7. Chapter Seven
Chapter Seven
Remington James
M y sex drive may be higher than my will to live at this point. Considering I want to pull Cal into the Hidden Treasure’s restroom at the bottom of Ceily’s stairs to jump him. That man is dangerously fine.
Cal may be responsible for getting inside Carlotta’s offices and tearing things apart. That false backed wood file cabinet… trashed. The evidence she so carefully hid is gone. I could’ve screamed in frustration when Ceily opened the door beyond her lobby. Whoever did it used a key and locked it back up.
It’s giving validity to what her letter said.
Would Cal be bold enough to be seen right after doing that? Or did we catch him leaving?
I can’t make up my mind. It’s like a puzzle but the clues are jumbled up, in a language I don’t understand. He’s not acting guilty. Would a psychopath get embarrassed at being caught?
I refuse to believe he’s hurt people.
Cal mentioned half this town could have keys. Does Wilder? Did he do it to find out what made her name those three as suspects? No. No, he’d never go in and do that. I wish I had a way to call him. Not that he’d answer. The sting of him slipping away from the hospital still has me confused. One minute he flirts back, then he acts like he could care less if he sees me again. Hot and cold constantly.
Giving in to my desires, and reasoning that there is an expiration on my relationships could be a big mistake. Each connection is feeling as fragile as thin glass right now. I need to live in the moment, take what I want. The relief over Uncle Skip’s concern should spur me on to get back to work, but a part of me is holding back. He never placed a single call to my phone. His words still hurt like hell. They always will, like a bell that can’t be unrung.
So, I’m going to take the moments with each of them whenever I can. Even when it feels wrong. Like I should acknowledge the way I handed my heart away weeks ago.
I pull Cal in with his questioning look to the quaint dark sitting room outside what Ceily calls the ‘water closet’ where a toilet and bowl sink sit in a tiny room. I lock the door while pushing Cal into the green Victorian parlor chair. “Sir… do you know how damn stunning you are?” I run a finger down his cheek. “I want to wrap myself around your body and never let go.” Winking, I pull my top off, undo my transparent black bra putting it around his neck to pull him closer. “Can I have you?” I lean in to whisper, “I want to feel you inside me… right now.”
Frenzied, pulling off his shirt, my underwear, I climb onto his lap facing him. He whispers to me, “How could I ever say no to that face?”
This might be my new favorite position with him. Staring into his beautiful eyes, like a deep green leaf with the sun shining through it. It’s like he’s piercing my soul, tears come to my eyes.
After rolling a condom on his dick that he’s pulled out of his boxer briefs, I work him inside of me leaning my forehead against his. Reminding myself that Ceily or Keenan could walk past the door and hear us at any moment. I bite my lip, while breathing out softly “Oh my God… oh my God…” With Cal sitting down, his legs outstretched, he’s facing me. Our arms are wrapped around each other hugging.
In the lotus position our movements have me rubbing my clit, and nipples against him. Because our entire bodies are touching, it feels incredibly intimate, and it’s the perfect angle for kissing. Using a back-and-forth motion as well as up and down, I’m not going to hold on long before crashing into an orgasm. His raspy breathing, and fevered pleas, “Oh fuck… Oh sweetheart, yeah just like that… fuuuck.” confirm that Cal is close, too.
“Shhhh...” I kiss him to smother our noise. God, I love him. What am I doing?
When I break the kiss and look back into his eyes, they’ve filled with tears, too. A deep sadness is evident for a few seconds before he closes them. I throw my head back while grabbing onto him tighter, every muscle inside me clenching and milking him.
I want to cry. I want to rewind to yesterday… when the threat of losing this. Losing him, along with Charlie or Grady didn’t exist so strongly.
When I didn’t know the extent of how untethered my life truly is. When it wasn’t so present in my mind.
Cal holds me, kissing my shoulder sweetly. “Tell me what you and Skip were fighting about.”
The hopeful part of me, not yet snuffed out in disappointment, wants to confide in Cal. Trust him. But I know better. There is no one I can trust but me. Just me. “It was nothing.” I smile at him before kissing his chin, giving a playful little lick to his earlobe.
“You never tell me anything,” he says readjusting to hold me closer. “Why is that?”
“Hmm… I could say the same to you.” I had to find out about Sara from Charlie. Arguably one of the most shocking and horrific things that can happen to someone, he never divulged to me. He never talks about the past at all.
Cal leans back, holding me a little more loosely, but not letting go completely. “I don’t?”
“No. You play it off by acting like you don’t like talking about emotions, but I think you’re trying to look strong. You don’t need to do that. I want to know everything about you.” Nestling into his chest, neither of us are in a hurry to dress and leave.
