“Hey! I was next,” a girl screamed.
“Fuck off,” he screamed back at her and slammed the door in her face. My mouth was dry as I attempted to stutter my reasoning for leaving him, but I didn’t get two words out when he shoved me against the wall and forcefully kissed me. I could feel the pain, anger, and jealousy he felt all in that one kiss. His mouth started to make its way down, making me weak in the knees. He obviously could feel what he was doing to me. He grabbed both my thighs, pulling them around him, and swiftly turned me onto the sink, knocking everything onto the floor. He pushed my top up over my head as I ripped his white button up shirt open. He grabbed the strings to my bottoms and yanked them undone, while I pushed his shorts to the floor. He then pushed inside of me with a force that made me scream out with pleasure. “Who do you want?”
I moaned, “You, I want you!” He rammed me again.
“I can’t hear you,” he said.
I yelled during the next thrust, “You, all I want is you!”
“That’s all I needed to hear,” he replied and continued to fuck me so hard all I could do was scream out in pleasure.
It ended way too soon. “I think we got a little carried away,” Ollie said, looking around at the scattered bottles. He attempted to redo his shirt, now missing several buttons.
“Maybe so, but it was worth it.” I adjusted my bathing suit, and wrapped my arms around his neck, kissing him gently. He let out a low moan, pulling me closer.
“We need to go before I throw you back up on the sink. Besides, I’m pretty sure all those people out there are gettin’ tired of waitin’ on us to come out.” We had just put on a giant sex show, basically for everyone outside the door waiting to use the bathroom. My cheeks burned.
“This is kinda embarrassing. We were really loud.” He rubbed his fingers through my hair. “You can come over to my apartment, if you want to,” I said. Was he thinking this was a quickie, and he would be on his way, or did it mean something more? What if I read too much into this?
“Sounds great. You better not forget Jace’s present for Shayla. You kinda chunked on the floor.” I let out a sigh of relief as I found the small box on a pile of dirty towels. Thankfully, the card was still attached to it.
Ollie opened the door, and we were met by at least thirty wide eyes. All of the girls practically drooled and a few bit their lip. The guys gave him an admiring head nod.
“I wish my guy would do that to me. It sounded like it would’ve been awesome,” a girl said.
“All you girls loves the dick,” a guy said. He grabbed a handful of his crotch.
She gave him a cold stare. “I don’t see how anyone would love your dick,” she retorted. Avoiding an epic verbal battle, we walked back down to the party to find Shayla, so I could give her Jace’s gift, and tell her I was leaving. Pushing our way through the crowd was easier said than done. People were clearly full of booze, and saw no shame in grinding on each other.
“Yo! Reese, how’s it goin’?” Johnny Paycheck screamed at me. He obviously thought I had some type of hearing loss. I backed away, trying to maintain my sense before he blew it out.
“It’s goin’ good, Mr. Price. What brings you down here?” I noticed his hand gripping a beer, and before he spoke again, he let out a thundering belch.
“I noticed your little friend when he fell … poor bastard. That dick ain’t ever gonna be right again … burp.”
“What’re you talkin’ about?” I asked him. I fanned away his burp that reeked like day old tuna fish.
“Dax. Them girls shouldn’t have pushed him down. A man’s pride is his dick. You wanna see my pride?” Ollie stepped around me; to make sure things didn’t go the way they were heading.
“No … no … that’s okay. I’m sure Dax is gonna be fine. Should we get someone to help you back over to your house?”
“How you gonna …” I stood, waiting for him to finish his sentence. After a few minutes, he continued. “How you gonna have a party down here, and not invite the neighbors? I had to find out by lookin’ out my window and seein’ all these fresh melons bouncin’ around in bikini tops … burp. I’m just tryin’ to get down here, and see a little somethin’, somethin’.”
“I think we need to get you home. Seems like you’ve had a lot to drink,” I said.
Ollie waved to Payne, and he pushed his way over to us. “What up?” he asked, looking between us and Mr. Price.
