Overflow: The Carpino Series (13 page)

After hitting the liquor store, I make my way through
Gabby’s neighborhood.  We’re into the second week of September and the weather
has taken an earlier than normal shift to fall.  The humidity is gone and the
temps have dipped to a comfortable level.  Being from Colorado, summers in
Nebraska are brutal.  I head into her house, trudge through the mess in her
garage thinking she has a really great garage, but she needs to do something
about all this shit.  I hear Gabby talking to Lizzie as I walk in being
attacked by the dog.  Ignoring the dog, I head straight for Gabby, who is
standing at the island washing something in the sink.  She’s wearing a thin
pink long sleeve with a hood at the back and loose on her arms with some faded
blue cut off short shorts ragged around the legs.  Her hair is pulled to the
back of her head in a mess and she’s makeup free.  She looks at me as I
approach and her face lights up.  Beautiful.  I go straight to her side,
putting my stuff down on the counter, I wrap my hand around the side of her
neck and as she turns her head up to me, I meet her for a soft kiss.  I pull up
a bit and say, “Sugar.”

“Hey,” she breathes. 

I turn to her aunt, “Hey, Lizzie.  Thanks for coming.”

“Not a big deal!  I love my Gabby time, so now I get to hang
around without worrying that I am cramping her style!” she replies as loudly as
usual.  “But I need to be on my way.  Tony and I are playing in a Twilight Couples
round of nine holes tonight at the club.  I can’t seem to keep him off the
fairways with this nice weather!  We’re gonna grab dinner there, so you two
enjoy, I’m off!”  Gabby and Lizzie say their goodbyes as I uncork Gabby’s wine
and pour her a glass.  

“Did you find out anything about Trevor?” she asks.

“His operation is shut down for now and we got some major
players, but no Harper,” I say, looking at her.  “Yet.  We’ll find him, Gabby. 
He’s got too much at stake, he’ll flush out eventually.  Don’t worry, you’ll
get to go shopping again someday,” I add, trying to lighten her mood.  She
doesn’t need to worry about Harper coming after her again, reliving that
experience over and over. 

“Well, if I can’t go shopping by myself, someone’s going to
have to take me,” she says grinning, raising an eyebrow at me.  “I do have
clients you know.  My job is all about shopping and I can’t keep them waiting
forever!”

“How did you get into it?” I ask, as we fill our plates and
sit down at the island to eat. 

“Get into what?”

“Decorating.  Not a lot of people go from accounting
straight into decorating, babe.  Opposite sides of the brain and all,” I
explain, taking a swig of my beer.

“I didn’t know what I wanted to do when I started college
and I’m good with numbers, always have been.  I told you my mom taught high
school math.  So, I guess accounting made sense since I was good at it.  When I
graduated with my accounting degree I wasn’t real excited to get a real job
yet, so I decided to stay in school and get my MBA.  When I graduated my
parents decided it was high time I got a real-life-grown-up-job, so I started
at a CPA firm.  I hated it.  It was seriously boring and my days were long.  I
started helping my friends with their house projects just for fun.  It was more
like a hobby, I guess.  I helped my mom when she gutted the kitchen here, then
I helped a friend redo her bathroom and she insisted on paying me.  Once I
found I could make some money at it, I quit my job and started decorating full
time.  That was about six months before my parents died.  It’s a lot more fun,
I get to work for myself and set my own hours.  It just sort of happened, all
my business is word of mouth.  It’s a lot more fun than accounting.”

“So this kitchen is all you?” I ask, digging into my
dinner.  I look at her plate and over half of it is covered in salad.

“Well, my mom and I.  I like being here, it reminds me of
her.”

“I’m glad you have that, sugar.  I’ve never seen you in
action with numbers but your kitchen’s the shit, babe.”

“Is that a badass compliment?” she asks, I just grin at her
and continue eating.  “Well, if that’s all I’m going to get from you, Jude,
then I guess I’ll take it,” she says sarcastically. 

