by D W Marshall
“Five days and your girl will be back with you.” He nudges me with his arm and my stomach clenches. I take in a sharp breath at the contact, causing him to look at me.
“So, you sure you’re okay about what happened earlier?” he asks.
“You really want to talk about Logan, right now?”
He shakes his head. “I don’t, but, I like you a lot and I don’t want to start something with you if you might still want him. So, do you know what you want?”
“The truth?”
He mutes the television. “Always.”
I look away and back at him. I know what I want, but he may not receive my request the way I hope. “Promise you won’t judge me.”
His eyes soften. “Never.”
Here goes everything. I answer the most important question first. “I want you and no one else. And, I want to show you some of my sexpertise.”
In less than two moves Taron whisks me into his arms and takes swift steps to my bedroom. I attempt to muffle my squeals with my hand. When I mentioned to Mom that Taron and I were hanging out at the house, she suddenly had plans for the night, but David is in our small office that we had made up into a bedroom for him. The house is small, and I have no doubt that David can hear us.
Taron sets me down. With him inside my room, it feels smaller than it actually is.
“Take off your clothes,” I instruct.
I slow my breaths down, so that they come out measured. He digs into his pocket and tosses a few foil wrapped squares onto the bed. He was expecting this. Even better.
His back is to me as I watch him undress; my heart flutters in anticipation. As he peels off layers, the most exquisite body is revealed to me. It’s better than anything I could have imagined. He’s a sculpted masterpiece. All mine. When he turns to face me, I’m awed by the size of his erection. The old me might have passed out. But the new me sees a healthy snack that needs attention.
“Bed,” I say.
Without responding, he follows my instructions. The smile on his face the only indication I have that he likes me bossing him around. He lays back.
I don’t delay any further. I crawl into bed and straddle his legs, then hover over his erection. He gasps when I take his full length into my mouth and suck softly at first, then harder. His moans are a soundtrack that I can groove to. His hands thread through my hair and I lick from tip to shaft and back to tip. When I pull back, I nearly laugh at his reaction. He is staring at me as if I am a delightful and curious stranger. I back away from him and stand. I disrobe with no theatrics.
“It really is a shame you waited so long to tell me how you felt,” I say. “You know, I really like you, too. I certainly enjoyed having you in my mouth.”
He blesses me with a sexy as sin smile, and a sound that is something between a moan and a laugh. Hell, yeah. I made that sound come out of him.
“Still not judging me?”
He shrugs. “Well, fuck, Brin. Right now I am kinda judging you.”
My face falls. He quickly goes on.
“I’ve decided that you are the most amazing fucking woman I have ever had the pleasure of laying my eyes on. I mean, you are killing me right now. You’re so beautiful.”
I stalk forward. “Well in that case, might I suggest you hold on to something?”
He grabs a condom, and I wait until he has rolled it all the way on. That must be a Magnum. His cock is alert and he waits for me to climb onto the bed with him.
Straddling him, I stare into his eyes before I sink down onto his length. His erection is hot against my entrance. As I take all of him in, stars cloud my vision.
Once I am satisfied with how deep he is inside of me, I contract my walls around him and rock slowly. I make slow circles around his delicious length.
“Taron, you…oh my god…so damn good.”
His hands cup my ass and pull me deeper onto him and his moans thrill me. When I stare into his eyes, I see what I think I have been looking for all along—love. I reward him by rocking forward and backward, grinding on his length.
“My turn,” he says, and in one motion he flips us over. Once he is on top of me, he proceeds to make the sweetest love to me. He plants tender kisses on my chin, neck, and shoulders. Then he peppers kisses across my chest, my stomach, and under my breasts.
Yes. Oh, yes.
He pulls back and stares into my eyes.
“You okay?”
I nod.
