Takeoff

by Becca Jameson

  “When I talk like what?” he teased mercilessly. “You mean when I tell you what I’m going to do?” He reached for her breast, confident she wouldn’t try to lift off him because she couldn’t command her legs to do anything right now.

  When he thumbed her nipple, she moaned loudly.

  “You like it when I stroke your nipples? How about if you lean over me and let me suck on them.”

  She shuddered. “Deacon…”

  He released her breast to find her hand and give a tug. “Do it. Plant your hands by my head. Lower your nipple to my lips, Rae.”

  She did as he asked, her body shaking. The moment he sucked her nipple into his mouth, she moaned again.

  He continued stroking her clit at the same time, picking up the pace, knowing she was getting closer by the grip of her knees at his hips.

  He popped free of her tit and turned his head to find the other one. Her breasts were fucking perfect. Not too big. Not too small. Pert. Sexy. The dusky nipples full and hard and engorged.

  She whimpered when he pressed his thumb against her clit as he released her breast. “Come for me, Rae. I want to feel your orgasm around my cock.”

  She gasped but her body tipped over the edge seconds later, her pussy gripping his cock rhythmically. Her head dropped forward so that her forehead touched his, but her eyes were closed as the orgasm washed through her.

  When she finally blinked at him, he smiled and ran his hands up and down her back. “That was so fucking hot.”

  “Yeah.” She lifted partway off him and slammed back down, making herself shudder. “Wow. That feels so good.” She did it again and again, finding a second wave when he hadn’t thought she’d have the energy.

  Shockingly, his cock responded with more interest than he expected. He was fully engorged in moments. It was so sexy watching her ride him with such abandon that he just might actually come again.

  Minutes later, he was certain he would, and he grabbed her hips to help her lift and lower before her knees gave out. She didn’t mind at all though. She was enjoying herself. He had to assume even post-orgasm, it felt good being filled by his cock. The friction. Some women had told him so, and evidence would suggest Rae was pleased.

  When she picked up the pace and started fucking him harder, he lost all ability to focus on anything but the amazing pleasure. And sure enough, he came, gasping as his release slammed into him.

  It took several moments to focus on her again as she lowered her body over his and rested against his chest. He was still fully impaling her, and once again, he was okay with that. For as long as she wanted. For as long as she was comfortable. For as long as he could have her.

  “Am I too heavy?” she murmured against his chest.

  He rubbed her back and chuckled. “Please, baby. Are you serious?” She weighed nothing. She was a warm blanket. He wished she would never move.

  “Mmmm,” was her response, making him chuckle again.

  After several blissful minutes, she sighed as she lifted her chest, wincing when she eased off him.

  “You’re going to be sore,” he pointed out, helping her to her back. He needed to get rid of the condom, but he wanted to stare down at her first. He loved a sated Raeann. So peaceful. Her mouth was turned up just enough so he knew she was happy. Her body was totally limp.

  She finally responded. “I don’t care. It was totally worth it.”

  He slid from the bed reluctantly to dispose of the condom and hurried back to climb under the covers with her again.

  He couldn’t get close enough to her. Even dragging her fully into his embrace and tossing a leg over hers wasn’t enough. “You okay?” he asked, brushing a lock of black hair from her face.

  “You have to ask?”

  He chuckled. “Just making sure.”

  “I’ve never been more okay nor more scared in my life.”

  He understood that. As he snuggled closer, he whispered. “Me too, baby. Me too.”

  It wasn’t very late, and the light was still on. Sleep wasn’t going to come yet. He needed to control his mind though and not let thoughts of the future ruin his perfect evening.

  He stroked her arm absently, staring into her eyes. He didn’t say anything for the longest time because every time he thought about speaking, he was concerned about what might come out of his mouth.

  His expression must have been concerned though because she smoothed a hand on his chest and whispered. “It’s okay.”

  “Is it?”

  “Well, no. But we did this together. We’ll figure it out as we go along.”

