11. Casey
ELEVEN
Casey
Casey
Marshall’s big plan for the day was whisking me off on a guided tour of his hometown. For someone who never spoke of home, he seemed very enthusiastic about showing me every single building downtown. I didn’t mind. I’d look at every inch of this town if it kept me away from Adam.
I hoped the fresh air would clear my head, but he lingered in my thoughts as I followed Marshall down the street.
Adam practically ran out of the house after breakfast. Some part of me wondered if he was avoiding temptation, or if he was seeking comfort with someone else.
I shouldn’t be thinking like that. He was free to do whatever he wanted.
He didn’t belong to me. I was with Marshall.
“Pretty neat, huh?” Marsh asked, his hand pointing to another old building downtown. I’d missed everything he said.
“So cool,” I responded, hoping that would convince him I was listening.
His eyes drifted away, his enthusiasm fading with every step. “Sorry, Case. I know Oakridge isn’t that interesting.”
Damn it.
“No, it’s fine. So, that building has been a bakery for a long time. What about this place?” I pointed to a little empty shop with some faded stickers on the windows. A spool of thread and bolts of fabric. “Sewing store?”
Marshall's grin disappeared, and my stomach sank again. He looked through the dark windows, peering into the empty shop. “Yeah. Sewing place. My uhh… my mom used to work here. At least that’s what they told me. I don’t really remember.”
He was young when his mom passed. That meant Adam had been alone for, what, twenty years?
“No photos?”
Marshall shook his head. He stuffed his hands into his jeans pockets, his eyes focused on the spool sticker. “Not anymore. There used to be a long time ago. I don’t know what Dad did with them.”
He was still mourning her. Adam longed for his late wife, even now. Of course he did. How could he not?
“Was she pretty?” My heel caught on the edge of the sidewalk, and I gently kicked it with my shoe, waiting for his answer.
“Beautiful,” Marshall declared, a sad but happy note in his voice. “She was gentle and quiet. Red hair. Freckles. She looked a lot like Dad. He used to joke that we got our genes from her.”
I was nothing like her. I wasn’t even his type. I was being ridiculous over nothing. This had to be a fluke. And I wasn’t doing a good job of forgetting him.
Clearing my throat, I stepped closer to my boyfriend and softly clasped his hand. “I’m sorry you lost her, Marsh.”
His mournful smile tore at my heart in more ways than one.
“Thanks, Case.” He hooked his arm over my shoulder, and we walked down the sidewalk together.
The small town was alive with people. Everyone we passed gave us a quick nod or a polite hello.
A few wanted to know how Marshall had been and asked after Adam without trying to pry, but they totally were.
Anything for one tiny shred of gossip they could spread around town.
Marshall introduced me to everyone who stopped to talk. Several people asked if we were serious, and one wanted to know if we’d thought about marriage. Marshall's laughter and a swift change of subject saved me from having to answer.
“Sorry,” he whispered once we’d moved onto another street. “People here are nosey.”
“It’s fine.” I twisted the hem of my jacket, focusing on the little patches of grass on the sidewalk.
“I know how you feel about marriage. Unless you… maybe feel differently now?”
Shaking my head, I stuffed my hands into my pockets and stared at one of the empty shops we passed. “I don’t. Mostly. Maybe I’ll be okay with it someday.”
Or maybe not.
I knew dismissing it altogether might drive him away, so I never put it that way, even if that’s how I felt. I would never let someone have that much power over me. Not again.
Marshall massaged the back of my neck, trying to calm my pheromones down with his scent.
It didn’t work, but I appreciated him trying.
“Alright, what do we have on this street? Let’s see…
Paper shop. The only place in town with a copy machine.
Internet cafe. I think the computers are still running on Windows 95, but the pastries are good. ”
Pastries sounded good. I could go for something warm and sweet.
“And this,” Marshall said, quickly sidestepping towards a red barn shaped building. “It used to be a chicken place. Then it was burritos. And now…” He gestured to the rustic sign nailed to the outside wall. Oak & Iron. “I think it’s a steak restaurant.”
“Exciting,” I responded, a small tone of sass in my voice.
He answered it with a blank look before bursting into laughter.
