We laugh at Arwen’s expense, both of us in better spirits for the rest of the ride to Westbrook.
It’s nearly midnight by the time I creep up the stairs to the guest room. I sent PG a message before heading inside, wanting to be sure Gwen was asleep. But when I get to her room, the door is cracked. The damn thing squeaks as I push it the rest of the way open, revealing an empty room.
I frown, my teeth grinding together. The idea of her being out so late doesn’t sit well with me. It’s not like Nina and Mark keep tabs on her. My feet move a little quicker as I continue down the hall to my room to get my laptop. It’ll hold the answers. There’s no way I’ll be able to sleep until I go through her phone to figure out the who, what, and where of her outing.
The room is dark, but I don’t bother with the lights. My MacBook is sitting on a side table not far from the door. I take a seat in the chair next to the table and set the laptop on my legs. A few seconds later, I’m scrolling through Gwen’s text messages. The last messages she received were from Mia at ten tonight.
Mia: Let me know how the seduction plan goes.
My stomach sours. Seduction? What the fuck?
Gwen: Why do I let you talk me into these things?
Mia: You’ll be thanking me after you take the D train all the way home.
I slam my laptop closed and run a hand through my hair. Gwen could be with some small-dicked prick, about to let him fuck her. And it would be my fault. I got her all worked up then left her in the cold. When I find out who—
A soft sigh slices through the silence around me, movement on the bed catching my eye. There’s just enough moonlight streaming in from the window to see the curvy outline of the person lying across the mattress.
Gwen.
The breath that was coiled in my tight chest releases in a whoosh.
She’s safe. Here. In my bed. Which means…
Well, fuck me.
Chapter Sixteen
Present
GWEN
My skin started to buzz with anticipation the moment Cole walked into the room, tugging me from the stupor trying to drag me under. It felt like a lifetime waiting for him to look my way, and anxious energy built in me until it began to seep out. His head jerked at my sigh, slowly turning in my direction as I rolled off my back.
Taking Mia’s advice might not be the smartest thing I’ve ever done. I can’t believe I’m lying in Cole’s bed, wearing only a wifebeater and a pair of lacy green panties. My body is being offered up to him on a platter, and I’m terrified he’ll turn it down.
Silence and stillness fill the room again. My quick and heavy heartbeat echoes in my core as I wait for him to notice me.
Cole stands and leisurely makes his way to the door. It’s pushed closed, the lock clicking into place.
There’s no turning back now.
I forget how to breathe as his shadowy figure prowls toward me, my eyes screwing shut.
The rustle from his shirt and pants as he gets undressed is piercing, my stomach flipping with each thud on the floor.
His fingertips caress my foot then, before slowly making a path up my ankle to my calf. He sucks in a hissing breath once he reaches the back of my thigh, his thumb sweeping under my panties as he continues to my ass and gives it a squeeze.
The mattress dips as he crawls onto the bed, his hands and knees placed on either side of me. The heat of his naked body sets mine on fire. His erection presses into my ass, and I gasp from the aching need pulsing between my legs.
Cole’s lips land on my shoulder, placing a delicate kiss there before he whispers, “What are you doing in my room, Princess?”
I open my eyes, straining my neck to look back at him. But my brain refuses to form words.
My hair is swept away from my neck, goosebumps forming on my skin as he licks and sucks the flesh.
“Tell me what you want,” he demands.
“I want you.” My strained words reflect the desperation behind them.
“You want me?” he muses, his breathy laugh dancing on my flesh in the most intoxicating way. “I’m afraid you need to finish your sentence. What do you want me to do?” His hand caresses my hip as he gently rocks into me, making my brain too foggy with lust to think.
“I want you to take what’s yours,” I pant, using his own words to demolish his restraint.
“Fuck,” he groans.
My panties are literally ripped from my body in a whirlwind, my hips yanked until my ass is in the air. He playfully nips and kisses each cheek, pushing my tank top up as his lips trail along my spine.