I put my fork down, snag her behind the neck and pull her
over to me. Trying to keep her balance from my quick move, she leans her hands
on my thighs and I say, “Yes, that was a badass compliment.  But don’t worry,
Gabby, you’re gonna get a whole lot more from me.  I promise you that.”  I kiss
her quick before letting her go.  Her eyes go big again so I try and keep the
mood light asking her, “And what is up with you and salad?”

Recovering from my last comment, she shrugs and says, “I
don’t know.  You like meat, I like salad.  And it’s a good thing I like salad,
I’m not a runner because I love it.  Carbs and I don’t jive.  So I eat salad
and I run.  But not just any salad, I like fancy salads.”

“Fancy salads?”

“Yeah, you know with good cheeses, unusual veggies, fruit,
stuff like that.  It’s not a big deal, just my thing I guess.” 

“Good to know, Gabby,” I mutter as we are finishing our
dinner that apparently included fancy salad.  Now that I think about it, I
realize our salad tonight had pears, walnuts, some kind of dried fruit, a
stinky cheese and I’m pretty sure there were roasted red onions in some kind of
vinaigrette.  I lean over to kiss her and say, “Thank you.  Dinner was great,
fancy salad and all.”

“No problem, Jude,” she grins back.

“Grab your wine and go sit down, babe, I’ll clean this up.

“I can help clean the dishes, Jude.  I’m feeling really
good.  My ribs only hurt when I poke around on them, so as long as you don’t
tickle me, I think I can help clean the kitchen.  I’m so sick of being in this
house,” she said with a sigh.  Then in a quiet voice, she goes on with, “So, if
you think Trevor’s left town, do I still have to be under house arrest?” 

“Gabby, just because we think he could have left town
doesn’t mean he has.  I’d feel better if you are at home, not alone and have on
your security system.  Sugar,” I get close to her, pull her into me gently and
talk low, “I about came undone last week when I found out you were vulnerable
and hurt the way you were.  Not to mention what your family went through.  If I
allowed it to happen twice by not taking every precaution, I wouldn’t be able
to live with myself.  I know you hate it, but please, for me, just cooperate. 
Okay?”

She looks up into my eyes and I can tell she’s working over
something in that head of hers.  She starts chewing on her lip and finally
spews the same shit she asked me over a week ago, “Why are you doing all this? 
I mean, we’ve known each other for all of a week and a half.”

I’ve about lost my patience with this.  I wanted to wait
until later to have our talk, but it needs to happen now.  I turn, grab her
hand and pull her to the sofa.  I sit down, turn her grabbing her hips and pull
her down onto my lap.  “Jude, what are you doing!” she screams.

I turn her sideways in my lap and we are looking almost eye
to eye.  “We need to have a talk.  I’m tired of you questioning me, so it’s
gotta happen now.”

Affronted, she asks, “What?  How am I always questioning
you?”

I drape one arm across her legs and rest my hand on the side
of her ass and the other hand goes up her back into her hair to hold her
tight.  “Babe, what in the hell do you think is going on here?  I’m not here
for shits and giggles, I’m here because I want to be here.  I like you, I want
to be with you, I think about you when I’m away from you and I want to get to
know the real you.   Not the ‘
you’
you put on for people to make them
think you’re okay, but the real you that loves your family, cares about her
friends and dotes on her silly ass dog.  I want to know everything there is to
know about you, sugar, for as long as you’ll let me.  I gotta say, babe, I like
sleeping up next to you at night, so that’s as much for me as it is for you.  So
quit asking me if I’m gonna come to you at the end of the day, because as long
as this is good, I plan on coming to you.  And for the love of all things holy,
quit asking me why I’m doing this, because babe, I’m doing this for selfish
reasons.  I want to see how good this can be, because so far, with break-ins,
flooded basements, gun smugglers on the loose, Fantasy Football drafts, your
crazy family and even you fucking getting hurt at the hands of Harper, I think
this is pretty damn good.  So I can only imagine how good it can be without all
that extra shit going on.”  I sigh, look her in the eyes, lower my voice and
keep going, “I don’t know how much more I can spell it out, Gabby.  I’m here
because I want to be with you.”  She’s staring at me.  I use my arms to pull
her closer to me and her hands go to either side of my neck.  We are close so I
give her a gentle squeeze and whisper to her, “What do you need from me?  What
can I do to make you believe me, babe?  Tell me,” I command.

