by Misty Walker
“The noodles were still in the box. They only expired a month ago. And after I washed the parsley—”
“Thea!” He booms, stalking toward me. I think he’s going to stop in front of me, but he zooms right by and runs to his bathroom. I hear the toilet lid flip up and then retching. I follow him in and rub his back as he vomits the dinner I so carefully made for him.
“Are you okay?” I ask with a cringe. His forehead is resting on the arm he’s draped over the toilet seat.
“Just peachy,” he bites out.
“You’re being silly, Law. The food was just fine.” I try to soothe. He must not have liked this response because he bolts upright.
“Do I look fine to you? I’m literally draped over a toilet bowl. I am not fine.” He stands up and goes to the sink, rinsing his mouth out before brushing his teeth. When he’s done, he throws the toothbrush away and gets a sanitizing wipe out. He wipes the sink and toilet down and tosses it in. “I’m not fine, Thea.” He storms out of the bathroom and I follow, hot on his heels.
“You’re making a big deal out of nothing. If you hadn’t known where it came from, you wouldn’t have thrown up.” I shrug.
“I can’t even believe I’m having to argue with you about digging spoiled food out of dumpsters!” he hollers at me. He pours a fresh glass of water and drinks it all down then goes back to scrubbing dishes furiously. When he scrubs one of the dainty water glasses we used at dinner, it shatters in his hand. “Fuck!”
“Hold still. Let me help.” I rush to his side and hold his hand under the water, trying to assess where the blood is coming from. There is a shard of glass in his palm. “I need to pull this out. It’s shallow. You won’t need stitches.” I grab hold of the shard and pull. Law winces but says nothing. “Where’s your first aid kit?”
“There’s one underneath the bathroom sink.” He’s still holding his hand under the water. I run to the bathroom and grab the kit.
“Okay, let me fix you up.” I pull his hand from the water and dab the cuts on his fingers and palm. When they’re dry, I put some antibiotic ointment on them and bandage them up. When I’m finished, I have wrapped his entire hand in gauze and first aid tape.
“This might be overkill,” he says with a smirk, holding up his bound hand.
“There were a lot of cuts,” I reason.
“Thank you,” he murmurs softly.
“You’re welcome,” I huff, crossing my arms over my chest. Law stands in front of me, his hands resting on my shoulders. I look up and his forehead is creased in concern.
“I’m sorry I got so angry.” He pulls me into his body and I go willingly, smashing my face into his neck and breathing in his manly scent.
“I’m sorry I made dinner.” My words are muffled against his skin. He pulls me back again to look into my eyes.
“Don’t be sorry you made dinner. I’m thankful you went to all the trouble.” He takes a deep breath in and out. “Just next time take my credit card and purchase the food from inside the store, okay?”
“Yeah, okay,” I agree, but cross my fingers behind my back. I just won’t tell him next time.
“Trouble, I’m serious. I know it’s something normal to you, but believe me. It’s not normal to other people.” He pulls my hand from around my back and uncrosses my fingers.
“Ugh. Okay. Fine. I’ll waste your money and buy the same thing from inside the store I can get for free around back.” I throw my hands up in defeat.
“Thank you.”
“Yeah, yeah. Whatever.” I look at his padded hand and realize something. “You can’t finish the dishes with your hand like that.” I point to the wrapped up hand. “Looks like I’ll have to do them.”
He looks up and mutters something I can’t hear. Maybe a prayer?
“Fine, but I’m going to instruct you on how to do it.” He compromises.
“Yay!” I squeal, not because he’s letting me do the dishes. Fuck that, I hate doing chores, but having him watch me do dishes will drive him crazy and I live to make this man crazy. Judging by how this dinner went, I’m thoroughly succeeding.
After forty-five minutes of exhausting arguments, the leftover dinner has been tossed in the trash and the dishes are loaded, the dishwasher on. I still can’t believe Thea wanted to save the rest of the spaghetti casserole. A shiver runs down my spine just thinking about eating it again.
