Sprung

by Kate Benson

  “Don’t worry, baby. I’m not,” he hums, his eyes hooded as he leans back and gazes up at me. “Lean back a little so I can watch.”

  I do as he asks, my eyes never leaving his as his gaze moves lower, slowly becoming mesmerized as he watches me ride him. His grip stays soft on my thigh, his ink-clad hands moving holding me in place as I grind against him, low sounds of pleasure leaving me with every thrust. When my hair begins to fall around my shoulders, obstructing his view of my nipples, he lifts one hand to sweep it away once more before palming my breast and finding my eyes once more.

  “Fuck, you’re pretty, Evie,” he husks, the fingers still resting on my thigh sliding between us to tease my pussy as I begin to tremble around his thick shaft. “Tell me you love me, baby.”

  “I love you, Dash,” I manage, my voice leaving me in heavy pants as we simultaneously begin falling apart around each other. “Oh, my God,” I pant, watching his breathing quicken as the words leave my lips, the sight of his strong, muscle-bound frame being overtaken with pleasure because of me all it takes to send me over the edge myself. “Kiss me. Kiss me right now.”

  Before the words are all the way out, his palm slides from my breast to my neck, pulling me forward as he plows into me hard and fast. His tongue plunges into my mouth, sending me into oblivion as I hit my climax. As my orgasm pours over him, he pumps into me deep three more times, holding me firmly in place as he fills me with a low, guttural groan.

  I savor in the feel of his breath on my skin, the sensation of it washing over me, damp with a light sheen of sweat, sending a chill over me.

  It’s hot inside the cab of the car and the leather seats are sticking to things they were never meant to stick to. However, as we slow our movements and my eyes drift open to find him already staring back at me, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers mixed with the sounds of our heavy breathing surrounding us, I can’t bring myself to pull away from him.

  Instead, I nuzzle into his chest, the feel of his palms rubbing my bare ass as he rests inside me pulling a sigh of content from my lips.

  “I’ve never known you to be much of a cuddler,” he smirks against my neck, the feel of his beard brushing against my skin making me squirm just slightly in his arms.

  “I know,” I admit as my fingertip begins absentmindedly tracing the lines on his chest. “I know we’re supposed to go to the beach, but I just felt like doing this for a while. That okay?”

  “We can do whatever you want to, baby,” he sighs sweetly against my temple before kissing my hair and sinking further into the seat.

  His arms cage me in as my thoughts begin to run rampant and after a few minutes, his breathing begins to even out enough that I can’t help but wonder if he’s fallen asleep.

  This time tomorrow, I’ll be back at school, unpacking and getting ready for my final weeks as a student. Usually, I’m giddy by this point in every break. I love school, I love painting and I’ve been so hyper-focused on these final days of my education for so long that it seemed they’d never come. Now that they have, I’m surprised to find that I don’t feel giddy at all.

  I feel miserable.

  Ever since that fateful night in Dallas, my perfectly planned life has been turned completely upside down. I guess that would be enough to make anyone sad, maybe even question it all, but me. I already know the source of my current misery.

  His arms are wrapped around me right now.

  “Why’d you go quiet?” he asks as his thumbs gently stroke my lower back, pulling me from my sadness. “You plottin’ something?”

  “No,” I smile small, discreetly wiping my cheek clean of my traitor tear before glancing up at him. “I’m just thinking.”

  “‘Bout what?”

  “Being mad at you.”

  “Yeah?” he asks, glancing down at me. “What did I do now?”

  “I’m not used to you being so nice to me. Now I have to go back to school tomorrow and I don’t want to leave,” I sigh. “You’re basically ruining my whole life.”

  “Should I have treated you horribly?” he asks, smirking against my forehead when I nod my answer. “I’ll try harder next time.”

  “You better. Life was a lot less complicated when I hated you, Dash Hunter,” I whisper, the sight of a dimple peeking out through his beard tugging at me deep. “You’ve positively wrecked me.”

  “Hmm… Me, too, pussycat,” he husks against my temple, pulling my lips to his cheek, his arms tightening around me. “You know, I was doing alright until you started stealing my beer and using your evil vagina voodoo on me. Now look at me.”