She gives her head a little shake and says, “Nothing, you
don’t need to do anything Jude.  I’m sorry, I just,” she pauses and looks away
and bites her lower lip.  I give her another squeeze, she looks back into my
eyes and leans her forehead against mine closing her eyes, our noses lying side
by side.  She whispers, “I’m sorry I keep questioning you.  I like this so much
that I’m scared at how much I like it.  It scares me how easy it is and that it
might not be easy someday and I’ll lose it.  It scares me to think about losing
it.”

Damn, that jackass really did a number on her or she’s
scared of losing someone after losing her parents.  Either way, I can’t have
her feeling that way about me.  “Gabby, I’m not going anywhere.  Let’s see how
easy it can be.” 

And she lifts her head a couple inches, as far as I’ll let
her, looks me in the eyes and whispers, “Okay.”

With that, I pull her into me, kiss her lightly and she
kisses me back.  Her hands go slowly around my neck and then into my hair.  I
can feel her arching her back to get as close to me as she can.  She heats up
and deepens the kiss.  I’ve never felt her like this, I’m always the one
struggling to control myself.   I can’t take it anymore.  Maybe it’s all these
nights sleeping together, holding her close to me or maybe it’s seeing her
vulnerable and hurt.  Or maybe it’s that she just told me she’s scared and I
know I’ll turn myself inside out to keep her from feeling that way, but I can’t
hold back another second.  Without breaking the kiss, I turn her in my lap and
lay her down on the sofa and fit myself into her good side.  I let my hand
trail down her side and dip under her t-shirt, my hand hitting its target
immediately.  I cup her tit, filling my hand perfectly and she arches to push
herself into me.  Running the pad of my thumb over her bra, her nipple hardens
to a peak.  She sucks in a breath and I put my fingers together this time for a
gentle twist.  “Am I hurting you, Gabby?”

Arching her back again to get closer to me, she breathes,
“No, don’t stop.”

I pull her shirt up and my finger dips inside her bra to
pull it down exposing her to me.  For the first time skin to skin, I barely run
my finger over her to feel her hardened nipple and circle it with my finger.  I
gently give it a pull, and her breath comes out in a whimper.  That’s it, I
lean down to finally get my mouth on her, roll her nipple with my tongue,
feeling it hard and excited I bite it gently and her hands come to my head.  I
suck her into my mouth for a long pull and she lets out another mew, holding my
head to her even tighter.  Starting to lose any control that I have left, I
return back to her mouth to kiss her deep, tasting her and not getting enough. 
I lightly move my hand down to her leg, and with light touches, I start
stroking the back of thigh, from the back of her knee going high and barely
under her short shorts.  She lets her knee fall to the side even farther and I
take advantage and dip my finger inside her shorts.  Fuck.  Her panties are
soaking.  Full of need, she lifts her hips to get more contact from my light
touches. 

“Sugar,” I whisper on her lips, “what do you want?”

“What?”

“Babe, I don’t want to hurt you and I don’t know what you
want.  Tell me what you want Gabby.”

I lift my head and wait for her to open her eyes.  Looking
straight into mine she says with need, “You.  I only want you.”

Ohmygoodness!  

Did I just say that? 

Yes, I did. I just told Jude I wanted him out loud.  But everything
he’s doing to me and the way he’s touching me is driving me crazy.  Of course I
want him.  I’ve wanted him since the first time he kissed me.  And I haven’t
wanted anyone in a really long time. 

I look up at him.  His eyes are searing into mine and his
fingers that are torturing me feather light on the back of my leg lightly move
up farther.  I feel him dip inside my shorts again, but over my panties where
he lightly touches me between my legs.  “Ohmygoodness,” I repeat out loud this
time, breathy and needy.  Craving more, I lift my hips up but he pulls his
fingers away and I moan in protest, “Jude!”