If I’m being honest with myself, it was good. It was rich and flavorful. But if I even think about the food being pulled from dumpsters, nausea roils in my gut. So I push it away and attempt to move on. I’ll be damned if I let her shop or cook for me again. I don’t trust she’ll respect my wishes.
Thea jumps in the shower, while I strip the bed and put on fresh sheets. The little liar tried to tell me she washed them before making the bed up, but I saw a few strands of her long, wild hair still on her pillow. I gave her a swat on the ass for lying and she ran into the bathroom squealing and giggling. I smile as I tuck the corners in, military style.
I’ve just pulled off my shirt and pants when she leaves the bathroom wearing yet another cami and sleep short set. This one is purple and silky. My jaw hangs open at the sight of her pebbled nipples under the thin fabric. She walks past me to the clothes hamper and sets her clothes and towel in it, glancing at me over her shoulder with obvious pride in herself. I shake my head. Only Thea would want praise for putting her dirty clothes in the hamper. A sock falls on the ground and she bends over to retrieve it. Her bare ass cheeks peek out and my cock hardens. She makes her way back to me and her mouth falls open.
We’ve spent three nights together so far and except for the first night, they’ve all been in my bed. We’ve spent hours kissing and tasting each other, but have stopped at below the waist activities. Sometimes my troublemaker will let her hand drift to the waistband of my briefs, but I stop her, determined for her to figure her life out before taking that step.
My mind is at war with my dominance. Part of me wants to make her mine so she can’t ever go back, but then reason sneaks in and I think if she decides she wants to go back to her family and the only way to do that is to marry that fuck-wit, Wen, I want her to still have her virginity intact so it’s possible. Despite the anger thinking of that asshole, Wen, brings out in me. What she and I do together, she should never regret. Ever. Because I won’t. Touching her, kissing her, exploring her with my lips, my tongue, my teeth. I will regret none of it. I care enough to ensure all of this is for the right reason.
“Is that for me?” She flirts and points to my erection.
“It’s because of you,” I stammer out, swallowing hard. “I should have paid more attention to what you purchased to sleep in.” I run a finger down her arm, watching the goose bumps appear on her skin.
“You don’t like it?” She looks down at herself. “It’s comfy.”
“It’s sexy,” I deadpan. She moves past and climbs onto the bed, crawling to her side, exposing her perfect peach-shaped ass as she goes. She lies on her side and pats the space next to her. I turn the lights out and climb in, pulling her body flush to mine.
“Law?” she whispers against my lips.
“Yeah, Trouble?” I whisper back.
“I want to feel you.” Her hand drifts down my arm, along my side, and then finally reaches between us, settling on top of my aching dick.
“You do not understand how much I want that—”
“But?” She interrupts.
“But you know what has to happen first,” I say. She flops onto her back and sighs.
“I’m not ready to face them.” She covers her face with her arm, but I peel it away while climbing on top of her, spreading her legs and settling myself between them. She wraps her limbs around me and we come face-to-face.
“Then you’re not ready for this.” I thrust my hips against her and we both moan at the contact.
“What if we just touch each other?” I can hear the sexual tension in her voice. It’s the same tension coursing throughout
my body.
“You want me to make you feel good, baby?” I move to her neck and suck the skin into my mouth gently.
“Please, Law. I need you.” Her fingers dig into my shoulders and the sting spurs me on.
“If you want me to stop at any point—”
“Yeah, yeah. I’ll tell you. Now get to it!” Her heels dig into my ass, driving my hard length against her center.
“Bossy,” I murmur against her throat. I bite down and she gasps.
I pull her tank over the top of her head and take an appreciative look at her breasts. I palm each one. My injured hand stings at the pressure, but I don’t let go. I love the way they feel. I squeeze hard and let go, watching them bounce back to their resting position. Her nipples are somewhere between pink and brown and are the tiniest of mosquito bite in size. I take one between my teeth and pull. She squirms beneath me, trying to get friction between her legs. I’m not having it. Any pleasure she has will be because I gave it to her.
