Don't Ever Give Up Ch. 08

"You ever felt great physical pleasure while simultaneously wanting to throw up all over yourself?"

It was Julia's turn to laugh out loud now.

"First off, she was on my lap about two seconds before I shoved her onto the desk. The physical sensations... it felt like every lapdance I've ever had. Like you said, she's not tough to look at, and there's a reason men enjoy strip clubs. A small part of me was interested, sure."

"Oh, I don't know how small it is," Julia teased, licking her lips seductively.

"Eh, well, I'd hope only a couple inches were actually interested, and the other five or six were just giving in to peer pressure."

Julia spit out the champagne she'd been sipping as she laughed.

"Anyway, the rest of me... not only did it not feel right, it felt wrong. Very, very wrong. I jumped up and dumped her onto the desk in the process."

"I can understand that," Julia said. "It's fight or flight. Someone who's done what she did, your mind wanted to get as far away as possible."

"That's part of it," Tim agreed.

"Oh? What's the other part?" Julia asked.

"Enough questions out of you. You'll get another turn."

"Fine," Julia said, psuedo-pouting. She slid over to sit on Tim's lap, laying back against his chest.

"How is she your sister?" Tim asked. "Much to your dismay, you're stuck with me now, and much to my dismay, she is family to you. Chances are good that Sunday won't be the last time I see her. What's the connection?"

"We have the same dad," Julia answered. "Right around Ashley's - Leira's - first birthday, my dad cheated on her mom. He met my mom at some kind of business conference in Charlotte, and one thing led to another. The affair lasted maybe three months before my dad ended it. He wasn't ever going to leave Ashley's mom, and he knew it. My mom was pretty mad at him, so she never told him she was pregnant. Just before I was born, she met my stepdad, so I always thought he was my dad. On my thirteenth birthday, they sat me down and told me about it. My mom called him and told him, and I actually met him the next day, along with the four kids he had with his wife."

"Wow," Tim said.

"Yeah, and then my mom and step-dad had two kids of their own, so I'm kind of stuck in the middle. I share a dad with four people and a mom with two, but no one else on Earth has the same two parents I do."

"Wow," Tim repeated, and hugged Julia to his chest. Her nipples brushed up against his forearms. "I'm sorry, hon; that had to be rough."

"Sometimes," Julia agreed. "But really, my brother and sister from my mom and step-dad, they've always treated me like a full sister, because they were ten and eight when they found out I wasn't. By that time, you realize love is thicker than blood, you know?"

Tim nodded, not that Julia could see.

"Besides," Julia continued. "When I think about it, under the circumstances, I got off pretty lucky. I was mad at my mom for keeping it from me for so long, but I understand why she did it. My step-dad is the primary person I think of when I think of a father figure, so I've never felt cheated, but my real dad always has told me he'd have been there from the beginning if he'd known about it. Even his wife, the little I know of her, seems like a good person."

"How did she take the news that he'd had an affair?"

Julia tilted her head back and smiled. "Now who's asking the follow-ups?"

"Well, if you want to keep talking about this all night, that's fine with me," Tim said, lightly stroking Julia's stomach. It wasn't flat and taut by any means, but he liked her that way. "I just don't want to have to come back to this subject. It's certainly not my favorite, and I get the feeling you'd rather spend your words elsewhere, too. Figured we'd just get it out of the way."

"He told her about it a year after it happened," Julia said. "They separated for a while, but eventually she forgave him and they got back together."

"Good-hearted woman," Tim said, and Julia just nodded. Tim leaned down and kissed her behind the right ear. "I know one of those."

Julia purred.

"I will never, ever cheat on you, but I've put you through plenty," he continued. "I think you've earned that title."

Julia quickly spun around on Tim's lap, draping a leg on either side of him. "I want to say something about that, but I want to ask another question first."

"Anything."

"What did she do to you, Tim?" Julia asked. "I know you don't like talking about it, but really, I'd like to know."

