Chapter 18
Max
Coughing echoes through my living room and down the hall to my bedroom where I’m trying desperately to get some sleep. It’s late. Just when I find myself drifting to sleep another bough of coughing starts up again from my couch.
I’m roused awake.
“Are you ok?” I shout through the closed door. If I can hear Chris coughing his head off surely he can hear me yelling.
“Yeah.” He yells back, choking out another cough.
“Good. Now shut the hell up and go to bed.”
Silence finally fills the apartment, blessedly allowing me to get some sleep. It feels like I’m not asleep longer than a few hours when my alarm starts blaring. It’s urging me up for my morning run. I smack at my phone blindly trying to turn the shrieking alarm off before I’m not able to get back to sleep.
My morning run can wait a day given the shitty night I had.
Chris has been staying with me a week now. It hasn’t all been bad. In fact I almost enjoyed having my brother around again after living alone for the past two years. But he was unrefined and it had been a bit of a struggle to get him on a decent schedule.
It was like bringing home a newborn baby that had his days and nights mixed up. I had spent the past week trying to teach Chris we weren’t staying up all night and sleeping all day. It had been exhausting. Was this what new parents felt like?
In my case I hit fast forward straight to the teen years. I had to give my big brother a curfew because I’ll be damned if he thinks he can just parade in and out of this apartment at all hours of the day and night like it’s a free motel.
I sound like a father. Not our father but a normal one. The kind you see on TV or in movies that try to establish some respectable rules for his unruly kids. It had always been a foreign concept to me but here I was parenting the fuck out of my older brother like I actually knew what I was doing.
In addition to helping Chris grow up I found myself trying to keep Lacey away from him. I still didn’t trust him in that arena and respecting her was probably too much to ask of him. Our sleepovers had dropped down to a couple nights a week at her house and one tops at mine.
I didn’t quite trust Chris being alone at the apartment any more than I trusted him being around Lacey. He was liable to have a party while I was gone and I would return to find him dead on my couch with a needle in his arm.
Or worse, Natalie naked on the couch when I open the front door since she mentioned talking to Chris well after he disappeared from Dad’s radar. The two must talk more than I realized.
My alarm goes off again blaring like a siren. I thought I turned the damn thing off but I guess I just hit snooze.
“Shut up, would ya? I’m trying to fucking sleep!” Chris croaks out loudly from the couch.
I sigh and struggle to find the button that will turn the noise off for good through bleary eyes. Fuck me. I’m wide awake by the time I get the phone on silent.
“Finally.” Chris calls out in annoyance.
Maybe if he hadn’t kept us both up all night coughing nonstop from his blackened lungs he wouldn’t be so pissy.
I decide to get up as my alarm intended and pull on some basketball shorts and a rumpled t-shirt. As I lace my running shoes while sitting on the side of my bed I do something I’m sure to regret.
“You want to come running with me?”
“Fuck no.”
“Oh come on. It’ll be good for you. There’s no way you’re getting back to sleep anyway.”
“Speak for yourself. I can always get back to sleep.”
I roll my eyes and head out of the bedroom. “Just get up and get dressed. It’s only a mile to the donut shop. We can get some breakfast. Neither one of us cooks so it’s the only chance you have to eat anything more than a banana this morning.”
He groans at my reasoning and pushes up to a sitting position on the couch. I know I have him. “God I hate you sometimes.”
“Rise and shine.”
“Fuck. Why don’t you have that girl come over again? She was a bad ass cook.”
“She’s busy.” I lie. “Besides I go for a run every morning. It’s good for you.”
“You’re such an asshole.”
“I’m leaving in five minutes. Be ready.”
I pour myself a glass of orange juice while I wait for him to get up. He stomps around the living room, sighing and making sure I know he isn’t happy with the arrangement but I also know my brother. There’s no way he would turn down food.
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“God. Damn. You.” Cough. “Stop.”
Chris gasps for air and clutches at his side halfway to the donut shop. He’s out of shape. I know this. But the sound of his constant coughing and wheezing has me mildly concerned.
“Maybe you should go to a doctor.”
“I don’t need to see a doctor. I need a-” Cough. “normal fucking brother that has breakfast at home.”
“Lay off the cigarettes and weed man. It’s tearing up your lungs.”
“Stop being a nerd and a-” Cough. “-loser all of sudden.” Hacking. “You’ve smoked plenty with me.”
“Yeah. I have.” I admit. “And then I decided to stop because I like to breath.”
His breathing slowly evens and the coughing ceases. “Just go on without me. Leave me to die here on this person’s lawn.”
I let out a laugh and pat him on the back. He just needs to get healthier. This experience is a testament of that. “Come on. There’s bacon, egg and cheese burritos there. Or glazed donuts, take your pick.”
