Ròs House, Musselburgh, Scotland – October 2017
Michael woke up with a start and cringed as the sun invading the bedroom almost blinded him. He turned his head and noticed that Lisa was gone. Then he checked the alarm clock on the nightstand. Nearly ten in the morning.
“Fuck!”
He jumped to his feet and winced when his back warned him that no, he couldn’t do that. Not that way. Not anymore. Slow down, big man!
Naked and still half-wrapped in the sheets, he grabbed his boxers from the floor, where he had tossed them carelessly only a few hours earlier and put them on, hopping around on one foot.
“Fuck, fuck, fuck!”
He quickly retrieved a pair of sweater pants and a t-shirt from the walk-in closet and launched himself into the bathroom because he needed to pee. He peed in a hurry, all the while huffing and rolling his eyes.
As he washed his hands in the sink, he stared at his own reflection in the mirror. He looked kind of high – hair a bit longer than usual and all over the place, pupils dilated, face flushed.
Lisa had woken up and left, and he hadn’t heard her! How had it happened? It wasn’t even the first time she did that. He seriously needed to have a word with the little lady, ‘cause that shit wasn’t gonna fly any longer. Or maybe he just needed to have his hearing checked.
Michael brushed his teeth and pondered over the fact that he had been out cold after she woke him up right before dawn to have that quick, steamy sex session. He faintly remembered having opened his eyes, finding the room flooded with silvery moonlight and Lisa’s hand into his underwear.
“Finally… took you long enough to wake up…” She had murmured, giving him a crooked grin.
“What…?” He had watched her through squinted eyes and then had caught his breath as her fingers squeezed him tighter. “Lise… what are you doing?”
“I’m horny…” Her apologetic eyes had made him smile, and his head had fallen back into the pillow.
“Aahhh…!” He had exhaled a long breath, feigning exasperation and knowing well that she could see right through him. The truth was that he was far from annoyed. His rock-hard dick was a good indicator, too.
“I just thought you could help me out… But if you’re tired, I can always play with myself a little bit and see if I can make it better…”
Well, he didn’t need to hear that sultry voice to make up his mind, although the image of Lisa touching herself was always a huge turn-on.
“Com’ere…” Michael had grabbed her by the waist and pulled her into his lap.
A gasp and that sweet, sexy voice of hers.
“Oh, baby… I can feel you’re all nice and ready…” She had swayed her perfect butt on his crotch, and he had rubbed his face with both hands, trying to chase away sleep.
“What time is it?” He had mumbled, as she leaned over and started kissing his chest, her lips and teeth torturing his nipples. “Ouch!”
Lisa had giggled.
“You’re so sensitive, daddy… here… let me make it better…”
Her tongue on his skin had made it difficult to speak, and he had run his fingers through her long hair, then on her smooth back. She was naked.
“Take these off…” Her voice muffled, Lisa had pushed his boxers down, and he had wiggled out of them, tossing them on the floor. Because honestly, what else could he do? Say no? To Lisa? No way!
Then, he remembered her riding him hard and fast for a few minutes, almost squeezing him to death with the clenching of her strong, internal muscles, driving him to distraction with her soft, pillowy heat. She had been demanding and pushy and, for once, he had loved how the tables had turned. She had grabbed his hands and had placed them on her own breasts, showing him exactly how she wanted to be touched, kneaded, teased. She had bossed him around, and he had adored being her toy boy, this time. After all, although a dominant attitude came more natural to him, he also loved role-playing every now and then.
After letting him witness a couple of mind-blowing orgasms that had made him fear for his sanity, Lisa had focused solely on his pleasure, swaying her hips, pushing down, raking her nails on his torso, bending forward and invading his mouth with her tongue, moaning against his lips. She had told him things that would have made him blush in the bright light of day and that, coupled with her masterful skills as a lover and some lethal clenching down there, had pushed him into an earth-shattering release.
Then she had snuggled against his chest, alternating satisfied sighs with words of love and gentle kisses until they both had drifted off in each other’s arms, his semi-hard penis still snug and warm inside her body. Just perfect.
And now the pushy broad was gone!
Michael jogged down the stairs and walked to the kitchen and Miss Emma, the cook they had hired a couple of months earlier, turned to him and smiled.
“Good morning, sir.”
“Morning, Miss Emma…”
She looked at him for a moment, all the while stirring something in a pot, and grinned. Emma Rivera was a sixty-something lady with a contagious smile and a gentle personality. Born in Puerto Rico and raised in Mexico, she cooked terrific dishes that made Michael’s feat of staying thick and fit much, much easier. Both he and Lisa had fallen in love right away with her amiable disposition and spotless resume. She was a discreet, privacy-oriented, very respectful sweet woman and they considered themselves lucky to have found her.
Miss Emma had also been quick at grasping both Michael’s and Lisa’s routines and personalities.
“Your coffee…” She handed him a cup, and he leaned against the kitchen counter, drinking quietly.
