I did, however, have enough left in me to smile a little as I threw him to the wolves, aka Jackson, quietly backing away.
That woman was determined when she set her sights on something. And it looks like she wanted a piece of Dean.
"Dean, this is Jackson. Jackson, this is Dean. Have at it, kiddos." Pivoting on my more sensible heels, I turned away then, finger waving over my shoulder, walking off, leaving Dean to an unknown fate.
"But..." he spluttered, eyeing Jackson worriedly.
A few people approached me to talk as I made my way to the far corner of the room, desperate for a minute to myself, and I responded at all the correct spots, smiling when the conversation warranted a smile.
I didn't feel like smiling though, I felt like screaming. I really don't even have to technically be here, I told myself. So… why am I here? Oh, that's right! Because my life sucks and I needed to get away for a bit. Oh, joy!
We talked for a few minutes, the couple interested in a particular piece, chatting about inanities, exchanging the usual pleasantries, but my head just wasn't really in it.
My cell phone rang out of nowhere, and with that excuse as my cue to leave I stood off the side and pulled it out to glance at it. It was Mrs. Carolton.
When someone else would have approached me, I lifted my phone to wave it, in answer, and politely excused myself. Heading towards the back, where the music playing wasn’t as loud, I found a quiet corner to take my call.
"Hello?" I answered.
"Bit? Oh, thank god! Listen!"
My phone line beeped and I pulled my ear away to glance at it. It was Toby. Huh. Weird, but I’d call him back in a minute. Putting my ear back to the phone, I only caught the tail end of her rant. "And pulled it right up out of the ground! Can you believe it? Well, I never! And I told him that I was-”
"Mrs. Carolton? I'm going to have to call you back, okay? Toby is on the other line and it might be an emergency."
"Oh, it is?! He was there too, you know!" Mrs. C exclaimed.
"Um... okay, well, I'm going to click over and see what's up then, okay?"
"Okay, but do be careful, dear, and remember what I said about those types!"
Huh? "Sure will, Mrs. C, bye!" I said quickly and clicked over.
"Tabs?" Toby began, not bothering to wait for a greeting.
"What's up, Tobes?"
"I need you to come home, Bit. There's been an, uh... Ow! Damn it!"
The phone sounded funny at this point, like we were losing connection. “A what, Tobes? You’re... You’re cutting out. I can’t-”
"Rit! That hurt!"
"There's been a what?" I asked, trying to understand what he'd said.
"There's been an emergency and you need to come home," he said on a rushed blurt, almost eagerly.
"Is everyone alright? Is it Rita? The baby? The boys?" Eyes widening, tensing, I started panicking, a million scenarios running through my head simultaneously.
"Oh, no!" he said hurriedly. "Nothing like that, but, uh... it's your... your, uh- Your house! Yeah, your house!" He was practically yelling at me.
"My house?" I murmured stupidly, wondering if I'd heard him right.
"Yeah!"
"Toby, why are you yelling at me?"
"Sorry,” his voice lowered, tone lightening, “I was just worried. It's pretty bad, and we need you to come back home," he said in a much calmer voice this time. “Right now.”
"Okay, I can leave..."
"Immediately," he tacked on, cutting me off.
"Is it that bad?" Forcing some semblance of calm over myself, I chewed on my lip worriedly.
"I'm afraid so, sis.” His voice went low and grave as he spoke, sobering up.
Crap. Okay. If big brother was acting like that then it couldn’t be good. "Alright, let me get everything settled and I'll leave right now," I promised.
"Good. See you in a little while,” he said hastily, his words mashing together like it was all one big sentence, and then suddenly he hung up.
Pulling the phone away from my ear, I stared down at it. It must be bad if it was enough to frazzle Toby. Hell, he didn't even tell me what was wrong.
****
It was late when I pulled up, probably close to midnight, if I had to guess. I glanced at my phone to check the time and sure enough, it was.
Hooking an arm through my bags, I hopped out and grabbed my purse, then hurried up the drive.