  “Yep,” I tease as I tuck back into his neck, the gentle shake of his chest warming me. “You are pretty pathetic, babe.”

  “Worst apology ever.”

  “Well, I’ve been grooming myself to torture you my whole life, so that’s the best you’re gettin’ outta me,” I kiss his cheek. “I regret nothing.”

  “Me, neither,” he admits. “Wouldn’t change a thing.”

  chapter twenty-seven

  two months later

  evie

  “Are you here?”

  “Yeah, but where the hell are you? I’ve been knocking on your door for fifteen minutes like a jackass,” he admits across the line. “You said you were gonna be in your room.”

  “I was, baby, but my thing went longer than I thought,” I explain, pushing through the double doors of my dorms and taking the steps as quickly as I can.

  “What thing?”

  “I had my practice run,” I remind him as I come to a stop in the middle of the steps, making a face at my phone before I continue my trek to the second floor. “I told you that this morning before you left.”

  “Hey, I just drove two hours to see your mean little ass,” he says across the line, pulling my eyes to the top step where he’s watching me with a smirk. “Don’t make that face at me.”

  “Dork,” I chuckle into the phone before sliding it into my back pocket and closing the distance, launching myself at him when I hit the top step. “Sorry I’m late,” I say as I press my lips firmly to his, pulling away with narrowed eyes. “What the fuck is this?”

  “What the fuck is what?”

  “What happened to your face?”

  “I shaved…” he says, the last word drawn out slightly.

  “Well, I can see that,” I huff, climbing down from him. “Why the hell would you shave? And today of all days?”

  “I don’t know. I just fuckin’ felt like it,” he shrugs. “What’s wrong? You don’t like it?”

  “I hate it,” I admit, making his eyes widen once more. “What if all our good mojo was in your beard and you shaved it all off.”

  “Babe, I barely even trimmed the shit,” he says as his palm rubs over the thick stubble, chuckling at my eye roll. “You can barely tell a difference.”

  “Yeah, we’ll see about that,” I wink up at him, putting a suggestive smirk on his lips as I push through my door and pull him inside, locking the door behind us as I strip down to my underwear. “Where’s all your stuff?”

  “I’ve got a bag in the car,” he replies, following me into the bathroom, leaning against the frame of the door. I take a quick hit off my pipe and turn the hot water on in my shower before I turn to find him watching. “I’ll go grab it in a minute.”

  “Yeah, I think it can wait,” I agree, stepping forward and tugging on his chin. “Come on,” I smirk as his hands slide into my panties, gripping my ass. “Let’s take you for a test drive.”

  “I thought you said you hated it, you little monster,” he teases my lips with his teeth as he pushes the lace down my legs. “Y’know, you’re really starting to live up to that nickname. Next thing I know, you’ll be roughin’ me up and callin’ me names.”

  “I thought you liked that,” I husk, making him laugh.

  “I do,” he admits, lifting me onto the sink as the bathroom begins to fill with steam. “Alright, baby,” he sinks to his knees. “Let’s go for a ride.”
/>   dash

  “What time do we have to leave?” I ask an hour later as we sit on the floor of her shower, our damp legs hanging over the side.

  “Pretty soon. I have to be there by six,” she says quietly as she leans her head on my shoulder.

  Save for the sound of her breathing, she goes uncharacteristically silent beside me, pulling my eyes to hers.

  “You okay?”

  “Mhmm,” she nods.

  “You lyin’ to me?”

  “Only halfway,” she nods again, this time releasing a long, low breath. “Maybe three-quarters.”

  “Hey,” I tug her hair gently, angling her eyes to mine. “Talk to me. What are you thinking about?”

  “Tonight,” she admits quietly. “My professor posted the last updated list of gallery reps attending this morning. It’s freaking me out.”

  “Yeah?”

  “Yeah,” she nods. “There are some insane names on that list.”

  “And you’re about to blow them all out of the water. You know that, right?”

  “No,” she shakes her head, her lips turning into a soft smile. “But thank you for saying it.”

