Crispin looked past my eyes and into my soul. "I want you to come." He needed for us to do this together.
I panted, trying to catch my breath to speak. "I did before."
"I want it now."
"I don't know if I can." I blushed. "It hurts."
He pulled out in seconds despite my protests, and his mouth was back on me, easing the pain. His hands wiped away the blood, and his tongue lavished attention on my sensitive clit while his fingers massaged the spot he'd been fucking. Instantly, I was overcome with waves of pleasure. My back arch, and my body did anything and everything to get closer to him.
"Don't stop," I begged him in a raspy tone I didn’t recognize. "I want one more." A giggle escaped my lips when his stubble tickled my inner thigh, and he grinned before continuing.
"I want you wet and needy for me." His words vibrated all the right places when he spoke from between my legs. "I want my pretty girl ready for my cum."
So fucking dirty. So wrong. And yet I couldn’t resist. "Keep going. More, Crispin. Please give me more."
His fingers joined in, rendering me helpless, a mess of moans and whispered pleas. He brought me so high only to retrieve his touch a moment later, driving me to the point of madness. I was dripping, ready to burst when he pulled me closer, and then on top of him.
"Ride me," he demanded. His eyes had gone dark in a mischievous way no other woman would ever see. "I want to look at that pretty face when I come."
I straddled his waist, feeling clumsy and decidedly non-graceful as I took his cock in my trembling fingers to position him at my entrance. And then I sank down.
The pain mixed with pleasure in blinding proportions that made me gasp.
"Can't hold it," Crispin groaned. "Need to."
"Do it," I begged him. I wanted him. All of him.
He grabbed my hips and drove into me. I held onto the headboard for support, unable to stifle the moans that came from my lips as he thrusted upward.
"You're so fucking tight." He spoke through clenched teeth, never letting up beneath me. "That sweet little pussy's going to be the end of me."
"Come," I whispered. "Come inside me."
He flipped me onto my back, pulled out, and showed me his cock. Clear liquid dripped from the head like an open faucet. He took me by the chin and made me look. "See what you make me do?" he whispered, and I grinned wickedly.
A moment later, Crispin was back inside me, and his whole body tensed. I tightened my own body, feeling him growl against my skin as something pooled inside me, warm, thick and sticky. He kept pumping, and shame burned my cheeks as he fucked my pussy full. So fucking wrong. I never wanted to do it any other way. It was always supposed to be like this. Always supposed to be him.
Crispin pulled out, his cock slick as he grabbed me and pulled me to his lap. I felt the rush of his seed leaking from me, and in a moment that should have been awkward, he made me feel more complete than ever.
More complete than the pain I’d caused myself ever made me.
"I'm going to make it all better." His whispered promise drifted across my neck and onto my ear, and I believed him. "I'm going to take away all the pain, crybaby."
And as he held my body to his, I knew he was right. In his arms, I came alive again. In his arms, I became the me I’d lost. And things were going to be just fine.
Chapter Eighteen
Crispin
My phone vibrated, and I groaned, pulling it out of my pocket. I didn't need to check the number to know who was calling. Dad had been trying to get in touch with me for weeks now, but I'd been letting all his calls go to voicemail. I hadn’t bothered to listen to the messages, either. After everything that had happened, I was reluctant to listen to his side of the story. I didn't want to betray Mom, and that's exactly how she would see it if she ever found out I'd been talking to him. But on that Saturday morning, something compelled me to answer.
"Crispin?"
I grimaced when I heard him say my name. Why didn’t anyone tell me this was going to be so hard? Why didn’t anyone tell me I'd end up having to pick between my parents, and inevitably hurting at least one of them?
"Yeah," I managed to get out. "I'm here."
"Oh my God." His voice was unsteady. Dad rarely got emotional, and those three words signified how much my answer meant to him. "I'm so glad you picked up, son. You have no idea how glad."
Please, don't let him mention how many times I've ignored his calls.
He didn't.
