Page 9 of Overdue Feelings
“Zae—”
I felt her tremble as she gripped the back of my head and buried my face deep into her middle. Her body was talking back with every kiss, every suck. That juicy slurp sound told me everything I needed to know.
“Let it go. Give it to me.” I latched my tongue onto her clit, holding it there until she was shaking and gasping for air.
“I got you.” I stood to my feet and released my dick from my pants. “Forget him. Forget all that shit. You with me now, and we good.” She gasped as I entered her. “That’s it. You feel that?” I filled her slow and deep. “That’s me, Creek. Not some ghost. Me, baby.”
“Ooh!” Her nails dug into my back, and her mouth dropped open. I stayed my pace, delivering firm, deep strokes into her.
“Say it,” I growled. “Who this pussy belong to?”
“You.” She panted. “You, Zae. Always you.”
Her legs trembled, and her head fell into the crook of my neck. She was cumming. I tightened my grip on her and continued my strokes until I released inside her.
“Damn!” I grunted, and we stayed like that for a few seconds. Our foreheads pressed together. Her arms wrapped around my neck like she didn’t want to let go. I kissed her lips once, then her temple. I hoped she understood how much she meant to me.
“You good?” I asked as I brushed her hair back into place.
“Better than good.”
“That’s what I like to hear.” I helped her off the desk and grabbed one of those wipes she kept in her drawer to wipe her clean.
“Go ahead and pack up.” I tucked myself back in my pants and zipped up as she smoothed down her skirt. “I’ll walk you out.”
“Okay.” She nodded as she moved around her office on wobbly legs, gathering her things and making sure she didn’t look like she’d just gotten fucked on the clock. I unlocked the door and peeked out into the library. It was quiet. Then I did the same for the hallway. The building was damn near empty at this point. We slipped out. I carried her bag with one hand and found her waist with the other. We didn’t talk. Didn’t need to.
We made our way through the half empty parking lot, and I helped her into her car.
“Go home and get some rest. Check on GiGi.” I leaned in and kissed her cheek. “Don’t worry about dinner. I got it.”
“Okay. Have a good practice.” She waved as she pulled off, and I stood there for a second just watching her.
“Damn, I love that woman,” I whispered to myself before turning to head back into the school. Practice wasn’t gonna run itself.
By the timethe final bell rang, I finally understood why teachers sat in their cars for ten minutes before pulling off. My first day at Sweet Pea had been a revolving door of stomachaches, fake fevers, and first-day jitters. I hadn’t even had a chance to unpack fully, let alone catch my breath.
I dropped into the driver’s seat, head resting against the headrest, trying to decide if I was really about to do this again tomorrow. Then I heard footsteps on the pavement and voices I recognized. I sat up and gazed out the passenger side window, and that’s when I saw them—Creek and Zae. My eyes focused on Creek.
She hadn’t changed much, and somehow, she had changed a lot. She was a grown woman. Braids were still her signature. Herdeep cocoa skin was still perfect. Not a flaw was on it. She still had that same quirky confidence in her stride, but with a whole lot of extra jiggle. Her body had filled out perfectly. She was no longer the chubby girl I was best friends with in high school. I stared at the sunflower print dress she wore that clung to her curves before my eyes traveled down to her beat-up sneakers. I couldn’t help the smile that appeared on my face. Creek was still the sexy, smart, girl next door I always remembered.
I watched as she got into her car and drove off, but not before Zae kissed her on the cheek. I sat there, stunned, watching as Zae watched her drive off before he turned and ran back into the building.
“Damn.” I rubbed my hand across my forehead in disbelief. Not because I was jealous. I was happy that Zae was the one she was with. If I couldn’t be the one to love her, I knew Zae would do it effortlessly. It was just... I didn’t expect this. Didn’t expect my two ex-best friends to be a couple. My eyes watched as Creek’s car disappeared, and the reality of the fact that they’d carried on without me started to seep in. I always hoped they would. I always hoped Creek had found love and peace with what I’d done, but seeing it hit differently. I didn’t know if I was ready for it.
Starting up my car, I shook off thoughts of Zae and Creek and peeled out of the parking lot. It was time to head back to the little bed and breakfast I’d been crashing at. The last seventy-two hours had been a blur. I still wasn’t really sure how I ended up back in Harvest and working at Sweet Pea, but here I was.
When I shut down my practice last week, it was supposed to be temporary. A break. Some time to get my head right. I was newly dumped, overworked, and tired. The hustle and bustle of accomplishing everything I was told to had taken its toll on me. At the advice of my father, I’d packed a few belongings and headed to spend some time on the coast. I opted out of flying andjust took off down the road. I thought maybe a long drive down to the ocean would help me clear my head. I never expected to see the greenHarvest Hillssign. Never expected to take the damn exit. Never expected to check into the same bed and breakfast my grandma used to bring her prayer group to. But here I was back in Harvest Hills, after twelve years of building the perfect life.
Back in New York, I had the perfect high-rise apartment overlooking Manhattan. The perfect smile, tailored suits, luxury cars, and a relationship that looked good on paper until she was done with me. She said I was dependable, but she didn’tfeel anythingwhen she looked at me. Said I was present, but I wasn’t there. And she was right. I wasn’t. I hadn’t felt like myself in years. I was hollow. My life lacked joy, fire, and all the things that made me.
So I guess it was no surprise that my drive had landed me in the only place that ever felt like home. The last place I’d felt like myself. I didn’t plan to stay. Didn’t expect to run into Miss Venus, my mom’s old coworker, at dinner the night I got in. Didn’t expect her to drag me over to Principal Voss. Didn’t expect Voss to offer me the school nurse job on the spot, and I sure as hell didn’t expect Creek Delaney and Isaiah Bishop to be working there.
I pulled my car into the parking lot of Harvest Rose Inn and headed inside.
“Hey, Ares, how was your first day?” Miss Eddie, the inn’s owner, greeted me as I made my way through the living room.
“Exhausting,” I replied, heading for the stairs. Miss Eddie was great, but she was a talker, and I didn’t feel like diving into a lecture right now. “I think it was just what I needed though.”
