by Jo Raven
We’re taking a cab but she shoots me a look when I open my mouth, so I close it again.
Then she pulls me out of the room and grips my hands, her eyes anxious. “He shouldn’t be let out. He still can’t remember that you split up. The doctors say it’s not normal.”
“It will come back to him,” I reassure her.
“He still loves you, you know,” she stage-whispers, and I swear that the two nurses passing by are staring at us. “He never loved a girl before you.”
I look away, not letting her see my stupid eyes fill up again. “Yeah, well. Sometimes things don’t work out.”
“But you’re here. Maybe it’s a sign.”
“A sign for what?”
“Second chances?” She gives me a sweet smile that somehow reminds me of Kaden and lets go of my hands to pat my cheeks. Such a motherly gesture that it catches me by surprise, and I smile back. My mom never did this to me.
“I don’t know, Mrs. Hansen.”
“Please call me Jenny. And whatever you need, call me. And please take care of my Kaden, even if it’s only for these few days. He’s a good boy. A bit misunderstood, but he has a good heart.”
“Misunderstood?”
“He doesn’t wear his heart on his sleeve. He thinks I don’t know, but he’s my son. He keeps everything inside. What he said today to Matt, about being a good brother… Matt is still in shock. Kaden never expresses himself. Although he did tell us about you, the first girl he ever talked about. He said you were special. And I believe him.”
“He said that? I mean, he talked to you about me?”
“Oh yes, many times. When you left, he stopped talking. Stopped calling. I was so worried about him.”
When I told my mom that Kaden and I broke up, she told me to buy new shoes.
All this time I thought I was kept secret, because I didn’t matter to him, but it seems that wasn’t the case.
As I wave Kaden’s mom goodbye, I wonder what else I got wrong.
As I slip back inside Kaden’s room, I find him undressing. He’s taking off the paper-thin hospital gown and holy shit, I was right.
He’s totally butt-naked underneath.
He has his back to me, so what I see is his long legs, taut ass and broad back that’s rippling with muscle.
And ink. More ink than before: a tangle of thorns I can’t quite make out.
He never talked to me about his tattoos. I only know Zane Madden did them for him, a friend in Wisconsin, the same guy who did his brother’s tattoos.
Kaden has keys inked down one arm, a cascade of them, and when he turns I see the large old-fashioned key he has inked on his chest.
And his very naked cock which starts to harden as he passes his heated gaze over me. He grins at me, looking like a pirate with the bandage wrapped around his head. “Come here.”
I take a step back, my eyes shifting from his face to his cock and back. “Um, we’re in the hospital. I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
We’re in the hospital, and we aren’t together anymore, and all in all, this is the mother of all bad ideas.
Tell that to my body, though, that’s all hot and bothered at the sight of naked, rugged sexy Kaden Hansen, ex-boyfriend and all-time favorite star in my nighttime fantasies.
Damn!
He puts his hands on my shoulders and pulls me flush against him. Shocked, I let him, and when his mouth descends on mine, I part my lips for his tongue instinctively.
Oh God. So good. I’m gone. With his tongue stroking mine, and his hard-on pressing into my belly, I think I might come like this, standing in the middle of his room, not caring if a doctor or nurse walks in on us.
His hands travel up, cupping the back of my head, and I clutch at his arms, drowning in the kiss, drowning in the pleasure of having his mouth on mine again, his solid body wrapped around me.
I whine when he pulls away, his eyes sparkling as he looks down at me. “Let’s go home,” he says.
My heart booms at the sound of that, wanting it, wanting to go home with him so badly. I nod, not trusting myself to speak, trying not to listen to the voice of reason that says this is wrong, so wrong.
That it will complicate things and make telling him the truth all the harder.
Sometimes the lie is so much better than the truth.
Part Three
UNTOLD
Chapter Thirteen
Kaden
Armed with a fuckload of pills and instructions from the doctors, I grab my girl and let myself out of the hospital.
Okay, that wasn’t exactly how it happened.
Matt brought me the release papers and wheeled me out. We said our goodbyes, I promised mom again to be a good fucking little boy, and they all drove away.
Then Hailey hailed a cab, and I didn’t ask her where her car is. She helped me out of the wheelchair, and it took both her and the cabbie to get me inside, I was so dizzy.
Jesus on a pogo stick.
And then came the last bit – the bit where the cab left us and I had to cross the street and take the elevator to my apartment. Hailey steadied me the best she could, but man, was that a rough moment.
Guess I left the hospital a bit too soon.
But I had to hurry. Had to have some time with Hailey. Show her things. Tell her things.
Win her back.
Because I remember now.
I remember most things, although I’m still hazy on some details.
I know we had a fight. An epic fight. She accused me of cheating on her.
And she left me.
So here we are, by a quirk of fate together once more – and I know this is my only chance to convince her to stay.
“Where do you keep your glasses?” Hailey shouts from the kitchen, and I clutch my head, certain I’ll murder someone if I don’t get some painkillers in me and get this headache to go the fuck away.
“Bottom right shelf,” I shout back, and groan.
She doesn’t know where I keep my glasses?
