Babydoll

by Nikkole Pruett

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  Chapter 19

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  I felt my smile die on my lips, looking at the boy with murder in his expression. My mind desperately tried to whirl to life through the smoke haze. Why did he look so angry? Why wasn’t he smiling and happy to see me? Why was his lip busted?

  A thump and a cursing laugh from Cody's room helped connect the dots to answer the first question.

  "Shit," I cursed and I took the stairs two at a time to reach him before he could make it up. "Lane," I breathed, reaching out for him.

  "Are you fucking kidding me?" he growled, and tried to move up the stairs. I blocked his progress. "I told you I'll fucking kill him."

  "It's not what you think," I protested, reaching for his arms to hold him back.

  "Really? Fucking really?" he retorted. I could hear growing hysteria in his voice. He kept pushing forward. "He didn't just kiss you?"

  "Yeah, but it wasn't like that!" I exclaimed. I tightened my hold on his arms and tried to stand my ground but I was still wobbly from smoking. "He's just fucked up! We're just friends!"

  "I don't give a fuck!" He yelled pushing forward again.

  I stumbled and fell, but scrambled back to my feet. I knew that if he got up the stairs all hell would break loose. He was going to hurt my friend and it was going to be ugly. And then there would be cops and trouble and fall out. So I shoved him. I planted both hands in the middle of his chest and I shoved the shit out of him.

  He hardly stepped back but what was worse was that the rage in his eyes then lasered in on me. There was no yelling, only stone silent rage and gritting teeth. His hands wrapped around my upper arms like steel shackles. Fingers bit into my skin through my shirt. The blue shirt I wore for him.

  "I'm sorry!" I yelped and it was like a dam burst in my eyes, sending streams of tears down my cheeks.

  His hands fell away instantly. The motion was so quick I fell forward into him. It was like a completely different person catching me. His arms were strong but gentle.

  "Bailey," he whispered, in a breath. "I'm so fucking sorry. I never… I didn't mean to hurt you. I'll never hurt you. God, I'm so sorry."

  I was shaking and crying and basically freaking the fuck out. I wanted the room to stop spinning. I wanted the thumping music to stop distracting me. I wanted to sit down and clear my head and figure out how to fix everything that had just gotten all fucked up. I looked up at Lane and saw nothing but concern.

  "I want to leave, please," I told him.

  He nodded sharply, took me by the hand, and headed toward the door.

  "Your stuff?" he asked.

  I nodded to the pile of bags and jackets on the bench near the entrance. He helped me find mine and we darted out into the cool night. He led me to his car and opened the door for me. Neither of us spoke as he started the car and pulled out onto the street. When my adrenaline finally stopped pumping the chill set in and I pulled my knees up and hugged them to my chest. He reached out and turned the heater on; his hand hesitated after. I thought maybe he didn't know if he should touch me or not. I was feeling calmer and more clear-headed; I don't know if I wanted him to or not.

  He drove more slowly, carefully than normal and I watched the street lights sparkle through the window. He eased down neighborhood streets and I realized we were headed to his house. It was funny that all week I had every intention of the night ending there but now I wasn’t sure what kind of ending it was going to be.

  We were both quiet when we entered the house even though it was dark and empty. I had clomped and ran up these stairs a million times, headed to Lucy's room but that night I walked softly behind an angry boy with stress tense shoulders. I stood in the open door and watched as he grabbed a towel from over the back of his desk chair. He moved, with towel in hand, to his dresser and I shuffled toward his bed. I felt like I was dancing awkwardly around while he moved with purpose. His silence took me back to feeling like a silly mixed up little girl with uncontrollable feelings for the unattainable bad boy. But I was angry too. I was angry that he wanted to hurt my friend and I was furious that he obviously hasn't straightened his life out. I sat on the edge of his bed with hands clenched together in my lap and watched him. He winced as he wiped away dried blood from his cracked lip.

  "I thought you were done with that," I said. I knew I had a right to ask to questions but my voice sounded meek. Being with him, being there gave me the right. At least I was mostly certain I had that right.

  He didn't answer but when I caught his eyes in the mirror they told me a lot. There was anger ... there was regret... and most worrisome, there was fear.

  "Sometimes shit doesn't work out the way you plan," he said, turning around to face me. He leaned against his dresser but there was nothing casual about his posture.

  "What about us being legit?" I asked. My voice was a little bit stronger with this question because I knew I deserve to know. He had given me his word.

