Caveman: A Single Dad Next Door Romance

by Jo Raven

  The scars distract me enough so that I can hold on to my control a while longer. I brush my hand over them, then look up into her eyes as I push into her in one long thrust.

  Oh fuck.

  I must have blanked out for a second because the next thing I know she’s tugging on my shoulders, urging me to move.

  She’s so unbelievably tight. And it’s her scent around me, her face below me. It’s Ev, and she’s with me. I pull out half way and push back in, watching her mouth fall open and her eyes close. Her legs wrap around me, and I lean over her until I’m propped on my elbow, my other hand teasing her breasts. I bring my mouth on hers, slipping my tongue inside, tasting her, licking her until she clutches at me desperately.

  Her hips rise, and she clenches around me, inner muscles rippling in a maddening rhythm. This time there’s no way I can stop this orgasm from slamming into me like a runaway train. It tears through me, making my body writhe. My hips are moving in a frantic rhythm of their own, and wave after wave of burning pleasure washes though me. Not sure I can take so much of it without going mad.

  Then I feel it—the exquisite tightening around my still jerking cock, and I hear her cry out as she comes.

  Too much. Breaking the kiss, I muffle a howl into her shoulder, and hunch over her, my whole body trembling.

  She shifts beneath me, and I lift my head, blinking the sweat from my eyes. “Holy shit,” I whisper.

  She grins. She’s so fucking sexy I want to start all over again, but my body can’t cooperate just yet. I think it will take me more than two seconds to recuperate from something this strong. I don’t think I can even shift enough to pull out of her. Maybe we can stay like this forever.

  I shouldn’t like the thought so much.

  My lids are heavy, but she seems full of energy. Tugging and pushing, she manages to roll me on my side, and she rolls with me, still wrapped around me, one leg over my thigh.

  Comfortable. Warm. I inhale her scent of flowers, and I’m already dozing off when she clenches her leg, drawing me closer. As I’m still trapped inside her, this brings a growl up my throat.

  She laughs, a silver sound. “Why did you think I wouldn’t come here tonight?” she asks, her voice soft.

  I try to think of a plausible explanation. “Your folks? I thought you’d get into trouble if you did.”

  Her face falls, and I want to kick myself for reminding her. “They know I’m staying at a friend’s.”

  I don’t know what to say to make her forget. My brain is sluggish. “I like holding you.”

  She smiles, her brow smoothing out. “I like it when you hold me, too.”

  “I don’t wanna scare you away.” Damn, my mouth is on autopilot. Brain not connected. “Ev…”

  “You can’t scare me away,” she says firmly, and fuck, I want to believe her. “Are you talking about taking me into that alley today, or are you hiding whips and chains somewhere in your room?”

  She glances around as if expecting to see them hanging on the wall, and I snort.

  “The alley,” I say, although that’s not all. That’s just the tip of the iceberg. “Won’t you tell me what scares you?”

  Her lips part, and I’m tempted to kiss her again. I hold back. I want to know more about her. I want to understand her.

  “My boyfriend,” she starts, and I freeze. I think my heart has stopped.

  “Boyfriend,” I repeat, my voice choked.

  “Blake,” she says, “my ex-boyfriend. Very ex.”

  I release a long breath, and my heart restarts with a lurch. “Right. Blake. What about him?” I fucking hate the guy already, and that’s even before I remember where I heard his name before. “He’s the douchebag who tells you you’re a cripple, isn’t he? What else did he do to you?”

  She doesn’t immediately reply, and heat rises up my neck. I’m gonna rip this guy’s head right off his shoulders. My pulse thrums in my ears.

  “What did he do?” I ask again. “Did he hurt you? Where is he now?”

  “Micah.” Her hand worms its way between us and settles over my pounding heart. “Calm down.”

  “The hell I will. What did he do, Ev?”

  “Nothing.” She bites her lip. “It’s stupid. He’s never been violent with me, or anyone else.”

  Some of the tension leeches out of me, but I’m still grinding my teeth. “Then why are you afraid? What else did he say? If he—”

  “He just talks a load of crap.” She presses her forefinger to my lips, stopping my questions. “Forget it.”

