by Rachel Leigh
Watching her expression as her mouth hangs agape and her nostrils flare, I feel mine do the same as I slam into her. 'You ok?" I ask, making sure that she's not feeling an ounce of pain.
"Yes. Don't stop." Her fingers dig into my shoulders and I'm pretty positive she's about to have her second orgasm. I come up on my knees and grab hold of her legs, letting them drape over my forearms. In short and rapid thrusts, I pound her pussy with my pelvis. With my free hand, my fingers lap around her clit.
My tongue sweeps out, licking my lips and catching the bottom one between my teeth as I drive into her. “Mmm, you feel so good.” Her tits bounce up and down and just watching them sends me over the edge.
She lets out a muffled groan and curves her back. "I'm gonna come again."
I push harder and faster. Mimicking her heady breaths and then losing myself inside of her. I don't stop pumping until I know she's finished. Once I'm sure and she cracks a sly smile, I stop moving. After a few seconds, I pull out and drop to the side of her.
Pushing myself up on my elbows, I hover my face over hers. "I can get used to this." I kiss her lips and feel her smile against mine.
Talon wasn't kidding when he said this party would be raging. The lawn is plastered with stumbling bodies and a mixture of cans and red plastic cups.
There's sparks of fire and ash, followed by a cloud of smoke, coming from the side of the house. Guys are chanting around a keg while they tip a girl upside down.
Her feet hit the ground and she begins gagging before puking up everything that just went down. When she turns her head just a tad to the right, she lets more out on top of one of the guy’s shoes.
"Titan!" The guy with vomit on his shoes hollers. "Long time no see." He slaps a hand on my back, and I look down at his shoes.
"Wish I could say the same." With my eyes on his feet, I scowl. "You fucking wreak. Take those nasty things off before you go in the house or Talon will have them up your ass." I keep walking, leaving him hanging.
I spot Tommy and Talon standing around the fire. Tommy's double fisting drinks and having a few choice words with Wyatt McCoy. Some things never change. Wyatt has been on the receiving end of harsh words and torment from all of us, but Tommy really lays into him hard. I suppose it's easier to push around someone who doesn't push back. It was a fun game for a while, but lately, I'm not about that bullying shit.
"Woah, woah, woah." I grab ahold of Tommy when he tosses both bottles to the side and bumps his chest against Wyatt's.
"You wanna fucking go. Let's go," Tommy bellows. Wyatt brushes him off then turns to walk away. "Yeah, that's what I thought."
"Dude. Chill the fuck out. What's your problem?"
He points over the fire where Wyatt stands with his love interest, Shane. "He's my fucking problem."
"Whatever it is, just let it go. Has anyone heard from Zed?" I look from Tommy to Talon who both shake their heads simultaneously.
Tommy looks at his Apple Watch. "He should be here soon. Did you guys bring your repentance?"
"Got mine." I pat at my front pocket. Every year at this annual party, we have a little ceremony. We all bring something—or write it out on paper—that has weighed heavily on us this year. It's usually something we either want kept a secret or left in the past. We burn that bitch and let the smoke carry the burden of it away. We walk into the new year with a fresh start and clear head, even if it's only that one problem we're stepping away from, every bit of reprieve helps.
"Yep.
Tommy staggers away and I'm really starting to worry about him. He's been distant. Drinking heavily and slacking in school. It's not like him. "I sure hope he's able to walk away from whatever's weighing him down lately."
Talon stuffs his hands in his front pockets and looks over his shoulder. "Yeah. Something is going on with him. He won't talk about it. Gets all defensive."
"He'll come around eventually. Maybe after this mess with Josh is behind us, we can all breathe a little easier."
Tommy returns with two fresh drinks in his hands. “He’s here.”
I turn around and look over my shoulder and see Zed strolling up to the fire. His hands are stuffed in the pockets of his black jeans and he’s sporting a shit-eating grin. People clear his path and chicks snicker while whispering into each other’s ears. I’ll never understand why girls are so drawn to his bad boy persona. Then again, I could say the same for Willa.
