by Anthology
“You know…if you ever need to talk or…”
Chas cut off his uncle’s offer. “I’m fine, Julian. Honest.” It wasn’t that he didn’t appreciate his uncle’s concerns. It was just that Chas didn’t see much point in drudging up painful memories. He’d worked hard to put Scott and Jeremy’s deaths behind him. He’d only been moderately successful at it while he was still in the service, which was why he’d packed it in and come home. He’d felt certain the change of scenery, the peaceful lifestyle, would do the trick. The sudden reappearance of these flashbacks was confusing.
Julian clearly wasn’t convinced, but he cut Chas some slack. Another reason he loved his uncle so much. He knew when to apply pressure and when to back off.
Julian changed the subject, discussing the next move in their construction project. For nearly thirty minutes, they discussed timelines and debated whether or not to consider adding overtime to a few of the men’s hours in order to hit their deadline. A couple of nasty thunderstorms had blown through Maris earlier in the week and set them back a bit.
“Well,” Julian said, looking at his watch, “it’s quitting time. You spending the night at Sydney’s again?”
Chas shrugged. “She’s working late at the restaurant tonight. I was actually thinking I should take Gran out for dinner and spend a little time with her.”
Chas felt guilty about how little time he’d actually spent with Gran since his return. Between work and Sydney, he was starting to think he’d seen more of his grandmother when he was in the Marines.
Julian nodded. “She’d like that. She was thrilled when she found out you were coming home to stay.”
“Yeah. I missed her. She’s a tough old bird.”
Julian gave him a lopsided grin. “That she is. Though I’ll admit I’ve noticed she moves a bit slower these days and she struggles with the porch stairs. I offered to build her a ramp, but you know her, she acted like I’d insulted her with the suggestion.”
“She doesn’t like to show any weakness.”
Julian crossed his arms. “That trait seems to run in our family.”
Chas caught his uncle’s drift, but still didn’t take the bait. “Yeah. I guess it does.”
They were all pretty good at playing their cards close to their chests, keeping their aches, pains and anxieties to themselves.
Sydney had pointed that out to him more than a few times over the years. She seemed to consider it a character flaw, insisting it wasn’t healthy to keep stuff bottled up inside.
She’d obviously inherited that belief from her relatives. The Sparks family were famous for wearing their hearts on their sleeves. When they fell in love, they fell hard. When they had disagreements, they didn’t bother being quiet about it. If they had a thought, they shared it—with anyone in listening distance.
“You want to join me and Gran for a bite to eat?”
Julian dug in his front pocket, pulling his truck keys out. “No. Thanks for the invitation, but I’m going home. I got a hot date with my recliner, a couple of cold beers, and the baseball game. I’ll see you in the morning.”
Chas waved as his uncle climbed into his truck, then he said goodbye to the fellas on the crew. As he drove into town, he considered stopping by Sparks Barbeque to try to talk Sydney into a quickie in the back storeroom.
The idea was tempting, but he decided he’d better head on home. He needed a shower before he took Gran out to eat and she didn’t like to have her dinner too late. As he pulled into the driveway, he was surprised to find Sydney standing there.
“I thought you had to work,” he said as he climbed out of the truck.
“I was just about to call you.”
Her quiet tone alarmed him. “What’s wrong?” He glanced at his grandmother’s house. “Is Gran alright?”
Sydney raised her hands quickly. “She’s fine. Honest. She just took a small tumble in the bathroom when she was getting out of the shower. Her cell phone was in her bedroom, so she had to crawl to get it because she was having trouble standing.”
“Jesus.”
“It’s okay, Chas. Honest.”
“She called you?”
Sydney nodded.
“Why? Why didn’t she call me or Julian?”
Sydney gave him a comforting smile. “I was closer and she knew it. Plus I don’t think she liked the idea of her son or grandson seeing her naked on the floor.”
