Never Far Away

by Marysue Hobika

  “Go for a run, Teddy.” Stella was barely awake. Her eyes weren’t even open. I’d just come back from using the bathroom and had only taken two steps into the room. I froze hearing her voice.

  “Sorry. I didn’t mean to wake you.” I kept my voice down low, coming further into the room.

  “Go for a run. I know you’ve been awake for awhile and you like to go for a run first thing in the morning.” It was true—I did like to run in the mornings. It didn’t surprise me Stella knew.

  “Yeah, but I’d rather stay here with you.”

  “I’ll be right here when you get back. I’m not really a morning person.” She still hadn’t opened her eyes. I smiled. I knew during the summer and on weekends she never got up until after noon. I never could understand how someone could sleep that long. “Just bring me back a latte.”

  As much as I wanted to pull Stella against my chest and go back to sleep again, I knew I’d only lay there. Once I was awake that was it. Even though I wouldn’t sleep I loved feeling her body against mine, but she looked so peaceful that I didn’t want to disturb her. “Okay. I won’t be gone long.” I pulled running clothes out of my drawer as silently as I could and got dressed. I gave her a light kiss on her cheek before leaving. She was asleep before I closed the door.

  I ran fast, taking my favorite route. It felt good to stretch my legs. And the best part would be when I finished—Stella would be waiting for me. I kind of got off on the fact that she was in my bed waiting. I took the next left and picked up my pace. The cold air burned my lungs. Normally I didn’t think when I ran, that was part of the point, but today I couldn’t get Stella wearing nothing but her stockings and garter set out of my mind. She was full of surprises and I fucking loved it. We were going to spend the day together. She didn’t have to go back until Sunday afternoon. I almost missed the next turn as I thought about her blond hair spread out on my pillow. I picked up my speed. I wanted to get back to her as fast as I could.

  She was on the couch between Joe and Darian when I got back. She had on a pair of my sweats and a sweatshirt. They were so big on her it was comical, but I didn’t dare comment. She looked perfectly at ease sitting there watching a program on the mistreatment of whales. She seemed at home and my heart expanded.

  “Here’s your latte.” I handed her a steamy cup.

  She turned her diamond blue eyes to me. “Thank you.”

  “Dudes. I can’t believe it. I go for a run and you turn my girl into a nerd while I’m gone.” There was no anger in my voice. I liked how Stella fit in with my friends. Although, I didn’t want her getting too comfortable. I wasn’t the sharing type.

  “She was just humoring us until you got back,” said Joe. Stella looked at me through her long eyelashes and I could see what he said was true. I didn’t have anything to worry about. She was mine.

  “I’m going to go shower and then I’ll make you breakfast.”

  There was a swagger to my walk as I went to wash the sweat from my body. I was in and out in five. My run took longer than I wanted and I was anxious to spend time with her. I dressed in jeans and a T-shirt.

  I went to the kitchen and poked around inside the fridge, pulling out ingredients. Stella joined me and sat on the counter, swinging her long legs. She used to sit on the edge of the counter at my parents' house, too. I remembered staring at her smooth long legs and thinking about how many other guys had ran their hands up them like I wanted to, even though most of the time we argued, her beauty never escaped my notice. Seeing her now, I couldn’t believe how wrong I’d been back then. If I’d only known. I had to stop tormenting myself. It was in the past. She was here now—with me. I put the eggs and peppers on the counter and stopped to give her a kiss. It was slow and gentle. She put her arms around my neck. I took a step closer until there was little space between us and lost myself in the feel of her warm lips. Too bad we didn’t have the apartment to ourselves. That thought cooled me down a bit. I didn’t want my roommates to see more than they should. And Stella deserved better than for me to devour her on my kitchen counter while they watched. I pulled away.

  “How about I make you that breakfast I promised?”

  “Okay.” Her eyes were glazed over. She’d enjoyed the make-out session as much as I had. Pride filled my face.

  I turned to dice onions and a green pepper. I felt her eyes watching my every move. I pulled out a frying pan and began to sauté them. “What do you want in your omelet? The works or just plain cheese?”

