Art of Forgiveness

by Monique Orgeron

  LIAM: “Make me.”

  ME: “You’re going to kill yourself, falling out of that damn tree.”

  LIAM: “Then my death will be on your hands.”

  Shit, that asshole. I storm outside, to the tree, and aggressively whisper, “Liam, get out of the damn tree!”

  “Will you listen to me?”

  “Yes, fine,” I tell him with utter annoyance.

  Liam climbs down the tree and tries to kiss me. I move before he can.

  “Why are you here, Liam? I told you I wasn’t doing this anymore.”

  “Well, if you haven’t noticed, I can’t seem to stay away.”

  “Why?”

  “Because I love you, Avery.”

  “What?”

  “You heard me. Now, let me kiss you.”

  I do. I let him kiss me over and over until I can’t breathe. That night, we started over.

  The doctor takes me away from my thoughts when she tells me how we won’t get anywhere unless I speak to her. That’s the idea, bitch. She gives up and tells me she’ll see me next week.

  16

  Liam

  Learning from Gabriel is easier than I thought. He’s trying to get me prepared to take over for him when he takes paternity leave. I spend my days learning all the ins and outs of the casino, along with all our other side businesses.

  Gabriel says it’s enough for the day. I agree and turn to leave when Gabriel stops me.

  “Have a drink with me before we go home.”

  As if right on cue, Zander strolls in. “Hey, did I hear someone wants a drink?”

  Gabriel answers him, “I was just telling Liam it’s time for us to have a drink. Want one?”

  Zander quickly responds, “Hell yeah.”

  I make us all a scotch neat, then hand them their drinks as I grab mine. I know they're up to something, so I decide to get straight to the point.

  “Let’s cut the bullshit. What do y’all want?”

  Gabriel chuckles and says, “Were we that obvious?”

  “Yes.”

  Zander then says, “We’re worried about you, brother.”

  Then Gabriel says, “Fallon tells me you’ve been sleeping in Avery’s room every night since she’s been with us.”

  “So? I just want her to feel safe, that’s all.”

  Zander shakes his head. “That’s not all, Liam. From the day we rescued her, we all saw you cared for her. I mean, Jesus, you killed for her; so, don’t bullshit me, brother.”

  I think about how much I want to reveal. I know I have to tell them something.

  “I do care for her. She and I had a thing. It’s been over for a long time.”

  Zander asks, “So, what did you do, little brother?”

  “I broke her heart. Listen, guys, I appreciate the concern, but I’m fine. I just want to make sure she comes out of this. I think it helps her to know I’m there, at least I hope it does. But it’s been a long time, our relationship is over. Please, don’t tell Mom anything.” I stand and tell them, “Now I’m done with this conversation.”

  I leave them there and go home. After a long day, I just want to see Avery and hear if anything changed today.

  When I make it home, Fallon tells me about Avery’s day. She tells me she’s still eating and that she saw the doctor today but refused to talk. I thank her and run off to my room to clean up and get ready for bed.

  Later in the night, I sneak back to Avery’s room and drift off to sleep.

  I’ve been the luckiest son of a bitch ever since Avery forgave me. I couldn’t be happier. The weather starts to get colder. It makes it hard for us to see each other every night, until Avery starts sneaking me into her room. I know I should have never agreed to it, but I don’t want to skip any nights. For weeks, I’ve been able to control my urge for her by playing board games. It sounds stupid, but it works; we’re having fun playing, too. I even show her how to play some card games, like blackjack, I even show her how to count the cards. If we aren’t playing games, we watch movies. Some are my choice, and some are hers. She loves her chick flicks, and I hate to admit it, but I like them, too, I even have to hide a tear or two through some of them.

  Avery, however, starts wanting more, and as much as I fight it, I want more, too. We start kissing more and making out, but I struggle not to touch her more than the simple roaming.

  Frustrated, Avery asks, “Liam, why don’t you want to touch me more?”

  “Baby, it’s not that I don’t want to. It’s…”

  “Then why, Liam? You don’t want me?”