He slowly enters me, rolling his hips. My eyes water with how good it feels. My belly clenches and I lift my hips up for more. When his lips find mine, he bites, nips, and sucks. Then he kisses me deeply. I have never kissed a man while he was inside of me. Until now, all of my sexual experiences took place inside my lavender nightmare, and the thought never even crossed my mind. His mouth on mine makes something inside of me crash, then take flight. I want to come out of my skin. I squeeze my eyes shut to relish everything.
I feel his warm lips on my chest, then hot wetness as his tongue dances around my left nipple, then my right. He slowly latches on and sucks. Foreign sounds escape me. I feel too much—electricity, heat, friction, and pressure deep inside my sex. At the same time, I feel cool and hot air and wetness and he gets to know my skin intimately. When I can’t take it anymore I shatter into an oblivion of amazing and overwhelming sensations. I shout and cry out and he joins me. But something unexpected builds inside of me. It isn’t like the other times.
I can’t catch my breath, and I push him off of me. My mind is racing, my heart is threatening to burst through my chest. The air is stuck in my lungs and I can’t push it out, sobs are choking me. Without thinking I jump up, run out of the room, and collapse onto my bathroom floor overwrought with heaving sobs. I am squeezing myself into a fetal hug, and my arms threaten to crush me alive.
“Brinley.” Taron knocks on the door.
I don’t answer him.
I hear muffled voices in the hallway, followed by a long stretch of silence.
The bathroom door opens and I look up into Taron’s eyes.
I can’t maintain eye contact long enough to read his expression. He sits on the floor next to me and offers me his shirt. I slip it over my head. The woodsy, clean scent of him is an immediate comfort. But he’s most likely going to run after he saw that hint of crazy that hitched a ride back with me from The Chamber.
My body jerks with sobs and hiccups. I rest my head onto my bent knees. I don’t watch him, but I know that he is sitting next to me on the floor. Warmth radiates from his body, but he is careful not to touch me.
Before my little freak out he professed feelings for me, but I know he must be running through exit strategies in his head right now.
“Are you okay?”
I shrug.
“You wanna talk about it?”
I shake my head and break down again. When he reaches out for me, I fold into his arms and spill my guts.
“I don’t know what happened. Everything was amazing. But then when you were on top of me I started to freak. Not in a bad way, though. I have never done that before.”
He rubs my back. “I don’t understand.”
“It was like…like…making love. But it felt wrong, like I was not in my body…like I didn’t deserve for it to feel so good. Then…I kept seeing them and I was fighting to find you…to see you.” I don’t have asthma, but I swear I can’t breathe right.”
He makes soothing sounds and I cry into his chest. My breathing starts to slow.
“It was like I was having a panic attack and an orgasm at the same time. No one has ever touched me the way you did or looked at me that way. It was like…you were ‘in…” I pause and hiccup.
“In love?”
I nod into his chest.
“I am, Brinley. I’ve loved you since we were kids. I even told my folks you were gonna be my wife one day.”
This gets my attention and I lift my head to look up at him. “What?”
He drags gentle fingers across the
wet places on my face.
“But…you must think I’m crazy now.”
He laughs softly. “Uh, no. Quite the opposite. I think you are fucking amazing, and sweet, and generous, and drop-dead beautiful.”
“You don’t have to be nice to me, I know I’m a freakshow.”
He shakes his head. “I know what I meant. You’ve been through something traumatic that a lot of people wouldn’t have lived through so well. You faced your monster not once, but twice. I think you are entitled to freak out whenever the fuck you need to.”
I let out something that is a mix between a laugh, a sigh, and a cry. “Gee, thanks.”
“If you let me, I will love you right through the pain and the fear, until you feel just right in your own skin.”
This gets a huge sniffle-smile from me. “I’d like that.” I blush a shade of deep crimson.
He plants a chaste kiss on my lips.
“Let’s get you off this floor and into bed.”
I let him help me up and into my bed. He tells me he’ll be right back and I think I’d wait forever for him. My heart vibrates inside my chest and if I could look inside, I would swear it was warm with healing light.