Chas took the porch steps two at a time, rushing by Sydney and into the house. “Does she need to go to the hospital?”
Sydney followed him. “No. I phoned Tyson and he swung by on his way home from the office.”
Tyson Sparks was Sydney’s cousin and a well-respected physician in Maris. Most of the people in town managed to find their way into his family practice at one time or another.
“What did he say?”
“He actually just left a few minutes ago. She has a little bump on the head and a few bruises. She’s lying on the couch, resting. He said there wasn’t anything wrong with her a couple ibuprofens couldn’t fix. So, I gave her some Advil and a Diet Coke and she’s happy as a lark watching Judge Judy on TV.”
Chas headed to the living room, his heart still racing. He’d come home to help care for his aging grandmother and so far he’d only spent a handful of nights in her house—usually only when Sydney worked the late shift at the restaurant. Hell, even then, he’d more often than not hung out at Sydney’s place, waiting until she got off.
He was an asshole, thinking with his cock. He’d have to talk to Sydney about possibly splitting their overnights between her place and here.
Gran looked up when he entered the room. She raised a finger to stop him from speaking. “Don’t say one word, Chas. And get that panicked look off your face. I’m absolutely fine. I’m just a clumsy old woman who slipped in the tub. This isn’t a reason to declare a state of emergency.”
Chas sank onto the coffee table next to her. “Even so, you’re going to humor me. First thing tomorrow, I’m ordering you one of those showers with a door so you don’t have to step over the rim of the tub. And I want you to promise me you’ll take your cell phone with you whenever you’re in the bathroom. Otherwise, I’m getting you one of those necklace, Life Alert thingies.”
Gran rolled her eyes. “Help, I’ve fallen and I can’t get up?”
Chas wasn’t amused. “Joke about it all you like. I’m dead serious.”
Gran reached out to pat his hand. “I know you are, sweetheart. I’m sorry I didn’t call you. I have too much pride for my own good. I’d appreciate the new shower. And I will keep my cell on hand from now on.”
Chas flipped his hand over to capture his grandmother’s. In his eyes, she’d always been indomitable, a powerhouse. She’d taken him in when he was only three years old, driving six hundred miles to get him away from his drug-addicted mother. She’d tried unsuccessfully for nearly a decade to get Mom into rehab, but the heroin she loved so much refused to relinquish her. Her death by overdose had been no surprise to anyone, and Chas couldn’t recall feeling much remorse. At the time he’d felt guilty for his lack of emotion. It was Sydney who’d comforted him, had pointed out he hadn’t even really known his mother. She was virtually a stranger and it was Gran who was his true mom.
Chas owed Gran everything.
And he couldn’t keep his dick in his pants long enough to spend any quality time with the dear woman. Dammit. He owed her a huge apology.
“I’m sorry I haven’t been around much.”
Gran winked at him. “You’ve been busy.” Gran looked up at Sydney, who stood nearby. “And with good reason.”
“Even so, I’m going to start spending more nights here.”
Gran shook her head. “Only if Sydney agrees to stay as well. You’re not going to screw up the best thing that’s ever happened to you just because I took one tiny tumble.”
Sydney laughed. “Sort of a sad testament to his life if I’m the best thing.”
Chas was used
to Sydney’s self-deprecating comments. It wasn’t that she had low self-esteem. It was simply that compliments embarrassed her.
“I’ve had two very good things in my life and they’re both in this room with me.” Chas glanced over at Sydney. “I thought you were working tonight.”
“I was. Or I am. Jeannette is covering for me until I can get there.” Sydney glanced at the clock on the mantel. “I should really go. She’s been in that kitchen close to twelve hours now.”
Chas released his grandmother’s hand and stood. “Let me walk Sydney out, Gran, and then we’ll figure out dinner. I’ll find something in the kitchen to cook.”
Gran smiled, her eyes betraying that she was tired and still in a bit of pain. Chas’ chest tightened at the thought of how badly today could have gone if not for Sydney’s help.
