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sippin-on-red-wine · 7 years

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High Tide | Chapter 6: Let Me Explain

Title: High Tide, Chapter 6 | Author: @sippin-on-red-wine Rating: 17+, Mature (Sexy times) Word Count: 5,847 Author’s Note: Sorry in advance?

It’s been a while, so just as a refresher, our last chapter ended with Kendra missing Ed terribly after he had been gone for a couple of days. She had written him a little poem, sending it off in an e-mail in the middle of the night. The only response back was an automated e-mail from British Airways, with a one-way ticket to London, leaving that same day.

Ed…………

I put the last of the clean dishes away and dried my hands on a kitchen towel. Stuart said he was off to nip a quick shower so I walked back out to the lounge room to check on the girls. Libby was posted up on the big, cherry-toned leather couch, working on a knitting project. The tube was turned on, but neither of them seemed to be paying attention to it. Kendra’s messy bun peeked over the back of the oversized chair she sat in, her legs extended out in front of her over the matching ottoman. Her head was thrown back against the head of the chair and I realized she was asleep.

“What did you do to my girl?” I asked, jabbing a fake punch into Lib’s shoulder.

“She was knackered I guess, Arthur climbed up into her lap and she was giving him pets and then just… passed out.”

“I’m surprised she made it this long, I suppose. She wasn’t able to get any sleep on the plane, rocky flight I guess, so I think she’d been up for like, 28 hours or something.”

Lib hit me with her clump of yarn and knitting needles. “And you made her come ‘round here for dinner? You twit.”

I had mentioned to Kendra that we had an open invitation, but that we could skip out if she was too exhausted. She genuinely insisted that we come.

“D’you mind if we stay a while?” I asked, looking up at the clock. It was already a little past ten p.m. “I don’t want to wake her, and we hadn’t really decided where we were going to stay yet, anyway.”

I crossed around the couch and plunked down next to Libby, kicking my feet up on the coffee table.

“What’s that all about? You’ve got a house, yeah?” She asked.

“Eh, yeah, but it’s just… it’s not home. I stayed there last night and I slept on the couch myself. I’m not even comfortable there, can’t imagine how she would feel, you know, being there and knowing about everything.”

“Shit, Ed, I hadn’t really thought of that. You’ve booked a hotel or something, then?”

“Well, not yet. I brought her round the house earlier and we talked a bit about it. Told her I was thinking about selling it, and why.”

“I really like her, Ed.”

“Yeah, Lib, me too.”

“You seem… good. You’re acting like yourself around her, which is good. I’m surprised you asked her to come out here though, I thought you were only staying a few days?”

“Eh, just.. missed her,” I said, waving my hands nonchalantly.

“Oh my God, Ed, really? Couldn’t last a few days on your own? Is she that special or are you just… I don’t know, paranoid?”

“Really laying into me, aren’t you Lib?” I half-joked.

“Sorry, love, just being real with you.”

“It’s ok. No, it’s not that. I just… ‘S different, with her.”

Libby reached out and ruffled my hair. “You’re a softie, Ed. I’m gonna turn in. You know where the extra pillows and blankets are. Stay the night, if you’d like.”

“'Night, Lib,” I grinned at her.

I got up after her, heading to the linen closet to pull down a couple of pillows and an extra throw blanket. I stopped into the kitchen and fixed myself another whiskey and Coke, and grabbed my iPad from my rucksack. My sleeping schedule was definitely messed up, too, and I wasn’t too tired yet.

I set my things down on the coffee table and leaned over Kendra, brushing a soft kiss onto the side of her face. Sweet girl…

Kendra……..

My eyelids felt like lead, as I slowly came to. I didn’t even remember falling asleep, exactly, and I had no idea how long I had been passed out. I opened my right eye just a stitch, and the room seemed dark. That was a good sign. I opened them slowly and the room came into focus, lit by the dull embers burning out in the fireplace.

Shit. It was coming back to me now, we had just finished up dinner, Stuart and Ed offered to clean up. Libby had asked if I wanted another glass of wine, which I agreed to, knowing it was a bad idea for how exhausted I was. The last thing I remembered was petting their little dog in my lap and then apparently I had passed out.

I had no idea what time it was, everything was quiet. Did they leave me here alone? I sat upright in the chair, pushing the ottoman away with my feet.

Ed popped up on the couch then, apparently woken by the sound of the cushy ottoman scraping across the floor. He wiped the sleep from his eyes. “Hi, sleepyhead.”

I crept up out of the chair, feeling about 99 years old. I was fucking beat, still. Ed pushed back the blanket and patted the couch next to him, motioning for me to come over.

I sidled in close to him on the sofa, facing toward him. I ran my hand up his side as he covered me up with the blanket. “Sorry, Ed, I didn’t mean to fall asleep…” I yawned.

