Fall Back Skyward (Fall Back #1)

by Autumn Grey

  I smile at him and sneak a glance toward the stairs, eager to surprise him, but Nick turns those cute blue eyes on me and my resistance crumbles. He hands me the extra controller and adjusts the settings for two players. He explains the rules, which buttons to press for what action, the world he created. He looks at me with one eye closed and asks, “Got it?”

  I grin and nod. “I’m about to kick your butt.”

  “Hah! In your dreams, Snowflake.”

  I blink at him, shocked to hear him use that name.

  “What? Cole calls you that. It’s cute. I like it.” He grins and turns back to focus on the screen. He moves the toggle around emitting a crashing sound from the screen. “Are we going to play or not?”

  “Yeah. Sure.” He kind of threw me off for a second.

  We begin playing. He whoops and pumps a fist in the air after our team annihilates a few of the guards from the other team we are playing against. We continue playing. The sounds of swords boom as a wizard swings his magic wand and points towards another wizard.

  He says something like “I like you,” but I’m not sure I heard him correctly.

  “What?” I shout so he can hear me over that noise.

  “I like you!” He shouts at the top of his voice, his eyes never leaving the action happening in front of us.

  I take a quick look at this adorable nine-year-old with dark hair and blue eyes. I’m three seconds from floating on air. I hadn’t realized how much Nick’s opinion mattered. “I like you too.”

  “Can I come and play with Elon?” He blinks up at me. Nick is crushing hard on Elon and uses any excuse he can to come over. Unfortunately, I don’t think she feels the same way.

  “Maybe you can call her to check if she’s home first, yeah?”

  He nods. “I’ll take some of Mom’s cookies. She’ll love them.”

  “I’m sure she will.” I peek at the stairs again. “Hey. I’ll be right back.”

  I drop the controller, make my way up the stairs and stop in front of a closed door. There’s no sound coming from the other side of the door. Maybe he isn’t in his room. I retrace my steps to the stairs, but freeze when a low groan reaches me from inside Cole’s room. I backtrack, open the door and step inside. I squint through the sunlight streaming in and glance around the room. My gaze zeroes in on Cole, sitting on the chair next to the desk with his shorts pulled down to his strong thighs. His head is thrown back and moans leave his parted lips. Following the movement below his chest, I watch as his hand palms his. . .whoa. His hips buck, his palm sliding up and down in deliberate strokes.

  I rip my eyes from the sight before me, feeling a hot flush sweep through me. I’m shaking and my knees feel weak. I take a step back so I can give him some privacy but stumble on my feet. I grab the door frame, breathing hard. When I look up again, Cole is still immersed in his own pleasure. His groans grow louder and my name slips through his lips. I right myself, lock the door and tiptoe toward him, mesmerized by the look of pure bliss on his face. I stop in front of him, my eyes darting around and narrowing in on the computer screen on the desk. My throat feels dry as I gawk at the video playing silently, the couple writhing on the bed. The man is taking the woman from behind in powerful thrusts. The woman arches her body, her mouth open in pleasure and the man continues to pump his hips, veins popping on his neck. Heat dances in my belly and tingles shoot between my legs. The man pulls out and holds his erection while his partner turns around. She drops on her knees in front of him. One of his hands leave his huge—like really huge—stiff penis and grips the back of the woman’s head, guiding her down on him. I stare, fascinated and wondering if he will fit inside her mouth. Wonders of all wonders, he does.

  Would Cole let me do that to him?

  I squeeze my thighs, incredibly aroused at the thought of him in my mouth.

  I swallow hard, sneak a quick glance at Cole and my heart stops beating. He’s biting his bottom lip, his eyes fixed on me; wide, dilated, dark. I should feel embarrassed for being caught watching, but I don’t. A look of uncertainty flashes across his face. It fades just as quickly as it had appeared. Then he peels one of his hands from his impressive erection, reaches for my hand and pulls me down to his face. His touch is hot, and his breath even hotter as it fans my mouth right before he grasps the back of my head and kisses me with reckless abandon. He separates our mouths, taking my fingers. He places them on top of the hand pumping him harder and harder. Then he covers mine with his and continues to slide them up and down. I go to my knees without breaking eye or skin contact and just watch his face, fascinated. I feel wetness between my legs just looking at him jerk off. He pumps his hand faster, his hips jolt quicker, and our breathing sounds hasher in my ears. He stiffens and his eyes fall shut, his jaw clenched. A low growl rips through his mouth.