He placed his arm around Sydney’s waist as they walked to the front porch together. “Thanks, Syd. For everything.”
“There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for that lady, Chas. She’s wonderful.”
Chas pressed a kiss to Sydney’s cheek. “So are you.”
“I guess I’ll see you tomorrow?”
He shook his head and pulled his keychain from his pocket. “No. Tonight.” He pulled the key to his basement entrance off and placed it in her palm. “Come here right after work.”
She laughed at his insistent tone. “It wouldn’t kill either one of us to abstain for a day.”
“You’re wrong. It would. My bedroom. Around midnight?”
She nodded. “Okay. But no hanky-panky. Just sleeping. Not quite sure how I feel about having sex in your grandmother’s house.”
He cupped the back of her neck, pulling her closer until his lips touched the shell of her ear. “You didn’t mind back in high school.”
“That was different. It was the middle of the afternoon and she was at work.”
He kissed her ear, then turned her face until her lips met his. “I don’t want to sleep alone. I’ve gotten used to you stealing all the covers.”
She didn’t bother to argue. Instead, she accepted his kiss, her tongue meeting his. This touch had become familiar, but it still had the power to set his heart racing and send blood rushing to fill his cock.
When his hands drifted along her back to grip her ass, she broke away. “I really have to go to work,” she said with a laugh.
He sighed and silently tried to will his hard-on away or Gran would be sure to notice it. “Okay. I’ll see you later.”
She was obviously struggling with her own arousal issues. She took a deep breath that did nothing to dim her flushed cheeks or the faraway look in her eyes that told him work was the last place she wanted to be.
“Midnight. Maybe earlier if I can kick everyone out,” she said as she turned and walked toward her car.
Chas stood on the porch for a few minutes after she left, soaking in some much needed fresh air and trying to clear his head. Julie Wilkins, the little girl who lived across the street, was riding her bike up and down her family’s driveway. She was singing a silly made-up song, the words making sense only to a small child.
But the tune and her voice triggered a memory.
Unwanted images appeared, blinding him to his surroundings, changing the scenery.
He was standing beside a dirt road in Afghanistan as the sound of gunshots filled the air. He was crouched down behind a car when he saw a toddler dart away from her mother’s arms, running toward the road.
Chas started to move toward the child, but his commanding officer put a strong hand on his shoulder, holding him in place.
“You’ll give away our position,” his sergeant whispered angrily.
Chas didn’t bother to acknowledge him. Instead he watched as the mother dashed after her baby, calling for the little girl to come back. The child was singing—not words, just some high-pitched little noise.
More gunshots fired and Chas watched the mother fall. The child turned and raced to her mother as Chas shook off his sergeant’s grip and took off toward the pair. Bullets flew, but Chas kept his focus on the little girl, willing her to get down.
Get the fuck down!
He was yelling at her, he realized, as she looked at him, crying, fearful. When he reached her and her mother, he was relieved to see the woman had only been grazed in the leg. He reached beneath her arms and dragged the young mother toward the house, the child running along beside them. His sergeant continued to yell his name.
“Chas! Goddammit, Chas!”
“Chas.”
Chas startled at the sound of his name, spinning quickly, his hands raised defensively, fists clenched.
“Chas? Sweetheart? Do you mind helping me to the kitchen? I want to get a drink of water.”
It was Gran calling out from the house. Chas glanced around, genuinely surprised to realize he was home. He was back in the States, not on some desolate street in the middle of Hell. He swiped at his brow, wiping away a bead of perspiration trickling along his face. He tried to ignore that the night was almost chilly. He shouldn’t be this damn hot and sweaty. Chas worked hard to calm his breathing, to stop gasping like he’d just run a marathon.
“Chas? Are you there?”
“Yeah, Gran.” He fought to make his voice as natural as possible. “Just a minute.”
