by Willow, Jo
“Well at least these should slow your ass down. We can’t leave you alone for five damned minutes, can we?”
Melody was loaded for bear.
“Bugger off Anton. Where’s your date?”
“I took Janet home the minute I got the call that we were rallying the troops. What the hell happened?”
“Can we get home first? I’ll tell you all about it then, I promise.”
All further discussion was tabled until we made the trek to Melody’s condo. Ayla stayed quiet in the car on the way over and I couldn’t tell if she was mad because I’d hit her with the first of many rules, or if she was considering the injuries that Tony had inflicted on Melody. Either way, she had a right to her private thoughts and I assumed that if she wanted to discuss them, she would.
You know what they say about the word “assume”. If I’d had a brain in my head I would’ve started defusing the situation then and there, and if I’d had any experience with relationships at all, I probably would have. The problem was, I didn’t so I didn’t.
By the time we got to Melody’s place, the arguments were in full bloom. Since we weren’t in a public place, I saw no reason to get involved unless I had something valuable to add to the discussion. Melody was ensconced in her favorite chair, her foot propped on a pillow on the ottoman. Anton was pacing beside her, reading her the riot act, to which she paid no attention. Deacon was in her kitchen making what looked like tea.
Ayla sat on the sofa between Austin and Dorothy, making her position clear. She wasn’t talking to me at the moment. I sat on the loveseat next to Chase and contemplated that development.
Deacon came in and handed Mel’ a cup of tea and a glass of water. She put the tea on the end table next to her and popped a pill into her mouth. Then she chased it with the glass of water. When she put the glass down, she picked up the tea and began to sip as she smiled at Deacon. He was now perched on the arm of the sofa, next to his wife.
Anton stopped and looked at her, stupified.
“You’ve not been listening to a word I’ve been saying, have you?”
She continued to smile at Deacon.
“Nope. All you do is yell and it starts to sound the same after awhile.”
“I’ve got good reason to yell! The rules were simple Melody. No one stays alone, and if you find yourself alone, you don’t open the door, you call the cops. Even you should have been able to understand those simple laws of survival.”
I grimaced and let out a long breath.
“First of all, you don’t lay down laws to me, you pompous ass. I wasn’t alone ten minutes when he showed up. I still had my heels on for god’s sake. I figured one of you forgot your key.”
“So you didn’t think to look out the peephole? That’s what it’s for!”
“I know what the hell it’s for and I used it!”
The room got unnaturally quiet. Up until that point, everyone thought that Tony had surprised her. You could see on her face that she realized she’d screwed up by admitting the truth. The one who called her on it, was Chase.
“You opened the door knowing who was on the other side? Why didn’t you talk to him through the door and hit the security alarm? You could’ve kept him out there until help arrived.”
He never raised his voice, but the implication of guilt was clear. She’d asked for the trouble she found herself in.
“He pissed me off. He started spouting off and he hit a nerve. The next thing I knew, I was in his face and he was coming at me. That’s when I hauled off and aimed dead center with my stiletto. He went down faster than a groupie at a U2 concert. That’s when I kicked him in the face. Pretty sure I broke his nose too. There was blood everywhere. The bastard ruined my shoe.”
I had my eye on my brother. I didn’t think that Anton would hurt her, but I’d seen how his words could cut her faster than anything else he could’ve done and he was angrier than I’d ever seen him.
“Ruined your shoe? He could’ve killed you, you stupid bitch! I swear you do this shit on purpose to get attention. Not one of the rest of us - including the woman he’s stalking - has managed to piss him off or get injured. Yet here you are, once again, the center of attention because of some dumbass maneuver. Well you know what? I’m done. I can handle ignorant Mel’. Ignorant implies that you can be educated. We’ve done that and we were all on board with the importance of safety. You can’t claim ignorance. You’re just stupid. You know better and you do shit anyway. None of us can fix that.”
He ran his hand through his hair and picked up his coat.
“I’m outa here. You people deal with the stupid cow. I’ll see you at mom and dad’s.”
Anton never spared her another glance as he stormed out the door.
Melody put on a brave face, I’ll give her that. She took another sip of her tea and looked at the rest of us.
“Anyone else wanna take a shot?”
A silence fell over the room and she grunted in response. Chase cleared his throat and spoke hesitantly.
“I’m leaving in a week to go back home for the holidays. Austin won’t be able to be here all the time because of the bar. We need to discuss you being alone.”
Dorothy offered an idea.
“Sean and Ayla will be here during the day with her. Maybe one of them could drop her off at the bar at night. She could come home with Austin when he lockes up.”
I could her start to protest that idea, but then something hit her and she held her tongue. Austin looked over at her.
“Is that okay with you Mel’? Would you be okay in the bar with me?”
I offered an alternative, just to give her a choice.
“Melody, if you don’t want to do that, you could come home with Ayla and stay at our place. Austin could pick you up when he gets off or you could spend the night. I have plenty of room.”
She gave me the first real smile I’d seen on her face all day.
“Thanks Pierce. I’d like that.”
Just like that, we had a plan.
