Girl By Any Other Name Page 18

  “This is what we need,” I said, taking the simplest package.

  “I don’t know about that, Cal. This one says it’s for my pleasure. Don’t you want to try it out?” she asked, waving a package in front of my face. I snatched it from her hand. I shook my head as I placed the box back on the hook.

  “I am for your pleasure.” I laughed. “Like our earlier conversation. It’s not about the tool, but rather the user. Are you complaining?”

  “Hell no,” she replied.

  I decided to grab a few more boxes to be sure we didn’t run out again. My hands full of condoms, I made my way to the register.

  “Wait,” she said.

  “What?”

  She shifted her feet and stared at the linoleum. “We can’t just leave with four boxes of condoms.”

  I strode back to her, annoyed by the delay and trying hard not to laugh at the same time. “Why the hell not?”

  She shook her head in that demure, shy way that always had made me smile. “It’s weird.”

  “We’re of age. This is an acceptable pastime for consenting adults.”

  “I don’t want the old guy at the cash register to know we’re going to have sex.” She stared down at the boxes in my hand. “Or how much we’re planning to have.”

  I pulled her against me. “I’m fucking proud of that. Hell, I’d get on the store intercom and announce how hard I plan to fuck you.” I bent closer, hovering my lips over her ear. “I plan to touch, lick, and kiss every part of your beautiful body. And then I plan to fuck you a million ways to next Sunday, so that when I’m not inside of you, you’ll feel me there. Our personal demand will be responsible for shortening the supply of available prophylactics in the world. That’s how much I want you.”

  “Stop talking. You’re killing me right now,” she said, swallowing hard. She smacked my chest. “We have to buy some more stuff so it’s not as obvious.”

  “Fine,” I grumbled. “You get something, and I’ll get something. We’ll meet back here in a minute. Don’t take long.”

  She nodded and headed down the aisle. I couldn’t resist smacking her scrumptious ass. Left to my own devices, I tried to pick out useful items I might need, but I couldn’t think of a damn thing to buy. I only found products that would assist me in the promises I whispered to her.

  I found her lollygagging in the candy aisle instead of by the condoms where I’d told her to meet me. She held up two boxes of foreign chocolates wrapped in gold foil. “For old time’s sake,” she said, smiling.

  I held up the basket I’d picked up, and she managed to chuck the boxes inside. “Score,” she yelled.

  “Now, come on so I can score,” I said, wrapping my arm around her and speed-walking to the register.

  Her smile faded when I put our combined contents on the register. We had two bottles of wine, a six-pack of some power energy drink, baby oil, four boxes of condoms, two boxes of chocolate and…lube.

  She tilted her head and crossed her arms. “So much for not making it obvious.”

  Chapter 21

  Present day

  Sylvie’s place, an efficiency apartment situated in an artsy part of town, matched her style. “So, this is you,” I said, gesturing to the space. There was a small purple couch, which I supposed Momma would refer to as a loveseat. The only other furniture was a twin-sized bed that I wondered how we were both going to sleep on and a chest of drawers. One wall screamed out in bright red, but the rest were stark white.

  “Rent’s cheap.” She took the bags from me and placed them on a small countertop that housed a few miniature appliances and served as her kitchen.

  I tapped on the door and checked out her locks. “You need a deadbolt. The one you have isn’t very strong, and you don’t even have a peephole.”

  She shrugged. “I don’t get many visitors. Beer or wine?”

  “Beer. It doesn’t matter how many visitors you get. This is basic safety protocol.”

  “I’ll call the landlord and ask him to install one.” She handed me an ice-cold bottle of Dirty Blonde beer.

  “Don’t bother. I can do it. We’ll hit Home Depot tomorrow.”

  “You know the US Marshal’s office still looks after me.”

  “Yeah, especially since they did such a bang-up job the first time,” I spat.

  She winced at the harshness in my tone.

  I put my arm around her, pulling her close to me. “I just want to take whatever precautions we can.”

  “I work tomorrow, but we can go in the morning.”

