I reached into the bag of gummy bears and passed over a red one. “Open.” I told Wes who opened his mouth so I could toss the yellow one in. “You did the right thing.” Wes surprised me with that. “We’ve been telling him for years that helping Bree out so much wasn’t good for him.” I tossed another bear his way, but missed and hit his eye.
“Oops. Sorry.” I giggled, “That’s what I’m afraid of, though. This is something he’s been doing for years. What makes me think he can let her go now?” I winced on the last part when Wes hit the edge of my shoulder blade.
He stopped the gun and sat back in the chair stretching his neck from side to side. “That’s just it.” He put the gun down on the table and cracked his knuckles. “We are all permanent fixtures in his life. None of us would leave if he didn’t set Bree on her own. Not me, not Capri, not his parents. You can though, and that scares him. He could lose you over Bree, and he wants you more than I’ve seen that guy want anything.”
I may have physically needed to space myself from him, but my heart would never have left him. I hoped we really could get through this, or I’d have to invest in some cats to keep me company for the rest of my days.
“Do you think he’ll be awake when I get there?” I hadn’t realized how late it was getting. I thought about waiting until tomorrow to go to his house, but that was impossible. I wanted to go home, and August had become my home. Wherever he was, is where I wanted to be.
“Oh, he’ll be up.” Wes said opening his mouth again like a baby bird. I took a handful of gummy bears and dropped them into his mouth.
“There ya go, little guy.” I patted him on the head and tucked the bag back into my purse. He chewed that mouth full like a trooper and then pointed back to the table for me to lie back down.
I heard the buzz of the gun while I situated myself back on the table, but then it abruptly stopped. I looked at Wes over my shoulder. “In all seriousness.” The usual glint in his eye was gone now.
“Can you do serious?” I asked making him laugh.
“I’m working on it.” He flashed me his dimples. Oh, how the ladies must swoon.
He started the gun again and continued talking, “Losing Ella wasn’t just hard on August. It was earth shattering. I can’t imagine someone ever gets over losing a child, and I never expect him to. I always hoped he’d find a way to live again though. He did when he met you.” I listened intently to Wes’s soft words and felt them seep into my heart making it swell and ache simultaneously. “Before you, he was an imposter. He carried on with life, but never meant it. Now, when he laughs, he’s really laughing. When he smiles, it’s genuine. The best part of all is when he talks about being in love with you, the dude beams. Like, turn that shiny shit down so the rest of us can see.” He smirked down at me. “You bedazzled my boy.”
I laughed so hard Wes had to pull away from my skin. “You guys had better get some good sunglasses then,” I told him because August made me feel just as shiny.
Chapter 30
August
I set up the last few cups around the living room and glanced around the survey my genius. Red plastic cups weren’t the best choice aesthetically for the flowers, but they’d have to do. I didn’t have many options considering how late at night it was.
When Wes called to tell me Kensie was stopping by tonight, I got to work. I couldn’t be sure why she was coming over, but I hoped it was to work things out between us. Although, there was also a chance that she was stopping by just to get the sweater she left here the other day. I chose to ignore that reason. Regardless of her visit, I needed to tell her that Bree was officially out of the picture. If that didn’t convince her to take me back, then I was optimistic my gesture would aid in my efforts.
I brushed the crumbs of the couch when I thought I heard a thump at the door. I stopped to listen, but didn’t hear anything. I swiped my hand over the cushions again making sure all evidence of my woe is me couch days was gone.
Another noise alerted my attention back to the door. I walked to the window next to it scratching my bare chest. I’d showered when I got home from getting the flowers, and was in such a hurry to get them scattered around the room, I only slipped on my workout pants.
I pulled the blinds apart and peered through them to my front yard. I noticed my empty pot was lying sideways in my grass. Odd. There were pavement rocks scattered out of place along my walkway, and what looked like evidence of a struggle with one of my bushes. Then I saw her, sitting on my stoop with her back to me. Her chestnut hair fell softly down her back reminding me how amazing my pillows smelled after she left the other morning. I lied there for far too long with my nose buried in them, only getting up when things became a bit awkward for my mattress.
