Coming Home

-It's Not Goodbye, It's Fuck You Later-

When saying goodbye, some men give their woman a long kiss, a tight hug, and whisper sweet words of return into their ear. Some give a peck on the cheek, and promise to call. Others leave notes. Some leave nothing.

Tommy Conlon leaves a want for quick return. He rips the longing sadness and disappointment from a lover too proud to admit she'll miss him, and replaces it with a burning desire, a hum of pleasure that will leave a dull ache throbbing throughout her body until he can return to finish what he started. He marks his territory, though nobody but him will ever see them, with bruises along her inner thighs and hips, dark spots low on her chest, between her breasts, spelling out in a coded language only he can read: mine. When he is gone, there will be no sadness, no reason to fret or over-think about what he could be doing in the city of indescribable joy and unutterable agony. When she sees him fight on the television, she will be reminded with every kick, every punch, every throw to the ground that the beast she is watching dominate his opponent is hers. And when he returns with his victory, that animalistic triumph will translate into inexpressible pleasure so heightened she'll beg God to bring her back down to Earth.

It started over a morning cup of coffee on the couch, and a small sigh coupled with a side-glance that said damn, I wish I could go. Tommy took his eyes off the Ridley Scott movie they were only half paying attention to, and extended his arm across the back of the couch to pinch the clip and free her hair from its twist. She'd recently layered it, subtle highlights of a lighter shade streaked throughout; a change for the onset of the spring season. He ran his fingers easily through the length, sliding his fingertips through to the ends, and watching the small strands fall like swinging ropes back into the tresses.

Ada pretended to remain interested in the movie, but he knew that she saw his attention was completely on her now. She wanted to return that attention, but should she do that, the risk of whiny sentiment was high. She missed him already, and he wasn't even gone yet. The idea of sleeping alone the next three nights was unappealing at best. She knew that it was important for him to go, and that by not attending this fight, she'd be able to make the future ones leading to the Sparta tournament. This particular fight was worth a good chunk of change, and it was an opportunity to spend a long weekend with his brother. She knew how important that was for him.

But damn, she'd miss him.

Tommy knew she'd sit there the rest of the morning, feigning strength and indifference, if he did not do something about it. He didn't want her to miss him. He didn't want her to worry about him, the fight, the city. She'd researched the guy he was fighting this time, and it left in her an annoying trepidation. She didn't say anything about it, but he could see it in the way she silenced, a tremble in her voice and a falter in her gaze when she made her attempt to change the subject. He didn't think she had any fear that he would lose. But she certainly didn't want him to be injured two-thousand miles away from home, where she couldn't take care of him.

Ada was a good girl; he swore to himself that he wouldn't ever give her a reason to regret her absence.

He stroked his fingers down her scalp to her neck, where he hooked them and drew her in, leaning forward to meet his pull of her halfway. Her kiss was desperate, pleading please don't say anything. She just wasn't one of those women to make a fool out of herself with her emotions. It was embarrassing for her to feel the condensing pressure in the hollow of her chest at the thought of his absence. She was ashamed to seem so feeble. He didn't speak a word.

The couch could not satisfy their range of motion, and soon they fell to the floor, hastily tugging clothes from their bodies, feeling the scratch of stiff carpet at their backs, theirs palms, their knees as they shuffled in a fight for dominance. She wasn't winning it. Not today.

Tommy trapped her hands in a tight grip over her head as he stuffed his fingers between her legs, diving into her dewy warmth, and even found himself shuddering in his own pulse of pleasure as she swallowed a soft groan in the crook of his neck. He could feel her wrists shifting in his hand as she struggled to free herself. Not gonna happen. He dipped his head low to nip and suck at the valley of skin between her breasts, occasionally trailing his tongue up the curve to devote his attention to the tender pink tips that hardened in response to his touch.

He could feel himself aching, throbbing, unable to withstand his own delay as Ada writhed and moaned beneath him. He leaned on one elbow, poking his head up as he sped up the steady plunge of his fingers into her core. One look at her face though, flushed and blazing with ecstasy, and he couldn't take it anymore. He had to join her.

Tommy withdrew his fingers from her warmth, running them up the soft crevice of flesh to distribute the wetness thick on his skin. He then brought them up to his mouth in a quick effort to clean them of the excess sticky dew, and to taste her, sweet as honey, salty as tears. In a fluid motion, he'd angled himself and plunged inside her. Not stopping to appreciate that initial sensation of filling her. Not hesitating for a lingering kiss before continuing. Not gradually increasing his momentum and speed. He attacked her at full force; unmerciful, unrelenting thrusts that penetrated walls and expanded muscles she didn't even know she had.

In his distracted haze of pleasure, Ada managed to free herself from his grasp, wrapping her arms and legs tight around his back, pulling him closer to her still, encouraging him to continue his viciously rapturous assault.