The house was dark, except for a light on in the kitchen. Unlocking the door, I opened it and walked in, setting my purse and keys on the sofa.
"Toby?" I called, looking for the source of the emergency.
There was a noise in the kitchen but nothing more. Rubbing at the back of my neck, sore from the long drive, I didn’t bother calling out again, simply following the sound.
Sighing heavily, I walked into the kitchen, my feet dragging the entire way. Stepping into the well-lit room, I froze when I found Will standing there.
Stunned, stunned stupid, is what I felt. Standing there like an idiot, I drank in the sight of him. Everything rushed back to me, overwhelming me with emotion. Eyes instantly watering, lips trembling, my throat constricted as my heart began to beat frantically in my chest.
"Hello, Bit," he said quietly, drinking up the sight of me as eagerly as I was him.
"William," I said stiffly, not sure where my Miss Priss attitude came from and not quite sure at the moment what to do about it.
"You look beautiful," he complimented, rocking back on his heels, his hands stuffed in his front pockets, giving me a nervous smile.
"Well, you look like shit," I informed him primly, pursing my lips, crossing my arms over my chest as I studied his scruffy beard and the dark circles under his eyes.
"I feel like shit," he confessed, laughing a little, his hands lifting to scrub them over his face.
Expression pinching tight, I made a noncommittal sound from the back of my throat.
He was standing just a few feet away from me and all I wanted to do was run up to him and throw myself at him, kiss him, smack him, yell at him, anything!
But instead, I just stood there, like a statue, and gave him the quiet treatment.
"You were right, you know," he said into the awkward silence that followed, "what you said about money not being everything."
"Well, it isn't," I snapped at him.
What the hell is wrong with me?! Shut the hell up, Tabs! He came back! He's here! Ack! You're going to ruin everything!
And yet I couldn’t stop.
"I'm assuming this was the emergency Toby was referring to?" I asked casually, flicking my hand at him with a dismissive sniff.
"It was," Will insisted.
"How so?" I asked skeptically.
"There was this woman that this man fell in love with," he started, and I felt my breath leave me. "She was his best friend. He could tell her anything. The man was stupid and took her and everything else she had given him, everything he had, for granted, not really seeing what he had right there in front of him."
He took a step towards me then but stopped, unsure of his welcome.
"One day he gave her an ultimatum, and made her choose between the place she loves, the people she loves, and him."
"And what did she do?" I asked quietly, looking down at his hands as he gripped the table like a lifeline. They shook slightly.
"She was smarter and braver than he was, and she told him no. She said money wasn't everything, and he was too stubborn and hurt, taking her refusal as a rejection, to think about what she was trying to tell him. She was right."
"And how long did it take him to figure that out?" My eyes strayed from his hands and I glanced up, staring into hopeful hazel eyes.
"Not very long at all. However, he was stupid. Very, very, stupid. And stubborn and prideful and- Ah, you get the picture.”
I did, but didn’t mind hearing him say it.
“He kept telling himself he was fine, everything was fine, but he was miserable. W
hen he finally knocked his shit off, he had to build up the nerve to ask her to take him back."
"And did she?" I asked him directly, looking down again.
"He doesn't know. He was hoping she would, but was unsure of his welcome."
"How does he know he hasn't waited too long?" I prompted, pulling myself back, leaning against the door jam.
Throat working, his lips parted and he swallowed hard. "Is it too late, Bit?"
"I don't know," I said calmly on the outside, while I screamed at myself on the inside. Just because he hurt you, doesn't make it okay to hurt him!
His face changed from the sad Will in front of me, to the Will I'd met that first day on the porch railing, and I couldn't help but wonder where my Will had gone.
The man standing before me straightened his spine and boldly walked right up to me, tipping my chin up as he leaned down, our faces inches apart, haughty expression in place. But instead of a snide remark or barb aimed right at me, he surprised me. "Tell me you don't love me anymore and I'll leave. Tell me I mean nothing to you, Bit. That we were, are, nothing, and I'll walk out that door and never come back."
