by K. C. Crowne
Suddenly, I didn't want him to.
I kicked off the blanket, trying to make it look as casual as possible, and his gaze continued to travel downward. I watched him check out my legs as a heat flared up inside of me. There was a bulge in his jeans that was more than obvious even from across the room. I was no longer sleepy, not in the slightest. I stretched my legs out, spreading them and continued watching Eli's reactions. Seeing him respond to the way I moved drove me absolutely crazy. The little girl from years ago was having a field day, seeing my teen crush essentially drooling over me.
God, I knew it was wrong. Especially after sleeping with Sawyer. My mind howled at me, telling me not to do this, but my body was in overdrive, refusing to listen. As crazy and wrong as I knew it was, I was suddenly nothing but a ball of desire, lust, and passion. I never, not in a million years, would have thought Eli would look at me that way. Yet, there he was, the desire in his eyes as obvious as his erection.
And I suddenly wanted him so badly.
It was clear he wanted me too, but maybe I hadn't been obvious enough yet. Draping my legs over the bed, I patted the spot next to me.
“I'm not sleepy anymore,” I said. “Care to talk some more?”
I knew I wanted to do more than talk, but I was playing it safe, just in case I was reading him wrong. After all, an erection could be just a biological reaction. I stared up at him and batted my lashes, nibbling my lip – hoping I was reading all the signs correctly and wasn't about to make a giant fool of myself.
Eli walked over, though it didn't seem purposeful. It was like he had no other choice but to come over and join me on my bed. As if I'd compelled him. I smiled as he came over to the side of the bed and stood up as he approached.
He was a foot taller than me, so as much as I wanted to kiss him, I couldn't make that move on my own. He lowered his head though and before I knew it, my lips were pressed against his. I kissed him, my inner fangirl going wild at the thought of what was happening. There I was, kissing Eli Bucknell in my bedroom, living the dream of my teenage self.
His hands moved over the top, teasing my nipple through the thin material of my tank. Shuddering, I pressed my lips harder against his to block out my whimpers. Eli lifted off my shirt, tossing it to the floor and exposing my small, but perky breasts. His hands kneaded at them gently as he motioned for me to lay back on the bed.
I fell backward onto the bed, and he fell on top of me. He was still clothed, but his erection pressed into me. Wrapping my legs around him, I ground myself against him as he dotted kisses along my neck and face.
“Eli,” I groaned, trembling underneath him as his lips and tongue caressed my flesh.
I so badly wanted to see him naked. I'd seen him shirtless in countless magazines and on television, but to see him naked live and in the flesh was something I'd only ever imagined before. It would be a dream come true. I pulled at his shirt and he helped me remove it. His chest was just as I remembered it to be, maybe more filled out than before, but still the same ripped physique from his days playing a werebear. A tribal tattoo on his chest – a memento from his younger days – made it really hit home as to who I was with.
I giggled and squirmed beneath him as we fumbled with his pants, but only for a second. I was giddy and feeling a bit high from the excitement of it all. I was still inexperienced but knowing that this wasn't my first time made me relax a little bit. I had some idea of what to expect now – or, at least, I thought I did.
When I reached down into Eli's boxers and felt him for the first time, my eyes nearly popped from my head. He was so thick – too thick for my tiny little hand to fit all the way around. To imagine that fitting inside of me filled me with a nervous energy, but also made me increasingly wet. The fire inside of me was burning high and bright, a warmth in the pit of my belly. There was no way in hell I wasn't going to go all the way with him, no matter how big he might be below the belt. Nothing would stop me now. I had my dream literally in my grasp, and I would be damned if I was going to let it go.
He slipped my panties down my thighs, but then did something unexpected. Instead of him being on top, he rolled us both over, so I was on top of him instead. I was in control. His cock rested between my thighs, and instinctively, I rubbed my wetness against him. The feeling of him against the warm center of me was a tease, and I wanted more. As if he could read my mind, Eli grabbed hold of his cock, pressing his thick head against my lips as he positioned it against my opening.
