Blossoms of The Heart

by Khardine Gray

  It was the first time in weeks that I’d felt clarity, and hopeful.

  I opened up the messages, found Candace’s number then typed a message to her.

  Tai: Hi. Need to talk tomorrow early if possible. I’m going to cut to the chase and tell you that I know you’ve been avoiding my calls and texts. I want to talk to you in person but if you don’t respond again, then this is officially goodbye. Not going to continue like this. In the same breath I want you to know that you will always mean something to me.

  It was up to her to respond and see me one last time if she wanted. If not then this was me cutting the rope. Calling it a day. I’d never been so blunt with her.

  I was surprised when I saw the three blue dots jumping and a message popped up.

  Candace: Hi. Thanks. Is seven at the coffeehouse okay?

  Eureka.

  Tai : Seven is fine see you then.

  Finally some results.

  Six fifty five.

  Six- fifty five A.M.

  I hated being up this early.

  I definitely wasn’t a morning person and I never would be.

  But some things required stepping out of my comfort zone.

  Six- fifty eight.

  Two minutes until the time that Candace was supposed to be here. I’d gotten here twenty minutes ago and had a coffee.

  Although she probably got the gist of what this meeting would be about I wanted to have full use of my brain to make sure I said the right things.

  I felt she was already here somewhere. Just waiting to come in at seven on the dot.

  As the last two minutes ticked away my mind drifted to when I first met Candace.

  Her smile was the first thing that caught me. There was a sort of inner beauty that reminded me of someone else.

  Phoebe.

  I’d picked my brains over it last night. Seeing Phoebe and giving her the necklace revealed that to me.

  I was drawn to Candace in the first place because she reminded me of Phoebe.

  Same spark, same zest for adventure. Same twinkle in their eyes. But no one can be the same, which was why when Phoebe came back on the scene it threw me.

  She was the real deal. It was hard to admit that to myself. A scary thought that I knew verged on to scarier things.

  The aroma of coffee and pastries wafted through the air.

  Forks scratched against plates and more conversation filtered into the room as those who had had their morning coffee started waking up.

  The place wasn’t packed. There were some truckers and two nurses.

  A blind man and his dog. The waitress who reminded me of Phoebe’s mom was serving him now.

  It was the hair. She had a neat bob that looked very Jackie O. and she seemed to take care with her make up. Could have easily fit in with the women from that time. Unlike Phoebe’s mom though this woman smiled and there was a warm presence about her.

  Seven AM.

  The door opened and the little bell attached to it jingled.

  Candace came in. She zeroed in on me when she looked over and saw me.

  Her eyes gave her away.

  She’d been crying, and her normal well put together appearance looked dull.

  Her hair sat atop her head in what should have been a messy bun with style, but she actually did look a mess.

  She smiled when she saw me and made her way over on shaky legs.

  “Hey.” I began with a soft smile.

  “Hi.” She sat down across from me and rested her hands on the table.

  “You okay?” Had to ask, because she looked pale.

  “I will be.”

  “Thanks for coming.”

  “It’s okay Tai.” She sniffled and pulled in a breath. “And, it’s okay. I know what you’re going to say. We’re really not getting back together are we?”

  The pain and regret in her eyes was very evident.

  “No. We’re not.” I replied. “ But I will always have a special place in my heart for you.”

  She nodded slowly understanding. “I understand. I’m sorry I ignored your calls and messages. I just didn’t want to accept that it was over, even though I knew it was.”

  “It’s cool.” It wasn’t cool. It nearly drove me insane but hey. It was done now.

  A tear ran down her cheek. She quickly wiped it away and straightened up. “I’m… leaving Japan tonight. Going back to Denver. Home.”

  “Tonight?”

  “Yeah. I figured why not?”

  I nodded. “Stay in touch Candace.”

  “Of course.”

  I went over to her and gave her a hug.

  The contact felt freeing and I finally felt free.

  I got to Akiyoshido early again.

  Unlike the last time I was able to absorb the scenery for what it was.

  Picturesque, but serene.

  I hadn’t smoked since yesterday and I didn’t feel like I needed to either. That wound up stress had left me.

  Our convoy of jeeps came around the corner at ten thirty. Four this time as the assistants wouldn’t be joining us.

  Phoebe was with Scott again and as I got closer I could hear him talking about shit again. Something about how to read music.

  He was just about to help her out of the truck when I swooped in and took hold of her hand.

  “Tai,” she smiled.

  “Morning baby, you’re coming with me.”

  She melted into my arms as I pulled her close. I could have devoured those glossy lips right here but held back.

  She looked delicious in her khaki shorts and white tank top that pushed up her breasts.

  I would find a way to play with those later. Liked her hair too. It was to the side like the other day in that complicated braid that made her look all the more alluring.

  Scott looked me over, probably wondering where I’d suddenly come from.

  Him with his chivalrous self. His hands stilled on what I guessed was one of Phoebe’s bags on the back seat of the car because it was a mauve color. I smirked as I tugged her away.

  He could get the luggage if he wanted to while I took the woman. No problem. It was fine by me.

