by Anna Brooks
“That’s it, honey. Come for me. How wet can you get my dick before I slide it between your beautiful tits?”
She cries out, and I still inside her so she can grind out her orgasm as I begin to sit up. Her juice drips down to my balls, and she lets out a deep breath. Her eyes flutter closed for a second before she opens them and smiles. She grabs one breast in each hand and pushes them together.
I straddle her and slide with ease between them, her release coating me. “Motherfucker.”
I pick up the pace, and she puts her chin on her chest, sticking out her tongue to lick the pre-cum that’s leaking from my tip.
“Yeah, you like that, huh?”
“You know I do.”
She does. She always loved this; I sometimes think she loved it even more than I did. She groans and uses her index finger to toy with her nipples, and the sight of it sets me off. I back out of her welcoming flesh and pump my dick until streams of white cover her chest. She tosses her head back on the pillow, and I collapse next to her, throwing a leg over both of hers.
“Love you, Amie.”
“I love you, Declan.”
Chapter 17
Amie
I SMILE AT NIK when I walk out of school and find him waiting by his car. “It’s been almost two months. I really don’t think this is necessary.”
“You’re not gonna win this one.” Nik follows me the few rows over to my car and opens my door when I unlock it.
“Nik?” I ask right before I get in.
“Yeah?”
“I’m sorry.”
His dark brows come together, and he pulls his head back in question.
“He’s your best friend, and it’s my fault he was gone for so long. I’m sure he’s told you everything now.”
“Yeah, he did. Sorry, babe.”
“It’s okay. I just want you to know… I’m sorry that by being stupid and immature and insecure, I caused Declan to stay away—”
“Dec’s a grown ass man, Amie.”
“I know. But if it weren’t for me, he would have come back sooner and been happy. It was my fault he was so miserable and lonely for the last seventeen years. ”
“He wasn’t miserable.”
“Yeah, he was. He told me so.”
“Look”—he takes his aviators off and hangs them in the front of his hunter green t-shirt—“we’ve always been tight. I visited him a lot, and we always had a good time. He was enjoying his life for what it was, doing what he loved. He missed you, but he also wasn’t lonely, all right?”
My throat dries up, and I swallow sandpaper. “Oh, yeah. Right.” I try to get in my car, but he grabs my arm.
“Fuck, I didn’t mean it as a bad thing, Amie.”
“No, I get it. Thanks for saying that. I’m glad he wasn’t lonely.” I rip my arm out of his grip and slam my door, then peel out to Declan’s house. I’ve basically moved in with Declan, which has been nice. I’m still staying in his guest room, but he sleeps with me every night. I worry, though, that once they catch Larry—which will hopefully be soon—Dec is going to want me to go back to my own place. Living together is a huge step, and I don’t want to be presumptuous and assume he wants that.
I try not to worry too much, though, and just enjoy the time I have with him now. It’s almost too good to be true, and I’m waiting for the other shoe to drop and kick me right in the ass. We get along as we did before, and my love for him and Clover grows every day. We’ve developed a routine together, and it feels like home.
Nik follows me, and when I park in the street, he pulls into the driveway and follows me inside. I punch the code for the alarm, and he walks around the house then stops at the front door, where I’m waiting for him to leave so I can set the alarm again.
“Sorry, Amie. I didn’t mean anything bad, I swear.”
“It’s fine, Nik. Promise.” I put on a fake smile, and he shakes his head.
“That’s so fuckin’ fake, woman.”
My smile falls, and I nod. “I know. And I knew, deep down I knew, but it just hurts to hear.”
“Fuck, he’s gonna kick my ass.”
“No he’s not, because I’m not going to say anything to him. I didn’t expect him to stay single.”
“He did, though,” Nik argues. “There’s a difference between, um… being single and, uhh… not being lonely.”
“Sure.”
“Amie.”
“Nik, it’s fine.”
He looks like he wants to say something but nods instead. “Lock up behind me.”
“Okay.” I shut the door, twist the deadbolt, enter the code, and then fall against the door. “Fuck,” I whisper to myself.
