Unmatchable

by Sky Corgan

  “Come on in. Everything will be alright.” I walk her over to the sofa. She curls against my side as if seeking shelter from the rain.

  When we get to the sofa, she sinks down beside me and cries some more. I hold her until the sobbing stops. Even after that, we sit there in silence. I stroke her hair, rocking her gently.

  No words need to be spoken. If this is what it takes to make her feel better, we can stay like this all night. All that matters to me is that she's okay again.

  “I shouldn't have gone to see him. It solved nothing,” she says finally.

  “Did he say anything to you? Did he hurt you?” I pull her back by the shoulders to scan her over.

  It's hard to tell whether or not she's injured. Her face is puffy from a mix of crying and sinuses. She's still beautiful to me, though. A beautiful mess.

  “No.” She shakes her head. “He didn't hurt me. And he didn't say anything that Alex hadn't already told me. That was kind of my fault, though.”

  “What happened?”

  “He was trying to be nice. He was trying to...” She looks up at the ceiling and tears cascade down her cheeks. I quickly move to wipe them away with the back of my fingers. She grabs my hand, holding it with both of hers. “I didn't really let him get a word in edgewise. I kind of just went off. I had so much pent up inside. So much I wanted to say.” She sniffles. “I didn't even get it all out. I just...I just...”

  “Shh. It's okay.” I pull her against me as another round of sobs overtake her.

  She cries until there are no tears left, until all she can do is dry heave. It doesn't take as long for her to settle this time. Again, we fall into silence. The minutes tick by like eternity as I stay there with her. I wish there was more that I could do for her than just this. If she asked me, I would go to the ends of the earth to make it better.

  “Are you hungry?” I brush a few loose strands of hair behind her ear. They give resistance, stuck to her face with tears.

  “Not really,” she grumbles.

  “Is there anything that I can do for you?”

  “Make me forget.” She shifts beside me, pressing her body even closer.

  I rest my arm around her shoulder and rub her back. “And how do you propose I do that?”

  When she looks up at me, the sorrow in her expression is replaced with something completely unexpected. “I can think of a few ways.”

  I'm reluctant to believe we're both on the same page. Ember does not seem like the type who would turn to sex for comfort, so I have to make sure that I'm not reading her wrong.

  “Oh? Like watching a movie or going out for a night on the town?” I smirk.

  “No. Like you between my legs fucking my pain away.”

  I cup her chin, tilting her face up toward mine. “Miss Washington, what a filthy mouth you have.”

  “Maybe you should silence it.”

  I press my lips against hers, and her kiss is full of fire. This is a part of her I've never tasted before. I can almost feel the carnal need flowing from her body into mine. My cock hardens instantly from the intensity of the kiss.

  She crawls on top of me, holding my face in her hands. Her tongue teases along the seam of my lips, seeking entry. Once she's inside, she probes deeply, her tongue caressing mine. My dick throbs as she grinds down on me, fueling my lust like gasoline thrown haphazardly onto an open flame.

  While I would have thought she'd want to make love in her vulnerable state, I couldn't be further from wrong. Her hands tear at my shirt, roughly pulling it over my head. I follow suit, undressing her as if her clothes are doused in poison.

  Within a matter of seconds, we're both naked. I lay her down on the sofa and hike her leg over my hip, sliding into her. Her back arches off of the cushions, her pillowy breasts pushing up against my chest. I cover them with my hands, squeezing and kneading and pinching her nipples before I bury my face against her and thrust in deep.

  “Oh yes. Just like that, Colton.” Hearing my name on her lips infused with passion about throws me over the edge. It's one of the sexiest sounds ever.

  I drive into her again and again, relishing the softness of her skin against mine, the heat of her core as it squeezes around my cock, the tiny gasps and moans she makes when I angle my hips just right. She feels like heaven on earth. When I'm inside of her, nothing else in the world matters.

  ***

  Things calm down over the next few days. Even if Ember didn't get out everything that she had meant to say to Nelson, she seems lighter somehow. We go out on dates and take turns spending the night with each other. There's an easiness about her smile and lilt to her laugh that hasn't been there since she found out that her brother is in town. It gives me hope that things are finally starting to return to normal, that we can pick up where we left off and work on getting back to being a happy couple.

  The sex fast also seems to have come to an end. Where Ember had been pushing me away before, she's now practically dragging me into the bedroom every night. It's a welcome change. One I definitely don't mind. If this stays consistent, my addiction to her is only going to grow. I'm already starting to worry that I'm falling in love, but I dare not tell her that. It's too soon. I don't want to scare her away.

  A business conference calls me out of state the following week. I ask Ember if she wants to come—even offer to make an excuse for her to get out of work—but she declines, saying that she doesn't want any special favors just because she's fucking the boss. I admire her integrity but am still a bit disappointed.

  I feel the loss of her as soon as I step off of the plane in New York and find myself in an empty hotel room. It's strange how comfortable I've gotten waking up with a woman by my side. The thought that I'm not going to see Ember's beautiful groggy face and mussy hair when I open my eyes in the morning makes me sad. It also makes me realize how attached I've become.

