“It only bothers me because I’m lying here feeling like crap and you look like… well, that.”
I shake my head. “You’re beautiful.”
She scoffs. “Right. Was I beautiful when you were wiping the vomit from my mouth, too?”
“No. That wasn’t your best look,” I tell her honestly and chuckle when she tosses a throw pillow at me.
“Jerk.”
As the snow continues to fall heavily, we binge watch Schitt’s Creek. I get her a little bowl of crackers and a glass of 7-Up to ease her stomach. She munches away for a few minutes before her stomach revolts once again and she runs to the bathroom.
I call her uncle Kyle to explain the situation and let him know that she won’t be home for another night. Not only is the snow preventing us from leaving, so is her stomach. When she returns to the living room this time, she doesn’t look fresh or feeling remotely better.
In fact, she looks a little gray.
I help her sit down on the couch and take a seat next to her, feeling her forehead even though I know a fever doesn’t usually accompany the stomach flu. “I think you need to get some more liquid in you. I’m afraid you’re going to dehydrate soon.”
She shakes her head gingerly and slumps over, resting her head on my shoulder. “No. I can’t. I can’t put anything else in me. It will just come right back up.”
“Sierra, come on. I’m a little worried.”
“I’ll be fine. Just need some sleep, I think. I’m so tired.”
“Okay.” I start standing up to go back to the chair but she stops me by placing a hand on my forearm. She doesn’t say out loud that she wants me to stay beside her. I lean back, putting an arm around her shoulders and tucking her in close. She relaxes instantly and I kick my feet up on the coffee table as she pulls hers up on the cushion.
“Thank you, Jack,” she whispers as she wraps an arm around my bare stomach. Her fingers sliding over my skin send goose bumps up my spine and I flex my ab muscles in response. She doesn’t seem to notice, however. Or maybe she just chooses not to comment.
“For what?” I croak then clear my throat.
“Not making me feel like I’m in the way or that you’re annoyed that I’m here sick.”
“You’re not in the way at all. In case you haven’t noticed, the weather isn’t exactly conducive to leaving the house anyway. And besides, I have no doubt that even if I had a million plans for me today, you’d just join me rather than being in the way.”
“True. But still… you also haven’t made me feel weird that I have extracted so many bodily fluids in front of you. So for that, thanks.”
I chuckle and lean down to kiss the top of her head. Then realize what we’re doing and the position we’re in is far more intimate than what two buddies would behave like.
But neither of us move.
If anything, we cuddle closer.
And even when she drifts off to sleep, I make no effort to move.
I turn off the TV and pick up the book I have sitting on the end table. I’m not a huge reader but every once in a while my dad will recommend something to me that I end up really enjoying.
For a few hours, the only sound is the light snoring from Sierra and the pages turning of my paperback. The fire has died down, but the snow is still falling. In all the years I’ve been on this earth, I’m not sure that I’ve ever been as comfortable and content than I am in this moment. Nowhere I need to be, nothing that has to be done, Sierra tucked in close as she sleeps and Toby on the chair snoozing away. Even with Sierra’s drool dripping onto my skin, I have no desire to move.
I lay my head on the back of the couch and close my eyes and feel. For the first time in ever, I let myself truly take it in. Could this be something more? Would I be her rebound? It’s not just a physical connection I feel to Sierra. She’s under my skin, in my thoughts even before she moved back here. There’s something deeper that I want to explore and can’t shake the sense that it would be worth it. I’ve always been so focused on building the gym or finishing culinary school that I’ve put my personal life on the back burner. Maybe the timing is perfect. Maybe it’s not. But I don’t think I could live with myself if I didn’t try.
Until my mother left my biological father, I saw marriage as something I never wanted to be a part of. Vince, the guy who I share blood with, was not a good person. Though, I didn’t really know that until I got a little older. I just knew that he’d leave my mom and I for long work trips and rarely call to check in and when he’d return home, he would control my mom as best he could. From what she would wear to what meals she would cook for the family. And he never complimented her. Or, when he would, they would be backhanded. Like: Your hair looks better than it did yesterday. Or: It’s nice to see you dressed up once in a while. It actually shows that you’re a woman who cares about herself.
I’ll never forget the way he’d yell at her if things weren’t done his way or the fact that he’d put her down for having a crappy job. She was a teacher. Apparently, molding young minds isn’t an important career. And it just got worse and worse until the day he came home and decided that words weren’t harsh enough. He wanted to prove his manhood by showing her how strong he was. After he threw her across the room, she and I left and never looked back.
A few years later we met James and it took her a long time to have the courage to become something more with him than just friends. Actually, it took us both time to understand what a good, solid, loving relationship looked like but James was patient with us. He was good for us. Showed me (and Mom, too) how a real man behaves.
The memory of my childhood seems so distant now, and for that I’m glad. I don’t think about Vince or the way he treated my mom very often for a reason. Because it makes my blood boil when I do.
My mom once asked me if I was scared of commitment because I was afraid that I’d be like Vince. The thought had never occurred to me. I may share the same blood as the man, but I know I’m nothing like him. Never have been. And I’m not really scared of commitment — I’ve just never found the one person I want to spend time with. Until Sierra.
