Deflected Hearts: Chapter 22

August hovers above me, a smile on his lips as his eyes search mine. Tears stream down the sides of my face and he reaches for them, catching each one with the pads of his fingertips. He drags them down my cheeks, smearing the wetness across my face as his lips collide with mine.

Wrapping my arms around the back of his neck, he cups my cheeks as he consumes me, swallowing me whole. He keeps his weight off me, careful of my stomach as he steals the air from my lungs. His tongue slides along the seam of my lips, not waiting for me to part them as he slips inside.

The hormones and emotions have me instantly sliding my hands down his torso, grabbing at his shirt in a haste. His tongue tangles with mine, his lips bruising mine as he leaves his mark on me. I slide his shirt up to his shoulders before pushing him away from me.

August leans back, a sultry smirk playing on his lips as he pulls his shirt over his head. “Tell me what you want, baby,” he murmurs, his face dropping down to mine.

“I want you to fuck me,” I admit, my voice catching in my throat as I attempt to glance around the room. “Can we go to your bedroom, though? What if Logan and your sister get back?”

August shakes his head, chuckling lightly. “Nope. They won’t be back for a while. And I’m fucking you right here, right now.”

My lips part as I attempt to argue with him, but he silences me as his mouth collides with mine again. Putting my common sense to the side, I let the lust take the driver’s seat and it’s suddenly a rush to the top of the cliff we’re climbing together. My hands find the waistband of his joggers and I’m struggling to push them down as he’s pushing my shirt up higher.

He sits up, pulling me with him as he effortlessly slides my shirt over my head and tosses it onto the floor. Reaching around my back, he unclasps my bra and peels it away from my body. My breasts ache with need, my nipples hardening under his gaze as he looks at me like I’m his last fucking meal.

Gently pushing my back against the couch, he reaches for my sweatpants and swiftly pulls them down my thighs, dragging my panties down with them. In an instant, they’re gone and discarded on the floor as he brings his face down to my pussy.

His breath is warm against me and I squirm as he licks me, wetting me with his tongue. My hands find his hair and I jerk him away, pulling him back up to me.

“As fucking amazing as your tongue feels, I want your cock right now.”

August chuckles lightly, a sinister look in his eyes as they search mine. “Greedy, are we?”

“Take off your pants,” I order him, as I attempt to lean forward and strip them from his body myself.

He plants his hand against my chest, pushing me back down to the couch as he shakes his head at me. “Bossy, too,” he murmurs as he rises from the couch. Sliding his fingers under the waistband of his joggers, I watch as he pushes them down his toned thighs, taking his boxers with him. As he stands back upright, his cock is hard as a rock. August climbs back over me, a smirk playing on his lips. “As much as I like you being bossy, I’m the one who’s in control, beautiful.”

My pussy is wet and pulsating with need. August settles between my legs, spreading my thighs apart as he presses his cock against my center. His movements are slow as he moves his hips forward, slowly sliding inside me. A moan falls from my lips and his mouth collides with mine as he fills me to the brim.

August doesn’t stop until the entire length of his cock is inside me, filling me deeply as his balls touch me. A moan slips from my lips again and he swallows the sounds as his tongue swirls with mine. My hands find his back, my nails digging into his flesh as he slides a hand around the back of my neck and plants the other on the couch beside my head.

Pulling back his hips, he stops with just the tip inside before easing back into me. He continues his slow assault, taking his time as he fucks me slowly. Lifting my hips, I meet him stroke for stroke, taking his thick girth as he rubs the inside of my pussy.

“I can’t wait any longer, baby,” he murmurs against my lips, nipping at my bottom one. “I’ve waited all fucking day to see you. I’m not done with you after this, but I’m gonna fuck you. Hard.”

The sound of his voice vibrates through my body and a warmth spreads across my stomach, the ecstasy already building. His cock pulsates inside me, his balls tight against my ass. His release is so close and I can’t fault him for that. He wanted to please me first, but I wanted this. I wanted to feel him this close and inside me.

Right now, my pleasure doesn’t even matter to me, even though this feels so fucking good. I want him to feel good and take what he wants and needs from me.

“Fuck me, babe,” I breathe against his mouth. “I want you to fuck me hard until you’re filling me with your cum.”

