by J J Loraine
I take a deep breath and try to steady myself.
Why does Lacey still have to be so mean? It’s over, right? Carson’s back and he won the big game... I guess it wasn’t for her dad, though.
Shit. Why can’t I stand up for myself? I used to have no problem standing up for Carson, but I’ve always struggled defending personal attacks directed towards me.
I’m not a coward... at least, I don’t think I am, but I always get so emotional when push comes to shove. I just wish I could take what I want for once... but that was always Carson’s forte; not mine.
Memories of our friendship rush through my mind as I look out into the empty darkness. What could we have done differently? What could I have done differently?
I remember all those games I cheered him on from the stands, ignorant to the fact that it was football that would tear us apart in the end. He seemed so happy on the field, though... how could I ever even think of taking that away from him? If only he had cared for me half as much as he cared for the sport... if only he knew how much I had truly card about him... how much I still do...
I slink down against the storefront window until I’m sitting on the sidewalk. I can still see the light of Chacho’s down the block. I feel safer in the dark.
My gaze lingers on the little restaurant, almost like I’m waiting to see Lacey come out looking for me. Instead, I see the figure of a man entering the establishment.
He’s got a way about him that seems oddly familiar. He’s also fairly tall...
The way he dips under the top of the doorway reminds of Carson...
I shake my head.
I just can’t seem to get that man out of my head, no matter how hard I try.
What an utter failure tonight has been... What an utter failure I am.
I was so sure I could beat this beast tonight, and all in the name of hunger, but it turns out I’m still starving...
You know... maybe if I actually eat, I’ll feel better. I have all this longing pent up inside of me, it’s about time I get a little relief.
I pull my burrito out of the brown paper bag in my hand. It’s so warm. I can barely even feel the slight chill that surrounds me.
I carefully unwrap the heavenly food and take a big bite.
It tastes so good...
Well, at least I haven’t lost my appetite.
Chapter 26
Carson
Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit.
I shouldn’t have walked in to Chacho’s so foolhardily. I should have cased the joint out from the window first... that way, I would have seen who was in it; I would have seen Lacey Truant.
Instead, she saw me.
When I recognized her, I immediately turned boot and circled back around to the door. How suspicious I must have looked though. I’ve known her since high school, her dad had me over to their house multiple times for dinner’s while he was trying to recruit me. If there’s one person in this entire town, other than Sadie, who could recognize me, even in this get-up, it’s her.
I curse under my breath as I push my way back out of Chacho’s. I make a hard turn in the opposite direction I came from and walk briskly down the empty street.
That’s at least three people who’ve suspected me since I left Sadie’s dorm now, and that’s not to mention Nelly, and almost assuredly her husband too.
I’m not very good at this whole undercover thing.
Still, it’s a miracle I’ve made it this far without being found out for certain.
I don’t run, but I rush away from Chacho’s so quickly I hardly even notice the hooded figure sitting down on the sidewalk as I hurry by.
There’s something about...
I stop in my tracks, some ten feet away. The scent of the person meets my nostrils. The smell is familiar, and oh-so sweet. I feel myself suddenly overcome with nostalgia.
Is that just a burrito I smell?
No. It’s something more... something more precious... something more familiar and close... it smells like home and it smells like the memories I have of my youth... it smells like...
“Carson...?” I hear a whisper come from the figure.
I whip around.
“S... Sadie...?
The face is cut off by the baggy hoody drawn over her head, but the voice is unmistakable.
I suddenly realize I’m hidden too. I rip off my sunglasses and shake my hoody off; she does the same thing.
Oh my God... it is her!
She’s more gorgeous than ever.
The half-eaten burrito drops from her hand. Her eyes don’t leave me as it rolls down past her feet.
I feel like I’ve been hit by a love train. I’m so dazed and confused. Slowly, I gather the strength to stumble towards her.
“Sadie... I...”
Suddenly In the distance, I hear the door to Chacho’s open... and then I hear Lacey’s voice call out. “Carson!?” she yells blindly into the empty street.
Sadie and I both look up immediately. My eyes go wide and I reach out to her. Without a word, she takes my hand and I whisk her away down the dark street.
Chapter 27
Sadie
The cool wind blows in my face and smacks me awake.
I thought I was dreaming for a second, but now I’m certain I’m awake. The warm touch of Carson’s firm grip washes up my arm and through my entire body.
What is he doing here?
I gaze at him in awe as he pulls me down the street. I can barely keep up. Does he know how fast he is...?
“Carson...” I say, already almost out of breath.
“Oh yeah,” he says, almost as if he’s remembering that I’m just a mere mortal.
Before I can process what’s happening, he’s already picked me up.
He literally starts carrying me down the street. We make a sharp turn into a dark alleyway and I finally manage to gather myself enough to ask a simple question.
“Where are we going?”
Carson’s strong, beefy hands dig into my thick thighs. I feel almost weightless in his grip. He’s barely even slowed down with me in his arms. He might as well be a superhero.
