by Emerson Rose
My spent libido wakes up with a jolt and I grab the sides of the tub. “Drake…” I gasp.
“Relax, baby, I’m going to make you come, dry you off and put you to bed.”
I’m in no position to argue, so I do my best to relax and let him take care of me.
My mind is a mess of desire, worries, and exhaustion. I can’t string two thoughts together and according to Drake, I’m not supposed to. His hands work my body into a frenzy until I’m on the edge of losing control and I hear the front door open.
My eyes snap open and Drake stops moving. He raises his eyebrows in an amused expression and reaches over to lock the door.
“Close your eyes.”
“But Jayden’s home, he’s going to catch you in here and flip his shit.”
“He doesn’t know I’m here and I’m not done with you yet. Eyes. Closed.”
My mouth pops open and my body tenses anticipating World War Three that’s sure to happen when Jay finds his best friend bathing me. I can’t relax and come now.
“Tiana, open your legs. You’re cutting off circulation to my arm.”
“Oh, I’m sorry I just… I can’t do this now.”
“Yes, you can and you will.”
I growl and sink back down into the water. There’s no sense arguing with him. I’ll just fake it so I can get the hell out of the tub and go to bed. I would never have imagined having to fake it with Drake after last night, but this is stressful.
“Don’t you dare try to fake it either, I’ll be able to tell.”
I groan. He’s onto me.
“Tiana,” Jayden yells up the stairs. “You home?”
“Tell him yes, and that you’re in the bath and then you're going to bed.”
“Yes,” I yell, “I’m in the tub.”
I can hear his boots on the stairs. “He’s coming up here, shit.”
“He won’t try to come into the bathroom. He’s your brother. Just tell him you’ll see him in the morning.”
“How was work? Did ya get an Uber to bring ya home?” Jayden says from my bedroom. Drake nudges my legs apart with his arm and presses his thumb on my clit while he slips two long fingers into my pussy and strokes my G-spot. Now I’m even more flustered. My brother wants to talk about my first day of work and this man wants to make me come at the same time.
“Answer him,” Drake whispers with a mischievous smile. He’s loving this and I want to kill him and kiss him at the same time.
“It was, uh, it was good and yeah.”
“You okay? Nothing weird happened, did it?”
Oh no, nothing weird at all. Your best friend is in here with his hand between my legs trying to get me off while I chat with you about my day, but other than that everything’s peachy.
Drake picks up the pace and starts sliding his thumb in circles around and around my clit rhythmically. A whimper escapes my lips and I hear Jayden come closer to the bathroom door.
“T? What’s going on in there?”
“Nothing, I’m just trying to relax in the bath. I worked my ass off today and I’m sore.”
Drake nods his head in approval and mouths the words good girl. I want to yell at him and tell him he’s out of his mind, but he has me on the verge of an orgasm again just like that.
His hands are magic and his commanding presence overrides the embarrassment of having my brother mere feet away on the other side of my bathroom door.
Somehow Drake knows he has me and there’s no turning back now. We’ve gone too far. I grip the sides of the tub and brace my feet on either side of the faucet and bite my lip so hard it draws blood to keep from calling out Drake’s name. I arch my back and clamp my legs together pulsing around his fingers. The water sloshes up over the edge at the exact moment another whimper slips from my lips, but Jayden says something at the same time so I don’t think he heard me.
“Okay, you hungry? I can make us some dinner if you want.”
I’m gasping for breath and Drake looks pleased with himself. Bastard.
“What?”
“I said are you hungry? You sure you’re okay in there? You sound kinda funny.”
Funny, sure right, I wonder if he will ever find out that he knows what I sound like when I climax. Ew.
“No, no. I ate at the diner and I’m going straight to bed. Would you mind closing my door on your way out? It’s kind of breezy up here.”
“Of course. We runnin’ in the mornin’?” He sounds like he’s hoping I’ll say no, so I grant him his wish.
