Chapter 13
13
I t was late afternoon by the time Mackenna awoke, sated from sex and sleep. Jobe allowed her the privacy of a shower, knowing that if he saw her naked again they would move straight to shower sex.
Running his hand through his hair, he could feel the pounding fear of the loss of control. That’s what love is—giving control to someone else knowing that with love comes a helpless feeling. A few deep breaths later, he looked up as she emerged from the bedroom, wet hair hanging down her back, fresh face and all smiles.
He stood, nervously waiting to see what she would do. He did not have to wait long. As soon as her gaze hit his, she strolled right over…straight into his arms. Wrapping her once again in his embrace, he kissed the top of her head.
“Baby doll?” She gazed expectantly, as he continued, “I thought you’d like to go over to my parents and you can see your mom.”
If he thought the smile she graced him with earlier was incredible, it was nothing compared to the blinding smile that she now bestowed on him.
“Thank you,” she effused, jumping up to kiss his cheek.
He turned his head and captured her lips with his in a deft maneuver. When the kiss reluctantly ended, she saw his smirk.
“You’re good at that,” she accused. “And you’d better not say that practice made perfect.”
“Only with you, doll. Only with you,” he assured.
An hour later, they arrived at his parents’ house. She glanced nervously over at him. “Do you think they’ll know?”
He lifted his eyebrow waiting for her to explain.
“You know,” she said in exasperation. “That we were…um…just had sex.” This last statement came out in a whisper.
“Babe, they don’t have a listening device in my truck so I don’t think you need to whisper.”
“You know what I mean,” she said, giving him a playful slap on the arm.
He saw her nervousness, and his heart melted again. “Mackenna,” he said, gaining her attention. “We can tell them as much or as little as you’re comfortable with.”
Smiling her appreciation, she nodded. “I think I’d like to talk to my mom first before we make a big deal about anything.”
He sobered, realizing that her mom must surely harbor resentment towards him, although she did not show it the other day. But she’d have to. I mean, I broke her daughter’s heart just when her husband was dying of cancer and then wasn’t around when she had her stroke. If she doesn’t hate me, she must be a saint!
Now nervous himself, he alighted from the truck and walked around to assist Mackenna out. Letting his hand span around her waist, he leaned down to give her a quick kiss.
A scream erupted from the front porch as Rachel turned and called for Penny. “Hurry, they’re here. And praise God, they’re kissing. Our prayers have been answered Joseph—our Jobe has returned to us with Mackenna. Penny, Penny come on,” she continued to scream as she ran down the front steps toward the couple.
“Uh…so much for being able to talk to mom first,” Mackenna said, her eyes worried.
“Oh baby, I’m really sorry,” he blurted, wanting to strangle his mother at that moment. “Ma, shush,” he admonished as she reached them, seeing his father and Penny standing on the front steps now.
“We weren’t ready to let—”
“Nonsense,” Rachel announced, grabbing her son in a heartfelt hug before letting him go so that she could turn and clutch Mackenna in an equally huge hug. “Too much time has been wasted for two people who need each other.”
She tucked Jobe’s arm under one of hers and took Mackenna’s arm under the other, propelling them toward the house.
“Joseph, Penny! Look who’s here,” she yelled.
“Woman, the whole neighborhood can tell who’s here,” he admonished, looking at his son carefully to see how he was taking the attention. Seeing the corners of Jobe’s mouth curve up, he let out a sigh of relief. Clasping Jobe firmly by the hand, he shook it as though he had not seen him in a long time. “Glad to see you again, son. Good to have you home.”
Moving over to Mackenna, whose face was bright red, he bent to kiss her cheek. “My darling girl, I’ve not seen that smile in a long time. It does an old man good to see you like this.”
She felt tears spring to her eyes as she realized how much Mr. Delaro knew about his son’s life. “Thank you,” she whispered. Turning, she saw her mom standing with Rachel holding on to her tightly. Whether to support Penny or herself she was not sure.
“Hey, mom,” she said as she moved to hug her.
Penny patted her back and asked, “Ya a-right?”
She nodded against her mom’s shoulder. “Yeah, I’m great.”