“Not here,” he rasps, kissing me quick and pulling my shirt
down.  Placing his hands on either side of me on the sofa, he stands up tagging
my hands to pulling me gently with him. 

“What are you doing?” I ask, trying to get my feet
underneath me.  I realize he’s pulling me out of the great room toward the hall.

“I want you wherever I can have you, Gabby, but our first
time’s not going to be on the couch,” he growls out as he pulls me into my
bedroom. 

Turning to me, he pulls my hoodie off and away goes my bra
just as fast.  Before I can even think about standing in front of him topless,
he leans down to grab my ass picking me up and my legs circle his waist.  He
turns and puts a knee to the bed and we both go down, but he doesn’t give me
his weight.  Instead, he lies down on my good side again, his hand comes up to
lift my breast and his mouth is on me, sucking long and hard.  That long, hard
suction shoots straight between my legs and now all I can think about is wanting
him to touch me everywhere, needing to be as close to him as I possibly can. 
His hand trails down my stomach, yanks the button on my shorts and dips
inside.  Not messing around this time, his hand goes straight inside my
panties, I spread my legs for him and he touches me where I want it most. 

“Jude,” I say but it barely comes out as a whisper, more
like a plea.  As he slides his fingers through me and hits the target, my hips
jerk.

“You feel amazing, baby,” he whispers in my ear.  His
fingers do another slow circle, then slides one finger inside me and I moan
tipping my hips up for more.  He pulls out but then adds a second finger while
using his thumb on my clit and all the friction plus fingers feel better than I
imagined, better than it’s ever been.  I start to move my hips with his hand
and I can feel the heat starting to build.  It’s been so long and it’s coming
fast. 

I can’t seem to utter any other words, so I say, “Jude,”
again but this time it’s more like a warning because I want him, all of him,
when I come.

Jude, obviously heeds my warning, because he rasps back
against my lips, “No, baby.  I want to watch you.”

Okay. 

Fine. 

Not caring at this point that I have no control over my own
body, in fact needing it so badly, I grasp on to him as I feel it come over
me.  Pushing my head back while moaning, I come long and hard.  Letting my
orgasm wash over me, I realize Jude’s very talented hand is gone and he’s up,
knees to the bed pulling off my shorts and panties.  I look up to see him reach
behind his shoulder blades to yank his shirt off from behind, toss it and then
his hands go to the button on his jeans.  Barely recovered from Jude’s talented
fingers, he leans back over me and with his lips on mine, as asks me, “Baby,
are you on the pill?”

“What?” still trying to get my wits about me.

“Birth control, Gabby,” he repeats.  “You on the pill?”

“Yes,” I whisper back and as soon as I do, I feel his whole
demeanor change as he slows his movements. 

He lifts his hand to brush my cheek and his middle finger
traces my lips ever so slowly.  I look up at him, his eyes are burning but he’s
not looking into mine, he’s following his fingers tracing slowly down my heated
body, over my breasts, rounding my nipples, feather light down my belly,
straight between my legs where he slowly starts to play with me again.  His
eyes come back up to me, not heated this time but full of reverence.  My breath
hitches and his face comes down close to mine.

“Gabby are you sure I’m not going to hurt your ribs?” he
says softly.

His hand is still between my legs so I’m getting all breathy
again and finding myself a little impatient, I say, “Jude, if you ask me that
again, we’re going have to have a talk.”  To make my meaning clear, I lift my
hips up for more contact and look into his eyes saying, “And I do not want to
talk right now.”

He gives me a grin.  His hand stops playing with me and
slides down my leg to hitch my knee pulling it up high.  I do the same with my
other one then I feel the tip of him between my legs.  As he looks into my
eyes, he slides slowly inside me.  It feels so full and so good.  Perfect.  A perfection
that I’ve never felt before.  A perfection so perfect that I doubt anything
could ever come close to this.  Ever. 

