"So after you turn right onto 18th and then that direct right onto Oceanfront, it's the third house on your side," I speak to Wesley two-and-a-half weeks later.
We're finishing up our nineteen hour long road trip, only a couple minutes away from the Airbnb my mom booked for us. We left last night after dinner and a quick night check to get to the place by our check-in time of 4 p,m. In Newport Beach, California. The two of us took turns driving, switching places when we hit Salt Lake City where I took over for Wesley, letting him get some sleep after driving through the night. We swapped again about six hours after that, once we got to Las Vegas and he's driven the last almost four-and-a-half hours.
We could have split the drive into two days and slept in Salt Lake overnight, but I just wanted to get here and be done. Keep the trip as short as possible.
We plan to meet up tomorrow afternoon while my half-siblings are in some day camp they're enrolled in, to ease the pressure of us talking.
She invited Wesley and I to her house so we could talk. I'd originally wanted somewhere more neutral, but we don't have that luxury here because I want to be able to leave on my own if I need to and I can't do that if we're here.
Not that she won't know where we are since she booked the place for us, but that's beside the point.
Even though it was my idea about coming out here, my anxiety has been increasing the closer we got to leaving Black Creek and I feel like I'm about to fly out of my seat.
"You okay?" Wesley asks for maybe the hundredth time since we left the house, maybe even since we entered California almost four hours ago.
I let out a heavy breath. "As good as I can be."
"We could always turn around. Just say the word."
It's a tempting offer, really tempting.
"No," I shake my head. "No. We've come all this way. Besides, my mom and I have been talking more as this trip has gotten closer."
Sure, the conversations might have gotten shorter, but I think that's the nerves kicking in, but it's better than nothing, so I'll take it.
"Okay," he squeezes my hand that's intertwined with his across the center console.
I lean over and kiss his cheek before settling back in my seat, focusing on the new view in front of us.
The late afternoon sun is casting a beautiful light over the Pacific Ocean in front of us, a view we're going to be able to enjoy over the next few days since I agreed to let my mom get us a place right on Newport Beach in the Balboa Peninsula that we've just crossed into.
"It's not the nicest looking area for as expensive as it is," Wesley says, his head rotating a little bit as he drives to take in the foreign area we've found ourselves in. "We're definitely not in Buffalo anymore."
"I know," I nibble my bottom lip. "The place looked nice inside though, and it's right on the beach. I think they're just older homes that could use a little face lift."
"They're all so different. I feel like you'd either easily get lost or never get lost."
"I guess we'll be testing that theory, huh?" I ask him. "Oh, the turn is right here," I slightly change the topic when I see the side of the Bay Shores Peninsula Hotel on the left. "You'll make a right at this intersection."
"Okay," Wesley nods. "And it's another right, third house and furthest parking spot?"
"Yeah," I confirm. "Oh, wow," I gasp when I see the beach directly in front of us for a brief moment before Wesley turns onto the street.
"Shit, this is gonna be tight," he mumbles.
Most of the homes are pretty narrow, most are longer than others depending how the lots were split, but there are only a few smaller homes.
My mom booked us the bottom unit of a soft peach colored older modern duplex that luckily has some sort of a driveway where we can park his truck since we can't use the garage like most of the residents might be able to.
"Ready to go check it out?" Wesley asks once he shuts off the engine.
"Yeah," I smile. "The door should be down the alley on the left."
"Let's go then."
"There are cameras on the outside," I remind him from the disclaimer I saw the owner left on the listing page.
"Right, so no fucking you outside, got it," he smirks.
"Wesley." I shake my head with a sigh.
"Just sayin' baby," he chuckles. He collects our stash of snacks and the small cooler we brought along while I grab my purse and we climb out. He lets me lead the way down to the front door to put in the code for the lockbox to get the keys the owner left for us.
Opening the door, the main living space looks exactly the same as the pictures did. It has older beige tile flooring throughout, the little door on the side splitting the small u-shaped kitchen and little eating nook while the living room is across the house. There are two large windows in the living room and a sliding glass door in the nook that leads out to the large patio overlooking the sand and beach. Not to mention the four beautiful wood beams running lengthwise across the main living space The two bedrooms, one with an en-suite, and a hall bathroom are at the back of the house by the garage.
"It's cute," I smile, taking in the place.
The little cutout in the kitchen wall separating it from the entryway and the nook as a breakfast bar barely big enough for the wooden chairs that are the matching swivel barstools to the chairs surrounding the four seater circular wooden table.
"Y'all picked a good one," Wesley agrees, setting the snacks and cooler on the extended countertop to form the breakfast bar.
"It's still more than I wanted to spend, but she assured me it's fine. Decently priced for being right on the beach."
"Just take it, Mac. It's okay to accept this from her."