  I’ve never seen a more beautiful vision in my life.

  Something warm touches my skin. I glance down and see white, thick liquid shoot from his Batman. Before I can move my hand, his fingers unfold from mine and he grabs a few tissues from the box on top of his desk. I pull back my arm and let him clean himself.

  Oh.

  God.

  I need to start watching porn. Or maybe just watch Cole when he does his thing.

  He stands up and pulls his shorts up, then clicks his mouse next to the computer. The video disappears from the screen. He straightens and runs his fingers through his hair. “That was unexpected.”

  Is he blushing?

  I clear my throat, feeling a bit awkward now that the action is over. “Sorry for the interruption. I texted you. I decided to drop by when I didn’t hear from you.”

  His eyes dart around the room, before finding mine again. “I’ll just go and grab a shower. Can you wait for me?”

  I nod my head.

  He nods and strides out of the room. I collapse onto his bed, falling on my back and throwing a hand over my eyes as I replay the entire episode in my head.

  Cole returns ten minutes later. I uncover my eyes and sit up, trailing him with my gaze as he walks to the dresser and takes out a T-shirt. He moves toward me and pulls me up with his hands around my arms.

  “Hi,” he signs.

  “Hi.” I raise to my tiptoes and press my lips to his to break the tension. “That was intense.”

  He laughs. “Yes, it was. Are we back to seeing each other again?”

  “Yes,” I sign.

  “Good.”

  He walks to his desk and grabs his car keys, then takes my hand. He unlocks the door and we climb down the stairs and head for the front door.

  “Don’t forget to ask Elon!” Nick shouts as Cole heads toward the door, with me trailing behind him.

  I give Nick a thumbs up, just as Maggie walks in from the kitchen. She stumbles when she sees me, and quickly rights herself. I make her nervous, and I have no idea why.

  “Hi Eleanor.” She speaks and signs the words.

  “Hey, Mrs. Holloway.”

  “Please call me Maggie, okay? You’re literally joined at the hip with my son.”

  Cole throws his head back and groans, making his mom chuckle. He starts to sign quickly, causing her to laugh harder.

  “It’s so good to see you happy, Sweetheart,” she tells Cole, then turns to me. “Thank you for making him happy.”

  I smile. “He’s amazing.”

  Cole grins at me, his ears reddening a little.

  She turns to face her son. “I have something for your dad. Let me get it.” She goes to the kitchen and returns, carrying a bag. The scent of freshly baked cookies waft from inside.

  Outside by the car, Cole waits until my seatbelt is fastened then rounds the car to his seat.

  “Where are we going?” I ask

  “My dad asked me to drop by his office. He is meeting with a real estate developer, who is looking to work with BH Architects for a future project. I enjoy sitting in during the meetings as an observer to learn how things work.”

  “What about Josh?”
r />   He shakes his head. “My brother wants to play professional football. This is all I have ever wanted to do.”

  When we get to his father’s office, Cole leads me inside. One part of the wall has been knocked down. A few men wearing helmets and carrying tool belts mill around the outer office. Cole’s dad is hunched over on his desk, studying some complicated diagrams in front of him. He looks up when we walk in and then greets us. I really like his friendly face, genuine smile and kind gray eyes.

  After initial greetings, I settle myself on a couch to wait for Cole. He and his father head out to one of the conference rooms to meet with their client. I pull my phone out and spend a few minutes texting Megs.

  I put the phone beside me and close my eyes, enjoying the silence. I jolt awake and realize I fell asleep. Somehow I’m no longer curled up as I was before I fell asleep, but stretched out on the couch. Sitting up, I slip on my sneakers and head out in search of my boyfriend and find him chatting with a few workers near the construction.

  Oh, God. He looks hot, wearing an orange helmet, black wife-beater, jeans and boots. A tool belt hugs his waist and sweat trickles down the side of his face. He tucks the hammer in one of the loops before grabbing the drill from the floor and sets to work joining the wood panels. I’ve never seen him at work before. He seems so engrossed in what he’s doing, his entire focus on his work. And let me tell you, if Cole makes his mission to focus on something, he gives it his everything.

