In the Nick of Time (100 page)

Taryn took his hand, and repeated the same words, but struggled a bit to get the wedding band down his long digit.

“…Ate a bit too much salt on my eggs this morning,” he joked, causing more laughter. “Ahhh, you got it… there you go.” He whispered around a smile.

The minister cleared his throat and began again. “I will forever wear this ring as a sign of my commitment and the desire of my heart…”

They both followed suit, until all the vows were exchanged.

“Taryn,” he said, getting his nerve up as his heart spun in his chest. “You have no idea how happy you’ve made me today. I promise to be good to you, to be honest, okay?”

She smiled, slipped her hand from his grip and stroked his cheek, then nodded.

“I promise to not do anything stupid to you, at least not on purpose.”

This caused more laughter, including from the two of them.

“And I promise to make time for you… not get so lost in my job that I forget where my heart is, and who loves me in spite of myself. I promise to talk to you, tell you how I am feeling… I still forget sometimes that I’m no longer in this alone, that I don’t have to keep everything bottled inside… that I can talk to you about stuff, let it out. That’s hard for me, you know that.”

She smiled in encouragement, her eyes welling with tears. He paused, swiped them away with the side of his thumb.

“You’re my family now… my wife, my lover, my best friend. You know where I come from, and I won’t apologize for that. I embrace it. It makes me who I am, and you love me all the more for it. I’m a guy who’s lived a lot in a short span of time. I grew up in a way some can’t comprehend… poor in my pockets and in my spirit.” He took a few moments to brace himself, trying desperately to continue without falling apart again, but the plausibility of that seemed fleeting.

“I know everything happens for a reason… and meeting you was one of the reasons I went through so many changes… so when I saw you that first time, I knew a good thing when I saw it, and could appreciate you. I would have never met you if I hadn’t had my problems, and the least I can do now is be a testament to others. If I hadn’t taken the first step to loving myself, I would have missed having you in my life, and I’m thankful to you for taking me by the hand and showing me how to do the rest. You didn’t feed me, you taught me how to fish—that’s part of the reason why I fell in love with you.

“You showed up in my life in the nick of time, Taryn. I was lost… so lost. You knew what you wanted, and I was…” His voice cracked and he stopped, shaking like a leaf. The tears wouldn’t cease to fall. Hooking her fingers under his chin, she sought his gaze and grounded him once more. “I was so happy when you chose me! You’re classy, beautiful, intelligent, funny… and open. You’re a warrior all right.” He caressed her knuckles with his thumbs. “A warrior with a shining spirit and softened by a layer of beautiful petals. You gotta beast in your heart, and it opened the gate and let me in… gave a crazy guy like me a stamp of approval.”

Light laughter filtered through.

“So, thank you. Thank you for trusting me when most people no longer did. I needed that… I needed it bad.” She grabbed his hands and squeezed them with might as soft, quiet tears saturated her cheeks.

And so she cried with him. Shared every emotion with him.

That’s my Taryn…always and forever.

“Nick, we’re here with our family and friends today. They’ve all come to help us celebrate and for that, I’m thankful,” she began. “There was a time in my life when I didn’t know if I’d make it to the end of the week, let alone live long enough to see my wedding day.” She shook her head, and continued, “I would sometimes get very ill after chemotherapy, and the pain…sometimes the pain was unbearable. Nick, I’m not talking only about the physical kind of pain, but the emotional kind, too. I wasn’t happy long before I’d been diagnosed. I didn’t know why, but I wasn’t. It took a man like you to come into my life, to say the right things at the right time.

“So much so, you gave me courage to dig in real deep and get those designs that only floated in my mind all sketched out. I filled up book after book after book, and without you in my life, I’m not sure that would have happened… We all get scared sometimes, Nick, even beasts and warriors…”

She trailed a hand tenderly along his cheek.

“Things change, people change. I had so much to live for, so I fought… I fought so hard, Nick. I didn’t know I’d meet a wonderful man during my time of adversity. I had no idea that the very thing that tried to destroy me would have a silver lining… and I’d end up in the company of greatness.”

He leaned in, no longer caring, and kissed the top of her head. A light applause echoed behind them.

“I didn’t know that, through my pain, I’d be helping someone else. I had no idea how much I meant to you, until I saw the love in your eyes one day while you stood under the sun, and you looked up into the sky, and then at me… so free. You told me,” she said as fresh tears rolled down her cheek, “that you didn’t know the difference between me and the sun, and that’s why you kept looking up, then over at me, because to
you
, we looked the same…”

“Oh Jesus! Nick got some serious game!” someone called out, which resulted in a ruckus of laughter.

“You said we were bright stars in a world so lost. I knew then that I had met my best friend. What mattered to me most was that you stayed well, stayed healthy. You were too damn good, Nick, to
ever
settle for less, even from yourself. You are a rare one! A strong one! My Hero! The guy who would walk through fire to protect me… and just know, I’d jump in the flames to shelter you, too.”

