by JM Kelley
I waste no time lowering my mouth to her center, inhaling her salty, sweet scent. Nudging her legs apart, I rest one on the steering wheel, and the other over my shoulder. I smooth my tongue along her seem, leisurely licking her from her ass to her clit. “Oh God, Brad,” I dip my tongue inside, and her taste is intoxicating. Soon I’m licking and sucking her like a possessed man. My tongue circles her hole, fucking her like I want to do with my cock. Her tiny moans and soft whimpers vibrate straight to my dick making It hard for me to keep control. The way she grinds her pussy against my mouth, so needy, Is enough to unhinge me. “Brad, I'm gonna…” Her legs quake as I drive two fingers deep inside her tight, hot pussy and curl them, hitting that spot that makes her detonate. “God Brad, yes, yes,” Her thighs begin to tremble uncontrollably, and her pussy clenches around my fingers, my name on her lips, and it is the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.
With her body still shuddering and her pussy still pulsing, her sweet wetness coats my fingers and mouth. I give her a moment to come back down from the clouds, worried she might want to stop this. But she has other ideas when she springs up to her knees as if she's on fire and kisses me with her taste still on my lips. “Jesus Brad, I need you now.” She breathes the words into my mouth as she grasps and claws at my belt and jeans. I help her work to undo them, and before I can even get them past my thighs, she’s straddling me and stroking my cock. She strokes me up and down with both hands, so unhurried, as she hungrily consumes me with her mouth. “Sarah, Baby, that feels incredible.” I groan as she slowly slides her pussy down the length of my thick cock. She’s so hot and tight; the pleasure is too overwhelming. “Baby, don’t move for a minute.” I plead, needing a second to regain some composure. She stills, her ass seated on my balls, her pussy so warm, and wet and tight, I could live here forever. We stare into each other’s eyes, and at this moment, we belong to one another, and no one else. God, I love this girl. I know when I leave here, I’ll be abandoning my heart.
She begins to move tenderly, but I’m out of control. I start to thrust my hips, pumping into her hard. My animalistic rhythm is harsh and possessive, and she takes it all, as her channel grips and squeezes around me. She places her hands above her head, flat against the roof, trying to gain leverage so her body can meet my brutal thrusts. “I’ve wanted this for so long, Sarah.” I growl into her ear. She groans and her head falls back as she grips my shoulders. Her nails biting into my skin, as she chants my name over and over in the quiet of the night. “Come for me baby; I want to see you.” I watch as her cheeks flush, and her body trembles around me. “Fuck Brad, yes.” My pleasure builds like a wave rolling across my entire body. Her tight walls milk my cock, and I come hard like a wave crashing into the shore. I hold her firm, spurting deep inside her, as she spasms around me.
We hold each other, and just hold each other some more, neither one of us ever wanting to let go. “Come with me Sunshine, to California.” I break the silence, and she slides off my lap beginning to gather up her clothes. “I can’t Brad, I’m sorry.” I watch her intently as she shakes her head back and forth. She swiftly throws her clothes back on, and I can't seem to move. “Wait for me, Sarah. I’ll come back for you.” I plead. “I won’t; you won’t.” She won’t even look at me. “I love you, Sarah,” I confess without a second thought. “I’ve always loved you.” She rests her head on my shoulder with a sharp sigh. “I know.” She whispers, before sliding into her boots. With one last look, she jumps from the truck, slamming the door closed, and begins jogging away. She turns back to face me, the moonlight shining down on her, the shadows dancing across her features, her eyes twinkling like stars. She looks like an angel, and I’ll have this picture of her, burnt into my memory forever. With tears streaming down her face, she mouths three words that break me. “I love you.” Before turning and running through the field, and out of my life forever.
