Covered in Coal

by Silla Webb

  My heart is throbbing loudly in my ears, my vision blurs, and my breaths come in soft hitches. The heat that blankets my body from head to toe is the most sensual pleasure I’ve ever felt. I pinch my eyes shut and fist his hair in my hand, as I come spiraling down. Colton crawls up my body, and licks my lips softly.

  “You taste so damn good. Best dessert I’ve ever had,” he whispers against my lips between kisses.

  The taste of me on Colton’s lips fuels my desire. Pulling him tighter against my scalding body, I claw at his back as I deepen our kiss. Our tongues tangle, and I bite at his lip, jaw and neck. I press my palms against his chest, buck my hips, and roll him to his back. His eyes widen and a proud smile splays across his face. He has awaken an animal inside of me, one that I never knew existed. Colton laces his fingers behind his head, as he lays back to enjoy the view of me loving him.

  I take my time, getting to know his body, and what thrills him the most. I trace my nails lazily across his thick bicep as I nibble at his nipple. With each bite a small groan escapes his lips and that sound fuels me more. I continue to kiss my way down his abs until I reach the top of his tented boxer briefs. Grazing my nails down the sides of his abdominals, I hook my fingers in his boxers and pull the fabric over his gloriously hard cock, and down his thick legs.

  When his dick springs free, a low toned growl trembles across his lips. His curious eyes remain hooded with lust. I wrap my hand around his cock, and squeeze delicately. His eyes roll back and he licks his lips. A bead of moisture gathers at the tip of his cock, and I can’t resist the temptation to lick it. I squeeze his shaft again, then wrap my lips around his dick, and lick from the base to the tip. I can feel the shudder of his legs, under the weight of my body. With his cock in one hand and his heavy balls in the other, I massage both delicately, while trailing my tongue up and down the shaft of his dick, as I suck lavishly. The hardness of his cock becomes more rigid, and he fists his hand into my hair and pants, “You. Have. Got. To. Stop. Now.” Popping my head up from his lap quickly, he raises up and tosses me onto my stomach. He cages me in underneath him and presses his hardness into my ass. He bites down on my neck, then trails his nose up to my ear, he whispers, “Get on your knees now, baby.”

  I quickly push up to my knees, but leave my shoulders pressed into the bed. He thrusts two fingers deep inside of my core, covering me in my own juices. He presses his cock against me, sliding it to my clit, then back again slowly. He loves to tempt and tease. He wraps his arm around my waist and with one fluid movement he thrusts his dick deep inside of me. I fist the sheets into my hands, as my back arches, shuddering with pleasure.

  Colton pounds into me aggressively, digging his fingers into my hips, and pinching at my nipples with each and every thrust. His hand leaves my hip briefly, but meets the cheek of my ass with a hard slap. He pulls out of me quickly, then grips my hips and flips me to my back. Burying himself balls deep in my slick core, he stills. He presses his forehead to mine, and peers down into my eyes, whispering against my lips, “who do you belong to?” His cock throbs against my core, but he remains seated within me, waiting for my answer. My eyes roll back at the sensation and I bite down on my lip. He pulls my lips between his and bites down on my bottom lip. My eyes fly open and a devious grin spreads across his face. “Answer me”, he growls, as his dick throbs.

  “I belong to you,” I whisper, pressing a soft delicate kiss to his lips. He begins to slowly rock his hips against me. I wrap my legs around his back, but he raises up and spreads them wide, resting them on top of his shoulders. He grinds deeper, harder, faster, as his balls press hard against my ass, with each rock of his hips. Sweat drips from his forehead, as he pounds in and out of me, one hand wrapped tightly around the back of my neck, and my thigh pressed to his chest, so he can dig deeper within me.

  Our bodies are a tangled, sweat glistening mess. Wild feral growls rattle in his chest, as his cravings build higher and higher. The same intense hurricane is swirling in my stomach, tightening my core and hammering my heart against my chest.

  Colton presses his forehead to mine and begs, “come with me baby.” He pounds his dick deep inside of me a few more times, before the waves wash over me, and the gut ripping roars of Colton’s own orgasm fills my ears. He keeps his grasp on my neck, our foreheads still pressed together, as we pant into each other’s mouths, spiraling down from the release we shared together. Not once does his eyes leave mine. When his breathing has slowed down, he peppers delicate kisses all over my face. He loosens his hold from me, then looks down at me says, “Darlin’, there is no doubt in my mind, that you own every ounce of my soul. I love you so damn much, Carly Jo.”

