by C. M. Steele
“You think?” I asked, hoping he’d tell me how he felt.
“I know, Vanessa, because you’re it for me.” I closed my eyes and swooned.
11
Vanessa
I had been sitting in my dorm room thinking about Tim for the millionth time since I returned to school. His words during our last call really stuck with me. “You’re perfect, Vanessa.” Being the youngest of the family and essentially the surprise runt in the litter of perfection, I was always doubting my worth. Tim made me feel like I was meant for more than just being a man’s arm candy.
Every one of my classmates in high school felt that I was nothing but a rich bitch with no brain. I didn’t want the title of spoiled debutant. Cameron always said that he hated those women because they had nothing to offer but their family pedigree, like they were just dressed up bitches. I agreed with him. Most of the women that chased him were like that, and I fit into that mold by default. I thought going to school on my own would break that mold, but I wasn’t capable of handling life away from those I loved and college was too hard.
I had my bags packed to come home for good. I wanted Tim, and I didn’t care if we had to live in a small house and live off his income or even if I had to get a job. Missing him took more energy and time than I could handle. I lost twenty-two pounds since the holidays. I didn’t have that much to lose to begin with. My roommate felt bad for me. She came from money, too, but wasn’t as concerned about her image. She said life was too short to dwell on what other people said. Elise was right, but I was stuck in that mentality until Tim and I talked it out about his family’s life of deceit. My family and I were all good people and that wasn’t based on our income.
“Vanessa, you’ve got a family that loves you. A man that doesn’t seem to stop calling, texting, or sending flowers. I mean if I was you, I’d be so damn happy. Fuck what others say. Be you, love that sexy ass man of yours, and be fucking happy.” She gave me a big hug before leaving me alone in the room with my suitcases and my thoughts. How was I going to tell my family?
My phone started to go off on the dresser, vibrating. I’d forgotten to turn up the volume after I got out of class. By the time I got to the phone, I missed the call. It was my dad. I hit redial right away and he picked up just as fast. “Hi Dad, how are you?”
“Van, sweetheart. I need you get on a plane and come back home. There’s a flight leaving in two hours that’s flying non-stop to Seattle,” he said rapidly. I heard the strain in his voice and could tell something was wrong.
“Daddy, what’s going on?” I sobbed. It must be serious if he wanted me to come back in a hurry.
That was when I heard the catch in his breath and a sob. “Cam’s in the hospital. He crashed his car.”
“What! No. Please tell me he’s going to be okay.”
“I wish I could, but we don’t know anything at the moment, sweetheart.”
“Okay, I’ll be there as soon as possible.” I hung up with my father and grabbed the suitcases, I already had in the corner. I couldn’t wait to leave this place. College wasn’t for me. My family was right, but at least I finally had an excuse to cave in and come home. Although, all that mattered was that Cam was going to be alright. He had to be okay.
~~~~~
It was on the way to the airport that I remembered about Natalie, the woman Cameron fell madly in love with while he was visiting me. I should have told her, but I didn’t know what to do. I boarded the flight in a hurry. I went to switch my phone into airplane mode, remembering when I did that during Christmas break. I searched for that message again, but I didn’t look at Tim’s picture, I looked at Cam’s message to me. The tears started pouring down my face as I quietly sobbed. The flight attendant brought me some tissues and asked if I would be okay.
“I just need to go home. My brother’s been in an accident.”
“I’m sorry. Please calm down, and I’ll bring you something to drink.” I nodded and closed my eyes. This was going to be the longest flight of my life. The flight landed four hours later, and I grabbed my luggage. I wasn’t going to stop at the house first, I planned to catch a cab straight to the hospital, but when I stepped out of the airport to hail a cab I was in for a big surprise. Tim.
12
Tim
I'd just left the hospital after speaking with my team to examine Cameron's car. Something wasn't right. He knew how to drive and never even bumped his car parking in a tight spot. Damn it, I was pissed. I could feel the chill run down my back wondering if someone was after the James family. Vanessa was going to be attached to me at all times. We weren’t going to be able to hide our relationship.