He pulls back slightly, his eyes searching mine with a sudden look of concern. “If it hurts, promise me you’ll tell me and I’ll stop.”

“I promise,” I assure him, wrapping my legs around his waist. Pulling him back to me, he thrusts inside, this time harder. “Now, stop talking and fuck me like you promised.”

August follows my order, his gaze heated as he stares down at me and fucks me like his life depends on it. Planting both hands beside my head, he pistons his hips, slamming harder into me with each thrust. The warmth spreads through my body, my orgasm coming on quickly as August drives us closer and closer to the edge.

One last thrust and he sends us soaring over the cliff, deeper and deeper into the abyss of ecstasy. My name falls from his lips like a prayer. He fills me with his cum as my pussy clenches around him, both of our orgasms tearing through our bodies.

August hovers above me as we both ride the lasting waves of our high, my pussy feeling his absence as he slowly eases out of me. Leaning forward, he presses his lips to my forehead. “I love you, baby.” He rises to his feet, sliding his arms under the back of my head and the backs of my knees as he lifts me from the couch. “Let me draw you a bath and take care of you.”

I stare into his eyes as he carries me into the bathroom, my heart swelling as it’s about to burst from my chest. I’ve never felt anything like this before and the way he cares is enough to make me melt into a puddle at his feet.

I’m so hopelessly in love with him.

When I leave for class the next morning, I make sure not to disturb August before disappearing from his apartment. We were both exhausted when we finally fell asleep, after having quite the night together. After he fucked me in the living room, we took it back to his bedroom where he locked us away, only taking a break to feed me dinner because I was starving.

Practices have been getting longer and more grueling for him since they have their tournament coming up soon. It’s taking a lot out of him and I don’t know how he manages to stay focused on his schoolwork. I had heard through the grapevine that schools will actually fabricate people’s scores if it’s more important having them as a star on a sports team.

I haven’t asked August about that because I don’t think it’s true with him. Sure, it probably happens in some places, but I’ve seen him study. He’s just as dedicated to that as he is to hockey. Everyone needs to have some type of a fallback plan, although I don’t think he will realistically need it.

When I left him, he looked so peaceful, too innocent to bother. I was careful and quiet when I slipped out of his room, his soft snores coming from where his head was buried in the pillows. As badly as I wanted to stay with him, I can’t lose focus on my end goal here, even if August is involved in everything now.

I refuse to rely on someone else because when it comes down to it, the only person that I can really depend on is myself.

August texts me about mid-morning, telling me he forgot to charge his phone overnight and it might die, but he would see me this afternoon at the appointment. I sent him a text back, wishing him a good day, and he sent me a winking emoji back.

The day felt like it took forever to be over, but before I knew it, it was time to head to my appointment. I’ve been counting down the minutes for this appointment, to finally get to see our baby in 3D. When I pull into the parking lot, I don’t see August’s car, so I send him a text letting him know where I am.

But now that I’m sitting in the waiting room alone, I’m beginning to question where he is. I checked in almost ten minutes ago and there’s still no sign of him. The nurse had already come out once for me and I asked her if she could give me a few minutes since I was waiting for my boyfriend to get here. Pulling my phone from the pocket of my coat, I check and see that my message was delivered but wasn’t received.

In a haste, I tap on his name in an attempt to call him. My stomach falls, a wave of dread washing over me as it goes directly to voicemail. The nurse comes out for a second time, her eyes finding mine as a look of sympathy fills them.

“Poppy, I’m so sorry, but we have to start your appointment now or else you’re going to have to reschedule.” Her voice is soft and she offers a sympathetic smile. “I’m sorry he isn’t here, but we have other appointments scheduled after yours.”

Emotion wells in my throat, lodging in there like a fucking dam. I attempt to swallow it back, but I’m unable to as tears prick the corners of my eyes. “It’s fine,” I choke out, coughing to cover up the way my voice cracks. “We can get started without him.”

The nurse nods in understanding, but I don’t miss the way that she still stares at me with pity in her eyes. I follow behind her, my footsteps heavy and slow as the pit of my stomach rolls. It feels like my heart was completely ripped out of my chest. He promised me he would be here, so where the hell is he?

Anger boils inside me, my jaw clenching at the thought of him, but I can’t cling to the feeling. The pain is stronger and my heart cracks, slowly falling into pieces inside its cage like a dead flower petal. He told me his phone was going to die, but it’s not like he wouldn’t have had access to a charger somewhere.

