Love in the Heartland

by Diana Currie

  “Are you sleepy?” he asked.

  Maddie nodded as she pulled off her top and unhooked her bra. “It was a busy day,” she answered, pulling open the drawers of her dresser searching for one of the oversized t-shirts she was accustomed to sleeping in. Nathan walked up behind her and gently cupped her breasts in his strong hands. He watched her alabaster skin flush as his fingers trailed down her breasts and across her stomach.

  “What are you doing?” she whispered. Nathan could hear the desire in her voice and made the decision that sleep would have to wait.

  “Put your hands on the back of my head,” he whispered.

  Maddie slowly raised her arms over her head and arched her back as her fingers tangled in his hair. She thought about how Nathan’s head was shaved in June and how nice it was that his hair was long enough to be able to tug on the roots again.

  She moaned as Nathan’s hands palmed her breasts more roughly and his breathing got heavier. “Watch yourself in the mirror,” Nathan panted. His fingers pinched and pulled on her taut nipples. Her head was lax against his neck and it took all her strength to straighten it and open her eyes.

  Maddie was surprised by her own reflection. Her torso was stretched and her cheeks pink. Nathan’s expression was intense as his eyes met hers in the mirror. His hands moved down to the button fly on her jeans and quickly undid them, pushing them down and out of his way. Maddie leaned back against Nathan’s chest for balance as she stepped out of the jeans and kicked them aside.

  “Take off your shirt,” she begged Nathan’s reflection.

  He smirked and quickly removed not only his T-shirt but the very restrictive jeans he was wearing. His hands moved back to her breasts and his head dipped to bite her neck. “I want you to watch yourself come, Angel,” he instructed.

  Maddie smiled at herself in the mirror, wondering what had gotten into Nathan. He liked to find new and different ways of making her come but this was something she hadn’t expected. After a long day of travel and a surprise party she figured he would want to go right to sleep. Apparently, she had been mistaken.

  “Oh, God,” she muttered as Nathan’s fingers slipped into her wet panties.

  “My name’s still Nathan,” he teased and tugged on her earlobe with his teeth.

  His left hand reached down to the back of her thigh and lifted her leg up, resting her ankle on the top of the dresser, and knocking a bottle of hand lotion over in the process.

  “Oh, Nathan!” she cried as his fingers were able to slide deeper with her leg in that position. “Faster! I’m about to come.”

  Nathan smirked at her and slowed the motion of his fingers. “Open your eyes, Angel,” he instructed.

  She whimpered but complied, and he rewarded her with a quick and steady thrusting of two fingers inside her. Her hands were still clenched in his hair and she used her grip to balance as she stood on just one leg. As soon as his thumb brushed her clitoris she was done for. Maddie watched her own expression in the mirror as the waves of orgasm crashed over her. She also saw Nathan’s face as he stood behind her kissing her neck, and was thrilled by the desperate, lustful expression on his face.

  She closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths as the intense pleasure started to subside. She was still breathing heavy when Nathan softly cleared his throat behind her. “Go with me to the Tomorrow and Forever premiere in November. I want to walk the red carpet with your hand in mine. Please say yes.”

  Maddie was still semi-euphoric from her orgasm but she knew she’d heard him correctly. “You certainly picked a fine time to ask me, Slugger.”

  Nathan shrugged sheepishly. “I was waiting for a moment when you couldn’t refuse.”

  “You’ve succeeded,” she chuckled lightly. “Yes, I will go with you.”

  Nathan turned her around and planted a passionate kiss on her lips. “Thank you,” he whispered.

  “You’re quite welcome. Now come lie in this tiny bed and make love to me,” she quipped.

  “Yes, ma’am,” Nathan replied obediently. He would never turn down the opportunity for that.

  Chapter Twenty Nine

  “Hello, Angel. What a surprise hearing from you this early in the morning,” Nathan said into the phone as he rode down in the elevator of the hotel where he and the rest of the Spring Break cast were currently staying.