She squirms next to me and I shift so she has more room. I had already moved us so she was lying down rather than sitting up. Unfortunately, I fumble around when I have to catch my glass from crashing to the floor and she somehow ends up with her head in my lap. Right next to an area that would be very awkward if she woke up lying so closely to.
And then…
Her arm moves and she slides it up to rest on my lower stomach.
So close.
Too close.
A quick glance down tells me she’s still asleep but I can’t allow myself to continue staring like I really would like to do.
“Shit,” I whisper when she nestles in more. Her face is right there. And I’m enjoying it far too much. Growing harder by the second at the sight of her pouty lips so close to me. Her hair drapes over my legs in cascades of shiny, long, dark silkiness and I can’t stop myself from running my fingers through it.
She moans quietly as I let my fingers trail down her spine and up again, slipping over her shoulder and down her slender arm. I have no idea how she manages, but she snuggles in closer yet and I pray she doesn’t wake up anytime soon. At least not until I can get my growing erection under control. And I’ve had my fill of her.
Which could be never.
Her eyelids flutter open and she looks up at me.
“I slept on you.”
“I didn’t mind,” I tell her, letting my fingers move to her cheek. “How are you feeling?”
“Well, my stomach doesn’t feel like someone just kicked it anymore.”
“That’s good. Want to try sitting up?”
“Not really.”
We stare into each other’s eyes and I wonder if she’s thinking the same thing I am. Actually I wonder what she’d do if I bent down and kissed her. With her hand so close to my dick, though, I’m not sure I want to take the chance just in case she isn’
t feeling what I am.
She licks her lips and looks away. “How long was I asleep?”
“Couple hours.”
“Is it still snowing?”
“It is. Hasn’t let up yet.”
“Yikes.”
I nod and help her sit up. Toby lifts his head up off the chair and slowly slides himself down to the floor when he notices Sierra’s awake. He’d been sleeping the entire time and I pretty much forgot he was even here.
Sierra stretches and moves her neck back and forth while petting Toby. “Has he been out lately?”
“He’s just as lazy as you are.”
She giggles. “This is true. He’s usually all or nothing. He runs hard then crashes.”
I stand up and move to the sliding door at the back of my house and open it up. Toby stands next to me staring at the snow then up at me. If a dog could speak English, he’d be asking if there was another option. Can you maybe let me pee in your house instead? I shut the door again. “Hang tight, bud. I’ll put on some more clothes and my boots and go out with you.”
“He’s a wuss in the snow and won’t last long.”
“Even if it’s just a little, the fresh air is good. Want to join us?”
“Maybe in a bit. I need to see how a trip to the restroom goes.”
“Sounds good. Take your time. I have plenty of clothes you can wear if you decide to venture out.”
Actually, the thought of her wearing more of my clothes isn’t an awful one. I love seeing her in my t-shirt and boxers as it is. Even smelling like me from her using my shampoo and body wash in the shower is doing all sorts of things to me.
“Thank you. Hopefully the worst is behind me.”
I nod and move to my bedroom and throw on a hoodie and some tall socks before going to the utility room and slipping my feet into a pair of boots. I grab my gloves and a stocking hat and step outside with Toby, not worrying about his leash. The snow is so deep he can barely move the way it is. I open the side garage door and get the shovel so I can scoop a path for him in the yard. He waits patiently like he’s used to this kind of treatment.
“Anything else, your majesty?”
He cocks his head to the side and walks onto the path. After finding the perfect spot to do his business, he gets a little frisky, jumping around in the snow and catching snowballs in his mouth as I throw them. We play for a while until he seems to either get cold or bored — or maybe both — and we go back inside.
I wipe his feet so he doesn’t track snow everywhere and refill his water dish and wow… suddenly I’m a dog dad and don’t even own a dog.
“You’re probably hungry, huh?”
He barks once so I assume that means yes. Finding a couple packages of ground beef in my freezer, I get to work thawing and browning it so that he at least has something to eat. I’m sure it’s not the ideal meal for him, but I don’t have many other options right now. It’s not as if I keep actual dog food in the house for random pet drop-ins.
And I’m pretty sure that Toby’s happy with his current situation. I drop about half a pound of cooked and cooled meat into a bowl and he has it gone before I blink, looking up at me for more.
“Sierra!” I call out, wondering where she is. Before I give him more, I want to ask her.
“I’m in here!”
I follow the sound of her voice to the bedroom and open the door without knocking. And there she stands. Eyes like a deer in headlights. Arms at her sides. Breasts swaying freely. And only wearing my boxers.
“Oh, shit!”
I spin around and slam the door shut behind me but the image is already seared in my brain. I know I won’t be able to go to sleep tonight without seeing her bare breasts flash before my eyes. It was only a split second but it didn’t take long for the vision to settle in.
“Sorry!” I shout just as the door flies open.
