by Elle Thorpe
But I didn’t want to.
His hands skated down the sides of my face, my neck, across my shoulders, and down my arms, sending electric pulses through my skin. He stopped at my hips. Then with one quick movement, he lifted me as if I weighed nothing, and my ass hit the top of the trunk, the car shifting ever so slightly on its tires at the sudden addition of my weight.
Not for one second did either of us break eye contact. His green eyes were lit only by a nearby streetlight, and when he pushed my knees apart, I let him. I knew I was flashing him the tiny thong panties Jagger had insisted I wear “just in case.” I was glad for that now. His eyes were trained on mine anyway, but when he stepped between my legs, I slid my ass to the very edge of the trunk, not caring that my dress hiked right up around my thighs. I ran my hands up his chest, fisting my fingers in the material and tugging him down, sick of waiting.
He paused, his lips hovering right over mine, and let out a shuddering breath. “You sure?” he murmured. “I was a dick…”
“Then make it up to me,” I said on a breath.
His lips touched down on mine, hungry and demanding. One hand slid into my hair, the other found my lower back. Banjo pulled me tight, lips against lips, chest against chest. His erection, covered by his jeans, but still so evident nudging my panties.
He groaned into my mouth, forcing out the thoughts of Rafe and the girl on his lap.
He kissed my neck, wiping out the memory of Colt’s stare while he fucked someone else.
My head spun in dizzying circles while I grabbed at him, wanting more. Wanting everything.
Banjo’s cock pressed hard to my core, and I let out a whimper of need. I’d never felt like this when I’d kissed other boys. Never forgotten about the world around us. I suddenly realized why Gillian had let Colt fuck her in the garden, with an entire party full of people just feet away.
Because Banjo made me feel the same way.
Anyone could walk out of the house at any minute and see everything we were doing. I wasn’t sure I cared.
Banjo seemed to come to the same conclusion at the same time. Because suddenly he was lifting me from the back of the car. I clung to him, my lips to his neck. I eyed the house, but no one appeared, and then Banjo had the car door open and was putting me down on the back seat. I scrambled to the far side and he followed me in, closing the door behind him.
We stared at each other for a moment, both of us breathing hard. Then a slow smile spread across his face.
Damn if it wasn’t contagious.
“Get over here, Lacey,” he groaned. “Fuck, get over here right now.”
I grinned and straddled his lap, wetness building between my legs as his straining erection pressed to my core once more. I wanted to reach down and unbutton his jeans, slide my fingers inside and circle them around his cock. But that was a move that required more courage than I had in that moment. I had very little experience with men. And though I knew exactly where I wanted it, my body complaining loudly it wasn’t already there, I didn’t have the guts to initiate it.
Our mouths fused together once more, the kiss hot and searing. I rocked on him, acting more on instinct that anything else, feeding the maddening sensation building inside me. Banjo’s hands landed on my thighs, dragging upward along my skin, gathering up the skirt of my dress. It bunched around my waist, leaving my ass on display, bare in its thong, but it was dark and there was no one around. The party was still in full swing in the backyard, and not one person had come out in the entire time we’d been out here. He took two handfuls of my ass cheeks, squeezed, and I forgot all about any last shreds of modesty.
His mouth trailed off mine, finding the sensitive spot beneath my ear, sucking and biting his way down my neck.
Oh damn. That felt entirely too good. His fingers gripped the lacy thong, and my clit throbbed, the soaked material rubbing on it. He moved one hand between us, shifting the tiny scrap of lace to one side. I gasped.
He pulled back, eyes studying me. “You okay?”
I nodded, my mind whirling. Is this where I should tell him exactly how little experience I had? But his fingers were so close to where I wanted them. “I’m good,” I whispered.
The first touch of his fingers was light. He brushed over my bare mound. Then his big fingers were parting me and slicking through the wetness between. His fingers slid back and forth easily, gliding over my clit. “Banjo,” I panted.