"What do you want?" I wasn't ready to forgive him, despite picking up when he called. But I needed him. I needed his help to get out of the situation I'd found myself in. "I don't have a lot of time."
"This is going to sound stupid," Dad chuckled nervously. "But I was wondering if you'd like to spend the day with me? I wasn't really expecting you to pick up, so I'm- I'm nervous."
"Doing what?"
"Sorry?"
"Spend the day together." I toyed with the hem of my lacrosse jacket. "What do you want to do?"
"Well, I have something planned," he admitted. "It's a surprise, though. If you want, I can pick you up."
"Not at home," I rushed to tell him. "India and Mom are home."
"Of course." His voice was strained, and for the umpteenth time, I found myself wondering how Dad was dealing with all this. It couldn't have been easy for him, either. "Maybe at Clancy's, you know that diner on Bleaker?"
"Yeah. But I haven't agreed to come."
"No, of course." He sounded more nervous than I'd ever heard him. "You don't have to, at all."
I glanced at my textbooks piled on my desk and then at the sunny day outside. And before I could help myself, I found myself agreeing to meet him in an hour.
Dad sounded elated "Thank you so much, son. You're not going to regret this. I promise."
"Okay. I'll see you soon."
I disconnected the call, feeling my heart pound with the betrayal of my mother. I shouldn't have done that. If Mom found out what I was doing, I was fucking toast. But on the other hand, I was eighteen—nearly nineteen—and Mom couldn't rule my world forever. I did what she wanted most of the time, but she couldn't keep Dad and me apart because she hated him. The unfairness of it all made me wonder once again how Dad was handling things. Well, I guessed I would find out tonight.
I jumped in the shower, unable to think about anything other than seeing my father after nearly three months. I missed him, I realized with a start as I lathered my hair with apple-scented shampoo. Goddamn, I missed him. He was the reason I got into both acting and lacrosse. He was the reason for so many things I'd done—not just to impress him, but because he spent hours teaching me, coaching me both in acting and in lacrosse, and making sure I was always at the top of my game. As I scrubbed my body, I wondered whether I'd ever be able to forgive him for everything that had happened with Mom. I guess only time would tell.
I toweled off and got dressed in designer jeans and a hoodie before I put on some sneakers and grabbed my car keys and phone. As expected, Mom raised her head when I made my way out.
"Where are you going?" Her words were close to an accusation. This was what Dad had done to her—made her doubt every man in the world and his actions. "You're not going to meet that horrible girl, are you?"
"No, I'm going out with some friends. We're meeting at Clancy's."
"Okay," Mom muttered. "I don't need you around tonight away."
"Great." Nice to know she didn’t care what was going on with me unless she decided she needed me for something. "I'll see you later."
I left the house and got into my car, driving to Clancy's as I fought of the nerves that threatened to overtake me. I wasn't sure how I was supposed to act. Would it be like the good old times? Should I hold him accountable for all the terrible things that had happened since Mom kicked him out?
In my head, Dad had become the figure Mom had painted him as in the media—a Casanova out to get any piece of ass he could, not giving a fuck about his family
as he slept his way around town. Those words she'd spoken in interviews, calling him everything from a homewrecker to a Casanova, and even a piece of shit to some horrible paparazzi, in an infamous clip that had over a million plays on YouTube.
My family was in tatters, and at the end of the day, I had nobody to blame for it but my father. But often, I found myself asking just how guilty she was. After all, I knew about Mom's skeletons. And I’d been sworn to secrecy.
I parked at Clancy's, but the lot was deserted. Getting out of the car, I leaned against the hood and furrowed my brows, waiting for Dad. Of course, he was late. Wasn’t he always? But a look at my phone revealed that I was ten minutes early. Needy much?
A moment later, Dad's Humvee pulled up. He honked, and I walked over. My heart beat faster than I thought humanly possible as I opened the passenger door and slid inside.
"Yo." I didn’t bother to look at him as I busied myself with the seatbelt. No answer came, and I finally turned to Dad, groaning when I saw him staring at me with tears in his eyes. "God, Dad. Don't do that."
