The Last Husband
The Last
Husband
Forever
Love #2
J. S.
Cooper
JMC
Creations
This
book is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead,
or actual events is entirely coincidental. Names, characters, businesses,
organizations, places, events, and incidents are the product of the author’s
imagination or are used fictitiously.
Copyright © 2013 by J. S. Cooper
Copyediting
by Carolyn Pinard-
[email protected]
Editing
and proofreading by Editing Queen- [email protected]
CONTENTS
Thanks goes out to: The Cooper Gang aka The Zane
Fan Club, for all the love and support they have given me, my favorite
Wakefield for all her late nights with my novel, my family and friends who have
supported my writing and read my very first pieces of work, my dog Oliver for
sitting faithfully by my side as I type away and God, for without him nothing
is possible.
ZANE
“Zane, I
want you to look after your little brother, Noah, okay?” She looked at me with
an intense look in her sky blue eyes. Tears were threatening to fall and ruin
her mascara, and I could tell something wasn’t quite right.
“Yes,
Momma.” I sucked on my strawberry lollipop with relish, as only a 6-year-old
could do, anxious for her to let me go and ride my bicycle outside with my
friends.
“You’re
the bigger brother, so you’re in charge.” Her grip tightened on my hand and I
winced. “I love you, Zane. Take care of Noah while I’m gone.”
“Can we go
for McDonald’s fries later?” I asked hopefully, not appreciating the gravity of
the situation. “And get milkshakes, too?”
“You know
McDonald’s is only for a treat, my love.” She half-smiled, but the turn of her
lips didn’t quite match the sorrow in her eyes.
“But,
Momma,” I pouted with big, wide eyes. “Please.”
“I have to
go, Zane. Your father will be back soon.” She kissed me quickly and held me
close to her. “Remember I love you.”
“I love
you, too, Momma.” I continued sucking on my lollipop, unaware that was going to
be the last time I’d see my mother. But her words always stuck with me. “Take
care of Noah.” That had been the only request she had for me. And I had failed.
Love meant nothing if you couldn’t be there for the ones you loved. My mother
had failed me and I had failed Noah. I didn’t want to fail anyone else.
Blinding bright yellow rays of light shone
through the uncurtained windowpanes, and as I opened my dry, heavy eyes, an
unfamiliar feeling of well-being filled my soul. For a moment, I wasn’t sure
why the dream hadn’t awoken me with a heavy heart, but then I remembered that I
was with Lucky, and she always made me feel all right. I grinned to myself as I
thought about the almost bed-breaking sensual seduction of the passionate night
before. I turned around carefully in the bed so I wouldn’t wake Lucky, and a
feeling unlike any I had known before consumed me. It wound its way up from the
tip of my toes, through the tendons in my legs, shuffled in my belly for a few
seconds, and then exploded in my heart as I watched Lucky
sleep. She slept as peacefully as I imagined an angel
would, and I wondered at how this captivating and beautiful woman had given me
a chance.
There was something about the way she smiled in
her sleep that comforted me and made me smile back, even though I knew she
couldn’t see the grin on my face. She smiled as if she was content, and somehow
that made me feel happy. It delighted me that I could make her feel that way
because she filled an emptiness in me that I never knew existed before.
I thought about how miserable I had been the few
nights before without her in my bed. How my head had pounded when I had thought
she was with that dog, Braydon. I had wanted to break something so badly just
thinking about it. I had barely been able to sleep. In fact, I had nearly
banged down Lucky’s door, and was ready to kill Braydon. Just thinking about
him made my blood boil. I wanted to beat him up so badly. Braydon had consumed
my thoughts for the last year and I was ready to see him locked away. When I
thought Lucky was interested in him, I felt like I was going to explode. I’d
been beside myself with jealousy and anger.
I watched Lucky sleep and I wondered what I
would have done if she had slept with him. As a dart of pain pierced through me
at the thought, I shook my head. A part of me knew that Lucky wasn’t that kind
of girl. She wouldn’t have me in her bed one night and Braydon the next. She
just wouldn’t do that. I knew I had to learn to let go of my fears and trust her.
I
stroked her back slowly, tracing my finger from her neck and down her spine,
and then ran it over her hips. Her skin was soft and delicate, and I grinned as
she moaned and rolled over towards me. Her eyes opened slowly and her brown
eyes squinted their anger at me for awakening her.
“Good
morning.” I leaned forward and kissed her nose, unable to stop myself from
touching her with my lips. She was like a drug to me, intoxicating me with her
mere presence.
“I’m
not awake yet,” she moaned, but a shy smile spread across her face as she
closed her eyes again.
“What
do you want to do today?” I whispered in her ear and she giggled as my breath
tickled her eardrum. The sound of her giggles brought a smile to my face and I
blew in her ear so I could hear them again.
“Sleep.”
