by Nicole Casey
“I see you’re selling the house,” she said, and I almost started to hear her speak.
“Uh, yeah,” I replied, biting back a more sarcastic answer.
My nerves were far too taut to be dealing with strange neighbors.
“I’m sure Jocelyn and Charlie would be disappointed,” she murmured, and I felt my head snap up.
“What did you just say?” I demanded.
I watched as her face turned ashen and she waved her hands in protest.
“It seems like everything I’m saying is coming out completely wrong!” she gasped. “I didn’t mean anything by that!”
She sighed deeply and shook her head.
“I’m sorry,” she continued when I did not speak but maintained my stony expression, willing her to get to the point.
“I just wanted to come over here and tell you that Alex will be missed,” she whispered, pivoting. “I’ll leave you to your packing now.”
I stifled a low groan.
As if I wasn’t feeling guilty enough about leaving for Washington, I had perfect strangers tossing in their two cents.
No, I concluded. The best thing for us is to get out of here and start new somewhere. Alex doesn’t need a constant reminder of her past. She’ll never be able to move on.
I silenced the same voice which cried out that my niece needed stability, not adventure.
I heard the front door close and exhaled.
I hadn’t even realized I was holding my breath.
“Do you need some help?”
Jumping, I spun again to stare at the woman who had plagued my lonely nights, her long, blonde hair tucked into a careless chignon.
“What are you doing here, Vyolet?” I asked but there was a catch in my voice.
She does something to me, physically, I realized, watching as she gingerly made her way toward me through the maze of crates and boxes.
“Well you’re a hard man to get on the phone,” she explained lightly. “I thought I might have better luck coming here in person.”
I swallowed as she neared me, feeling a familiar sensation flowing through my body.
“I’ve been busy,” I replied, turning my head as if to focus on packing. “I am hoping this goes fast for how I’ve priced it.”
“Oh,” she breathed. “So it’s a certainty then. You’ve made up your mind.”
I glanced up quickly and nodded.
“Yes,” I replied. “I didn’t want to draw out the process any more than necessary. I think it’s unhealthy for everyone to stay here any longer than necessary.”
She didn’t answer but I could read the upset on her fair face.
“Are you going back to Washington?” she asked after a long pause and I nodded, unwilling to look at her.
“Why? I had thought that you might consider moving to Oriental after we talked…” she trailed off, waiting for a reply.
The question caused me to look up again and stare at her.
God, she’s so hot, I thought. Would it be such a terrible sin to have one night with her?
I knew the answer was not going to be so simple.
“My life is there,” I replied lamely. “And I think it would be good for Alex – ”
“I think you’re running away from memories of your life here,” she interrupted, and I felt a flash of anger at her words.
What did she know about me or what I was thinking?
Before I could retort, she spoke again.
“Where is Alex?” Vyolet asked suddenly, looking around.
“She’s playing with her friend.”
I paused and studied her face, brow knit.
“I am not running from anything,” I told her flatly and I wondered why I felt the need to explain myself to her. “And I haven’t had a life here in a long time.”
She held my gaze and I could read the disbelief on her face.
“And what about Alex’s life here?” she asked quietly.
I couldn’t listen to her anymore, her words dredging up my innermost fears.
I wanted everyone to shut up and let me do what I had to do for Alex and for myself.
In two long strides, I had covered the space between us, seizing her by the shoulders and dropping my mouth to hers.
It was too much, Alex, the neighbor, now Vyolet, making me second guess my rationale.
Vyolet gasped at the unexpected kiss, falling backward off balance but I was there to catch her, my fingers digging into the tender flesh of her arms and drawing her toward me with intensity.
Her innocent blue eyes stared up at me, wide with shock but I could also read the desire there as her mouth parted to allow for my tongue to explore her.
This kiss was just as I had remembered the one I had stolen from her in the car, my right hand climbing her back to cradle her neck.
A soft whimper escaped her as my teeth drew out her lower lip, pulling at her before my mouth made its way to her chin.
My fingers moved up the base of her skull, releasing the loose bun from her hair, only to tie them up in my hands, tightening my grip to pull her head aside.
She pressed her body to mine as my lips worked down the lines of her neck, licking the sweetness of her skin.
It was exactly as I had imagined her skin to taste, fresh and succulent like the summer rain she appeared to be.
My right hand dropped to her full rear and I cupped it solidly, lifting her slightly.
She seemed a feather in my arms and as my head lowered into the buttons of her white blouse, I danced her backward, pressing her to the full-length window of the patio doors.
Beneath her skirt, my fingers roamed, her hands finding their way into my hair for support as my teeth ripped at the delicate silk of her shirt.
I released her long tresses, massaging one of her luscious breasts as I nuzzled the other, my tongue lashing out to suck on the taut, waiting nipple.
She allowed her thighs to fall away as my fingertips moved toward her center, teasing the already wet lips.
“Oh my God,” she whispered, dropping her head back against the glass and I took the encouragement, my right hand working harder.
