“Can we go yet?” She whines, pulling back to puff out her bottom lip at me.
“I don’t know. I’m rather enjoying myself,” I lie, knowing full well the only thing I want to do right now is bury myself between her legs.
“Well, you remember that when I have to leave to take Angel and Harlee home.” She crosses her arms in front of her chest.
“You’re not staying?” I can’t contain the disappointment in my voice no matter how hard I try to mask it.
“I didn’t think you’d want me to.” She seems surprised by my reaction.
“Come on.” I avoid her statement as I push out of the stool, grabbing her hand to pull her behind me.
“Wait, where are we going? I didn’t get to go talk to that guy,” she objects as I pull her inside the stairwell, slamming the door shut the moment she’s inside.
“Fuck that guy. You’re fucking mine,” I growl, my mouth crashing down on hers as I pull her into me.
She gasps lightly when I lift her, quickly securing her legs around my waist as I begin to climb the stairs, pushing my way inside my apartment within a matter of seconds. Swinging the door closed behind us, I immediately cross the room, depositing her on top of the bed the moment I reach it.
Reaching down, I spread her legs open, taking in a sharp inhale when my eyes meet her bare flesh. It’s all I have thought about all night: seeing her, feeling her. This girl has me by the fucking balls, and there’s not a fucking thing I can do about it.
Trailing my hand lightly between her legs, I can’t fight my smile when she arches her back, pushing into my touch.
“Now, Decklan. Do it now,” she whimpers when I press the pad of my thumb against her clit and slowly rotate it.
“Do what now?” I increase the speed of my finger but still keep my pace slow enough that her frustration lingers, wanting her to beg for it.
“Fuck me, Decklan.” I can’t deny how fucking incredible those words sound coming out of her pretty little mouth.
“You want me to what?” I increase the speed of my hand more, my erection pressing so tightly against my jeans it’s past the point of uncomfortable.
I know I’m teasing her, but in the process, I’m fucking torturing myself. Just watching her writhe beneath my touch is enough to drive me beyond the point where I can hold out any longer.
“Fuck,” I grind out, dropping my hand away as I tear open my jeans.
I don’t bother undressing her further. I love seeing her like this. Her tight little dress squeezing her body just right, her wet pussy exposed and on full display for me. I bite down on my bottom lip, trying to steady my hand as I quickly slide a condom on.
Pulling her ass to the edge of the mattress, I spread her legs wider, taking one last long look before I bury myself deep inside of her.
The initial impact nearly brings me to the brink, and I have to still myself inside of her for a brief moment. Taking a deep breath, I try to reel myself in and get my shit together. I can’t let myself lose control that quickly. I need her there with me first.
Crawling up her body, I drag her further up the mattress with me as I go, and settle down on top of her as I drop my lips back down to hers. She feels so fucking incredible around me, I’m afraid any movement will send me over the edge.
Sliding her arms around me, Kimber deepens the kiss as she urges me forward, raising her hips slightly to meet my slow thrust. I pull out and slide slowly back in, trying to keep my movements controlled as I quicken my pace.
It’s not long before I feel Kimber’s grip start to tighten and her perfect façade falling away. It’s in these moments, in the rawness of pleasure, that I see her for who she really is. Wild, untamed, not afraid to take what she wants, and fuck me the most beautiful fucking creature to ever lie beneath me.
My release hits me with so much force that I barely register Kimber’s cries as she succumbs to her own pleasure. My stomach cramps tightly, the intensity of my orgasm almost painful as it spills out of me.
****
“Tell me how you got this?” Kimber trails her finger lightly down the scar that lines the side of my skull, the contact causing me to tense slightly. She props herself up on her elbow, her body still tucked into my side as she meets my gaze.
“Hit my head.” My answer is generic and void of any emotion. I’ve perfected that much.
“What happened?” She pushes for more, her eyes full of curiosity.
“It was nothing.” I shrug it off, closing my hand around hers to pull her fingers away from the jagged flesh. “Nothing to worry yourself with.” I kiss her knuckles before laying her palm flat against my chest.
I can see the hesitation in her eyes, and I know instantly that she wants to ask for more. She studies me for a long moment before finally deciding to let it be. Relaxing back down into my arms, she lays her face against my chest and lets out a slow exhale.
“What’s wrong?” I ask, trailing my fingers lightly through her hair.
“I’m not ready to leave,” she admits, working slow circles across my stomach with her fingertips.
“Then don’t.”
“You know I have to.” She lets out another sigh.
“You don’t have to do anything,” I challenge, gently rolling her onto her back as I pin her body beneath mine. “I mean, I could just make you stay,” I threaten, dropping my mouth to hers.
“I know you’re in there, bitch.” A woman’s voice I don’t instantly recognize suddenly rings through the otherwise empty space followed by a loud series of thumping.
“What the fuck?” I mutter, looking down at Kimber, whose eyes are wide as she stares back at me.
Before I have a chance to react, let alone respond, Kimber yells back, the level of her voice enough to vibrate her chest against mine.
“Twenty more minutes.” She laughs at the curious look I give her. “Angel,” she whispers.
