing him up into a hug. “Yes, you did!” He peeks over my shoulder. “Mom! Did you see?”
Veronica beams at him, but I swear she looks like she could cry. “I saw. You did awesome!” He rushes over to get a high five from Bailey.
I return to the grill that’s now ready to use and get dinner started. Veronica sits under the tree, watching the kids run and play.
I save this moment, like a snapshot in time, because for some reason, it feels so right. I realize what I’m feeling isn’t just happiness, but contentment. I’m right where I want to be with the people I want to be with.
It doesn’t get better than this.
My thoughts are interrupted when Veronica walks up, a smirk on her face. “Neal, why is my kid trying to find a baby groundhog to feed?”
Shrugging, I hand her the plate of chicken. “He wants a brother.”
Chapter Eleven
Neal
It’s Veronica’s last night at the hotel. Though I went back to work a few days ago, I’ve still been staying with her at night. Bailey was happy to stay at the hotel instead of being dragged to the car wash with me. Once we live right across the street, she’ll be able to stay home alone while I work, and I know she’s looking forward to that.
The last two weeks have flown by. We’ve spent a lot of time with the kids, playing, swimming, and enjoying the summer weather. Since it’s our last night, we’ve done our best to exhaust the kids today in hopes they won’t interrupt us tonight. It seems to have worked because they’re both sound asleep early, and I quietly latch the lock on the door between our rooms. We always unlock it after, before heading to separate beds so they don’t see us together in the morning.
I’ve been working Veronica up all day by saying dirty things to her whenever I had the chance. I can’t help myself. I love how turned on she gets from it. I’ve also been teasing her about talking dirty to me. It’s not really that I’m all that into it, but I want her to relax and not be embarrassed to talk to me that way.
She comes out of the bathroom wearing only panties and a camisole, and my body instantly responds. “What?” she says, grabbing a brush and running it through her hair. She’s so innocent in some ways. Any other woman, I’d think they were playing coy, but she really has no idea how beautiful she is or what the sight of her does to me.
“Just thinking about how tight you’re going to wrap those legs around me when I eat your pussy.”
Her chest rises and falls, and she shakes her head, looking away with a grin. I catch her off guard, coming up behind her before she can turn back around. Her small body is warm against my chest when I wrap an arm around her, pulling her back against me. Her skin smells like the cherry body wash she favors, and I lick at the scent on her neck. “Don’t even try to act like you don’t like my dirty talk.” My finger flicks over her hard nipple. “Your body gives you away.”
“I do like it,” she murmurs, tilting her head back.
“Have you been thinking about the dirty things you want to say to me tonight?” My hands wander to her waistband, hooking inside and pulling them down.
“Like mud puddles and the soles of shoes,” she giggles.
“Not even close.”
Her eyes close, and she groans when I slide a finger between her legs. Already wet. Perfect.
“I can’t talk dirty. It’ll sound stupid,” she breathes.
“Not to me,” I promise. “Now, get your sexy ass in the bed because we have one night left here and every second I’m not inside of you is a waste.”
After the buildup and teasing all day, we’re both ravenous for each other, and I barely have her in the bed before I’m sliding inside of her. It’s like a switch is flipped and she becomes the insatiable, passionate lover that rests just behind that youthful innocence.
She gasps and whimpers through her first orgasm, trying not to wake the kids, then grins up at me and rolls us over so she’s on top. She’s gorgeous like this. Wild hair stuck to damp skin, perky tits thrust out as she teases me, grinding against me without actually letting me inside. Now is the time. “Such a tease. Talk to me, V. You can do it. Call me names, whatever you want. Anything goes.”
Biting her lip, her cheeks flush and she grinds against me. “Does that feel good?” she says, testing the waters.
“So good. Tell me what you’re going to do.”
“I’m going to drive you crazy, then fuck you until you…come inside me,” she says, faltering a little at the end. She’s getting the hang of it now.
She grabs my cock and guides it in, a satisfied grin on her face when I groan, “Fuuuuck, yes.”
I’ll never forget the next words out of her mouth as she fucks me. Gaining confidence, she thrusts her hips and says, “Yeah, feels good, doesn’t it you…fucking idiot.”
It takes a second for it to register, but I can’t help my response. My chest nearly bursts with restrained laughter that only manages a few seconds before erupting. Her face turns bright red, and I feel bad, but I can’t stop laughing. She called me a fucking idiot. To turn me on. Priceless.
