Apartment 2B

by K. Webster

  Throwing her words back at her, I say, “No, it’s awesome. I know it will work out for you.” And then, of course, I have to add on a little extra. “And I’m going to give you plenty of material to put in those books.” I wink at her and she flushes.

  We exit the truck and collect our bags. Once we reach the landing for the second floor and Sidney enters the hallway, I hear a gasp as she drops the bags to the floor. I hurry up behind her and nearly lose my shit when I see that bastard standing by her apartment door. Pushing past her, I make my way over to the asshole.

  “What the fuck did I tell you? Get the fuck off of our floor!”

  He laughs darkly at me and stomps toward the stairwell. Sidney is frozen in place as he walks past her. When he reaches Sidney, he slaps her ass before tearing through the door and up the stairs. It happens so quickly. The slap. The faint. The chase.

  I burst into a full-on sprint through the door and storm up the stairs to the third floor. He’s already slipped into 3B before I am fully into the hallway, but at least now I know where he lives. Growling in frustration, I hurry back downstairs to Sidney.

  She is no longer passed out on the floor. Instead, she is on her knees, scratching the hell out of her ass. The glazed look is in her eyes. I can see that she is freaking the fuck out.

  “Sidney, baby, look at me. Stop it.”

  She won’t quit, so I find her keys on the floor and open her apartment. Running back, I grab up all of the bags and toss them inside. Finally, I make it over to her and do the inevitable. I scoop her into my arms and carry her inside, locking the door behind us. She’s flailing wildly, trying to squirm out of my arms, but I hold her tight. Heading straight for the bathroom, I turn on the shower to cold and climb in with her.

  The shower is cold as fuck, but I know that this is how she copes. Slowly, I set her down and let the icy spray wash away the terror. I’m trying not to shiver too much. Sidney isn’t even fazed, but at least she’s snapping out of it. Tears fill her eyes as she comes back down to reality.

  “Come here, baby. I have you,” I whisper and pull her close. Thankfully she lets me and wraps her arms around my waist. I’m freezing my ass off, but I don’t tell her.

  “Thank you,” she says tearfully against my chest.

  I squeeze her tighter. “N-n-n-o p-p-roblem,” I sputter out through chattering teeth.

  She reaches behind us and turns off the water. We must look a sight completely clothed with me shivering. Of course, now that her dress clings to her and is see through, my dick decides that it’s warm enough to want to make an appearance.

  Sidney peels off her wet dress and steps out of the shower, heading into the bedroom. I follow dumbly after her. I’m not sure how to handle her after this episode.

  “Babe, will you be okay if I run next door and change?” I ask. She emerges from her closet pulling on a short tube-top dress. I swear this woman should wear more clothes.

  “I’ll be okay. I’m going to unload the bags and start some lunch.”

  “Okay, I’ll be right back. Give me twenty minutes,” I promise. Walking over to her, I put my ice-cold hands on her neck and kiss her chastely on the lips.

  I finally get a small smile from her, and it does wonders for me. Forcing myself to leave her, I bound down the hallway and out the front door. I make sure to lock it on the way out. There’s no fucking way I’m leaving her unprotected. Letting myself into my own place, I make my way to the bathroom and turn on the shower as hot as I can get it.

  It takes effort to get my wet jeans off, but I eventually manage to wrangle out of them and the rest of my clothes and shoes. Stepping into the hot shower, I nearly moan aloud in delight. The hot water quickly warms my body. Not wanting her to wait on me, I end my shower much sooner than I wish.

  Opting for warmth and comfort, I find some old sweatpants and slide them on. If Sidney wants to go commando, so will I. The sweatpants are missing the drawstring, so they hang dangerously low on my hips, revealing my dark trail of hair. I yank a shirt over my head and slip my feet into some flip-flops.

  Before I head over there, I go to the kitchen table, where I last left Liam’s laptop. Last time I was here, I used it to look up funeral homes and other things I needed to take care of before I went back to my post. The password was easy—liambraxton. Powering it back on, I type in the password. The words “incorrect password” pass over the screen. I try it another time to no avail.

