Beautifully Done

by Riley Mackenzie

  Tara laughed and her eyes bugged a little. “Oh wow, girl, what have you done with my brother? Asher talking about the future. Great sign.”

  I rat-tailed her with my eyes even though Tara was spot on. Talia’s eyes questioned me.

  “But don’t let him fool you, he’s a softy when it comes to tradition. He won’t let a year go by without planning our dual family vacations. This week is a given, but August’s trip is always a last minute surprise. We love that about him.”

  Any time she could zip it. Nope.

  “Can’t keep that Craig family stubborn trait at bay though, he won’t let us pay a dime. It’s seriously annoying.”

  “Well, there’s no way you can turn that down.” Talia laughed, squeezing my hand. Her eyes flitted in my direction, clouded with something that made my heart pick up. She’d been giving me these looks all night and I was starting to welcome that warmth beneath my chest.

  I returned her hand squeeze and surprised the room. “Speaking of, how does Hawaii sound?”

  “Thank you.” That was a complete understatement.

  The way she handled my father and comforted my mother and sisters later in the evening deserved way more than a simple thank you. I fell back on the bed and pulled her down on top of my chest. My mother and sisters were all mentally exhausted, hell, we all were. So when someone suggested we turn in early, everyone was in agreement. Besides, I was done sharing for the evening.

  “I threw you to the wolves and you handled it beautifully,” I teased, attempting to lift the heavy air. “Not that I would’ve expected anything less.”

  “Your family’s awesome.” She giggled while I nipped her bottom lip and licked down her exposed neck and shoulder.

  “I’ve wanted to do this all night.”

  “I’m glad you held your tongue then because tonight turned out to be really nice. I loved catching up with your mom and your sisters.” She paused and ran her hands through my hair. “I know you weren’t expecting to see your dad’s confusion deteriorate so soon, but you have to remember he’s still gonna have his good days. And now those good days are going to be that much more important and that much more memorable. Every single one will count. If there’s something you want to ask him or something you need to tell him … there’s no more holding back. You have no reason to wait.”

  I flipped her to her back and brushed a few strands of her hair away from her face. Resting on my hip and forearm I hovered above her. She stared at me while I traced her lips, her cheekbones and along her jaw. Her poignant words settled in my chest and touched a nerve. A nerve that was undeniably still raw. But these were the words I needed to hear. My family had done denial; without a doubt it was easier to live there. We mastered ignore and avoid too. We learned firsthand that it ate you from the inside out. Nothing but an empty shell left. This was how we quietly handled watching my strong-headed grandfather dwindle to a mere child. And sadly, I witnessed the anguish on my father’s face when he finally realized it was too late, he was too late. So when my uncle was diagnosed with the same filthy disease a couple years later, my father, the successful businessman, took a step back and made his brother his priority. In the beginning the changes were subtle, a quick phone call or an extra get together during the week with a couple extra funny stories, or a few more intellectual conversations. But as my uncle’s symptoms worsened our stops were more frequent. I was a teenager so I wasn’t there all the time, but I didn’t miss the few times I watched my father sit and read passages from my uncle’s favorite books and flip through old black and whites from when they were kids. Without fail his favorite music always played quietly in the background. His actions were his unspoken words. He was making every day count. Now it was my turn. Not only for him, but for me. And I knew without a doubt that this woman lying beside me was going to be my strength. I wanted her to be.

  “I need you, Tal. I want you. And not just tonight. Yeah, I want you naked and I have full intentions on making that happen, I will always want that. But I want you more. All of you. I want you there every morning. I want you there every night. I want to watch you sleep. I want to breathe what you breathe.”

  I was pretty sure she knew what I was asking, without saying the words. And if I didn’t want to get lost in her so bad, I would have talked it out. But I didn’t want to talk. At least not right now. I wanted to forget, even if it was just for a little while. She was the only one who had that power. I needed her with me. I wanted her with me. Across the country was just too far. I knew she was going to resist, I knew she wasn’t ready yet, but I was going to fight through her nerves and gain her trust. I wasn’t that playboy anymore and she wasn’t my next good time. She changed me. Or maybe she brought back who I really was.