I lift my hips for more contact but he moves slowly in and out
of me.  “Jude, please,” it’s embarrassing, but I’m begging for him to move
faster or harder, I need more. 

“Hang on, baby, I want to feel you,” he rasps as I feel his
lips on my ear. 

I don’t know how it can happen again so soon, but I feel it
coming over me again.  As I start to breathe hard, I feel Jude’s hand come in
between us and presses his thumb at the perfect spot and he starts to move
faster, harder.  This one is quick but intense and even better with Jude moving
inside me now, fast and hard.  Some remote part of my brain realizes he’s now
breathing harder, holding himself up on his forearms so he doesn’t hurt my ribs
and I pull my legs up as far as I can up his sides and I can feel him plant
himself deep inside me once, again, again and the fourth time he plants himself
deep and stays there.  He balances on one forearm as the other tucks under my
back and he falls to the side pulling me over, him on his back and me on top,
but still connected.  He presses into me while pulling me down onto him one
more time making me shiver, feeling it from where I am still sensitive from my
now second Jude induced orgasm. 

We both lay here, me naked, my knees still hitched high
against his sides, snuggled on top of him and I realize he still has his jeans
on.  There’s something about that feels sexy and intimate.  I snuggle in,
trying to get as close to him as I can with my face buried in his neck and he’s
back to lightly stroking my back from my neck to my ass, over and over. 

“Sugar,” he turns his head slightly so his lips are in my
ear again. “Are you ok?  Did I hurt your ribs?”

“Seriously, Jude,” I say without moving my head, I’m too
relaxed.  “How about this, if you hurt me, I’ll give you a code word.  It’ll be
‘ouch’.”

His hands stop immediately on my ass and his fingertips grip
me lightly.  Still hard, he presses his hips up into me and I gasp as he says,
“You’re gonna be a smart ass when I’m still inside you, babe?  For the first
time, too?”

Still not moving a muscle, I reply, “Only if you keep asking
me that.” 

At my words, he knifes up at the waist, pulling me out of my
post-first-time-sex-with-Jude-induced-coma, yanks my legs around, so I’m
sitting astride him, doing all this while he’s still inside me.  He puts one
hand in my hair to hold my head to him and one to my ass holding me tightly impaled
on top of him.  With his melty eyes looking intensely into mine, he says, “Tell
me you get me, Gabby.  Tell me you get that this is where I want to be.  Not
just here,” he pulls me down on his still hard shaft, “but everywhere in your
life.  Tell me you get it now.”

Wrapping my arms around his neck and into his hair, I
whisper, “I get you, Jude.” I’m so close to him, I can tell he smiles big but I
can only see it in his eyes. 

“Thank you for trusting me Gabby,” he says softly and kisses
me.  “Do you want to go clean up?” he asks and I give him a small nod.  “Okay. 
I’ll go pick up the kitchen, you go do your thing, but do not get dressed,” he
bosses.

“What?” Now I’m back to breathy and shocked.

“Come back to bed, but do not get dressed.  I’m not done
with you yet.  I’ve been sleeping next to your soft sweet self for what seems
like a year and I’m not close to having my fill, sugar.  I’ve got plans for
you.”

“Plans?”

“Yep,” he says, tipping his lips.  Then with a whole new
look in his eyes, he whispers, “I want a taste of you, baby.  After what we
just shared, I can’t go another day without it.”  My eyes get big and feel
myself spasm around him, still hard inside me.  I can tell he felt it too
because his eyes flare and he kisses me deep.  His head barely pulls back and
he gives me a soft swat on my ass and says, “Go clean up, Gabby. Now.”

Wow.  Super excited about his plans, I look into his melty
eyes and with what feels like a naughty smile, I say, “Okay.”

He lifts me at my waist helping me up and I realize after
the fact that if my ribs hurt, everything else he did to me felt so good, I
didn’t even notice.  Smiling at him over my shoulder feeling a tad
self-conscious, I skip off to the bathroom to clean myself up and secretively
grab a robe while he cleans the kitchen.  Jude will just have to deal with it!

