Inferno - Chelle Bliss by Chelle Bliss

“You have a good day, ma’am.”

She smiles at me. “Enjoy yourself.”

“I plan too,” I say with a wink.

She waves her hand at me, chuckling to herself as she walks away, wobbling with each step.

I don’t waste another minute. The last thing I want to do is be late in picking up Opal. Punctuality has never been my strong suit, but with her, I want to be my best.

When I pull up at Opal’s, she’s standing outside looking every bit delicious. She’s wearing a flowy dress with her hair tied back but spilling over her shoulder. Her legs are bare, and I can’t stop myself from daydreaming about them being wrapped around my waist.

She walks toward my truck, and I hop out, running around the front to get the door for her. My father taught me how to be a gentleman, but I’ve never bothered until now. Opal changed that in me. The switch flipped, and now I’m not sure there’s any going back.

“You look beautiful,” I tell her as she walks in front of me, leaving her scent in her wake. My knees go weak because I want to taste her, but now isn’t the time or the place.

“Thank you,” she says, glancing over her shoulder at me as her eyes drop to my chest. “You’re looking pretty beautiful yourself.”

I look down, realizing, in my haste, I forgot to put on a shirt. Doesn’t matter. Where we’re going, clothing isn’t required. “You like what you see, baby?”

“No better sight.”

“I thought you liked my pretty face,” I tease.

“I love the entire package,” she says with a wink.

My cock twitches in appreciation, a little overeager for the day to come. But I learned a long time ago, sand and sex do not mix. It’s a recipe for disaster and pain. One I’m not about to replicate.

She stops at the door of the truck, waiting for me to open it for her. “Where are we headed?”

I peer down at her, casting a shadow over her small frame. “A little beach not far from here. It’s private, and usually there aren’t many people there.”

“Sounds perfect.” She climbs up with a little help from me before making herself comfortable and placing her bag of things next to her feet.

“It will be,” I promise her before closing the door. I’m halfway around the front of the truck when I start talking to myself again. “Don’t be an idiot. Do not blow this today.”

I’d like to pretend I’ve been smooth my entire life, but that would be a complete lie. I fuck up more shit than should be humanly possible. Somehow, I’ve lived through it all and never really cared, but with Opal, I want to make things right. She’s had enough bad in her life, and I never want to add to it.

“Ready?” I ask her as soon as I’m back in the front with her next to me.

“I’ve never been more ready for anything.” She lifts her arm, reaching over to where my hand’s resting on the console. “Thank you for this.”

“For what, babe? A beach day?”

She nods. “For wanting to spend it with me and take me somewhere I’ve never been.”

“I want to show you all the things in life you’ve never experienced.”

“You’ve already done that more than you can ever imagine.”

I haven’t done shit. Nothing at all. The bare minimum, and yet, she’s giving me props for it. That’s some messed-up shit.

I turn my body, leaning my back against the driver’s door. “Honest question, and please don’t take this the wrong way, but have all your boyfriends been absolute shit?”

She plays with the hem of her dress, staring down at her legs. “I didn’t have many, but I guess the simple answer is yes.”

“That’s sad,” I tell her, but then I remember I fall into that category for a lot of women I’ve been with.

I did as little as I could get away with, wanting nothing more than to get in their pants and move on. I have some atonement to do, and I’ll spend all that energy on Opal, doing my best to give her everything she deserves.

Is it because she’s missed out on so much? Maybe. She is like finding that stray kitten, wanting to give it love, saving it from a life of sadness and despair. But that isn’t all of it. I’ve never given a shit about what other people are going through, but Opal’s different in my eyes.

“I think it’s more the norm. I don’t think my lived experience with men is very different from other women. You’re just different, Stone.”

“I’m really not, or at least, I wasn’t.”

“What happened before me doesn’t count. We all change and grow up, figuring out what we want and who we are. You’re finding yourself, and I’m lucky enough to be with you while you are.”

“Does it scare you?”

She looks at me funny. “Does what scare me?”

“That you’re with me while I’m figuring out who I am.”

She shakes her head and smiles in a way that eases any anxiety I’m feeling. “Not at all. We’re both figuring shit out together.”

“You make me want to be the best version of me,” I admit. “But you need to know I’m going to mess up from time to time.”

“So will I. I don’t know how to be with someone who goes above and beyond and is nice.”