  The adrenaline rush is still making the blood rush in my ears, but exhaustion drags me down. I manage to pull out of her and tie off the condom, then go clean up and return with a wet cloth for her. She moans softly as I clean her, and damn if my cock doesn’t twitch again.

  Not sure I’ll survive another round tonight. So I tell my dick to suck it up, throw the wet cloth into a corner of the room and fall back into bed. I gather her close, tucking her head under my chin, still amazed at how such a tiny person can make me feel safe and content.

  “What time is it?” she whispers, her breath tickling my skin.

  My eyes are closing, and I struggle to open them again. “Must be midnight, I guess. Why?”

  “Maybe I should set an alarm for tomorrow. Have to go to work.”

  “Oh, right. I’ve set mine. I’ll wake you.” I reach out and switch off the light. In the velvet darkness, she’s curled against me like a magical creature, molding to me, soft and warm, small and yet strong.

  “Thanks.” She trails her fingers over my chest, and it all fades for a while.

  I come awake when she pulls away from me. I reach instinctively for her, not wanting to let go. “Ev?”

  “Bathroom. I’ll be right back.” She smoothes a hand over my face. “You’re wiped out, aren’t you? Not sleeping well?”

  “I sleep well with you,” I mumble, brain hazed and studded with snatches of dreams. “Ev, stay…”

  “I’ll be right back,” she says, but I fall asleep before she does.

  A figure stands at the door. It’s dark and I can’t really see, but I know her. She’s sat on my bed often and stroked my hair. She hasn’t been in my room recently, though, and I can’t quite recall her face. Her hair is dark and short, her eyes big and the color of the sky.

  Mom… I wait, lying in my bed. I want her to come closer, to sit again beside me. I want to feel her arms around me, her hand on my hair, her lips on my cheek. I want to hear her voice saying my name.

  ‘Micah, baby…’ Her voice, soft. ‘I’m here.’

  But she doesn’t move. She’s just a dark shadow against the light. Then she turns to go, and I’m scared. I know she’s never coming back. She’s leaving. Leaving me behind.

  I twist, struggling to get up, go after her, but for some reason I can’t move. I’m tied to the bed, tied and gagged, and I’m not in my room anymore, not in a house, but at one of the group homes. I recognize the bare hanging bulbs and stained concrete floor. I know the faces crowding around the bed, and I see the baseball bats in their hands.

  I know what’s coming next, but it still doesn’t prepare me for the first blow. When it falls, I jerk and shout for help. Blow after blow falls on me, and I shout and curse, all in vain.

  “Micah. Snap out of it, man.” A male voice. A strong hand shaking me. “Hey. Enough. You’ll wake up the whole building. You don’t want the bitch from next door coming over to complain again.”

  Another cry is caught in my throat, and I can’t breathe. A fit of coughing overtakes me, and I curl on my side, hacking and trying to breathe.

  “I’ll bring you some water,” Seth says. He knows the drill.

  But I sit up with a groan. “I’m okay.”

  “Ew, man, cover up.” Seth makes a face. “I don’t need to see your fucking dick.”

  I pull the sheet over my lap, and he turns to go.

  He stops. The only light comes through the door, and I squint, trying to see what
has him frozen.

  A girl is standing there, wearing an oversized T-shirt, her hair hanging over her shoulders like sheets of beaten metal. My overtaxed brain keeps superimposing a dark shadow over her, and I know she’s leaving me.

  “No.” I shake my head. “Don’t go.”

  “Micah?” Ev, it’s Ev, her wide eyes flicking from me to Seth and back. “I’m not going anywhere. Just… What is Seth doing here?”

  “What?” I scrape a hand over my face, hoping to restart my brain. “Seth lives here.”

  “He lives with you?

  “Got a problem with that?” Seth mutters irritably.

  Ev rubs her temples. The T-shirt she’s wearing is mine. Why the hell do I feel warm at the thought of her wearing my clothes?

  “It’s not… Not a problem,” she whispers.

  “I’ll leave you two alone,” Seth grumbles. “And try to keep it quiet, will ya? Trying to get some downtime here.”

