by Hart, Rebel
“Rae.”
“Clint.”
“I’ve missed you. So—so much.”
“All of it. I—I need—oh, Clint.”
“Tell me. Tell me what you need.”
I crashed our lips together, grinding my hips against his own. My toes curled as I wrapped my feet behind his calves, hoping beyond all hope I wasn’t hurting him. He picked up the pace, rolling and thrusting. Moving the bed on its frame as our kisses grew sloppy. He gripped my hair and pulled my head softly off to the side. He buried his face against my neck, breathing in my scent before sinking his teeth into me.
And as that coil in my gut snapped, my jaw unhinged in silent pleasure.
“Oh—yeah—”
He growled, digging his teeth deeper as his tongue traced my pulse point. The pain and pleasure, it was all too much. My entire body wrapped around him. I pulled him down against me, forcing him to collapse. His length jumped against my walls, pouring into me as my body massaged him. Milked him. Drank him all down. I wanted all of him. Every single piece of him.
So long as he’d let me have it.
He sighed. “Oh, Rae.”
Clint kissed the teeth marks he’d left behind as our bodies stayed connected. I stroked his back, feeling him quiver against me as goosebumps rushed over his skin. It made me smile, feeling them. Feeling how his body reacted to my touch. I felt him pull back, slipping from between my thighs before something gushed between my legs.
I giggled. “Uh oh.”
Clint shook his head. “We’ll fix it tomorrow. Just—don’t move.”
“Trust me, I don’t plan on it.”
“Good.”
He snuggled down against me before falling off to the side. He grunted with pain, pulling me into his arms and away from the mess we’d created. The covers came up and settled over my bare skin as my ass sank back into his pelvis. His arm wrapped around me, holding me steadily to him as he tucked us both in. This felt right. Good. Like things should have been. I wasn’t sure of much, but I was sure of one thing.
Clint belonged in my world.
“Are you okay?”
My question pierced the silence before he followed it up with a kiss between my shoulder blades.
“I’m just fine, beautiful.”
I paused. “Are you sure? I didn’t hurt you?”
He chuckled. “You could never hurt me.”
“You know what I mean.”
I turned around, gazing into his eyes. He smoothed my hair away from my forehead before kissing it softly. My eyes fluttered closed and I melted into his touch. His arm wrapped back around me and I pressed my leg between his, seeking his warmth and his strength as the covers slipped over our heads.
“I promise, you didn’t hurt me, Rae.”
I smiled. “Good. Just making sure.”
I lay there, gazing upon the bruising of his face. The nose brace was gone, but his eyes were still a soft black. His jaw was yellow, denoting the fading of his bruises. But it was still a painful reminder. I reached out and traced down his chest, my eyes following its contour. His lips fell against my forehead, kissing me over and over as my fingertips fluttered like feathers over the dark purple bruising of his ribs.
“Oh, Clint.”
“I promise, I’m okay.”
I sniffled. “My God, I’m so glad you are.”
“Come here. I’ve got you, Rae.”
I curled into him as much as he’d let me. And as I cried silent tears against his chest, I drifted off to sleep. With his fingers stroking through my hair and his lips peppering me with kisses, I gave in to him. I gave in to his warmth. His comfort. His strength. The beating of his heart lulled me to sleep. And the beating of his heart was the first thing I heard the next morning.
Before I slipped away from his grasp to go get us some coffee.
20
Clinton
I groaned as I opened my eyes. A heavy weight felt like it was propped against me, keeping me rooted to the mattress. I reached out for Rae, expecting her to be there. Knowing damn good and well that was what I felt.
Instead, however, I felt the weight of the emptiness of the bed next to me.
“Fuck.”
I sighed, lying there on my back as I stared up at the ceiling. I wished I’d woken up sooner to say goodbye to Rae. I sighed as I lay there, my arm slung over my eyes. I wanted to go back to sleep. In fact, I wanted to keep sleeping until she came back to visit. Until she came back again, so I could sit her on my lap, feel her straddle my body, and watch as she rode me off into the damn sunset.
“I need to write that down.”
My hand fell off to the side, fumbling around for my phone. And when I picked it up, I saw it was a little past nine in the morning. On a Saturday. The fuck was I up so early for? I didn’t have anything to do today. So I tossed my phone onto the bed where Rae had been and rolled over, face-planting into her pillow.
Sniffing in her scent.
I dreaded the lonely weekend ahead of me. I knew Cecilia had plans, and I had no idea when the hell my father was getting back into town. He’d already defaulted on many promises. Including the one where he said he’d be back in town before I got discharged from the hospital. I snickered into the pillow, wanting nothing more than to toss that man off a fucking cliff.
He should’ve taken the nose-dive off the bridge.
Not me.
I closed my eyes and envisioned Rae. What she’d look like if she were with me. Her hair mussed. Knotted. Tangled. Her eyes sparkling as she stared back at me with her sleepy orbs. Her smile, lopsided from the pleasure we’d both experienced. And her body, warm and comforting against my body. I lost myself in the vision. In how things could have panned out had she stayed. I wasn’t sure when she’d slipped out last night. Or this morning. But I wanted to call and make sure she’d gotten home safely.
