186 Miles (14 page)

A
few hours later, we were saying our farewells in the drive.  Walter and Linda
lingered at the car, hugging us, making plans.  It seemed, though, like they
were saying
goodbye
goodbye.

*

Vince
pulled into the garage a few minutes after 11.  He cut the engine and turned to
me.  “Hey.”

“Hey.”

He
placed his hand in my lap and laced my fingers in his.  “Come here.”

I
leaned in and pressed my lips to his gently.  He opened his mouth a fraction
and deepened the kiss. 
How could I be turned on right now?  Hadn’t I just
spent the last four hours with Ryan’s parents?
  I parted my lips and curled
my free hand around his neck, pulling him closer.  Breaking the kiss, he
whispered, “Inside.  Let’s go.”

I
practically ran into the house, throwing my bag on the kitchen counter.  Vince
tossed the keys beside it and pulled me tight against him, moving his mouth
against my neck.  He lifted my backside and deposited me onto the kitchen
table. 

Lifting
my skirt, he gripped the sides of my lace boy shorts and slid them down my
legs.  Moving his hands back up, he kneaded his fingers into the skin of my
upper thighs, pushing my knees apart.

I
reached for the button on his jeans and slid the zipper down.  I locked my eyes
with his and rubbed him over his underwear, wrapping my left hand around his
back to pull him closer.  He pressed his hand against my breastbone and pushed
me into a laying position, sprawled across the table.  He pulled his jeans at
the waist and dropped them to floor, kicking them out of the way, along with
his shoes.  Gripping the outsides of my thighs, he pulled me towards him until
we were touching.  He was
so
ready.  I had never been so turned on
in
my life
.

He
eased himself between my legs and pushed inside.  It always took a moment for
my body to adjust to him… he was considerably larger than Ryan. 
Much
more substantial.  “Fuck…” he groaned.  He clenched my hips with his fingertips
and drove into me.  Faster.  Splaying one hand over my abdomen, he pushed
gently, causing something inside of me to come to life.  I propped up on my
elbows and urged him on with my words. 

“Yes…
fuck me, Vince.  Harder.” 

I
didn’t even care if I sounded ridiculous.  I was
way
too turned on to
care.

You
like this?

Yes…
oh fuck.

You
want it harder?

Oh!

He
pressed his hand lower, his thumb doing ungodly things, as he pushed into me
harder.  Harder.  Harder.

Oh
my God, Vince!

You
close?

Yes!

I
arched my neck and gave a low moan, dropping my elbows, lying back down. 
I
was seeing stars.  Literally
seeing stars.

He
stilled inside of me, my name on his lips, breathing raggedly.  He eased out
and leaned up against me gently, his hands resting on the outsides of my thighs. 
He placed light kisses on my stomach.

I
was embarrassed now. 
Who was that girl? 
Certainly not a good girl
raised by a Christian conservative mother.  That girl was a
slut
,
fucking her husband’s friend on the dinner table, begging him to do it harder. 
I sat up and pulled my skirt down, smoothing it with my hands.

“You
okay?”  He pulled my chin with his fingers.

“Yeah…”
I lied.  “Great.”  I gave him a weak smile and hopped off of the table, heading
upstairs to the bedroom.  I needed to get out of this skirt.

Vince
followed close behind.  He had pulled his briefs back on, but he was carrying
his jeans.  He tossed them into the hamper.  I unzipped my skirt and slid it
down my hips, tossing it in on top of his pants.

“How
did you meet him?”

I
turned to him.  “Who?”

“Ryan.” 
He smiled.  “I don’t think he ever told me.  Just one day he started dating
some random girl and the next thing, you were his wife.”

He
was right.  Ryan and I met in early summer and were married by Christmas.  We
didn’t even have a wedding; we just went to Maui.  None of our friends were
invited, not even our parents.

“Um…
well, we met in Chicago.  He had just graduated and was working for a small insurance
firm in the Loop.  I was waiting tables while I finished my Master’s.  He came
in with some co-workers for lunch and I waited on their table.”  I walked to
the bathroom and grabbed my toothbrush from the holder, squeezing a little
paste onto the tip.

“That’s
it?”