  I slid my fingers through the side of her hair and crushed my lips on hers. She moaned into my mouth and sunk toward my chest. I yanked at the hem of her shirt and she willingly lifted her arms straight up. I ran my thumb across her peaked nipples straining through her bra. In one smooth motion I sent the lace fabric to the floor. My sweater joined the growing pile. She trailed her fingers across my chest and abs, hooking her fingers at the top of my jeans. She traced the line running to my hip, sending a jolt directly to my groin. My cock painfully pressed against my zipper. Lust and desperation consumed her wild eyes. Her hand tracked down further and she palmed my thick erection.

  “Fuck, Tal.” I wanted inside her more than my next breath. I popped the button of her jeans and pushed her back onto the bed. She unveiled her long sexy legs in record time only to sit up and work on mine. She was as frenzied as I was. She purposely tugged my boxers down, watching my cock spring free. Her silky thumb found the most sensation spot and she gripped my shaft. The tips of her fingers brushed against my aching balls and her thumb continued to stroke me. I growled and sucked in a sharp breath and pushed against her hand. Fuck, it felt so good.

  Our mouths connected, starved, the need frantic and ravenous. I lowered her back and climbed on top of her. My hands were everywhere, her breasts, her abs, her clit. She writhed beneath me, begging me with her moans. Fuck, I loved the sound of her moans. I licked my fingers and dragged them across her warm entrance. She thrust her hips forward and I took that as my cue to slam into her heat. The earlier night’s events blurred to the pure passion of the moment. I rocked against her and listened to her labored breath. The pulse in her neck accelerated beneath my tongue.

  “Ah, Ace,” she harshly whispered, obviously conscious we weren’t alone-alone. Avery and Drew were in the other bedroom in our wing.

  “Let it go, Teeps.” She pulsed and clenched around my swollen cock. She gripped my back and ass so hard I was sure she left marks. I quickened my pace and let her ride the wave. “Fuck, you’re sexy.” In one swoop, I pulled out and flipped her over. She peeked over her shoulder, her eyes glazed with the aftermath of her orgasm. She rose to her knees and dropped her chest to the bed. Her whimpers and moans egging me on. I couldn’t do it. Every other woman had always been from behind, never looking in their eyes. Less commitment, no connection. Not with Talia.

  “No. I want you to ride me. I want to watch you.” I needed to see her. I craved our connection. I rolled onto the bed and slid her on top of me. “Sit up.” Complying immediately and not pushing me on why I changed my mind, she filled herself with my stiff length and started an excruciating pace. I cupped her tits and rolled her nipples. Her hair fell in front of her face when she leaned forward, clutching my shoulders. My tip was buried deep rubbing on the spot that drove her wild. I tucked her hair behind her ears and captured her gaze. “Fuck, I never want this to end,” I groaned. Rocking against my pelvis she squeezed me and quivered, setting off my own climax. Together we shattered, our eyes glued, while I spilled inside her over and over again.

  “Wow, that was … um … intense,” she gasped against my sweat drenched chest. I kissed her hair, unable to form a coherent thought, realizing how rough I just was. She peeled herself back, looking serious. Shit. T
hen she shrugged and bit her lip trying hard not to smile. “But … I’ve had better.”

  Her sass was off the charts. I fucking loved it.

  “Are you teasing me, TP, cause I seriously doubt you want me teasing you.” I smirked, appreciating her effort to keep me from retreating into my own mental stress. I tickled her abs, which were as tight as my own, and she started to giggle. She squirmed and wrapped the top sheet around her body. “No chance. Skin on skin.” I wasn’t asking.

  The laughter behind her eyes melted into something warm, something delicious. She dropped the fabric and molded into the crook of my arm. Her eyes found mine, this time asking, “You know you’re crazy, right? And super generous.” Her fingers drew circles across my chest. “And so insanely amazing to your family. They’re so lucky to have you...”

  I tasted her sweet lips and cut her off. “It’s just a couple vacations, not a big deal.”

  “Of course it’s a big deal and it’s not just a vacation. You care so much. You’d do anything for them. They all know it and love you for it.”

  She was right. I would do anything for them. They were my family, and I’d do the same for her. I didn’t say that.

  “It’s just money, Tal. Can’t take it with you.”