“I told you!” she exclaims, slapping my chest. “I’m not saying anything else!”
She starts to get off me. Still chuckling, I roll us over and thrust into her hard and fast. “Neal! God!” she cries out, her hands clawing my ass.
In less than a minute, I feel her pulse around me and let myself go. It’s got to be the first time I’ve gotten off while fighting the urge to laugh. Leave it to this crazy girl to give me a new experience when I was attempting to get her outside of her comfort zone.
“Neal,” she whispers, rolling over and pulling a pillow over to her.
“Hmm?” I kiss down her back and pull the covers up over us.
“We will never speak of this again.”
A snort of laughter leaps out of me. “You mean the fact I made you come so fast, or that you think I’m a fucking idiot?”
“Both seem like excellent topics to avoid.”
“You’re adorable.”
“I hate you.”
“Not even close, sweetheart.”
* * *
“We have four whole hours,” Veronica emphasizes. “I told Aiden’s teacher I’d pick him up at three. There’s no reason for him to stay late when I’m not working.”
“Bailey won’t be back until five. My sister is taking her to some spa for a girl’s day.”
Veronica leans against the kitchen counter. Ever since the night I got her naked against the wall in here, it’s all I can think about when I walk into this room. “So I can take my time with you,” she says. Her expression turns impish. “How open minded are you?”
A tendril of red hair hangs free of her ponytail, and I tug on it. “Do you have something kinky in mind?”
She shrugs and opens the fridge. “It’s pretty low on the kinky scale. Probably a two.”
“You have a kinky scale? What’s a ten?” I grab my bottle of water. Something tells me I’m going to need to be hydrated.
Her head pops over the fridge door, and she wears a wicked smile. “Me fucking you with a strap on.”
It feels like none of the water I just took a swig of actually goes down the right pipe. Choking, I do my best not to spray it all over her floor. “What the hell?”
“What? I saw it in a porno. It looked kind of hot.”
I don’t know if she’s screwing with me or serious, but we’re going to get something straight. “Nothing goes in my ass. If anyone is taking it in the south mouth, it’s you.” I shake my head and grin at her. “You can’t talk dirty during sex, but you can discuss strap-ons?”
/>
“It’s different.” She steps back holding a can of whipped cream and bottle of chocolate sauce. “Now I want to make myself a cock sundae.”
“I do already have the nuts.”
Throwing an expectant glance back over her shoulder, she heads to the bedroom. By the time I’ve drained the bottle of water and followed her, she has covered the bed in a beach towel, and stands beside it, stark naked. I love that she is so comfortable with her body. I’ve hooked up with women years older than her who spend so much time trying to cover up and hide perceived flaws, no matter how much I assure them they’re beautiful.
Veronica has no problem being nude. I don’t think she realizes how amazing that is. It’s not like she flounces around, showing off, she just doesn’t shrink away from showering together or lounging naked with me once we’re done. Her confidence is sexy as fuck.
“Okay, lose the clothes and lie down.”
Her little bossy act is adorable. She’s usually submissive in the bedroom, which I also love about her, but there’s no way I’m passing up one of her long, slow blow jobs, so I’m perfectly fine following directions this time.
Shucking off my pants and underwear together, I hop on the bed, fold my arms behind my head, and grin up at her. “At your service.”
She smiles at me, her gaze slowly sliding down my bare chest to my cock, that’s ready and waiting. “Wow, that was fast. It’s a wonder it didn’t make a noise when it popped up.”
Grinning, I ask, “What kind of noise?”
She crawls over me, straddling my thighs and shaking the bottle of chocolate sauce. “Maybe like boing? Did you ever play with those springy door stoppers when you were a kid?”
Laughter shakes my chest. I’ve never had so much fun with a woman, especially during sex. Is there any adult who can’t instantly recall that sound? It seems to be a shared childhood memory for a few generations. “I’ll never get that out of my head now.”
My breath catches when she squirts the chocolate syrup on the head of my cock. Cold rivulets run down to my balls, but she adds some chocolate to them too. The feeling of it running down my ass crack doesn’t scream sexy, but I’m not complaining. Leaning over, she gives the head of my cock a single lick before grabbing the whipped cream. By the time she’s done, I can’t see anything but chocolate and whipped cream. It’s going to take her forever to lick all that off.
