Gone Away Home (Bringing Home Trouble)

CHAPTER 7

DUSTIN

I move around Zayla’s kitchen with ease as I cook dinner. It’s been a few days since I set up our indoor date and I’m starting at the range tomorrow. It’ll be a short week since the range is closed on Thanksgiving and through the weekend.

It’s one of the new things Jasper has put into place. Mr. Porter would close on Thanksgiving because he would hear it from Mrs. Porter if he didn’t, but that and Christmas were the only days the range wasn’t open. Now we get the whole weekend and I’m thankful for it.

Any time I get to spend with Zayla is a fucking win in my book.

How the hell did I survive without her in my life for the last 14 years? At first, with the letters, it was like I could pretend she was still around. But then when those stopped, I felt the loss of it. Maybe, by then, I had compartmentalized enough to be able to get through the days.

But I wasn’t happy. I knew it too. Most of the people around me knew it, but they were smart enough not to question me about it or push. The truth of the matter is I wasn’t ready to accept what I knew was true. I couldn’t face how I had run away instead of standing and fighting. Now? I’ll fight until my last breath to make sure I have Zayla in my life.

She’s more than the air I breathe. She’s suffused every single part of my being with her light. There’s no way I would survive a single day without her.

The good thing is I won’t have to.

My phone ringing pulls my focus away from the stir fry I’m working on since my girl was craving something a little spicy. I’m going to knock her socks off, but she doesn’t need to know that. Speaking of, I hope she’s wearing those damn socks which go all the way up to her knees again.

Fuck. My cock hardens in my pants at the memory of how she snuggled up to me on the couch last night only wearing those damn socks and one of my t-shirts.

Seeing that it’s Dad calling, I take a deep breath and let it out slowly. I’m a little surprised I’ve been able to avoid him so far considering the size of Jasper Ridge. I suppose it helps that I haven’t gone many places, preferring to stay in with Zayla and make up for lost time.

“Hi, Dad,” my smile is as forced as my tone, but it’s about all I have in me right now.

While I did tell Zayla that I understand where she’s coming from about being wary of how people are going to see our relationship, I’m not going to hide her for much longer. There is no fucking way I’m going to treat her like some dirty little secret. I’m not going to disrespect her or the love between us like that.

“Dustin,” I can hear a note of disappointment in his voice, and I glance toward Zayla’s office because it’s clear he knows I’m home. He clears his throat, but it doesn’t clear his tone, “I heard something interesting around town today.”

I try and sound innocent, “Oh?”

“Yes,” his voice is a rich drawl, “I was with Janice making sure she has everything for Thanksgiving dinner. You know it’s in a few days, right?”

“I’m aware of when Thanksgiving is,” I sound suspicious, even to my own ears.

“Well, we were in the grocery store, and someone approached us gushing about how happy we must be about our prodigal, military man son returning home. Suffice to say,” he pauses for dramatic effect, and I barely stop myself from rolling my eyes, “we were shocked.”

I make a humming sound in the back of my throat before admitting, “I am in Jasper Ridge.”

What I don’t say is I’m with my woman and won’t be home, as in their house, beyond them being family and wanting to make sure Zayla has people at her back. She’s the only person I really need; she’s my priority.

“Why didn’t you let us know you were coming home? Are you on leave? When are you coming by? How long have you even been back?” I can hear the heavy breath he takes, his questions becoming increasingly tinged with anger. It’s clear he’s trying to pull back his emotions, probably afraid I’ll pull another runner if he’s not careful, but it’s not going to happen. His voice softens, “Janice was really hurt to find out you’re in town but hadn’t been by. Can’t say I’m thrilled to find out the way we did either,” he adds on, going for a double pronged approach to laying on the guilt.

“Dad,” my voice is stern, “that was a bunch of questions. I’m sorry Janice’s feelings were hurt, but she’s not my priority here in Jasper Ridge.” I let that line of information drop there because it’s all I’m offering at the moment while I circle back to his other questions. “I’m not on leave. I’ve chosen to be discharged. It was time and I’m happy about my decision. I’ve been back for a little while and the only reason I haven’t come by is because I’ve been busy. I needed to take care of some things and find a job, which I’ve done. I wasn’t trying to ignore you, but I just needed to get my life squared away first.”

