Just One Touch

by C. A. Harms

  I nodded my head, unable to speak because he’d once again kissed me. His body pushed my own toward the wood at my back as he gripped my hips. This was what I’d missed downstairs, that commanding stance, yet delicate. It’s so hard to explain but Clayton was different, he was more.

  “That was hard to see,” he confessed, and my heart ached. “I don’t ever wanna see you with another man.” We were silent for a minute, and I still held his face in my hands, looking up at him, our foreheads resting together, his eyes closed.

  “I’ve never wanted to kick my brother’s ass before,” Clayton’s words sounded sad, “until now.”

  “It was all my fault, and I’m sorry.”

  He finally opened his eyes and I waited for him. I needed him to show me this was okay, that we were okay.

  “I should’ve picked you up or met you downstairs.” Then he stepped back and I sagged against the door behind me. “In the future, remember that Corbin has a freckle, and his front tooth is chipped from a baseball when we were twelve.”

  I nodded my head, still feeling unsure.

  “Plus, I’m much cuter.” Then I saw the trace of a smile and the tightness in my chest began to feel a little less overpowering.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Clayton

  I spent half my night hearing over and over about how Corbin kissed my girl. And each time I heard it, I felt that need to beat the hell out of the dickhead. I think my brothers were starting to get the hint, because I was a raging dick after the first ten minutes.

  I sat on a stool near the pool table watching Emelie and Blake talk and laugh. They were on the opposite side, sitting side by side on a couch. I think Blake picked up on my mood and dragged her off, taking pity on the girl. I’d had a death grip on her from the moment we left my room earlier.

  I saw movement from my side and when I looked to see Corbin approaching, holding out a bottle of beer, I felt the fury return. I knew he had no idea who she was; it was the continuous shit he and the other guys had given me that pissed me off. No guy wants to hear their girl kissed another man. They sure as shit don’t ever want said guy to be their fucking brother.

  “Peace offering.” Corbin placed the beer on the table, still keeping a safe distance.

  “How about a black eye?” He stepped back. “That sounds like a better peace offering.”

  When he chuckled, I stood, and he held out his hand. “Come on, man, I didn’t know.”

  “No, but now that you do, the shit needs to be buried.” And really fucking fast before my head spun off my shoulders and I strangled every dick I lived with. “Enough about it.”

  “Okay, I get it.” All traces of humor were gone. “You really like this girl.”

  “I more than like this girl.” I sat back down on the stool and took the beer he’d just offered. “She’s not just some chick, Corbin, she’s different. You know yourself had she been any other girl I wouldn’t have given two fucks about you kissing her.”

  “I’m sorry,” he finally said, joining me at the table. “It ends.”

  I nodded as I stared over the table, my gaze connected with Em’s. I could see the worried look on her face as she tried to hide it by turning back to Blake.

  “She didn’t know either,” Corbin added. “She went rigid two seconds into it and pulled back.” I could feel my jaw ticking. “She seems worried, bro.” I knew he was right. “I think we all need to let it go and you need to go reassure your girl that everything is good.”

  I watched her look in our direction once again and knew my brother was right.

  “If I hear one more time some shitty comment from you about tongues or moans in regards to Emelie, I will kick your ass.” I looked away from Em and towered over my brother. “One day you’ll be in this position, where you’ve got a girl and the idea of any other man touching her drives you mad. She’s mine, Corb.” He nodded his head in agreement. With one more swig of my beer, I stood up and began walking around the table toward Emelie.

  Pausing near the end of the couch, I bent down and kissed the top of her head. “Let’s go get a drink.” I held out my hand and she looked at it, then back at me.

  “Well, that depends,” Blake answered for her. “Are you done moping over something you can’t change? Or do you plan on being a dickhead all night? Because if that’s the case, then she can stay right here with me, because I’ll be much better company.”

  Looking at Blake, I saw that familiar fire I’ve seen in her often. It pleased me to know she’d bonded with Emelie. Blake was part of my crew, part of my college family, and now Em was too.

