Safe at First, page 22
“What time is it?” Her eyes closed again as I reached for my phone to check.
“Six thirty,” I said, and she groaned. “I’m going to see if Chance wants to go to the gym. I need to work out, and I’m sure he does too.”
“Okay.”
“Stay here until I get back,” I demanded, knowing she probably wouldn’t listen to me.
“We’ll see.” She opened her eyes and grinned before snuggling into the covers, tempting me.
I thought about diving underneath and making her scream until we woke the neighbors, but talked myself out of it.
“When I get back here, you’d better be ready,” I warned.
“For what?”
“Your man.”
She laughed. “I’ll see you when you get back then, all sweaty and sexy.”
“You like that, do you?” I asked, rolling on top of her and pinning her beneath my body.
She nodded. “Mmhmm.”
“Fuck waiting. I want you now.” I leaned down and took her mouth, begging her to open up even though I knew she was probably freaking out about not having brushed her teeth yet. I couldn’t care less. I missed her body and being inside her.
Her legs fell open, giving me all the invitation I needed. I pulled my boxer briefs down and kicked them aside before reaching between her legs and running my fingers down her pussy. Even through her thong, I could feel the heat. Moving her panties to the side, I let my finger trace the length of her, stopping right at her entrance. I made small, slow circles at first before I pushed inside, her slickness coating me. She was so wet and ready.
“Damn, babe.”
Her hips bucked and writhed against my finger as I fucked her with it, begging me for more.
“Mac. Please.”
She moved faster against me, and I pulled out, grabbed her panties, trying to move them out of the way.
“Get these off,” I demanded as I grabbed a condom and rolled it on as fast as I could. If I didn’t get inside her, I thought I might die.
Her hand reached for me, and she played with my balls before gripping the base of my cock. Even around the condom, her touch felt incredible.
“Get inside me,” she begged, her lips parting as she watched me.
I held my dick as I moved to her entrance and pushed inside. Each time was more perfect than the last. Moving slow, I worked my way in as deep as I could go, and she arched her head back and moaned, letting me know she loved it as much as I did.
“Feel good?”
“Fuck yes,” she breathed out, and I almost came, just from the way she’d sounded.
Her hips moved in time with mine, letting me reach that deepest part of her with every thrust. It was too fucking good.
I leaned down, taking a nipple in my mouth, sucking and nibbling. Her back lifted from the bed as she pulled at my hair, and I moved to the other nipple and did the same. I grabbed and kneaded her tits as she repeated my name over and over again, sending me close to the edge.
Her nails dug into my back, and she dragged them down, the pain sending waves of pleasure through me. I moved my mouth back to hers and kissed her like my life depended on it. Thrusting in and out of her tight little body, I knew it was only a matter of time before I came. Without warning, she moved her legs, wrapping them around my lower back, and suddenly, I was hitting places I never knew existed before now. I couldn’t stop if I wanted to.
“Yes, Mac. Yes,” she moaned, her legs pinching around me in a vise grip, and I found myself fucking her so hard that I thought I might hurt her.
I came quick, releasing so viciously that it wouldn’t shock me if I tore the damn condom. With one last shudder, reality crashed into me, and I pulled out quicker than I ever had before just to check. When I glanced down, everything looked to be in the right place.
“You okay?” Sunny asked, her breathing heavy.
“Thought I might have torn it,” I said, and her eyes widened.
“It didn’t, right?” She looked worried.
“No. All good,” I said as I got up and walked with my hand on my dick toward the bathroom to get rid of it and triple-check. “Phew.”
After flushing, I strutted back into the bedroom, where Sunny was propped up, waiting for me.
“It’s not that I don’t want kids,” she started to say, and I stopped walking and cocked my head to the side as I stared at her, wondering where this was headed. “I mean, I don’t want kids now. Or anytime soon,” she continued to clarify.
I breathed out in relief. I was nowhere near ready to be a dad. And who knew when I would be? “We’re on the same page, babe,” I reassured her as I grabbed some workout clothes.
I shot off a text to Chance, telling him to wake up, and he responded immediately, saying that he was waiting for my sorry ass. Kissing Sunny bye, I tucked her back into bed and pretended to hit the gym with my best friend.
When Chance and I returned about an hour later, the girls were already dressed and ready, which was a nice surprise. I didn’t mind waiting for them, but it was our last day in Manhattan, and there was still so much we wanted to see and do.
“The 9/11 Memorial first, I think,” Danika was saying as Chance and I raced each other, chugging a glass of orange juice.
I won.
Barely.
“Please tell me we don’t have to walk there,” I complained, sounding like a chick.
“Hell no.” Danika looked at me like I was crazy. “That’s far. We’ll take the train.”
“She means, the subway,” Chance interjected.
“Cool. Let me go shower real quick, and then I’ll be ready to go,” I said, and Chance shot me a look.
“Race you,” he said before taking off, running toward his room, and I sprinted toward mine in response.
Were we always so competitive?
After the quickest shower in the history of the world, I got dressed and didn’t even tie my shoes before running into the living room. Chance was sitting at a barstool, sipping a mug and tapping his fingers on the countertop, like he’d been waiting hours for me to get there.
