Page 81 of The Impact (Parachutes #3)

“It’s not about him. And since when are you afraid of Jersey winters, Hollywood? I used to push quarter bags on the corner in the snow,” Tahli mocked his deep voice and dope boy tales, making him snicker.

“Why can’t we talk in here?”

“You rented a car?”

“Yeah.”

“Automatic start?”

“Of course.”

“Then start that bitch and stop asking so many questions like a pussy.” Tahli grabbed her short fur coat and led the way. Vin trailed her down the icy driveway.

“Tahli, what the fuck is you on?”

“Just follow me, scary. This you? The Escalade?”

“Yeah, I needed something big enough for all the gifts and to take the kids up to the cabin.”

She clicked heels, switching her hips toward it. Reached the truck and went straight for the back door.

“Hit the locks. There’s a conversation we still never finished.”

Vin stared for a moment. Neither spoke. She watched his muddle even out to blankness, but he hit the button.

Tahli pulled the back door open and used the handle to pull herself inside. Was grateful when he followed without more questions.

“Hi,” Tahli whispered, teeth chattering a bit.

“You’re fucking crazy. It’s freezing. Here.” Vin started to take off his sweater and Tahli caught his white undershirt underneath. But she stopped him with a hand to his stomach, right on the peach fuzz trail beneath his belly button.

“I’m okay. The heat is warming me up.”

He wet his lips as she brought her face close to his, canvassing all of his details with her eyes. The East Coast had missed him.

“What conversation did we not finish?” he asked, maintaining cool, but Tahli was well aware of what her proximity did to him.

She gazed at him through the shadows, Christmas lights from her father’s decorated house dancing all over the car interior.

Red, green. Red, green. White, white. Lighting up fine-ass Dalvin Hayes. He’d be fine forever. 60 and delicious.

“Happy Birthday,” she whispered.

“It was yesterday. You said that shit already.”

“It was two years ago,” she reminded him, and watched the fall of his face. “I never got to say it. You never called me back. I never got to give you your birthday present.”

She watched Vin—her big Vin—try to keep the cool he had at that poker table in Ocean City. The cool he had in that hotel room after.

“You want it?”

“Yes,” he said right on top of her, cool vaporized.

Tahli straddled him, slowly undoing his belt buckle, the sounds of his zipper the only one in the car. Her heart thumped between her swollen tits.

Lowering to her knees with Vin in the center of the backseat, she pulled his already-erect dick from his boxers and heard his sharp inhale.

Tahli kissed that happy trail leading to his fresh pubic hair.

She closed her eyes, delivering soft kisses to his skin, drunk off of the scent of him.

Tears welled behind her closed lids from how much she missed the smell of him.

His dick jerked excitedly in her palm, and she squeezed it subtly before bringing glossed lips to the head.

“Missed me?” Tahli whispered, lining her lips with his precum.

Then she swallowed him into her salivating mouth, feeling him swell against her tongue.

Heard him vacuum in all the air in the truck.

Pleasing him correlated to her pleasure.

With every bob, she gushed. His groans soaked her.

Spit and saliva drenched her hand, spilling over her knuckles as Vin squirmed in the seat, dragging fingers across the leather.

“Oh, shit,” he mumbled, that ache in his tone pulsing her center. “Fuck, fuck, fuck, baby love. I’m a bust. It’s been a minute and you caught me off guard.”

“It’s okay, baby. I’m thirsty anyway.”

His thighs shook under her palms. Maddened with desire, power surging through the fingers she double handed him with, Tahli told him,

“Grab my hair and shove it down my throat, Vin.”

“You still the nastiest mothafucka, huh?” Vin panted, obeying. A second later, her name burst from his throat as his savory release coated hers.

When she rose, Vin yanked the top of her elf dress down, greedily taking a nipple in his mouth.

Tahli squeezed the back of his head, grinding on his lap as he circled her areolas with the tip of his tongue, currents of bliss shooting through her.

He left her nipples slick with his saliva, trailing his tongue up her neck, and Tahli let her head fall back, feeding him more.

Vin’s mouth anywhere on her was a feeling she’d trade years off her life for.

“When’s the last time you had your pussy ate?” A successful businessman. A father. A failed husband. But always a nigga first.

“The last time you ate it,” Tahli panted. “Turks.”

“We need to do something about that.” He positioned her to lie across the spacious leather seats, the back of her head to the window.

“My fucking baby love.” He brushed a thumb over her bottom lip. Then he raised her dress to her waist, pushing her panties to the side. “You already took off your stockings.”