I didn't answer him, but felt my lower lip tremble something awful as my icy act started to crack.
He crowded closer to mine, enveloping me, cupping my face in his hands. "I'm so sorry, Bit. Please forgive me. I can't tell you how sorry I am. I'm so sorry, baby. God, I've missed you so much."
A small sound left me and I blinked and blinked, but still the tears sprang to my eyes, tracking down my face as he kissed me lightly, seeking my acceptance, asking permission.
This was my Will, I thought, and kissed him back, opening my mouth up to his, kissing him back with all the pent up frustration, anger, hurt, and everything else I had weighing on me since he'd left.
"Never," he promised between searching, hungry kisses, "never again. I'll never be able to tell you how sorry I am for hurting you, Bit. I love you. I missed you after the first day, first night. I need you. You make me feel whole."
"I love you, too...”
His arms wrapped around me and he nuzzled my neck, holding me tightly to him, like he was afraid I might get away if he let go.
After a few minutes, he pulled back enough to stare down at me. "Toby told me. You can't move, Bit. You love it here. This is your home," he said adamantly.
Reeling me back in, he hugged me to him again then, holding me tight, and I held him back, savoring the feeling of being in his arms again.
Reluctantly, he pulled away after a few minutes. "You can’t move. I won't let you."
Startling slightly, I blinked, a little surprised by his sudden change in attitude. Now he’s going to tell me, is he?
What the hell? One second it's I'm so sorry, baby, and the next it's You can't move? Make up your damn mind!
"What do you mean, you won't let me?" I demanded, frowning up at him.
He pulled back a little more and raised a brow at me. "I said you can't move and I won't let you," he said sternly, his I am lord of the manor attitude firmly in place.
"You won't let me? Won't let me?" I sputtered indignantly, "You listen up, gorilla man, ‘cause I'm only going to tell you this once! Nobody tells me what I can and can't do! Do you hear me?!"
It took me a minute to realize he'd done that on purpose, riling me up to get a reaction out of me, taunting me to get my dander up.
The look on his face, as he grinned down at me, unrepentant, said everything.
Chuckling at my suddenly surly attitude, he scooped me up, kissing me passionately as he took off towards the hall and past the living room, taking the stairs two at time.
Gripping him for dear life, I broke the kiss and watched as he led us up the staring and into my room.
"Don't you drop me! I may look fluffy like a marshmallow, but I am not, repeat, not, light like one!"
"Shut it, short shit, and let me be chivalrous," Will growled out warningly.
"What do you think you're doing?" I asked snootily.
"Taking my woman to bed. Our bed," he said impishly, giving me that huge, dimpled grin I love so much.
God, I've missed him. And he's all mine!
Walking into the bedroom, he set me on my feet next to the bed, and kicking off his shoes, went to pull the covers back, shucking off his clothes hurriedly to crawl in as he went.
Scrubbing at my eyes tiredly, I yawned at the late hour, having gotten up early this morning, but still managed to ogle his beautiful naked form.
"I'm not having sex with you tonight, sasquatch," I warned him, kicking off my heels and walking to the proper side of the bed to get in on my side, still dressed, fully expecting him to try otherwise.
This was Will we're talking about here.
With a groan as the bed welcomed me, I set my glasses on the nightstand and rolled onto my side, giving Will my back.
He snuggled up against me without a word, and buried his face in my hair, inhaling in long, deep breaths.
"I missed this, Bit," he whispered, wrapping his arms around me tight. "Missed you. I love you, baby. Never letting you go. Never again." he murmured quietly into my hair.
After a few minutes his breathing evened out, and I realized he'd fallen asleep.
I laid there, just listening to him breath, his heartbeat strong and steady against my back. Home feels like home again, I thought happily, and drifted off to sleep too.
Tabitha’s Show And William’s Tell
"You're kidding, right? We haven't had sex in a month! My dick feels like it's going to fall off," he whined. Literally whined.
I would have laughed if I didn’t find it strangely endearing. And pathetic. Hah! "And whose fault is that? Hmm? And maybe I’ve decided I don't want to," I put in slyly, sliding off of the bed.