Tell him, my brain urged. Tell him you’ve never had a guy’s fingers there before and you’re the tiniest bit scared even though you’re so damn horny at the same time. Tell him to be gentle. But then Jagger’s comments about losing her virginity at fourteen and her shock I hadn’t stopped me.
“Yeah?” he murmured into my neck. “Fuck, Lacey. You’re so wet. That’s so hot.”
I moaned.
“You like when I talk like that?”
My cheeks heated.
He chuckled. “Yeah, baby. You do.”
I really did. It was a huge turn-on.
His big finger circled my nub, and sparks ignited in my core. His finger slid lower, finding my entrance. And I braced myself for the invasion of his fingers inside me. But it didn’t come. He prodded me gently, then moved back to my clit before returning. His fingertip entered me this time, but then he was straight back to my clit. The sensation drove me nuts. He did it over and over, teasing my clit, then my entrance, his finger barely moving inside me each time, until I was panting and desperate to be filled, the ache inside me intense.
“Banjo,” I moaned. “Please. More.”
He slipped back again, and this time I ground down, taking his full finger. “Oh,” I cried out. It felt good. I’d expected a little pain, but there was none.
“You want more?” he whispered.
I didn’t say anything.
“Tell me, Lacey. It’ll be better with two, but I won’t if you aren’t okay with it. Is this enough for you?”
I shook my head.
“That’s my girl.”
A second finger pushed inside me, stretching me deliciously. He was right. It was so much better with two. His mouth found mine again, his kisses hungry and demanding while he worked me in a slow, thrusting rhythm that had my hips rolling.
I gyrated on his fingers while our mouths devoured each other. Pleasure built inside me, foreign, but damn, it was so good. “Don’t stop,” I whispered.
“Not a chance. I want to watch you come.”
My nipples tightened, and I rotated my hips faster. Banjo’s fingers met me with well-timed flicks of his wrist until I was on the verge of orgasm.
“Oh, God,” I moaned, digging my fingers into his shoulders.
He’d probably have little crescent-shaped bruises in the morning, but I was lost to the feeling inside me. He pumped his fingers hard, one last time, and it was all too much. Something inside me burst, and pleasure soared through my system.
Banjo’s lips swallowed my cries as I pulsed around his fingers, riding it out, thighs shaking. He slowed his pace and the sensations became all too much. I shuddered in his arms.
He kissed me softly while I floated on cloud nine. It gave me a chance to catch my breath before he withdrew his fingers.
Ever so slowly, he raised them to his mouth, sucking them inside.
Holy hell.
He grinned, removing them. “Don’t look so embarrassed. I want to put my mouth on you so bad right now, but there’s just not enough room in this car.”
I dropped my gaze, suddenly awkward as fuck but imagining what that might be like.
His lips came to my ear. “You taste amazing, Lacey.”
I lifted my eyes to meet his once more. He seemed to be waiting for some sort of response. “Um. Thanks?” I choked on a laugh. I obviously had no game whatsoever. No witty comebacks. Definitely nothing dirty to throw back at him. I should have admitted to Jagger I was a virgin. Maybe she could have given me some tips on what the hell you were supposed to do with a guy like Banjo, who had obviously done t
his a time or two before.
He tilted his head to one side, studying me. “You a virgin, princess?”
I groaned. “Why is everyone in this school so obsessed with that?”
He shook his head. “Not obsessed. Just want to know so I don’t go too far. Tonight, anyway.”
A tremble of anticipation rolled down my spine. There was a promise in his words that I liked. “Yes,” I said quietly. “That was the first time I’ve even…”
His eyes widened. “Had you kissed anyone before me?”
I nodded quickly. “Yeah, sure. I’m not a total prude, you know. I just haven’t found anyone I wanted to do more with.”
Banjo grinned at that. “You’ve got nothing to be embarrassed about. You know that, right? The fact you’re still a virgin is smoking hot.”
“You think?”
He kissed me again. “You kidding? I love it.”
