Where I Belong (Alabama Summer) (12 page)

“Aw, fuck.”

I think of her mouth wrapped around me, those full lips
teasing the head and pressing softly to my shaft. She’d take me in all the way,
I knew she would. Her mouth could handle everything I gave her and I wouldn’t
hold anything back. I’d grip her hair and thrust my hips into her eager mouth
and she’d suck me until her cheeks hollowed and her eyes watered.

“Oh God. Yeah.”

She’d swallow because she’d know that I’d love it. She’d
love it too because she’s my dirty girl. My filthy little angel that tells me
her panties are soaked. And then she’d ride me, hard and fast, her perfect tits
bouncing in my face. I’d suck on them until she screamed like she did the other
night. I’d tell her that I’d be coming all over them soon, because I would.
She’d get off on my words, my mouth, and my cock, and then she’d come perfectly
around me. Her skin would blush across her chest, blooming up toward her neck as
she threw her head back. The sight of her orgasm would push me over the edge.
I’d come inside her, this time without a condom because I need to fucking
feel
her. I’d bury my face in her tits, my cock in her pussy, and I’d fucking
give her
everything.

“Fuck.” My thighs tense and I can feel my release surging
through me. I open my eyes and grab a few napkins out of my consul, holding
them against the tip while I come by myself for the countless time this week. I
wipe myself clean and then crumple up the napkins, shoving them into my cup
holder. I feel better, but not by much. I can still see her tight little body
in the distance and I want the real thing, not just the fantasy. But that isn’t
going to happen. It can’t happen. Not yet.

I start up my truck and pull out my phone, scrolling to her
last text.

Mia: I was so
unbelievably horny today. Guys are lucky. They can just tuck their erections
away and go on about their day like they aren’t sporting wood. Girls can’t do
that. I had to change my panties twice before lunch.

After I reread it six times, I finally give her the response
she wants.

Me: Even a tucked
erection is still obvious. Trust me. And you aren’t the only one that’s been
unbelievably horny lately.

I press send and get the fuck out of there before I do
something I’ll regret. I’m only a man, God damn it. She wanted me to respond to
her, so I did. I can handle dirty text messages with the girl that I’m falling
in love…

Fuck me.
That’s what’s happening. I’m falling in love
with Mia Corelli.

Mia

“Okay, be honest. Tell me if I’ve completely outdone myself
here.” I place my hands on my hips and survey the massive amount of babysitting
supplies I picked up at the store. “I’ve got chips, cookies, popcorn, ice
cream, mini cupcakes that I had to get because they had little shields on
them.” I stand on my toes to see the rest of my purchases better. “Organic
chocolate milk, organic strawberry milk, carrot sticks, grapes, and pita
chips.”

“He’s going to freak out when he sees what you did back
there. And did you just say carrot sticks?” Tessa calls out, strolling toward
me from the direction of the bedrooms. “Seriously? He’s three. He’s more likely
to use those as mini swords.” Her eyes widen at the sight of my purchases. “And
he’s one kid. Jesus Christ, Mia. Have you ever babysat before? This is enough
to feed a small army.”

I nudge her with my elbow. “Yes, I’ve babysat before. But I
didn’t know what Nolan liked, so I kind of got one of everything. Ooohhh check
it out.” I reach over the bags of chips and grab the two red box rentals,
holding them out for Tessa to grab. “I got
Frozen
and something called
Mike
the Knight
. I figured that one was right up his alley. The little cartoon
knight reminded me of Nolan, minus the dimples.”

“Wow.” Tessa shakes her head and hands me back the movies.
“You’re making a serious play, aren’t you?” She sits on the edge of the couch,
smiling widely at me. My puzzled expression gets across exactly what I’m
feeling, prompting her to elaborate. “You love him,” she states with a
satisfactory smile.

“Sure, yeah I love Nolan. How could you not love him?”

Tessa had already started to shake her head as soon as I
said Nolan’s name. “No, that’s not who I’m referring to.” She pauses, giving me
the chance to connect the pieces on my own. It doesn’t take me long.

I wave her off with my hand. “I do not love Ben if that’s
who you’re foolishly referring to.” No. I’d
know
if I loved Ben. I want
to bang his back out, but that’s not love.

“It is, and you do. Or you’re at least open to loving him
now. You’re not just trying to impress my nephew with all of this.” She motions
toward my snack pile. “
And
you’re desperately trying to pull him out of
the friend zone he so stupidly put you two in. How many slutty text messages
have you sent him?” she teases.

Tessa and I never keep secrets from each other. Hell, she
was the one who suggested the scandalous text message idea after I told her
that I wanted Ben to see me as more than a friend. She predicted he’d drop
everything and come at me hard after the first one I sent. But no, I’m either
really bad at getting someone hot with my words or he’s completely immune to
them. I cover my eyes with my hand and grunt my frustration. “Not enough
apparently. I threw my best stuff at him and he barely flinched.” I drop my
hand and look at her. “I’m running out of ways to spell this out for him.”

