Wine and Roses

by Ursula Sinclair

  Mrs. H stood. “There’s also a little bag of food in there for him but he’s going to need more.” She stood across the small space and at the door before he’d even registered she’d gotten up.

  “Wait!” he said. “What’s his name?”

  “I’ve been calling him Gunner Too, ‘TOO’, but one of the kids who took his brother called him Gunny.”

  He heard the soft click of the door but turned to the puppy and held him up to his face so they were eye to eye. “Gunny, huh?” he asked. The puppy moved his head forward and licked Simon’s face. Simon laughed. The sound surprised him. Something he hadn’t done in a long time. “Okay, Gunny it is.” His cell phone rang, and he picked it up.

  “Simon? Is this Simon Blackcat?”

  Two voices. Blood rushed to his head filling it, but he knew what he’d heard. Those were two different voices on the phone speaking to him. The rate of his heartbeat increased drumming against his chest. “Yes.”

  “It’s Jas and Josh.”

  Chapter Twenty

  “Damn it anyway.” The sound of the doorbell’s chime made Eboni jump out of the shower. She’d overslept—again. At least she had no appointments until the afternoon. Not her fault, these last few weeks a decent night’s sleep seemed a thing of her past. But she wasn’t going there again. She’d shed her last tear weeks ago refusing to cry any more over something she never truly possessed. Grabbing her robe, she put it on and wrapped her towel around her hair, as the doorbell buzzed again.

  “Coming,” she called, rushing across the living room carpet to the door. Pausing, she checked the viewer, and her hand rose to her throat. The cutest little black and white doggie filled her vision. It’s little pink tongue hanging out of its mouth. She also noticed the long slender tanned male fingers wrapped around the puppy’s tummy. The scar across his index finger told her who stood in front of her door. Funny, she remembered even the tiniest of details about him. Unlocking the door, she held it partially open and her body filled the space.

  The blood in her veins rushed through her heart muscles making it work over time. Her dream loomed in front of her. Only dream no more.

  “Are you going to let me in?” Simon asked. The puppy rested cradled to his still very hard and well defined chest.

  “I opened the door.” Turning away to prevent herself from falling into his arms, or saying anything stupid, she led the way into her living room. “Have a seat, let me change.” She did not plan on having a conversation with him dressed in nothing more than her robe. But she only made it two steps away from him before his hand captured hers.

  “No.”

  She stopped, twisting around to face him. “Excuse me?”

  He didn’t reply just kept a hold of her hand and his other cradled the puppy. He led her to the couch and sat down, tugging on her hand to get her to sit near him.

  She sighed. “Look, Simon, what is your problem? I got the message last time I saw you, and I haven’t heard from you in weeks. Now you just show up here? Next time call first. I was headed to work.” She pulled her hand out of his and pulled the lapels of her robe closer together.

  “I’m sorry,” he said. “This isn’t easy.”

  “Sorry for what, exactly? Blowing me off?” She waved a hand at him. “Hey, listen, no worries. I’m a big girl. I knew what I was doing. So if that’s what this is about to clear your conscious. It’s all good.”

  “I want us to try again, Eboni.”

  The puppy squirmed in his embrace, distracting them. “He’s not trying to go to the bathroom or anything is he?” she asked, eyeing the cute little fella. “What’s his name?”

  “Gunny.”

  She raised her eyes to meet his shades and felt the stab of pain in her heart for Gunner. Raising her hand, she patted the tiny head. “Any relation?”

  “His son.”

  “Oh.” She took the little dog out of his hands and nuzzled its head. “Well, little Gunny.” She held it up to rub noses. The sweet scent of puppy assailed her senses. “Come with me.” Rising from the couch, she grabbed a couple sheets of yesterday’s newspaper from the coffee table and went into the kitchen. She sensed Simon’s presence behind her but she ignored him. Placing the sheets near a cabinet, she placed the dog on it. At first, he sniffed around on the paper.