  Chapter 28

  Colton

  Carly Jo’s eyes well up with tears as I tell her how much I love her. I don’t think she believed me when I told her that I never stopped lovin’ her, but I continue the relentless battle of workin’ my way back into her heart. I’ll never give up on her. I love her too damn much.

  I roll to my side, and pull her close to me, laying a soft kiss on top of her head. She releases a tremblin’ sigh, and nuzzles closer to me. “Ya done pushin’ me away yet, darlin’?” She rests her head on my chest and smiles with her eyes, before shakin’ her head at me with a soft giggle.

  “I want to be. You need to believe that.”

  “Well get dressed. We both have to work early in the mornin’ and we still have a lot to talk about. So you’re comin’ home with me tonight,” I tell her, sittin’ up on the side of the bed, searchin’ the floor for my clothes. She doesn’t even argue this time. She gets out of the bed, and dresses as quickly as I do. She gathers her things, while I wait for her, then we make our way outside to my truck.

  We enjoy a silent drive back to my house. Carly Jo is nestled into my side, with her arm wrapped around my waist. She hasn’t said much, but judgin’ by the lip chewin’ I can tell that the wheels up top are turnin’.

  Arrivin’ at my parent’s house first, I go inside to check on Heidi Jo and kiss her goodnight. Pops has just come draggin’ in from work, with his shoulders slumped, dark rings thick around his eyes. I’ve never saw my old man look this rough. He’s a tough old shit, and workin’ long hours usually have no effect on him. But the added stress that Drew

  Varney is addin’ for Dalton Truckin’ has us all worried about Dad. He doesn’t say a word when he passes by the livin’ room, just walks on through the hallway, into his bedroom, slammin’ the door behind him. Momma shakes her head in annoyance. She’s just as worried, but there ain’t a damn thing any of us can do. I tell her that I’m headin’ home for the night and if they need anything to just call.

  When we get inside my house, Carly Jo flops down on the couch, curlin’ her knees to her chest, pressin’ her face to the cushion and inhalin’ deep. Her eyes are closed, and she has the most peaceful relaxed look across her beautiful face. I pull my shoes off and have a seat on the other end of the couch, then pull her up to my arms, with a swift kiss to the forehead. I ain’t replayin’ no screamin’ fits, but we both need to be on the same page about what we have goin’ on between us. I know what I want, what I’ll get one way or the other, and I know that she keeps her damn walls up, tryin’ to keep me out. I’ll be damned if some dick like Luke Ashton is gonna be her way of chasin’ me off. I take a deep breath before layin’ my heart on the line.

  “Carly Jo, I’ve crawled my way back to you, tried to prove to ya that I love ya, and that I’m sorry for all that shit in the past. But you keep slappin’ me in the damn face every chance you get. When I walked into the diner this evenin’ and saw that dick with his hand on you, it took every ounce of self-control within me not to go all Hulk on his ass. I haven’t felt that amount of rage in years. But beyond the rage, I felt heartache. I couldn’t believe what I was seein’. I was pissed that he had his nasty hands on you. But to see the smile on your face, put there by another man’s touch, ripped my heart strings. Do you know how damn long I’ve been tryin’ to get
you to smile at me like that?”

  “I’m sorry. I wish you could see Luke for what he is, just a friend. I know you won’t see that, but you need to see things from my side of the fence.”

  She’s trying to stay strong, but her quiverin’ lip gives her away. I don’t wanna hear any friend bullshit, but to amuse her, I’ll listen. I’ve fought for this long, so why give up now? Shakin’ my head, I drag in a deep breath, and push down the risin’ tension that’s crawlin’ across up my back. “Go ‘head, Carly Jo. We ain’t gonna fight, scream, or argue. I want you to make me see things your way.”

  She nods her head, placin’ her fidgety hands in her lap and begins to chew on her lip. I rub my thumb across the bottom of her lip, pullin’ it from between her teeth and look deep in her scared hazel eyes. “Stop bitin’ your damn lip in half, and calm down, ‘kay?”

