by T. L Smith
I look out to the water and watch as his arms go around Tanika and he lifts her up from the water and throws her backward. She laughs as she rises and swims back toward him.
“So, what’s your story?”
“I’m more interested in yours,” I reply, drinking down the last of my beer.
Snow grips my waist and turns me around. “Come and drink with us, and I’ll tell you all about my wild ways.” He winks, walking over to the table where Blaze was previously sitting. Snow smacks one of the dudes over the head, which makes him move, making room for me to sit. A few guys stare at my breasts without one bit of shame.
“Guys, this is girl.”
I laugh at his silly introduction. “It’s Rochelle.”
“Okay…” Snow turns and looks at me. “Girl.” He laughs and turns back to the group.
Shot glasses line the table with a bottle of rum in the middle.
“What are you playing?”
“Take a fucking drink,” one yells. His jacket reads ‘Prospect.’ He was the one Snow hit to move.
“Basically, we ask you a question. If we think you’re lying when you answer, you have to take a drink.”
“That doesn’t sound great…” My eyebrows pinch together. “That sounds a lot like a drinking game.” As I speak the words, another carload pulls up with some girls and guys. A few make their way straight to the river while a girl with white-blonde hair walks over to us. Her hand goes around Snow’s neck and she kisses him on the cheek.
“Sis, this is, girl.”
She smiles at me and nods her head.
“It’s Rochelle, actually.”
“Semantics.” Snow waves me off. “This is Harper. Harper, be nice to girl. She’s Tanika’s friend.” Harper gives me a smile so large, I can’t help but return it.
“My brother annoying you?” she asks, rubbing her palm over her brother’s head. For some reason he takes it and only smiles as he starts pouring shots.
“Never.” I smile, and then someone calls her name.
Harper offers us a wave before she runs off.
“Okay, girl, you’re up first.” Of course, I am. “When was the last time you had anal?”
“What happens if I don’t answer?” I ask.
“You have a double shot.”
“Okay, double shot me.”
Snow throws his head back and laughs, then pours me two drinks. He goes next, and it’s the prospect who asks him a question. Snow slides the drinks over to me, and I shoot them fast, feeling the slow burn of the rum on the way down.
“Snow, when was the last time you got hard from a girl?”
Everyone goes quiet, puzzled by his question.
Then a hand goes around my shoulders as he answers, “Right now. From staring at girl’s tits.” Then he proceeds to look down at my breasts.
I don’t even bother covering them up, nor does it embarrass me for some reason. It’s simply funny. “They are mighty fine, right?” I reply, smiling up at him.
A truck pulls up and I recognize it. My heart starts to beat faster and I reach for Snow’s shot, downing it in one hit.
“Girl, you stealing my shit.” Snow laughs, pouring another one. He doesn’t need to have one, everyone believes his words, but he takes one anyway.
Harper runs up the hill and throws her arms around a pair of shoulders I recognize.
Snow turns and looks where I am then back to me.
“You know, Reap?” Snow asks.
I turn to him, confused by his words. I don’t know him as that, maybe I’m drunk. I must be. Turning back, I listen to the next one in the game, but my eyes keep flicking to where he’s located. Harper clings to him, and I wonder why he allows it.
“No,” I manage to answer, realizing I never did answer if I know him.
“You sure, girl, you’re staring pretty hard his way.” Snow pauses, turns, and yells. “Reap, get your ass over here.”
I hear Harper giggle as they turn while I try to hide behind Snow as they come closer, hoping he won’t see me and I won’t be able to see him.
But of course, I have no luck.
“Pretty girl,” the name he likes to call me drips from his lips.
Oh fuck.
Chapter Six
Rochelle
Snow turns, and there’s a smile still on his face, but I don’t look toward that voice. Instead, I reach for another shot, downing it before I tap my fingers on the table, hoping and praying Tanika comes back soon so we can leave.
