“My dad’s been uptight ever since this guy backed into him on the road for some insurance scam a couple months ago. He lost a lot of money. Even got us all these black boxes for our cars so it could never happen again. I guess what I’m trying to say is that my home life is far from relaxed at the moment, and I’m not exactly looking forward to going back and telling them I have to start the whole job search thing over again.”
I can’t help but cringe when he gets to the end of his story and realize I’m the reason he’ll be facing consequences—not congratulations—when he eventually makes it home. But as much as I probably should be feeling nothing but sorry for the guy I dragged into this mess, I can’t help but drift over to my own side of the coin. Which is more varnished and worn down that its counterpart. The sad truth is that I don’t have anywhere to return to. Trevor knows all my friends; he spent the first half of our relationship extricating them from my life. Now that I’ve alienated everyone I know, there’s no one left to stay with. One could argue that I might return home to Maine, where my parents have both lived since they wore born in the same hospital only a day apart. But that would mean forgiving them for kicking me out when they found me smoking pot with my very first boyfriend.
At seventeen, I was on my own. And not much has changed since then. The only difference is that instead of being on a Greyhound, with only a twenty in my pocket and a backpack stuffed to the brim with clothes that would be stolen at the first hostel I stayed in, I’m instead on a lovely beach with a guy who’s actively losing out by helping me. It’s not like he’s doing what anyone would do in his situation, like holding a door for a pregnant woman; no, he’s put his future in peril by helping me.
And he’s acting like it’s no big deal.
So, I push aside my anxiety. Stop thinking of what comes next in my story and instead focus on Brad’s. Because thanks to his chivalry, they’re entwined for the time being. And while I can’t predict what comes next, I can at least decide what happens now.
My body moves on its own. This next kiss is more curiosity than anything else. But more than needing to know what it feels like, there’s a deeper seeded selfishness to run away from my current predicament by running toward another. So when Brad begins to pull away, I push forward with all the more fervor. And when Brad relents, coming closer to lean over me as I lie back on the blanket and breathe deeply as his tongue lashes at my own, I finally feel the outside world fade away.
And less of everything else is exactly what I need right now.
Chapter 8
Brad
Nothing about today has been the way I would have predicted.
I didn’t expect my new boss to care about my wearing jeans. Then I found myself running away from this girl’s ex, literally watching him grow smaller in my rearview mirror. It would be a lie to say that I never thought of our little escape bringing us together in the exact way it’s happening right now, but I never would have believed it might actually happen.
These sorts of things just don’t happen to me.
I’m the guy who never wins anything. Not even the little raffles at school when I was kid. I’m the type who catches all the red lights when I’m in a hurry. That’s my life. I’m not the guy who ends up naked on a beach with a stranger.
Except that’s exactly who I am now.
Our hands are all over each other, and while we both take turns every fifteen seconds or so to look around and make sure that we’re still alone and unnoticed, the rest of our focus is completely on each other.
On the way her fingers drag down my back under my shirt. On how her hips grind against mine. On how her lovely tummy leads up to those perky little breasts I spied in the bathroom mirror earlier. Only now that I’ve got her shirt off her, I’m not only allowed an up-close look, but Kate also doesn’t stop me when I begin kissing around her mounds in a spiral, working my way slowly to her nipples.
Maybe I should be more worried about her ex finding us. Or just being arrested for indecent exposure. But all I can think of is that even if we are stopped, I want her so riled up that she has no choice but to drag me to the nearest hotel and finish what we started here on the beach.
When I finally begin sucking on her left nipple, Kate moans and grabs my head. She pulls my lips to hers, and after a passionate kiss, pushes me away long enough to growl out, “I need you inside of me. Now.”
My pants are off in a flash, and as weird as it is pulling my own jeans off someone else, I’ve soon got her bottom half bare as well. I take just a moment to lean back and appreciate her curves. Then I’m back on top of her. But this time when we grind against each other, nothing stands in the way of my cock. And after I reach down and offer him a little guidance, I’m soon at her entrance.
When I press in, she groans, but there’s also a bit of pain in her vocalization. I stop and ask if she’s okay.
“I’m good.”
But when I continue to press in, she grimaces.
“Sorry,” she says when I pause again. “It’s just that the beginning is always a bit of a stretch for me.”
“We can stop,” I hear myself saying, but inside I’m praying to whatever gods may be listening that she doesn’t take up this offer.
“No, no. I want this.” She pulls my head down and kisses me more gently this time. With our lips still touching, she says, “But it’s sweet of you to worry about me. Some guys would just push in without a care in the world as to whether it feels like it’s ripping me open or not.”
I have just enough time to connect the dots and figure out that she’s more than likely referring to her ex—the same one who wants nothing more than to find us at this exact moment—when she wraps her legs around me and pulls me in with a firm thrust that has me penetrating her completely. She gasps but then begins wriggling underneath me and I take that as a sign to continue.
Which I do.
Slowly at first, but in no time we’re picking up speed. I can’t help it with the cute noises she’s making underneath me. They’re better than a cheering crowd at making me feel like I’m doing something right.