After a few more sucks, licks, and bites, I move down her body. I don’t leave one inch of skin untouched as I make my way. I’ve never had the urge to eat someone whole until this girl. Everywhere my mouth lands is somewhere I want to explore, somewhere I want to devour.
I finally make it to the band of her sleep shorts. I trail a finger down the front and between her pussy lips. The fabric is soaked. I can’t bring myself to take the time to pull them down, so I nuzzle my face to where she needs me most, inhaling deeply at the musky scent that is all her. I lick against the silky fabric and Thea moans loudly.
“Law! Oh my God!” Her hands go to my head. She rotates between tugging at the hair I keep long on top of my head and scraping her nails along the short stubble on the side.
“Does it feel good?” I ask, knowing full well it does.
“It would feel better if I didn’t have my shorts on,” she sasses. I ignore her and keep eating her through her shorts, still getting her taste on my tongue with the amount of juices that have soaked through the material. She squirms and writhes underneath me, begging for more.
I take pity on her and drag her shorts down her body. I sit up on my knees and her legs fall open. Her pretty pink pussy is wet and mostly bare. Only a short tuft of hair sits above her slit. I reach down and give it a little tug.
She blushes. “Law!”
She’s embarrassed. It doesn’t matter. This is all new to her, but soon there will be nothing I can do that will make her uncomfortable. If she stays with you, a voice whispers in my head. I shove it away and get back to devouring the most perfect pussy I’ve ever seen.
My tongue reaches her first, and the contact makes her hips buck up. I pin her down by weaving my arms under and around her thighs, bringing her legs to rest on my shoulders. I pull her lips open with the fingers of my injured hand and expose her clit. Wrapping my lips around it, I suck. Hard. One of her arms slams against the bed and a cacophony of curses leaves her mouth. I smile against her folds and drag my tongue up her slit.
“Law! It feels so good, something is happening. I don’t know what… I think I’m… Law, please!” she calls out, her nonsense echoing in the room.
I insert a finger slowly in her channel. She’s so tight. I haven’t been with a virgin since I was one myself and the temptation to drive my straining cock into her is overwhelming. Instead, I hook my finger and find the place that will make her feel the best. With solid pressure there and my tongue flicking her clit, it doesn’t take long for her walls to squeeze my finger. She’s coming. Her raspy voice gets raspier as she calls out. To God, to me, to anyone who will listen.
Her hips thrust up and her thighs tighten around my head. I don’t let up until her body relaxes and her harsh breaths slow. I bring her down gently, slowing my movements until I’ve stopped completely and removed my mouth. I look up her body to her face, but it’s too dark to tell what’s going on. I wipe my mouth on the inside of her thigh and crawl up her body. What I see is so beautiful. She’s smiling, teeth showing and all.
“How do you feel?” I ask. Her eyes pop open and her smile gets impossibly bigger.
“I didn’t know it would feel like that.” She beams.
“Haven’t you ever had an orgasm?” I mean, I know she’s a virgin, and she hasn’t so much as kissed anyone but me, but surely she’s explored her own body.
“No.” She laughs. “We’re a family of seven living in a trailer. For another, they teach girls if we even touch ourselves we’re impure and not worthy of marrying.”
I freeze. My intention was to keep her pure in case she went back to her family, now I realize I still ruined her, I feel like shit.
She kisses my lips. “Don’t worry. You did nothing I didn’t want.”
“But what if you go back?”
She groans and pushes me off her body. I flop onto my back, groaning too. My dick is still hard and when it loses its new favorite resting place between Thea’s legs, I ache. She drags the sheets on top of herself, covering her breasts.
“You don’t get it. I won’t ever go back and become Wen’s wife. Ever. There was nothing worth losing my family over until I discovered there actually was. I refuse to be physically punished for not being who Wen wants me to be.” Her expression is more serious than I’ve ever seen. A smile breaks across my face. I can’t contain it. “What? Why are you smiling?”
