Junkyard Dog (17 page)

Hayes grins. “I’m putting that role-playing idea
aside for later. So should I stay or not?”

“Can you stay without having sex?”

“Of course, I’m perfectly in control of myself.
You’re the one who insists on coming repeatedly.”

Studying him, I whisper, “This would be the first
night we’ve spent together.”

“Don’t let it go to your head.”

“Said the guy who brought me flowers and apologized
and nearly begged for a second chance.”

Hayes shrugs. “You remember that any way you need
to, babe.”

Soon, the kids finish their show, and I take them
upstairs. They brush their teeth, and we sit in their room for nearly a half
hour talking about Hayes and if I have a job now. I tell them not to worry. I’m
super smart and can handle anything. Chipper believes me more than Cricket, but
they both cuddle up in the bed with grins on their faces.

Downstairs, Hayes waits for me. He dwarfs the couch
with his long legs, and I admire the sight of him stretched out watching the
news. I’ve really missed the asshole. Not enough to swallow my pride yet, but I
knew the time was coming. Hayes might be infuriating, but he is my guy, and I
plan to keep him.

C
andy and I can’t get comfortable in her bed. Once
in the room, I strip down to my boxers and consider going commando. She looks
at me and shakes her head. I watch her remove her robe. She’s wearing a simple,
pink sleeveless nightgown, and I instantly wonder if we can fuck quiet enough
to keep the kids from interrupting.

“No,” Candy says, crossing her arms. “Never going
to happen.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” I say,
climbing onto her California king-sized bed.

“Look, it’s your fault really,” she says, joining
me on the bed. “If you were a lousy lay, I could keep quiet while you fucked
me.”

“I could probably do a shitty job if I tried. Get
naked and we’ll give it a shot.”

Candy shakes her head and slides under the covers.
“Tomorrow, the kids will go to school, and we’ll have the house to ourselves.
We could stick my cell in their room and record to see if it picks up our
grunts and groans.”

Resting on my side, I lean my head on my hand while
my other one caresses her face. “Your problem-solving skills is one reason
you’re a great assistant.”

Candy studies me. “I thought we might be over.”

“I never considered that.”

“Because you always get what you want?”

Smiling, I lean over and give her a quick kiss. “Do
you always sleep this early?”

“Sure.”

“No wonder you’re so damn perky in the morning.”

“Will Nightmare be okay alone at your house?”

“Yeah, he has a doggy door, plenty of food and
water, and even knows how to hit the remote if he wants to watch TV.”

“Smart dog.”

“He’s getting old. I don’t know what I’ll do when
he kicks the bucket. I’ve had him for so long that any new dog will feel like a
fucking loser in comparison.”

Candy scoots a little closer. “He’s not that old
yet, is he?”

“No, I guess not. He probably has a handful of
years left.”

“Then why worry?”

“Because that’s what I do. I take care of what’s mine.”

“Yes, you do,” she softly says, kissing my hand. “I
know this wasn’t your idea of a makeup sleepover, but life never promised you a
rose garden. Now go to sleep so I can sleep. Tomorrow we'll do the makeup thing
right.”

“I’m so bossy I forget how bossy you can get.”

Candy grins and turns over to switch off the light.
The room isn’t completely dark. Between the moonlight and a hallway nightlight,
I see her clearly. Having slept like shit the last few nights, I figure I’ll
crash quickly and sleep like the dead.

With fucking, we have great chemistry. However in
the simple task of sleeping, we can’t find a rhythm. She rolls into me at one
point. Later, my arm stretches out and lands on her head. We kick each other,
shove one another nearly off the bed, and steal the covers back and forth.

“I’ve never shared a bed with a man before,” Candy
complains at two in the morning.

“Not even with Eddison?”

“He’s a man, so no,” she mumbles.

“You might be a morning person, but you’re a bitch
this early in the morning.”

“You nearly broke my face an hour ago.”

“Well, I’m accustomed to having a bed to myself.”

