The Wandering Caravan (6 page)

8

Sean

As the cab took us further into the pastureland, I felt my nerves get to me. I spent a lot of time picking out the house and I hoped she would love it. We’d be far enough away from the city to have peace and quiet, but she was just a fifteen minute drive from her family. It was where we would raise our family.

I know Scarlet said she didn’t want a big house, so I downsized from the house I originally selected. But it was still big, in her eyes at least. It was two stories with six bedrooms. I wasn’t sure how many kids she wanted so I prepared for any accidental pregnancies down the road. Since I was inside her so often, it was a real possibility.

Every time I thought about having sex with her, I felt sick. Knowing I hurt her was unbearable. How could I do that to my wife? I was always gentle with her but I guess I wasn’t gentle enough. I only wanted her to feel pleasure and joy, especially from me. I promised myself I would never hurt her again, not after everything I put her through. And I already messed up. I hated myself.

We came closer to the house and I felt my heart race. I sincerely hoped she would love it. My parents were just a few miles away so she wouldn’t be alone when I was at work. But I wasn’t sure if she would be happy about that since she always butted heads with my mom.

Ryan said she wouldn’t like anything I picked out because Scarlet was trashy and preferred shacks to things of quality. As funny as it sounded, it was true. She thought she deserved only the bad things in life. I would have to convince her she deserved the house.

When the car pulled into the paved driveway, Scarlet looked up and examined the house. “What are we doing here?”

“I wanted to take a look at it.”

“Now?” she asked incredulously.

“Yeah. Come on.”

We got out of the cab when the other two pulled in behind us. “They are coming too?”

“I texted them and told them to look at it with us.”

Scarlet accepted t
he explanation. Every decision we made involved them anyway. She crossed her arms over her chest and looked at it. I waited for to say something. Our friends got out and stood beside us.

“Wow,” Cortland said. “This place is nice.”

“Really nice,” Ryan said. “I would love to live here.”

I rolled my eyes. They were trying way too hard.

“If Cortland bought me a house like this, I’d be very happy,” Monnique said.

They were the worst actors in the world.

“Are you seriously considering buying this house?” Scarlet asked.

I still couldn’t tell if she liked it. “Yeah. I would like to live here. It’s close to the city but far enough away for some peace and quiet. It has six bedrooms and…”

“Six bedrooms?” she asked incredulously. “Why the hell do we need that many bedrooms?”

“Here we go again…” Ryan rolled his eyes.

“Well, I need an office, you need an office, and then there’s our bedroom, plus the rooms for the kids. We can’t forget them.”

“Still, that’s excessive.” She shook her head gently. “And it’s two stories. I’m fine living in an apartment.”

I shook my head. “I want to buy a house to raise our family. You really want to raise kids in the city?”

“We don’t need to worry about that right now,” she said firmly. “We aren’t having kids for a few years.”

“I’d still rather get settled now.”

“Sean, I don’t know...We could never afford this place.”

“Yes, we can,” I said firmly. “I can afford anything you want to have. There’s a pool in the back and a nice backyard. The beach is just a few feet away. French doors lead to the back entrance. There’s a garden for you to write in. Scar, it’s perfect.”

“It’s just so big…” She stared at the front door then shook her head. “Let’s get something smaller.”

This is not how I wanted to show my wife the house we would spend the rest of our lives in. She was so afraid of wealth and money because it’s what ruined her family. She stayed away from it, associating it with evil. If money didn’t change a single person in the world, it would be her. But she didn’t trust herself.

Ryan wrapped his arm around her shoulder. “Scarlet, just say you like it, okay?” he whispered.

“It’s too big. I don’t want to live here.”

Damn.

Everyone looked at Scarlet with wide eyes. I knew they thought she was being ungrateful. I should have picked out the house with her. I was just trying to be romantic. “Well, I already bought it.”

Her eyes widened when she looked at me. The embarrassment and shame flooded her cheeks. “I love it…”

“I just wanted to surprise you. We can sell it.”

“No.” She wrapped her arms around my neck and held me close. “I love it. Don’t sell it.”

“You don’t seem like you like it very much.”

“No, I do,” she said quickly. “Sean, you’re so sweet.”

“Scarlet, it’s really not a big deal. I should have just done this with you. But I knew you wouldn’t let yourself have anything nice. I thought if I made the decision for you, you wouldn’t feel so guilty about it.”

Her eyes coated with tears. “No, I want to live here. It’s beautiful, Sean. Thank you so much. I’m so sorry for being so ungrateful…I didn’t know.”

“It’s okay,” I whispered.

“I want to have our babies here.”

“Are you sure?” I brushed my lips against her forehead.

“Yes.
I’m sure.”

I studied her eyes for a moment, seeing the sincerity. “Okay.”

Ryan shook his head while he rolled his eyes. “Only Scarlet would ruin a surprise like that.”

“Shut up,” she said. “I didn’t know.”

“You really think we want to go house shopping after a six hour flight?”

Scarlet’s cheeks reddened in embarrassment. “I’m so sorry…”

I looked over her shoulder and stared at them. “Let it go. She said she loves the house.”

“I do,” she said to me.

“Then let’s go inside.”

“You have the keys?” she asked incredulously.

“I own it, don’t I?” I grabbed the keys out of my pocket then unlocked the front door. We carried the bags inside and stepped in the foyer.

“Why are you bringing your things?” Scarlet asked her brother.

“We’re staying with you until we get our apartment,” Ryan said. “If that’s okay with you, Miss Ungrateful.”

She hit his arm. “Stop teasing me—at least about this.”