Standing back she allowed Penny to move toward Jobe. He reached out to steady her, enabling her to stare deeply into his gaze. A lopsided smile beamed across her face and he let out the breath he had been holding. Pulling her in, he gave her a hug, whispering in her ear, “Mrs. Dunn, I’m so sorry for all the hurt I’ve caused.”
She patted his back with her right hand and said, “Ya a goo man, Jobe. Ya a betta man than ya were.” Smiling again, she added, “Age brins wisdom.”
“Yes, ma’am,” he agreed, kissing her cheek. “I promise you, no more pain, Mrs. Dunn. I’ll guard her heart with my life.”
Seeing the tears in everyone’s eyes, including her own, spurred Rachel into action. “Dinner! We need to eat. Joseph get your son a beer and the women can head into the kitchen with me. Rebecca, call Hannah and tell her to get her brood over here. We’re celebrating. Miriam, get in the kitchen. We’ve got a meal to fix.”
The dinner turned out to be a crowded affair with nine adults and two children. Mackenna kept an eye on her mom knowing this was much more than she had been used to, but Penny seemed to enjoy the gathering. The Delaro family was loud and boisterous, but the love among the members was palpable.
Jobe managed to get his mother alone for a moment to tell her to not make a big deal about him and Mackenna.
She patted his cheek as she smiled, “I know, baby boy. I was just so happy to see that you two had talked.”
He grinned back, saying, “It’s a start.”
“Ah thin it is mor than a star,” Penny said, walking up behind him smiling.
Jobe turned and allowed Penny to hug him as well. Nodding to his mom, he walked with Penny out to the back deck for a rare moment of privacy.
“Mrs. Dunn, I assume that you have some fears about this. I hurt your daughter once and I know I lost your trust with that. I don’t blame you at all. In fact, if I’m lucky enough to ever have a daughter and someone hurts her as badly as I messed up? I’d pound the shit outta ‘em.”
Penny nodded, her genuine smile still in place. “Ah know. But ah prayed ya coul both fin hap-e-ness agan.”
“I won’t go into all of the details, ma’am, and Mackenna can tell you those as you want them, but suffice it to say that when I broke things off, I truly wasn’t in my right mind. The choice seemed right at the time, but it took a while…and honestly, some counseling, to help me see that I was just reacting to a fu—um, messed up situation.”
“Sometime, love ha to fin its own way,” Penny acknowledged.
Just then Mackenna walked out onto the porch, seeing her mother and Jobe deep in conversation. “Hey, you two. Is everything all right?”
Penny stepped over to her daughter, hugging her close and said, “It is now.” Winking at Jobe, she moved inside.
Mackenna walked to the edge of the porch and leaned her hip against the railing as she turned to watch the man in front of her. He did not move. He just stood. Staring.
“You’re beautiful, you know?” he said, softly.
Ducking her head, she smiled as she heard him step closer. And closer. Until his boots were directly in front of her shoes. Lifting her head, her eyes were in line with his massive chest before moving up to his square jaw and beautiful eyes. His muscular arms came to the railing on either side of her, pinning her in.
“Are you okay? With us, I mean?” he asked, concern etched on his face.
She realized that he was suddenly insecure. A smile curved the corners of her mouth as she nodded. “Yeah. I am.”
“Baby doll, everything happened kind of fast and—”
She put her fingers to his lips, shushing him. “Jobe, I didn’t have sex with you just to forget about work.” She glanced to the side for a few seconds before looking up, blushing. “Well, okay, I kind of did. At first,” she quickly added. “But it’s really been building since you came barreling back into my life.”
“So initially, I was just a body?” he said, rubbing his nose along hers temptingly close to her lips.
“Yeah, soldier boy. You got a problem with that?” she purred, jutting out slightly to allow her breasts to just barely rub against his chest.
“No,” he growled. “As long as I’m the only one you come to when you need someone to fuck the stress away.” He captured her giggle in his mouth as he devoured hers, stepping forward until their entire fronts were pressed together, knees to chest.
She soon felt the evidence of his approval and started to move her hand between them to palm his crotch.