  He stops drilling and as he senses me, turns in my direction. I make a show of staring at him from head to toe slowly, then lick my lips. His face breaks into a roguish smile. I shift on my feet to curb the heat settling low in my tummy.

  Another half hour passes before Cole is done with his work. He tells me that I was sleeping so peacefully, he didn’t want to wake me up, so he joined the construction crew working on extending the offices. The outer wall on one wing had been knocked down, most of the foundation work was already done. By the time Cole cleans up, it’s late afternoon. I ask him if he could drive me to my grandma’s to pick up my sisters.

  Lately, I’ve been thinking about finally telling him about my past. He’s been very patient with me. Am I ready to share with him that part of me?

  “Grandma has this amazing roof terrace. We can do popcorn and movies.”

  “As long as they are subtitled, I’m game.” He yawns and rubs his eyes with his fingers.

  “Or we can do it tomorrow.” I smile. I’m relieved by my own suggestion and this time I hope he says yes.

  He shakes his head. “I want to spend some time with you. I missed you.” He frowns. “Aren’t you scared of what your dad will do?”

  “I am. But I want this too. I can’t let him control my life like that. I have the right to spend my time with anyone I want.”

  After calling Grandma to let her know that Cole and I are on the way to her place, I give him directions to my grandmother’s house.

  I ring the bell once to let her know I’m here and then use the key she gave me when I first visited her with my mom. She looks up from the television, a glass of red wine poised against her lips and smiles. I’m also a little surprised to see Mr. Taylor sitting across from her. She told me that he has been checking on her often, but I didn’t realize they had become this close.

  After the greetings and introduction, I gather what Cole and I need, then head toward the stairs that lead to the terrace.

  “Your sisters are in the guest room, Eleanor. They seemed exhausted after our trip. They could stay here for the night. I could use the company.” She smiles, in my direction. It’s a sad, yet wistful smile.

  “Sure. I’m sure they’ll be happy to sleep over.”

  “It’s so good to see you two again,” she signs and speaks the words for my benefit. “You kids have fun. Yell if you need me.”

  Ten minutes later, “The Wedding Date” is on the projector with the captions displaying on the screen. Cole is lying on his side and I snuggle into his chest. I move the popcorn in front of me where he can reach it easily before taking a handful and beginning to feed him. He licks the salt off my fingers then drops his head to my neck and breathes me in. He shifts, pressing his hips forward and I feel how much he wants me. Warmth simmers low in my belly, remembering how he looked when I walked in his room earlier today.

  I bite my lip and try to bring those feelings under control. I want him to know more about me. My past. But I can’t do that if my brain is filled with lusty thoughts.

  I shift around to face him, making sure the lights above us illuminate my face so he can see my mouth. I open my mouth to speak, but close it again, unable to find the right words to start this conversation.

  Taking a deep breath, I brush the tip of my thumb in circles on his palm.

  Nor sighs, her focus leaving the starlit sky and shifting to me.

  “What’s wrong?” I sign, slowly so she can follow my movements. She has been getting better at it, when we aren’t too distracted by fooling around.

  She raises her hands and the front of her dress shifts, displaying the soft swell of her breasts peeking through a purple lace bra.

  Shit. I can’t stop staring. I flex my fingers and swallow hard. She’d better spit out what’s bothering her. I’m about bursting and seriously, her boobs are just calling to me to bury my face in them. The last two days being away from her have been pure torture. She was already scared after her dad’s threats, so I didn’t want to add more pressure. But now, I want to make up for lost time.

  She waves a hand in my face and points to hers, scowling, but I can see a smile lurking behind that cute expression.

  “My face is up here, jackass.”

  “I can’t help it.” I grin at her and wink. She swats my shoulder and laughs. I really wish I could hear the sound of her laugh. “So what’s wrong?”

  “Do you ever feel as though your life is not enough? That there is more out there? You want more?”

  I blink back the lust crowding my vision, reminding myself to be a little bit patient.

  “What do you want?” Jesus. Would she smack me if I took a bite on that pale skin peeking out on top of her dress?