She stands up and walks over toward the sliding glass door.
“Get naked. That’ll definitely spell it out.” She waves and smiles at what I
assume is Nolan. “Don’t tell my brother about the pregnancy, okay?”

I walk up to her, putting her hand in mine. Nolan is in
Ben’s arms, swinging his sword in the air as they walk around the pool. “It’s
your news to tell, not mine. And the first person that needs to know about it
is Luke.”

After the initial shock of the possible pregnancy sank in
the other night, Tessa and I stayed up for hours talking about it. She was
scared, but she was also really happy about having a baby with Luke. The only
problem was the two of them weren’t supposed to be serious. And throwing a baby
into the mix would definitely change that.

She sighs heavily. “I’ll tell him. I’m just waiting for the
right time.”

“Like tonight?” I ask, smiling at Nolan’s face as it comes
inching closer to the glass. Tessa shrugs her response. “You can do it. You
know he cares about you. And if you need me, I’ll be right here.” She leans her
head on my shoulder as the boys come up to the door, sliding it open.

“Hey,” Ben greets me with a smile as he steps inside the
house, placing Nolan on his feet. I am once again stunned into silence from the
sight of him in his uniform, unable to give him anything besides a goofy grin
at the moment. But my God, he makes that uniform look downright sinful. I’m
tempted to go commit a major felony in hopes that he’ll pat me down or better
yet, strip search me. Nolan runs right at me, wrapping his arms around my legs
and snapping me out of my lustful thoughts. “He’s a little excited. The maniac
wouldn’t even take a nap today because he was too wound up to come over here.”

I laugh and rub Nolan’s head, seeing him lift his face to
me. “I couldn’t take a nap either.” I bend down and put us face to face,
dropping my smile and trying to stay serious. “I tried to take a nap, but there
were all these dragons in my bedroom.” His eyes immediately twinkle with
interest, doubling in size. “They might still be back there. Can you go check
it out for me?”

“Yeah!” he yells with pure excitement, his little legs
quickly taking him down the hallway.

Tessa nudges Ben’s shoulder, barely moving him an inch. He
smirks at her and she smirks right back before looking over at me. “I’ll see
you tomorrow sometime.” She gives me a knowing look and motions with her head
toward Ben without him noticing.
Get naked
, she mouths, earning herself
a stern look from me before she walks out the door. I will definitely not be
getting naked unless Ben undresses me, and at the rate we’re going, I don’t see
that happening any time soon.

“Here’s all his stuff.” Ben drops the duffle bag that is on
his shoulder onto the couch, opening the zipper. “Pajamas, toothbrush, a few
books that he likes me to read to him before he falls asleep, and this.” He
pulls out a stuffed dragon that looks well loved. It’s worn and frayed at the
edges. “He can’t go to bed without this, but don’t give it to him before
bedtime because he’ll take it everywhere and I’m afraid he’ll spill something
on it and I won’t be able to wash it. If something happens to this thing, I’m
completely screwed.”

I laugh and watch him stuff it back into the bag. “What time
is bedtime?”

“Between 8:00 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. He might pass out before
then though since he’s running on no nap.” Ben turns his head and glances over
at the kitchen counter. “Wow. You are definitely prepared.” He smiles at me
with a teasing look. “Expecting more children?”

I shove his massive shoulder and move past him. “Oh ha-ha.
This isn’t all just for Nolan. I’ve been known to put away a massive amount of
snacks when I’m entertaining.”

“Take that! Leave Pwincess Mia alone!”

Ben and I both turn our heads. “What is he doing in there?”
he asks. I shrug with a sly smile and he narrows his eyes at me. “Well now I’m
curious.” I follow him down the hallway, knowing exactly what I am going to see
when I look into my bedroom. I didn’t just go grocery shopping today.

“Daddy. Look at all these dwagons!” Nolan is swinging his
sword at the inflatable dragons that surround my bed. They range in size, some
are as small as his stuffed animal and others are bigger than him. “I’m gonna
kiwl dem all!”

I cover my mouth with my hand and chuckle next to Ben,
feeling his eyes on me. “Where did you get all these?”

“The party store in town. They have everything there.” I
watch Nolan bop one of the larger dragons in the head. He seems to be enjoying
himself immensely. “Totally worth the twenty bucks.”

“God, you’re incredible.” Our eyes lock and I see how much
he means what he’s just said. That is definitely one quality he has that I
absolutely love. Ben is honest, completely authentic when he speaks to me. I
never doubt anything he’s ever said and I know I never will. Of course, I’m
sure he means I’m incredible in a friendly sort of way since he’s not pinning
me up against a wall.

We stare at each other while Nolan continues slaying the
dragons in front of us. His gray eyes are bright and filled with adoration. It
is the look I want Ben to reserve just for me. The look he’s given me several
times before. At the dam, standing in his parents’ living room after we
discovered each other by the pool, and in his truck. It’s the look that teeters
us on the edge of the friend zone, because I’ve never been looked at by a
friend this way before. I want Ben to say something else to me. I want to hear
more of his honesty, and for a split second, it looks like he is going to give
me what I want. But instead, he breaks our connection and glances down at his
watch. “I gotta go.” He looks at me again with the same tender gaze. “I
probably won’t be back until close to 12:30 a.m., but if you need anything, just
call me.”