  “My little brother is boinking my best friend!” Maddie announced loudly.

  Nathan cupped his hand over the phone since he wasn’t alone in the elevator. He smiled apologetically at the elderly woman standing next to him.

  “I can’t believe this. My baby brother has been sleeping with Holly Bishop for months! I just… I can’t picture it. Isn’t that like statutory rape or something?”

  Nathan smiled at her overreaction. “Your brother is 22, Maddie.”

  “But Holly is like 25!” Maddie retorted. “Don’t you find this shocking?”

  “Your dad is years older than your mom. I don’t think their ages are really what’s bothering you.”

  Maddie sighed heavily. “I don’t want her to hurt him. Kyle’s been through so much already. Holly is my friend but she’s shallow and selfish and flaky. I just can’t see them together. And the poor babies! I can’t even imagine my little nieces calling Hollymommy!”

  “I wouldn’t worry about that. From what Kyle told me, they’re nowhere near getting married.”

  “You knew about this!” Maddie shouted.

  “Fucking hell,” Nathan muttered under his breath. He was going to strangle Kyle for getting him mixed up in this drama. The older woman next to Nathan gave him a sideways glance and he mouthed “sorry” to her.

  “It’s a shame to find a dirty mouth on such a pretty face,” the woman said just as the elevator reached the ground floor.

  Nathan ducked his head and followed her out of the elevator into the hotel lobby while Maddie continued berating him over the phone. He was staying at the Ritz-Carlton with the rest of the cast of Spring Break and they were filming a series of beach scenes that day. He didn’t want to cut Maddie off in the middle of a meltdown but he was due on set in ten minutes.

  “Maddie, I’m sorry but I have to go. Kyle asked me not to tell you about Holly because he promised to tell you himself.”

  “It was Holly who told me,” Maddie replied.

  “Well, I’m glad you know. We can talk about it later tonight, okay? I’m needed on set.”

  Maddie twirled a loose strand of hair around her index finger. “Okay, fine. But I’m not done freaking out yet.”

  Nathan smiled as he reached the conference room of the hotel where the production team was waiting for the actors. “I know, Angel. I miss you.”

  “Oh, I meant to ask you why there’s a picture of you with your arm around Blake Lively on the cover of the National Enquirer.”

  “Shit. Really?”

  “Yup. The headline says Foster Cozies up to Costar. I thought you were supposed to be dating a dude in this movie?” she asked accusingly.

  “No, they switched me back to Blake last minute.” The costume designer saw Nathan as he walked in and waved him over to where she was standing next to a rack of bathing suits.

  “Gee, thanks for the heads up. Why was your arm around her, Nathan?”

  “I don’t remember doing it. Maybe it was a scene or a cast meeting on set? I’d have to see the picture.”

  “You won’t have trouble finding in online.”

  “What’s going on with you today?” Nathan asked. He held up a finger to the makeup artist asking her to wait. She pointed her index finger to the Fitbit on her wrist signaling that they were on a schedule.

  Maddie sighed. “I’m sorry. I don’t mean to be a bitch. Thanks to Holly I woke up to that picture on my phone. Then before I even had time to process it she drops the Kyle bomb on me.”

  “I’m sorry too. Nothing’s going on between me and Blake. I love only you.”

  “I love you too,” she replied with a sigh.

 
“I wish I could keep talking but I have to get camera ready. We need to be strong, Angel. It’s only been three weeks that we’ve been apart. And we have another two months to go.”

  “I know. I’m trying to be brave. Call me tonight?”

  “It’s a date. Have a good day, Angel.”

  “Hit it outta the park, Slugger,” she replied sadly.

  Nathan turned off his phone and jogged over to Ramona, the costume designer. “Nathan, finally! I need to pick your trunks for the volleyball scene. How do you feel about banana hammocks?”

  “I think unless Borat’s making a cameo you need to put those things away,” he answered with bulging eyes. She couldn’t be serious. Could she?

  Ramona laughed and touched his forearm playfully. “I’m sorry! That was too easy! Your expression was even better than Ben’s!”

