by Jessica Roe
I wince as I remember. Silver and I had decided to get the dreaded task of coming clean to my family out of the way as soon as possible. We'd waited until he'd finished school the next day and then drove home. The look of everyone's faces when we'd walked in holding hands was...well, I hadn't known Oli could turn so many shades of red.
There had been yelling...a lot of yelling. And yeah, Nash had gone full on big brother and punched Silver in the face. It was bad, but Silver had looked hot with a busted lip, though no one had appreciated that when I'd thoughtfully mentioned it.
Oli had only just managed refrain himself from physical violence, though he'd egged Nash on to an annoying degree. His main deal had been that he'd known Silver for so long and considered him almost like another son, and then he felt like Silver had abused that trust and taken advantage of me.
Surprisingly it was Felicia who got through that thick head of his and calmed him down enough to get him to see sense. She'd pointed out that aside from our kiss on New Year's Eve (stupidly, we'd decided to go for total honesty), we hadn't really done much wrong. She'd said that after the way they'd treated me when I first moved in it was no wonder I didn't feel I could talk to them about that kind of stuff. And then she'd implied that the fact that they'd known Silver for so long was actually a good thing, because they knew what a smart and decent guy he was, and that he was the best kind of guy a parent could hope for their daughter to be with really. Oli had still been pissed, but he'd definitely started to come around to the idea after that—especially when I made a point of telling him about some of the loser guys I'd dated before I'd moved to Fortune.
Things were frosty for a while but Oli eventually warmed up when he realized how serious Silver's intentions towards me were, that it wasn't just a passing flirtation and that we were actually in love. They went somewhere for a while to have one of those moronic man to man talks and when they came back they were laughing and slapping each other's backs like a pair of idiots. Neither of them would tell me what had been said. Ugh, whatever.
Nash, on the other hand, took a lot longer to get used to the idea. But for him it wasn't just that his best friend was dating his little sister, it was also the complete betrayal he felt when he realized we'd both spent a lot of time lying to him. Or omitting certain truths... Okay, a lot of truths. That's what had taken him the longest to forgive. It was the first time Silver had ever kept anything from him, and then when he found out that Nathan had already known too... Man, that hadn't been pretty. He'd been upset with me because we'd developed a bond and I'd hurt him by lying, and I knew how much it sucked to feel betrayed by someone you loved. It was the same kind of pain I'd felt with Zac.
The guilt had eaten away at us for a long time, but luckily Silver and I had each other to help us get through it. We'd gotten very good at distracting ourselves by, you know, getting naked and stuff.
Nash had forgiven us eventually, because at the end of the day I'm his sister and Silver is his best friend and you don't just give up on things like that. And even he had to admit how good Silver and I are for each other, how amazingly well Silver treats me. During Spring Break earlier this year while Ibbie, Jem and I were sunning it up in Florida, the two of them and Nathan went on a 'guys only' fishing trip, and Silver was so happy when he came back. He'd said it had been just like old times.
As for the others...well, Jemma had called us gross but sweet, which I guess meant she was okay with it, and the little kids were too young to really understand. Zac had been chill as he is about most things, though he had taken Silver aside and threatened to destroy several of his body parts if he ever hurt me. Silver had been right about his own parents—they'd been weirdly delighted.
“He came around,” I tell Ian, back in the present.
“I'm so pleased for you. But you'd better make sure he treats you right or he'll have me to answer to. I might be an old guy now, but I can still pack a mean punch.”
A little snort escapes me and we both grin. “Trust me, you'd have to get in line.”
He shakes his head, his eyes sparkling with sentimental tears. “I knew I'd be right, I knew when I met you once more you'd have found your happiness. I waged a war with myself over what the right thing to do for you was. I grew up in the system and I knew how hard that could be and I wasn't sure if that would be better or worse than leaving you with your mom. I debated over calling child services so many times... I was a coward. But I see you've turned out just fine. I'm so very, very proud of you.”
I nod, trying really hard not to get all tearful and emotional like a total girl. “Thank you. But don't feel guilty over the past; remembering your words was always the one thing that gave me hope. You can't know how much that meant to me.”
“I'm so very proud of you, you've grown into a wonderful woman.”
Cue tears. Damn it.
I FEEL EMOTIONALLY wrung out when I get back to the apartment, but I instantly lighten when I let myself in and step into the wide open living space. The room is filled with packing boxes and I have to dance my way around them.
I'm greeted instantly by an excited Silver, covered in specks of paint. He pulls me close for a short, sweet kiss. “How'd it go, baby?”
“Great! He wants to meet you. Invited us over for dinner sometime.”
“That sounds good, tell me all about it in a minute. First you need to come take a look at something.” He tugs me by the hand around more boxes and then stands me in front of a wall covered in paint samples. He's practically bouncing up and down like a puppy as I take a look—I swear the paint fumes have gone to his head.
“Seriously? All you did was put smudges on the wall and you got that much paint on you?” I cup his cheek fondly and brush my thumb over his nose. There are more paint specks than freckles.
He huffs and rolls his eyes. “Not important.” But he kisses my palm with total affection before taking a hold of my shoulders and turning me back to the wall. He stands behind me, resting a chin on my shoulder and sliding his hands up and down my thighs. “Which colour do you like best? For this room, anyway.”
He's really into decorating this place, so I don't want to tell him that they all kind of look the same to me; all variations of sand and beige. “I don't know, you decide.”
“No!” he protests. “We need to decide together. It's our place.” He begins a lengthy, one sided discussion on all the pros and cons of each colour, but I stop listening. “...and I think this one will make the room look warmer, but I'm just not sure if it's too dark or... Why are you smiling at me like that?”
I shrug, the smile still plastered to my face. “Our place.”
