Decker's Wood (20 page)

“It was hot. Does your hand hurt?” I took his hand in mine. It was a little red, but other than that it seemed fine. Decker opened and closed his fist as if to prove to me he was okay. I kissed the back of his hand, a gesture that said thank you, to show him how grateful I was for him, for his slightly barbaric yet sweet honor of my virtue. The need and want that flashed through Decker’s eyes had me blushing like a virginal nun. He flipped his hand over and linked our fingers together.

“I need to get you somewhere private, now.” He practically dragged me through the streets back to his car and drove like the devil himself back to the book store. Unable to wait for me to unlock the door, Decker grabbed the keys from my fingers and flipped the lock, hauling me inside in five seconds flat. As soon as the alarm was disabled, he pulled me behind a book shelf and glanced around. “This will do,” he whispered.

“There’s a perfectly good bed upstairs,” I breathed as his lips went straight to the soft curve of my neck, right below my ear. Goosebumps spread across my skin at his touch, and my nipples tightened with sexual awareness.

“Yeah, but I can’t wait to get you up there. Besides, unplanned, spontaneous moments are more fun.” He kissed me, nothing more than a whisper of a caress before his erotic exploration continued on as he kissed the corner of my mouth, my cheek,
my nose. “And now every time you walk down this aisle you’ll remember this and think of me.” Decker’s hand slipped under my top, and his fingers slid reverently over my skin until they rested right under the swell of my breast. While I wanted him to create this memory here, for me, for us, I wanted something else more. I pushed at his chest, hating the distance it created between us. The confusion on his face bothered me, so needing to explain, I decided it was better if I just showed him. I sank to my knees, my eyes on his the entire time. My hands lifted tentatively to the button on his jeans.

“Andi.” My name was nothing more than a sigh from his lips.

“I want to remember you, here, like this.” I explained as I ever so carefully lowered his fly, terrified I would catch something of importance behind it. Wouldn’t that be a mood killer? I freed his hard, silky lengthy and allowed my hand to travel up and down in wonder. I loved the feel of him, so perfectly smooth and hard. Decker’s groan of approval filled me with a wanton power that I had never felt before. To have such a beautiful man so consumed by my touch made my mouth water. I needed to have him on my lips, in my mouth, so I leaned forward and licked him from base to tip.

“Jesus,” he murmured. As my tongue flicked over the velvety tip, Decker’s hips moved forward
, and I took him into my mouth. “Fu...” He couldn’t get the full word out, only managing a guttural moan. I wanted to smile at the knowledge I could bring this man to incoherency. Instead, I took him deeper into my mouth and sucked. I kept my eyes on Decker, watching as his head fell back and his hands braced on the bookshelf behind me. He was too big for me to take all of him into my mouth, so I used one hand to grip the base of him and as my mouth drew away, I slid my hand up his length. It was a well-coordinated dance between hand, mouth, and cock, and I was a little proud at myself for the hungry look in his eyes as they returned to mine. After all, this was something I had only done a few times in my life, and I had no idea if I was any good at it. It’s not like I gave out a survey at the end of my sexual encounters to ask for feedback. Feeling bold and daring, my other hand cupped the heavy, smooth sack that hung in perfect, tight symmetry behind his throbbing member. I rolled him gently in my hand, while sucking, pumping, and licking. “I’m not gonna last,” he managed to pant out. I hoped the aggressive look in my eyes and renewed vigor with which I pulled him into my mouth explained how much I wanted him to come for me. I had never tasted a man before; this would be new and I was more than a little curious. I wanted to taste him, I wanted all of him. Decker’s hand reached for my head and just when I thought he might pull me away, he clenched my hair in a fist and began to pump fast, but gently into my mouth. “Fuck your mouth is hot, perfect,” he whispered as his thrusts became more demanding.