“Is that why you don’t talk about your past? So it’s not perceived as a weakness?” He traces over the frog I drew on me, the feel of his fingers on my wrist soothing.
“I can be both terrifying and delightful, but I’m not weak. Never weak.” My response makes him laugh softly as he hugs me tightly to his chest.
Except when I’m around one of them. Then I’m afraid every last defense I have is useless.
Alanna rushes towards us when Cal and I get to James’ Flicks n’ Fun. “I’m happy to see you two. No offense, I'm ready to strangle your cousin. We have a line backed up to the ticket office and she keeps wandering off.” That tracks. I’m not wasting my time hunting her and her lead paint stare down.
In only the way Cal can, he hustles people along, handing out the vouchers we have for a free box of popcorn from the concessions to appease people. Watching him as Alanna and I give mini putt wait slips, my unease over seeing him in the vicinity of Carlotta’s office fades away. Not Cal. He exudes dad energy: goofy, funny, and charming. There is no way. A group of kids double over laughing at his Scooby doo voice.
Not a chance, my heart screams at me.
By the time Skip spots us, as he’s leaving the ticket office, the lines are under control, and I’m sanitizing mini-putt clubs. “You’re back. Good.” He lets out a big breath. “Is Cal here, too?” Hey, no need to acknowledge any of the shit you leveled me with this morning. Just… oh, you’re here that makes my life easier. Super.
Patterns. Dysfunctional fucking patterns.
“He’s here… although after the day he’s had I’m not sure why.” Skip starts to glance around looking for him. “Carlotta Marlow passed away.” He clearly can’t place the name when he looks back at me in confusion. “She was the property manager. You talked to her on the phone while we were on the way here a couple of times? Ring any bells?”
“Charlie wouldn’t be able to help then, right?”
I’m embarrassed at how insensitive he’s coming across right now. Cal has moved into hearing range and by the look on his face he didn’t miss what Skip said. I default to my way of handling the irritation that my uncle inspires in me. “Have you seen a mirror today?”
“What? Why?” He rubs his cheek.
“It’s best to keep it that way for a while.” His hair is sticking straight up on one side, his shave job missed a patch near his right ear, and inexplicably he has a shoe print on the back of his shirt.
Scurrying away to his office, to have a look, he doesn’t bother to say a word to Cal in condolence. Like he was raised by wolves. To be clear, his parents may have been a tad scarier than wild animals. Certainly more calculated. “Sorry,” I mumble dropping my head to focus on scrubbing off dirty little kid smudge marks.
Cal leans over the counter and kisses my forehead. “Don’t do that. Don’t apologize for him.”
“Where is Charlie?” I ask while glaring at Natalie who is busy licking an ice cream cone in the shade of hole nine with one of the teenage boys Skip hired last week.
“He’s back at his parent’s house trying to get Mitchell to pack up and leave with him.”
Leave? Charlie wants to get out of here still? My throat constricts and a desperate ‘no’ resounds in my mind.
“H-he’s leaving?”
That was always his plan, wasn’t it?
I just never let myself consider the fact that he would. Not my Charlie. Whether it’s next week after the funeral, next month or the end of the summer there was always going to be a goodbye. We dance around the future, pretending that what we’re doing has the possibility of lasting. It’s devastating to realize that I may want ‘us’ more than they do.
Cal’s smile falters as he leans against the counter watching me closely. “Come visit Droolius tonight, I taught him a new trick.”
“Actually, could you bring him to the cabin at The Bends? I’m moving back in with Skip and Nat.” It’s time to accept that I have to prove myself. Not just to me but them. Uncle Skip thinks I’m Relia incarnate. Natalie looks at me like I’m an alien most of the time. I’m nothing like my mom, I’m not running away. Besides, the fact he expressed concern about me to Cal means there’s hope we can be a family that cares about each other. Right?
One of Cal’s eyebrows raise while he frowns, “Next door to Wilder you mean?”
“This has nothing to do with him. I can’t keep imposing on Ceily, and I miss my Droolius. Hell, I even miss the lake.” The last statement gets an incredulous look from him.
“Fuck me,” he says to himself before looking me in the face. “I guess this means I’m going to be spending more time at The Bends, doesn’t it?”
I hope so. If I can finagle it, all four of them will stay close. While my heart truly breaks into bite size pieces. I hop up to hang over the counter slightly, kissing his neck. “I love you… frogs and birds.”
“You’re a gift, sweetheart. The complete package.” I snort in laughter at him. He knows that his cheesiness lifts my mood. He can just simply smile at me, I feel lighter… happier.
“Hmm… you can’t return gifts to the giftshop. Just remember that. Nonrefundable.”