Riding It Out

by Jennifer Foor

  He went faster, pulling out onto the open road and riding away. My knees felt weak as I fell down on the dirt road. Reed was gone and I needed to learn how to deal with it.

  I looked up when I heard the motor appear as if it was coming back. Just as I stood up, I saw him turning back in. I ambled toward the oncoming bike. When he stopped and took off his helmet, I was right in front of him waiting.

  “You came back?”

  “Yeah. I had to give it one more go. Did you run after me?” Obviously he hadn’t seen me flailing my arms around screaming.

  “I did.” I swallowed the lump in my throat and continued. “I made a mistake, Reed. You were right about everything. I’ve just been too stubborn to admit it.”

  He climbed off the motorcycle and walked up to break the distance between the two of us. “So what now, Erica?” He took my hair and put it over my shoulders. “What happens now?”

  I giggled and looked up into those dark eyes. “I guess you get yourself a paintbrush.”

  He held me close, leaning forward and letting our lips brush. “First we need to do this.” His kiss was just like I’d remembered, deep and passionate. The longer it lasted the more I knew how right it felt.

  After our long needed embrace, we walked back to the old bed and breakfast. Reed parked his motorcycle and got his bag out of the compartment under his seat. “I’ll get the rest of my things from my hotel room later. So which room is mine?”

  I hugged him again, leaning my head against his strong body. “The one that I’m staying in.”

  It must have been the right answer, because Reed picked me up and carried me inside, while placing those perfect kisses all over my face.

  We didn’t know what the future held, or even if the bed and breakfast would work out, but for now we’d both found what we were looking for.

  Reed

  Chapter 1

  They say when it rains it pours, and I’ve been able to agree that I find that to be true. Though I never imagined what came after the storm, a hurricane was brewing. I just didn’t know it yet.

  Coming back to Maryland was probably a terrible idea. My thoughts of Erica had tainted my plans. Sure, I had the money, and a new life at that, but I was too close to the old one not to have concerns.

  There was much she didn’t know about me, and with that truth lingering over my head, I worried if it would prevent us from being happy. Erica had asked if I was running from something. If she only knew the truth; what I’d been through in order to get to where I was today. I wished to God I could tell her, even though I knew for a fact that it would only bring me hardship, and break her heart, which was something I wasn’t willing to do. If I was honest about one thing it was my feelings for her. She was the only constant in my life; the one thing I could hold onto and know was all mine. I hadn’t stolen her, or damaged her innocence. She had to remain that way, because I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if what I’d done changed her.

  I was going to have to bury my secret, hoping that it wouldn’t someday come back and bite me in the ass. If anyone recognized me all bets were off.

  The best thing about the bed and breakfast was that it was secluded. The small town around us left little outsiders. She had a good bit of old clientele, and even the new travelers seemed to mind their own business.

  Since I’d changed my appearance drastically in the past year, I knew I wouldn’t be recognized easily. My once shaved head was now full of thick wavy-brown hair. I’d even grown a goatee for a time to provide more of a disguise. I suppose it wouldn’t be called that anymore. I was Reed, and this was how I was supposed to look. I was a business owner, and an investor. I had an opportunity to start over, after so many years of struggling with my past. I’d made it this far, and vowed to never look back at everything I’d left behind. No one could know who I used to be, or what I’d done to become the person I was now. It was impertinent to bury my demons.

  The sound of the porch door swinging caught my attention. Every morning we’d wake up and have coffee together, provided that Erica woke up before it was lunchtime. That woman could sleep like no other, and I wasn’t complaining. Her exhaustion usually occurred after we’d been up half the night fucking.

  On this particular morning the dew was still glistening off the grass from the newly risen sun. Birds sung from the trees, and it smelled like one of the neighboring farmers had tilled their land. The local rooster crowed in the distance and I heard my girlfriend snicker as she sat down on the porch swing beside me with a large mug in her hand. “One day I’m going to find that bird and beat the shit out of it.”

  I placed my arm behind her back and pulled her close, kissing the top of her head. “You wouldn’t harm a fly.”

  “He wakes me up every morning. Something’s got to give.”

  I chuckled quietly, seeing as she was so grumpy in the morning. “You’d rather hear the sound of emergency vehicles, airplanes, and car horns?”

  She sipped on her hot beverage. “No, smart ass. I’d just rather sleep past seven when we don’t have guests.”

  I had to appreciate how busy we’d been in the past few months. It seemed as though her aunt had built up a great bit of regulars. Even though we both had a lot to learn about running a business, for the most part the bed and breakfast ran itself. Aside from frequent trips to the grocery store, we got to relax each day in the comfort of where we both resided.

  I had zero regrets when it came to being with Erica. I knew she was the woman I wanted to be with. My regrets were for everything I’d done to get me to this point. Had it not been for them though, I never would have met her. Whatever sick and twisted road I’d taken to get here, I wasn’t going to look back and feel remorseful. I couldn’t let myself do that, because it would mean that this life I was living wasn’t my life at all.

  “Speaking of asses,” I changed the subject. “What took you so long to come to bed last night? Are we boarding a stud that caught your eye?”