“You know, girl here, Reap?” Of course Snow asks Marcus that.
“Girl?” he says, confused.
I still don’t look his way, then someone next to me moves, and I know it’s him that slides in because his smell is something I’ve dreamed about for weeks. Dark and musky, just like him. “You must be mistaken, it’s pretty girl, right, Snow?” he jokes, and I look up at Marcus. And right at that moment, I wish I didn’t. I wish I pretended he never existed in the first place, because when I look up into his hazel eyes staring at me, and his dark curly messy hair as if he’s just showered, I want to run my hand through the locks and pull them so his lips smash against mine.
“Reap?” I ask, watching him for a reaction.
He smirks, and my heart beats hard in my chest.
“The boys call me, Reap,” he answers coldly.
“Damn right we do.” Snow cheers and throws his hand over my shoulders, pulling me back to him, snuggling me under his arm.
“Reap, why don’t you come for a swim?” Harper walks over, and I stiffen under Snow’s arm.
“No,” he answers, his eyes glued to Snow’s hand touching me. “Remove your arm from her, Snow.”
Snow straightens over me, but his arm is still around me.
I turn to look at Marcus. His lips are thinned as he sits there with his hands clenched and a look of death to match his hand tattoo as he stares at Snow, who doesn’t remove his arm.
Harper looks between us, unsure of what to do.
“You claimed her, Reap?” Snow asks, his voice has lost all its playfulness, and I get the feeling you never want to be on the bad side of Snow.
“Yes. Now tell him, pretty girl. Who do you belong to?”
I pull away from Snow. Sitting up straighter, I look at Marcus and smile before standing. He watches me with intent, but makes no move to stop me as I head straight to where Tanika has her arms wrapped around Blaze while they bounce around in the water.
“Tanika…” I call out. She looks up from the water at the sound of my voice. Blaze doesn’t even look my way, he simply keeps on kissing her neck.
Before I can utter another word, my feet are lifted from the ground and I’m pressed against a hard body. I know who it is straight away. Marcus turns me in his arms, as if I weigh nothing, so now I’m pressed against his taut muscles.
“Why are you here, pretty girl?”
“Let me go.”
Marcus holds me tighter, and I can feel him everywhere. He starts walking me backward until I feel the cold of the water touch my feet.
“Why?” he asks as if it’s a serious question.
“Because…” No other words leave my mouth. I don’t have an excuse, because I don’t need one. And somehow, I have become that girl who loses her train of thought around a beautiful man.
“Do you want me to kiss you again?”
My ass is submerged in the water as he keeps on walking. He’s fully dressed, but that doesn’t stop him.
“No,” I reply, my hands by my sides.
“Rochelle...” My name is called, but I don’t turn to look at Tanika. My eyes stay glued on Marcus’—and what pretty eyes they are. Haunted, possessive, and gorgeous.
“You do, but you now realize I’m bad for you. Don’t you, pretty girl?” He says what I am thinking.
“Yes.” I don’t bother lying.
“But you were persistent.” Marcus smirks. He lowers his hands so he isn’t gripping me anymore and grabs my ass cheeks, holding me to him
. I wrap my legs around his waist in the water, not thinking as we stare at each other.
Body heat makes me boiling hot, despite the coolness of the water, the intensity of his gaze, which is turning me on.
“Now I see the light,” I say, smiling.
One hand leaves my ass and snakes up my front until he touches the strings of my bikini and pulls at them.
“If I didn’t care about sharing you, I would pull this so I could stare at your pretty tits. I bet your nipples are the perfect shade of pink.”
I blush at his words and say, “Don’t you dare.”
Marcus moves me, just a fraction, and I feel him between my legs, and my pelvis pushes forward on instinct. He smiles when I do this.
“I’m afraid now you’re back, I won’t be able to say no tonight.”
“Just tonight?” I ask him.
