Diamond In The Rough: The Complete Series

by Hart, Rebel

  “You know, my mother would have a heart attack if she knew I got on the back of some guy’s bike.”

  I slid into the booth. “Some guy?”

  Rae nodded. “Well, you. But yes. To her? Some guy.”

  I chuckled. “I’m not just some guy, Rae.”

  “Oh, yeah? And what are you, then?”

  I winked. “I’m the guy. You really should know this by now.”

  “Idiot.”

  The waitress brought us menus, but I was too busy staring at the flush in Rae’s cheeks. Oh, she was so easily flustered. And I loved it. Her nose wrinkled up as she put the menu in front of her face. I reached out and slowly slid it down. She was too cute to cover up, with her freckles and her tinted cheeks and her wild hair.

  Since when the hell did girls become ‘cute’?

  Rae cleared her throat. “Whatcha thinking about getting?”

  I shrugged. “The usual.”

  “Care to fill me in on what that is?”

  “A double cheeseburger with everything, a chocolate shake with extra cherries, and extra crispy fries. Two orders of them.”

  The waitress walked back up. “Well, now that I have his order, are you ready, hun?”

  I grinned. “Yeah, hun. You ready?”

  Rae shook her head. “His order actually sounds nice. Can you make two of those?”

  My eyebrows rose. “That’s a lot of food.”

  “And you apparently underestimate how much of it I can put away.”

  The waitress scribbled on her pad. “All right. Two double cheeseburgers with everything, two chocolate shakes with extra cherries, and two double orders of extra crispy fries. Anything else?”

  A hotel room to properly work this meal off with the cutest girl alive.

  Rae shook her head. “I’m good.”

  “Me, too. That’ll be it, thanks.”

  The waitress gathered the menus. “I’ll be back with your shakes in a few minutes, guys.”

  I sighed. “So is that guy I saw with your mother D.J.?”

  Rae paused. “No, actually.”

  I leaned back. “That happen often?”

  She nodded. “Every time they get into a fight. She rebounds with some guy, they fight again, D.J. showers her with gifts so she’ll come back, then the cycle starts all over again.”

  “I’m sorry, Rae.”

  She shrugged. “Shit happens.”

  “Do you remember anything about your dad?”

  “Wow. You really just wanna dive in there, don’t you?”

  “I mean, do you have anyone else to talk about it with?”

  “Allison and Michael.”

  “Have you ever talked with them about it?”

  She shrugged. “Doesn’t mean I won’t.”

  I quirked an eyebrow, listening to her sigh. “You know I’ll understand.”

  “Why don’t we start with what happened to your mother?”

  I nodded. “All right. What do you want to know?”

  “What really happened, Clint?”

  I sighed. “I wish I knew. One day she was okay. And the next, she wasn’t. Painkillers are a bitch, but when you put it together with postpartum depression, it becomes a big issue.”

  “Your mother struggled after having you?”

  “My mother struggled all the time. I think the reason why Dad put up with it, too, was because of her looks. He’s into the whole ‘trophy wife’ thing. And Mom didn’t mind pumping out kids so long as she could shop and keep up with her plastic surgery addiction.”

  “I’m sorry, Clint.”

  I shook my head. “I truly do believe Dad ruined her. I mean, there are pictures I’ve come across of her from time to time, and the smile on her face is just—”

  I got lost in my memories for a second. And I didn’t get pulled from them until our milkshakes touched down. I nodded at the waitress and she left us be, then I felt something warm against my foot under the table.

  And when I looked underneath, I found Rae wrapping her legs around mine. Trying to comfort me. Trying to cradle me. Trying to be there for me.

  No one had ever done that for me before. I felt my heart leap to life.

  “No, I don’t have any memories of my dad. According to Mom, he wasn’t even around much when they were together. I mean, they got engaged. Got married. Had me. But, for some reason, he jumped ship when I was three and that was that.”

  I sighed. “Did your mother ever tell you what happened?”