  I spend the afternoon listening to lectures by other successful businessmen, giving my own and then having dinner with some long-time business associates and aspiring entrepreneurs. It's an interesting mix. Some of the men at the table are tight-lipped. Others are throwing out ideas left and right, some without regard to how unrealistic and outlandish their expectations are. Most are well grounded. It's a good distraction from everything that's been going on in my life, but it only lasts for as long as it takes me to get back to my hotel room.

  I sigh deeply as I loosen my tie and sit on the edge of the bed before grabbing my phone. Now more than ever, I wish I would have insisted that Ember came with me. Even though she's only sixteen hundred miles away, it feels like she's halfway across the world. I can't get back to her soon enough.

  I look at my cell phone, thinking about how it's my only link to her right now. Bored and lonely, I tap out a text message.

  Colton: How was your day?

  Ember: Probably not as exciting as yours.

  Colton: Being here is more interesting than exciting.

  Ember: My day wasn't even interesting.

  Colton: I miss you.

  Ember: What do you miss about me?

  I choose to picture her lying in bed, preferably naked, twirling a strand of her auburn hair around her fingertip with a wicked grin. Just thinking about it creates a bulge in my pants. Recalling shortly after we first met, I decide to fuck with her a bit.

  Colton: I miss your tits.

  Ember: You're so crass.

  Colton: You love it.

  Ember: What do you miss about my tits?

  Thank God she's in a good mood and playing along. Perhaps my mental image of her isn't that far off the mark.

  Colton: I miss how you moan and squirm when I suck your nipples into my mouth.

  Ember: I miss that too. What else?

  Colton: I miss the way you look into my eyes when I'm sliding my dick into you.

  Ember: You're getting me kind of turned on. What else?

  She's not the only one.

  Colton: I miss the way your hot little cunt feels squeezing aroun
d my cock.

  Ember: Jesus, Colton, could you be any more of a pervert?

  For nostalgia's sake, I pull my dick out of my pants and take a quick pic before sending it to her.

  Colton: Do you see how hard thinking about you makes me?

  My phone is silent for a few minutes. Briefly, I wonder if I went too far. But then it buzzes again, and when I click on the text notification, there's a picture attached. My cock throbs as my eyes land on an image of Ember's perfect tits, sans bra.

  Ember: Did that make you harder?

  Colton: You know it did.

  I drag my tongue across my bottom lip, yearning to taste the sweetness of her skin. If only I could reach through the phone and touch her.

  Colton: You know I'm totally going to jack off to that picture later.

  Ember: I might pleasure myself to yours as well.

  Hearing her say that makes me smile. This is the girl who I mercilessly harassed after she kicked me out of her office at Full Hearts Matchmaking Service. This is the girl who slowly sucked me in and got me addicted to her witty retorts and sharp tongue. This is the girl I fell in love with.

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  EMBER

  Colton probably thought I was joking when I said I might pleasure myself to his dick pic. Might turned into reality. I laid there at night, missing him, wanting to feel him beside me, inside of me. Sex has become a constant in our relationship, and the more we have it, the more I want it. The absence of it tonight just feels strange. There's pent up sexual tension that needs to be released, and masturbating seems to be the only way to make it happen. It's funny how comfortable I've become with my body since meeting him.

  Just a few weeks ago, I never would have considered sending a topless picture to anyone. I trust Colton, though—know that he would never betray that trust.

  The days while he's away on his business trip pass with a loneliness the likes of which I've never felt before. Now that we're settled into our relationship, it's hard for me to imagine how I ever lived without him. When the workday is over, and he's not around, I just feel bored. Like something is missing from my life. Something is missing from my life. Him.

  Two nights before Colton is supposed to return, there's a knock on my apartment door. When I look out the peephole and see Alex, I sigh, wondering what he wants. While I feel bad that my seeing Nelson ended on such a bitter note, I've made peace with it. Maybe I didn't say all that I wanted to say, but I did say all I needed to say. That is behind me now, and I refuse to let my feelings about the past muddy up my life any further.

  “What's up?” I ask casually as I open the door.

  “Can I talk to you for a minute?” He glances inside, probably looking for Colton.

  “He's not here if that's what you're wondering.”

  “I'm glad.”

  “I'm not. I'm lonely as fuck.”

  “Then that must mean you can use some company.” He smiles.

  I think about firing back that I don't want his company, but that would just be rude. Besides, he's done nothing to me. If anything, he's been every bit as supportive and wonderful as he's always been. He definitely does not deserve me being a bitch to him.

  “Come on in.” I walk back over to the sofa, not even bothering to ask him if he wants something to drink. If he came here to hang out, I'm not interested. I just want him to say his peace and leave.

  “Where is...your boyfriend anyway?”

  “Colton. His name is Colton.”

  “Colton,” he repeats the name slowly, his expression suddenly wary as if he's just now realizing that I'm not exactly thrilled to see him.

  “He's on a business trip.”

  “Well, that's good, I think.” He lowers himself onto the sofa beside me.

  “I'm looking forward to him returning. What are you here for, Alex?” I turn off the television and look at him, trying to make him get to the point of his visit.

  “What's up with all of the hostility? I'm not your enemy, Ember.” He furrows his brow.

