by Lisa Simmons
“Reece, I-“
“Shh, baby,” he cut me off, silencing my warning that I wouldn’t be able to make it much longer. His body never stopped smooth rocking against mine, every rolling thrust he gave hitting impossibly deep inside of me. I could feel the slight shake starting to settle into my limbs and I knew I was nearly done for.
“Reece-“ I managed before a moan cut off my voice. The fire lingering in the pit of my stomach erupted and consumed my entire body as I hit my high. My eyes squeezed shut and my legs tightened around his hips, pulling him even tighter against me. He groaned as my muscles tightened around him, his body somehow managing to maintain the steady roll until he grew impossibly close to his finish as well. With one final deep thrust into me, his muscles flexed and his lips stilled against mine as he came. I could feel the tense of his body over me and beneath my palm, and his hand that was still captured in mine gripped me even tighter. A breath blew from between his lips as he finally relaxed, pulling from me and rolling to his back almost while pulling me with him. I felt like a limp rag doll as he draped me over his chest, my head falling lazily next to his as I buried my face in his neck. Both of us were breathing hard, our bodies slick with sweat despite having just showered. Even when Reece had complete control of me, I always ended up exhausted. The relentless rising of my hips to meet his and the various overwhelming stages he put me through was physically taxing but worth every single second of it.
My arm curled beneath his neck while the other draped lazily by his head, my fingers managing to work into his hair and smooth the still damp strands under my touch. I smiled into his skin as his hands smoothed down my back, the pads of his fingers dancing lightly across my skin.
“I love you,” I mumbled. For a moment, I completely forgot about everything that had happened tonight: the bar, the fight, the asthma attack, everything. It was just another moment laying in bed with Reece, both of us sweaty and satisfied and unharmed, when in reality he had to be sore from what he’d been through tonight. How he had managed to move so fluidly with such an angry bruise on his ribcage was beyond me, but I suspected he experienced the same overwhelming, all-consuming feeling I did when we were together. It was like the way he was feeling in the moment was too powerful to feel any pain, the pleasure of being together overriding any ache he might have felt. “I love you too, Abby,” he whispered.
In my opinion, there had never been nor would there ever be a better painkiller in the world than the one we had found: love.
"I'm gon' ride on you baby, on you lady, all night, all night."
Chapter 52
It was Saturday morning, and Reece and I had been standing in his entryway attempting to say goodbye for nearly twenty minutes now. My arms were linked lazily around his neck while his forearms rested on my lower back. I had to tilt my head back to look up at him, my back arching over his grip as I blissfully took in the sleepy look of his face.
"I don't see why you have to go," he grumbled. His hair was extremely wild from last night, and he stood in just a pair of athletic shorts while I was wearing a pair of leggings I'd found under his bed and one of his sweatshirts; the clothes I'd worn last night were currently in the laundry with his where I'd stuffed them this morning in an attempt to clean the blood from the fabrics.
"I have a lot to do today," I told him with a smile. I had neglected my classes all week and subsequently had a lot of catching up to do.
"You can do it tomorrow," he countered, pulling his lips into a wide, cheesy grin. He looked so young when he did that; his face lit up as his eyebrows shot up his forehead, the sleepiness of his current state only adding to the youthful expression.
"No, because you'll pull this again," I laughed. "If I do it today, I can hang out with you tomorrow all day."
"Well will I see you tonight?" he asked hopefully.
"Most likely," I said with a smile, knowing I would have zero motivation to do anything productive on a Saturday night.
"Okay, good," he said, tightening his grip around me and hugging me even tighter against him. My neck strained now as I tried to hold our eye contact, but his height made it difficult. I gave up and tightened my arms around his neck, hugging him in an attempt to finally make my way out the door despite wanting to do nothing but stay with him all day.
"I have to go," I mumbled into his neck. He grumbled something unintelligible and didn't loosen his grip.
"Reece," I laughed. He loosened his arms enough to let me pull back to look at him.