“Stop it. They’re in there getting nasty.” I hear another voice I can only assume belongs to Harlee, followed by giggling.
“You know we can hear you.” Kimber tries to keep the humor from her voice as the laughter on the other side of the door continues.
Throwing me a sweet smile, I know instantly the moment is over. Silently cursing her friends for their less than stellar timing, I roll to the side, pushing myself out of the bed. Kimber joins me within seconds, frantically searching the floor for her dress which takes her a moment to find given the darkness of the room.
“I’ll get it.” I shake my head when another round of pounding sounds against the door.
Sliding on my jeans, I don’t bother locating my shirt as I cross the space of the room, ripping open the door just as Angel has her hand lifted to knock again.
“Well fuck me.” She lets out a loud sigh, her eyes traveling down my bare torso. “Please tell me you have a brother.” She squeals when Harlee smacks the back of her arm.
“Trust me, he’s not anything like Decklan.” Kimber appears suddenly at my side, her comment catching me off guard for a brief moment until I remember the day I had lunch with Mom and Trey. I had completely forgotten she was even there.
Giving me the type of smile that makes my stomach twist slightly, she pushes up on her tiptoes to lay a brief kiss to my cheek. “I’ll call you later.” She winks, shoving Harlee and Angel away from the doorframe as she steps into the hall.
“Goodnight, Decklan,” Angel sings up the stairs just moments before I hear the noise of the bar filter through the open doorway.
Glancing at the clock, I see it’s just after midnight. Knowing we are going to have a hell of a lot to clean up, I decide to get dressed and head back down. If I’m lucky, the place won’t be too trashed.
“He’s alive.” Gavin smiles at me from his stool at the edge of the bar the moment I step through the door.
“What happened to keeping her friends busy?” I grunt, sliding down into the stool next to him before signaling to Val.
She nods, appearing in front of me
within seconds with a rocks glass in one hand, a bottle of whiskey in the other. “Where have you been all night?” she asks before Gavin can respond, a teasing undertone apparent in her voice.
“Where do you think he was?” Gavin laughs beside me, draining his glass before taking the bottle from Val and refilling it, then depositing the half empty bottle onto the bar in front of us.
“He’s in love.” His voice goes up an octave as he sways next to me.
“I’m not in love,” I grunt, draining the contents of my glass in one drink.
“I don’t know, boss, even I have to admit I’ve never seen you act this way before,” Val agrees, taking the bottle from my hand after I refill the empty glass in front of me.
“It’s called mixing it up. You two should try it sometime.” I try to let their comments roll off my back, but even I can’t deny the shred of truth they may hold.
Is Kimber really changing me that much?
I know the answer to that question without giving it a second thought.
“Is that what people are calling it these days?” he smarts off.
“You really want to go there?” I throw him a warning glare.
“So defensive.” Gavin clicks his tongue off the roof of his mouth.
“And how about you?” I turn towards him. “Since when have you not been able to land a woman you’ve locked in on?” I give him a knowing smile. “Not going soft are we?”
“Fuck you, Deck. I’m not soft. I’m just sure as hell not going to throw myself at someone who wants to play hard to get, especially when I have so many others begging. That may be a fun game for you, but I don’t do games; I fuck.” He shoots Val a vicious look when she lets out a loud snort.
“Sorry.” She laughs. “But you two kill me.” She turns, shaking her head as she walks away.
“What the fuck?” Gavin growls, his eyes still fixed on Val as she leans across the counter to take a customer’s order.
“What?” I throw him a curious glance.
“Why’d she laugh like that?” He seems genuinely bothered by Val’s reaction.
“Probably because she knows you.” I grin, emptying the rest of my drink in one swig.
“What the fuck’s that supposed to mean?”
“Nothing.” I shake my head, not feeling up to spending the next hour reassuring him that he’s not completely losing his touch.
Gavin has always had a way with women, and I’m sure it’s grating on him that Harlee hasn’t dropped to her knees and begged him to take her. I find the whole situation quite humorous really. It also gives me a welcome distraction from my own current situation.
It’s easier to focus on other people’s lives than to deal with the fact that mine looks completely foreign to me. For the longest time I have operated the exact same way, and to have someone show up and completely unhinge all of that is fucking unsettling as hell.
I try to convince myself it’s nothing, that I will bore of Kimber eventually. But deep down I think I know that’s not true.
I think I know she means a hell of a lot more to me than I am willing to admit. Because admitting that gives up the control that I am so desperately clinging to. I can’t let myself go down this road. I can’t risk hurting her the way I eventually hurt everyone who gets too close to me.
I don’t think I could bear to have her look at me with the same disappointment I have seen so many times before. To see pain in her eyes and know I put it there. I think ultimately, that’s what scares me the most.
Chapter Fifteen
Kimber
“Yes, I know it’s been a while.” I try my best to muffle my frustration about having the same conversation with my mom yet again.
“Is it so much to ask that you call your parents’ from time to time? Honestly, Kimber, did we not raise you better than this?” Her judgmental tone is no less effective thousands of miles away, and I still find myself shrinking slightly.
