by James, Clare
TRISTAN
Back to my old routine, I walk by the diner in the afternoon. There on the bench are two of my favorite people: Cade and Amelia. It’s just like I hoped. Our days are numbered and I can’t stand the thought of missing the few visits we have left.
“Tristan.” Amelia wraps me in a hug. “I was so sorry to hear about Paul. How’s he doing?”
“As well as can be expected,” I tell her. “Unfortunately, it looks like he’s going to need more care, so I’m checking out facilities.”
“Are you sad, T?” Cade asks.
“A little bit, buddy.”
“Mommy is too,” he says and there’s a squeeze deep in my chest. “She visits your daddy sometimes.”
“Aria’s volunteering at the hospital,” Amelia explains.
“Good for her.”
“Do you want to go to the park, Tris?” Cade asks.
“You know,” I tell him. “I think I could really use that.”
***
Time with the kid is exactly what the doctor ordered. But when we come back, Aria’s waiting, juggling four grocery bags.
“Using my kid as a chick magnet?” she asks as she sets the bags down on the bench. I think she somehow knows I can’t handle her kindness right now.
“You know it.”
“Well, you better work fast,” she says. “This little man’s going to be awfully busy in the fall and won’t have time for your mischief.”
“I don’t think I’m going to be here come fall, anyway,” I tell her, knowing she will most likely be gone by then as well. At least according to the news.
“What about Pauly?” she asks.
“I’m close to accepting an offer on his business, and now that he’s going into assisted living, there’s no reason for me to stick around.” It’s what I’ve been telling myself, even though Heddy says differently. She has the delusion that my dad needs me and that he’s better with me around.
“Oh.” It’s all Aria says.
“It’s time to get back to my real job in California.”
“Sure,” she says. “Yeah, I think you should.”
“I am,” I say, feeling the heat burn behind my words.
“Good,” she replies.
“Fine.”
“Fine. I’m sure you’ll be able to make arrangements with the women out there for any day of the week your heart desires.”
“Nice, Aria.” Damn, even now she can’t resist sticking it to me.
“What?” she asks. “That’s all you ever really wanted, right?”
“If you believe that, then I was doing something really wrong the past few months.” This is bullshit and I’m not going to let her reduce what we had into something sleazy.
“What are you saying, Tris?”
“Forget it.”
“Right, just like you wanted.”
“Whatever,” I say, so incredibly irritated that I lose all communication skills.
“Okay, well, I better get these bags up to the apartment.”
Then she leaves, and I feel my heart shatter with each step.
ARIA
Seeing Tris with Cade again is more than I can take. And now he’s moving? I don’t know whether to be pissed at him and his stupid proposal, or pissed at myself for not fighting hard enough to keep him.
Cautiously, I grab the bags. Tristan watches me, I can feel him.
“I’m going up, Mom.” I let her know so she can watch Cade. Though they did suspiciously back away once Tris and I started talking.
“Here, let me help,” Tris says, catching up to me.
He reaches for a bag and his warm scent floods my space and I can’t think for a moment. I also can’t let him help me anymore, it hurts too much. So I keep walking, refusing to acknowledge him.
“Will you stop and let me carry that for you?” He’s on the heels of my feet.
“No,” I call over my shoulder.
He closes in.
“Jesus, back off.” I nudge him with my hip.
Tris follows me up to the apartment and has his chance at the stupid bags when I set them down and riffle through my purse for the key. There’s no keeping him out when I open the door.
“Why do you have to be so tough, Ari?” he asks, bringing the groceries into the kitchen.
“Because I’ve had to be, Tris. I didn’t have help in Iowa. I was on my own, and once I came to terms with that, it was fine. I was okay. And now, I’m starting all over again. I let you in. And once again when things got rough, you couldn’t listen. You couldn’t have faith in me.”
“I wonder why I’m this way,” he fires back. “You should ask yourself. Dig deep, Aria. You did this to me. You broke me.”
“And I’m sorry for that,” I say. “But I had a baby to think about. And I owed it to him, even to Alex, to try to be a family. I wanted you then, so much. But Cade has to come first. Always.”
“He does.” Tris closes his eyes, like he’s trying to fight something. “I know you think I can’t understand because I don’t have a kid. But I get it, and I would do the same thing. You know, when I would take him to the park in the afternoon, I would pretend he was mine. God, how pathetic is that?”
“I’ve actually wished for that.” My voice is caught on a sob. “I’ve wished for that so many times.”
He holds me then, and I get lost. The Tris memory file breaks wide open now as the last few months with him flash in my head. Our time at the beach house, the library, behind the diner. The thought of him touching me makes my knees weak. His rough and commanding hands; his soft and soothing touch; his frantic pace that could turn achingly slow on a dime. Always a mess of contradictions.
But it’s the time in between that steals my heart: eating Chinese food in bed; studying together; bringing Cade to the park. All those tiny fragments of life that seem uneventful or ordinary.
Until they’re gone.
I’d do anything for ordinary again.
