by K L Wood
“What?”
“We never discuss my sister’s sex life.”
She giggled. “Got it.”
“Now…” I flipped Tabitha over. “There’s the matter of taking care of you.”
She pushed me away. “Oh no, you don’t. Last night I couldn’t touch you, so tonight you can’t touch me.”
I leaned closer, kissing her jaw until my lips hovered by her ear. “I will make you come even harder than you did last night.”
She playfully crossed her arms. “I didn’t come that hard.”
“Oh, really? Your body said otherwise.”
“I didn’t want to hurt your feelings.” She got up and shrugged a shoulder. “So I faked it.”
I knew she was messing with me, but the challenge to blow her damn mind with orgasms consumed me.
“Get over here,” I growled.
“Make me.”
As soon as I made a move to grab her, she ran, giggling. Before she had a chance to reach for the door handle, I wrapped my arm around her waist and pushed her up against the wall.
Her laughter cut short as my mouth touched hers. I pressed my hips into her, feeling my cock already hardening again. “You want it like they do in your romance novels. Passion?”
“Yes.”
“Rough?”
“Yes,” she whispered under heavy breath. I forcefully lifted her shirt, exposing one breast, and sucked on her erect nipple, biting just hard enough to hurt but not so much that it wasn’t pleasurable. She moaned as she dug her nails into me. I slid my hand up the back of her neck, grabbing a fistful of her hair. My lips were near hers, and she tried to move to kiss them, but I wouldn’t let her.
“No. First, I want to feel you come all over my hand.” I gripped the band of her panties and ripped them down her thighs.
“Make me come, please.” Her voice quivered, and I yearned so badly to kiss her, to thrust my cock into her right against the wall.
As I slid my finger inside her, she was so wet that I could barely keep control. I pumped in and out, massaging her G-spot. Her hips convulsed, and she clung to my shoulders, nails almost breaking the skin.
“Reed, I want you so much.”
Just when I knew she was on the edge, I used my thumb to quickly circle around her clit. She screamed out, her body shaking as she pulled me closer to her.
Every tense muscle unraveled as she leaned limply against me. I lifted her in my arms and laid her down on the bed.
She slid off her panties that still clung around her thighs and dropped them to the floor. I slipped into the bed next to her, and she turned on her side to face me. “That was…intense.”
“As good as one of your romance novels?”
She caressed the side of my face, her smile soft. “Better.”
I love you so much.
“Is it okay if I sleep with you tonight?” she asked.
I tucked a hair behind her ear. “I’d like that.”
“I’d stay up longer, but I think you knocked me out with that orgasm.” Her eyes were hooded, but her face was at peace.
“Go to sleep. I’m fine.”
She closed her eyes, and I watched her for a few minutes before drifting off to sleep myself.
24
Unexpected Guest
Tabitha
My eyes opened to Reed, sleeping serenely. I watched him for a little while, wanting to touch his face, kiss his eyelids, his nose, that perfect mouth. An ache sat at the base of my throat. He was leaving too soon, and life would have to go back to normal.
I didn’t want it to.
We were like that song from his playlist—“Broken.”
Both of us broken and lonely, finding solace in each other.
I loved him. I’d always loved him, but his heart belonged to another.
I wiped a tear that rolled down my cheek and decided to get up before he saw me cry.
“Hey.” His lids fluttered open, and he gave me that beautiful, loving smile that squeezed my heart. He propped himself up. “Are you crying?”
“I’m going to miss you,” I confessed.
Reed cupped the side of my cheek. “I’m going to miss you, too.”
“I wish I could go with you.”
He hesitated, as if wary about what to say next. “Why don’t you?”
“What?”
“You’ve always wanted to do a cross-country road trip.”
I playfully nudged him. “Funny.”
“I mean it. Come with me.”
Words were lodged in my throat as my mind tumbled a mile a minute.
What did that mean? As a friend? Did he want something more? To be no-sex-orgasm buddies?
Mind: You want safe and predictable. Reed is anything but.
Body: Remember that orgasm last night? It could get even better with full—
But it was my heart that screamed the loudest, winning out in the end: Please don’t do it. When Reed goes back to that girl he loves and leaves you in the end, I don’t think I could ever recover.
“I don’t know. I just took all my vacation time with my job, and I still have that lease on my apartment.”
Reed nodded. “I understand. I wasn’t thinking.”
“You always were surprisingly spontaneous.”
He chuckled. “And you always had your ducks in a row. Always knowing what you wanted.”
But I eventually learned that I couldn’t always get what I wanted, and real life never had any promises of happily ever afters.
Reed had gone out for the day to take some pictures for his project and cram three days’ worth of work into one. He was leaving tomorrow, and I promised myself there would be no orgasms tonight. I wanted our last bit of time together to be what it would be from now on between us: friends who loved each other only as friends.
I lay back on the couch and downloaded a mystery novel to my Kindle. Blood, murder, and suspense were precisely what I needed to keep my head on straight.