“I think I’ll skip again. I stayed up too late last night. I’m going to sleep in tomorrow.”
“Cool. What time you work?”
“Noon to close.”
“Okay, see you tomorrow night then. Don’t walk anywhere, ya hear? Take an Uber or catch a ride with somebody. I don’t want you running around alone.”
I roll my eyes, “Yes, Daddy.”
He doesn’t comment and I hear him walk to the door and close it behind him.
I’m about to give Drake a piece of my mind via a hissing whisper but he’s one step ahead of me again covering my mouth with his.
His kiss is demanding and urgent making me forget what I was about to say. His hand slinks around the back of my neck. He winds his fingers in my hair and pulls my head back exposing my neck. He abandons my lips and licks a path down my wet neck to my chest and sucks firmly on my stiff nipple. I cry out and his free hand covers my mouth to quiet me while he kisses his way to my other breast, where he pays it the same attention.
His mouth finds its way back to mine and I wrap my arms around his neck when he reaches into the water and lifts me out, never breaking our kiss. The small bathroom is steamy and warm but goosebumps spread across my skin as I shiver in his arms. He turns me around to face the mirror and places my hands on the vanity spreading my legs apart with his foot.
He moves my hair over one shoulder and nuzzles into the curve of my neck. My heart is beating so loudly I can hardly hear him when he murmurs in my ear, “I need you before I leave.”
His hands slide up my slick wet skin over my hips across my ribs to cup my breasts. He kisses the back of my neck and my goosebumps have their own goosebumps. I feel him move away and his hands leaving my breasts. One slides around to the center of my back and gently pushes me down until I’m bent over with my face pressed against the granite counter of the vanity. I lick my dry lips and pant with want waiting for what’s next. I hear him rustling around, and although I try to see what he’s doing in the mirror, it’s too fogged over.
The sound of a condom wrapper being torn open tells me he was getting into his wallet for protection. I’m not sure I like that he carries a condom in his pocket, but right now I’m not going to complain.
He unzips his pants and rolls on the condom. His hot hands take hold of my slick hips and he bends over to kiss a trail down my spine to the beginning of my ass. Crouching down behind me, he spreads my ass cheeks and gives me one long lick from my clit to the pucker of my ass before standing and sliding his thick cock into my aching sex.
“Quick and dirty, baby, I need to get you to bed.”
He digs his fingers into the flesh of my hips and pumps in and out relentlessly. I hold onto the edges of the counter and lose myself in every single rough thrust until he crashes into me one last time and we come together silently.
He lies down covering me with his body, pressing his cold medals against my wet skin still breathing hard and says, “What am I doing?”
I’m unsure if he’s talking to himself or me. Sometimes people say things in the heat of the moment and don’t even realize they’ve said anything out loud. I could make a smart-ass comment about him not knowing what he’s doing, but a twinge in my chest says to keep it to myself.
He kisses the back of my neck and slides out of me; discards the condom in the trash and lifts my sated body off the vanity. He turns me to face him and I lean my ass on the counter while he reaches for the towel behind me.
I watch him dry my skin with a reverence I’ve never seen before. The way he looks at every inch of me while he works feels like he’s memorizing my body.
Kneeling in front of me, he finishes and leans in to press his cheek against my tummy. I run my hands over his freshly cut hair and hold him there. I get a feeling like there is something more going on here than I’m aware of.
He stands up and wraps the towel around me and unlocks the door. He’s about to open it when I reach out to stop him.
“Wait, let me go first and make sure he’s not in my room,” I whisper.
He narrows his eyes and cocks his head. “Is that something you think he would do?”
I pause to think. Normally I would say no, but lately, Jay’s been sort of nuts and I’m not sure of the lengths he would go to keep me safe. But hiding in my room when I’m taking a bath is creepy, even for him.
