Chapter 26
26
Bishop
I sit in the dark, staring at a full glass of Blanton’s but not in any mood to drink it. After seeing Anais in that pizza joint, Blake’s arm around her and his fingers twirling her hair, I could see that is what she needs. A guy and group of friends her age. Not a man whose knees ache when the weather turns cold.
I knew she’d make good on her promise to show up at my place, so I drove south to a secluded spot where I sat in my truck, looking out at the port and the cargo ships coming in. When the sun had set and the calls and texts from her had stopped, I decided it was time to lick my wounds and crawl into bed.
A glass of liquor sounded like a good idea when I walked into my house, but I soon found that it was the last thing I wanted. What I really want is my butterfly snuggled up in my arms, her hair all in my face and her limbs tangled with mine. But she’s where she should be. And as much as it’s going to hurt like hell, I have to let her go.
I stand up and take hold of the full glass, walking it over to my sink and dumping the contents down the drain. I drop the now empty glass into the basin and stomp through the dark kitchen to the stairs that lead to my room.
One foot lands on a step when my doorbell rings, immediately followed by pounding on the door.
“Bishop! Open up!” Though muffled by the door, I can still hear Anais’ voice.
I turn to walk down and open it but instead, I return to dragging myself up the stairs. The doorbell rings again and again, and I block out the sound by turning on my shower and stripping off my clothes.
I step into the steam filled shower and let the water pour over me, trying to drown out the thoughts of Anais and how much I’ll miss her.
The short time I’ve had her has been the best of my life. Without any doubt, I can say that. No other woman has ever made me feel with my whole being. Our story started over a year ago, and I think I was slowly falling in love with her then. My brain just didn’t get the message that my heart was trying to send it until I had her in my hands.
I squirt some face wash into my hands and scrub up and down my pitiful looking mug. I’m startled when the door to my bathroom flies open, slamming against the wall with a harsh bang. My sud covered eyes open and through the fog, I can see Anais standing in the doorway.
“How did you get in here?” I bark at her.
“Did you forget I have your garage and security code?”
I drop my head back, frustrated with myself for forgetting that little fact. I turn my back to her and continue to wash up, ignoring her and hoping she gets the message that I don’t want her here and hope that she leaves.
I should know better, however. My girl is stubborn and does what she wants, when she wants, and how she wants. So I shouldn’t be surprised when the shower door is flung open and she steps into the shower, completely nude.
I have to close my eyes to stop them from drinking in every delicious curve of her body. My hands fist so they don’t reach out for her and hold her close, never to let her go .
“Look at me, Bishop,” she bites out. “Quit being an asshole and just look at me!”
Her screeching has me doing exactly what she wants, and I look at her. The face I’ve memorized is blanketed in outrage. Her eyes burn into mine, and her nostrils flare with heavy breaths.
“What are you doing? Why are you pushing me away?” Her hands smooth up my stomach and I flinch like she’s scorched my skin with her touch.
“Anais, seeing you this afternoon, with people your age and Blake’s arm around you, made it clear that I’m not what you need. You need to be with those people. I’ll only hold you back.” A loud smack rings out in the small space followed by a sting on my chest. “What the fuck was that for?”
“For being an idiot. You’re an absolute idiot, Bishop Michaels. Yes, you are partially correct. I should spend more time with my friends. I’ve neglected them and it’s important to keep my identity. But you’re a fool if you think I’d rather be with a boy who doesn’t know the beats of my heart. A boy who has no clue how to make me see stars. A boy who has no idea what love feels like.”
I gulp when the four letter word falls from her lips. My thoughts are stolen from me as if she crawled inside of my mind and scooped them in her arms. There isn’t another woman on the face of this Earth who could bring me to life with just a smile.
“But he’s a boy who will become a man and learn to love. Loving you isn’t difficult, Anais.”
The water splashes at our feet onto the tiles, and the it gurgles as it swirls down the drain and is amplified over our silence. Our eyes search each other, waiting to see who will be the first to break. I watch as tears fill her beautiful browns and a slow smile creeps across her face.
“Is that an admission?” She steps even closer and I can feel her pert nipples brush against my skin. “Because I have one of my own. I love you, Bishop. I’ve loved you from the first moment I laid eyes on you. I love how you smile when you talk about your friends. I love your big heart that cares for your family, blood and chosen. I love your dedication to your team and how invested you are at seeing them succeed in every aspect of their lives. I love your tenderness equally as much as I love when you take control. I love that you make me feel like I’m the only one you see. I love you, clear and simple and without any bounds. Now tell me you love me too because I can see it in your heart that you do.”
Her hands roam until they clasp behind my head. She rises to her toes and brings her lips within an inch of mine. Her breath skates across my cheek and my pulse thrums in my neck.
“Say it. Tell me you love me too, Bishop.” Our lips brush and the now familiar feeling of my heart sparking to life charges through me.
“I love you too, Anais,” I finally admit and crash my mouth against hers.
She jumps into my arms and wraps her legs around me, my hard cock the only thing between us. She climbs higher in my hold until my head faces up to meet hers. Our kiss turns ravenous and I can’t get enough of her. I want to pull her into my lungs so that I breathe her. I want her to live in me, be the one who keeps me alive, and do the same for her.
Her nails scratch my head and my fingers dig into her luscious ass. They wander to her wet, slick slit and glide up and down. The vibration of her moan sends a signal straight to my dick and he can’t wait any longer.
I wrap one arm around her small waist and hold tight as I grip the base of my dick and slide the head through her seam before plunging deep inside.
“Fuck,” I groan, my forehead resting against hers when I feel her bare, tight pussy suck me in.