  A creepy feeling passes over me, and I type in ‘Sidney.’ I’m instantly allowed access. What the fuck was all that about? Could Sidney have come over and changed it? I quickly pull up Dell’s website and order a laptop, paying the extra shipping cost to have delivery expedited. I close down the browser, about to shut off the computer when I see a document created a week ago called “HER” on the desktop. Once again, a shiver passes over me.

  I really don’t want to open it, but curiosity wins over. Inside the document are just a few words.

  She is everything.

  She is life.

  She is death.

  She is the light.

  She is the darkness.

  She is my happy.

  She is my sad.

  She is my love.

  She is my reason.

  She is Sidney.

  I slam the laptop closed and breathe heavily. For some reason, I just don’t think Sidney would write something like that about herself. I’m sick to my stomach. Standing on wobbly legs, I get the eerie feeling that someone is watching me. Against my better judgment, I call out.

  “Liam?”

  As soon as the word leaves my mouth, I shake my head and laugh at myself. Stalking out of the apartment, I head over to Sidney’s. I’m about to knock on the door when I hear voices inside. Turning the knob, I find that it’s not locked anymore. My heart pounds as I fear that the asshole from the third floor has somehow found a way in.

  As I open the door, I hear Sidney shout, “Leave me alone!” from the kitchen.

  I sprint to where she hollered from, and I’m shocked to find a tall blonde glaring at her with her hands on her hips. Both women turn to look at me in the doorway, my chest heaving from exertion.

  “Are you okay?” I ask Sidney, looking past the blonde.

  She grins at me and nods. “Yes. This is my friend, Tina. Tina, this is Lane.”

  Tina looks me over, eyes wide and jaw dropped. After she gives me a once-over, she turns to Sidney. “He’s hot,” she says in a not-so-quiet whisper like I’m not even standing there.

  Ignoring Tina, I scoot past her and pull Sidney in for a hug. She melts into me, and I just want this Tina chick to leave so I can spend time alone with Sidney.

  “I don’t freaking believe it!” Tina exclaims from behind me.

  I look over my shoulder at her. “Believe what?”

  “This!” she gestures excitedly at us. “Sidney, call me tomorrow so we can chat about this. Lane, it was nice meeting you.”

  “Lock the door behind you,” I call out after her. She agrees that she will before letting herself out.

  When we are finally alone, I kiss Sidney like I’ve wanted to since I came back into the apartment.

  “How was your shower?” she asks.

  “Would have been better with you in it,” I tease.

  She giggles and pulls away. Then I realize that she’s been cooking. It just goes to show that, when I’m around her, I sort of forget about everything else. She’s hypnotic.

  “What are we having for lunch?”

  She lifts the lid to show me the stir-fry that looks almost done and smells amazing. Turning her back to me to stir the food, I drag my eyes over her body. Her upper back is exposed since her hair is still in a bun and she’s wearing a tube-top dress. While she cooks, I kiss her back, making sure to focus on each scar.

  “It’s ready,” she says hoarsely, and I smile, knowing that I’ve affected her.

  While she dishes out the food, I grab two water bottles from her refrigerator. We sit do
wn to a comfortable lunch where we laugh at funny stories she tells about Tina. I’m glad Tina took her under her wing when she did.

  “Want to watch a movie?” she asks as she clears the table and puts the dishes into the dishwasher.

  “Sure. Do you have a DVD player in your room? I’m kind of tired from last night. Some hot chick woke me up in the middle of the night demanding sex,” I tease. She laughs at me and throws the wadded-up paper towel at me after she dries her hands.

  “No, but you can move it from the living room. I’m not technologically advanced, but I can just tell by looking at you that you are.”

  I nod in agreement and head into the living room to unhook all of the wires. Once I unplug the right ones, I carry it back to her bedroom and hook it up to that TV. She hops on the bed, arranging the pillows so we can sit up and watch the movie.

  “What do you want to watch?” I ask.

  “Let’s just watch whatever’s in there already.”

