by TC Matson
My ending trickles in and I’m not ready for it. Wrapping my arms tightly around her waist, I stand, slipping my hands under her knees. I lift her, dropping her onto my cock, as I wobble my ass to her bed. With her legs still around my arms, I drive into her.
I’m lost in her eyes, in the intimacy braiding us together. It’s intense and it begins to engulf me. A snap in my chest frightens me. I force myself to break the trance and drop to my elbows, moving my head beside hers as I rock into her.
I’m no longer in “fucking” territory. My traitorous body is telling her how I’m beginning to feel. Speaking to her in a different language, one that I don’t even understand.
“Kyce…” She doesn’t mewl my name. Instead, it’s soft and urgent, like a heartfelt plea and it adrenalizes me.
I pump into her faster and she loses it. Tremors run along her body. Her eyes tighten as she digs her head into her mattress, arching her back. Heat scorches my blood, sizzling across my skin…
I’m thrown into my own orgasm. I drive a few times before rooting myself to the hilt. And when I open my eyes, I’m swallowed by the look in her eyes, watching me as I succumb to pleasure.
Fuck, I’m falling for her.
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.
Chapter 14
My eyes spring open and land on the alarm clock beside Jolie’s bed. Neon green six thirty stares back at me. Panic surges and wakes up the rest of my body with a kick to the face.
“Fuck!” I jerk the covers off my naked body and leap over Jolie.
Scrambling for my clothes, I slam into my pants, losing balance and falling into the side of the bed.
“When did we fall asleep?” she asks, her eyes wide with worry.
I smirk. “Late last night, after the third orgasm that made you climb the wall and left me numbly sated.”
She pushes up to her elbow, pulling the covers up to hide her tits. “Are you going to be in trouble?”
I yank into my shirt simultaneously shoving my feet into my sneakers. “Probably. But it was worth it.” I run my fingers through my hair, tugging at the ends. I bend and give her a quick kiss. “I’ve got to go.”
“I wish I could wake up sexy. You didn’t have to do a damn thing,” she says.
I kiss her cheek. “I live sexy. Call me later.”
Racing down the stairs two at a time, I grab the wooden banister to sling me into the next landing, launching myself down the next flight of stairs. Thuds and squeaks echo the tiny corridor, positive to wake up her neighbors, and I slam out the front of the building, sprinting to my Tahoe.
Barreling toward my house, I call work to let them know. Jackson answers. “I’m running late,” I tell him.
“This I see.”
“I’m sorry. I’ll be there in thirty minutes.”
“Come see me when you get here.”
“Will do,” I say, knowing his tone can only mean he’s pissed.
After showering and changing, then rushing to work, I try to catch my breath from my morning marathon as I enter Jackson’s office. He’s behind his desk, the sleeves to his white button down rolled to his forearms. I don’t sit. If I’m going to get my ass handed to me, I’d rather stand than sit on a burned ass.
“I’ve got to write you up.” His words punch my chest.
“It’s the first time I’ve ever been late since working here,” I counter.
He tightens his lips and shakes his head. “Doesn’t matter. If I don’t reprimand you for this, everyone will think I’m playing favorites since you’re my brother.”
The corners of my lips pull up. “But I am your favorite brother.”
His left eye begins to tick—his telltale sign he’s becoming annoyed. When I was younger, I used to love pestering the fuck out of him just to have his eye wig out.
“Kyce—” he growls.
I hold my hands up surrendering. “I get it. Do what you have to do. It won’t happen again.”
After signing the stupid disciplinary slip, Jackson rips my copy off and hands it to me. The bossy edge in him melts, replaced with brotherly concern. “Everything okay?”
“Oh yeah.” I can’t fight the grin. “Everything is fucking great.”
He reads between the lines and chuckles. “Get to work.”
The day was uneventful. No cheating. No drunks. Nothing out of the ordinary, which made for a long ass day. Especially since I’m running on no sleep. But I’m not complaining. Being with Jolie is worth dragging ass the next day.
