Bad Seed

by Rye Hart

  It was a long time before he pulled away from me and when he did, I immediately longed for his arms. Caleb had been more right than he knew, I needed my dad. I refused to let myself admit it or even think it because it hurt too much. Now that he was here, I never wanted him to leave. I didn’t want to go through this without him.

  “What are they going to do?” Dad finally asked, wiping tears from his eyes. “What’s the treatment plan.”

  “Chemo,” I said. “The doctors want to start with chemo and then, if that doesn’t work, move on to surgery. I have a tumor, but it’s small. They’re hoping chemo will shrink it enough that surgery won’t be necessary.”

  “How long did they give you?” he asked.

  His voice was tight, and I knew he didn’t really want to hear the answer. He was terrified. Scared in a way only a parent could be.

  “They don’t know,” I said honestly. “This cancer is rare. They won’t know what works until it works. And if nothing does, then at least we tried.”

  My dad nodded and hugged me again. This time, he didn’t let go until I was ready.

  “I love you,” he whispered against my hair. “I love you more than you’ll ever know.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN - CALEB

  Two hours after I called Tara, she finally knocked on my door. I wrenched it open and pulled her inside.

  “That was a long shower,” I said.

  “My dad showed up,” she said without hesitation.

  “What?” My eyes flew open in surprise as she led the way to my couch.

  We sat down, and I noticed the redness in her eyes. She’d been crying. Her hair was damp from her shower, and there were bags under her eyes. She looked exhausted. I immediately wanted to demand she lay down but I knew she’d never listen.

  “He showed up unexpectedly,” she said, eager to tell me everything.

  “Why?” I asked. “What did he say?”

  I held my breath and waited for the worst. The last thing Tara needed was another fight with her father. He didn’t yet know she was sick. If he kept pushing her, he would break her. I was already angry with him before she started to explain.

  “He apologized,” she said. “He actually apologized for everything.”

  “What?” I blinked. My anger faded in an instant, and suddenly, I was left in a dizzying haze of confusion.

  “I still can’t believe it happened,” she said. “He just showed up and said he was sorry. He admitted he was wrong about you. He promised to accept our relationship.”

  “You’re lying,” I said. “There’s no way in hell he said that.”

  “He did.” She laughed. “I swear. He said he would stay out of our way if we were sure we wanted to be together.”

  “Do you believe him?” I asked suspiciously. “I mean, did he seem like he meant it?”

  “If he didn’t before, he does now,” she said softly. “I told him everything.”

  “Everything?” I asked.

  “About my cancer,” she said, nodding. “It was time. You were right, he needed to know.”

  “How did he take it?” I asked. I reached out to hold her hand. She gripped my fingers tightly, tears forming in her eyes.

  “He was a mess,” she said. “But also strong. I could tell he was scared, but he tried not to show it. He just held me and told me how much he loves me. He said he’ll be there for all of it, for the treatment and everything.”

  I smiled and she sunk into me. At that moment, I loved Darren. I didn’t know if I would ever feel that way again but right then, he was my fucking hero. He finally came through for his daughter in a big way. She needed him more than anyone right now. More than my mom. More than me. She couldn’t go through this without him.

  “I’m so fucking glad he knows now,” I said, laughing lightly. “God, I was worried you would have to go through this without him.”

  “I didn’t even realize how much I needed him until he was there,” Tara said. She wiped her eyes and sat up. “I thought I could handle it, you know? I convinced myself I was strong enough to do everything on my own, but I’m not.”

  “No one is,” I said firmly. “No one.”

  “I can’t believe he’s finally okay with us,” Tara said. “I never thought that would happen.”

  “Does this mean you’ll stop pushing me away?” I laughed.

  “I think I stopped that a while ago,” she said. “I’m pretty much in this.”

  “Pretty much?” I asked, raising my eyebrows.

  “Caleb, I waited ten years to be with you again,” she said seriously. “This is all I want.”

  Her words filled my chest with warmth, but something was still nagging at the back of my mind. It wasn’t that long ago that we were fighting about my painkillers. I knew how much Tara cared about me, but did she trust me?