My life and Zayla’s life.

The way my heart is pounding in my chest is the only giveaway at how truly nervous I am. While I was growing up, Dad was my hero. In so many ways it’s still true. Sure, there were some hard years, especially when he married Janice, but that wasn’t really about him.

It was all about me and my regrets. I beat myself up for a long time because I waited to make Zayla mine instead of going after her the first day I saw her. If I had, maybe our parents wouldn’t have gotten together. But, then again, they deserve to be happy too.

The conflicting emotions are hard to reconcile, even now. They were nearly impossible when I was a teenager while feeling like the future that I had been dreaming about for months was snatched away from me before I could even start to make it a reality.

Dad huffs, almost like he’s speechless and I smile. It’s not easy to render him at a loss for words, but I’ve managed it. Hopefully, he braces himself, because if what I’m expecting is about to happen does happen then he’s going to be fucking floored.

As long as Zayla isn’t hurt by his reaction to us being together, he’s entitled to his feelings. But I won’t tolerate any shit rolling her way. Not on my fucking watch.

“You really got out?” I make a sound of agreement that has him whooshing out a breath of air. I can picture him sitting back in his chair with a look of surprise on his face. “I thought you’d be in for life and make it a lifelong career. Even though it wouldn’t have been my choice for you, and I was surprised when you enlisted, you know I’m proud of you, right?”

“I know Dad,” I whisper, emotion clogging my throat.

He’s never been the kind of man to hold back his feelings. Sure, he struggled with them, especially when I was younger, but he always made sure to tell me when he was proud of me. Of course, he also told me when he was disappointed and down right pissed at me too.

“Wow,” he chuckles. “Wait,” his voice is stronger and no longer as surprised, “you said you were looking for a job?”

“I said I found a job, Dad,” I point out gently, “I’ll be working with Jasper at Precision Point Shooting Range.” I chuckle, “I had no idea Mr. Porter wasn’t running the place and had finally passed it down.”

Dad barks out a laugh which has me grinning. “Yeah, it’s been a few years now. Did you know that Jasper closes for more than just Thanksgiving and Christmas now?”

Now it’s my turn to laugh. “I heard that. It’s the reason I’m working a short week after I start tomorrow.”

“You are coming by for Thanksgiving though, right? Janice will be beside herself knowing you’re here and aren’t around our table for the holiday. I’m sure Zayla would want to see you as well.” His voice takes on a dreamy quality I’m not used to hearing as he muses, “You know she became really withdrawn after you decided to enlist. I don’t know why, but it was like she wasn’t herself and was a little lost. I never got to the bottom of why, but she bounced back eventually. Maybe it was just finishing up high school and choosing a path. She’s done damn good for herself too,” I can hear the pride in his voice and I’m not going to interrupt his praise for my woman. “She edits books, romance novels mostly from what Janice tells me. Not sure about the material, but she’s well respected and enjoys it. Can’t want more than that for any child when they grow up.”

My chest aches a little bit and I turn to find Zayla watching me with worried eyes as she nibbles on her bottom lip. I hold my arm open for her and she doesn’t hesitate to walk right up to me, bury her face in my chest, and snuggle into me. When I wrap my arm around her, she fits against me perfectly like she was always meant to be right here. Against me.

Probably because she was.

“I’ll be at Thanksgiving, Dad.” Zayla’s head snaps up and she rests her chin on my chest as she looks at me and gnaws on her lip, abusing the poor thing. “I promise. I’m sorry I haven’t been by; it wasn’t personal to you or Janice. I just needed to get some things straight first. I couldn’t, and wasn’t, going to put it off.”

The words are for Dad, but I’m looking down into Zayla’s brown eyes as I say them. Resignation crosses her face and her shoulders slump.

“Good,” there’s a finality in his tone. “Looking forward to seeing you, son. Now I need to go and make sure Janice doesn’t bake her feelings. I’m not as young as I used to be, and those delicious cinnamon rolls don’t work off the same way they used to.”

I chuckle and shake my head, not looking away from my woman. “You’re probably the one who asked for the cinnamon rolls, Dad,” I tease him.

