by B. B. Reid
“Uhhh… Jamie?”
“We need to talk.” Reaching behind me, I slammed her door closed. “Tell me what you know about Ever’s father.” It wasn’t a question that she knew more than she should have.
Her deep frown would have been adorable if I weren’t on a mission. “Who? Thomas?”
“No,” I snapped, giving her an indignant look. The women in my life made a habit of playing coy. “His real father.”
She blinked, took a step, and then another until she reached me. “Sean?”
Four’s bedroom door flew open before I could answer. I swung around, and my heart dropped to my stomach when I found Ever leaning against the jamb.
Shit.
IT WAS THE NIGHT BEFORE graduation, but the ceremony, one of the most important milestones I’d have in my lifetime, was the furthest thing from my mind. Six days had passed since the country club. Six days of agony. Six days of wondering. I couldn’t erase the devastation from my mind that I saw in Jamie’s eyes. Even when he was angry, I couldn’t recall him staying away this long. There were no late-night break-ins or random pop-ups at my school. He’d even deprived me of the mocking texts he always sent in the morning and sometimes throughout the day.
Deciding I’d had enough, I tossed back the bedsheets, shoved on my flip-flops, and snuck from my bedroom and the house. Ready or not, Jameson John Buchanan would just have to face me. Tiptoeing through the backyard, I made my way to the tool shed, hoping it was still there. As I slipped inside, relief and nostalgia flooded my heart when I spotted my old, red Huffy. My bike, the harmonica, and my journal were the last that remained of Bee.
Quietly, I pulled the bike from the shed, hoping the chain hadn’t rusted too much. After a quick inspection, I swung my leg over the seat, feeling giddy. I had to pedal a little harder than necessary since there was a little rust, but in no time, I was flying down the dark, empty road.
It was dangerous.
Completely reckless.
I’d never felt freer.
I was out of breath by the time I reached the huge mansion. It wasn’t until I stopped in front of the closed gates that I realized just how rashly I’d acted. It was after midnight. Of course, I wasn’t getting through. Not unless I called Jamie.
But it was also the night before graduation, which meant there was likely a party happening and even more likely that Jamie wouldn’t even be home.
So much for carpe diem.
Or however that saying went when it was the middle of the fucking night.
Giving up, I started to turn around when the sound of creaking metal filled the night. The gates slowly opened, and I realized someone was coming. I quickly ducked inside the bushes and hid as best I could with a bike for a beacon.
The sound of an engine roaring made me hold my breath. Moments later, I saw a flash of red as Jamie’s Jeep flew through the gates. “Gold Digger” by Kanye West was blasting from the speakers.
Where the hell was he going in such a hurry?
I stared at his taillights until they disappeared. The gates began creaking as they slowly shut, and I realized this was my chance. Without a second thought, I slipped through them. There wasn’t enough time to talk myself out of it. I left my bike behind in the bushes and decided it would be safer there hidden from sight.
Jogging up the long drive, I bypassed the front door, knowing it wouldn’t be unlocked, and slipped around the side of the house. I wondered if Mr. McNamara ever had the lock fixed on the window in the butler’s pantry.
It was a long shot, but it was my only one.
This place was huge, which meant there were a thousand places to hide a key. Jamie could return before then. I’d come here to confront him, but now I was more interested in satisfying my curiosity.
Reaching the window, I nearly clapped and jumped for joy when I pushed up on the glass, and it slid open. I wasted no time swinging my leg over the sill and climbing inside. The pantry was dark, but I could still make out the fully stocked shelves and the door a few feet away. Pushing it open, I peeked to confirm the kitchen was empty before stepping inside.
Memories from my time spent here as a kid helped me navigate the dark home. I climbed one of the winding stairs to the second floor and wondered if Jamie still slept in the same room he had as a kid. He and Ever had to share a bathroom then.
There was one memory in particular that still mortified me to this day. I’d come over and shown myself up and somehow walked in on them, measuring their dicks to see who was bigger. Luckily, I hadn’t seen much before slapping my hands over my eyes. I ran from the room and all the way home.
