by K. A. Berg
I take a seat in one of the chairs outside his office. After a few minutes, Alex emerges with the college student he told me about this morning. “We can work through this, but it’s going to take time. You need to let it heal and then learn to train while taking the pressure off your legs. Most likely, we’ll start in the pool. Swimming can help keep you in running shape without the constant abuse of your legs.”
She’s a scholarship student, and if she wants to keep her scholarship, she needs to be back, ready to go again, by late summer.
He assures her they’ll get her back up and running. Pun intended as they both laugh. I know how great he is, and he loves his work, but hearing him in action with my own ears is like experiencing a whole new facet of Alex.
The idea sparks in my mind and then ignites into a full vision just as Alex is walking her out. “Stop and see Theresa at the front desk, and she’ll set you up for next week.”
The young woman nods and smiles. “Thank you, Mr. Conway.”
“Alex, please,” he blushes slightly. “And you’re very welcome.”
Alex bends down and kisses me as soon as she’s left. “Hi, angel. Sorry, I’m running late.”
“No problem,” I say, standing from my chair. “Do you have any other appointments?”
He shakes his head. “No.”
I nod. “I’d like a meeting with you regarding a training schedule.”
His eyebrows rise, and his eyes widen. “You would, huh? Well, please step into my office.”
He gestures with his hand to enter the open door, and I do. I take a seat at one of the chairs in front of his desk. I smile as I look around seeing the nameplate on his desk and all the degrees proudly displayed on the walls.
“What can I do for you, Mrs. Taylor?”
Sitting back in the chair, I begin to explain my idea. “Well, as you know, my mother is planning the marathon for the women’s shelter. She called earlier to tell me the city messed something up with her permits and now she’s pushing it back until the fall. While we were out having lunch one day, I accidentally agreed to run this damn thing, and I’d actually like to commit to it and give it my all.”
Shock colors his face. “You want to train to run the marathon?”
I nod as excitement starts to bloom in my chest. “And I want you to train me.”
CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE
QUINN
I LOOK UP FROM THE LIST IN MY HANDS TO TEN EXCITED SETS of eyes in front of me. “Okay guys,” I tell them. “We’ve got two hours to get all twenty-five pictures. You think we can win?”
A raucous shout of “yes” fills the air around me.
New Capital is hosting a scavenger hunt in Battery Park today for kids of the city’s foster care system, and my group is going to win. Or, at least, we’re going to have the best time trying.
“Okay,” I smile at them. “Here’s the rules. We have to have one group member in each picture. We can’t combine items in the same picture, and the first team back gets a ten point bonus.”
They all nod their understanding. “Lastly, no one goes off on their own. If for some reason you get separated from the group, find anyone wearing the same shirt as you. Every adult wearing the “New Capital” shirt is part of our event and will help you. Do not go up to anyone not wearing one of our shirts. Most importantly… have fun!”
The next two hours take us all over the park. We knock off every picture on the list. We got a little creative with some, so I hope the judges appreciate them.
“Ah man,” Jeremiah, the oldest boy in my group, grumbles. “We’re weren’t the first team back, Miss Quinn.”
I flop onto of the bench of one of the picnic tables in the shade. I’m exhausted. It’s freaking hot for April. I’m not dressed for summer weather. Long sleeves was not a good choice for today’s adventure. “That’s okay, bud. It’s only an extra ten points. Plus, we got the bonus picture and let me tell you… it’s going to get us big points. You guys are amazing.”
The bonus photo for today’s game was to take a picture showing one way you can change the world. The kids decided to sit in front of a fountain while hugging and smiling. They are making the world a better place by being there for one another… letting everyone in the group know they always have someone who cares. Someone who will listen or give them a shoulder to lean on. I thought the sentiment was beautiful. They were giving each other the gift of kindness and friendship. It restored a little of my faith in humanity.