"I'm sorry." He ran a hand through his hair. It was longer than Mom liked it, similar to mine. "I just can't help it. I'm so glad you're here, Crispin."
"Yeah, yeah. So, we going?"
"Yeah." He grinned, grabbing the steering wheel and reversing out of the parking lot while I took a long, hard look at him. The man looked good, even with his slightly too-long hair and crinkled suit. "I know, I probably look a mess."
"No, Dad," I managed. "You look good."
"Really?" He laughed with relief. "I shrunk my Eastvale hoodie last week."
I raised my brows at him. "The infamous one?"
"The very one," he grinned. "Had it for twenty years and now it would fit a three-year-old."
"Great job."
"Lots of things to learn once you're on your own." A silence lay upon us as he pulled onto the highway.
"Hey, where are we going anyway?" My curiosity got the better of me. "You said it was a surprise, but you're gonna have to tell me eventually."
He gave me a sneaky smile, saying, "Just watch the road, and tell me if you can guess."
For the next twenty minutes, I was glued to the car window, and finally got it almost half an hour after we started off. "Eastvale?"
"Yeah," Dad grinned. "I thought today would be a great day to visit my alma mater. There's a lacrosse game we can watch and then take a walk on campus."
"Oh," I managed. "You know I got in?"
"I do," he grinned, reaching over and ruffling my hair while I groaned. "The coach called me after they accepted you. They really want you there."
"I also got into Valleyview." I wasn’t nearly as excited by that option.
"I know," he said, returning his attention to the road ahead. "And it's your decision to make. But soon enough, you'll be too far for me to do this kinda stuff. I wanted to use this day to show you around Eastvale in case you're still interested."
"Thanks, Dad." I felt the pressure in my stomach and fiddled with my phone, too overcome with emotion, until we pulled up at the university.
Dad parked in the visitors' lot which was packed, probably because of the game. It was hard to hide my smile as we made our way to the field, and Dad pointed to a concession stand.
"Grab some snacks. Anything you want."
We loaded up with junk food and drinks and located our seats on the bleachers. It was a sunny day, although quite cold, and I found myself laughing easier than I had in months as Dad drew me into a conversation. The game started a couple of minutes later, and Dad and I were cheering in minutes.
The game was amazing. Ironically, Eastvale was playing Valleyview on home turf, and it was obvious who the winning team was about ten minutes into it.
As I stared at my father's profile, I realized I hadn't seen him this happy in months, not even in the time leading up to the scandal. I cherished this, knowing it was probably one of the rare moments I'd get to share with him before Mom made us pack up our shit to leave forever.
The mere thought of leaving it all behind filled me with worry. I didn't want to go. I didn't want to be without Tinsley, not now that we were finally together. And the more time I spent on those bleachers, the more I realized I didn't want to leave Dad behind, either. He was still my father, no matter what had happened between him and my mom.
"Hey," I said during a lull in the game. "Thanks for bringing me today. I really appreciate it."
"I thought it would be fun," he said easily, giving me his signature grin. It was painful to see myself reflected in that smile, like a look in the mirror. "And I have another surprise for you after the game."
Eastvale won fair and square, and we were cheering and laughing even louder by the time the game was over.
"That was fantastic," Dad said once the game was over. "We killed them!"
"Dad, you weren't on that field," I reminded him.
He laughed. "Not today."
"How long has it been since you played?”
“Must be years now, since I stopped coaching you,” he shrugged. "And it was never a career that would've made me millions, not like directing. I quit the team my sophomore year of college and switched my major to directing."
"I didn't know that."
"Not many people do." He ran his hand through his hair, thoughtful for a moment before turning his attention back to me with a grin. "Now come on. I arranged for us to meet the coach before we leave."
"Really?" I jumped up, excited about the prospect. "I'd love to meet him."
Dad walked me to the field where a tall, muscular man celebrated with his players. It was easy to pick him out of the crowd, and he grinned when he saw us approach.