“Can you make sure Mr. Price gets home safely?” Steele asked him. He made a motion like he was throwing a drink back and pointed to him, letting Payne know he was drunk.
Payne nodded. “You ready to head home, Mr. Price?” he asked.
“Mr. Price? Fuck, that’s my daddy. You call me Johnny Paycheck, boss. What’s your name?” Payne cut us a look, like we were definitely going to owe him.
“My name is Payne.”
“Payne? That’s a cool name. I bet you get all kinds of tail with it. Maybe I should change mine to … like … burp … Hung or somethin’. Me and you … we gonna be friends. Let’s go get a drink … burp … I’ma show you how us Prices roll at a party.” The two of them disappeared in the crowd, leaving Steele and I laughing.
Shayla was on the side of the crowd, dancing under some red lights, her eyes closed. “Hey…” I said. She stopped, and opened her eyes. The dazed look on her face worried me. She wasn’t drunk. This was something else. It looked like her mind had checked out and was being played by someone else. “Umm … I just wanted to tell you I’m about to head out. I can come back in the mornin’, and help you clean if you want me to.”
“That’ll be fine. See you later.”
“I almost forgot, I’m supposed to give you this. It’s your gift from Jace.” Light flickered in her eyes for a few seconds, but the cloudiness came back. She took the box, and threw it on a nearby chair.
“I have enough stuff. I definitely don’t need anything he has to give me.” I glanced back at Ollie whose eyes widened.
“Okay, well, I’ll see you later.” I walked through the crowd with Ollie right behind me. “Shayla is actin’ really weird, don’t you think?” What was wrong with her? She never rejected a gift. Jace meant so much to her.
“Weird is an understatement. It’s almost like she’s in a trance,” he replied as he opened the driver’s side door for me. I started the engine as he climbed in, and managed to back out through the pile of vehicles. My thoughts were all over the place. Something was weird about those guys.
“I FINALLY GET TO SEE THE INSIDE,” Steele said as I pulled into the parking space I claimed as mine.
“How did you know I had an apartment? Someone at the training camp must’ve told you.” We walked to my door.
“Just because we haven’t talked or seen each other, doesn’t mean I wasn’t keepin’ up with you. I wanted to make sure you were doin’ okay.” He looked down at his feet and ran a hand through his already tousled hair.
“I’m glad you were. That makes me feel better. I thought you didn’t care anymore.”
He pulled my arm before I could go inside, to face him. “Don’t ever think that. It doesn’t matter where I’m at, I’ll always care and watch over you to make sure you’re protected.” I nodded and opened the door for us. The apartment looked complete with him in it, and I never wanted him to leave me again. I pulled him over to the couch.
“Ollie, I want to be completely honest with you.” I placed my shaking hand on his.
“Babe, what is it? Don’t be scared to tell me stuff.” He pushed my hair back, cupped the back of my head, and pulled me into him. Tears ran down my face. So many nights I cried myself to sleep over him. I missed him so much. I couldn’t lose him again. It would kill me.
“I lied to you the mornin’ you found me with Sim,” I started. He tried to say something, but I stopped him. “The reason I lied was because I thought there was somethin’ bad in me that would hurt you. I still don’t know that there isn’t, but I can’t be away from you any more. I
might be putting you in danger for my own selfishness.”
“Reese, I don’t care what’s in you. You’re the only one I want to be with. Gah! These last few months have been hell. I couldn’t sleep or eat. I thought about you all the time. Fuzz told me today that I needed to fight for what I loved. He pushed me into coming to the party tonight.” That sneaky man! He was the best. “You’re the most beautiful person I’ve ever met. I know it’s gonna sound a little corny, but every time I look at you, my heart melts.”
“What did I do to deserve you?” I asked as I rubbed his cheek.
“I don’t know, but you ended up pretty damn lucky, I guess,” he replied, grinning a boyish smile.
“I did.” I leaned over to kiss his lips. “Like I said, I want to tell you everything I’ve been goin’ through, so are you ready for all this crazy shit?”
“Ready as I’ll ever be.”
