Chapter Twenty-Seven

The next morning, I overslept and had to rush to Starbucks. It was almost nine when I got there, and the line was longer than usual. I hadn’t yet checked my phone, so I powered it on as I waited for my turn to order. The damn thing started to buzz in my hand.

I got excited when I saw a new text arrived.

Aubrey: OK. Friday 6pm. I’m yours for the weekend.

I let out a deep breath. It felt like I’d been holding it for days. Melanie called my name as I continued to stare down at my phone.

“Two coffees?”

I couldn’t stop smiling. “You bet.”

“And what will Aubrey be having for breakfast this morning?”

I leaned back and looked in the case. “I’ll take two of those chocolate chip muffins, an iced lemon pound cake, three of those salted caramel pecan squares, an oatmeal cookie and one of those fancy yogurt parfaits you have there.”

Melanie looked at me like I was nuts. At that point, I pretty much had lost my mind, so she wasn’t too far off. “You want those all in a box? They’re all for Aubrey?”

“Yep.” I paid and glanced at the time on my phone. She usually didn’t come by until half past nine. “Mel, hold my coffee. I’ll be right back. Okay?”

I hauled ass to the florist I’d been eyeing a few doors down and came back with a gigantic bouquet; it was bordering on ridiculous. But I didn’t care. Aubrey was going to be mine for a weekend. This was cause for celebration.

Melanie smiled at me so big, I could see her full mouth of teeth—top and bottom. “Can you give her these with breakfast today?”

“Of course.”

I parked my truck around the corner and stood in the doorway a few stores down from Starbucks. If I wasn’t on such a high, this new stalking technique might have felt a little creepy. Right at nine-thirty, Aubrey walked out of Starbucks with a box and the giant flowers. She was sporting the hugest smile.

I stood there for another ten minutes. Eventually, another text came.

Aubrey: Was I especially hungry this morning?

Chance: Sorry. I got carried away. We’re celebrating.

Aubrey: What are we celebrating?

Chance: You. Coming home with me this weekend.

My phone went quiet. A few minutes later, it buzzed again.

Aubrey: I’m nervous. I’m not sure it’s a good idea.

So am I, but I wasn’t about to admit that. The consequences of blowing this were too much to even consider.

Chance: Trust me. Please.

A few minutes later, a final text came in.

Aubrey: OK

I arrived at her place Friday at six, ready for our weekend. I knocked, and she came to the door looking almost exactly like a recurring fantasy I’d had of her over the last two years. She was wearing a tight white tank top, tiny white shorts and had on a pair of silver sandals. It was a particularly humid day, and her hair was down and wilder than usual. Trust me? That was the promise I’d made to her. Fuuuck.

“What’s wrong?” She noticed the worry on my face. “Are we taking the motorcycle after all? Do I need to change?”

“No. Yes. No.”

Her brows drew down, so I explained. “No. We’re not taking the motorcycle. Yes, you need to change.”

She looked down at her outfit. “What’s wrong with what I’m wearing?”

“Absolutely nothing. It’s perfect.”

“But—”

I raked my fingers through my hair. “Except that I had this recurring fantasy of you wearing all white.”

She smiled. “That’s sweet. Like I was an angel?”

My mouth spread into a wicked grin. “Not exactly.”

Her cheeks blushed. “Oh.”

I chuckled. “You don’t have to change. But you should know, if I’m quiet on the ride to my place, it’s because I’m replaying that fantasy over and over in my mind.” I winked.

There was a red suitcase next to the door, so I grabbed it.

“I just need to get my purse.”

Mutton was rubbing at my leg, wanting attention. “And Mutton’s leash. I don’t have a big yard like you. We’ll have to walk him.”

Aubrey turned around. “You want to bring Pixy?”

“Of course. We’re a family.”

It was like the damn goat understood what we were talking about. He nuzzled into my hands and let out a soft “Baaaa.”

“That’s right, buddy. It’s just going to be me and you and Mommy.” I scratched the top of his head. “You like that, don’t you.”

“All set.” Aubrey returned with her purse and the leash. “I just need to stop at Philomena’s and tell her she doesn’t need to take care of Pixy.”

“Philomena’s?”

“My neighbor. She takes care of Pixy when I work late sometimes. When I went over to ask her to take care of him yesterday, she raved about my gardens. She said she would love to steal you from me. Then she went on a tirade about the mailman delivering her four Magic Bullets that she didn’t order and insisted I take one home with me.” Aubrey pointed to an unopened box on the counter. “She’s a bit on the odd side but very nice.”