  He pushes past Ev, who flinches.

  The hell?

  “What’s wrong?” I ask.

  “It’s complicated.” She pads over to me but stays standing by the bed. “Are you okay? I heard a shout and then voices… And then you were coughing.”

  “I’m all right.” I sigh. “Ev, you have to tell me what’s wrong. This doesn’t have to do with that asshole, Blake, does it?”

  “I told you. It’s complicated.”

  Okay, this is driving me nuts. “Maybe I’m not as stupid as you seem to think. Try to explain. Use simple words, if you like.”

  She turns away, her face crumbling. “Please, Micah. Not now.”

  I shake my head, both mystified and angry. “Why won’t you talk to me, Ev? What’s the story with Seth?”

  “Micah...”

  Fuck this. “Why do you run away whenever he’s around? And don’t give me again the bullshit about being concerned with his safety. Did he do something to you?” I’d give my right arm for Seth, but if he did something to her... The nightmare still lingers in the back of my mind, making me jittery.

  “No.” She shakes her head vehemently. “Seth did nothing wrong.”

  “Then what?” My head is pounding, and I press the heels of my hands into my eyes. “Dammit. Fuck.”

  “Hey…” She sits by my side. “You have a headache, huh?”

  No shit. It’s like a trio of jackhammers pummeling the insides of my skull.

  “Pills?” she asks.

  “Won’t help.”

  She says nothing for a while. Then she puts her hands at the back of my neck, digging her thumbs into the muscles, and I hiss. It hurts like hell, but at the same time it feels so damn good. Her small hands are surprisingly strong.

  “Where did you learn to do this?” I groan as she massages a particularly sore spot.

  “My mom sometimes gets tension headaches. I paid attention to her physiotherapist when he massaged her back then, so I could do it for her at home.”

  I swallow a moan of pleasure as she presses deep into clenched muscles, unlocking them. “Feels great,” I manage.

  “Your back is a mess.” She pushes her thumbs into the base of my neck, and I jolt, electric pain shooting down my spine.

  “Ow.”

  “Your muscles are hard like stones. Could be a reason why you can’t sleep well. That and the nightmares.”

  I say nothing.

  “What were you dreaming about?”

  I don’t wanna talk about this. But she won’t talk to me unless I talk to her, and I’m hiding a lot from her already, so fuck it. “Foster care.”

  Just two words. There. Was it easy? Nope. I feel as if I’ve just had to break two of my teeth and spit them out.

  I don’t talk about my nightmares to anyone. Ever. Not even to Seth who happens to be the one to wake me up every time. Or to Zane who has given me all I have. So why am I telling her?

  Her hands stop their massaging. I frown, but before I turn to look at her, she slips her arms around me and rests her cheek between my shoulder blades.

  “What happened to you there?”

  My heart hammers in my chest. I try to swallow, but my mouth is too dry. “I don’t…” My throat clicks. Oh shit. I so don’t wanna talk about this. What was I thinking? “Nothing happened.”

  “A nothing that gives you nightmares?”

  My jaw clenches. “Yeah. Like the nothing that makes you scared of Seth.”

  I hear her sharp intake of breath. After a few moments pass, she exhales. “Touché.”

  But it doesn’t make me feel better. It makes me feel worse that I threw her words back at her. She doesn’t deserve this. She saved my life, Shane’s life. Probably more. She’s a strong person. Whatever happened must be still scaring her, stopping her from talking about it.

  And because that means my past is scaring me, too, I force myself to talk about it. “It was hell,” I say.

  Her hands shift, splaying on my stomach. I expect her to ask something, but she doesn’t. Leaves the ball in my court.

  “We were all dumped together in this big old facility.” I lick my lips, desperately trying to wet them. “Some of us, the newer ones, slept on the floor. We had to fight over food. Some of the kids there formed a gang and stole all the food, then beat up everyone who resisted.”

  She still says nothing, and the words come with difficulty. I’d never talked about all this before. “They raped the girls, even some of the younger boys, and I couldn’t…” Bile rises in my throat, and I swallow convulsively. Shit. “I couldn’t stop them.”

