Cherry Bomb (23 page)

“Time to eat,” Jerry screamed out for all to
hear, bringing me back to the here and now.

“Cherry, are you okay?” Drake whispered in my
ear. I nodded, sure for once in my adult life I was completely
fine.

Lunch was a full blown feast. All prepared by
Jerry. No wonder Drake could cook; he had learned from the
best.

After lunch, the serious family business was
decided by the way of a game of full-on tackle football.

As always, the game ended in a win for Drake
since Katie kept score and only wrote down the ones Drake made. But
even if Katie didn’t cheat, Drake would have won every time. He
dominated the game with the same skill and ease as he did every
other thing in his life, including me.

Drake leaned in for a kiss when I yawned.
“Tired, baby doll,” Drake whispered in my ear, making me realize I
was exhausted. I nodded my head in agreement.

He gripped my shoulders, smiled, and said,
“Hey guys, I need to get this one home.”

He said it to his family but never took his
eyes off of me. My stomach tightened as he gazed into my eyes with
unblinking lust.

I started to wilt under Drake’s stare when
Claire embraced me.

“I’m so glad he has found you. Drake needs a
good woman,” Claire whispered a little loudly in my ear.

My cheeks burned, and Drake rolled his eyes.
I thought about rolling mine back but I was already scared of what
he had planned at the ‘playroom.’

“But I wanted you to watch the new Disney
movie with me and Grace,” Katie said almost near tears.

“I’ll come by next week and watch it. I
promise,” Drake said, and finally took his eyes off me long enough
to smile over to Katie.

“Come back, sweetie. Anytime,” Jerry
said.

Then I was bear hugged by Katie. “Thanks for
being my friend.”

“Thanks for letting me. Maybe I can come
watch a movie with you sometimes.”

“And bring Henry and Noah?” Grace said and
without thinking or looking jumped up into Drake’s arm. Drake
caught her as if it was expected.

“Yes, Soda pop, we will bring Noah and Henry.
Now go get your DVD I bet Uncle Billy will watch it with you.”

“Thanks, man. Hey by the way the club is
empty tonight,” Billy said and winked.

Drake, embarrassed, or little inpatient one,
grabbed my hand and waved his free one in the air.

With the good-byes said, Drake led me not to
the car but a motorcycle. He mounted the bike, and slipped a helmet
off the handlebars. It was the half helmet type with no
facemask.

“Here put this on,” he said and handed it to
me.

“A bike? You have a perfectly good car over
there,” I said and pointed to his gray Saab parked no more than
twenty feet away. I stared blankly, wondering if he really expected
me to get on that thousand pounds of metal and tires.

“Get on, or I’ll bend you over it and spank
your ass, and I won’t stop until I get my thrill even if my family
walks out.”

I let out a puff of air and slid the damn
helmet on, knowing he would keep his word.

“Cute,” Drake said and went to fasten the
chin strap. He kissed my forehead causing the tension to leave my
shoulders.

I jumped up on the bike until my legs were
dangling over each side. I spread my legs opened into a wide V,
pushing myself against his backside. Drake reached back and grabbed
my hands, bringing them around to his abs of steel. I would never
get tired of touching him.

My body hummed as the engine roared under me.
The muffler vibrated until the sound of the Harley filled the air
around us. I squeezed his body to mine and could sense he was
smiling. I smiled too as the wind stroked over my body. It was more
than the wind in my face or being exposed to the elements, it was a
feeling of...well, it was
orgasmic
. I felt a deep peace and
serenity, albeit temporal, as most things in life are. It still was
one of the most exhilarating feelings. But all things surrounding
Drake Hart exhibited those very qualities. Lost in the world
whipping around me, I never realized he had pulled over onto the
drive of my house.

I pressed my lips to his shoulder not wanting
the moment to end. “I thought we were going to the club?”

He gripped my knee and kneaded his digits
deep into my skin. “We are, Soda pop. But first I need you to take
a nap.”

Soda pop
was the endearment he used
with Katie and Grace. “Where did soda pop come from?” I asked.