  “I want to be with you,” I said. “That won’t ever change. But are you sure you’re ready for this? I mean, with the cancer and everything?”

  She frowned and searched my face. I didn’t say anything else, and soon, understanding dawned on her. She smiled softly and stroked my cheek, making my eyes flutter closed.

  “You’re worried I don’t trust you,” she said, as if reading my mind. “Because I freaked out about the painkillers.”

  “Well, yeah.”

  “I was wrong,” she said firmly. “I was scared that you were going back to your old ways. I’m sorry I doubted you. I really am.”

  “I know you are,” I said. “But—”

  “But nothing,” she said, putting her finger to my lips. “I trust you, Caleb. I know you’ve changed. There isn’t a doubt in my mind that you’re the man I’m supposed to be with.”

  I smiled and kissed her, dancing my lips against hers. She felt so right pressed against me. I could have held her for hours, just kissing her and losing myself in the feel of her body.

  She pulled away and sighed, laying her head on my chest and nuzzling closer to me. Now that her father was on board, nothing was stopping us from being together. She was mine, and I was hers. For as long as we wanted.

  “Will you come with me?” I asked softly.

  “Where?”

  “The fire station,” I said. “I want you to meet the guys. Officially.”

  ***

  We walked through the back door, and I immediately heard voices coming from the kitchen. I grinned at Tara and led her through the station. She’d never been here before, and now that I was back at work, I wanted her to see the place.

  “Hey assholes,” I said as we stepped into the kitchen. “There’s someone I want you to meet.”

  Tara held my hand and smiled around nervously. The guys all fell silent and stared, their eyes darting down to our intertwined hands.

  “Wallet girl,” Greg said.

  “That’s just my stage name. I usually go by Tara,” she said, her wit as sharp as ever.

  “What the hell are you doing with this idiot?” Greg asked, jerking his head toward me.

  “Watch it,” I warned.

  “Watch what?” he asked. “You gonna kick my ass with that crippled leg of yours?”

  “It’s all healed up now,” I said. “I’m ready to go whenever you are.”

  “There’s a lady present,” Tyler said, standing up and walking over to us. “Behave yourselves.”

  He stopped in front of us, and I felt Tara tense beside me. She recognized him from the party.

  “Listen,” Tyler said. “I’m sorry I was such a douche. Alcohol, you know?”

  “Just don’t let it happen again,” I said.

  “Scout’s honor,” Tyler said, holding up his fingers. “But seriously, Tara, I’m sorry.”

  “It’s all good,” she said, laughing. “I’m hot. It happens.”

  Tyler laughed, and the guys joined in. They ushered Tara inside and sat her down. We all ate dinner together, laughing and swapping stories. Tara was more alive than I’d ever seen her. She listened to the guys tell stories about me and even shar
ed a few of her own from when we were teenagers. Everyone loved her, just like I knew they would.

  “Is anyone actually working?” Chief Johnson asked as he walked inside. “Oh, there’s a girl. A pretty one. Nope. No one’s doing shit.”

  “Hey, Chief,” I said. “Did you meet Tara at the party?”

  He nodded and extended his hand to her. She shook it politely. Chief turned to me and jerked his head toward the door.

  “You okay?” I asked Tara. She nodded, so I followed Chief out to the main part of the station.

  He spun around to face me with a stern expression on his face. Dread filled my stomach. Whatever he wanted to talk about, wasn’t going to be good.

  “Listen,” he said. “I wanted to talk to you about that leg of yours.”

  “Chief, I’m good to go,” I said quickly. “The doc cleared me.”

  “The doc cleared you to come back,” he said. “It’s up to me to decide how active you are.”

  “I’m ready,” I said.

  “Take it easy for a while,” he said. “At least for a few weeks. After that, we’ll talk again.”

  “Come on,” I said. “I’ve been sitting on my ass for over a month. I need to do something.”

  “You will,” he said. “There’s plenty to do around here other than go on calls, all right? You lay low. Keep your head down.”