  Rae shook her head. “I can’t get her to talk about it. Like, ever. I don’t know that I’ll ever know what really happened. Why Dad really left us. Why he really didn’t want us.”

  “I’m sure it wasn’t that.”

  “Are you, though? I mean, it’s possible. Mom’s not easy to deal with. My grandparents disowned us, practically, because of her erratic behavior. For all I know, Dad got fed up with it and was worried I’d turn out the same way. So he left to avoid all that.”

  I reached out, taking her hand. “You don’t seem erratic to me.”

  She snickered. “Oh, yeah? And sleeping with the high school bully on a whim after he got into a fight with my best friend isn’t erratic?”

  “You make it sound like that’s a bad thing. Was it really that bad of a thing?”

  And as our plates of food settled in front of us, Rae shook her head.

  “No. It really wasn’t.”

  19

  Raelynn

  Clint grinned at me from across the table before he let go of my hand. We dove into the food, sinking our teeth into fabulous, greasy burgers that made me moan with delight. There was an extravagant amount of food. But I knew I’d eat it all. In some ways, I forgot Clint was sitting there. Watching me. Staring at me. Taking in the way ketchup slid across my cheeks and how the lettuce slid away from my burger, dropping onto the plate.

  “If you cut it in half, the vegetables will stay better.”

  I slowly looked over at him as I found myself mid-bite into my glorious burger.

  “Oh, yeah?” I asked with my mouth full.

  He chuckled. “Yep.”

  He held up half of his burger and I put mine down. I wiped off my face as his eyes danced along me, watching my every move. I wasn't sure what the hell he was staring at, but I didn’t like it. I’d never been underneath someone’s gaze so intently, and it made me squirm in my seat. I picked up my knife, cutting the burger in half before I picked up the part of it I had already been chewing on.

  And I found that the vegetables didn’t slip out as easily.

  I smiled. “Genius.”

  “I’ve eaten many burgers in my lifetime. I’ve perfected the art.”

  I shook my head. “There’s no art to eating them. There’s only the art of cleaning yourself up after them.”

  “That an art you’ve perfected?”

  “You making fun of the way I eat, Clarke?”

  He winked. “Maybe just a bit.”

  I rolled my eyes. “A teaser, even on a date. How romantic.”

  “I mean, we could share our milkshakes if you wanted. Get two straws. Nuzzle our noses together and feed each other cherries.”

  “I’m not eating anything from your fingertips. I don’t know where those things have been.”

  He grinned. “I could tell you where they will be later.”

  “You sound pretty sure of yourself there. I wouldn’t get too cocky.”

  “But maybe just a little cocky. Right?”

  I felt myself blushing as I shook my head. We went back and forth like that over our food, but it wasn’t the kind of dickish banter I’d known him to have. It was playful. Flirtatious. Nice, even. He had a great sense of humor, and I found myself laughing and partially choking on my food every time he slid a joke in at the right time. Who would’ve thought Clint Clarke had a decent sense of humor?

  Certainly not me.

  Clint pointed to my shake. “You got enough room for that?”

  I leaned back. “I have to a
dmit, this was a lot more food than I realized.”

  He grinned. “Maybe try not to keep up with me next time.”

  “If you challenge me, I’ll make myself sick proving you wrong.”

  “And that would be one of the many reasons why you’re not like your mother.”

  The comment caught me off-guard, and it settled itself deep in the pit of my soul. It affected me in so many ways that it brought tears to my eyes. I looked down into my lap, playing with the loose fabric of my cardigan. I blinked rapidly, trying to keep myself together. Except the tears fell anyway.

  And I felt my body being slid across the booth seat.

  “Come here,” he murmured.

  He wrapped his arm around me and I leaned against him. I felt his strength as he comforted me. As he slid his hand up and down my arm. I tucked my head underneath his chin, feeling him lean back with me. And as I rested against him, I allowed the full force of that complimented truth barrel over me.

  “You really think I’m not like her?” I whispered.

