Cruise Read online

  “Just the stress of the job sometimes. Even though it didn’t happen to me, I know what my dad’s going through, and I worry about him.” I shrug as I drive us along the deserted streets of Laurel Springs.

  At this hour everyone’s closed up shop, the candy’s all gone, and what’s left are the reminders of a Halloween that’s over. There are jack-o-lanterns sitting on steps, candy wrappers here and there on the ground, and a couple of teenage stragglers walking the streets.

  “How do you deal with the stress when it’s you?” she asks softly as she reaches over, running her nails along my neck.

  Do I want to be completely honest with her? Do I want to tell her exactly how I deal with it? There’s a part of me that realizes this is more than she bargained for. But if I want this woman to know me, the real me, I have to be honest, don’t I? If not, we’ll never make it, and I desperately want to make it.

  I stop at a red light, grip the steering wheel, and decide to fucking go for it.

  My voice is soft, rough, wrecked when I answer her. “Sex, but not just any sex. I like it a little rough and a little adventurous.”

  Her blue eyes widen, her mouth is slightly open, those teeth of hers taking her lip between them. “How have all your other girlfriends dealt with it?” she asks softly.

  “They haven’t.” I shrug. “I’ve never told anyone else. Like I told you, I haven’t really had a girlfriend for a long time. You’re the first one I’ve trusted enough to tell.”

  Her eyes lift up to the light, still glowing red. She leans forward, turning her body to me. “Thank you for trusting me, Caleb.”

  “You trusted me from the first moment we met,” I remind her.

  “Which is why I want to be everything you need.”

  She takes my hand in hers, pulling it between her skirt-covered legs. “Is this adventurous enough for you?” she asks as her fingers move her panties aside and place mine against her bare skin.

  I lick my lips as I feel her arousal. Behind us a car horn honks, but I don’t remove my fingers as the costumes we’re wearing gives me an idea. “Ruby Red, we’re gonna see exactly how adventurous you can be.”

  * * *

  “Here?” Her voice is almost a shriek as I pull around the back of the high school.

  “I use the football field sometimes to work out on; I run the edges, trust me no one ever comes back here.” I remove my hand from between her legs. “C’mon, you don’t even know what I want.”

  She moans as I put the Jeep in park and get out, coming around to her side. Reaching into the back, I grab a blanket I keep behind the passenger’s seat for emergencies.

  “Where are we going?” She unbuckles, turns, and spreads her legs to let me in between them.

  I allow myself to capture her lips, before I put the blanket over my shoulder and grasp her around the thighs. “You’ll see, head cheerleader.”

  A blush works its way up her neck. As I carry us under the bleachers. “Caleb.” She wraps her arms around my neck, burying her face there.

  When I get us deep enough under the bleachers so that we can’t be seen, but we can see, I tell her to put the blanket down behind her, on a small concrete seat.

  “Back when I was in high school, I’d come out here and smoke,” I admit to her, as I set her down.

  “You smoked? God, you’re just every girl’s dream guy. Dark, brooding, smoker – the ultimate bad boy.” She runs her hand down my chest, until she encounters my belt buckle.

  “You’re about to see how bad I can be.” I close my eyes, enjoying the feel of her fingers on my body. My cock punches against my zipper. Opening my eyes, I look down at her. “You okay with this? I don’t want to do anything you aren’t okay with.”

  I’m unbuckling my belt as I gaze down at her, waiting for her to tell me yes or no.

  “I’m okay. I told you, I want to be whatever you need me to be,” she answers as she spreads her thighs wide. “I want whatever it is you want to give me.”

  It’s all I need to hear as I push my pants down far enough to extract my cock. She breathes deeply as she sees how hard I am, licks her lips when she notices the drop on the tip. “This won’t be pretty, Red,” I warn her as I take myself in hand, stroking up and down. “Not everything in the world is pretty.”

  Understanding sparks in her eyes. She gets this is how I get rid of those desperate feelings. I fuck them out, let them go as I cum, and bury myself in something that’s good and decent. “I don’t want pretty,” she whispers.