Mr. James called Vanessa, and she rushed straight to the airport. The family had a private jet, but it would've taken longer to get there and back than taking a commercial flight. I met her at SeaTac a few hours later. It was a long wait for many reasons. I missed the fuck out of her and she was probably freaking out about Cam. He’d just woken up before I left.
I watched her walk out of the terminal with her bags in hand and her eyes overflowing with tears. I opened my arms naturally willing to do anything to ease her pain. She dropped her stuff and ran to me without any hesitation, then jumped into my arms. My mouth crashed down on hers. The feelings that shot through me were unexplainable. Our lips parted and our tongues tasted each other. My hands wrapped around her ass and waist, holding up while she slid her hands in my hair. Fuck, this wasn’t the time or the place, so I had to pull back.
“I’m sorry, Vanessa. I don’t know what came over me.”
“Me either. I’m just so freaked out,” she said, nervously fixing her clothes that got crumpled in my arms.
I lifted her chin when she tucked it down in embarrassment and let her know that this wasn’t just a moment of comfort. “I’ve missed you so damn much Vanessa. That’s why I kissed you, but I was talking about mauling you right now. I might have gotten carried away.”
“Oh,” she muttered. With Cam’s life in the balance, now wasn’t the moment for us.
“Don’t worry, babe. We’ll deal with this,” motioning with my finger between us, “later. Right now, let’s get you to Cam.”
“Any news on my brother?” The nervousness was gone and my straight forward girl was back. I was glad I could give her some good news.
“He’s come out of his coma, but that’s all I can say. His injuries are painful and extensive.” I picked up her two suitcases, which were stuffed to the gills. What the fuck!? She was either the fastest packer or she had her luggage ready to go.
I helped her into my truck that she said I had because I was overcompensating for something else. She learned that day, I wasn’t overcompensating for anything. I was a big guy in every way. Once I boosted her butt up into the truck, I put her luggage in the bed.
When I got into the truck, I didn’t mention the luggage. It was odd for her to have everything with her since school didn’t end for two months, but it may work to my advantage.
“Tim, tell me is it as bad as I think?” She looked up at me with sad eyes. I wiped the tear coming down her face.
“He’s going to make it, and he’s already calling for Natalie, so I think he’ll be fine in time,” I soothed, grabbing her hand in mine, I drove from the airport to the hospital.
~~~~~
Once we got to the hospital, she ran into her parents’ arms. Mr. James gave me a nod as I waited for them to break apart. I knew we were in for a serious talk, but I’d been waiting for a long time for that conversation.
We walked into his room where he was resting. He looked brutal. How he survived was a big blessing. Vanessa left my side to go sit by her brother. For the next fifteen minutes, she tried to get him to talk, but he wasn’t really focused.
“Come on, Vanessa. I’m going to take you back home. Then we can come back when he’s a little more lucid.”
She nodded sleepily, walking to my side. I slid my hand around her waist and escorted her out to her family to say
goodnight. They were going to stay in the hotel next door and told us to get some rest.
“See, babe. He’s going to be okay.”
“He’s still very hurt. I want him to be better already. I don’t like him like that. It’s not the strong, bad ass Cam I know.”
“I know, babe. I might even let him win the next time we spar.”
“Ha. I don’t think that’ll happen for a long time, but you know I might have to cheer for him.”
“Now that’s not nice. You want your brother to give me a beating.”
“Well, then I can kiss your boo-boos.”
“Speaking of kissing,” I whispered, leaning into her and pressing her against the truck. I pinned her in before kissing her softly, letting our lips play gently. Pulling back after a minute, I helped her into the truck.
We drove in silence. After months of talking on the phone, just being with her was enough. We were almost there when I asked, “Babe, I know it’s late, but did you eat?” It was then that I turned to her and she was passed out. Smiling to myself, I drove on, every once and a while glancing at my sleeping beauty.
