Survivor (First to Fight Book 2)

by Nicole Blanchard

  “We’ll be right out,” I tell him.

  She presses her hands to her face, her body still shaking. “Oh my god,” she whispers.

  The mood broken, I kneel down and grab her panties, wincing at the throbbing in my dick. “I’ll be right back,” I say. “I’m just going to go murder your cock-blocking brother.”

  “Jack!” she says as she grabs my arm. I let her pull me down on the bed next to her. “I’m sorry,” she says.

  Pushing the hair from her face, I say, “You have nothing to be sorry about.”

  She blows out a breath and sighs. “I haven’t felt anything like that in a long time.”

  The boys forgotten, I study her eyes. “Really?”

  “Yeah. Really.” She glances back at the clock. “Shit we have to go.”

  We both get to our feet and I kneel by her to help her step into her panties. I press a kiss to her hip and then stand to press one to her lips. “We’ll finish this later,” I say.

  “You don’t think we’re moving too fast?” she says.

  “Baby, I think we’ve waited long enough.” I grin. “I’m not against you using me for sex, anyway.” I drag her hand down my chest to the bulge under my thin briefs. “In fact, I’m all for it.”

  “You’re probably going to regret that,” she says, but her hand squeezes around me anyway.

  I bring her mouth back to mine again. “I’m ordering you to feel good about this. No regrets, remember. Baby steps.”

  “Jack, I might not ever—”

  I nip her lip. “No regrets.” Glancing behind me at the alarm clock, I add, “You should probably get dressed.”

  She yelps and I enjoy watching her race around the room half-naked, her tits bare and bouncing.

  It doesn’t distract me from the thought of her, twisted in agony from being yanked back from the edge. If I didn’t know she’d been assaulted, I’d know it now.

  Imagining the things he’d done to her to make her so ashamed of her own response has me boiling as I pull on my jeans and T-shirt.

  I almost hope I run into the bastard at the gym.

  I could use something to pound on.

  His face would do.

  Forcing him from my mind, I turn to a frantically dressing Sofie. “Why don’t you let me drop you off? I’ll take the boys to school and basketball practice, then we can have some guy time after instead of them going to the sitters while you’re at work.”

  She pokes an earring through and glances at me in the mirror. “Are you sure?”

  “Wouldn’t suggest it if I wasn’t.”

  “Then, yeah, I guess that’s okay.” She slips into a pair of black heels that make her legs look a mile long.

  I can’t resist pulling her to me for another kiss and this one runs long. So long that when I come up for breath, I realize I’ve got her pressed against the bedroom door with my hands in her hair and one of her legs wrapped around my waist.

  Leaning my head against the wood, I say, “Shit. I’m not doing so well about just being your friend.”

  Rafe pounds on the door and Sofie looks up at me, “I think you’re doing just fine.”

  “Are you gonna be okay today?” I ask. “Do you think we should go to the police? If he’s threatening you, we should report it.”

  She shakes her head immediately, already disengaging from my arms to grab her purse and open the bedroom door. “No, I’d rather not.”

  “Are you sure—”

  “I’m positive.” We find the boys on the couch in the living room. “Load up in Jack’s truck,” she says and they both leap from the couch and bound out the door.

  “At least consider it,” I say as I follow her out and double check her locks.

  “Maybe.”

  I step around her on the steps so I’m below her and look up into her eyes. “Consider it,” I repeat. “I don’t want you to get hurt again.”

  She puts a hand on my cheek. “I’ll consider it, but I’m not making any promises. Reporting him won’t do much good without solid evidence and the only thing it would accomplish is pissing him off. My plan is to ignore him until he gives up and goes away.”

  “What if he doesn’t?”

  “I’ve taken self-defense,” she says, her hand dropping to my shoulder for a squeeze. “I won’t let him catch me off guard ever again.”

  “You did?”

  Smiling, she says, “Why? Wanna find out if I can kick your ass?”

  I take another step up, putting me level with her mouth. “Maybe I do.”

