by Holly Hood
I moaned, throwing my head back, Slade’s hand covered my mouth so we weren’t caught.
His warm lips slid across my skin, crashing against my mouth, his tongue eased inside, toying with mine, our quick breaths filled the tiny closet. He held tight to my legs, pressing himself against me. Teasing me.
I squeezed my thighs against him, begging him to give in. He slipped inside, biting down on my shoulder as he worked his hips; my head hit the wall again and again as we moved in sync, my hips moved faster and faster.
I bit my lip. Slade kissed me pushing his tongue past my lips ending any chance of me keeping quiet. I fisted his hair, clawing down his back. I grabbed his rear end begging him to go harder and deeper.
He let go of my thigh leaving me to carry the weight. I squeezed tighter, enjoying his hands on my breast and the way he knew where to touch me to make me crazy. He tightened his grip, making my skin ache but I didn’t care.
I threw my head back, giving in, my body melted all around him, he worked his hips three more times and followed soon after, burying his face against my neck to stifle the sounds coming from his mouth as he released. He returned his hand and let my feet return to the floor. But it wasn’t over. We kissed again, a sweet kiss that I never experienced before. It meant something, something I couldn’t explain, but I could feel it.
I stared into his eyes and smiled. “You’re amazing. And I’m not talking about sex.”
Slade ran a hand across my cheek accepting the compliment. He brought my hand to his chest. “Do you feel that?”
I nodded, enjoying the feel of his racing heart against my palm.
“I’m crazy about you.” He squeezed my hand. “That’s never going to change.”
I kissed his cheek. So glad to hear it, but he pressed a finger against my lips before I could say something more.
“Not just crazy about you,” he pushed my hair behind my ear. “In love with you.”
I couldn’t believe what he said to me. Slade Andrews admitted to being in love with me, little old me.
“I don’t know what to say,” I said, I stumbled for the right words.
Slade laughed at me. “Say what’s on your mind.”
“I feel the same way.” And I did. That feeling, that moment, I wondered if that was the moment where my heart opened up and let me love somebody the way that I wanted to all along, the way that I was afraid to all this time.
Was he my guy, the person meant for me? The one I would live the rest of my life for?
This scared me, we hurried to dress. If I found love I wouldn’t let it slip away. I would never be like my parents. I would always fight for what was mine and what I wanted.
I knew what I needed to do.
Chapter 30
I wanted to kill the mayor.
I wanted to rid Cherry of his evilness once and for all.
Slade and I took our places at the table. The mayor was finished and was busy mingling with all his fans.
“Where did you two wander off to?” Nona asked, trying to sound upbeat and positive as she conversed with the two of us.
“We checked out the hall,” I said. Slade zipped my skirt the rest of the way up and patted my lower back.
Dad grabbed another shrimp from the appetizer in the middle of the table. “I’ve heard that one before.” He muttered to himself.
I ignored him. “So, the mayor thinks this was drug related.”
Nona nodded. “Isn’t that a shame?” She eyed Slade.
He nodded in agreement. “Just awful.”
I held the laughter at his tone. “Strange if you ask me.”
Nona lifted her wine glass. “Nobody asked you.”
I rolled my eyes. “Good thing they didn’t.” I snapped back.
Dad slapped a hand down on the table. “So, Slade. How is it you always end up so lucky?”
Slade cleared his throat. “I don’t know what you mean.”
“Sure you do. Every time it seems you run into trouble you seem to find your way out of it.” Dad leaned back in the chair he sat in with a smug grin on his face.
I squeezed Slade’s leg. “Dad, I said be nice.”
Slade placed a hand over mine. “It’s fine. I have nothing to hide. I’ve made bad choices in my life, but fighting and protecting the people I care about, I’ll never feel bad for that.”
I admired him for standing up to Dad. This made me even prouder to be sitting right beside him.
Dad pressed on. “I don’t feel like you protected my daughter all summer, running around with that blonde, the one who is dead by the way.”
I lifted the glass pitcher on the table. All of a sudden my mouth was dry.
“She’s still alive isn’t she?” Slade said. “I did what I had to to keep her safe, sir.”
I eyed dad.
“You have a funny way of showing it,” Dad said. “She may be alive but she is far from the daughter I’m used to.”
I swallowed the water and crushed an ice cube glaring at dad. Nona watched fascinated with the conversation going on at the table between my boyfriend and her beloved son.
“We all have faults; I was taught to keep my opinions to myself when it came to the ones I didn’t like about somebody else.” Slade told him. “But if you want to go there, I think your daughter is amazing and I’m willing to accept her anyway she is.”
Nona’s face lit up, a smile of all things pinned upon it. “At one time I would have told you to fuck off, but after that response I take that back.” She told Slade.
I smiled, happy he won her over.
“Furthermore, sir, if you want to blame anyone for the way things turned out you might want to take that up with the mayor. Once again I was looking out for someone I cared about the night your daughter turned into something you don’t understand.” Slade leaned back in his chair and threw an arm around me. “Sometimes we can’t help who we become. But that doesn’t stop us from living.”
I kissed him on the cheek, in awe with him for having my back.