Everyone managed to behave themselves for the next several weeks. True to his word, Anton avoided Melody and anyone that looked like Melody, making the run up to Christmas awkward as all hell. He didn’t show up at Deacon and Dorothy’s for Thanksgiving and his absence was glaring proof that he’d meant what he said. Melody put on a brave face, but didn’t seem surprised. She’d lost weight and seemed a little gaunt to me. Ayla assured me that she was eating breakfast because she and Sean provided it every morning. I said nothing, electing to take the “wait and see” attitude. I knew the real showdown would happen over Christmas.
The week before we were due at my parent’s house, I sat Ayla down in our bedroom to have a talk. She’d met my parents, but the holidays at home were extreme. I felt the need to prepare her.
This would be a good time to mention that Ayla and I still hadn’t had sex. Yes, we were sleeping together, but the timing never felt right to take it any further. That nice kissing-napping feeling I’d had for her on that long ago Saturday? Yeah, that never happened again. Melody was at our place on the weekends because Austin practically lived at the bar and Chase was back in Boston. Anton was living at Dorothy and Deacon’s, so she obviously couldn’t go there. Our time alone was limited to bedtime and by then, we were both physically exhausted.
We worked on our day to day relationship and I have to admit, I’d never felt closer to a woman. We sat together on the sofa and when we were in the company of family, we either had our arms around one another, or we held hands. It felt natural and we sought one another in a crowd. We both knew what everyone assumed and neither of us cared to set them straight. The only time there was discord was when I introduced a new rule. It turns out my little “Sub” hated rules.
So it was two days before we were due to leave for Connecticut and we were seated on our bed with the door closed.
“Pierce, is something wrong?”
“No. I need to prepare you.”
“Prepare me for what?
”
“The festive hell that is Christmas in Connecticut.”
She angled her body and took my hand.
“Pierce?”
I took a deep breath and began.
“I want you to think about every over-the-top, tacky Christmas movie you’ve ever seen in your life. Every plastic lawn ornament, every Christmas song you’ve ever heard, and every tradition you’ve ever been exposed to.”
She giggled. She was obviously not taking me seriously.
“I’m not kidding Ayla. Every doorway has mistletoe. There are no less than thirty lawn decorations glowing like a beacon, waiting for us to arrive. There will be no music playing that doesn’t involve Santa or a snowman or a little girl that doesn’t believe. Think endless punchbowl of eggnog. Think mulled wine and spiced cider. Think garland and bows of holly. Think tacky sweaters and a Christmas tree so laden down with ornaments, you can’t tell what color it is.”
She had an expression on her face that I’d only seen when women look at babies or puppies.
“It sounds wonderful.”
“Wonderful? You will be so sick of turkey, ham, and the smell of pine that you’ll be screaming to leave two days after we arrive. Trust me.”
“Trust ME. I won’t. We never had very traditional Christmas’ Pierce. Trees were an afterthought, gifts almost nonexistent. We tried, but money was tight. We were glad if we were able to have a big meal. What you’re describing is my Christmas fantasy. I can’t wait!”
I didn’t know what to say for a minute. I’d forgotten about her upbringing. It hadn’t occurred to me what her life was like as a child. I was glad I’d gone all out on her Christmas gifts.
“There are a few...rules.”
I felt her stiffen and I saw her narrow her eyes.
“Rules? How can there be rules when we’re talking about Christmas at your folks house?”
“My folks don’t know about us.”
“What about us?”
Ouch. She had me on that one. I forged ahead anyway. This was no time to back down.
“Us. Our relationship.”
“You mean our friendship?”
Alright. I’d had enough of that. It was time to set her straight on a few things. It was time for Teddy to go Grizzly.
I put my hands on her face and pulled her towards me as I leaned in for the kiss I’d been denying myself. I’d forgotten what the last one did to me. It immediately became clear what the kiss had done to her as well.
The minute our lips met it became feral. She’d missed me as much as I’d missed her. Her mouth opened and she began to devour me. I groaned and that set her off. Our tongues battled as we tried to get closer. We fumbled with buttons and the next thing I knew, both of our shirts were on the floor and we were scrambling to get farther up the bed without breaking the kiss.
We managed to get her head on the pillow before her bra landed on her shirt. I’d never seen her this worked up before and the sight humbled me. My mouth found her neck as her breast filled my hand. She whimpered and reached for my belt. I growled against her skin and she slid her hand down to cup me through my trousers. This was escalating quickly and we hadn’t discussed the rules yet.
I pulled out of her reach and continued to fondle and pinch while I whispered into her ear.
“God Ayla, you’re perfect.”
“So are you Pierce. I want you.”
“I know you do baby and I want you too. But we need to get a few things straight.”
I pinched her nipple, pebbling it beneath my fingers and she cried out before I replaced my fingers with my mouth. She pushed her hands into my hair, pulling me closer. Her response was maddening and the animal beneath my surface calm was screaming to be released. I had to stay in control. It was all I had left in my arsenal and I couldn’t surrender it. Not yet.
I slid my hand down and unbuttoned her jeans slowly. The feel of her writhing fueled my power trip. I almost had her where I needed her, it would only take one more move and she would be mine.