  Her lips brush mine and then her car horn blares, causing her to laugh. “Rain check,” she says. “Want to do something with them this weekend? Maybe a movie or something? I feel like we could all use some fun.”

  “Actually, I’ve been planning to go down to the beach and was wondering if you’d like to come? Livvie, Ben, and Cole are coming, too. Thought we could all make a day of it. Plus, it’s an excuse to see you all oiled up in a bikini.”

  “Sure. What time?”

  “We’ll be leaving about eight so we can get there before all the good spots are taken.” I back down the steps toward my truck. “Make sure it’s your skimpiest bathing suit.”

  Her laughter follows me to my truck.

  A cold shower is definitely the first and last thing on my list of priorities.

  A couple days have passed and I’m already itching with the urge to see her again. I end up closing the gym so the contractor can come in during the weekend and give me an estimate for repairs and renovations before I list the place for sale. I’ll be sad to see it go because it’s one of the last things I still have of my father’s, but after what Sofie told me, I can barely stand to be there without it making my skin crawl.

  A few sun soaked hours is exactly what we all need. I plan on making it the first fun weekend of many. So we can get to know each other again. So the kids can get used to seeing us together.

  The ride to her house is a long one, mostly because I spend it thinking of her in a little suit diving into the water, then what her tan lines will look like framing my favorite parts.

  They’re already waiting on the porch when I pull up and the reality of her dressed in nothing but the bathing suit and a skimpy little cover up dress that leaves little to the imagination is just as good as all of my fantasies. I make the prudent decision to drive the truck right up to the front of the house to let the boys climb in the back because getting out right then isn’t an option. Sofie lunges herself into the front seat, grinning at me when I curse at the sight of all of her skin up close.

  I lean across the center console to kiss her when I can’t put it off anymore. She smells like coconut tanning lotion and sweet mint gum. The kiss lasts a little longer than I plan and I only pull away when I hear Donnie mutter, “Man, I almost liked it better when they were fighting. At least then they didn’t kiss so much,” in the back seat.

  Leveling him with a look I say, “You just wait until you get your own woman, then you’ll understand.”

  He makes a face at me and I kiss Sofie one more time before we pull out of the driveway and make our way to the beach.

  “The sun feels so good,” Sofie says a few hours later. “I’m never leaving.”

  “Best. Idea. Ever.” Livvie’s voice is muffled from laying face down on her arms.

  Rafe and Donnie’s excited shouts come from the water, punctuated by the mad giggles from Cole, as they take turns jumping over waves. They both make sure to keep eagle eyes on the younger boy to make sure he doesn’t strain himself too much. Cole was born with a heart condition called Hypoplastic left heart syndrome where the left side of his heart was severely underdeveloped. As a result, we’ve all had to be extra careful to make sure he doesn’t strain himself too much.

  “Thank you for this,” Sofie says, her voice slurred and relaxed.

  I lean down and kiss her shoulder. “Anytime.”

  Livvie lets out a strangled squeak behind me and I don’t even bother turning around. �
�I knew it,” she whispers to Ben.

  “Shut up,” Sofie says without looking up.

  “Please let the record state: I told you so.”

  “Ben,” I say as I glance back at him reclining by my sister. “Please do me a favor and throw this woman in the water for me.”

  “He wouldn’t dare,” Livvie says, but she looks up at him warily anyway. “Don’t you dare!”

  Ben snags her by the waist and throws her over his shoulders as she shrieks his name so loud all the families on blankets swivel their heads our way. We hear her all the way down to the waterline until Ben wades in and tosses her into an oncoming wave, her voice cutting off mid-scream.

  “What did you do that for?” Sofie asks.

  She blinks up at me, her skin shiny with body oil, every single bared inch of it. She’s not especially tall, but I’ve never seen anyone who wears a suit quite like she does. All tanned skin and dangerous curves.

  “Wanted to kiss you and not hear any lip about it,” I say. I recline on my own towel next to hers with a pair of sunglasses propped on my nose so I don’t have to feel weird about staring at her all day long.