“Why don’t you guys go get your lunches?” I suggest as I see the caterers signaling the hot dogs were ready.
The kids take off, laughing and enjoying themselves. God, it’s so satisfying to watch. Their joy is contagious. It warms my heart watching these children take pleasure in the day; forgetting their problems for a short period of time.
“Hailey would have loved this,” Jordan says as he takes a seat next to me with a plate full of food.
“She would have.” This was Hailey’s idea. She’d came up with it after last year’s outing. We took the kids to Six Flags, and Hailey thought for the next event we should do something that would have the kids up and moving and challenging their minds to be creative.
She’d been working on it when she died.
My mother and Diana tried to carry out the event as best they could based on what Hailey had outlined. “Although, she probably would have had much cooler ideas for pictures.”
He laughs as Alex joins us, handing me a plate with a hot dog, corn on the cob, and cornbread. “Here, angel.”
Jordan nods. “She would have really loved the bonus photo. All she ever wanted to do was make the world around her better.”
We sit in a moment of silence for Hailey before Jordan breaks it. “How did the kids in your groups like it?”
“Mine loved it,” I smile, thinking back on the look on Mara’s face as she flew a kite for the first time this afternoon for one of the pictures.
Alex agrees. “The kids had a blast. I’m glad I could be a part of it.”
“We should do this annually,” I suggest. “I think this is the best kids outing we’ve done.”
We started this tradition of doing something for underserved children the first year we opened, wanting to give back to the city. We pick a different group home each time we host one of these things. We’ve taken the kids to amusement parks, organized field days at various locations, and built a garden atop a building for sustainable living.
An idea brews in my brain. “We should also name it after Hailey.”
“That’s a wonderful idea,” Alex approves.
Jordan smiles wistfully. He stares out at the crowd of kids goofing around, a little misty eyed. He’s getting along all right, but he still has a big hole in his chest. He was just telling me the other day that it’s getting easy to talk about her, but in the little moments, it’s the hardest.
“I love the idea.”
There’s a ruckus over under the main tent, and then we hear the emcee of the day speak into the microphone. “Who’s ready to hear which group is the winner of the scavenger hunt?”
Cheers erupt as we stand from the table to go stand with our group of kids. “My group won,” Jordan jests. “This is all just merely a formality so you guys think you have a chance.”
A full belly laugh bursts from my chest. “That’s what you think.”
Unshockingly, my group kicked butt. But at the end of the day, every single person here won because we’re all a part of making the world a better a place, even if it’s just for a hundred kids for a couple hours on a spring Saturday.
CHAPTER FORTY-SIX
QUINN
THE SWEETNESS OF THE FRUITS MIXES WITH THE CRISPNESS OF the vegetables as it assaults my nose and my stomach rumbles in response. Alex lets out a heartfelt laugh from beside me as he brings my hand clasped in his to his lips. “Hungry?”
Looking at the recipe in my other hand while standing in the midst of the farmer’s market is enough to make anyone’s s
tomach demand food. I’m actually too excited to be hungry right now.
Alex and I are taking a leap, and instead of our Saturday night cooking date coming from our regular delivery service, we’re picking everything out ourselves. After a couple months of selecting recipes from a list and having it delivered to our home, we took it a step further.
After hours of Pinterest research, we finally decided on grilled salmon, roasted asparagus, and herb mashed potatoes. We’re even going to make a sweet cream for dipping some fruits in for dessert and a fresh arugula salad for an appetizer.
Cooking is something we discovered we each like. We used to be take-out people, but now we make almost everything at home, together. Plus, Alex is pretty strict about the meal plan we came up with to help train for the marathon. That’s how this whole new part of our lives started.
We even made unpacking all the kitchen boxes fun. We talked about how we were going to organize the cabinets. We bought new china and flatware. We even bought all the fun gadgets we never had a reason to own previously. Dinner has become important to us. Even though the image isn’t necessarily what Alex pictured when he said he wanted to be home for dinner every night, we’re still making it a point to have our meals together.