  He shook his head. “Not one damn bit.”

  I sniffled. “Thank you.”

  “You have nothing to thank me for. You’re not like your mother. End of story. You’re strong. You’re vibrant. You’re resilient. And one of these days, you’ll get out of this place. Just like me.”

  I paused. “You want to get out, too?”

  “More than anything on this planet.”

  “What will you do once you leave?”

  He shrugged. “Not go to school, if I can help it. Maybe I’ll open up my own bike shop. Or become an apprentice somewhere and get some certs. Work on some writing or some bullshit like that while I’m at it. Anything’s better than what I’m doing now, that’s for sure.”

  I nodded. “I know what you mean.”

  He pulled me closer. “What about you? Any plans after high school?”

  “I’d love to move out with Allison and get a place together. Maybe with Michael moving in with us or something. She’s been accepted to UCLA’s architecture program, and I imagine Michael will apply to go there just to be around her more.”

  “That boy’s got it bad for her.”

  I giggled. “He does, and it’s adorable. I love it. And I’m totally for it.”

  The two of us sat in silence for a little while before he reached for his milkshake. He held the straw up to my lips and I took a small sip. Then he followed it up with a sip of his own. He went back and forth like that for a while. Until we’d drained the first of two milkshakes.

  But when he offered me a sip of the second one, I had to wave it away.

  “I cave. I concede. You win. Holy shit, I’m so full I hurt.”

  Clint kissed the top of my head. “We’ll sit here for a few minutes then, before we head out.”

  I nuzzled against him. “Are we headed anywhere specific? Or you just taking me back home?”

  He shrugged. “I figured we could do whatever you wanted. Go to the park. Go on a ride. Go to the beach. Go back to my place…”

  I gazed up into his face, watching him peer down at me. There was a hint of darkness in his eyes. A wanton, knowing flicker that made my heart slam against my chest. I nodded softly, silently answering the question he refused to put out there. And as a grin settled across his face, he raised his hand in the air.

  Prompting the waitress to deliver our check.

  Our exit was a blur. We moved so quickly as laughter fell from our lips that I had a hard time taking in the scenery. I rested my head against Clint’s back as we rode back to his house, with it being well past one in the morning. We pulled silently into his driveway, parked his bike, and stowed our helmets away.

  Before we stumbled up the steps.

  “Mm, you taste like chocolate,” he said, chuckling.

  I slid his jacket off his shoulders as he pinned me against the wall.

  “And you taste like french fries,” I said, whispering.

  He winked. “Wanna see what that combination tastes like?”

  I reached up, gripping his hair as I tugged him back down to me. Our lips collided, and he picked me up effortlessly, with an ease and a grace that made my stomach flutter with a million different butterflies. He was good at giving me that reaction. That feeling of effortlessly floating. He walked us into his room and closed the door behind him with his foot. And when the door thudded, I giggled against his lips.

  “Ssshhh, we’re gonna wake up the house.”

  He chuckled. “You’d like that, wouldn't you?”

  He tossed me to the bed and I squealed. I held myself up, watching him strip himself bare for me. His muscles came into view, causing me to lick my lips. I scrambled, kneeling against the mattress as I followed his motions, sliding my clothes off my body until my bare nakedness matched his.

  And the way he ran his eyes over me made me shiver.

  “Fucking hell, you’re gorgeous.”

  He crashed against me and we fell to his bed. His lips kissed every inch of my skin as I bucked and rolled for him. He kissed down my neck. He raked his teeth along my shoulder. He even nibbled against the crook of my arms. My arms, of all places! I tingled in areas I’d never paid attention to before. Like the small of my back and the tip of my nose. I gasped and moaned. I fisted the sheets as he slid my legs over his shoulders. I leaned up, watching him disappear between my legs.

  And as the moonlight streamed around his blackout curtains, his tongue pierced my folds.

  “Oh, shit,” I choked out.