“Thank you.”
“Are you in a hurry, sir? You look… a bit disheveled.” Her knowing smile made him blush, and he just shrugged.
“No… I’m just… Looking for…”
“Miss Lisa’s in the greenhouse. She came down about an hour ago… and don’t worry… I made sure she ate all her breakfast.”
“You’re an angel, Miss Emma.” Michael placed the empty cup in the sink. “What would we do without you?”
She laughed her crystalline laugh.
“Oh, someone else would take my place, I guess.”
“But it wouldn’t be the same…” Michael glanced into the various pots and saucepans and inhaled deeply. “What’s for lunch, by the way? It all smells amazing… You and your husband will join us, right?”
“Thank you, sir, you’re very kind. It’s a little bit of this, a little bit of that… this one right here is Arroz a la jardinera… short of garlic, because I know you don’t like it. We’re also having hearts of palm and artichoke aguachile negro, winter squash enchilada, black bean soup and… Mexican hot chocolate, as expressly requested by Miss Lisa.”
“Of course…” Michael giggled. “You shouldn’t spoil her so much, Miss Emma.”
She threw him a look, as if to say that he was the one spoiling Lisa. And she was totally right.
“OK… Let me check on my girl before she wonders where the heck I am…” He opened a cabinet and retrieved a pack of crackers. “…I’m gonna get this too… just in case.”
“Don’t forget to put on your sweater, sir…” Miss Emma smirked but kept her eyes fixed on the food she was cooking. “You don’t want to catch a cold and infect her.”
“Right… Right.” Michael whispered to himself as he put on his coat. He quickly glanced down at his own attire: runner shoes, sweater pants, a crumpled t-shirt and a black coat. He was a mess!
Shivering in the chilly morning air, he walked across the beautiful autumnal garden, glancing up and taking a second to admire the perfection of the steel grey sky. It was getting darker by the second. He loved warm temperatures, but he was starting to appreciate the mercurial changes of the Scottish weather, which sometimes he enjoyed while snuggling under the covers… Not alone. The wind, the rain, the chilly nights and the warm, sunny days… Not alone. This harmonious passing of the seasons fascinated him. And this morning, the bluish grey of the clouds above reminded him of the stormy depths of Lisa’s ever-changing eyes.
His heart took a leap – as it had been happening a lot, lately, and Michael cleared his throat. All the while, he lengthened his stride and waved at Marcus, the gardener. Miss Emma’s very Scottish husband. Michael arrived right in front of the greenhouse’s door and stopped cold, watching Lisa through the tempered glass.
She was sitting at the antique wooden table in the corner, facing the huge glass walls, surrounded by blooming roses of every color and by a triumph of sunflowers. Michael knew what she was doing. She was writing, and likely humming to herself.
Lisa had been scribbling down lyrics for some new songs for weeks now, and he loved watching her as she worked. Unseen, Michael had once peeked at one of her notepads, drawn to the lines and curves of her familiar handwriting, her words wrapping around his heart like vine branches, squeezing it. It had been only for a handful of seconds, and then he had looked away because Lisa was back and he knew she was very private about her music. And yet, some of the lyrics had stuck in his mind.
I thought I had to move on, leaving you behind
And I found you facing me
I thought the light was gone and I had lost the key to our box
And here you are again, wide open to me…
Beautiful and haunting lyrics, talking about their past and their present, about her pain and her love for him. And about their future. There was no longer rage in Lisa’s words, but more like a quiet awareness, a maturity that he, himself, was discovering day after day in them both. Those words he had read were nothing but the natural prosecution of their journey together, and he couldn’t wait to hear them translated into music. So far, Lisa hadn’t mentioned recording, and she had been all about writing, but more than once he had caught her in the studio, scribbling or listening to old blues records that he had brought from his old house in Peterhead. Michael had decided to just leave her be. He was sure that she would involve him somehow, eventually.
And just like that, as if she had sensed his presence, Lisa looked over her shoulder and smirked at him. He could only smile in return and open the door.
“Hey, gorgeous…”
He stepped into the greenhouse almost hesitantly, feeling like an intruder.
She pushed a strand of long hair behind her ear and got up, slowly walking toward him.
“Hey… Good morning.”
She looked pensive, maybe a bit melancholic, and Michael showed her the pack of crackers.
“Here… this is for you.”
Her smile, still very soft, widened.
“Thank you, baby, but I’m not hungry… Miss Emma made me eat all my breakfast.”
“I know, she told me. But I just want to make sure, you know…” Michael stepped closer and rested his big, warm hand on her belly, exhaling a long sigh. “I don’t want you to get dizzy… or anything…”
Lisa was twelve weeks pregnant.
And it still felt unreal.
They thought that having a baby would not be easy: after all, a 25% to 40% chance of success was not extremely low, but not even high. As a matter of fact, they were prepared to work a lot and for quite some time.