  “Crankiness is gone, Mom,” I said to Blake, and she narrowed her eyes at me. “Besides, I was never mad at my girl.”

  “Could have fooled me,” Blake added in her snarky tone.

  “Me too.” It didn’t bother me when Blake said it, but with Emelie it did. I felt like an asshole the minute she agreed.

  Kneeling in front of her, I slid my hands along the sides of her thighs and cupped them both, my fingertips just beneath the hem of her skirt. “I was an ass, but it was directed at the guys. I’m sorry I made you feel like it was you I was pissed at.” I moved toward her to press a kiss to her lips. “I get a little crazy when it comes to you.” Emelie smiled, and I kissed her once more, this time nipping at her bottom lip. “Forgive me.” I could feel myself growing anxious and I knew it was all on my shoulders.

  “I think you have the ability to change how this night ends,” Emelie whispered, and I noticed the gleam in her eyes. “We’ll see how well you do.” I understood then what she meant, and I was thankful I hadn’t completely wrecked it for us.

  “And that’s my cue to leave,” Blake said with a laugh as she slugged my shoulder. “I like this girl, Clayton. Be good to her.”

  “I will.” I didn’t look away from Emelie, and Blake slipped away, leaving us alone. “So how about that drink?”

  “Okay, but on one condition.” I waited for her to continue. “Can we take our drinks upstairs so we can spend the rest of your birthday with just you and me?”

  “Definitely.” My heart raced as I stood up and took her hand in mine.

  We walked together to the kitchen and I grabbed each of us a beer, then led her toward the stairs. “Where are you going?” I looked back over my shoulder to see Morgan standing by Xavier’s side, Marcus to her left. Until then, I hadn’t noticed any of them all night.

  “Upstairs.”

  “Not yet, you aren’t.” Marcus stepped forward and pulled Emelie away from me. I felt the loss of her closeness instantly. “I just got here and I haven’t had the chance to meet this lovely lady yet.”

  I smiled as I watched him accept Emelie into the Marcus club. He was always in the center of the girls, sharing secrets, laughing and such. Emelie looked back at me a couple of times, and I just offered her a smile. I loved seeing her like this; she was always so serious and over stressed. She never let herself just have fun. Oh, we had fun with Ethan, and Palmer was a riot, but I meant outside of her element.

  It was a different side of my girl.

  ***

  “Thank you for finally stealing me away.” Emelie looked up at me through her long lashes. “I like them, but I was ready to be alone with you.” Feeling her hand slip just beneath the hem of my shirt and trace over my abs caused the words on the tip of my tongue to get lost in my mind.

  “I got you a birthday present.”

  “Oh, yeah?” I dipped my head just enough to kiss her. “What did you get me?”

  “You have to step back and sit down.” Leaning back away from her, I wrinkled my forehead as she laughed. “Just do it.” She pushed against my chest with her hands; I followed her directions and sat on the edge of my bed. “Close your eyes.”

  Was she crazy? I didn’t want to miss a second of her.

  “Eyes,” she added again, and I grinned as I closed them and waited. I could hear her moving around and I wanted so badly to peek. “Okay, you can open your eyes.�
��

  Have you ever felt as if you had lost your ability to speak? Like something took place before you and you were either so elated, or so shocked that all words escaped you, and you were left feeling so weakened that nothing managed to ring through your mind but utter blankness.

  That was me.

  “Do you like it?” My girl had to be insane if she thought I didn’t fucking love it. What guy wouldn’t enjoy the girl they are head over heels for standing before them wearing a sexy as fuck lacy number that hid abso-fucking-lutely nothing?

  “I love it.” I scanned her body from head to toe, over and over, still feeling blank. “You’re gorgeous, Em,” I finally said in a hoarse whisper. “Even that isn’t a strong enough word.”

  “I’ve never bought lingerie before,” she confessed, looking down at herself. “I wasn’t sure where to start.”

