If You Fall (Brimstone 1)

“I understand completely,” I said. I must admit that I felt bad that she didn’t want to be seen with me. She’d mourned long enough, but I figured people were still possessive about her and Dan. Once she moved back to Manhattan, back to school, she would be free once more.

“I can pick you up at Oceanside or at your place,” I offered, wanting her to call the shots so that she felt completely comfortable.

“Oceanside would be best. I’ll make sure to pack a backpack with my stuff and we can go from there.”

She still seemed a bit uncomfortable with me coming to the house. “I get it. You don’t want your in-laws to know. I understand.”

She lifted one shoulder in a shrug. “I feel a bit awkward about it. It has to bother them to think of me with someone new.”

“Like I say, I understand. What time should I pick you up?”

“I’m usually finished by noon. I’ll text you.”

“What about tonight?”

“I’m busy all day.”

“Will you come to my place after work?” I said, watching her face. “I promise to get you home before the sun rises.”

“I’m closing,” she said and shook her head. “I better go home one night this week and sleep or I won’t be good for anything.”

I let my shoulders sag, pretending to be more upset than I was, but then I smiled at her. “I get it. I’d sleep better with you beside me, but if you prefer to sleep alone…”

She leaned closer to me over the bar. “It’s not that I don’t want to be with you. I do. It’s that I’ve been in late every night since that first night. I’m getting pretty exhausted. I need a solid night’s sleep.”

I mock-pouted. “What if I promised to give you a nice massage and let you sleep the whole night through without interruption? I hate not having you in my bed, now that I’ve had you there a few times…”

She laughed. “I like being there, but I highly doubt your ability to keep your promise, considering my past experience with you…”

I held my hand over my heart. “I promise, on my honor as a Marine, to let you sleep the entire night through. I won’t wake you up until you want to be woken up.”

She smiled at me, her green eyes twinkling. “All right, but if you break your promise, I won’t be all perky and bright eyed for the day, let alone doing daily cash.”

“I promise.”

And so I had her back in my bed again for the night, and I kept my promise, allowing her to sleep the entire night through, despite the fact I woke up with a boner in the middle of the night, unaccustomed as I was to having a beautiful naked woman in my bed for the entire night. I usually kicked them out after the first or second time we fucked.

When I woke in the night and the first thing I felt was her naked skin, heard her slow deep breaths, and felt her warm flesh against me, I was immediately har

d. I wished I could have woken her up for a nice slow fuck. Instead, I took in a deep breath and willed my erection to go away, thinking of the mud and sweat of hell week when I first became a Marine. That always worked to quell whatever enthusiasm I had at an inappropriate time.

When she finally woke up, after the clock radio beside the bed went off at six, we had an extra thirty minutes for a nice shower together and a fuck before she dressed. Then, she grabbed a quick cup of coffee and slice of toast from the tray of food I had pre-ordered the night before from room service, and was gone, taking the limo service to get to work.

I promised to pick her up after she was finished doing the daily cash out, and making the bank deposit for the day.

The only snag in a perfect day came when I went to pick her up at Oceanside. I got her text about a quarter after twelve.

MIRANDA: All done. Putting in an order for a knight on shining chrome to come pick me up for my day on the beach.

I laughed and texted her back.

BECKETT: My lady’s every wish is my command. See you in twenty.

I finished packing my backpack with my swimming trunks, a pair of sandals, a t-shirt and floppy brimmed hat. I bought a bottle of wine from the hotel’s off-sale and stole a couple of disposable plastic glasses from the hotel room. When I was ready, I brought along the spare helmet and drove down the street to a local tourist-trap beach store and purchased a big blanket.

Then, I drove down to Oceanside, and parked on the street across from the restaurant. I waited by my bike, watching the front door for her to come out, texting her to let her know I had arrived – as if the throaty growl of my bike’s muffler wasn’t enough.

BECKETT: Your steed is here, milady.