  His smirk was cold.

  "Legit?" he asked. "Legit like you and Cody?"

  I huffed out an exasperated breath.

  "I told you that was nothing," I groaned.

  "I know what you told me but I also know what I saw," he shot back, his voice sounding like venom.

  "He was just all fucked up and we just talked about some important shit," I tried to explain without giving away the secret I had been entrusted with.

  "Sure that’s a great reason for him to have his mouth all fucking over you," he snapped, his voice getting a little bit louder.

  "Dammit, you’re taking it all out of context," I told him, my voice rising as well.

  "Well, then fill in the blanks for me, Baby-doll," he replied, with an expectant, challenging look.

  I gritted my teeth. I wouldn’t out my friend. Lane was important to me but Cody was too.

  "I've never done anything to make you not trust me," I said, after a moment.

  His face was blank. He studied me without emotion.

  "So, you’re keeping secrets now," he said.

  "I learned from the best," I replied.

  He let out a soft, humorless laugh and the blankness in his expression faded into dismay.

  "I guess so," he allowed. He heaved a huge sigh and tossed the towel behind him. He crossed the room and dropped to his knees in front of me. His chest leaned against my knees and he took my hands in his. "Can we fix tonight? It wasn't supposed to be like this."

  I just looked at him. I didn't know if it was fixable. I didn't know if we we're fixable. I didn't know if a relationship built on secrets would ever work.

  "Please?" he asked, looking up at me with big, gray, pleading eyes.

  I couldn’t say no. I couldn’t ever say no to Lane Campbell. I nodded. The smallest of smiles played across his lips. He didn't move except to lay his head in my lap.

  "Do you remember the first time you walked in here?" he asked.

  I smiled for the first time since he showed up that night.

  "I do," I said.

  "You were so damn adorable. Couldn't stay away from a shelf full of books. I wanted you to stay and talk to me but I didn't know how to ask. Funny huh? I'm supposed to be this suave mother fucker and I couldn’t even ask you to hang out," he said.

  I felt my smile stretch even further. I scratched my fingernails through the soft chaos of his hair.

  "We could hang out now," I told him.

  He looked up at me with a lazy grin.

  "Now, I don't want to hang out," he replied.

  He moved me back on the bed and followed me in fluid motion. He covered my body with his and his mouth followed suit. His lips were on mine, guiding my mouth open. His tongue slipped past and stroked my own. It was warm and delicious and I couldn’t stop myself from sighing contently as I kissed back. He pulled away and I could feel his smile against my lips.

  "I love that sound," he whispered.

  "I love you making me make that sound," I whispered back.

  "I love you," he replied.
And suddenly we we're wearing matching looks of surprise. Of course he recovered first. And he smirked. "Just thought you should know."

  I couldn’t help but giggle because it's such a Lane thing to say. It was monumental and earth shattering and it made me a total mess but he just threw it out there because he just thought I should know. I guess he saw the gears in my head turning behind the nervous laugh because his smile turned so soft and he brushed my hair back off my forehead.

  "I do, Bailey. I love you. Don't over-think it, Baby-doll," he told me. "Just be here. Just be here right now."

  He ducked his head and pressed kisses to my neck, hitting the spots that he knew would make me squirm. It was funny how easy the right person hitting the right spots would chase all the mind demons away. I felt myself melt under him, into his soft blankets. I turned my face into the softness and inhaled the scent of Gain and his cologne as he moved his mouth up around the curve of my ear. His breath, wet and warm, sent tingles straight down to my girly parts and I heard myself whimper a little.

  "That’s it, Baby-doll," he whispered and nibbles my ear lobe.

  The night had taken an unexpected turn but I was still where I planned to be. Doing what I planned to do. I smiled and reached for the hem of his shirt. I want Lane out of his clothes. I wanted to feel his skin on mine. He realized what I was doing and sat up.

  "Need this out the way?" he asked, with the sexiest smile I had ever seen. I nodded and chewed my bottom lip as he pulled it over his head and tossed it to the floor. "Your turn," he told me.

  I grinned, sat up, and shimmied out of my shirt. I started to lie back again and he shook his head. His smiled was fire burning me up.

  "This too," he said softly, tracing a finger over the edges of my lacy bra.

  I grinned at him as I unhooked and tossed it on top of his shirt. I died laughing when he grinned wolfishly and dove in and motor-boated my boobs.