“Might be,” he chuckles. “See you in a few days. Love you.”

“Love you,” I tell him, “see you soon.”

Once I hang up, silence surrounds us and I can see the questions, the worries, and the fears written all over Zayla’s face. It’s fucking unacceptable.

“Don’t,” my voice is pitched low, a command lacing my words, “you dare. We are going to walk into the house with our heads held high. We haven’t done anything wrong and we sure as hell don’t owe anyone anything. For too long we sacrificed our own happiness for no fucking reason, sweetheart.” I cup her face in my hands. “I won’t do it anymore and I won’t let you do it either. We belong together and we’re going to show them that. How they react is on them, not us.”

Her shoulders relax and her body melts into mine. It’s all I need. I reach over and turn the burner on the stove off before I take her mouth in a brutal kiss. The need to taste her, every single fucking inch of her, is riding me hard. I’m going to remind her exactly who she belongs to.

After I spin us around, I press her back against the counter. I reach for one hand which is gripping the sides of my t-shirt and unfurl her fingers to move her hand to the edge of the counter. When her fingers curl around it, I do the same with the other hand.

Only then do I pull back from her lips which is not easy to do at all. Her brown eyes have darkened with desire and are glazed over with lust. The way her lips are puffy and pouty after our kiss makes me want to devour her even more.

“So beautiful, Zayla,” I murmur softly. I move slowly to kneel in front of her and when her arms tense, I demand, “Don’t move your hands.”

“What,” her voice is shaky as I start to lift my shirt from where it hits her thighs, “are you doing?”

“I’m helping you relax,” I tease as I look up at her and smirk. “Damn,” I groan, “what a fucking view.

The way she blushes is sexy as fuck. And now I know just how far down that blush goes. I’ve mapped it and memorized it.

My hands glide under the shirt she has on and grip the sides of the panties she’s wearing. It only takes one sharp tug to rip them from her body. “Dustin,” she gasps and my cock throbs and leaks pre-cum from the tip.

When I glide a leg over my shoulder, it opens her up and helps the shirt ride up. I stare at her glistening pussy and lick my lips. My mouth is fucking watering because I already know how good she tastes.

There’s no need for more words, just action.

I dive between her thighs and devour her. There is not a single part of her pussy I don’t explore. I flick her clit and suck it into my mouth before sliding down her slit and burying my tongue as deep inside of her tight channel that I can.

With a groan, I lap at her, wanting more of her delicious arousal. I watch her face the entire time and the strain on her beautiful features. Her knuckles are turning white with how hard she’s gripping the counter and trying not to let go.

“Good fucking girl,” I growl before I suck her clit into my mouth again. When I slide two fingers inside of her, making sure she’s steady with my other hand, her hips start to rock. “That’s right. You’re so close, I can feel it,” my words are muffled because I’m not willing to move away from her.

I fucking can’t.

When I crook my fingers inside of her and bite down gently on her clit, Zayla’s head falls back, and she screams my name. I don’t stop working her through her orgasm, helping her to float down slowly and gently.

The entire time I watch her and make sure I lick every bit of her sweetness. I’m addicted to the way she tastes.

As her body relaxes, I stand up, pull her away from the counter, and cradle her in my arms. The way she’s trembling, wracked with aftershocks, makes me feel victorious. She starts to slide her hands toward the waistband of my joggers, but I stop her with a shake of my head.

“Sweetheart that was all about you.” The way she pouts up at me has me chuckling under my breath and wiggling my eyebrows at her. “How about you make it up to me later? After I feed you.”

“Fine,” the words are an exasperated exhale, but the twinkle in her eye and the smile on her face tells a different story. “I’ll save room for your cum.”

My cock is begging me to take her up on her offer, but I fight against it. This isn’t about reciprocating orgasms. She was in her head and now she’s not. That’s what I wanted and needed. We can enjoy our night together and worry about dinner with our parents when we have to, instead of it being a cloud hanging over us.

“Oh, sweetheart,” I tease her, but meaning every word, “don’t you know the only place my cum is going is inside your sweet pussy until you’re carrying our baby?”

Her entire body shudders and I smirk. Thank fuck my woman finds breeding her hot because I already know I won’t be stopping after one baby.