So as Kate writhes underneath me, I lose myself to the sensations. I allow my consciousness to dip below the waves of dopamine slowly drowning out all other thoughts, worries, and cares. For me, everything at this moment is Kate.
It's for this reason that I don’t notice the car door slamming somewhere up closer to the road. And as I reach the point of no return—at which time all I can focus on is the feeling of my length sliding in and out of Kate with increasing speed—there’s no way I could take notice of the footfalls approaching along the soft sand.
Bit it’s right before I can finish that I hear Kate scream. I open my eyes to see her staring at something above me. Something casting a shadow on top of us. And the moment I look back, there’s only the silhouette of a boot before it crashes into my face.
Chapter 9
Kate
All it took was letting my guard down for half an hour. That’s apparently all the time Trevor needed to catch up. And now he’s here, and I couldn’t be in a more vulnerable state.
Naked and alone on a beach, save for Brad. The poor guy who’s been nothing but amazing to me since I latched onto him at the department store. There’s no one to witness Trevor’s violent outburst on this deserted beach. No one to stop Trevor from kicking Brad in the stomach this time when he tries to lift himself up after the initial blow.
“How long have you been fucking this one?” Trevor asks and spits on the ground right beside Brad’s bleeding face. “You been planning this lover’s escape for some time, haven’t you?”
He’s talking like I’ve somehow cheated on him. Like we’re still together. “You and I, we’re not a thing anymore,” I remind him.
He does not take this well.
Trevor kicks Brad once more. This one knocks all the air out of his lungs and leaves Brad gasping for breath. “I can see why,” Trevor says. “Guess I got this little shit-stain to blame.�
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“Please,” I beg him. I stop clinging to the blanket I gathered up and wrapped around me. “It wasn't his fault. We only met today.”
Trevor pauses because he’s got exactly what he’s been looking to gain back all this time: me, groveling at his feet. Only I bet that even in his wildest dreams I wasn’t nude when he imagined this happening.
As for me, there’s nothing I could have wished for more than to never run into Trevor again. I knew if he found me that I wouldn’t be strong enough to get away a second time. But even though I can’t save myself, maybe I can get Brad away. He never asked for any of this.
Again, neither did I.
But this doesn't stop me from standing up now, completely naked, in front of Trevor. The nausea that threatens to empty my stomach at his feet is somehow kept in control by my shaking fists and determination to get the next words out.
“Look at me.” My voice is barely a whisper, but it’s the best I can manage under the circumstances. His gaze lifts from the heaving Brad. His eyes take in all my curves with admiration. I want to vomit, but I keep going. “I’ll do whatever you want. But first you have to let him go.”
Trevor closes the distance between us. He doesn’t touch me, but his face lowers until I can feel the warm air as he asks menacingly, “Is that a threat?”
I take the chance at our close proximity to grab his hand and move it to my breast. “It’s a promise.”
The pause as he considers my proposal is overwhelming. Instead of the absence of words, it’s like the presence of his malevolence is roaring right along with the waves crashing on the shore. Finally, he turns to Brad and says, “Looks like you lose. And since I’m not a sore winner, I’ll give you one minute to get the fuck out of here.”
Brad stands with visible difficulty, his left arm holding his abdomen. He looks to me for some sort of sign, but all I can do is turn my face away in shame. I’m nobody worth fighting for, and I never should have dragged someone else into this.
Still, my savior hesitates, unsure of what his next move should be. He looks to his car and for just the briefest of seconds, his eyes go wide. It’s like he’s realizing something. Something that soon has his feet striding forward without a glance back. But just as he passes Trevor, my ex grabs him by the shoulder and spins him around.
“And if you so much as dream about going to the cops with anything you think you saw, I’ll tear you apart. Besides, who do you think they’re going to believe: a police officer without a stain on his official record? Or you? The loser who kidnapped that cop’s girlfriend?”
He kicks Brad in the back of the knee, causing him to stumble forward. Brad then looks back at me once more before dropping his head and trudging up to his car. As soon as the door closes behind him and the engine starts up, Trevor turns his attention back on me.
“Now,” he says while tracing his finger up from my stomach, around my breast, across my shoulder, and ending with him jabbing it into the side of my neck. “What are we going to do with you?”
He answers his own question by throwing me down onto the blanket. I look over at Brad who is sitting in his car. Staring at me. Maybe he’s waiting for me to run. Knowing that I have next to no chance at succeeding, I still find myself kicking at Trevor’s shin while he’s busy unbuckling his belt. He shouts out, but it’s more in surprise than in pain. And though I punch and scratch at his face, I can do nothing to stop him from lowering himself on top of me.
That’s when the car horn blares through the still air.
Both Trevor and I look over incredulously at Brad. He’s staring us down. Daring Trevor with his eyes. Then he hits the car horn again. This time, a flock of seagulls take flight from behind his car.
“Fucking prick,” Trevor snarls out as he stands. He readjusts his pants and points a finger towards Brad. “You don’t know what you’ve just done to yourself, pal.” Leaving me behind, he tromps through the sand, ready to dish out more abuse on the only one who’s been looking out for me before himself. Because Brad could have all of this in his rearview mirror by now. But instead of backing out, the engine roars and the car plunges straight ahead.