  “It’s way more than that and you know it. Yeah, the vacations are an added bonus, but you take care of everyone, always have. I’ve admired that about you since we were kids. But I have to wonder, who takes care of you?”

  Was she for real? I felt beyond taken care of in her sated arms. Again, I didn’t say that. “Make you a deal, you can take care of me when we explore those secluded waterfalls in Hawaii this August.”

  She smiled against my shoulder. “What am I going to do with you, Ace?”

  “Sleep, Teeps. My bunny needs her beauty rest.” I felt her smile get wider.

  Tap, tap, tap … tap, tap, tap.

  “Shit it’s early,” I whispered groggily. The faint tap against our bedroom door changed rhythms. I dislodged the pillow from between Talia’s arms and tucked her back into my front, burying my face in her neck.

  “For real?”

  “Mmm,” she moaned, wiggling her ass against my cock. A small voice interrupted what was sure to be the start of another round.

  “Ignore it.”

  Tal’s moan shifted more towards a giggle, finding the now incessant knocking amusing. “Let her in, it’s so early she’ll fall right back to sleep.”

  Tal didn’t know that three-year-olds never went back to sleep. Ever. I learned that lesson last summer in St. Martin when I let the bugger crawl into my bed every morning, trying to give my sister, who looked like a scary sleep-deprived zombie, a break. But that was then and this was weird. Besides the fact that my sister looked like she made up for all her lost z’s and now there was a hot naked woman in my bed and this wasn’t gonna happen.

  “Emma, baby, we’re sleeping.” I raised my voice toward the locked door. The handle jostled again and she called my name again. “Go find Mommy. We’ll be up soon.” I was going to have to talk to Avery. Talia wasn’t used to early morning visitors.

  “Emma, darling, we’ll be right there.” Before I could argue, Tal was out of bed putting on her pajama pants and tank. She tossed me my gym shorts. “Don’t want to scar your niece for life, do ya?”

  I groaned and looked down. She had a valid point, that wasn’t going away anytime soon. Talia cracked the door, picked up the baby and laid her down in the middle of our bed. Emma snuggled into my side. I couldn’t stay annoyed. She was too adorable. Tal hummed and drew small circles over her forehead, cheeks, and in her hair. Emma’s eyelids were instantaneously heavy and within four minutes she was back asleep. Four minutes.

  “Someone has the magic touch?” Not that I hadn’t experienced her magic touch firsthand. Yup, my mind went there again. I extracted my arm from under the comatose child wedged between us, because now it was just really fucking weird, and circled to Tal’s side.

  “What are we doing?” she whispered as I grabbed her hand.

  “Time to shower.”

  “Oh my god, Talia, I’m so embarrassed. What time did she come down from the loft? She desperately wanted to sleep with her cousins last night. I knew she wouldn’t make it. Asher, why didn’t you wake me? Ugh. I feel terrible.” Avery poured herself a cup of coffee, grabbed a pancake from the stack of five hundred. “Wait, you made breakfast?”

  “Talia did. Hours ago.” I enunciated hours to be a pain in the ass brother. Who was I kidding? I loved having the quiet morning to ourselves. The fire crackled, while I watched Tal move effortlessly around the kitchen in her gonna-be-the-death-of-me yoga pants and a white long sleeve fitted Henley. She debated—while I kept my mouth shut and breathed her in like the fresh air she was—over the need for a refresher ski lesson. In the end, she said ‘fuck-it’ to the lesson (that a girl) and whipped up pancakes for fifty like Wonder Woman. Damn, it’s eight months away, what I wouldn’t give to swap St. Patty’s Day for All Saint’s Eve.

  Talia chimed in, “Ave, it was no big deal. Honestly, she was adorable and fell right back to sleep. Ignore your brother.”

  “I can’t believe she went back to sleep.” My sister was as shocked as I was. Then again, she hadn’t heard Talia’s lullaby rendition of Pearl Jam.

  “Tal had her asleep in record time. It was a win—I got to hear her sexy voice again and I didn’t even need to beg.”

  “Asher.” Both women said in unison, Talia slapping my chest and blushing before she turned back to Avery. “I think snuggling right into her Uncle Ashy did the trick. They have the sweetest bond, don’t they?”