  “Is he trained?” she asked, turning to glance up at Simon.

  “Working on it. I’ve just been taking him out after each meal.”

  “That’s good.” They both watched as Gunny stopped his exploration of the paper and decided he could make better use of it. Eboni grinned. “That’s a good doggie.”

  She picked up the dog. “I’ll take care of this,” Simon offered.

  She returned to the living room and sat on the couch again, placing the dog down who promptly decided he liked tugging at her robe belt. She heard her trashcan open and close, then the sound of the kitchen faucet. Moments later, Simon joined them.

  “He likes you,” he said.

  She shrugged.

  “I like you.”

  The breath in her lungs got trapped. Nothing more would come in or out.

  “I more than like you.” Simon continued shifting closer to her, crowding Gunny so while the pup continued to chew on the end of her robe he climbed onto his owner’s lap. Simon raised his hand and touched the side of her face.

  She shook her head, dislodging his hand. “I’m sorry Simon…I gave you the wrong impression. I can’t do this with you again.”

  “Do what?”

  “Whatever this is and then for you to decide in the morning, next week or next month you need your space again.”

  He’d never lowered his hand. It just paused in the air between them then he reached forward again and grabbed the ends of a few of her micro braids hanging over her shoulder.

  “What if I told you I want more than that? I can’t stop thinking about you. I’ve missed you these last few weeks. Did you miss me?”

  She shook her head. “I can’t do this Simon.” And she couldn’t. Her heart pulsed, each valve pulling in a different direction, breaking. Again. “I don’t even know who you really are, so not sure who I missed.”

  He sat back. “What do you mean? Of course, you know who I really am. I’m the man that gives you multiple orgasms.”

  “I can get those from a good vibrator.”

  “Ouch.”

  “I think you better go.”

  “What would you like to know?”

  The puppy moved onto her lap, and she glanced down at it, stroking its soft head. “I spent a week with you in your family home and never met any of them. I don’t even know if you grew up with siblings, although there were three bedrooms I’m assuming you did. But I don’t know for sure. And if you grew up in that house how come there were no family pictures anywhere?” There. She’d asked all those questions, waiting to see if he’d open up to her and answer them.

  He grinned. “How do you know? Did you look…everywhere?”

  Eboni blushed. She had searched. One day while he’d been sitting on the dock with Gunner fishing, she’d had enough sun and stayed indoors. Using the time to look around, but she’d never admit it to him. “I mean there was nothing on the walls, no albums on the coffee table or bookshelves.”

  “That’s because they were all put away a long time ago. They’re up in the attic.”

  She blinked. She’d never thought of looking for an attic. “Oh.” She frowned. “But why?”

  “They just are.” He sat up and placed his hands on his knees getting ready to stand up and leave. But as before, she’d ask him questions about his family and the subject became taboo. Eboni couldn’t go down this road with him again. She refused. Hard enough walking away from him after the first time, the second time he dismissed her, and it hurt like hell. It still did. Putting the puppy off her lap, she stood up. She’d be a fool to go for round three.

  “I’m assuming you know about Bennis?” he asked.

  She sighed, change of subje
ct, how typical. “Yes, Jackson called me, and I also received a call from the FBI.”

  “Then you know Jackson had nothing to do with what happened, but the two cops involved have cut deals with the feds, and Bennis is going to jail for a good long time.”

  “Yes, I know, but what about the people he worked for?”

  “Foreign nationals. The CIA is also involved but they will only need your eyewitness testimony when the trial comes.”

  “Yes, I know that, too. Well, thank you for stopping by.”

  “Sure.”