His hips line up with my body, his hard cock sliding between my thighs. He hauls me to his chest, one hand kneading my breast while the other dives into the pool between my legs.
He focuses on my clit, his finger stroking it with a circular motion. “Christ, you’re so fucking wet.”
My head feels dizzy, my body pliable as he works me over with his hands. The tip of his penis dips in and out of my opening in a teasing manner, deliberately driving me mad.
I rear back, demanding more of him.
Groaning again, he slams the rest of the way into me. I cry out, the sensation of my body stretching to accommodate him both painful and satisfying. His teeth sink into my shoulder, the sting of his bite as he releases me only increasing my pleasure.
His hips sway, his movements careful as he tests the waters. He works up to a slow pace, rubbing my clit to match the rhythm of his gentle thrusts.
Just as I’m on the verge of falling, he pulls out quickly then crashes back into me.
“You’re being greedy, Princess,” he grits out.
“Please don’t stop, Cole.”
“God damn it,” he curses, gradually moving his hips again. “Is this what you want?”
I nod, panting. “Yes.”
“You know what I want to hear,” he taunts.
“I’m yours.”
He pumps harder, faster. “Again.”
“I’m yours.”
He increases his tempo, taking me right to the edge of the cliff.
“Don’t stop,” he says. “I want those words spilling from your lips as you come so you never forget.”
I continue to chant it, each one louder as my climax comes to a head. My orgasm feels like an explosion, every cell in my body bursting with ecstasy.
Cole’s release comes only seconds later, his jerky movements slowing before coming to a stop. He lets out a heavy breath, his damp forehead resting on my shoulder.
My stomach flutters with worry as we both work to catch our breath. Mia’s seduction scheme ended here. There wasn’t much thought about what might happen past this point.
I definitely have his attention, but for how long? Panic cools my heated veins. What if he shuts down and kicks me out just like last weekend?
Cole lifts his head and eases out of me, planting a kiss on my temple. “For keeps.”
I sit up as he gets off the bed, and he frowns when I subconsciously tug my tank top down to cover my body. My eyebrows lift when he offers me his hand. I look down at it then back at him, leaving it suspended in the air. “You want me to leave?”
Not even the darkness can hide the way his features sharpen with annoyance. He reaches for me, dragging me to my feet. “We need to get you in the bath.”
“What?” I shift uncomfortably under his stare.
“I just came inside of you, Princess. We need to get you clean.”
“Oh, right.” I chew on my bottom lip. That wasn’t part of the plan. I got so wrapped up in wanting him, stopping for protection never crossed my mind. “You don’t have to…I’ll go back to my room, and—”
He jerks me back as I try to step around him. “Oh, no you won’t. You’re staying with me tonight.”
Cole was distant while he prepared the bath, only speaking to give me commands.
Take off your top. Get in. Scoot up. Lie back.
His same reserved quietness has continued the entire time we’ve been
in the tub together, never speaking a word as he lovingly washes my body. The silence makes it harder to keep my nagging thoughts at bay. They get uglier with each minute that ticks by.
It was reckless of me to sleep with Cole without knowing how he feels about me.
The way to a man’s heart is through his penis. Said no one. Ever.
My body isn’t the only thing I offered up to him tonight. I truly do belong to him. Mind, body, and soul.
He could wreck me. In his mind, that might be exactly what I deserve.
“Cole?”
“We can’t let that happen again,” he scolds, as if I’ve been part of the conversation in his head. “Are you even on the pill?”
His reprimanding tone makes me shrink into myself. Cole is the only person I’ve ever been with. Back when we were both two young kids in love trying to figure it all out. Though Cole certainly seems to be more experienced these days, not much has changed for me.
Still, I know better. The last thing I want is to be knocked up at seventeen by someone who may or may not hate me. Not to mention there’s no telling how many girls Cole has slept with since we broke up. If the rumors are true, he probably doesn’t even know the number.