The least he could have done was called and told me he wasn’t going to make it, instead of making me look like a fucking fool waiting for him.

The nurse checks my weight and my blood pressure before the doctor comes in and does an exam. It’s such a struggle to try and focus on all of it when I can’t help but get lost in the thought of August and his deception. After the exam is over, the nurse leads me back to the ultrasound room, where the tech takes me in and instructs me to go to the bathroom and get on the table afterward.

She leaves the room to give me privacy and I slip into the bathroom, splashing cool water on my face in an attempt to bring me back to reality. I hastily wipe at the lingering tears and get myself together before heading back out into the room. As I settle on the table and cover myself up with a blanket, she knocks on the door and comes back inside.

“Are we finding out what you’re having today?” she asks as she squeezes some warm lube on my stomach and begins to move the probe across it as she stares at the TV screen on the wall.

Swallowing hard over the lump in my throat, I stare at the screen, watching as she moves past different blurs that I can’t tell what it actually is. “Actually, are you able to write it on a piece of paper and put it in an envelope so I can’t see it?”

As I glance over at her, her face lights up, a bright smile forming on her lips. “Of course. I love gender reveals. That’s so fun and exciting!”

“Yeah.” I force a smile and a soft laugh that barely sounds like it’s even a real sound. “It should be interesting.”

The ultrasound tech falls silent as the awkwardness fills the room from my terse attitude. I can’t help it, but it’s so hard to swallow back the pain and the disappointment that is fucking with my heart and my head right now.

“So, I’m just checking over everything to make sure your organs look good and then we will move on to the baby.”

Nodding, I stare at the screen absentmindedly, attempting to focus on the feeling of the probe gliding across my stomach with the lube. I can’t tell what we’re looking at still and the ultrasound tech points out specific things as she presses buttons on her machine, but I’m not fully paying attention.

I can’t help but wish August would come bursting through the door right now, but I know that won’t happen. This isn’t a fantasy or a movie. Things in real life don’t happen like that. Regardless of what I want to happen—August isn’t showing up.

“Okay, let’s check out the baby,” the tech says, smiling at me as she begins to move the probe again and the image pops up on the screen.

My breath catches in my throat as I stare at our baby as it moves inside my stomach. It’s easy to make out the shape of its head and its spine. Its lips and nose. The tech explains everything as she moves the probe around, smiling as she tells me that everything looks exactly how it should be.

“Let me switch some things around and we’ll begin the 3D ultrasound,” she says as she hands me a strip of paper that has all of the pictures she just took. “Here’s some for your memories and to share with whoever you’d like. I’ll have the envelope with the sex when we’re done here.”

My heart pounds erratically in my chest, my throat constricting as I stare at the strip of pictures in my hand. August only got to hear the baby’s heartbeat. He has yet to see a real ultrasound like this and he isn’t fucking here for it. I still can’t believe it—after everything, I didn’t expect him to let me down like this. He knew how important this appointment was.

The tech comes back to me with a different machine as she applies more lube and begins to move the probe over my stomach. Staring at the screen, my breath catches as a perfectly little symmetrical face appears in front of me.

“There’s your little one,” the tech says, the smile audible in her voice. “You got lucky. Sometimes they aren’t this cooperative and it’s hard to see their faces. I guess your baby wanted Mama to see their face.”

Tears instantly spring to my eyes before they begin to spill down my cheeks. As I stare at the screen, reality slaps me directly across the face and I can feel the blow in my chest. My heart constricts as it breaks into a million pieces. This is the only thing that matters—this tiny human I’m growing inside my stomach.

Nothing else.

August not showing up showed his true colors. His priorities are completely fucked up and if he can’t put this child before everything, then there is no way this will ever work between us. I refuse to rely on him, but if he isn’t going to show up for the important things in our life, then there is no future for the two of us.

My heart is in my throat as I stare at the little face, watching as they part their plump lips on the screen. This baby needs me more than anything… and I can’t be worrying about August when I need to focus on what really matters.

If this appointment wasn’t enough for him to show up, who’s to say what is actually important to him?

I knew when I got involved with him that hockey would always come first…

I just didn’t think it would come before his own child.