When wrong feels so right

by Mia Ford

  And when it was over, she would keep her distance for a day or two. I never understood if it was the intimacy that scared her, or the fact that she was embarrassed. Either way, I always gave her the space she needed, but never stopped showing up, even if it meant I had to sit on the opposite side of the dinner table.

  By the third or fourth week, the episodes became less frequent, and she was starting to feel a lot more like herself. She shone, a ball of joy, and when the doctors proclaimed her injury-free, with no further need for dressings or careful tiptoeing around her injuries, she asked me to take her out to dinner.

  Things only improved from there. We were out every day, spending as much time together as we possibly could. Bobby was starting to make fun of us, teasing us whenever he got a chance, acting like a teenager whose sister had just started dating someone new. At times it was fun to see the look of frustration on Andrea’s face. Other times, even I thought the teasing was a little too much. But I was glad Bobby wasn’t giving us hell instead.

  When I had finally worked up the nerve, I asked her to move in with me.

  She said yes.

  ***

  “It’s been a while, Andy!”

  I shook Jack’s hand, always a firm handshake from the Coventry man, and waved a hello to his friends. “It has,” I said. “The last few weeks have been quite a handful.”

  Jack nodded and clicked his tongue, turning to Andrea. “Heard about the crash. I’m glad you’re okay,” he said.

  “Just bruises, nothing serious,” she replied, glancing at me.

  Jack smiled in approval and slapped me on the back. “She’s a tough one,” he said. “I’d hold onto her with teeth and claws.”

  “Exactly what I intend to do,” I replied.

  “Good lad,” Jack smiled. “Same as always?”

  “We might be staying a bit longer, if that’s okay,” I said. “Make a day out of it.”

  Jack fished for the keys in his pocket and tossed them to me. “Just make sure you’re here before the sun sets,” he said. “Otherwise people’ll think the place really is haunted, and I don’t want any thrill seekers around here. My job’s hectic as is without having to chase kids away.”

  I laughed. “Will do,” I assured him. “Thanks, Jack.”

  “Welcome,” he nodded. “And glad to see you’re doing well, Andrea.”

  “Thank you, Jack,” she replied, and I quickly led her down the embankment to where the boats were docked.

  We had decided the other day to spend the afternoon at Eagleville Manor. It was Andrea’s idea, an attempt at rekindling that first time we were together and hopefully ending it in a better way than the last time. I had taken a couple of days off, and for the entire weekend, I was all hers. I had suggested a trip to the coast, and she told me that the only body of water she wanted to be looking out at with me was at Eagleville Lake.

  We docked the boat and I helped her out, walking up to the manor with my arm around her waist and her head resting against my shoulder.

  “Thank you for doing this,” she said.

  “Of course,” I replied. “Besides, Eagleville’s closer than the coast.

  She slapped my arm and laughed. “Really? That’s why you agreed to this?”

  I laughed. “Nah, you’re right,” I said. “The last time we were here, the rest of the day didn’t go as well as I’d hoped. It’s a great idea.”

  “Change the memory,” she nodded.

  “Exactly.”

  I opened the door and let her into the Manor. I had called ahead and made sure Jack had aired the place, and he had refreshed the flowers in the large vases, adding a little touch of his own that I thought was genius. The smell was incredible, and from the smile on her face, I could tell Andrea felt the same way.

  “What did you do?” she asked, frowning as she took in the livelier feeling of the place.

  “I might have asked Jack for a favor.”

  She looked at me, her smile melting me. “This is gorgeous.”

  “Well, it helps that we’re in a manor,” I joked.

  “Idiot,” she mouthed, shaking her head in amazement. “What else did you ask Jack to do?”

  “I have no idea, honestly,” I shrugged. “I have a feeling there will be a few surprises here and there.”

  Andrea winked at me and made her way across the foyer, this time opting to explore the ground floor before going to the terrace upstairs, where we knew we’d end up.

  I had never really seen the rest of the place, and I was equally in awe at the majestic rooms and furniture that decorated Eagleville Manor. I couldn’t understand how a pace like this could ever lose its charm. The least anyone could have done was open a restaurant in one of the wings and make use of the view. With UCONN only a few miles away, this place could have really become more than a house standing alone on an island in the middle of a lake.

  Or maybe its charm was in the fact that not many people even knew they could visit it.

  “Must have been lonely,” Andrea said as we made our way back.

  “What do you mean?”

  “All this space, and not having anyone to share it with,” she said. “It’s no wonder the first owner didn’t live long after his wife died.”

  “Great way to make a beautiful situation morbid, Andrea.”

  She looked at me and smiled. “I have darkness inside me, Andy. You’ve been warned.”

  I followed her upstairs and to the master bedroom. The bed had a fresh mattress on it and was made to perfection, another of Jack’s little touches. There was a note on the pillows.

  “Looks like Jack had some strange concept of why we were coming here,” Andrea said, shooting me a look of amusement.

  “Let the old man have his fantasies,” I said, picking up the note.