Of course, I knew he’d sleep with other women. Of course, I did. I mean, that’s why he has Clover, right? But I always pushed that thought to the back of my mind because it was too fucking hard to imagine. It’s not Nik’s fault for finally forcing me to realize what I knew all along.
My phone chimes and I pull it out of my back pocket.
Declan: U home ok?
Me: Yup.
Declan: Cool. B there in a couple hours
Me: K. Hurry up. Miss you and that baby.
Declan: Next time you should pick her up from my parents.
Me: Okay!
Dec had gone to the bar for a shift so Meara could go to a doctor appointment.
The thought that he wants me to go get Clover next time means a lot to me, so I stop feeling sorry for myself and get up to start dinner. As I’m grabbing the chicken out of the freezer, the doorbell rings.
I begin to walk to the door but freeze directly behind it. What if it’s Larry? He wouldn’t be so stupid as to come here, would he? And if he did, would he really ring the bell? A loud knock makes me yelp, and I jump back.
When I don’t hear anything for a few seconds, I tiptoe toward the peephole and look out to see Meara. I quickly open the door. “Are you okay?”
The beeping sounds on the alarm, and I type the code to shut it off, and then shut the door behind her when she walks in.
“Yeah. I wanted to talk to you, though, and I couldn’t think of any other way to get you alone without Dec.” She smirks, and I follow her to the living room and take the seat opposite her on the couch.
I sit nervously, not sure what she has to say to me. It can’t be good—not that I blame her for disliking me—so I brace myself.
“I remember as a kid, you were always around. I asked Declan one time why, if you were my sister, you went home at nighttime. I thought of you as my big sister back then.”
I laugh. “I remember him telling me that. And I thought of you as a little sister, Meara. I swear I did, and I loved you and feel horrible for what happened.”
“It tore me apart when he left. Gutted me. I missed him so much. And you were gone, too. I didn’t get it. I asked everyone where you went, but nobody gave me an answer.”
“Meara, I’m sorry.”
She ignores me. “I remember I was thirteen. Dec came home for something—Christmas, I think. It was either that or someone died… pretty much the only reason he ever came home. Anyway, I was in my treehouse, and he came up to talk to me before he left. I asked him point blank what happened to you, because I was worried, I didn’t understand it.” She stops talking and shakes her head, reminiscing about their conversation.
“What did he say?” The anticipation is killing me.
“He blamed himself. He said he didn’t want the same things as you anymore and that you deserved to be happy, so he broke up with you.”
“Always the noble one,” I mumble.
“He is. Very noble and you broke him. You ruined him.”
She pushes off the couch, her very large pregnant belly making her unbalanced. I stand to help her up, and she offers a weak smile and walks around with a hand on her back. “I can’t sit for a long time anymore.”
“It’s okay.”
“Anyway, I finally got the real story when I was like seventeen. I don’t
think I’ve ever been that angry with someone before in my life. I vowed to hate you until the day I died.”
“I understand.”
“Just last week, I was talking to Declan at work and said something about you that he must not have liked. You know what he told me?”
I shake my head.
“He told me not to make him choose.” She laughs with disgust. “He’d actually pick you over me… his fucking sister. Someone who has always been there for him and never betrayed him or let him down. He’d pick you over me.”
“I wouldn’t ever let that happen. I—”
“You’d what, Amie? Leave? So then he’d have even more to be miserable about. For some fucking reason, you make him happy, and it kills me, because you don’t deserve him.”
“I know I don’t, Meara. Don’t you think I know how wonderful he is? How lucky I am that he picked me back then? I never moved on from him, ever.” With a shuddering breath, I decide to tell her everything. I’m very private, but she deserves to know. She should know. “I think you should know something. When I was eighteen, I went to—”
I practically scream when a body walks past a window in the living room. Larry’s eyes catch mine, and I reach for Meara. Thank God she was standing around the corner and Larry didn’t see her. “Shh. Get in the closet and don’t say anything,” I whisper-shout.
Her eyes widen, and she fights to get away from my grip. “What? No!”