"I'm trying," I softly chuckle. "It's just weird."
"I can understand that." He cups my face and kisses my forehead. "I'm going to get our bags, okay?"
"I'll come help."
"I can do it. You wanna unpack the snacks and drinks? We can order in or go find a grocery store to get some food."
"Maybe we can go out tomorrow. I'd rather chill out here instead. It's been a long day."
"Whatever you wanna do."
"Right answer," I giggle.
"Anything in particular that you want?"
"Just the normal."
"Wait, the pizza, or me?"
I playfully shove him away with a laugh. "The pizza you ass."
"Okay, okay," he snickers. "I'll order us some food. You can go chill out."
"Come sit outside with me while you do it?" I tip my head towards the back door.
"Sure." He links his hand with mine and we walk out onto the back patio.
"We're really right on the beach, Wes," I gasp.
The patio opens up right to the beach, a low brick wall we can easily get over, and a sidewalk separates us from the sandy beach and the ocean beyond.
"It's so pretty," I sigh.
"It's pretty cool," Wesley agrees before leading us over to the large outdoor sectional with dark brown wicker and white cushions with red accent pillows along the wall of the living room with a matching rectangular glass topped coffee table in front of it. Two matching armchairs and a rectangular rustic metal table are directly in front of the brick wall across from the sliding glass door.
We sit on the chaise, Wesley stretching out along the rest of the couch, while I curl up on the chaise, my head on the side of his body with an arm wrapped around me, to look out at the beach.
"We could pick somewhere local? They have a Gina's Pizza only a few minutes from here," Wesley voices a couple minutes later.
"Yeah, that sounds good," I look up at him with a smile.
"I want to try their BBQ Chicken for sure. We could also get a Bianca or a Margarita too."
"Those sound yummy. Maybe a small of each of those and a large BBQ?"
"Okay. Anything else?"
"Lots of garlic bread," I smile. "Wait, do they have one with pineapple?"
"Oh God, I was hoping you wouldn't say that."
"What? I've never tried it. And it seems fitting for southern Cali."
"Fine. We get a piccolo one of those too."
"Piccolo?"
"It's their smallest size. Only nine inches."
"It's 'only nine inches,' he says." I snicker.
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"
"Oh, nothing."
"Bullshit. Tell me."
"Do you really not know how long that is?"
His head dips to graze my ear. "You wanna make me fuck you out here just to remind you how big my cock is? 'Cause I'll do it."
The sun is setting over the ocean in front of us and there are four boxes of pizza and a two liter bottle of Dr. Pepper and some water bottles in front of us on the coffee table outside. We ordered too much food, but it'll be good for leftovers or midnight snacks.
"Okay, so it's good, but I don't think I'd get it along the time," I tell Wesley as we start gathering up the boxes of pizza to take it inside since we're done eating. I had a slice of the Maui Mamma pizza with crisp bacon, Canadian bacon, freshly cut pineapple, freshly-made pizza sauce and mozzarella, along with a slice of the others.
"Wasn't as good as you thought, huh?" Wesley chuckles from beside me.
"It's good, but I feel like it's something I'd enjoy eating here more than back home. Being close to the ocean during the summer, a Hawaiian pizza sounds good. Back home? A big meat pizza sounds better."
"Alright, fair point. Although, theirs isn't half bad."
"See! It's not just me!"
"Whatever," he rolls his eyes. He follows me inside and I'm sure he was staring at my ass from how I catch him when I turn around in the small all white kitchen.
Setting the three pizza boxes down on the counter before I lift myself up beside them and cross my ankles. "Enjoy the view?"
"Sure as hell did," he smirks.
I hum as he closes the short distance between us, his hands resting on either side of my hips.
He leans in close, his nose brushing mine. "I like watching you."
"Creeper," I giggle.
He snickers against my skin. "Only with you."
"I don't think that makes it better."
"Brat."
"Shocking," I fake a gasp.
He straightens up, rolling his eyes at me, and grabs the pizza to actually put it away since I didn't do that when I came in first.
"I'm going to go pee, you good cleaning the table?" I ask him after he puts our leftovers in the fridge.
"I think I can handle wiping down a table, Mac," he sasses me.
"Hey, I'm just checking," I joke, raising my hands in defense.
"Just go pee, already," he shakes his head before going back outside.
"Fine, I'll go." I hop off the counter, stretching up to kiss his cheek as I pass by him and he smacks my ass in return. "Hey!" I jokingly scold.
"What? We're alone." he shrugs. "I had to take advantage."
"Jerk," I sigh. I walk off to the master bedroom and use the bathroom where I pee and brush out my hair before throwing it back up in a messy bun.