He loses all interest in paint samples as he instantly gets me, and turns so that we're facing one another. “Our place,” he repeats softly, and then we just stand there and grin stupidly at each other.
We moved in together only a few days ago, somehow managing to find a place not too far from college or the high school where Silver works. It's small, but nice considering it's our first place together. Silver's job here in the city doesn't pay nearly as much as the one in Fortune, though he has the extra money from renting out his house. I only make minimum wage bar tending but Oli insists on helping me out with rent while I still go to college and I'd be dumb to say no to that.
Silver winds the material of my t-shirt around his fist and yanks me closer, kissing me long and hard. I don't even care that some of the paint he's wearing is still wet. Not that it matters, because when the kiss turns heated he backs me up against the painted wall and I know I've probably got more on me than he does now. Lifting me up by my thighs, he grinds against me when I wrap my legs around him and I can feel every delicious inch of him.
“Screw painting,” he murmurs seductively, biting down on my neck. “Let's christen our new home.”
Yep, I finally lost my big V. And it was no easy task, either. Some people said we were crazy to move in together, but last year I lived in the dorms and Silver shared an apartment with a coup
le of other guys and privacy was a major issue. My college room mate obviously had some kind of sex radar and seemed really into interrupting us because she would always walk in just when we were in the middle of getting hot and heavy on my tiny bed. At least I didn't share a room with Ibbie, because that might have been seriously awkward. As she explained many, many times, no girl needs to see her ex high school teacher getting it on with her best friend. Actually she said it way too much and usually in public, but only because she loves to embarrass Silver almost as much as I do.
But lack of privacy wasn't the only problem—Silver insisted on waiting. He wanted our first time—my first time—to be special. It was sweet, but I'd felt we'd already done enough waiting, and I was certain he was the right guy for me. Still, he'd said we needed to date for six months before we went the whole way. Turns out we only made it to month three before I managed to change his mind.
“We christened the place last night,” I point out, running my fingers through his curls and yanking his head back so I can kiss him again. “We christened the place a lot.” Turns out nerdy Mr Keegan is kind of insatiable, and the things he does with his fingers...and that tongue...I mean, wow. Seriously, wow.
“Nope.” He pushes against me again and we both moan. “We didn't christen this wall. In fact, we have a lot of walls we need to christen.
Ooh, I like this game. “Floors, too.”
He waggles his eyebrows. “And tables.”
“Kitchen counters.”
“Don't forget about the shower.”
“Or the balcony. We should totally christen the balcony!”
He laughs and brings his lips back to mine, pulling us away from the wall and stumbling back. I don't know where he was aiming for but he trips over one of the packing boxes and we fall, landing with a hard crash on top the coffee table, which splinters and breaks under the force and our combined weight. Silver groans underneath me.
“You okay?” I ask breathlessly.
“Yeah. There'll be bruising tomorrow on an epic scale, but I'm fine. Where were we? Oh yeah, kiss me.” He reaches up but I pull back. “What's up?”
“We broke the coffee table.”
“So?”
“We only just bought it.” I pout. “It was so pretty.”
“I'll buy you a new one.” He pulls at my pouting bottom lip with his teeth and then rolls us off the debris until I'm the one on my back. He hovers over me, his eyes devouring my face. “I'll buy you a hundred, and we can break each and every one of them.”
Oh my. His voice is deep with promise and it sends shivers racing right to my very core.
And this feeling that encompasses me, this pure and unadulterated happiness, this bliss, this utter contentment that I'd never even imagined I could feel...it's all because of him. “I love you,” I tell him, and I've never meant anything more in my whole life.
He smiles down at me, framing my face with his hands. “I love you too.” And then he shows me just how much. Again and again and again.
Breathe Me by Sia
Everybody Talks by Neon Trees
Slither by Velvet Revolver
Fix You by The Offspring
Gone Going by The Black Eyed Peas
E.T by Katy Perry
The Anniversary Waltz by Dave Franklin
New Slang by The Shins
Poison & Wine by The Civil Wars
Flaws by Bastille
Gone by Lianne La Havas
She Is by The Fray
Aterciopelados by El Estuche
Make Believe by The Burned
This Is Home by Switchfoot
Ride With The Tide by Emilie Mover
FIRSTLY I'D LIKE to say a huge thank you for two seriously amazing beta readers, Susan Stancampiano and Kristin Ristine, both of whom took the time to read this story and give me some awesome tips and advice. Because of Him wouldn't be the same without them. Big loves and virtual hugs.
And thank you so much to everyone who read this story—I hope you enjoyed reading about Silver and Blair as much as I enjoyed writing about them.
Come find me at:
https://www.facebook.com/jessicaAroeauthor
https://twitter.com/JessicaARoe
http://jessicaroeblog.blogspot.co.uk/
I'd love to hear from you!
If you enjoyed Because of Him, why not take a look at
Undone—Book 1 in The Guardians series
Nicky is trying to be a good guy...All Gable wants is to be bad.
Fresh out of prison and down on his luck, Nicky is trying to be a good guy. With a past overrun by darkness and shadows, he's willing to do whatever it takes to change. He just never dreamed his road to redemption would open his eyes to a world full of magic and mystical beings.
All Gable wants is to be bad. Because only a bad person would do the things she's done and not even care. She's not looking to be saved, not from her world, not from herself. Not even by Nicky.
At sixteen, Nicky and Gable were in love, but eight years apart is a long time and people change. After the tragedy that once ripped Gable from Nicky's world, they never expected to see each other again, especially not on the opposing sides of a fight between good and evil.
They will rescue each other, they will betray each other, they will be undone.
AVAILABLE NOW
Amazon US
Amazon UK