“You know I’m a planner,” Tahli warbled, before she gasped when his tongue landed on the ball of her sensitivity.

“Nah, you a fucking freak,” he accused.

“Dalvin…” Tahli cried, reaching behind her to streak the fogged window with her fingertips, as he slurped on her. Clenching her ass cheeks onto the leather, Tahli writhed under his mouth, moans stifled in her throat.

Then he massaged her inner thigh with his strong thumb, releasing his own sounds of satisfaction, blending with the wet clicks of his tongue. The audio of her wetness meeting his damp mouth, the sound of the mess he was making.

“Fuck, Vin. Oh, God.”

Minutes later, Tahli’s knees were digging into the seat, her neck contorted, and the top of her head smashed into the seatback as Vin banged into her from behind, her ass smacking against his abs with every violent thrust. He cared about her comfort most times, except in savage fucking.

Sometimes it felt Vin could fuck the head right off her body.

“Ohhhhhhh. This is what I wanteeeddddd!” Tahli squealed, succumbing to full-body tremors, teeth clenched, ripples of ecstasy on a loop throughout her pussy.

“Ohhhhhh, shit, Vin, it’s so fucking good,” she cried; and creamed.

That earned her an ass smack in approval, and Tahli slammed her hand against the seat, clawing at it.

Mouth stretched as he pumped and catered to every crevice.

She knew the shift when he went from those mannish, lesson- driven thrusts to curving his spine, laying his chest on her back, pushing all of him into all of her, and squeezing her tight, like he couldn’t let her go. He was near his release.

“Yes, baby,” she moaned, to his delirious chants of “fuck” in her ear. Felt the tongue kiss to her shoulder after. The rain of kisses up to her cheek followed.

She heard Vin slap the leather above her head, as Tahli laid her cheek against the cool of the seat. Suddenly, the heat was stifling. No chill in the air, just the dewy aftereffects of their sex.

“I don’t know where the fuck that came from, but give a nigga a heads-up next time.”

She laughed short, taking a moment before sitting up to adjust her dress.

Vin fell back into the seat, still breathing heavily, eyes ahead through the distant windshield.

The weight of his thoughts pinned them in place.

What did this mean? Did it mean anything?

He knew her well enough not to ask. Had to know she didn’t know the answer.

So, Tahli just laid her head on his brawny chest, relishing a forgotten feeling.

Even if a memory of it lingered, the potency of his safety had lessened in those memories.

Shutting her eyes, she savored feeling this protected.

His heartbeat drumming in her ear. The fresh musk of his cologne.

His aura. A war could break out around them.

Tahli wouldn’t fear a bullet reaching her.

In the silence, Vin kissed the top of her scalp, and a tear tickled the corner of her eye.

Luckily it was dark, and that tear was a stranger to him.

But when his fingers swiped her cheek, Tahli’s chest tightened.

So perceptive he was. She pulled back to look at him through the obscurity of the car, and he dug another tear from her eye before placing his thumb between his lips.

“Did you just taste my tears?” She giggled sadly.

He only stared. So, Tahli fell back into him as snowflakes began to drift and ebb on the tinted glass. One so perfect, Tahli marveled it until it melted. Then a harsh knock jolted her from the peace. Tahli looked at Vin and he met her anxious eyes.

Another knock tailed. “Dad! Helloooo! I know you’re in there.” The sound of Dali outside of the truck stiffened Tahli. Vin lowered the back window enough for his eyes.

“Yeah…What’s up, baby girl?”

“And Mom…?”

Tahli gulped. Vin snorted. He lowered the window a little more.

“Demarcus is here, and he wants to meet you two.” Dali crossed her arms, eyes tapered.

“Okay.”

“Cool.”

Tahli and Vin coolly tossed out on top of each other and Dali shook her face. “Figured I should wait until the truck stopped rocking before I interrupted. You guys are so gross.”

After she stormed off, Vin rolled up the window. Him and Tahli exploded in laughter.

“You missed Left, Right, Center.”

“Aw, man!” Tahli dramatically swung her fist, and Abby gave an accusing glare.

“She ain’t miss shit,” Paige chuckled. “Vin was all up in that Left Right Center.”

Tahli had to laugh at that, scratching the roots of her sweaty locs. All of this party planning, she hadn’t washed her hair all week. Then she had steam-inducing, extremely needed sex. After the kids opened their gifts and went off with Vin, it would be self-care time.

“I have no idea what y’all are talking about.”

“I have no idea what y’all are talking about,” Abby mimicked. “I just got eggnog and baby daddy dick on my breath.”