  “There.” My throat felt raw and she looked back at me, smiling wider. “You started in the perfect place.” I’d never in my life had a girl make me feel so off my game. It wasn’t just my mind she’d managed to scramble, but my heart too. Telling her I loved her right then just felt wrong, but I knew I did. I knew I loved her and Ethan, and had for some time.

  I stood, moving closer to her and traced over the edge of her bra as it dipped low, showing off the contours of her breast. “I like this,” I confessed, watching her eyes flutter shut from my touch. Slouching slightly, I kissed the same spot and gripped her hips when she wobbled slightly. “This too,” I continued as I hooked the barely there strap at her side that trailed all the way behind her, leaving her entire ass exposed. “These are nice.” She whimpered when I cupped her ass in my hand. “You bought this for me?”

  “Yes.” Emelie’s voice sounded strained.

  “Thank you.” Kissing along her jaw, I paused near her ear. “Best birthday present ever.”

  “It’s not just the panties and bra that are your present.” There was something to be said about how breathy she sounded. I felt like the king of the fucking world knowing it was me who had her feeling the way I knew she did. “It’s what’s beneath that’s yours too.”

  “Like I said,” I began backing up, taking her with me, “best fucking birthday ever.”

  She giggled when I spun her around and moved her to the bed, her body bouncing as it hit the mattress. Instead of joining her there right away, I stood at the end, looking at her. My chest tightened; it literally hurt as I tried to slow down my rapidly beating heart.

  Emelie was my girl, my everything. Fuck, being lost in one woman, knowing she could destroy me so easily if she wanted to should have terrified me. I should feel weak and vulnerable, but instead I felt powerful and indestructible.

  I lifted my shirt up and over my head, quickly removed my jeans, and began to crawl over her waiting body. The way she watched me, her chest moving up and down in quick short breaths, mirrored my own excitement.

  “Do you understand just how much I care about you?” Lowering my body to hers, I pushed my hardness against her and her back arched. Her chest lifted, and I took full advantage to suck on her nipple through the sheer material of her bra. “You have me wrapped around your finger, sweet girl,” I confessed, “so damned tightly.”

  The words “I love you” were again hanging on the tip of my tongue. I was a mess, a whipped fall at the feet of your girl, no hope of surviving without her, guy. Yeah, that was me.

  “Thank you for finally seeing me.” I looked her directly in the eyes. If saying “I love you” didn’t feel right at the time, then I’d ensure she knew just how much being with her meant to me. “For letting me be a part of your life and Ethan’s. You two mean the world to me.”

  “Thank you for not making me regret it.” And I never would.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Emelie

  I gripped his ass, pulling him against me harder and faster. My head was spinning. I swear everything seemed hazy, but it felt so damned good. My toes curled with each thrust of his hips, and I knew my fingernails digging into his flesh had to hurt yet he showed no signs of pain.

  “Mm,” I heard him moan into the crook of my neck just before he bit me.

  “Clay,” I whimpered, and he released his hold, kissing along my neck and shoulder. His pace would quicken just before he slowed, as if drawing out the pleasure. I didn’t want it to end either; it was too good to stop.

  Our bodies slick with sweat, he lifted his body off mine and looked directly at me. “You’re amazing,” he groaned, pumping his hips again. I could feel myself building once more, and at that point I wasn’t sure I could survive another orgasm. My body felt weak and battered, but nothing had ever felt better. “I don’t wanna stop.”

  “Me either, like ever.”

  Dipping his face to mine, he kissed me, mimicking the movements of his cock inside me with his tongue, a gentle entanglement that made the intensity of the moment overpowering. “You’re everything, Em.” I closed my eyes tightly, fighting off the emotions inside me. “My everything.”

  Just when I thought I’d gained some control he went in for the kill.

  “I’ll always want you, and him. That will never change.”

  My body ignited and I arched off the mattress, gripping his shoulders so tight he winced. With three hard thrusts, he tensed and moaned as he bit his lower lip. Slow and steady he moved out and in one more time before resting his body over mine once more.