With a swift motion, he grasped her hand, stilling it. “Oh no, baby doll. You do this and I’ll be sporting the biggest hard-on you’ve ever seen as we walk back into my mom’s kitchen.” He stepped back, to give his body a chance to cool, as he continued to hold her hand.
Looking back up, she said, “Jobe, just so you know—all kidding aside, I did need you to take away the stress of work, but it was you I needed. Not just anyone, but you. I…I think it’s always been you.”
“Ya’ll coming back in for dessert or just having it out there?” Joseph called out, startling them.
“We’re coming, pop,” Jobe said, throwing his arm around her. Looking down at her sparkling eyes, he said, “Come on, doll. Let’s get mom’s dessert before we go home and have some of our own.”
* * *
A few days later, Jobe took Mackenna to the Alvarez picnic—an event that occurred whenever the group felt the need to let off steam and have fun. As they pulled up to the riverside park, she tucked her long hair behind her ear in a nervous gesture. Reaching over, he took her hand in his, giving it a gentle squeeze.
“You okay, doll? You know all of these people already.”
“I know, but…well, it’s kind of different now,” she replied as she turned to face him. “Have you told them? About us, I mean?”
“I haven’t said anything officially.”
Her expression was one of confusion as she cocked her head to the side and repeated, “Officially?”
Ducking his head, he explained, “Well, let’s just say that for the past couple of days, I’ve been grinning a lot more than usual.”
“Hmm,” she replied with a smile. Sucking in a huge breath, she said, “We’d better go. Several of them are looking over at us.”
Laughing, he got out of the truck and with a wave to his friends, he rounded to her side and opened her door, plucking her out. His eyes scanned the sky-blue t-shirt she wore down to the jeans that fit just right. Her long, thick hair was secured in a low ponytail with the breeze lifting the loose tendrils about her face. Setting her down on the ground, he leaned over to kiss her forehead. “Remember, you’re with friends here.”
She gifted him with her brilliant smile as she linked her fingers with his. He stared down at the public announcement she was making and smiled back as they made their way over to the picnic tables. Both noticed the huge grins on the women’s faces and the nods of approval from the men. He felt her fingers tighten on his and he gave a reassuring squeeze.
They quickly joined the others, where she was engulfed in hugs from Jennifer, Sherrie, and Lily, before being introduced to the rest of the women. BJ’s wife, Suzanne, was there with their toddler twins, as well as Annie, a local veterinarian who was married to Shane. Both Annie and Lily were feeding their babies. Last, a beautiful woman approached offering her a hug as well. Vinny’s fiancé, Annalissa, was a shy musician and MacKenna instantly felt a rapport with each of the women.
The men manned the grills while the women set the rest of the food out. Jennifer had already filled in the others about Mackenna’s work with the women from gangs, and the questions flowed. Mackenna had no problem talking about her job and found the others to be comfortable to talk to. Several questioned her badass attempt to handle the threats with a baseball bat.
Mackenna blushed. “Yeah, not my finest moment,” she admitted.
“Well, I think you’re incredibly brave,” Annalissa said softly, with a smile.
Jobe overheard and shouted, “Don’t encourage her!” as the other men nodded, no smiles on their faces.
“You just keep grilling over there and stop eavesdropping,” Sherrie yelled back. The women laughed and continued their conversations.
Annie said, “If you ever have someone interested in working part time at my vet clinic, let me know. Since Suzanne here,” she shoulder-bumped her friend, “had twins, she’s cut her hours way back and I can always use some help.”
Mackenna’s eyes grew round at the generous offer. “That’d be amazing. Thank you!” Just then, a bee buzzed around her head and she shrieked, throwing her arms into the air, waving them about her head as she ran in a circle, screaming, “Beeeeeeee!”
One of the women quickly swatted it away, leaving Mackenna nervously looking around, feeling ridiculous.
“So much for the badass,” Jennifer laughed. Much to Mackenna’s embarrassment, the others could not contain their mirth either.
Jobe had started to run toward her when he heard her scream, but stopped in place as he realized what had happened. His heart pounded as he shook his head incredulously at the women all bent over in laughter. The other men, equally startled, had to chuckle at Jobe.