Yet again, I was a creeper and watched her for a few minutes. I couldn’t help it. I memorized the curve of her back, and the gentle way her body moved just in case I never got to see it again. I watched her eat a handful of mints and immediately put my hand in front of my mouth and breathed. If she was eating that many mints, I wanted to make sure I was ready for whatever she had planned. I was more hopeful than I had been since the day she found out about Ella and Bree.
She turned around at stealth speed and glared at the window. I jumped back startled by her quickness making the blinds rattle. I opened the door and looked down at her, and her presence stole my breath.
Her wide brown eyes blinked up at me reminding all the things I’d learned to do to make them fall and flutter. She chewed on the inside of her cheek puckering her lips at the same time. I remembered how sweet they always tasted, but I was willing to bet they were all minty fresh now. I watched her chest fall in an inhale and she pointed her little finger at me. “You guys suck.” She scolded me, but didn’t sound nearly as determined as I think she intended too.
The sight of me was affecting her too. I was sure of it. I’d learned the way her body responded to me over the last few weeks, studied it. I bit my bottom lip scanning over her in her grey sweater and jeans. Right on cue, I watched as her exposed collarbone prickled up. “I didn’t leave you out here as a joke,” I said and ran my fingers through my hair waiting for her parted lip response. There it was. “I just was just being creepy and ogling you.” Why deny it?
She closed her lips and sucked in a quick breath through her nose, that was a new one. “Oh.” She breathed out.
“Well, can I come in?” She asked me like she needed to. That irritated me.
“Of course you can come in, Kensie,” my voice clipped and she shrunk back. “Don’t say stuff like that. I want you to feel at home here. You can come and go anytime you want.” I softened my tone thinking about having her here with me all the time. She nodded and I stepped aside to she could come in.
The gasp she sucked in was my first sign that she saw the flowers. “Oh, August,” and my name on her lips in a sigh was my second sign that I made the right choice. I fist pumped in the air before following her into the house. She turned around and looked at me sweetly with big puppy dog eyes. “What’s all this?”
“Roses.” I smirked. I was good. She smiled mischievously at me.
“Feeling pretty proud of yourself there, aren’t ya?” Busted. I laughed and took a tentative step towards her. She liked the roses, but I still didn’t want to push it. “I may have heard you were on your way over, and I may or may not have confiscated a few roses from the bushes at work.” That was the first place I had thought of to get some flowers this late at night, and it was perfect since I picked her first rose there.
I wasn’t a fool. Girls loved that sentimental stuff, but Kensie was the first girl I ever wanted to do that kind of thing for. The joy it brought her, literally brought joy to me. Nothing felt better than doing something thoughtful for your girl and hearing the smile in her voice. Knowing I put it there was worth it every time.
“It’s perfect.” She smiled hesitantly up at me and took a few careful steps towards me. “How did I ever find you? How could I have not kno
wn somewhere in this mess of a world, you were there waiting to make it perfect for me?” Oh hell, she had my insides somersaulting. I loved this girl so much.
“I haven’t made anything perfect,” I admitted the truth first, “but I’m hoping you’ll let me keep trying.” That was all I could do. I’d try till the day I died to give Kensie perfect. “I love you,” she took another step toward me and placed her hand over my heart.
“I love…” I started, but she cut me off with a quick chaste kiss to the lips.
“Let me say this first.” She insisted.
She placed her hand back over my heart and I covered it with my own holding it tightly. “I’m sorry I walked away from you so quickly over Bree. I should have given you the opportunity to make the decision for yourself and I made it for you. I never even waited to see if you would work on separating yourself from her because I was too afraid of hearing you say you couldn’t.”
