When Forever Ended

by Cara Dee

  "Look at you," he murmured huskily. "You meet every push like a…" He paused, hesitating, so I opened my eyes. He smiled and drove the fingers deeper, and I growled a curse. "I don't have to be nervous, do I?"

  I shook my head quickly and bucked into him, and he rewarded me with a third finger. Mother of—A drawn-out groan left me.

  His lips ghosted over mine. "You slut."

  My eyes flew open, and I nearly lost my shit right there. Heat and desire crashed down on me, and all I could do was grab his face and kiss the hell out of him. My ability to speak was evidently gone, but thankfully, he picked up on the urgency.

  Through groans and filthy whispers, he coated his cock in lube and then slowly pushed it inside me. I panted and gnashed my teeth together, and I obeyed when he told me to stroke myself.

  "Perfect," he gritted out as he shoved deep.

  "Harder." My blunt fingernails raked his back, his hissing sounds and curses turning me on further. He pulled out, only to ram back in, and the burn exploded. "Goddammit!" I jacked my cock faster, our breaths mingling.

  "So much to explore." He rolled his hips and buried himself deep enough for me to choke on a moan. My back arched, and my nails dug in. "A lifetime of fantasizing…"

  "Fuck, yeah." I landed a kiss on his chin. "Like feeding you my cock first thing in the morning."

  "Mmhmm, like tying you to my bed." He sucked hard on my neck and used his teeth.

  I shuddered violently at the images he gave me. Me…spread out for him…restrained…begging.

  "Tongue-fucking you," I grunted and sank my teeth into his shoulder, "teasing you, sliding my cock between your ass cheeks…"

  His breathing hitched. "And then?"

  "Fucking you." I cupped his neck and pressed our foreheads together. "Opening up your tight little ass for my cock."

  He swallowed dryly and licked his lips, then nodded jerkily, and I could tell he was losing control. Thank fuck, because so was I. I was swimming—or hell, drowning at this point—in sheer ecstasy.

  "I won't be able to—"

  "Me either." I licked a drop of perspiration from his neck and stroked my cock roughly as he increased his pace. The burn in my ass never faded, and to intensify it, I clenched down as hard as I could whenever he slammed in. "Ungh, ah—Will," I groaned. Feet planted firmly on the mattress, I met each thrust with a roll of my hips.

  When I thought I couldn’t get more delirious, he wrapped his long fingers loosely around my throat and kissed me. It was soft, almost sweet, and contradicted the whisper that left his lips.

  "Let me see that beautiful cock make a filthy mess on your chest, baby."

  It was my undoing. All air left my lungs, and I was pulled under by my orgasm. One by one, ropes of come landed on my torso, filling the air with a stronger scent of sex.

  Will lost it too, rocking instinctually while his cock grew impossibly thicker and soaked my ass with his release.

  His light choke hold on me prolonged my climax until I finally collapsed, a listless pile of limbs on the mattress.

  I winced as he withdrew from my ass. He landed next to me, panting and throwing an arm over his face, and I laughed breathlessly for no fucking reason at all. I was spent—cooked and done.

  "Shit." I scrubbed my hands over my face and blinked. "I could…sleep for days."

  Nothing like a flu and a spectacular fuck to knock me out.

  "I promised you food." Will blew out a labored breath and took my hand, threading our fingers together.

  That small gesture went straight to my heart, and I turned to pull him close to me. "Funny, I'm not hungry anymore. For food, anyway." I gave him a languid kiss, lazy strokes of our tongues, and like last time, he touched my chest and the cooling release. "Use your mouth," I whispered. "Clean me up."

  He moaned quietly, that delectable blush appearing, and obeyed.

  Chapter 17

  William Calvert

  "Hey, I'm concentrating." I swatted away Kelly's hand before he could loosen the towel around my hips. "Do you want me to burn the food?"

  As if I wasn’t already struggling.

  I flipped the burgers and poked at one, having no clue how to know if it was ready. It would've been easier if I'd had a grill. I'd long since memorized how many minutes were required for each side, but it was different on a stove.