A healthy diet could wait.
“Ok.” He visibly pulls himself together, forcing himself to his full height while keeping his arm clutching his side.
We carry on with our jog but I slow considerably so he doesn’t pass out. I may be in better shape than he is at the moment but I doubt I can carry his dead weight back home. And I have my heart set on breakfast burritos this morning.
We finally make it to the donut shop. The lights from the Donny’s Donuts sign are a beacon to us across the parking lot.
“We made it.” Chris heaves. He sounds like he just ran a 5K. “Thank fuck.”
“They have great food to refuel for the run back.”
He shoots me a death glare and pulls the door open. “Next time we’re driving. I mean it Max.”
“I run every morning. I don’t always come here but I always run.”
“Fine. You run. I’ll drive and we can meet up here.”
I laugh as he turns away from me to order two burritos, a donut and a large coffee. I order my usual: a bacon, egg and cheese burrito and bottled water for the jog home. We find a seat with two chairs close to the window and quietly eat our food.
I worked up a good sweat on our jog and the burrito gives me the recharge I need to get back. Chris downs his coffee for the same effect.
Silence stretches as we enjoy the relaxing break from our run and each other’s company. It’s been a long time since I was around my brother without the bullshit that always seems to accompany him. It’s pretty nice.
He breaks the peaceful silence when he finishes his two burritos, claiming he’s saving the donut for the run back.
“How was it with Dad the other night? Did he mention me?”
“Yeah. He asked if I’ve seen you.”
“What did you say?” He sounds worried and irritation hovers above me, threatening to crash down. So much for a peaceful morning of normal brotherly bonding.
“What do you think I said? I told him I haven’t seen you.”
He sags in relief against the back of his chair and lets out a sharp breath he was holding. “Thanks. I know he’s hard to lie to.”
I shrug. Can’t argue with him on that. “Between him and Natalie I was ready to get the fuck out of there.”
He thinks I’m blowing smoke about wanting to get away from her. I can tell by the expression on his face. But when he looks up and sees the expression on mine he knows I mean it. “I’m confused. What did Natalie do?”
“Just her usual shit. Trying to blow me as soon as I walk in the door.”
“She likes you bro.”
“Likes fucking me maybe.”
“Ok…” He looks deep in thought trying to uncover what the hell is wrong with me and when I stopped liking it because god knows I used to. “I don’t see the problem.”
“She fucks everybody. Literally everybody. Including you.”
“I still don’t see the problem. And she hasn’t fucked me. Just FYI.”
I get irritated at having to explain this and busy myself with throwing away our trash. “Well maybe I want something different. You know what? Never mind. You wouldn’t understand.”
“Different, huh? You prefer blonds now?”
He’s goading me about Lacey and I give him a look. He follows me outside and the conversation dies off as we start our run back to my apartment in silence. I reflect over what he said.
I hate to admit it but I can’t really be mad at his assessment. I did enjoy Natalie plenty of times in the past. She never failed to get me off.
Up until recently my view on sex was exactly like his. It had just been an activity to pass time. A very enjoyable activity. But not something I put a hell of a lot of feelings or thought into.
Things were different now.
The first thing I did when we walked back through my door, after collapsing on the couch, was pull out my phone.
Max: Morning angel.
Lacey: Good morning.
Lacey: What are you doing awake so early? The sun barely came up.
Max: Running.
Max: Want to stay the night with me?
Lacey: Is this a booty call?
Max: No.
Max: Maybe.
Max: Ok. Yes.
Lacey: *laughing emoji* I’ll be there at 8.
By the time Lacey gets to my apartment I have the car loaded. There’s no way we can stay here with Chris lingering around for the evening. I let him know he has the place to himself tonight and warn him to behave.
That’s the best I can do.
I’ve been craving her something fierce and having my brother within earshot just wasn’t going to cut it tonight. I wanted her all to myself. I plan to make her scream my name and we need a little privacy for that.
“Get in the car, angel. I packed you a bag.”
“Where are we going?”
“You like camping?” Probably should’ve asked that before I bought a tent and sleeping bag from the sporting goods store today and loaded up the trunk.
“I’ve never been.”
“Me either. But if the only way I can get you alone tonight is by sleeping out in the woods I’ll do it.”
She throws her head back and laughs. “We could go to my apartment you know.”
“I don’t want the neighbors listening to what I have planned for you. You know how thin those walls are.”
Her expression grows hotter as she thinks of the possibilities and climbs in the car. I head toward the freeway that leads out of town. The camp site I found is about forty-five minutes from here. Just far enough away that we can escape the city traffic and crowds. I grab her hand and entwine our fingers, caressing over her thumb throughout the drive.