"Oh, hey, I was gonna ask you... since we only really went on the one date before we fell back into whatever, can I take you on another one? Somewhere actually nice this time," he said. He pulled his lips into his mouth after speaking as if the subject made him nervous. I couldn't imagine why he'd be nervous around me at all, especially considering these last few days.
"I would love that," I said gently, my grin widening even more. It was almost too much to handle- Reece hardly dressed while looking adorably bedraggled, asking to take me on a proper date.
"Yeah?"
"Yeah," I repeated, a giddy tone seeping into my voice. "When?"
"Ahh, I'll have to get back to you on that but I'll let you know," he said evasively. I blinked in amusement.
"Okay, deal." I lifted myself to my toes to press my lips into his. I held the pressure for a few seconds, the kiss lingering enough to make me feel the spark I always did but short enough to stop it from completely taking over.
"Bye, Reece," I sighed, closing my eyes momentarily and letting my lips mumble against his.
"Bye Abby," he returned, leaning forward once more to press our lips together for just a second before he reluctantly let me go. "I'll see you later once you're finished being responsible."
"Give it a try sometime," I teased, winking at him as I pulled the door open.
"Nahh," he said casually, shrugging and returning my wink. His wide grin was the last thing I saw before I slipped outside. My smile was wide as ever as I made my way to my car, and I was relieved to see that nothing had been written on it this time.
My drive home today was much more relaxed than the time I'd drove home with the ugly word painted across the window. I entertained myself trying to figure out what Reece would do for our newly planned date. It intrigued me to discover what he considered 'somewhere nice' and what he would do for the night. I was just parking outside of my apartment when I realized that I had basically nothing to wear for whatever he seemed to be planning; if it was enough to make him nervous, I should probably dress up a bit.
I made my way into my apartment and was surprised to find it empty- apparently Emily had found somewhere else to stay last night. My mind briefly flashed to Luke, wondering if she'd managed to succeed in her plan before I remembered Luke had left with Reece and I. She was probably just at Chloe's and still asleep. It was fairly early, after all.
My thoughts of needing something to wear were confirmed as I sifted through my closet. Most of my clothes consisted of jeans, leggings, and a variety of shirts. I had a few skirts but rarely wore them, especially around Reece. I had the distinct impression he would have a little bit too much fun with the easy access.
On second thought, maybe I should start wearing them around him.
I sighed as I found absolutely nothing suitable to wear, and had the sudden urge to go shopping even though I had no idea when this date would take place. I'd probably have a lot of time to find something, but suddenly I couldn't even consider doing my homework that was begging for my attention without settling this first. Even when I wasn't with him, Reece had taken over my every move.
I thought about calling Emily to go with me to the mall, but decided against it. As much help as she would be, I wasn't sure it was worth dealing with the thousand questions she would surely ask about what happened last night. Besides, I liked the thought of finding something to wear for Reece on my own.
After taking a quick shower, making myself decent for the day, and eating a qui
ck lunch, I was ready to go. I scribbled a quick note to Emily explaining where I was if she were to come home anytime soon and headed out the door. The drive to the mall was only a short distance, like everything in this town, and I was there within a few minutes.
'Mall' didn't seem to be the best description of the building I was walking into now because it really only had fifteen stores, but it was a big building and the closest thing we had to a mall so it would have to do. I was surprised by the amount of people in the building before I remembered it was a Saturday afternoon and there wasn't much else to do on a weekend during the day.
Most of the stores in the mall were aimed at the college population- there were a few clothing stores, some shoe stores, and a small jewelry store amongst the other venues that weren't aimed at my age group. Crowds of people of all ages milled around as I made my way into the first store. I already knew I wanted to find a dress, but didn't know what specifically. My hands parted the racks, searching for something I thought Reece would like.