Tommy struggled to pull her thighs away from him, pushing her left down into the ground beside him, leaving her legs spread at a gloriously obtuse angle, fingertips dug deeply into the tender muscle on the inner stretch to keep her firmly in position. She longed to be on top, pleaded for it. She wanted to work him at her own rhythm, his body free to do with it as she pleased. When she was on top, he could penetrate her to such depths she'd cry out in pain shrouded in pleasure. They had the tendency to both lose control too quickly when he let her take the reins. He couldn't have that. He had to make this last. He had three days to make this last.

The carpet was beginning to rub the skin right off his knees and elbows, and he winced as the annoying burn only increased to a distracting blaze. The bed. Get to the bed. Without a word, he slid his arms under her shoulders, bending back into a kneel and bringing her with him. He cradled his other arm under her buttocks, holding her in place as he brought a knee up and pushed himself into a standing position. He nudged at her jaw line with his mouth and nose until he could capture her in a heated kiss, tackling tongues, teeth roughly grazing the plump bulge of his lips as he stumbled blindly over to the stairs.

She began to move in his arms, knowing she was safe to do so in his sturdy grasp. She could climb all over him like a jungle gym if she wanted to, and he would stand still in any position, unwavering under her weight and movement. But as she began to move her hips in a circular motion, creating a friction in their connection that brought a new wave of ecstasy mid-step, Tommy could feel his body giving way. As he began to climb the stairs slowly, step by step, she grasped his shoulders and gave a small bounce. He groaned, squeezing her backside roughly. Enjoying his response, she gave another, and then another.

Halfway up the steps, his knees buckled. He couldn't do it. No way, he couldn't make it. It was too far. He needed her now. He knelt down in an awkward position on a step beneath her, laying her at an angle. His shins pressed uncomfortably into the dull edges of the hardwood steps, and it must have been ten times worse against Ada's neck and back. But if it was, she didn't show it. In fact, she seemed to be enjoying it even, the increased pleasure in dull pain.

Tommy resumed his rhythm, grasping her hip with one hand and shoulder in the other, using them to drive her down onto him with forceful velocity. As their bodies clapped together, he could feel it. Starting as a wave of electricity surging from his head to his lower abdomen, where it sparked a low-burning flame. He closed his eyes, burying himself into Ada's chest as he encouraged the flame to burn brighter, while willing it to fade to smoke. A familiar, friendly dilemma. He wasn't ready for it to end, but god, did he welcome release. There wasn't anything better than that. Nothing in the world could replace the feeling of letting himself go in such entirety. The white light, the rush of bliss, the taste of paradise. That only happened inside Ada.

The flame was burning steady, he could see it burning, could feel it burning. Suddenly, a burst of light that shook and jerked his body, and he moaned lowly into her skin as he paused for a moment to embrace the pure ecstasy pounding through him like the unrelenting swells of a tsunami. It was a heavy load, and he could feel it flow from him with each pulse, filling her with his fluid and his seed and for a moment all he could think was that this is the meaning of life.

But as the rush faded, he locked his muscles and continued motion, ignoring the aching sensitivity of his cock as he continued to thrust violently inside her, walls so tight, so wet with the combination of their fluid, it was just short of torture for him to think he'd have to live without it for almost three days. She was so close. So close. Gasping, moaning, begging him please, oh god please. Almost there. He could feel her clenching tighter around him, feel her breasts press taut against him as her back began to arch, body stiffening.

So he pulled out.

Such a cruel thing to do, and she looked ready to cry at his premature and unexpected disappearance. But it was necessary. She was going to hate him for it, and he would be punished severely. It would be worth it. He left her swinging in a teetering balance, one foot hanging off the edge of the cliff when she'd been so ready, so willing, just begging to fall to a blissful end. All she needed was a little push.

He wouldn't give it to her. And she wouldn't give it to herself either, because they both knew what waited on the other end if she soldiered up and endured.

He'd left her on the brink of sweet liberation. Tension maxed and ready for release. The sensation would fade. The burning pulse in her lower abdomen, the dizziness, the strange equilibrium in her lungs, seemingly unable to take in any more air, yet unable to expel air at the same time. Yes, she would no longer feel it after long. But it wasn't going anywhere.

That tension would only build as the weekend progressed. It would eat at her, slowly, subconsciously. And when she watched his fight, she would wish to herself, maybe without even realizing it, that he would get his ass kicked for enacting such cruel and unusual punishment on her. She was unsatisfied. It would drive her crazy. It would drive anyone crazy, or at least those who knew better.

By the time he came home, that tension will have built to an unbearable intensity. And he was going to feel it. She would let him have it, let him know exactly what he put her through. It would be painful. It would be agonizing. He'd throw it right back at her. And that frustrated tension would slowly translate to sexual energy. They'd leave each other in ruins.

It would be worth it. God, it would be worth it. He knew it. So did she, though she would never admit it.

Ada didn't talk to him as they waited for Brendan to arrive. She was mad as hell. Selfish, is what he was. He's going off to vacation in Las Vegas for the weekend, and she has to stay home so she can work, and save her vacation days to be spent attending his future fights. The least he could have done was get her off.

