Pitcher's Baby (14 page)

“Hey, you sure you wanna be here for this?”
I ask Lucas on our way to the front door. He pulls me to a stop and spins me
around to face him, wrapping his arms around my shoulders. I press up against
him, resting my head against his chest. He kisses me gently on the top of my
head, melting my heart.

“There's nowhere else I'd rather be.”

“Really? Not even the zoo?” I'm joking . .
. a little.

“I told you. I want to be anywhere you
are, Charlee. Anywhere.”

I’ve got nothing to say to that, so I pull
back and get Everly’s car seat from the backseat. Lucas takes her from me,
leaving my hands free to grab her diaper bag and my purse. Ashlin and Lucas
follow closely behind me as I walk toward the front door. Aaron is sitting at
the table in the kitchen when I enter. He looks up, surprised to see Ashlin,
and I watch as his eyes scan down Lucas, paying extra attention to the hand
clasping mine.

“So, what’s up, Bro?” I ask, cutting off
any comments he may have before he can speak them.

“Charlee. I was expecting to talk to you
alone this afternoon.”

“Were you? Well, I guess you should have
COMMUNICATED that to me. But I'm starting to realize you may have a problem in
that department.”

I see a flash of guilt pass through his
green eyes before he clears his throat and motions for us to have a seat.

“Look. I know I should have talked to you
about her staying here, but you hardly ever talk to me period. I know you
wouldn't have wanted to talk about her. She wrote you a letter, Charlee. The
same letter she wrote me and Matt, asking if she could come here. She wants to
try to make it right, to have a relationship with you and Matt.
It
killed her having to leave us all, us with Dad and Matt with Granny T. Just
give her a chance.”

I don’t hear him. All I heard was
staying
here
. Two words. Two simple words that hold no meaning whatsoever until you
put them together and spit them out his mouth. Then they mean everything. She’s
not just in town. She’s staying here. In my house.

“Are you serious? She's staying here?
Where?”

“In one of the extra rooms. We have
plenty. I don’t know why you have such a problem with this. Even Matt is okay
with it.”

“Matt knows?” I ask, immediately pulling
up images of my baby brother, who’s not so small anymore. He grew up quickly,
and unfortunately, because he was left to be raised by Frank, he ended up
following a lot more closely in our mother’s footsteps than either Aaron or me.
Last time I talked to Granny T, she said he was messing around in some bad
stuff, and I know she’s just as worried about him as we are.

“Yes, Charlee. If you would listen to me,
you would know that. I told you she wrote all three of us a letter. Matt
replied to his. I don't know what you did with yours, but judging by the fact
you didn't know she was coming, I'm gonna assume you threw it away.”

“So that's it? I don't read some bullshit
letter so you and Matt—who doesn't even live in this house—make the decision
without me? Is that it?”

“Charlee, it wasn't like that and you know
it.”

“Do I? DO I, AARON?” BECAUSE THAT’S SURE
THE HELL HOW IT LOOKS FROM HERE.” I'm screaming again. Ashlin reaches over and
takes my hand in hers. I squeeze it tightly, thankful for the grounding her
touch gives me.

“Fine, keep her here if she means that
much to you, but I won't stay under this roof with her. I refuse.”

“That’s your decision, but I hope you will
reconsider.”

I shove my chair backward when I stand. Lucas
catches it before it tumbles to the ground. I can't stay here anymore hearing
this. My heart feels like it’s breaking all over again. I can't believe he is
going to choose her over me, his own sister. What the hell has happened to my
life?

I tell Lucas and Ashlin I'll be right back
and run up the stairs to grab some more clothes. Of course, Ash doesn't listen
and follows me upstairs.

I come to a grinding halt when I reach the
top of the stairs. The door next to mine is slightly cracked, and from where I
am standing, I have a clear view of my mother sitting on the bed. She’s leaning
forward, elbows planted on her knees, crying into her hands. Her whole body is
shaking uncontrollably, and for a moment, I want to go to her. To console her.
I don't know how long I stand there watching her, transfixed by the changes I
see in her. Her normal blonde, stick-straight hair is graying at the roots now.
She looks to have gained about eighty pounds, and I wish I could say it looked
bad on her, but the truth is she was so underweight from not eating while she
was shooting up that the eighty pounds makes her look almost healthy. Her skin
is clear and has a slight golden hue to it like she got a little sun over the
summer.