But unlike Nona, dad didn’t smile. He stood, taking his drink and walked away.
“Why can’t he let it go?” I asked Nona. She dropped her napkin standing up.
“I’ll talk to him, sweet pea,” she said.
“No, I’ll talk to him.” I jumped up. But Nona shook her head refusing to allow me to do so.
“Let me talk to him,” she said again. I sat back down and watched her race to Dad before he took off for the exit.
I glared at the mayor.
“Careful, you don’t want to unintentionally kill him,” Slade teased.
“It wouldn’t be unintentional,” I said. “I could do it and nobody would know.”
Slade took me by the chin.
“What did we just talk about?”
I sighed. “That I shouldn’t kill the mayor.” I rolled my eyes.
“Quit being so stubborn about this,” Slade said.
I watched the mayor shake hand after hand. All of a sudden it was K in line for the meet and greet. One by one he got closer and closer with the mayor. K’s eyes moved around the room, taking in his surroundings.
I tried to find Hutch. There he stood over in the corner a smirk on his face. K and the mayor’s hands interlocked, the mayor gave one of his famous megawatt smiles.
The crowd erupted in screams of panic.
I jumped up. The mayor dropped to his knees.
“If you’re doing this you better stop,” Slade said taking off from the table to get a closer look.
I hurried through the crowd, eager to see what happened. I pushed past two women and there he was, writhing in pain. K released his hand and he fell to the ground like a sack of potatoes. He stared up at all the onlookers, unable to speak, to beg for help.
“What’s wrong, Mayor?” K asked standing over him. “Someone might want to dial 911.”
Several people scrambled for their phones. Tucker pushed through the crowd to get to his dad. “What the hell is going on?” Tucker
asked. Nobody answered.
Slade took me by the arm. “Are you doing this?”
I shook my head. “No. I swear.” I wasn’t upset that it happened though.
Someone claiming to be a doctor tended to the mayor while Tucker watched. He turned on Slade and me.
“I can’t believe you would come here and do this to him,” Tucker said. “After everything that has happened.”
I couldn’t believe he accused me, well I guess I could. “I had nothing to do with this.”
Slade tugged me through the crowd before things got ugly. “We need to get out of here.”
Everyone rushed in while we tried to leave. Before we made it to the door Nona stopped us. She grabbed my other arm and stopped us in our tracks.
“What the hell is going on?” Her eyes were large. I think she was afraid it was me.
“I swear I don’t know what is happening to him,” I told her. “We need to get out of here. Because unlike you nobody else is going to believe me when I say that.”
She stepped aside letting us leave. I was thankful for the cool air that hit me in the face and for the feeling of wide open space and making it out of there.
“If it wasn’t you, than it was that guy Hutch runs around with,” Slade said as we headed back to Henry Park.
I agreed with him. “He was fine until K shook his hand.” The moment K touched him it seemed the mayor went from healthy to knocking on death’s door. I still didn’t understand.
“Is he a witch?” I said, trying to figure it out. “How could he be, he needed Hutch’s help. If he was a witch of any kind he wouldn’t need Hutch for anything.”
“I don’t know,” Slade said. “Your guess is as good as mine.”
I couldn’t get K’s easy demeanor out of my head as he waited for his turn to meet the mayor. Was it his plan the whole time?
“What if Hutch wanted to kill the mayor?” I said to Slade.
He opened the door to the RV letting me go in first. “We don’t know that he is dead. What we do know is something is not right.”
I was afraid to know.
Chapter 31
I trailed a finger down Slade’s chest. Being in his arms was the best place to be.
He ruffled my already messy hair. “Two times in one day. I could be willing to go for three.”
I smirked, kissing his chest. “So could I, but I need to talk to Karsen.”
I wasn’t afraid to admit I was wrong. I needed to mend fences with my best friend. I couldn’t leave things the way that they were. As much fun as lying in bed with Slade all day would have been I needed to do it.
“Karsen’s not mad at you,” Slade assured me.
“How would you know that?” Slade and Karsen’s relationship was complicated. They weren’t friends; they barely made eye contact on most days.
“It’s not hard to figure out. She’s always going to be a part of your life. Just because most days she makes me want to punch something doesn’t mean I don’t pick up on it.”
I sat up, and slipped my t-shirt over my head. “That may be, but what happened wasn’t me and I need to apologize.”
Slade hooked an arm around my waist pulling me down on his bed. He kissed me, pushing my hair from my eyes. I touched his face smiling. “As long as you come back.”
Was he kidding, he was the first place I would go. I didn’t want to be away from him for any longer than I needed to be. “Of course I will come back.”
I gathered my shoes and slipped back into my skirt, knowing Slade lay naked watching my every move.
“I could get used to this,” he said, arms behind his head.
I zipped my skirt. “What’s that?”
“Watching you get dressed.” He smirked. “It’s hot. Just means I can take it off later.”
I studied myself in his mirror and smiled at his cute statement that was for me and only me. It would take getting used to but I knew it would never get old. I crawled across the bed to meet up with his lips.
“I’m happy,” I admitted.
Slade wrapped his arms around me. “It’s good to hear you say that.”