  She releases a pent up breath and looks away from me. “My entire life has been twisted upside down over the last few months. Daddy passing, leaving Simon Energy in my hands. Being the CEO in an industry of men, bossing a team of nearly two hundred people to see that this empire does not fall; I’m in a position of power that I’m really beginning to doubt myself in. I’ve always hated the mines. I go to work each morning, pencil push all day, I don’t understand half of the shit I’m looking at. But I still do it, and know that as long as the numbers are higher than the day before, it’s all good. I go home every night, to that big empty house, and the silence is deafening.”

  She looks over at me, nibblin’ her lip then looks away again as the tears well up in her eyes. “I have nobody, Colton. Savannah is a busy mom, and we never talk. Since I came home, you have been so caught up in trying to win me back, you haven’t looked deep enough to see that I am barely treading water. I was having lunch at the diner one day after a meeting and it had been such a bad day. Luke came in, saw that I was upset and joined me. I don’t like to talk a lot. He doesn’t push too hard, but when I want to talk about it, he listens, and when he needs to talk, I listen. Sometimes it’s just nice to have a friend.” She shrugs.

  I take a minute to soak in what she’s just said. I don’t know how I missed that she has been lonely, but I guess I have. “You were always strong minded, and you still put off that same damn bad ass attitude. I just assumed that you could handle anything. I didn’t know it was deeper than that. Why didn’t you just say somethin’.”

  “We’ve talked about everything from the past. I just have a hard time letting you in. I need you to understand that I am trying. But you scare me.”

  She covers her face with her hands and shakes her head. “No, that’s a lie. You don’t scare me. The things I feel for you scares me. When we are together, you don’t ever want to talk. You constantly have your hands on my thighs or in my hair, trying to pull me into these earth moving kisses that make my knees want to defy my weight. I can’t even get a clear head around you.”

  She brushes her fingers through her dark brown waves in frustration. I grasp her elbow and pull her into my lap, then realize that was probably a bad idea. Hell with it. I need her close to me. I tuck her hair behind her ear, trailin’ my finger down her chin, before turnin’ her face so she is lookin’ at me.

  “I’m sorry, baby. Not for needin’ to touch you, not for gettin’ so deep in your head that I effect you like I do. I’m sorry for bein’ blind to all of the other things you needed. Ya gotta understand darlin’, I ain’t been in a real relationship since you left. So I’m a little rusty. Sure, I tried things with Kari, and after I got straight, I dated off and on, but I haven’t been in a meaningful relationship, since you. We lost so much time together, that when I see you, I have to have my hands on you. I crave it.

  “But that’s all gonna change. I can’t stand the thoughts of you turnin’ to another man for anything. I’m glad Luke was there for you, as bad as I hate the taste of that shit right now, but darlin’ I don’t want you seein’ him anymore. I don’t want you havin’ no more damn lunch dates, none of this shit him comin’ over to your house. If you need somebody, you call me. Not any damn body else, especially frickin’ Luke Ashton.” I finish with a deep husky tone, deeper and harsher than I intend. Damn my face is gettin’ hot and I just wanna squeeze his frickin’ neck in my hands right the hell now. Ain’t never been able to stand that frickin’ prick.

  “Colton, why do you dislike Luke so much?”

  “It ain’t just Luke. Make no mistake of that. It’s any damn man who looks at my woman like that, and touchin’ my woman, hell that’s just a fool signin’ his damn death warrant.” I shrug at her, but it’s true. Carly Jo rests her head on my chest and the heat in my face spreads through my body. I love the way this feels, her body pressed to mine.

  “You said earlier that I’m a part of you. I know that, but I’ve battled myself for so long to protect my heart from you. I was trying to push you away in hopes that all of these emotions would just melt away. Why the hell they would now, when they’re still here after seven years is beyond me. But I’m tired. I’m worn out, and I just don’t want to fight it anymore. I know that you love me, Colton. I love you too.”

  Hearin’ those three tiny words escape her lips, nearly stop my heart. Even though she has said it before, this time it’s different. Before, we were young and stupid, without a care in the world except each other. Now, we have both battled our wars, together and apart, but still found our way back to each other. I kiss her lightly on the forehead and whisper, “I never dreamed I’d have you back in my arms, right where you belong. I love you, baby.”