"Dalton! The lost boy." He laughed at his own joke. "And I see you've brought your offspring."
"As promised." Dad nodded, and I stepped forward to shake the coach's hand. "My kid, Crispin. This is Coach Whitehouse."
"Hey, kid." Whitehouse's handshake was firm and solid. "Glad to finally meet you face to face. You made a decision yet?"
"I..." The man put me on the spot right away, and I grinned nervously. "I'm afraid it might not be up to me."
"How so?" The coach didn’t realize the position he put me in, and my dad look confused.
"My mom. She's moving."
"Ah," Coach nodded, giving my dad a worried glance. "So, any way we can tempt you to reconsider Eastvale?"
"You could try," I laughed. "Though from what I've seen so far it’s been amazing."
"Thanks, kid. Let me show you the place."
For the next half hour, we trotted around campus with Coach in tow, but my dad let his friend do most of the talking. I was impressed not only with the lacrosse team and their wins, but with the university itself.
"If that doesn't sell you, I don't know what will," Coach finished once we'd circled the campus. "We're going out for food if you guys would like to join us. A little tradition after the game."
"Only when you win?" I wanted to know.
"Nah," Coach shook his head. "I always like to treat the kids. Win or lose."
"Thanks for the invite," Dad said. "But Crispin will probably want to be getting back."
I nodded. I was emotional, and spending the afternoon in the company of rowdy lacrosse players wasn't really what I needed. "Thanks for the tour, though."
We said our goodbyes and walked to Dad's Humvee in silence. We didn't say much for the ride home, either, and by the time Dad pulled up in Clancy's parking lot, it was already dark outside.
"Well, I guess that's it," Dad muttered, turning off the car.
"Unless..." I motioned to the diner. "You want to grab some sundaes?"
"For real?" He grinned. "Nothing sounds better right now."
We got out of the car and walked into Clancy's. It was quiet on the weekends, as usual, and the bored-looking hostess pointed us to an empty booth. I got a chocolate sundae with cherries, and Dad opted for the honeycomb.
"So predictable," I
told him.
"It's the best one," he defended himself. "You can't convince me otherwise."
"Wouldn't dream of it." I twisted in the booth, suddenly remembering what awaited me at the house.
"You okay, kid?" Dad looked into my eye with concern, and I shook my head. "Shit. Everything okay at home?"
"As okay as it can be," I muttered. "You know we're moving?"
"Yeah," he grimaced. "Your Mom's trying to get sole custody of India, and I think she'll succeed."
"You're staying in town?" I asked, and he nodded.
"Yeah, got a new project soon," he said. "Moving on to something a little darker after Devin Mooney."
"That's great. What you wanted, right?"
"Yeah." He shrugged, letting out a laugh. "But you know. It doesn't seem to matter as much now that I'm alone."
"You're not alone, Dad."
"I will be." He was overcome with emotion. "I'm not just losing your mom, but you kids, too. At least I saw you today. When do you think I'll see India again?"
I didn't have an answer for him. Mom would keep India as far away from him as possible.
"I'm sorry, Dad."
"It's okay." He waved his hand dismissively. "It's my own fault."
"That's not entirely true."
"I cheated."
"You..." I swallowed past the thick lump in my throat. "Yeah, but you were getting divorced, and things were rough, anyway."
"It's not an excuse."
"You're really hard on yourself, Dad."
"I deserve it."
Our ice creams arrived, and we dug in without saying another word.
"I wish I could stay here." The words slipped out of my mouth before I could stop them. "I want to stay in town."
"Your mom is set on moving?"
"Yeah. Like, dead set."
"There are always other options." Dad looked at me over his ice cream.
"Like what?"
"You know what." He hinted at the solution that stared me in the face, but I wasn't confident enough in his answer to bring it up. "You could..."
"Mom would kill me," I interrupted him. "She would never forgive me. And I would never see India."
"I know," Dad muttered. "I would be hesitant about it, too. But I also..."
Boys That Tease: A Bully Romance (Lords Of Wildwood Book 1) Page 21
