Southern Seduction

by Alcorn, N. A.

  “Tell me somethin’. What was the name of your last crush?” he asks.

  “Nobody. I never had a crush on anyone.” Or a real boyfriend, for that matter.

  “You never liked anyone more than jus’ a friend?” He scrunches his eyebrows at me.

  “Nope ... never.” Except you. What? What in the hell?

  “Oh my God. Are you into ladies?” His eyes just about pop out.

  “What?! No!” I yelp, mortified.

  “Oh, thank Christ!” He breathes out a gush of what I think is relief.

  “Why did you decide to move out here?”

  “I needed to get away from my stepfather.” Shit. Why did I just tell him that?

  “Why? Was he a jerk?” he asks as he starts playing with my hand.

  “That’s an understatement,” I say under my breath.

  “More of a jerk than your uncle?” He whips his head back.

  “Believe it or not, I think so. Although, the jury is still out on that one.” I smirk.

  “Do you wanna talk about it?” he asks before sliding down on his bed so he’s lying on his side. He tugs me down and, for reasons unbeknownst to me, I comply.

  We lie there, staring at each other like it’s something we’ve done our whole lives. There is something very familiar about him, but I can’t put my finger on it.

  “Well, why don’t you tell me?”

  “I don’t think it’s something I can talk about, Kip.” I glance down, away from his eyes. Probably not the smartest move, since now I’m staring at the way his tank top hugs his very defined chest and abs.

  His forefinger curls under my chin and pushes my face up gently, making me look into his eyes.

  “Did he physically hurt you, Shelby?”

  I see the concern all over his face, but I can’t say a word. I wouldn’t know where to begin. I swallow hard and close my eyes tight to fight off the memories. Memories that I’m sure will haunt me for the rest of my life. And for what? In the end, I couldn’t keep Nate safe. I never once thought there were bigger monsters than the ones that came in and out of our house.

  “Shelby, you’re shaking. God, what did he do to you?” Kip pulls me into his arms, face-planting me against his chest. And ... for the very first time, I let it all go and sob, releasing my pain from its cage.

  The memories flood every fiber of my being as they escape the emotional graves I buried them in. The day Owen beat my cancer-ridden mother because she was too sick to buy him his beer, Nate and I both jumped to protect her. Nate ended up with a bloody nose and busted lip. I had the last of my innocence taken away from me. My mother died two days later, the final shot to her system being the grief over the evil she would be leaving her kids with. Her last words to me were I’m sorry. That was after she told me to let this part of my life be only a chapter, and not my whole story. My mom always said things like that. Always displayed her wisdom in unique ways that other mothers didn’t use. That’s one of the things I loved most about her.

  After her death, the gray cloud over our heads grew darker. I needed to stay put to take care of Nate until I could get a job that paid decent. Staying came with a huge price. Owen had become a drunk over the last few years of my mother’s life. What happened the days before her death was only the beginning of what I would endure.

  “Shelby, you’re shaking, baby.” Kip squeezes me tighter to him. I have to admit—I haven’t felt this safe since I was a little girl, especially in a man’s arms.

  Over the past few days, I’ve come to realize that there is indeed some sort of familiarity with Kip. I can’t quite put my finger on it, though. Being this close to him, in his arms, and feeling this safe—I don’t want to question it anymore, nor do I want to fight it. I need something to feel right in my life and, for some reason, he does.

  “I’m sorry,” he breathes. I look up at him. He wipes my tears away. “I shouldn’t have called you ‘baby.’ I don’t wanna make you feel uncomfortable.”

  “No. It’s okay.” I grab his hand. “It was nice. It felt right,” I say quietly. I let go and snuggle my face back into his chest. He runs his hand down my side to my hip. He squeezes and pushes me back a little. I look up at him.

  “Shelby, you do realize what you just said, right?” He furrows his brows slightly.

  “Yes.”

  “And you realize you’ve opened up a door that I will not allow you to shut, right?” He reaches back up to palm my face.

  “Yes.” I swallow. His mouth is so close to mine. I stare at his lips and can’t help but lick my own.

