Page 13 of Beck & Coll

Saturday morning started with a round of sex before I let Beck go home. He wanted to shower and get ready for our next adventure—canoeing.

“You sure about this?” I questioned, as I took the bright orange life jacket from his hand. “You know the wilderness hasn’t really been feeling me.”

“I heard you did good at horseback riding.”

“I think that was because Stanton kind of adopted me. He stayed by my side, which I’m sure was the difference in horseback riding being a success.”

He glanced over at me. “Uh, I’ve stayed by your side, Coll. I was right by your side when you tried to tumble off the mountain and when you tried to… I don’t know… kiss that fish.”

“Shut up! You were right by my side.” I eyed him. “Maybe you’re a jinx.”

“Oh, I’m a jinx now?” He pulled me into his arms, and before I knew it, we were kissing on the bank of the Papa River.

I kissed him back, loving the minty taste of his mouth.

It was the third week of September. The weather was in the sixties, but the sun was high in the sky. Beckham and I covered each other in sunscreen before donning the life jackets. I listened while he explained both the basics and the important topics. Finally, it was time to climb into the canoe.

Beck took the lead, paddling us out into the swift moving river. The waves lapped gently, but the current carried us along at a good clip. I took in the surroundings, and everywhere I looked was gorgeous—the mountains, the trees, the calm blue sky, and the water.

“It’s so peaceful here,” I told Beckham.

“Yeah.” He nodded. “That’s one of the reasons that I love it so much. It’s like heaven on earth.”

We rode in silence. Him paddling easily, and me just taking in the sights and sounds.

After about a half an hour, he paddled us over to the shore. I stepped out of the canoe exactly the way he told me to and was rewarded with staying on my feet. He tied up the canoe, and then I followed him to a clearing where he had a picnic set up.

My hand went up to my mouth in surprise. “Oh, wow. When did you have time to do this, Beck?”

He gave me a sheepish grin. “I didn’t. Brewer made the food, and Bright dropped it off and set this up.”

I stared at him. “I’m impressed.”

“That was the goal, gorgeous. I’ve never met anybody like you, Coll.

I’ve never had such an… immediate and strong attraction to a woman…

ever.” He took a deep breath. “I know your life isn’t here.

It’s in Chicago. So, I understand that this thing is temporary, but for however long…

for however long I can have you, that’s how long I want you.

And while I got you, I’mma make sure I show you what it’s like to be wanted. ”

Tears sprang to my eyes as I stared at him, the beautiful man in front of me with the boyish sincerity in both his eyes and his voice.

I wiped at them impatiently. “I wish—” I began.

He stepped closer to me. “Don’t wish, baby. It’s okay. We have the time we have. I don’t wanna worry about what happens after this moment. I just want this moment. Okay?”

I sniffled and nodded my head. “Okay.”

“Okay then. Sit down. Let me feed you, baby.”

That night, I invited Beckham over for dinner. He was right that instead of putting our concentration on the fact that we only had a few days, we should put our concentration on making the most of the days we did have. With that in mind, I decided that we should make pizza together.

“Now that the dough is rolled out…” I told him as he kept adjusting the dough. “Leave the dough alone, Beck. Why are you bothering it?”

He glanced over at me. “Is this the real you? You this bossy in real life, Coll?” He smoldered at me, his eyes heated with desire.

“Leave me alone, and pay attention to your dough.”

“What kind of sauce does this pizza get?”

“First, the crust goes into the oven. Cooking the crust before you add the other stuff keeps it crispy.”

“I’ll let you make it on this because you’re from Chicago. Y’all are supposed to have the best pizza.”

“You’ve never been to Chicago?”

“Nah. I’ve never gotten around to it.”

“Well, now you’ll have a reason. You can come visit me.”

He closed the space between us with just a few strides of his long legs then took me into his arms. “Deep down inside, I’m hoping I won’t have to travel to get up with you. I’m hoping you’ll be in my bed, right up underneath me.”

I leaned completely into him, while my heart melted a little bit… no… a lot. My heart melted a lot. “I don’t really have good luck with relationships, and?—”

He cut me off. “I don’t give a fuck about none of that.

I only care about me and you. And you don’t need luck with me.

I’m here. I’m available. I’m willing to take whatever ride you wanna take, Collins.

If you gotta go back to Chicago,” he sighed heavily, “I’m with it.

If you wanna try the long-distance thing and see what happens, we can do that. ”

Silence filled the kitchen.

“I’m an explorer by nature, baby. I wanna explore with you.” He dipped his head into the crook of my neck and kissed me there. “I wanna explore… you. Can I explore you, Collins?”

A fog of lust settled inside my head. “Um, the pizza crusts are gonna burn,” I managed to say in between moans.

“Go ‘head and take them out of the oven,” he told me.

So, I did. With his dick pressed all up against my ass. It was to the point that I barely got the pizza pans on the stove top. As soon as my hands were free, Beckham nipped my neck with his teeth before licking and kissing the same area.

“What is this effect you have on me, Collins? How did we go from not knowing each other a week ago to me not being able to keep my hands off you?”

The little babydoll summer dress I wore was no match for him when his hands went under it. His fingers quickly found their way into my panties, and before I knew it, he was caressing my clit.

“This is not sanitary.” I mostly joked through the intense pleasure.

“Your pussy is the cleanest pussy on earth.” His free hand started to pull my panties down.

I helped him, and soon, they were puddled around my feet.

“Up.” He gave the command at the same time that he lifted me from my feet and placed me on the countertop.

His dick bounced out as his pants and drawers dropped to the floor. Sliding me to the very edge of the countertop, he thrust himself inside.

The feeling of having Beckham inside me was like no feeling I’d ever experienced before.