“Whether we’re eventually blessed with a baby or not, our relationship is everything is worth fighting for,” Michael had reassured Lisa, again and again. All the while bracing himself for the worst, too, just in case. Instead, she had gotten pregnant between the end of July and the beginning of August. Almost immediately. When she had told Michael, he had about burst out crying.
He closed his eyes for a sweet moment, focusing on the light bump that was now starting to become visible on her belly. They already knew it was just one fetus, but nothing about the gender, yet. Their baby was in there, and very soon they would be able to feel his or her movements. Butterflies rose in his chest, tickling his body from the inside.
Instinctively, he crouched down and kissed her there, his forehead resting on her slightly rounded abdominal area.
“Hi, little one… Daddy’s here,” he murmured softly and sighed feeling Lisa’s hand on his head, her fingers stroking his hair. She wrapped both her arms around his shoulders and placed light kisses on the top of his head.
“Daddy’s here…” She repeated in a whisper, and Michael smiled.
This was it. This was all he had been dreaming of, throughout his entire life. This is what he had always wanted, everything he had been waiting for. He had realized it before, but it became even more evident now. Having kids was beautiful, it had been the best experience of his life. But this… having a baby with the woman he had always loved. This felt otherworldly amazing. His joy was so immense that he hadn’t even been able to find the words to express how he felt. What they were experiencing rendered him speechless. It all still felt like a dream.
However, they both were cautious. The miscarriage they had suffered during their marriage had made them even more careful and alert than necessary. But they just couldn’t help it.
So far, all was good. Lisa was now at the end of her first trimester without having experienced any major issue. They were expecting to face severe morning sickness strikes, dizziness, exaggerated mood swings, placenta previa, pestilence, a nuclear blast. Basically, everything. Instead, nothing but almost surreal peace. Yes, she did have morning sickness at times, especially if she was not quick at putting something into her stomach right after waking up. But Michael would always make sure she had some carbs to munch on, and that was the reason why he had been so aggravated about waking up late and not finding her in bed, still asleep by his side. Luckily enough, Miss Emma had already taken good care of her.
Michael kissed Lisa’s belly, again and again, then rose and held her in his arms, kissing her on the lips, sighing in the kiss.
Lisa pulled back and watched him intently, the shadow of a smirk appearing on her beautiful face. She scrunched her nose.
“What’s going on with you? You look a bit ruffled today…” She tousled his curls and giggled, now studying his hair. “It’s getting long again, baby… want me to give you a haircut?”
“Maybe later. First, tell me, please, why in the world you left without waking me up – you know I don’t like it.” He tried to look at her with a stern face – and failed miserably.
She awarded him with a low, husky chuckle that showed him how little impressed she was with his feigned irritation.
“Don’t get your panties all in a bunch over nothing, Michael… You just looked so peaceful…” She leaned up and nipped at his chin in a seductive fashion. “…Besides, I thought you needed some rest after last night.”
He nodded, his eyes open wide in pretend shock.
“I know, right? You fucked the daylights out of me and then left! It’s clear that you only want me for my dick and don’t care at all about my crackers. I feel so used.”
Lisa threw her head back and laughed.
“Careful with that dirty talk, Mike, you know that my hormones are flaring. Anyway… I’m sorry I hurt your feelings, but…” She closed the small gap separating them, pressing her body against his. “…if it makes you feel any better, you too hurt me in all the right places, daddy… So I guess we’re even.”
A low, humming sound emerged from the depth of his throat as he ran his hands over her back and cupped her ass.
“Alright then. Fair enough. We’re even.”
He loved the rhythm they had found and loved the way they were dealing with their pregnancy. They were back to being the secure, stable unit they once had been. The handful of months spent together in their new home had made him aware of one thing: during their marriage, when Lisa had asked him to leave the States and move someplace else, possibly abroad, and get rid of all the outsiders that had become such an integral part of their personal relationship, she was right. He should have listened to her, instead of just raising an eyebrow at her suggestion. She had understood pretty early that there were way too many people involved in their marriage to allow a serene, peaceful, natural relationship. But he had just laughed at her doubts, preferring to give more credit to his yes men than to his very blunt, sometimes bitchy, no-nonsense wife. It was easier, more comfortable. It had also been stupid, and the price they both had paid had been so high. Now everything was different, and Michael didn’t miss his life the way it was before. Having the chance, he would have turned back time and tweaked a few things here and there, but what they had now was miraculous. And it felt right. Piece after piece, they had been unbreaking what had been broken.
Now, this pregnancy looked like the cherry on top of something that was bound to be from the very beginning. Michael believed that God had decided that it was time for him and Lisa to stop suffering and groveling, and salvation had arrived. Redemption had taken the shape of their newly found love story and of a little bean inside his woman’s belly.
“Lise, seriously though… You really feel OK? No exhaustion, nausea, vomiting, super-sore breasts, headaches, faintness…”
She placed the palm of her hand on his mouth, silencing him.