  Her blue eyes are now closed as she leans her head back, and I watch as she moves her hand down her body, pulling aside those panties for me. Her skirt is hitched to her waist, and underneath the tight top she wears, I can see her nipples peaked. This is turning her on as much as it’s turning me on. Maybe she has to fuck a little of the bad in the world out too.

  My hands are shaking, and I’m fumbling with the condom I’ve taken out of my back pocket. Shaking because I can’t wait to get inside her, fumbling because I’m about to lose my cool. I move the hand that’s holding her panties to the side to her core, extend her finger and encourage her to play with her clit. “Make sure you’re ready, baby.”

  There’s a noise in the back of her throat, and I’m surprised as fuck when she goes for it. She’s not shy in the least, maybe it’s because of where we are, what this situation is, and what we’re doing, or maybe it’s because she wants me as much as I want her. Pushing the condom down my length is literally almost enough to undo me, but I grit my teeth and move on. Holding the base, I push my legs apart to put me level with her, and then press my cock inside her.

  We both moan loudly as I press home. “Shhhhh.”

  “You moaned too,” she points out as she grabs hold of my biceps when I start to pound.

  “I know, I know.” I lean my head against her shoulder, letting her take my weight since she’s sitting down. “But we have to try and be–” I grunt when she widens her legs. “Fuck me.” My eyes roll back in my head slightly. “Quiet.”

  She buries her face in my shoulder, just like I’ve done to her. Both of us moaning, grunting, groaning, fucking like something you see on Tumblr. My hands grip her hips, my fingers tilt her ass as I use her and she uses me. It’s the most primitive fuck I’ve ever had. Her breath is hot against the shirt I wear, and I know mine’s hot against her skin.

  “Caleb.” She runs her hands up and down my arms. “Feels so good, I didn’t know this would feel so good,” she breathes out.

  I can’t speak in full sentences, not with the way her pussy is gripping my dick, but I do my best. “Forbidden. Could get caught. No finesse. Just fucking. Sometimes it’s better.”

  “Yes.” she tilts her head back, exposing her neck, and I go to town. Nipping and biting, flicking my tongue against the wild pulse there. Open-mouthed, I suck at the flesh, knowing I’ll mark her. Knowing that tomorrow when she wakes up, she’ll bear proof this night happened.

  “Ahhh,” she groans out. I hit a particularly sensitive spot.

  Taking one of my hands off her body, I move it to her mouth, gently covering it, so that it muffles the noise of what we’re doing. Not that it helps a whole lot, the sound of my balls slapping against her is loud in the still of the night, but if I absolutely have to, I can slow down. She can’t seem to stop voicing her approval of what I’m doing to her, and truth be told, I don’t want her to.

  “I’m gonna come,” I whisper in her ear, pushing my thumb against her clit as I work the both of us. In that instant, I can feel her tighten against me, can feel her let go, and it makes me want to beat my chest and scream to the world I did this to her.

  But instead, I thrust. Once, twice, and on the third withdrawal, I come. Hard. Fast. More. With a ragged grunt, I feel the release everywhere. My stomach muscles and ass jerk as I empty into the condom. We both look down, watching me fill it as I can’t seem to stop myself. My nipples are tight and I have to throw my head back as I continue to thrust into the air, my cock s
earching out her warmth again as my fingers grip her thighs tight. My mouth is open, heaving in deep pulls of air, trying to come down from whatever this orgasm is. My body is trembling, my skin is sensitive, and my dick is still fucking hard when my gaze falls on Ruby.

  Her makeup is smeared, those panties are now ripped, and her hair is a mess. She’s trembling too. I step closer, because I don’t want to leave her so exposed, using my body to block hers, in case anyone were to happen upon us.

  What I don’t expect, is for her to reach around me, stick her hand in my jeans pocket and pull out another condom. I watch in a blur as she takes the first one off, using those wrecked panties to clean me up, and then puts another one on.