  She waited, staring at him, but he said nothing more nor did he move to get up. She was done. “All right, Simon.” Once again the bite of his rejection cutting deep, slicing at wounds unhealed over from the last time. “I’m going to go finish getting dressed. I’ve got to get to work. Nice to see you, just let yourself out.” She turned, fighting the tears pooling in her eyes rushing to get to the safety of her bedroom so she didn’t make a complete fool of herself in front of him. She shut the door behind her and fell on the bed burying her face in the pillow she released another torrent of tears.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Simon knew what he needed to do. He was there to tell her everything, and yet he still couldn’t. At long last, he’d found his brothers. He glanced at the clock on the wall. Just a few more hours. Jas and Josh were stationed together and flying in from Virginia. They were able to get special leave because their circumstances were special, and it helped Ross had connections in the right places.

  He replayed the conversation in his head with his brothers. Still finding it hard to take in.

  “They told us you were dead,” one of his brothers blurted.

  “Geez, Josh, let those be the first words to the brother we haven’t seen in twelve years.”

  “Sorry about that Simon…but….” There was a choking sound on the phone. But for the life of him Simon couldn’t respond. The lump in his throat wouldn’t allow him to form a coherent sentence, and then tears rolled down his cheeks.

  He sat on the couch listening to the voices of his adult brothers. Brothers who loved him, missed him, and thought him dead because of a royal fuck-up with his paperwork after his first accident on patrol.

  “We remember, Simon. We remember.”

  “I’m sorry, boys,” he choked out. Knowing exactly what they spoke of. Hating they remembered. They might very well and rightfully so resent and hate him.

  “You had no choice.” Simon thought it was Jas who’d spoken.

  “You saved us that day.” Josh, now.

  “But I couldn’t save Mom,” he cried.

  “No, but we tried, and you did save us,” Josh said.

  “We went into the military because of you. You taught us you protect the things you love.”

  “That’s right.”

  He didn’t remember much of the conversation afterward. They might have all been bawling like babies by then. But they did get across to him they’d be in LA later that night. They’d booked the flight after they’d gotten his email and spoken to their captain. They had a little leave, only a few days, and they wanted to spend them with him. He’d offered to go to them but they wanted to see LA.

  So here he sat in the living room of the one person above all others he wanted to share this news with, and still he couldn’t bring himself to say the words. Tell her, just tell her, you love her. He cringed, then he’d have to tell her the rest. He raked his hand through his hair as he listened to her words of dismal. When she stood and shut the bedroom door, he knew he should get up and leave. He couldn’t. Not this time. Not ever.

  He took one of the cushions off the couch and put it on the floor placing the puppy on it. Gunny immediately curled up, yawned, and closed his eyes. Hopefully, like father like son, he’d sleep for a while. Simon took a deep breath and went to her door, grasping and pushing the door open knowing the woman on the other side held his future in her hands.

  She lay on the bed but immediately sat up and jumped off at his entrance to face him. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

  He shut the door behind him and leaned against it. Taking another deep breath, he told her the story of his sorry life. The way his father abused his mother, until one day when he was old enough to stop it.

  ***

  The story coming out of Simon’s mouth took all the air out of Eboni’s lungs. With his first sentence, “I killed my father after he killed my mother,” had her knees giving out, and she ended up sitting on the edge of the bed.

  Time passed as he continued his story. All the while he remained leaning against the door, his hands plastered flat on it. Like a man condemned and unable to move. Dry-eyed she listened to him, to all of it without interrupting. This was not something you interrupted, you let the person telling it tell it in their own way their own time and finally, she understood.

  Getting up, she went to him. Knowing he would not come to her, in truth, he already had. Her turn. She wrapped her arms around his waist and briefly rested her head against his chest. Looking up at him, she took his glasses off and placed them in the pocket of her robe. Staring into his beautiful gray eyes, eyes shining with such sadness she needed to take away. And she knew how.

  “I love you,” she said as tears filled her eyes.

  His head came down and captured her lips. A hard pressed kiss but then he pulled away, and his breath teased her when he whispered. “I love you more.”

