The phone rang again as I stared at it. For a long while I held it in my hand and looked at the letters of Sean's name until they meant nothing and were just symbols on a screen, abstract shapes with nothing to say. I waited until he stopped calling but whenever it rang out, he'd call again, then again. At last I resigned myself to talking to him.
"Sean?"
"Paige! Where the hell are you?"
I didn't answer.
"Hello? Are you there? I've been outta my mind worrying about you all day. You've not answered my messages or called me or-"
"Woah, calm down. I'm fine. I'm still in town, just getting some headspace."
He breathed a sigh of relief. On his end of the line there was the echo of sirens blazing through the streets, the sound of raised voices and hurried footsteps.
"Where are you?" I laughed. "Sounds like you're in a war zone."
"Urgh… Paige, I'm having a real shit night. Can I see you?"
I couldn't help but smile and flopped back on the bed and looked up to the ceiling. A fan dangled from the broken plasterwork, dusty and unmoving. I followed the trail of cobwebs with my eyes from the center out to the corners of the walls.
"I'd love to see you," I said. "I could do with the company."
“Great. I can't wait to see you."
~
Half an hour later, Sean stood in the doorway with his nose red from the cold and his frigid fingers thrust into his pockets. He was shivering as the frost settled around his feet and there was the smell of cigarettes and beer on his clothes.
"Where have you been?" I asked as I gestured for him to come inside.
"I was going to ask you the same thing."
He sat in the wicker chair beside the bed and looked worried when it creaked and groaned beneath his weight.
"This place has... character," he said as he looked around.
His eyes focused on the kitsch prints on the walls depicting semi-clad women in a variety of exotic locations. He grimaced as he noticed the one nearest to him. A bronzed girl in a grass skirt pouted on the beach with her legs in the air.
"Ever seen Psycho?" he joked.
"Are you saying I'm here because I stole a bunch of money?" I retorted.
He smiled and lowered his gaze to his hands that were thawing out as he held them over the heater.
"What are you doing here?" he asked.
I slumped and rested back on my elbows, the bed beneath me squeaking as I moved.
"I dunno. When I left the house I just drove, drove round and around town for hours until there was nowhere else to go. It was dark when I saw the flashing light of this place."
Pointing out the window, I showed him the red, neon sign out front.
"Yeah, it's very...film noir," he said as the red light flickered across the floor through the blinds.
"You don't have to be so polite," I laughed. "It's a shithole. You can say it."
"It is a shithole," he admitted as he rested back in his seat.
He slicked back a strand of stray hair and tucked it back into place. It was then that I saw the redness across his knuckles as the back of his hand swelled up.
"Sean, what happened?" I jumped up to take a look but he pulled it away. "Let me see!"
He folded his arms and tucked his hand into his armpit.
"I'm fine, you don't have to fuss," he groaned.
"I'm not fussing. I just wanna see if you're okay. Did you hurt yourself?"
His eyes were pleading with me to not ask anymore questions.
"Just leave it, Paige."
But I wasn't having it. I yanked at his arm and pulled his hand free. The tops of his knuckles were already turning purple as a dark hue of red glazed the bones of his fingers.
"What happened?" I gasped.
"You don't wanna know."
He pulled his hand back and reached for his cigarettes.
"Tell me," I urged.
He sucked on the end of his cigarette and looked out the window.
"My dad's an asshole, that's all you need to know."
A knot tightened in my stomach.
"What has he done now?"
Anger flashed across his eyes and the knot in my stomach wound itself tighter.
"He said things about you. Lies. Absolute lies. Don't worry. I didn't believe a word he said."
The knot in my stomach almost snapped. I jolted forward, petrified of what he was going to say next. Had Alex told him about that one night all those years ago? He saw the panic on my face and stiffened.
"Paige?"
I stared off into the distance.
"You okay?"
"Uhuh..." I nodded as the memory came flooding back.
"You look as though you've seen a ghost."
I shook my head and walked over to the window.
"You're dad..." I waved a hand to signal him to continue. "What exactly did he say?"
From behind I could hear him breathe out before the chair creaked as he stood up. He crept up behind me, his hands on my waist and his chin resting on my shoulder.
"Don't worry about what he said. He just likes causing trouble. The drunk son of a bitch was just dreaming."
His arms wound their way around my waist and pulled me tight.
"I'm sorry," I sighed and leaned back into him. "I've made things awful for everyone."
He hugged me harder until the pain washed over my ribs but I didn't care, I needed to be held.
"You haven't," he assured me.
"But trouble follows me everywhere," I insisted. "I'm cursed."
His face looked back at me in the reflection of the window like a spirit over my shoulder. He was churning something over in his mind. I could see it from the way he furrowed his brow.
"Can I tell you something?" I asked and reached my hands around his back.
"Anything," he replied as he kissed my cheek.
"I never liked your dad."
He let out a little grunt of a laugh and pressed his forehead into my shoulder as he picked up a strand of my hair. He wound it around his fingers before raising it to his nose. He always did like the smell of raspberries.
"I don't know what I would have done if you didn't come here," I said. "The thought of spending the night alone..."
"I'll always be here."