“I feel like that is a recurring theme, love,” he laughed. “But you had a good reason.” He pressed a kiss into my forehead as I snuggled in tighter to his body.

“Did Stuart and Libby go to bed? I feel bad.”

“Hours ago, love. It’s okay, I told them you didn’t get a chance to sleep on the plane at all.”

I yawned again, nuzzling into Ed’s chest when my mouth finally closed.

His hands absentmindedly stroked my hair, brushing it off my face into a neat little pile.

“It’s okay, baby, you can go back to sleep,” he whispered.

“Here?” I asked.

“You know I used to live on this sofa, right, love? You’re good. I got you. Sweet dreams, Kenny,” he whispered.

Don’t mind if I do. I couldn’t believe I was here, half a world away, with Ed. In his world. His life. His people. Just yesterday (day before? Who knows) I was moping around my house, organizing and cooking and working out, trying to pass the time while Ed was away. And now I’m here.

The flight had been absolutely horrible. I was a bit of a nervous flyer – once we were in the air, it usually didn’t bother me much. But the flight had been a little rough & bumpy which freaked me the hell out. I hadn’t slept a wink. It had been such a relief when I had gotten through security & customs to see Ed standing there, looking sleepy in his sweatpants and slippers, a hat covering his fluffy mop of hair. A taller, scruffy-looking man was with him (must be Kevin? I guess airports can be a bit dodgy as far as crowds). Ed had slung off my backpack and wrapped me up in the biggest hug ever as soon as he got to me. A huge grin cast across his face as he pulled on my backpack, taking us over to the baggage carousel where we retrieved my bags. He insisted on carrying all of my things himself, declining offers from both Kev & I. He still somehow managed to clasp his hand in mine. The boy had been on Cloud 9 to see me. It made me feel really good about my decision to come here.

What would the next few days bring? I hoped to see Lauren and the rest of the gang that had come out to New England. Would Ed want me to meet his parents? I wasn’t sure I was ready for that. And what about his house? It had felt so… sterile. After Ed had picked me up from the airport, he took me back to his house. Flat cardboard boxes and packaging tape were littered everywhere. I didn’t know if that was from him, or from when his ex moved out.

He told me he was thinking of selling the house. That it didn’t feel like his home - it never had. He hadn’t been here to make it feel that way, just randomly spending an odd week here and there while his ex lived here full-time. Apparently banging other dudes. I honestly didn’t blame Ed for not wanting to be there, but it was a beautiful house. I told him to change some things up, paint, pick out a few new furniture pieces, see if that helped. He had seemed a little bit hopeful at the thought, but still asked if I wanted to book a hotel room for our time here.

Okay I guess I’m wide awake now. I turned over onto my other side, trying to get comfortable. Nope, that’s worse. I flipped back over to face him, Ed’s own sleepy eyes opening slowly now.

“Love? “‘S matter?” He asked, groggily.

“Wide awake.” I grumped, silently cursing my body.

“C’mere,” he said, rolling onto his back while his strong hands helped shift me onto his chest. My legs wrapped around either side of him, my pelvis pressed against his. I could feel his cock, semi-solid beneath me.

“Mmm, I think someone missed me,” I teased, trying to keep my voice to a whisper. My hips rolled over him in waves, acting of their own accord. His cock was hardening quickly, easy to sense through just the thin layer of my leggings against his faded old sweats. I let my clit roll over his head, feeling him grow right under me. I could feel myself getting wet already.

Ed kissed my neck, the wetness from his lips cooling quickly when he moved on, leaving a slight chill on my skin.

“I need you…” his voice trailed off. Those three simple words had made all my blood rush to my skin and I forgot about the stupid flight, the exhaustion, the unknown, and all I wanted was to be connected to him again.

“But, Teddy.. here?” I almost didn’t care that we were on his manager’s couch, maybe 50 feet from where he & his girl were asleep in their bedroom. Too late, his hands were already pushing at the waistband of my leggings, tugging them down off my hips.

“It’s okay, we’ll be quiet…”

I lifted my hips, allowing Ed to push my leggings down and away, bringing one leg at a time forward so he could peel them all the way off. I wanted to see him, his skin, the rainbow designs that covered his chest, but there was no time to figure out the logistics of getting his t-shirt off. I needed him now.

I tugged down his sweatpants & boxers, lifting my pelvis up so I could shimmy them down to the tops of his thighs. His cock sprung free, bobbing lazily up towards his belly until I grasped it, rubbing my thumb over the slit, spreading the little bit of wetness over his head.

His big blue eyes looked up at mine. I held his gaze while I worked myself upward a bit, his cock firmly in hand, and I lined myself up with his head.