Tommy let her sulk. Sly bastard knew exactly what he was doing. He thought he was so clever, but she was onto him. She knew a little something about the psychology of human sexuality. Winding her tight like a spring, so she'd be sent spiraling when he returned to release her from her holds. He was just looking for some good victory sex. Selfish asshole.

But it would be good sex.

It was nearing two hours of silence, Ada fuming, Tommy impassive. They redressed and returned to the couch. She huddled up at one corner, all but clutching and sinking into the arm. He ignored her desire to keep her distance, throwing a pillow at her ass and feet, falling back into it and stretched out comfortably along the cushions. He flipped through channels as she sipped at cold coffee, and eventually the doorbell rang.

Before Ada even had time to move, Tommy had swung his legs over, and was on his feet, shuffling over to the door as he rubbed the back of his neck. She watched as he opened the door, and could immediately hear an enthusiastic greeting from Brendan. Tommy stepped aside to let him in, and the tall, angular redhead came into her line of vision. The two brothers hesitated for a moment, as though they were mentally debating what move they should make next.

Slowly, awkwardly, they stepped toward each other, angled their arms, and touched chests, crossing their arms over each other to give a couple swift pats on the back. It was gloriously uncomfortable, but as far as she knew it was the first physical contact the brothers have had like that in the time she'd known Tommy. For a moment, she completely forgot why she was angry with the man, and felt nothing but elation for his courage to take such a huge step with his brother. Could feel herself smiling as they took a step back and Brendan looked around, commenting on how nice the place looked.

But then Tommy led his brother into the living room, and her eyes landed on his face, lips impossibly swollen from her savage attacks earlier, and she remembered.

"Hey Ada, how you been?" Brendan asked, smile wide on his face as he greeted her.

"I've been good," she answered lightly, returning his smile as she stood from the couch to shake his hand. "How about you?"

"Same as ever," he laughed. "Tess asks about you from time to time. I hope you don't mind that I gave her your work email."

"Oh, by all means," she said politely. "I'd love to hear from her."

"Good." Brendan looked around again, grin still plastered on his face. He was so happy to be there. So excited for the weekend, hope practically a shining vision in the form of a glowing halo around his head. Nervousness twitched the corners of his mouth, but he wasn't letting it dictate his outlook. He was with his baby brother. That's all that mattered. "We should go soon, man," he said after a long pause, turning to Tommy. "It's Spring Break season, and PIT is going to be ugly."

"Yeah, no problem," Tommy said. The two men turned to Ada.

"Well, it's good to see you again Brendan," she said. "Tell Tess I look forward to an email from her."

"I will."

"I want the two of you to be safe, and behave." She sent a dramatic glare between the two men, and Brendan laughed.

"I promise we'll come back alive and STD-free," he said.

"And unscathed?"

"Can't promise that."

Brendan said a final goodbye and left Tommy to say his. Ada stood with her arms crossed over her chest, anger burning in the pit of her stomach, dueling with the sharp sadness in her chest that it was time for him to leave. Tommy watched her for a moment, and then stepped over, wide shoulders swaying as he dipped his head low to try to catch her eyes. He pressed his lips to her cheek, and though she turned away from the touch, she couldn't avoid it. He grasped her chin lightly, and turned her face toward his. He leaned back to regard her, gray eyes piercing until she could no longer help but look up into them. At that moment he dipped again, and caught her in a kiss that she didn't fight.

Ada wrapped her arms around his ribs in a tight hug and buried her face into the hard muscle of his chest. She felt like a fool. He would only be gone for the weekend! She was acting ridiculous. But she didn't care enough at that point. It was a long weekend. And that was a long time, when they spent every moment they could together.

Tommy draped his arms loosely over her shoulders, the weight of them relaxing and pressing down into her. "Love you," he mumbled quietly into the top of her head.

"I love you too," she conceded with a sigh.

They broke their embrace then, and with another quick kiss to the temple he walked away, and slipped into the running shoes at the edge of the carpet. He picked up the duffel bag she'd been skillfully ignoring and swung it over his shoulder, then stepped over to the door. Tommy paused, one hand on the knob as he stopped to take one last lingering look at her over his shoulder at her. Then he turned away, and turned the knob.

When the door closed, her heart dropped, and Ada had never been so relieved in her life to know that Tommy was no longer a Marine.

Oh wow, thank you guys so much for the lengthy and detailed answers to my questions in the previous chapter. So beautiful, so insightful, and so greatly appreciated. Feel free to throw in your opinions and personal insights and ideas at your leisure any time, any chapter. They are amazing to read! Bravo team, you've thoroughly inspired me :)

For you fans out there, if you venture on over, you'll notice there's a Lawless category up now. I take great pride in saying I pioneered that shit. ;) The category, at least. I think there was an interpretation up in the miscellaneous for a while. Either way, check it out if you're interested, and don't fret! This story will continue strong and steady, just as my love for Tom Hardy.

Can't wait to hear what you think about this chapter!