He kissed me again, this time harder. Tucking his fingers beneath my chin, he pulled my face to his and moaned slightly as our lips connected.
His hands were gliding up my legs, his hardness pressing into my side. He was gripping me tight, so tight I worried his nails would break the skin. I flinched as the pain pricked my skin and winced as he wound his fingers around my wrists until they throbbed.
"What's wrong with you?" I asked as I broke away for a second.
I rubbed my wrists and watched the blood flow back into my arm.
"I'm sorry. I just need you so much."
He pulled me toward him again but this time softly and kissed me with his hand firmly gripping my jaw. His body was trembling and his kisses desperate. What happened earlier to make him act like this?
"Calm down," I soothed as I rubbed his arms and took a step back. "We've got all night."
He scrubbed his hands up and down his face as though he was frustrated.
"Sorry, yeah. It's just that, I've had a horrible night and the only thing that's getting me through it is knowing I could lie next to you."
Something in my chest softened. In the moment, with his hair disheveled and his eyes bleary and worried, he looked like a lost, if not somewhat drunken, schoolboy. He looked as though he just needed a hug. I pulled back the bed sheets and nodded down to the bed.
"Come on. I think we both need to relax."
He smiled weakly and stepped out of his shoes. As I unbuttoned his shirt I couldn't help tracing a finger down his abdomen.
"You have been working out more these last few weeks."
He shrugged and cheekily grinned.
"Maybe..."
He lay down as I slipped
his pants down over his legs. There was a bruise on his shin, a remnant from the crash. I lowered myself down to my knees and kissed it, his fingers tangling themselves in my hair. Moving his way up his body, I kissed the soft, sensitive skin of his inner thigh. He let out a gasp as it tickled and pulled my hair harder. My mouth grazed his penis through his pants, hot and rigid against my lips. I could smell him, almost taste him, could feel the warmth ooze from the tip as I closed my eyes.
When I felt as though I had teased him enough, I lay down beside him and wriggled out of my dress. He slid his hand down over the curve of my waist and watched the shape it made as he looped up and round from the edge of my ribs to my hip bones.
"That tickles," I laughed and pushed his hand away.
He grinned and resumed touching my side. He was laughing but I could sense his unease.
"Sean, what's wrong?"
He lay his head on my breasts and kissed my collarbone, breathing in the scent of my skin as his thumb found its way to the elastic waist of my panties.
"I don't wanna talk about anything," he said."I just wanna lie here."
At the bottom of the bed, movement caught my eye and as I glanced down, I remembered I'd left the television on. With the sound turned down, I could only see the characters silently argue. The movie looked familiar, maybe it was something I'd seen on television in the dead of the night when I'd been unable to sleep. There was a vague memory of the storyline; a lost kid, a crying mother, an abusive father.
I lay my head on Sean's chest and focused on the silent scene unfolding.
"I can't believe you still watch this crap," he said with his voice bristling through my hair. "Lifetime movies, you used to love these as a kid. Weird stories about domestic abuse victims and homeless children."
"They're not weird," I corrected him. "They're real."
"Yeah, they're real weird."
I looked up to him through the lengths of hair that covered my face and rolled my eyes.
"Have some empathy, will you? Therapists are supposed to care about people."
He laughed but made no sound, his chest shuddering slightly as he squeezed my hand.
Somewhere on the floor, a phone rang but I didn't recognize the tone.
"Ah, shit. That'll be mine."
He didn't move but kept his eyes fixed on the television, his face still buried in my hair.
"Are you not going to get that?"
"It'll be my dad," he replied.
We both listened to the ring tone tail off before I said, "You better call him back."
"Nah," he said and reached for the duvet.
He pulled it up over us and snuggled himself further down the bed until all I could see was his neck and face and the arm he was propped up on. He was watching the movie but I could tell he wasn't paying attention.
"I'm not going home," he blurted out and turned to me. "I can't."
"Neither can I."
He lay back and looked up at the ceiling.
"It didn't turn out like I expected," he said. "I thought our parents would be okay. I mean I expected them to be shocked and all that but... They're not going to accept us."
I kissed his chest and coiled my limbs around him.
"I still have my house back home," I explained. "Come back with me?"
He thought for a second before nodding, his stubble scratching my cheek as he moved.
"It's a deal but..."
"But what?"
"Won't it be weird? Being the in the house Arthur lived in?"
I didn't want to think about that and so rolled over and faced away from him. He took the hint and didn't push it.
The bed creaked as he shifted his weight nearer to me. His breath was hot on the back of my neck, the heat from his body prickling up the tiny hairs on my back. When his hand found my waist, I didn't pull away. I wanted him to kiss me, hold me and push his hand between my legs. I want him to consume me, knot his body into mine until we were inseparable.
I felt his lips on my spine. They traced the curve of my back and lingered on my hips. His tongue was soft as he brushed me and his breath moist and warm. Rolling over onto my back, I spread my legs and invited him in, my feet reaching up high around his back.
His hands were in the sides of my pants, pulling them down over my thighs before flicking them off my ankles. Lowering himself on his belly, he held my gaze as he dropped his head and smirked. I could feel the warmth of his mouth on my sex and grew wet in anticipation.