CHAPTER 1
14 years later
BRAD
“Morning Grace, how was your weekend?” I greet my secretary, as she pulls charts from the cabinets in my office. “Quiet, Doc, thank goodness, the boys are still up at school. Why are you here so early?” I hand her the extra cup of coffee that I picked up this morning and drop my own on my desk. “I have a full day of patients, and a bunch of charts to review, figure I’d get a head start.” The phone rings as I hang my coat on the rack. I motion for her to answer it at my desk, so she doesn't have to run to the front of the office. “Dr. Thorensen’s office, can I help you?” I boot up my computer and take a sip from my giant cup of brown sludge, needing as much caffeine as I can get this morning, since I stayed up half the night playing my favorite online video game, City Of Dis. “Who may I say is calling? I’ll see if he’s in, please hold.” I glance up at Grace and catch her rolling her eyes, and I know it’s going to be a long day if my secretary is already out of patience. “Dr. Thorensen, It’s for you, she says Its personal.” She huffs. “Who is it, Grace?” I question, already losing my patience, and clearly needing to get some work done. “It’s a woman, says she’s a friend. Her name is Sarah.” My body stiffens, but not before sending my coffee cup tumbling to the floor. “Shit, shit, shit! Put her on hold please while I clean up this mess, and close the door on your way out."
I’d spoken to Sarah precisely two times since that night fourteen years ago. The first was at my Mother’s funeral ten years ago, and the second was a year later when I lost my Father. Those were the only two times I made it back to Jackson and the only two times I’ve seen her or my brother in the past fourteen years. I've spoken to my brother a handful of times, but it was always generic and cold. No love loss there! But not a day goes by that I don’t think about Sarah or that night. I often wonder what might have been if she’d come to California with me, or if I stayed and claimed her for my own. Sarah married Ben right after his first tour of duty, and I didn't even bother to go home for the wedding. Sarah was apparently pregnant when Ben left, and their daughter was born while he was over in Afghanistan. They married as soon as he returned home and it lasted a whopping six years before they divorced. I'm surprised it lasted that long. Ben joined the Marines to quote “find himself” which I guess he did because he decided to make a career out of it. I commend Ben for dedicating his life to protecting our country, but we never saw eye to eye, and It was hard for me to watch the way he treated Sarah. I’m sure the fact that he was always deployed somewhere across the continents, had a lot to do with why they divorced, or maybe she just tired of his lying, cheating ways, and decided to raise their daughter on her own. I heard she opened a bakery in town and it’s doing reasonably well since Jackson has grown immensely over the past fourteen years, other than that, I don't know much about her life after I left.
My heart is racing uncontrollably, and I clear my throat before speaking into the phone. “Hello, this is Dr. Thorensen.” There’s complete silence on the other end, and I wonder if the call dropped. “Hello?” I repeat. “Brad!” That sweet voice I could never forget, whispers my name softly. “Sarah, is everything okay?” More silence, then I hear crying. “Sarah, please, tell me whats wrong.” Her voice crackles when she speaks. “Brad, I need your help, I can’t lose her.” “Sarah, calm down and tell me what’s wrong.” “Brad, I need to tell you something. You’re going to hate me.” “I could never hate you, Sarah.” More silence. “Just spit it out…is it Ben?” “It’s Ashley.” More silence, then I hear hysterics. “Sarah, talk to me, please,” I plead. “She has Leukemia, Brad.” “Okay, we have the best doctors here in Los Angeles, I can get her help.” “You don’t understand Brad, she needs a bone marrow transplant, and I’m not a match.” “What about Ben?” “Brad, I’m so sorry, please forgive me for what I'm about to tell you.” She sobs through the phone. “Baby, I do not understand. What are you trying to tell me?” “Brad, Ashley is yours.” I feel like someone just punched me in the gut, and all the air is sucked from my lungs. My mind is reeling, going back to that night, the night we didn’t u
se protection. Fuck! “Brad?” “I’m confused. Are you saying that Ashley is my daughter?” “I’m so sorry Brad, you must hate me, but Ashley needs you, please.” I’m stunned into a state of shock. “Our daughter needs you.” She whispers. Our daughter, my daughter! I’m silent for what seems like hours. “Brad, Please!” “I’ll be there.” I hiss into the phone before hanging up. I lean back in my black leather chair holding my chest. For the second time in my life, my heart completely shredded by the same person.