  “You’re killing me,” I said.

  “Suck it up,” Chief said.

  I nodded and watched him walk away. I was pissed, but a part of me was glad. Tara’s treatments would start soon, and when they did, I wanted to be available to her. The last thing I needed was to get hurt again while Tara was undergoing chemo or worse, in the middle of brain surgery.

  I walked back to the kitchen and fell into my chair beside her. She reached for my hand automatically, interlocking her fingers with mine. I grinned at her and then sat back. Listening to her shoot the shit with my buddies solidified my love for her. We sat in the kitchen for a few hours, just screwing around until finally, Tara turned to me with that look in her eyes.

  I would recognize that look anywhere. My dick twitched in my pants, and everything disappeared but her. She stared at me, her pale blue eyes desperate and needy. I groaned quietly and leaned closer to her. I brushed my lips against her ear, making her shiver. When I pulled away, she was staring at me intently.

  “Take me home,” she said softly.

  “Goodnight boys,” I said, getting to my feet and pulling Tara with me. “We’ll see you later.”

  “They’re totally gonna fuck,” Tyler said under his breath.

  Tara turned to him with a sharp glare. She stared him down until his cheeks flushed with embarrassment.

  “Don’t be jealous, Tyler,” she said smoothly. “You’ll find the right man someday.”

  The guys all whooped and hollered at the insult as we hurried outside. Tara’s hand was wound tightly around mine. We ran to the car with only one thing in mind.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT - TARA

  My body was desperate for Caleb’s touch. The entire drive home, I could barely see straight. My heart was racing in my chest, and my palms were sweaty. Caleb kept his hand on my knee, but it wasn’t enough. My jeans separated his skin from mine, and I wanted them gone. I longed to feel his strong hands rip off my clothes and press himself against me. My fantasies were working on overdrive as we finally made it back to his apartment.

  Stumbling through the front door, Caleb’s hands were already on me. He tore off my shirt and my bra, kissing me roughly as each article of clothing fell to the floor. His fingers moved expertly down to my jeans. He unbuttoned them and shoved them down, pulling my panties with them. I was fully naked before we even made to his bedroom. He kissed me so hard that I thought our lips might fuse together. I couldn’t get enough of him. My tongue raked against his with a needy hunger I’d never felt before. No matter how many times we slept together, Caleb could still ignite my body in ways no one ever had.

  He pushed me back on the bed. I bounced lightly and smiled up at him. He scrambled out of his own clothes, kicking them into a pile on the floor and crawling on top of me. His naked body pressed down on mine, his lips searching desperately for my neck. I lifted my head, allowing him better access while he tore at my skin with his tongue and teeth. I moaned and tangled my fingers in his hair, holding him closer to me. My legs were wrapped around his waist, and I could already feel myself dripping with desire.

  “I want you so fucking badly,” he growled against my skin.

  “I’m yours,” I said.

  He growled again and moved his lips down to my nipples. They were hard and perky, ready for his attention. He massaged one between two fingers while his teeth teased the other. I writhed beneath him, moaning with pleasure and need.

  When he tore his lips from my tits, I whined in protest. He grinned up at me and slid down my body until he was between my legs.

  “Oh God,” I moaned as he buried his face in my pussy. His lips were soft and warm, his tongue vicious and unrelenting. “Caleb.”

  He licked me hard, grabbing my ass and pulling me forward. I lifted my hips and pressed myself harder against his tongue. My legs were already shaking, and my face was flushed with desire. I grabbed my tits and held on, rolling my nipples between my fingers while Caleb fucked me with his tongue.

  My orgasm built slowly at first, and then, it came rushing to the surface like a flood. My body jerked forward, and Caleb held me there, still licking my clit ferociously.

  “Caleb,” I moaned again. “Oh fuck!”

  He didn’t stop after my orgasm. His tongue darted downward, lapping up the juices that flowed out of me. Before I could catch my breath, his tongue was back on my clit. I cried out and grasped the bedsheets with both hands. My fingers dug in, and my hips jerked upward to meet Caleb’s strokes.