  “The works, please.” Her voice sounded hooded and I peeked a glance. Was my cooking turning her on? Her eyes still had that glazed look. I cracked the eggs into a bowl and whisked them vigorously.

  When breakfast was ready I helped her down and handed her a plate. There was a small bar, just enough space for the two of us, where we sat down to eat. I passed her the ketchup before she even asked.

  “You remembered,” she said, taking it from me. I knew she ate her eggs with ketchup.

  “I never forget anything important.” I winked.

  “This is delicious.”

  “Glad you like it.” We ate in silence for a few minutes. “What do you want to do today?”

  She swallowed. “I have a few ideas.” Her gaze swept over me and suddenly I was so hot it felt like it was the middle of the summer.

  “I think I’m going to like your ideas.”

  “Trust me. You will.”

  Stella

  Weekends went by too fast, while the weekdays dragged on. Teddy and I were always too busy to see each other during the week and we had to hold out until Friday to see each other. However, we made what little time we had together count. My face heated as I thought back to last Sunday.

  I stood and stretched. I’d been sitting at my desk, going through photos for over two hours and every picture was starting to look the same. I walked over to the window and looked outside. Snow was falling. I thought the city looked beautiful covered in snow. I pulled on my jacket, hat, and scarf. I needed inspiration. Grabbing my camera, I left.

  I didn’t know where I was going. I simply walked. It felt good to stretch my legs and feel the cool, crisp air on my cheeks. My night class didn’t begin for four hours.

  I was tying on my rented skates in Wollman Rink, now known as Trump Rink, when Teddy showed up. I texted him to see if he had an hour to spare and I was thrilled when he said he did. His afternoon class had been cancelled—the professor was sick. College wasn’t like high school—there were no substitutes.

  “Hi, Angel.” He brushed his lips against mine.

  “Hey,” I said, breathless. Teddy always took my breath away. He looked as hot as ever with a winter coat and a hat pulled down over his ears. “I got skates for you and a ticket. Size 12, right?”

  “Right. Thanks. I’ll pay you after.” He sat down next to me and started lacing his skates.

  “My treat. I called you, remember?”

  “I know, but I like to pay.” Teddy hadn’t let me pay for anything yet and we’d gone out several times in the past two weeks.

  “Well, that’s too bad because I already paid.” He frowned. I thought it was sweet that Teddy liked to take care of me, but I wanted to do this. I didn’t want to argue with him during the little time we had, so I added, “You can buy me a hot chocolate later. How’s that?”

  “Okay.”

  We spent the next hour fooling around on the ice. I hadn’t skated in years and my legs didn’t cooperate at first. Apparently Teddy hadn’t either because he almost fell. We held hands as we moved slowly around the rink. I snapped pictures of Teddy and I even let him use my camera to take a few pictures of me. It was fun and carefree.

  After an hour we were tired. We returned the skates and put our boots back on. We walked around the park and I took even more pictures. I zoomed in on giant snowflakes and trees covered with fresh snow. I was sure I’d be able to finish my project easily now.

  We ended up sitting down at a café and Teddy bought me a hot chocola
te like he promised.

  “Thanks for meeting me today. It was fun.” I sipped my steaming drink. It really had been the perfect afternoon.

  He flashed me that boy-next-door-grin I loved so much. Leaning over the table, he kissed me, tracing my lips with his tongue. “You bet it was.”

  I giggled. Only Teddy could turn the most innocent comment into something sexual. Although, I had no complaints in that department. Teddy was amazing in bed. Suddenly my mood sobered. There’d be no time for that today. “I have to go back soon.” This was the part that hurt—when I had to say goodbye.

  “I know.” Teddy was somber also. “I was thinking we should stay in the city for a few days and hang out together, just the two of us, before we take the train home for Christmas break.” The corners of my mouth twitched. “I can even cook dinner for you.” My grin grew. Teddy in the kitchen was hot and he knew it was a fantasy of mine.

  “Done.” I felt better about our afternoon ending and having to return to campus. Christmas break was only a week and a half away, and that meant I’d have him all to myself for a few days.