I hadn’t had enough foreplay, so him entering me was definitely slow-going. I let my body slide down, taking him in little by little, savoring each moment. His thumb was on my clit, rubbing down over the top of it. I stifled a moan and exhaled, letting him inside me just a bit deeper.

I pulled up at the hem of my shirt so I could watch him work, biting at my bottom lip as a reminder to keep quiet. His hand wrapped around my hip, fingers digging into my soft flesh, while his perfect thumb applied a delicious pressure to my clit.

He was fully buried in me, now, the plump head of his cock touching my back wall. But I was so distracted by the way his thumb was massaging me, I wasn’t riding him properly, just sort of… rolling my hips in a lazy figure-eights, trying to remember to keep hushed.

I stole a glance at him and caught his eyes on my face, watching as my brows dipped down and my mouth fell open. His rock-hard shaft standing tall inside of me, filling every millimeter of space I had.

He knew exactly what I liked, what my body needed in order to get there. The perfect circles floating over my little pink bundle of nerves were the perfect rhythm, the perfect tempo, a true symphony of sensations from the calloused pad of just one of his skilled fingers.

I inhaled, drawing in a sharp breath and held it there, feeling that familiar tension building.

The glow from the dying embers lit the room just enough for me to see every line of Ed’s face as he lovingly attended to my needs before his own. His eyes were trained on me, the way my sex wrapped around his erection, the pad of his thumb rubbing over the top of my slit. My body had responded quickly, wettening as he stimulated me, my soft fluids building up a little around where my entrance met his soft curls down there.

Ed glanced up at me and I gave him a quick little nod to tell him I was close. I tried to hold back the little whimpering sounds that spilled from my lips as I was right on the precipice, trying to hold out, maintain that amazing sensation caught right between the before & after of an orgasm. “Shhh,” Ed reminded me, and I brought my hand up to my mouth, sinking my teeth into my own wrist to stifle my little noises.

He thrust upward into me and that was all I needed. I doubled over, burying my face into the crook of his neck, grateful for his soft t-shirt as I ground my face into it, delighting in the friction.

“Love it when you come apart on my cock like that, you’re so beautiful, baby,” He whispered in my ear, barely audible. His hips moved up into me, slowly, and I mewled back at him to show my approval.

“I missed this so much, Teddy,” I breathed.

“Lookit me, love.”

I pressed my hands to his chest and raised my body back up to my original upright straddle position, tucking my hair behind my ear, feeling his gaze land on my face. My hands dragged down his torso and I leaned forward on them, using the leverage to ride his cock in the soft, dim light of the room. Our bodies moved in sync; my hips meeting each thrust, taking him deeper into my body.

It wasn’t long before I heard his breath hitch and felt his body tense up beneath me. I tightened my walls around his cock and actually felt him twitch inside me as he reached his climax, his seed spilling into me as he rasped out my name in a hushed cry.

I leaned forward again, seeking out his pillow-soft lips.

“I’m so glad you’re here, Kenn,” he said softly. His hands cupped my face and our lips connected.

“Ed, where’s the bathroom?” I asked, suddenly remembering that I was pantsless, on the couch in someone else’s home, and had the unfortunate predicament of being full of Ed’s fluids.

“Oh, shit, it’s all the way down the hall… oh, I’m sorry babe.” He looked at the coffee table. “Here, let me help you.” He reached out and snagged a couple of tissues from the little box on the table.

I tilted back upright and slowly raised myself off of him, fixing my stare down there. Ed watched too, as the shiny, plump head of his cock reappeared, his sticky fluids spilling back out over his tip. He caught it quickly with the tissue, folding it and tenderly running the length of my slit to catch any excess. I’m pretty sure I blushed, and silently thanked the heavens above that the room was fairly dark. It wasn’t the first time Ed had been generous in helping me “clean up” after sex, and he was the first partner I’d had who had done so.

“Thank you…” I muttered, swinging a leg over Ed’s body and un-mounting him.

I padded down the hallway, leggings in tow, fingers crossed that Stuart and Libby would be sound asleep in their bed. I used the toilet, cleaned up a bit and splashed my face with water before donning the tight black leggings again.

By the time I made it back to the sofa, Ed had cleaned up, disposing of the little ball of wet tissue, and was fully clothed again. I climbed back onto the thick cushions of the couch, facing him, our legs intertwined. He fluffed the throw blanket over us, then smoothed the hair off my forehead.

“Have I mentioned how happy I am that you’re here?” He chuffed.

I chuckled. “Yeah, just once or twice today.”

“I can’t help it… I wasn’t sure you’d come.”

