One Up: Up Series Book 4

by Robin Leaf

  “I have to go find him.”

  “Atta girl.” She winked and grabbed my hand, leading me out of the bathroom. “But you better make him grovel for his part in all of this.”

  ***

  We walked into the chaos of the reception, only to be swept away by Emily’s mother and her curses that Emily had disappeared for five whole minutes.

  “Emily Francis, where the hell have you been? The limo is waiting for you. You and Tater were supposed to leave ten minutes ago.”

  “Okay, but I need someone to go get my stuff –”

  Mrs. Sullivan waved her off. “I sent Miles to take it to the car. You need to get your husband and I’ll tell the DJ to announce to everyone so we can line up.” She turned back to her daughter and grabbed her arms. “Find Tater and wait for my signal.”

  Emily rolled her eyes. “Okay.”

  We watched her scurry away.

  “Man, your mom is…”

  “…A certified lunatic?”

  I smiled. “Well, I was going to say a little high strung, but sure, we’ll go with your word.” We looked around the room for Tater. “What happened to Shelley?”

  “If you ask my mom, she fired her, but Shell quit.”

  Keaton walked in, flanked by both of the men I had tangled in my web. I looked at them both, one after the other, and swallowed the lump that had formed in my throat. It rocketed down into my stomach, crashing and exploding. I had to fight bending over.

  “Ladies and gentlemen,” the DJ announced, “please make your way outside so that we may,” he cleared his throat, and used a voice that sounded a lot like he was mocking the woman who gave him the order to say the words, “give the bride and groom the proper send off.”

  I giggled despite everything.

  “Kaelyn, stop standing there and go,” Mrs. Sullivan sweetly snapped, if that’s even a thing, at me as she gently nudged me toward the door.

  The next few minutes sped along. Everyone lined the walkway, and the wedding party was positioned closest to the car. We were handed our bottles of special, non-staining bubbles (I heard Mr. S grouching that since birdseed was forbidden at the reception hall, they had to use this more expensive option), and Emily and Keaton ran through a sea of bubbles, offering quick hugs, waves, and tears.

  Keaton’s arms quickly wrapped around me.

  “Love you, Bug.”

  “Love you, too, Stoney.”

  I laughed as Mrs. Sullivan practically shoved both of them in the car. We waved as it pulled away. At least I got to say goodbye before they left.

  I felt them both surround me. On one side of me stood Dugger. On the other was Brody. I slipped my hands into both of theirs, squeezing one to get him to look at me. We locked eyes for a full second before I smiled a hopeful smile.

  I turned to the other man.

  “Can we talk?”

  Twenty Six

  Brody

  Emily hugged me hurriedly.

  “Thank you for standing up for us. Now, stop being a fucking dick and talk to her nicely.”

  Aunt Mae pulled Em and Tater to the car, and it drove away.

  I felt her hand slide into mine. She squeezed, and I looked down at her.

  She smiled. That fucking smile… it illuminated my world. It gave me hope. It made me want to pull her in my arms and kiss her.

  My lungs actually felt full for the first time in two weeks.

  And just as fast, they deflated when she let go of my hand and faced Dugger. I looked down at their joined hands and watched as she grabbed his forearm with the hand that had been holding mine.

  I heard her say, “Can we talk?”

  To. Him.

  Not to me. To him.

  She chose him.

  I didn’t even wait for his reaction. I walked away.

  ***

  “Miles, where’s your mother?” I asked him, probably rudely, but I was unable to care. I walked into the reception hall to find my Aunt, and found him not hiding his shit-eating grin.

  “Probably looking for Emily’s and Tater’s bags that I didn’t put in the limo,” he chuckled, ready to pat himself on the back for his prank.

  I shook my head. “Uncool, Miles. Un. Cool.” I gripped his shoulder. “After she’s done yelling at you, will you tell her I said goodbye?”

  He nodded and looked at me with concern. “Hey, are you okay, Bro?”

  I hung my head, kind of embarrassed that I was transparent enough that my young cousin could tell I was not okay.

  “Yeah, I’m cool, kid.”

  His mouth twisted to the side. “Does this have anything to do with Dugger kissing Kaelyn?”

  This kid… too fucking astute for his own good.

  I clapped him on the shoulder. “Goodnight, Miles.”

  It was kinda warm for a January evening, even in Southeast Texas. The mugginess of the night made it feel heavy, just like my mood. I walked to my truck quickly and started it, sending a text to Etta first telling her about Emily’s bags, before driving away. I didn’t give up Miles, but I figured I would let her know before she and Nate left so they could deliver them to Em.

  I would have offered to deliver them, but that would mean going back in. Not an option.

  I just wanted to go home, drink a beer or two, play my game, and go to bed.

  Oh, yeah, and forget Kaelyn Cartupeli ever existed.

  ***

  I worked the controller to direct my character into the pub, where I walked up to the bar. No one was in there, but when I turned my character around, the bartender was nailing one of the barmaids against the wall. The graphics were so lifelike, it took a second for me to remember that this was my game and not real.

  The bartender turned his face to look at me through the screen. What I saw was impossible.