  My head fell to the pillow and the room spun. My hands twisted wildly in his hair as I lost control of my movements. I bucked ravenously against him. I pressed my heels into his back. His tongue slid along my slit, making me wetter by the second. I trembled against his lips as I felt him fill me with his fingers. My toes curled and my eyes rolled back, giving way to guttural sounds that forced their way up the back of my throat.

  “That’s it. That’s it. That’s it. Clint.”

  I spiraled, falling into an endless sea of pleasure as his tongue pressed heavily between my legs. I felt my arousal trickling down my skin as I locked out against him. His hands pinned my hips to the bed. I felt him licking me clean as I fell, weak against the mattress. I gasped for air, the room spinning around me as he kissed softly up my body, leaving behind a trail of wet-lipped outlines that made me smile.

  That made me hungrier for him.

  “You’re fucking perfect,” he growled.

  He captured my lips with his and I tasted myself on him. It filled me with a desire I’d never experienced, and soon I lifted my hips to him in sacrifice. He guided his thick girth against my walls, filling me. Shaking me. Causing me to cling to him. My nails dug into his skin. I felt his muscles rolling underneath his taut skin, working desperately for my pleasure. His movements were stark. Our hips snapped together. His bed moved with our rocking as I gasped against his ear. Bit down into his shoulder. Marked him in any way I could so any girl at school would see and realize he was taken.

  Taken by me.

  “Clint. Yes. Yes. Yes. Don’t stop.”

  “Never. I’m not fucking stopping, and neither are you.”

  His words gave me shivers. My skin prickled everywhere, from my toes to my nose. My gut tightened as the sounds of skin slapping skin ricocheted around his room. I kissed the shell of his ear and whispered how amazing he made me feel with every broken breath. Fire raged through my veins, spurring the electrical shocks that pulsed against my spine.

  I felt him everywhere. In the crook of my waist. Behind my knees. In the nape of my neck as he growled against my skin.

  “So close. So close. So fucking close, Rae. Come with me.”

  My back bowed into him and my body unleashed. I clamped down around his length, pulling him deeper as my body begged for his nourishment. I wrapped my arms and legs around him, curling into him as he took what he wanted. And as his hands dug into the mattress, I felt the beast within him finally unleash, rutting against me as h
e poured into me, marking me as his own. Sinking his teeth into my breasts. Growling how perfect I was as he pinned me to the bed, breathing raggedly through his nose.

  I committed every sound to memory. Every smell. Every touch. Every kiss. Every stroke. And when he collapsed against me, I slid my hands up and down his back. I danced my fingertips against his muscles. I kissed his neck and his shoulder and his ear softly, feeling him quivering against me.

  “Stay with me,” he murmured.

  And as a smile crossed my face, I nodded my head.

  “Fine by me.”

  20

  Raelynn

  My eyes fell open before I shot up in bed. The room smelled different. It looked different. The layout wasn’t what I was used to.

  “Shit.”

  I threw the covers off me as Clint groaned next to me. I had to practically tumble myself out of bed, since the damn thing was so big. I fell to the floor, scrambling up before I ran straight into the wall. And as I stumbled along, trying to find the damn bathroom, Clint chuckled.

  “Need a light?”

  The room filled with a blinding light and I shielded my eyes. I grumbled underneath my breath as I reached for the door handle. I threw the door open, ready to relieve myself and try to get ready for school. Because fuck only knew what time it really was.

  Instead of the bathroom, though, I was met with Clint’s fucking closet.

  He chuckled. “On the other side of the room.”

  “I hate you,” I murmured.

  I rushed through the bedroom, trying the door on the other side of the room. And when it gave way to a toilet, I sighed with relief. I closed the door behind me, rushing for it. Rushing for the relief it would provide me. However, the light outside made me nervous. It was much too bright for first thing in the morning. I’d most certainly missed my first period. How much of second period I’d missed, I wasn’t sure.

  A knock came at the door. “Need anything in there?”

  I swallowed. “Just some privacy would be nice.”

  “I mean, you did hit the wall pretty hard. You okay?”