He pressed his lips to me and I was engulfed by a rush of heat, gasping and flinging my head back. He kissed softly at first, his lips barely touching me but as I pushed his head down and raised my hips, he pushed his tongue inside and groaned as he sucked. Crying out, I felt a tidal wave of pleasure, a great surge of ecstasy as orgasm approached. As he darted his tongue over me, he looked up to see me roll my eyes back in my head as I came, a violent shudder possessing my body.
"Fuck!"
My thighs clamped around his ears as I screamed but he didn't stop. He tongue remained firmly planted between my legs as twirled it over my clitoris in great swirling motions until once again, the heat was rising within me. I screamed louder, unable to control myself while the bed felt close to breaking as I thrashed on top it.
"Sean! OH MY GOD!"
A second orgasm tore through me leaving me breathless and my fingers clutching the bedsheets. A ripping noise sounded and I looked down to see one of my nails had punctured the bed spread. Sean laughed and continued to suck. A smile twitched his lips and his eyes dancing as he watched me cry and plead for him to stop as I grew more sensitive. It was the most exquisite torture, one I couldn't bear for a second longer while wishing it would never end. At last, when I all I could do was twitch and squeal, he let me push his head away and sat up. He ran his hand over his wet chin and grinned before lying down beside me and flopping an arm over my waist.
"That was fantastic," he said and kissed the top of my arm.
"You're telling me."
I closed my eyes and felt sleep begin to take over my exhausted and satisfied body.
"That was the best," I breathed and lay my head on his shoulder.
He kissed my face and brushed the hair from my eyes.
"Hmmm... can we stay here forever please?" I thought out loud.
"In a perfect world," he replied as he tucked the covers in around us.
As my eyes flickered open and shut, I caught sight of the ceiling fan and it suddenly didn't seem so dirty, but neither did the rest of the room. For just this night it was a paradise and nothing could make it ugly. At the bottom of the bed, the credits rolled on the movie and I closed my eyes one last time, the sound of Sean's breathing becoming deeper as we both fell asleep.
Chapter Nine
Sean
The sun was shining through the blinds and illuminating the room. I could see it clearly for the first time and noticed how sad and faded the decor was. Outside, car horns blared in the rush hour traffic and beside me, Paige breathed deeply, her bare breasts rising and falling.
For a long moment, I watched the serene expression on her face. Right now it looked as though she was blissfully happy and peaceful but I knew what those eyes would look like when she woke up. I couldn't imagine how many tears would fall from them if I told her what dad had said. The bastard... How could he have said those things? He was trying to split us up because he was jealous, there was no other reason.
Paige stirred and rolled over toward me, her hair falling over her face. I tucked it behind her ears and, feeling me touch her, woke up. She opened her eyes and smiled. Then her lips curled down as she remembered where we were and what brought us here.
"Morning, gorgeous," she breathed, her eyes still narrowed and sleepy.
I leaned down to kiss her and she slipped her hand beneath the covers to touch me.
"Woah. You're keen this morning."
She kissed me harder and wrapped her fingers around my length, stroking me up and down as she press
ed her breasts into me. The surprise had turned me on, made me rock hard in a second. Gently, I traced my finger down her abdomen before moving between her legs but she pushed me away.
"Not now," she said. "I want to return the favor."
She disappeared beneath the covers, her hair poking out the top of the bed as it covered my chest. A moment later her lips were on my stomach moving lower inch by inch. When they connected with the shaft of my penis I let out a gasp with the anticipation of what was to come.
Her lips were wet, her tongue eager as she circled it around the tip of my cock. She moaned slightly as she wrapped her lips around it and took a deep breath as she swallowed it up. Her fingers gently massaged my balls as she sucked, gentle but firm.
A rush of pleasure flooded my body. I felt as though I was under her spell and wanted to exist in her mouth forever as she worked her magic.
Her head moved up and down as I slid further and further down her throat. She was making visceral noises as though she couldn't get enough and I raised my hips slightly to feel her engulf my length.
"Oh, God..." I whispered. "Oh, my fucking God."
She moved faster, her mouth wet and slippery and her throat eager to take me. She'd never done this before, had never given herself to me so freely. When she pulled herself up for air, her hands moved fast, both of them twisting and turning on me as I closed my eyes and felt the internal shudder begin to travel up my legs.
I felt the orgasm in my thighs first, a violent quivering that signaled I was on the cusp of exploding. She could feel it too and her nails gripped my legs as she returned her mouth to my tip.
"Paige, move," I said as I attempted to push her out the way.
But she wouldn't budge and kept her mouth fixed on me. I lifted up the covers to see her face. A long strand of saliva was connecting my penis to her mouth and her chin and cheeks were wet.
"If you don't move I'll come in your mouth," I warned her, remembering how she always hated the messy ending of sex. "I won't be able to stop myself."
Her eyes shone and she smiled as she lowered herself down further onto me.
"Fuck!"
She sucked one last time and I jerked forward, my ejaculate releasing into her mouth. She spluttered as it hit her, then laughed and licked it up.
Best Friends To Lovers Romance Series: Complete Series Boxed Set Romance Page 15