  Dugger’s sinister grin filled my screen.

  “Watch this, Brody,” he snarled. “This is what you’ll never have again. She’s mine now.”

  Kaelyn’s chocolate eyes zeroed in on me, right before she made the face I remember her making before she came. Dugger slammed into her three times, causing her to pound loudly on the wall.

  I jumped, becoming aware of my surroundings, the controller still in my hand. I looked at the screen, and my character wasn’t in the pub. He was standing in the middle of the street awaiting my direction.

  Fuck. I fell asleep.

  Which made sense, since I didn’t even have a pub or sex programmed into the game.

  The dream pissed me off as if the scene that played in front of me was real. The real thing was probably playing out in the hotel twenty short miles to the north of me.

  Pounding sounded from the front door, which might have been what woke me up in the first place.

  I set my controller down and wiped my face with both hands, trying to calm myself before standing to see who it was.

  But the pounding intensified to an almost frantic level, and the doorbell rang repeatedly, which I found extremely rude from whomever thought it was okay to pay a visit at just after one in the fucking morning.

  The thought occurred to me that maybe something was wrong. I turned off my phone after I got home, so the possibility that someone was hurt or worse… well, it cooled my ire and hurried my steps.

  I threw open the door without checking to see who it was.

  Kaelyn stood on my porch, looking a bit frazzled, but no less beautiful, and she sagged in relief when she saw me.

  When she looked up, she smiled. “Hi.”

  I just leaned against the door, staring.

  “So… I know you probably don’t want to see me, but if you’ll just hear me out, I’ll leave.”

  I nodded once, and she took a deep breath.

  “Miles gave me your number, and I texted and called you probably a thousand times, which I thought meant you were done with me, but then I got worried that you maybe were hurt on the side of the road somewhere. I borrowed my mom’s rental and drove over here, but I ended up getting a little lost along
the way because I wasn’t really paying close attention when I came here the first time.”

  She smiled again, and when I didn’t answer, she continued.

  “But, since you’re obviously okay, I can now tell you that earlier, when I smiled at you after your cousin and my brother left, it was my way of telling you that I knew the truth and I wanted to try again, and the look you gave me made me think you understood. I know I should have said something, like used words and shit, but it really did seem like you got it. And I had to make things right with Douglass first. It would have weighed on me, and I knew if we were going to get a fresh start, we wouldn’t need anything weighing us down.

  “Which leads me to my next speech.”

  She took another deep breath and cleared her throat.

  “I’ve been an idiot and probably acted a little like the spoiled princess you probably think I am. I should have come straight to you when I saw you two days ago, but my pride was wounded because I thought you didn’t want me. I never told you who I was. Yes, I rigged the game of quarters because I wanted to avoid telling you the truth. I thought if you found out who I was, you’d reject me, which kind of turned out to be the case since you reacted like you did when you found out my last name. If I had only been honest and talked to you, on more than one occasion, we could have avoided all this stupid game of one-up-manship, which included me kissing someone who is like a brother to me and hurting all of us because of my stupid impulsiveness. It’s something I will always regret, and I can’t take it back. All I can do is apologize and learn from my stupidity.”

  She stepped tentatively closer.

  “I didn’t choose him, Brody, which I know now is how it must have looked to you. I made another bad decision in a series of stupid decisions, but all I want is a chance… with you.”

  She looked up at me timidly with her big, expectant brown eyes, waiting for me to say something. I felt the moment she accepted defeat; her eyes darkened and became shiny, and her shoulders slumped.

  “Well, okay. Now you know.”

  I was in her space before she could turn to leave. I scooped her around her waist and lifted her, carried her through the doorway, and closed the door with my foot.

  “You had me at ‘hi.’” I said hoarsely.

  That smile that illuminated my soul graced her face again.

  “Now you’re misquoting Jerry Maguire?” she asked, raising an eyebrow.

  “It was the girlfriend, Dorothy, in the movie Jerry Maguire, but whatever.”

  Her lips landed on mine, kissing me like her life depended on it.

  Right when I was about to take over the kiss, she wiggled out of my arms and pushed back, reaching around to her side to unzip her dress.

  “Emily said I needed to make sure that you apologized for being a dick to me,” she pushed her dress down her arms, “said I should make you grovel.”

  I allowed my eyes to follow the dress down to where it pooled at her feet, drinking in her flawless skin, before I guided her backward until her back was to the wall. I fell to my knees in front of her, grabbing her ankle.

  “I’m so sorry, Cher.”

  I lifted her leg, watching the juncture at her thighs open up and reveal the nirvana between them.

  “I can’t guarantee I won’t ever be an asshole again,” I leaned forward and licked a slow trail from her opening to her clit before pulling back. “But I will promise that whenever I am,” I licked again, “I will most definitely get on my knees for you.”

  I dove into her pussy, moaning when I got a full taste. Her hands gripped the back of my head, pulling me closer, grinding herself into my face. I sucked her clit into my mouth, pulling back so that it popped free, and licked it until her thighs started to quake.

  Right before she came, I pulled back, stood, and scooped her up into my arms, making my way to my bedroom.