Punching his arm, I shook my head. “How long?”
“Just got out here.” He laughed.
“I swear you two weren’t like this last year,” Danika said.
“I think this is how they show their love,” Sunny added, and I considered that maybe she was right. We hadn’t been this childish when we lived together.
We all grabbed coats and gloves because it was still cold as shit outside. But nothing was going to stop me from seeing this memorial.
We walked the short distance to the subway, and I was impressed as hell when we entered a whole new world underground. There were empty booths, kiosks, newspaper stands, and people rushing every which way. It was like an entire city existed underneath the roads above.
The four of us bought MetroCards from what was basically a vending machine before swiping them and walking through a turnstile to even more chaos. There were so many people running and darting around others in their rush to get to wherever they were going. I gripped Sunny’s hand even tighter, not wanting her to get run over.
I followed Danika down, down, and even further down until I was convinced that we couldn’t possibly go any lower. We rounded a corner, and another world opened up. The smell of stale air hit my nostrils, and I noticed how warm it was. There were multiple tracks littered with trash, and steam was billowing as people waited for their trains to arrive, completely oblivious to anything else, except their cell phones.
“I’m loving this.” Sunny gripped my arm, her eyes filled with wonder. “Even the trash,” she said, and I laughed.
“What are you two whispering about?” Chance leaned toward us before putting a hand in the air. “No. Don’t tell me. I probably don’t want to know.”
Our “train” arrived in no time, and I assumed that we’d have to stand. Once we got on though, Danika found four seats for us, and we took them right as the doors closed and the train took off. There were multiple stops and starts with people getting on and off in clusters. I was just about to stand up to offer my seat to a pregnant woman when Chance beat me to it.
When we reached our stop, the four of us exited and followed a steep set of stairs back above ground. It was bright as hell, and I shielded my eyes until they corrected themselves.
“This way.” Danika continued to lead us in the proper direction, and I had no idea how she did it.
I was so fucking turned around that nothing made sense. Where we were looked different than where we’d been, but that literally meant nothing to me.
We kept walking, my eyes taking in all the buildings as my steps slowed. It was almost like I sensed we were close.
Sunny pulled on my hand. “You okay?”
“Yeah,” I said as I stared up at the tall, looming tower.
“It’s right up here.” Danika pointed ahead.
The second we crossed the tree-lined threshold, the whole atmosphere seemed to shift. This part of the city felt heavy with what had once been. Or maybe it was just me. As we made our way toward the footprints of the old buildings, which were now water features outlined with everyone’s names, I sucked in a somber breath, feeling the weight of it all.
It seemed unreal, but I’d seen the pictures. I’d watched the videos. It had really happened.
Sunny wrapped an arm around my middle and leaned her head against my shoulder. “I wonder what the roses mean,” she said, pointing to a single white rose sticking out of someone’s name carved into the stone.
“It means it’s their birthday,” Danika answered, and I hadn’t even known she was next to us.
“Today is their birthday?” I turned to ask, and Danika nodded. “They do this for each person’s birthday?”
“Yep.”
“That’s beautiful,” Sunny said, her voice sounding as emotional as I felt.
Danika left to follow Chance, who had started to wander to the other side of the memorial.
I tried to process exactly what we were looking at, but there was no way to truly comprehend it all. Wrapping my head around the sheer size of the buildings felt impossible. This city had lost so much. The whole country had. And it made me fucking ache, just thinking about all the people who never got to go home again when all they’d done was show up for work that day.
And maybe it wasn’t the right time, but at this sacred place, where so many people said I love you for the last time, I wanted to say it for the first time.
“Sunny,” I tried to say her name, but I choked. “Sunny,” I tried again, and she turned toward me, her silver hair reflecting the light, looking like a damn angel.
“Yeah?” Her expression tightened as concern for me spread through her features.
She sensed that I wasn’t okay. I reached out for her, needing her touch, and she walked past my hand and into my arms, pressing her head against my chest, where I held her.
“I love you,” I whispered, and I felt her breath hitch as she pulled away from me to look me in my eyes, wondering if she’d heard me right or not. Cupping her chin with my fingers, I repeated myself, “I love you.”
I leaned down and planted a kiss on her lips, hoping like hell she’d say it back because I’d never felt more vulnerable in my entire life.
“I love you too.” She wiped at her eyes as the tears fell, and when the snow started to fall as well, it felt like a sign from above.
Or a blessing.
Or whatever you wanted to call it.
But I took it as approval.
The rest of the day, I was on cloud nine. Knowing that Sunny loved me made me feel whole, complete. I’d always assumed that I’d stay broken forever, not worthy of being truly loved by anyone outside of my mom. But Sunny made me feel like all of that couldn’t be further from the truth. She made me feel deserving.
The four of us sat in a small pizza shop, eating the best pizza I’d ever had.
“You were right,” I said as I copied Danika and folded my slice in half, watching the grease drip out the bottom. “This is the best pizza I’ve ever had.”