We used to be the fun ones who had these fantastical lifestyles and spent the weekends out on the town, but now we’re a genuine old married couple who would rather spend their Saturday nights home cooking and eating than getting dressed up and painting the town red. I couldn’t love it more.
A few months ago I never thought we’d be here enjoying something as mundane as grocery shopping and cooking.
Something as simple as planning and cooking meals together has helped us rebuild our relationship, strengthen our foundation, and given us something to bond over. After laying Hailey to rest, I’m pretty sure every one of my close friends did the same thing Alex and I did. We looked at our lives and reevaluated our priorities. We carved out time to spend together that would be our special time. No matter what was going on in our busy lives, we spent at least three nights a week doing something. It helped us not take for granted what we have and helped Alex and me move forward past all the mistakes. My lips tip into a grin as I look up at the man next to me. I missed him for so long, and now I don’t let myself forget to treasure each day we have. Watching Jordan try to move through life without Hailey is a daily battle for him and reminder for the rest of us that we should genuinely cherish every opportunity we get to hold the ones we love the most. The loss of Hailey was devastating and has left a mark on all of us in the months since.
We enjoy the nice spring day as we stroll through the market grabbing the items we need. We head down by the water to the best fishery in the area. Inside we grab four filets, two extra just in case. I almost feel like I’m living out one of the thousand medication commercials on TV. The ones where the couples are smiling happily at each other as they walk down the tree-lined street, hand in hand. But it isn’t an ad for the newest cure-all, but my life. We are that happy couple. Alex was right. We are okay. And we are stronger.
CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN
QUINN
ALEX LOADS IN THE LAST FEW DISHES FROM DINNER INTO THE dishwasher at the same time I finish clearing the counter. I grab the bowls of fruit and cream chilling from the fridge as Alex dries his hands on the dish towel.
“Dinner was amazing.” He smiles at me.
“It was,” I agree, removing the lids from the bowls.
The heat from Alex as he presses against my back combined with the chill on the bowls on my hands causes a shutter to course through my body. Alex dips his finger into the bowl of cream and raises it up. Rather than going to his mouth, he runs the finger along my collarbone, leaving a line of sticky sweetness behind. “I have no doubts this is delicious on those strawberries, but I know it’s going to taste a thousand times better on you.”
He lets his tongue follow the same path as his finger, licking the cream from my skin, eliciting the same contradicting feeling of warm and cold inside me.
“Ah,” I moan quietly as his lips connect with the curve of my neck. He kisses and sucks the side of my throat up to my ear where he inhales deeply, taking in my scent. I love when he does this. Merely acts on instinct, taking in as much of me as he can. In any way he can.
All feelings of chill have officially left my body, nothing but the beginning of a slow burn left behind. I heat under the touch of Alex’s lips to my skin. The ministrations of his hands as his fingertips glide under the silk of my top fans the fire.
His fingers dance across my upper back as he removes a hand from under my shirt so he can sweep my hair off over one shoulder.
Food is completely forgotten as my body falls back into him, enjoying a different kind of dessert. “Mmm.
I press my ass into his growing bulge before spinning in his arms, desperate for his lips on mine. Thirsting for a taste of him. Working with Alex together in the kitchen is such a turn-on. We’ve really grown to work well together, and watching Alex cook is the best kind of foreplay.
I drink him in as he grabs my hips and lifts me off the ground, my legs wrapping around his waist. His firm hands slide down to my ass and grip as he carries me from the kitchen, up the stairs, and into our bedroom.
Alex climbs up onto the bed, my arms ringing around his neck for purchase as he makes his way to the middle. The lopsided smile on his face as he lays me down makes my panties a bit wetter.
“You’re beautiful,” he says, his voice reverent.