  The plan was to set up camp first then make the trek across to the underside of the cave.

  I had other things in mind while the rest of the crew got a head start.

  I led her into the woods, near the path I’d been for the last hour.

  She gave me a saucy smile when I released her and backed her up against one of the oak trees.

  I leaned in like I was going to kiss her but I didn’t. I lowered to her ear, inhaling the sweet smell of her and whispered, “your tits were all over my dreams last night. Thanks to you I’ve had no sleep. Had to jerk off at least four times.”

  “Oh yeah? I’m sorry to be the cause of your lack of sleep.” The little minx cooed getting even closer to me, tempting me with her body. “I should do something to help you or at least make it up to you.”

  She was too damn sexy for her own good. “You can do both.”

  “I would have thought though that Candace would have helped to some extent.” Her eyes bore into me.

  “I’m free. In transit.”

  “Transit? Explain.”

  I chuckled. No more riddles time to get real. “I want you. Transit, not seeing anyone, want to be seeing you.”

  She rested her head back against the tree and gazed up at me with those blue, blue eyes.

  “I should think about this.”

  “But you won’t, because you already have. And you won’t stop me either.” I raised my hands up to her tits and started feeling her up. Squeezing her and loving the little smile on her face.

  “What if I did?” she covered my hand with hers, stopping me from pulling down her top so I could get a good look at her tits.

  My hands slipped down to her waist. “I have too much to offer for you to refuse, and I’ll never stop until your mine.”

  “Yours?”

  “Mine. Want to hear what I propo
se?”

  “Hmmn hmmm.” She purred.

  “You and me exclusive while you’re here.”

  She considered that. “While I’m here? That could be for another five months. Or longer. Akito did ask me to stay. You may want to change the terms of that proposal a little if you don’t want to get stuck with me too long.”

  That was just the thing. I did.

  I kissed her neck and nuzzled against it, squeezing her right breast.

  “My proposal’s just fine princess. You, me exclusive while you’re here, the length of time is not in question.”

  Her eyes twinkled when I looked back to her. “Could be here for years, or forever.”

  “Imagine the fun.”

  “Define the terms of this exclusive arrangements.”

  She would have probably slapped me if I did this under the normal circumstances. I gave her a predatory smile. Literally predatory because she was my prey. Taking her right hand I guided it down to my cock that was already struggling to burst and pressed her palms over my shaft.

  Her lips parted and that sexy seductress act she’d assumed faltered. I watched the control slip and she crumbled. Seeing how much she wanted me too turned me on even more and I clasped her hand around my shaft moving it up and down.

  “My dick belongs to you.” I whispered into her ear.

  She pulled in a labored breath when I squeezed her breasts. “These are mine whenever I want, wherever I want.”

  “Wherever?” she struggled to speak.

  To make myself more clear I pulled down her top and flicked back the cup of her bra on her left breast exposing her completely. I then bent down to suckle and feast on the breast I didn’t get the chance to get acquainted with last night.

  She moaned. “Tai.”

  She seemed to be more sensitive on this side. I wanted her to moan my name just like that when I was inside her.

  I stopped and grinned at the half pained, half pleasured expression on her face.

  I covered her back up and slipped my hand between her legs wishing I could have taken those shorts of and seen how wet she was.

  I leaned in again as I stroked her pressing in as I attempted to feel her clit.

  “I get to eat your sweet pussy whenever, and wherever I want.” I chuckled when she gasped. “And of course, there will be lots of fucking.”

  “God.” She moaned as I leaned in to kiss her.

  “Too much for you?”

  “No.”

  Perfect answer.

  Chapter 23

  Phoebe

  This was me making small steps.

  Or, maybe in my case this was a big step.

  It was six o’clock. I stood outside Tai’s house. My idea to surprise him. Mitsuke gave me his address.

  I spent a lot of time thinking last night, and I while I was shit scared to be venturing into territories I knew could blow up in my face, I wanted to try.

  People kept telling me to try. To not set out with failure in mind. To live.

  Today was the first in a while that I felt alive.

  I woke up this morning and the air felt different. It was silly to think like this but it was like I’d gone back in time to my birthday eleven years ago and I was that eighteen year old again who’d just had the best birthday present ever.

  The guy who she was crazy about had just told her he felt the same way about her.

  Tai, had me at that point and it didn’t matter what more he had to say, knowing he returned the deep feelings I felt meant everything to me.

  What happened next with Mom was awful, but I was going to gloss over that and pretend it never happened.

  I was going to gloss over the last eleven years too and try my hardest to block it out.

  The what happened next was now. I was going to try and pretend it was now.

  I’d pretend until it killed me because honestly there was some ounce of my fears pushing against that wall of positivity I always struggled to put up.

  Things were so bad for such a long time that I didn’t know how to enjoy the good.

  But I wanted to, I wanted to with Tai.

  I looked over the well-kept, very artistically designed beach house. His bike was parked out front, but so was a midnight black Ferrari.

  I loved that his personality was in everything.

  Hugging the bottle of wine I brought to my chest I rang the bell. Since we didn’t get to drink together on the beach my first night I thought it seemed fitting.