Just when I got to a crucial scene where the main character realized the killer was in the house with her, my phone buzzed with a text, making me jump half out of my skin.
My heart pounded against my ribs when I realized who it was from: Mark.
M: Is it okay if I call you?
I chewed on my thumbnail, unsure of how to respond. Another text flew up before I had the chance to decide.
M: I know I can be set in my ways, planning and preparing for everything. I was crushed and humiliated when you hesitated and ran off. But I get it now. I shouldn’t have asked you in front of a bunch of strangers. I’m so sorry for that.
M: I miss you, Tabitha. I miss us.
I slowly sat down on the edge of the couch, staring back at every word.
M: All I want is the chance to talk to you.
I tapped the reply box, stalling as I came up with the right words, but only five came to mind.
T: Mark, I’m not even home.
M: I know. When you weren’t at our place or your parents’, your dad told me where you were after a little pleading. I’m outside the vacation house now. Can I come in?
What?!
Reed
I sat in the car, wracking my brain on how to handle this, but I was so lost. I needed some advice, and as much as I hated caving to ask for help, I was fucking desperate.
I hit the FaceTime icon, almost hoping she wouldn’t answer.
“Reed!” My mother flashed a white, toothy grin. “You’re looking very well. A lot better than when I last saw you. The fresh air agrees with you.”
“I don’t think it’s the fresh air.”
She narrowed her eyes, that brain of hers going a mile a minute. Something must’ve clicked, because her eyes widened and her mouth formed a big round O. “You went to the vacation house, didn’t you?”
“Yes.”
“I knew it!”
“Mom, are you alone? I need to talk with you privately.”
“Just a minute.” She held the phone down as a dizzying array of images flash
ed across the screen, along with some mumbled voices. A light went on, and I saw she was downstairs in the finished basement. “It’s just you and me now. Shoot.”
“I’m in love with Tabitha.”
She half-rolled her eyes. “Tell me something I don’t know. Did you tell her how you feel?”
“She and Mark just broke up. Tabitha is not ready for that.”
“Oh, really? You can read her mind?”
“She’s confused, and I don’t want to be her rebound.”
She smiled. “Reed, you were her first love. How could you be a rebound?”
I cocked my head. “That’s exactly what she said.”
My mom raised an eyebrow. “Did you and Tabitha…”
“Not exactly.” I winced, not wanting to share any of this, but I needed some solid advice. And my mom was a smart woman. “But we did other things…very intimate things.”
She held up a hand. “So, let me get this straight. You’re worried about being a rebound, yet you two are staying there together, living like a couple, and doing everything except actual penetration?”
I ran a hand down my face. “It wasn’t planned, but yes, it ended up that way.”
“And now you have to leave, right?”
“Yes. And I asked Tabitha to come with me.”
My mother smirked. “And let me guess, she brought up work and all the other reasons why she couldn’t.”
My mother had good intuition, but this was ridiculous.
I squinted my eyes. “She did.”
“And you never told her how you really feel, am I right?”
“Yeaaaah.”
She laughed. “You two are so damn blind.”
“What do you mean?”
“Why don’t you tell her?”
“I told you, I don’t want to be her rebound. And what if she still thinks she’s in love with Mark or wants to go back?”
“And what if she already laid her heart on the line to you once and you rejected her? Do you really think she’s willing to take that chance with you all over again and tell you how she really feels?”
I wanted to retort, come up with some facts to back up my reasoning, but I was stumped.
“Reed, honey, I understand why you did what you did when she was in college. But she’s grown. She’s thinking of her future and marriage, and you may not have another chance like this again. Stop trying to protect her and let her think for herself. She’s smarter than you think and always had a clearer awareness of what she wanted than you ever did.”
I smiled. “True.”
“Tabitha was brave enough to spill her heart to you once, and you rejected her. It’s your turn now. Be brave. You don’t want to live your life wondering if you let your one chance slip by. At least now, you’ll know.”
I rested my fingers across my mouth and nodded.
“No matter what happens, I love you both, and I’m so proud of you, Reed. You deserve to be happy, and so does Tabitha. But give her the chance to choose what that happiness could be for her.”
“Thanks, Mom. I know I don’t say it often, but I love you.”
“I know. Now go tell Tabitha that.” She winked before closing the app, and my screen went black.
Excitement built up inside me, and my heart hammered in my chest.
I was going to finally tell Tabitha how I felt.
I pulled down the driveway, my heart floating with possibilities, my mind spinning with ways to say how I felt and where to even begin.
“Tabitha, the reason I asked you to come with me is because I love you. I’ve always loved you.”
No.
“Tabitha, I know you’re just coming off a relationship, and I don’t expect an answer now, but I need you to know, I love…”
My words trailed off as I noticed an unfamiliar car in the driveway. Half wary and half worried, I got out of the car and ran to the front door. My hand trembled as I twisted my fingers on the knob and flung open the door. There in the living room were Tabitha and Mark, so engrossed in their conversation that they didn’t notice my intrusion. My heart fell to the pit of my stomach. She was crying. He touched her face, and for a moment, I swore she nestled into his palm like she missed it.