“Um... I don’t know, actually,” he says, finally slowing down. “Somewhere private.”
He slows to a walk and lets me down. I almost fall over when my feet hit the ground, my legs are so weak for him.
I try to think for a second. It’s hard to gather my thoughts with Carson standing there. I can hardly believe it. I almost feel like I’m hallucinating. What was in that burrito?
“There’s a library around the corner,” I offer, finally. “Sometimes the side door is left unlocked. I go there once in a while, if my roommate’s being too loud at night...”
Carson smiles that beautiful smile of his, the one where his sharp, chiseled jaw cuts through the air around him like an arrowhead -- I melt for him.
“Show me the way...” he says, gesturing forward.
I don’t want to take my eyes off of him, but I also want more than anything to have a quiet moment in a private place. There’s so much I want to say...
I turn around and start walking. Carson follows close behind. I can feel the heat of his giant, muscular body nearly rubbing against mine. Our hands tease each other with their touch as our arms sway down the dark alley.
We turn onto a side street and I point out the library.
We walk in silence down the empty street. The din of the celebration on main street barely registers anymore. Lacey’s shouts have dissipated too.
It’s just the two of us now.
I show him to the side of the library and take a deep breath. I grab the handle and pull...
It opens!
I can’t help but giggle. Carson already knows why...
“Just like old times, huh?” he smiles.
I nod.
The door clicks closed behind us as we make our way up the stairs until we get to the lounge area. We walk into the small area, surrounded my bookshelves and couches.
I wait until I’m in the mi
ddle of the room, then I twirl around to make sure he’s real.
He is. Real as ever. Perfect as ever. Here.
“What are you doing here?” I ask, as he approaches me.
The room is lit only by the moonlight that streams in through the ceiling-high stained-glass windows. I hold my breath as the giant man -- my former best friend -- steps towards me.
He’s so gorgeous.
“I came for you...”
Chapter 28
Carson
I try to contain myself, but one long look into her intoxicating blue eyes and I can’t help it.
I’ve waited long enough already.
She doesn’t answer. The heat from her body tells me all I need to know.
I lift my hand to her face and caress her soft jaw with my fingers. She leans into my palm and closes her eyes. I do the same... then I lean forward.
Our lips meet... and it’s all worth it.
All the suffering; all the doubt; all the insecurity and time apart – everything dissolves between our lips.
Our kiss starts slow, but the longer we’re together, the more passion we let escape from our mouths.
Our warm, baggy sweatshirts heave with longing. I want to tear them off immediately, but I’m patient. Sadie’s kisses are so soft and full of love. She presses up against me and my loose pants tighten to a fault. I feel like my clothes are going to rip apart. I wrap my arms around her back. She’s so soft. Her curves wash into me like perfect waves of pure ecstasy. I’ve never wanted anything more in my entire life.
I lower my hand down her back until it’s under the bottom of her sweatshirt, then I lift it back up again on the other side. My fingers hit the bare skin of her behind and she quivers and sighs into my mouth.
I pull away, only for a moment.
“I’ve missed you so much...” I whisper. “I never should have left...”
Sadie’s eyes glimmer in the streaming moonlight. Her lips quiver and her back arches as she pushes into me.
“No mind...” she finally whispers back. “You’re here now...”
“... and for good,” I finish for her.
Our eyes close and we continue our kiss like we never left it. She feels so right being so close to me. I brush my hand up and down her back until I feel her bra strap. I unhitch it. It’s about time we set ourselves free.
In response, Sadie’s hand wanders down from my chest and below my waist. Her fingers trace the outline of my throbbing manhood. I slowly turn primal. We’re alone now, there’s no point in holding back.
I grab the bottom of her loose sweatshirt and lift it up. Our lips part again as I rid her of her earthly possessions. When her sweatshirt hits the floor, I kiss her cheek, and then her neck, and then her bare clavicle. She quivers and tears at my sweatshirt. Soon enough, our clothes are tangled up like a blanket on the floor below and we’re as nature intended us to be...
Together at last.
Chapter 29
Sadie
Carson’s tongue slips into my mouth and the giant girth of his manhood slides in between my legs.
I’m so wet for him I almost worry about staining the library carpet. I’m too enthralled to care, though. My only focus in life right now is Carson’s warm throbbing skin. I trace his rippling back with my fingernails as he picks me up. His palms sink into my ass and I wrap my legs around him. His body is so tight and hard. Every single inch of him calls to me like a siren’s song. I push into him with all the passion I can muster.
My hips sway like a whirlpool as I twist and turn him inside of me. He’s big, and I’m tight, but I’ve never felt like a more perfect fit. I let him lead me backwards until I feel the soft cushions of a library couch meet my back. Carson lays me down and wraps his bouldering arms completely around my squirming body. I whine in pleasure as he pushes deeper inside me. My nails dig into his back and he starts to thrust.