I was still dumbfounded over her thinking I would ever choose anyone over her. It wasn’t even a choice I could make. “Kensie, that was never a choice I could have even made.” I reached up and held her cheek in my other hand, “You have my heart,” I tapped out clasped hands over my chest, “that’s the simple truth.”
She grinned up at me. “Simple, huh?”
I smiled back at her. “Simple.” I leaned down capturing her lips in mine.
I usually contained my need to rip Kensie’s clothes off and fuck her six ways past Sunday, but the way she kissed me had me losing all control. There wasn’t a hint of the usual cautious woman in this kiss. It was all tongue and passion. She slid her arms up over my shoulders and gripped her fingers onto me. I reached around with one arm and pulled her against me using the other hand to pull her leg up around my waist, giving me better access to just the right spot. I bent my legs and pressed myself against her capturing her moan in my mouth. I was so hard, though, that the friction was too much. Easy killa. I pulled back and she whined in protest.
I chuckled and nibbled on her bottom lip while at the same time pulling her sweater up and over her head. She didn’t waste anytime with our brief parting and yanked mine over my head. Our lips crashed back together and a frenzied removal of our clothes began. Thank god for athletic pants, I ripped them off and stepped out of them at a world speed, all while sucking Kensie’s tongue into my mouth. I’m an Olympian.
I ran my hands roughly up and down her back in daze when she gasped uncomfortably. “Did I hurt you?” Shit. I softened my grip and realized that my hand wasn’t touching her skin directly, but a layer of plastic on her shoulder. “What is this?” I asked panting and very aware of my erection nudging into her hip. Hang on, big guy.
Kensie grinned nervously and peeled back the layer of plastic with a slight wince. “I paid a visit to Wes tonight. That’s why I was so late getting here.” She removed the covering completely and revealed a delicate tattoo of a dandelion on her shoulder. I inhaled deeply and moved behind her to gently trace the path of the seeds that floated up towards the base of her neck.
Then, I laughed. It was probably not the best response. The tattoo was amazing, though. I could tell it was Wes’s work with the way it looked like a gray and black pencil sketch. He added soft wisps and lines that gave it a feminine feel, and it looked damn hot on that part of Kensie’s body. Again though, I probably shouldn’t have laughed.
The mixture of shock and pain in her face broke my heart and I had to quickly turn around to show her my back before she got upset. I heard her gasp loudly, “What the fuck,” she said and I laughed even more. Kensie never cursed. She was laughing right along with me now. “When did he do this?” I felt her fingers trace over my own dandelion on the backside of my ribs. Mine was a much more masculine version with thick black lines and razor edges, but the meaning was all heart.
“This afternoon.” I told her realizing she probably walked into the shop not long after I had left.
I felt her fingers brush my skin like tiny pin pricks across the spots where the seeds were scattered. “Why are they all over your scars.” She placed a soft kiss on one of the bigger ones that held the majority of the chorus to the song. “Because you healed me.” I felt her freeze behind me, but I kept talking. “When I met you, I felt alone and all out of hope, but you made me want to live again. You came and moved me in a new direction toward a life I’ve always wanted, but never thought I deserved.”
I turned around and brushed my thumb across her trembling lip. “Me too.” She said making us both laugh. “That story you told me on our first date, on the Ferris wheel, it was me. I was so afraid to live, to really let go and find my happiness, but you showed me how. You took away all my fears and in their place gave me love. You’re my wind.” She pointed at her tattoo where Wes had effectively inked swirls of wind.
“You’re mine.” I told her making her eyebrows scrunch up at me adorably in confusion. “You are right, that story I told you that night was about us, but you have it mixed up. I was the weed, and you were the wind.”
She giggled at me her eyes sparkling, “It’s a flower.” I leaned in and kissed her nose, “If the dandelion is you, it’s a flower.” I agreed with her there.
My Kensie. She’s my wildflower, finding me alone in a field and growing right along with me.
“So…we’re soul mates.” She stated, but had a questioning tone.