*****

“I’m so sorry I haven’t been over to see you yet, it’s been
over a week.  I’m a terrible friend.”

It’s Sunday afternoon and I’m still under house arrest, but
regardless of having to stay home, I’ve stayed really busy.  Workers have been
in and out of my house for the last four days installing new baseboards,
painting and my new carpet was installed yesterday.  I wouldn’t have had time
to work with my clients even if I was allowed out of the house. I’ve been busy
cleaning up after workers, organizing closets, moving stuff from room to room
and basically getting the bottom half of my house back in order.  I’m really
lucky to get all of this done so quickly, but since I work with these
contractors feeding them lots of business, they’ve fit me in and I can’t say
I’m not grateful.  The basement has been one thing, but getting used to Jude
being a part of my daily life is another.  Not that it’s been a hard adjustment
to have him here every night, it’s actually wonderful.  In fact, I’m getting so
used to it that I forget to worry about it being taken away from me and
guarding myself from the potential loss.  Even though the past two weeks have
been insane, it hasn’t escaped me that all the happy amongst the crazy feels
great and I’m getting so used to the happy that I’m losing the barriers I’ve
built to protect myself over the last almost four years.  And I know it has
everything to do with Jude. 

But Jude is at work today, I’m thinking he has some new lead
on Trevor.  He’s really vague with me when he’s giving me information about the
whole Trevor search, but I’ve been so busy with my basement, I haven’t been too
much of a pain about it.  However, now that my basement is practically finished
and mostly in order, I plan on being hell on wheels this week to get back to my
normal routine.  It’s been over a week since Trevor attacked and threatened me.
 I’ve been cooperative for Jude and my family’s sake, not to mention I was
recuperating and busy with my basement.  But now I’m feeling great, I’m even
been back to running on the treadmill the last couple of days and barely feel
my ribs at all.  So everyone had better watch out, I’m not planning on being so
cooperative with their demands this week!          

Tony came over to hang out with me while Jude went to work
this afternoon, but he is now getting high on paint fumes in the basement
watching football since Leigh made a surprise visit.  Even though the three of
us were tight in high school, Tony gave Leigh a warm smile, but excused himself
quickly.  I guess Tony would rather breathe paint fumes than listen to girl
talk. 

“Leigh, please don’t worry.  You called about half a million
times, I’m just glad you’re feeling better.  That must have been some dreadful
stomach flu to throw you off for so many days.  You are feeling better, right? 
You still look a little peaked,” I say, worried about my friend.  Leigh is
striking, taller than me, five foot nine with super longs legs.  She’s got a
great slender figure, much thinner than me but unlike me who has to run and eat
salads to maintain my body, Leigh can eat like a linebacker but always looks
like a supermodel with small curves that fit her perfectly.  Her light blond
hair is long, past her bra strap with lots of layers for a flippy easy going
style, but it always looks great even if she lets it air dry.  She has
high cheekbones, a petite nose, with flawless fair skin that doesn’t need
makeup.  But today her normally glowing complexion looks pale, her normally
bright green eyes look lifeless and drab.  "Seriously, Leigh, are you
sure it's not anything more than the stomach flu?"

Her lifeless eyes look down and to the side and she quietly
says, "No, I'm good," and looks back up to me.  "I've just
been so worried about you.  I cannot believe everything you've gone
through with Trevor.  Everyone always knew he was a creep, but this is
crazy.  Has Megan tried to call you anymore?" 

Leigh, Megan and I went to high school together, but Leigh
and I have known one another since the third grade.  "Yeah,
she's called and left a ton of messages, which I haven’t returned because I
told everyone I wouldn’t talk to her.  I guess Lilly called and reamed her
ass after Trevor got to me.  Lilly said at first she denied it was Trevor
and called me a liar, but has since figured out that it's true.  I mean,
she doesn't even know where he is and their accounts are frozen.  I do feel
sorry for her.  I really doubt she knew Trevor was trafficking guns for
cartel members, you know?"