I thought back to that night, the e-mail notification coming through. The feeling of my heart jumping out of my throat as it dawned on me that the e-mail was in fact, a plane ticket. My gut reaction had been No, sorry, no way. His family, his career, they come first - better get used to it now. I argued back and forth with myself for about an hour before the “Fuck it, just go.” side won out.

“I wasn’t totally sure I would, either.” I admitted. His face fell a little, so I explained. “I knew you were here to spend time with family & friends, I didn’t want to get in the way of that…”

“Kendra.” His voice was strong. “You will never be 'in the way’ of anything. You know how I feel about you.”

I didn’t know how to respond, so I deflected by kissing him.

“I mean it.” He insists.

Another kiss.

“Kenny, I want you to meet them.”

Um… what.

“Who?” I asked, probably sounding like a huge idiot.

“My family.”

“Like, your parents?”

He chuckled softly. “I’ve freaked you out, haven’t I?”

I counted the weeks backwards in my head, trying to figure out when Ed and I had even first met. It couldn’t have been more than… what… a month, six weeks?

“They want to meet you, too,” He was at it again, light-hearted, watching my face for a reaction.

“Me?” He nodded. “Your parents?”

“You daft, gorgeous creature - yes. They want to meet you.”

“How do they even know about me?”

“You don’t give me much credit, do you, love? I told them about you weeks ago.”

“You did?”

“You ask a lot of questions, you know.”

“Sorry, I just, I didn’t know you did that.”

Am I okay with that? With this? Isn’t it too soon? By whose standards?

“It’s fast, I know, Kenny. If you’re not ready–”

“No.” my voice was hushed as I stared up into his beautiful blue eyes, all framed by blonde lashes. “I want to.”

Ed…………

It had been a whirlwind couple of days, even by my standards. But in the best way. Having Kenn here was so perfect, she fit into my life so easily. We had just left my parent’s house where we had visited for supper and a couple of cocktails before heading out.

Kendra had been nervous on the drive over there, her palm a bit sweaty as it was tucked up into my hand. But if her nerves lasted much past the first introductions, it didn’t show a bit. I was actually surprised how well she hit it off with my Dad. He had asked about her tour boat company and that turned into a heated, passionate tangent on all things watercraft. My Dad had taken her back to his office to show her this oil painting of some old wooden boat, and Kenn had flipped; apparently her Grandfather had owned one just like it and they had worked together on restoring it when she was a bit younger. Small world, right?

After dinner, I helped my Mom clean up in the kitchen while Dad took Kendra outside to show her his prized Chris Craft, stored away for the season in the large shed in the backyard. They burst back into the house laughing, their conversation a bit louder than your typical post-dinner talk (probably thanks to the bourbon). It was really lovely.

We were back in the car now, heading back to London, Kendra snuggled up in the passenger seat beside me. But her body was angled away, toward the car door, and she was awfully quiet all of a sudden.

“Tired, love?” I asked. We had planned to go to a birthday celebration for one of my school mates later that evening, but I wondered if she would be up for it. I knew better than most what a bitch jet-lag could be.

“No, I’m alright.” she responded, her voice sounding a bit small. “It’s just, your family is really great, Ed.”

“They really liked you, I can tell, babe.”

“I’m sorry, I don’t mean to be ‘off’. It’s just, not… what I’m used to. But it’s good. I liked them too. You’re really lucky, Ed.”

She wasn’t wrong. It was sometimes easy to forget that not everyone had been fortunate enough to have the same upbringing that I did. I hadn’t even considered how it must feel to see something like that for the first time. Prat.

“So!” she said, clearly changing the subject. “Where is it that we’re going tonight?”

“Oh, this new-er club downtown. I forget the name, to be honest.”

She shifted her body, angling it back towards me, which for some reason gave me a sense of relief. “So it’s not, like, a pub?” She asked, trying out the lingo. I couldn’t help but chuckle.

“No, it’s a proper nightclub.”

“Oh.. I didn’t really plan for that, Ed. All I’ve got with me are jeans and a couple sweaters?”

I didn’t care what she wore, of course, but I didn’t want her to feel underdressed. Kendra was quite a natural beauty and I loved her casual style. But figured most of the other women there would be decked out to the nines, per usual.

“One of my mates owns a clothing boutique – we could swing by there and pick something up for you?” I offered.

“Sure, Teddy. That sounds good.”

I smiled, clasping her hand in mine. I could really get used to this.

Kendra……..

The driver stepped out to open the sliding door for us, Ed hopping out into what looked like a skeezy alley way to me. But I took his hand and let him help me down out of the van, I was a little unsteady in my high-heeled booties.