  Taking the robe off her, he picked her up and took her over to the bed laying her gently on it. Standing before her, he quickly removed his clothes. She grinned at his haste. She missed him so. But not for long. Soon his body covered hers. He swallowed the moan she made as his tongue made love to hers. Like a man who’d been starved for her, almost as much as she’d been starved for him. But before long, he moved down to her breasts to give them the attention they’d yearned for. Holding one in his hand, he used his thumb to massage the nipple to a hard peak while his tongue played with the other one. Her hands couldn’t hold still. They fisted in his hair to keep him against her. Loving her like she needed him to. “I missed you,” she whispered. “I missed you.”

  He paused to look up at her. The grey in his eyes turned to steel in the pale light. “I missed you, too. And we’ll never be apart like that again. I’m sorry.”

  She kissed him this time as soon as her lips touched his and he opened for her allowing her entry into his mouth. Her turn to play. She sucked and nipped until she elicited a groan from him. Placing her hands on his chest, she pushed him until he’d rolled unto his back, and she climbed on top of him, never once breaking contact with his mouth. His arms wrapped around her waist, and his legs spread open to accommodate her as she rested between them. His hands moved to her hips and shifted her until her sex brushed up against the tip of his. He moved her back and forth on his shaft until they were both coated in her juices. But she hadn’t tasted him for a long time. Lifting her head, she licked his chin then his chest, scooting down his body. Past his navel and the head of the black panther below his navel and tracing the tattooed body right to the tip of his sex.

  ***

  When Eboni’s mouth covered him, his toes curled back. “Damn!” He gasped as her lips enclosed him, and her tongue licked around the top of his head and tried to pierce the slit on his shaft. The heat immediately moved in a rush from his stomach to his groin. His balls swelled and throbbed from the pressure to hold back. He would not last long like this at all.

  Placing his hand under her mouth, he got her to lift off him. As soon as she did, he lay back down. Shifting one hand to wrap around her arm, he pulled her fully up on him until she sat with his sex jutting up between her lush thighs. “Sit on me, sweetheart. Fuck me.”

  He held on to her hip with one hand and the base of himself with the other until slowly he rested, lovingly caged in her heated woman’s canal.

  “Oh God!” She closed her eyes, threw her head back and moaned.

  “Oh yeah!” he repl
ied.

  She opened her eyes and looked at him before raising herself off him and coming back down. He matched her rhythm, and soon he no longer cared if they were in sync or not his hips merely rose seeking her warmth. Seeking its nesting place. Holding onto her, he turned them so she lay under him. He wrapped her legs over his shoulders and plunged into her with a few long, deep strokes. His body trembled as his life force rushed to fill her.

  ***

  They sat side by side in the baggage claim area waiting for his brothers. The arrival board indicated the plane had landed, and it would only be a matter of time before they got off and they’d see them. Eboni held his hand. At first, she didn’t want to come. She thought it best he greet his brothers without her. In truth, she wanted to be there for him, for all of them.

  He raised her hand to his lips, and kissed it. “You know you hold my future right? I’m sorry. I should at least have a bottle of wine, some roses but, by the way, would you marry me?” he asked.

  She’d been staring up and down at the passengers filling the area trying to see if she could spot two men together who looked like twins and also looked like Simon. People were coming from both directions, and they weren’t exactly sure which carousel the bags would be on. But it had to be one of the two they sat between. Simon seemed so calm but she knew he used those glasses as a shield for more than against light. There was passion and emotion within him. Lots of it. His hand clenched in hers, as excited and nervous as she.

  He couldn’t tell her much about what Josh and Jas looked like. The last time he’d seen them they were ten, and they were fraternal twins, but he said they all had the same grey eyes. Pride laced through his voice when he spoke about them as children, and what they’d done with their lives as adults, joining the military to honor their older brother.

  She felt the touch of his lips on her fingers, and it went straight to her toes, but at his question her head swung in his direction. Sure she hadn’t heard him right. “What?”