I didn’t talk to either of them for an entire week after that.
Reaching Jamie’s room, I pushed inside. I didn’t doubt that it would be unlocked. Jamie didn’t hide, and when people told him what they thought of him, he’d laugh in their face.
“No fucks to give” should have been tattooed on his forehead.
Every day, I wished that could be me.
The faint smell of cigarette smoke and potpourri filled my nose as I stepped inside. On one of the black nightstands was a small guitar-shaped tray filled with ashes and several butts. There were several other things cluttered on the surface, including his iPod and speakers.
Black rumpled bedding covered the headboard-less bed. Above it hung the American, Scottish, and Irish flags. I smiled. It was so like Jamie to embrace every part of himself.
Seeing his father’s guitars—two Stratocasters, a Firebird, and a Fender Jaguar—I rushed across the room, stepping over piles of dirty clothes, video games, and magazines. Slowly, I reached out, rubbing my fingers gently across the surface of each one.
I’d only met Jamie’s father a few times, but I could instantly tell that he’d been a soulful, spirited man.
Like father, like son.
I was bent over, busy admiring the vinyl records that weren’t hanging on the wall when I heard the snick of the door shutting behind me. I barely had time to stand up straight before Jamie was across the room, gripping my arms and pulling them behind my back.
“There you are,” he said, sounding mostly amused but a little pissed off too.
I swallowed hard. He must have been looking for me. I was the reason he sped out of here fifteen, maybe twenty minutes ago, like a bat out of hell.
“Here I am,” I replied. I only hoped I sounded braver than I felt.
“What the fuck are you doing here, and how did you even get in?”
“What? You think you’re the only one with skills?”
His only response was to trap me against the wall. My head was resting between the Firebird and the Jaguar, my breasts mashed against the wall. His breath tickled my ear when he leaned in close. “Well, now that you’re here, let’s discuss some things, shall we?”
“Let me go!”
“In a minute.”
I started to scream, to wake his uncle if I had to, but he spoke again, turning my world upside down once more. “How long has your father been broke?” Before I could answer or even ask him how he knew, he said “How long have you been plotting to marry my cousin for his money?”
I gritted my teeth as I struggled to break free, but his hands simply tightened on my arms, keeping me imprisoned. With a huff, I decided to answer him, hoping he’d free me.
“I was never going to marry Ever.”
Jamie chuckled, but there was nothing humorous in the sound. “Hard for me to believe, kitten, since you’re still wearing his ring. Even Jennifer knew when to let Brad go.”
Suddenly, the band felt too tight around my finger, the weight too heavy, the implications scalding. I knew what he thought, but typical of us, nothing was ever as it seemed.
“I’m still wearing the ring because my father still thinks we’re engaged.”
And when I was finally free of him, I had every intention of pawning it and starting a new life with the money. Ever must have known it too, which was why he hadn’t asked for it back. Even after he’d
bowed out, he was still searching for ways to be there.
My eyes stung with fresh tears.
Friends like that came along once in a lifetime. It only made me sadder that I had to leave them behind.
I felt Jamie’s grip on me loosen in surprise before tightening again. “Why haven’t you told him? Surely, you’ll be eager to search for your next mark?”
I knew then that neither Four nor Ever were the ones to tell Jamie about my father being broke. If not them, then who? Whoever the culprit, they clearly hadn’t told Jamie everything. Suddenly weary of the secrets weighing heavy on our souls, I finally decided to free us both.
“It was my father’s idea to marry me off for money, and it was Ever’s idea to make him think that he would. I have no intention of marrying anyone, Jameson. I never did.”
I could hear the wheels turning in his head, but it wasn’t long before they came to a screeching halt. “Explain.”
I knew he must have worked most of it out for himself, but his broken heart wouldn’t allow him to trust again so easily.