I shake my head and let go of his hand. He turns the knob and lifts me into his arms again like I’m a helpless, weak creature. Without so much as a glance around, he carries me to the bed and stands me up to pull back the quilt.
“What do you sleep in?”
I point at the bottom of the bed where my boxers and tank top are. He tugs the tank over my head and helps me step into the shorts.
“In.” He points at the bed and I crawl in and let him cover me.
“Goodnight, Firecracker.”
I stick out my lip and pout. “I like it when you call me ‘beautiful girl’ better.”
He taps my lip with his pointer finger, “Goodnight, Beautiful Girl.”
“Goodnight, Gorgeous Man.”
That mischievous smile appears again and for the hundredth time since I laid eyes on Drake, I wish my stupid brother would lose his attitude about his best friend.
Drake is irritating and stubborn as hell, but those are also the qualities that turn me on and challenge my spirited fiery side. He isn’t all bossy and dominant, though. There’s a soft vulnerable side to him that he doesn’t like to show but I’ve seen glimpses of it and it’s almost more attractive than his dominance, almost.
“How are you going to get out of here?” I ask him, worriedly.
“Through the front door,” he states unequivocally.
“Are you crazy? Wait don’t answer that, I already know you are.”
“Jayden and I have been walking in and out of each other’s houses for years, He won’t know I was up here.”
I reach up and cup his cheek in my hand. He closes his eyes and leans in for a moment.
“This is a bad idea, we should stop,” he says.
“Yes, I know.”
“I have to go, don’t go walking around by yourself tomorrow, ya hear?” he says mimicking Jayden’s tone from earlier. I snicker and snuggle down into my soft pillow.
“Okay, Daddy.”
“Mm, I kind of like the sound of that.”
“You’re incorrigible,” I tell him.
“And your point is?” he asks.
He places a chaste kiss on my nose and strolls out into the hall like he lives here, turning off the light on his way out. I’ve been ready to pass out for hours and now I can’t sleep, thanks to that beautiful man.
Chapter 18
Drake
It’s been a week since I took Tiana home and bathed her. A week since I’ve touched her, smelled her sweet scent, or even seen her. Being pulled out of town unexpectedly to the other side of the United States is probably the best and the worst thing that could have happened to us.
Distance is the only cure for the all-encompassing fever happening between Tiana and me. There is no way I could have broken things off after the night we spent together. She’s too tempting, too sweet, and too brazen and sassy to resist. I may have to stay here at Camp Pendleton permanently.
It’s beautiful here in California. The heat is dryer and the sky seems bluer and the bugs are smaller. Traffic is a bitch, but I have completely given up on driving so being stuck in traffic is an opportunity to get some work done. The one thing Cali doesn’t have is Tiana.
I miss her, and not just her body but also her laugh and her sassy personality. If there ever were a woman made for me, she is the one. If I weren’t going blind, I would go so far as to say that I’d make her mine permanently if she agreed to be. And she would, I’d make sure of that.
She has called me every morning since I left and texted me every night before she goes to bed. I haven’t responded once even though her messages make my chest ache and stir up memories of our night together.
Her texts are always one word. The first night was Gone? The second was, Still? Then Lonely, and the next night came, Pissed. That one was bittersweet. She needs to be pissed. It will help her move on, even though that’s not what I really want.
It’s been eight days and I’m lying in bed at 2200 hours waiting for her text like a love-struck teenager. It’s better this way, in the long run. She is young and deserves so much more than I will be able to provide for her. The proof that I am making the right decision came yesterday as I was walking outside with another officer. I had to stop and catch my balance when the change happened, and Officer Garcia who has been showing me around caught my arm and kept me from falling.
The spot in my vision became darker and slightly larger blocking more light and restricting my vision more than ever. Last night, it was evident that I will never be able to advance past my current rank of Major to Lieutenant Colonel. There is no way I can pass my upcoming physical exam with this much of my sight gone.