  In seconds, I was ready to come again. My heart was pounding in my chest, and my entire body was on fire. I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t think. Caleb had total control over my body, and I loved it.

  “Caleb!” I cried out, coming hard and fast. He grinned against my pussy, licking me slower and savoring my taste.

  When he finally pulled his face away from me, I grabbed him and yanked him upward. He groaned as I claimed his lips in passionate kiss. I had to have him. I couldn’t wait a single second.

  “Roll over,” I demanded.

  “Yes, ma’am.” He grinned and flopped onto his back.

  I sat up and straddled him, lowering myself on top of his dick and slowly rubbing my sopping wet pussy over his sensitive skin.

  “Shit,” he growled. His eyes rolled back as he ran his hands down my sides. He grabbed my hips roughly. I devoured him with my eyes before lifting myself up to slide his rock-hard cock inside me.

  “Yes,” I moaned as he filled me. My pussy opened for him, welcoming him and enveloping him in its folds. He grunted and lifted his hips to meet me, shoving himself deeper inside.

  I rocked my hips slowly back and forth, leaning back so he got a good view of my tits. He reached up and grabbed them roughly, pinching my nipples and staring at me with lustful eyes. His hands slid down my stomach to my clit. He rubbed me once, making me gasp and lunge forward. My desire for him was stronger than ever.

  I fell on top of him, bouncing my ass up and down roughly. Our lips met, and he kissed me harder than ever. Our tongues lashed against each other while our bodies slammed into one another with vigor. I rocked back and forth while he lifted himself up, bringing us both closer and closer to the edge.

  When I was seconds away, I pulled away from his lips and sat up. I rode him harder and faster than I thought I could. My body took over control, and I pounded against him, making myself scream out his name and vibrate with need.

  “Come for me,” he said, his voice rough. “Come for me again. Let me feel you come.”

  “Fuck!” I screamed. “Caleb!”

  He rammed his hips upward and rubbed my clit furiously with his thumb.
I moaned and cried out with pleasure. My entire body shook uncontrollably while he continued to ram himself inside me. He prolonged my orgasm, making me convulse and whimper.

  “Come here,” he growled and flipped me over. He rolled me onto my stomach and slapped my ass, making it shake and bringing yet another moan to my lips.

  “Take me,” I said weakly. “Take me.”

  “You’re so goddamn perfect,” he whispered, running his fingers down my spine and over my ass. He slapped me again and then lifted my hips. I laid on my stomach, clutching the bedsheets while he slid back inside me.

  “Oh shit,” I groaned and immediately felt my body shake with need.

  I’d already come three times, and yet, I couldn’t get enough. As Caleb started to thrust inside of me, holding onto my ass, I already felt another orgasm building. I didn’t know how much more I could handle, but I would let him fuck me until I collapsed. His cock felt so perfect inside me. I dripped around him, my juices flowing. His balls slapped against me hard and fast, hitting my clit and making me gasp.

  “Oh God!” I screamed. “Caleb! I’m going to come again!”

  He slapped my ass, and I cried out, my body vibrating and weak. He took me harder, making me whimper with pleasure. I’d never felt so alive in my entire life. I pushed my ass backward, desperate to feel all of him while I could.

  “Fuck, baby,” Caleb said. “You’re so damn wet.”

  I moaned and came hard. My body shook, and my mouth fell open. I could barely make a sound. Caleb’s cock throbbed inside of me, and when I came, he shot forward with his own release.

  “Shit!” he cried out. “Oh fuck!”

  He gripped my hips and pushed himself deep inside me, letting the waves of pleasure wash over him. We both froze in that position, trembling and dripping with each other’s ecstasy. I couldn’t move. I couldn’t speak. I could barely breathe.

  When Caleb pulled out of me, I collapsed on the bed, panting and shaking. My body was exhausted, and yet, I’d never felt better. I couldn’t believe how amazing that was. Caleb made me come not once, but four times. I’d never been with anyone who could do that. As Caleb fell on the bed beside me, I could hear him breathing hard.