Sobbing harder now, because I know in my heart I’ll never find what we had together, I pull away. It’s too much to take in and Tris’s comfort only makes it more difficult.
But he doesn’t leave. He stays with me.
When I finally settle down, I expect Tris to go running. Instead, he asks me a question.
“Wait a minute,” he says. “Can I ask you something?”
“Okay.”
“Cade told me that you’ve been visiting my dad.”
“I’m volunteering at the hospital,” I say.
“But why spend time with him?” Tris pulls his brows together and fixes his eyes on mine. “He was never particularly nice to you. And even now, after all that’s happened, he’s still an ass most of the time.”
“I know,” I say, happy for the change in subject. “I don’t mind. I guess I understand him now. Being left alone with a child – like your mom did to him and like Alex did to me – hurts in a way I can’t even describe. And you can resent it, like Paul did, and become bitter. Or, you can realize it was for the best, and choose not to feel sorry for yourself and instead feel sorry for the person who took off. Because they’re left with nothing; they are the people missing out. And the sad thing is, they don’t even realize it. Spending time with your dad reminds me to be thankful for all I have. I’m actually pretty lucky.”
“It’s too bad he’s never thought like that,” Tris says.
“I think he does now,” I tell him, hoping he’s really listening this time. “I think he brought you back home for a reason.”
TRISTAN
I really let Aria’s words sink in, allowing myself to feel every emotion. Her words cut to the bone, and I know she’s right. About Dad and our relationship. It’s possibly one of the most intense conversations I’ve ever had because whatever happens here – how we decide to leave things today – will determine my future.
And I’ve never felt more strongly than I do now that Ari and Cade are it for me. They’re all I’ve ever wanted and everything I was afraid to ho
pe for.
The fight or flight response that I’ve become so accustom to kicks in, and for once, I choose fight.
“I think you were brought back home for a reason too, Aria,” I say. “And it wasn’t just for a summer at home. This is where you belong. This is where Cade belongs.”
“I agree,” she says, looking confused.
“Then why are you going back to him?” I demand.
“Have you been watching the coverage on Alex?”
“I couldn’t turn away from it this time. Not after all that’s happened. Not when there’s a kid who I adore involved.”
“Tris.” She moves in and the air crackles. “We are not going anywhere.”
“You’re not?” I have to grab the counter to keep my balance.
“No.” She bands her arms around my waist now. “In fact, I’ve hired an attorney to finish off the damn divorce.”
I try to grasp exactly what she’s saying and what it means, but all I want to do is haul her into bed and celebrate the best fucking news I’ve ever heard. I want to live in this moment for the next month.
“What if he fights you?”
“I’m ready,” she says, more confident than I’ve ever seen her. “Plus, I’ve got the best people in my corner.”
I don’t wait to ask if I’m one of those people. Instead, I kiss her. Slow and deep in a way that makes you feel it in your bones.
It’s one of those kisses we never allowed ourselves for fear of getting too close, as if that didn’t happen the first time we touched each other. It’s possessive and consuming. And it feels like it lasts for hours.
***
“Stay for dinner,” Aria says after our make-out session is over.
I was hoping for make-up sex, but we were interrupted by Cade. And Amelia. And Serena. I have a feeling they are going to be a huge cock blockers, but I’m okay with it.
We’ll just have to get a little creative.
“I’d love to,” I say, knowing it’s time to address one final thing. “But could I have a minute first?”
We go to Aria’s bedroom and I prepare tell her everything about Serena. If this is going to work, we can’t have secrets or insecurities. No more hiding.
Yet I’m scared as hell this will be the final straw.
So I get through it as fast as I can with an enormous lump in my throat. I tell Aria the story of that night. And I admit to being a little too friendly with Serena at the bar, before I knew who she was. I tell her about the boredom and the loneliness and why I was there in the first place. I explain the situation with Lissa, something Aria definitely doesn’t want to hear.
But she listens.
And finally, I tell her how Serena wouldn’t take no for an answer. And how she’s been threatening me ever since.
Aria doesn’t say a word and the silence is thick in the room.
All I can think is that I’ve messed it all up again.
ARIA
I let him suffer for a little while because I’m a bit of a masochist myself. And then I burst out laughing.
“Am I missing something here?” he asks.
“Serena’s just fucking with you, Tris,” I tell him.
“What?”
“Don’t you remember this from high school? Anytime I was into someone or they showed me some attention, Serena would get all competitive? She’s always wanted what I had. But really, she needed to know she was worthy of it.”
“Are you trying to tell me, Serena was just after my junk because of some weird sister competition bullshit?”
“Yes. Oh my God, she’s gone after ever boy I ever smiled at. I can’t believe you don’t know this.”
“Are you sure? Because I really think she wanted me.”
“Sorry, stud. Not in this case.”
“Did you know she was fucking with me?” I can’t believe this is happening; I feel like such a dumbass.
“When I saw you two at the ice cream shop, I had an idea.”
“And you didn’t feel like letting me off the hook then? I was a wreck for no reason?”