“We gotta get rid of those pregnancy books for dads.”
He shook his head. No.
“Yes. And we gotta limit your access to the internet. You get too worked up.”
He closed his fingers around her wrist and gently removed her hand from his mouth.
“About the internet: OK, I’ll tone it down. It freaks me out anyway. Books: I wanna keep ‘Dad’s pregnant, too!’. And ‘What to Expect when your wife is expanding: a reassuring month-by-month guide for the father-to-be, whether he wants advice or not.’ They’re my favorite.”
She bit her lip at his matter-of-fact tone and did her best not to laugh.
“Deal?” He raised an eyebrow and kissed her wrist.
“Deal.” Lisa cradled his face in her hand. “…And to answer your question: no. I’m OK. I’ve been OK for a few days now… no more morning sickness, no more dizziness. Looks like I’m only experiencing the good stuff this time… such as glowing skin… increased sex drive, as you’re starting to realize… oh, and I’ve been craving lemons and all citrus for a while now.”
“You forgot chocolate.”
“I crave chocolate all the time. So, you see, this baby’s so well behaved already… our little miracle…”
“Such a smart little bean, too… arriving just in time for its mama to not experience a summer pregnancy…. Even though, I gotta admit that the idea of a very pregnant you in a bikini and a sarong is kinda sexy.”
Lisa snorted.
“Are you fucking kidding me? I did experience pregnancy in the summer, and I guarantee you, there’s nothing sexy about it. Obvious but true: it’s steaming. You’re huge. It stinks.”
“No, you would have been nothing but perfect… And don’t even get me started on your assets…” His hands slid up and cupped her breasts, which had started to become fuller and plumper. “…You got such a nice cleavage already, baby…”
He leaned down, his face in the crook of her neck, his beard tickling her. He inhaled deeply. “And you smell so good… Your skin is so soft and smooth… You’re sexy as all hell, girl… I’m so glad we’ve started making love again.”
No sex after IVF transfer was the usual caution, as sexual activity and orgasms could affect implantation. After discovering that Lisa had indeed gotten pregnant, the doctors had advised to abstain from sex for further four or five weeks – or at least to limit sexual activity to strict foreplay. After all, theirs was still an at-risk pregnancy and although Lisa was closely monitored and not showing any health issue, she and Michael had preferred to just wait for a while. Then, around the eleventh week, she had started to have other cravings apart from lemons and chocolate. And he had been only too happy to oblige… pleasuring her and himself in the process. He adored the way her body was changing and, day after day, he just couldn’t wait to find out what this magnificent metamorphosis had in store for them. It was like witnessing the birth of a beautiful butterfly.
“Hey… What about that haircut? Your offer still good?”
Her blue eyes shimmered, smiling at him.
“Very much so… Come on. Let’s go.”
They enjoyed a long shower together. A perfect excuse to take their time lathering each other, caressing, kissing, cuddling… and talking, too. About everything, about nothing. All of a sudden, no subject was off-limits, nothing remained unspoken, no walls emerged from the ground, separating them. They were in sync and moving in the same direction.
After the shower, Lisa made Michael sit on a stool in the bathroom and positioned herself behind his back, scissors and comb in her hand. She started by gently massaging his scalp and he sighed, closing his eyes and relaxing under her touch. Then she combed his hair and started shortening his curls near the back of his head, working her way around the opposite side.
“You’re good…” Michael murmured with a sigh, his eyes semi-closed. She smirked, her eyes still focused on his hair.
“I am, thank you very much. I cut Ben’s hair several times, and he always looked…” A little snip. “…just…” Another snip. “…perfect.”
Lisa now moved on the side of his head, taking off length by working her comb and scissors vertically, from bottom to top. She worked slowly and with care and, once she completed the side area, she began going around the remainder of his head shape. Still mastering the same scissor over comb technique like a pro, Lisa took the texturizing shears from the sink to blend the back and side areas, cutting diagonally and paying attention to Michael’s natural hairline. He stared at her in the mirror, mesmerized. Her light touch, her breath caressing his head, her aqua eyes focused on the scissors, every single detail contributed to his fascination. And to his arousal. There was something so incredibly sexy in having his woman cut his hair, and he felt goosebumps rise on his skin. Lisa detected them too and smirked, glancing at him in the mirror.
“You alright, Papi?”
Michael raised an eyebrow and didn’t reply. He was sure that, behind the calm façade, Lisa was just as affected by that intimate contact. She was now working in horizontal sections in the crown area, from back to front, creating a flawless separation in the top area, concealing his scars while giving the hairstyle a chunky, aggressive texture. He noticed how she closed the blade slowly, to not add any useless friction to his hair. He was totally at ease with her, and didn’t feel the need to hide any of the details that used to make him so self-conscious. He knew she loved him just the way he was.