He unmounted his strong, beautiful body from
the motorcycle and started to remove my helmet. “When my dad gave
me my first Coke. I loved it and made the comment I had never loved
anything like I did soda pop. When I said it Katie started to cry.
So naturally, even if she was crying because she was hungry I felt
guilty, because I could never handle her crying and told her she
was my soda pop. So now I call the ones that mean the most to me
Soda pop.”

She winkled her nose. How in the hell does
that small gesture make the blood in my veins boil? Fuck, I wanted
her. I had wanted her since the minute I first studied her picture
and that feeling had not gone away, not even for a minute.

I hauled Cherry against me and kissed her
with every ounce of passion I had in me, bruising her lips. I
wanted more. Fisting her hair roughly in my hands, I held her in
place so she was unable to break the seal our mouths had. I bit her
tongue as she thrust it aggressively into my mouth, then tugged on
her lower lip, tasting blood.

Drawing blood had always been my biggest
turn-on. To see it trickle down smooth skin, taste it pool on my
lips. But with her I wanted to be gentle. The taste of her blood
scared me, causing my resistance to melt. I picked her up. Her body
felt so perfectly right against mine, and she smelled so fucking
good, so familiar. My heart thundered in my chest.

I carried her up the sidewalk in onto the
front porch. “Turn the knob,” I said quietly and made our way
through her front door, kicking it shut behind us. I pressed her
soft, supple body against the nearest wall and gently placed her
feet on the floor as she pulled her face away from mine. I follow
the movement of her hand as she smoothed it across the last drop of
blood on her plump lips. She slid her finger into her mouth,
sucking it clean. I envied that finger. I wanted to know what it
felt like to have those lips on every inch of my body.

Her eyes briefly closed before staring into
mine. “How many girls?” she whispered.

Her gaze was stark and confused. “Do you call
every girl Soda pop?”

“I have called three people that in my entire
screwed-up life.” I cupped her face, needing her to understand this
one thing. “Katie, Grace, and you. I don’t know why I called you
that but I do know you mean something to me. Something greater than
I ever felt before.”

She gasped before leaning up to kiss me and
yawned.

“Right now, you're going upstairs and take a
nap, because I have a busy night planned for you.”

“You expect me to sleep after you say that to
me?”

“Yup, it will be okay, I'll hold you, and if
you’re lucky I will even sing to you.”

Her mouth was tender as they made contact
with mine. Reluctantly, I pulled back from her and truly looked at
her, my heart ached like an open, festering wound at how beautiful
she was and how much pain was behind her eyes. I had been broken
all my damn life but she was the first person who had the
capability to truly tear me in two.

I stepped back, swept her up in my arms and
carried her up the stairs. We entered the bedroom, hell, her smell
infiltrated the room. I had never been so fascinated by an aroma
before. I placed her body on the bed and crawled in beside her. She
exhaled deeply as I slowly started gathering the hair at the nape
and pressed my lips firmly to the back of her neck.

“Sleep, beautiful,” I whispered against her
skin. “I promise you need the sleep.”

She melted into my body, as I stroked her
stomach and trailed the lightest kisses along the side of her neck.
When Cherry wrapped her leg around mine, I started to hum. Then the
perfect words came to my mind.

Wise men say only fools rush in but I can't
help falling in love with you. Shall I stay would it be a sin? But
I can't help falling in love with you. Take my hand, take my whole
life too, but I can't help falling in love with you. I can't help
falling in love with you.

Cherry turned her head, her nose tapped
against mine. “What song is that?”

I kissed the tip of her nose. “I can’t help
falling in love with you, by the one and only Elvis.”

She flipped totally on her side and her lips
curved into a slow, heart stopping smile. “Do the song a favor,
hell, do me a favor never ever sing it again.”

“You don’t like my singing?”

“It sounds like someone was trying to kill a
carney.”

“Come here, you really need a nap.”

She laid her face against my chest and went
perfectly still, “Did you open the gifts I sent you?”

“No, there in my closet.”