I
mumbled while brushing, “That’s it.”

“So,
he got your number?”

“Yep,”
I nodded and spit into the bowl.

“You
knew?  Like he was ‘the one’ or something?”  He had an irritation to his voice.

“No. 
I just thought he seemed sweet, so I gave him my number when he asked.”

“How
long were you guys together?”

“Um,
including dating?  I guess a little over five years.”

“You
move here because his parents lived near?”

“Yeah,
he missed them.  He was kind of tired of the city.  I guess I was too.  So
after I graduated, we moved here.”

“Why
didn’t you guys ever have kids?” 
Ouch.  A blow.
  Ryan had always wanted
them.  I thought we needed to wait.

“I
don’t know.  I wasn’t ready, I guess.”  I unhooked my bra and turned my back to
him, sliding it down my arms.  I quickly replaced it with a short eyelet gown.

“Don’t
you want them?”

I
turned and faced him.  “I guess.  I don’t know.  I’ve still got time to decide,
I suppose.”

“You’re
33.” 
Fuck, he was hitting below the belt.

“So? 
Carrie was 36 when she had Audrey.”

“I’m
not saying you can’t have a baby after 33, Rachel.  I was just asking if you
had
thought
about it.”

“Yes,
I’ve thought about it,” I snapped. 
We needed to stop talking about this.

“Honey,”
he said, his face relaxed.  “Calm down.  I was just wondering.  I was curious.”

“About
what?” 

“It’s
something people talk about, right?  We’re in a relationship.  I’m 35 years
old.  If I want kids and you don’t, this is something that we need to discuss.”

The
deal breaker.  He wants a child. 

“So
if I’m not ready, you’re just going to find someone who is?”

He
climbed into bed.  “No, Ray.  We’re just having a conversation.  One that
millions
of people have when they finally meet the person that they want to spend the
rest of their lives with.”

I
breathed in slowly and climbed in next to him.  “Can’t we just slow down?”  I kissed
his face.  “I’m trying, but I don’t know if I’m ready for all of that yet.”

He
moved his body so that he was on top of me, curling his arm around my waist. 
“I know… and I
am
happy.   I told you that I would wait for you and I
meant it.  I hope that it doesn’t take you ten years, but if it does…” he murmured,
kissing my lips, “then I’ll wait ten years.”

I
pulled him closer.  “I’m sorry I’ve been so weird tonight.  The minute I start
to let myself be happy, I want to strip it all away.” 
There it was.  The
revelation.

“You
deserve
to be happy.  Are you?  With
me
?”  He moved down, his
tongue sweeping my neck, just under my ear.

“Yes,”
I breathed.

We
made love again.  This time was different.  We studied each other, touched,
kissed.  I fell asleep quickly after, Vince’s arms wrapped around me.

The
week was closing.  Vince had been busy at the studio, staying late most days. 
He got the keys to his place tomorrow.  He would be packing up and meeting the
movers in the morning.  Jack and Jeremy were coming down tonight to help.  I
was excited to see Jack.  Jeremy, on the other hand…

“Does
that douchebag have to come here this weekend?” 

Vince
smiled.  “Well, it’s either that or I have to get you and your friends to
help.”

“I
can have Carrie ask Rick or something.”

“I’m
not asking your friend to make her husband schlep boxes.  That’s a bitch move. 
Besides, between Jack and Jeremy, they’ll have me moved in before lunch.”  He
leaned in and pressed a wet kiss to my lips.

“I’ll
miss you not being here.” 
Why did I say that?  Stop looking needy, Rachel.

“Just
say the word, babe, and I will reroute the movers.”  He studied me.  “I mean
it.”

“No,
it’s fine.  I’m just being whiny.  Your new place has such a great yard.  You
should get a dog.”

“Do
you
want a dog?”

“No.”

“Then
I’m not going to get a dog.”  He winked at me.  “Remember.  Six months.”

I
rolled my eyes at him, folding his laundry.  “Why am I the one always stuck
washing your crap?”

He
took the half folded t-shirt from my hands and threw it on the couch, wrapping
his arms around me.  “Because you love me.”

“You’re
lucky
I do.”

His
eyes looked serious.  “I
am
.”