  A smile plays on her lips. “You sure are doing that a lot lately.”

  “Doing what?” I ask.

  Her cheeks are pink, but I have a hunch it’s not just from the summer sun. “Kissing me,” she says softly, the wind catching her hair and making it ripple around her.

  I lean down to kiss her again on principle. “Gotta lot of time to make up for.”

  This time her smile turns into a laugh. “Well how long is it going to take?”

  “Dunno,” I say. “Why don’t you kiss me and maybe we’ll find out?”

  Then she leans down and puts a tentative hand on my chest. I cradle her with my left arm and prop us both up with my right as her lips cover mine. Kissing her is sunshine and a soft ocean breeze. Beautiful and bright and enough to wash away every inconsequential thing that doesn’t matter. She tastes like the fruit punch she shared with Cole and I sit up to get a better hold so I can drink her in.

  She moans against my lips as I angle my head to take the kiss deeper, take her lips harder. Her arms wind around me and rain sand on both of our laps, but neither of us pay it any mind. When we both break apart breathing heavily, she leans her head against my chest.

  “I could probably get used to that,” she says.

  “I plan on doing it enough that you do,” I tell her as I recline so she can rest her head on my arm.

  Her fingers fidget with the tie on my board shorts, drawing heat to places not quite touched by the sunlight. “Something on your mind?” I ask.

  “Nothing, just thinking,” she says.

  “About what?”

  “How crazy life is.”

  I grunt and pull her fingers from my trunks to rest on my stomach and then cover them with my own.

  “I know you said you wanted to take it slow,” she starts, then stops to take a deep breath.

  Cracking my eyes open a little to study her dark hair, I say, “Yeah, what about it?”

  “I’m thinking that maybe I don’t want to.”

  “You mean that?” I ask. “Or are you just sayin’ it because you think you should?”

  “I’m saying it because I mean it.”

  The following Monday after Sofie heads to work, I take the boys to school again, then to their basketball practice. Their summer workouts focus on lots of running and conditioning to prep for the season, and I sit in the bleachers and watch them. Mostly because I enjoy spending time with them, but also because I want to make sure Damian doesn’t decide to target the boys next.

  If he can target women, I wouldn’t put it past him to try to attack kids.

  Especially, if he’s doing it to get to me.

  Rafe and Donnie come up after their practice finishes and I snag them around the shoulders. “Y’all want to hang out at your friend’s house tonight?”

  “Yes!” they both say at the same time.

  “Can we stay over?” Rafe asks.

  “That’s a helluva great idea,” I say. “But I’ll be checking in every couple hours so no funny stuff.”

  “Who us?” Donnie asks.

  “I remember what I was like at your age, so yes, you.”

  I walk with them to my truck, nodding at a few of the parents I recognize. No doubt word will spread through town that I’m back with that V girl again. Which is exactly what I want. I want him to know I’m with her. That he doesn’t scare me. That even if he took ten years, he can’t have what he wants. Especially if he thinks he can scare her again.

  With that in mind, we swing by the local diner whose proprietor is also known as the biggest busy body in three counties. The moment she sees me walk in with the two of them her eyes go as wide as the antique saucers she collects and when I order our food and one extra, she purses her lips as if she can’t possibly contain the secret, even though I’m standing right in front of her.

  I hear her whispers even as I’m walking out the door. It makes me smile the entire way home. If I learned anything during my time in the military, you don’t let them see your weakness. And fuck if I’m gonna let him get away with terrorizing her twice.

  A few hours later the front door opens and shuts and Sofie walks in with a cheerful, “Hello,” over Rosie’s welcoming barks. “I forgot to bring something back for dinner, but we can order…”

  She stops in the entryway to the kitchen and finds her food already on a plate on the counter. The smile that spreads over her lips, but tries to hide, also warms her eyes as she glances from the plate to me.

  “What’s this?” she asks, setting her purse, keys, and cell on the counter.

