Little Bird (The Tangled Series)

by Gaines, Liza

  “You’re so wet, so soft and hot. So fucking perfect.” Lee lay still on top of her, his body rigid and tense, his face in her hair, panting against her ear. Savannah bit her lip, tentative as she began to rock her hips beneath him, rubbing herself along the length of his cock. Lee lifted his head, staring at her with such white-hot intensity Savannah thought she might actually orgasm if he looked at her like that for too long.

  Savannah put her hand on his face, cradling his jaw, her thumb stroking his cheek as she teased him, “You okay, Levon? I think you might be developing a tic.”

  “I’m just fine. You, however, are playing a very dangerous game, Little Bird.” His strained voice seemed to contradict his claim that he was just fine but Savannah didn’t think she ought to point that out.

  “I trust you to control yourself.”

  Lee laughed, startling her, and he lifted himself up on his forearms. “Ordinarily, I’d be flattered but right now, you really fucking shouldn’t. Not when you’re dragging that sweet little cunt along my bare dick and I want nothing more than to put it inside you. Not when it would be this fucking easy for me to do it.”

  Lee held her gaze as he shifted against her, his hips rocking slowly. It was just a small adjustment but that’s all it had taken. The swollen head of his cock slid back and forth between her legs until it caught. He lined himself up, poised at her entrance, ready to slip inside with the barest of movements from either of them.

  Savannah gasped, her eyes wide, and Lee looked down at her, one brow arched and a sinful smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. He seemed to be waiting for her to say something but she couldn’t. She could barely breathe, let alone talk. The feel of him resting there, pressing ever so slightly against her was making her crazy.

  “Cat got your tongue, baby?”

  Savannah quivered beneath him, her voice timid. “I was just playing, just teasing you.”

  “Nothing wrong with that. You can tease me all you like with your hands or your mouth. But next time you tease me like this, next time you rub that hot wet slit against my naked cock, I’ll take it as an invitation.” He looked down and she followed his gaze. He was looking between them where his cock cautiously pressed against her. Lee’s breathing quickened and he groaned, a sound of raw torment.

  She thought he might drive into her after all and she tried to figure out what she would do if he did. She couldn’t let him do it, obviously, but she didn’t want to start another fight either. She was trying to decide the best way to handle the situation when she heard his breathing grow heavier, raspier. He still hovered over her, his eyes fastened on the place where the crown of his erection nudged against her entrance. Even with that slight contact she could feel the way his cock throbbed and she let out a startled gasp when it jerked against her.

  “You’ve ruined me, Savannah.” Lee’s voice was so thick and rough she didn’t think she’d have even recognized it if she hadn’t been right here with him.

  Everything happened so fast then. He shifted over her, holding himself on one arm, his free hand finding her neck, his fingers wrapping around that slender column as his thumb stroked over her throat. He raised his hips, his erection bumping over her clit before sliding across her stomach. Lee groaned savagely, his grip on her neck tightening. The first hot spurt of semen on her stomach took her breath away. Lee still looked down, watching as he came over her belly, a feral primitive sound coming from low in his throat. Savannah watched, too, fascinated to see his cock twitch against her, his seed pooling on her abdomen.

  When he’d finished, he rolled off of her, releasing his hold on her neck. His hand trailed over her breasts to her stomach where he tenderly caressed her, his fingers rubbing his semen into her smooth skin.

  Lee raised his gaze to look at her and Savannah shivered. He looked sex-drunk, his eyes heavy as he panted to catch his breath. He held her gaze and brought his hand up to span her jaw—his fingers wet with his come. His voice was full of gravel when he said, “I mean it, Savannah. If you tease me like that again I will be inside you when I come. That’s a promise.”

  Savannah trembled, an involuntary shiver racking her body. She didn’t know what to say, she didn’t even know what she thought. The way he looked at her, the pressure of his fingers on her jaw, her skin still damp with him, she was so overwhelmed by everything about the situation.