“My father is willing to do whatever it takes not to just survive but thrive. Your family is worth billions, and Ever is going to control it all. If it weren’t for the promise of your family’s money, my father would have forced me to marry anyone willing to bid high enough the moment I’d turned sixteen.”
Jamie was silent for so long that I would have thought he’d gone if it weren’t for his hands still holding me and the calm rise and fall of his chest. I expected an explosion, but when he finally spoke, his reaction was as if I’d told him it was going to rain today.
“Is that right?”
His vapid tone made me think he didn’t believe me. And why should he? I’d been lying to him for five years.
“It’s true, Jamie.”
“I’m sure it is.” He spun me around to face him, and the gentle kiss he placed on my lips mocked me more than his tone. “Would you like to know a secret? Just between you and me?” Jamie’s grip on me tightened, keeping me from getting away. His hard dick warned me of his intentions. “You preyed on the wrong McNamara, kitten. My trust fund has more zeroes. Dick’s bigger, too.” His lips brushed back and forth against mine before saying, “If you wanted a knight in shining armor, you should have looked right in front of you.” Snorting, he toyed with the drawstring on my satin sleep shorts. I was vaguely aware of him pulling it free. “At least now you know there are limits to what Ever is willing to do for you.”
“Your point?”
Gently, he tucked my hair behind my ear before placing his hand on my nape and pulling me to him. Jamie’s grip was tight enough to keep me from getting away but not harsh enough to hurt. Somehow, tears still stung my eyes. “I had no limits, none whatsoever, when it came to you, Bette.”
“James…”
He was kissing me before I could tell him that I’d been afraid of that.
Jamie would have torn down mountains for me and not have blinked once at the destruction he caused. Even to himself. If he’d known about what my father planned, known about the abuse I suffered at his hands to make me compliant… I couldn’t risk it. Every lie I’d told in the five years since I pushed him away was to protect him as much as myself.
“There’s nothing innocent about you, Barbette.” Slipping his hand inside my shorts, Jamie cupped my pussy, making me gasp. “Well…except for this.” My hand flew to his wrist when his finger began to press inside me. “You haven’t been fucked here yet, have you?”
I whimpered as he withdrew to circle my clit instead. My eyes fluttered, wanting to close, but I couldn’t look away from the lust in his eyes. Jamie had every intention of fucking me tonight.
And I was going to let him.
Pressed against the wall with nowhere to run, I let him toy with me, bringing my most secret desires to light. Jamie’s long fingers so gentle yet brutally relentless had my legs trembling in no time. He freed his hand the second I came, and then he yanked me away from the wall. When he tossed me on the bed is when I began to panic. Maybe we’re going too fast.
“Jamie,” I whined. Grabbing my shorts, I tried to keep them up when he began pulling them down. “Maybe we should talk about this first?”
“You’ve had a year to talk to me and four before that. The time for talking is over.”
He gave up trying to remove my shorts and snatched the engagement ring from my finger instead. Carelessly, he tossed it over his shoulder, and it landed… somewhere. At that moment, it didn’t matter where. “I’m not about to fuck you while you’re wearing his ring.” He wrestled my shorts from my grip and dropped them on the floor. He then nodded toward my camisole. “Get rid of it.”
My hesitation lasted a second before I was pulling the thin top that had been hell on my hard nipples over my head. It quickly joined my shorts on his messy floor. Kneeling on his bed, I had to arch my neck to meet his gaze. “Will you promise to go slow?”
“Nope.”
He headed for the door, making sure it was locked before pulling his plain white T-shirt over his head. I tried not to drool over his chest and abs and his nipple rings, especially when he was being a colossal dick.
And speaking of colossal dicks…
He stood directly in front of me as he unbuckled his belt and undid his jeans. And when he lowered them along with his boxers, I nearly swallowed my tongue. Fumbling with his dick in the darkness of his limo was nothing compared to seeing it under the bright glow of the moonlight.
I started to back away on the huge bed.
I knew Jamie wouldn’t intentionally hurt me, but with a cock that size, I wasn’t so sure good intentions mattered.