I passed on several frilly, girly dress and several skintight polyester dresses that were so short I'd be terrified to wear them without fully exposing myself. I was just about to give up and move to a different store when one caught my eye; it was black and relatively simple, but I knew Reece would love it. I found my size and pulled it off the rack to try it on.
Several minutes later, I was in a dressing room and doing the zip up the back the best I could before I turned to look in the mirror. I instantly knew it was perfect. The wide tank top straps and high neck made it modest, but the tight, black fabric that covered my chest and torso made it sexy. The skirt came away from my body off my hips, and the fabric was a soft, almost velvety material. I grinned at myself in the mirror, loving the way the dress hugged my body but wasn't too ridiculously over the top.
As I made my way up to the counter to pay, I couldn't believe my good fortune at finding a dress, such a perfect one at that, in the first store I had gone to. I tried to picture Reece's face when he saw me in it and the way his hands would surely try to snake up my leg like they often did. I blushed at the thought, shaking my head to clear it as if the cashier would be able to see it on my face. I thanked her as she handed me the bag, a smile on my face at the great way the day was starting off as I made my way back into the main part of the mall.
I paused, looking both ways down the hall with thoughts of maybe finding some shoes when something caught my eye. I sucked in a breath when my gaze was met by another, the eyes a dark brown and a heavy smirk set on his face- Samuel. He wasn't alone, either: several pairs of eyes were focused on me, none of them familiar but the one despite being all equally unnerving.
I watched in apprehension as he said something to the group, who were looking scarier and scarier by the second. Several of them had the skinny, strung out look of drug addicts while several others looked like they'd never missed a day in the gym in their life. It was an odd combination of people, about six or seven of them total, but I couldn't help but notice their apparent cohesiveness. They way they all stood together watching me sent a chill down my spine.
I was about to turn and walk the other way when I saw Samuel starting toward me. Part of me thought I should still turn and leave, but the part of me that wanted to be strong held me in my place. I held my ground as he approached, his dark, seemingly constantly amused eyes focused on me the entire time. I didn't like the way he always looked like he knew something I didn't- something he found quite amusing in a dark, unsettling way.
"Well look who it is," he snickered as he approached. He stopped in front of me, standing far too close for my comfort at only two feet away, but I resisted the urge to take a step back. I tried to keep my gaze cool and neutral.
"Samuel," I said in greeting.
"What are you doing out all by yourself?" he asked condescendingly.
"Shopping," I said flatly. I didn't like how he'd pointed out that I was alone.
"Hmm, I see that. Buying something nice for your boyfriend, eh?" he sneered, nodding at the dress bag in my hand. I blinked, choosing not to reply to his comment.
"I'm surprised he let you out of his sight after last night," he said, taking a small step closer to me. I was too, honestly.
"I can take care of myself," I argued.
"Oh that's not what I heard," he said haughtily, looking down at me.
"That whole fight thing?" He tutted, making a derisive clicking sound with his tongue against his teeth while he shook his head slowly. "Very unwise on his part."
"He wouldn't have had to if your friend wasn't such an asshole," I said, defending Reece. "Do you even know what he tried to do?"
My mouth was speaking faster than my brain could process if it was smart to be talking about any of this with Samuel. Surely he already knew, and surely he didn't care. He had made it blatantly clear before that he held some weird hatred for Reece that stemmed from his 'getting everything he wants handed to him.' To me, it just sounded like extreme jealousy, but I knew how much jealousy could poison a person's mind and create such a volatile person like the one that stood in front of me.
"I'm not so much interested in what happened, if I'm really being honest," he said, shrugging casually. "All I know is Jack wants you back, sweetie, and he'll do pretty much anything to make it happen."
I cringed at his use of the word 'sweetie' just as I had with every other mock pet name he'd called me. I knew he did it just because it made me uncomfortable, but I couldn't hide my obvious distaste as a frown settled onto my face.
"I'm never going to get back together with Jack," I said firmly. I glared at Samuel, irritated by his constant condescending attitude. He was the worst kind of arrogant.