“Bed hog.”

“Bed slut.”

Candy laughs and climbs out of the bed. I wonder if
this is when she orders me to sleep on her tiny couch downstairs. I’d rather
sleep on the damn floor. Candy leaves the room, returning a few minutes later.
She throws a second blanket at me and dumps a long pillow on the bed.

“I’m not sleeping on the fucking couch,” I say
instantly.

“No shit, boss. You’d kill my poor couch.”

Candy crawls into bed and yanks the first blanket
to her side.

“That’s your blanket, and this is mine. Stop
hogging.”

“Is this my pillow too?” I ask, patting the long
pillow.

“No,” she says, pressing it between us. “The body
pillow will act as a buffer. I used it with the kids when they were little and
would dig their little feet into my legs.”

“This is sexy,” I tease, getting comfortable.

Candy smiles at me in the darkness. “I’m glad
you’re the first man I’ve had sleep over.”

Her words make me feel protective of her in a new
way. This is all new. I’m her first. In my gut, I know I’ll be her last too.

“I’m a fast learner,” I whisper. “I’ll figure out
how to sleep in here without beating the shit out of you.”

“I know,” she says, patting my cheek. “I’d kiss
you, but you’re looking a little too irresistible, and I’m too tired to get
sweaty.”

“Fucking tease.”

Candy laughs and rolls over, so her back faces me.
My fingers play with her hair, but she ignores me and soon she’s sleeping
comfortably.

I imagine her in bed with her kids climbing on her,
playing with her hair, and moving around constantly. She has the mom routine
down, but she’s rusty with the girlfriend role.

I crash after an hour of watching Candy sleep. Her
soft breathing soothes my awkwardness at being in a strange place.

Candy’s alarm is an obnoxious song called Good
Morning. I’m ready to punch the singer in the face when Candy rolls over and
turns it off. Then she rolls over and rests her hand on my chest. My anger
disappears, and I smile. Seeing her when I wake up makes up for the stupid
alarm.

“Good morning. I’ll turn on the coffee and get the
kids up,” she says, looking at me with sleepy eyes. “You can shower if you
want, but it might be tight in there.”

“I’ll manage. The world has always been too small
for me.”

Candy grins, and I realize she really is a morning
person. Her sleepy gaze is already brightening. I watch her grab her robe and
head downstairs. A few minutes later, I smell coffee brewing and hear kids
whining.

Forcing myself out of bed, I shut the door and then
check out the small adjoining bathroom. Candy wasn’t kidding about the tight
shower. I end up washing my face and pits rather than trying to fit into the
stall.

Downstairs, I find Candy still in her pjs and the
kids dressed for school.

“Coffee,” she says, placing a cup at the kitchen
table for me. “Would you mind hanging out while I take a shower?”

I agree with a head gesture since I’ll need a few
cups of coffee before I feel like talking to anyone. Candy hurries upstairs to
clean up while the kids eat their cereal and watch the living room TV. A few
minutes pass before I realize they’re staring at me.

“We got a cat,” Chipper says, digging into his bowl
of Apple Jacks.

“Where was the cat last night?”

“She doesn’t like when people knock on the door.”

“She’s a scaredy-cat,” Cricket announces.

The twins snicker, and I smile at how easily amused
they are. Kids on TV are always so obnoxious. I like how these two find the
simplest shit hilarious. They whisper to each other for a few minutes while I
finish one cup of hot coffee and hurry to down another.

“What’s the cat’s name?” I ask, feeling like an
asshole for ignoring them.

“Bad Dream,” Cricket says, staring at me with eyes
I know well.

“You look so much like your mother,” I mumble
without thinking.

“You like her,” Cricket teases and then smiles at
Chipper. “Hayes and Mom sitting in a tree.”

“Don’t sing in the morning. It makes my brain
hurt.”

“Do you think Mom is beautiful?” Chipper asks.

“Yes.”

“Do you love her?” Cricket asks.