  Can’t do this, dammit. I get up, shaking free of her arms, and pace the room. Shoving my hands through my hair, I stop at the window. It’s dark outside, and my reflection stares back at me. I look like roadkill, face pale, eyes wide, short hair standing on end.

  In the reflection, I can see Ev sitting on my bed, hands in her lap. She looks sad and small. Shit, my outburst must have scared her. Hell, I don’t blame her. I turn around and walk back to her. I sit beside her and reach for her hand. She slips it into mine and gives me a smile, but it’s strained.

  Fuck. “Ev? I know my past isn’t that good, and hell, I have nightmares and shit, but I’d never hurt you.” I take a deep breath. “You know that, right?”

  She squeezes my hand, and her smile turns real. “Of course I know that. I’m not worried.”

  Okay. I don’t know what else to say. She’s a lovely puzzle that I can’t solve—shy and bold, innocent and sexy, unafraid and scared, running and still standing still.

  Unpredictable. Startling. Addictive.

  “It’s just that…” She glances at me from under lowered lashes, and her pretty mouth twists. “Your words reminded me of my own failures.”

  “Failures?” I don’t understand.

  Her hand trembles in mine, and she looks away. “I’ve let people down, people who depended on me.”

  Still don’t get it. “Your parents?”

  She shakes her head. “I’m sure I’ve let them down, too, but they’ll survive. No, that’s not what I mean. People I helped on the street and didn’t manage to save.”

  My heart thumps too fast against my ribs. “Like who?”

  “A couple old people. You wouldn’t know them. They usually were close to home, not around here.”

  I want to ask her if she remembers me at all—if she remembers a man who was sick, a man she saved. But she doesn’t mention me, and I don’t know if to feel relieved or disappointed. Don’t know if to just throw caution to the wind and tell her the truth or wait until I know the cause of her fear.

  Yeah, isn’t this just great? Turns out I can’t even predict myself.

  Chapter Ten

  Evangeline

  Leaving Micah in the morning is hard. It seems to get harder every day. Sleeping in his arms is the best place in the world.

  But now reality crashes down on me. I have several missed calls on my cell, from Mom, Joel, even Dad. Oh shit.

  I call Joel first, figuring it will be easier
to deal with him, but boy was I wrong.

  “What do you think you’re doing, Evie?” he demands, his voice sharp. “Where are you?”

  “I’m an adult now,” I say through gritted teeth. “I don’t have to give a report to you.”

  “Is that right?” His tone chills me. “You really don’t care that we’re worried about you?”

  “What do you have to be worried about? I told you, I stayed with a friend.”

  “A friend? Are you sure? Because Blake told me you were wandering the streets again and talking to shady people.”

  “Shady people? Are you kidding me?” Anger rolls through me like fire. “Blake followed me and threatened to hurt anyone I’d talk to on the street, and you listen to him?”

  “Oh, come on, Evie. Blake wouldn’t do that.”

  “So now you’re saying I’m lying.” My eyes burn. “I don’t lie, Joey. He’s scaring me.”

  A silence greets my words. Then Joel says, “Blake isn’t like that. You know that. He saved your life, Evie. He’s the one who called the ambulance for you, you—”

  “I know, all right? But how did he know where to find me?”

  “What? You’re being paranoid. He just happened to be there!”

  “I don’t trust him, Joey.”

  “Dammit.” He sighs. “Mom and Dad want to have a serious talk with you.”

  Crap. “I can’t do this anymore. Having to explain my every action… I need out.”

  “What do you mean?” Quiet. Resigned. I think he knows what I’m about to say.

  “I need to move out.”

  This time the silence stretches far longer.

  “Evie…” He grunts, and I hear a sound as if he’s kicking something. “Will you be careful?”

  “I’m always careful,” I say. “I didn’t cause the accident. You know that, right? It could have happened to anyone.”

  He sighs again. “I know. Can’t help worrying about you, sis.”

  This makes me smile. “I worry about you, too. Hey, did you finally ask that brunette out yet?”

  “What brunette?”

  “Don’t pretend you don’t know who I’m talking about, Joel Kingsley. The girl working on campus, in the library. Ethel?”