Returning to the estate, I carried a sleeping Vanessa to her room. Instead of laying her down and running, I locked the door behind us. She woke up the moment when I laid her down.
"Tim, that kiss today? Was it because you missed me or…?" her voice begged for clarification trailing off so that I couldn’t hear the last bit. It didn’t matter. I knew what she was asking.
"Sweetie, it was real. You're mine—pure and simple. I let you leave me knowing you wanted me, and it was the hardest thing I ever had to do, but you needed to experience life outside your castle."
"I've spent enough time away."
"Yes, you have. You definitely have,” I whispered. I bent down and pressed our lips together. Slowly and sweetly, we kissed, cementing our lives as one. The taste was sweet and all consuming. We kissed until we came up for air. Her eyes met mine with a look of absolute desire, sleeping no longer interesting.
13
Vanessa
The look in his eyes told me everything I needed to know. I was safe in his arms and in his care. A life with him was all I needed. Elise was right; fuck what others thought.
“I want you so much, Tim,” I said, fearlessly.
“I want you more than you can understand. I’ve waited so long to be with you.”
“Kiss me,” I demanded, tilting my face toward his. He took my mouth again, and it was just as amazing as the last. Moaning in his mouth, I whimpered with need. My hips tipped up, trying to touch his body with mine, but he had his body planked over me, like he didn’t want our bodies connected. Feeling disheartened, I pushed his shoulders away from me.
“What’s wrong?”
“You’re confusing me. You say you want me and after all this time we are together, but you’re moving your body away from mine.”
He started to laugh a little with an embarrassed smile on his face. “Sweetie, I’m trying not to come. Just kissing you has got me fucked up. My dick is so hard, I know if he gets anywhere near your pussy, he’s going to shoot hard.”
“Oh,” I said with a blush. I felt a little naïve. This was all new to me. Having sex never crossed my mind before with anyone else. Something about the guys I dated told me they would try to knock me up if I gave up the pussy. Will tried to pressure me several times, but I always stopped our make out sessions. Waiting felt like a burden and a relief at the same time.
I didn’t want to tell him that I was a virgin. He waited this long, if he knew he might want to wait. I’ve been longing for him for as long as we’ve known each other. Waiting wasn’t in the cards for me.
“No more waiting?” I asked.
“No more waiting. We’ve waited too long.” He leaned back on his heels, and lifted off his shirt. I let out a gasp at his perfection. Damn, he was gorgeous. His muscles were just as defined as when we trained. I thought maybe it was just my fantasies. My body tensed as my desire built easily at the sight before me. His body flexed as I watched him undo his belt. Something about the way the belt was pulled from his pants sent wicked thoughts through my body. It was nuts because I’d never done anything with a man before, but I’d dreamed of us.
He bent down, slid his hand under my top and unsnapped my bra, then he pulled that and my tee over my head. Feeling his eyes on my breasts, my nerves kicked in. I tried to use my arms to cover myself, but he grabbed hold of them and lifted them above my head.
“How dare you, princess? I’ve waited so long to see you undressed. Don’t cover them up,” he pleaded.
I relaxed when I saw that he was pleased by them. He leaned down and took my lips briefly, before working his way down my neck. I squirmed because it tickled, but I calmed down because I didn’t want to seem like a rookie at this. Plus, it felt so damn good, I forgot my own name. The moment his tongue hit by nipple, my back arched off the bed. “Ah,” I cried out.
He looked up at me with a wicked grin, then licked the harden peak without taking his eyes off me. I broke the contact when the pleasure went straight to my core. I moaned and sighed his name. “Tim.”
