Wicked Flower

by Carlene Love Flores

  He turned up his car’s music and she guessed he must really like the classic Journey song because he quietly sang the first few words about loving, touching and squeezing. Her tummy squeezed double time but his singing voice left her dumbstruck and mesmerized. First chance she got, she was downloading some Sin Pointe music.

  “So formalities, as soon as we go inside,” he said and dragged his hand still further up her arm to her shoulder and then down her shirt to the top swell of her breast where his thumb rubbed over the curve harder with each stroke. Unsure whether he avoided her nipple on purpose or not, he hadn’t touched the tender spot yet and she leaned forward into his touch. He stared at her and quirked his brow, making her insides sizzle and excite. “I want you, you’re beautiful, let me see your body. Formalities.” His hand fell to the whole of her breast and he ran one finger around it in a circle then squeezed from the underside. He leaned in and licked the bottom line of her jaw from her ear to her chin. Dani’s sex trembled. She knew she should stop him. Her mind blanked on why. “I can keep going.” His caress became doubly electrifying when the hand kneading her breast was joined by the other riding the curve of her waist, up and down. “Your taste drives me crazy, all I want is to be inside you, I want you in my bed, you’re leaving me no choice but to take you out here…”

  “Formalities and only in passing,” she panted, barely able to get that out. “Are, are there more?” she said, aware he’d just made her stutter.

  “My formalities or yours?” His eyes danced and shone like fiery hot black ice.

  “Mine. As long as I’m working for you, we have to keep it platonic.” Not a shred of backbone supported her breathy words. “Yours,” she conceded.

  Finally, his thumb found its way to the hard tip of her breast and pressed and circled. She almost forgot she was fully clothed because his touch stripped her bare. When cool air blew against her hot skin and his even hotter fingers searched and pressed along her hip, she knew he’d taken the liberty to venture under her clothes. Her head fell to the very edge of his soft leather headrest and all she could think of was yes.

  “Look at me.” The darks of his eyes killed her resistance the second she obeyed him. Stefan’s hungry look said he’d gone into possessive mode and that he knew he had her. The night outside felt darker. The car space inside felt deeper and warmer, all based on that look on his face. “Platonic,” he said, never blinking and not allowing her to either.

  “Yes, it means friendly. Nonsexual. Neighborly.”

  “I know what it means. I simply fail to see the point.” Her breath nearly caught when he skimmed a finger inside her panties. His fingers trapped inside her cotton undies still managed to spread wide, asking without words for a couple inches of maneuvering room. Aching with need for this man’s touch, she complied and parted her thighs just enough for him as she sat on his leather seat. “You’re so wet, you’re so pretty.” His fingers played a sensuous game of slide up and down her opening until they dipped deeply inside her. She was so overcome with how good it felt that she missed when he brought his fingers up to his lips. “Your taste drives me insane.” He rubbed the tip of his finger against his tongue and then touched it to her lips.

  Vaguely, she spoke from somewhere outside of her mind. “You said that twice.”

  Stefan’s tongue slid over her lips while his fingers trailed back inside her panties and returned to their play between her wet folds. She couldn’t stop her back from arching. “That’s because before I only wondered and now I know for sure. Your taste is exquisite, sweetheart. Your pussy’s so wet, you fucking own me right now.”

  Was she dreaming? Was he really saying these things to her or was it some X-rated song on his radio? His rough thumb found the hard nub again peaking from the top of her sex and her tummy felt like it rolled. Intense, pleasure-filled tingles pushed her hips forward. The solid strong hand he used to bring her this insane pleasure met her pussy’s thrust and pushed back. Her eyes squeezed shut, her jaw fell open and she ground her forehead into his shoulder. His fingers beat against her flesh for several minutes, hard and loud, giving sound to her juices and his thrusting. “Dani, if you could feel what I’m feeling right now … Come in my hand, baby … you’re so slick. One of these days you’re going to let me tongue you down there. Aren’t you? Say yes, Dani.”