Lisa observed her work with a satisfied grin and placed the scissors and the comb on the sink. She applied a bit of hair wax on her hands, rubbing them together, and moved to the front, facing him, standing right in between his legs, staring into his eyes for a moment. Then she worked the wax through his hair, using her fingers.
Pure. Heaven.
Michael closed his eyes, and his head tilted back a little. Lisa giggled.
“Are you falling asleep? Stand still… I’m almost done…”
“Yeah? Damn… Too bad…”
“Something else you want, Mike?”
He replied with a low, deep moan and rested his hands on her hips. Lisa wore nothing but a satin robe, and he could smell the intoxicating scent of her skin. His arousal amped up some more. Thank God he wore his jammies, otherwise the situation would have been painful at this point. She cleaned her hands with a washcloth and then placed them on his shoulders.
“You look amazing…” She murmured, then paused. “So gorgeous. I love you so much…”
Michael smiled, his fingers working to untie her robe.
“You did such a great job, baby… Let me reward you… you are so beautiful…”
Faced with the pure perfection of her naked flesh, the only thing he could do was pull her to him gently, resting his lips on the skin of her stomach. Lisa took in a sharp breath and clung to his shoulders with more force. His kisses descended on her belly and, all the while, his hands caressed her toned thighs, the velvety sensation under his fingers racing straight to his head. And a little more south, too. He could smell her arousal, and couldn’t wait to have her. In every possible way.
She closed her arms around his head, effectively messing the hairdo she had just so carefully crafted. Her hot, uneven breath in his hair edged him further.
“Touch me, baby…” She whispered, and all the while her hips pushed forward, craving a deeper contact.
His lips now on her pelvic bone, Michael’s hand reached in between her legs and she spread them a little, granting him more access. She was hot and velvety. And wet.
“You want this, girl? You’re up to it?” He murmured, his voice pure velvet, his kisses moving lower.
“Yes… Please, Mike…”
“Spread ‘em a bit more, then…” He placed his palm on her lower abs, right under her navel. His other hand opened her up to him. He couldn’t wait any longer. He had to taste her. He leaned in and his lips closed on her hot, smooth sex, his tongue immediately seeking entrance. Lisa whimpered, undulating against his mouth. His heartbeat echoing into his ears, he lapped at the soft flesh, inebriated by her taste, her scent, their bond. As his fingers entered her slowly, he registered her moans. They were louder now, asking him to keep going. As if he could ever stop.
Her legs trembled under his ministrations and she parted her legs more, swallowing, her head falling back, her hands still on his head.
“Oh…” She breathed out, closing her eyes. Her body was on fire. Electric shocks ran through her. There was nothing more she wanted than being taken by this man, this man who held power over everything she was and everything she would ever be.
“Yes, baby… right there… God.” She spoke with immense exertion and jerked, her hips surging ahead, moving against his tongue and fingers as her orgasm mounted, unstoppable. Before she could do anything she found herself convulsing against his tongue and his hand, and yet he held her in place.
“That’s it… There you go, Lise… Come for me… I got you.” He spoke in between deep, open-mouthed kisses, dragging her climax on and on until she was breathless. She staggered and he grabbed her by the waist, looking up at her with shiny dark eyes, smiling. “You OK?” He asked, his voice hoarse. Her chest rising and falling rapidly, her skin flushed, strands of wet hair falling on her face, she was the most beautiful creature he had ever laid eyes on.
She didn’t reply with words, but framed his face with both hands and kissed him hotly, her tongue dueling with his. He backed off slightly.
“You wanna lie down…? Relax for a minute, maybe?”
Lisa smiled, rubbing his naked chest.
“Hell, no… You really think you can sex me up like this and then stop me?” She slowly went down on her knees in between his legs. “Your turn, daddy…”
He sighed and, almost in a conditioned response, grasped himself through the cotton of his PJs. Her mouth watered as she watched his big hand close on his even bigger rod.
“Yeah… That’s right, Mike… Come on, I know you need this…”
He took her hand and placed it on himself and moaned as she grabbed him hard. It was only for a moment, because almost immediately she worked on his pants, lowering them on his hips and freeing him. What a relief!
She stared at his fully erect penis and bit her lip, then her eyes flew up and meet his. Molten planets colliding. Explosion! He grabbed her by the back of her head and pulled her into his kiss, just as her hand resumed her lethal stroking. Michael took a deep breath, fearing he would go off like a missile before those sweet lips could even touch him. It was crazy how, after so many years, Lisa could still manage to render him so aroused, every cell of his body on fire, burning and throbbing.