  I was dressed similar too with a beige body con tonight and my hair down. Mitsuke had curled the ends into loose romantic curls.

  When Tai opened the door and saw me his handsome, handsome face instantly lit up.

  I forgot my manners completely when I zeroed in on the fact that he was shirtless and wearing nothing but a towel draped around his neck and black sweat pants that clung to the ridges of muscles in his powerful legs.

  He looked like he’d been working out because his hair looked damp and sweat trickled down the peaks and valleys of his abs. Hadn’t seen him with his top off in years, and Lord… he looked a million times better than I’d conjured up in my fantasies.

  More tattoos added to his perfection. Joining the character for fire was an Aztec tribal tattoo that took up most of his shoulder and the whole of his left pec. I was completely absorbed in the intricacies of the design but what caught my eye more was the Chinese dragon on his lower abs and the words “to thine own self be true.” written in Latin.

  Oh God I was drooling and somehow my hand had found its way to the flat of his stomach and I was mindlessly running my finger over the dragon’s tail.

  “Want to go a little lower?” It was his voice that made me stop and take note. I widened my eyes and my senseless activity. “Pretty certain I have another tail that would enjoy being stroked a lot more.”

  My cheeks… blazed, and I actually could feel my skin turning red. Particularly as I recalled the feel of his cock in my hands yesterday when he placed my hand on it. He was so casual about it too.

  “Hi.” Okay maybe I’d digressed too far back into my eighteen year old self. I needed to bring my mind forward just a little, to account for the part in my life where I had brains and a little guts too. “I didn’t mean to come by unannounced but I just wanted to see you, and bring this.”

  He narrowed his eyes then looked me over. “I heard the word cum, nothing more. Did you just say you didn’t want to cum?”

  I wanted to be shocked but I burst out laughing. He was actually being serious.

  “It’s not funny.” He chuckled. “Fuck sakes get inside Phoebe. My neighbors are elderly and they already hate my motorcycle. I can’t add indecent exposure and, sex in public on the list too. I like living here.”

  He pulled me inside but I was still laughing.

  My attempts to talk were silenced when his lips captured mine, kissing me with that savagery he exhibited weeks ago. That need that made me lose my mind. I liked this kiss, and the way that his hands moved over me.

  Best of all we nothing to feel bad about.

  Well… to some extent. There was no more issues with Candace, but there was still me.

  For now though, for today, I just wanted this fantasy.

  This was what happened to us next, and I was so excited I could burst.

  I pulled back out of his arms giggling, and he brought me back by flicking the towel around me and using it as a rope to pull me in.

  “Tai you are too much. The wine –”

  He cut me off by taking it and placing it on the little table beside the door.

  “Thanks for the wine, I want you more though.” He flicked his fingers over my left nipple.

  “I want to talk.”

  “Fuck that.”

  I squealed when he hoisted me over his shoulder cave man style, lowered to grab the wine then proceeded with me up the stairs to his bedroom.

  I got an absolutely great view of his ass from here and he ran his hands over mine.

>   Jesus Christ what did I expect would happen by coming here?

  His bedroom was very masculine, just like him.

  The walls were a dark gray color and the sheets of the king sized bed in the center matched perfectly.

  He had mahogany furniture that provided the perfect contrast. Best of all was the smell. It was him. the mingle of the woodland cologne he used with his natural scent.

  He set me down in the center of the bed and hovered over me.

  “You have no idea how many times I fantasized about this.” He smiled down at me with that mischief flickering in his eyes. “You here in my bed with me devouring you.”

  Before he could kiss me again and risk my mind going off somewhere into the ether I sat up and pushed him to his back so he was lying on the bed.

  I crawled on top, straddling him.

  “Oh Jesus.” He breathed and we both started laughing.

  I flicked my hair to the side allowing it to drift down so it brushed against the flat of his stomach.

  “Tai. I want to go slow with you.” I blurted before he could trap me into the temptation of him.

  The look that washed over his face was as if I’d just sprouted fangs and fur.

  He ran his hands up my thighs and gave me a wicked smile. “This your definition of slow? Torturing me with your body?”

  “No, I’m not torturing you. I just want to savor this. You.”

  He sighed, looked up heavenward and reached for his dog tags. Bringing them up to his lips he kissed them like I’d seen most Catholics do with a rosary or a cross.

  What was he doing?

  “Dear God, it’s been awhile. Forgive me.”

  Was he praying?

  Tai clasped his hands together and continued looking up at the ceiling.

  I stared at him in complete fascination. This guy…

  This guy would always keep me fascinated.

  He cleared his throat and continued. “Thank you for my life, and for the beautiful woman you have given me. Actually count her as two blessings because I know you lent me one of your angels.”

  What a nice thing to say. Tai had this way of shocking me at every end of the spectrum. He could be incredibly outlandish, but he was the sweetest guy ever.

  He just called me an angel and counted me as not just one blessing but two. Of course the irony of this big tattooed guy, praying didn’t escape me. But damn I felt like everything I could possibly want in this world was right in front of me.