I stroked my pointer finger down her forehead
and between her eyebrows. When I came upon the small depression on
the level of her brows, right above the nose, I applied gentle
pressure for a minute. In part of my proper Dom training, I took a
class in acupressure. That little motion was sure to put her fast
to sleep in a matter of minutes.

Again, I was never wrong. Within minutes, she
had her face snuggled on my chest, sleeping. I smiled at the
thought of her falling asleep so peacefully in my arms. The
possessive beast within me howled.

I carefully pulled the cover up over her, and
pressed a kiss to her forehead.

“I don’t know how this is going to play out
but please fight for me a little,” I pleaded.

She didn’t move. Her breathing stayed slow
and even. But I said a soft prayer that she heard me in her
sleep.

I wanted to lay there and experience every
eye twitch, nose winkle, and jerk of her body, but I had another
goal in mine. I slid out from under her and headed to her closet
when she first arched her neck and threw back her head. The moans
escaping her lips shivered down my spine.

“Please, Master. Spank me,” slipped from her
lips and made mine curl into a smile.

I was more than willing to make her dreams
come true.

I rolled to the far side of the bed,
stretching out my arms thinking I would find Drake. The bed was
empty. I started to set up and was restrained by a strong hand. I
squirmed as the hand vice gripped my arms to the bed.

“You’re not going anywhere until you tell me
what you were dreaming? And reassure me that I was the Master in
them.”

I found myself gazing into the consuming eyes
of Drake.
Oh, Shit.
I had always talked in my sleep. But
that dream. Now. With him in the room. He smirked which did nothing
to ease the burn fuming in my stomach. He jerked my arms, bringing
them taut against the bed.

“Talk, Mrs. Webb. I don’t have all day.”

His eyes darken like a raging storm cloud. I
smiled coyly. For once, in whatever we had going on, I felt like I
had the upper hand.

“Master,” I said and licked my lips. “Have
you ever caned a woman?”

“Why do you ask, Mrs. Webb?”

“I watched a video the other day, and the man
used a cane on the woman.”

Drake used his free hand and slowly stroked a
finger down the side of my face, trailing it along my neck then
over my breast where he pinched my nipples. I winced. “My girl has
been watching porn without me?”

“Doing research.”

“Yes, I’m rather handy with a cane?”

“Will you use it on me?”

He released my nipples. “Is that what you
want?”

I nodded my head. “Can I show you
something?”

He freed my arms. I sat up and tossed the
blanket off my legs, and worked my pants up to point out a small
gray scar on my leg. “See that?”

He laid down behind me and propped his head
up with his fist.

“I had always been on the heavy side.”

“Cherry, I don’t like where this is going. As
far as weight, some men do prefer that their women are stick
figures. But you would be surprised to learn most men prefer their
women soft and round. The way God intended them to be.”

I peeked over my shoulder. “Thank you, but I
wasn't fishing for a compliment. Just follow along.”

He waved his hand in two circular motions.
“Carry on.”

“In third grade, I was bullied daily. One
day, I placed my feet on the back of Tonya Cooke’s desk. I don’t
know why it would even bother her but I guess it did because she
started stabbing my legs with her pencil. Over and over again, she
would grind her pencil in my legs. But I stood my ground. I never
bulged because the more she worked the pencil in my legs the more
all of the taunting and teasing faded away. It was easier to deal
with the physical pain than the mental pain. That is a scar left
from that day, and every time I look at it, I know I can handle
anything.”

Drake started to talk but I placed my finger
over his lip. He kissed it.

“When I saw the lady getting caned. She had
all these red marks on her body. I understood, she just wanted to
escape for a little while from all the pain in this world.”

He raised up and kissed my shoulder blade.
“You never cease to amaze me.”

“Every masochists needs a sadistic to love
them," I stated.

I cupped my hand around his jaw. His face
appeared softer and younger. He looked his age for once which only
reminded me of one of the many gaps that would soon separate
us.

“Being a sadist doesn’t exactly make me a
good guy. The fact is I like to hurt women during sex.”