  The look on her face is one of feigned innocence, and I bite my cheek to keep from laughing. I’m dying to see what movie she wants to watch so badly that she would stoop to such low levels. After I hit play, I crawl into the bed beside her. Her dress has ridden up, distracting me already from the movie that hasn’t even started yet.

  As soon as the intro credits start, I know that it’s Dirty Dancing. I glance over at her and she’s absolutely fucking mesmerized by the movie. Reaching over, I grab her hand, threading our fingers together. She gives me a brief smile before turning back to the film. The entire time she watches it, I just stare at her. I’ve seen the movie several times, so I’m not missing anything.

  Afterwards, she looks over at me and grins. “That’s my favorite movie.”

  “You don’t say? Why?” I laugh.

  She scowls at me. “I love it because Patrick Swayze is the main character. Such a wonderful actor!”

  “Want to take a nap?” I ask her sleepily.

  “Sounds good,” she says as she turns off the television.

  I’m too tired to get under the worthless sheet anyway so I just pull her to me for warmth. With her back against my chest and my arm slung protectively around her, we both fall quickly asleep.

  When I wake up, it’s dark. My overseas schedule is dictating her schedule. She doesn’t seem too upset about it though as she breathes quietly in a rhythm that indicates sleep. Rubbing my hand along her side, I stop when I reach her bare thigh. Her breathing becomes slightly ragged and I feel a small hand cover mine as she guides it to the edge of her dress and back under it, pushing it up along the way.

  I slide my hand all the way up her dress to her belly and caress her soft skin there for a few moments. Rolling her to her back, I remove my hand so that I can free her breasts from the top of her tube top. Leaning down, I taste and suck on her breast. When my mouth comes in contact with her nipple, she moans loudly. I pay extra attention to it and smile when she begins to slowly buck her hips off the bed.

  Sitting up, I yank off my shirt and slide out of my sweatpants. I find the edges of her dress and pull it off of her body. After tossing it to the floor, I move between her legs and spread her knees apart. Using my thumbs, I spread her open for me and taste her for the first time. Somehow I knew she was going to be sweet, and she was even sweeter than I imagined. Dragging my tongue between her pussy lips again, I find her clit and tease it. Her moans are getting louder as she thrusts her hips up with each lick. Gently, I pull her clit between my lips and suck on it.

  Her hands find my hair and grip roughly, which turns me on. I want to sink myself into her, but I’m a patient man. Dipping one finger inside her, I discover that she is extremely wet for me. I slide another one inside and her moans become whimpers. I’m still doing crazy things with my tongue and grazing her g-spot with my fingertips inside her when she shudders wildly with an orgasm. The clenching around my fingers is so fucking hot, and my dick is jealous.

  Removing my fingers, I kiss my way slowly up my body. I know it drives her crazy because she’s trying to pull me closer to her by my hair. When I get to her mouth, I chuckle.

  “Did you enjoy that?” I tease against her lips.

  “That was quite possibly the most amazing experience of my life,” she whispers in a way that makes my dick throb for her.

  Pressing my lips to hers, I kiss her softly at first, but soon she’s wrapped her legs around my hips, kissing me hungrily. Between kisses, she lets out soft moans and bounces her hips closer to me each time. At one point, my dick slides against her wet pussy and I groan. I need to go find the condoms, but I just want to feel her again without it on. Giving in to insanity, I push myself all the way inside of her to the hilt.

  “Oh, Lane, yes,” she moans against my lips.

  I go to pull out, but she feels so damn good. Pumping a couple more times, I revel in the way her body hugs mine as it desperately attempts to milk out my own orgasm. I can feel myself getting closer, so I take every ounce of willpower I have and yank myself out of her so fast that she cries out from the loss.

  “Fuck, babe. I’ll be right back,” I promise breathlessly.

  “Bathroom,” she informs me softly.

