by K. I. Lynn
“What is it about her?”
“That was about you. I can buy you sexy lingerie, but I don’t have enough for bail.”
“That’s laughable.”
“Why?”
“You’re my devil, not my knight in shining armor.”
My jaw ticks, and I try not to cringe at the sting of her words. “Kira, I love you. I’m always going to protect you, even when it’s from yourself.”
She stares at me for a moment, then takes a swig from the bottle. “I don’t want that.”
“Tough. Now, hand over the bottle.” I hold out my hand expectantly.
Her eyes narrow, and she steps back. “Fuck you.”
“I’m not telling you not to drink, just pace yourself. Give me the bottle and sip on a beer.”
She lets out a sigh and holds it out. “In exchange, you leave me the hell alone tonight.”
I snatch it from her, glancing down at the label. “For a while.” Vodka. She was sucking down vodka like it was water.
“All night.” She jabs a finger into my chest. “This is my night. Don’t ruin it.”
“I’ll have my eye on you. No more starting fights.”
She crosses her arms over her chest and stalks past. I don’t miss the whispered “asshole” as she goes.
My gaze stays fixed on her, watching her as she gets a beer, and her friends, Ashley and Marilyn, come up behind her. Hopefully they can help contain any more explosions.
I twist off the top and take a long pull from the bottle. It burns all the way down as I slump into one of the deck chairs.
Kira has never liked Jenn, but I didn’t know it was so deep. If I’d arrived a few seconds later . . . She was just lashing out, but the bottle is thick glass, and heavy with liquid.
I stare at the bottle before taking another drink.
Austin dug up old wounds I’d created in Kira when he did Jenn. That night I royally fucked up. But there’s a chance she’ll forgive him for a one-time slipup.
I stand back up, setting the vodka on the table, and take my own advice as I head in for a beer.
For two hours I catch up with old friends, but never far from Kira.
Jenn tries to get my attention a few times, but I brush her off. She’s just after sex, but there’s only one pussy for me.
A movement of auburn catches my eye and I look over to Kira, who’s at baby giraffe status on those fucking sexy heels of hers. Her girls insisted on a couple of celebration shots, and now she’s tipsy.
Panic sets in as she tells them she’ll be right back. I’m out of my seat and following her without a thought. There are too many predators here tonight and no one will be taking advantage of my girl.
A couple of guys notice and start to follow, but immediately change course when they see me.
Yeah, I’ve still got it. Fear me, assholes.
She steps into the bathroom, and I lean against the wall to wait. When the door opens back up, her sea legs leave her unbalanced and she bounces off either side of the doorway.
I can’t help but chuckle. She looks so damn cute.
The sound alerts her to my presence, and her brow knits as she narrows her gaze.
“What?”
I shake my head and hold out a bottle of water. “Here. Drink this.”
“I don’t want it.”
“Just do it.” Fucking stubborn as ever.
“What is it?”
“Water.”
Her expression softens and she grabs it, unscrewing the top and taking a few long gulps.
“Thanks.”
“No problem. Just let me know when you want to go home. I’ll walk with you.”
“I don’t need you to.” She thrusts the bottle back at me and stomps off as best she can.
I watch her, my jaw ticking, my hands wanting to grab her. The anger is so great I almost miss Austin spotting her, then making his way through the crowd.
Almost.
There’s no way in hell I’m letting him near her.
A few long steps, and I’ve made up the distance. I reach out and grab her forearm, tilting it so I can reach the wristlet she’s wearing. Her keys are clipped to the strap, and before her drunk mind can process what I’m doing, I have her keys.
Dad and Sonia are probably in bed. The last thing she’ll want to do is let them find out she’s drunk.
“Hey!” she yells, jumping into the air and swiping.
Being nearly a foot taller than her definitely has its advantages, and I will use every one I can get to keep her from him.
I step back, holding her keychain high in the air. “Sorry, something you want?”
“Brayden! Stop being an asshole!”
I turn and start heading to the entrance, praying to God she’s smart enough to follow.
“Give me my keys, Brayden!”
She’s right behind me, chasing after me.
Just as I want.
I wish she could understand the kind of favor she just did for Austin. She saved his ass.
“Give them to me!”
Oh, she’s pissed. But there’s no sympathizing. I’m equally as heated. “You’re lucky you’re not over my shoulder right now.”
“Why are you always being such a dick?”
Kira has no fucking clue how nice I’m being considering that Austin was eye-fucking her in that dress all night.
In front of me. No fucks given.
I bet everyone in that party knew he was there for her, and he made no moves to try to hide it.
Kira calls out my name again.
We’re only a few blocks away from home. I’m going to make sure she gets inside, then I’ll lock her in her room if I must.
I’m supposed to be playing nice. Austin’s audacity and the sheer lust clouding my system make it impossible for me to do so.
“Brayden, I’m not fucking kidding!”
“Neither am I.” We cross onto our block, passing by her old house.
“Oh my God, just give me my freaking keys!”
She tackles me from behind. The impact of her body takes me by surprise, and I stumble forward.
Four steps, and I slam into the brick fence surrounding her old house. The same brick fence we played behind countless times.