  Theo

  My last exam was in an hour. I rinsed my hair and shut the shower off. I wanted time to stop and grab a coffee. I needed caffeine. I’d gotten less than four hours of sleep last night. I’d stayed up most of the night studying while Stella slept peacefully in my bed. She'd handed in her last project the day before. I thought having her here might be a distraction, but it’d been a comfort. Her soft and even breathing filled my otherwise silent room. It had been a relief to finally crawl into bed next to her and hold her until my alarm went off. I’d told her to stay in bed, kissing the top of her head before dashing out the door.

  I slid into my seat five minutes before the professor entered. The exams were passed out and I tuned out all distractions and concentrated on the questions in front of me. The exam was difficult, but I was well prepared. When I stood to hand in my exam, I was fairly confident I’d done well. Out in the hall I stopped to check my notes. I was happy to see that I'd answered one of the questions I’d been unsure about correctly. I shoved my things back in my bag and headed home. I wanted to take off in a sprint, but I wasn’t really dressed for a run—I had on combat boots and a heavy coat. Instead I lengthened my stride, covering ground quickly. I couldn’t wait to get back to what really mattered—Stella.

  I burst through the door of my room and found her sitting up in bed doing one of my puzzles. She looked hot as hell. She was wearing one of my T-shirts and her hair was pulled into a messy bun. All that was missing was a cute pair of glasses perched on the end of her nose. I cracked a smile. I’d never thought of her as the nerd type, but I was making all sorts of discoveries regarding Stella.

  For example, she studied hard and took her photography projects seriously, she loved the lattes at a small deli down the street with extra foam on top, and she owned not one, not two, but three pairs of the boots I loved, each in a different color. But my favorite discovery of all was how she practically purred in my arms after we made love. There was nothing I didn’t love about her. She was my dream girl in every way. I couldn’t wait to crawl back into bed and spend the day alternating between making love and sleeping.

  “How’d you do?” she asked, putting the book down.

  “Good.” I took off my coat and threw it in the chair and then began stripping off the rest of my clothes. “The semester’s finally over.” I sighed in relief.

  “Yeah. Now I get you all to myself.” She reached her arms out and I didn’t hesitate. We weren’t catching the train home for a few days. We wanted to spend time together without the pressure of exams or projects hanging over our heads.

  I climbed under the covers and Stella’s warm body molded with mine. She wrapped her arms around me. “It’s my turn to take care of you. Roll onto your stomach.”

  I wasn’t sure where this was going, but I didn’t care. I’d do anything to make her happy, but right now her agenda was to make me happy. Her hands began to knead my back and shoulders. A sigh escaped my lips. Damn, that felt good. No one had ever given me a back rub before. I was experiencing a lot of firsts with my angel. The tension from staying up late and sitting at a desk slipped away. My muscles relaxed under her gentle, yet firm, touch. Drool even dribbled down my chin onto my pillow. I felt helpless to even wipe it away. Exhaustion overcame me. I tried to fight it, but my eyelids kept closing. Stella’s hands felt too good.

  When I woke up the clock read 2 p.m. I couldn’t believe I’d fallen asleep. My eyes searched the room for her but she wasn’t here. “Stella?” I called out. No answer. I swung my feet to the side of the bed. “Shit.” We had plans to spend the day together and I’d just slept through half of it. I’d have to go and find her, hoping she was still in the apartment. I tugged on my jeans and threw open the door.

  Unexpectedly Stella was on the other side and fell into my arms. “Going somewhere?” she asked. Her voice sounded like she’d just woken up too and it was sexy as hell. My jeans got tighter.

  “I was looking for you.” I shut the door and pushed her up against it, lifting her off the ground. She wrapped her legs around me. I wanted her so bad it hurt. I slammed my mouth against hers. I held both her hands above her head in one of mine while I held her up with the other. I devoured her mouth completely. She tasted like mint. She was still wearing my T-shirt with nothing underneath but a tiny pair of panties. I silently thanked God that my roommates had already left the city for the holiday. I wouldn’t have to make them pay for looking. Not that I could blame them—Stella was fucking hot. But she was mine. All mine. I felt her heat through my jeans and wanted more. I needed to be inside her.