  When she didn’t respond, he finally released her, rolling onto his back and she couldn’t help but sigh, glad to have him out of her personal space for a minute so she could pull herself together.

  Rolling his head on the pillow to look at her, Lee chuckled hoarsely. “Probably not a good sign you sound so relieved when I quit touching you.”

  “That was sort of intense.”

  They lay side by side, their heads turned toward one another. Lee reached over, grabbing her hand and squeezing her fingers.

  “You thought it was intense? I just came from thinking about being inside you.” He laughed, still a little out of breath and unsteady. “Hell, it’s probably a good thing I can’t fuck you without a condom. I’d probably embarrass myself and then you’d just think I was an old man with a premature ejaculation problem.”

  Savannah laughed, his joking tone helping to dispel some of the tension in the air. “Well, you are an old man.”

  “That’s the second time you’ve called me old, Little Bird. You’re not very good for my ego.” He grinned, tugging the fingers he still held. “Get over here and sit on my face so I can show you one of the advantages to fucking an old man.”

  Savannah blushed, unsure if she’d ever get used to how direct he could be, but she liked it. It was so uncomplicated. She narrowed her eyes, teasing him. “Oh, you think you’re exceptionally skilled, do you?”

  Lee raised a brow at her, his lips twitching with an amused smile. “I know I am, sweetheart. I’ll grant some of it is probably just natural talent, but I’ve been eating cunt for almost as long as you’ve been alive. If I haven’t honed that particular skill by now there’s no hope for me.”

  Savannah rolled her eyes, shaking her head. “You’re only eleven years older than me and I doubt you were having sex in elementary school.”

  “Probably closer to twelve years, my birthday’s next month. But let’s think about this for a minute.” Lee paused, doing a little math in his head. “Right so, you’re twenty-six and I’ve been having sex for nearly twenty-four years. I’d say that qualifies as almost as long as you’ve been alive.”

  “You were fourteen the first time?” Savannah blurted.

  “Yeah. You?”

  While Savannah was surprised to learn he’d been only fourteen, she was more interested in the way he’d said it. He was so comfortable in his own skin. He wasn’t at all shy or embarrassed about answering. Maybe that kind of confidence was another thing that came with age because she definitely felt nervous about answering. When she did, she tried to sound as relaxed as he had but she didn’t think she managed to pull it off.

  “I was nineteen.”

  “Oh, so you were one of those good girls in high school.”

  Lee grinned at her mischievously and Savannah snorted. “I’ll bet there weren’t any good girls left in your high school by the time you graduated.”

  “There were a few who managed to resist my charms.” Lee was laughing as he spoke but it faded rapidly as an odd look passed over his face.

  “What?”

  “Fuck, I am old. I was married for longer than you’ve been having sex. Hell, I’ve been divorced almost as long.”

  “That doesn’t mean you’re old, it just means I was a late bloomer.” Savannah hesitated, chewing her lip and wondering how he would react to her asking about his marriage. Mike had told her Lee didn’t really talk about it and Mike was one of his closest friends. If he hadn’t told Mike he probably wouldn’t react well to her inquiries. Still, she wanted to know so she decided to test the waters with an easy question. “So, how long were you married?”
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  “Nine years.”

  Lee didn’t appear to be fazed by her question so she quickly asked the next one, the one she really wanted the answer to. “What happened?”

  “Nosy little thing, aren’t you?” Lee arched a brow, giving her a steady look.

  Savannah blushed and looked away, feeling chastised. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to pry.”

  “No, it’s all right. Come here.”

  Lee patted his chest and Savannah rolled over on her side to lie against him. Unsatisfied with that, he pulled her on top of him so she sprawled over his chest. At first, she thought he would try to distract her with sex but he didn’t, instead tucking her head under his chin and lazily stroking her bottom with one hand. Savannah liked the closeness, lying chest to chest with him, but wondered if it had been intentional the way he’d positioned her so she couldn’t see his face.