Her kisses started their descent, and she sucked on the soft flesh of his neck, nipped at his shoulder. Her free hand rubbed his pectorals and her mouth followed, tracing a torturous path around his nipples and moving lower still. Her other hand was still on his cock, stroking him mercilessly. Lisa had always been a very passionate lover, but the pregnancy had turned her even more into a sex fiend. Not that he complained. She started by running her tongue over his steel, and he thought he would pass out. Just as he was about to beg her to take him, her mouth engulfed him and he let out a loud moan, his hands on both sides of her head now, following her movements. It was wild, the way she was kissing and sucking him and his hips bucked up involuntarily, while an electric current shot down his legs. Thank goodness the staff knew that their private quarters were off-limits.
“God… you taste like heaven, Mike…. Shit.”
“Shit… fuck…” He breathed out in between gritted teeth. “You’ll end up killing me one of these days…”
She let go of him for a moment and found his lips again, kissing him hard, whispering against his mouth. “I hear Miss Emma’s been cooking a lot of stuff today… we better work up an appetite, we don’t wanna disappoint the lady…”
Michael just grunted and pushed her head down gently, and once again she took him into her mouth as far as she could. His head fell back, his eyes closed. At this rate, he knew he wasn’t going to last. The way her lips and tongue worked him. The way she touched him. The way she spoke to him. And he really, really wanted to come while buried in her velvety warmth.
“Wait… baby… gosh, back off…” With the last ounce of rationality left, he managed to pull back and looked at her, breathless. Her blue eyes had taken the hue of a thundery sky and reflected the storm that was now raging outside.
“Tell me, Mike… tell me what you want…” She was still holding him in her small hand, but at least her movements had ceased. And yet he felt himself throb and jerk in her grasp.
“I want…” He stroked her cheek. “…I wanna make love to you.”
She smiled, and he almost went blind seeing the pure candor and undiluted sweetness painted on her gorgeous face. He placed his hands on her waist and lifted her, and she sat in his lap, kissing him deeply, her pelvis moving in rhythmic motions against his ultra-sensitive penis. He moaned into her mouth and cupped her ass, pulling her in further. She was so soft and swollen down there – thanks to the pregnancy and the increased blood flow to that area. He shivered as her hand reached down and closed on him, firmly guiding him to paradise.
“Oh, baby… You’re so big… and hard… We gotta be careful, here.” She cocked her head to a side and smirked, her very innocent tone in perfect contrast with the playful look in her eyes. Michael smiled, and she lowered herself on him, letting him breach her inch by inch. They both gasped as he entered her, and he watched the way her hips moved to take him, felt how tight and moist she was, how calescent her internal walls felt as they gripped him. His hands caressed and stroked her breasts, her nipples, and he bent his head, sucking and biting gently, heightening her arousal as he knew he still had a bit to go. He had more inches to give her and Lisa gyrated in his lap as he slowly thrust upwards. He heard her moan and pushed himself into her warmth over and over until he managed to fill her to the hilt. They both stopped, catching their breath. Lisa’s ears buzzed at the overwhelming feeling of being filled so completely.
Leaning her forehead against his, keeping her eyes fixed into his, and aware that he was holding back a bit, wanting her to be the one in charge of setting the pace that worked best for her, Lisa lifted her body slightly and then sat down on him in one sharp movement. He moaned, and it came out loud enough to startle him.
“I don’t think you know how much you turn me on, Lise…” His voice was hoarse, his breath ragged.
“And you have no idea what it does to me to feel you come hard inside of me…” She kissed him, her tongue tracing his full lips, as she started to move on his lap in a steady rhythm. “…Come on… give it all to me… I wanna feel you get off…”
Gosh, she was his original sin. Kissing and sucking on her breasts once again, he pushed himself into her over and over, as she danced on his body in that undulating motion that managed to touch her in all the right places. They found their tempo and any fear of hurting her left him. Michael sucked on her breasts harder and she threw her head back, whimpering and starting to shake, climaxing once again, her orgasm so intense to be almost painful.
In the distance, they barely registered Lisa’s cell phone ringing.
Still moving inside of her, alternating slow, strong straight jabs with internal, circular movements, he managed to open his eyes and stared at her.
“Want me to stop and get it?” He panted.
“Fuck no… who cares… keep going, daddy… I can feel you’re ready to explode…” She winced. “Holy shit, it’s too much… you’re too good… God.”
Any rational thought just ceased to exist the moment she squeezed him even harder, and he let go, pushing into her hard now, his pace quickening, the sound of her moans as an aphrodisiac as her skin, her flesh, her spirit.
“Fucking hell… I’m coming hard, baby…” He managed to breathe out in between gritted teeth, and Lisa clung to him harder, her lips on his ear now.
“Yeah… oh yeah… give it to me… give it to me…”
That mantra was his undoing and he erupted into her so violently that he swayed on the stool, only her presence anchoring him to a reality that felt even better than any conceivable dream. His release triggered another orgasm in Lisa and she joined him, sobbing and convulsing, her body stiffening for a long moment and, finally, going limp against his.
Their erratic breathing filled the bathroom. Michael swallowed and held her tight, the aftershock of his orgasm still taxing his nerve endings. She felt her fingers trace his moist chest.