“Should
we eat?  I’m hungry,” I declared.

“Whatever
you want.”

“It’s
the Last Supper.  It should be whatever
you
want.”  I picked up the
t-shirt and started over.

“Ray,
it’s not the ‘Last Supper.’  You’re being dramatic.”

I
was.
  “Well,
living in two different places means that I won’t see you as much.  Between
work and everything else, you know, you will be busy or whatever.”

“Honey,
look at me.  I will be here
every
night.  We will eat dinner together
every
day
, just like we do now.  We will watch television together, read books in
bed, talk about whatever you want…”  He stood behind me now, pressing his
erection into my back. 
Oh God.
  “Fuck wherever… and whenever we want.” 
He pulled on my hips, crushing my back to his front.  “We have an hour before
the guys get here.”

I
didn’t want to be such a tramp.  I really didn’t.  But I
really
did.

I
leaned back and craned my neck to meet his lips, wrapping my arm around the
back of his head.  I moaned quietly into his mouth when he bit my lip.  His
left hand moved to my breast, his palm rubbing roughly across my cotton dress. 
His right trailed between my legs.  “Put your hands on the couch.”

I
followed his request, gripping the arm of the sofa.  Vince lifted the back of
my dress and pressed a finger to my thong, moving it lazily back and forth over
the satin material.  He pulled up on the strap, causing friction.  I let out a
short cry.  He pulled at it again, this time moving the material to the side
and slid the same finger inside of me. 
Oh!
  He leaned into my back and
kissed along my spine.  “I can’t wait any longer.” 

I
heard the sharp sound of his zipper.  Curling his right arm around my waist, he
pushed into me. 
Hard.
  “Ahhh!”  I cried aloud. 
God, could every
time feel better than the last?
  He moved slowly at first, building
momentum.  He placed his left hand on my shoulder, his right at my hip.  His
fingers dug into my side.

“Too
hard?”  He squeezed my shoulder.

“No…
harder.” 
I was being a total slut.

He
started to move then, his pace more frantic.  He pulled at my dress, lifting it
higher, exposing my back.  He ran his fingers across my ink.  “You look so
fucking hot right now,” he whispered.  I could feel his tongue on my back,
licking across the base of the tree.  When he bent, his angle changed inside. 
I was close to peaking.

“Oh
God, Vince… I think I’m gonna…”

He
pushed harder, cupping his hand between my legs.  I screamed my release,
gripping firmly on the outside of the sofa. 

If
the neighbors didn’t know Vince’s name, they probably did now.

He
was close.  I could tell; his movements changed.  He was worked up, frenetic. 
“God, Rachel…”  He went motionless, panting roughly, his breath catching.  He
rested his head on my back, his body limp.  He pressed a few warm kisses there
and pulled out of me slowly, turning me to face him.  He crushed his lips to
mine, sweeping his tongue into my mouth.  I returned his kiss, gripping his
neck, digging my fingernails there.  We kissed like that for a few moments; I
pulled back, gasping for air.

“Where
did that come from?”  I smiled and lightly brushed my swollen lips with my
fingertips.

“I
don’t want to go.”

I
knew what he meant.  “You have to.  We need a little space.” 
I wasn’t sure
why.
  We had already told everyone except Vince’s parents about us. 
God,
I really needed to meet them at some point.  Kill me now.

“What
do you mean?  You need
space
from me?”

“That’s
not what I meant… I just think that separate places will be good for us.  Just
for a while.”

The
doorbell rang. 
Shit.
 They were early.

I
quickly smoothed my dress and checked the pins in my hair.  I patted my cheeks
twice.  “I look okay?”

Vince
zipped his pants.  “You look beautiful.”  He smiled.  “Rosy cheeked and
thoroughly fucked.”

“Vince!” 
I snapped at him, a smile forming at the side of my lips.

I
opened the door to a beaming Jack.  “Jack!”  I looked behind him.  “No Jeremy?”

“He’s
getting our bags.” 

Ugh.

“Great. 
Well, come on in,” I replied, my voice full of cheer.

“You
look good, Rach.”  He looked me up and down.  “Something’s different.”

Yes,
your brother just fucked the daylights out of me thirty seconds before you got
here.