I slip into the back entrance of the gym surprised to see the lights are still on. Ryker is in the ring, on his knees, hands up, chin down, squaring off with a fierce two-foot-tall monster. Kaden waddles forward and falls into Ryker in an attempt to wrestle his dad down to the ground. Ryker holds him against his chest and falls to his back, causing his son to sit on his chest. Kaden squeals, his rambunctious cackle spreading an infectious smile through the room as he moves, shoving his palms into his dad’s chest in an attempt to hold him down. Ryker pretends to try to get up, but Kaden pushes harder, “slamming” Ryker back to the mat.
Kaden spots me, his blue eyes beaming, and mumbles a few words before saying my name his way. “Ice!”
Ryker rolls his head to look at me.
I cross my arms over my chest and tip my chin. “The kid’s good. Real good.” I drop my voice pretending I’m some scout looking for a fighter.
Ryker stands, placing Kaden on his feet. “I’m his dad. You think he’d be anything less?”
Kaden resembles both Whitney and Ryker. With wide dark blue eyes, sucker you into anything pouty lips, and chubby cheeks, he’s a million times cuter than his dad. He has brownish blond hair, favoring caramel colors and loves to have it styled into a faux hawk—like his dad.
Kaden runs a wobbly circle and kicks Ryker in the ankle, looking up with a giggle. “Kit oouu.”
Leaping into the ring, I pick Kaden up and throw him onto my shoulders. “Ready to beat Daddy up?”
He squeals a laugh and bounces.
With his little hands in mine, I pretend to hit on Ryker. He stumbles backward, putting on a great show for his son. We play for a few minutes before Kaden asks to be put down. I guess you can only beat up Dad so much before it gets boring…
We’re watching Kaden run around touching each corner of the ring. He’s jubilant, cackling as he shakes the ropes. The kid has a brilliant imagination.
“What are you doing here anyway?” I ask, watching Kaden stop and look to the top rope before taking back off in a sprint.
“Whitney’s got a corporate dinner event. I was bored so we ended up here.”
I laugh. “You’re worthless without her. You realize all his toys are at home?”
“But my toys are here and it’s never too early to teach the boy how to beat up his uncles.”
“All he has to do is give me that look,” I tip my chin to Kaden. His eyes are rolled up to Ryker, seemingly studying and admiring him.
Ryker looks down, smiles, and drags his fingers down Kaden’s face.
Kaden laughs, swatting away Ryker’s hand, and takes back off running, his little legs going a hundred miles a second.
After Ryker helps Kaden out of the ring, he leans against the top rope keeping an eye on Kaden running around the rest of the gym. “We’re heading to AquaBlue this weekend. Kid free. You in?”
“Yeah,” I say, knowing the break from Jolie will be something I need.
“You can bring your girl too, if you’d like.” He peers at me out of the corner of his eye, clearly gauging my reaction.
Casually, I lift a shoulder and shrug, trying not to give anything away. “Nah, man. A little break is good for me.”
Immediately, he shoves my shoulder and I stumble to the side. “You’re falling for her. I told you it would happen.”
“Nah,” I lie straight through my teeth, and by Ryker’s expression, he’s not buying a bit of it. “I just need to back away before I fall for her.”
“Why are you fig
hting it?”
“I didn’t know I had a sister,” I quip. He and I don’t normally share emotions.
He jams his knuckles into my ribs and it steals my breath, doubling me over. “I’d make an ugly ass girl, but I’d still kick your fucking ass.”
“You’re right. You’d beat the hell out of me because I don’t hit girls.”
He laughs. “You stole that from Jackson.”
Quickly, I slam a kick toward him, but he catches my leg by the calf and ankle and shoves me. It flips me onto my back, the thud sounding worse than what it was. He leans over me with his stupid smirk, his ego shining from his gaze.
“Don’t doubt my livelihood. And for once, quit doubting yourself.”
“Boom!” Kaden shouts and points to me. “Ice. Boom.”