She’s holding a shirt up to her chest to cover herself from my wandering eyes again. It doesn’t matter, though. I already saw everything I’ve been craving to see. “Sorry? Don’t you knock?” Her voice holds a trace of humor that she’s trying to cover up as irritation.
I step back and lean against the hallway wall. We’re still only a foot apart, though. Hardly any room between us. Throwing my arms up in the air, I try to defend myself while I pace back and forth a few steps. “I wasn’t thinking, okay? I was feeding Toby and wanted to see how much more he could have and…” I stop and turn to point at her, “you didn’t say you were naked!”
“Oh, it’s my fault? Besides, I wasn’t naked. I had your boxers on. But the door was closed. I assumed that’d be enough to keep you out.”
“Well, you assumed wrong!”
For the first time since we woke up this morning, she has less clothing on than I do and I’m beginning to understand her restlessness around me.
Because for the life of me, I can’t remember ever seeing a more beautiful woman and am having a really hard time getting my body under control.
CHAPTER TEN
SIERRA
He’s staring at me like he wants to do… something. What, though, I’m not sure. Maybe he’s getting cabin fever and is already losing his mind. The way he keeps clenching his fists and jaw, he’s holding himself back.
We’re so close, I can smell the fresh air still clinging to his body from his time spent outdoors. Time where he scooped a path and threw snowballs for my dog. My original plan was to put on the clothes that I wore here yesterday and join them outside, but then I couldn’t stop watching. I watched like a creeper through the window and when I saw them heading back inside I bolted for the bedroom.
I figured I’d at least need to appear like I was getting changed to join him in getting that fresh air he was talking about, but then the door burst open and I stood there in only his boxers. I noticed how his eyes traveled the length of my body in the short seconds he stood shell shocked before he spun around and slammed the door behind him.
Serves him right. I’ve had to stare at him half naked all day long. Tit for tat… though that might not be the best saying to use right now.
His chest heaves up and down and he closes his eyes briefly before lifting them to look at me. “How are you feeling?”
“Better. The nap was exactly what I needed. My stomach feels settled again. Must have been a short-lived bug of some sort. Miraculously, I feel normal again.”
“You’re not just saying that?”
“Nope. Honestly, I think I just needed to get it out and rest a bit.”
“You brush your teeth with the extra toothbrush I set out?”
“Only like a million times,” I say, curling my upper lip.
“Used mouthwash?”
“Yes, and I flossed, too. Would you also like a dentist’s report?”
More staring. More contemplating something on his part.
And suddenly my back is pressed against the wall and his hands are cradling my face and his mouth is crushing onto mine.
Holy hell!
My surprise causes my mouth to open and he doesn’t hesitate to get his fill, his tongue diving in and twisting around mine. Tasting and swirling as he moves my face how he wants. Teeth clash. We both moan. His hands move from my face, down my arms and around my backside where he grips me tightly and lifts. I wrap my legs around his waist as one of his strong hands holds tight to my butt and the other presses against the wall.
It’s not lost on me that those sweatpants are a friggin’ delight. Men should be mandated by law to wear them every day of their lives. Without anything underneath. I feel him harden against me and I swear it’s been so long since I’ve felt wanted that the combination of his strength and kisses and erection almost send me over the edge.
Kissing to orgasm in twenty seconds flat.
That’s something to be proud of.
But this is more than kissing.
So much more.
It’s giving in to a desire that started burning a week ago when I saw him for the first time in my
uncle’s bar. That only built as we spent time together. And when I left to go back to Jeff’s place, it was his face that I missed. His laughter and company.
A week is all it took for me to feel something for this man. It’s too soon for anything more than just a feeling but it’s something worthy of exploring.
And right now, I’m all about exploring.
I extract my mouth from his long enough to pull and tug on his hoodie and whine a bit until he obeys my unspoken command of removing it. I’ve been staring at his perfectly toned chest for hours and hours and now I want more.
As he’s tearing his hoodie off, I drop the one that was covering my breasts that had fallen between us. Both fall to the floor and we continue our assault on one another.
He moves a hand to cover one breast, massaging and kneading, tweaking a nipple that makes me cry out in a delicious combination of pleasure and pain.
“I need more,” he growls, keeping hold of me as he marches us down the hallway, kicking open the door to his bedroom where he places me gently on the bed. He stares down at me, his hair flopping out of place and eyes so dark they’re almost black. He runs his teeth over his bottom lip, holding the flesh tight for a few seconds before letting it loose.
“Holy crap, that was sex. Sex. Sex. Ugh! I mean sexy!”
I cover my face in embarrassment. My gosh, even my brain is on auto correct and I can barely speak. I have one thing on my mind.
He chuckles and climbs over the top of me, arms braced on either side of my head as he bends low, kissing me soundly on the lips.
“Is this okay?” he asks, voice so low it sends a shiver up my spine.
“Absolutely.”
His smile is blinding then he’s kissing me again and pressing my hands into the mattress and our skin glides against each other’s. The friction is almost more than I can handle and I spread my legs a little wider, dropping my knees to make more room for him.
The Other Guy: A Textdoor Neighbor Romance Page 13
