Chapter 12

Three months had flown by for lovers Leigh Anne and Theo. One month had passed since the unknown phone calls and letters were received from the lawyers. There was only silence, which only fueled Leigh Anne’s anxiety and paranoia. She was familiar with how her ex-in-law worked and how her mother thrived on pure dysfunction.

She was also familiar with how his neglectful parents easily swayed and manipulated her ex-husband. In high school, he would swear that when they got married, he would never turn into his folks, but he was nothing more than a familiar stranger after they were married. That was the very first vow he broke. She should have seen the writing on the wall when she went on their honeymoon alone.

Morning Cuddles = Morning Wood

Leigh Anne and Gretel woke up most mornings at Theo’s house. The only difference was that her room's location had changed. The main suite was one they now shared. It was noon, and rather than worry about moving, she stayed put, and not because she had sunk so deeply in the bed, although that was reason enough. No, she was being held captive by two 4x4 limbs of rippling, coiled muscles covered by three layers of skin and golden blond hair. These are the arms of the man she was quickly falling for—Theodore Collins.

Who would have thought early morning cuddles would turn into early morning wood?

He hummed in her ear as she attempted to wriggle loose, “I would be more careful stretching that hot, slender body of yours, baby. You’re waking someone up...” His voice was grainy from sleep as his hands slid down her waist, holding her hips in place right against his swollen crown.

“Is that right?” Leigh Anne sighed as she intentionally rolled her hips again, making Theo groan. “Well, wouldn’t it be nice to have a wake-up call to start your day? Better than coffee...” Theo abruptly cut her off, thrusting his stiffened walking stick into her plump hind.

“I can think of much better fluids to give me the much-needed energy boost to begin my day.”

Leigh Anne caught Theo by surprise when she retreated, shimmying out of his arms, straddling Theo, and initiating the ride of his life. He gasped as he felt hands encase his firm, thick girth. Theo’s hands traveled with a direct destination to Leigh Anne’s perky mounds. But he wanted to feel her warm skin and pebbles tighten as his massive hands kneaded and pinched her blossoms. As Leigh Anne continued to jack him off, she added friction of her own. She’s moaning as her body rose and fell with him pinned underneath her, matching her ministrations.

“Oh, fuck, baby... that’s—” Theo stopped speaking as he gripped his bottom lip between his teeth. There was a warmth surrounding him. He lifted his head, watching her take him down her narrow airway, not holding back. Hollowed cheeks, she was on the brink of tears as saliva seeped down her chin. The sensation of her mouth, her head bobbing up and down, the noise of her humming, of her taking the first taste of his creaming syrup. “You look so pretty fucking me with that melodious mouth. Hmm, what music you play, b-b-baby...”

The sound of her playful giggle tickled his nerve endings, sending a jolt of excitement straight into the base of his devoured manhood. With a stuffed face, she smiled up at him. His head slammed back down onto the pillow, his hands raking through her hair.

As suddenly and mysteriously as she wound up locked between his thighs, she appeared back in a sitting position, pinning his hands in hers above his head. “Hold on. You’re in for a bumpy ride, Mr. Collins.”

“Wha—” he said, with confusion in his eyes, as Leigh Anne guided his hands up to the headboard and secured his wrists with the flat sheet, dangling her wet sex in front of his face.

With a task, she responded, “Nuh uh, there will be none of that, Mr. Collins. No touching the one in control. It’s my turn to play...”

With one final tug of his restraints, with deliberate coquettish movements, she grazed her nipples against his open mouth. Before she could scold him, he latched on to one. Sucking her pert nipple into his mouth, he bit her as she pulled herself out of his mouth.

“Oh, Mr. Collins being naughty.” She slunk back down, hovering her hips over his now throbbing, aching cock. It wanted her; he demanded her, and she was soaked for him. But this was something she had never experienced before, her giving pleasure but sharing in that decadence. She wanted to bounce on his pulsating member, feel him quake and explode inside her, simply because she wanted to. She stroked him, tormented him, and fucked him without there being a result, without there being disappointment, without there being loss.

The slower she eased down onto him, the heavier the burning sensation was, the more she wanted him—wanted to feel him fill her. His hands rested above her head; she rolled her pelvis in a painfully slow, methodical rhythm. Her back arched as she gained speed and pressure. The position wasn’t new, but she never felt comfortable taking the reins until now.

Theo made her feel brave, sexy, wanted, and craved. She wasn’t concerned for the noise their bodies made as their sweat mingled, their juices blended, and the sounds their voices produced didn’t make her self-conscious as they used to with Ethan.

“Oh, fuck me, baby... damn, minx. Who the fuck are you, and what have you done to my girlfriend?”

Wait, what did he call her? His what?

That one word made her stop. Just when she was so close, she froze mid-ride.

“W-wh-what did you just c-call m-m-me?”