  I felt stupid since this was such an obvious thing for me to know and also the one thing I hadn’t asked her about. “I don’t know where you work.”

  She laughed. “Of course, you don’t. I never told you. I work at an art supply store.”

  “Do you like it?”

  “It’s boring most of the time, but I teach a few classes, and I love that part. Plus, I get a good discount on supplies.”

  “You were always good with kids. Mandy loved you.”

  “I haven’t asked you about her. Or you mother. I miss them, too.”

  “They’re doing fine. Momma’s still running bake sales and heading up the choir. She works at the library now. Mandy’s at Texas A and M. She’s majoring in music. She got a scholarship.”

  “You must be so proud of her.”

  “We are, but you had a hand in that, too. Between my dad, Mom, and you, she developed a great love for music.”

  “She had a true talent for it. Far more than I did.”

  “I don’t know about that. Remember, I heard you singing at the WC.”

  “You’re tone deaf so I don’t think you’re the best judge.”

  “Funny, smartass. Do you still play the piano?”

  “Not for years. There’s no room for one. I can barely fit my bed.” She went over to her bed and removed her cowboy boots. It was a pretty funny outfit, cowboy boots, baggy sweats, and a Lynyrd Skynyrd T-shirt. Yet she still looked sexy as hell.

  “When you move in with me, there will be.”

  She gulped her beer, and her eyes widened. “I like it here.”

  “Don’t be stubborn, Sylvie. This place isn’t very safe.”

  “Stop. Right now. I mean it.”

  “What?”

  She walked over to me, placing her hands on my chest. “I understand you’re concerned about me, but I’ve lived the last ten years without incidents. Locking yourself up is not living, and I won’t do it. Not even for you. You can’t expect me to change my lifestyle.”

  “I understand you’ve had almost ten years—”

  “All my life, I’ve been in hiding. I kept people at arm’s length. I never let myself get comfortable. I decided to stop doing that. Even though I’m living in hiding, I refuse to hide.”

  “I almost lost you once. I won’t risk it again. I’ve only had two days with you. They’ve been the most pleasurable and uneasy of my life.”

  She stared at me in confusion. “Uneasy?”

  “Let me explain. Sweetheart, do you know what it feels like to have the knowledge that someone out there is looking to harm the most important thing in the world to you?”

  She placed her hand on my face. “Yes, I do. I’ve felt that way about you, but I have to live my life and you do, too. The thing I love about being with you is that it’s so easy. So normal and natural. I crave that.”

  “Yeah, as easy as breathing,” I replied, kissing her gently.

  “Right, so don’t suffocate me.”

  “Fine, but I’m fixing the deadbolt, drilling a peephole, and putting a chain on the door.”

  “It’s a good idea.”

  “Also, I want you to text me when you get to and leave work. Every free minute we have is with each other. We will not sleep apart again, agreed?”

  “I’ll do what you want, but I think we need to take this a bit slower,” she said. I couldn’t understand her need to be separated from me, but I decided not to push it too hard. Not yet.r />
  “Fine,” I grumbled.

  She smiled and kissed my cheek. “Just give it time. You need it, too, even if you don’t realize it yet.”

  Before I could respond, she started walking away. “I have something for you.” She went into a large closet. I took a minute to check the rest of her space. I noticed the painting in the corner of the room sitting on an easel.

  “Do you sell your paintings?”

  “Yes. People commission me to paint portraits. I do it for extra money.”

  My jaw clenched as I stared at the painting of an older man. I imagined him alone with her in this small apartment. “So, he posed for this?”

  “They send me a picture, and I paint a portrait from that. I mail out the finished product. I don’t even have any clients in Portland so you don’t have to worry.”

  “How do you always know what I’m thinking?”

  “Because we have this weird connection.”

  “You’re still an amazing artist. I may be tone deaf, but I sure as hell have eyes.”

  She shrugged, standing in front of me. “Good enough to get paid is good enough for me.” She opened her hand, revealing the silver chain with the St. Michael’s pendent I’d given her so long ago. “This belongs to you.”