Vinny patted him on the back. “Your girl charges after gang members with a baseball bat and yet is afraid of a bee?”
Jobe, hand over his pounding heart, smirked. “Now, I just need to get her as afraid of the gangs as she is a fuckin’ insect!”
The conversations began again, all talk of gangs put aside. The group sat at two picnic tables pushed together as they ate while keeping an eye on the children.
Jobe, looking over at Mackenna, felt at ease. For the first time in a long time…serenity. This beautiful woman was giving him a chance. At forgiveness. At love. At a future. Reaching over, he wrapped his arm around her shoulders, taking her weight as she leaned into him.
She smiled up at him, her hand going over her mouth as she tried to swallow her bite of hamburger. He kissed her forehead as he whispered, “Love you, baby doll.”
Swallowing hard, her eyes sparkled as she realized what a gift she had received. Giving forgiveness to this man had taken nothing away from her. Instead, it allowed her to move forward. With him. With them. Face planting into his chest, she felt his steady heartbeat against her cheek.
His eyes wandered over the group, noticing that they had become the center of attention and was glad that her eyes were on him and not the others, to save her from embarrassment. But for him, it was everything. Smiling, he gave a slight nod in acceptance of their silent approval and continued to hold her as the conversations flowed once again.
* * *
That night Jobe showed Mackenna the indoor pool in his apartment building. Dipping into the warm water, she watched him as he swam a lap from the deep end to where she was standing. Long, sure strokes of his arms brought him closer and closer until he broke the surface right in front of her. Rising from the depths, like Neptune, he shook his head sending water droplets from his hair flying in all directions as others slid down his torso.
She watched the trail of water as it made it way over his pecs and abs, licking her lips as she thought of running her tongue along the same path.
“Baby?” he said with a growl, moving closer, eyeing her bikini clad body. The scraps of material barely covered her tits as the hankie-sized bottoms covered the treasure he intended to explore later.
Her eyes jumped to his, a guilty blush moving from her chest up her face.
“You keep looking at me like that, and I’ll be obliged to fuck you right here in the water.”
Her mouth formed an “O”, but no words came out. He chuckled as her light blush darkened to a deeper red.
“I don’t think the management would like that very much,” she finally said with a grin.
“Vinny taught Annalissa how to swim in this pool. Somehow I can’t see him not giving her some business right here.”
Mackenna gave him a push, just enough to off-balance him, saying, “But I can swim and you’d have to catch me first.” Then she quickly dove under the water and kicked off, swimming with all of her strength.
Laughing, he gave her a short head-start, then dove under after her. Just when she thought she had made it to the other end, a firm hand grasped her ankle and pulled her under against a strong, hard body. Twisting, she was lifted under her arms as her head broke the surface and pushed against the side of the pool. As he moved closer, with each arm on either side of her, she was trapped. And loving the feel of him pressed against her once more.
He looked down, seeing her eyes staring back at his, her chest heaving with the combination of exertion and lust. He took her mouth, hard and fast. His tongue immediately delving into her warmth as her tongue vied for equal access. Claiming her with his kiss, he devoured her as he explored every crevice, swallowing her moans as his hands moved to the ties on her bikini top. With a quick pull, the material fell away, freeing the rosy-tipped mounds he had been eyeing. Palming one with his hand, he then shifted her higher and kissed a trail from her lips to her nipples, sucking one in deeply.
She lifted her legs around his waist, allowing his hard cock to nestle into her core, aching with need. Leaning back as he ravished her breasts, she luxuriated in the feelings of weightlessness and excitement. She could not help but glance around, having never had public sex. The realization that her breasts were bared for anyone to see had her moving her hand up to cover the one he was not latched onto.
He noticed the motion and stilled, lifting his head. “Doll, if I’m giving you a chance to be concerned about where we are, then I’m not doing enough to take your mind off of everything except me fucking you.”
Giggling, she replied, “I can’t help it. What if someone comes in?”
“They won’t,” he promised, moving back to feast on her breast.