I place my hand on his arm and squeeze it gently. “We’ll be
fine. Go arrest some bad guys, Officer Kelly.” My voice doesn’t waver at his
title, but I can’t deny the rush of adrenaline that spikes through me when I
say it. I wink at him and move into the bedroom, scooping up a few smaller
dragons. Nolan looks at me and beams as I sit on the edge of the bed, watching
him slay the biggest dragon in the room. I laugh at him and turn my head,
hoping to see Ben standing there, but he is gone. And I know that I shouldn’t
feel disappointed because I will see him later on tonight but I can’t help it.
At least I have one Kelly boy to keep me company while I think about another
one.

Nolan was like this tiny ball of energy that seemed to
recharge the more he moved around. I’d never seen a kid go from one activity to
another with such gusto. After he slayed dragons for a good hour, he had a
snack and wanted to watch his
Mike the Knight
DVD. But he didn’t sit
still during that. He jumped around in front of the couch and swung his tiny
sword in the air, mimicking the movements on the screen. We colored a few
pictures, made a fort out of the extra bed sheets I found in the closet, and
blew bubbles on the back patio. I saw his first yawn, the only indication he’d
given me all night that he was slowing down, at 8:20 p.m. After changing him
into his pajamas, I brushed his teeth and grabbed the books out of the duffle
bag.

He settles under the covers in one of the spare bedrooms,
holding his stuffed dragon in a death grip. “Wead that one fiwst,” he says in a
sleepy voice, pointing toward a book about trucks. I prop against the headboard
and hold the book out in my lap, reading in a soft voice. He closes his eyes
when I am halfway through it, but I finish it anyway. After giving him a kiss
on his forehead, I quietly exit the bedroom and plop down on the couch with my
phone.

Me: Little knight is
down for the count. Slaying thirty seven dragons takes a lot out of a
three-year-old.

I turn off the
Mike the Knight
DVD that is still
playing and change the channel to something I am interested in. My phone beeps
as I lie back on the sofa, but it isn’t a text from the person I am dying to
talk to, and see for that matter. This is the first time I grunt at the sight of
this particular name on my screen.

Tessa: I haven’t
told him yet and I don’t know if I’m going to. What if he freaks out and ends
it? What if he wants me to abort the baby? I’d never do that, but isn’t it his
decision as much as mine? We’ve had sex three times since I got over here and I
don’t even know if that’s good for my current situation.

Me: First of all,
why isn’t he at work with Ben? Secondly, you freaking out is definitely not
good for the baby, so calm down please. And third, do you really think Luke is
the type of guy to ditch his pregnant girlfriend? I’ve only been around him a
few times and I know he isn’t like that.

Tessa: I’m not his
girlfriend! I don’t know what the hell I am, but he’s never labeled me as that.
Fuck buddy seems more appropriate.

Tessa: Ben is riding
solo tonight. They don’t always patrol together.

I chuckle and prop a pillow under my head.

Me: Just grow a pair
and tell him. And I say that in my best Tessa style voice because you know
that’s exactly what you’d be saying to me. :)

Tessa: Speaking of
growing a pair…

Me: Shut up.

Tessa: Just saying,
bitch.

I know exactly what she is getting at.
Grow a pair.
Please.
I told Ben that I’m in danger of causing permanent damage to my
hand from excessive masturbation and I need to grow a pair? I turn onto my side
and tuck one hand underneath my head. My phone beeps again and this time, I
can’t contain the smile that spreads across my face.

Ben: I can’t wait to
hear all about it. See ya in a few hours.

I look at the time on my phone. Three hours and forty three
minutes to be exact. Not that I’m counting.

**

 “Mia? Mia, hey, wake up.”

“Hmm?” My eyes slowly open and Ben’s face comes into view.
“Oh, hey. Sorry. I didn’t mean to fall asleep.” I roll over onto my back and
stretch my arms over my head, seeing Ben’s eyes drop to my body and widen
before he quickly turns away from me. And I mean quickly, as in he can’t get me
out of his sight fast enough. I furrow my brows. “What? What is it?”

He clears his throat as I sit up, still completely oblivious
to whatever it is that’s making him react to me this way. He stays facing the
kitchen, rubbing the back of his neck with one hand. “You might want to put
something on. Your…breasts are really noticeable in that top.”

Breasts? Oh, how formal.

I glance down quickly, seeing my erect nipples poking
through my sheer tank. But I’m not embarrassed at all. I’m irritated. Really
irritated all of a sudden. My boobs are making him uncomfortable?
Well,
that’s just great.
I stand up with a clenched jaw and walk past him,
grabbing the hoodie I had taken off earlier and slipping it over my head.
“Christ, Ben. You act like you haven’t seen them before or sucked them for that
matter.” I snap my head in his direction and see the shock on his face.
“They’re just tits.”