Jesus, didn’t I ever bring her over to my place?
I’m a moron, and deserve my punishment. Still, some fucking painkillers would be nice. Just so I can think again and somehow find a way to convince Hailey to stay.
She comes out with a glass of water, concern written all over her pretty face. “You shouldn’t have insisted on leaving the hospital, Kade.”
“I’ll be fine.” I grab my pills and the water and down it all.
Then wait. How the hell long does it take for the damn pills to work?
Hailey moves at the edge of my shimmery vision, and I grab her, ignoring her squeal. I plant her in my lap.
She squirms, soft and smelling of honey and sugar, her hands latching instinctively on my arms.
Best distraction from pain ever.
“Kade, you’re injured—”
I kiss her. She stiffens, then moans in my mouth and kisses me back.
Yeah, baby, that’s it. She likes my mouth on her, and from the way she presses her body to mine, surrendering, that hasn’t changed at all.
We kiss and kiss until the damn painkillers finally kick in, and then I lift her, my aching ribs be damned, and carry her to my bed.
It may not be the best of ideas, and certainly not a romantic gesture like I’d thought I’d start with as I lay in bed in the hospital, turning it all over in my mind, but…
I’m desperate.
I missed her.
Dammit, I can’t even blame the concussion for this. It’s all me. I want her like I’ve never wanted a woman in my life, and that want hasn’t lessened over time. On the contrary.
I lay her down on my bed and tear at her clothes. She freezes at first as I pull off her shoes, and peel off her jeans, and then her blouse.
Then she attacks my clothes happily, stripping me down to my briefs, and a joy unlike any other hits me.
She makes me feel like that. I remember that.
How did I lose this? This feeling, this woman.
> What did I do? She accused me of something… something untrue, of…
She pulls me down for a kiss before the memory fully forms, and then I forget all about it when she tangles her tongue with mine and reaches down to cup my hard-on through my briefs.
I groan in her mouth, my hips rolling, the ache in my balls unbearable. My body reacts to her like every time – as if struck by lightning, burning up, tightening and arching over her, needing to enter her, fill her up.
She breaks the kiss only to tug impatiently at my briefs, and again my plans of long foreplay and getting her off multiple times before entering her fly out the window.
Kneeling over her, I let her pull down my briefs, freeing my cock, and her small hand is on me before I can do anything more than draw a ragged breath.
“Damn, girl.” I look down, where she’s stroking my dick, and I almost fucking come on the spot. “If you keep this up…”
She lets go, only to cup my balls, and I close my eyes, struggling for control.
Finally, I push away her hand.
“Cup your tits instead,” I tell her. She likes me telling her what to do in bed, and I need a moment to stop my load from shooting. “Play with your nipples. Get yourself ready for me.”
She moans at my words, her eyes growing heavy lidded.
We click, this girl and me. We fit in sex like hand and glove. I like controlling her. She likes being controlled. It gets her off.
Like now.
She undoes her bra, lets it fall, and grabs her tits. They’re gorgeous like the rest of her, round and heavy, her nipples hard and dark. She pinches and twists them, her mouth going slack with pleasure, and meanwhile she’s watching me.
Watching me watch her.
I reach for my cock, give it a hard squeeze. My head is throbbing uncomfortably, my heartbeat echoing in my ears.
Not long before I crash and burn.
When she reaches for her panties, I beat her to it, tearing them down her legs and bending over her.
“Sorry, girl,” I whisper as I rub my dick over her pussy.
“What for?” Her voice is breathy, her pupils dilated.
“This will be quick. I promise to go slow next time. Condom?”
“I haven’t been with anyone since you,” she admits, and my cock jumps at that.
“Me neither.”
She barely nods and I wonder if she believes me, but then I push into her, her sweet pussy hugging my dick perfectly, and we both shudder and moan at the sensation.
“Oh God, yes, please.” She claws at my back, lifts her legs to wrap them around my thighs, and I slide in an inch deeper.
“Fuck,” I hiss, “holy shit.”
I’m two seconds away from shooting, and I need this to last longer, I need her to come first, oh fuck me…
She clenches around my dick, her tiny moans setting my blood on fire. Her tits rise and fall underneath me, her legs tighten around the back of my thighs, and I can’t breathe. My dick aches, so hard I think it might break if she squeezes any harder.
“Kade,” she whispers, “oh my God, Kade…”
I slam my mouth on hers as she comes, her cry vibrating through my bones, and I shudder and shiver and come apart into fucking pieces when I follow her, filling her up with my cum.
So…fucking…good.
And then blackness rushes in and I’m out.
Great job seducing your girl, Kaden.
First you let her half carry you home, almost breaking her back.
Then instead of doing some nice gesture, you fuck her.
And then pass out on her.
Did I leave something out?
Oh yeah, how about lying to her – by omission – about not remembering you two split up? Yeah? Doesn’t this one top everything else?
Goddammit.
I’m lying on my bed – over the covers, a blanket thrown over me.
My girl nowhere in sight.
I need to investigate. My head is pounding in time to my heart, though, andmy vision isn’t so clear. The thought of getting up is fucking terrifying.