Tim took his own glass of champagne off the edge of the tub and took a sip. He didn't really care for the taste, but he swished it around in his mouth for a few seconds anyway - as good a way to stall as any, he figured.

"You know, this stuff tastes like a carton of milk and a bottle of apple juice met up in a South Padre hotel over Spring Break, fucked, and then fermented."

Julia laughed. "That's funny. Why do you drink it then?"

"You like it," Tim said. "And I might not like the way it tastes in my mouth, but for some reason, I like the way your tongue tastes when you're drinking it."

"Like this?" Julia leaned forward and drew Tim into another kiss, giving him more than enough opportunity to get another taste. She was silent for a few moments after breaking the liplock.

"I saw how you changed the subject there, Tim," she said. "Look, you don't have to talk about it if you --"

Tim made a "shh" noise and continued to stroke Julia's collarbones with his palms. He drew in a long, steady breath, and expelled it just as slowly.

He told her all of it then. He told her how they'd met, how close they'd become, how serious he'd believed their relationship was getting, and how he was making plans for their future. He told her about their sex life without getting into raunchy details.

He told her how they'd spend long weekends together at one of J.T.'s dad's houses on the Outer Banks, or how they'd go on week-long road trips, driving up and down the east coast shopping, going to baseball games and trying to have sex in every city along I-95 from Jacksonville to D.C. He told her about their dual struggles to get through school, about how sometimes they'd spend entire weekends cooped up in his apartment or hers, splitting the time pretty evenly between medical books and the bedroom.

And of course, he told her about how it ended with a phone call from his best friend, with him sitting half-naked on the floor of his tiny apartment, wondering if it was all a fucking joke or some crazy-ass nightmare.

"Wow." It was Julia's turn to seem amazed now. "That's a pretty shitty way to find out."

"Yeah," Tim agreed. "It wasn't a whole lot of fun. Sometimes, when I let myself think about it, I wonder how much further things would have gone if J.T. hadn't called me that day. I mean, yeah, she'd told her friend she was going to break up with me, but I wonder if she would have had the guts to do it. She might have gone off fucking other people and kept acting like we were a couple. Kinda makes me shudder when I think about it."

"Jesus." Julia's hair hung down in front of her face, so he couldn't see her face as she said it.

"Yeah, pretty sure I used his name in vain a few times back then. I haven't spoken to her since, and hadn't seen her until Sunday."

"I'm so sorry, Tim," Julia said. He heard her voice catch, and he brushed her hair out of the way, only to see tears running down her face.

"What's wrong?" Tim asked.

"You know what's wrong," she said. "I love you, damnit, and I can't imagine how horrible you must have felt."

"Ah," Tim replied, and simply wrapped his arms tighter around Julia's buoyant body. "I wouldn't wish it on anyone, even her, and it's certainly nothing I ever want to feel again."

"Look at me," she said, and locked onto Tim's eyes. He met her eye contact 100 percent.

"I am," Tim replied. "Why the hell would I want to look anywhere else?"

"It's not something you're ever going to feel again," Julia said. Her words were carefully measured. She wasn't excited or overly upset - anyone listening in on the conversation would think it was just a casual chat between two lovers just from the tone. Still, she spoke with a firmness that made Tim believe every word she said, while also talking sweetly enough to sound almost flirtatious.

"I don't care what she or any other woman has ever done to you, Tim. I know it's hard to forget, but I'm going to do my damndest to make you."

She ran her fingers lightly up and down Tim's chest while she gathered her next thoughts. Tim knew she wasn't done, and he wasn't about to interrupt her.

"I'm a patient woman, Tim. You know that. I waited for you for almost two years. I played your little 'friends with benefits' game because I knew you needed space. I acted like I was perfectly OK with you seeing other women. I knew if I gave you time, you'd come around. The only time I doubted that was that night at your house when you found out about my job offer, and an hour later, you finally pulled your head out of your ass, and we were a couple.

She backed away a little, giving Tim an incredible view of her incredible body.