The bedroom has a king size bed in a simple metal bed frame with a navy blue fabric low square headboard with all white bedding, beside a navy blanket and two accent pillows underneath a short window. There are old almost white washed wooden beach-theme like nightstands and a six drawer dresser. The en-suite bathroom is almost an exact replica of the hall bathroom, just a small standalone shower instead of the standard tub and shower combination the hall one was.
On my way back through the bedroom, I step through the doorway before I freeze, a thought coming to mind. I double check to make sure Wesley is occupied and hasn't seen me, then I'm turning around and opening my suitcase. My hands thrift through it for a pair of light washed cutoff jeans and one of the new bathing suits I ordered with the girls - along with a few other items - a few days after the lunch date Wesley planned for us.
It doesn't take me long to change into the matching bikini top and bottoms that are a tie-dye pattern of pink, light blue and orange, all in muted shades. The long line top has thick shoulder straps and matching high-waisted bottoms with ruched siding that have ties at the bottom.
I do one final check in the gold framed mirror, making sure my boobs look good in the top and that the bottoms are secure and then I walk back out to the main living space.
"Wow," Wesley groans when he sees me.
I nervously swing my arms in front of me, fiddling with my fingers. "I thought maybe we could finish watching the sunset on the beach."
"That sounds like a great idea." He closes the distance between us. "Why are you nervous? It's just me and you."
"I know," I sigh. "It's just weird. I haven't really been in a bathing suit in front of people who I don't know. And we're in southern Cali, so everyone is all about their image here."
"Okay, but how do you feel about yourself?"
I bite my bottom lip, giving it a thought. "Better than I have in a long time. Honestly, ever since we first got together."
"Okay, so who gives a fuck what anybody thinks. I think you look amazing in and out of everything. But you being comfortable in your own body is what matters the most."
"I know," I sigh.
His face drops, concern lacing his expression as he cradles my face in both of his hands. "I didn't want to upset you."
"You didn't. I'm just frustrated I let things like this get to me still," I lean into his touch.
"It's okay, baby. You're allowed to have your moments, and I'll always be here to remind you how beautiful you are."
"I know, and I appreciate that."
"Anytime," he kisses my forehead. "Let me go grab my trunks and a blanket. Then we'll head down."
"Okay." I stretch up onto my toes and kiss him quickly.
A few minutes later, the two of us are walking hand in hand towards the water, our bare feet trudging through the sand as we fully embrace being at the beach. We find a somewhat secluded spot, with enough room to not really overhear anyone's conversations and Wesley spreads out the blanket before sitting down to pull me between his legs.
Sitting here in his arms, watching the sun disappear over the water, my mind is at more ease than when we arrived and I'm soaking up every moment I have with him alone before I have to go back to school in a couple weeks.
It's never enough time.
Later on, we've returned from the beach since it's dark and the ocean chill hit, rinsing our feet off on the patio before we curled up on the couch again.
"Mac, come here!" Wesley calls. He had left to go to the bathroom, but now that he's calling me, it's been longer than I realized.
I step inside the house and it's all dark, minus a glow I can see from the hallway. My feet carry me towards it, finding the master empty, but the guest bedroom is decked out.
There are little tea light candles lining the entire top of the nightstand that had been separating the two twin beds in the room, but now the one closest to the door is set up sideways in the middle of the room. The bed further away has a folded set of sheets and two of the three pillows from the other bed on it while a soft lighter blue set of sheets on the bed that's not made up the same way as when we arrived earlier.
"What is all of this?" I ask Wesley when I look at him.
He's standing in front of the bed on the far side of the room, angled to face the door, his eyes locked on me. "Just a little somethin' for my girl. I figured I could help you relax before tomorrow. Figured you'd probably be too drained afterwards to do this then."
My eyes take in the room again, still a bit confused, then it hits me.
The dark house, all the candles, a fresh set of sheets on the twin bed, his phone even has some instrumental music playing.
Those fucking TikTok videos the girls and I watched are coming back to bite me in the ass.
I fold my arms over my chest, bending my knee to press my foot into the door behind me. "Sierra is a bad friend."
"Ha, she'll be a good friend by the time we're done. You're going to feel so good after this. Why don't you come lay down?"
"Wes, this is too much."
He crosses the short space between the beds to stand at the corner of the one he has set up for me. "Get your cute little ass on that bed."
"Wes-"
"Get your ass over here," he instructs, pointing at the bed.
I roll my rolls as I close the distance separating us, popping my hip when I reach the opposite corner from him.
"Good. Now, I'll give you a minute to get undressed and lay down while I actually go pee this time."
"You're ridiculous," I sigh.
"You'll thank me later," he says. "Now, please, be naked and under that sheet when I come back. I just want to help you relax."
"There are other ways to get me naked and relaxed."
"Maybe after, if you're a good girl."
Fuck me. Literally, I'd be happy if he'd just fuck me right now.