"Really?" he mumbled, taken in by my serious expression, his raging erection a little hard to ignore as it stood out proudly from his body.
Sucker, I thought, snickering inwardly as I made him sweat.
"I'm not in the mood," I insisted, though my lips twitching as I fought them quirking up might have given me away, and tried to dash out of the room.
I made it out of the room and halfway down the stairs before he caught up to me, chasing after me butt naked, his arms wrapping around me to hold me in place.
He nabbed me up with a hearty yelp from me, sitting us down on a middle step, and yanked me onto his lap, his hands immediately sliding up under my dress to caress the seam of my panties.
We had woken up only minutes ago, and I was still wearing my dress from last night.
One of his hands smoothing up my inner thigh, one finger sliding over the hem of my underwear teasingly, I spread my legs for him. Will slipped the crotch of my underwear to the side, shifting his hips beneath me, and then I felt the head of his shaft nudging my already slick entrance.
My hand reaching out and gripping the stair rail for leverage as he started to enter me slowly, I moaned, his hands gripping my ample hips as he kept my back held tightly to his front, thrusting up into me.
Meeting him pump for eager, cock tunneling pump, I cried out, grinding back down on him, right as the doorbell rang.
"Go away!" I whispered urgently, whimpering when Will paused.
"Should we answer the door?" he whispered in my ear.
"You stop and I'll maim you," I threatened, sitting up just enough to drop back down on him.
We both gasped, and his hands tightened, gripping my waist as he thrust up, grinding upward, and then his head dipped and he nipped at my neck.
Pleasurable tingles spreading from my core outward, I clamped my inner muscles around his shaft on his next upward thrust to meet my downward shove.
"Turn around and lean over the stairs," he growled out, his movements already gone jerky, tapping my ass.
I complied, and was rewarded with a harsh thrust back home after he'd quickly yanked my panties down and lined his cock up, the head of is shaft pressing into my pussy to stop, then slamming forward.
"We don't have much time, Bit," he panted out, his hips working, pounding into me.
I released my grip on one of the steps, allowing my hand to slide down my belly and lower, to circle my clit, rubbing my pleasure button, alternately pinching it gently and rubbing my thumb over it, sending sparks shooting through my core.
Will changed his angle a little and his shaft stroked against me, deep inside of me, just right, sending me over with a harsh gasp that turned into a long moan.
Will's pace became frantic, and he punctuated his thrusts, going as deep as my body would allow, to pull out almost all the way to the tip, and slam right back in.
Our bodies slapped together loudly as he groaned and thrust a few more times, his hot seed bathing my womb as he came deep inside of me, my body still twitching in bliss from my own sudden orgasm as he climaxed.
"Bit?" Toby called from the other side of the door, ringing the doorbell again, knocking persistently.
"Go away, lumberjack! I'm making sweet, passionate love to your sister!" Will hollered at the door.
"Will!" I shrieked, smacking at him, turning my head to the side to glare at his smirking face, fighting to keep the smile off of my own as I tried to berate him and failed miserably.
He just grinned and kissed my neck.
"Ahhh! Ugh! That's just nasty, Ass-hat! I'm going to have nightmares after that one! God da- Mother fuc- Don't shout things like that at me!"
"You're going to get an eyeful of my naked, hairy ass if you’re stupid enough to set foot in this house, big brother dear, so I suggest you fuck off and come back later!" Then, as if Will hadn’t said enough, “Your sister’s sweet, naked rump, too!”
My hands slapped at him, but he wouldn’t have known, he was quietly laughing his smarmy ass off so hard.
"Oh my word! That man is a heathen! Did you hear him?!" Mrs. C caterwauled, outraged, from the door, as well.
"How many people do you have out there?" Will yelled, enjoying the verbal sparring as we stood there in a very compromising position on my stairs.
When I nudged him, motioning that we should get a move on, Will got up, giving my bottom a hearty smack that echoed in the small space.
When She Least Expected It Page 15