My stomach gets queasy at the thought, and I push it away.
“No,” I answer timidly.
“Jesus,” he grits. “What were you thinking? That’s incredibly irresponsible.”
The temper in his voice sparks my own. I twist my body and glare at him. “Hey, I didn’t see you stopping to put a condom on. What is it with men? It’s like you expect women to walk around with bulletproof vests so you can shoot your loaded weapons freely.”
Cole tilts his head, that wickedly sexy grin lighting his face. “Woah. Climb down off your horse, Princess.” He cups my face, kissing me on the forehead. “You’re right. I’m sorry.”
My lashes flutter, confusion wrinkling my brow. “You are?”
He tucks my hair behind my ears and turns me back around, pulling me to his chest again. “That came out all wrong. I’m mad at myself, not you.”
“Because having a baby with me would be the worst thing in the world?” I question, sounding both whiney and insane.
He chuckles. “Princess, nothing would thrill me more than for you to have all my babies. They would be achingly beautiful and immensely loved. But now might not be the best timing.”
The quick shift of his mood gives me whiplash. Still, my heart flutters at his words. Images of babies with golden hair and bright green eyes float through my thoughts.
“Well, I’m not sure if this makes things better or worse, but I did buy condoms,” I admit. “They’re on the nightstand.”
His chest quakes under me as he laughs. “You bought me a box of condoms?”
“Umm, no.” I eye him over my shoulder. “I bought us a box of condoms. You don’t get to use them with anyone else.”
“That goes both ways, Princess.”
“I don’t want to be with anyone else,” I confess.
“Good.” He kisses the back of my head, his arms circling around me in a tight hug. “Because you’re mine.”
My heart flutters again. Agreeing not to sleep with anyone else while we’re sleeping together might not be a declaration of love, but it’s a start.
Chapter Seventeen
Present
COLE
Gwen walks out of the bathroom wrapped in a towel, her gaze cast down and bottom lip tucked between her teeth. She’s cloaked in vulnerability, and it’s absolutely stunning.
There’s an ache in my chest as she makes her way over to me; the feeling of my heart beating again inside the hollow cage, foreign.
Don’t get used to it.
The rules of this game keep changing. I’m not sure who’s winning anymore. It’s starting to feel like we both lost once before. The only way for me to prevent history from repeating itself is to figure out what happened. If Gwen refuses to tell me the truth, I’ll simply have to dig for the answers myself.
Gwen stops a foot away from me, her eyes unsure as they meet mine. “I, uh…I don’t have any clothes in here.”
I grin, inching forward. “You don’t need any.”
My hands grip her hips, tugging her body toward mine. She lets out a shaky breath, shyly placing her hands on my bare chest. Her maple syrup eyes glaze with moisture, and then they fall.
“Look at me, Princess.” Her hooded eyes meet mine, a single tear rolling down her cheek. “What’s going on in that gorgeous head of yours?”
“This is all just so…surreal.”
She stretches to meet my lips as I lean in, our mouths meeting in the middle. The kiss is tender and sensual. Much like the ones we used to share. It isn’t lust and hatred fueling me this time. For the first time in two years, I allow my love for her to burn.
If this is all a lie, if I’m doomed to have my heart ripped from my chest a second time, I’m going to make damn sure it scorches her too.
Her lashes flutter with confusion as I break the kiss, her glossy stare studying me. “Is this real?”
It’s the same question she asked the night I went to her room, and the answer is still the same. Yes and no. Only I’m even less sure which parts of this are authentic and which aren’t.
“If this was all a dream, would you choose to wake up?” I ask her.
Sadness clouds her face, but she shakes her head. “No.”
“Then just enjoy it.” I deliver a chaste kiss on her lips then steer her to the edge of the bed. “Sit down.”
She follows my command without hesitation, watching me with rapt attention as I push her knees apart then lower myself between them. She gasps as my head bows and I take her in my mouth. My tongue spreads her folds, tasting her. She’s every bit as sweet as I remember.