No longer able to contain himself, he grabbed the woman and kissed her with all the passion he could muster, and the guests’ cheers resounded around them.

“You may now kiss the bride…looks like I’m behind the curveball.” The minister chuckled, to everyone’s delight. Nick wrapped his arms around her back and pulled her closer, leaving no room for a wisp of air.

“You’re stuck with me now.” He grinned in her ear.

Her cheek plumped as a smile broke free across her face.

“Stuck with you? No baby, you’re stuck with me! You might regret it! I’m wedged to your ass like a barnacle on this boat!” She chuckled, and he planted another kiss against her lips, and then another. “I love you, Nick. You came into my life right on time. Thank you for loving me, baby…and thank you, for simply being
you
…”

…Several months later

S
he wasn’t certain
she wanted to continue to play. Her mind yelled and screamed as her anxiety mounted, but her pulsating pussy told her to shut up, threatened to do her in if she dared give in to fear…

“What are you doing?”

He said nothing…

Daley, ‘Alone Together’ featuring Marsha Ambrosius played.

This is what I get for agreeing to this! I should’ve known better!

All she could hear was the opening and closing of what sounded like the refrigerator door off in the distance. Unpacked boxes littered their new digs, the place with beautiful trey ceilings, new silver and white granite counters, and floor to ceiling windows, located on Thompson Street in Soho.

“Nick?” she called out, her voice weak as she strained against the rich, velvety, purple sheets covering her naked body, yet moving carefully, lest she let them slip and catch a chill. Soon, she heard the shuffling of the man’s bare feet across the wooden floor. A moment or two later, the bed sighed as his weight pressed onto the mattress. He simply sat there, unnerving her all the more. After a few frustrating seconds, she could feel him drawing closer and closer until he hovered over her, his deep breaths audible and the way he blocked the light with the mass of his body intimidating, yet, erotic. The blindfold over her face allowed whispers of light and darkness to reveal themselves, but no further evidence of his tasks were demonstrated, much to her chagrin.

She swallowed as perspiration dampened her body, particularly her upper lip and the Cupid’s bow as she swiped at the salty moisture with the tip of her tongue.

“What are you doing?” She twisted her wrists, causing the fabric that tied her to the bed posts to tighten uncomfortably around her flesh. “Uhhhh! Ohhh….” She bucked when the slippery cold ice slid against her navel, through the sheets. Taking his time, he left her, curious and unsettled, so he could remove the sheets from her body, unwrapping her bit by bit like a favorite chocolate bar to be devoured under the cloud of secrecy. The man knew exactly how to tempt her, but he remained full of surprises, some of which danced on the verge of erotic, erogenous perversions… and that suited her just fine.

“Mmmmm.” The slither of ice danced across her skin, melting quickly from their combined heat. From the wisps of warmth around her groin, she surmised the thing was clenched between his teeth… and damn it, his expertly moving hands were free, for they caressed, traced and grabbed at her flesh. Soon, nothing was left of the ice but a warm puddle of moisture on her skin.

Like a voracious animal running to a lake for rapid relief, he licked up the liquid remains from her navel. Twisting ever so slightly to the side, she wiggled, her body responding, fighting against the confinement, but there was nowhere else she’d rather be…

“Ahhhh….” Her tongue slid across her upper lip as the soft, downy hairs atop his head caressed her inner thighs. Rough, masculine hands ran up and down her sides, bringing her closer to completion as his soft, perfectly formed lips caressed her petals in just the right way. “Ahhhh… Oh God.” He went on and on, until she felt his hand opening her bud, exposing her just so. A cool breeze danced across her clit as he pushed her completely open, butterflied and exposed for his view.

“Your pussy reminds me of Hennessey…” his deep, guttural voice rasped. “I sometimes miss the taste of it. I won’t lie to you, baby…”

He slicked his tongue across her folds, again and again…

“Ahhh…”

“I love the smell of your pussy… the way it tastes… It’s distinct, the flavor unfiltered, clean… fucking beautiful…”

His lips cornered her bud, drawing her into his hot, wet mouth.

“Mmmm!” She bucked against him once more, twisting and turning but he pressed her down, made her stop… stay in position… arrested her development right then and there. “Feels… so….good…”

“Yeah? Feels good, baby…” Hands held her hips as though about to remove an expensive, rare painting from a wall. Careful, yet rigid, with direct force… Burying himself impossibly deeper, she squealed, moaned, and yelled out as he plunged his tongue in and out of her, faster, faster and faster.

“Ahhhh!” Teeth clenched, she paused, tightened, legs stiff…

The orgasm grabbed her by the throat, rendering her silent.

“Untie me!” she finally gasped, but the man ignored her as he slowly kissed up her body until he reached her neck.

“No…”

She needed to take control; he’d made such a beautiful fool of her.

“Untie my wrists, Nick! Right now!” She sounded weak as broken knees, but she had to get it out…