“Everything started the night in Fulton. I had a dream about a woman and man fighting,” I began. I told him the details of all the dreams and before a few months ago, I couldn’t remember my childhood. “Then the day at Boo’s, I learned somethin’ … Ollie, I’m not entirely human. He told me that.” I waited for him to turn on me. To throw me down on the ground and drag me to the SUV, so he could lock me away with the rest of the monsters we fought, but he didn’t. He only tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear and smiled at me, so I continued.
“I saw the day I told my psychiatrist to block those memories from when I was a kid. There was another reason aside from not wantin’ to hurt my parents anymore. In the cave, the night we were tryin’ to get the Book of Being before Derek, I found out what it was. It’s what sent me over the edge and freaked me out.” I paused to gather my courage. He was the first person to hear this.
“I was playin’ one day in my yard with fairies. We were chasin’ each other around in the woods. We always played there, so it wasn’t anything new. This day was different though. It felt colder, even they were agitated about somethin’. We went deeper than we normally did. Most of the time, I always stayed in eyeshot of my house. Before I knew it, I was alone. I don’t know what happened to Twig and Suga. I never saw them again after that day. I tried to find my house, but I couldn’t. It felt like I was goin’ in circles, and somethin’ was huntin’ me.
“It started gettin’ dark, so I went to crawl under a bush to sleep. Somethin’ shoved me from behind, and I fell into a rock. When I woke up, I was in a cage, dangling from a tree. There were others there. Creatures, I mean. We were at a camp. I tried to talk to them, but they were too scared. That’s when I saw him. He’s the same one I saw talkin’ with Derek. The Demon King had me. Of course, back then he was dirtier and wilder lookin’.
“I was there for days. He tortured and killed those other creatures until there was only me left. He said he wanted to save the best for last. I begged him not to kill me. I told him I had family, and I was only a kid. He told me I was so much more. He didn’t know what, but he could feel it. He put me on a stone slab. It was already covered in blood from the others. He started slicing my skin. He even peeled it up, like he was peeling an orange. It was the most painful thing imaginable.
“Then I had hope. I heard somethin’ in the bushes, and a blade came flying out of nowhere. It caught him in the chest, and he ran, leaving me to die. Only I didn’t, a few moments later, Fuzz was at my side. Everything was hazy. I blacked out and woke up with him carrying me. He told me not to say a word my parents. I told him they’d wanna know where I’ve been for days. He said my mind saw things differently. I’d only been gone a few hours. Fuzz healed all of those wounds. I don’t know how, but he did. He’s been lookin’ out for me my entire life.”
“Shit, Reese.” Ollie ran a hand up my cheek.
“I just hate thinkin’ about all of it. I need somethin’ to take my mind off it now.”
“Gee, you really are messed up. I think I’m gonna have to reevaluate this relationship,” he said, acting like he was about to get up.
“Shut up,” I exclaimed. I was thankful he made me laugh. I needed it.
“I’m just playin’ with you. You know this story doesn’t make me think you’re dangerous; it just makes me think you’re more unique than what I originally thought. I always had the feelin’ you were the key to all this that’s been goin’ on, like somehow you’re supposed to be the one that stops it. This just proves my theory. Things are attracted to you for some reason. Have you ever asked any of the others if they’ve had similar stories? Maybe it has somethin’ to do with those natural gifts Fuzz said y’all were blessed with as babies.”
“I’ve casually brought up things, just making conversation, and none of them ever said they’ve had the same experiences as me. It’s just so hard.”
“Exactly, Reese. It’s hard. It comes to a point when you know you’re ready to take on whatever is thrown at you. Your doubt and fear are the problems. One day somethin’ will happen, and you won’t even remember what it feels like to have those feelings. You’ll just know the job in front of you, and nothin’ will get in the way of you completing that job.”
“Did you have somethin’ holding you back when you started?” I asked.
“When I started this, I didn’t have anything to lose. In my mind, no one loved me, so what did it matter if I ended up dead doin’ this? But now I have somethin’ to live for …”
“You do, so don’t ever think that again. I don’t wanna lose you.”