  “Aw hell, Shelby,” he groans lightly. “I wanna kiss you so bad right now, but I don’t wanna get you sick.” He shakes his head and pulls his mouth away from me. I lean up quickly, pressing my lips to his anyhow. He stills at first, but then slowly parts his lips to pull mine into another kiss. It’s so gentle, so ... patient. He pulls away, only to glide his tongue across the slit of my mouth. I open and he deepens the kiss, taking my breath away. I slide my arm around to his back and pull him closer to me. Never have I ever been kissed like this. I’ve only read about this kind of kiss. Never have I ever been completely covered by a man and not feel an ounce of fear or disgust by it. Kip feels like home—whatever that means. He pulls away slowly, giving me several soft pecks before leaning his forehead against mine. “Are you okay?” he pants.

  “Yes,” I breathe. He moves off of me and back onto his side. He stares at me for several minutes, not saying another word. “What?” I finally ask him.

  “I’m a little confused, that’s all.”

  “Me too,” I admit.

  “Can you tell me what happened with your stepfather?” He reaches forward and pushes a strand of hair behind my ear.

  “No.” I shake my head adamantly.

  “Can you tell me about Nate?”

  “He’s my brother,” I say. I’m not sure if I can go there.

  “I know that, Shelby. Where is he?” he asks, and I can tell he’s trying to be very patient with me.

  “With my mom.” My voice shakes.

  “Jesus,” he whispers. “What happened?” He grabs my hand.

  “I ...”

  “You’re safe with me. You need to talk about whatever it is, baby. I’m here. Let me in, please.” He looks into my eyes, and there it is again. That familiarity I can’t seem to figure out. What is it with him? Whatever it is, it only encourages me to trust him. I take in a deep breath and release it—along with some pieces of the wall I took so long to build.

  “Nate was three years younger than me. He was my parents’ miracle baby. My mom had trouble conceiving after me because of fibrous cysts that overwhelmed her ovaries. Anyways, he had to have an operation after he was born to remove a growth on his neck they believed was his twin.”

  “What?” He jerks his head back, his eyes wide.

  “I know. Sounds freaky, right?” I smile slightly. “It’s actually pretty common for an egg to be fertilized and split into two. Most of the time, one egg will get absorbed into the other before anyone would ever know there were two eggs. Sometimes it doesn’t and people expect twins, but one of the twins will steal all of the nutrients from the other. Sometimes one egg will get absorbed into the other, but not fully. That’s how you get conjoined twins, or as they used to call it, Siamese twins. Well, that’s what happened to my brother. His twin didn’t fully absorb into him. This left him with a growth on his neck that was God-awful looking and probably unhealthy.” I pause for a breath and watch as Kip plays with my fingers.

  “Go ahead,” he verbally nudges me.

  “So they performed surgery on him. What was supposed to be a quick fix to a better life ended up being a sentence to a life of disabilities and challenges that Nate should never have had to endure. He ended up with cerebral palsy. Luckily, he was able to walk and talk, though it took him longer to learn than most, but he wasn’t ever capable of fully taking care of himself. He was very slow. He needed redirection a lot of the time. He was really s
weet, though. A gentle giant. So kind.” I choke up a bit. “There wasn’t a mean bone in his body. It pleased him to help others, made him feel important.” I break to let my tears just come. I always let myself cry for my brother. He deserves my tears. He deserves to always be remembered and mourned for.

  “Do you wanna stop?” His voice pulls me back.