“There was a reason,” she says “You weren’t being honest with me.”
“So why would she go after me, after all that time? You and I weren’t even talking then.”
“She knew, you idiot,” Aria says. “I was in love with you our entire senior year, so landing you would be a huge conquest.”
“Let me get this straight. She knew that you were in love with me senior year when I had no clue?”
“Oh, Tris.” Aria rests her head on my chest. “Everyone knew.”
The Following Wednesday…
TRISTAN
I shift Aria around, so she’s in front of me and I’m sitting on the bed.
“Take off your clothes for me,” I say. “Slow.”
“You’re going to take this one sitting down?” she asks. “Okay, I can deal with that, it worked so nicely in the library.”
“And no talking.”
“Such a bossy ass,” she whispers.
That’s when I reach out, lightning fast, and pull down her panties. Anything to shut her up.
But when I do, I reveal her newly shaven cunt and I’m the one rendered speechless. Aria would kill me if I said that word aloud, but I can’t help but think it. With her, my depravity has hit an all-time new high. And her cunt is fucking gorgeous.
“You like?” she asks.
I answer with a growl and pull her up on my lap as I lie down, continuing to move her up my body until she’s even with my face so I can have a better look.
Aria’s legs shake as I trace my tongue down her center, inhaling her sweet musky scent.
Christ, she is so ready for me.
“Tristan.” Her voice is low and rough.
“Mmm-hmm?” I answer with a vibration to her pussy. Her body shivers, and before she can recover, I flatten my tongue and take a long, slow lick.
“Oh, God,” she cries.
Unable to resist, I do it again. Just to fill my ego with her admission of pleasure. Holding her in place with my hands on her hip bones, I pull her closer, lapping her up.
She grinds onto my tongue without shame and it is such a turn on.
I slow down because I don’t want her to come this way. I want to be deep inside her when she loses her fucking mind. When all those tight folds go soft.
Flipping her onto her back, I make quick work of my pants.
“This too.” Aria fists her hand in my T-shirt.
Once I’m sans clothes, I grab the only other thing I need. The foil packet. Kneeling between her legs, I sheath my aching cock. Aria bends her legs, slightly, and lets them fall wide.
Jesus Christ.
In the very next moment, I’m at her entrance.
“I said I wanted this off,” I pull at her bra.
“And I was on my way until you pulled my panties off,” she says, innocently.
I glare at her and she slides her hands behind her back, undoes the clasp, and whips her bra across the room.
“Now will you just fuck me?” she asks.
Oh, now she’s done it.
With one punishing thrust, I fill her completely.
“God,” she cries and then says something else, but I can’t make it out.
“I love you, baby,” I say low in her ear and that has her grinding into me, threatening to end this far too quickly.
We join together, moving hard and fast toward our climax. But I need more. I need her mouth. I take and plunder, then sooth and stroke the inside of her upper lip, while I roll her nipples between my thumb and fingers. It’s an overload of pleasure and senses and soon I’m gasping for air.
Pressure low in my gut builds, causing a heavy ache in my balls and a lump in my throat. I move faster, and Aria keeps in time, as I pound into her with so much force I’m afraid we’re going to break the bed.
All it takes is one final push, and we fall over the edge.
ARIA
Mom still insists on Wild Wednesdays, e
ven if Tris is over every night. We don’t argue. Plus, I hope to return the favor just as soon as Jimmy asks Mom out. It should be any day now.
Tris and I have become quite resourceful when it comes to satisfying our urges with so many people around us all the time, but it’s a dream to have an entire night to enjoy each other without interruptions.
“Do you think it’s always going to be this way?” Tris asks. “Will I ever get enough of you?”
“God, I hope not,” I tell him. Never have I felt more beautiful, more alive, than when we’re together like this.
I thought our last time, after Alex’s visit, was it for us. I thought our sex life had run its course. I couldn’t even fathom that we’d start a completely different one. And this time around, I’m taking more and more control.
“You know,” I say. “There still are so many things we haven’t done.”
“Mmm, I like the sound of that,” he purrs.
Tris won’t admit it, but I can tell he’s growing to like the new aggressive Aria. He needs to be taken care of too, and I want to be the person to do that for him.
I worry about the things that still threaten to tear us apart. Like Tris’s new opportunity for another start-up in California. Or my looming divorce and custody battle with Alex. But I know we’ll find a way.
In medicine, there’s a rating system for the state of health. I think of my relationship with Tris in the same way. We’ve finally moved beyond a critical state to stable condition. It doesn’t mean things are perfect. There’s always the unknown – things we can’t expect and can’t explain. And that’s where we’re at right now.
We’re out of the woods – and I plan to enjoy every second.
The End
COMING SOON
FROM CLARE JAMES
DIRTY LITTLE TRICKS
Release Date: October 27, 2014
Available for Pre-Order Now
In this second book in the Quick and Dirty Series, beloved characters Stevie Sinclair and Gabe Shannon navigate through the ups and downs of their grown-up—albeit kinky—relationship.