  “Anything for you, brat,” I pull her close with the arm I’m resting over her shoulders. “Love you.”

  “Love you, too,” she replies, nuzzling into my neck for a moment before her phone begins to vibrate and she shifts beside me and lifts herself from the tub. “It must be five,” she says, chewing on her lip nervously. “I have to get ready now.”

  “Okay,” I say, standing and reaching for a towel to dry off, glancing over when I hear her blow out a nervous breath. “You good?”

  “I’ll be fine,” she says as she leans against the sink on her hands. “I mean, I kinda wanna cry and puke and scream. Otherwise, I feel great.”

  “Try to breathe, baby,” I kiss her temple. “Take it one step at a time, okay? Just get dressed.”

  “Yeah, okay,” she nods, moving toward her closet. “Just get dressed. I can do that,” she whispers to herself. “That’s not so bad.”

  She quickly puts a black bra and panty set on before moving toward her closet while I bend to retrieve my clothes from where we threw them onto her bathroom floor. I can hear her mumbling, quietly reassuring herself as she pulls a garment bag from the hook and places it on the bed before moving toward her dresser.

  “Babe?”

  “Hmm?”

  “You okay?”

  “Yeah,” she nods quickly. “Yep, just getting dressed,” she whispers again. “For the biggest day of my life.”

  “Breathe. You’re gonna be fine.”

  “Yeah,” she nods, clearing her throat before coming to a stop in the middle of the room, covering her face with her hands. “Just get dressed, Evie.”

  “Hey,” I say, pulling her hands away from her face and gripping her shoulders. “Calm the hell down, baby. You’ve got this, okay?”

  “I’m trying.”

  “Deep breath in,” I say, watching her follow my lead. “Deep breath out,” I continue, repeating myself twice until I feel the shake in her shoulders begin to ease. “Good girl,” I whisper. “Better?”

  “Yeah, I think I’m o-” she starts, her eyes suddenly going wide as she shoves me passed me and bolts toward the bathroom.

  I’ve never seen her this nervous about anything. Truth be told, she’s so nervous she’s making me nervous, but I know how much this means to her. I give her a minute to herself, waiting for the sound of water running in the sink before tapping on the door and pushing it open.

  “I’m sorry,” she shakes her head, her cheeks flush as she scrubs her teeth with her toothbrush and rinses, facing me in the mirror.

  “Hush,” I say, tucking her hair behind her ear when she turns to me. “Just try to relax. I know tonight’s a big deal, but no matter what happens, you’re gonna be fine.”

  “Thanks.”

  “You’re welcome,” I say, returning her soft smile. “I have to go downstairs and get my stuff. You alright?”

  “Yeah,” she nods. “I actually think it helped. I feel a little better.”

  “Good,” I kiss her forehead. “I’ll be right back.”

  “Okay,” she whispers, releasing me for a moment before gripping my shirt and pulling my eyes back to hers. “Dash?”

  “Yeah?”

  “Thank you for coming,” she says, hugging me a little tighter than usual.

  “Of course,” I kiss her hair. “Wouldn’t miss it.”

  “I know I give you hell, but it means a lot to me that you’re here,” she hugs me tighter than usual, tucking her lips into my neck. “I’ve never had a guy stick around for very long.”

  I pull away to face her, stroking her cheek gently as I search her eyes, the temptation of her minty lips too much to resist as I bend to taste them.

  “I’ve never had a girl who made me want to.”

  chapter twenty-eight

  evie

  “Get ready, Evie!” I hear from the doorway, glancing up to see a wide smile and a thumb’s up. “Thirty minutes.”

  “Okay,” I manage, taking a step toward the mirror and releasing a deep breath as I give myself a final once over.

  “Thanks, Jodie,” Dash sings, making me roll my eyes as I find his wide smile in the reflection behind me.

  “You’re an idiot,” I shake my head, unable to fight the gentle smirk on my lips as he holds my eyes, mimicking the opening riffs of ‘I Kissed A Girl’ by Katy Perry. “I hate you.”