He returns with a glass of water that he places on my bedside table. My throat dries at the sight of it and I gulp down half the glass. When I lay back down, he pulls me in close and nestles me into his protective arms.
“We’ve got this, okay? I’ll give you whatever you need, whenever you need it.”
I nod into his arm. “Thank you,” I say. A couple of stray tears slip out and splash to his arm. If he feels it, he doesn’t say anything. I drift off nestled in his arms.
17
The mall is the last place I thought I’d be today, but Tabitha has returned home from school and she is as wonderfully bossy as ever. Five stores later, I have a fitted, inky black Hepburn-inspired dress, a thin silver belt, and four-inch silver sandals.
“You are gonna give my brother a heart attack tonight,” Tabitha says through a toothy grin.
“He works out way too much for the sight of me in a dress to take him down.” I tease her, but inwardly I am hoping that he is every bit as excited by the sight of me dressed up as she imagines. I have been looking forward to this night for days. I just didn’t think I’d spend the entire day at the mall. I prefer online shopping—no fitting rooms, no pavement pounding, and certainly no dragging around a million bags.
She bumps me with her shoulder. “Still, you are going to dazzle the hell out of him, sis.”
Her compliment and belief causes hope to feather in my chest. Could it be that easy? A gorgeous, sweet man that can come into my life and almost make The Chamber seem more of a nightmare than a horrendous memory? Perhaps it can be true for me. Taron and I have spent the last week together, and the memories don’t sting quite as much. Having Tabitha back home has also rounded out my life.
Even David, who is pretending to be a shopper with Finn, strolling behind us, seems more part of the family than security. Mom brings him his favorite snacks, and he is always a part of our dinner table now. He is still quiet, always watching, but that is his job. I have seen his dark sense of humor pop out from time to time, though.
“I need food,” I say and steer her toward the food court. How does she keeping going without eating? My body is designed for enjoying a snack every few hours.
Ten minutes later, we’re settling in with chicken tenders and a basket of fries. David and Finn are at a nearby table.
“Girl, now that I’m done with school, I need to find a job,” Tabitha says, plucking a fry from the basket.
“What are you gonna do with your fancy marketing degree?” I ask.
“Let’s not forget my concentration in social media strategy.”
I smack my head with the heel of my hand. “Of course. We can’t forget that.” I laugh.
She shrugs and takes a bite of her sandwich. “Now that I have no debt and 150k in the bank…” She blows a kiss at me that I nimbly catch. “I was thinking about opening up my own branding company. “TRB Brand Management. What do you think?”
I smile at my best friend. She’s beautiful, smart, and brave. “I think it’s a brilliant idea. You could start right away with little overhead. Maybe Taron could be your first client.”
“Yass.” She says around a mouthful of fries and takes a sip from her soda. “Are you gonna marry my brother and become my sister for real?” She blurts out after she has swallowed.
This makes me roll my eyes. “I hardly think we’re at that stage in our relationship.”
“I give it six months. You guys are both serial monogamists.”
“Whatevs. What about you and…” I tip my head back toward Finn.
She flashes a megawatt smile. “There have been some…developments.”
I match her smile. “Yeah? I’m all ears.” I lean forward, giving her all of my attention.
She waves me away. “Later. When we’re alone,” she whispers the last word.
I mouth, fine.
“Hey, do you think you might want a business partner?”
Her eyes brighten. “Who? You?”
“Unless you can think of somebody else you’d like to go into business with besides me.”
She shakes her head at me, hops up from her chair, and lands in my lap. We laugh and hug, which draws a few stares from people, but this is how we are with each other—supportive and adoring. She leans back and stares at me with a look of worry.
“What about your acting?” she asks and returns to her seat.
“I can do both.” I don’t tell her that more and more I desire a career that doesn’t place me in front of people. It’s another side effect of a year inside of The Chamber, I guess.