  “I need you again, Caleb. Having you that wild one time wasn’t enough. It’ll never be enough.” She scoots closer to the edge, angles my cock down, and pulls me into her using her hands.

  Fuck me, this woman. She’s everything, literally everything.

  And minutes later, when we both come again, I know without a doubt, I’m never letting her go.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  Ruby

  November

  When I wake up the next morning, I feel like I’m a different person. Not only am I a different person, but I’m closer to Caleb than I’ve ever been to anyone else. Rolling over, I grab my cell phone, seeing I have a text from him. For a moment, I inhale the scent of the pillow he slept on, loving that now my bed smells like him.

  Glancing up at the clock, I see it’s past ten; he’s already been at work for a few hours.

  C: Morning, Red. You okay? You looked peaceful, and I didn’t want to wake you up before I left.

  R: I’m good! I promise I would let you know if you hurt me. You so could have woken me up, it would have been fine.

  The way he commanded my body last night did frighten me, but not in the way he thinks. I’ve never had someone make me so aware of how another person can pleasure you so much.

  C: Did you like it?

  I contemplate lying to him. I really do. Not because I’m embarrassed at what we did, but I’m a little self-conscious at how I reacted to him. One thing I’m learning though, is I have a need to be honest.

  R: I did, but only with you. I don’t think I would have trusted anyone else as much as I trusted you last night.

  C: That’s good, and I’m glad I didn’t scare you off.

  R: No! Not at all, I wouldn’t mind doing it again.

  C: All good to hear, Red. I gotta go, I’ll talk to you later.

  Sighing, I fall back against my bed and let the smile spread across my face. I’m lazy as I contemplate getting up and moving. My plan before what happened last night was to do some shopping today, but I’m having a hard time motivating myself. When my phone beeps beside me again, I make a grab for it, hoping it’s Caleb. Instead, I see Karina.

  K: Hey! Mason’s working today, so Kelsea and I are doing some shopping. I was wondering if you want to go with us? We’re going to Birmingham.

  Karina and I have been friendly since I started student-teaching. I was lucky enough to do my rotation at Laurel Springs and then slipped into a full-time job there, so the two of us have known each other for almost two years. We, however, haven’t been what I would call the type of friends who get together outside of work. We’re acquaintances who help each other out when we need it. I know she’s making an effort to get to know me outside of work because of Caleb, and I find I want to get to know her as well. Which is why I text back an I’d love to when before I may have made an excuse and not moved from my bed.

  K: Great! We’ll pick you up in about an hour if that’s okay with you?

  R: I’ll be ready! I’ve been told it’s the old duplex where Ace and Violet lived, if that means anything to you.

  K: Perfect! I know exactly where that is.

  And with that motivation, I hop out of bed, and get ready to go about my day.

  * * *

  “Thanks for coming with us,” Karina says as she backs out of the driveway of my duplex. “When I mentioned we were going, Kels threw out the idea to invite you and I got excited about it too. Typically it’s just the two of us, and she falls asleep on the way home.” She shoots a glare through the rearview to her daughter.

  “It’s just because you make me shop ’til I drop.”

  “Pretty sure it’s the other way around, kiddo.”

  In the back seat, I watch as Kelsea puts on a pair of ear buds and starts watching her iPad.

  “Another reason I needed another adult to come,” Karina laughs. “I get bored on the drive with no one to talk to. She’ll be engrossed in that thing until we get to the mall.”

  “No problem.” I situate myself in my seat, and put the drink I brought with me into the cupholder. “I tend to go by myself, so it’ll be fun to go with someone else.”

  “By yourself?” I can tell she wants to ask why.

  “Most of the friends I had in high school have either taken longer to finish college than I did, or they’ve moved on from Laurel Springs, and me being the youngest teacher doesn’t help. There aren’t a lot of women around my age, if you think about it.”

  I can see her doing the math in her head, going over who’s around my age. “You’re right, I never thought of that. Well, never fear, we’re here now. We’re actually meeting a couple of the MTF wives in Birmingham. I hope that doesn’t scare you off.”