Wrapping his hands around my waist, he brought me back to him, and then kissed the unease from my lips and my shoulders before gently pushing me onto my back. My mouth quickly fell open when he gripped the back of my thighs and folded me in half until my knees were touching my shoulders. Holding my gaze, he bent his head. I watched transfixed as he pressed a sensual kiss to my lower lips. And then another. Oh, my God.
The rueful grin he wore as he lowered my legs immediately put me on high alert.
“Jamie? What was that for?”
“I’m just apologizing to your pussy in advance for what I’m about to do it.”
He kissed me, not giving me a chance to respond as he settled between my thighs. The feel of his weight on top of me was driving me wild. I’ve never loved anything more.
Still, I wasn’t about to let him hurt me. Or put me in a wheelchair.
“Jamie, either you go slow,” I warned between sensual kisses, “or this is over.” I tried to sound stern, but it was hard when I could feel him teasing my entrance with his cock.
“How slow?” he whispered as he held my gaze. Flexing his hips, he pushed inside, stretching me impossibly wide until he’d buried the head of his cock. “This slow?” With teasing thrusts, he began fucking me with just the tip. My eyes fluttered closed at the sensation. “So you like that?” he asked, kissing my lips. “You don’t want all of me?”
“Maybe just a little more,” I whined.
He gave me another inch while kissing my neck. “Is this enough for you, Barbette?”
“More, please.”
My eyes flew open when he pulled out of me completely.
“What? No! Please, don’t stop.” I need it. I went to reach for him, but the no-nonsense look he wore stopped me.
“It’s all of me or nothing.”
Staring up at him, I knew that Jamie would not yield. He’d given me a taste of how good it could be. How could I possibly turn back now? I could always get my revenge when my head wasn’t so clouded.
“I want all of you.”
When he leaned in to kiss me, I eagerly met him halfway. Our tongues were still dueling for dominance when I felt him poking my entrance. This time, there was no teasing, and he did not stop. The flexing of his hips was my only warning before he pushed every single inch of himself inside of me. He swall
owed my startled cry, took the punches that landed on his chest, and kissed my tears away when they fell.
“Fuck, Bette.”
I couldn’t respond.
He’d stolen my breath and taken all my words. I saw stars, and he hadn’t even fucked me yet. I wondered if sex could feel like this with just anyone or if it was because I’d given myself to Jamie that made it so special. And at the same time hot and dirty.
“You’re squeezing my cock, baby. Are you coming already?” He muffled my whimper when he kissed my lips. “Greedy pussy.”
Grabbing the back of my thigh, he opened me up. The sound of our heavy breathing and him pushing inside of me over and over quickly filled the room.
He’d gotten me so fucking wet for him.
The bed rocked underneath us, and when he sped up, I was grateful that he didn’t have a headboard. My breasts swayed as he pounded me, and the moment he wrapped his lips around my nipple, I was coming a second time.
He hurriedly covered my mouth with my hand before whispering in my ear. “Quiet, baby. My mom is sleeping down the hall.”
My eyes bugged out of my head. Mrs. Buchanan was here? I started to ask why, but then I remembered… we were graduating tomorrow.
Jamie’s moans became more desperate as he took what he wanted and gave twice in return. He’d made me come three times when he hadn’t even come once yet. And then that was when I remembered… Oh, God.
“Jamie?”
“Hmm?”
“A-a-are you wearing a condom?” I was pretty certain I hadn’t seen him put one on. Maybe that was why this felt so damn good? Because it was raw and unbound?
He stilled, giving me my answer, but then a beat later, he was riding me again. With a groan, he buried himself even deeper than he had before. “It’s fine, baby. I’ll pull out.”
Alarm bells were ringing in my head, telling me not to fall for it. “No, Jamie.” I pressed a hand to his chest. “You have to put a condom on now.”
“You feel so fucking good.” He groaned as he pressed his lips to my neck. “Just one more minute.” He hit a spot deep inside of me, and I knew I’d die if he stopped.