  “What happened depends on who you ask.”

  “I asked Mike but he just said you never talked about it much.”

  Lee chuckled and Savannah smiled to herself, enjoying the pleasant feel of his laughter rumbling in his chest. “Mike’s a good guy. Loyal. Even if he is obnoxiously meddlesome sometimes.” He paused, thoughtful. “When you split up after that long together, most of your friends are shared and it’s shitty because they pretty much end up having to pick one side or the other. Mike and Ginny were among the few who stuck with me.”

  “Did you cheat?” Savannah blurted the question out before she even realized what she was saying. She didn’t want to think Lee would cheat, but it was the first thing that came to mind when he said most of their friends had taken Cara’s side. When he took a long time before responding, she realized with dread she wasn’t going to like his answer.

  “It’s complicated. I—”

  “Not really. It’s pretty straight forward.” Savannah couldn’t keep the accusatory tone out of her voice as she interrupted him, her body tense and rigid against him. “Did you put your dick in someone else while you were married to her? That’s a yes or no question. Anything else is just making excuses.”

  “Yes.”

  All of her breath went out with a whoosh and Savannah felt like she might throw up. She pushed against his chest, trying to get up but he had an arm around her back, holding her firmly in place.

  His voice was gruff when he said, “Where do you think you’re going?”

  Savannah lifted her head, glaring at him. “Once a cheater, always a cheater. And to think you had the nerve to lecture me about monogamy. I’ve never fucking cheated.”

  “I’m not having that argument with you again.” Lee sighed, exasperated and annoyed. “You asked what happened and I’ll tell you, but I expect you to at least have the courtesy to listen to the whole damn story before you tell me what a fucking asshole I am.”

  “Fine, I’ll listen but don’t expect it to change anything. There’s never an excuse for cheating. And let go of me. I don’t want to lay here and cuddle with you while you tell me all about how you fucked around on your wife.”

  Lee made an angry sound but he let go of her and she rolled off of him, pulling the blankets over her as she lay on her side looking at him. She needed to be able to see his face while he talked about this. Lee lay on his back, his head turned toward her, his expression impassive.

  “We shouldn’t have gotten married in the first place but we were young and stupid. I guess that’s what everyone says, but it’s true.” He laughed derisively. “You think I’m an overbearing bastard now? You should have known me when I was twenty-two. Cara was obstinate and stubborn, too. We argued all the fucking time. I remember once we argued for three days, bitter nasty shit, because she changed the radio station while I was driving. It was ludicrous.”

  “So why did you stay together so long?”

  “She was traveling a lot for work and I was working for a firm in Arlington, billing about seventy hours a week most weeks, which meant twelve or thirteen hour days, six and sometimes seven days a week. So we didn’t see much of each other, which made it surprisingly easy to ignore how fucked up everything was. And splitting up meant admitting failure, something neither of us is very good at. Our sex life sucked and I know it sounds horrible and shallow but sex is really fucking important to me.”

  “Then you should have left instead of cheating.” Savannah was proud of herself for keeping her voice calm because she still felt like she might be sick.

  “That’s not when or why I cheated. But you’re right. I should have left. So should she have. We just weren’t good for each other. But neither of us did.”

  Lee went silent, rolling toward her so they lay face to face. Savannah tensed, expecting him to touch her. He noticed and she was surprised to see a hurt expression shadow his face before he managed to lock it down.

  “This is the hard part coming up, sweetheart. Give me a break, would you?”

  Savannah was unsettled by the rawness of his voice. When she nodded, Lee laced his fingers with hers, holding her hand against his chest, and she let him. He took a moment, obviously gathering his thoughts, before he went on.

  “Our condo was just a couple blocks from my office. I went home one day for lunch and Cara was there already. When I asked why she was home early she told me that she’d taken the day off because she’d had an abortion that morning. She was so indifferent about it, like she’d just told me that she’d taken the day off to have new furniture delivered. That was how I found out she’d even been pregnant in the first place.”