I heard the sincerity in her voice and so did Ryan. He backed off. I took them on the tour of the house. The living room was as large as the apartment Scarlet and I used to share. It already had furniture. I bought it from the previous owners. I assumed Scarlet wouldn’t want to decorate. She was never interested in that.

The kitchen was full of granite countertops and stainless steel appliances. The backyard was already decorated with patio furniture. And all the bedrooms were
huge. The gang picked their rooms and carried their luggage inside.

Scarlet’s eyes were as big as her head. I knew she was overwhelmed with the size of the house. She would get used to it in time.

I showed her to our bedroom. It was the biggest one in the house. It had a walk-in closet, a bathroom with two sinks, a spacious area with a king size bed and cherry wood furniture. She appraised everything with a keen eye.

“Is this okay?” I asked.

“It’s beautiful.”

I wrapped my arms around her and held her close. “You’ll get used to it.”

“How am I ever going to clean it?”

I kissed her forehead. “I’ll help you.”

“We aren’t hiring a maid.”

“That’s fine,” I said quickly. “We can do it together.” I knew Scarlet would change her mind eventually, but for the moment, I wouldn’t push her.

We didn’t have any food in the house, so we ordered pizza and played board games. Having her family in the house made the move-in much easier. If they weren’t here, Scarlet would have been dwarfed in the massive house. It was the real reason I invited them to stay with us until they got settled. The first memories we had in our house would be with them. And that’s what Scarlet needed.

After a few glasses of wine and eating a pizza all by herself, Scarlet had loosened up. She laughed at her brother while he sucked at the board game we were playing. Ryan was bit of a sore loser and didn’t take the torments very well, but that made Scarlet laugh harder.

I pulled her into my lap and watched the glow on her face. I was relieved I successfully made her happy. I didn’t want to settle into an apartment or a small house. Scarlet deserved more than she thought she did. The house was extremely expensive but she didn’t need to know that. I would take care of her for the rest of my life, and I intended to keep my promise.

When the wine and pizza were depleted, everyone was tired. We didn’t even pack up the board games because no one was in the mood. Abandoning the pizza boxes and empty glasses on the floor, everyone retired to bed. Scarlet was a little drunk, but I loved drunk Scarlet.

I immediately wanted to take advantage of her, but I held back because of the pain I caused her. I wanted to make love to her on the first night in our new house, but I was too scared of hurting her. She had plenty of time to heal, and she made it clear she wanted me inside her, but I still couldn’t do it.

Scarlet stumbled to the bed but I caught her before she fell. Laughing loudly, she crawled to the bed and tried to take off her clothes. She was like a helpless child, and it made me laugh.

I pulled her clothes off then got her into bed. I made sure she was naked so I could feel her body next to mine, skin to skin. It would have to suffice.

But Scarlet wasn’t in the mood to sleep. She moved on top of me and kissed my chest and neck. I knew she wanted me when she did that. My chest was her favorite feature.

“Make me come,” she blurted. “You haven’t done it in so long.”

Those words awoke the beast in me, but I held it back. “Go to sleep, baby.”

“No.” She kissed my stomach then my neck. “I’m not broken. Come on. Fuck me, Sean.”

“Whoa…let’s keep this PG. We have family in the house.”

“You think I care? What do you think they are doing?”

She had a point. “They are sleeping, like you should be right now.”

“Come on. You have a beautiful cock. Why
don’t you use it?”

I tried not to laugh. Drunk Scarlet was hilarious.
I pulled her down to the bed and snuggled beside her.

“I hate you.”

“I hate you too, baby.”

She growled at me. Actually growled.

I knew she wouldn’t stop until she got her way. I knew my wife pretty well. I rolled on top of her then held my weight over her.

“Yes!” she yelled.

“Shh,” I hissed at her.

“I always get my way with you.”

“Congratulations. I’m your husband. That’s how it should be.”

“Stop talking and start fucking.”

She had a dirty mouth tonight. “You’re such a lady.”

“No, I’m not. I eat hotdogs off the ground. I’m gross.”

“I was being sarcastic.”

“Huh?”

Wow. She was really drunk. I sealed my mouth over hers and gave her sweet, purposeful kisses. That shut her up quick. Her hands started to move across my body, feeling every muscle and inch of skin. When her breathing picked up, I knew she was desperate for me.

“Sean, I’m so glad I married you,” she breathed into my mouth. “I love you.”

Even when she was drunk, she was still in love with me. That was good news.  “I love you too.” I trailed my kisses down her stomach to the apex of her thighs. I didn’t feel comfortable having sex with her just yet, but I wanted to give her the pleasure she demanded.

I pressed my tongue against her then moved up in one slow motion. Her fingers dug into my hair and she moaned loudly. I hoped no one else could hear us but it wouldn’t matter. I couldn’t shut her up.

I circled my tongue around her clitoris, making her legs shake.

“Sean…”

I slipped my tongue inside her the rubbed her clitoris with my fingers. Her breathing increased and so did the sound of my name. She was easy to get off when she was drunk, easier than normal.

She arched her back and whimpered when the orgasm rocked through her. I kept using my tongue to give her as much pleasure as possible. When she released a deep breath, I knew she was gone and satisfied. Mission accomplished.

I hated eating pussy in my youth, and I only did it if the girl reciprocated with a blowjob, but I loved going down on Scarlet. She had a unique taste I loved. And knowing how good it felt for her always fueled me forward. I liked being the best she ever had. And I wanted it to stay that way.

I moved next to her then pulled her into my arms. She sat up then moved on top of me. I knew what she was going to do so I pulled her back “It’s time for bed.”

“I want you to feel good too,” she said with slurred words.