“I got you all sweaty… I’m sorry, baby…” She kissed him thoroughly, tasting his salty skin.
“It’s OK… We’re gonna take another shower.”
She sat up and kissed his forehead, lingering there for a moment.
“Let me get my phone, first… I wanna know who was calling… trying to distract us from our amazing fuckfest.”
He giggled.
“I’mma give you a pass only because we’re still so early in our pregnancy and little bean can’t hear nothing… But you’ll have to clean up your vocabulary, missy…”
Lisa smirked and shoved him lightly, all the while withdrawing from his body with a moan, standing up.
“Stop being such a prude… it doesn’t suit you, I told you already.”
Before he could reply, she headed for the bedroom and disappeared. As he heard her fiddle with her purse, he pulled up his jammies and walked to the sink, splashing some cold water on his face. Just when his eyes met his reflection in the mirror, finding a high-looking, half-naked, deliriously happy guy staring back at him, he heard Lisa gasp and immediately turned his head, frowning.
“What’s going on?”
“It was doctor Russell!” Her voice held that slightly higher pitch that was synonymous with surprise and excitement. “Mike, she sent me a text! They got the result! That’s why she was calling us!”
Michael dashed to the bedroom and found her sitting on the bed, staring at the cell phone in her hand. She looked up at him, and her eyes were panicked. He felt a grip in his chest but held steady, masking every emotion behind a very calm façade.
“Alright. Now we’re gonna call her back and hear what she has to say… OK, baby?”
He sat down next to her and took her hand, watching her carefully.
Once reached the tenth week of pregnancy, they had opted to undergo an NIPT – a non-invasive prenatal test able to detect several chromosomal conditions through a simple blood test.
Michael gently took the cell from her hand and dialed doctor Russell’s number. Then put the call on speaker.
“Hello?”
“Doctor Russell?”
“Ethan! Good morning!” He could tell that doctor Russell was smiling and gave Lisa a reassuring look. She reacted by raking her fingers through her hair.
“Hello, how are you, doc?”
“I’m very good, thank you! I tried to call you earlier, but I guess you were busy. I was going to try again later this afternoon.”
“Oh, no, it’s fine. We just…” Michael cleared his throat. “…The phone was on vibrate.”
Lisa rolled her eyes.
“Alright. So, is Lisa OK? Is she resting and eating properly?”
“I’m here, doc,” Lisa chimed in. “I’m great, thank you. Eating and resting properly, as per your instructions.”
“Good! Don’t forget to drink a lot of water!”
“Oh I won’t, don’t worry. So…” Lisa fiddled with the belt of her robe. “I saw your message… you got the result of our NIPT…”
“Yes, I did. And I was calling you to tell you that no abnormality was detected. Your baby is healthy… Great news, right?”
Lisa let out a long sigh of relief and, by her side, Michael finally felt his muscles relax. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close, kissing her temple.
“Amazing news,” Lisa said, her voice breaking, all the while blinking back the tears that threatened to spill.
“There’s also something else. As I told you, NIPT also looks for pieces of the male sex chromosome in the mom’s blood, to see if she’s carrying a boy or a girl.”
Michael and Lisa looked at each other.
“Meaning that you can also find out your baby’s gender right now if you want… But if you wanna wait, I totally understand that.”
He blinked, a little grin appearing on his face. He and Lisa had talked about it. Of course, they wanted to know. In the past two weeks, they had chosen both a female and male name for their little bean, just in case. Adah – which meant “beautiful” – and Kellan, whose meaning was “powerful.” Both lovely African baby names. Both symbolizing how Lisa and Michael saw their newly found family, and their union.
He leaned toward the phone, clearing his throat once again.
“No, we do… I mean, we, uhm… wanna know now.”
Lisa’s grip on his hand tightened.
“Alright then. Ethan and Lisa… you’re having a baby boy.”
Lisa let out a sob and covered her mouth with her hand and, without even realizing, Michael found his eyes drowning in tears. He looked up and there she was, staring back at him.
Kellan. Their little miracle’s name would be Kellan Murphy Presley.
Peterhead, October 2016
He had been sitting in his Jeep for almost an hour, and now started to wonder if he would ever gather the courage to get out. He also wondered if what he was doing was right.
When he had called Janet, asking her for fresh news about Lisa – right after finding out that she was finally divorcing that oddly dressed dude she had decided to marry in 2006 – he had acted on pure impulse. Michael didn’t really think he was going to do anything about the new information. He would just let it seep into his mind – like he usually did. It would last him for a few years, he was sure.
But then… something had snapped, into his mind, like a rope pulled to the extreme until every fiber just collapses. Janet telling him that Lisa’s divorce was going to be nasty. That possible abuses were involved. That this dude was probably going to try and suck Lisa dry. That Lisa was not good at all, that she had to go to rehab for a few weeks. That, as far as Janet knew, Lisa had never truly recovered after what had happened to him in 2009.