Zed points a finger at a few stragglers around the fire. “You and you. Leave.” The guy and girl walk away immediately, leaving just the four of us around it. “Let’s get this shit over with. Talon, you start.”
Normally we’d all be laughing and reminiscing about the year. This time it’s different. We’re miles apart, even though we’re standing right next to each other.
Without even questioning him, Talon reaches into his pocket and pulls out a box of matches. He doesn’t have to say anything, but he does. Looking through the fire, he glances at all of us and holds up a small box. “This box is one match short. We all know where the missing one went. I got my revenge with the help of you all and I sleep better at night because of it. Don’t let anyone tell you that it’s not worth it. Inner peace is worth every strike you have to make.” He tosses the box in the fire.
Zed side-steps to the left toward Talon and holds his fist out. “Happy for you, man.” They bump fists and Zed returns to where he was standing. “Tommy. Go.”
Tommy pulls something else out of his pocket. It’s not a piece of paper; it’s something small and black. He doesn’t hold it up, he just tosses it directly in the fire and keeps his eyes on the blaze. He doesn’t have to say anything, but we’re all curious.
“Do you have anything to say about that?” I ask him.
“It’s a card from a camera. It doesn’t matter what's on it because it's gone.”
We all share a look, all but Tommy, who is watching intently as the plastic melts on top of a smoldering log.
“Alright then. Lars, you’re up.”
Reaching into my pocket, my fingers grip the folded-up paper. I pull it out and unfold it. Looking one last time at the results before I let it float over the flames. “Congratulations boys, you’re gonna be uncles.” The guys don’t know the truth. No one does and no one ever will.
They don’t question it. Even if they had their suspicions, they’d never share them.
“Alright, Zed. Looks like you’re the last one,” Tommy says as he tips back his bottle.
Zed pulls something out from his back pocket. It looks like some old pictures—three, maybe four— but he makes it a point to hide whatever is on them.
He steps up to the fire and tears them in half. Again and again. Dropping piece by piece into the burning flame. One stray square picks up in the wind and blows over to my foot. Zed throws the remaining pieces into the fire and his eyes shoot to mine. A look I’ve never seen before holds tightly to his gaze.
Fear. Shame. Humiliation. I bend down and pick up the puzzle piece that holds his ten-year-old face and walk over to the fire and drop that son of a bitch in. “Alright. Let’s get a drink.” I beam, giving Zed an out from questions. He cracks a half-smile and nods. It’s his asshole way of saying thanks.
“You boys enjoy. I’m leaving town for a while, maybe forever. Who the fuck knows.” Zed peaces us out with two fingers then turns to walk away.
“Woah. Wait a minute. We had a fucking deal.” Talon jogs over to his side and grabs his shoulder. “Where is he?”
Zed’s hands hit his chest. “Hey, now. I’m a man of my word. In time, you’ll get what you want.” He smirks, before continuing on his way.
“Motherfucker,” Talon shouts from the other side of the fire. “I say we kill his ass right now. Toss him in the fire and let the smoke carry his ass away. Revenge for all of us on that fucking pussy.”
My fists ball at my sides and the savagery I’ve tried to push down for the last week returns with a vengeance.
With my feet escaping me, I
hurl at Zed from behind. Slamming into his body and taking us both straight down to the ground. We crash into a couple guys who lose their drinks, one spilling down my back, but the ice-cold beverage feels refreshing against my fired-up flesh. Someone tries to pull me off of Zed, but my arm flails freely as I shove them back then drive my fist straight into the back of Zed's head.
Tucking his hands behind his back and underneath my legs, I grab him by the throat and shove his face into the dry grass. "You fucking played us. Had Willa do your dirty work and for what? So you could escape town and leave us to clean up your mess?"
"I said in time." He chokes out as his body wiggles to try and break free.
"How much fucking time?" I'm grabbed from behind again, and this time, I'm jerked off from Zed and dropped to the side.
"Enough!" Tommy shouts. Coming down next to me, he gets close. "Everyone is fucking watching right now. Let this go."
I brush myself off and get to my feet, and by time I turn back around, Zed has disappeared into the crowd. "You idiot!" I scream. "You just let him go?" I give Tommy a shove and walk away before I do something I'll regret. Like burn this whole place down.