  Scares the fuck out of me. “No, I’m good,” I answer, reaching over to take a drink from my to-go cup. At least she didn’t tell me before I agreed to come, then I may have backed out.

  “How did last night go, after what happened with Mason? Sometimes that kind of stuff affects Caleb too, I’m glad he had you to help him.”

  I can literally feel the warmth in my neck, working up to my face. “He was upset, but he’s okay now, we worked it out.”

  She gives me a knowing glance. “Yeah, I can tell you did. You missed a little spot on your neck where you tried to cover up that beard rash.”

  My hand immediately flies to where Caleb had been biting and nuzzling my skin. Immediately I want the attention off me, so I turn to her.

  “How did you and Mason meet?” It’s something I’ve wondered since I found out who she was married to. I want to know how she came to be Caleb’s mom.

  “Smooth,” she giggles.

  Her gaze shifts back to where Kelsea is still watching her iPad. Karina says her name once, and when she doesn’t even flinch, she starts talking. “We met off a dating app. We talked for maybe two weeks before we met in person, at a restaurant in Birmingham, actually.” She gets a nostalgic smile on her face.

  “What happened then?”

  She turns to face me, whispering. “We had an amazing date, then we fucked in the parking lot in the back seat of his Jeep, and I ran because I was scared of how he made me feel.”

  “Holy shit, Karina!”

  “Yeah.” She grins. “He’s still got that Jeep. It’s not the one he drives now, but he refuses to trade it in. Every once in a while, he and I take it out for a spin.” She winks.

  “How did you get to know Caleb?” I intentionally put a curve in the conversation, just because I’m not sure how much I want to hear about her and Mason’s sex life.

  “That’s a funny story, I thought Caleb was a little kid. Mase had mentioned being a single dad, and I just assumed it was to a little kid. Caleb was my student, and when I had a career day, in walked Mase wearing his uniform.”

  “Oh hell.” I can just imagine, because I know what Caleb looks like in his.

  “Yeah.” She nods, obviously remembering the situation well. “He confronted me about running and told me I wouldn’t be running any longer. Then when I realized Caleb was basically an adult, Mason and I had some serious conversations about what he was doing as a teenager.”

  I laugh loudly at that. “Obviously not what I was doing,” I mumble.

  “Me neither, not at least until I was eighteen.” She checks her blind spot a
s we merge into the lane that will take us to Birmingham. “But I mean, come on, you see what my husband looks like. You see what Caleb looks like. Even as a teenager, Caleb had girls who wanted to be with him.”

  “I bet he did.” Now this I’m curious about.

  “I don’t know what his college life was like,” Karina continues speaking. “Because he never really talked to me much about the girls he was dating or screwing around with while he was there. But he did have a high school girlfriend. That ended when she went to Ole Miss and he went to Alabama. She didn’t love Laurel Springs though and said she’d never live there. I always knew he’d be back to Laurel Springs.”

  “Yeah, we had a conversation not long ago about how he was drafted, but all he ever wanted to do was follow in his dad’s footsteps.”

  She sighs. “He’s always had a huge case of hero worship for his dad. Mason doesn’t understand it. Like any parent, he wants better for his son than what he was able to give him. I don’t know the full story, but they had some really lean years when Caleb was little, Mason was away serving, and things just went to shit. But I’d say Caleb is a very well-adjusted grown up today.”

  Unless you count the fact he likes rough sex to take the edge off. But that’s our secret to keep, and I’ll guard it with my life.

  “He is, he’s a good man,” I agree with her. “Mason did a great job with him.”

  “I can’t wait for you to hang out with him more. Last night was awful and he wasn’t himself. Usually those three have me in stitches, and the way Caleb talks to his dad? They’re best friends, and you can tell. Back when I first started dating Mason, I was kind of amazed at the conversations the two of them had together. Eventually I realized it was because they’d actually grown up with one another, and while Mase did lay down the law when he needed to, more than anything they were friends. It’s how I try to raise Kels, but it’s harder because of the age difference and she’s a girl.”