Suddenly, his own hand clenched around mine and he forced my grip to tighten. Then he was filling my mouth. Filling it so fast I wasn’t sure I could swallow and keep up. The taste of him wasn’t vulgar, but it certainly wouldn’t go down as my favorite consumed meal. He was
salty, warm, and a little bitter. The texture was thick and gooey. Don’t get me wrong, it was edible, just not something I would describe as delicious. I had read a book once that described the taste of semen as sweet, smooth, and earthy. Not…even…close. It kinda smelled like bleach. I let him slip from my mouth and glanced up into that handsome face that towered over me. The look of wonder and tenderness I saw was my undoing. Yeah, I’d swallow his slightly funky essence all freakin’ day long if that’s how he would look at me after.

“Country, that wasn’t at all how I intended for this to play out.” He reached down and gripped my arm, pulling me to my unsteady feet. “But that was by far the best blow job I’ve ever had.” Before I could respond, he kissed me. At first I was worried he might prefer not to taste himself in my mouth, but as his tongue pressed forward, I realized that he wasn’t bothered by it at all. As he shouldn’t be, I mean, it was his spunk. Knowing I had scored an A in oral sex had me secretly thrilled. I wanted to drop to my knees and do it again. Decker buried his head in my shoulder and I simply enjoyed the heat of his hard body pressed against mine. He was still breathing hard, trying to regain some equilibrium as I peered over his shoulder to the bookshelf opposite us. That’s when I noticed it, those books. My heart lurched, and my stomach rolled. I pushed Decker gently in a bid to get free. With some reluctance, he stepped aside. My body moved forward, numb and stupefied. My fingers rose to the flat edged binding of one of the books. The sight of it was like having a knife plunged in my heart, the feel of it under my hand was too much, and a garbled sob escaped my throat. I couldn’t deal with this, not now. It was too close to the day.

“I found them in a box out back. I thought you missed them by accident,” Decker whispered in an urgent voice.

I started pulling the books from the shelf. My father’s books, all twenty-eight of them
, neatly displayed in alphabetical order. I pulled them from the shelf, trying to juggle them in my arms.

“Shit, Andi, I’m sorry. Let me help.”

Decker tried to reach for the books, and I pulled away, glaring at him.

“Go,” I managed to snap. A small part of me that was buried beneath the grief realized this wasn’t Decker’s fault; he didn’t realize how close it was to the anniversary, but I was too upset, too angry to embrace the truth.

“Let me help you,” he said, taking more of the books down from the shelf. I slapped them out of his hands and they tumbled to the ground. He was shocked, the stunned expression on his face hurt just as much as seeing these books.

“Please just go,” I begged him. With hesitancy and reluctance, he took a few steps away from me. “LEAVE ME ALONE!” I screamed. Decker winced, but compliantly turned and left.

I scrambled to pull the rest of the books from the shelf, and then knelt down, trying to stack them into my shaking arms, but they kept tumbling free, and just the sight of them was pushing me towards hysterics. It wasn’t just the sight of my deceased father’s books, but the timing. I hadn’t told Decker because I didn’t want him to act any differently towards me. His pity, that knowing look of sympathy that I wanted to avoid, would be written all over his face if he knew tomorrow was the one year anniversary of my dad’s death. The tears that fell from my eyes dropped in a steady cadence from my chin to the books beneath me. That pissed me off because I was worried about ruining them. A strong familiar hand gripped mine.

“Come on, Cinderella, let’s get you up stairs.” I looked up into Casey’s face. There was no pity there, only understanding and concern. Lionel stood behind me and gave me a gentle smile.

“Let Casey take you upstairs and I’ll tidy this up for you. I promise I’ll take good care of them.”

Casey pulled me to my feet and guided my listless body upstairs. It had been a long day. First Miles, now this. I felt drained to the point of disconnection. My shoulders were given a gentle push, and I slipped onto the couch. A blanket was thrown over my lap, and within minutes a fresh cup of coffee was placed in front of me. Casey sat at my side and enfolded me into his embrace, and a short time later, Lionel took up position on the other side of me. His arm draped over my shoulders, his hand resting affectionately on the back of Casey’s neck. I closed my eyes and drifted off to sleep, surrounded by their fr
iendship and support.