Alex means more than my appearance when he says that. He’s speaking to my soul, which lives connected to his. Alex is my soulmate. While I’m no angel, despite what he may think, only one person has ever seen my soul. Ever cared to. “Only for you.”
Alex raises his hands over his head, pulling his well fitted black t-shirt up and over. I sit up and do the same, slipping my tank top off. Alex finds the clasp in the center of my tits with his fingers before I can get there. My favorite bra is tossed aside with the rest of our shed clothing.
I lie back, and Alex runs his hands down my torso on his descent to the button on my jeans. He makes fast work of it and the pants wind up next on top of the pile, leaving me in just my lace panties.
The tip of his nose makes contact with my clit as he buries his face between my legs. He runs his nose the length of my slit, inhaling deeply. The warmth of his breath hits me before his tongue licks up my center over my panties. The thin material robs me of the full feeling of pleasure.
Hooking his deft fingers inside the sides of my thong, he rids me of it within seconds, and I’m graced with every sensation as his powerful tongue licks up my entire slit. Top to bottom in a slow fashion made to draw everything to surface for me.
The man is my master. He has me under his spell. Every time he touches me. Hell, sometimes he has me in a frenzy with just a look. Like the side glance he gave me earlier over a pan of fish. Looking sexy as hell with a dish towel strewn over his shoulder. Eyes full of happiness. He makes my knees weak.
He also makes me moan his name as he brings me to the brink of orgasm within moments of getting his hands on me. “Alex… Alex…”
His gaze meets mine over my chest; a wickedness flickers through them. His tongue spears me, and I fall apart. A quick but intense orgasm to start off the evening. The many of first based on the look in his eye. I know that look, and I know it well. Alex plans on making a night of this. It’s clear as he continues the sweeping of his tongue until the last of the orgasm has come and gone.
His eyes glow as he smirks at me. “That was only the beginning, angel.”
He looks like a panther stalking his prey and climbs up my body, straddling my shoulders which has his very hard cock at the perfect level with my mouth. My mouth waters at the sight of his long, thick perfectly veiny dick. My tongue darts out, wetting my lips before I tilt my head up and open them. Alex slides right in, and my tongue works its magic on him, circling and sucking until he’s had enough.<
br />
Two can play this game, and what a fun game it is.
His chest rises and falls in quick breaths as he pulls from my mouth. “Enough of your wicked tongue, angel. I know exactly what you’re trying to do. I’ve got more willpower than you.” He tosses me a wink and slides his body back, then lies down on me, pressing his lips to mine. I can taste myself on his tongue, and it fuels the fire beginning to burn again low in my belly.
Our tongues duel, tasting everywhere in the other’s mouth. He tweaks my nipples and swallows my moans that follow suit as my body writhes under his.
His lips leave mine. “Ready for my cock, angel?”
“I’m always ready for your cock.” My voice is breathy, my wantonness clear as day.
His hand snakes down between our bodies. I glance between us and watch as he fists himself, lining up with my pussy. The breath is stolen from my body as Alex rams his entire length into me in one deep thrust.
“Fuck!” I moan, loving the intrusion. The walls of my pussy grip onto Alex’s cock, pulling him in even further.
“Shit, angel. You feel so good.” Alex’s voice is filled with pleasure as he holds himself, still enjoying the feeling of me all around him.
The stillness only lasts another moment, then Alex draws his hips back and slams into me. Once, twice, and then his rhythm speeds up, leaving me to do nothing but hold on for the ride.
“So warm. So wet.” His voice is grainy as if he’s feeling the same sensations rioting inside him as I am.
“Aaaah,” I moan out on a breath. My chest rises and falls rapidly, making it hard to get a good amount of air into my lungs. But on the plus side, my nipples keep rubbing deliciously on Alex’s smooth, hard chest. It feels fantastic, adding just the perfect amount of extra to the intense pleasure mounting in my core. Alex has perfect precision, hitting deep inside my pussy, rubbing the spot guaranteed to make me scream.