Oh, Michael already had an inkling about that last part. He had seen her on TV, at his memorial. He had also seen some pictures on the internet, the stillness of her desperation branding his mind forever. He had spoken to his mother – who had told him that Lisa was destroyed. Naturally, mother had tried to gild the bitter pill, but he had felt as if it was being pushed forcefully into his throat… after having been wrapped in sandpaper. Painful, leaving marks, drawing blood.
She would get over it, he had told himself through the years. She has a family, she’ll recover. She’ll live, and she’ll be happy. Without me.
And now, once again all his certainties were destroyed – as Janet had told him, very bluntly, that Lisa was anything but happy. Well, what was he supposed to do about that? Nothing. Lisa was in Los Angeles, and he couldn’t go back there. That was no longer his home. It did look like fate kept working against them. Besides, he was – uh, dead? To her. Almost to everyone. Nothing he could do about that either – he had made his choice. He had been forced to.
But no.
Janet had launched the grenade and it had landed right at Michael’s feet, the blast too impending to take cover, to save himself.
Lisa was not in L.A. or, at the very least, she wasn’t going to be there much longer. She needed – according to Janet’s source – “a breather from everything and everyone.” She felt “betrayed, disappointed and disillusioned.” She was “sick of it all” and needed to “regroup,” to find a way to push through a life that had “broken her into pieces too many times.” Of all places, Lisa had decided to move to Scotland. And Michael had been living in Wales for a few years now.
Wales and Scotland. A distance of mere three-hundred miles.
Fate. Once again. Only, this time it wasn’t kicking him in the balls. It looked like it was telling him something, by pushing the woman he had never stopped loving so close to where he was. For a few weeks, Michael had ignored the internal voice telling him to just go to her, tell her the truth, knowing well that the truth would be safe with her. No. It was all over.
Only, it wasn’t.
And eventually, once again he had acted on pure instinct – putting his rationality aside for the first time in almost seven years. He had terminated his rental agreement. He had found out where Lisa had rented her house – in Peterhead, a small town in Aberdeenshire. He had found a place there, too. And he had moved all his stuff to his new home. Right next to the woman he loved, and who didn’t know he was alive and well. Changed, older, yes. But alive. And so crazy about her, still.
Now there were no more excuses. The removal company had finished the job it had been paid for, and the only thing left to do was climb out of the fucking Jeep, walk across the property bordering Lisa’s, and step into his new house. If only he could bring himself to let go of the damn steering wheel.
The night had fallen and, although Michael hadn’t seen her yet, he knew she was home. Yellowish lights illuminated her windows and, every now and then, he could detect a movement behind the curtains. It was enough to shatter his heart inside his chest. For a second he realized that, if Lisa ever decided to come out at that very moment, she would find herself facing an old Jeep with a stranger sitting inside, like a creep. That sudden realization gave him the willpower to finally break his paralysis and he pushed the car door open. His boots made contact with the loose gravel on the path, and he straightened his back, smoothing down his long black coat. He grabbed his newsboy hat from the seat and pushed it onto his head, then scratched his beard.
As he closed the car door and pressed the lock button on the remote, Lisa appeared at the window, possibly startled by the sudden flash of the Jeep’s turn signals. Even though he could only make out her silhouette, Michael knew it was her and froze in place. He was in the dark, and she couldn’t see him, but he could see her. He stared at her small, lithe frame, bathed by the warm light coming from inside the house, his heartbeat racing in his chest. His lips felt parched, his throat suddenly dry. It was the first time he saw her in almost ten years, and it felt… amazing. And terrifying. His soul abandoned his body and flew off to her and, for a split second, he hoped she had lost her innate ability to sense him, wherever he was.
As he watched her, expanding that moment forever both in space and time, making it last and replay in front of his eyes even after she simply stepped away from the window, disappearing into the house, he realized that his initial plan to just live there and keep an eye on her, check in on her, just to make sure that she was fine, had been blown to smithereens.
Maybe he could… introduce himself to her? As Ethan. He was pretty sure he would be safe. He mastered his new identity perfectly, and his appearance had undergone some drastic changes. Yeah, maybe he could do just that. Just be a little closer to her, bring a bit of joy in her life. Make her laugh. Let her know that not everyone in the world was a fraud, or a liar, or an abuser.
And yet you’d be lying to her, right brother? You are not who you pretend to be. You are… someone else. Someone she knows.
He shook his head.
No. He would not deceive her. This was not at all about betraying her. He just wanted to take care of her… a little bit. Just a little, tiny bit. It wasn’t that he wanted to resume their relationship or have a family with her, right? Not at all.
Maybe they could just be… friends?
He blinked. Not realizing that something he thought was long gone had just started to pulse inside of him, once again.
Hope. A man’s worst enemy. A man’s best ally.
A feeling he had forgotten a long time ago.
Chapter song