  She raised her brow from behind her large mug. “Wouldn’t you like to know?” I appreciated when I could get her to smile.

  I pulled her shoulder against mine with my arm that happened to be around her back. “That wasn’t the answer I was hoping for.”

  She giggled and nestled her face into my chest. “I love it when you’re jealous.”

  “So really, what took you so long to come to bed?” Usually she was the first one to go up. I’d waited until I couldn’t keep my eyes open any longer.

  “I was reading a book. I had twenty pages left and didn’t want to disturb you with the lamp being on. Why do you care anyway?”

  I shrugged. “Well, I had laid there for nearly a half an hour naked. Then when you didn’t show I said screw it and put my pants back on.”

  She slapped me lightly on the chest. “Shut up. You did not. I know for a fact that you would have just fallen asleep like that.” Erica sat up abruptly. “Oh shit! My mom and sister are coming tonight aren’t they?” She answered for herself before I got the chance. “Shit! I forgot all about it. We’ve got to get moving. There’s so much to do. This house is a mess, and we need to go to the st-.”

  “Calm down. We’ll get everything done before they get here,” I assured her. “It’s not like they haven’t been here before.”

  “They haven’t since we’ve been living together, Reed. Don’t you get it? They are coming to be nosey.”

  “What?” I tightened my grimace as she got up and began to pace. “They’re coming to visit you.”

  “They’re coming to pry into my love life and pick it apart. It’s what they do. They don’t know you, so they’ll be up your ass picking at everything they can. Ugh, I never should have agreed to this. Do you know my sister actually had the nerve to text me last week and ask if you’ve ever been arrested, or had a record? They’re relentless!”

  I had to remain calm, even though the idea of them prying didn’t sit well with me either. Erica needed to know that everything was going to be fine,
even if I had to go to extremes to make sure of it.

  “Babe, it’ll be fine. I’ve never been arrested. My record is clean. I can give them the number to the Marine Corp where they can look me up. It’ll be fine.” It was the truth. They could look up my name and see that for themselves. What I worried about was them digging deeper. Since she’d never mentioned this to me before I knew it had been bothering her for sometime. She trusted me, valuing what I’d told her to be the truth. In her eyes she shouldn’t have anything to worry about, so all of this freaking out was derived from her being angry that they’d pry at all. As long as I kept the blame in their direction she wouldn’t get the vibe that there really was something I could be hiding from her.

  It never failed. The more I wanted to get away from that life, the more it continued to bite me in the ass. “It’s for three days. We’ll have a fine time. They’ll think I’m the greatest gift to men when they’re here, and once they leave you won’t have to worry about it again.” I placed my hands on her shoulders and waited until she looked up at me. “All I care about is you and me. I’ll behave this weekend. I promise.”

  A hint of a smile formed on the corner of her perfect lips. “Sorry. I’m just used to doing everything wrong. This new life of mine has got them suspicious. They think my infatuation with you made me jump the gun and leave my life behind. I keep telling them that it’s real, but they’ll never believe it.”

  My lips wasted no time finding her forehead and lingering there. “I love it when you’re worked up. If we didn’t have so much to do I might suggest we get it on right here on this porch.”

  “Someone could drive up at any second.”

  “That’s what makes it so hot.”

  I could tell she was considering it, giving me that snarky eye she liked to give when I taunted her to get naughty. “Be on your best behavior, Reed. Please.”

  I laughed when she pulled away and took a few steps backward. “Put on a shirt. I can’t see your naked skin and think rationally if they’re around.”

  I yelled as she entered the house. “I think I’ll go naked then. Better yet, we’ll tell them it’s a nudist bed and breakfast, and all clothes get left at the door.”

  Before I could laugh at my own bantering she stuck only her head back out the door. “If you do that I’ll cut off your nuts.”

  I waited until she’d disappeared again to begin chuckling. Inside I was a wreck, but on the outside something told me I could handle two women being nosey. All I had to do was make sure I didn’t mess up. I needed to think about what I said before it came out of my mouth, because one inconsistency in my past could put a red flag up and cost me Erica. I couldn’t let that happen.

  Chapter 2

  Erica gave me a list of things we needed from the grocery store, including expensive wine that she’d never even mentioned liking before. I found reprieve in getting away from the house for a while, since she was so worked up over her family coming to visit.

  In all honesty it took me back to a time when I was a kid. My mom had loathed her mother-in-law, so much that she moved us across the country after my dad skipped out on us. Even though I was too young to understand, I vividly remember when my grandma would make the trip to come see me and my sister. She’d treat my mother like a wet dog, complaining about every detail of our lives as if my mom was incapable. We didn’t have much, but us kids were well cared for.

  As the years passed her visits became less frequent, ending up not happening at all. My mother never seemed to mind her distancing herself from us. Now, as an adult, I can appreciate why.

  Erica was pouring her heart into this establishment. She wanted to make her deceased aunt proud and carry on her legacy the best way she knew how. We’d only improved a few things, like providing WIFI to our boarders, and making a gluten free menu in case someone required it.