CHAPTER 2
SARAH
I was a mess yesterday after the phone call to Brad. It was one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do, but today is a new day, and I need to get my shit together. I need to be strong for Ashley because she is the only thing that matters in my life, and I can’t allow myself to fall apart. Brad said he’d be here, and that’s all that matters. I trust him. He must hate me, and I can’t blame him. I’d hate me too. I’m sure it was shocking to hear from me after all these years, and quite a blow to the gut when I told him he had a daughter.
When Ashley started getting sick, we didn’t know what was wrong with her at first. I took her to a specialist near Houston, and they performed a barrage of tests until they finally diagnosed her with Leukemia. They said she required a bone marrow transplant as treatment, so they tested me right away. I was not a match. Ben was home on leave, and gladly agreed to be tested, but when the results came back, he was not a match either. That's when the fear for my daughter's life became real.
The day Ben received his blood results telling him he was not Ashley’s father is etched into my brain like a bad dream. He cornered me in the hospital corridor, informing me that his DNA did not match Ashley’s, and I was in a state of shock. Sort of. Apparently so was he, because the anger on Ben's face was more than I could bear. He’d never laid a hand on me in all the years we were together, but at that moment, I instinctively brought my hands up to cover my face because I knew I deserved it. A burst of air wished across my face as his fist slammed into the hard concrete wall behind me, then he was gone. Since the incident, I’ve spoken to him only to give him updates on Ashley. I need to face him, but first I need to tell Ashley the truth. I’m sure she’s going to hate me too, but Its time for honesty, no matter the consequences.
I finish baking the muffins at Beans and Buns, the cafe I own with my friend Harper. After the divorce, I needed something in my life, and baking had always been my escape, so I persuaded my best friend to take a chance with me. Four years later we have a blossoming, quaint little place where you can get caffeinated, and indulge in things like cinnamon buns and freshly baked muffins. “Morning Honey, sorry I’m late. Matty’s home sick from school today.” My best friend since high school comes bursting through the door, her usual bubbly self. She is also a single mom, and Matty is the most adorable six-year-old boy you could ever meet. “Do you need to be home with Matty?” “No sweetie, I dropped him off at my Mom’s, no worries.” She waves me off and dashes into the back to put on her apron. “You go see that baby girl of yours. I got this.” She mutters walking past me, then stops short with scrutinizing eyes. “What’s wrong? You’re a hot mess. Is Ashley okay?” “She’s okay. Maybe the stress is starting to catch up to me.” I can’t control the tears welling up in my eyes. “Na-ah! You need to sit down and tell me what’s going on.”
She leads me to one of the small wooden tables we have set up for our customers, then steps over to the door and flips the hanging sign from open to closed. “What’s going on?” She takes a seat across from me. I bury my head in my hands as the tears attempt to break through once more. “I’m guessing Ben was not a match?” She rubs my arm, and I shake my head. “Not quite!” “What does that mean?” “It means I’ve made a huge mess of everything.” I take a few napkins from the holder to dry the tears that are streaming down my cheek. “What’s going on Sarah? Come on; you know you can talk to me.” Harper has always been there for me, and I’m really in need of a friend right now. Someone that doesn't hate me. “Ashley… She’s not Ben’s.” I sob, watching as her eyes grow wide. “What?” She cries after she lets the information sink in. “Ben is not Ashley’s father,” I repeat. “Who?…What?” She stutters just as the chimes on the front door ring.
Brad enters the store, and its like I see a ghost. My stomach flutters as I glance up to meet his dark, pissed off eyes. My heart beats like a drum, and I feel a panic attack coming on. He stands in the doorway like a stone statue with an intimidating scowl on his rugged face, and I have to close my eyes and remind myself to breathe. God, he's perfect. All the air leaves my lungs, and my knees go weak. Thank god I’m sitting down. His face is even more handsome than I remember, in fact, he's insanely hot. He’s wearing a few days of scruff on his square jaw, and I imagine how it would redden my skin if he kissed me. His tousled black hair is a little shorter than he used to wear it, maybe a bit thinner, but still plenty to run my fingers through. He glares at me, studying me, and his eyes take me back to a place and time where it has no business going. All the suppressed emotions tear right through my core, and I need to stop. Stop thinking about the way he kissed me that night like I was the only girl in the world. There’s a heavy stirring down south as I remember the way he worshipped my body like no other. Harper looks to Ben and then back to me, her eyebrows widen, and the stunned expression on her face tells me she understands when she whispers. “Holy Shit!”