  “You got me,” Nathan replied moving his arm away from her. “What am I really wearing?”

  “Blue trunks with palm trees. Here you go,” she said grabbing a hanger from the rack. “And I think your character would have one of those beaded hemp necklaces, don’t you think? You change, I’ll go find one.”

  Nathan nodded and made his way over to the dressing rooms. Two of the female extras were exiting the dressing room as Nathan entered. They were dressed in very skimpy bikinis and both smiled as he passed by. He tried not to look at the ample cleavage on display. Nathan hadn’t realized this movie was going to be such an abs and tits parade. He noticed the young actresses were lingering, waiting for Nathan to acknowledge them. It was going to be a very long day.

  Donning the blue board shorts, Nathan headed over to the makeup station. He recognized the woman from the day before when she administered the airbrush tan he hadn’t been told he’d be getting. There was an awkward moment as he remembered her spraying him down with chemicals while he stood helplessly in white briefs.

  “Your color turned out fabulous. Didn’t I tell you how natural it would look?” she said as Nathan sat in the styling chair.

  “I have to admit I look like I’ve been on the beach for weeks,” Nathan agreed.

  The woman looked very pleased by his response. She got to work selecting the colors and products she would need for his outdoor scene which would be the first of many that day. Nathan took the opportunity to read through his script while the makeup artist spiked up his hair and covered his face with stage make up. A few of his costars wandered over and took seats on either side of him. For the next hour they laughed and told stories while the makeup artists worked their magic.

  While Nathan was being primped and prodded down in Grand Cayman, Maddie practiced her argument with Kyle in her head. She didn’t want to wag her finger in his face because she did recognize he was technically an adult, even though in her mind Kyle was still her annoying fourteen-year-old brother. She was more concerned with the twins. If Kyle and Holly really were just having casual sex then it wasn’t good for the girls to be spending so much time with Holly. Addison and Rebecca were already confused about who their mommy was since they frequently called Maddie by that name. She was afraid that they might become attached to Holly, who had the attention span of a spastic puppy. She went through men faster than shoes. When she eventually tired of Kyle, she would move on and forget all three of them.

  Maddie was angry that neither of them told her that they were together all summer long, but she couldn’t have said or done anything about it anyway since she’d been gone the whole time. When she arrived at Kyle’s apartment she half expected to find Holly’s car out front but it was nowhere to be seen. Maddie knocked softly on the door, keeping in mind one or both of the babies could be napping and she didn’t want to wake them up.

  Maddie was confused when Sherry Cleary opened the door. “What a surprise to see you here, dear. Come in,” Sherry greeted.

  “Hi Mrs. Cleary. I didn’t know you’d be here.”

  “Didn’t Kyle tell you that I’ve been sitting for the girls a couple days a week?”

  “No, it must have slipped his mind,” she replied flatly. “It’s great that you’re able to see the girls though. I’m sure they love having you around.”

  Sherry smiled and said, “I’ve thought about how fast they are growing and I didn’t want to miss out on their lives. What’s happened in the past can’t be reversed. All we can do is move forward, right?”

  Maddie nodded. “That’s a good way to look at things.” She didn’t say that if she ever crossed paths with Leanna Cleary again she would have some colorful words for her. She didn’t think she’d ever get over Leanna abandoning her children. “Um, is Kyle home? He told me he’d be here.”

  “He’s changing Addison’s diaper and getting them dressed. I’m taking them to the park and watching them while Kyle goes to work. Come on in.”

  Sherry offered Maddie something to drink and the two of them talked briefly while they waited for Kyle. Maddie couldn’t help but think about just how much had changed while she’d been in California. It didn’t sit well with her that she’d missed so much.

  Finally, Kyle came out of the bedroom and didn’t look too pleased to see Maddie there. He helped get the twins situated in the double stroller for Sherry and packed some diapers and sippy cups for the park. Maddie waited until they were gone to bring up the Holly situation.