“B…but…” she started, before becoming lost in the feelings as his hand untied the scrap of bikini at her hips and tossed it up on the side of the pool. She heard the slap of wet cloth hit the concrete but could not seem to care.
“It’s after hours, doll. I locked the door from the inside. No one’s around.” He slid his fingers into her waiting body, eliciting more moans. “Just you. Me. And this,” he said, guiding her hand down to his engorged cock.
With one more effortless heft, he lifted her out of the water and onto the side, moving quickly between her legs. With one hand on her stomach to hold her, he dove in tongue first. Licking her folds before nipping on her clit, he felt her writhe under his ministration. Chuckling, he moved in again, this time with his tongue buried inside.
She felt his pleasure as the waves deep inside had her throwing her head back in ecstasy. With this man pleasuring her between her legs, she opened her eyes and glanced around. She had never had daring sex with any partner, but she quickly loved the feeling of danger and excitement. Knowing he had locked the door did not dampen the thrill. Just then, a finger was reinserted deep into her core as he latched onto her clit with his lips and that was the last coherent thought she had.
As her orgasm rushed over her, she felt her inner walls pulsate against his fingers. With her legs over his shoulders as he floated in front of her, she watched him as he watched her. Screaming his name, she tried to grind her hips closer to his mouth as the ripples moved from her core outwards.
Before she could come back to earth, she was lifted once more and pulled back into the water. Directly on his straining cock. How he managed to get his swim trunks off without her noticing was a tribute to her level of distraction.
Jobe guided her body to his, holding her gaze and gaining her approval before he moved up inside of her. She grabbed his shoulders as he pumped in and out, her channel still grabbing at his cock. He watched her tits bounce in the water as he kept one hand behind her back to keep it from getting scraped on the side of the pool. He found his rhythm and as she became more accustomed to the movement, she joined him by pushing up against his shoulder to increase the friction. God, this woman is beautiful. Knowing that she was giving herself to him after all that he had put her through was humbling. And vowing to take care of her in all ways, he watched as her pleasure once again filled her expression.
With her body balanced against his protective hand, he slid the other hand down to her clit knowing he was close. With her tits right at his face, he latched onto one extended nipple and sucked it deeply. At the same time as giving her clit at a pinch, he felt her inner walls grabbing his cock. His balls tightening, he felt the rush as he poured himself deep into her, thrusting until the last drop was emptied.
She dropped her head onto his shoulders, keeping her legs around his waist, as her sated body crashed in post-orgasmic bliss. He wrapped one arm around her as he propelled them through the water toward the shallow end. As soon as his feet touched the bottom of the pool, he enveloped her in his arms, pressing her naked form against his. Perfect fit. She’s a perfect fit. But then, she always was.
Climbing up the steps, with her body still latched onto his, he now felt her slight weight as they rose from the water. He bent, with her still in his arms, and grabbed their towels. Not wanting to let her go, he also did not want her to cool. He slowly let her slide down his front, holding her until her shaky legs were steady underneath her. He wrapped a large towel around her body, tucking it tightly at her breasts.
Peering down at her, he saw the light in her eyes staring back. Tender. Full of… He so wanted it to be love but knew that still had to come. “Let’s get you upstairs and into a warm shower, doll,” he said, kissing the end of her nose.
Grinning mischievously, she nodded toward the locker rooms. “They’ve got showers in there,” she said seductively.
Turning her toward the deep end where their bathing suits still lay on the side of the pool, he gave her ass a swat. “Not this time, baby. I’ve got things I want to do to you tonight, and squeezing both of us in a tight, metal shower stall when I’ve got a huge, multi-head shower with a seat upstairs, where I’ve got room to do all the things I want to do…no contest.”
At those words, she glanced over her shoulder up at him as he propelled them to pick up their suits. “Ummm,” she purred. “And I won’t even make you chase me,” she promised.
Tucking her into his side as they entered the back elevator, he said, “I’m not ever letting you go again, Mackenna.” With that promise, they headed into the shower in his apartment. And he proceeded to show her just how creative he could be with a large, multi-head shower with a seat. And she loved it.