I reached down and unbuttoned my pants, skipping anymore games. I pushed both my pants and panties down at the same time. I wiggled and stepped from them, parting my legs so when I offered myself to the bulge in Tatum’s boxers, he knew I was ready for him. The only sound in the room then was a groan from Tatum. He nodded at me, signaling me to take care of his boxers.
Staying at his sides, I pushed them down as far as I could reach. He took care of the rest and then with a gentle thrust up, he was between my legs. His thickness resting against my tender body. We stood like that, our hearts racing, the erotic feeling pounding between us, staring at each other.
I licked my lips and Tatum did the same.
We didn’t need to speak to know what came next.
I jumped and wrapped my legs around him just as he tightened his grip on me, holding me. Our lips came together, our tongues fluttering between each other’s mouths, and Tatum climbed onto my bed, taking me.
My back touched the bed just as Tatum touched me. He was there and then inside me with the most gentle yet pleasured filled thrust I’d ever experienced in my life. And that’s how it all went... gentle but with tons of pleasure. Our bodies stayed together, his strong chest against my chest. Our lips touching constantly. Sometimes we made out, sometimes I played with his lip ring, and sometimes we just lingered with our lips touching. He thrust at me as I lifted my body for him, over and over. The noises were quiet moans and groans, all of them absorbed into kisses.
The sex could have lasted for days for all I knew, and when it finally ended in a explosive climax that had me biting at Tatum’s bottom lip, I finally understood what it felt like to be truly loved. More so, I understood what it felt like to make love to someone else.
After we finished, Tatum rolled and pulled me on top of him. We ended up under my covers and we held each other.
I never felt so safe and protected in my life.
I fell asleep on Tatum’s chest, feeling his heartbeat, turned on by his nipple ring, and hopelessly in love with him.
I didn’t open my eyes again until I heard a knock. When I realized it was morning and that we had slept for over twelve hours, I looked at Tatum in disbelief. My stomach gurgled, looking for food and drink, but the knock at the door took all that away.
“It’s not him,” Tatum whispered. “But I’ll get the door, okay?”
I nodded.
Tatum moved from the bed, standing naked. He took a step towards the door and I called for him.
“Put some pants on,” I laughed.
Tatum looked down, obviously forgetting he was naked.
“Good call,” he said and started to collect his boxers and pants.
I did the same and hurried to get dressed, walking behind Tatum, wondering what could be waiting outside the apartment. It made me wonder if this was how things were always going to be. Always waiting for something to come along to ruin things. Maybe that’s how life worked. The constant reminder that each good moment should never be taken for granted.
Tatum got to the door and opened it with an aggression that it made me hesitate, thinking that maybe Tatum wasn’t sure if Derreck was really gone.
“Whoa, hey,” I heard a voice say.
“You must be Annie,” Tatum said.
He stepped to the side and there stood Annie with three bags on her shoulders. She looked shocked and then smiled when she saw me.
“Is this the doorman?” she asked.
“Something like that,” I said.
She looked at Tatum again, her eyes moving up and down his body. “Not bad at all.”
“Thanks,” Tatum said.
“That’s enough,” I said. “Tatum, meet Annie. Annie, meet Tatum, my boyfriend.”
“Nice to meet you,” Annie said.
“Let me take those bags for you,” Tatum said.
He grabbed all the bags and as he lifted them, I couldn’t help but concentrate on the way his muscles flexed and moved. He walked by me, winking, taking the bags to the empty bedroom that would become Annie’s.
Annie raced towards me and we hugged.
“Holy fuck that guy is hot,” she whispered in my ear.
“I know, right? He’s all mine too.”
“Does he have any hot friends?”
I pulled away from Annie. “You and Jared just broke up.”
“We haven’t been together in forever, please.”
“Well, Tatum is the drummer for a band.”
“Oh my gosh, I love musicians.”