  "You can't blame me for wanting to get my fill before I go." He kissed my shoulder, his lips lingering as I assumed he was double-checking the burgers for me. No one trusted me in the kitchen. "I should've dropped the soap in the shower."

  I chuckled.

  "When do you have to get back?" I wondered.

  "I figured around seven. I told Matt I'd be home with dinner." He traced the edge of my towel with his fingers. "Do you mind if I tell him?"

  "You mean confirm what he already believes?" I smirked wryly, knowing it'd be the same with Brady. "No, I don’t mind." I plated the patties before facing him. "I'm telling Brady, too. Aurora…I'll wait a bit there. If it comes up, it comes up, but her world has already been turned upside down."

  "I bet," he murmured. "And in the spirit of going slow, I was thinking there's no need to tell your folks for…I don’t know, maybe twenty years?"

  I grinned. Truth was, I resented my parents enough not to give a rat's ass about how they reacted. "Whenever they do find out, it doesn’t matter what they say."

  "If you say so." He pointed at the stove. "After you cook something, you turn off the heat."

  Smartass.

  We gathered our food along with fixings and two beers, then sat down on the couch in the living room. I took my meds while he found something on the TV, and I had a feeling I'd be watching him more than whatever show he'd end up picking.

  Despite a nap and a long shower, I could still feel him on my skin from before, and I hadn't processed the memories yet. They assaulted me every time I glanced at him, bringing heat to my face and sparks of desire to my stomach.

  This was happening. I supposed a big part of me was going to need time to let that sink in. Having Kelly as more than a friend had only been a pipe dream.

  "I like this, by the way." He touched my chin briefly. "You trimmed it."

  I snorted quietly and poured some ketchup on my burger. "Brady graciously informed me I looked like a hobo before."

  Kelly laughed and leaned over his plate to dig into his burger. "Smart kid."

  I was smiling to myself as I ate, feeling a bit ridiculous. This mattered, though. There were going to be long, dreadful days where I focused on getting my life back together and couldn’t see him, so being able to sneak in moments where we could be a couple meant a lot to me. I reveled in the simplest things just because it was with him.

  Finally. At last, at last, at last.

  My best friend, the boy I'd been hopelessly head over heels with… The cocky guy who gave me a voice and said I was enough.

  The love of my life.

  It was unbelievable.

  Brady was right, too—about imperfections. Kelly and I were so far from flawless. We'd made mistakes and hurt people, we'd fought against anger, shame, and denial. All we could do was make amends, learn from the wrongdoings, and move forward.

  I was ready.

  "This is good," Kelly said with his mouth full.

  It was okay. It would be a while before food was no longer a struggle. I was about to toss back a lighthearted "You taste better," but the first word got stuck in my throat as Kelly and I both heard keys turning in the lock of the front door.

  "Uh," was Kelly's dumbfounded response.

  I had nothing better. I froze with my burger in hand, acutely aware we were sitting here in nothing but towels.

  Brady walked in and stopped short upon spotting us, and it was followed by eyes widening.

  Good Christ.

  My son recovered first, and he blurted out, "You did say I could come and go as I wanted, right? Oh, God." He turned the other way and pinched the bridge of his nose. "This is so fuc
king weird."

  Mortification took over, and I accidentally dropped my burger on the floor.

  "What're the odds of him believing we're just shooting the shit?" Kelly asked quietly.

  I let out a strained noise and began picking up food off the floor.

  "Not great," Brady hollered. "You should work on whispering, Keep."

  "For the love of—" Kelly huffed.

  "I'm sorry," I said, finally finding my voice. "Of course, you can come and go as you wish, Brady. This is your home, too." I cleared my throat and wiped my fingers on a napkin. "I'm sorry, son," I repeated. "I didn’t think—I don’t want you to be uncomfortable."

  Brady exhaled a laugh, still facing away from us. "This is how that would play out: you call me up and speak a little awkwardly like you do when you're unsure, and you suggest you, me, Keep, and Matt get together for pizza or some shit. Then you break the news and say you're dating, and—"

  "I think we get the picture," Kelly drawled. "For chrissakes, you can turn around. It's not like we're naked."