Ed had taken me over to his friend’s clothing boutique and waited so patiently as I tried on at least 10 different things. I finally settled on this tight-as-hell bodycon dress in a dark navy color. It was short and showed a LOT of leg, but Ed seemed to really love it on me. He tried to pay for it, and when I immediately shot him down, he retaliated by secretly picking out a pair of stupid expensive heeled boots to go with my dress. It seemed very unlike him to be interested in stuff like that, but the lusty look on his face when I had tried that dress on erased that from my mind pretty quickly.

He kept my hand clasped in his and let me a little ways down to a big steel set of double-doors. He knocked, and one door swung open. A gruff-looking guy in all black appeared, looking Ed up & down. He nodded a gruff approval and let us in. Ed must have been here before because he knew exactly which dark hallway to walk down to get into the main interior room of the club.

It was actually really beautiful, all art deco & speakeasy type vibes. Classic London-style lampposts littered the great expanse of the club, dim lightbulbs casting a yellow glow through the glass lanterns. The center of the room featured a marbled black-and-white checkered floor, it was clear of furniture and filled with patrons dancing. There was a long, full bar up against the wall, and a dramatic curved staircase that looked to lead up to a big loft. Ed pulled me toward the staircase, which was roped off with two security guys watching over it. They spotted Ed & I coming and unhooked the rope, allowing us entry. We climbed the staircase up into the VIP lounge section, which was actually a lot more spacious than I originally thought.

There was a smaller version of the downstairs bar up here, manned by two bartenders dressed in black button-down shirts & white vests. There were a few swanky, quilted booths and pub-height cocktail tables. I saw a billiards table and dartboard set up in the corner. We must have been fairly early, there were only about ten or fifteen people here so far.

“Mate!” A petite, sandy-haired guy spotted Ed and was making his way over with open arms.

Ed greeted with an enthusiastic hug & kiss on the cheek. “Happy Birthday, mate!” He said, breaking away. “Chris, this is Kendra, Kendra - Chris.”

I extended my hand, but Chris pulled me into a hug. “Nice to meet you, Kendra. Welcome! Let me introduce you to everyone!”

I laughed, thinking the birthday boy had already had plenty of celebration booze. But I went along with it, watching as Ed stalked over to the corner to say some more Hellos while Chris whisked me the opposite way, interrupting everyone’s conversations to introduce me. Everyone was really lovely, and they didn’t ask me a ton of questions or make me feel weird, I was just kind of…absorbed into their conversations. It was really nice. I spent quite a bit of time with a small group of three guys, posted up at the bar, talking about our favorite comedians - Jim Jefferies in particular. It wasn’t an intellectual conversation, by any means, we mostly tried (and failed) to imitate his thick Australian accent while reciting memorable bits from his shows.

Every once in awhile, I would catch Ed glancing over at me, and I’d give him a small smile or head nod to let him know I was having a good time. He had a pint of beer in his hand, which seemed to be a problem for him, since he talked with his hands so much. I saw the amber-colored ale he was drinking slosh out over the sides on more than one occasion.

Another group of six or seven appeared at the top of the stairs, and I saw Pete was among them. I caught his eye right away and waved him over, giving him a big hug.

“Hey, man, great to see you again!” It was nice to see him, but the vodka-soda’s I’d been downing were making me appear more enthusiastic than normal.

“You too, Kenn! I had no idea you were in London??”

“Yeah, last minute, unplanned kinda thing. Hey, is Lauren around? I feel bad, I haven’t gotten a chance to see her yet since I got in.”

“She should be here any time now. Say, I’m gonna go catch Chris and tell him Happy Birthday before I get sloshed and forget. Catch up with you later!” and he was gone.

I turned back to the bar and ordered another cocktail when I felt a pair of hands on my backside. I whipped my head around and, luckily, it was Ed. “You shithead,” I faux-scolded. “Scared me.”

“And good thing, too, love - you can’t trust any of these skeezers up here,” he chuckled, planting a kiss on the side of my cheek. He sidled on into the bar beside me, his right hand cupping my ass.

He was awfully touchy-feely all of a sudden, was it the alcohol? I was starting to feel a bit …needy… myself. Ordinarily I wouldn’t have cared, but I couldn’t help but notice a few people watching as his hands were on me, his mouth on my neck, there in the middle of the lounge. A girl in a silver-y sequined skirt stole more than a few glances before Ed overheard a story someone was telling two barstools down and got distracted, peeling himself away from me for a bit.

Ed excused himself to “take a leak” as he so eloquently put it. I swiveled around on my barstool and spotted Lauren chatting with a couple girls near the top of the stairs. I saw her glance my way and threw up a hand, waving at her.

I watched as she excused herself and made her way over to the bar, wrapping me up in a big hug. “Kendra?! I didn’t even recognize you – Holy shit, girl, you look phenomenal.”

“Ohmygod, YOU look great! So good to see you, Lo,”

“Wait, what the hell are you doing here?” she asked, incredulous.