“Yes,” I say and then add, “But don’t tell your
mom.”

“I’m good at keeping secrets,” Chipper says.
“Cricket isn’t.”

Mouth full of cereal, the little girl nods. “I like
telling people stuff.”

“Don’t tell your mom what I said.”

“I’ll try, but I can’t promise. I have a big
mouth.”

“So does your mom.”

The twins laugh and look at the gray and black cat
slinking near the doorway. I’m relieved to change the subject from Candy and
love.

“What’s the cat’s real name?”

“Dreamy.”

“You’re messing with me.”

The twins shake their heads, thoroughly creeping me
out with their identical movements.

“Don’t do that.”

“Don’t do what,” Cricket says, staring widely at
me. “Are you scared?”

Chipper laughs and then she laughs. Finally, I give
in and smile. They’re annoying, but I like them. I’ll like them more if they
don’t snitch me out to Candy.

“There you are,” Candy says, picking up the cat.
“Where were you hiding all night?”

I enjoy the sight of Candy with her damp hair and
fresh face.

“Will Hayes be here when we get home from school?”
Cricket asks her mother.

Candy shrugs. “I don’t know. Is your schoolwork in
your backpack?”

The twins lose interest in me and begin whining
about having to make up a math test. I’m glad to have the heat off me. I’ve
never been a social person in the morning. As a kid, my teachers left me alone
for the first hour of school or else I’d end up in the principal’s office for
being an asshole.

Candy glances at me a few times, but her focus remains
on preparing the kids for school. I watch her tie Cricket’s hair into a
ponytail. She has such a soft touch when she wants. I admire her tenderness
with her children and think again how she’ll make a perfect mother to my kid.
She has all the qualities I loved in my mom along with the spunkiness and
toughness mine lacked.

I end up alone in the house with a skittish cat and
the morning news on the TV. After checking my phone, I relax on the couch I
refused to sleep on the night before.

Finding it rather comfortable, I doze until Candy
returns home. I open my eyes to find her wearing a grin.

“We have the house to ourselves,” she says, sliding
out of her jacket. “I’ll meet you upstairs.”

Candy hurries upstairs, and I have to roll
awkwardly off the couch to follow her. By the time I lumber up to her room,
she’s stripped down to her bra and panties.

“I’ll set up the recorder in the next room,” Candy
says, sliding past me with a quick graze of her hip against my crotch. “I want
to see how loud I am.”

“Pretty loud,” I tease, pulling off my shirt.

Candy returns when I’m stretched out naked on the
bed. “Wow, I forgot how impressive you are.”

“Take off your bra so I can say the same to you.”

Her smile makes me feel like a fucking stud before
I even touch her. Candy climbs onto the bed and gives my hard cock a slow lick
from balls to head.

“You keep teasing, but I still haven’t gotten a
single blowjob,” I say as she straddles me.

“Big dicks cause big problems,” she says, laughing
at her comment.

I cup her jiggling tits, but Candy doesn’t stop
giggling about my dick. Only when I suck one of her nipples into my mouth does
she get quiet.

“If the first guy I ever fucked was as good as
you,” she murmurs while running her fingers through my hair, “I’d have become a
fuck junkie.”

“Shitty lay, huh?” I ask, nuzzling my face between
her tits.

“Yes. I figured it was just because I was
inexperienced. The next guy was boring too. I tried twice more before realizing
I just didn’t like sex. A lack of romance led me to Toby and the kids and
eventually you. I should send those crappy lovers a thank you gift card. I’m
thinking Kmart would suit them.”

Candy barely gets the last word out before she lets
out a groan. The head of my cock finds her waiting slit and parts the flesh
with a hard nudge. She gazes down to where our bodies come together and then
looks in my eyes. Her expression is so accepting I nearly proclaim my love and
make things very awkward. Fortunately, she tightens her pussy about my cock,
and my balls cry out in approval. The emotional stuff falls away, and we’re
simply two people searching for relief.