  “Ye-yes,” Dani moaned into his shoulder as her mind fought against the pleasure about to explode throughout her body. One of these days. He’d said one of these days like there would be more in the future. The things he said to her worked like a magic eraser over her frazzled brain. Oh God, she was so close. All she wanted, all she could think about was the trembling and how good it was going to feel once the jumble of nerves punched through her clit and washed over her. “Stefan.” Her voice shook because at the uttering of his name, her body pulsed and her orgasm broke fast and strong, like a wave taking her deep under the water.

  “Yeah Dani, there you go baby.”

  “Thank you…”

  “That was my fucking utmost pleasure.” He pulled gently at the back of her hair, bringing her head from his shoulder so that their faces met. He kissed her long and slow.

  She just sat there, knowing her end of the kiss must feel lazy to him but her body was still coming down from the high. Her body continued to clench a couple seconds apart. Her heart thumped, helping remind her to breathe, even though the breaths she took were from inside his mouth.

  “Mm, and you said I couldn’t make you come,” he whispered into her ear and continued kissing her ear.

  And then she felt it.

  The squeeze that felt like it came from higher up, nowhere near her vagina. Dani stilled instantly. Stefan’s kiss stopped. “What is it?” he asked.

  Dani didn’t want to move yet. She waited, perfectly still, to see if the squeezing thing she’d felt a few weeks before when she’d masturbated and climaxed would do it again. Her pregnancy books said it was normal but she still wanted to check with her OB because it didn’t feel normal to her. A few seconds later, her womb squeezed again. She sucked in a breath.

  “Dani, talk to me.”

  She held her hand to her heart, waiting for another contraction because that’s what she feared these were, some sort of orgasm induced contractions, but it didn’t happen. Why had she forgotten, been so careless?

  The shit scared her straight, for real this time. Dear God, I’m sorry. Her thoughts were all panic and fuzz.

  “I need to go inside, Stefan.”

  Shame washed through her and she didn’t know what else to say. She’d known, had that feeling before. All she wanted right now was to get to her bed and lie down flat on her back and pray.

  “Okay,” he said. “Did I hurt you? Your baby?”

  “I don’t think so. I-I don’t know. I can’t have any more orgasms. They give me contractions.”

  His face paled and his brow crinkled. “God I’m so sorry. I didn’t know that’s what you meant.” He looked down at his lap. “What can I do?” he asked, shielding his eyes from her.

  “I just need to get inside and lay down.”

  “Okay. Can you walk?”

  “Yes.”

  Slowly, his head came back up and his eyes were moist. “Dani, are you in pain? I can’t tell. Your face, it looks like you’re hurting. Please tell me if I hurt you.”

  “No, no pain. Just a weird feeling toward the end.”

  “Do I need to take you to the hospital? I’ll drive you.”

  “No, I think it stopped now. I just want to go inside.”

  His breath came out hard and loud. “I’ll be right behind you.”

  How did she tell him that was her biggest fear right now?

  Inside the still quiet and dark house, she thought of what she needed to say to him as she sat on the toilet, wiping and checking the toilet paper to make sure there was no spotting. Praying. There wasn’t any. No cramping either. Dani’s head slumped heavily. “Oh God, thank you. I promise I won’t let that ha
ppen again. I’m so sorry, baby.”

  Still freaked out, she breathed and made her decision. One she had to stick to this time. To keep them both sane and safe, she couldn’t lose control like that again with Stefan.

  She nearly bumped into him standing outside the bathroom door, hovering.

  “Everything okay?”

  “Yes.”

  As he walked with her to her room, she turned and stopped so that he didn’t come in any further. Her hand pushed into his chest and she waited until he stopped trying to move forward.

  “I’ll stay with you. Just to make sure you’re okay.”

  His look was serious. The slight crooked part of his nose deepened his frown and told her the truth. She knew he was worried and being sincere. But no, she could not let him do that.