  She bites her bottom lip between her teeth, still frowning as if she is deep in thought. “I want the moon.”

  I would give her the fucking galaxy if she’d look at me the way she did earlier today when our gazes met across my room. I’ll never forget the desire on her face as she watched me jerking off. I felt embarrassed for like three seconds. Then I noticed the quick rise and fall of her chest and realized that she was just as aroused as I was. .

  I sigh and shift on the seat to adjust the front of my pants to accommodate my dick. Looks like dry humping will have to wait. This girl has the power to make me sprout a boner in the span of a few seconds. “Yes. I feel that sometimes. There is so much out there for us to explore. I can’t wait to do all those things with you.”

  She doesn’t say anything for several minutes.

  “My father is a heartless asshole.”

  Those words rip me out of my thoughts about boners, tits and conquering the world with Nor by my side.

  I agree with her completely. Her father a gigantic douche, who can’t seem to appreciate how amazing and strong his daughter is.

  I graze her cheek with my knuckles and nod for her to continue.

  MY HEART IS RACING FAST at my confession. I’ve never said those words out loud because I’ve always been scared he would somehow know what I said and bring his wrath down upon me.

  Cole’s eyes are fixed on my mouth, waiting for my next words.

  “My father never wanted to marry my mother. He never wanted me. Us.”

  He blows out a long breath and pushes a lock of hair off my forehead. “Why do you say that?”

  I wipe my clammy palms down my dress. “Because he confessed it to me one night when he came home drunk.”

  His arms tighten around me, his body tense.

  “My parents had been having
problems for as long as I could remember. I used to feel like if I was strong enough for both of them, they wouldn’t fight so much. Maybe my dad would come home from work every night, instead of going away for days. At one point, my mother got off kilter and went down a dark hole. My bed time stories weren’t made of princes saving princesses from evil step-mothers or high towers. They consisted of Mom and Dad fighting, or sometimes, when my mom was high on her medication, she would cook dinner. Then she’d tuck me in bed at night and tell me how she and Dad met when they were nineteen. Her ballet career was on the rise. But apparently my dad swept her off her feet and she couldn’t see anything beyond him. They were engaged shortly and then got married. Mom was pregnant with me. According to her, he was in love with another woman. She knew when they met, but she chose to stay with him anyway. She was hopelessly in love with him and hoped her love for him would be strong enough to make him see her.”

  How do I tell him about his mom and my dad? How will that change us? I don’t want to lose him. He is quickly becoming an important part of my life. I just have to find a way to tell him and hopefully he stays.

  I gulp for air. I’m not sure I can make it through what I’m about to tell him. Cole scoots down, stretching his long frame out on the couch and lays his head on my lap, adjusting his body to make sure he can read my lips. Then he takes my hand, kisses the scars on my inner wrist and does the same to the other one. That little gesture gives me strength to continue.

  “He broke my mother’s heart. He said that she gave him no choice when she got pregnant with me. He made her feel worthless. She started getting easily distracted, becoming absentminded almost all the time. My sisters. . .oh God. Elon was only four and Elise nine when my mother had her first complete breakdown.

  “One afternoon I came home from school and found Mom in her room, lying on the floor in her own vomit. Elon was in her playpen across my mom’s bed and Elise was not yet home from school. I just stood there, staring at her numbly. Suddenly something inside me stirred to life and panic set in. I ran to her side and touched her face. It was cold. So cold. I stood up, picked up Elon and went downstairs to call 911, then I sat down on the couch in the living room, rocking my little sister back and forth. I guess the shock of seeing my mom lying on the floor numbed me to any feeling. The next time I looked up, Elon was playing with my hair clip and people were running around inside the house. I don’t even know how they got inside. Dad appeared in front of me with Elise in tow. That was the first time I saw him look anything other than angry or indifferent. He looked grief-stricken. Dad took Elon from my arms and motioned for me to follow him. We stopped at the bottom of the stairs as the paramedics negotiated the stretcher with my mother on it, an oxygen mask strapped over her nose. Anyway, Dad left us in the hands of our neighbor, Mrs. Jennings, and followed the ambulance with his car to the hospital. He didn’t even hug me or my sisters or comfort us with words. He just left.”