“You’re so needy. I wonder if you’re the same in bed.” Marcus pushes back on me and I do the same. Soon, my body is moving up and down on his cock, even though his jeans are still on, and so are my bikini bottoms. But that doesn’t stop us, the friction making my eyes roll to the back of my head as my head drops, my hair skimming along the water as I come close to the perfect amount of friction.
Marcus’ hand slides between my breasts, and then he pinches my nipple through my bikini. My hips don’t stop moving, my body taking from his what it wants, what it’s wanted from Marcus since the moment I met him. It happens fast, and my hands leave him and grip my hair, but before I can open my mouth to scream, I’m lifted, and lips hot as fire burn me as he takes control of my head and my mouth.
There’s no use pulling back from him, it’s completely useless. Because as I come down from my dry humping orgasm, I want him back on me, and more importantly, in me.
I’m becoming addicted.
It’s a bad thing.
He breaks the kiss. “You are the most beautiful thing to watch when you come.”
“Rochelle…” I turn my head away from Marcus to see Tanika staring at me in question. I suppose I’ve kept some things from her too.
Pushing away from him, I head to the water’s edge and Tanika follows. Now alone in the water, looking back over my shoulder, he watches me but makes no move to come to me.
“Who is that?” she asks.
“Can we go now?”
“But they’re just about to cook the food, and I want to get to know your friend, who you quite conveniently happened to not tell me about.”
Fuck!
The food is cooked, and I stay seated next to Tanika, not looking for Marcus, even if my eyes try to find him when I tell myself no.
“Eat, girl, the food is delicious.” Snow shoves a plate in front of my face, smiling.
I look down at the salad and meat and start picking at it. When a hand touches my thigh, I jump and look up to see Marcus now seated next to me. I attempt to push him away but have no luck, he simply moves his hand closer until it’s touching between my legs.
Goosebumps tickle my skin as he leans in closer to me.
“I bet I can make you come again.” I shut my legs, squeezing them tighter. He chuckles next to me and removes his hand.
“So, how do you two know each other?” Tanika asks, looking between us.
“It was a bad mistake,” I tell her.
“I warned her, over and over again,” he says. “But she never listened.”
Tanika looks at me with her eyebrows squeezed together as she takes in my reaction.
“Maybe she doesn’t want the Reap,” Snow says, laughing.
Tanika looks over to Marcus. “Why do they call you, Reap?” she asks.
I cringe.
“I own the crematorium,” he replies.
What? I look at him, surprised, having no idea. “You own it?” I question.
“You’ve never asked.” He shrugs, turning away.
“And sometimes Reap works for us,” the prospect says, which earns him a smack across the back of his head from Snow.
Everyone goes quiet after such a few words being exchanged. Tanika plays with her food on her plate as I stand. Marcus stands with me. I turn away and reach for my bag, pulling out my cover-up and sliding it over my arms. Marcus watches my every move.
“Do you want me to take you home?” he asks. I look back at Tanika to see her leaning on Blaze, and I know she won’t want to leave anytime soon.
“Yes, please.” Marcus smiles at my words, reaches for my bag, and starts to walk away. I head over and hug Tanika from the back. “I’m going home. You stay.” She turns, but I shake my head. “It’s okay. I’ll message you when I get back home.”
“You leaving, girl?” Snow calls out. I smile and nod my head. “Come back again, okay?”
“Will do.” Turning and walking away, butterflies fly freakishly in my belly as I walk toward him. Marcus is leaning on the passenger side with his door open and waiting for me to get in. My bag’s already inside.
“I never took you for a gentleman,” I say to him, climbing in.
The window is down, so when he shuts it, he leans inside. “I’m no gentleman, I can assure you. A man like me is not a man you take home to meet your parents, pretty girl. I’m the one you fuck in the back of your car and then go on your way.” He leaves me with those words as he pushes off, rounds the truck, and slides into the driver’s seat.
He takes off in silence, only a slight hum from the radio can be heard as he drives.