This morning it occurred to me that retiring on the West Coast might be the solution to my Tiana addiction. It’s not ideal for me, as I am familiar with my surroundings at home. Small-town living would be better for me too. Learning to live without my sight will be difficult at first, but having everything I need within walking distance is convenient.
The thought of Tiana living next-door and watching my decline, however, is gut-wrenching. I can’t stand knowing she will be watching me fumble around while I learn how to be handicapped. It makes me physically ill. I’m too proud to let her see me that way. I won’t let it happen.
My phone buzzes in my hand and I raise the screen so that I can see it out of the corner of my eye. It’s from her I can tell because her picture accompanies her name on the header of my screen but the message is blurry. I bring it closer and turn the phone until I can read the word of the night.
Scared.
I sit up and swing my legs around to the side of the bed to get up but I don’t know where I think I’m going. She’s thousands of miles away and I’m in no condition to help her, but she’s scared and I can’t ignore that.
I tap the audio text button and speak into the phone, “Scared of what?”
Seconds after I press send, my phone rings. “Tiana? What’s going on?”
She sniffs and I know she’s been crying. “I got another video the day you left, it was a flash of that night, just a few seconds, but it looked like…” She hesitates and her voice catches.
“It looked like what?”
“It looked like I was in bed, but not my bed.”
“Was there anyone with you?” My fucking blood is boiling, if I ever get my hands on whoever did this to her, I’ll choke the life out of him slowly and torture him. Fucking waterboarding, fingernail removing, electric shock, limb removing torture.
“It was too fast, I couldn’t tell.”
“Why didn’t you call and tell me right away?”
“I didn’t know where you were and when I did try to call you didn’t pick up. I thought, I… I don’t know what I thought.”
Of course she doesn’t because I left her high and dry with no explanation. I’m sure Jayden told her I had to leave town unexpectedly for some training in Cali, but other than that I just dropped off the grid.
“Okay, take a deep breath, baby, and tell me what’s got you upset right now. If that video came last week, what’s scaring you now?”
“I just got home from
work and the door was unlocked. When I pushed it open, I heard a noise in the house. Jayden’s not home. He’s helping a friend fix his car tonight.”
“Did you leave the house? Please tell me you’re out of that house.”
“Yes, I didn’t know where to go so I’m sitting on your porch in the dark.”
“Do you see any movement at your house?”
“The light is on in my bedroom, I don’t remember if I left it on when I went to work today, though.”
“Listen to me carefully, Tiana, there is a key buried under the third rose bush in front of the house. It’s in a Ziploc bag and it’s buried deeply, and it may have shifted around because I’ve never had to use it, but I want you to dig it up and go inside. Fucking rip the rose out of the ground if you have to, but get that key now, understand?”
“Uh huh, don’t hang up. I’m going to lay the phone down while I do it.”
“I’m not going anywhere, Beautiful Girl, just get the key.”
I am going somewhere, though, home. I started throwing things into my carry-on as soon as she said she was in trouble. I sit down and yank open my laptop to find a red-eye flight.
“You doing okay? Did you call Jayden and tell him to come home?”
“He didn’t answer, but I sent him a text.”
Fucking great, Mr. Overprotective is MIA when she needs him the most.
“How about the neighbors, baby? Does anyone still have their lights on?” I’m using my calmest tone trying to keep her from panicking. She sniffles and I ache with the urge to help her but I can’t and it infuriates me.
“No, I think everyone’s gone to bed.”
“You find the key yet?”
“The ground is so hard, Drake, I don’t think I can get to it.” She’s getting frantic, I need to do something stop her escalating panic.
“On my porch, there is a bench with a cushion on it under the window, do you see it? Look up on the porch.”
“Um, yeah, I see it.”
“The top lifts off and inside are some gardening tools and gloves, go get the gloves and the little hand shovel and get that bush out of the ground. The hose is coiled up next to the steps, too, if you need to soften the dirt.”