  “Nope. I just needed a minute.” I wipe my tears away. “When our mom died, Nate was only a few months short of his eighteenth birthday. I wanted to leave that hellhole we called home, but I couldn’t go without him. I also didn’t earn enough to take custody of him. If I had brought attention to our living situation, he would’ve been removed and put God-knows-where. So we stayed, and I tried my hardest to save whatever I could. It wasn’t much because Owen took everything from me.” I hiccup-sob, a reflex from trying to keep my emotions under wraps. “Needless to say, it took me longer than the few months to get us on our feet. The only roof I could keep over our heads was my stepfather’s, and it was a costly price I paid, but Nate was worth it. In hindsight, it would’ve been safer for both of us had I at least put him in a group home, but I didn’t want us to be separated. That ended up being the end result anyhow.” I stop to allow myself to cry. I have never told anyone this before. It’s therapeutic and completely painful, all at the same time. I inhale deeply. “Six months ago, Nate and I went into town to do some errands. I left him to go into the pharmacy. Sue, the librarian, was taking Trots, the reading-group dog, for a walk, and Nate wanted to pet him. When I finally got back outside, Nate was in the walkway of the intersection and a man was yelling at him and shoving him. Nate kept trying to tell the man something about his daughter, but the guy didn’t know Nate and completely flipped out on him. I yelled at him to stop and tried to get to them, but I was too late. The man shoved Nate so hard he went into oncoming traffic and was hit by a car. I watched my brother fly into the air as I ran to him, and heard the crush of his skull when he hit the ground.” I can’t control my sobs now. I’m not even sure if Kip can understand what I am saying. “Do you know what my brother’s last words were to me when I got to him?”

  “What?” He swallows, his eyes red.

  “‘The little girl’s shoelace is tangled in her bike chain ... fix it so she doesn’t get hurt.’” I shake my head, crying and still unable to believe that his last thought was of somebody else, of making sure they were okay. But that’s just who Nate was. “Then his eyes went blank, and I never got to talk to my brother again. He died in my arms, in the middle of the street, because some asshole father wouldn’t listen to what he was saying. Instead, he thought my brother was some sort of pervert trying to grab his daughter.”

  “Jesus Christ, Shelby. God, I’m so sorry.” He chokes lightly as he pulls me back into his arms. “I’m so sorry,” he says against my hair.

  We lay like this for several minutes, holding each other and listening to the rhythm of our synchronized breathing. A combination of calmness and pure exhaustion sweeps over me. I feel it lulling me to sleep, and I let it.

  Kip

  I listen to Shelby breathing as she sleeps. So peaceful now, compared to the emotional roller coaster she was on half an hour ago. My heart aches for her. She’s gone through so much. More than she’s even allowed me to know. In a way, I don’t want to know all of the bad stuff. I don’t want to know what that son of a bitch did to her. I can only imagine, and I already want to kill him.

  There’s so much more I want to ask her. So much I’m confused about. Like, how did she end up here? When did she leave Owen’s? Why didn’t she leave sooner, and if she did, where did she stay? I don’t want to bombard her with these questions, though. I don’t want to scare her off. I’ve finally got her opening up to me. I’m also frightened that that was a fluke. The snuggling. The kiss. Oh hell—that kiss! It was so soft and pure—and yet, it did the most impure things to me. What if she wakes up and pushes me away? I warned her that she was opening a door I wouldn’t let her close.

  Looking down at her, I can’t help but be captivated by her beauty. She is nothing like and everything like I imagined my one would be. I wonder if I should tell her what I remembered the other day. No. I’ll keep that to myself until I can’t any longer. Damn, she feels good in my arms. I let my hand slide down her side and onto her hip. Her jeans always hug her hips so nicely. I’ve been watching her sleep this entire time, and it’s been hard to restrain myself from touching her at all. I lean down and inhale her scent deeply. My breath matches my racing pulse as I squeeze her hip and run my nose up the side of her neck.

  “No!” Shelby yelps and pushes out of my arms.

  “Shelby, it’s me. It’s Kip.” I grip her flailing arms gently. She stops and stares at me, visibly shaken. “God, baby ... what did he do to you?” I palm her face.

  “I’ve gotta go,” she says softly and tries to climb out of my bed.

  “No.” I pull her back. “You are exactly where you are supposed to be. Where you were meant to be.”

  “What were you doing? What were you trying to do?” She stares through me.

  “I’m sorry.” I look down. “I needed to touch you. But, Shelby, I wasn’t going to do anythin’ inappropriate. I think I just startled you. Don’t leave, please.” I slide my fingers down her arm to her hand and bring it up to my mouth. I peck at each of her fingertips and her palm before pressing it to my cheek. She stays silent. “Are you ready to talk some more?”

  “What else is there to say?”

  “Well, how did you manage to make your way out here? Why did it take you so long to come?” I relax my head onto the pillow so that we are face to face.

