Afflicted Read online

  My life had turned into a rollercoaster ride of emotions. I wanted pre-Marine Cole back.

  I bandaged up the tattoo and handed him his shirt to put on. I cleaned up my mess and told my boss, Josh that I would see him on Monday since I took off tomorrow to help Aubrey with the twins so Jake could have some time in the studio.

  Cole took my hand and offered to take me out to dinner as his way of apologizing. Feeling emotionally exhausted from the events that transpired today, I asked if we could just get a pizza instead. Pulling out his phone he called Frank’s to place our order. We climbed into my vintage Beemer and drove across town.

  I pulled into one of the first spots and looked over at Cole who smiled shyly at me. He was handsome in an all-American boy way with his military haircut and freshly shaved face. He had dark brown hair, big brown eyes and a perfect smile. I leaned across the seat and kissed him lightly. He reached his hand up and placed it on the back of my neck pulling me closer.

  “I really am sorry.” He mumbled against my lips.

  “I know.” I whispered back.

  He pulled away and opened the door walking inside to collect our food.

  We headed home to the two-family house where for the past two years we’ve rented a half. By the time we arrived, I was starving. I did my usual routine, taking my shoes off and hanging my keys on the key holder. I followed the smell of tomato and garlic into the kitchen. Reaching up to the top cabinet I pulled out some plates. Cole came up behind me and grinded into me. I missed him acting playful like this. Placing the plates down on the counter I turned around.

  I was starving, but I wanted him more. He lifted me so that I was sitting. Wrapping my legs around his waist I pulled him down to kiss me. He skimmed his fingers up my ribcage pulling my shirt over my head and tossing it over his shoulder. Looking down at me greedily he dropped his head and took a nipple in his mouth. I reached my hand down and rubbed his hardness through the material of his jeans. He looked up at me with lust filled eyes.

  I was surprised at how gentle he was being tonight because we were usually much rougher. I tried to unbutton his jeans, but he moved my hand away. I looked at him confused.

  “Not here.” He said, pulling me close to him and carrying me toward our bedroom.

  He placed me on my feet and undressed me quickly. Taking his shirt off it reminded me to be careful of the fresh ink on his back. Finally, he let me undo the button of his jeans and slide them down his muscular thighs. I stroked him a few times before removing his boxers. He kicked them off to the side of the room and pushed me back onto the bed coming to a rest between my thighs. I was aching for him, for any physical contact. It had been far too long. Rolling a condom on I lined him up with my slick heat feeling his bulbous head slide in teasingly.

  “Please.” I whimpered.

  He shook his head and leaned down to kiss me pushing in a little further, stretching and filling me to the hilt. Every move was tender and loving. I felt the slow build of my impeding orgasm clawing at the surface. I was looking up at him and the sweat that was forming on his brow. I knew it was taking all of his restraint for him not to fuck me into next week, but I needed it rough. I liked it rough. Reaching around I grabbed his ass pulling him forward with a hard slam helping him pick up the pace.

  He looked torn because I knew he wanted it to mean something, it did. I reached up and rubbed his face lovingly letting him know that I knew what he wanted to express. I let go and had one of the best orgasms of my life. The only one that could rival it was with a certain bass player…

  Now thoroughly spent and famished I decided to jump in the shower. Dressing in a now too big pair of heather gray lounge pants and a Ramones t-shirt I headed back to the kitchen to eat our now cold pizza. Cole patted the seat next to him on the couch for me to sit. I took my plate and sat down next to him looking for any clue where all this was coming from.

  “Pipe, I love you. You have to know that, right? I know I’m not the same kid that left here four years ago, and I admit I’m struggling. I want to get back there, but it’s harder than I could have ever imagined. I just wanted to let you know that I thought about it, and I love you enough to let you go if that’s what you want.”

  What? What the hell is he talking about? Let me go?

  “Hold up.” I said holding my hand up and practically choking on my pizza. “Let me go? Why the fuck would I want you to do that?”