I reached for the button on his fly, a bit more relaxed now. Whether that was from the orgasm or the fact I’d come clean about my lack of experience I didn’t know. But I was ready to learn some more. I wanted to make him feel as good as I did. “Did you bring a condom?”
He caught me by the wrist and then leaned in and kissed me hard. “For tonight, this is enough, okay? We can work up to more. There’s no rush.”
My shoulders slumped. I wanted more. I wanted to see him and touch him and learn what made him feel good. But he was right. I was already a little tender, in a good way.
“Chin up, babe,” he said, lifting me off his lap. “You know what you need after every good orgasm?”
I shook my head.
“Food. The greasier the better. Burgers, fries, and shakes are my go-to. You in?”
I grinned. “I don’t think that’s how this is supposed to work. I offer to touch your dick, and you instead decide to feed me?”
He scrubbed his hands over his face and groaned. “Come on. Let’s go get that food before my dick realizes what I’ve done.”
13
Lacey
Meredith sent me a text message early the next morning, saying she had a few errands to run and she’d be thirty minutes late for brunch. That suited me. I wandered out of bed, got dressed slowly, and put on my makeup, all with a big smile on my face. I had Banjo on my mind. Last night, after fooling around in his car, we’d gotten food and slid into a booth, sitting closer than necessary, considering it was made for at least six people. I’d picked at my fries while he wolfed down his burgers. Plural. And then he’d driven me back to Jagger’s place to pick up my car. I’d wanted to kiss him again. Badly. But he’d just brushed his lips against my cheek sweetly and said he’d see me at school on Monday.
He’d left me wanting more. And I couldn’t wait to see him again. I had no delusions we were a couple now. Hell, that wasn’t what I wanted anyway. I knew he wasn’t going to walk right up to me first thing Monday morning and plant his lips on mine in front of everyone. Not with the way Colt and Gillian were carrying on. But I knew what we’d done together. And there’d been a promise in his goodbye that made me antsy for his next move. I didn’t want everyone at school knowing our business, and the thought of sneaking around with Banjo behind Colt’s back gave me a secret little thrill.
Colt could stick it in his pipe and smoke it.
“You look awfully happy this morning,” Selina said.
I dropped onto a stool at the breakfast bar. “Do I?”
Selina’s smile was soft. She put down the glass of orange juice she’d been drinking. “Want to tell me why? Perhaps over eggs? Bacon? What do you feel like?” She moved toward the cupboards we stored the frying pans in, her silky white satin robe trailing behind her.
“No, nothing for me. I’m meeting Meredith soon. But you should eat.” I frowned at my aunt. “I’m sorry I haven’t been around much this week. Can we have dinner together tonight?”
Her sad eyes brightened, increasing my guilt tenfold. I’d been so preoccupied this week with the new school, shopping, and then the party. I’d barely seen Selina.
“That would be lovely. I’ll cook.”
“Or we could just order Chinese?”
She cocked her head to one side. “Are you implying my cooking is bad?”
I cracked a smile. “Maybe. Or maybe I just really like Chinese food. I’ll leave it up to you to decide.” I slid from the stool and went to her side, putting my arm around her.
“It’s different around here now,” she said quietly.
“Yeah.” I knew exactly what she meant. My uncle had been a loud man. Always full of life, and big stories and loud conversation. He’d think nothing of bellowing for me from the bottom of the stairs. Or riding his dirt bike through the trees at the back of our house, the loud engine drowning out my aunt’s tinkling yoga music. His school papers had never seemed to be contained to his office. They were often spread across the dining room table or haphazardly discarded to the side of the couch.
There was none of that anymore. All the papers had been put away. The dirt bike sat idle in the garage. He was never going to yell my name from the bottom of the stairs again.
A tear dripped silently down my cheek, and I brushed it away quickly.
But then a sob burst through the silence, and Selina’s shoulders shook beneath my arm. “I miss him,” she choked out.
That was all it took to break the walls I’d erected around myself. They crashed down around me, and the grief rolled in, heavy and painful.