Then I heard the door open.
I furrowed my brow as I heard Rae’s soft humming filtering through the door. The smell of coffee flooded my nose, filling the room with its presence. I smiled as my bedroom door closed, and then another scent caught my nose.
Were those pastries?
“What are you still doing here?”
I went to prop myself up on my elbow just as Rae yelped. And when I shot up from bed, I saw her stumble with the coffees. The brown paper bag from underneath her arm dropped to the ground, revealing several warm danishes and pastries. She cursed under her breath as the drink carrier tilted. Some of the coffee went spilling onto my carpet as she righted herself, refusing to let the drinks fall. I watched with a grin on my face, feeling bad that I’d scared her. But also incredibly happy she was still here.
“The hell’s wrong with you? I almost peed myself!”
I chuckled. “I’m sorry. I just didn’t know you were still here.”
“I mean, I wasn’t for a bit. But I didn’t want to wake you up.”
I watched her dip down, scooping the paper bag up under her arm again. I grunted as I sat myself up, trying to shake the morning stiffness so I could help her. By the time I got a pillow behind my back, she was already at my side. Sitting the coffees down, rearranging the food, then reaching for more pillows.
“Here, lean up.”
“Rae, you don’t—”
“I said, lean up, you stubborn boy.”
She fluffed my pillows as I did what she asked. I couldn't take my eyes off her. She had her hair piled on top of her head and she had picked her way through my drawers. She had on a shirt of mine. And a pair of sweatpants. I looked over at my dresser drawer, seeing two of them pulled out and hanging on by a thread.
“Sorry, I was tired this morning.”
I shook my head. “Don’t you dare be sorry. You’re welcome to anything in here.”
She snickered. “Thanks.”
I kept running my eyes over her, because she looked fucking fantastic in my clothes. They hung off her, completely covering her form. And yet, she’d never been sexier. She’d nev
er been more beautiful. I licked my lips as she handed my coffee to me. The black liquid still steamed from the to-go lid, and I smelled hints of rosewater and caramel.
“I know it’s a bit fancy, but trust me. I tried a sample of it. It’s damn delicious.”
I grinned. “I trust you. What’d you get?”
Rae shrugged. “The usual. Iced caramel macchiato with an extra shot.”
“I’ll have to remember that.”
I took a sip of the coffee and was stunned at how good it tasted. I took another sip. Then another. And soon, I was chugging the damn thing down.
Rae giggled. “Good thing I got a large.”
I nodded as I continued drinking, not wanting to let go of the lid. But the coffee burned my throat. So I slowed down in order to savor the taste a bit.
“What’d you say was in this again?”
Rae smiled. “Regular caffeinated coffee with a shot of rosewater and two pumps of caramel.”
I grinned. “Damn, that’s good.”
“There’s this cute little coffee shop not too far up the road. I got Michael to drive me up there.”
“Buckheads Brews?”
“That’s the one.”
“You know, I always thought that place was a bar until I walked in there one day. I smelled lemon bars in the damn place and got confused.”
She giggled. “I don’t think you’re the only one to make that assumption. They had an assortment of fresh pastries on sale because they didn’t get the ‘pastry to filling’ ratio right. I don’t know what the hell that means, but I got them half off. So I got a bunch of them.”
“You didn’t have to do that, you know.”
“I don’t have to do anything. But I wanted to.”
I grinned. “Thank you, Rae.”
She leaned over and kissed my cheek, letting her lips linger for a little bit. I scooted over, giving her enough room to sit on the edge of my bed. She didn’t take the hint. Instead, she grabbed her coffee and leapt into bed with me, taking up the spot next to me she’d had last night. I reached for a cheese danish, handing it to her before digging out a lemon one for myself.
And when I took a bite out of the damn thing, I moaned.
“Holy shit.”
Rae nodded. “Right?”
“So fucking good.”
“Seriously. Their cheese ones are great. But I’ve got, like, four apple ones in there. You’d think that’s gross. But it’s not when they do it.”
I took another bite. “How have I not known about these things? They’re incredible.”
“Have you ever actually been in there, tough stuff?”
I cast her a look that made her snicker. Of course I’d been in that damn place. Every fucking girl at our high school had been in that damn place. Which meant just about every guy in our school had been in there at least once. Doesn’t mean I’d had their food, though. Just a plain coffee while the girl I was with got some hoity-toity soy-based milk-coffee concoction. Some girl I’d hooked up with wanted to go there for a date after skipping out on class sophomore year. Just after I’d gotten my bike license, and right before I totaled my first rusted-out motorcycle. I wasn’t going to tell Rae that, of course. She didn’t need to know those details.
But, yes. I’d been in the damn place before.
“Got any plans for your day?” I asked.
I peeked over at Rae and watched her shrug.
“I mean, they can wait.”
I paused. “What’s waiting?”
“Nothing much. Just a study session with Allison.”
“Is it important?”
“Not as important as this.”
“Are you sure?”