  “I saw how you looked at Blake. It’s the same way that you used to look at me. I’m not stupid. I know that something happened at the wedding. I just don’t want you to feel like you have to stay with me because of some moral obligation that you feel. I understand. Believe me, I don’t want you to go anywhere. I don’t even know what I’m talking about right now.” He rubbed his hands over his face, clearly torn up about the whole conversation.

  Staring at my polished black fingernails fighting back tears, I sucked in a deep breath. “Cole, I love you. I’m not going anywhere, as long as you can stop pushing me away. Stop leaving me and not telling me where you are, or when you’re coming back. If you need to leave, fine, but just tell me first. I don’t like it, but I’m trying to understand.”

  “I know, and it hasn’t been fair to you. I’m going to work on changing, but you’re going to have to be patient with me.” He pleaded.

  I nodded my head in agreement. I was feeling dejected about the whole conversation. He came back a shell of himself. He tosses and turns, and doesn’t sleep. When he does sleep he wakes up thrashing in cold sweats. When he first came home, he would run ten miles a day, sometimes several times a day. He was not the carefree boyfriend that left me. He was just surviving.

  I was truly hoping that we just turned some sort of corner. Eating my pizza deep in thought I decided that I had enough for one night and headed to bed. Normally he would stay up and watch infomercials, but tonight he was actually coming with me. He told me once, “I’m too afraid to sleep because of what haunts me,” which knowing he feels that way kills me.

  I climbed into bed as he pulled me close to his side.

  Blake

  I arrived back at the house in a foul mood throwing the Mini in park and slamming the door with much more force than necessary. Aubrey would have a shit fit if she saw. Storming inside I walked past Derek playing Xbox on the couch. He looked at me for a brief second, before deciding he didn’t want to get involved and turning his attention back to his game. I went into my room and closed the door.

  Sitting on the edge of my bed I decided that my life was seriously fucked up at the moment. I was in love with a girl that had a boyfriend, a serious one at that. I kept telling myself that it was just a fling, but I couldn’t convince myself, even six months later. Seeing her today brought everything that I was fighting back to the surface. Needing a distraction, I called the dealership to see if my car was ready. They said someone would be dropping it off within the hour. Thank God, because I was getting tired of hearing Aubrey complain about me driving her “precious Mini”.

  It didn’t take me long to decide that I needed to go out tonight. I went back into the living room and asked Derek if he was game, which of course he was. I jumped in the shower and made sure that I looked bangin’. I picked out a tight, white t-shirt with a black design and a pair of dark jeans. I ran some pomade through my hair and picked out my gray chucks. One final spritz of Chanel Platinum so I smelled funky fresh, and I was good to go. I yelled to Derek, who came barreling down the stairs looking like he was ready to tear up the town.

  “My man. Glad to have you back.” He beamed.

  “Shut the fuck up and let’s go.”

  Grinning from ear to ear he winked. “Don’t get your panties in a twist, I’m just happy to have my buddy back. Now let’s go find you a rocker chick that will bang to Nirvana and get her out of your head.”

  I opened the door and sure enough my brand new, black Mustang GT was sitting pretty in the driveway. I reached to the windshield and picked up the envelope that hel
d the keys. Derek looked at me and shook his head before climbing inside. My senses were filled with the new car smell and leather. Putting the key in the ignition I gave it a turn. Damn, could she purr.

  I put the car in reverse and flew out of the driveway toward Duke’s Bar. Looking down at the speedometer I noticed that I was doing 70 in third gear without even feeling it. This car was going to get me a lot of tickets.

  We drove along Main Street to the other side of town before pulling into the log cabin bar. Pushing Piper out of my mind I shut the car off and headed for the door with a fist full of fifties and Derek as my wingman, just like old times.

  The bar smelled of stale beer, cheap perfume and grease. We meandered through the crowd and headed up to the counter, ordering us each a beer and a tequila shot. I sucked down the shot enjoying the burn it caused.

  Derek was casing the bar for hotties, his usual MO, when suddenly a small group came up. The one was a blonde bombshell, my usual type. The other was a brunette, a little on the chunky side, but still cute. The last girl had dark hair and glasses. She looked like a sexy librarian. Derek and I shared a profound look knowing exactly how we were going to divide. I got the blonde, and he got the rest.