  “Are they only his fantasies?”

  I smiled and said nothing, reading Jack’s scribbled cursive: THE BATHROOM’S GOT HOT WATER.

  “You really thought of everything, old man,” I mumbled.

  “What?” Andrea called from out on the terrace where she was already soaking in the sun and the view.

  “Nothing,” I called back, pocketing the note and following her out.

  I came up behind her, wrapping my arms around her waist and kissing her neck.

  “It’s as beautiful as I remember it,” she said.

  “It is,” I agreed and kissed her again. The water looked remarkably still from where we stood, despite the slight breeze, reflecting the sky in a way that made it look like it was a blanket of perfect blue. The trees in the distance seemed to be dancing. It was soothing.

  “How much do you think those houses cost?” Andrea asked, gesturing towards the row of small structures dotting the far embankment.

  “Thinking of buying a house?” I asked.

  She shrugged. “It’s just, I could look at this forever. If I were going to buy a house, it would definitely be overlooking the lake.”

  I thought about that for a second, storing it in the back of my mind for when I might need it later.

  “So, what was written in the note?” she asked suddenly.

  I chuckled. “He was letting us know that the bathroom had hot water.”

  Andrea turned around, wrapped her arms around my neck and looked me in the eye. “Then we should make good use of that,” she whispered.

  “Now?”

  “Of course not,” she smiled, biting her lip. “I have a few other ideas first.”

  She kissed me and led me back inside.

  ***

  She looked absolutely beautiful in the light coming in through the terrace doors. The glass broke the rays into rainbow strands that streaked across her back as she took off her shirt. She turned around, giving me a perfect view of her bra and cleavage. Smiling, she sat down on the bed and pushed herself back, seductively curling her finger, gesturing me to join her.

  I took off my shirt, tossed it aside, and crawled onto the bed. I made my way towards her, and she stopped me, he
r foot against my shoulder as she slowly unclasped her jeans and unzipped them. She lifted her hips, pushing them down past her hips as I pulled them off her from the legs. They joined my shirt on the floor.

  She crossed her legs, stretching her arms over her head, her chest sticking out. My eyes immediately fell to her breasts, mesmerized by them as her chest rose and fell with her breathing. I looked up, met her gaze, and she bit her lip again as her arms snaked behind her, unclasping her bra. She let it slide off her and threw it to me, giggling as she covered her naked breasts with her arms.

  I smiled at her playfulness and crawled up to her, my face inches from hers, our eyes locked.

  “You’re staring,” she said, and I smiled at the reminder of our first night together.

  “I can’t help it,” I played along. She let a hand caress my cheek and move to the back of my head, pulling me in for a deep and passionate kiss.

  The minute our lips touched, the playfulness was gone, quickly replaced with an animalistic hunger for each other. I had dreamt of this moment for so long, waiting patiently for the day I could be with her again, feel her nakedness against my body once more, slide inside her warmth. From the way she was kissing me, I could tell she wanted it just as bad as I did.

  I showered her with kisses, following her jawline to her neck, then down to her breasts. I kissed the soft flesh, let my tongue dance across it, until I had her nipples in my mouth and I was sucking hard. She pushed her chest out and pulled my head in, silently telling me to keep going, to suck harder, to drive her up the wall.

  I let my hand slide down her stomach, then into her panties where she was already wet. She uncrossed her legs, opened them slightly to give me better access, and I quickly found her clit. I gave it as much attention with my fingers as my tongue was giving her nipples, and soon she was moaning in approval.

  “Take it off,” she whispered. She lifted her hips and I slid her panties off, kissing my way down her side until I was making my way along her inner thigh. I pushed her legs wider open until my face was inches from her pussy. I used my tongue to trace up and down her lips before burying it between them, moving it up and down, tasting her while she moaned in pleasure and squeezed her legs shut against my head.

  I found her clit, flicked my tongue against it, sucked it into my mouth. She began bucking against me, her hand pressing down on my head as if to bury me deeper into her. I slid two fingers inside her easily, moving them in and out as my tongue worked, and soon enough she was shaking violently with an orgasm, her legs shuddering around my head.

  She recovered quickly, her eyes betraying just how hot she was, how much more she wanted. She pushed me onto my back, kissing me deeply as she straddled me. She moved my cock around until she slid it inside her, pushing down on it hard and fast. Her lips quivered against mine as she moaned. Slowly, she began to slide me in and out of her. I could feel her pussy stretched around me, my cock filling every inch inside her.

  She picked up the pace, grinding at first until she was bouncing on top of me with a vigor I didn’t know she was capable of. Her hips smacked against mine. I pushed up into a sitting position, forcing her to change strategies and grind instead. I reached down and pressed with my thumb against her clit. Her breasts bounced against my face, and I quickly sucked one nipple into my mouth and then the other. Her moans intensified until she was screaming with pleasure, so loud I believed her screams would carry across the lake to the satisfied ears of Jack and his friends.