“Shh. He’ll hear you. Meara, please. If something happened to you or the baby—please,” I beg, and drag her to the closet just as the front door squeaks open. Thank God, I didn’t get Clover today. If she were here, I don’t know what I’d do.
Meara’s hands wrap around her stomach. “Who is that?” she asks, starting to realize my fear.
“Larry. Get in here and be quiet.”
“Oh, Amie. I know you’re here.” Larry’s voice echoes, and I shove her in and try to slam the door, but she grabs my arm.
“Get in with me.”
“No, he knows I’m here. Just stay quiet, Meara, please.”
I rip my arm away and close the door, then move from the closed door. He appears from around the corner and grabs me by my hair. I don’t scream. Instead, I try to figure out how to get us out of here. I don’t want to risk him hurting Meara. I’ve gotta get him out of the house.
“There she is.”
“What do you want?” I fight against the sting in my head and try to rip his fingers away, but he pulls even harder, emitting a yelp from me.
“I told you. Nobody leaves me.”
“I did, asshole.”
He throws me on the couch, and I reach for the lamp and scramble to throw it at him so I can gain my footing, but he grabs my ankle as the glass lampshade and bulb shatter. He drags me backward, and my arms get caught in the glass. I scream as the shards rip my skin.
“Should I fuck you right here on his couch? Think lover boy would like knowing I nutted in you here?” He kicks the couch next to my head, and I flinch. “I miss fuckin’ a bitch, knowin’ she can’t have a baby. You tell him yet? He know you’re not a real woman?”
The words he taunts me with burn my brain. My veins turn to ice. “He’s gonna be home any minute, and then he’s gonna kill you,” I scream at him.
“Good. Then he can watch me fuck what he thinks is his.” A cynical laugh passes through his tobacco stained teeth. “Did you tell him about all the times I fucked you while you begged me to stop? How I’d spread your legs every night and fuck you while you cried?”
“You’re a piece of fucking shit!” I scream at him, his demoralizing words striking a nerve.
It’s funny because I don’t even feel scared right now. I’m pissed off that this asshole is back. Everything finally felt right in my life… in my and Declan’s life. Our future should finally be happening, and now, this fucker is going to ruin it. Hell, no. Not today. Not ever.
I shock him by kicking both of his knees so hard they bend backward, and he lets me go while he cries in pain. I scramble away and run through the house to the front door, hitting the silent panic button on the alarm on the way out.
My feet run faster than my body, and I fall. Dirt mixes with the blood from my arms, and my newly healed ribs are now pulsing with pain. Half crawling and half running, I grab a shovel from the side of the house then wait, trying to catch my breath. I hold it up like a bat, and as soon as Larry’s face comes into view, I swing, clocking him in the shoulder instead of his head as I had planned.
I run again and get to the front of the house. I’m trying to bide my time until the cops get here, while also keeping him away from Meara. I head to his truck, hoping to run in circles around it. A thunderous shout comes from behind me, and I’m turning to see how far back he is, but I’m met with his fist.
When I fall to the ground, I screech in pain as my feet tangle. His heavy weight on my stomach knocks the wind out of me, and I turn my head to the side to try to gasp for air. Meara stands at the window with a phone to her ear and tears running down her face. She lifts her hand to show me a knife.
No, I mouth to her. Please. No.
My plan foils just as my adrenaline wears off, and I cry, too. So long ago, I thought this piece of shit was what I deserved, but I was wrong. I don’t deserve this. I don’t deserve him; I never did. I deserve to be happy, damn it. I fucking deserve it.
How stupid am I to try to outrun him or outmuscle him? Idiot. God, I’m such an idiot. Now, he’s going to kill me, and I’ll die without ever getting my happily ever after. But at least Declan knows I didn’t betray him. That counts for something.
“Why the fuck are you runnin’, bitch?”
I don’t answer him, but he grabs my chin and turns my face. “You never learned, did you? You were always a stupid ass, tryin’ to challenge me and—”
A blur of black crosses my vision, and Larry’s gone. I suck in a breath, fresh air a relief for my burning lungs. A figure pounds Larry’s face and ribs as red and blue lights flash and the sirens sound close.