  He was suddenly furious with himself. Or with the hand life had dealt him. There was simply no way in hell he could involve her in what was about to become his new reality. He was a dick for taking her to his bed, and she was going to be rightfully pissed when she found out what he was hiding.

  He wasn’t treating anyone fairly. Not Raeann, not his parents, not his coworkers, and certainly not his innocent niece and nephew who had no idea what the hell was going on in their lives.

  He closed his eyes and let his forehead bump Raeann’s. “I’m so sorry.”

  She snuggled closer. “Shhh. Me too.”

  They both had their demons, their responsibilities, their inconvenient lives. Why was it all so unfair?

  Chapter 9

  It was late in the morning when Raeann blinked her eyes open. For a moment she was confused until she remembered where she was. She smiled as she glanced around Deacon’s room. She was alone. The mattress was cold next to her. He’d been gone a while. Not shocking. She knew he was a morning person. How he’d managed to escape the bed without her knowing was a miracle though. She didn’t sleep very soundly most of the time.

  She finally pulled the covers back and slid from the bed. She was naked, and she glanced around until she spotted one of Deacon’s T-shirts. She shrugged into it, loving his scent wrapped around her. She padded to the master bathroom to use the toilet, brush her teeth, and splash water on her face before heading out in search of the hot man who’d rocked her world for half the night.

  She could hear his voice as she wandered toward the kitchen. His phone was sitting on the island. He had both elbows surrounding it. He was leaning forward as if the caller were exasperating, his head tipped low. “I know, Mom. I know.”

  “Okay, but…” Came a woman’s voice.

  Raeann wasn’t sure what to do. She didn’t want to interrupt. She didn’t want to startle him either. If she turned around to walk away, he might see her and that would be worse. So, she kept moving slowly toward him.

  “Can you get Dad to watch Wheel of Fortune reruns or something for a few hours? He can usually pay attention to that for a while.”

  “Good idea. I’ll try that. Sorry I keep bothering you. I know you didn’t ask for this and it’s hard for you. I’m so sorry.” She started crying softly, which shocked Raeann and made her feel awful for walking in on this conversation.

  “Mom, don’t apologize. I’m the one who should be sorry. I’ll try to get to the house more.”

  “I know you have a life. I hate that I’m disrupting it all the time.”

  “No. Mom. You’re not. I promise.” Deacon finally lifted his head and saw Raeann approaching slowly. He flinched when he met her gaze. He didn’t look angry. He didn’t look anything. When he spoke, it was to his mother, but his gaze remained on Raeann’s. “I’ve gotta go, Mom. I’ll call you back later today.”

  “Okay.” His mother sniffled, making Raeann wince. She swallowed as she reached Deacon’s side.

  He ended the call and lowered his gaze. “Sorry.”

  “For what? I’m the one who’s sorry. I didn’t mean to eavesdrop. I woke up and came looking for you, and…”

  “Yeah. And…”

  “I don’t know what’s going on with you, but your mom sounded pretty upset.”

  Deacon turned away and faced the window leading to the backyard. “She should be. I’m being a dick. She’s far too kind to
me.”

  Raeann hated to see him so upset. She came to him and wrapped her arms around him. Maybe it was the wrong thing to do but she could sense he needed someone to hold him, and she was beyond familiar with that feeling. She couldn’t fix his problem, especially since she still didn’t know what the hell it was, but she could provide moral support. After all, they were friends, right?

  She held him from behind for a long time, her arms around his middle, her hand clasped below his chest.

  Finally, he relaxed and set a hand on hers. “Hungry?”

  “Starving.” She slid around to his front and tipped her head back so she could see his face. Mostly she wanted to judge his mood. See his expression. It was hard to read though. He was closed off. Shut down. He even closed his eyes as he wrapped his arms around her, hugged her close, and kissed the top of her head.

  When he released her, he went to work pulling things out of the fridge. “Omelet?”