Chas closed his eyes, hoping to block out the memory, but all he saw behind his lowered lids was the face of the terrified child, her mother’s blood smeared on her hands, the horror in her eyes. Something in the little girl’s expression told him she wouldn’t be singing again. At two years old, her innocence about the world around her had been stripped away and that wasn’t something Chas could ever give her back.
He rubbed his face, forcing it all away, pushing it down into that place where he kept things hidden. Chas couldn’t understand why it was all coming back now, but he refused to let any of it resurface. It was over—the past was dead and gone. He was moving on.
Chas returned to the living room and spent the rest of the evening successfully forgetting. Gran made it easy. They had soup and grilled cheese sandwiches for dinner—the limit of his culinary abilities—then they settled on the couch to watch Jeopardy. They laughed as they pretended to compete. Chas knew going in he would lose because he always lost to her. Gran’s brain was a damn encyclopedia and he’d been telling her for years she should try out for the show.
Then they found an old movie on TV, but Gran was asleep before it was halfway over, so he carefully helped her upstairs to her bedroom, tucking her in as she had for him when he was a child.
Chas considered watching the rest of the movie, then gave in to his own exhaustion. Taking the stairs down to his small apartment in the basement, he settled in to wait for Sydney.
Unfortunately, the quietness of the house gave him too much time to think. Too many images of his tours with the Marines kept crashing in on him. Some of the memories were good, others bad.
Clearly downtime was his enemy. In the service, he kept busy, worked hard. When he had some time off, he filled it by working out at the gym with buddies or blowing off steam between the sheets with a willing woman. As his experience in the bedroom grew, his sexual needs focused more and more on power exchanges. He stopped resisting his dominant urges, seeking out partners with submissive qualities. None of his past lovers had come close to satiating those needs, not like Sydney did. In sex, as in so many other aspects of their lives, she was his perfect complement.
He flipped open his laptop and looked up the website for the local gym. It was time to establish a routine, get back to what would now be the new normal. Chas simply needed a pattern, something that would keep his mind so occupied all the past bullshit would fade away.
He found a number for the gym. He’d call first thing in the morning for an appointment to sign-up. He would continue learning everything he could about Julian’s construction business so he would be ready to take over the reins when his uncle retired. And he would talk to Sydney about their relationship
and where they were headed.
While he’d only been home a month, and he suspected she’d call him crazy for his desire to do some long-term planning, he intended to prove to her that he was in this for the long haul. He wouldn’t have kissed her at the airport if he hadn’t known she was the one he wanted to spend the rest of his life with.
He’d always known that, but the two of them had very different ideas of what they’d wanted when they were eighteen. Chas had planned to join the military since he was just a young boy, determined to serve his country. Meanwhile, Sydney was a Maris girl through and through, devoted to her family and the restaurant.
He may have longed to see the world, but Sydney would have been miserable being dragged from one military base to another. Most of the time, she would have been living alone while he was stationed overseas. Better that she live her life where she was happy, surrounded by those she loved, than tied down to a man who may or may not return home.
So, he’d done what he’d thought was best for her at the time. He’d let her go and asked her not to wait. It had killed him to leave her, but he’d actually intended his military commitment to be a lifelong one, envisioning himself retiring from the branch when he was much older.
However, after the deaths of his friends, something had broken inside him. He’d signed up for one more stint thinking time would heal that wound, but it hadn’t. So when the time came to re-up again, he’d walked away instead.
Chas had come home in search of peace. The first person he’d seen was Sydney and he knew he’d made the right choice. He’d known from the second he’d told the Marines he was leaving that he would come home to her. That he’d do whatever it took to win her heart, to claim her. He’d been in love with her forever.
What he hadn’t anticipated was the unbridled passion that didn’t merely simmer between them. They spent every night leaping into the fire, consumed by the flames. It was the most powerful affair of his life. Though he’d experimented with his need to dominate in the bedroom, he’d never found anyone whose complete submission he wanted more.