“No,
I don’t think so.”

“Huh. 
Well, you look good anyway.”  He pulled me into a brief hug.

“Thanks,
Jack.”  That was sweet.

“Bro-seph!” 
He walked to Vince and clapped him on the back.

“Brotha
Jack.  How’s tricks?”

“Oh,
can’t complain, can’t complain.  That thing with Lana’s all worked out.”  Jack
scratched the back of his head.

“Good
to hear, man.  Anything else going on?  Where’s Buster?  I figured you would
bring him with.”

Jack
glanced over to me.  “Actually, he’s staying with Elsa this weekend.  She’s
taking care of him.”

What? 
Since when was he talking to Elsa?  And how familiar would they have to be in
order for her to be dog-sitting?

The
door cracked open and Jeremy came in carrying two bags.  “Hey there, chum.  And
hey to you, beautiful.”  He tipped his head, locking his eyes to mine.  I
shivered inwardly.

“Hello,
Jeremy,” I responded.  I wasn’t about to encourage him with a hug.

“Jere,”
Vince mumbled.

“Well,
you guys, why don’t you put your stuff upstairs?  I have the spare room made up
and there’s an air mattress blown up in the office.”

When
they disappeared at the top of the stairwell, Vince pulled me close.  “We don’t
need space.  I promise that once I move, things will go back to normal.  You
can have your girls over and drink margaritas or whatever the fuck you guys
do,” he smiled, continuing, “and I can watch all of the sports I want on my
giant TV… at my own place.”  His lips trailed at my neck.  “When you are
feeling lonely, you can come over and watch my giant TV too.”

“Okay,”
I said, peering up at him.

“Love
you.”  He kissed the top of my head.

Jeremy
trampled down the stairs.  “You fucks wanna go get a beer or what?  Let’s get
pissed.”

Ugh.

Vince
answered for us.  “Yeah, sure.  There are a bunch of places in the Village.” 
He looked at me.  “Tavern?  Brewpub?”

“Either
is fine.”  I continued to smooth my dress, pulling at the back.  “Let’s go.”

*

We
had to meet the movers at 10 am. 
Ugh. 
Hung-over
and
moving?
 
Vince
didn’t have much at my place.  Just his toiletries and a duffle bag full of
clothes.  He insisted on leaving it there.  He was spending the night with me
anyway.

“Vince,
you’re probably going to want to stay at the new place, don’t you think?”

“No,
I want to stay where
you
are.  If you aren’t spending the night with me,
I don’t really want to stay there.”

Swoon.

“We
have five thousand things to do today.  You aren’t going to want to leave.”

“Ray,
if you don’t want me to stay,
say
so.”  His tone was clipped.

I
rolled my eyes at him.  “Forget it.  You always take whatever I say out of
context.”  I paused.  “I have a headache.”

“Do
you think that it’s from the six pints you had?  Or the two Jager shots?”  

Smart
ass.

“Whatever,
I just don’t want to fight with you today.”  I crossed my arms over my chest. 
Definitely
pouting.

“Who’s
fighting
?”  He squeezed me around my waist and lowered his lips to mine.

I
kissed him briefly.  “Fine.”  I huffed.  He laughed.

We
walked to his new house.  I should have driven.  It was two blocks, but I was
fucking shredded.  I couldn’t believe that we had to unpack boxes all day. 
Blech.

The
movers were there, leaning up against the truck, having a cigarette.  “Hey
guys,” I murmured.  They nodded.  “You think I could have one of those?”

The
taller of the two fished a cigarette pack out of his pocket and handed me one. 
He lit it for me, using a Kiss lighter.  I sat on the porch and smoked it,
watching the guys move box after box, shuffling past me on the porch. 
I
should probably move.  Eh, it hurts too much to move.

“Baby,
get in here and check this out,” Vince shouted.

I
crushed my cigarette against my shoe and carried it inside, looking for a trash
can.  “What?”

“In
here.”  Bedroom, maybe?  I followed his voice.

I
walked into an empty room.  He closed the door behind me and pinned me against
it, his mouth drawing down on mine.  His breath was coming fast, his hand
moving under my t-shirt.  “Vince,” I breathed.