Our hands rest between us and this time neither of us reaches for the radio. We allow the silence to peacefully encompass us. I crack both front windows and her hair dances in the breeze. Trees pass more frequently the closer we get to our destination. Street lights no longer line our path when I pull off the highway and follow the GPS down a more rural road.
Just as I begin to wonder if we’re being led the wrong way I see the sign.
Burton State Park.
I drive down the winding road and pass several small parking areas. My patience is rewarded when I come across an empty dirt lot.
We’re surrounded by darkness when I park so I leave the headlights on for the time being. I grab the tent from the trunk as she stretches her legs and pulls her hair up in a messy ponytail that manages to make her even sexier in an unintentional way.
“I hope you know how to pitch a tent.”
“Oh I’m pitching a tent.” I smirk, gesturing down at the tent in my jeans.
A light hearted laugh escapes her lips and she shakes her head at the cheesy joke. “Come on, Max.”
She grabs the rolled sleeping bag from the trunk and closes it. I pull the keys from the ignition and pocket them before heading off down a small path deeper into the woods. Lacey follows quickly, her footsteps light and almost undetectable behind me.
The stars twinkle in the inky black sky, free from the city lights that outshine them back home.
How had I never been here before? I never even knew this place existed. It was hidden away off the beaten path yet so close to home. My mind feels clear out here and my body is liberated of the stress that always weighs so heavily on my shoulders.
When we reach a clearing in the brush wide enough to fit a tent we stop. She holds the flashlight for me as I pull out the rods. Metal clanks together as I search for a starting point, an instruction manual, anything that might help steer me in the right direction. I’ve never camped in my life and I sure as hell never assembled a tent.
I find nothing. Buying the cheapest tent available was proving to be a huge mistake.
It takes us about thirty minutes, a shit ton of patience and some cursing but I manage to get the tent assembled. Whether or not it will collapse on us in our sleep remains to be seen.
“It looks a little…funky.” Lacey comments, tilting her head in appraisal.
I pat the top as gently as I can. “It’s good to go. See? There’s no way it’s coming down.”
I hope that doesn’t end up being a lie. I’m sure this wobbly tent will be falling apart if the wind blows too hard tonight.
Lacey shoots me a skeptical look but grabs the sleeping bag from the trunk and unzips it from the package. She steps hesitantly inside the tent, tossing me a look over her shoulder on the way in, and rolls the sleeping bag out.
No sooner does it touch the ground and I have her wrapped in my arms. I missed the taste of her lips and devour them like a starving man now that I have her here.
The phone drops from her hand onto the soft pillow of the sleeping bag. It illuminates the tent with the bright glow of the flashlight app that she hadn’t turned off. Heat ignites the longer we consume each other.
I feel like I’m falling down the rabbit hole with Lacey, letting myself take a leap and not know where this thing is going. But it’s going somewhere. We’re going somewhere. I can feel it deep in my muscles as they squeeze around her waist, unable to pull her close enough for satisfaction.
I ease her down on the sleeping bag and split my attention between showering her with more kisses and yanking down the zipper on the side of the bag. When we’re both inside I zip us in. We’re flush against one another and I rub my hardness against her to make my plans for the evening well known.
She smiles and reaches down between us to undo her shorts. It takes her a while in the limited space but she kicks the material down to the bottom of the sleeping bag and wraps her legs around my waist.
She leisurely shifts her hips upward, impaling herself inch by inch on me. I hold my breath until I’m fully inside and release it slowly.
“I missed being inside you.”
“Mmmm. It’s only been a couple days.” She slides back down painfully slow until I nearly pop out. She stops just in time and repeats the motion.
“Too long.”
Several measured strokes later and my self-control snaps. I have her on her back in seconds pinned to the ground beneath me.
What started as slow and sweet morphs into a hot fuck. I pound into her relentlessly and judging by the noises she’s making she loves every second of it.
Her pussy grips around me tightly and I know she’s reached her peak. The tell-tale sensation pulsates through me from head to toe as she pushes me to finish with her.
We both call out our pleasure loudly, not having to worry about anyone being close enough to hear. Even if there was I doubt either of us can stop ourselves.
I know I can’t.
Sated into contentment, we stay pressed against each other in the warm sleeping bag, sticky from sweat. But I don’t care. I just lay there, enjoying the feel of her pressed against me. She doesn’t make an effort to clean herself up, letting my seed stay inside her as she snuggles into my neck.
Pride and possessiveness fill me at the idea.
The energy in the air when she’s around shifts in the best way. I can’t explain it. But that doesn’t mean I can’t lay back and take pleasure in it. I let the feeling crash over me and bask in it like it’s the sun.
I readjust my position, wrapping an arm around her shoulders to a more comfortable position. The crickets sing us a lullaby, chirping their song outside the tent and we let ourselves be lulled to sleep.