25
"Pack your shit. We're leaving tonight," Lars growls, as he comes storming into the kitchen. I'm mid-chew on a piece of pizza.
Choking it down, I drop the slice onto a paper plate. Marni is sitting right beside me with raised brows and the same look of confusion I'm wearing. "Are you drunk?" Stupid first question, but he's clearly not thinking straight.
"No, I'm not drunk. I'm fucking pissed." With one swipe of his arm across the counter, the box of pizza goes flying to the floor. "I should have killed his ass when I had the chance." He begins pacing the length of the kitchen. Steam rolling out of his ears while he rubs his knuckles.
I push off the stool and walk over to him, placing a hand on his shoulder to stop his movements, but the lack of intensity in my touch has him keeping on his path. "What happened?"
When he responds with only a grumble and a huff, Marni pulls out her phone to call Talon, I assume.
Standing in the middle of the kitchen, I watch Lars but listen to Marni.
"Hey, what happened tonight? Why's Lars so pissed off?" There's a beat of silence and her eyes shoot to me. "He did what?! We all had a deal. He got what he wanted." Another pause. "Alright. Well, I'm leaving. I'll be there in a few." She ends the call and stands up. "I've gotta go. You good here?"
"Yeah. We'll be fine. Thanks for hanging out with me tonight."
"Of course." She pulls me in for a hug. "If you ever need anything, just let me know. You're one of us now." She nods her head toward Lars with a smirk. "And if this one starts acting up, call the guys, they'll handle him."
"I will." I chuckle. When she starts picking up the pizza on the floor, I stop her. "I'll get that. And I'll make sure the house is in tip-top shape before we leave. Tell your dad I said thank you."
"When I see him again, I will." She leaves the kitchen and I take over cleaning up the mess.
A rapid thud against the back wall has me jumping up. "Lars!" I gasp when I see blood running down his hand and a dent in the wall.
"Fuck!" he screams, before slamming his fist into the same exact spot. If he was expecting a smooth blow through drywall, he was sadly mistaken, both times.
"Stop it!" I hurry over to him, grabbing a hand towel on my way. "Would you calm down. This isn't helping anything."
"He played us. He used you, used us, and he's leaving town without giving us any answers."
Just as I finish wrapping the towel around his hand, a sharp nudge in my side has be grabbing my stomach.
His eyes widen, and suddenly he's forgotten all about Zed. "What's wrong? Is it the baby?"
I shake my head. "Just a weird dull pain." I cringe when the stabbing sensation happens again. "Ouch." I take a few steps backward and Lars helps me over to the stool. "Maybe it was the pizza." But the next jab has me second-guessing that possibility. "Ahh." I curl over, holding tightly to my stomach. "Lars, I think something’s wrong."
"Come on." He scoops me up in his arms, cradling me like a baby."
"Where are we going?" I ask, as he carries me out of the kitchen.
"To the hospital."
"No! What if Rick finds out I'm there. He'll track me down."
He sets me down on the couch and goes to the door to grab my shoes. Sliding one on then the other. "He won't know we're there and even if he does, I'll never let that son of a bitch near you again."
Another stab to the side and I whimper, "It hurts." It's not an uncontrollable pain, but it's nothing I've ever felt before and that worries me. Lars is right; I need to get checked out. Even if it's just for peace of mind.
Once he has his shoes on, he lifts me up again. "I can walk."
"No, you're not." With me still in his arms, he crouches down and turns the handle on the front door. "I'm parked out front. You ok?" He looks at me, and I can see the worry in his eyes.
"I'm ok." I assure him, in hopes of assuring myself at the same time. Please, God. Don't let anything happen to my baby.
We arrive at the hospital in record time. Lars pulled right up front and had a few choice words with the valet when he ordered him to get a wheelchair. I told him I didn't need one, but he insisted. Then he threatened some donation to the hospital and went as far as threatening the guy's job when he said there weren't any available. Lars made him go to the second floor to find one. Five minutes later, I'm climbing into it. "I've got this. Get your hands off of her." He swats the guy’s arm away. "Go do your fucking job."