“Told you,” Danika said as she swallowed. “And before you ask, it’s the water.”
“What is?” Sunny inquired, her nose red from the cold.
“Why it’s so good. It’s the water here.”
Chance just shrugged. “Just agree with her,” he said, and she punched him in the shoulder the same way Sunny always did to me.
“I really want to show you the office, Sun,” Danika said as she finished off the last of her pizza. “Do you want to see it?”
Sunny’s eyes instantly met mine, as if she was unsure of what to say in response. I gave her a smirk, letting her know I thought she should go without saying the words.
“Yes. I’d love to. But what are the guys going to do?”
Chance stood up and wiped the crumbs from his jeans. “I’m going to take you to the Tavern. And the girls can meet us there after they’re done.”
“Sounds good,” I said, clapping my man on the back.
“Okay.” Sunny grinned, looking excited as she walked over to me and gave me a kiss. “I’ll see you later.”
The girls walked out the door and disappeared out of view.
“Tell me this tavern has food.”
“We just ate pizza.”
“One slice, dude. We had one slice,” I complained. “I’m a growing boy.”
“It has food. Let’s go,” he said.
I braced myself for the cold as we headed outside. Just as I was about to suggest we take the subway, Chance’s hand was in the air, and he was hailing a cab.
“Where is this place?” I asked, not that I would have any idea where it was once he told me.
“Walking distance from the apartment,” he said.
I was relieved. I liked the idea of being close to the house.
When we finally got there because traffic in Manhattan was a bitch, the place was practically empty. The dark wood gave off a casual, old-school vibe, and I suggested we sit at the bar, but Chance pointed at one of the high-top tables in the back.
“So we won’t have to move when the girls get here,” he said.
I nodded. “You’re right. My bad.”
We ordered drinks and food from the bartender and then moved to the table.
“Food will just be a few minutes,” the bartender said as he slid our beers toward us.
“So”—Chance took a sip of his drink while he looked at me—“you and Sunny seemed extra smooshy today.”
I grinned, wishing I could stop myself but I couldn’t. I didn’t even make fun of his use of the word ‘smooshy.’ “She loves me,” I said, sounding like an excited little kid.
“Did she actually say that, or are you just assuming?” He was being a smart-ass, but I would have done the same thing if the roles had been reversed. I probably had when they were.
“She told me.”
“Good for you, man. She’s a good girl,” he said, taking another swig. “Are you ready for the season?”
I cleared my throat. “Yeah. Gonna give it my all, and hopefully, it will be enough.”
“I know it’s hard,” Chance said, but the truth was that he didn’t know. There had never been any question as to whether or not he was going to get drafted. Everybody, including ESPN, had known that he would even if Chance acted like it wasn’t a sure thing. He was just being modest.
“No offense,” I started, “but I don’t really want to talk about baseball right now.”
I wondered if he was as surprised as I was by my admission. Chance and I always talked about everything, especially baseball—and I rarely avoided that subject. I’d eaten, lived, and breathed baseball for as long as I could remember, and now, I didn’t even want to talk about it.
“Okay. I get it. But I’m here if you need me.”
“I know you are,” I said as I took a drink of my beer and swallowed. “Your dad said that same thing. Offered to hook me up with your uncle in case I had more specific questions.”
“My uncle would have insight that my dad wouldn’t.”
“I know.” I nodded. “But I’m not sure there’s a point.”
“What do you mean?”
“I don’t know what your uncle would tell me that I don’t already know. No matter what he says, it won’t change the way I play,” I explained.
Chance nodded. “And you don’t want anything he says to get in your head.”
“Exactly.”
“Anything new with your old man?” he asked. Another touchy subject.
“Not really. Same old Dick.”
“But you and Sunny are good?” He circled back around to the one topic I was actually willing to talk about in greater detail.
“Yeah, we are. I’m just stupid for not making it official with her last year.” I smacked my hand on top of the table. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
Chance laughed and leaned back. “No, no, no. Don’t even go there, buddy.”
“What?” I feigned innocence as the bartender appeared with our food.
The size of the fish on my plate made me laugh. It was huge. I grabbed a way-too-hot French fry and dropped it back on the plate.
“I did tell you last year.” He shook his head at me. “And then you stopped going over there with me just so you could pretend like you didn’t have feelings for the girl.”
“You should have tried harder then,” I said, blaming him.
He rolled his eyes. A signature Chance Carter move. “Well, it worked out anyway.”
“No thanks to you,” I offered with a smirk before grabbing a fry again and blowing on it so I could finally eat it.
Both of our phones vibrated on top of the table at the same time.
“Girls are on their way,” Chance said, telling me what I’d just read myself in a text message from Sunny.
“What else are we doing tonight?” I asked because I knew we wouldn’t sit at home on our last night in the city. I broke apart a piece of my fried fish and watched the steam billow out of it. At this rate, I’d never get to enjoy my fish and chips.
“I’m pretty sure Danika got tickets for the Empire State Building, so we could all see it at night.”
“Oh.” I blew out a breath. “I forgot about that place. That sounds sick. Have you been?”