  “I’m glad you found me.” I let go of her hands and moved away from the door, locking it.

  I deposited her in the middle of my bed. Her platinum hair spilled across the pillows and I sunk to my knees on the mattress next to her. I wanted her in bed now and always. “Don’t ever leave me,” I choked. My heart would never survive if she left. Stella was my everything. I’d never had a panic attack, but I understood it now.

  She reached up and gently stroked the side of my face. “I won’t.”

  Passion between us always ran hot and today was no exception. I pulled my T-shirt over Stella’s head and tossed it on the floor. She wasn’t even wearing a bra and her beautiful breasts made my breath catch in my throat. I’d never get used to how fucking beautiful she was—even if we both lived to be a hundred. I dipped my head and licked one of her already erect nipples. She moaned. In the few weeks we’d been together I knew her body inside and out. Nothing brought me greater pleasure than satisfying her needs and hearing her scream my name. I moved over to her other nipple and gave it the same attention before moving lower.

  I kissed my way down her flat stomach until I reached her panties. They were made of black lace and my cock throbbed inside my jeans. I knew how to take things slow though and put Stella’s needs before my own. Not that what I was about to do didn’t meet my needs—because it did. I kissed her hot box over her panties, feeling how wet she was through the sheer fabric. Then I moved my mouth to kiss and lick her inner thighs, driving her wild. When she was good and worked up, I peeled off her panties and licked her sweet folds, while I slipped one finger in her tight pussy and then another. She liked it when I wrote her name over and over with my tongue on her swollen clit. She grabbed my hair and pushed my head down harder. I sucked her clit in my mouth and she screamed my name as she came. I loved watching her. It was a beautiful sight and I was the one—the only one—who put that look on her face.

  I shed my jeans and then got back into bed, pulling her on top of me. “I want to be inside of you. Your hot body is driving me fucking insane.” I ran my hands over her back and into her hair. God, I loved her blond locks. I tangled my fingers in her mane and forced her head to meet my demanding kisses.

  “I like how I taste on your tongue. It makes me want to come again.”

  “Yeah?” My v
oice was rough and raw. Even her words affected me. My cock jerked in response.

  “But first, I’m going to put you through the same torture you put me through.” She reached down and grabbed my cock in her hand and began to stroke it. Then she rubbed it on her pussy and it was more than I could take.

  I grabbed her hand and stopped her. “That’s torture enough or I won’t last long.” And I wanted to rock into Stella long and hard.

  She reached over to the drawer where I kept the box of condoms. She insisted on being the one to roll it on me. In one quick motion I repositioned us so that she was beneath me and I pushed my way inside of her. Shivers shot up my spine and I paused to feel her wrapped all around me. She moved restlessly beneath me. “Fuck me, Teddy. Fuck me hard.”

  Sometimes it was gentle and other times it was like right now—rough and hard. I pounded into her over and over again, giving her what she’d asked for. I pulled almost all the way out, until just my tip was inside, and then I’d thrust all the back in. She whimpered and dug her nails into my ass. I always knew when she was about to explode. Her body tightened around me, pulling at my essence. She gasped and looked me in the eye. “Teddy, Teddy, Teddy.”

  At the same time I cried out, “Stella.”

  ***

  “As much as I’d like to stay in bed with you all night, I need food.” We were lying in bed and I was drawing letters on her back. We hadn’t left my room all day.

  “Is it ‘F’ for food?” She laughed softly.

  “No. Stop being a smartass.” I smacked her on the butt.

  “Draw it again. If I guess it right, you buy me dinner. If not, I’ll buy you dinner.”

  “Deal.” I traced it again, slowly.

  “P?”

  “You cheated so that you could pay.” It was obvious I’d drawn an ‘E.’

  She shrugged, pulling on her clothes. “You can’t prove it.”

  “I don’t mind paying. I like taking care of you.” It made me feel good. Stella had confided in me that her parents weren’t helping her with school at all and she’d had to take out loans. She had a partial scholarship and some financial aid, but Parsons wasn’t cheap.