“Magic Bullet? Is that like your magic wand? You still playing with that?”

“No! It’s a blender…for smoothies.”

It was normally a two-hour drive from Temecula to Hermosa Beach, but the rush hour traffic made it almost double that. I didn’t give a shit, though. The sun was shining, I was free, and my girl was coming to my place for the weekend. Since I couldn’t do what I really wanted to do with her, I decided to show Aubrey what a normal weekend with us together would be like. We both knew we had chemistry, but something told me one of the things holding her back, aside from trust, was she wasn’t convinced we had more than chemistry.

Adele was still at my place when we arrived. She pretended to have been running late, but I knew she really wanted to meet Aubrey.

“Sorry. I was hoping to be at Harry’s by the time you got home. I was just cleaning up a bit.”

Aubrey looked at me in disbelief. “Harry?”

“I shit you not. First day out, I come home and find some bloke in his boxers ironing at my kitchen counter. He tells me his name is Harry.”

Aubrey and I both laughed. Adele didn’t get the joke, but was smiling from ear to ear anyway. My sister extended her hand. “I’m so glad to meet you, Aubrey. I’ve heard so much about you.”

Aubrey and Adele stared at each other for a long moment. I had no idea what was going on, but something strange seemed to be taking place. Then the two practically collided, wrapping each other in their arms for a hug. It was like they were long lost best friends. They didn’t let go for the longest time.

Watching it, I became a bit choked up. Both women had tears in their eyes when they separated. I heard my sister whisper, “We both lost a lot. I’m finding my way back. I hope you do, too.”

I cleared my throat and hugged my sister goodbye a few minutes later. She was carrying an overnight bag to spend the weekend at Harry’s. “I stocked the cabinets with your essentials.”

“Snags, Tim Tams and Pixy sticks?”

“Of course. And I got this guy here some treats, too.” She gave Pixy a good rub before leaving.

When it was just the two of us, I gave Aubrey a tour. My place was an old converted warehouse. It had high ceilings and a wide open floor plan. There were three bedrooms, but I’d converted one into an art studio. My sister was using the other one since she came to stay with me. When I told her Aubrey would be staying in the guest room, she sounded like she didn’t believe me but prepped it for a guest nonetheless.

I stopped at my bedroom first. “This is our bedroom.”

“Chance—”

“I know. Not tonight. But if we decide to live down here near the beach, this will be our room.” The fucked up thing was, I already thought of it as our bedroom.

“It’s very nice. Is that a Klimt painting?”

I smiled. Love my dirty girl. “It is. It’s the Three Ages of Women. See, we have a lot in common. We both like women’s breasts in paintings. Although when we’re in here, I won’t notice anything but those babies.” My eyes pointed to her great rack.

“You’re a perv.”

“And you love it.”

I gave her the rest of the tour, regretfully dropping her bag in the guest room. The last room on the tour was my art studio. I hadn’t made anything in a long, long time. There were canvas drop cloths covering most projects I was working on before my life became a clusterfuck. I flicked on the light and meant to pass the room right by, but Aubrey wandered inside.

“Did you make that?” She pointed to a large motorcycle made of recycled parts. It had been in a few art shows, but now there was an inch of dust covering it.

“I did.”

“Wow. It’s…incredible.” She walked around, inspecting it carefully. “Everything on here is junk?”

“I don’t use any purchased materials. Only recycled objects that I find.”

“You’re really good. I’m not sure what I expected. But this seems to tell a story.” I smiled. Of course, she totally got it. I always felt every individual piece that I collected could tell a different tale. The way they all blended together was sort of like reading a book to me. I walked around to the other side of the bike and pointed to a few different things, telling her where each piece had come from.

If it were possible, I fell just a little more for her right then.

That night, we ordered in Chinese food and ate straight from the cartons. Aubrey fell asleep with her head on my lap as we watched a movie. Keeping to my word, I covered her with a blanket and went to my own bed to sleep.

The next morning, she was still sleeping when I slipped out to take Pixy for a walk. But she was awake when I walked in carrying two coffees and an assortment of overpriced crap from Starbucks.

“Morning.”

She sat up on the couch and stretched her arms over her head. Her shirt pulled up, exposing her beautiful soft skin. I wanted to fucking bite it. I had to turn the other way.

“You get some strange ass looks when you walk a goat.”