It hurt. God, it hurt. Lawson was never going to kiss the top of my head or be the first one on his feet to give me a standing ovation at a recital. That had all gone up in the flames with him, and the entire thing felt like my fault. Maybe if I hadn’t left him that night. If I’d fought harder to get to him, maybe I could have saved him.
If someone had taken a dagger to my chest and ripped it open wide, I was certain it couldn’t have hurt more. I couldn’t stop the tears. They became an out-of-control flood that threatened to consume me whole. Selina and I clutched at each other, holding the other up while we both broke down.
“It’s not fair,” I said eventually, pulling away slightly. “I don’t understand why this happened.”
Selina stroked my hair like she had when I was a child. “Me neither, baby. Me neither. Have you heard anything around school yet?”
I shook my head, ashamed I had so little to report after being there an entire week. I’d spent more time worrying about what Colt, Banjo, Rafe, and Gillian were doing, than I had actually digging up any dirt on them. My stomach churned at the thought of digging up dirt on Banjo. How would it feel if he turned out to be the one who’d done it? I’d let him…
I swallowed hard. We shouldn’t have taken things as far as we had. Not until I was one-hundred-percent sure Banjo wasn’t a suspect. Surely I could keep it in my panties until I found some evidence that cleared him from my list. I had such fuzzy memories of that night. The guy who rescued me hadn’t had a distinctive voice. It had been deep and masculine. Banjo’s voice fit the bill, but so did any number of guys. Hopefully Meredith would have some good ideas at brunch today. I had a list of the football team names at least, like she’d told me to get, so I was ready to hear her great plan on how we were going to stalk them. I just prayed it didn’t involve peeping into any bedroom windows. I wouldn’t have put it past Meredith to have ulterior motives that included catching a glimpse of the football team in their underwear.
“You know you can change your mind at any time, honey?” Selina ran her fingers beneath her eyes, dashing away her tears. “You just say the word, and we’ll get you right over to Edgely.”
I shook my head. “No, I’ve started it. I want to finish.”
She looked worried but didn’t say anything more.
I picked up my keys and purse and headed for the door. “See you tonight for dinner, okay? You’re too thin. I’m going to order us at least six different dishes, and you’re going to eat all of them. Deal?”
She gave a laugh, but
her smile didn’t reach her eyes. “My trainer might not be too impressed with that, but I like your style. See you tonight.”
She was humoring me, but I’d hold her to it. She might have an obsession with being thin and looking young, but I wasn’t going to let her waste away to nothing. I needed her too much to lose her to her grief.
I drove into the main street of Providence where there was a strip of cafés and five-star restaurants, vowing I’d be around more for Selina. I was lost in a mental list of things we could do together when I hit the doorway of Archer’s café. A tiny bell rang over my head as I entered, and I paused, looking around for Meredith. I spotted her quickly, her golden mane of Afro curls springing out wildly around her head. She had her head down, scrolling through something on her phone, so I didn’t bother waving. A waitress came over to assist me, and I pointed in Meredith’s direction then threaded my way through the packed tables, all full of Sunday morning couples and families, digging into granola, bacon, and pancakes. My mouth watered just from the delicious smells wafting from the other diners’ plates.
“I’m starving,” I announced, pulling out the chair opposite Meredith. “Please tell me you already ordered for us.”
Meredith’s head snapped up, and her thumb dove for the home button on her phone. Whatever she’d been reading disappeared before I got a chance to see it.
I raised an eyebrow. “Wow, what were you looking up? Porn? I’ve never seen anyone shut down a browser so fast.” Then I narrowed my eyes. Something was wrong.
Her eyes were glassy with unshed tears, but she pasted on a fake smile. “Yep, just thought I’d get my porn fix, at eleven in the morning, in the middle of a café. You know how us porn addicts are.”
I ignored her words because the expression on her face betrayed her joking tone. “You seem like you’re about to burst into tears.”
Meredith waved her hand around and sniffed. “No, I’m fine. This is just allergies. Hay fever or something. I need an antihistamine.”
I somehow doubted it. “You sure that’s all it is?”