Ryker shoves his hand out for me to take and pulls me to my feet. “You up for something to eat?”
“Noo-noos!” Kaden bounces up and down, clapping his hands.
Ryker sighs. “Somewhere with noodles.”
Chapter 15
“Today’s going to be a fun day.”
That’s what Scarlett told me when she showed up and dragged my ass out of the bed at nine in the morning…on my day off. She rushed me to get ready, throwing my bikini at me along with a pair of shorts and a white tank top. We had this planned, but I was under the impression it would be around lunch, not this damn early.
What’s her rush?
AquaBlue is a swimming party at the lake where hundreds of boats anchor up and hotties are in mass production. She hasn’t gotten laid in two weeks and they’re serving enchiladas all day. The odds are in her favor and she’s excited.
The place is secluded enough to party loud, beautiful enough to be in awe, and crowded enough to know Scarlett will definitely be having a good night. Hot half-naked men along with pretty half-naked women are everywhere—mingling at the bar on the beach, shouting down the slip n’ slide into the lake and the slide from the floating tower, or splashing and having fun by the volleyball net. It’s hustling before noon.
And it makes me wish I had asked Kyce to come with me. We would have a lot of sexually charged fun during the day and earth-shattering orgasms by night. But I chickened out asking him. Partly because it sounded too much like a date.
After we grab our beers, we find two empty loungers on the beach and claim them.
“Day drinking,” Scarlett says with mischief.
“Ugh.” I rest my head back onto the chair and close my eyes, fighting off the horrible memories. “I still feel the effects of our last day drinking binge from two years ago.”
She snorts. “What a way to celebrate a Friday though.”
I cut my eyes at her, hidden by my sunglasses. “I hated you Saturday and every day for a week after.”
She tosses her head back laughing. “We were total rookie drinkers. I mean, both of us just turned twenty-one so we splurged a bit too much. If it makes you feel any better, I hated myself too.” She takes a sip of her beer, scanning the beach over the bottle. “There are a lot of cuties here and it’s not even lunch time. Can you imagine what tonight will bring?”
I chuckle. “You’re such a prudish whore.”
She lifts her sunglasses, trying to level me with a serious glare, except it looks more amusing than anything. “I like guys, but I don’t like the words. Doesn’t mean I’m that. Just means I like to have fun.”
“Say whore. Or sex. Or…” I push up my glasses. “Say ‘I, Scarlett, loves to fuck.’”
Pink creeps up her neck and brightens her cheeks. Her amusement melts into something timid. She licks her lips. “I like sex.”
I give her a high five and sit back into my chair. “About damn time my girl starts coming out of her shell.”
As we fall into a silence, my mind wanders to thoughts of Kyce. It’s a strange feeling to miss someone you know you shouldn’t, but something happened the other night. A shift. Somehow, he’s found the key to the lock that protects my heart and has unlocked it. As much as it was exhilarating, it’s frightening because I don’t want to feel these things.
“You’re thinking of him. Aren’t you?” Scarlett’s voice invades the images of Kyce sitting beside me.
“Stay out of my thoughts, Scar. Let me enjoy my guilty pleasure alone.”
“You’ve been spending a lot of time with him.”
I know she knows. We’ve known each other for so long that she can pick up on the smallest changes. But once the words come out of my mouth, it’s a done deal. Reality will set in.
I loll my head toward her. “It’s sex.”
“But it’s becoming more than that,” she says.
“It’s a dead end and I’d be fooling myself to think otherwise. I’m not interes—”
“Shut up about not being interested in relationships. That’s a load of crap and you know it. A worthless excuse,” she berates me.
I look back to the beautiful blue sky holding only a few clouds. “We share the same feelings about relationships. They’re a road to pain. Love is a setup. You fall in love, live life, think everything is great until the road ends and you’re left reeling, trying to navigate your lane alone. That doesn’t sound appealing.”