“I know, I know. The only interesting things to say is what building used to be what, and be amazed at how many new things have been built since I left, oh my goddd, wowwwww.” Turning, he continued down the sidewalk, letting me catch up to him as we passed more empty shops.
About half of them were empty. It was almost sad to see.
“But if I don’t give you this tour, someone else will insist on it, and at least doing it with me will be short and sweet.
” Short and sweet. The words sounded innocent enough, but the husky tone in his voice said otherwise.
His arm slipped around my waist as I balanced on the edge of the sidewalk, and he tugged me against his chest. As he bent over me, his red hair trailed across my forehead.
“I know a quiet spot. No one will see us.”
Having sex in public wasn’t my kind of thing, but maybe a quickie with Marshall was exactly what I needed. I was willing to do anything to purge this unwanted temptation out of my system. “Lead the way.”
He took my hand and led me to the end of the block, then turned to walk down another street.
We stopped at a small alcove between two buildings.
It looked like a spot to check the electric meters.
It didn’t seem like there’d be enough room for us, but this alcove held a secret.
There was a small corner beside the meters that wasn’t visible from the street.
You would only be able to see inside if you walked into the alcove.
How many people used this corner for a quick fuck?
A car drove by, and I quickly dove into the corner to hide.
Marshall chuckled, his hand slowly traveling down his stomach to his belt buckle.
“It’s fine. No one will see us. There’s a reason this space hasn’t been closed up, and it’s not the meters.
A town this small needs secret places for secret things.
” Locking eyes with me, he slowly undid his belt buckle and unzipped his pants.
Pheromones leaked from his core, so subtle I almost couldn’t smell them.
He pulled his cock out and stroked it, his eyes trained on my face as he pressed me against the wall.
The combination of his lips hovering next to mine and the thin scent of his woodsy pheromones, mixed with the sounds of the surrounding city, made my head spin.
I’d never done anything so risqué before.
“You have no idea how happy I am that you agreed to come to Oakridge with me.” He pressed our bodies together, pushing his thick cock against my belly.
He thrust his hips just enough to make the head slide up my stomach.
A car engine buzzed past the alcove, and I gulped at the thought of being caught.
“M-Marshall,” I whispered as he pushed against my stomach over and over, mimicking the way he wanted to fuck me.
His tongue flicked and curved around my ear.
The smell of his cock mixed with his pheromones.
The scents, the sensations, and the anticipation of what was coming should’ve been driving me wild. It used to. But then I met him.
No. This is what I had to focus on. Being with Marshall. Not pining for a man I could never have. I grabbed Marshall’s neck, pulling him down for a heated kiss and sliding my tongue along his to make him moan.
Make me forget him. Make me forget Adam.
Gritting my teeth, I reached between our bodies and unzipped my pants, sliding them and my underwear off.
I turned towards the wall, arching my back as an offering to Marshall.
His fingers slid into the wet pool around my asshole, and I gasped as he pushed them inside me.
The slick sounds of him finger fucking my ass filled the alcove, and my skin blushed bright red at the thought of someone catching us.
A horn honked and someone shouted, their voice close to our hiding spot.
I flinched away from the noise, sucking in air to silence my squeals.
I couldn’t handle the humiliation if someone found us.
This was too much for me. Marshall’s fingers slipped out, and I tried to move away, but his body had me pinned.
“Watch where you’re going!” a voice shouted. He sounded close, as if he was right by the entrance.
I squirmed in panic, and Marshall shoved his cock all the way in, impaling me with a single thrust. “Unngh,” I shouted at the top of my lungs.
Marshall’s other hand quickly clamped over my lips to shut me up. His cock leisurely slid in and out with slow, deep thrusts that made my eyes roll back into my head. “Sssssh,” he whispered in my ear. “You want the whole town to hear?”
I definitely did not want that. Everyone in Oakridge would know Marshall’s slutty boyfriend got railed in public when the sun was still up.
I’d never been good at keeping quiet during sex, so Marshall wisely kept his hand over my mouth to muffle my moans.
The tip of his cock brushed against my pleasure spot with every slow thrust. I groaned whenever he touched me there, almost whimpering when he withdrew, the pleasure growing and dying inside me over and over again.