  “Dinner,” I tell her. I take a sip of my drink and watch her over the rim.

  She takes the beer I offer and brings it to her lips. “Where are Donnie and Rafe?” she asks.

  “They ate a little while ago then I dropped them off at their friends for the night.”

  She pauses with a burger held up to her mouth. “You did what?” She swallows. “Why did you do that?”

  “This is me not taking it slow.”

  Her face reddens. “Jack,” she says.

  I walk over, cupping her face in my free hand and kissing her lips, still cool from the beer. “Why don’t you finish your food first, though?” I kiss her again, a little deeper this time. “You’re gonna need the energy.”

  AFTER I CHOKE down some food, Jack takes my hand and leads me down the hallway to my bedroom. I pad behind him, my legs nearly boneless, my thoughts somewhere in the vicinity of the clouds. I’d follow him pretty much anywhere at this point.

  He closes the door behind us and brings me close enough for a quick kiss that steals all sense. When he strips my clothes off with startling efficiency, my first response is to cover my nakedness with an arm.

  Jack tips my chin up to look at me and draws my arm away. “Don’t. There’s nothing about you I want you to hide.” He pulls me close with a hand on my cheek. “I like everything about you, Sofie. Even the parts you want to keep in the dark.”

  “I thought I was just a friend,” I say, slightly teasing, but there’s a thread of hope in there, too.

  “You’ve never been just an anything, Sof.”

  I open my mouth to respond, but he cuts me off by taking my mouth with his. My hands come up to press against his chest and I make a sound of surprise that he laps up with his sinfully skilled tongue.

  Over the years, I had run from every romantic entanglement, throwing myself into my work in an effort to replace the emptiness I felt when I left Jack. As a result, my experience, aside from him, is essentially nil. Even so, the moment he fits my body against his with one long press of his big hands against my back, I forget to worry about it. I forget to think, period.

  He breaks the kiss with a groan. “Holy God, you taste so fucking good.” He takes my lips again, parting them to delve inside with a commanding sweep of his tongue. “The best,” he
says. “I could kiss you forever.”

  “Shut up,” I murmur against his lips.

  “Tell me if I need to stop,” he says, helping me down to the bed. “I don’t want to go too far.”

  I nod. “I will. Just kiss me.”

  I expect him to go for it, to plunder and take, but he doesn’t. I should have known better. Instead, he brushes that damn kiss on my forehead, then nuzzles down the side of my cheek as he lays me down on the bed. I have to clutch his shoulders to keep steady when the soft press of his lips travel from the crest of my cheek back to my lips. By then, I’m squirming beneath him in an attempt to get closer. I wind up draped across him, his hands mapping my back and venturing down my thighs.

  Unintentionally, my hips grind down against him, wrenching a pained groan from us both. He shifts, tracing one hand up my hip and over my ass. His fingers brush against a sensitive spot and I arch my neck against him. He fastens his lips there, flicking a path back to my lips. I focus my attention back on his mouth. I tense when his fingers dip under the material of my underwear, but he doesn’t do anything he just lays his hand there as he kisses me senseless.

  After a few minutes, my hips are pressing against him of their own violation, searching for something that I don’t quite understand.

  “Shh, baby,” he says against my lips as he turns me to lay on my back with his long, muscular body beside me. “I’ll take care of you.”

  Finally, his hand moves to cover the most intimate part of me. His fingers slide against me until he finds the bundle of nerves that makes me gasp, still sensitive from the earlier stimulation. The sound makes him stiffen in response. Guided by my sounds, he slowly works that spot until I have to press my forehead to his throat. I find myself opening to him and wrapping a leg around his hip.

  In the end, his fingers are fluttering a relentless pace against me. I’m pressed up against him as close as I can get without the two of us becoming one. We’re sharing an open mouth kiss that seemingly has no beginning or end. I can’t help the little keening sounds coming out of the back of my throat in time with each flick of his masterful fingers. My hips are working of their own accord and I can feel the thickness of him every time I thrust forward.