  “Brody,” she whined, “I was right there.”

  I grinned. “I know, Cher.”

  “That so qualifies as asshole-ish behavior.”

  I dropped her on the bed, pulled her to the edge, spread her legs wide, and fell to my knees again.

  “I wanted you in my bed.”

  I leaned forward and resumed my feasting, adding a finger to her pussy. It took mere seconds before she was arching off the bed, grunting and cursing, squeezing my finger so hard, like she was trying to leave bruises.

  But I didn’t stop.

  “Brody,” she said weakly.

  “I want another one, Cher.” I pulled my finger from her pussy and sucked it into my mouth before putting two back into her. “And I’m not leaving until I get what I want.”

  I watched my fingers enter and retreat, coated in her wetness, and moved the thumb of my other hand over her clit.

  “What do you like most, Kaelyn. My fingers or my tongue?” I moved my thumb and licked her clit.

  She threw her head back. “Tongue… always your tongue.”

  “Mmmm, my tongue likes your pussy.”

  I slowed my tongue while my fingers found her spot… the one that makes her whimper. I rubbed them over it several times and felt her tighten.

  “That’s it, come for me again, Cher.”

  And come she did.

  Loudly and fiercely.

  I eased her down before removing my fingers and standing.

  I shed my basketball shorts, guided my cock to her entrance, grabbed the backs of her knees, and entered her in one solid thrust.

  God damn, she felt like heaven.

  “Brody… please.”

  I smiled down at her. “Please what, Cher?”

  “Fuck me, hard and fast. Come inside me and make me yours.”

  My knees almost gave out at her request, but I complied.

  Hard, fast thrusts, deep, so deep, I felt like I was drowning in the bliss she begged me to give her.

  I leaned over her, bracing myself on my arms hovering above her, and we locked eyes. Her hands grabbed my ass, pulling me to her even harder.

  “Yes, Brody, fuck. Like that.” Her fingers dug into my ass harder. “Oh, God, I think… Shit… I’m gonna…”

  As soon as her pussy squeezed my cock, I detonated, howling through my own release, which seemed to go on forever. I’d never come inside anyone before. This… God. I’d never felt anything like it. It felt so good, I thought I’d pass out from the pleasure of it.

  My arms collapsed, and I couldn’t move. I simply buried my face in her neck, inhaling her scent so that it became a part of me.

  Her hands traveled up my back to my face, and she maneuvered it so that she could kiss me. Slow, sensual, stroking her tongue along mine, telling me everything she needed to tell me with her lips and tongue. And I said it right back.

  She… she is definitely the girl for me.

  Twenty Seven

  Kaelyn

  A sex coma.

  That’s the only way to describe what I woke up from after our all-nighter.

  Holy moly, Brody wore me out. I was deliciously sore damn near everywhere.

  Every stroke, every hair pull, every kiss, lick, and suck… sheer perfection.

  Yeah, we definitely made up for the two weeks of stupidity where we could have been doing… this.

  My naughty bits needed a break, which was fortunate since my bed partner disappeared. If it weren’t for the dull throb between my legs, I’d swear I’d dreamed it all.

  I forced myself to roll over and bury my face in his pillow, inhaling the unique smell that could only belong to my Orgasman.

  Yes. That could be his new nickname.

  I lost count of how many he gave me last night. It was definitely over seven, and I know he had four. I never thought it was possible for a man to have four in that amount of time. Of course, before Brody, I would not have guessed I could have seven, much less however many I had last night.

  I sighed and snuggled into his side of the bed. Damn, had we already been together enough to claim sides? I mean, this was his bed, and I was the int
erloper and had to make do with the unclaimed side.

  I was totally cool with that.

  “Damn, Cher, you look so fucking sexy in my bed. Are you going to sleep the day away?”

  I kept my eyes closed but smiled. “I just might. Someone kept me up until six this morning.”

  He sat down next to me and ran his hand through my hair. “Well, it’s just after noon, and six hours is plenty of sleep.”

  I waved my hand in the air. “No more yanky my wanky. The Donger need food.”

  He chuckled. “Quoting Sixteen Candles? My mother loved that movie. We watched it several times together when she was going through chemo.” He maneuvered himself to where I was laying on his chest. “And I brought you food.”

  I pushed up on my elbow and eyeballed him. “You did?”

  Nodding, he answered. “Yes.” I heard plastic crinkle as he laid something cold on my back. “Something you told me last night between orgasms. You said these were your favorite.”

  I reached behind me, grabbing the cold plastic.

  He brought me a fucking M&M ice cream sandwich. I stared at it, almost wanting to cry.

  “I mean, it’s not an ideal breakfast,” he added awkwardly, “but we can consider it dessert first before a late brunch.”

  Ripping open the package, I shoved half of it in my mouth.

  “Holy shit,” I muttered through my full mouth, “this is the best.”

  He grinned. “Better than giving you my grandmother’s ring the first time we spent the night together?”

  “Are you fucking kidding? This is way better.” I took another big bite. “You know, you already got lucky, so if this is some worthy attempt to get in my pants, I think it’s a little late.”