  “Don’t be embarrassed, baby,” he grins, taking in my scarlet cheeks before shooting me a wink. “Your boyfriend don’t mind it.”

  “You’re so stupid,” I laugh, making him smile wider before I make a face, glancing into my bag. “That burger you got me made my breath funky.”

  “I wasn’t gonna say anything, but…”

  “Jerk,” I chuckle. “Do you have any gum?”

  “Yeah,” he nods, making me turn to face him in time to see him pulling the piece he’s chewing. “Here.”

  “Eww.”

  “Baby, that’s all I’ve got.”

  “Then just say no,” I look at him crazy. “I guess you’re kinda sweet for offering, but I don’t want your used gum.”

  “So, you’ll put my dick in your mouth, but you won’t chew-?”

  “Oh, my God...” Mason’s groan from the doorway cuts his words short, pulling our eyes to his. “I’m gonna kill myself.”

  “Hey! Look who made it!” Dash grins, his voice contorting into a deep belly laugh when he sees the combined humiliation on mine and Mason’s face. “Your timing lately has been awesome.”

  “Yeah, tell me about it,” he deadpans, clearing the distance between us to kiss my cheek. “How you doin’, sis? You ready?”

  “Yeah,” I nod, releasing another long breath and smiling at my mom as she steps inside, silently thanking who or whatever kept her outside ten seconds longer than my brother, whose face is still recovering. “Hey.”

  “Hi, honey,” she smiles, giving me a quick onceover, admiring my hair and makeup. “Oh, you look beautiful! Are you nervous?”

  “Thank you and yes,” I nod. “Better than before. I’ve only puked twice today.”

  “Well, good for you,” she smirks. “Calm down. You’re going to do amazing, just like always.”

  “Thanks,” I smile. “Do you have gum?”

  “I think so,” she nods, narrowing her eyes when a combination of laughter and groans come from either side of my flaming cheeks. “What’s that all ab-”

  “Nothing,” I cut her off, taking the gum. “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome. Lucky you, this is my last piece,” she winks, replacing her bag onto her shoulder before glancing at her watch. “Okay, boys. We need to get to our seats and let Evie finish up,” she orders softly. “We just wanted you to know we made it and tell you how proud we are of you,” she smiles down at me, her eyes teary as she squeezes my cheeks into a fish face. “Break a leg, baby girl
. I love you.”

  “I love you, too,” I smile, kissing her cheek before returning Mason’s hug. “Love you, Mase.”

  “Love you, too, sis,” he says low, kissing my hair. “Go show ‘em how it’s done.”

  “Okay,” I nod quickly, watching him step away with a wide smile.

  “You comin’ man?” he asks, facing Dash.

  “Yeah,” he nods, clearing his throat. “I’m right behind you.”

  “Alright, man,” he replies, letting himself out and leaving us.

  “Deep breaths, pretty girl,” Dash croons as he pulls me close, kissing my temple before taking a small step back and rubbing my shoulders. “I’m right out there if you need me, but try not to worry, okay? You’re gonna be great. You just gotta be yourself and let go, baby.”

  “Okay,” I nod nervously. “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome,” he sighs, studying my features for a second before reaching into his pocket. “I have something for you.”

  “What is it?” I ask, taking the small box when he hands it to me and running my fingers over the smooth surface, my heart clenching slightly.

  “Something big, maybe a little crazy,” he winks as I glance up at him. “It’s not much. Just a little reminder that no matter where tonight takes you, you’re smart, you’re talented and you’re gorgeous. The full package, baby,” he whispers, brushing my hair from my face as he repeats the words that had started it all, had started us. “You were meant to seize this world, little monster. This is just my obnoxious way of saying how lucky I feel to be along for the ride.”

  “Thank you,” I whisper, tugging at the awkward ribbon he’d obviously tied on himself, smiling wide when I lift the lid. “It’s a key.”

  “It sure is,” he nods, the desperate way he tries to hide the slight hitch in his breath making me stifle a smirk.

  “This is a pretty big step for you, baby. Are you sure you’re ready for that?”

  “Mhmm,” he nods once more as he rests his palm on my back.