"I'll leave you to it," he kisses my forehead as he walks past me. He steps out of the room, closing the door behind him, leaving me by myself.
"What the hell," I softly chuckle to myself, taking in the room again. My hand covers my mouth, hiding the smile no one else knows is there. I don't take long to get undressed, piling my clothes on the other bed before I sit down on the bed Wesley set up for me, pulling the sheet up to cover the front side of my body and popping my leg out as I face the door.
A minute or so later, Wesley opens the door and he pauses in the doorway, taking in my position on the bed, my body hidden beneath the sheet. "Smart choice," he smirks as he walks over to me on my left side so he's in front of the nightstand. His head dips to kiss me with force, his lips trailing down my neck and along my shoulder, dipping down my shoulder blade where he groans at seeing my bare ass. "Fuckin' insane what you do to me."
I giggle softly, goosebumps covering my skin as he kisses back up my neck to give me one last kiss.
His hands move from where they're planted on the bed to my exposed shoulder.
"Do you really think this is gonna work?" I ask him as he works his hands down my arm.
"What do you mean?"
"You don't even know how to mass-oh." I moan when he takes my wrist and applies just the right pressure along my pulse point.
"You were saying?"
"Nevermind," I murmur.
"That's what I thought," he snickers. "Now, flip over so I can give you the best massage you've ever had."
I'm going to have to thank Sierra for telling him about this.
I pull the sheet with me as I turn away from him to roll onto my stomach, and he helps lay the sheet over my back as it rests across right above my ass.
"You okay?"
"Mhm." I smile into my upper arm that's folded across the pillow above my head even though he can't see it.
"Good," he responds softly. He steps back and I watch him get into the top drawer of the nightstand, pulling out some bottles.
"Came prepared, huh?" I smirk, arching my brow.
"Always the best for my girl," he smiles down at me. "Put your arms at your side and relax, baby. I got you."
I do as he says and I hear him pop open one of the bottles and it takes a couple minutes for him to stand at my head where he slowly glides his hands from the top of my shoulders and down my back.
The lotion he rubbed between his palms softened his calloused hands and they feel good over my skin, although I do prefer the roughness his hands, it's a nice change. His hands curve down along my hips to come up my side and then back along my shoulder blades to the top of my shoulders, continuing down my arms. He drags them back up my arms, to the back of my neck and then rakes his fingers through the roots of my hair. Repeating the same pattern, his weight ever so slightly moves my body over the bed, pressing deep into my hips. He presses down into my shoulder blades and then applies the same pressure to the back of my neck, scratching the base of my head to counteract the slightly rougher move.
I feel him step to the side of the bed and fold the sheet to the side, exposing almost my entire left side, including my ass. "What are you doing?"
"Shh," he tells me. One of his hands works down the side of my back again before his other one cuts in front right at my glutes to fall down my leg, all the way to my foot and coming back up my body.
Every move over my body seems like it's going to be repeated twice and then he's circling his hands along my shoulder blade and down to my lower back, coming back up to basically knead the back of my neck like dough.
Swapping sides, he focuses on my shoulder, rubbing circles into it before grabbing right above my forearm to rest it across my back. His hand comes back up my arm and his thumb runs along my shoulder blade before he presses his forearm along the same spot. Swinging around to the first side again, he drags his elbow into my shoulder blade again as he lowers my arm back beside me.
"You're just doing that again to touch my ass," I huff when his hands move down the left side of my body again, digging into my glutes with just his thumbs.
"Let me do my thing," he chuckles.
I giggle, shaking my head as much as I can since I'm laying on my stomach.
Moving back up my body, he stretches my arm out in front of me to massage and knead my arm, carefully tugging on my fingers when he reaches my hand.
After doing one more slightly firmer run over my body, he covers up that side of my body, only to walk around to the other side to drape the sheet the same way to expose my body so he can repeat the massage techniques on the other side of my body.
"How the hell are you so good at this?" I practically moan when he decides to focus on my neck and head, kneading them.
"Trust me, there are things I watched that I knew I couldn't do yet. I skipped so many things."
"Shit," I whimper when he digs his nails into the base of my head.
"We can try this again another time, maybe watch his videos together while I work on perfecting them."
"If it means I'll pass out, I'm down for some practice."
"Anything for some fun," he chuckles.
Better start to our trip that I could have ever imagined.
California, California
Here we come!
California, California
Here we come!
California, California
Here we come!
Ah, please tell me someone knows that song (and show it was the theme for!)
Anywayyyy, the Cali chapters are finally hereeee!!! These have been planned since the beginning of Lariat almost a whole year ago!!
How do y'all think these chapters are gonna go? Anything you hope to see?
Get ready for some beefy and emotional last chapters because we only have a few left!!! Ahhh!!!!
I'll see y'all on Friday! I hope you enjoyed it!