I thought of Logan but didn’t say a word. I figured it was better to give Annie a chance to unpack her bags and take a shower before we got into the talk about hot guys. Speaking of which, Tatum came out of the room, still shirtless, and stood for a few seconds. I caught Annie staring at him again and finally stepped in.
“Annie, do you have a bed to sleep in?”
“No,” Annie said. “I’ll get something though. No worries. I packed what I could fit in my car.”
“Okay,” Tatum said, “I think I’m going to head out. Tripp texted me, wanting to know if we could have a short practice today.”
“Okay,” I said, reaching for him. I wanted to feel his strong grip against me.
“Do you always go places with no shirt?” Annie asked. She wasn’t afraid to ask any questions.
I laughed.
“No,” I said, “he, uh...”
“There was a smell in Maggie’s room,” Tatum said. “So my shirt is taking care of it. Don’t worry, I have extra clothes in my car. I just never got there last night. Once my shirt was off...”
Tatum winked and I blushed.
“Am I going to have to put up with that stuff here?” Annie asked.
“Sorry,” I said.
“Don’t worry,” Tatum said, “if she gets too loud, you just come in and tell us...”
“Pervert,” Annie teased.
“Totally,” I said and slapped Tatum.
He pulled me in for a hug and then we kissed as though Annie wasn’t standing there. When it started to get carried away, Annie cleared her throat and we stopped.
“I’ll call you later,” Tatum said. “Maybe you could bring Annie over after practice. Introduce her.”
Tatum had the same intentions that I did. Annie and Logan.
Tatum kissed me one more time before finally leaving. I hated to see him go but I was excited Annie was there. When the door shut, I watched Annie’s eyes go wide and knew she was mentally counting until she felt it was safe enough to freak out. When she did, she dove at me, hugging me again, spinning me, squealing.
“What’s wrong with you?” I cried out, trying to break her hold.
“You had a hot guy in your apartment!” she yelled at me. “What happened with Derreck?”
“Nothing,” I said. “Tatum sort of beat him up for me and chased him away.”
“That’s seriously hot,” Annie said. “I wish someone would have smacked Jared around.”
“I think Jared’s got his hands tied right now, don’t you?” I asked and smiled.
“Very true,” Annie said.
She moved into the kitchen and started looking for something to drink. I gave her a minute to settle and then cut into her a little. I had to.
“How does it not bother you?” I asked.
“What?”
“Jared.”
“I’m not saying it doesn’t bother me,” Annie said. “But... I can’t let it kill me. Like I said, it’s been a long time coming for us. We just weren’t working together. The only thing we had in common was splitting the rent on the house. That’s all it was. We split the bills to survive. He worked late, stayed out late, and fucked someone else on the side. I kept my distance and never questioned him about it.”
“That’s terrible,” I said. “I wish I knew...”
“I kept my distance from everyone, to be honest. But when he finally came to me and admitted he was cheating and that she was pregnant, it sort of clicked. I knew I needed to get out
of that house. I took my finals early, passed them all, and just left.”
“Are you going to enroll here?” I asked.
“I don’t know. I really don’t care. I still have some money from my grandmother, enough to live on for a couple years if I don’t go too crazy, so maybe I’ll just do that.”
I sat down and stared at Annie. That’s why I loved her so much. Even in high school she was the same way. I started to feel better about things, but then she turned her head. Her bottom lip started to quiver and I jumped up, ran towards her, and hugged her.
“You can cry in front of me,” I whispered.
“Shut up,” she said as a tear left her eye.
She cried for a good minute and then looked at me.
“It’s okay,” I said.
“It’s not about him,” she said. “There’s something else...”
I looked down. “Are you pregnant too?”
Annie pushed at me. “No. Please, Maggie. No.”
“Okay. Sorry.”
“My... grandfather is sick.”
“Sick?”
Annie nodded.
“Your Pop?”
She nodded again.
He was a sweet old man, more of a father to Annie than her actual father, who spent more time at a bar than at home.
“How old is he now?” I asked.
“Just turned seventy. He has cancer.”
