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I roll on top of her again as she squeals in delight. I kiss along her neck and shoulders, tasting her sweet, salty skin.
She offsets laughing and moans of pleasure, which are gasoline to this fire we’ve created. We go back and forth for most of the night, giving and receiving the most pleasure I have ever experienced. We finally lie in each other’s arms, bodies spent. She is quietly sleeping and I look at her in complete wonder.
She makes me forget the life I once had. She stole the life I thought I wanted and replaced it with the life I need. Collins is my new home, even if she doesn’t realize it.
Just before I join her in sleep, I can only observe her natural beauty and be thankful for this earth-shattering woman who has blown a hole in my world. When sleep ultimately takes over, I fall asleep completely relaxed. Her smile is burned into my memory as one of the best days of my life.
And now, everything has changed…
My world has tipped on its axis. Collins carries this natural beauty I’ve never experienced before, beyond my wildest expectations.
Chapter 12
Collins
The sun seems to shine brighter today.
Last night, I shared a piece of my personal paradise. My secluded home is outside of town limits. Fewer people come around, but that’s the way I prefer it. We created our own little island. This house became our secret spot dedicated to me and him. I let completely go and lived a moment of euphoria. My heart said to live, and baby, did we ever.
Victor’s care and attentiveness were all-consuming. He was different. I could feel it. He wasn’t the cocky peacock that walked around, but a confident and sweet man. The way he holds me, I haven’t felt like this before. That voice in the back of my mind reminds me our time together is limited.
We are startled awake at the pounding of the door and a random voice screaming for a delivery.
“Who is that?” Victor’s deep voice rumbles while he rubs his eyes.
Our bodies are tangled in a mess of limbs and sheets. I try to roll out of the mess, with Victor laughing at my thrashing.
“It’s a delivery of heaven’s food that Massey promised. I’ll be right back.” I get up and throw on an old t-shirt and boy shorts. When I open the door, I see two boxes with Leo’s brand on it. Massey, that sneaky whore!
I quickly grab the boxes and head to the kitchen to make coffee. Victor walks out in his boxers, holding my chessboard, as I set the food on the counter.
“Question, did you make this?” He lifts the scrappy chessboard.
I smile and nod at the memory. It’s a solid block of wood that is poorly cut with a handsaw and painted with obnoxious colors.
“Lawson, Leland and I made it together when we were kids. My dad taught Leland before he up and left us. Then, Leland taught us on the nights my mom came home late from working two jobs. One night, Leland thought it would be a good idea for us to build this together. It was when the electric company turned the power off, and we had to spend the night in the dark until our mom could pay the bill the next morning.” My eyes water from the memory. “We sat outside and he made me and Lawson hold the light while he cut the sides. They let me pick the paint since I was afraid of the dark. It was an excellent distraction for me from the scary monsters. Here, grab the food and I’ll get us coffee.”
I try to ignore Victor’s warm smile and sad eyes as he puts the chessboard on top of the boxes and takes it all to the bed. The cheap coffeepot gurgles to life, and I stare at the dripping of the hot bean water, appreciating the generous aroma of caffeine.
When it beeps to completion, I fill two hearty cups and head toward my bedroom. I place the coffee mugs on the side table that doesn’t match any other furniture in my room. To be honest, nothing in my house blends together. Yard sales and trash dumps are where I found most of my stuff.
I open the French doors in my bedroom that face the ocean, letting in a soft breeze. Victor rearranges the blankets on the bed to make a small picnic area to lay out all the food. I crawl into bed and tuck my feet under my body.
“You can thank Massey for this food, heaven.” I snatch a biscuit from one of the containers and moan at the fluffy, buttery baked dough.
“I’m thanking her for a lot more than food.” He gives me a wink.
Unable to stop the blush from crawling up my cheeks, I sneak a piece of spam to shove in my face. His flirtatious comment leaves me flustered. “Shut up.”
“Tell me more about the board.” Victor quickly changes the subject, sensing some uneasiness at the moment.
Ungracefully swallowing a mouthful of food, I snag our piping hot coffees from the table and pass Victor his. Unsure of his preference, I just left it black. He takes a generous sip with a groan and I sigh into my cup. Relief washes over me.
“Well, Leland taught us. He made sure we knew how to play a game, recited this master speech that compared the game to life. Explained where pieces needed to go, and how to move them for the best outcomes. He would say, “Learn moves here and then apply it to life. Make yourself a king or queen and carefully calculate your moves. Protect your people.” From that moment on, I followed and watched Leland more carefully,” I explain. “I mean, the way he took care of us, sacrificing a lot to make sure we were ok. Even now, we still look out for each other.”
“No man left behind,” Victor realizes.
“Yup.”