  We’d picked out several new furniture pieces, and painted every square-inch of the large house. To me, it felt more airy, and welcoming. I could only hope that her family appreciated what we’d done.

  After months of living together we were finally able to relax. It was colder out and our business had slowed down because of it. Who wants to come to a place near the beach when there is literally nothing to do?

  Occasionally we’d get a traveler needing a warm place to sleep for the night, and we even had two authors that enjoyed this time of year where they could work with peace and quiet. For the most part it was like they weren’t even here anyway. They’d locked themselves up in the room for days, only coming out for meals. I suppose it was quite constructive for them, though I never found interest in prying. Erica and I had discussed a while back that we wanted the people who stayed with us to feel like we weren’t breathing down their necks. Since I had a lot to hide myself, I could understand it more than she’d ever could.

  On my drive back from the stores I spotted a woman and young boy on the side of the road. The adult was standing behind her vehicle against the bumper talking on the phone, while the boy played in the green grass on the shoulder.

  The road was off the beaten path and I wondered if she was lost, because her car was clearly still running. I could tell from the steam coming out of the rear exhaust pipes. I didn’t stop to ask if she needed assistance. Even though I felt bad about it, I knew I had to get Erica’s list done before her family arrived. Besides, if the woman had a phone she’d be able to call or search for the right way to go, or help if that’s what she required.

  It was a good thing that I hadn’t made that pit stop, because my worried girlfriend was waiting on the front steps for me to return. She ambled in my direction before the vehicle came to a halt. “What took you so long?”

  “I had to go to two stores.” I wanted to laugh, since she was acting like a raving lunatic. This was so out of character for Erica. She was always so calm given any situation. I’d seen her angry and sad, but never insane. This demeanor was borderline mental. “Who are you, and where have you put my girlfriend?” I teased when she met me at the back of the vehicle to gather what I’d picked up. I pulled her into my arms, but she quickly backed out of them.

  “Reed, we don’t have time. They called and said they’d be here early. I’ve already changed the sheets and dusted all the bedrooms. We still need to scrub the lower level powder room, and make sure that dinner will be ready promptly at six. Are you still planning on smoking that meat? If so, you need to get it going, or else it won’t be done by six.” She loaded the bag on her wrists, doubling up to carry more. “I’ll put this stuff away if you could manage getting dinner on. I also need you to box up everything in my nightstand and put it in the attic.”

  She didn’t turn around after that request, and honestly I couldn’t have even begun to respond. We kept all of our fun stuff in that drawer; the items we used to enhance our sex life. Even though we didn’t need help, I appreciated how Erica liked to play around with toys, so much that we were constantly visiting one particular shop. Erica liked to get dressed up for the sole purpose of having me undress her.

  Just thinking about it was making my dick hard, especially when I was following behind her fine ass. As soon as she placed the bags on the kitchen countertop I did the same, immediately pulling her into my arms before she had time to protest. “Reed!” She tried to escape me. “We don’t have time.”

  “Come on. I’ll be quick.” I ran my fingers over the fabric of her thin shirt. It was obvious she wasn’t wearing a bra when I hit her nipples. They hardened, causing a chain reaction between my legs. Erica licked her lips. Her eyes looked heavy as she fought for words to refuse me. I was already lifting the t-shirt over her head when the first protest came from her mouth.

  “Why are you doing this to me?” She questioned.

  I groaned while touching her. “Because I can’t help myself. I need to feel that warm pussy one more time before they get here.”

  I pressed our lips together, making sure she knew exactly what I wanted.

  “You shouldn
’t kiss me like that, not today.”

  I drug my tongue over hers. “Why? Is it working? Does it make you think about what it would feel like to bend over this counter and feel me fucking you?”

  “Yes,” she closed her eyes and whispered.

  My hand traveled down inside of her pants, beneath her panties. When I started rubbing on her clit I knew what the outcome would be. There was no denying what was about to happen between us. With a simple moan I already had my go-ahead.

  In a swift move I spun her around and pressed her down to be leaning over the hard countertop. Speaking of hard, as I unzipped my jeans I flung up at full attention. Erica’s yoga pants were easy to tug down, and she’d already stopped fighting me. The smooth skin of her ass felt like heaven against both of my palms. I knew what I wanted, and as I positioned myself to take it, I appreciated this woman’s flexibility. She liked it as much as I did. After kissing up the skin on her back, I gradually entered her. Like always she gasped at first. I enjoyed hearing the way I made her feel with each and every thrust. The harder I rammed into her tight walls the louder the slapping sounds were as they echoed in the kitchen.

  I grabbed onto the ponytail that held her hair and yanked it back. It got me going when I was in control. As my pace continued to quicken I knew I was close to finishing.

  “Oh God, don’t stop, Reed! Harder!”

  Then we heard the gasp that halted my movements. In the doorway stood her mother and sister, one with her mouth open and the other one covering their eyes.

  Erica distanced us, leaving me standing there hard as a rock, while she quickly pulled up her pants. “Mom! Oh my God! I-.”

  “We knocked.” She refused to look in our direction. “I wanted to surprise you.”