Aubrey chuckled. “Yeah. I know.” She came into the kitchen and sat on a stool on the other side of the island.

“Let me ask you something. This promise I stupidly made. It only includes touching. I can say whatever I want, right?”

She sipped her coffee. “I’m afraid to say yes. But…yes. I suppose words aren’t off limits.”

“Good. Because I gotta tell you. Your tits saluting me are better than seeing the sunrise in the morning.”

She shook her head. “You have a wicked tongue, Mr. Bateman.”

“Oh, if only I could show you, Mrs. Bloom Bateman.”

“Mrs. Bloom Bateman, huh?”

“Well, you are my wife. I figured you’d want to keep your name, too. Seeing as how you’re a working woman and all.”

“You make me sound like a hooker.”

“Prostitute…lawyer.” I grinned. “Same thing.”

“Very nice. And to think…I was going to give up the Bloom name and take my husband’s. Now I’m not so sure.”

“Oh yeah? I would have taken you for a hyphenator.”

She slid the bag on the counter over to her and dug inside. “Nah. Not me. I’m old school. I plan to give everything to my husband.”

“I’m glad to hear that Mrs. Bateman. Because I plan to take everything. On a daily basis.”

I wanted to show her the area. Now that her firm was closing up, maybe we would live in Hermosa Beach. Being near the water was important to me. Although, I’d live in the desert if it meant getting to be with Aubrey. After lunch, we walked down to the boardwalk. It was a gorgeous day, and she didn’t pull away when I took her hand in mine.

“How about a swim?” I was glad I told her to put on a suit when we left this morning. It was hot as hell.

“Okay.”

We walked down to the water’s edge, and I pulled my shirt off. Following my lead, she slipped out of hers, and my eyes almost bulged from my head. Fuck. Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea after all. She had on a little red string bikini top, and her fantastic tits looked like they longed to spill out. When she shimmied out of her shorts, I was blatantly leering at her and didn’t give a damn. If I couldn’t touch, I most certainly was going to get my visual fill. “I almost feel bad for you.”

“Me? Why?”

“Because when you finally let me have you.” I raked my eyes up and down her luscious body. “I’m going to be like a savage making up for lost time.”

I needed to cool off, and Aubrey was coming with me. Surprising her, I bent and lifted, tossing her over my shoulder fireman style before running for the water. She screamed and kicked the entire time, but I could tell from her tone that she was smiling. I smacked her ass hard before launching us both into the water.

Together we swam and walked along the beach until the sun set. I never wanted the day to end.

“We should get back,” she said. “Pixy probably needs to go out.”

“Kids. They’re always ruining a good time,” I joked.

On the walk back, our conversation took a serious turn. “Do you want kids?”

I answered honestly, “I never really thought about it. Until I met you. But now. I want nothing more than for you to bear my spawn.”

She laughed. “How many do you want?”

“Six,” I answered quickly.

“Six?” She stopped in her tracks.

“I have no idea why. But the thought of you pregnant does something to me. I’m getting turned on now just thinking about it.”

“You really need help. I think you might be a sex addict.”

“I’d be the first sex addict that hasn’t gotten laid in a few years.”

She looked at me with sincerity. “Sorry. That must be hard.”

“When I look at you in that bathing suit. It sure is.”

“Do you…you know.”

“What?”

“You know.”

“I don’t.” I certainly did.

“You know. Take care of yourself.”

“You mean like shower and get haircuts. Yes. I take care of myself. I even exercise.”

She laughed. “You want me to say it, don’t you?”

“You’d totally make my day, Princess.”

We arrived on my block. I was holding her left hand, but she turned and walked backwards, taking both of mine into hers. She cocked her head to the side when she spoke. “Do you masturbate, Chance?”

Fuck yeah. I loved hearing her even say the word. “I do. Frequently, in fact, lately. All I have to do is smell you, and my cock strains. I’d be walking around with a nasty case of blue balls if I didn’t.”

“I’m sorry.”

I pulled her closer to me. “You wanna know something else?”

She bit her lip, but nodded.

“It will all be worth it when I’m back inside of you, Princess.”

We went into the house, and I offered Aubrey the shower first. After our day on the beach, I had sand in places there shouldn’t be. While she was in the shower, I cranked up the music, put two Coronas in the freezer to chill, and might have danced with a goat.

I heard the faint sound of Aubrey’s voice in between verses. “Chance?”

The full bath was in the master bedroom. I answered through the cracked door, “Everything okay?”

“I forgot to grab a towel. Are there any in here?”