“Oh god. Cole,” she whimpers, her hands clutching my hair.
She squirms as I focus on her clit, suckling until her legs begin to quake around me. Then my tongue dips low and teases her entrance before gliding back up, swirling around her swollen clit. Her euphoric moans are like music to my ears, her cries intensifying each time I repeat the pattern.
She lies all the way on the bed and arches her back. I slide my arms under her thighs, gripping her hips while continuing to devour her.
I lick, kiss, and nibble her perfect pussy as if I’m starving and she’s the feast. Yet, I’m the one who feels consumed by her. It’s been far too long since I’ve had her this way.
Gwen isn’t merely opening her legs for me. She’s trusting me with her body, letting me into her heart.
I flick her clit with my tongue when her moans grow louder, her breath coming out in quick pants as her orgasm comes to a head. She sucks in a deep breath, her body trembling with her release. My tongue slows, gently lapping up the evidence of her orgasm until she calms down.
I come to my feet, admiring how completely spent she seems. Her hair, in a messy halo around her head; her flushed chest heaving, eyes dark with lust as she drags them over me.
Smirking, I grab the box of condoms off the nightstand. “What do you say we put these to use?”
Gwen props herself up on her elbows and gives an eager nod of her head. I tear the box open, retrieving a foil square before placing it back. She sits up as I remove my towel, stealing a condom.
A sharp breath hisses through my teeth as she takes me in her hand, stroking me. She envelops the tip of my dick without warning, her tongue circling around it before her lips slide down the shaft. I groan and wheeze as she draws back, suctioning me.
Her warm mouth and wet tongue are enough to be my undoing, but when those soft orbs peer up at me with pure lust, I nearly shoot my load right then.
“Stop,” I grit. “I need to be inside of you, Princess.”
She releases me with a plop, licking her puffy lips as she opens the packet. Her eyes watch me as she rolls it on, and it’s the sexiest thing I’ve ever seen. As she finishes, she scoots back and spreads her legs, giving me room to c
rawl between them.
“I’m taking things slow this time,” I warn her, positioning my cock at her opening. “You’re going to be sore and fully satiated once I’m through with you.”
Her hands land on my back as I slide in with ease, her eyelids falling once my hips begin to rock. She’s so perfect, so fucking beautiful.
My mouth connects with hers, the love I’m feeling for her in this moment seeping into the kiss. We move in sync, our bodies truly becoming one. And I know this is so much more than sex. When it comes to her, my heart will always be involved.
Somewhere inside of me, my subconscious is screaming, warning me of the danger. But I ignore it, wanting to simply bask in the feeling of being whole again—of having Gwen back. I want to let go of everything that happened two years ago. The hurt, the anger, the confusion. I want to pretend it was nothing more than a bad dream. If only for this moment.
“I’ve missed you so fucking much,” I say.
Her eyes flutter open as my whispered confession brushes across her lips, the gleam of sorrow in her gaze haunting. “I’ve missed you too, more than you will ever know.” She grabs my face, like she’s afraid I’ll look away. “But I’ve always been yours and always will be. No matter what happens.”
Her statement feels like an omen, that there’s more pain to come, but I lock it away with everything else.
She brings my mouth to hers, our pace quickening. We let the kiss communicate all the other things neither of us are willing nor able to say aloud.
It doesn’t take much longer for her walls to begin to clench around me, beckoning my release as hers reaches for the surface.
I look down at the beautiful creature under me and commit the image to memory. Her flushed skin. Her lips nearly chapped from my kiss. The way her pale skin seems to be glowing, even in the darkness.
“Open your eyes, Princess,” I plead. “I want to see them.”
When things ended with us two years ago, I was blindsided. Until that point, it felt like an absolute certainty that the two of us would be together forever. Maybe I even took it for granted.
The Princess and The Jester: A High School Bully Romance (Westbrook Three Book 3) Page 9