I wondered if I was stupid to wonder if he was glad. “What about you?”
Slade licked his lips, a crooked grin appearing. “Only one thing I would change.”
I frowned.
“I wish we could have felt this good about being together from the start.” He kissed my cheek. “Better late than never I heard they say.”
I let out a sigh of relief. I always waited for something bad to happen I realized. “What will you do while I’m gone?”
Slade settled back into the pillows. “I’ll sleep and get ready for round three.”
I shook my head at his corny joke and planted one last kiss on his lips before I headed for the door. “What would you call this?”
I wanted to know. Were we a thing? Was he willing to admit it now that it seemed so obvious?
“Incredible,” he said. “Amazing.”
I shook my head. “Be serious.”
He removed the smile and grew serious. “I’d call it right. And I’d call you mine that is, if you’re willing to give me that honor.” He grinned, unable to keep it romantic.
I stared at him in awe; it was the best thing I could hear come from his lips. “Now I don’t want to leave.”
“Here or there as long as you agree you will still be mine if you just say so,” he told me. “So say your mine and then you can be on your way.”
I grinned, taking hold of his face and kissing him again and again. “I’m yours. As long as you swear you’ll be mine.”
“That’s kind of how it works,” Slade said kissing me. “I will see you when you get back.”
***
I was walking on clouds as I headed to meet Karsen. We planned to meet up at the Shore Café. Talking over strong coffee always worked.
I wiped at the rain hitting me in the face as I quickened my pace on the boardwalk. My clothes damp.
I wiped the rain from my brow and took a seat. She was already there for once I was the one running late not Karsen.
It was a bit awkward. I gave a tiny wave and waited for her to speak. I planned it all out in my head but as I sat there I was afraid to say anything.
“It’s nice to see you,” Karsen started. This put me at ease.
“I would have come sooner,” I told her.
Karsen nodded that she knew all too well why I didn’t come. “I know, I know, you were busy with witchy things and being eyeballed for recent murders.”
I smirked. “Story of my life anymore.”
Karsen shook her head. “No, I heard the new story is Slade has come to the conclusion that he was a big idiot and saw the light.”
I smiled at the mention of Slade. He saw the light alright. He made us official. “It’s official.”
Karsen scratched her head. “That he’s an idiot for not seeing how great of a girl you are and treating you like one.”
I rolled my eyes at Karsen and lifted my coffee that she already ordered me. “It was a long road, but everything is working out the way that I wanted it.”
Karsen knew what that meant more than anyone. She knew that ever since my parents split all I wanted was to feel whole again. I wanted someone to accept me and love me through the good and bad of my life.
That serious look was pinned on her face. “Well, I know now that you have that in Slade. I didn’t think so at first but now I do.”
I smiled. “I know why I couldn’t turn off my feelings for him. Because I wasn’t meant to.”
Karsen took a sip of her coffee. “He’s the jelly to your peanut butter, the fallopian tubes to your ovaries.”
I gave Karsen a funny look, her comparisons were odd. “Fallopian tubes are not what I want to think about when I think about Slade.”
Karsen giggled. “Then you better wrap it up, or soon you will have a bunch of little emo babies running around.”
I shuddered at the thought. My uterus w
as not looking to house anyone anytime soon and I wanted to keep it that way. I just got to the fun part of my relationship with Slade. I didn’t need anything else complicating it anymore.
Karsen picked up on my expression; it changed the minute Hutch popped into my mind. “What’s that look for? If you’re trying to apologize for pushing me around you don’t need to. I know your better, I can see it.”
I waved a hand swallowing down my coffee. Lighting crashed outside the window of the café. “I never thought I would have the regret that I have.”
She didn’t catch on.
“Hutch,” I said. I smoothed my damp hair down. “What the hell was I thinking?”
Karsen’s eye shifted to her nails, she was good at avoiding when need be. “He’s a charmer. But don’t let it get you down. We all have made mistakes; I mean I let John Redcorn into my nether regions.”
“Radcom,” I reminded Karsen like every time before. I couldn’t figure out why she could never get the name right. Maybe that was what mistakes did to people. They tried to forget about them altogether.
“Radcom, Redcorn, it doesn’t matter. I don’t live in the past. I concern myself with the men who are worth it. So what, you let Hutch pillage your village. I’m sure if you try hard enough you can erase it from your memory.”
Karsen cringed at the boom of the thunder; her shoulders drew up in fright. “Just be happy, Hope. You deserve to be happy.”
I nodded. “I know. I just hope it’s that easy.”
She crumpled her napkin. “It is if you let it be. I got to get going. I have a job interview tomorrow.”
I raised an eyebrow. Karsen rolled her eyes and dropped her head to the side. “I figure if I am living here I might as well make something of myself. I can’t live off my rock star boyfriend and his family forever.”
I laughed at Karsen, I was sure she could if Kidd plied her with enough jewelry and gifts on occasions. We said our goodbyes and gave our hugs and she was gone.
Lighting crashed scaring me out of my skin; it was too close for comfort. It couldn’t have been a worse time to meet up I thought. The air made my skin prickle with goosebumps; my hair clung to my shoulders as I headed back to Henry Park.
