Exes and Oh's: Part 13

MARLEY

Photography was often a hobby I turned to on the days where words weren't enough to express how I felt. So I took it upon myself to capture anything and everything that held both beauty and melancholia at this old and abandoned beach house near Sylvan Beach on Bayshore Drive. I ran into its owner at the supermarket the other day and since we're both photographers at heart, she handed me the keys and offered to let me take pictures whenever I felt like it. Since I was taking time off from the magazine and everything else for that matter, I figured I'd take the time to go back to my first love, taking photos.

The southern architecture in this building was still in great condition. This place had good bones, considering it didn't get washed away during the last hurricane season. It was the only beach house left close to the beach and it just needed some love and attention to bring it back to its former glory. I would've jumped at the opportunity to take the beach house out of its owner's hands if it were ever placed on the market. But I was almost certain it would cost at least half a million dollars, which was something I definitely couldn't afford right now. And judging from the two stories it had and the spacious interior floor plan, it was worth every penny.

"What would a down payment on this place look like?" Michael's question interrupted all the ideas swimming in my head for this house as the scent of a freshly made Subway's sandwich made its way to my nose. I had mentioned I'd be here for the day and he apparently took it upon himself to surprise me with my favorite sandwich from Subway along with a few chocolate chip cookies, chips, and a bottle of water. I was half in love with this man already.

"Ten grand easy. And it hurts just thinking about it," I replied, as he handed me my food and we started exiting the house. I smiled the second I saw the picnic blanket laying on top of the deck, and noticed it held a few lavender-scented candles surrounding the basket full of sugary goodness. Turning towards him, I kissed his cheek and he smiled in return, rubbing my back as he took my camera from my neck and placed it gently near the blanket before we sat down.

"Thank you. I really needed this," I stated with great appreciation as I stuffed my face with my sandwich and groaned with delight. He laughed as he pulled out a beer from the cooler and opened it, taking a swig before he turned to look at me.

"I went to visit Gabe's grave today," Michael mentioned after a moment, his gaze pinned to the ocean views before us, taking in its breathtaking beauty on this cloudy and chilly day.

"You never told me why ya'll stopped being friends," I added, and he shrugged, lowering his head as he took my hand and gave it a good squeeze.

"There were a lot of reasons. Gabe wanted us to stop dealing. I didn't. Daniel took my side while Freddy took his. It caused a lot of tension between all of us. Add two very beautiful and complicated women like you and Serena to the mix and it was only a matter of time before we all went our separate ways," Michael explained, reaching for his beer again, and downing it before he finished.

"Yeah, but you stopped dealing drugs eventually. Ya'll could've fixed things then."

"There was no point. I had lost Daniel to Serena, who ended up fucking him up even more. Gabe was bouncing from house to house, fighting everyone in sight. While you and Freddy...well...let's not get into that mess," he responded, his expression hardening at the mention of our complicated relationship.

"I'm sorry for what happened at Danny's party," I consoled, touching his cheek, making him look at me.

"You didn't do anything. We never said this was anything but casual. And I already knew you weren't over him. You two never are apparently. But I'm okay with being a stand-in in the meantime," Michael claimed, sending me a grin, but I know he didn't mean it. Michael and Freddy had never seen eye to eye on anything but Danny. Having dated both of them only made things extra messy.

"Everyone's got a kryptonite right?" I reasoned, placing my head on his shoulder as we admired the scenery around us.

"Funny you should say that, I bought something for you," Michael mentioned, sounding highly suspicious as he dug into the basket for something that had been wrapped with a smaller towel. I couldn't avoid my cheeks turning a bright red or my laughter from slipping out as he brought out a neon green vibrator for me to see.

"Michael!" I scolded the sexy and mischievous man next to me as he pushed the picnic basket aside and hovered over my body, laying my back flat onto the blanket. We were lucky there weren't any signs of people walking around, otherwise, they would've seen Michael strip me of my jeans and panties, leaving me bare to the world from the waist down.

I could feel him reach for the vibrator as our lips met, and the moment he slipped the vibrating device inside me and used its tip to rub it up against my clit in slow circles, I almost lost it. His other hand caressed my skin, my breasts, my thighs, while his tongue collided with mine and he slipped the vibrator inside of me again, this time increasing his pace. My body was in sexual turmoil and I was ready to explode any second but Michael took notice and being the little shithead he was, he stopped right before I came and continued to kiss me.

His fingers weaved through my hair, while my hand gripped his behind and pulled him closer to me, allowing me to feel just how hard he was for me. I decided to return the cruelty and reached into his pants, palming his hardened shaft. He pulled away from my lips and cursed as he watched me stroke him, my fingers rubbing and tugging, forcing him to make that sexy and guttural groan he usually made when he was close to climaxing.

That's when I decided to remove my hand from his junk and smile at him.

"You're going to pay for that," Michael threatened playfully, not being able to hold back a laugh as he tried to cool down for more.

"I'm counting on that," I sassed and he pinned me down with his hands, holding my hips steady before he reached for the vibrator again and guarded his shaft with a condom. He slipped inside of me first, stretching my inner walls with his larger length before he used the vibrator on my clit. I gasped and dug my nails onto the sides of his neck, almost drawing blood as my body began to convulse and writhe beneath him, growing closer and closer to my orgasm.

He drove into me faster and placed the vibrator aside before replacing it with his own fingers. The friction alone became too much and I came for him instantly. Our foreheads touched the second Michael plunged into me one final time, both of us breathing heavily as he came.

We shared more smiles and more orgasms shortly after, and then he drove me home. The full moon brightened the darkness around us as we exited his car, and that's how I knew it was close to midnight when we arrived at my front porch.

"Where have you been?" The question startled me, making me drop my keys and Michael to remove his hands from my waist as Freddy emerged from the darker side of my porch. His expression screamed peeved when he took a look at the scratch marks on Michael's neck, then looked back at my blouse which I apparently put on inside out.

"Back off, Freddy. I fucking mean it." Michael shot him a warning as he stepped in front of me, as if I needed to be guarded. No. What I needed was for Freddy to stop thinking he owned me and showing up everywhere, making me feel things all the time. God, who the hell did he think he was showing up here like a damn creep?

"This ain't your house. She can tell me to fuck off herself. Cant you, Marley?" Freddy baited, waiting for me to respond but I didn't. I knew the second I did, things were going to fall apart and we were all just beginning to get along again.

Damn it, Gabe. This was all his stupid fault.