I froze. My blood ran cold for a few seconds. “Oh, no.”
“I found out two weeks ago. The doctors are hopeful, but at his age...”
“Annie, I’m so sorry.”
“Me too. I wanted to go live with him and Mom, but he yelled at me. He told me if I wasted my time watching him, he’d end up dead sooner than cancer killing him. He said he’d rather know I was out in the world, making it on my own. So I promised him I’d go if he fought hard.”
“You know he will,” I said. “He’s always been stubborn, like you.”
“I know. I just don’t understand it. To be that old. He should be enjoying his life...”
“He is,” I said. “He’s thinking about you. He’ll be fine.”
“You don’t know that.”
“So what? Can’t I be hopeful once in a while?”
Annie smiled. “Now you sound like me.”
We hugged each other again, this time for a little while. I understood why she was really there with me. Somehow, someway, we both knew we needed each other. The years had come and gone so fast. I went off to college and moved in with Scarlett. Annie was with Jared. Everyone was separated, but yet our friendship stayed strong. And now, in the darkest time, we were together.
I helped Annie unpack her bags and let her swipe some stuff from my room to hang on the walls. We ate a quick lunch and went shopping. She bought everything she needed to get settled in the apartment, the big stuff like her bed would be delivered in a day or two. We stayed off the subject of anything negative, but when we looked at each other, I could feel her pain. I was happy she was there with me. I’d do everything I could to keep her life normal, even though I didn’t know what normal was.
The proof of that came as I walked back into the apartment, ready to help Annie finish her bedroom. My phone rang and when I looked at the screen, it was Tatum.
I answered it, smiling.
“Hey you.”
“Maggie? Hey. It’s Tripp.”
“Tripp? What are you...”
“I’m so sorry, Maggie, but Tatum’s in the hospital.”
“The hospital? What’s wrong?”
All I could picture was a car accident. Tatum had left earlier that day. He was supposed to meet up with Tripp and Logan for band practice. What could have happened?
“Maggie, just get here, okay? I’m really sorry... I did all I could. I fought back, for him, for me. They were just...”
“Fought? What do you mean fought?”
Tripp paused and swallowed hard. I could tell he was about to break down.
“Maggie... Derreck and some guys jumped him... they... really got to him...”
I dropped my phone and looked at Annie.
That’s the last thing I remembered.
~24~
I stood in the hallway of a hospital, feeling jittery. I hated hospitals so much. Annie drove to the hospital and helped me get to the floor we were on. When I saw Tripp, he started running towards me, arms open. We hugged and I never felt so close to him or the band in my entire life. Scarlett appeared a few seconds later and finally, Logan. When I looked at Tripp and Logan I started to actually see what happened.
Logan’s right eye was swollen and bruised. Tripp’s mouth had a cut and his lip looked fat. He was scraped and bruised all on his face.
“What happened?” I asked, trying to collect myself. “Is Tatum...”
“He’s okay,” Tripp said. “He’ll be okay. He woke up and everything is okay now.”
“I don’t understand.”
“They followed him,” Tripp said. “He called me and said he was being followed. The call went dead and we hurried to get to him as quick as possible. When we got there, two blocks from the garage, we saw Derreck and a couple big guys just... just punching him.”
“They were kicking him and screaming at him,” Logan added. “Fuck...”
“Logan and I jumped in the best we could,” Tripp said. “There were four guys and three of us.”
I closed my eyes, hating Derreck more than ever. My fists clenched, I wanted to kill him. I wanted to find him and kill him.
I shook my head. “I’m so sorry... I should have never gotten involved...”
“It’s okay,” Tripp said. He touched my shoulders and shook me until I opened my eyes. “It’s okay. We held our ground pretty damn well.”
“Someone saw the whole thing and called the cops,” Logan said. “They came and broke it up.”
I sighed. What would have happened if the cops didn’t come? Would Derreck have killed Tatum? Tripp? Logan?