  “I’m Lola.” The blonde said. Sure you are…

  “Blake.” I said with a grin.

  “I know.” She winked.

  Looks like we have groupies everywhere.

  “Where are you from, Lola?” I asked, making small talk.

  “I’m originally from Jackson, which is about an hour away, but I moved here about four months ago to start up my salon.”

  I looked at her shoulder length, bleach blonde hair and impeccable make-up. The salon assessment seemed to be dead on.

  I was ordering us another shot when she climbed up on a stool and lay flat on the bar, lifting up her shirt in the process. She professed that it was ‘body shot’ time. The bartender poured the tequila into a glass and set it down on her midsection. He then proceeded to put a piece of lime of lime in her mouth and a line of salt on her chest. I was game. The crowd started chanting as I lowered my head and quickly lifted the shot without using my hands. I moved to lick the salt and take the lime. I pulled her to a sitting position and spit the lime off to the side. I kissed her and bad boy Blake was back with a vengeance. Derek and I made eye contact and nodded in approval. I’m sure he was just as happy as I was.

  “Wanna go back to my place?” Lola asked, seductively chewing on her lip.

  This was perfect for me since it meant that I wouldn’t have to worry about getting rid of her afterward. I gave her a slight nod and took her hand. After checking with Derek to make sure he was good, we made our way through the bar to the exit. I hit the unlock button and opened the door for her before getting into the driver’s seat. I turned the ignition seriously loving the purr that my car made. I asked her which way to turn, and we were off.

  Ten minutes later we pulled up to a tiny, white house. Following her up the short stone walkway I saw a neighbor moving a curtain and peering out at us making her stick her tongue out at her. She pushed open the red door and flicked on a light switch. The room was all white, apart from a red accent wall that showcased a white, brick fireplace. It held a red sofa, two red and white polka dot chairs and a small flat-screen TV off in the corner. Mahogany floors spanned throughout the tiny home. There was a small kitchen in the same red and white theme with pops of black.

  Leading me down the hallway to her room she turned on the light. The walls were cream with vertical white stripes. She had a queen size bed with a dark gray, upholstered headboard and mirrored dressers. She shimmied out of her skirt and tossed her tank top into the laundry basket. She looked hot as fuck standing in front of me in a pair of pale, lace panties and a matching bra. I walked over to her and ran my hands over the edge of her bra cups pulling them down slightly exposing her rosy nipples. I dropped my head and took a swipe with my tongue. Bam-bam finally found his brain again, and was rearing and ready to get some action.

  I pulled my shirt off and just as I was reaching into my pocket to grab a condom from my wallet my phone started vibrating. I pulled it out to decline the call when I saw the name on the screen. Piper.

  What a fucking predicament!

  I looked at Lola and all her smoking hotness, then back at my phone. Fuck! Bam-bam was already starting to deflate, so I decided to answer the call.

  CHAPTER THREE

  Heartlines

  “Hey.” I said, looking at an annoyed Lola.

  “Blake. Thank god you answered.” She said in a rush.

  “Is everything okay?” I asked, knowing damn well that something was wrong since it was almost midnight and she’s barely said more than five words to me in months.

  “No, I can’t call Jake or Aubrey because they have their hands full. It’s Cole. We were fine, better than fine, and now he’s gone again. I don’t know why he left, but it’s not like the other times. I’m seriously worried, Blake.”

  “What do you want me to do?” I asked confused.

  I heard her whimper, and it was like a knife to my heart. “I don’t know. I’m sorry I called.”

  “Pipe, I’ll help you. I just don’t know what you expect me to do.” Lola was looking at me with daggers in her eyes. So much for being a sweet hair-stylist, I was waiting for her to stab me with scissors. “I’ll be there in a few. Just hang tight until I get there.”

  I disconnected the call and put my shirt back on.

  “Aren’t you supposed to be a infamous sex icon?” Lola asked.