I felt her body relax until I pinched her breast, biting at the other as one long finger plunged into her middle.
She yelped out, her own grip tightening on my head as I stroked at her long and hard, my head dropping lower as she guided me between her legs.
Higher, I yanked up her skirt, diving into her without preamble, my hands still penetrating her as my tongue lapped at her pulsating nub.
She wanted to release, I could feel it, but something was holding her back. I could sense it in her.
I began to suck on her button, adding another finger into the sopping middle and she cried out.
A hot gush dripped out all over me and I smiled softly as I felt Vyolet’s knees buckle.
She was ready now.
I withdrew my fingers and rose to my full height, towering over her quivering, svelte frame.
She looked up to me for a kiss, but I had other things on my mind.
I spun her around, pushing her against the glass to stare into the sunny backyard, as I ripped the lace thong completely away from her.
I fumbled to lower my pants, dropping my boxers to the floor.
With one hand firmly on her hip, the other snaked around her throat, caressing her throbbing pulse gently.
“What do you want?” I asked, pressing my hardness against her cheeks and rubbing against her fully.
“You!” she gasped. “I want you.”
“Hmm?” I purred, my fingers squeezing against her windpipe.
“Please,” she begged, and it was what I needed to hear.
“Please what?” I breathed into her ear, positioning my cock against her.
“Please take me! Oh my God…” she moaned.
I would have had her go on longer, but I could take it no longer.
I had been envisioning this minute for weeks and I wasn’t sure how long I could make it l
ast when Vyolet had already proven to be everything I imagined.
Inside her I thrust myself and she released a low, feral moan which only served to make me harder.
Bending her forward, I grunted slightly, feeling the hot, slick envelope of her core wrap around me like a glove.
I plunged forward, hands becoming vices as my movements grew hard, fast and relentless.
Vyolet choked against me but I was half in a haze of passion, relishing the wild bucking as she jerked against me.
I closed my eyes, feeling my sack grow taut and I loosened my hand to stick my fingers in her mouth.
Eagerly she sucked on me and as I felt the hot streams spurt forth into her, another heated jet of Vyolet’s nectar covered my shaft.
In unison we climaxed, a gasping, sweating mess until we had both expelled every drop.
Vyolet pressed her cheek against the cool glass as I slipped out of her, my fingertips rolling over the contours of her body.
She did not turn around immediately but I kept my eyes fixated on her as she found her bearings.
“Vyolet,” I finally said when she refused to look at me. “I don’t want – “
“Uncle Evan! I’m home!”
Vyolet whirled, shoving her black skirt down as she pulled the remnants of her blouse together.
We exchanged a look, but she still did not say anything as Alex came flying into the living room.
“Oh hi Vyolet!” the child called as she entered. “I didn’t know you were here.”
“I was just leaving, honey,” she said quickly, scanning the room for her belongings.
“Oh.” The disappointment was obvious in Alex’s voice.
“Actually,” I interjected before Vyolet could disappear. “Vyolet is going to join us for dinner at Cracker Barrel.”
I watched as my niece’s coffee colored eyes brightened instantly.
“Yeah?” she asked happily and Vyolet stared at me.
I couldn’t quite decipher the expression on her face, but something told me it was not genuine pleasure.
Still, I knew she would not refuse Alex and the fact that I was banking on her goodness flooded me with shame.
“I…” Vyolet trailed off, staring at the girl’s hopeful face and I could see her stifling a sigh. “Yes, I am.”
Alex beamed and ran to hug the half-dressed blonde, not seeming to notice that half the buttons had been torn from her shirt and that her makeup was askew.
I tried to cast Vyolet a reassuring look as if to say, “this won’t happen again.”
But she did not look at me as if she already knew I was trying to lie to her telepathically.
6
Vyolet
I didn’t know what to expect after what had happened in Minnesott Beach with Evan.
While I did join them for dinner that afternoon and Evan was attentive to me, I genuinely wasn’t sure if he was putting on a show for Alex or if he felt like our tryst had meant something.
I tried to tell myself that it was never going to happen again – how could it? He was returning to Seattle anyway and he was Evan Collier, my dad’s best friend.
The behavior was so uncharacteristic of me, it was as if Maya had somehow overtaken my body and the good girl Vyolet was floating above my head somewhere, watching me.
I went home to Oriental, my mind racing with what the future might hold for us.
Desperately, I wished there was someone to call, a friend who might help me through the rollercoaster of emotions I was experiencing but I dared not share my dirty little secret with anyone.
Anyway, I had school to prepare for as the end of August approached and my lesson plans demanded my attention.
I threw myself into the impending school year, pushing Evan into the recesses of my mind.
It was a moment of weakness, I told myself. We both got it out of our system and now it’s done.
At least that is what I tried to pretend I believed.
Still, as I sat in my solarium, pouring over my curriculum for the first graders, my mind continued to wander toward Evan and what he had planned.