DECKER

I had been watching her sleep for two and a half hours now. I wasn’t sure how she would react when she woke to find me here, but I couldn’t stay away. When I had returned to my apartment, I had called Bradley. Andi’s manic reaction to seeing her father’s books on the shelf seemed a little more than just simple grief. I had confessed to Bradley that Andi and I were somewhat involved. He had shouted at me, called me some impressive names that I didn’t know he was capable of saying, and then he had settled down and explained that tomorrow was the one year anniversary of her father’s death. I offered to pay for Bradley to come to New York and kick my own naïve ass. He promptly promised me if I hurt her he would take me up on that offer, but he would also dismember a fairly integral part of my anatomy. I told him I’d rip it off myself before hurting Andi, and he, surprisingly, seemed to believe me. Before the usual consumption of guilt over the upcoming film I was scheduled to star in could consume me, I made a decision. I was quitting porn. I was done, retired, and heading back to college to finish my degree in architecture. Andi meant more to me than any career, money
, or prestige could ever buy. I would have emailed my agent right then and there if I wasn’t in such a hurry to get back to Andi. Although my career was as good as done, tomorrow I would make it official by withdrawing from The Bishop’s film and having Michael take me off his books.

After returning to The Book Shelter, Casey had confessed in a whispered conversation that he had spiked Andi’s coffee with a mild sedative, to which I was outraged, but also grateful. She had been so upset, I wouldn’t have even thought about calming her in such away. I sat on the end of the couch, my elbows on my knees, my eyes glued to her peacefully sleeping form. It was almost two in the morning and the apartment was in darkness. Light from the street out front spilled through the windows, casting long shadows across the floor and walls. I barely noticed Andi’s eyes flicker open, but knowing she was suddenly awake had my breath catch in my throat. I was silently praying, hoping she didn’t start yelling at me again and send me
packing. I didn’t think I could bring myself to leave her again. She lay perfectly still and quiet for a long time before slowly pushing herself to a sitting position.

“I’ll leave if you want me to, but I really don’t want to. I’m sorry. I fucked up. I shouldn’t have touched that box without checking with you first.” I got it out quickly, before she had a chance to interrupt. Andi took a long breath in and then out before she spoke.

“You must think I’m plumb crazy.”

I smiled. “Well, you do listen to country music.”

Her smile was slight as she glanced around the darkened room, looking a little confused and foggy.

“Wow, I was out for a long time, it feels late.”

“Casey drugged you.” Her gaze snapped back to mine.

“Say again.”

“He put a mild sedative in your coffee.”

Andi huffed indignantly. “That damn queen is going down.” There was no malice or anger in her voice, just affection, even though she was cussing him.

“I spoke to Bradley.” Andi didn’t respond, she simply watched me from the shadows. “I told him about us.” A surprised ‘oh’ came from her. “He threatened to cut my dick off, which I found mildly disturbing. Isn’t that usually a female’s go-to crime against asshole men? He also told me what tomorrow is for you.” I glanced at the clock. “Well, today.”

Andi nodded, her head turning away from me as she glanced out the large front bay windows. I could see her eyes shining with sorrow again.

“I miss him,” she confessed quietly. “He was so distant, so wrapped up in his writing and books that it felt as if he was hardly ever with me, but physically, he was there. I could hug him if I needed to, I could take care of him, I could reach out to him. He was family. He was all I had.” The tears came more freely now and I felt the usual pang of panic as I watched her crumble. I wasn’t real good with tears. When she had broken down the afternoon before, I had panicked and raced next door for Casey and Lionel, knowing they would be able to fix this in a heartbeat.

“Country,” I whispered. “I really need you to tell me what to do here.” She looked up at me, and through her sorrow she still managed to gift me with an are-you-kidding-me arched brow. “Don’t look at me like that. Fuck, I’m not good with crying. I’ve got two brothers for Christ’s sake, and Bradley is as good as a brother so make that three. Women crying out in pleasure, I got that down, crying in sorrow, I’m a fucking mess, baby. What do I do here? Do I put my arm around you or would that be considered tasteless? Do I pat you on the shoulder? Should I make you coffee and drug you like Casey? Ice Cream!” I clicked my fingers as I said it. “I should get you ice cream.” I went to stand and Andi grabbed my hand.