Thankfully, my pills and a glass of water are on the bedside table, because Hailey is an angel. I down them, and settle back, waiting for them to take the edge off the pain.
Takes fucking forever.
I doze off, and then wake up with a start, feeling a presence in the room.
“Knock knock,” Hailey whispers, and I fucking love her for keeping her voice low.
I fucking love her, period.
Especially when she comes in bearing a tray of bland breakfast – toast and tea.
The moment she sets it on the table, I grab her and pull her on my lap. I expect her to fight, but she winds her arms around my neck.
“You scared me last night,” she breathes. “Passing out like that.”
“Sorry.”
“You okay?”
“Fine now,” I reply, wrapping my arms around her until I can feel her everywhere, breathe in her scent. “When you’re here, I’m fine.”
“You’ve changed.”
Have I? “Hay…”
“No.” She pushes on my chest and jumps off my lap, lifting a finger. “What are you doing?”
I frown, and that hurts my head. “Doing?
“This shouldn’t be… we shouldn’t…” She turns to go, then stops and turns back toward me. “I’ll leave you to your breakfast.”
Damn. “Look, Hay—”
“I’m going to take a shower. And make some phone calls. You rest.”
She leaves the room, and I stare after her, automatically taking in her heart-shaped ass and shapely legs.
I’m fucking hard. How can I be hard when it’s obvious she’s distressed and upset with me? What was I thinking? I should fess up.
But how can I win her back without knowing what happened? I just need some more time to recall what happened between us, what she said, what I said. What went down. I’m at a disadvantage here, and there’s no mercy in love or war.
Right?
I can’t make the same mistake twice and let her go, not without trying. I need to fix what went wrong. Apologize if necessary. Change until I’m someone she wants to be with, a better version of me.
Beg her.
Anything for her to stay.
Chapter Fourteen
Hailey
I scrub every inch of my body as hard as I dare without breaking skin, not even sure what I’m trying to accomplish. Wash Kaden off me? His scent is everywhere – his shampoo, his soap. I grab a towel to dry myself off and it smells like him, a subtle manly scent that makes my mouth water.
It reminds me of last night, of how he kissed me and fucked me so hard I saw stars. Just like before.
God, what am I doing? This – having my brains screwed out and scrambled by Kaden – wasn’t in the plan. This situation is complicated enough already, without adding sex to the mix.
Of course I jumped his bones the moment we got home. I mean, sure, he carried me to his bed, but I am familiar with the word NO. I could have used it any time.
I wanted him so badly.
Still do. His scent is starting a familiar throb deep inside me and I press my legs together, trying to ease the pressure.
If he walked in here right now, I’d climb him and ride him like a bull in a rodeo.
Jesus, Hailey. That’s what months of celibacy can do to you. It’s a hazard to your mental health.
Wrapping the Kaden-scented towel around me, I comb out my hair with my fingers and examine my reflection in the partly fogged-up mirror.
I look… flushed.
But that’s just the shower, right?
And I look scared.
That’s definitely not the shower, although there’s always an unknown quality to men’s bathrooms. It’s like stepping into the jungle. Chest hairs, razor blades, shaving torture implements always lurk under towels, in corners, or anywhere else where the unsuspecting female may innocently step.
I grin at my reflecti
on.
Then make a face.
Not funny. All of this.
I am so happy to be back with him, even playing pretend. We never ended our fight – I just walked out and never came back. And we can’t finish it when he doesn’t even remember it.
What an awful person I am, sleeping with him, kissing him back and letting him think we are together. I’m sure there’s a special place in hell for me.
Then why can’t I find it in me to regret it?
Tucking my hair behind my ears, I wander into the living room, thinking what I could eat for breakfast, and wondering if I should go grab my stuff from the hotel. Despite my doubts, I’d rather not leave Kaden alone just yet. The doctor said to call him if his headaches get to bad or if his sense of balance gets worse instead of better.
Holding the towel over my breasts, I head toward the kitchen – when I hear the apartment door open, and I turn, brows arching, to scold Kaden for stepping out alone when he can barely stand straight.
There’s a man standing at the door all right, staring back at me– but it’s not Kaden.
After a long moment during which shock holds me still and mute, I manage a breath.
“Who the hell are you?” I look around for a weapon and swipe up something from the table, pointing it at him. “How did you get in?”
What I’m holding is the TV remote control. God, they make them big these days. My hand starts to shake, but I don’t lower it.
The guy takes one step toward me and stops, lifting his hands. “Hi, I’m Jared. Please put the remote down? It looks dangerous.”
His hair is dark and cropped short with a parting on the side, his eyes hazel and playful. The teasing look in them should relax me – only who is he and what is he doing here?
“Is Kaden in?” The guy glances around, his hands still in the air, as if he could have missed a six-foot-something man with shoulders like a quarterback lounging around the living room. “I heard he had an accident. Tried to visit at the hospital but they wouldn’t let me in. Only family, they said.” His gaze slides back at me. “That includes you, I assume. Hailey, right? Kaden’s girl?”