She brought her arms around me and pulled me down towards her and then buried
her face into my shoulder and kept her arms wrapped tightly around me. “I just
want to sleep.”
“But
why are you so tired, my dear?” I grinned, relishing the feel of her naked body
up against mine. Her skin was warm, silky, soft, and lush, and it was teasing
me delicately as it caressed my hard exterior, making me think all sorts of
naughty thoughts.
“You
know why,” she said coyly.
“Hmmm.”
My hands cupped her butt cheeks and brought her in closer to me
so that she could feel my morning erection against
her. “Are you saying you’re too tired for another round?” I wanted to take her
then and there. I wanted to feel myself inside of her, moving with abandonment
until she screamed out and moaned my name in pleasure.
“Yes,
I am.”
“What
if I tell you I’m taking you to London?” I said impulsively, not even sure what
I was saying. The thought popped into my mind that maybe I could get her to
join the mile high club.
“London?”
She pulled away and looked at me with shocked eyes. “What are you talking
about?” She looked bewildered, her expression reminding me of a lost baby bear,
and I laughed.
“Would
you like to go?” My voice was soft and I considered making my statement a real
possibility. After the week that we’d had, maybe a trip was needed.
“I’d
love to go one day.” She yawned as she nodded and I laughed before caressing
her face. I ran my finger down the pink tinge of her cheek, and then took in
her full appearance. I started laughing hard, unable to contain my
gut-wrenching chortles.
“What’s
so funny?” She frowned. “Is this some sort of bad joke? Are you punking me?”
“No,
sorry. I just think you’re in need of some of your chia.” I laughed as I looked
again at her frizzy mass of hair.
“Chia?”
She looked confused for a moment and then realization dawned. “You mean Chi?
Ass.” She hit my shoulder and ran her hands through her hair. “Welcome to the
realities of dating a girl with curly hair.”
“So
we’re dating then?” I asked lightly, watching her face intently and trying to
ignore the pounding in my head. I felt exhilarated yet scared at her words.
“Well,
I ….” She paused and looked up at me with a slightly worried expression. “I
thought after last night that—”
“Lucky,
I’m joking.” I shook my head in chagrin and forced a smile. “I suppose it
wasn’t a funny one.” I chuckled and Lucky rolled her eyes.
I
didn’t know how to tell Lucky that I was still trying to figure out my
feelings. How could I explain that a part of me wanted to be with her and never
let her go, but another part of me wanted to run and hide and pretend we had
never met. That part of me wanted to close my heart again so I could protect it
from the unknown. I so badly wanted her to know how I felt inside, but I knew
that she wouldn’t and couldn’t really understand.
“No,
not really.” Her eyes held a question that I ignored.
“I’m
sorry.” I ran my hands down her hair and kissed her on the lips. “Let me take
you to London to celebrate.” I brought up London again, hoping we could focus
on something else. I wasn’t ready to get into another conversation about
feelings.
“Celebrate
what? And what about the documentary?” She frowned. “Sidney Johnson is
expecting us to come back with a video camera soon.”
“You’re
such a dedicated worker, aren’t you?” I laughed and brought her face closer to
mine. “I don’t know that I’ve ever met such a hard worker before.” I kissed her
lips lightly again, enjoying the sweet taste of her and wanting to lose myself
in her essence.
“Zane,”
she groaned, her eyes twinkling at me. They reminded me of liquid chocolate, so
warm and silky. I loved her eyes, they seemed to pull me into her world and
never let me go. Sometimes I daydreamed that I could jump into her irises and
just remain there, surrounded and warmed by her soul.
“Okay,
okay.” I pulled away reluctantly, loathe to leave her heady heat. “I thought we
could go to London because you know so much about British history. I’m sorry I
don’t have a time machine or I would have taken us back to the ’60s and we
could have gone all out during the Civil Rights years.”
“Actually,
I would have wanted to go back to 1954, that way I could have asked Thurgood
Marshall what he was thinking when he won
Brown
vs. Board of Education
and then seen what we could have done to make sure
it was implemented a bit better.”
“Sorry,
you lost me,” I admitted wryly. “I barely understand and remember King Henry
VIII and his, ‘Off with their head!’”
“You
would remember that.” She laughed and I resisted the urge to kiss her tenderly.
“So,
would you like to go?” I wasn’t sure why I was pushing the issue. Maybe I felt
like a trip abroad would cement what we had quicker than just letting
everything run its course. Though, I wasn’t sure if I needed to cement the
relationship to myself or to Lucky. I wanted her to be mine. Yet, I didn’t want
to think about what that meant too deeply. There was still too much I had to
take care of in the other areas of my life.
“I’ve
always wanted to go to London,” she responded thoughtfully. I stared at her breasts
as she stretched, though it was hard for me to concentrate when all I wanted to
do was caress and bite them.
“But?”
“I
don’t know.” She sighed. “I just don’t want you to spend the money on me. It’s
too much.”