I looked at Annie and she hugged me.
“Maggie, listen to me,” Tripp said. “They found drugs and knives on all of them. They were arrested on the spot. Derreck had warrants out for his arrest from Florida too. They’re gone.”
“Long gone,” Logan said.
“And Tatum?” I asked.
“He’s banged up,” Tripp said, “but it could have been worse.”
“You saved him,” I said, looking between Tripp and Logan. “You really saved him.”
“We’re not just a band,” Tripp said. “We’re closer than that. You should know that by now, Maggie.”
“Plus, he’s the only decent drummer on campus,” Logan said and smiled. “We’d be fucked without him.”
“You can see him,” Scarlett said, “if you want.”
“Yes,” I said.
I broke Annie’s hold and rushed down the hall. Tripp chased after me and stopped me before I could open the door.
“Maggie,” he whispered.
“Tripp.”
“He loves you,” Tripp said. “He woke up and the first thing he wanted to know was if you were okay.”
“Let me go show him I’m okay.”
“Are you okay?”
“If Tatum is okay, I’m okay,” I said.
“Good. I’d do it again, just so you know.”
“Do what?” I asked.
Tripp looked beyond me, down the hall. I knew he was looking at Scarlett.
“Everything,” he said. “Everything with Scarlett. Everything with Tatum and you. Nobody deserves to be treated like that, especially not from some guy like Derreck.”
“Thank you Tripp,” I said.
He backed away and I opened the hospital room door.
Tatum sat up, looking as normal as normal could be for the situation. I expected something much worse. When he looked at me, he smiled.
I gasped when I saw the cuts and bruises. Bandages covered his arms and wrists. The most obvious bandage was on his lip.
I rushed t
o the bed, unsure how to touch him.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
“I want to jump in that bed with you and hold you,” I said. “But I don’t want to hurt you.”
“Just kiss my cheek,” he said.
I did. I touched the other side of his cheek and put my cheek to his. “I love you,” I whispered into his ear. “I’m so sorry that happened...”
“I’m not,” Tatum said. “He’s gone for good now. Drugs and weapons. Plus assault. See you later.”
“Tatum, this isn’t fair to you. I’m just... I’m just nobody and you’re in a hospital because of me.”
“You’re not just nobody,” Tatum said. He forced himself to sit up straighter, fighting pain. “You’re everything to me, Maggie. You need to see that. When I saw him following me, I knew what was going to happen. I wanted it. He thought he could take me down. You know I didn’t throw a single punch?”
“You didn’t defend yourself? Why?”
“Why bother? That’s what he wanted. It pissed him off more that I wouldn’t. And each time he hit me, I laughed at him. When the big dudes kicked, that hurt like a bitch.” Tatum touched his sides. “But I didn’t care. I knew Derreck couldn’t get to you anymore. That’s why he came after me. And I’d do it everyday if it meant you were safe.”
Tears filled my eyes as I watched him. Out of habit, he tried to lick his lip, his tongue moving over the bandage.
“Your lip...”
“Yeah, that kind of sucked,” Tatum said. “He tore my lip ring out.”
I winced and touched my lip. “No...”
“Yeah. That hurt pretty bad too. But then the guys showed up and then the police. I don’t remember blacking out, but I remember thinking about you Maggie. Everything is about you. Everything today. Everything tomorrow.”
“I have to make this up to you,” I said. “I have to...”
“You can lick my wounds,” Tatum said and smiled. “I’m going to need someone to baby me for a little bit.”
I touched Tatum’s hand and leaned down, kissing where his lip ring once was. “It still is sexy, just so you know. You’re like some big fighter guy now.”
Tatum looked me in the eyes. “The only fight I care about now is the fight to make sure you feel loved from the second you wake up in the morning until your eyes shut at night. And even then, I want you in my arms, Maggie, to show you how great life could be.”
Torn to Pieces (The Boys of DownCrash #2) (new adult contemporary romance / rockstar romance) Page 17