  "No," he replied slowly, "but unless Dad bought a cat today, I just discovered that my father and Little Chinook's Keeper are kinky. So which is it? Are you covered in scratches and marks 'cause there's a cat in the house?"

  "Okay," I said abruptly and stood up. "I'm going to get dressed." Holy crap, my face was on fire, and I felt like a teenager. In the shower, I'd kissed and licked every damn mark I'd left on Kelly's stunning body; now my eighteen-year-old son was calling me kinky.

  "I'll be in my room!" Brady was already stalking down the hall.

  "Brady, wait!" Kelly called and stood up.

  "What?" he called back.

  That’s what I wanted to know, too. I stared at Kelly, bewildered.

  He thought this was funny. Prick. "You haven't seen me kiss your old man goodbye yet!"

  I whacked his arm. "Kelly."

  Brady groaned and slammed the door to his room shut.

  "Was that really necessary?" I asked irritably.

  "It really fucking was." Kelly laughed under his breath, palmed my jaw, and gave me a hard kiss. "I'm gonna get dressed and go home, but I seriously don’t think you have anything to worry about." He kissed me again, and I tried to unclench. Hopefully, he was right. "His idea's pretty good, too. When you're up to it, maybe we could take the boys out? No rush. Just lemme know when you're ready."

  I nodded dumbly, having nothing clever to say.

  "Hey." He smiled and touched his forehead to mine. His warm hands slid up my arms to my neck. "As much as I wish we could've had fun exploring in our teens, this'll be more…interesting." His green eyes flashed with amusement. "This is the deal, Calvert. We're parents, and we'll do this while juggling all the grown-up shit. Okay? It's all good."

  I nodded again, calmer thanks to him. He was right. It was going to be a bumpy road and, as he said, certainly interesting.

  *

  Saturday was the opening day of the annual festival in Camassia Cove. What was once a harvest celebration had turned into a week-long spectacle that filled the streets of Cedar Valley with tourists, vendors, local breweries, farmers, and a carnival.

  I was spending a few hours there today with Brady and Aurora, so I had a feeling I would be wrung out by the time I met up with Kelly and our friends for guys' night later tonight.

  Rolling up the sleeves of my button-down, I glanced over at Brady, who was watching me. Again. It was getting tedious.

  "Will you stop it, already?" I snapped quietly. Lissa and Aurora were down the hall, and I didn’t want them to hear.

  Brady smirked slyly and rose from the couch. "I haven't done anything." No, he only kept giving those looks. The marks were fading, for heaven's sake. "I'm seeing you in a new light. William Calvert—back-scratcher and choke-holder extraordinaire."

  "Okay, that’s it. I'm going to check on your mother and sister." I left the living room and released a breath, shaking off the embarrassment. The choke hold part hit a bit too close to home.

  He'd had his fun for a couple days now while we finished the living room and Aurora's room. If I had to put up with his wisecracks and smug face when we tackled his room and the kitchen next week, I was going to start drinking. Or take his car keys.

  Stopping in the doorway to Aurora's room, I gave the girls a moment while Aurora showed Lissa her new furniture and whatnot.

  "I'm kind of impressed Brady painted." Lis inspected the wall with the window that was dark purple now. As per our daughter's request, the others remained white.

  "Look, Mom. I put my scrapbooking stuff here." Aurora opened two drawers in her desk. "And I'm gonna start a recipe book for Daddy. His pancakes this morning were, like, ugghh. But don't tell him. He tries."

  I grinned. "He really does."

  Aurora spun in her chair and shrieked. "Oh, my God, Dad!"

  I flinched at the volume, while Lissa let out a soft laugh.

  Lissa's phone chirped, and since her purse hung on the doorknob, I automatically went for it.

  "Can I put a sign on my door that says no parents allowed?" Aurora grumbled.

  "Nice try, sweetheart." I chuckled, extending the phone to Lissa, and in the last second, I saw my brother's name on the display. "Is everything all right?" They didn’t speak often as far as I knew. We weren't very close. He'd always had his eyes set elsewhere and left Camassia after high school.

  "Oh." With the phone in her grasp, she saw the name and waved it off dismissively. "Yes, it's fine. Just checking in." She pocketed her phone and smiled at me. "I like your place, William. You're turning it into something special."

