Page 18 of Autumn & Woods
Th es c e n to fspiked apple cider mixed with brown sugar and cinnamon lingered in the air as dessert plates were being passed around. There was sweet potato pie, buttered pound cake, red velvet cookies, and strawberry banana pudding. Everybody was stuffed, mellow, loosening up into the post-meal chill.
I had my elbow resting lazily on the table, pinky hooked around my red cup, when I felt Autumn’s fingers slide right up under the tablecloth, brushing slowly and taunting over the bulge in my jeans. She was on demon time.
I smirked into my cup and sipped slowly, nodding along to some story Uncle Murder was telling about a time back in ‘89 when he almost got arrested on Thanksgiving night for illegal fireworks and mistaken identity. The whole table was laughing,but I was halfway tuned out, forehead damn near sweating, heart thudding in my chest.
Autumn reached the zipper and managed to slip her hands inside my jeans. Her nails grazed me through the fabric of my boxer briefs, and I clenched my jaw, leaning forward like I was engaged in the conversation just so I wouldn’t buck under the table like a horny ass teenager.
She was acting normal as hell too, laughing with Taj, taking slow bites of her sweet potato pie. She started licking the fork like it was no big deal what she was doing under the table with my mama sitting a foot away.
“You good over there?” Ty questioned, already halfway done with his dessert plate, looking suspicious.
“Yeah,” I coughed, voice slightly hoarse as she rubbed my balls. “Just… full as hell, man.”
Taj cracked up. “That sweetness got you leanin’, huh?”
Something like that.
Autumn slid her hand back as if she hadn’t just had me fighting for my life. I shot her a look, and she bit her lip as she smiled into her cup.
Oh, she wanna play? Cool.
Across the table, Yohana was pushing pie around on her plate, eyes cutting sharp between me and Autumn. The energy was thick with silent, awkward tension mixed in with all the laughter. Then Aunt Sherry started up.
“So,” she said, refilling her cup like she hadn’t just finished one, “when’s the last time everybody had some real damn sex?And I don’t mean that quickie bullshit. I mean real, sweat-out-the-sheets, forget-yo-name type shit.”
The table exploded in laughter.
“Ma!” Ty and Taj hollered, only halfway embarrassed because it was normal for Aunt Sherry to blurt some random shit out. Especially while drinking.
“Sherry!” Ma yelled. “Not in front of the kids!”
“The kids outside and everybody here is grown,” she sipped. “Y’all better loosen them jaws and tell the truth.”
“I ain’t gon’ lie,” Big Mama chimed in. “It’s been some time, but chileeee, when I do get it…” She fanned herself, and everybody hollered.
“Oh, hell nah,” I chuckled, half disgusted, half enjoying the lightheartedness. “Y’all trippin’.” I leaned back, nodding along, eyes still on Autumn. She was laughing too, cheeks warm, that slick lil’ smile playing on her mouth like she was remembering that airport stall.
“Boy, I just remembered,” Uncle Murder smacked his lips. “Where my weed at?”
I chuckled. “In the whip. I gotchu.”
“Cuz out here growin’ good weed. Big time.” Ty added, eating the last bit of banana pudding off his spoon.
“Mmm,” Autumn hummed, eyes glinting as she leaned into the convo. “Nothing wrong with a man who knows how to plant and grow…if he’s tending to the right things.”
The table laughed again, but her eyes were on me. I damn near choked on my drink. The tension between us was crazy. I slid my hand back over Autumn’s knee and gave it a squeeze.
She just leaned a lil closer and whispered, “You better stop playing with me.”
I grinned, low and slow. “Hell nah. I wanna play wit’ you all night.”
Ty leaned back in his chair, rubbing his stomach. “Aight, fam. I’m tapped out. ‘Bout to roll one and vibe. Who tryna take a smoke break?”
Uncle Boom clapped. “Now you talkin’, nephew!”
“I’m coming too,” Taj added, already scooting back witg her plate. “This food hittin’ too good not to pair it wit’ a lil’ gas. Let me go check on my kids real quick. Twins!”
The table started breaking up, and that’s when I leaned into Autumn again. “I’m ‘bout to grab this smoke from my truck. Meet me upstairs in fifteen minutes. Third room on the left.”