She whines and drops her head into the crook of my neck as her hands slide over my shoulders and drape down my back. Her nails tickle me when they scrape, but nothing could distract away from how phenomenal she feels right now.
I press her back against the cold tiled wall and begin to move in and out of her, gently at first then harder with each pump. Her arms crawl the wall, searching for purchase as she slides now that my thrusts come faster and with more force.
“Oh god. Don’t stop,” she begs as the water pounds against my back.
“Never,” I reassure her.
Harder, faster, deeper, my thrusts are punishing but I can’t ease up. I need to imprint her with the feel of me, the shape of me, and make sure she remembers she belongs only to me.
“Oh, oh fuck. Right th–yes. Fuck!” she screams when I take her to the place that only I ever will.
The bite of her nails into my skin has me hissing, the pain spurring me into action even more. I grip the back of her head, protecting it from crashing through the tile, and fuck her into a second orgasm.
Her body buzzes and her listless arms and legs give out. My mouth latches onto her neck and I begin to suck and bite and push closer to my release. It comes on fast, and soon I’m roaring with bliss.
I feel my dick start to empty inside of her and quickly pull out, finishing until my cum drips down her leg. She hangs limply in my arms, but I don’t release her. Instead, I grab the shower sprayer and let the jets wash away the evidence of our sex.
When the last of it falls down the drain, I gently place Anais on her feet and set about washing her clean. Her eyes stay glued to me as I run the soap over every inch of her, making sure to wash tenderly between her legs.
I turn off the water and push open the shower door, sticking my hand out and grabbing the two fluffy towels that hang from when we last showered together, just yesterday. We seem to find ourselves standing under the warm spray of this shower quite a bit. Something about the trickling water makes my girl wanton.
We step out onto the bathmat and I pick her up, setting her down on the counter facing me. I reach into a drawer and take hold of a wide tooth comb, then run it through her long tangled tresses.
Her eyes close, a small smile gracing her face, and continue until all the tangles are free and her waves begin to curl up .
“You’re so beautiful, my little butterfly,” I whisper and kiss her jaw. “Let’s go to bed.”
I take her in my arms again and pull off our towels, leaving them in a heap on the floor. I walk us to the bed where we tuck in and I pull her close to me. I lock my arm around her and lay sweet kisses on her bare shoulder.
“I love you, sweet butterfly.”
“I love you too, big guy.” She rubs my arm then twines her fingers in mine, falling into a sound sleep.
“How did you know I was home last night? I could’ve been gone.” We lay in bed until the early morning hours, talking about yesterday's events.
“Well, I came by after I finished eating and took Keyara back to our dorm. There was a package on your doorstep and after ringing the doorbell a few times, I figured you were gone. When I came back after studying, I noticed the package was missing. My best guess was that you were finally home and hiding inside.” Her wild hair tickles my chest and stomach where she lays her head.
“Very good deduction, Ms. De La Cruz.”
“So what did you get?” She asks me.
“What are you talking about?”
She places her chin on my chest and looks up at me. “The package. What did you get?”
I push up to my elbows and tell her, “I’ll show you.” I slide out from under her, still naked, and walk over to my bookcase, that holds my vinyl player and coll ection of albums, and pick up the box that lies just at the bottom.
I carry it carefully over to where Anais is still stretched out in bed and hand it to her.
She looks at the box then back at me and asks, “You want me to open it?”
“Yes, baby girl. It’s for you.”
Her eyes light up and she bites her bottom lip as she takes the box out of my hands, her arms giving a little not realizing just how heavy the box is. She inspects it before she takes her nail and slides it right through the thin tape. She pulls open the flaps and begins pushing the filler paper aside. She reaches in only to pull out another box, but this one has a picture on the box to tell her exactly what it is.
“A record player?” She asks, her brow knit.
I shake my head. “No. Not a record player. It’s a vinyl player. It’s for vinyl albums. I thought, since you like mine, that you might want one of your own.”
She places the box down and crawls out of the sheets and over to me, rising up on her knees.
“I love it. Thank you.” She presses her lips to mine and my body, as it usually does with her, immediately responds. “Now I need to start building my vinyl collection.”
“Good girl.” I kiss the tip of her nose then, with her arms still gripped tightly around my neck, crawl onto the bed and take her with me.
Her body lays flat and I hover above her. “I thought we might go to this little shop that sells vintage albums. It’s out of the way in Old Town Village, and I was thinking we could go there before we go to the stadium for the game.”
Tonight will be the last game of the series and it’s tied three to three. Nix asked that we all be there as early as possible, and with the game starting at seven, we agreed to all be there at four to watch warm-ups and take in all the pregame festivities.
“Okay. I like that.” She kisses me again but before we can get lost, she pulls away, a serious look on her face. “I want to talk with you. ”
I lean all of my weight on my forearms where they rest on either side of her face and steel my features. “What about?”
She wiggles underneath me and circles my back with her arms, her nails scraping up and down. “We’re not doing this push and pull thing anymore. I’m not a toy that you can put on a shelf and take out whenever you want to play.”
“Anais. No. I–”
“You seem to want to push me away every time you think about our age difference or where we are in our lives, and it’s not fair. I know what I want. I don’t have to think about it. But if we’re together, no more of this you should be with someone your age or I’m old, you don’t want me. I’m not hearing it anymore. Got it?”
Her words are full of confidence and I absolutely agree, but her face is so damn beautiful that it’s difficult to be serious and not smile.
“Got it. No more being a jerk. We’re together. Me and you and no more age crap.”
“That’s better. Now, make it up to me for being a first class jerk. I’ll take my apology in the form of orgasms.” I dig my fingers into her side and she laughs.
“Anything for you, my little butterfly.”
This is it. No more bullshit. Anais is mine, and I’m hers.
Without any bounds.