  “Yeah, it’s called he spoils her rotten.” Avery rolled her eyes and laughed.

  “I can’t help that your daughter thinks I’m the shit.” Yeah, that little girl had me wrapped around her little finger, and I loved every second of it. Speaking of, Emma flew around the corner and leaped into Talia’s arms. “Huh, looks like I’ve been replaced with Barbie though.” I winked.

  “Emma, baby, why didn’t you come find Mommy and Daddy when you woke up?”

  “I wanted Unkie Ashy and Barbie.” Emma slid out of Talia’s arms and went to Avery. “Mama, you know what, hers sings.”

  “I heard she sang you right back to sleep. That was so sweet of Talia, but next time you need to come find Mommy and Daddy. Uncle Asher and Talia were still sleeping.”

  “Theys not sleeping. Hers awake. I heard hers. Hers moans a lot.”

  I fucking spit my coffee across the kitchen island before my sharp inhale caused me to choke and laugh my ass off to the point of tears coming out of my eyes. The color of Tal’s face didn’t exist in the crayon box. It was somewhere between a ruby red grapefruit and a cherry tomato. My sister’s face was only a shade lighter. And here I thought Maggie’s eye daggers were lethal, Talia’s annihilated me.

  “Emma, baby, you’re one silly, silly girl.” I picked my niece up and kissed her before sending her off to find her cousins. “This one’s going down in the history books as quite possibly the funniest thing I’ve ever heard.”

  Talia disagreed. “You’re an ass.”

  “Heard that one before, not original, Tal.” I started to laugh again and this time Talia’s daggers softened and she started in too. How could you not? It was priceless. Before I knew it Avery and Drew had joined in and we were all hysterical. “Leave it to the three-year-old to keep it light.”

  “What’s so funny in here?” My dad rounded the corner looking surprisingly refreshed and happy. I thought Tal’s eyes were going to pop out of her head, like anyone would repeat what Emma just said. I watched as Avery’s smile slowly faded and her breath ceased. I felt my own breath get caught in my throat. The only thing we could do was wait and see. “No more smiling from the four of you, skiing is a serious matter, we have some diamonds to get after,” he teased.

  We sighed in unison. Today was a good day.

  “You look good in my bed,” I whispered.

&nb
sp; I planned for a Cali weekend but she called earlier in the week and said she’d rather head back here. She left the reason vague, but I was just psyched she took Thursday off as well. I leaned in closer, dislodged her pillow, and kissed her temple. She was definitely awake. Her breathing had changed and I was becoming used to her subtle tossing and turning. I liked that I could tell.

  “I could get used to this, and not just long weekends.” Since Vermont, I’d casually implied a move a couple more times, but quickly learned it was impossible to accomplish anything over the phone. And to say we failed at making any headway on this matter was an understatement. She perfected ignore and avoid, laughing it off most of the time. I knew what that was all about, but I wasn’t joking. Actually, I was dead serious.

  With arms folded over her head, she tucked her cheek into her elbow seemingly to avoid my gaze. “Mmm, I like being here.” Her response was flat.

  Okay, not the enthusiasm I had hoped for. She kept her eyes sealed shut while her top teeth grazed her lower lip.

  “Tal, look at me.” I propped up and unfolded her arms. She cracked her lids. “You’ve been dodging this for weeks. I’ve given you time, but we need to talk about this. I’m done making jokes. It’s plain and simple, black and white—I’m over this long distance situation. I want you.”

  She stiffened with my bluntness and her eyes bounced directly to the ceiling. Maybe I did need that lesson on morning pillow talk, it seemed this was fail number two.

  “Listen, it doesn’t have to be tomorrow, or next week, but I’m not feeling a long drawn out plan either. We’re not getting any younger, so-”

  Her eyes bulged on the age reference. Bad approach.

  “Let’s just explore some options. I would move out West in a heartbeat, but my family is here and you get why that’s not an option right now. But since it’s only you-”

  Her lips pursed and not in a good way. I sucked at this.

  “I’m just saying there are a plethora of great hospitals here and we both have connections. I’m sure we can come up with something.” I completely backpedaled.