Her arms tighten around my neck. “Last warning. Give me the damn keys.”
I burst out laughing and straighten. Grabbing her arms, I try to ease her off. “Woman, we’re already here.”
She presses closer, wiggling, all the while trying in vain to choke me.
Fire explodes through my veins. I’m already beyond fucking turned on, been like this forever now. The last thing I need is that lickable, tight little body rubbing up on me in any way.
“Give them back to me so I can go back to the party!”
She’s drunk, and adorable, and absolutely delusional. I’ve been good, kept as much of a respectful distance as my hunger for her has allowed. Have tried my best to not push too hard after that day at the restaurant.
That doesn’t mean I’m going to let her return to that party. She’s done for the night.
I pry her arms off me and turn to back away from her.
Kira’s panting, eyes lit up with the challenge, her hair a sexy mess. Instead of anger, I see what seems to be amusement glowing in her eyes.
Fuck, I want to eat her. Don’t know if I can control myself much longer.
She points her little finger menacingly at me. “Brayden . . .”
I throw my hands up and back away some more. “Go ahead. Shred me alive. But you know I’m not letting you go back over there.” Her annoyed huff makes me smile.
Her lips twitch in response. She’s fighting to hold back her own smile, and it only makes me smile wider. “You do know I’m very willing to shred you alive, right?” She starts coming toward me, almost like a predator stalking prey.
Fuck, yeah. That has to be one of the sexiest things I’ve ever seen.
It takes all of my willpower to continue backing away.
To remind myself that she’s drunk and I have no right to take advantage of that. “You do know I’ll probably end up liking it, don’t you?” I mumble, even more turned on by the idea of her clawing at me. Biting into me.
I’ll even let her draw blood. Whatever she wants.
A drunken giggle escapes her as her lips stretch involuntarily into a smile.
Those lips. God help me, I want them. Want to love on them. Fuck them. Come on them.
The air between us is suddenly hot and playful, and I don’t understand where the change came from. It’s so sudden that I’m left reeling, clueless how to deal with it.
Is she ready to give in to what she feels for me?
Does she want me to do every single thing I’m imagining myself doing to her?
We’ve made our way onto the driveway wrapped around the side of the house. Kira stops and tilts her head, staring behind me. “It’s still there. Forgot about that.”
I turn to see what she’s looking at—the large, dark outline of the tree house Ryan and I built almost ten years ago. The new owners of the house never took it down, and I think they even upgraded it for their kids at one point.
Kira rushes up to me and grabs my hand. “Come on.”
I let her lead me at first, too caught up in the feel of her small hand in mine. “Kira, wait. The neighbors.”
She doesn’t slow down one bit, her heels clicking on the pavement. “Driveway is empty. They aren’t here.”
“That doesn’t mean anything.”
Spinning around, she places her finger on my lips. “Shhh.”
I can’t help it. Groaning, I suck her finger into my mouth and Kira lets me, her lips parting, breaths speeding up. I watch her pupils expand, my dick pounding inside my jeans.
She swallows heavily and slides her finger out of my mouth. “Come.”
Shit. The way she says that, I almost do.
Christ, if she’s planning to take me up into that tree house to seduce me, drunk or not, I don’t think I’ll be able to resist her.
Kira stops next to where the driveway ends and bends down to slide off her heels. Just that simple act hits me like a punch to the dick. “Kira, this isn’t a good idea.”
She throws me a playful look over her shoulder. “Oh, shut up. You know you want to.”
Damn me, does she even realize how sultry and delicious she looks right now? Barefoot, in that tight-as-fuck dress, that teasing expression making my dick twitch hungrily for her. “I want to do a lot of things I can’t do right now.” Most of them don’t even involve getting her up into that tree house.
Ignoring my murmured comment, she walks onto the grass, hips swaying with every step.
I’m helpless not to follow, my eyes glued to that perfect bubble butt of hers. She stops at the ladder leading up to the tree house. This ladder is brand new, definitely not the same one that snapped with her on it years ago.
It’s been ten years since that day, yet my chest fucking tightens, like I’m experiencing it all over again. That feeling of almost losing her chokes me. A feeling I’ve felt too many times in my life.
Kira places her heels next to the tree and grabs onto the ladder.
I step closer. She’s drunk—not falling all over herself drunk, but I’m still worried.
Not that I should be. She climbs that ladder as expertly as she always did. Halfway up, she stops to check if I’m following her.
I’m not.
Her position allows me to see up her skirt clearly, and she’s either wearing the smallest thong on earth—
Or she isn’t wearing anything under that dress.
My body tightens with more lust.
My blood heats with raw anger.
“You coming up?” she asks me, as if nothing’s fucking wrong.
“Kira . . . tell me you’re wearing something under that.” Fists clenched, I struggle for some semblance of calm.
The insidious question nagging at the back of my mind bursts forward—did Kira dress up like that for Austin?
This motherfucking pain, man. It’s the reason I’m willing to take whatever she throws at me. I didn’t realize it at the time, but this is what I did to her, what I made her feel for too damn long.
I’ll take all of it. Including this hit. I deserve it.