"Lars! Stop it. He's trying to help the best he can."
"Well, he needs to try harder." Once I'm in the chair, he pushes me through the doors himself, tossing daggers at the valet. "You fuck up my car and I'll do the same to your face."
My face falls into my hands while I try to hide it, hoping that no one sees me. Not because I'm in hiding right now, but because Lars is so embarrassing. As crazy as it is, a small part of me is attracted to his bad boy persona. But being a straight-up jerk isn't necessary.
Lars checks us in, and once again, I'm feeling like a small child having him always do the adult stuff for me. When the receptionist tells him it will be a few minutes, I immediately grab him by the shirt as I sit in the chair next to him. I shake my head and mouth, "Don't!"
His eyes narrow as he searches my face for how angry I'll be if he does.
Then he does it anyway.
"If you don't get my girlfriend into a room right now, that new wing that's being built in the ICU will be postponed until twenty-thirty. Kick someone out, clean a bed—I don't fucking care. But I'm not leaving this desk until we have a room. And it better be sanitized."
My eyes pinch shut and my chin drops to my chest. Another jab has me grabbing my side again. It's this tugging and pulling sensation. Like someone is trying to pull my ovaries right out of my stomach.
He catches me holding tightly to my stomach. "Now!" Grabbing the attention of every person in triage.
Three minutes later, we're in a room and a nurse is taking my vitals. "Well, your vitals look great. We'll get you in a room right away," she rolls her eyes at Lars, but he seems pleased with himself.
"Appreciate that." His voice is now unfazed and polite. He sticks close to my side and though, I'm in pain and unsure what's going on, it feels good to have someone in my corner who wants to be there. It's in this moment that I realize how safe me and my baby will be because we have him. I feel cherished. I feel loved.
When the nurse takes the handles of the chair, Lars steps up. "I'll push her. You just lead the way."
I bite my bottom lip, trying to hold back from swatting him with the back of my hand, but I wouldn't be able to reach him anyway.
We travel down a narrow hallway where the nurse scans her badge and two large doors open. She leads us into the first room on the left. Lars pushes me next to the bed and I stand up to get on it.
"You'll ne
ed to put this on. The radiologist will come for you in a few minutes for an ultrasound."
My heart begins to twitch. A pang of excitement overpowers the shooting pain beneath my rib cage. "We get to see the baby." I look at Lars who cracks a smile.
Lars doesn't hold the same enthusiasm as I do. And that would be because Lars is a realist. Me? I'm the dreamer. We balance each other pretty well, but in this moment, I need his optimism. Deep down, I know the baby is fine. I can feel it in my heart. If something were wrong, I would know, wouldn't I? Mother's instinct or something like that.
The nurse opens then closes the door and once I'm sure she's gone, I stand up. "It's gonna be ok," I reassure Lars, once again.
"Yeah. Everything is fine." He forces a smile. I pull my shirt over my head and Lars wraps the gown around me. I leave my bra on because I'm not having a mammogram or anything, so all they need is access to my stomach.
We both sit in complete and utter silence. I never knew the sound of nothing could be louder than the sound of everything.
There's a subtle knock at the door and a girl walks in. She's young, probably early twenties. A nice tan, dark chocolate-colored eyes and jet-black hair. "Hi, I'm Mary and I'll be taking you down the hall for your ultrasound. Do you prefer the wheelchair?" She looks from me to Lars and I'm not really sure who she's asking. She must have caught wind of Lars' outburst minutes ago.
"Yes. She'll be in the chair," Lars says as he takes my hand and stands me up. I'm trying really hard to hold back an outburst of my own. It's great that Lars is trying to be so helpful, I really appreciate it. But my entire life, I've done everything for myself and I'm going to need him to allow me to make some decisions on my own if this is going to work out in the long run.
I take a seat in the chair and roll my eyes at Lars. He squints his brows. "What?"
"You know what." I leave it at that and let him push me while Mary walks a few steps ahead of us.
"Do you know how far along you are?" Mary asks, without looking back at us. She scans her badge at a door and pushes it open, holding it with her hand so Lars can wheel me into the dark room.