  I do. I want her so bad. There’s nothing I want more than to slide into her and drown myself in her love. I grab her face and kiss her soft at first, then it becomes more passionate. I lay us down on the bed and start kissing her neck. God, I love her: her smell, her mouth, her touch. I start to slowly lift her shirt, just a little so I can feel the skin of her flat stomach. She’s so soft, my erection is straining against my pants. It becomes painful with how much I want her. She slips her hands under my shirt as she begins rubbing my skin. My hand travels higher under her shirt as I continue to kiss her lips. I begin to fondle her breasts. I feel her nipples hardening, and fuck, it just makes my cock harder. Her moans, though, are going to kill me. I have to stop. I can’t take anymore, not unless I’m willing to take all of her.

  I jump up and get out of the bed, adjusting my massive hard on. I need to breathe and calm myself down.

  “Liam, what’s wrong? What did I do?”

  “Nothing, just give me a minute.”

  I pace the floor, trying to think of anything that can take my mind off Avery’s body and how bad I want to make love to her. I hear Avery start to cry.

  “Avery, what’s wrong?”

  “I don’t know what I did. I thought, I mean, it felt good—”

  I stop her before she can finish. I know what she means. “Avery, it did feel good. That’s the problem.”

  “Why? Don’t you want it to feel good between us?”

  Now I’m frustrated in more than one way. “Shit, Avery, I can’t, okay? I just can’t. Just leave it alone.”

  “No, I want to know why? Why do you want to sleep with other girls, but not me?”

  “Because you’re not like the other girls. Avery, I didn’t care for those other girls. I love you, only you. I don’t want to make you feel like I’m just using you. You’re not ready for this. I know you think you are, but you’re not.”

  “You can’t tell me what I’m ready for. I want you, and I want you to want me, too.”

  I grab her hand and lay it over my caged hard cock. “Wanting you isn’t the problem. Do you feel that? I live with it constantly when I’m around you. I have to jerk off every time I leave you, and sometimes I don’t even make it home. Shit, Avery, I’ve even jerked off in that fucking tree. You see how stupid you make me?”

  My sweet Avery didn’t even flinch when I laid her hand over my cock. She still has it there. I start to feel her hand move, she’s rubbing up and down.

  “You don’t have to, you know? I can help. I want to.”

  What the fuck?! I grab her hand, and in a harsh tone I tell her, “Don’t. You don’t know what you’re asking for, and I’m not that strong around you.”

  I kneel beside the bed. “Avery, I know you’re a virgin, and I love that. I want to take this slow. If we’re meant to be, then I will be your one and only, but if we’re not, I never want to be your regret. I care too much about you. Do you understand?”

  She nods her head, and I see a tear fall. I quickly kiss it away and join her back in the bed. We hold each other for a while, and then Avery kisses me and says, “I love you, Liam. I’m willing to wait since you give me no other choice, but I want more than just the kissing. Do you think we can do more, or do you think it would be too difficult for you?”

  Without another thought, I kiss her and say, “I love you, too. I’m willing to do what you want, as long as we don’t go too far.”

  I loo
k up at the ceiling and start laughing. “Fuck, Avery, you have me sounding like the fucking virgin.”

  She laughs at me. “You do. Who knew the school male slut would be this hard to get into bed?”

  “Hey, I’m not the school slut.”

  “Oh, yes you are; you should hear the rumors. Me and you, what a pair, the slut and the virgin.”

  “Well, you might be the virgin, but after tonight you won’t be so innocent.” I wiggle my eyebrows at her and lay on top of her.

  She giggles. “Oh yeah, what are you going to do, big boy?” Then she winks...oh, my girl has a devilish side to her.

  “Big boy, huh? Baby, you have no idea.”

  I spread her legs with my thigh and push my erection into her center. She gasps.

  “Relax, baby. We won’t do anything other than this.”

  I kiss her and start grinding myself over her covered pussy. She starts to moan, so I know she’s feeling good. I go back under her shirt and pinch her nipple. Her legs spread wider, and it feels so good; even under my jeans, I can feel her warmth.

  “Does it feel good? Do you like it?”