“I know, I’m sorry I haven’t called yet since I got in, it’s been a crazy couple of days – I’m here, with Ed.”

“Like, here with Ed?” Her eyes were doing a shifty thing. “Where is he?”

“Bathroom…. Why… Lauren, you’re being weird?”

“Kendra, don’t freak out. But his Ex is here. She’s in the silver skirt behind me.” My eyes darted over her shoulder, recognizing the girl that had been stealing glances this way for the last hour or so.

Wait… she’s been here that long… surely, Ed noticed her? Why didn’t he say anything?

“Kenn, look at me, are you freaking out? It’s the same group of friends from high school, everyone knew she was going to be here for Chris’ birthday. Ed didn’t tell you?”

And suddenly it clicked. The special shopping trip, Ed insisting I get this dress that clung so desperately to my curves and showed far more thigh than I was used to. The $2,000 Louboutin booties he insisted I needed, citing the club dress code. His sudden interest in PDA; grabbing ass and kissing my neck, the first time he’d even been in the same half of the lounge as me all night.

All because she was here.

Lauren was holding both of my shoulders, giving me a little shake, breaking my trance.

“Kendra? Say something.” Her voice was alarmed. Rightfully so.

I took a deep breath, holding the oxygen in my lungs until it burned, then exhaled. “I just need a few minutes by myself, please, Lo. I’ll be right back.” I lied, grabbing my little clutch off the bar and strode over to the staircase with every intention of leaving the bar and getting an Uber straight to the fucking airport.

I couldn’t believe it, I’d been duped. I had never felt so humiliated in my life. Here I was, the lost little puppy who jumped on a plane and flew across the world on 12 hours notice, for Ed. Met his fucking parents for Christ’s Sake. I replayed all of the sweet, intimate moments of assurance he had laid on so thick. This isn’t just sex. You’re my girl. You’re not a rebound. You know how I feel about you.

And for what? So he could USE me to make his cheating whore of an ex-girlfriend jealous?

I was closing in on the bottom of the stairs when I heard Ed shout my name from the landing at the top. His voice shot right through my bloodstream, I knew without a doubt it was him, and I could hear the panic in his voice. I didn’t even turn back to look.

I silently urged the dumb security guys to unhook the rope faster, and thrust myself across the barrier the second I was able to. My feet, adorned in the ridiculous high-heeled booties, carried me swiftly across the black-and-white checked floor and toward the bar, where I spotted the main entrance. Ed was shouting my name behind me, which only urged me to press on faster.

I slipped out the large glass doors of the main entrance and spilled out onto the sidewalks of London. I had no idea where I was, or where I was going, I just knew I needed to get out of there, fast.

I kept expecting white-hot tears to come, to tumble out of my eyes like a hot spring, but my eyes stayed dry. Anger, furious anger, was growing in my chest, instead. It started out small, a little pebble lodged there. But the more I thought about him, his words, his hands on me just now in the bar - the bigger my pebble grew. It grew and grew until I couldn’t help but scream. I screamed but nothing came out, my chest was so tight, I couldn’t even catch my breath.

A hand grasped the back of my arm and I whirled around to see Ed, out of breath, having chased me down the sidewalk. “Kenny, – please, jus’, please just let – let me explain!” He pled. His strong hands held both of my elbows as I tried to catch my breath.

I swung my arms out, breaking our connection, and this action seemed to puncture and re-inflate my lungs.

“DON’T touch me!”

“Baby, I’m so sorry, please let’s just go home, please, I need to –”

“Leave me alone,” I hissed, turning back around, determined to put as much space between us as I could. I just felt so blindsided and the last thing I wanted in the world was his touch.

But he was after me again, his hand grabbing my bicep to try to turn me around. I whisked around and slapped him clean across the face, the flat of my palm making perfect contact with his scruffy cheek.

“Fuck off! Usually people just *use* me for my money, Ed, but I guess there’s a first time for fucking EVERYTHING.” I shouted, in hysterics. He touched a palm to his cheek, flushed pink from where I had struck him. His eyes were glassy, a single tear rolling down his cheek. “You know what, I’d rather be used for my money than whatever the fuck THAT was,” I shrieked, pointing back at the club.

“Kendra, please. I’m s-so so-sorry,” There were no sounds of sobs but tears were streaming steadily from both of his ocean-blue eyes.

But in the moment, I didn’t care. I was so furious. I felt like I had been lulled into a fake sense of security, only to be woken by a bucket of ice water being dumped on me.

My voice was a bit steadier now. “I’m gone, Ed. Find another warm body to empty yourself into and parade around for people.”

The universe was looking out for me in that moment, as a cab was slowly driving by, and I hailed them down and swiftly got in, slamming the door shut behind me.