She rolled her eyes. “Yes, Clint. I’m sure. I don’t actually need to study with Allison. It’s just tradition for us before every major test with classes we share.”
“What class?”
She paused. “History.”
“Oh, goodie.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll help you through the test.”
I grinned. “Skipping study sessions for little old me, huh? What’s next? Skipping classes? Skipping school days?”
“In your fucking dreams, hot stuff.”
“That’s more like it.”
I leaned over and gave her a kiss, but she turned her lips toward mine. Instead of connecting with her cheek, her lips fell to mine. And I tasted that cheese danish against her skin. She moaned against me as my tongue pierced her lips. Her jaw dropped open, allowing me inside as I reached over to cup the back of her head. I contorted my body, swallowed my groans of pain as I tasted her breakfast upon her lips.
Then I pulled back. Because my ribs were screaming at me the more I moved toward her.
I winced. “I like that cheese danish.”
Rae pushed me back. “Sit up. I know you’re in pain.”
“Never, when you’re around.”
“Clint—”
“Rae, it’s okay. I pro—”
“Just let me take care of you, okay?”
I heard the frustration in her voice and it gave me pause.
“Just… just let me be here for you, all right?”
I nodded. “All right.”
“You’re important to me. You’re worth this. You’re worth skipping the study session and you’re worth spending time with. I know you’re used to being tough. Always doing it alone. But you’re not alone right now. So, just… try to work with me, okay? It’s okay to tell me when you’re in pain.”
“I’m just not used to it.”
“Well, try to get used to it, please?”
I sighed. “I can give it my best shot.”
“Here, let me fix your pillows.”
I leaned forward for her again, letting her rearrange them behind me. And as she doted on me, trying her best to make me feel comfortable, I felt cared about. For once. I felt loved, for once. It’d been a long time since I’d felt things like this before. Yet she and Cecilia were practically showering me with it. I had no idea what I’d done to deserve it. To warrant it.
But I hoped one day to find a way to pay them back for it.
Rae leaned me back. “There. How’s that?”
I sighed with relief. “Much better.”
“Good.”
I grinned. “You think I’m worth skipping your study session for?”
“Don’t you start.”
“You want me more than school. You want me more than school.”
“Well, there are times where I want torture more than school. So take it for what it’s worth.”
I shrugged. “I don’t know. I’ve heard torture can be pleasurable at times. If you do it right.”
She shot me a look. “You can keep all those thoughts to yourself.”
“So my hands have free rein?”
She playfully shoved me. “You’re insane, you know that?”
“Insane for you, sure.”
Her eyes met mine and my heart grew two times in that moment. Two times bigger than what it usually was. Rae Cleaver—the outcast nerd of our school—was slowly filling a void I had ignored for a long time. A void I’d allowed to fester for much too long. A void I’d convinced myself didn’t really exist.
I love you. Just say it. Tell her how you feel.
“Rae?”
“Yes?”
My hand moved to cup her cheek. “I—”
“Yeah, Clint?”
“You mean a lot to me. You know that, right?”
She nodded. “And you know you mean a lot to me, too. Right?”
I nodded. “I do.”
“So then we mean a lot to each other.”
“We do, yes.”
She smiled softly. “Well, then…? Good.”
But for some reason, that statement didn’t seem good enough. Not for everything Rae had given me. Not for everything she’d done for me. Not for everything she’d filled within me.
One day, I’ll show you. I’ll write it down and shout it from the rooft
ops.
“Just like you deserve.”
Rae furrowed her brow. “What was that?”
I paused. “What?”
“You murmured something. But I didn’t understand you.”
“Oh. I didn’t realize I’d said anything.”
“Are you feeling okay?”
She pressed her hand against my forehead, making me snicker. “I feel fine, Rae.”
“You’d tell me if you didn’t feel okay, right?”
I brought her hand to my lips to kiss. “I would.”
“Promise?”
“Promise, promise.”
And as I placed a kiss to the palm of her hand, I felt her snuggle against me.
A place that almost seemed to be carved out against my body just for hers to have.
21
Raelynn
RaelynnOne Week Later
I huffed to myself. “Come on, where the hell is it?”
Mom poked her head in my room. “Whatcha looking for, sweetheart?”
“Nothing. Nothing. I’m fine.”
“Sure you don’t need any help?”
I shook my head as I rushed around my room, listening as papers fluttered everywhere. I cursed myself, catching them out of thin air before piling them into a wrinkled ball within the palm of my hand. My eyes darted around the room. I had way too many things I needed to lug to school today. I had my homework and Clint’s homework. My books and his books. Today was an exciting day, and I needed to make sure it all went off without a hitch.
“Sweetheart, sure you don’t—”
I held up my hand. “Just give me a second to recuperate. I know it’s in here somewhere.”
“What’s in here somewhere?”
“That damn history book,” I murmured.
Mom let out a soft giggle and I looked over at her. She had her arms crossed around her chest and her head shook itself at me. The look in her eye was skeptical. But the smile on her face was telling. It made me blush underneath her gaze. It gave me pause as to just how much was rushing through my mind.