“I’m just so damn proud of you.” I pull her into my chest and she rests her head on me. “Part of me wanted to lock you up in my house and never let you go back, but a bigger part of me knew you needed to make your own choices. I knew you would just run if I tried to make them for you.” I rub up and down her still bare back.
“I would never go back, Law. I just wasn’t ready to accept it until now. I’m most likely going to lose my family. I’m uneducated, unskilled, and undocumented. It was just a lot to come to terms with. Leaving Wen means everything changes. Everything. My sisters, my brothers, I won’t get to watch them grow up. One day, probably soon, they’ll all move on to the next place and I won’t be there with them.” Wetness hits my chest and I squeeze her tighter to me.
“You’ll have me. I know I’m not any consolation to your family, but you’ll still have me.” I kiss her head. “Unless you make me another dumpster dinner. Then all bets are off.”
She smacks my stomach and laughs.
The next morning, I wake up and decide I need to get out of the house. I need to look for somewhere to live. I need to find a job. I need to do anything except sit here and think about losing my family.
I shower, dress, and head out, hopping on a bus going downtown. The library has free Internet, so I get off on the stop closest. Law gave me a smartphone yesterday, but I don’t understand how to use it, so I threw it in my bag and there it’s been ever since.
The library is low-key. Like always. It smells of dusty books and old people, a scent I find comforting. There are a few retirees sitting in the comfy chairs reading newspapers, a few people on the computers, and a circle of preschool kids getting a book read to them by a librarian. I find a computer and sit my ass down. I can read well enough to search for rentals, but trying to put together the words in the listings proves to be complicated. Tears sting as they form and I realize I can’t do it. I need help. Frustrated, I log out and grab my bag to leave. Fuck this.
As I fly past the row of computers, I look over and spot Leander in the corner. I don’t want him to see me upset, but I don’t know when I’ll get the chance to see him again, so I take a few calming breaths, dab my eyes, and make my way over to him.
He’s concentrating on the computer screen. He has a binder next to him and he’s furiously writing something down on paper.
“Leander?” I take the seat next to him. He bolts upright and looks at me for a few long seconds before saying anything.
“Thea, what are you doing here?” He knows I don’t read well.
“I was just trying to find an apartment.” My voice is hesitant and I wonder how much I sh
ould tell him and if he’ll run and tell my parents.
“An apartment? What the fuck do you want an apartment for?” His voice creeps louder and I hush him.
“I need somewhere to live.” My fingers go to my hair and start twirling.
“No. What you need to do is swallow your goddamn pride and come home. You know you will eventually, anyway.”
Anger pulses through my veins at his words. If any of my siblings would have my back, I hoped it would be him.
“I’m not coming back. I’m not marrying Wen. Do you even know what he did to me?” I pray he says no so I won’t want to punch him in the throat.
“Yeah, I heard and I get it. Wen has turned into a douchebag, but you have to come home and work things out. If not with Wen, then at least with Mom and Dad.” He pleads with me.
“How are Mom and Dad? Freedom? The girls?” I’m dying for any news. Especially about my kid sisters. I miss them something fierce.
“They’re well. They miss you. Mom and Dad won’t talk about it, and everyone’s been somber. The girls cry for you every day. Freedom acts like nothing is wrong, but it’s just him trying to be tough.” He looks down and I can see he’s upset by all this too. I blink away tears.
“Maybe I’ll come over during the day when the men are working and try to talk to Mom,” I suggest.
“You should.” He reaffirms.
“What about you? How are you? How’s school?” I motion to the notebook he has laid out. A smile instantly spreads across his face.
“It’s good. I’m graduating soon. My advisors wanted me to apply to some universities, but I need to work to help support the family. So, I applied to the community college and got in. I’ll be starting in the fall.” Pride radiates from him and I can’t help but be proud of him too.
“That’s amazing. Really, it is!” I lean over and give him a hug.
“Thanks.” He pats my back in return.
“Have you told Mom and Dad?” I pull away from him. He shifts nervously in his seat and his smile falters.