The shower water was still running. “No. They’re in the closet out here. I’ll grab you one.”

I picked the fluffiest, girliest looking towel I could find. Without thinking, I opened the door. The shower had glass sliders. They were foggy with steam, but I could still see her sexy silhouette. Her back was facing me, giving me a fan-fucking-tastic view of her succulent ass. I couldn’t move. My restraint was rapidly slipping through my fingers.

When she turned around and caught me staring, she didn’t make an effort to cover up. Instead, she reached up and began to wash her breasts.

Fucking incredible.

I took a step toward the shower but stopped myself from going further. With the door behind me open and the cool air blowing in, the fog was getting heavier on the shower doors.

“Princess—” The word came out a cross between a groan and a plea. “I vowed not to touch you.”

I could barely hear her whispered words over the rain of the shower. “I know. I thought maybe…you’d like it if…I…” She paused. My girl’s walls were crumbling. She was pushing the boundaries. And it was the sexiest thing I’d ever seen in my life. She said the last sentence louder and with more conviction. “I thought maybe you’d like to watch me touch myself.”

There she is. My beautiful, sweet dirty girl.

“Oh baby. I could go blind after watching you and never feel like I’d missed seeing anything. Will you let me help? I’ll tell you what I want you to do to yourself, and you can do it for me. That way we’ll be doing it together. Is that okay?”

She nodded.

“That’s good, baby. So fucking good. Would you like it if I stroked myself while I watched you?”

“Yes.”

I dropped my shorts and stood before her. Even if I wasn’t already fully erect, I would have been after seeing the way she was looking at me. Her eyes were glued to my cock. I watched them follow my hand as I leisurely stroked up and down.

“This is what you do to me. Every day. I dream about being deep inside of you. In your heart and in your body. I want to suck on those beautiful nipples you’re touching. Tug them between my teeth until sweet pain shoots through every nerve in your gorgeous body.” Aubrey’s head lulled back a bit as she started to relax into my voice and her own touch. Her hands that were gently swirling around her nipples slowed, and I watched her pinch. “Harder. Pinch harder.” She did, and her lips parted as she felt it travel south.

“Spread your legs a bit.” Without hesitation, she did as I asked. “I want to spread you out on my bed and lick every inch of you until you can barely breathe. Then I want to hear you beg for my cock. Will you do that, Aubrey. Will you beg for me?”

“I will. I’ll beg for it.”

“Do it. Do it now. Tell me that you want my cock, and I’ll let you put your fingers inside yourself.”

Her hand started to travel painstakingly slowly down her body. I had to strain to hear her voice. “I dream about you being inside of me again. The way you bury yourself like you can’t get deep enough. Please. I miss you being inside of me.” Her voice was uneven, and her hand trembled as it hovered over her sweet pussy.

“Rub your fingers along your clit. But don’t put them inside yet. I’ll tell you when.”

Her body was sun kissed from the beach today, and her cheeks were pink from arousal. The image before me was better than anything I could possibly have imagined. I fisted my cock harder and faster. It was getting difficult to speak.

I took two steps closer to the shower door. It took every ounce of willpower not to open it. But I needed to at least be closer to hear the jagged edge to her breath. “Please, Chance.”

It made me wild to know she was willing to beg for me. That she wanted me inside of her as much as I longed to sink into her. “Slip two fingers inside. Keep your eyes closed and pretend it’s me. Feel my cock inside of you.”

When her fingers disappeared, I couldn’t hold back any longer. It took less than two minutes—she was pumping in and out as fast as I was tugging at my cock. Her mouth parted, and I knew she was beginning. “Chance…”

“Come baby. Together.” It was the most spectacular sight in the world as she became undone right before my eyes. The sound of her moaning my name as she brought herself to her own climax was purely erotic.

It took a while after we both finished to regain control of our panting breaths. Eventually, Aubrey’s body went slack, and she leaned against the tiled wall of the shower. She didn’t open her eyes as I reached in and turned off the water. I scooped her into my arms and carried her to my bed. Climbing in behind her, I slipped under the sheet, careful not to press myself against her. That would be breaking the rules. And oddly, I was sated for now.

Not fifteen minutes later, she mumbled the words ‘I’m sorry’ right before I heard the light sound of her sleep.

I fell asleep not long after that, feeling relief and content with the woman I loved sleeping next to me in our bed.

Unfortunately, the feeling was gone the next morning when I woke up, and it wouldn’t take me long to figure out why.