“We are soul mates.” I kissed her lips now. My lower half was still poking her, getting impatient. “Now, where were we?” I asked her sliding my tongue in not waiting for an answer. She tilted her head and accepted my intrusion with a soft moan that had me hoisting her around my waist once again and carrying her to my bed.
* * *
I’m not sure how much longer I could lie here with Kensie laying on top of me and pretend I was asleep. I was up long before she was, and found myself watching her sleep peacefully. She had the adorable little snore noise that sounded like whistled puffs of air, like a little mouse. I still couldn’t believe she was mine. She knew everything there was to know about me, and she still let me have her. In fact, by my calculations, she let me have her three times last night and was aiming for number four right now.
When her eyes fluttered open, I snapped mine shut. I’d managed to keep them shut and fake sleep the entire time she explored my exposed chest with her soft hands and even softer lips. Now those wet kisses were trailing further and further down my torso making my arousal impossible to hide. When it twitched spontaneously against her thigh I felt her sit up and grunt questioningly. “Yeah, pretty girl, it even works when I’m asleep.” I chuckled when she jumped backed in surprise.
She hit me over the face with her pillow and laughed, “How long have you been awake?”
I pushed the pillow aside and looked at her above me. Kensie was beautiful no doubt, but when she woke up first thing in the morning, she was stunning. Her face reflected the newness of the day, full of anticipation and promise. Maybe that’s what had me riveted by the soft glow that seemed to surround her while she slept. It was something I wanted to wake up to every morning. “Long enough to know you snore.” I boldly declared and flinched anticipating another pillow to face.
“Do not.” She said and crossed her arms over her chest stubbornly.
“It’s okay, it’s adorable.” I assured her winning me a soft smile. “Did you want to investigate me any further?” I cocked my eyebrow at her. “I seem to remember you were in this general vicinity.” I motioned towards my erection making her giggle.
“No, I think I’m done here.” She teased me and began to climb off.
I sat up and wrapped my arms around her waist pulling her back on top of me, “Well, I was just getting started.” I whispered in her ear and got the shiver out of her I had wanted. I rolled her off of me and followed until I was on top of her. She spread her legs so I could fit myself in between them and against her heat. “You’re already wet.” I whispered hoarsely planting kisses along her neck. Number one best reason for having Ke
nsie in my bed, waking up with her naked.
She whimpered out her response digging her fingers into my back and raising her hips up to meet me. I reached over to my nightstand and grabbed a condom from my drawer. I tore it open with my teeth and rolled it on before getting back to my task at hand. I slid down to graze her on the outside, but didn’t push in yet. I had been so desperate for her last night that I gave her anything and everything. This morning, I wanted to tease Kensie a bit.
I rubbed my length against her lightly making myself twitch. While I sucked on the spot just below her ear that made her mew, I chanted to myself Siegfried and Roy, Siegfried and Roy, Siegfried and Roy. Out of nowhere, she raised her hips and thrust me into her to the hilt with my new favorite sound. Kensie’s sex moan.
“Shit, Kensie,” I grunted out, “You did it now. I’m not going to be able to last long.”
She swiveled her hips causing my eyes to roll back momentarily. “Me either.” She panted. I sucked in a breath through my teeth maintaining some semblance of control. I pumped slowly in and out of her, torturously so. This was my new favorite feeling. Kensie, all hot and wet around me.
“Go faster.” She urged me on. Don’t mind if I do.
I grabbed her knees and pulled them up around me, hanging on to them while increasing my tempo. As I picked up speed, I made sure to nail her right in the spot that caused her to gasp every time. Over and over and over again until I felt her heat begin to constrict around me. She screamed my name as she exploded around me. Her pulsating grasp on me caused my own release, and I spilled myself into her. I collapsed on top of her tiny body, but made sure my arms were resting on either side of her now, holding most of my weight.
Truth In Wildflowers Page 29