  Savannah’s breath caught, unbidden tears spilling over her cheeks. She couldn’t begin to imagine how horrible that must have been for him.

  “What are you crying for, sweetheart?” Lee gave her a tender smile, wiping her tears.

  “That’s awful.”

  Lee shrugged with a conflicted expression. “The way Cara handled it was awful, I know that much. Why even tell me about it at all if she wasn’t going to tell me until after it was done? It felt like she was intentionally trying to be hurtful and if that was her plan it worked because I was gutted. The rest of it, I don’t know.

  “Obviously, if she’d never told me at all, I’d have been none the wiser. I’ve always been pro-choice so I’d like to think it would have been different if she’d been upfront with me and told me about it first. It wouldn’t have saved the marriage, I’m sure of that and Cara was right, it was the right thing to do. The two of us having a kid would have been, hell, I can’t even think of a word strong enough to convey exactly how disastrous that would have been. But I couldn’t see that at the time and I said awful, terrible things to her, Savannah. Things I never should have said. Things I regret saying more than I regret anything else I’ve ever done in my life.

  “I’d like to believe if she’d just been straight with me I wouldn’t have behaved like such a worthless son of a bitch, but maybe I’m giving myself too much credit. And if you can believe it, I still didn’t leave and neither did she. It’s like we were fucking committed to destroying each other.”

  “But that’s when you cheated?” Savannah already knew the answer.

  “Yes.” Lee answered immediately, without looking away, but she could tell he was waiting for her reaction, bracing himself for it. “Ginny, of all people, says it wasn’t cheating. She claims we’d been so fucked up for so long that the marriage was just a legal technicality, but she’s been making excuses for me for almost twenty years now so she’s probably not real objective.”

  “Mike and Ginny know all this?”

  “Yes.”

  “So Mike lied to me?”

  Lee laughed quietly, stroking the palm of her hand with his thumb. “I told you he was loyal. But don’t get mad at him, Little Bird. It wasn’t his story to tell and not one I’d want broadcast far and wide.”

  Savannah nodded, unconcerned with that once she’d gotten over the momentary surprise of Mike’s deceit. Actually, she was glad he hadn’t told her. Glad it had been Lee who chose to share it with h
er. “So who was she?”

  “Does that really matter?” Lee raised both brows, a questioning look on his face. Savannah just shrugged so Lee told her. “She was a friend of Cara’s. She knew about all of it, Cara had confided in her, and she was sympathetic to me. Looking back, I don’t think I deserved sympathy. I know I didn’t, actually, but at the time, I ate it up. It went on almost a year before Cara found out about it and when she did, she finally left.”

  “Do you hate her?”

  “No. We were both dysfunctional as all hell. It wasn’t any more her fault than it was mine, the way that all shook out. So, the way I see it, there’s not much point in hating her when we were both assholes. I hope she’s happy and certainly don’t want to see anything bad happen to her as a result of whatever fucked up mess she’s in now.”

  “That’s very mature of you.” Savannah was sincere but she knew she probably sounded a little waspish. She hated Cara and she’d never even met her. On a rational level, she understood Lee was right, they’d both treated each other poorly, but she just didn’t care. Cara had hurt Lee and as far as she was concerned, that made Cara pretty damn unlikable. She couldn’t understand how Lee didn’t hate her.

  “That’s just another way of calling me old again.” Lee chuckled briefly before getting serious, quietly studying her before asking, “Do you hate him?”

  Savannah frowned, confused. “Who?”

  “Whoever it was who cheated on you.”

  Savannah went rigid, lying perfectly still. She started to tremble, her palms damp and clammy. She didn’t want to think about this. She couldn’t. And she definitely didn’t want to talk about it.

  “What are you talking about?”

  “Most everybody says cheating is wrong but most everybody doesn’t act the way you did unless they’ve seen it up close.” Lee was looking at her so intently it sent a shiver racing down her spine, but she remained stiff and tense.