  She nods her head with her eyes closed tight. I lower my hand to her leg and lift, knowing she’ll feel me more this way.

  “Better?”

  She nods again.

  “I want you to relax and feel me, Avery. Let me make you feel good.”

  I start sucking her neck, then I nibble her ear. I whisper to her, “Cum for me, baby.”

  She does, and it's music to my ears. Her nails dig into my back, and her soft breaths are on my neck as I explode in my pants like a loser, but I don’t care. That’s the minute I knew I wanted to marry her. No one has ever compared to her. Without even skin on skin, I knew she was the one.

  17

  Avery

  It’s been almost four months since I’ve been here, and I’m still in the same bedroom they placed me in when I arrived. I never leave. The “crazy” doctor, that’s what I call her, still comes once a week, and I still won’t talk to her. I don’t see much of Catherine; it’s almost like she avoids me. But Fallon comes every day; she brings my food and clothing, even sits and talks to me while she brushes my hair. I never talk to her. There’s nothing I want to know, until today. I noticed Fallon’s getting larger. Her stomach is starting to protrude, and I can’t help wanting to know. She comes in with my lunch, and I start eating while she talks about what’s going on outside in the world.

  When I’m finished eating, she takes my tray away and sits behind me on the bed to start brushing my hair. I let her, but then my curiosity takes over. I turn and lay my hand on her protruding belly.

  Fallon looks stunned. “Avery, I didn’t know how to tell you; next week, I’ll be six months. He’s growing every day. Before you know it, I’ll be as big as a house.”

  I leave my hand there. She’s beautiful. Even with her extra weight, Fallon is gorgeous. She’s strong and confident, nothing like me.

  I hear her talking. “Are you upset? I wanted to tell you, but you’ve been dealing with so much. Avery, please don’t be upset. I found out the day we were rescued I was almost two months pregnant and didn’t know.”

  My tears slowly slide down my face, not from being sad, but from joy. The senator and his men weren’t able to hurt her like they did me, and for that her baby is safe. I move down and lay my head in her lap. Fallon starts passing her fingers through my hair. I don’t know why, but from the moment I met her, I’ve felt this bond I’ve never had before, not even with Lucy. I feel like she can understand me more. I know it’s strange. I don’t really know anything about her, but I know she can understand some of my pain.

  I must have drifted off because I started dreaming of Liam again.

  Liam and I have been seeing each other for a little over six months now. Our relationship is strong, even though we haven’t slept together; he has made me feel like a woman. I want nothing more than for him to take my virginity, but I know he won’t, and part of me loves him more for it. He slowly became my everything, I’m just scared he’ll tire of me and want more than he gets from me. I’ve been pushing lately, trying to get him to break. Hell, he barely lets me touch him. He says he’s scared if I do, he won’t be able to stop. But that’s exactly what I want. I don’t want him to stop. So, after all this time, heavy petting and some fondling are all we’ve done. It’s not as much as I would like; he does, however, always makes sure I finish.

  Christmas passes, and we exchange gifts. He gives me a beautiful heart-shaped necklace with our initials engraved on it.

  “I love it. It’s so beautiful, Liam,” I tell him as my tears start to fall.

  He starts kissing my tears away. “Baby, don’t cry. It’s just a necklace.”

  “I wish I could have gotten you something more, but my mom doesn’t give me much money. I guess it’s her way of keeping me in her control.”

  I hand him the wrapped present I now know is the stupidest thing I could have bought. I wait for my humiliation to begin as he unwraps it and opens the box. He pulls the shirt out and starts laughing hysterically.

  “I just thought since you like my T-shirts so much, you needed your own.”

  I found a T-shirt that has a cartoon of a huge pickle on it saying, “I’m such a big dill.”

  He gives me a big, tight hug. “Avery, I love it. It’s so you.”

  “Well, I just figured since you’re always hinting at how large your…you know what is, maybe you would like to wear a shirt that alluded to that fact.”

  “Really? My large you know what?”

  I tease, “Yeah, since I just have your word to go on. I mean, I don’t know, maybe you’re lying. It could be small, and I might need to get you a different shirt.”