  “Stefan? What you did for me tonight was, um, I don’t even know the word. But it was wonderful. But I forgot something that I can never forget again. I have a little person to look out for. I’m no fool. I know I’ll be doing it on my own which is why I have to take sole responsibility for all my actions starting now.” She kept the rest to herself but it hummed through her mind all the same. Stefan wasn’t a keeper because he had to leave in two weeks. And sadly, she understood. She also knew that if she gave in to him again, she’d lose her heart.

  Maybe somewhere deep inside, she was happy he’d found a way to break the rules tonight. It just couldn’t happen again.

  “I need you to help me remember the rules. As long as we’re together in this house, we have to be just friends, or stay away from each other. I’m sorry, I’m just not strong enough to do it on my own. If you can’t make me that promise, then I really do have to find somewhere else to stay until you go.”

  Silence fell between them for a few seconds. Did it have anything to do with the reminder of his short visit? His mouth twisted but he took her hand in his and kissed the tops of her knuckles then put her hand back on her belly where he’d found it.

  “Done,” he said.

  Just. Like. That.

  She could have cried, and ended the day the same damn way she’d started it.

  ****

  Friends. Her kind, not his. Maybe Will could tell him how the fuck that worked. Because all that taste had done was leave him needing more. It was going to be a long two weeks. He had no choice but to be good. Even if it killed him.

  Watching her walk away to her bedroom, all he wanted was to lay down at her side and make sure she was okay. That he really hadn’t hurt her or her baby. He closed his eyes when she closed her door. It had been a long crazy ass day.

  Stefan shook his head and went downstairs then made his way outside and stood on the back patio.

  A couple minutes later, Will joined him.

  “Hey brother,” Will said and sat down on Mom’s picnic table.

  “Can’t sleep?” Stefan asked. “Too much Swayze?”

  Will just snorted. “So what’s up? We good to go?”

  Stefan thought about it good and hard. “I think I just fucked up pretty badly, man.”

  It was the absolute truth and he hadn’t come here to do that again.

  Chapter Thirteen

  The stormy days were wreaking havoc on Mrs. C’s joints. Multiple days of wacky barometric pressure and Gina could barely get down the stairs on her own. Stefan had picked a bad day to ask for quality time alone with his mom but he was down to the last week of his visit. Dani pushed one side of the lacy white curtain hanging over the kitchen sink window open and praised the sunlight. At least it wasn’t dreary outside today.

  Inside was a different story.

  Dani could tell the boys were about ready to bust out of their skin if they were stuck indoors one more day. The sun and fresh air would be good for Mrs. C too.

  Stefan was playing by her rules.

  Unfortunately, fortunately. She hadn’t pegged him for having that kind of control but he did.

  She’d gotten her dinner, anyway. Every night, they ate at the same table surrounded by Will and Gina. Watching each other.

  It was what she’d asked for, after all.

  They did their best not to bump shoulders passing through the upstairs hall. And that was a narrow hall when you added the larger than life men of Sin Pointe to it. She’d downloaded their most popular album, one called “Play”, but hadn’t had the guts to listen to it yet. Whenever they did pass, Stefan always gave way and let her go by first. It wasn’t too bad except for when it was him heading to the bathroom for his shower or the times he asked her to step aside and let him be the one to help his mom down the stairs. He was trying so hard, in so many ways and it was the most beautiful yet difficult thing for her to have to sit back and watch. Those near-collisions were excruciating.

  She’d seen a lot more of Will Cordero.

  The man’s shoulders and arms were the most defined she’d ever laid eyes on. Not that she wanted to be noticing those things about Will when Stefan sent him to help her move heavy stuff around the house, but if she didn’t know better, she’d swear Stefan was pushing them together. Case in point, she and Will were going shopping today to give Stefan some of that alone time he wanted with his mom. Who was she to question that? Trying to be nice, Dani offered to use the day to go visit her baby sister. Stefan had never looked more relieved to her than in the seconds after she made that offer.

  Her heart sank but she understood. She was fighting the same urgent call he was.