  “You still have it?”

  “Of course, I do. I wear it to bed every night.”

  I twirled a strand of her hair around my finger. “You wear it to bed?”

  “I used to wear it all the time, but people asked about it. It made me too sad. I know it sounds strange to put on jewelry before bed, but it helps with the nightmares, and you were right. It feels like you’re with me when I have it on.” She pressed it into my hand. “You told me you were lending it to me until I didn’t need it anymore. It’s way overdue, but I’m ready to return it now.”

  I placed the chain back in her palm and closed her fingers around it. “You keep it a while longer. Not that it helped you any when you needed it.” My mind raced back to that night and how I’d seen the glint of the pendant in the darkness so I could find her.

  She shook her head. “It did. I’m safe and you’re safe. We’re very lucky to be here.”

  “You’re right, so that only supports my case you should keep it longer. It’s managed to keep you safe for ten years. I’m not about to take it back now.”

  “Thank you.” She slipped the chain over her head.

  “Do you ever paint for pleasure?”

  “Sometimes.”

  “May I see those?”

  “I’ve never shown anyone my personal work.”

  “I’m not anyone, am I?”

  “No. You’re not anyone.” She pointed to the corner wall next to her bed. “Behind the sheet over there.”

  I walked over and knelt to the floor. She stood beside me, rigid and straight. I placed my hand on her ankle, gently rubbing away the tension. I offered her a reassuring smile before lifting the sheet. My heartbeat quickened as I took in each of piece. Some were in charcoal, some done in oil, some with water paints, but they all had one thing in common. They were all portraits of me, in some form or fashion. Me on the football field, throwing a pass. Me at the lake fishing. Me with Momma and Mandy in our living room. There was even one of me and my father.

  I wasn’t sure what to say. “You made me look very handsome.”

  “Yeah, I took some artistic license with that.”

  Her joke was funny, but the large lump in my throat snuffed out my laugh. She’d never forgotten us. The fact she had painstakingly recreated all these memories meant I was in her heart as much as she was in mine. I turned and put my arms around her waist, holding her in my kneeling position.

  She stroked my hair. “Are you all right?”

  “I’ve never been better, Sylvie.” I lifted her shirt and pressed kisses to her flat stomach. I rolled down the waistband of my sweatpants she was wearing, loving the way my boxers fell right off her. “Lift your legs.” She lifted each one, and I pulled the material away from her. “Take off my shirt.”

  She tugged at the shirt I wore.

  “No, I mean, take off my shirt that you’re wearing.”

  She complied, revealing her perfect bare breasts. She was naked before me and I was kneeling in front of her, prepared to worship every inch of her.

  “Put your hands on my shoulder.”

  “You are very bossy,” she said, but complied.

  “It’s for your pleasure. Would you like me to stop?”

  “Don’t stop,” she said without hesitation.

  Her legs began to tremble as I lay rough kisses across her velvet skin. I moved a finger inside her while I sucked on her clit, eliciting moans of pleasure from her. She tugged at my T-shirt and I withdrew my finger and lifted my arms so she could pull it off. As soon as it was off me, I returned to my mission, enjoying the way her legs twitched with every flick of my tongue.

  I rose, covering my progression with hard kisses across her delicious body. Her hands went to the button of my jeans. She undid it with her deft fingers and unzipped me. She crouched down removing them.

  “Lift,” she said, her voice raspy.

  “Look whose bossy now.”

  “Lift your feet already.”

  I obliged. Once she had them off, I walked backward to the wall and leaned against it. I figured I would need something to stand against. She crawled to me on all fours, making my dick harden with each small advance. There was a raw sexual desire in those gorgeous brown eyes. She took my full length in her mouth, gagging slightly. I would have told her to take it easy, to take it slow, but I wanted this so damn much I forgot how to form words.