"Even since then, I've tried to let you ease your way into commitment again. But now, Tim... now I need to say something, OK?" Her pace increased slightly but Tim could tell she was fighting valiantly to keep herself under control. "That whole time we were 'just friends?' The thought of you being with someone else made me sick to my stomach. Ever since I met you at Sheila's engagement party, I knew I wanted to have one of those parties with you a few years down the road."

Tim just sat and listened, half-shocked.

"You said it yourself that night on the deck with J.T. - we just fit. We like the same things, we have the same goals in life, and we have fun together. You make me feel like the most beautiful woman in the world, whether I'm dressed to go out or lounging around in sweats. You're my comfort zone and my out-of-the-box adventure all rolled into one. I've never lacked self-confidence, but knowing you're into me just kind of confirms everything I've worked toward my whole life. It's hard to explain."

Tim just smiled and nodded at her. He understood it. Perfectly.

"The past couple years have been hell, Tim. Absolute hell. I've loved you for a really long time, and now you're finally letting me show it. I've been patient, but I can't be patient anymore. There's no way I'm going to do anything to lose you, all right? I know you don't --"

"I love you, too."

"-- feel that way right now, but - what?"

"I'm pretty sure you heard me."

Julia went from speed-talking to speechless in an instant. She went at least half a minute without even breathing, and Tim started to worry she wouldn't draw a breath again unless he said something.

"But, you're going to make me say it again, aren't you?"

The beautiful woman sitting on his lap just nodded.

"I love you, Julia. I really do. If nothing else, these past few days have shown me that."

She finally let her lungs do their job, but she remained silent.

"Being in my office with Leira didn't feel right the other day, not because it was her, but because it wasn't you. I meant what I said to J.T. that night. I believe things happen for a reason. If she'd decided to stay with me back then, you and I might not be together right now. Everything that has happened - my relationship with Leira, your dad and your mom having an affair, all the stupid things I've said and done to you - has led to us being here right now, and I can't think of anywhere else I'd rather be."

She stayed glued to his eyes, but hers started to water.

"I've been holding back since we met," Tim said, "and you know that. Even after we started dating, I've found it difficult to give you everything I can. That's not fair to myself, but it's extremely unfair to you. All this time you've been so open, so honest, and so patient with me, and I've..."

Tim trailed off, but Julia wasn't going to let him off the hook without finishing the thought.

"Your patience was so valuable to me, baby," Tim said. "I needed to go at my own pace, and I appreciated that more than you will ever know. But your wait is over, OK? You don't have to be patient anymore."

The tears began again, and Julia melted into Tim's chest. He held her as tightly as he could, not wanting to choke her to death, but also wanting to show her with actions what she'd just told him with words - that he had no plans to let her go, either.

"Hey, baby," Tim said. "This is supposed to be a happy time, yeah? That's not something to brag to the boys about - 'Yeah, I told Julia I loved her, and she bawled.'"

"It is happy," she replied. "I'm very, very happy. Very happy."

"Hmm," Tim said. Despite all the emotional conversation, his cock was rock hard again. Having Julia wriggling around on his lap didn't hurt, either. "Think I could have a shot at making you even happier?"

"Do you ever not think about sex?" Julia chuckled, keeping her head on Tim's shoulder but grinding her ass against his crotch for emphasis.

"Sure," Tim said. "Once in a while, I dream about football."

"Football has cheerleaders, though."

"Good point," Tim replied. "So, I guess the answer is no."

"I'll have to learn to live with that," she said, reaching down to grip the base of his cock. A few seconds later, she was sliding down around him.

She was content to take her time, slowly bouncing up and down, savoring the feeling of his cock as she slid gracefully up and down. She was so incredibly beautiful.

"You know, Jules," Tim said. "I did just tell you didn't have to be patient anymore."

"Yeah, but, like I said," she replied, tossing her hair back as she bounced up and down. "I'm usually really good at patience. Tonight, I failed miserably, so, I guess I need more practice."