  “Um ...” she exhales. “Before my mom died, she gave me this key.” She pulls at the chain around her neck to reveal it. “She told me to keep it in a safe place. She had me memorize the box number and the bank’s name before she ever got sick. She always told me that if anything ever happened to her, I should make my way here to our family and get what she has for me out of the safe-deposit box. It took me three years. And it would’ve been longer if Nate was still with me.” She bites her quivering lip and plays with the key, running it up and down the chain.

  “How did you manage to make your way here?” I hold her hand so she’ll stop.

  “Nate had a life-insurance policy. It was enough to cover his funeral and get me out here.”

  “What about the accident? Isn’t there a lawsuit of some sort?”

  “Yes. I’ve hired a lawyer, but I’m not sure when I will see anything from that. There’s a holdup with the insurance company and the guy who caused my brother’s death. It’s quite a mess.” She pulls her hand away and scoots to sit up.

  “What was in the box?” I prop myself up on my elbow.

  “I don’t know. I haven’t gone yet.”

  “Why?” I sit beside her.

  “Scared, I guess. Kip, I haven’t seen my family in fifteen years. The last time we were here left a very bad impression on me. Some kids were mean to me at a party. Uncle Big Daddy was just plain awful to my mother. He yelled at her and ended up slapping her across the face. We left after that. My mother never saw or talked to her sister again, which saddened her at the end of her life. Aunt Bea hasn’t even asked me about my mom. Isn’t that weird?” She looks over at me.

  “Shelby, the whole thing is weird.” I sigh. “Do you remember anythin’ else about that party? Anything about the other kids there?”

  “Um, there was a nice boy who chased away the others. He brought me back to my mom. That’s when I saw what I saw. I remember my cousins. That’s about all.” She shrugs.

  Damn. She barely remembers me, never mind the conversation we had.

  “I still don’t really understand why you haven’t checked what’s in that box.” I reach up and rub her back. “Do you want me to go with you?”

  “Would you, Kip?” She turns her head to look at me again.

  “Of course. Hell, let’s go now.”

  “No. You’re barely
over this virus. Get better first. We can go in a few days.” She tucks the key back into her top. Lucky key. What? I’m still a guy! “Now, why don’t you lay back and I’ll go and get you some toast. You haven’t eaten in a few days. Let’s get you your strength back, shall we?” She pats my leg.

  “You’re beautiful,” I lean in and whisper near her ear.

  “So you’ve said.” She gives me a small smile. I dip my head slightly and collect her lips with mine. I can almost feel my heart sigh.

  “Okay, lay back, Casanova.” She nudges me. I can’t help my goofy grin at this new nickname. I relax back onto the bed and watch her get up and head to the door. She looks over her shoulder as she’s about to leave and giggles a little while shaking her head. I’m pretty sure it’s because my goofy grin is still intact.

  Shelby leaves and my eyes wander up to focus on the ceiling. I lie there, unable to shake my curiosity over what’s in that box. This is also a good time to remind myself to keep things slow with her. I don’t want to scare her off. I still can’t believe she’s letting down some of that wall she built up. I can’t get over how right she feels to me. I never in a million years thought this would happen anytime soon, but I’m so hopeful as to where it could lead. I’m not going to sit here and say it’s the “L” word already, but to be honest, my heart is ready to head down that road. I’m more willing to entertain the idea than not, and we both know that’s saying a lot!

  “Hey, son,” Mama sighs and I look over to the door.

  “Hey, Mama.” I smile.

  “Shelby said you were doin’ better this mornin’.” She comes over and sits on the bed next to me. She presses her hand to my head.

  “I’m much better.”

  “And?”

  “What?”

  “How are things with Shelby?” She raises a brow.

  “I think they’re really good. I mean—I hope they are. I really care ‘bout her, Mama. Ain’t that strange?”

  “Why’s that strange?”

  “Well, I barely know her.”

  “Kip, you could know somebody for twenty years and not really know ‘em. Jus’ like you can meet somebody new one day, and then have a kinship with them like they’ve been around forever. Life is funny that way. I think people just have a natural sense about each other.” She shrugs. Usually when Mama talks like this, I tease her by calling her “Sally” because she makes me feel like Forrest Gump—she always has a way of explainin’ things to me so I understand them.