I hear her mumbling something, but I can't
make it out, so I step closer to the door, pressing my ear against it until I'm
able to make out the words.

“Please, Lord, show me the way. I want to
show her I’ve changed. I'm not that person anymore. Help me. If it's your will,
Lord, let it be.”

I pull away from the door as quickly as I
can and slip into my own bedroom, shutting the door behind Ashlin. Everything
in me wants to erase the last twenty minutes from my mind, but I can't seem to
shake the way my mother was silently crying, begging God to help her. I want to
pretend it didn't affect me at all, but there is a lump in the middle of my
throat that I can't swallow down, reminding me that it did.

It is the first time ever that I have seen
such raw emotion coming from her. No one is watching her that she knows of. She
wasn't putting on a performance for me or my dad. She was genuinely hurting,
probably from overhearing my conversation with my brother in the kitchen. I don’t
know what to make of it. Now, instead of just my one question, she effectively
left me with a dozen more unanswered.

“What all do you want me to grab?” Ashlin
asks, digging through my clothes.

“Um. I think maybe I will just stay here.”

“Are you sure? You know my mom doesn't
mind you staying at my house.”

“Yeah. I’m sure. I’ve got a million
questions, and if I run from the problem, I'll never get my answers.”

“I understand. I'm really proud of you,
Charlee. I know it's going to be hard for you to face all this, but you can do
it. I believe in you.”

“Thanks, Ash.

Chapter Twenty- Five

Lucas

I don’t know exactly what the hell is
going on, but it’s obvious from the tension in the house that something major happened
while I was out this morning. I haven’t seen or heard from Charlee all evening,
which is kind of sad, considering we live in the same house and her room is directly
across the hall from mine, but after her and Aaron’s confrontation, she locked
herself in her bedroom and hasn’t come out—not once.

Lying in the bed, I try to doze off. We
have a big game tomorrow, and I need to be on my A game, but I can’t quit
thinking about her and wondering if she’s all right. Normally, I would let the
annoying, nagging feeling go, but tonight I just can’t. Pulling on a pair of
pajama bottoms, I creep out of my bedroom and knock on her door across the
hall.

She opens it instantly, almost like she
was standing there right beside it, but I can see by the look of surprise on
her face that she wasn’t expecting me.

“Are you all right?” I ask, stepping into
her room and closing the door behind me.

“Yeah. I’m fine. Why?”

“I don’t know. I haven’t seen you all
evening, and Aaron is acting weird as hell, so I just thought I would check on
you.”

“Oh. Yeah. I’m okay. Just a crazy day, ya
know. I don’t really want to talk about it.”

“That’s cool. I’ll let you get to bed,” I
say.

“Do you want to stay? I mean, would you
like to hang out for a few?” she asks, turning from me and putting on a movie.

“Yeah. That sounds great,” I say, sitting
on the bed next to her. She leans back against me, nestling her head in the
crook of my arm and wrapping her arm around my waist. It’s obvious she needs
the company and that she really doesn’t want to be alone right now. Pulling her
as close to myself as I can, I hold her tightly, letting her know that I’m here
for her.

I kiss her neck softly, causing a shiver
to run down her spine. I turn to face her, wrapping my arms around her neck. My
lips gently kiss her forehead and then her cheek. I press my forehead to hers
and smile, closing the gap between us, and then kiss her. Her mouth covers mine
with passion. I groan as her tongue slips into my mouth. Her taste is so sweet.
I pull in closer, pressing every inch of myself as close to her as possible. As
we kiss, the fire inside me builds.

"Oh,
God," she moans into my mouth as I run my fingers down her chest to the
waistband of her pajama bottoms. I stop and work my way back up, stopping to
flick her right nipple. She growls and rips her lips from mine. I smile at her
sweetly, and she begins kissing my neck again, gently at first and quickly
increasing in intensity. I moan loudly as she reaches my shoulder. I roll her
so she’s on her back and lower myself on top of her. She grabs my arms, feeling
the muscles rippling underneath my smooth skin.