CHAPTER 3
BRAD
Everything moves in slow motion as I stand in the doorway, gazing into her piercing blue eyes. Her pink, heart-shaped lips that I know taste like sugar make me lick my own. Her bouncing, waves of golden hair tumbles around her pale, soft skin. She is as stunning as the day I met her, her beauty second to none. All I want to do is capture her up into my arms, and never let go. But the sadness I see in those sparkling ocean eyes reminds me of the betrayal.
I urge my feet to move to where she nervously sits. “Brad fucking Thorensen, I never thought I’d see you again," Harper bounces from her chair to greet me with a devilish grin. “Harper, Its good to see you. You look well," I remark before glancing back at Sarah, where she sits like a frozen lake. “Well, I’ll just get you guys some coffee, and leave you to it then," Harper mumbles, and I don’t miss the wide-eyed look she shoots Sarah before scampering away.
We study one another for a long minute as if we're locked in some grade school staring contest. “Brad!” She whispers, and nods her head, motioning for me to take a seat. I feel lousy because she looks terrified. The chair scrapes loudly against the floor when I pull it out to sit across from her, making her jump. Harper returns placing two cups of steaming coffee on the table in front of us. Sarah opens her mouth to speak, but nothing comes out but a quick puff of air. Harper senses the magnitude of the situation because she quickly bolts away again without another word. “Brad…I just…I’m…” She’s trembling and at a loss for words, staring down at the table. “What the fuck, Sarah?” I slam the table with my fist, regretting it immediately when her body flinches. I take a deep breath, trying to reign in my temper, and I grab some napkins from the holder to wipe up the bit of coffee that spilled. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have done that.” “I didn’t know Brad, I just found out, and I’m sorry.” “So you’ve said," I say matter-of-factly. “Brad, when I found out, I was just as shocked as you." She scowls at me and damn if I don't want to kiss it off her face. "Were you?” I raise an eyebrow, as I watch her stare down into her coffee cup. “You want the truth, Brad? Fine! I’ve always wondered if she was yours. What was I supposed to do, ask my fiancé for a blood sample to see if our baby was his brothers? You were gone, and then he was gone, and it was just Ashley and me.” A pang rushes through my chest at the thought of her alone, and raising a baby. “Brad, I didn’t know what to do, so I did what I thought was best for my daughter.” “Does Ben know?” “Yes, and before you ask, no he didn’t take it well.” “What about Ashley, does she…?” Tears well up in her eyes, and her fists c
lench as if she’s trying to will them away. “She does not, but I am telling her today. Whether you’re a match or not, she deserves to know.” I nod, trying to remain angry but at this moment all I want to do is take away her pain. “I’m going to the hospital now to talk to her. I will speak to the doctor today and let him know you can come in to have your blood tested tomorrow if that’s okay with you?” “Do you want me to come with you now?” A barrel of nerves flushes over me at the thought of meeting my thirteen-year-old daughter for the first time. “No! I need to face her first. She is already dealing with too much. I know she’ll need time.” “Tell me about her, please.” Suddenly the hurt and anger dissipate, as I try to imagine my sweet little girl. Does she look like her beautiful mother? Maybe she has a bit of my stubborn temperament. I wonder if she has Sarah’s eyes or my sense of humor? I’ve just discovered her, and the threat of illness taking her away is too much to bear. The resentment I’ve been harboring falls when I see the pain etched across Sarah’s fragile face. I imagine the hell she’s been going through, the guilt she’s been carrying. I’m not sure if I can ever get past this with her. I'm torn, loving her and hating her at the same time. But one thing I know for sure, there’s a sweet, innocent little girl, lying in a hospital bed, and I vow to do anything I can to help her. I haven’t even met her, yet I know I already love her.