A knock at my door interrupted my unfocused mind and I rose to answer it although I knew who it was almost instinctively.
“What are you doing here?” I asked, stepping aside to allow Maya inside. She grinned, her auburn eyebrows raising.
“A girl can’t come to visit her sister unannounced?” she asked coyly, and I cringed at the tone of her voice.
She knows something is up. I hate that she knows something is up.
It shouldn’t have surprised me to see her. That is the way triplets work; we are inherently connected without reason.
We shared the same womb for nine months after all.
Still, I sometimes felt that Maya and I were closer than Yvette and me or even Yvette and Maya although I knew our middle sister managed to keep us together in her eccentric way.
“I dunno,” Maya replied, collapsing onto my pristine suede sofa. “Maybe if you answered your texts, I wouldn’t have to pop by without warning.”
“Did you text?” I asked innocently, knowing full well that she had not stopped texting in two days.
I had simply been unable to deal with Maya’s pointed questions, aware that she would be able to see right through me without issue.
“You’re a terrible liar, Vy,” she informed me, but I already knew that. “Why are you avoiding me?”
I glanced at her dubiously.
“I’m not avoiding you!” I protested. “I’m preparing for the new year.”
At least that was partially true, and I could see that Maya half-believed me.
“Where does the time go?” she mumbled, turning to look out the living room window. “It’s almost September!”
“Time flies when you’re having fun,” I commented dryly, gingerly sitting on the wing chair across from her and Maya howled with laughter.
“You say the word fun like it’s a dirty thing,” she chided. “You should try it sometime. Although…”
She trailed off and I felt my neck tense as she studied me with intense green eyes.
“What?” I demanded. “Why are you giving me mom’s look?”
“I can’t help but feel like you are up to something,” she said. Her tone was light but there was a glimmer of concern in her eyes.
“Like what?” I asked defensively. “I told you, I’m busy!”
I loathed how defensive my voice sounded but before Maya could respond, my cell phone chimed, and I rushed to answer the text, grateful for the distraction.
My pale face turned bright red as I read the message.
It was from Evan.
I could barely reconcile that he was texting me.
Over the past two days, I had been hoping for a call from him, stopping myself from messaging him with every ounce of resolve I could muster.
I had no idea I was capable of such willpower when the taste of his lips was still so fresh in my mind, but I didn’t want to be the woman pursuing a man who I knew I couldn’t have.
Yet there he was, texting me.
“Who’s that?” Maya asked, studying my face carefully and I slammed down the phone.
“Nobody. Josie,” I replied too quickly. A smirk appeared on my sister’s face and she shook her auburn waves.
“Wow. I had no idea Josie could cause you to turn that shade of red,” she commented, folding her arms across her chest.
“Maya, I love you, sincerely but you need to go. I have a ton of work to do and – ”
She held up her hands and rose gracefully to her full height.
“You don’t need to say anymore, Vy. I can tell when I’m not wanted…” she paused and peered at me. “I hope you know the same.”
A rush of heat assaulted my face and my mouth dropped open as I gaped at her.
“What is that supposed to mean?” I asked angrily.
“I think you know exactly what I mean,” she replied gently. “This is no judgment on you but Vy, Evan C
ollier is only looking out for himself. You have to protect yourself.”
My lips parted further but no words fell out, despite the myriad responses floating through my brain.
“Vy, you’ve got a good heart and you’re a fixer by nature but not everyone can be fixed, and you are going to get hurt if you fall in too deep.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about!” I settled on saying but I darted my eyes away from her face.
How can she know?
A feeling of dread overwhelmed me.
If Maya could sense whatever was going on between Evan and I, could mom and dad see it too?
“Look, we both know that I am the last person to judge,” Maya sighed. “But I am your sister and it’s my job to look out for you.”
“I appreciate your maternal instincts,” I retorted sarcastically, a burst of anger rising through me. “But I think you should mind your own business.”
Maya seemed taken aback by my tone and a smidgen of guilt filtered through me as she nodded.
“Okay,” she relented. “You’re a grown woman.”
“I am,” I replied sharply. “Thank you for noticing.”
Maya pursed her lips together as if trying to suppress any further comment and turned toward the front door.
“If you need someone to talk to about this – ”
“There’s nothing to talk about!” I almost yelled. “There’s nothing going on between Evan Collier and me!”
I don’t know why I said that when obviously Maya knew something was up, but I felt like it was my duty to shield the secret of our attraction from everyone.
Anyway, it was a one-time thing. No need to talk about it since it won’t happen again, I reasoned.
Maya made her way to the entrance, but I could see she still had more to say.
I willed her to remain silent and she seemed to heed my internal message.
As she reached for the doorknob, she glanced back over her shoulder and offered me a tight smile.
“I’m your friend, you know,” she told me.
“I know,” I said quickly, trying to return her beam but I’m sure it looked more like a grimace.
“And if you need to talk to someone, I can be a good listener.”
I stifled a sigh and leaned in to embrace her.