  I tighten my grip around her, and hold her tight to me. We sit entangled together on the couch, just enjoyin’ each other’s warmth and the silence that fills the air. Before long, the silence is met with a light snore and I look down to see that Carly Jo is sound asleep with her head pinned to my chest. I scoop her up in my arms and carry her to bed.

  Chapter 29

  Carly

  The alarm clock buzzes, waking me up from a very peaceful night of sleep. I roll over to turn off the alarm, and my fingers graze warm flesh. My heart stills and the beeps cease. A low guttural moan fills the room, as I rub my tired eyes trying to focus on the source of the husky moan.

  “Mornin’, darlin’.” Colton says wrapping his arms around my waist and pulling my back against his chest. He trails his rough, calloused hand up and down my side in soft, slow movements and presses his cock against my ass.

  “Morning, baby. What time is it?” I ask, gripping his arms tighter around me, just wanting to be held, but obviously he has other ideas in mind.

  “Five a.m.,” he whispers, kissing down my arm.

  “Five a.m.? Do you always wake up so damn early to get ready for work? What the hell?” I whine. Yep, I whine. What can I say, I love my sleep. He continues to cover my arm in soft, delicate kisses, trailing his fingers across the hem of my panties.

  “When I get to wake up to the love of my life in the bed with me, hell yeah I do.” He says with a devious smirk. He twists me around so that I’m facing him, then captures my lips with his. He kisses me softly, tangling our bodies together, sparking a heat of passion that we both want.

  “I love you so much, sweetheart”, he whispers against my lips, “I can’t believe I’m really wakin’ up with you in my arms. Please tell me this ain’t a damn dream.”

  I pull his face into mine, and giggle against his lips, “No baby, I’m here. This is happening.”

  He grasps my face in his strong hands and looks deep into my hazel eyes, tracing his thumb across my cheek. “You ain’t ever goin’ anywhere on me again. Ever. I finally have you back in my arms where you belong. Don’t ever leave me again.” He doesn’t plead. He orders. He instructs. And yeah, I kinda like it. I tip my nose against his, and look into his dark brown eyes and promise him forever.

  “I’m yours, only yours. Always.” His eyes dance with excitement and happiness as pulls me into a kiss, covering my body with his, pressing me hard into the mattress. He doesn’t
rush this moment. No. He takes his time, caressing and loving me, all of me. We make love passionately, connecting our souls as one. Its desire filled, earth moving love.

  By six a.m., when we are both fully sated and exhausted, we climb out of bed and make our way to the shower to get ready for work. While I’m drying my hair, Colton walks over to his parent’s house to get Heidi Jo ready for school. Once I’m dressed and ready for work, I lock up and join them for breakfast.

  Heidi Jo is the most energetic little girl I have ever seen. Even at nearly seven a.m., she is dancing around her bedroom, singing into a hair brush as music bounces from the speakers. She is dressed, and ready for school, just burning up some energy before she gets her day started, I guess.

  Emily has cooked a huge breakfast; gravy, biscuits, eggs, sausage, bacon and fried apples. Heidi Jo and I help her set the table, while Bill and Colton wait impatiently for their morning grub. Colton fixes Heidi Jo’s plate and tells her to eat up, so we can take her to school. We. That sounds odd.

  My heart flutters, stops, and then jolts back to life, pacing quickly at the mention of such a small word. It feels surreal that this is happening. I’m finally unlocking the steel enforced cage, and allowing Colton Weston access to my heart. I think I’ve stopped breathing, and all I can hear is the pounding sound of my heart. Colton squeezes my thigh with a wink, while listening to Heidi Jo go on and on about us taking her to school together. Releasing that pent up breath that caught in my chest behind fear and anxiety, I enjoy this sweet girl’s laughter and bubbly nature.

  She’s eating her breakfast, and talking with a full mouth, never missing a beat with the conversation that fills the room. She has her own two cents to put into every conversation. Colton catches her head turned and swipes a piece of bacon from her plate, cramming it all in his mouth before she sees him. When she notices the bacon is missing, she pushes her chair back, stands tall with her hand on her hip, shaking her chubby little finger right in his face.