  "Thank you." It meant a great deal. "Aurora, are you ready to go?" I tilted my head at Lis. "You know you're welcome to join, right?"

  "Oh, no." She waved that off too and grabbed her purse. "I have a date with my bathtub and a bottle of wine. Sharon's coming over later." As she passed me, she lowered her voice so only I heard her. "She wants me to create a dating profile online. I can't tell you how much that is not happening."

  It was strange how nice that was to hear. Not that she wasn’t diving into the dating jungle right away, but that she was comfortable joking about it. I wanted her to be happy.

  Much like my depression was bound to give me rough days even as it was fading, Lissa and I were going to have days where hurt and bitterness took over. It was natural. For now, I was relieved there were good days, as well. It gave us everything to fight for.

  "Dad, I want candy apples. Can we get some?" Aurora asked as we headed toward the door.

  "Sure," I answered. At the same time, Lissa told me Brady had asked her if he could do the craft beer tour and maybe, maybe "try some" from me since they would only serve him nonalcoholic beer. "Right. Candy apples. Sneaking beer to a minor. I'm handling it." Everything was happening all at once for a minute, and I did my best to take it in stride. Brady met up with us in the hallway, and then we were out the door.

  "Did you leave money for pizza tonight?" Brady wondered.

  And so I jogged up the stairs again to leave money in the hallway. I spotted my shades there, so I grabbed them, too. On the way down, Kelly texted to let me know Matt had beaten him in a father-son pie-eating contest, so I presumed they were at the festival along with the rest of the town.

  "You know the rules, Brady," Lissa was saying when I rejoined them out on the street. Even from a couple blocks away, we could hear music and festivities going on at the district center. "Your father and I don't want calls at midnight from Aurora because you're terrorizing her."

  Brady saluted her.

  "Go. Enjoy your wine and quiet time." I kissed Lissa's cheek. "Right now, I may envy you."

  She laughed and started walking up the street to her car. "You know I'm only a call away, but—please don't call."

  I smirked and inclined my head, then nudged Aurora and Brady in the other direction. "Copy that. Let's go, you heathens."

  "I think you're the only heathen here," Brady pointed out.


  I smacked him upside the head, to which he laughed.

  A long sigh slipped out, and I put on my shades as we crossed the street. Then my phone vibrated again, reminding me I hadn't replied to Kelly yet. Hell, I missed him already.

  This last one was from him, too.

  Brady invited Matt over to your place while we're out with the guys. I wanna make sure it's okay before I answer.

  My head spun, causing a headache to take up residence. We hadn't even reached the festival area yet, and I was already overwhelmed. The crushing weight of doubt seeped in, though I pushed it aside for now.

  I can do this, dammit.

  "Brady." I kept my voice down and showed him the text.

  "It's okay, isn't it?" He furrowed his brow. "Oh, if you're worried about—" He gestured toward an oblivious Aurora. "We'll be discreet. I know it's soon."

  Fair enough. Then, of course, I didn’t mind having Matthew at my place. I needed there to be a bright future for Kelly and me, and his son was a huge part of that. Kelly was probably right; the brother-like banter he used on Brady was working to bring Kelly and my son closer. They were both easygoing and shared a past of poking fun to show they liked someone. I would have to find a way that worked for Matthew and me.

  Tell him he's more than welcome. Can't wait to see you tonight.

  I pressed send.

  Time to enjoy the madness of a festival.

  Chapter 18

  Kelly Oakley

  "Over here, Calvert!" I could be a loud fucker, so the fact that my voice barely carried over the loud din said a lot about the atmosphere tonight.

  The festival I remembered from my childhood was nothing like this. Now it made people come out in droves, and I wondered if everyone was in hibernation for the rest of the year.

  We hadn't found a bar that wasn’t packed to the extremes, so Adam had pulled some strings and gotten us a table at Coho, the place he ran. With the extra demand of the festival, doors and windows were open, and a temporary serving area was set up outside the steakhouse, which was where Will eventually found us.

  Jameson sparked up a smoke and lifted a pierced brow. "He looks better."