I watched through the tinted window of the backseat as the vehicle carried me away from Ed.

#ed sheeran #ed sheeran fanfic #ed sheeran fan fic #ed sheeran smut

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sarahsilverdog-blog-blog · 7 years

Text

One Problem At A Time Ch.3

MURPHY'S LAW PT. 1

Murphy’s Law: Anything that can possibly go wrong, will.

They stood at the bay door, tense and on edge. Mitch pushed his glasses up on his nose for what felt like the thousandth time; fear had slicked him with a cold sweat and he shifted his feet impatiently, feeling a cold trickle run down his back as Jamie tapped at the plane's navigational tablet. "I'm setting the timer on the bay door to close five seconds after it opens," she explained, not missing his fretful agitation as she stowed the tablet in her jacket, "When we come back we don't want the plane overrun with hybrids."

"Good thinking," Mitch replied tersely, "Snakes on a Plane was bad enough, Dinos on a Plane would just be ridiculous."

The ramp started to drop, hot afternoon sun beaming through the cracks as it descended. Jamie flipped the switch on the backpack supplying her flamethrower and ignited it; as the gap opened further she lowered protective goggles over her eyes. She could see several razorbacks turning to look at the plane and when three of them broke off and came towards her, fangs dripping as they snarled, she stepped off the edge of the ramp, squeezing the trigger until a spray of liquid fire erupted from the end of her gun, engulfing the charging hybrids in flames. They fell screaming, thrashing madly in agony. Mitch was at her side, rifle ready, but most of the creatures seemed disinclined to attack, instead running through the broken down doors of the interior, where the infirmary - and Clem and the others - had been.

The last hybrid vanished through the doors, only the corpses of the three burned razorbacks remained, smoking gruesomely on the ground around the plane. The ramp had already raised itself, Jamie noted, and she sheathed the flamethrower in the rack on the canister backpack, raised her goggles up on her forehead and pulled her pistol, flicking the safety off and checking the clip. "Ugh," Mitch said as they ran toward the doors, "It's smells like someone's barbecuing gym socks. Reminds me of college."

They reached the entrance to the interior of what had been Barrier Command- just a few short hours ago they had been celebrating in there, patting themselves on the back for a victory they hadn't actually won. Jamie's voice echoed in Mitch's ear, something she had said to him months ago - years ago? He was never really sure about his own timeline anymore- but she had been talking about losing to Reiden Global again after thinking they had found the cure and saved the world and she said, bitter and angry, "I was blisteringly naive, and it won't happen again." But it had, they had let down their guard, taken too many chances drunk on their own hubris and Abigail had used their mistakes to destroy them. Frustrated fury made his hands shake as Jamie motioned for him to flank the other side of the entrance; he moved where she wanted but he was detached, robotic - darkness be damned, he was going to exact retribution from Abigail Westbrook one day. Maybe not death, death was too easy and he was a scientist - he could come up with a much more horrible fate than just death.

"Mitch!" Jamie barked sharply at him and he shook himself back to the present; she was looking at him with questioning concern as she said, "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, fine, sorry," he said, swinging his rifle up and aiming it down the apparently deserted hallway. "The infirmary is down at the end, through double doors."

It was wide enough to drive a truck through and it stretched for fifty feet with offices and restrooms and storage closets every ten feet or so on both sides of the hall. At the end of the long corridor the hallway turned left in front of a set of double doors which appeared to be splattered with something dark and blood-like, making Mitch's stomach flip-flop with anxiety. Jamie sidled cautiously inside, passing a IADG golf cart with a extra long bed that was loaded with boxes of what looked like various medical supplies, a large black canvas bag and a man-sized bundle wrapped in a blue IADG infirmary blanket. Mitch peered cautiously over the edge of the bed, noted the bag and bundle and said, "This must be the cart they had loaded Sam on, because I think that blanket is my dead soldier and the bag is my new pet hybrid."

"So they weren't in the infirmary," Jamie said, "and they abandoned the cart so they couldn't have gone far with Sam, where are they? What happened here?"

Mitch shook his head. He was barely keeping his panic under control. He'd only come to terms with the fact that he was an emotional being a few months before his "death", but in that short span of time he'd been subjected to losing Jamie (and finding her), losing the cure, losing Chloe, almost losing Clementine again and a hundred other moments that plucked at his sensitive heart; and while the others had all experienced the last ten years, had felt the time pass day by day, week by week, month by month, he'd been in stasis alone, experiencing his dreams and his memories. He'd only been post-tank Mitch for a few weeks, everything that happened ten years ago for everyone else was still fresh for him, still raw and new. And suddenly he had a grown daughter, and grandchild and an alter ego and Max was dead and there was Jamie (but not-Jamie) - it was a lot for someone who just started to allow himself to feel again to process.