  I didn’t care though and rubbed her clit even faster until she clasped her arms around me, pulling me close as her entire body broke into shudders. She bit down on my shoulder, her nails digging into my back, muffling her cries as her orgasm hit hard.

  I pushed her onto her back, eager to keep going. I pushed her knees back under my arms, opening her wider for me, and I fucked her with a renewed vigor. She felt incredible, wet and warm and tight, clenching down on me as I moved. She was driving me crazy, begging me to go faster, to fuck harder. I had to grab onto the headposts, using them to force myself deeper inside her with every thrust.

  Andrea screamed for more, and I gave her everything I could. My hips moved like a piston, slamming my cock into her harder and harder with every second, constantly picking up the pace. When I felt I was getting closer, I let go of the rails and wrapped my arms around her, locking my lips onto hers. Her legs wrapped around me, heels pushing me in deeper, pussy clenching on my cock.

  I came hard, exploding inside her as my eyes rolled back and my head swam. It was like a rush of blood to the head, and I felt like it would last forever. I collapsed on top of her, and immediately rolled to the side, pulling her with me and into my arms. My heart was racing, and I could feel hers hammering against my chest. We lay there for what seemed like hours before our breathing finally calmed and our heartbeats returned to their regular rhythm.

  I could have fallen asleep right then and there, wrapped up in her, her soft breath warm against my chest. I didn’t want to get up. Ever.

  After a few more minutes, she shifted and looked up at me. “Want to see about that hot water?” she whispered.

  I did.

  ***

  We were back before sunset, as promised. I gave Jack the keys and leaned in, whispering thank you and getting a quick slap on the back in return. He winked at me as we walked back to the car.

  On the drive back, I caught Andrea looking out the passenger window at the lake. I hoped that, like me, she now had a new memory of the place. A better one.

  “Andy?” she whispered.

  “Yeah?”

  “Promise me something, okay?”

  “Sure.”

  She turned to look at me. “If we do this, if we pull it off and do it well, promise me we’ll try to buy a house by the lake.”

  I frowned in confusion, a smile creeping up on my face. “You want to buy a house with me?”

  “Andy, just promise.”

  “Okay,” I nodded, smiling at her. “I promise.”

  She nodded and looked back out the window. I followed her gaze and took in the view.

  A house by the lake sounded like a great idea.

  Bonus Scene: Andrea

  Now would be a good time for Andy to be here.

  The house was huge, or at least it felt that way after three years in the apartment on Juniper Hill. It had taken us six months to come to a decision on whether or not to buy it, and even then, the hell of calculating our finances was enough to make us think twice. In the end, it was Andy who had pushed for it most, telling me that if we didn’t do this now, we never would.

  I loved him for it, even though standing in the empty living room, surrounded by boxes of our stuff, I was beginning to feel that maybe we were in over our head.

  You’ve gotten this far. No reason to freak out.

  I wasn’t freaking out. Not really. I just felt like so much was happening so fast, I was worried I might miss out on simply enjoying the wins. Ever since Dennis’s arrest, and the swift and almost effortless divorce, my life had taken a turn to the better. The only problem was, after years of living through hell, I felt like I was in the middle of a fantastic dream I would wake up from at any second. That scared me, more than anything, and the better my life got, the more worried I became.

  It was almost as if I were being shown what could be, just to have it taken away from me. Like the dream would end abruptly, and I’d find myself waking up in my bed in Manchester, with my abusive husband snoring next to me.

  If that happens, I’ll slit my wrists.

  I sighed, ran a hand through my hair, and tried to decide which box to start emptying first. The move had been a disaster, the sheer volume of things we had surprising us both. It was funny how much could go into a small apartment like the one we had been living in for the past three years. Looking at the boxes now, I couldn’t even fathom where all this stuff had been.

  I turned the first box to my right around and clicked my tongue when I read the word ‘Junk
’ written in my cursive handwriting on the side. Most of this is probably junk, I thought to myself. Andy, though, had been determined to get out of the apartment so quick, he didn’t want to sift through anything. Just pack it all up and we’ll organize later, he had said. I made a mental note to give him hell about that when he got home.

  I pushed the box to a side and opened the next one, sighing when I saw the neatly packed memorabilia wrapped in bubble wrap. I’d have to arrange the living room properly before emptying this, so I pushed that box aside as well and went for the third. After four more boxes were set next to their siblings, I realized that I could do this all day and not empty a single thing.

  “Now or never, Andrea,” I said to the empty house. Bracing myself, I grabbed the scissors off the mantelpiece and marched towards the bubble wrapped couches. I had to start somewhere.

  ***

  Andy proposed after a year of us living together.

  He took me to Eagleville Manor, making sure Jack was not around to spoil the surprise, and we spent the afternoon there, picnicking on the terrace and watching the sunset turn the world into a tapestry of purple and orange hues. It was beautiful, enchanting even, and when he got down on one knee, looking as cliché as ever, I cried like a baby.