“Your father is convinced the only way to reason with you is to come to Oregon and put you on a plane himself,” she continues.
“I’m not a child. He can’t just force me to come home,” I object, knowing the last thing I want is for Dan James to show up here.
“You are our child, or have you forgotten that?”
“Of course, I haven’t. Just because I’m following my own path doesn’t mean I love you any less. But this is my life, Mom. You’re just going to have to find a way to live with my choices.”
“One day, Kimber, you’ll have children of your own...”
“And I will love them and teach them. And when they’re old enough, I will trust them to choose for themselves and know they will do the right thing because I raised them right,” I cut her off.
“It’s not always so black and white,” she snips, sighing loudly into the phone.
“No, it’s not,” I agree. “But you know me; have you no faith that I can do this on my own?”
“It’s not that,” she objects.
“Then what is it? Because from where I’m standing that’s exactly what it boils down to, you don’t trust me. But here’s the good news, you don’t have too. I am an adult, and I will make my choices whether you support them or not.”
“Kimber.”
“I’m not doing this.” I look up from my place on the bed, throwing a frustrated glance to Harlee who quietly closes the door behind her as she steps inside the room.
“You’re leaving us with very little choice,” my mom warns.
“And you’re leaving me with very little,” I promise, feeling the emotion clog my throat.
I’ve tried telling my parents’ how much their support would mean to me, but it still seems to make no difference. I just don’t understand how parents can treat their own child this way. I’d be lying if I said this whole situation doesn’t break my heart a little. I want nothing more than to live my life my way and know I have my parents’ there to back me every step of the way. No child should ever have to choose between their family and their freedom.
“I have to go, I have class,” I lie, not waiting for her response before ending the call, dropping the phone on the mattress in front of me.
“Again?” Harlee drops her bag onto the floor before taking a seat on the edge of my bed.
“It’s never ending.” I sigh, meeting her sympathetic gaze.
If anyone understands bad parenting it’s Harlee, though her situation is so much worse than mine. Her mom died of a drug overdose when she was only ten years old which left her with her drunk of a father until he was sentenced to ten years in prison when she was fifteen. She got taken in by a wealthy aunt after that, but that’s all I really know.
“You can’t force them to come around. All you can do is live your life for you. Either they’ll decide it’s better to let you be yourself rather than lose you all together or they won’t. Either way, I think you’ll be just fine.” She gives me a reassuring smile.
“I know. It’s just hard.” I let out a deep sigh.
“I get it.” She pats my leg before pushing up off the bed. “So how are things with lover boy?” I don’t object to her abrupt subject change, having no desire to beat the dead horse that is my relationship with my parents’.
“Good.” I smile at the thought of Decklan. “Really good actually.”
“So things are getting more serious?” I watch her grab her book bag from the floor and cross the space to her own bed before she finally turns her gaze back to me.
“I don’t know that I would say that. I mean, it’s intense,” I admit. “He’s intense.” I sigh. “And very hard to read.”
“How so?” she asks, flopping down onto her mattress as she pulls her bag into her lap.
“I mean, it’s amazing when we’re together, but I can’t seem to get past how closed off he is. Every time I ask him anything personal, he shuts down. Kind of makes me feel unimportant, like I’m not worth sharing things with.”
“Give it time,” Harlee reassures me. “Some guys just
have a really hard time opening up. He’ll get there.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“Because I’ve seen the way that man looks at you.” Her answer is immediate.
“What do you mean?” Her response makes me curious.
“I can’t explain it. It’s just something about the way he watches you like you belong to him.”
“Is that a good thing?” I laugh, still not sure how I feel about this whole situation.
I’m terrified by how strongly I feel for him over such a short period of time. It seems unnatural to me that after just a few short weeks he has such a hold on me. He’s all I can think about; all I dream about. When I’m with him I never want to leave. When I’m not with him, all I want to do is be with him again.
Despite how quickly my feelings for Decklan have formed, I think I’m more worried that I’m just being caught up by a smooth talking playboy that will discard me the moment he’s finished with me. The thought leaves me with a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach, and I have to shake off the direction my mind is going.
“I think so,” Harlee cuts into my thoughts, pulling my attention back to her. “Have you heard from him today?” she asks.
“Not today. He’s covering the bar this afternoon I think. Why?” I get the feeling there is more to her question than just wanting to know if I have spoken to him.
“Just wondering.” She shrugs,
“You sure?” I cock my head to the side, waiting for her to finish pulling out her books and depositing them across the top of the bed before continuing. “Your question wouldn’t have anything to do with Gavin would it?” I give her a knowing smile when she meets my gaze.
“He’s got me so mixed up,” she blurts, blood rushing to her cheeks.
“What’s going on?” I ask, having not really spoken to Harlee about Gavin in any real length.
It’s been a week and a half since the Halloween party at Deviants, and she’s only mentioned him a couple of times in front of me. I know she finds him very attractive, but I’m a little confused as to where this reaction is coming from. Clearly something has happened that I have not been made aware of.
Crazy Stupid Love (Crazy Love #1) Page 12