  Liam decides he’s going to tease me back. “Well, do you want another Christmas present?”

  Before I can answer, Liam steps back and unzips his jeans. He’s wearing a shit-eating grin as he lowers his jeans from his hips and then lowers his boxer briefs. My mouth drops, and Liam starts to laugh.

  “Avery, close your mouth. It’s too sexy.”

  “I…I never saw one in person. I mean, I’ve felt it before, but—”

  I clear my throat and catch myself before I make his ego any larger than it already is.

  “Well, it’s very nice, but is it large? I mean, how would I know? It could be average. It could be small.”

  Liam grabs me by the neck and starts devouring my mouth. It’s his way of shutting me up. I feel the need to touch him, so I stretch my arm down and grab a hold of him. His kiss stops abruptly and freezes. His eyes open. looking into mine.

  “You want another Christmas present, Liam?”

  I’m not sure what to do, but I know the basics. I start moving my hand up and down along his length while I continue to look deep into Liam’s eyes. I cover the top of his dick with my palm and feel it’s wet. He still doesn’t move; it’s like he’s scared to. His eyes suddenly shut, and a groan comes from him. His hand grabs mine, and he says, “Don’t.”

  “Let me, Liam. I want to, please.”

  His eyes open, and he stares into mine. Without saying a word, he covers my hand with his and shows me how he likes it. I become more aggressive, I pump him faster as his breathing accelerates. I feel empowered having him literally in the palm of my hand. I kiss him passionately, and moans start coming from him.

  “Stop, stop, baby.”

  I hear him, but I’m not listening, I want him to cum for me. His words do nothing but make me try harder. In fact, I use his words against him as I tell him, “Cum for me, baby.”

  He does. He shoots his warm load all over my hand and shirt as he calls out my name, “Avery.”

  “Shit! I’m sorry, Avery. I didn’t mean for that to happen. You just wouldn’t stop.”

  I remove my shirt that has his cum on it and use it to clean my hands. I turn around embarrassed.

  “No. I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have. I know you don’t want me lik
e that and…”

  Before I could say another word, he turns me and kisses me so hard, I taste blood.

  “Shut up, Avery, and lay down. It’s my turn.”

  He looks serious, and he says it again. “Lay down.”

  I do as he says. He crawls in the bed after me, looks at my bra and shorts, then it sounds like he lets out a growl. He says, “I want to see.”

  He then grabs my boxers and slowly pulls them down. I’m left with my cute but not sexy panties that say Wednesday. I’m mortified because today is actually Saturday. “Shit.” He lets out a small chuckle before his eyes find mine again. I decide to finish the job he stopped. I lift my hips a little and shove my underwear down my legs. Maybe I shouldn’t have done that because I’m not bare, and I hear men like bare. “Double Shit.”

  “Avery, you’re so beautiful.” He passes his fingers over my pubic hair and tugs. “I love how natural you are.” In a heartbeat, he’s lying down between my legs.

  “I need to taste you. Tell me I can?”

  “Yes.”

  He lowers his head and kisses lightly on my hips, then on top of my mound. He spreads my legs with his shoulders, and then I feel his kisses lower as his wet tongue starts to devour me. Oh my God, it feels so good. My hands claw and grip at my sheets, and my back arches; it’s better than I could have ever imagined. He starts sucking on my clit, and my eyes roll back. I know I’m getting louder, but I can’t help it. I’ll just have to be embarrassed later. I start to feel his fingers on me as he plays with my swollen clit, then I feel it; he pushes a finger inside me and curls it, and I come undone. My hand pulls at his hair, and I tear a hole into my sheet with my nails. My body starts to tremble uncontrollably. I can’t help but yell out, “Fuck!” when my body settles. He kisses my body all the way up to my lips, then kisses me softly and laughs into my lips.

  “You, Ms. Avery Edwards, are going to be a tiger in bed when you finally get my cock.” He decides he needs to tease me more by saying, “Do I have any hair left back there? Look.” I slap his arm as he keeps going. “Did you tear a hole in your sheet? Damn, girl. If one little orgasm made you do all that, then maybe I need to wear protective gear when I give you more?”