Oh, what awesome power his body holds. It feels like I’m being fucked by a Greek God. Every contour in his chiseled body sinks into my soft, plump curves. I can only hold on for dear life as he picks up speed.
I had already begun to sweat from our little sprint earlier, but now my skin is sweet and sticky from love. The sound of our passion fills the little lounge room around us. My whimpers and Carson’s groans echo off the walls. The sound of skin smacking and sticking to each other as he pumps me full of his wondrous manliness hits faster and faster, like a primal beat of pure intimacy.
Carson digs his face into my shoulder. I feel his hot breath against my neck. He gently bites into my soft skin and I’m electrocuted by his energy. Shockwaves of ecstasy course through my body. I start to shake in climax.
“Oh, Carson!” I whimper through my pants of pleasure.
I tighten my legs around his waist and constrict his throbbing. I feel his breath quicken on my neck, and then his grip tightens around my body.
I nibble on his ear.
“You can finish inside of me...” I whisper.
“Sadie... Oh, Sadie,” he growls, before letting out a long, loud, guttural moan that’s as low and deep as thunder.
I feel him burst inside of me. I cry out into the empty library, and so does he. Our voices tangle into one single chorus of rapturous relief as we quiver into each other.
I’ve never felt so alive before in my entire life.
I keep my grip around Carson tight until I feel his tensed muscles start to relax. When he’s empty, and I’m completely filled up, I let my legs loosen from around his waist. He collapses onto me and I brush his back with the gentle tips of my fingernails.
I never want him to get off me. I could die happy with his heaving body beating against my naked chest.
Eventually, though, Carson rolls over. There’s barely enough room on the couch for the both of us, but we make it work.
“I can’t believe we waited so long...” Carson finally says, breaking our satisfied silence.
“I can’t believe you’re here...” I answer back.
I roll over so I can look him in the eyes. I feel my soul stir as we gaze at each other. We don’t speak, we just stare and kiss until I feel like dozing off.
As my eyelids flutter and my mind wanders, I hear the words I never thought I’d hear.
“Sadie...” I hear Carson whisper an inch away from my ear. “I love you.”
Chapter 30
Carson
“I love you too,” she answers, as though she’s already half in her own little dreamworld.
I just want to fall asleep right here, with her in my arms, but I know we can’t. If I’m going to get out of this town in once peace, it’s going to have to be under the cover of darkness.
Still, I can’t help but squeeze every last moment out of our reunion. I feel Sadie’s warm breath against my chest and I can’t bear to move. The silence that surrounds us is suddenly broken, though, when my stomach growls like a wild animal.
Oh yeah...
I may feel emotional full right now, but I’ve still got to eat. This has been such an intense day that I’m surprised my body is still working.
Sadie giggles awake under my embrace.
“Never got your burrito, huh?” she playfully whispers into my chest.
I chuckle back. “All I could really think about was you. I haven’t eaten since before my game.”
Sade pushes away from me and gives me a look of shock.
“That long ago!” she gasps. Her soft, tender hands run down my hard, flat stomach. “We’ve got to get some food into you. You poor thing!”
We share a laugh. God, I missed her.
“You think Lacey’s still looking for me?” I ask, playfully.
“Oh God, Lacey,” she responds with an eye roll. “You know, ever since you left, she’s been so mean to me. I think she blames... I don’t know. It all seems so silly now.”
“I never liked her,” I say. “I didn’t really like her dad that much either. He was so pompous. I’m glad I went away for university... the only ba
d thing about it was that you weren’t there... the only reason I ever thought of staying was for you...”
“Oh, Carson,” Sadie sighs, as she buries her head back into my chest. I hold her in my arms and we share a soft, intimate moment in silence.
My stomach rumbles again and we can’t help but laugh.
“I can go get you something to eat. I know you probably don’t want to be spotted by anyone, but I could bring it back to the library and we could eat here,” offers Sadie.
“I don’t want to ever leave you again,” I say.
“Hmm, maybe I can order something on my phone and pick it up outside the library. I’ve done it before, just never this late...”
“What do you feel like?” I ask.
“You,” she giggles. “I’m full. I’ve never been more satisfied in my life, but if you can’t finish your meal, I’ll help you.”
I kiss her on the forehead and we sit up on the couch. Sadie’s naked body in the moonlight almost has me ready to go again. She’s so perfect. Her curves roll like waves. My mouth waters.
I shake my head.
Food first, or else I might pass out in the middle of our next session.
Chapter 31
Sadie
I take out my phone and suddenly remember why I didn’t just order food to my apartment in the first place.
Nobody’s delivering this late. The restaurants are all already either packed or closed. I decide to look a little harder this time, when I spot an interesting hashtag on my feed.
#CarsonSteeleHomecoming
I furrow my brow and scroll down.
#WheresCarson
#FindCarson
#CarsonSearch
“Oh shit,” I gasp.
“What?” asks Carson, without a care in the world.
“... You’re trending...” I whisper. “... Everyone knows you’re here.”