“That means the name will need some work.” She taps her chin in deep thought. “Batte-Bishop, Branding and Consulting. That could work.”
I throw a fry at her. “Or you could just go with your original idea for a name.”
“Oh, I know. Tabrinley Bishatte Branding,” she says with too much excitement.
“Now you are losing your mind. I’m sure you’ll come up with something.”
“No, we will,” she says.
“Fine. But we’d better go. If I don’t get a beauty nap before this dinner date, I’ll be a grump.”
She snickers. “Damn, girl. You’re still like you were in kindergarten. During nap time, you were always the last one to rise and you were so mean when the teacher woke you up.”
“It’s how I recharge. And what about you, Little Miss Attention Deficit? If memory serves, you were that hyper kid who the teacher couldn’t get to take a nap.” I stick my tongue out at her and start gathering my bags.
She follows suit and picks up her purchases. “But we were a match made in heaven.”
“Hell to the yes. We were and still are,” I say.
“I love you, sis. Let’s go make you gorgeous-er, as if that’s even possible.”
“I love you too, crazy.”
The guys follow us out to the black sedan and drive us back to my place. Tabitha decides to try napping with me, but her hyper ass is up and she heads out of my room ten minutes later, talking about how naps are for pussies. I shout after her to close “this pussy’s door” and I fall asleep immediately.
18
After hours of primping and preparing, I have to say that I am pleased with our efforts. Tabitha and I have created a special “date night” version of me. My blonde hair is flat ironed straight and silky, creating a dramatic contrast to my dark dress. My makeup is simple and flawless with a smoky eye and raspberry lip gloss.
When I step into the living room, Taron lets out a deep breath from the couch and stands quickly.
“You look amazing,” he says. “I brought these for you.” He hands me a bouquet that personifies summer and warms me from the inside. There are fragrant orange and pink cosmos, white petunias, and bright-pink spider flowers. I feel like my smile is so big I must look derange
d, but I just can’t help it. Happiness courses through my veins and I rush into Taron’s arms to thank him properly.
When we separate, I swear he blushes. “You’re welcome,” he says.
“Let me put these in water.” I turn to rush to the kitchen, where Tabitha and Mom are hanging out. I know they must be eavesdropping. My face feels pinker than my spider flowers.
“I’ll take care of these,” Tabitha takes them from me when I rush into the room. She and Mom both have goofy grins.
“Do I look crazy?” I whisper to them.
They both shoot me confused looks.
I sigh. “I’m acting like I’ve never been on a date before. I’m all hot and pink.” I fan myself.
“Love does that shit to you,” Tabitha says and then claps her fingers over her mouth. “Sorry, Mom.”
“‘Shit’ is just fine,” Mom says. She turns to me. “Honey, she’s right. Go. Your prince is waiting for you.”
I nod and give them both quick waves.
When I return to the living room, I hover at the entrance. Taron is facing away from me, looking out our front window, so I take a moment to stare. We haven’t had sex since that first night, but damn, the way those charcoal pants fit his body, I’m thinking about canceling the date and pulling him into my bed. I bite my lip. He’s wearing a matching vest and a crisp white shirt underneath, with a black and gray bow tie that has a splash of yellow. His nerdy-sexy combo does it for me. Hell yes.
He fidgets with his bow tie.
“You okay, babe?” I ask him.
When he looks up, a calm washes over me. I think it’s the same for him. His shoulders visibly relax.
“I am now.” His smile ignites something inside of me. Adrenaline surges in my veins. I feel like I had too much caffeine and not enough sleep.
Is this what it feels like to hope you will get what you want in life?
Taron hops out of the car and shoos the valet away from my door so he can help me out. I’ve never stepped foot inside the swanky restaurant we’ve pulled up to, but I have heard about it. Atlas is the place to go to for a culinary experience. Many A-list celebrity sightings have happened here.