Right into Trevor.
Chapter 10
Brad
So that’s what a punch feels like.
This is about the only thought I can manage while Kate’s psycho ex-boyfriend pummels me until I’m facedown in the sand, unable to bring myself to care that I’ve now got a mouthful of the gritty stuff. All I can wonder is if this is how I die. Because this guy’s a cop, and from what Kate’s told me, a completely unstable one. He might just get rid of me now. Toss me in the ocean and be done with any evidence of his crime.
And maybe that’s what he was planning, but Kate distracts him. Promises the one thing he’s after: her. And that’s enough for him to let me go. But not before warning me that I should keep my mouth shut. That no one would believe my word against his anyway.
And he might have been right. Because he’s got every advantage over me, except one. And that’s my secret weapon. The one I saw blink red on my dashboard as I trudged back towards my car.
When I slide back into the driver’s seat and turn the ignition, I pause to gather myself. But I’m waiting for another reason too. Because I know what he’s planning to do the moment I leave, and it’s not going to be pretty for Kate. Of course, its not going to be pretty for the black box camera I’ve got on my dashboard either. The same one my dad insisted on buying for me when he got taken to court over an insurance scam.
Trevor’s right: no judge would ever take my word over his. But there’s no denying the cold hard proof of digital video.
But I need the camera to capture as much damning evidence as possible. That’s why I allow him to push Kate to the ground. Why I wait even as he smothers her body with his own. It’s only when things are about to reach their point of no turning back that I lay on the horn.
Soon Trevor’s attention is on me, not her. And though I’m quaking in the car, barely even able to shift into drive with my shaking hands, I wait until Trevor is close enough that there will be no denying that it’s him on camera. That’s when I hit the gas and plow into the cop.
The sound his body makes is that of a dull thud and the giving way of plastic and aluminum. He doesn’t fly up on my hood or bounce behind my car. I hit his thighs square with my bumper and stop immediately, leaving the man prone in front of my now dented bumper. Throwing it in park, I wait a good ten seconds to make sure he’s not getting up. When I do pull myself out, I edge around the front to find him prone on the ground, his hands wrapped around his right leg, which is bent at an unnatural angle right at the knee. He’s howling and spitting when he looks up at me.
“I’m going to fucking murder you,” he screams, nearly frothing at the mouth, “There won’t even be anything left to bury, because I’m going to destroy you.”
I ignore him, and run up to Kate, who looks over at Trevor in horror and asks, “What did you do?”
“The only thing I could think of.” I hand her clothes over and adjust mine as well. She hurries to get everything in place and then begins pulling me towards the car.
“We have to get out of here. I heard Trevor calling for back-up.”
Instead of allowing Kate to pull me away like she did this morning, I anchor myself in the sand. “I’m not running away this time.”
“What are you talking about? You have to! Trevor wasn’t kidding when he said that he had people in high places. There’s no way you come out ahead on this one.”
I shake my head. “I wouldn’t be so sure about that. No more running, okay?”
Its weird how time stretches out the ten minutes it takes for the three other police cars to show up. Watching Kate, knowing that she’s going to be coming to terms with everything that’s happened today for a long time to come, I can’t help but take her hand. To squeeze it and try to let her know that everything’s going to be alright.
Then, as if making up for stretchin
g those precious few minutes into what felt like hours, time speeds up until everything is a blur. Being pinned on the ground. Spitting out sand as I’m shoved into the back of a squad car. Driven away before I can say anything else to Kate. I briefly realize that we never even exchanged phone numbers.
Then comes the processing at the station. Fingerprints. Photographs. And then the question I’ve been waiting all this time to pop up.
“We found this in your pocket,” the interrogating officer says and places the black box from my car on the table between us. I grabbed it from my dash to keep it safe. The interrogating officer’s uniform identifies him as Officer Peety. “Now, we haven’t looked at the footage yet, but Officer McRoy has given his testimony as to what happened. Claimed that your jealousy drove you to break up their little picnic on the beach. Says that you actually hit him with your car when he was just trying to diffuse the situation. If what he says is true, you’re looking at assault against a police officer. That earns you the maximum sentencing the judge can give. You won’t be getting any sort of plea bargain.”
None of this bothers me in the least.
“But you haven’t looked at the footage yet,” I repeat back to him.
“No, we haven’t.” Officer Peety says. He’s older than Trevor. Maybe by fifteen years. And though his face has been weathered by countless days spent under the glaring sun, he holds himself with the stature of a man who’s as strong as he is down-to-earth. “But I know his story’s bullshit without seeing it. The moment I mentioned that we pulled a black box off you, his face went white. Started asking me who my supervisor was. When he figured that we didn’t have any connections in the force, he asked me as a fellow officer to destroy this thing. Said I should understand.”
Running Away With Him: A Suspense-Filled, Instalove Romance (Sweet, Sexy Shorts Book 12) Page 3