A door down the hall to their left opened, startling them both; they swiveled their guns up as Clem stuck her head out, sighing a great sob of relief when she saw her father and Jamie. "Dad!" she cried, looking out into the hall before running to them and letting her father grab her in a fierce hug. "We were so worried about you two!"

"Yeah," Mitch said hoarsely, reluctantly letting go of his daughter. "You had us a little worried too. What happened here? The last thing we heard was you were being attacked-"

"Come inside, more may be coming," Clem said, leading them into the room she had left and closing the door behind her. It was a nice office that had probably belonged to one of the IADG upper level staff; tasteful brown carpet and comfortable chairs around a huge mahogany desk; though at the moment Sam Parker/Connor Oz was leaking blood onto the very nice desk. He looked strained and tired and in pain but awake and lucid, which was a good sign. Jackson sat beside him, though not touching his son, and Mitch wondered vaguely if Jackson had told him the truth and then the idea struck him that he and Jackson were now grandfathers together and he choked down a snort at the thought. Tessa was by Jackson's side, eyes narrowed at Jamie as if she expected her to attack him again; she took a protective step closer to him as Jamie rolled her eyes and smirked back at her. Abe and Dariela stood by the door, smiling with relief as Jamie asked, "What happened here? Is everyone okay?"

"Yeah," Dariela said, motioning to Abe who had a large gash across his leg, "the hybrids attacked but just enough to get us out of the way. They didn't come after us once we shut ourselves up in here."

As she said it there was noise outside the door; Jamie and Mitch immediately raised their weapons but Abe stopped them, shaking his head. "They will pass in a moment," he whispered over the sound of hundreds of claws tapping on tile flooring. "This is the third group that has moved through, the first is what attacked us. I was loading Sam into the cart when they came, but only two of them came after us, the rest just padded down the hallway, past the infirmary."

"What about the blood?" Jamie asked.

"I heard Abe yell," Dariela explained, "So I came running out and one of them charged me. I shot it but it ran down the hallway and disappeared with the rest."

Abe added, "They didn't really try to come after me, it was like they were distracting me while the others fled."

Tessa spoke up. "There's an exit down that hallway," she said. "To the outside. That must be where they're going."

The unsuspecting outside world was about to be overrun with vicious, murderous hybrids because of Jackson. The unspoken accusation hung in the air like a lead balloon, and Mitch, who could sympathize with the mental miasma Jackson was dealing with did his best to let the air out but Dariela spoke first. "I'm glad everyone is okay," she said, "But we can finish the family reunion later. We have a baby to find in less than two hours, and I am pretty sure those aren't going to be the last hybrids that come through here and the next batch may not be so easy going."

Jamie exited the room first, pistol at the ready, Mitch at her back with the assault rifle. Mitch insisted that Clem stay next to him, at least until they got to the cart; Abe and Jackson were carrying Sam on a stretcher and once they got him loaded on top of the various boxes of supplies she was going to ride in the back to protect him for the short and hopefully uneventful ride to the plane. They manhandled him on the cart and Clem climbed on the back, balancing herself on the blanketed bundle as she asked, "What exactly am I sitting on?"

Abe smiled at her apologetically. "Your father wanted the soldier, Troy, who was killed by his own dog after it turned into a hybrid. I am sorry, I had nowhere else to put it. Him.”

Clem made a face but sat herself gingerly on the bundle.

Tessa clambered into the drivers seat, Jackson at her side. His eye was blackening nicely, and Tessa grinned and said, "Well, Dylan Green, I think we have had quite enough spice for a while."

Jackson smiled back, his eyes flickering to his son, who was being tended to by Clementine. "I agree. I'm ready to sit by a fireside and spin yarns to my grandson about how we survived the animal apocalypse."

Tessa leaned her forehead against his. “Do we survive?"

Jackson kissed her quickly. “Of course we do.”

They were ready to go. One hour and forty five minutes left. Jamie pulled out her tablet as Dariela said, “Jamie is going to open the bay door and as soon as it starts to move so do we," she said, "We have the flamethrower and so far the hybrids haven't been very aggressive so this shouldn’t be too difficult." She hesitated, looking at each one of them in turn. "I know it's only thirty yards and that doesn't seem like much but if anything goes wrong that ninety feet is going to feel like forever, so...be ready. Abe and I will flank the cart, and Mitch and Jackson, stay with Clementine and Sam." Jamie pulled her protective goggles back on and kicked on the flamethrower as the ramp on the plane started to descend.

#cbs zoo #mitch x jamie #mitch morgan #jamitch #jamie campbell #oneproblem #jackson oz #abraham kenyatta #dariela marzan #clementine lewis #kristen connolly #billyburke

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