  I go to the bathroom and find the box before carrying it back to the bedside with me. I can now see her as the light shines on her naked body from the bathroom. Her hair is sprawled out beneath her, making her look wild and sexy as hell. With legs still spread and waiting for me, I hurry and sheath myself with a condom. Climbing back between her, I push my dick back inside her. She feels fucking good even with a damn condom on. I’ll be suggesting birth control soon because I love feeling her hot flesh against mine.

  By pulling her legs up over my shoulders, I can get deeper inside her, and I thrust hard. She’s practically yelling my name as she gets closer and closer to orgasm. Using my thumb, I massage her clit with one hand and reverently stroke one of her thighs that’s pressed against me with the other. When I see her hands move to her breasts to tweak her nipples, I almost lose control. Thankfully she’s close to the edge too. A few more strokes of her clit and she’s screaming out my name as her pussy tightens around my dick. It’s enough to draw out my own orgasm, and I finally shoot out my release.

  “Baby, you feel so fucking good,” I praise her as I kiss the inside of her thigh before pulling out of her.

  Climbing off the bed, I deposit the condom in the bathroom trash. I catch a glimpse of my reflection before I exit the bathroom. The fool grinning at me looks happy. Shaking my head, I make my way back over to the bed and crawl in. Finding her tiny body, I pull her flush against me with her back to my chest. I love holding her like this.

  “Lane?” she says quietly.

  “Yes, babe?”

  “Thank you.”

  “Well, I know I’m good, but you don’t have to thank me,” I tease.

  She giggles, which is always music to my ears, and slaps my hand resting on her belly.

  “No, thank you for giving me this. I thought I was lost forever because of what that woman did to me. You changed that, and I will forever be thankful. I don’t understand how you did it, but it’s happened and I am enjoying every minute. So thank you for helping me heal.”

  I stroke her hair back and kiss her neck.

  “You’re helping me heal too. I wasn’t feeling the greatest coming back to deal with my brother’s death. It fucking sucked, in fact. But then, you showed up all beautiful and stranger than hell. I needed to know you.”

  She was quiet for a minute before she spoke again, clearly mulling something over in her mind.

  “Lane? I still don’t understand about Liam. He left me a week ago, but you say he died six months ago. We really need to talk about this because it really bothers me.”

  There it is. The big fucking elephant that’s been in the room since the moment we met. My body tenses up with annoyance. When she says stuff like this, it reminds me that she isn’t completely mentally stable.

  “Babe, he died six months ago f
rom overdosing on a shitload of pills. I got temporary leave to deal with the funeral. That week, I buried my brother beside my parents. It fucking sucked. After that, I began packing up his apartment but had to go back. Now, I’m back for good. I talked to the building manager, and as long as I paid the rent monthly, I could take over the lease. You moved here a month ago, so there’s just no possible way you could have known Liam.”

  There. I said it. She tenses under me, and I know she’s upset, but dammit, so am I.

  “I think you should leave,” she whispers. Well, fuck.

  “No, babe, I think—” I begin, but she cuts me off.

  “Lane, leave,” she says coldly as she rolls away from me and off the bed. When she heads to the bathroom, I jump out of bed and follow her. She’s turning on her ice shower, I presume.

  “Sidney, I’m just saying that, given your history, you could have just imagined it.” Shit, that came out more insulting than I meant, but it was truth.

  “Screw you, Lane. I loved him! How dare you tell me otherwise!” she screams at me. Tears fill her eyes, and she looks wild. In this moment, I’m struck that she really is mad. And not in the angry way. What have I gotten myself into?

  Turning away from me and giving me a nice view of her round, scarred ass, I’m once again hit with the fact that I’ve been sleeping with a woman who needs professional help. Fuck.

  She steps into the water and closes the curtain. I walk over to it, opening it up, and see her staring ahead like a fucking zombie. I want to comfort her, but when I reach out for her and icy water splashes me, I pull away.

  “I think you need to call your friend Tina,” I grumble.

  She snaps her head at me angrily. “Go!” she spews at me. Her face is contorted because of the fury she feels toward me. It’s such a far cry from the woman I just made love to not thirty minutes ago. I was such a dick for injecting myself into this sick woman’s life.