Tahli blew her breath into her hand. “I’ll be back. I gotta go meet Doll’s new boyfriend… But I gotta brush my teeth, first.”

Demarcus was a decent young man. Tahli wouldn’t say it, but he reminded her of Drew.

Clean-cut and handsome, driven. Had a bunch of college scouts waving goodies at him, trying to get him to commit.

The initial introduction was painless, but Vin had more questions once he a call with Sabrina.

In the meantime, Tahli made Demarcus a plate and eavesdropped on his and Dali’s conversation.

“Yo, your mom looks mad young. Like your sister or something.” Yes. Demarcus was quite alright with Tahli.

“And your dad was cool. You had me shook. Even though, lowkey, he looks like he’s been to prison, or something.”

“Oh, he has.”

Tahli stifled a giggle at Dali’s nonchalant delivery, her back still to them, scooping up macaroni.

“Wha-what? For like…what?”

“Murder,” Dali gave again, so blasé. “Well, not murder , murder. More like manslaughter.”

Tahli turned with the ready plate, as Demarcus’ damp gaze examined Dali.

“Say cap.”

“Nah. No cap. For real, for real,” Tahli instigated, pushing the plate to Demarcus. Just then, Vin took up the doorway.

“Aye, young… Let’s go.” Vin motioned with his head for Demarcus to follow him as he held the basement door open. Tahli pulled in a grin.

“I mean…I should probably eat-”

“Your last meal?” Tahli joked. “I’m kidding. It’s okay, baby. You can take the plate to the basement.” She leaned in to whisper, “Just don’t ever break eye contact. He hates that.” She thought she heard the boy swallow before he walked off.

“I’m scared for him,” Dali muttered, crossing her arms.

“He’ll be okay. If he’s strong, he’ll survive. If he doesn’t…he wasn’t the one.”

“What if he says the wrong thing and Dad goes all prison-yard-fight flashback? You know Dad is unhinged.”

Tahli snorted.

“Did Pop-Pop try to scare Daddy off when you brought him here?”

Tahli pinched her lip between her teeth to pure times; when life was so far ahead, no one thought of consequences. “Not scare , but…they had a discussion. And look at us now.” Tahli displayed the scene with her hands.

The night wound down too quickly. The abundance of planning and anticipation dwindled to a few hours of too fun bliss.

One of Tahli’s cousins was drunkenly talking her ear off about going back to school at Tahli’s alma mater to become a doctor, although he was a 49-year-old alcoholic.

Half-listening, she watched Vin slip his arms into his peacoat, grinning at something her father said.

“Hey, girl, where you going? I need help with my life plan!”

Tahli beelined away from Cousin Eddie to Vin in the foyer.

“You leaving?”

He looked at her, always saying more with his eyes than anything.

“I am.”

Tahli tried to suck out something lodged in her teeth.

“And you’re leaving DJ?”

“You asked me to, right?” Vin’s chin dipped for confirming eye contact that Tahli nodded to.

“Yes. I have as much stuff for him as I have for the other kids, and I would like to see him before you guys leave. Plus, Lo has been so excited. Well, as excited as Lo can show.”

Vin snorted, probably sharing Tahli’s thoughts. Who knew exactly two years before yesterday, when that dreaded night kicked off a storm they hadn’t prepped for, that Milo and Dalvin Jr. would be inseparable?

“So, what time will you be by my place to get them tomorrow? You know, after presents, I want them to have breakfast.”

“…Yeah, uh… your pops was just saying he’s going to drop them to me. That he’s coming by here then he’s swinging by the crib to discuss some legal shit. Something with Munch’s case…a possible technicality…”

“Oh.” Uneasiness stalled Tahli’s words. Watered her lenses. Good for Munch. Confusing for her. “So…Peek’n Peak and then back to LA?”

Vin was taking the kids on a Christmas getaway to a New York resort with glow-in-the-dark, lunar lights snowtubing, ski lessons, and more. Tahli had been looking forward to four days of peace.

Now, that peace looked like loneliness with a bow.

“Yeah.” His eyes bounced between hers and Tahli blinked away, sliding her nail between her teeth.

“Okay. Well…have fun. Be safe.”

“You, too. Hey…” Vin inspected her. “You good? You wanna talk about it?” He addressed the surprise car sex, but Tahli shook her head.

“I’m good. Too much Sangria... Merry Christmas, Vin.”

He gazed. “Merry Christmas, baby love.”

As soon as he was gone, Tahli felt it.

She made her way back inside, finally getting the stubborn distraction from her teeth. Peering closer, her lids bulged.

It was a piece of Vin’s pubic hair.