  She looked out back, through the kitchen window, to see Will and Stefan standing in the middle of the overgrown yard, talking. Thanks to the recent rain, the grass was a good six inches too high and Dani had yet to bust out the lawnmower from its winter hibernation. Will had an extension cord in his hand and she lost sight of him when he walked away for a moment. But his hair made her smile. The mohawk was pulled into a knot at the back of his head. He wore an aqua blue muscle shirt with a picture of a bear on the front. The tank was without sleeves or sides. His ribs showed through because he was thinner than Stefan but the man’s killer arms looked lethal. She took in Stefan. Wearing black for a change, he stood there in a clingy athletic t-shirt and matching pants. In white, he looked tan and massive. In the black, she could see his lengths. Legs, arms, torso. Dani closed her eyes.

  ****

  The rain could stay in the fucking sky.

  With it falling every day, Mom’s lawn was grass on crack and shooting up everywhere. Today was nice for a change. Stefan didn’t feel nice, but Dani was going to spend the day with her sister so his stress-level should be cut in half.

  If he thought about Dani one more time, fuck.

  At least she would be somewhere safe today. With her at her sister’s, he could walk to the kitchen without bumping into her. Stefan took a rake and catapulted it up and over Will, past Mom’s garden. It bounced off a large tree and nearly bludgeoned Will in the back.

  Will ducked just in time. “Dude? What the fuck?” he asked.

  “Yeah? What?” Stefan waited for Will to go plug his end of the cord into the socket on the side of Mom’s house so Stefan could start mowing. He needed something to do with his hands before he went crazy or accidentally killed his best friend. Thank God it wasn’t raining.

  “You look like you’re about to go Chuck Norris on your mom’s lawn. Like if I leave right now, I’m gonna come back to not just a mowed lawn but fricking no more trees, nothing.”

  That’s about how he felt. “I’m not gonna chop down her trees. There’s way too many.” Or else maybe he would. Luckily Mom’s house butted up to the forest and Stefan knew he wouldn’t make much of a dent if he went all lumberjack. Knowing Dani was inside that house jacked up his pulse like it did every minute of every day.

  Will walked back up the slope of the yard where Stefan stood, watching Dani inside at the sink. “So I’m gonna take off with Dani today. She bribed me with Taggert’s. You sure that’s cool?”

  “Why the fuck wouldn’t it be?”

  “Uh, because you’re being
a dick. And I know why. Want my advice?”

  Only because it was Will. “You’re gonna tell me anyway.”

  “Make good on taking Dani out to dinner.”

  Stefan wished he would have said no to Will’s advice. “I can’t. We’re being ‘just friends’.”

  “Bulletin, shithead. That’s what friends do. They go out for meals together. You owe her that much.”

  “No, no, no. You misunderstand. Dani’s idea of friends isn’t the same as mine. I know I sound like an asshole, but the only place she and I can be around each other is here at the house, under Mom’s watchful eye.” He’d nearly hurt her baby with those contractions. Thoughts of Amanda crept in. The day she’d told him she’d lost their baby and then his parents screaming at him that it was his fault for all the stress he’d caused Amanda. Stefan gritted his teeth and tried to block out the yelling and the lies. No, he’d been nothing but supportive.

  Will put his hands on his hips and looked like he’d just spent too much time with one of Jaxon’s kids. “Look, I know I blow you off all the time when it comes to this stuff. And no way in hell do I want you lecturing me about this shit in return. So don’t even think about it. But you’re gonna be so pissed if you leave here next week and don’t take that girl out.”

  Stefan wiped sweat off his forehead, forgetting what the sun felt like, and swore to shave his beard off when he was done mowing. All because he knew Will was right. Could he admit as much to his friend? “She’ll say no.” Just like his mom with the house. Just like Amanda when he’d offered to quit school and work full time to support the baby they’d made.

  “I’ll talk to her today on our date,” said Will.

  Stefan wanted to pile drive Will for that one but didn’t because that’s just how they kept it real. “Fucking, don’t Will.”

  “Stop being a baby. If it gets your mopey ass off my Swayze stash, it’s worth it. You should probably take this opportunity to talk to your mom while we’re gone. Come on, man. Do I have to think of everything?”