The man pulls Larry’s arms behind his back and holds them there, then he turns to me.
“You okay?” Nik asks.
“Nik?”
“You okay?” he asks again.
“Yes, I’m fine.”
An officer runs up and takes Larry from Nik, restraining him with handcuffs. I head to the porch and Meara comes out, tears streaking down her face, her dark eye makeup in its wake. “Oh my God, I thought he was going to kill you! Are you okay?” She sobs and throws her arms around me. “I can’t believe you tried to lock me in there. And what he said… I was so mean to you. I’m so sorry.”
“I didn’t want you to come out.”
“Are you sure you’re okay?”
“Yeah.” And I am. I’m sore as shit, and my arms are killing me, but overall, I’m fine. He’s done worse, and I’ve survived.
A police officer approaches me along with Nik, as a firetruck and ambulance pull up at the same time. Nik’s face hardens, and he clears his throat. “Amie, can you tell Officer Simmons what happened?”
“Of course.” Meara lets me go but holds my hand.
“Weren’t you supposed to be at the doctor, Meara?” Nik asks, clearly worried about her.
“Yes, but I lied. I’m sorry, I wanted to talk to her and—”
Squealing tires make us all jump, and the cop goes for his gun, but Nik puts a hand on his arm. “It’s her man.”
Declan leaves his door open and takes one look at me. He jogs in my direction but stops when he crosses paths with Larry. He charges at him and tackles him so hard, he slips from the cop’s grip. Larry slams to the ground, his bloody face colliding with the gravel.
“Shit, he’ll fuckin’ kill the bastard,” Nik mumbles before he takes off.
Declan reaches down for Larry, but an officer grabs him, and another appears and grabs his other arm. Declan’s booted foot kicks Larry in the side, and with each connection, Larry cries out. Declan screams
at Larry, vile threats leaving his mouth that I didn’t know he was capable of. He’s never appeared so livid before. I’ve seen him pissed, but not like this.
Nik reaches him and pushes him away, whispering in his ear and nodding toward me. Declan’s chest rises and falls so hard I can see the movement from over here, and his eyes blaze into me, searching every inch of my body and darkening with every new scrape he finds.
“Oh, shit.” Meara squeezes my hand really hard, and I tear my gaze away from the scene in front of me to see a different kind of panic on her face. “My water just broke.”
My eyes widen, and I look down at the puddle of water on Declan’s porch. “Oh, my God.”
“Oh, my God,” she repeats.
“Dec!” We both scream, and Declan and Nik reach us in a matter of seconds. “Her water broke,” I shout even though he’s right in front of me.
“Honey, Jesus.” Dec pulls me to him, and I wince when my arms rub against the fabric of his shirt.
Nik shouts commands, and suddenly a paramedic jogs over with a gurney.
“Hop on, sweet thing. Let’s go have a baby,” the older woman with a Southern accent says to Meara.
“Hey, Fran.” Meara smiles, somehow knowing the paramedic, but then she flinches and grabs her stomach.
“Dec, go with your sister.”
“No, he needs to stay with you.” Meara offers a smile through her pain, and it’s enough for me. She may not have forgiven me, but it’s at least a mustard seed of hope that she doesn’t loathe me anymore. Meara lets go of my hand and takes Nik’s as he helps her on to the stretcher. The paramedics and Nik speed walk to the ambulance, and I breathe a sigh of relief when they drive away, knowing she’s in good hands right now.
Another paramedic appears out of nowhere and kneels down, opens a kit and dons rubber gloves. Officer Simmons asks me questions, and I try to answer him as the paramedic picks glass out of my arm. A whirlwind of activity makes me dizzy, but I stare into Declan’s eyes. His determined and loving hazel eyes look into my own, telling me how much he loves me with more than words.
He did everything he could. Got an alarm on the house, had Nik pick me up when he couldn’t. I know he’s blaming himself right now, but he couldn’t be more wrong. It’s not his fault I got hurt. He’s the reason I’m finally, finally healed.