“Whenever you're ready, darling,” he said, finishing his sentence by sitting up and giving me a deep kiss that was so full of desire and passion, it nearly took my breath away.
I was more than ready. Gritting my teeth, I slid down his cock, taking him into me inch by glorious inch. He stretched me open but surprisingly, it didn't hurt – it felt amazing. I whimpered as he filled me up slowly, the rush of pleasure overwhelming.
Eli let me take my time, and I was grateful for that. It allowed me to get used to having his girth inside of me. Once he was fully sheathed within me, I just sat there with my eyes closed, focusing on the sensation, the fullness of having his cock buried so deep. Without even thinking about it, I slowly began rocking back and forth. His cock touched the deepest parts of me, rubbed against the walls inside of me and it took everything in me not to scream out in pleasure. I opened my eyes and fell forward, my hands now on his chest for balance and leverage, my movements growing faster, consumed by the pleasure flowing through me.
Eli grabbed my ass in his hands and helped me, his own hips rose and fell as he thrust himself into me. My toes curled as I cried out, my face falling into his chest. Taking my head in his hands, he lifted it back up and stroked my face, staring deep into my eyes as I continued riding him.
His hands gripped my hips tighter, and he pulled me down harder and faster.
I began grinding into him, the pleasure inside of me building and building until I felt like I might explode. Even as I began shaking, he kept me going up and down on his cock, still faster yet. He must have sensed I was about to cry out, because he kissed me then. My voice muffled, my screams were lost in that kiss as I came hard, my pussy spasming around him as his tongue probed my mouth. His own groans were lost into that kiss as well, and any movement had stopped. He held me down against him, holding himself deep inside of me, and together we came.
I collapsed on top of him, my tiny body against his massive one. Everything felt amazing, including his hands running up and down my back as he held me close. I shuddered, my body a collection of raw nerve endings.
I couldn't believe I'd done it – that I'd slept with Eli so soon after sleeping with Sawyer. My head was telling me it was wrong, yet something else inside of me, something more primal, told me there was nothing wrong about it.
9
Sawyer
My head was aching, and my ears were ringing when the knock on my door pulled me out of sleep. Every knock sounded louder than a damn cannon going off and my head was throbbing. I groaned, rolling over to look at my phone. It was just after eleven in the morning – I'd slept in. Not that I had to worry about Milo firing me, but I had a good idea who was now pounding at my door.
“One second,” I said, sitting up and rubbing the sleep from my eyes.
Milo hadn't given me a second. He opened the door as soon as he heard my voice, just peeking inside.
“Is Jacklyn with you?” he asked.
“No,” I said, motioning to my empty bed.
It was a shame she wasn't, now that I had a minute to think about it, but I didn't want to move too fast either. It was probably best if we gave each other some space so neither one of us got too attached to the other. She was a good girl after all and I wasn't a good boy. The last thing I wanted to do was hurt her.
“Why?” I asked.
“She wasn't in her room,” he said. “And I haven't seen her all morning.”
That was weird. It wasn't like Jack to not be up and ready for work, especially that late i
n the day, and it sent a small ripple of concern through me.
“Did you check with Eli?” I asked, swinging my legs around to get out of bed.
I yawned widely as I recalled the night before. Or, at least, as I tried to recall the night before. It was patchy and fuzzy. Clearly, I'd had way too much to drink.
“No, why would I check with him?” Milo asked.
“Because I left her with him last night,” I said. “At the bonfire.”
“Eli came out for that?”
“Yeah, surprised the hell outta me too,” I chuckled.
I stood up and walked into the bathroom, taking a good look at my reflection. I looked like shit – which pretty much matched the way I felt exactly. I wasn't much for drinking that heavily usually, but sometimes, it seemed like there was nothing much else to do around there. Besides, when the day had been as shitty as yesterday had been, a good, thorough drunk as fuck night was just what the doctor ordered.