When we get closer to my house he speaks, and I turn to give him my full attention, “You shouldn’t be around them. You should stay away.”
“You’re around them.”
“You’re a good girl. Good girls get ruined.”
“There you are with that phrase again, good girl… you give me a headache.” I turn back and stare out the window as he drives down my street. As he comes to a stop, I climb out without thanking him, and he leans across but speaks from the driver side, “Aren’t you going to invite me in?”
I flip him off, not even looking as I go inside. Reaching for my cell, I text Tanika to let her know I’m home and she replies instantly.
Lying in bed, all I think about are his lips and the way his body makes me feel—more alive than I’ve ever felt in my life.
Chapter Seven
Rochelle
Tanika rocks up at my house before I’m even out of bed, a coffee in each hand and a smile that could light up the skies.
“You are way too happy for this early,” I say, rubbing my eyes while putting on the last of my clothes. Pulling my hair back into a high ponytail, I take the coffee and drink it as if it holds magical powers.
“I had a great night… and great sex,” she says, her eyes not quite meeting mine.
“Blaze?” I ask, she smiles. “What is the deal with you two? Snow said it’s been going on for about a month now?” Tanika’s face pulls some worry lines on her forehead, and she looks down. “Tell me, I want to know.”
“I kind of ran into them, at a bar. And, well, I just haven’t been able to stay away. We aren’t exclusive, and I told him whatever this is, is just sex. I don’t want anything more. I fall too hard and fast, you know this,” she says with an eye roll. Her last guy she was engaged to within a month, the one before that she let move in after a week. She loved them all, she tells me, but I am not so sure how true that is—lust maybe.
“So, you aren’t in love with this one?” I ask as we walk out and head for breakfast. We climb into her car and head to the café around the corner.
“No, don’t jinx me either. I like him. A lot. But he’s way too dangerous for me, too much for me.”
“How?”
“Blaze knows what he wants, that scares me.”
We walk into the café and order straight away, knowing exactly what we want—pancakes and berries for me, and waffles for Tanika.
“What about Marcus? And don’t tell me you don’t like him. I saw you two together. Fuck, we all saw it… it was fucking hot.” She fans her face. “
The way he grabbed you, kissed you, tasted you.”
I smile at her words. “He’s trouble,” I say, sitting back, crossing my arms over my chest.
“Did you meet him at the funeral?” she asks, saying the last word in more of a whisper.
“No, before it, actually.”
Her eyebrows pinch together. “How?”
“He was there when Mom and Dad were organizing the proceedings.”
Tanika’s hand reaches for mine, covering it and giving it a gentle squeeze. She pulls back when the food arrives.
“You like him, don’t you?” Tanika takes a sip of her drink.
“No, of course not. He’s—”
“Oh, you suck at lying. Totally suck.” She laughs.
“No, I don’t.”
“Is it because he’s nothing like your exes? Not a surfer-looking dude who tells you everything you want to hear simply to sleep with you?”
Damn, this girl knows me well.
“I tried to sleep with him. Twice, actually. It failed both times.”
“Oh my God… well, that doesn’t explain yesterday, then.”
I shrug. “I don’t even understand yesterday. I didn’t even know Marcus was going to be there. I’ve avoided him for over a month.”
“Was that painful for you?” She chuckles, and I withstand the urge to throw my food at her head, but it’s a difficult internal battle to refrain.
“He’s, well, let’s just say… what he does, isn’t something I am all that comfortable with.”
“You mean in the crematorium?” I nod. “Okay, but you met him there. What did you expect?”
I place my fork on the plate, my appetite now completely gone. “He took me inside, to scare me off.”
“Okay, so…”
“He started cutting a hand off one of the dead bodies while I was there.” I watch as she puts her fork down too. Her elbows come to rest on the table as her head is placed on her hands, and I wait before she speaks again.
“Holy shit, Roch, that’s…” she takes a deep breath. “That’s fucked-up.”