"Well you see, honey, I don't think he was really pleased about your dear boyfriend's interruption. He really shouldn't have done that..." he trailed off. His tone was so light and airy that it almost sounded pleasant due to his patronizing tone, but it was impossible to miss the implied threat that was layered beneath his words.
"What exactly does that mean?" I demanded, fighting the fear that was rising in my stomach.
"Ahh, just that he better be careful who he fucks with, is all," he replied, examining me with his dark eyes.
"Like them?" I asked bravely, nodding over his shoulder at the threatening group still watching us closely. My eyes locked with one of the burlier ones, and his sneer sent a shiver down my spine before I returned my gaze to Samuel. In comparison, he looked a lot less threatening even though I knew that wasn't the case. Beneath his extremely handsome face was a rotten brain, laden with jealousy and bitter hatred that crippled his judgment and sense.
"Do they look like the type of people you mess with, Abigail?" he asked smoothly.
I resisted the urge to look at them again, not wanting to feel the creepy chill whenever one of the stared at me.
"Who are they?" I asked, dodging his question.
"Old friends. The type of loyal friends who don't get everything handed to them on a silver fucking spoon," he said. For the first time, the cool, lazy tone to his voice cracked, showing signs of the anger that was bubbling beneath the surface.
I didn't like the idea of Samuel and Jack being linked to such 'loyal' friends who looked like they ate children for breakfast. It was a dangerous alliance, and it became more and more clear every time I interacted with either of them.
"Why do you care so much? You and Jack?" I asked in exasperation. I understood that Samuel was apparently fed up with Reece getting whatever he wanted and that a deep-seated jealousy and resentment existed there, and I understood that Jack was apparently quickly loosing it because he wanted me back so badly, but it was still hard for me to wrap my mind around how the two of them had somehow formed this threatening alliance.
"We have the same goal, darling," Samuel said quietly, stepping even closer. "He wants you, I want Reece to lose you. Simple as that."
"Why can't you two just let it go?" I asked, the
beg clear in my tone. I wanted so badly for them to just leave us alone and give up on their threatening vendetta.
"Because," he hissed, darting forward so he was inches from my face. I flinched at his proximity and the feel of his breath on my skin. It felt strange, foreign, and unwelcome. "The world is a fucking sick place with sick people in it. This is what we do to those who deserve it."
I shrunk backward, leaning away from him and his harsh words. Surely I did not deserve this like he so claimed. What could I have possibly done to deserve it? Leave my boyfriend who cheated on me and had a terrible temper? Surely no one could blame me for doing such a thing, much less go so far as to say I deserved what they were doing to me. Even Reece, who had no doubt gotten whatever girl he had pleased and seemed to be relatively lucky in life, did absolutely not deserve this.
No one deserved to have their happiness tampered with in such hostility, no matter what they had done. The more I thought about it, the more it dawned on me: these two were dangerously deranged.
"Please," I said weakly, my voice losing any of the strength I'd managed to hold on to until now. "Please just let it go."
I watched in horror as a terrify sneer spread across his face, his expression more condescending than ever as he let out a deep, unnerving chuckle. There was something off about him that set a chill to my skin.
"Oh, Abigail, sweetheart, we can't do that," he said slowly, his voice so sweet I could practically feel it dripping through the air. He leaned even closer to me. My body was frozen in place, my arms locked firmly as they crossed over my stomach in an effort to shield myself from him. I didn't like the way he was leaning closer and closer to me, the slightly unhinged look in his eye turning my blood to ice.
"If you know what's good for you and your boyfriend, you'll leave him and go back where you belong," he said coldly, his voice dropping the sickeningly sweet tone.
My breath came in slightly uneven, shaky breaths now as I listened to him speak. There it was again- another blatant threat to Reece, and now, myself, despite everything that had happened last night. My mouth was dry as I tried to swallow, and my mind felt too fuzzy to come up with anything to say. He had effectively made me speechless in fear.