Milo was still standing in the doorway, a perplexed look on his face.
“Listen, I can call him,” I muttered. “Though he's probably pissed at me too now. We got into a fight last night.”
“Easy to do with Eli,” Milo said.
I wanted to correct him and say it was easy to do with either of them, but I wisely held my tongue. I was in no condition to fight. Nor did I want to. Sometimes, they were too much alike, and they had no idea. They were both stubborn as hell. If they could work together, I knew they'd get a lot of shit done, but they were all too often on the opposite sides, preventing anyone from accomplishing much.
And as usual, I was stuck in the middle. Eli might be the middle child, but I often felt like I was in between the two of them. I was always trying to keep the peace, while often stepping in shit myself. Because we were Bucknells and stubbornness and the desire to argue about anything ran deep within our genes. Christ, it was exhausting sometimes.
But as always, I was the one who was going to reach out first. I told myself it was out of concern for Jacklyn, but truthfully, that was a common theme around the place. I was always the first to reach out after a fight. Eli and Milo would rather fall over dead than reach out and admit they fucked up. Stubborn, hard headed bastards.
And yeah, maybe I had fucked up too. I wasn't afraid to admit it. I knew I'd been a bit hard on Eli. Said some things I wouldn't have said had I not had as much to drink as I had. Not that it wasn't true – at least as far as I could tell – but it still was a bit harsh. He'd had my back when my career failed. He'd tried to help talk me through it and he understood me in ways Milo couldn't. Milo loved playing football, but it was never his career or all-consuming passion like it had been mine. He could have continued playing if he'd wanted to. I couldn't.
Eli had no reason he couldn't act other than not getting a damn job, but I felt his pain. To have a taste of success, only to have it ripped out from underneath you for reasons not of your making was the pits. I grabbed my phone off the nightstand and called up Eli. He answered within a few rings.
“Calling to apologize already?” he said.
He was laughing and seemed to be in good spirits though, so I couldn't help but laugh along with him.
“Hey, now, don't make me regret this,” I said as I looked over at Milo who was still standing in my doorway. He didn't look happy, but then again, Milo rarely looked happy. “I'm not just calling to apologize for being a drunken idiot last night. I actually have a serious question too.”
“Shoot,” Eli said.
“When did you last see Jacklyn?”
He was silent on the other end of the line for a lot longer than I expected, which sent that nervous ripple through me again. I had no idea why, but his silence concerned me.
“Uhh, late last night, why?” he asked.
“Well, she's missing this morning. You're the last person who's seen her, so I figured I’d call you,” I said. “Did she go to bed last night or go out somewhere?”
“She went to bed,” he said.
“About what time?” I asked.
“Uhh, I think I left around four in the morning, I guess,” he said. “She was asleep when I left.”
“Asleep? In her room?”
“Yes,” he said, his tone sounding clipped. “As far as I know.”
Milo had come closer now and was doing his best to hear the other end of the conversation. I had to admit, things had gotten interesting.
“Where are you now?” I asked.
“Home.”
“In Hollywood, you mean?”
“Of course,” he snapped. “So Jacklyn isn't there. Is her car there?”
I looked at Milo who'd heard the question. “Yes, it is, actually.”
“Yes,” I told Eli.
The hair on the back of my neck stood on end. She wasn't there. She wasn't with Eli. Her car was parked in its usual spot. Where in the hell else could she be? I held the phone to the side and turned to Milo.
“You sure she's not in the stables, or in one of the fields?” I asked.
“I've looked all over. Been searching for her since I noticed she wasn't in her room about seven,” he said, running a hand over the stubble on his chin, a look of concern etched into his features.
I held the phone to my ear again and went back to my call with Eli. There was something more to the story that he was holding back. I could feel it and hear it in his voice.
“What are you not telling us?” I asked.
“What do you mean?” he answered.