I backed away and gently shut the door behind me. I headed to the RV, feeling that usual anger cloud over my heart like a shield.
But I wasn’t angry at Tabitha or even Mark. There was no one to blame but myself. I’d had my chance years ago, and I chose to break her heart.
My window of opportunity closed a long time ago.
25
Broken
Tabitha
Mark’s touch was familiar. So many times he had touched my hair or brushed my cheek like he did now. I nestled into it, but something was off…like it was suddenly very unfamiliar and didn’t make me feel safe like it used to.
I pulled away, creating more distance between us. “I can’t do this.”
Mark got down on one knee, and I pulled him up. “No, that’s not what I mean.” I let out a short breath. “You asked me before what I was thinking of in those twelve seconds, why I hesitated and ran off.”
He stood a little taller, preparing himself.
“It was Reed.” I held a hand to my mouth.
His brows furrowed. “Your best friend’s brother?”
“Yes.”
“I thought you hated him?”
I shook my head. “That’s what I meant by complicated. I thought I was over him, I really did, but it turns out, I wasn’t.”
He sank down onto the couch, a fist over his mouth. My heart tugged in my chest. He was heartbroken. I knew that look well. I sat down on the coffee table in front of him.
“I’m sorry.”
“Is that his RV outside?”
“Yes.”
“Did you both…” Mark wouldn’t look me in the eyes.
“We were intimate…but even that’s complicated, too.”
He looked up, studying my face. “Do you love him?”
I pressed a hand to my belly. “Yes, and I know he loves me in his own way. We have a lot of history…but in the end, I think his heart belongs to another.”
Mark turned away, running a hand through his sandy locks. “Complicated.”
“I’m so sorry.”
He shook his head. “No, I knew.”
“What?”
“The first time I saw you both in the same room, there was an intensity between you. It was impossible not to feel it.” He rubbed at his eyes. “I’ve been where you are with another.” He let out a soft chuckle, but there was a sadness behind it. “I wouldn’t say the hate was as deep, but the love was intense. It burned out in the end, at least on her side. Me, not so much. It took a long time for me to move on from her and let go.”
I reached for his hand. “Please know that I tried to move on from him. I even believed I had when I was with you. You were safe, comfortable, reliable.”
“Predictable.”
“And a good man,” I added. “You will make a great husband and father one day.”
He squeezed my hand before letting go. “What are you going to do now?”
“I don’t know.”
“Have you told him how you feel?”
“A long time ago…but he didn’t feel the same.”
“You should talk with him. You both need closure or at least to figure out what you want your relationship to be.” He half smiled, a touch of hurt in his eyes. “Or else you’ll be running away from the next guy who proposes to you.”
I cupped his cheek. “I can’t tell you enough how sorry I am for that.”
He held my hand and kissed my palm. “Don’t be. I’d rather deal with this before getting married, not after.” He stood up. “I should go and let you sort things out.”
I got up and hugged him. “Thank you.”
He lingered a little longer before completely letting go. “Goodbye, Tabitha.”
“Bye,” I whispered.
I walked Mark t
o the door, and when I opened it, I saw the light on the inside of Reed’s RV.
A rush of panic swept through me.
Did he see us together? Did he hear anything? Why else would he be in his RV?
“Talk to him,” Mark said again before stepping onto the porch and heading to his car.
As much as I didn’t want to say goodbye to this time I shared with Reed, I knew it had to come to an end, eventually. What we would become from here, I didn’t know.
I squeezed the doorknob tighter to keep from shaking.
Closure or we’d figure this out.
Pressing a hand over my hammering heart, I walked over to the RV and knocked on the door. Reed didn’t answer. When I turned the handle, it was locked. “Reed, I need to talk to you.”
He opened the door and gestured for me to come in. No smile. No words. Only a familiar icy stare I knew all too well.
Oh no.
“I’m guessing you figured out that was Mark?” I asked.
“He’s gone?”
“Just left.”
Reed shut his laptop and shoved it into his case. “Good, I need to grab my things.”
“You’re leaving now?”
He didn’t look my way as he stuffed his briefcase into a cabinet. “I’m behind enough as it is.”
Back to cold and aloof Reed.
I swallowed down the burning ache in my throat. “Were you at least going to say goodbye?”
Reed stilled and ran a hand across his mouth. He gestured toward the chair near the table. “Please.”
I sat down, and he took the chair across from me. My mouth suddenly went dry as I watched him steeple his hands against his lips, brows tightly knit together as if deep in thought.
The queasiness in my stomach intensified as I awaited whatever it was he wanted to say.
What my heart wanted? For him to profess his love for me. That he’d always loved me.
That I was his “Missing Her.”