“Cork your pistol, city boy,” she murmured. “Ice cream is for hangovers. If you drug me, I’ll also cut your man bits off. I need to be consoled, not tapped on the shoulder as if you were tapping me into a WWE fight.”

“So, cuddles?” When she nodded, I relaxed. I could do cuddles. And this was obviously a cuddle without wandering hands. I was down with that. A non-sexual, comforting hug. Should I hold her tight, or let her control the hug. Fuck! Maybe I could just cheer her up by going down on her.

“Decker, you’re going to give yourself an aneurism over a damn kug.”

I settled down beside her but halted at the word kug. “What the hell is a kug?”

“You know, a kiss and a hug.” She said it like I was a moron, though I was fairly sure the word didn’t exist in the English vocabulary.

“Kiss and a hug, I can do that.” My eyes automatically dropped to her lips.

“Not a sexy-time kiss, Decker, a kug kiss which means the kiss must fall in the safe zone.”

I was beginning to wonder if the drugs Casey had slipped her had messed with her brain a little. “Country, here in New York we speak English.” I pronounced the word English slowly. She slapped my chest.

“You really suck at this comforting business.” She sniffled with a sigh. I wrapped her in my arms, marveling at how well she fit against me. She was so much smaller and softer, yet her legs, arms, and head all found a perfect place to rest on my body. There was no awkwardness or disjointed irritation as I held her as close as I possibly could, it was perfection. She was made for me, and I was made for her. I turned my head and kissed her temple which earned me a soft sigh.

“Your father wasn’t all you had Andi. You also had and still have Bradley and his family. And now you’ve got me and my family.”

Andi chuckled. “My cousin Mr. Chivalry and the porn star. It sounds like a movie title.”

“Ex-porn star,” I corrected her. “And you’ve got Casey and Lionel too, even though Casey’s recent roofie attempt makes his friendship seem dubious.” I thought Andi might have gone back to sleep when her quiet voice broke the silence.

“Will you help me do something?”

“Anything,” I replied without hesitation.

I followed her downstairs, and when she started tugging on the box with her father’s books in the storage room, I picked them up and followed her back out into the front of the book store. She stood with her hands on her hips, eyeing the large bookshelf right in the front.

“I want them up here, where everyone can see them.” I glanced at the books nervously. I wasn’t sure this was what she really needed. If she opened this box and started losing it again, I would most likely join her. Noting my hesitation, Andi knelt down and grabbed the first three books. With trembling hands, she began to fill an empty space at the end of the shelf. I immediately began helping her.

“Would you mind if I read one of these?” Andi seemed surprised, but her hand lingered on the first book she had slid onto the shelf.

“This was his first published book. It’s called
Web of Lies
. It’s about a woman who kills her husbands for their life insurance policies.”

I took the book from her. “Oh, good, a happy story,” I said sarcastically. Andi smiled; it wasn’t filled with the same carefree beauty I had witnessed in the last couple of weeks, but her cheeks remained dry as she continued to fill the shelf. Once we had finished, we made our way back upstairs and Andi pulled me into her bed. Instead of jumping her bones like I wanted to, I pulled her back against my chest and enjoyed the simple act of spooning. Her perfect little ass nestled into the valley of my hips earned an instant reaction from my cock. “Sorry,” I whispered. I wasn’t really, but I thought I should say it anyway.

“I’m not. I like to know your body appreciates mine,” Andi answered me.

“You have no idea, Country,” I said, before we both promptly drifted into sleep.

*

“You’ve got an entire wall dedicated to fairytales.”