  I moved her hair away so I could watch her face. She moaned as she worked me over, causing a vibration that made my knees weaken. When she caressed my sack, I almost lost it. I moved inside her, marveling how well her tongue saturated my dick. Her mouth suctioned against me. I sucked in some air, watching my dick disappear inside her pretty mouth. I was a lucky man.

  “Stop or I’m going to come.”

  “Do it then.” The words vibrated against my stiff cock.

  A choked cheer escaped me. “Baby, don’t talk with your mouth full.”

  I grabbed a fistful of hair and guided her movements until my release came hard and swift.

  Fuck.

  Her eyes grew wide, and I dislodged myself, waiting for her face to contort in distaste and the disgusted shriek that would follow. Instead, she looked up at me. Then I heard the most sexually arousing sound of my life. Gulp.

  She stood, a dribble at the corner of her mouth. As if I couldn’t be more turned on, she gathered it with her finger and brought it to her tongue.

  Fuck.

  “Did that just fucking happen?”

  “What?”

  “You sucked my dick and blew my mind at the same time.”

  She smirked. “So, you liked it?”

  “That’s an understatement. Where did you put the condoms?”

  Her jaw dropped. “You can...you can go again?”

  I shrugged. “It would be a crying shame not to use some of the stuff we bought.” I pulled her against my chest, caressed her back, kissed her neck. “I need to be inside you. I want to feel you again. But if you’re tired, I get it.”

  She threw her arms around me. “Think I can’t keep up with you?”

  “You’re as much of a sex freak as me.”

  “More than you.”

  My sly grin widened. “You continue to blow my mind even when you’re not sucking on my dick.”

  She giggled and walked toward the small table in the entry. I came up behind her and took the foil wrapper from her. I moved her hair aside so I could kiss her shoulder before I picked her up and carried her to bed. My desire was too great not to touch her.

  I sat on the edge of her bed with her in my lap. I kissed her jaw and nibbled gently on her earlobe. I never wanted to draw pain from her. I never wanted to trigger a negative memory so I was very careful to leave her body
unmarked by my touch. She put her arms around my neck and our lips searched each other out.

  “Let me put this on before I lose the nerve,” I whispered, holding up the condom.

  She nodded and shifted off me. She lay down on her back. I made quick work of getting outfitted. And then I jumped on top of her, careful to brace my weight against my hands. “You have to tell me if I hurt you. Do you promise to do that?” She looked at me curiously, and I knew she was wondering what I was planning. I didn’t think I could keep being gentle. I needed to propel rather than thrust. To drive into her with all the lust that was coursing through me.

  “You wouldn’t hurt me—”

  I kissed her, murmuring the words against her open lips. “When I’m with you like this, I have very little control, and I need your help.” My hand trailed down her breasts, past her belly button and into the moist folds of her pussy. She wrapped her arms around my neck, burying her head in my chest. “Look at me Sylvie. I need to talk to you.”

  “I can’t talk,” she whimpered. “Not now.”

  “Then just listen for a minute.” My fingers plunged in and out of her, manipulating her vagina until she was so slick we both heard the audible sounds of my fingers’ penetration. “I crave you like an addict with his drug of choice. I need a fix really bad.” I added a finger, moving more forcefully. Her lips parted, inviting me in for a kiss, but I wasn’t ready yet. “So, promise me while I’m fucking you, you’ll be conscious of the line between pleasure and pain because I might not be.”

  Her eyes widened, but she nodded. I drew her finger in, sucking on it slowly. “Not good enough. I love the gesture, but I demand the words.”

  “I promise.”

  I retreated my fingers, tracing her soft lips with them. She parted her mouth and sucked my finger. My dick twitched in response, and I growled in some garbled, ancient language people only spoke in intimate, passionate moments. I moved down the bed, clasping her ankles and pulling her lower. I lifted her legs, kissing them, paying special attention to the ominous bird. She bent each leg over my shoulder. My hand gripped on the scroll metal bars of her headboard, offering me the leverage I needed. I pushed into her, pulling out almost completely before diving back in again. She screamed with each thrust, clutching the bed sheets until her knuckles turned white.