Exhaling, I grab on to the ladder.
She rushes up into the tree house, not answering my question.
Sure, go ahead, girl. Leave that knife shoved inside my chest. Fifty-fifty right?
I follow her up into the tree house, not believing that I let her convince me to do this. We’re going to be arrested if we’re caught.
When I get inside, Kira’s sitting down against the far wall. All I can see is her outline, her long hair falling over her shoulders.
We’re not up here to have sex.
I’m having a hard time convincing myself of that. Having an even harder time believing that she isn’t entertaining the idea as much as I am. That she isn’t thinking of us tearing into each other up here, in the dark, in the same place we spent so many hours playing as children.
Fuck, that thought turns me on. I’m probably a sick bastard for that, but I can’t help it.
I move closer to her. Can’t have her. She’s had too much to drink. The litany runs through my mind. A warning.
If I do anything with her now, she’ll have an excuse to pretend it was all a mistake tomorrow.
No. The next time I touch Kira, I want her fully aware that she’s letting me. That she fucking wants it as much as I do.
It’s still hell. Every inch that I move closer, all I imagine is fisting all that hair and bringing her to my mouth.
I sit down slightly across from her. Her head turns in my direction. “Turn on your phone’s light,” she whispers in a fucking siren’s voice.
“It’s not a good idea for us to be up here.” I wish she understood how much I mean that.
“It’s not a good idea for me to be up here with you, you mean.”
That comment shouldn’t sting as much as it does. “I rather you be up here with me than anyone else,” I growl.
“Then turn on the light.”
Shit. Mother of fuck. Her voice.
Like the pathetic slave I am, I bring my phone out and do as she says. As soon as the light is on and I can stare into her eyes, I ask her that question. The evil one that won’t leave me the hell alone. “Did you dress up like this for Austin?” Damn it, I need to know, even if that answer ends up ruining me.
She just stares at me with her big hazel eyes. Eyes that are usually so expressive. Now I can’t read them. She’s getting good at hiding what’s on her mind. Especially from me.
I grind my teeth at that realization.
“It’s not cool what you did back there, Brayden. Taking my keys.”
My shoulder jerks in a shrug. “I’ll apologize for a million things, but not that. I wanted you out of there.”
“What if I storm into your life and get in the way of you having fun?”
I laugh at that. She still doesn’t get it. At this point, I’m starting to wonder just how far I’ll have to go to convince her. “I’m yours. You have permission to do whatever the hell you want to me.”
She seems to mull that over. “You wanted me out of there . . . why? Because Austin was there?”
The teeth grinding resumes. “Yes.”
“You shouldn’t care so much.”
“Are you fucking kidding me?” It takes all my self-control to keep from yelling out. “He loves you. You . . . you feel something for him. I don’t know what, but it’s there. I told you I’d forgive you for choosing him, but don’t expect me to just sit back and do nothing to try to stop it. Until you make that choice, I’m going to fight like hell for you.” This topic grates. A feeling I can’t stand, scratching its way through me.
On top of it all, Kira continues to sit there, calm as can be. “I love how you still think you have any say in that decision.”
I run both my h
ands through my hair. “He went back and slept with Jennifer.”
“I’ll remind you again—so did you.”
“When I was seventeen, and not after sleeping with you. You . . . fuck!” Saying it is almost as hard as remembering it. But not saying it isn’t going to erase the fact that it happened, either. “You gave yourself to him. He was your first, and he still ran back to her.”
Her eyes drop, but not before I see what flashes in them.
“Tell me,” I say, voice hoarse. “Tell me to fucking destroy him for what he did to you, and I’ll go back and do so right now.” It’s not the first time I’ve begged her for this. Probably won’t be the last.
Expression calm once more, she leans back on the wall, eyes focused ahead. “You really do care that he hurt me.” She sounds surprised.
“Of course I fucking do.”
She laughs under her breath. “It’s not like he and I were together, so I have no real reason to be upset, right?”
I wish that was true. So damn bad. “You might have not been together, but there was something between you guys. He had no right to do that to you.”
“Was there something going on between me and Austin?”
“You were sleeping together.” I can’t keep the bitterness out of my tone; don’t even bother to try.
“I only slept with Austin that one time.”
What . . . my mouth falls open, and I can’t formulate a response. I can barely formulate thoughts.
Once? He only had her once?
Once is more than enough, but hearing that he hasn’t slept with Kira since that one time . . . fuck. I feel like I’ve been hit. Elation bubbles up in me, until I see the look on her face.
It doesn’t matter how many times they were together, if she keeps insisting she isn’t hurt. Obviously she is, and even though I don’t know why, the desire to hurt him in return won’t leave me alone. “It’s fucked up what he did to you, Kira. Let me make him pay.”
“Why is it okay for you to hurt me, but it’s wrong that he did so?”
God damn, this girl has a way of cutting me to the quick with her words. “None of the things I did to you were okay. I’ve told you hundreds of times. I fucked up. I fucked up so bad, Kira.”
“So you want me to forgive you, but not him?”
I get why she’s asking me these things. I even appreciate the fact that, instead of pushing me away completely, she’s actually trying to understand me.