I
continue kissing down her body, slowly reaching the hem of her shirt and then
back up. Sitting up, she raises her arms so I can slip her shirt off, exposing
her ample bosom. I slide my tongue from her neck down between her breasts and
then lick around the nipple tortuously. Her hips come up off the bed. I'm about
to lose my mind when she pulls my head back to hers. Her tongue assaults mine
once again as her hands work their way down my waist. I feel her fingers slip
beneath my waist band, and my cock jumps when she pushes them down. Her breath
is as ragged as my own.

Pulling
her as close to me as I can, I feel my erection straining against the fabric of
my boxers, begging to be freed. She works her way back to my mouth, kissing me
with such intensity my whole body is ablaze. Pulling my mouth from hers, I ease
my pants the rest of the way down, freeing my cock at last. She gasps loudly.
The shock on her face is obvious, and I can’t help but snicker when she takes
in the sight of all eight and half inches, but that’s not what has her mouth
hanging open.

She
is the first woman to see my Jacob’s ladder. I got my first piercing one year
after Kirsten and I separated, and every year on that anniversary, I have added
another rung. Now, all five rungs of flat black metal bars line the underside
of my dick. I’ve heard they feel great for a woman, but I haven’t tried them
out yet. From the look on her face, this is going to be a first for the both of
us.

She
pulls me back down, kissing me again. The thin fabric of her panties is the
only thing between us. I smile, kissing her deeply, and then pull away to begin
kissing and licking down her trembling body. I get up on my knees and begin
working her panties down her long, silky smooth tanned legs, leaning over and
licking her along the inner thigh as I do.

Scooting
lower on the bed, I spread her legs, exposing her core. My mouth hovers above
her sensitive nub, blowing warm breath on her clit. I take my long finger and
rub it up and down her slit. A loud groan escapes her lips as I flick her clit.
Slowly, I insert a finger, spreading her tight pussy open, and then move it
around with a circular motion.

Sliding
my finger out, I replace it with another, plunging two deeper into her wet
folds. Her back arches off the bed. She’s close.

I
can tell.

I
flick my tongue across her clit with each pump of my fingers. “Oh my God,"
she moans, tangling her hands in the sheets. I lick slowly up and down her
slit, sucking her swollen nub into my mouth when I reach the top of her
beautiful, sweet pussy.

With
each caress of my tongue, she is losing more and more control. Her hips begin
to buck against my mouth moments before she screams out my name. Her whole body
convulses in pleasure with the first orgasm. She looks down at me between her
legs and smiles. Crawling up her soft, creamy toffee skin, I take her mouth
with mine once more, letting her taste herself on my lips. She sighs heavily,
moaning deeply in the back of her throat, and then she begins to wiggle
underneath me, ready for more.

My
rock hard erection is pressing into her thigh while I kiss her. Every move she
makes brings it closer to her entrance, the one place I want to be more than
anything in his world. Leaning back on my heels, I take my cock in my hand, and
after spitting on the tip, I begin to stroke myself.

It
drives her wild to watch me touch myself. I’m so close to coming right this
second, but I want to wait. I want to last for her. I want to make her come
over and over again, screaming my name until her voice is raw. Taking my cock,
I lightly rub it across her sensitive clit. She’s still drenched in wetness.
She grins, feeling the warmth of my hard cock press against her. She thinks I’m
going to give it to her, and I am, but I’m going to give it to her how I want.

Rubbing
up and down her slit, spreading the warm juices, I get her ready to accept me,
and then, when I can’t physically hold out any longer, I shove myself inside of
her, filling her with every single inch of me.

She
cries out, and for a second, I wonder if I’ve hurt her, but then she grinds her
pelvis against mine in the age-old dance of acceptance.

“Do
you like that?” I ask, taking her hand and bringing it to my lips. I suck her
fingers into my mouth and then bite down gently as I ease out of her tight
folds and then pound back into them over and over again.

“Don’t
stop,” she commands.

I
refuse.

There
is no place I’d rather be in this moment or any other . . . ever. Her body is
my temple, and I plan to spend every available second worshiping every square
inch of it time and time again.

Stop?

Ha.
By the time I’m done, she will be begging me to stop.

I
feel her tighten around me as her next orgasm courses through her body. Her
nails dig into my upper arms, leaving a blood trail, but I don’t care. All I
care about is her and making tonight as amazing as I can.