  “I am. I just need to be somewhere else right now… I’m really sorry that I ruined your night.” I apologized making sure that my keys were in my hand in order to ensure a quick escape if she tried to come after me.

  Hurrying through the living room and out the front door I practically sprinted to my car until I was safely inside. I proceeded to peel out of the driveway seeing the same nosey neighbor peeking out the window at me. I sped to the other side of town until I pulled into Piper’s driveway. Hopping out of the car I made my way up the sidewalk. I was getting ready to knock when she opened the door with a tear stained face. Opening my arms I pulled her into an embrace. She was hurting, and she was my friend above all else right now.

  I picked her up slightly so that I could close the door behind us. Leading her over to the sofa I sat her down next to me. She was really starting to sob now. I wasn’t a complete asshole, but I also wasn’t quite sure how to comfort her either. In a last ditch effort, I did what I used to do for my sister, Joss, when she would break up with her boyfriend. I rubbed her hair and let her get it out, figuring she’d offer information when she was ready.

  “I-I’m sorry.” She choked. “I didn’t know who else to call.”

  “Shhh. It’s okay.” I soothed, handing her a tissue from the table. “Now what the hell happened?”

  “I don’t know. Tonight I actually felt like we made some headway. Things were going good for the first time in months. We went to bed and when I woke up to go to the bathroom he was gone. He took a bag with some of his things, too. I’m seriously worried Blake, something just feels off.”

  I did my best to console her while trying to think of something that I could do to help her, and hopefully find Cole. I didn’t know too much about him other than the very little she offered and what Jake told me. I knew that they got back together on and off enough to give someone whiplash and that he is an ex-Marine, but not much else.

  “He’s prone to taking off for days a time, but lately it’s becoming more frequent.” She cried. “Then after dinner he told me that he was willing to walk away if it’s what I wanted. He thought that I wanted to leave him for you.”

  “We’ll find him, Pipe. Have you tried calling his friends?” I asked, and she shook her head no.

  We started making calls to his friends and “so-called friends” that were just supplying him with his out. No one had seen or heard from him. Even if they did, they weren’t going
to tell us anyway. I told her to grab a pair of shoes and that we would start driving around to see if we spotted her car anywhere. I could tell that she was exhausted, so I helped her into the car and hit the mini mart to grab us a couple sludge coffees.

  Handing her one, I pulled back onto the main road heading out of town. We drove all around the surrounding towns for over two hours. Piper repeatedly called him, and it continued to go right to voicemail. My eyelids were starting to get heavy, and I was fighting the urge to sleep.

  “Pipe, I can’t keep driving. I can barely keep my eyes open.”

  “I think there is a hotel up the road a little ways. We can stop there and rest.” She said with a yawn.

  Pulling into the nearest motel I went into the office and got us a room for the night. I opened the door and flicked on the light switch. There were two queen-sized beds covered in floral bedspreads, each with a bedside table and yellow lamp. I headed to the bathroom to take a piss. My mind was so clouded from exhaustion that I could barely think straight. When I came out, Piper went in. I kicked off my shoes and folded up the rest of my clothes leaving just my boxers on and climbed into bed. She came out of the bathroom looking like a lost puppy. She took her shoes off wordlessly and climbed into the other bed.

  “Night, Blake.” She whispered.

  “Sweet dreams, Pipe.” I turned on my side facing away from her and closed my eyes.

  I was just about to fall asleep when I heard her start crying again. I wanted to let it go, but I truly did love her and the thought of her in any sort of pain tore me up. It didn’t matter if she didn’t feel the same way. That was my fault, not hers. She didn’t ask me to fall in love with her, it just happened. I turned to face her and saw her body shaking from the sobs. Climbing out of bed I walked over and ran my fingers through her hair again. Just touching her sent a wave of electricity coursing through me. I was getting a small taste of what I would never have. Doing my best to soothe her, I watched the minutes tick by on the clock. At 3:30, she finally stopped. Utterly exhausted, I made my way quietly back to my bed and climbed in, closing my eyes.