“Well, you last saw her in her room around four, right? What were you doing in her room?” I asked.
Eli went silent on the other end of the line again, which only fueled my concern.
“Eli, you better answer us,” Milo called out, loud enough that Eli had to have heard him. “This is serious.”
“It’s none of your goddamn business what I was doing in there, but when I left, she was asleep. I slipped out and tried not to wake her,” he said.
Milo and I shared a look. Was Eli fucking serious right now? Something in the pit of my stomach twisted and I could see Milo’s eyes go dark.
“Did you sleep with her?”
My jaw clenched tight, and my free hand was balled into a fist as I asked the question. I knew I sounded like a jealous boyfriend, but I couldn't help it. It was stupid. I made the point to Jack that things between us would be casual, that I wasn't looking for anything serious. She was free to see – or do – whoever she wanted. Yet, knowing that she'd actually taken the opportunity to do so, still managed to burn my ass.
“That's none of your business,” Eli said.
He was right, but I couldn't let it go. “Did you?”
“Yes I did. But, what does that have to do with anything?”
Before I could think of an answer, I slammed the phone down against the bed. A rage I knew was totally irrational boiled up inside of me. I knew I had no right to be jealous, but I was. It killed me to imagine her sleeping with my brother. I knew I'd told her there would be nothing between us – I even went out of my way to distance us – but in that moment, I wanted to punch the shit out of Eli as if she were mine and he'd violated my trust.
Milo grabbed the phone. “Where the fuck is she, Eli?”
I didn't hear Eli's response, but whatever he said, didn't seem to make Milo happy. He paced the room, his face a vivid shade of scarlet. He stopped in front of my dresser, and from the way he held his fists, I feared he might smash something. Standing up, I took the phone from his hand and hung up. Milo stormed out of the room and I listened to his boots pounding down the stairs. His footsteps heavy on the steps as he headed for the front door. I followed behind, taking the stairs two at a time.
“Where are you going?” I asked.
“The fuck if I know. I just need to get out of here before I break something,” he said.
I stood on the front porch and watched him go out into the fields. He headed straight for the axe and some more dead trees, which was probably the best thing
for all concerned. At least he'd get some of the anger out of his system – and God knew, he needed it. I needed it too, but my mind was spinning with the question of the morning.
Where was Jack? And why was Milo out there chopping wood, rather than helping me find her?
* * *
Milo was still out swinging the axe and there was still no sign of Jacklyn. I searched the house, looking for any sign that she might have left pointing me in a direction, and came up with nothing. Only an hour had passed since Milo had woken me up, but it felt like an eternity. Milo was consumed with his dead trees, seemingly not concerned with where Jacklyn was, but I was a nervous wreck. Something in my gut told me that there was a problem. I just didn’t know what.
If Jacklyn had felt badly about sleeping with Eli and wanted to escape for a bit, why was her car still here? If she’d wanted to clear her head out on a ride, why were all of the horses in their stalls and she nowhere on the property?
Eli had called back, but I didn't answer. I had no desire to talk to him right then. It wasn't his fault I had feelings for Jacklyn that I couldn't act on. But, dammit, I hated him for sleeping with her. It was irrational and unfair but I couldn’t help it.
I heard Milo's phone ringing in the study. I peeked out the window and saw that Milo was too far out in the fields to answer it. Hoping it might be Jacklyn, I rushed into his study and scooped up the phone to answer it and saw the call was coming from a blocked number.
I answered. “Yes?”
Jacklyn's voice sent a chill down my spine. “M – Milo?”
“No, it's Sawyer,” I said, her voice was cracking, and I could hear that she was crying. “Jacklyn, are you okay? Where are you?” The hair on the back of my neck was standing on end and a nervous energy thrummed through my body.
“I'm okay,” she said, then I suddenly heard voices in the background behind her though I couldn't make out what they were saying. “I need to speak with Milo. Now.”
“He's out in the fields, Jack. What's going on?”