“You’re commemorating the nasty long-term consequences of one bad guy. Not all guys are the same. Some have ambitions and goals, morals and integrity. You said so yourself that Kyce is different. Love is something we’re supposed to all experience in our lives.”
I wiggle my back on the hard plastic. “Let me get comfortable since I’m at the shrink’s office,” I deadpan.
“Maybe because I know one day I’ll find the man who will be my last. I’m not pessimistic when it comes to relationships, even after having my heart broken. I know—”
“You’ve never been left at the altar,” I bite with bitterness dripping from my tongue.
“You’re right, but that doesn’t mean I don’t know what heartache feels like,” she snaps. “Even a failed relationship is worth experiencing. It teaches you. Molds you to be stronger, to know what you want in a man.”
“Scarlett,” I groan, growing frustrated. “You’re wasting your breath.”
“No. You’re wasting your life. You’re allowing Chris to define who you are. You’re acting like a victim instead of a survivor. Two years later and he still controls your heart. I bet you’re not controlling a thing for him.”
“I’m having unbelievably great sex. I’m sure he isn’t.” I glance to her. “Love is abstract. Sex is concrete.”
“You’re being difficult,” she states simply.
“No. I’m being a realist and you’re throwing your hopeless romantic shit on me.”
“Fine,” she snaps like a defeated child and rests her head back. “Have it your way. But mark my words, Jolie Newton. You’re going to fall head over heels for a real man who will treat you right and I’ll be dancing at your wedding.”
“Puke.”
She slaps the plastic, twisting to me. “You’re being such a…”
I can’t help but laugh. “A what? A meanie head?”
She lowers her glasses and zeros in with a scowl. “A bitch.”
I smile. “I love you.
Chapter 16
“I need another beer.” Scarlett’s voice pulls me from the gray area between being awake and asleep.
“I need a pillow.” I stretch.
As we walk the gravel path to the bar, I spot a familiar face and my heart drops like a cement brick, stopping my feet. Scarlett looks to me and then follows my view.
Kyce is shirtless, his hair wet and flat, looking sexy as always. But the blonde in shards of hot pink fabric acting as a bikini has me on the verge of throwing up. He leans on the bar, orders, and then says something to the woman. She touches his arm when she laughs.
My chest tightens under a vise grip. “You go ahead. I’m going to head back to our chairs.” My voice shakes.
Mad wrinkles pull her brows together. “Maybe it’s his siste
r?”
“He doesn’t have one.”
“Sister-in-law?” she tries again.
“And he looks at her like that? If I was his brother, I’d leave his blood through the sand.”
“If you want to leave, I understand. We can go do something else,” she says.
I do want to leave.
“We haven’t seen him all day. I know you want to stay. It’ll be fine.” I’m trying to convince myself.
She snatches my hand and starts toward the parking lot. “Come on. I’m not making you stay here and—”
I yank my hand from hers. “No. I’m fine. Just get us a beer. I’ll be at the loungers.”
My legs feel like rubber, heavy and shaky, and it makes walking in the warm sand harder. I’m angry. I’m hurt. But I can’t justify it. He’s not mine. We agreed to be nothing more than sex. Although we never established booty call boundaries and I never strayed to other men, it doesn’t mean I should expect him to do the same.
My throat feels jagged. My insides feel like they’re spooled up and about to explode. But the pain I’m feeling is a good thing. It’s a reminder. And I didn’t realize I was in this deep.
Scarlett reappears with our beers and doesn’t say anything as she hands one to me. Or when she sits. Or after taking several sips. She’s forcing me to be the one to break first. She knows the silence is killing me.
“Did he see you?” I finally ask.
“Yep.”
“And?” Frustration overtakes my hurt.
“He didn’t introduce me to the girl, but he did seem excited at the possibility of you being here. I neither denied nor confirmed,” she says.
I nod and take a sip of the cold liquid.
“You’re jealous, Jolie. You’ve got more feelings than you thought,” she says, not looking at me.
She’s right, but I don’t tell her. “Let me get comfy, Miss Therapist.”