  I deflate, raking my fingers through my hair. “I'm sorry. Seeing you just kind of stresses me out.”

  “It shouldn't. We're friends.”

  “I can't help that it does. I know that you've been trying to pretend that everything is how it used to be, but it's not. You're not sticking around. I'm moving on with my life. I don't see the point in doing this anymore.” I gesture as if swatting a fly.

  “Doing what, being friends?” he huffs. “I thought that you would still want to be my friend.”

  “Being your friend is complicated,” I groan.

  “I don't understand why you think that, but that's not why I'm here.” He shakes his head and the muscles in his jaw tense.

  “Then please, enlighten me.”

  “You made Nelson cry the other day.”

  My mouth falls agape at the ridiculousness of that statement, and a pompous laugh comes out. “Why should I give two shits about that?”

  “He was really trying, Ember, and you just shut him down. He was happy to see you. The fact that you didn't even give him a chance to tell you that he loves you really hurt him.”

  My temper flares in an instant. “Oh, poor pitiful Nelson. Spare me. If he ever loved me, he wouldn't have sold me off to his friends.”

  “The drugs were controlling him back then. Addiction is a horrible thing.”

  “Bullshit,” I practically spit at him. “There were a million other things he could have done to get drugs besides selling me off. He didn't need to sink that low. It was proof that he thought of me as nothing but an object. I have no love for someone like that and no remorse for the things I said to him. I hate him with every fiber of my being. I wouldn't piss on him to put him out if he were on fire. I don't give a shit if he did find God. He's still going to burn in hell for what he did.” When I'm done speaking, I'm nearly breathless from all of the energy I exerted.

  Alex closes his eyes and inhales deeply. “You don't understand what it's like to be addicted, Ember. You don't know what it does to a person.”

  “I lived with addicts for most of my life, Alex. I do understand. My mother had nothing, and though she was a despicable person, she never would have done the things that Nelson did to get his fix.”

  “Do you really want to live the rest of your life with hate in your heart?” Alex's gaze pierces straight into my soul.

  “Do you know what he told me when I was over there? That he was trying to make amends. How do you make amends when the only thing you've done is better your own life?”

  “Did you even give him time to explain? You don't know everything that Nelson has done.” He gestures erratically. The fact that he's getting so worked up makes me cower back a little. I've never seen him this pissed off before. “One of the first things Nelson did after he got clean was go to public schools and talk about the dangers of drug use. He even did an undercover sting operation with the local police department. He's been working hard not only to clean up his own act but also to make sure that others don't fall prey to drug abuse.

  “Sure, he can't take back what he did. No one can erase their past. But he's trying to make sure that others don't repeat his mistakes. That they don't have to live with the regrets that he harbors on a daily basis.

  “I understand that you were the greatest victim in all of this, but he was a victim too. He'll never be able to fully atone for what he did to you. But he's trying. He wants to make things better. He really does. And while I understand that you don't owe him that, it would be really big of you to help him.”

  Big of me to help him.

  I inhale a deep breath and blow it out slowly, feeling some of my anger go with it. There's no doubt that I'll harbor resentment towards Nelson for the rest of my life, but that doesn't change the fact that he's my brother. I think of my own path to healing, how long it has taken.

  I scrub my hand across my face, frustrated with the whole situation. “I don't want to talk about this anymore.”

&n
bsp; “You should talk to him again. And listen this time. Don't just talk.”

  I hold my hand up to make Alex shut up. “Thank you for coming to me with this information. I'll take everything that you've said into consideration.”

  “That's all that I'm asking.”

  I expect him to leave, but instead, he sinks back against the sofa, getting comfortable. I turn to him, giving a look that clearly says he has outstayed his welcome.

  “How long have you been with this Colton guy?”

  “Does it matter?”

  “Don't shut me out, Ember. Don't do it again.” The pain in his voice is heartwrenching and immediately fills me with guilt.

  I deflate, surrendering to his company. “A few weeks. A month. I don't know. I haven't been keeping track.”

  He laughs. “How can you not be keeping track? I thought that kind of stuff was important to you. You used to be big on dates. Even remembered the day we first met. What did you used to call it?”

  “Our frienadversary.” I sulk at the memory.

  “You remembered the dates that you met all of your friends, how long you were friends with them, even the dates when those relationships ended.”

  “I never had friends besides you.” I roll my eyes.

  “That's not true. You had other friends. There was that Jaime girl.”

  Another painful memory. Jaime had come into my life like a whirlwind. We hit it off instantly and became close friends.

  “Yeah. I stopped talking to her because she was a bad influence. She reminded me too much of my mother and brother. Wanted to rebel all the time and drag me into her bullshit. I didn't want to be a part of that.”

  “You still remember, though.” He gives me a sideways glance. “I would figure that a relationship would be even more important.”

  “Like I said, I've been trying to change a lot of things about myself since I moved here.”

  That's not exactly true. I've just been burned too much, seen too many people come in and out of my life, to care about such trivial things anymore. Back when Colton and I first met, I thought he would just be a passing fancy. Remembering the date we met didn't seem significant at the time. My fear of commitment kept me from caring about it.