  “I don’t want a big sister lecture from you, Mads. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you right away that I was involved with your friend but it was only because I had no idea if it was going to be one time, or two times… I didn’t think we’d still be hanging out three months later,” Kyle said.

  “It’s weird for me but I’m more concerned about you getting hurt. And I don’t think the girls should be getting attached to Holly if you’re not serious about dating her. They’ve already lost one mommy,” Maddie said as nonjudgmental as she could manage.

  Kyle looked confused. “Holly doesn’t act like their mother. She really doesn’t see them much since Sherry started coming over to help. I only needed Holly when you left for L.A. I was desperate for babysitters. Obviously; why else would I leave my children with Holly?” Kyle asked in a joking tone.

  “I’m sorry about that. I really left you in the lurch, didn’t I?”

  “You made the right decision spending your summer with Nathan. I know I can’t rely on you forever, Maddie. When you graduate and get a full-time job I’ll be in the same situation I was when you left for the summer.”

  “So that’s why you swallowed your pride and called up Mrs. Cleary?”

  Kyle shrugged sheepishly. “I did it for my daughters. I certainly couldn’t let Holly watch them every day.”

  Maddie cracked a small smile. “So, you do know how self-centered and unreliable she is? I think she once adopted a friend’s goldfish and then made her brother and his wife take it because she couldn’t handle the responsibility.”

  Kyle chuckled. “Holly told me you’d mention that story. She claims the goldfish had a weird scale fungus and it grossed her out.”

  Maddie rolled her eyes. “My point exactly. How did she handle two babies with poopie diapers?”

  “I have video of the first time she changed Becca,” Kyle said grinning. “Wanna see?”

  “Only if it will make me laugh.”

  “You’ll be rolling on the floor. She got poop in her hair.”

  “Okay, yes I need to see that,” Maddie smiled. She was starting to feel better about the whole Kyle/Holly affair. At least her brother didn’t appear to be in love. She still worried about what their relationship might turn into, but Kyle’s charm had softened her anger like it always did.

  At eight o’clock that evening Maddie was still waiting for Nathan’s call. She’d had a mentally exhausting day and was hoping to talk to him before she fell asleep. She felt bad about the way she’d yelled at him that morning but she’d been shocked to learn that Nathan already knew about Kyle and Holly. Maddie felt better that Kyle was at least aware of Holly’s reputation with men, but it didn’t h
elp her overcome the ick factor. She shivered just thinking about them together. Gross!

  It was after nine o’clock when the phone finally rang. Maddie hit the mute button on her TV so Nathan wouldn’t overhear the Love Spelled Backwards dialogue in the background. That would be embarrassing.

  “Hello.”

  “Hey, baby. Sorry I’m calling you late. How was your day?” Nathan asked. He was stretched out on the bed in his hotel room flipping through channels on the television.

  “It was okay. I had class in the morning. Then I went over to see Kyle.”

  “How did that go?”

  “Not terrible. I tried to warn him about Holly and he seemed to already know. He claims they’re just having fun and that it’s not serious. He told me his side of the story; that Holly is good company but he isn’t under any illusions that she’d make a great girlfriend.”

  “That’s good then, right?” Nathan asked. He remembered Kyle telling him at the party that he wanted to date Holly but didn’t think she was into it. Nathan decided not to mention that, not wanting to set Maddie off again. She seemed much calmer than she’d been that morning.

  “I guess. I’m still kinda mad at Holly though. She’s using my brother for his dick.”

  “It seems pretty mutual though, baby.”

  Maddie lay down on her bed and watched EVOL as she talked. “Why do you keep calling me baby? That’s new.”

  Nathan smiled sadly. “Sorry, Angel. My Spring Break character calls all the beach babes baby,” he chuckled. “I’ve been saying it all day long.”

  “Oh really? Tell me about him,” Maddie replied. “Sam, I think his name is?”

  “So, Sam is a college student down in the Caribbean for spring break. He goes down there with four other guys and guess what; they’re looking for babes.”