  Together we lay perfectly still, taking one deep breath after another.

  Clayton Powell had ruined me, but in the best possible way. I was without a doubt, completely and uncontrollably, in love with him. It no longer scared me; instead, it freed me.

  ***

  I left Clayton’s house after a long and very heated kiss as he held me captive against my car. He knew it too, as he tucked me inside my car and stepped back with a smirk. I had a feeling I’d released some type of arrogant beast inside him that would only manage to torture me at every turn.

  When I pulled up at my apartment, I grabbed my things and realized I’d left my phone at his place. I thought of turning back around to get it but didn’t know if I’d be able to walk away from him a second time. I’d just use Palmer’s phone to call him and have him bring it over later after I had some time to recover from our night.

  I entered my apartment feeling high on life and where everything had led me, and froze the moment I stepped inside. There on the couch sat my father, a displeased look on his face. Palmer was in the kitchen, feeding Ethan in a chair and she looked almost frightened as she looked up at me.

  “It’s so nice of you to finally find your way home, Emelie.” My father regained my full attention. Suddenly I felt very small in his presence. “By your appearance, I’d be safe to assume that you’ve been out all night, reliving your past mistakes. Will I be supporting a second child in nine months?”

  “It’s not like that.”

  My father had always managed to make me feel so small, so inadequate. I’d spent my life trying to be who he wanted me to be, to live up to the standards he felt fit. But it was never good enough; I was never good enough.

  “It’s exactly what it looks like.” He stood from the couch and stepped in my direction. “I came here hoping to find that my daughter had somehow grown up. Maybe she’d be a responsible adult for a change, taking care of those past mistakes that are now her obligations.”

  I felt like he’d just kicked me in the stomach because I knew he was referring to Ethan as my “mistake.” Tears filled my eyes and I fisted my hands at my side. “He is not a mistake!” I’d never yelled at my father nor back talked him—until then. “He is my son, and don’t you ever refer to him again as something shameful. He is my son, damn it!” I screamed the last words even louder than the first.

  Ethan began to cry in the background and I turned to him, feeling saddened that I’d scared him.

  “It’s time you realize what life is about, Emelie,” my father said from behind me. I didn’t turn to face him; I co
uldn’t. “I’ve paid your last rent check. After this month ends, you’re on your own.”

  “I’ve been on my own since I was old enough to make my own breakfast,” I mumbled, and he actually had the nerve to laugh. “You and Mother were never proud of me, you were never there for me. You’ve always just been a source for money. Tossing me a fifty whenever you needed to brush me off. So the only thing I’m losing now is that. I lost everything else long ago.”

  I kept my back to him, feeling defeated. It wasn’t until I heard the door click shut behind me that I went and hugged Ethan close and finally gave in to the ache I’d felt inside me.

  “It’s okay, Em,” Palmer assured me. I knew she was just offering me comfort, but I couldn’t handle it.

  “It’s not okay.” I shrugged out of her hold. “None of this is okay.”

  I spun around to face her. “You pushed me to let go, live a little. ‘You’re young, Em, you deserve to have a life. You need to get out and live, let the guy woo you. Go to the party, Em, stay the night.’” I was crying so hard I couldn’t even see her clearly. “Now look where all that got me.”

  I walked away and slammed my bedroom door as I sat down on the bed and rocked Ethan. He fisted my shirt in his little hands as he sniffled. “I’m sorry, buddy.” Kissing his forehead I tried to soothe him.

  Lying back, I curled over onto my side and tucked him close. “Mommy’s so sorry.” When he reached up to touch my face, I closed my eyes and a new round of tears fell.

  I should have just listened and saved myself all the heartache. I was acting like a college kid with no responsibilities and the problem with that was I wasn’t the typical college girl. I was a mom who was about to be out on the streets with a two-year-old son. There was no way I could pay for this place and everything else on top of it.