  “That sounds heavenly. You keep telling me you don’t cook…”

  He seemed to shake off his conversation with his mother as he shot her a grin. “I can crack eggs. There probably won’t be more than a few shells.”

  She giggled. “I’ll help.” She grabbed the eggs from the counter and a bowl and started cracking them while he heated up the pan. Fifteen minutes later, they were sitting at the island enjoying omelets, toast, juice, and coffee. Raeann was starting to feel more human.

  When a phone buzzed behind Raeann, she realized the sound was coming from her cell in the living room. It happened two more times as she finished eating, so after putting her plate in the dishwasher, she went to retrieve it.

  There were two missed calls and a message from Heather, so she tapped the screen to return the call.

  “Hey,” Heather said immediately. “Sorry. Hated to bother you, but I wanted to let you know your fan club has located you.”

  “Fuck,” she muttered. “Seriously?”

  “Yeah. Two ladies came to the door. I didn’t answer it. They left a strange wooden block with a star carved on it. It’s still there because I’ll be honest, I didn’t want to touch the damn thing.”

  Raeann ran a hand down her face. “I’m sorry. I’ll be there soon.”

  “Hey don’t worry about me. I’m fine. I just thought you’d want to know.”

  Deacon’s hand landed on Raeann’s back. “Everything okay?”

  Raeann sighed. “Okay. Thanks, Heather. I’ll see you in a while.” She ended the call and turned to face Deacon.

  “Let me guess. The witch hunters found you.”

  “Indeed. They were bold enough to come to the door, and they left a lovely gift.”

  He shuddered. “What was it?”

  “A carved piece of wood with their star symbol. They like to think it will ward off evil.”

  “Do you think they’re dangerous?” he asked, brow furrowed. “I don’t like it.”

  “I don’t know. They’re weird is what they are. If they pick up where they left off when I last saw them, they’ll harass me until I go crazy.”

  “You’re not going to go crazy, Rae. I promise. We’ll figure something out.”

  “There is no we, Deacon. Don’t get messed up in this. I mean it. It’s my problem. Not yours.” She turned to head toward the bedroom where she grabbed her bag and entered the bathroom.

  “Rae…”

  She shut the door and changed into the workout clothes she’d brought, grateful to have something to wear home that wasn’t yesterday’s clothes. When she emerged, he was sitting on the bed. “What are you doing, Rae?”

  She didn’t meet his gaze as she gathered her clothes from last night and stuffed them into her bag. “Going home. I don’t want Heather there alone. I need to figure out what I’m going to do.” She was shaking and furious.

  “I think you need to call the police, baby.”

  She flinched slightly when he called her that. It was so sweet and personal and tugged at her heart, but she didn’t have time in her life for sweet and personal, nor did she have time for anything that tugged at her heart. “And say what? Two ladies came to my door and left me a piece of wood?”

  “For starters. You might need a restraining order, Rae.”

  “Against whom?” She sat on the other side of the bed to put her shoes on.

  “Okay, you have a point, but at least let me help.” He twisted around to face her, but she didn’t look at him.

  “No. You have your own issues, Deacon. I don’t know what they are, but I suspect they’re bigger than mine. I can handle a few witch hunters. You need to call your mom back and deal with whatever is going on with your parents. I can tell I’m keeping you from that.” She shoved off the bed and finished tucking things into her bag.

  Deacon stood and came to her. He didn’t say a word as he took her shoulders and set his forehead against hers. He stared into her eyes. There was a deep sadness between them. She felt it too. Like they both knew this was not going to work out. The deck was stacked against him. They’d had a great time together, and maybe they could do it again, but for how long? And how much was it going to hurt when it was over?

  She didn’t risk kissing him. Instead, she lowered her face, hugged him tightly, and wiggled free. As she was heading out of the bedroom his phone rang again.

  He answered it at her back, muttering. “Mom, give me a second.” He walked her to the door, passing her to open it. Without words, he kissed her gently.

  As she left, her chest felt tight. Heavy. She thought she might cry, but she managed to get in her car and pull away from his house before silent tears fell.