“I don’t plan on goin’ anywhere,” he said. “Just remember that I’ll have your back no matter what we go through. I’d die to save you.” I didn’t want us ever to be in that situation together. I should be able to take care of myself without him having to worry about me. I needed him close to me forever.
“I’m pretty tired. Do you wanna lie down with me?” His smile answered my question, and I led the way to the bedroom. I changed into some tiny sleep shorts and a white tank top as he stripped down to his boxers. I climbed in the bed, and he slid in beside me.
“I think we need to break in your apartment. Are you in for round two?” he asked as he disappeared under the covers. An hour later, we lay facing each other. “It’s unreal how you make me feel.”
“What do you mean?” I asked, confused.
“I’d pretty much made up my mind after my mom left I’d never let myself fall for someone. Especially after Fuzz started trainin’ me, I knew it wouldn’t be fair to worry someone. I was tryin’ to do right, but I’m not gonna lie that shit was lonely as hell. Then one night in Fulton changed my mind because I saw you. I didn’t know a girl could be so adorable. The way your lip quivered when I was talkin’ to you. I didn’t wanna scare you, but I guess, it was hard not to since I had all those weapons on me. I had no idea how much you’d gotten under my skin until I had to go the past few months without you. It felt like my life no longer had meaning. I wanna be the one that lies here with you every night, wipe your tears away when you feel sad, and eat the food you cook, even if it is crispy. I love you, Reese.”
His words meant so much to me. I didn’t even try to hide the tears as they cascaded down. “I love you, too,” I replied, looking at the man that held my heart in his hands. I held onto a dream for so long Sim Baker would be the one to say something similar, but after Sim finally told me, I knew he was the wrong person. I had finally found my one and only that fit me perfect in every way.
“I’m glad to hear you say that.” He looked down before speaking again. “I’m sorry for the way I treated you when Sim came to the training facility to stay. I let my feelings get carried away. It’s just that … I knew you two had a past and how much he means to you. I didn’t want him to be there around you all the time and you see that it’s him you really wanted. He knows a part of you I don’t, a part that’s outside of all of this. I didn’t think I could compete with the memories the two of you have together.”
“I understand you feelin’ that way, but all you had to do was talk to me about it.
Then again, why should you after I closed you out after what happened to Liam. We should make a promise to one another that we’re always gonna be open and upfront with things. No matter how much it’s gonna piss the other off or how awkward it’ll make things. I don’t wanna lose you again.”
“Agreed. And Reese … ”
“Yeah?”
“My world, this world right here and now, revolves around you. I wanna shelter you from all of this because you deserve better. You deserve to be treated like the queen you are. When all this is over, it’ll be you and me … forever.”
“Forever.” I curled into him and rested better than I had in months.
THE NEXT MORNING we woke up still smiling from the night before. I nuzzled my nose deep into his hair and breathed him in.
“Do I smell half as good as you?” he asked, wrapping his arms around my waist and pulling me closer to him.
“Better.”
“I doubt that, Ms. Salt.” His fingers ran up and down the small of my back, giving me goose bumps. “I love that my touch has that effect on you. I wonder what this does …” his voice trailed off as he started placing light kisses along my collarbone, up my neck, to my ear.
“Do you really have to wonder what that does to me?” I asked as my insides started to burn. They ached for more of his touch. He stared into my eyes and slowly licked his lips. I reached around and ran my fingers through his hair, slightly pulling as I brought his face crashing into mine for a deep kiss. He groaned into my mouth, enjoying it as much as me. He grabbed my thigh shifting me on top of him.
“Now this is how to start a mornin’,” he said. I laughed before going in for another sweet kiss.
Once we got through playing around in bed, we managed to get dressed. It was hard since all we wanted to do was tear them right back off of each other. I hated to see his perfect abs covered by any type of clothing.
“After we get done helping her clean, I think we should definitely come back here and spend the rest of the day in bed,” I said.
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