I slid my hand into her underwear and felt the heat. Two fingers slid home and her eyes flew open. Mine were focused on her in response. I watched her swallow hard and then I kissed her again. My fingers never moved, they didn’t need to. The kiss pushed her over. She moaned my name, pushed against me and then I watched her shatter into a million pieces. Never in my life had a woman responded to me so completely, so quickly.
I pulled her against my body and she lay on her side wrapped around me, catching her breath. I knew I had a smug smile on my face, I felt I was entitled to it. Call me “friend” will she... we just took care of that myth in a major way.
When I felt her calm down, I kissed her forehead and began stroking her bare back. She was plastered against me, totally relaxed and completely satisfied. Now was my chance.
“Are you happy baby?”
“My word Pierce, I’ve never reacted like that to anyone. I feel like I should be embarrassed.”
I squeezed her tightly before I replied.
“I love the way you respond to me Ayla. It tells me I mean something to you.”
She began to kiss my chest and I felt the subtle flame reigniting. The little minx was taking control. I wrapped her hair around my hand and pulled back gently. Her eyes met mine and then I saw nothing but lust. She liked it. I felt myself stiffen and my resolve slipping. Not good.
“Ayla, I say when and I say where.”
“Is that another rule Sir?”
“That’s a hard and fast one. No compromise.”
I felt her fingers go to my belt and she had it undone in no time. Her hair remained in my fist as I waited to see how far she would push me.
Her eyes never left mine while her hand stayed busy. She must’ve seen my breath hitch when I felt my zipper go down because I saw her grin a minute before I felt her hand wrap around me. My eyes closed in bliss before I swallowed and brought her lips to mine.
“Stop.”
She stopped moving, but she kept me within her grasp.
“We need to talk Ayla.”
“I need to taste you Pierce.”
Holy shit. When did she get so bold? I didn’t think I could get any harder, but she must have felt it because her eyelids lowered and she kissed me again. Her hand began to move and I had three choices. I could pull completely away (not likely), I could let her finish me off with her hand (doable, but not preferable), or I could give her what she wanted. I hadn’t had sex in months. Guess which one I chose?
I pushed her head down and it was the green light she’d been waiting for. The minute I felt her tongue, I started naming constellations in my head. It was either distract or embarrass myself. That lasted until I felt her lips and then a long, velvet slide. The Big Dipper be damned, I was a lost cause.
I thrust wildly and she swallowed eagerly. I’d lost all control of the situation and tunnel vision took over. She licked, swallowed and moved in perfect sync and there was nothing I could do. It only took a few minutes before I felt a tingle move down my spine and I knew I had to warn her.
“Ayla, stop if you don’t want to swallow baby. I’m close.”
It was at that point that I lost my mind. She plunged down, sucked hard, and my eyes rolled back in my head. After that, it was a blur.
One thought hit home and rang like a bell. I was keeping her. Ayla Warren was mine from now on. No arguments, no discussions, no tolerance of denial. That woman owned me. I mean, I owned that woman. Yeah. That was it. She belonged to me.
We stayed wrapped up tight in one another for at least thirty minutes, maybe longer. We’d crossed a major line and we both knew it. There was no turning back now and I was hoping that she realized and accepted that. We were both nude from the waist up and half dressed down below. There wasn’t much left for the imagination, although I was already thinking about a way to get her naked. I felt like a sixteen year old on a hormonal surge. Where the hell was that coming from anyway?
I leaned towards her and she looked
up at me. She looked sleepy and happy. I would say that my job here is done, but I knew better. I still needed to say the things I was supposed to say before we got to this point.
I leaned down and gave her a lazy kiss and she smiled.
“Are you happy baby?”
“I’m happier than I’ve ever been in my life Pierce. You?”
“I will be. I need to talk to you and you need to agree with me. When that’s over, I’ll be ecstatic.”
She ran her arm over my chest and snuggled in tighter. So far, so good.
“You talk and I’ll listen.”
I swallowed, then cleared my throat. My grip on her tightened.
“First, we’re not just friends. That’s never what this has been about.”
She raised her head and looked down at me.
“You don’t think of me as a friend?”
“You’re more than that to me Ayla. You belong to me, especially now. You’re mine.”
“Does that mean you’re mine?”
Wait. How did this get turned around? She was waiting for my answer.
“Yes. We belong to one another. No outsiders, no other lovers. We’re an us. You and me.”
She settled back down and I could feel her smile against my chest.
“Us. I like that. Is that a rule?”
“It is. No matter what may hit us next, you’re mine. That’s the rule.”
“And you’re mine. I like that rule.”
“I’m glad. Now we’ll talk about the rules that go along with that.”
“Listening...”
“Good. Okay. About my folks...”
“I’ll be good. I promise.”
I chuckled because she sounded so sincere.
“Baby, you’re always good.”
That earned me a chest kiss. I could get used to this.
“They’ll separate us at night. You’ll probably be sharing a room with Melody.”
She sat up then and I immediately missed her warmth.
“I don’t think I can sleep without you Pierce. I’m serious.”