He filled every space, while stretching me to accommodate his size.

But the thing that blew my mind, the thing that made my heart beat fast every time I thought about him, was that being with him in any way felt like home.

But having him inside me felt like heaven on earth.

He covered my mouth with his and kissed me deeply, while I wrapped my legs around his back and beckoned him deeper. My fingernails dragged slowly against the skin of his shoulder blades.

“Heaven,” I moaned breathily.

“Facts.” He gritted out the word from behind clenched teeth.

My head fell back, exposing my neck to him. “Right there, baby. Please, right there.”

He did his best impression of a vampire, biting the shit out of my neck, causing my vagina to contract around him, while he pumped into me with measured strokes.

He moved from my neck to my breasts. He was sucking my nipples and cupping handfuls of my ass as I rode waves of pleasure. Lifting me from the hard surface and pulling me even closer, he muttered, “I wish you could stay.”

“Same.” The word reverberated around my mind and the quiet kitchen.

After a night of being loved on by the man who gave me heart palpitations, the next day dawned clear and bright, and I was ready to pamper myself. Since I didn’t have a wilderness adventure scheduled, I made myself a breakfast reservation and a spa appointment.

“Ms. Kingsley! Ms. Kingsley!” The sound of my name being called halted my forward movement right before I stepped over the threshold of STG Homestead . I turned and saw Mrs. Strong hurrying toward me.

I changed course and headed toward her.

When we met up, she rested her hand on my shoulder. “Good morning, Ms. Kingsley.”

“Good morning, Mrs. Strong. Please call me, Collins.”

She nodded. “I’m so glad to run into you this morning. I really need a favor.”

I was perplexed, and I was sure it showed on my face. “A favor? From me?”

“Yes. I have a young lady, an influencer who is getting married in the Sienna Sunset Heritage Garden tonight.”

I nodded to prompt her to keep talking.

“Her hair stylist?—”

“Okay. I see where this is going,” I interrupted her with a grin.

“Yeah, I knew you would. Her hair stylist is stuck in Southern Florida. Apparently there’s a tropical storm warning there, torrential rain fall, and an all-out emergency that has planes grounded for who knows how long.

According to our social media manager, being able to come through for this young lady could be huge for the resort. ”

“Okay.” I nodded my head. “But is the salon ready to accommodate a client? I mean, when is the last time you bought products? Shampoo? Conditioner? Girl, I don’t have my Marcel iron with me.”

We both chuckled.

“Do you have time to go through the salon with me? We could make a list, and I could have one of the staff members drive over to Portland to get whatever we need. It’s the nearest big city that would possibly have Black hair care products.”

“Do you think STG Homestead would let me make a to-go food order? I’m starving, and I really want to eat breakfast.”

“The staff at STG Homestead will do whatever Mrs. Strong asks them to do. Let’s get you some breakfast, baby.” She let her gaze land on me. “Does this mean you’ll help me out?”

Khylie Faye surprised me by stepping into the salon alone.

“Hello. I’m Khylie Faye. I’m supposed to have a hair appointment right now.”

She was about five feet tall with hickory-brown skin, an athletic build, and thick, shoulder-length tresses. She was gorgeous, and she radiated positivity and light. I could see why she was popular on social media.

“Hey. I’m Collins. Let me tell you a little about myself.

I’m originally from Chicago. I started doing hair about sixteen years ago.

I’ve done every job there is in a hair salon, including owning one.

I specialized in natural hair.” I took a breath.

“As a Black woman, I know how personal and how important our hair is to us. I know it can’t be easy turning yourself over to a stranger on your wedding day.

I want you to know that I have been in contact with Celia, and?—”

“You have?” Her eyes bucked at the knowledge that I had spoken to her hair stylist.

“Yes. You provided Mrs. Strong with her contact information. I wanted to touch base with her, find out what products and techniques she uses on your hair, and get her expertise. I certainly don’t want to shock your system.

I want you to look back on this day with good memories.

I don’t want this experience to be a trigger or a trauma for you. ”

She cracked a grin. “Well, I’m impressed with you already, Collins. So, Celia probably already told you that she supplies me with the products she uses, so I have them.”

“Thank God. Because Jackson Falls is country, baby. There was no way we were getting the necessary products from anywhere local… particularly on a Sunday.”

She laughed.

“Celia also sent me some pictures. She told me that you guys have done a few dry runs. I feel confident that I can recreate your vision today.”

“I hope so.”

“Come over and have a seat.” I beckoned her to the styling chair I’d selected to use.

“I have a confession,” she said as I wrapped the smock around her neck.

“Nolan and I actually got married in a private ceremony about three weeks ago. This wedding is for my viewers.” She took a deep breath.

“I include them in so much of my life. I’m like an open book on my socials.

I just wanted to have something for myself… for Nolan and me.”

I ran my fingers through her hair. “So, your hair is clean?”

“Yep. Clean with no product. That’s usually how I show up for Celia.

Transparency moment—I was tender-headed as a kid.

My mother is heavy-handed, so I always hated getting my hair combed.

But I really hated getting my hair washed.

The way my mother would be turning my poor head every which way but loose.

Nah. I vowed that once I was grown enough to pay for my own hair, nobody would ever get to rip out my tangles.

So, I wash and detangle my own hair, and Celia handles the rest.”

“Got you. So, do your subscribers know that this wedding is just for them?”

“They know this is the wedding for our friends and family. The private one was just for us, our parents, and our siblings. This isn’t the real one, but it’s the big one. It’s still important.”

While she was speaking, another young lady entered the salon.

“Collins,” Khylie Faye said. “This is my camera woman, Demi. She’ll capture all of the moments. Demi, this is Collins. She’s the new Celia.”