He wasn’t mad. His lips curled up into the goofiest grin she had ever seen him wear. It’s not how he wanted to ask her or even bring the subject up. Well, he did hope she’d fuck him after he asked, but not during.

“Y-you h-heard me...” his voice cracked each time she inadvertently shifted her pelvis to balance. “I called you my girlfriend. I know we have such a huge age gap,” he mocked her in their first conversation. “But do people in their thirties still use that term?”

She playfully swatted his chest as she kissed him. She tasted the salt on his lips. They separated and stared deeply into each other’s blue eyes. Leigh Anne nodded and breathlessly mouthed, “Yes.”

And as Theo regained his momentum, she slammed her heated cavern down onto his hardness. She unlatched his wrists from the headboard so his hands could roam. As his hips moved along with hers in a symphony of moans, squeals, and deep-throated groans, the pad of his thumb found her engorged clit, feverishly rubbing as she squeezed his taunt berries.

“Come on, baby. Ride your cowboy...”

 A Familiar Face Pays a Visit

After that rodeo, Theo let Leigh Anne recuperate and sleep in. Before heading to Dusty’s for the Spring break rush, he had some errands and properties to see. The crowd was still light when Theo arrived, but he knew it would grow in a couple of hours.

“Hey, man. There’s a delivery waiting to be unboxed, and some guy came in to see Leigh Anne?” Norm stood in his office doorway, leaning against the door's frame. Norm was concerned. Leigh Anne never had visitors before.

“Cool. Thanks, man. I’ll get that put away before the spring breakers come in tonight. Be extra vigilant with checking IDs tonight, all right? Other bar owners have been spreading the word about fake IDs being circulated.” Theo grabbed his inventory logs and met Norm at the threshold of his office. “Hey, hold up. Did this guy leave a name or a message?”

“No, but he seemed a bit too eager.” Norm gave a musical emphasis on the word eager. A tone Theo didn’t like. “Said he’d be back...”

Theo felt terrible as they walked down the steps together, and he wanted to be prepared for the next visit.

“What did this guy look like?”

“Wavy black hair, peppered with age, but defined features, green eyes—wickedly bright green eyes—and a five-o’clock shadow.”

He had a feeling who the stranger was, and he’d be damned if he let this joker anywhere near his lady.

Leigh Anne basked in the euphoria that lingered on her body. Her limbs still called out to him. Her chest still wore his markings; her mouth still tasted like him. She didn’t want to wash those vibrations away. But Leigh Anne knew she’d eventually have to move her sore body, be an adult, and go to work. Theo was depending on her more than ever. He was a destination hot spot on the boardwalk. Spring break was in full swing, and she knew she’d be pulling late nights and long weekends like the last five years.

She lingered longer than she should have in the shower, but her aching thighs, sore limbs, and tight muscles needed the hot water therapy of Theo’s rainforest double shower head. After she stepped out of the shower, she texted Theo, telling him she’d be there in twenty minutes. He didn’t respond, but that could be because he was busy with inventory and deliveries. She didn’t want to overthink it.

She dried her hair. It was so much easier to maintain and style now that it was in a quick bob. Her mother always kept her hair long and straight. A woman’s honor was her crown and glory, she’d say—her excuse for never letting Leigh Anne get more than the dead-ends cut off. Leigh Anne knew the truth. It was just another method of torture.

After she dressed in her uniform—a black form-fitting tank top, black skinny jeans, and black worn combat boots- she cleaned out Gretel’s litter box, which Theo kept at his house. He knew they came as a package deal and fed her. She hopped on her bicycle with her guitar around her back and headed toward Dusty’s with nothing in the world.

The bar was already on fire and had a line for miles out the door. As she parked her bike and chained it to the post out back, she headed inside through the back service entrance. There was a nagging feeling emanating through her that made her teeth chatter. This had always happened right before her father came home from work most nights drunk, or when she got home from school, seeing her mother’s car in the driveway. Something was making her nervous.

She made it to the employee lounge and locker room, putting her guitar in its usual spot in the storage room, and walked up the steps two at a time. She whipped her head around in search of Theo and said hello to Norm, who looked like he wanted to tell her something but couldn’t hear him over the crowd and music. Lindsey waved, and Leigh Anne waved back. The rest of the crew were busy, but still, there was no sign of Theo until the crowd of sweaty, horny patrons parted. She locked eyes with her newly confirmed boyfriend as he was in a heated discussion with another man.

A man with a tall, well-defined, towering physique, wavy black hair, neatly gelled. He was someone she didn’t recognize. So, it wasn’t until he turned around that she froze. Not an eyelash batted or a breath inhaled. No gasp or guffaw until he moved toward her—or was she gliding toward him? Theo was quick on his heels. Not until then did she utter anything remotely close to a known language.

“E-E-Ethan...”