He sucked my nipple into his mouth. It was intense and I felt my pussy throb. I was so close to cumming, and he hadn’t even touched my pussy. Moving to the other nipple, he teased and nipped at the flesh. My heart was pounding. I started lifting my hips looking for my release. Knowing what I needed, Tim slipped his fingers down and unbuttoned my pants. Getting up, he pulled them down and off my body. I nervously bit my lips when his face got close to my pussy. Trying to play it cool, I thought about something else. Like how he enjoyed watching me come for him. His scruff tickled me as he moved back up to my thighs, sniffing and kissing his way to my center. Tim didn’t take my panties off, so when he reached my covered mound he pushed it to the side. The feel of the fabric rubbing against my lips sent a delightful chill up my body, and then before I could calm the tingling he pressed his lips to my pussy. Instantly my hips bucked and I cried out. Even with every fantasy of him over the past months, I’d never come so fast. He lifted my hips up to drink from my body like it was a golden chalice.
“Damn, you taste better than I could have ever imagined,” he growled. “But, you came too fast. I think I need to make you come again.” He made my pussy throb with that low rumble. He climbed up my body, slowly and lazily leaving kisses on my skin.
“Baby, are you on birth control?”
“Yes, I am.”
“Okay, good because I don’t want anything between us. But as soon as we’re married, you’re going off that shit. I want you to have my babies.” He moved into position, pressing his cock at my entrance. I tried not to tense, but I did. His mouth crashed onto mine as he thrust into me. The pain was immediate and raw feeling.
I cried into his mouth, Tim freezing on impact. I tried not to let the tears fall, but I had no idea that it would sting so bad. He pulled away from my mouth and stared down at me.
“Fuck, was there something you forgot to tell me?”
“Maybe…”
“Damn it, don’t cry Vanessa. I never meant to hurt you. Shit.” He tried to pull off me, but the damage was already done and the pain was gone. I wanted to finish what we started. I wrapped my legs around his bottom and held him in place.
“Don’t please. I’m better I promise. Or is it you don’t want me now?” I was really worried about it.
“Babe, I want you more than you could know. You’ve given me your virginity. I’ll just go slow, okay?”
I nodded. He swirled his hips stretching my walls some more. I let out a soft sigh; my pleasure was building fast. I purred when he pulled out slightly before working back in. He groaned and watched every expression on my face like he was testing my reaction.
He pulled out then stroked deeper this time. “Do you like that, my love?”
“Yes, Tim. Oh please. More.” I felt his thickness continue to stretch me wide. It was an amazing feeling. I cried out after a few mo
re thrusts, coming on his cock. My body shook and I almost collapsed in complete euphoria. His body rocked and then I felt it. His release splashed my walls, coating them with his cum.
“Mine,” he roared, pumping the rest of his load deep within me.
“I love you, Vanessa, so very much.” He took my mouth, stopping me from saying the words that thumped in my heart. I pulled his hair, tugging his face away from mine. Looking into his eyes, I let him know that he wasn’t alone in this.
“I love you, too. With everything I am.”
“I know,” he whispered absentmindedly, kissing me again.
I felt like a fool for having even mentioning my love now. He knows…what a dick. I pushed his face away again. “I knew you figured out that I loved you a long time ago, but I never actually said it out loud,” I said in a hiss.
He tipped my chin to look at me with a confused expression on his face. “Honey, I didn’t know you loved me until a little while ago when you gave me your virginity. Then I knew. Why are you mad?”
“But when you sent me that text when I went back to school?” Could he have meant that he was already in love? I closed my eyes.
“Open those eyelids for me so I can look at your face.” I did as he commanded. “I remember what you’re talking about. I was talking about myself. I was already there, madly in love with you. When you didn’t respond back, I thought it was because I rushed it and you didn’t feel the same.”
“No, I just thought you were cocky and didn’t love me back.”
“God no. I knew from the start that you were mine. I told you every chance I got.”
“Yes, but I didn’t believe it.”
“I hope you do now, but I do. I want to spend the rest of our lives together. Fucking, making babies, and watching them grow.”
“I’d like that, so very much.” He reached down to where his pants were and pulled something out. As soon as I saw the box, I knew what it was. He knelt on the bed, while I sat up. I bit my lip in anticipation. The tears were in my eyes as I watched him nervously open the box.