  Chapter 10

  “Sorry, Mom. I’m here.”

  “I’m sorry to bother you again. I know you’re busy.”

  “No. It’s okay. What can I do?”

  “Can you come over for a while? I know you did yesterday, but…”

  “Yes. I’ll be there in an hour, okay?”

  She blew out an audible sigh of relief. “Thank you. Your dad is having a rough day, and the kids…”

  “I know. I’ll be there soon.”

  “Okay. See you then.” She ended the call.

  Deacon shuffled back to his bedroom and into the master bath. He set his palms on the counter and stared at himself in the mirror. His life was derailing. He was forty years old, and suddenly his world was taking a sharp right turn. He could be mad. He could be angry. He could scream and yell and curse. But none of that would do any good.

  It wasn’t Aaron’s fault he and his wife had been struck by a semi on the highway. It just happened. And it changed everyone’s lives, most especially Deacon’s because the truth was, he needed to step up to the plate and raise his brother’s kids. He couldn’t leave them with his parents any longer. It wasn’t right.

  His mother would never come out and say so because she knew it would be a hardship on Deacon, but he needed to figure things out and fast. Leaving Katia and Teddy with their grandparents for much longer was a bad idea. They were so young. Katia had already stopped asking about her mommy and daddy. Teddy would never remember then at all.

  Six months. They needed a stable home. Deacon’s father’s health was declining. His mother had her hands full taking care of him. She was exhausted. Adding two toddlers in diapers was more than she could take.

  Deacon hadn’t mentioned a word about taking in the kids to Tank or any of the other guys yet. He would need to. He’d need to find daycare and probably move into a larger house soon.

  What the hell had he been thinking pretending he didn’t have responsibilities and playing house with Raeann? Now, he’d made things worse, for both of them he suspected. She’d left so abruptly, like she couldn’t get away fast enough. And who could blame her?

  When Raeann got home, she immediately picked up the offensive block of wood and carried it to the dumpster. She didn’t want the shit in her home. She looked all around the area too, but no one seemed to be spying on her. Whoever had been there must have left.
>
  When she entered the condo, she found Heather curled up on the couch with a book. “Hey. I hope you didn’t come home because I called.”

  Raeann slumped onto the other end of the sofa, dropping her bag at her feet. “Nah. It was time. He had stuff to do anyway.”

  “You seem tired. Or sad.”

  Raeann dropped her head back. She felt drained. And sad was probably the right word. “I shouldn’t have slept with him,” she blurted.

  Heather chuckled. “Please don’t tell me the man isn’t good in bed.”

  “The opposite. He’s amazing. That’s why I shouldn’t have done it.”

  “Why the hell not?”

  Raeann lowered her head and stared at her lap. “Because it’s going to make it that much harder to break things off.”

  “Why on earth do you want to break things off?”

  “There are about a dozen reasons.”

  “Please tell me one of them doesn’t have anything to do with the crazy witch hunters.”

  “That’s part of it, yes.”

  “Why?”

  “Because it will never end. Those fools will hound me my entire life. Even if I move, it obviously only buys me a reprieve. Eventually, they hunt me down.”

  “They’re idiots. You can’t let them derail your life.”

  Raeann sighed. “Yeah, you might be right. If that were the only obstacle, I would probably figure things out. But it’s not. I have other problems I haven’t mentioned to you or anyone. And apparently, Deacon does too.”

  “Deacon has issues? What’s up with him?”

  Raeann shrugged. “No idea. He doesn’t want to talk about it. Something to do with his family. I’m guessing maybe his dad has Alzheimer’s or something. I overheard him talking to his mom this morning. He went to their house yesterday and he’s going back today. I’m taking a wild stab in the dark, but I bet he feels like he needs to move them in with him.”

  “Oh. Yikes. That would be huge.”

  “Again. I’m making it up. But something about them is upsetting to him and big enough that he doesn’t want anything serious between him and me, so what other options are there really?”