Andi glanced at me from behind the counter. She wore another of those cute vintage dresses with those boots I really, really loved. Over the top of it all was a little black apron that for some reason had me cranked and ready to combust. Two days had passed since the anniversary of her father’s death. I didn’t attempt anything more than chaste kisses and comforting kugs during that time, and Andi didn’t appear to want or need anything more. Me, on the other hand, or well, my cock was begging for release. And Andi sure didn’t make it easy looking so damn adorable. All I wanted to do was turn her around, bend her over the counter, and fuck her senseless. Unfortunately, the store full of customers probably wouldn’t appreciate my enthusiasm for their local book proprietor. Vanessa from the hair salon across the road was hovering. She wasn’t as handsy as she had been on the last couple of occasions, Andi had apparently marked her territory, but her eyes still lingered with appreciation. I could see that it was stroking Andi’s feathers the wrong way. Wanting to instill her claim of ownership, I leaned over the counter, grabbed the back of her neck and pulled her forward, kissing her in an almost R rated fashion. When I pulled away, the blush in her cheeks made me grin.

“The fairytales, why do you have so many?” I reminded her, pointing to the wall of books at my back.

Andi gave the middle aged woman standing at the counter a shy grin.

“Honey, if I had a man who kissed me like that, I wouldn’t need this.” The woman held up a book, and from the half-naked, bulging male chest on the cover, I assumed it was some sort of romance. Andi took the woman’s money and then turned her attention back to me.

“I like fairytales.
Alice in Wonderland
is my favorite. When I was a little girl, my dad read it to me repeatedly. I used to fantasize about disappearing down a rabbit hole and finding myself in another universe.”

“And then Johnny Depp went and solidified our fantasies by playing the Mad Hatter,” Vanessa said from beside me.

Andi gave her a wicked smile. “Amen to that, sister.”

The bell on the front door rang and Casey’s sing song voice filled the store. When Andi’s face paled, I turned to see what the hell had her rattled.

“You’re bringing a rat into my damn store?” she screamed.

In Casey’s large hands rested a dog, which I guess did kind of resemble a rat.

Casey rolled his eyes. “This is a Chinese Crested Dog, his name is Ziggy Stardust, and he does not like to be compared to rodents.”

Andi looked doubtful. “He looks like a rat,” she mumbled.

“Oh hush, you big scaredy cat. I’m here for a short black, Ziggy’s favorite.” I’m pretty sure everyone in the store stared at Casey who was fussing over Ziggy like a worried momma. When he glanced up and noticed our shock, he rolled his eyes, again. “Does no one in here have a sense of humor? The coffee is for me,” he said with exasperation. When he went to place Ziggy on the counter, Andi took a small step away from the rodent like dog.

“I’m still pissed at you for drugging me,” she hissed at Casey.

“You’re welcome. I know you would have done the same for me.”

She shook her head with disbelief and turned to make Casey’s coffee. Vanessa was standing too close again.

“Ness, that particular piece of eye candy is officially Andi’s wall shaker, I suggest you keep outside the rub-up zone or else Andi might poison your coffee.”

Vanessa blushed and took a small step away. “Sorry, I guess I just gravitate towards muscle.” She sighed, looking over my body like she wanted to devour me.

“What makes you think I haven’t already poisoned her coffee?” Andi asked.

Vanessa paled slightly before picking up her coffee to go. “I’d never mess with a friend’s man, much less a Texan. You don’t mess with Texas women,” said Vanessa as she made her way out of the store.

“Texas girls, the type of girl you take home to meet your mom then she goes and outdrinks your dad,” sighed Casey.

“What would you know about taking a woman home?” Andi scoffed.

“I took Lionel home to meet my folks, and he’s as good as a woman.” Andi pushed Casey’s coffee across the counter to him, avoiding Ziggy. “So, it’s my birthday in two days and I want to go out. I’ve got four tickets to that new bar they’re opening, Tinsel Town. We’ll have pre-drinks at my place and the cab will pick us up at eight p.m. I don’t need presents, but I do want them.” He exaggerated the words need and want. “Until then...toodles.” Casey stood and walked from the shop like the entitled queen he was.