  "Oh my God, you’re ridiculous!" I cried.

  "And you," he said, then sucked one hard nipple into his mouth. I think he moaned around it but I couldn’t really hear over the sound of me sucking all the air out of the room. "Are delicious."

  And then he didn't have anything else to say. He just sucked and licked and touched. I lost myself into his touching, twisting blankets in my fingers. I squirmed against him, trying to get some friction to help ease the ache he had started between my legs. He hitched my legs up and around him. I squeezed him tight and grinded hard as he sucked skin between his teeth. I knew there would be marks on my chest the next day. I didn't care.

  "Less clothes," I hissed, and thrusted my hand between us to undo his jeans.

  He was quick to accommodate. He hopped up and stripped down so quickly I barely had time to enjoy it.

  "I didn't even get to tip," I teased.

  "Oh, I got a tip," he said, with a grin and placed a hand over his obviously hard dick. I laughed at his bravado even though he really did have a big tip.

  He grabbed my boots and tugged them off without even looking where they were going. My jeans came down next. When I was down to lacy boy shorts he grasped my hips and stopped. I knew why he was stopping. I knew what he was asking. I nodded. It was time to cash in the V card. I was ready. I wanted it. I wanted it bad. Lane smiled and tugged my undies down.

  He pulled open the drawer in his nightstand and grabbed a condom. I made myself not think about how many more were in there. Or worse how many more weren't in there. He tossed it on the bed and covered me with his body again. His mouth claimed mine, his tongue sliding in and out. It didn't take long for me to be right back where I was, grinding against him. He moved his kisses down, down, down over my belly and settled on the best spot. He knew exactly how to make me burn.

  He sucked and probed with his skilled mouth. In no time I was pulling his hair and curling my toes into the bed. He pulled back when I was done because he knew I needed a minute to come back down to earth. When I opened my eyes he was kneeling between my legs, watching me with eyes so dark they almost look black instead of blue-gray. But he didn't rush. He waited on me. I reached out and pulled his boxers down, exposing him. I wrapped my hand around him and made the movements that would make him feel good. I was his turn to suck all the air out of the room and I got to smirk.

  "Feel good?" I asked.

  "God, yes," he groaned.

  I slid my hand up and down his length and watched as he tilted his head back, eyes clenched, throat swallowing hard. It wasn’t long before he wrapped his hand around mine.

  "That’s more than enough of that," he choked out.

  I let go and watched as he opened the condom and rolled it on. I didn't know what the right reaction was when watching your boyfriend roll on the latex before he de-virginized you but I grinned so hard it turned into a giggle.

  "Really?" he asked, quirking an eyebrow.

  I shrugged.

  "I'm excited," I told him.

  He chuckled in spite of himself.

  "Good to know," he said, and leaned down to kiss me. He leaned on one hand and with the other he lined our bodies up. I could feel him poking right where he was supposed to go. He laid his forehead against mine. "You ready?"

  I nodded.

  "Say it, please," he whispered.

  "I'm ready," I whispered back.

  He moved in slowly. It felt….different and a little achy. It was much intense than all of our pervious fooling around. It hurt a little but my body was accommodating and he moved in easy. I wrapped my arms around him and I could feel the restraint in his muscles as he inched forward. The more he moved the more full I felt. Almost like there was too much of him for me to take. It was also a lot more mentally and sensory than I had experienced before. I didn't know how much more I could take.

  "Oh," I breathed out.

  He stopped immediately.

  "You ok?" he asked.

  "Um… yeah… it's… it's a lot," I whispered. I didn’t know how to really explain everything I was feeling.

  He laughed a little.

  "I'm almost there," he said.

  "Almost?" I asked. I probably looked terrified.

  He laughed again.

  "Do you need me to stop?" he asked.

  "No," I replied, but it sounded more like a question.

  "Baby-doll, it's ok if you can't," he told me.

  But I didn’t want to stop. I just needed a minute to adjust to everything that was happening. I squirmed around and flexed my muscles experimentally.

  "Oh, sweet Jesus," he moaned.

  It was my turn to laugh.

  "You like that?" I asked.

  "You have no idea," he said dropping his head down to bury in my shoulder. He was nearly panting.

  We were both still for a moment.

  "Keep going," I whispered.

  He went easy again like before. I felt fuller and fuller. My body and my mind adjusted to him being inside me, being a part of me. He began a gentle, slow rhythm. The pain from the beginning faded and I was able to focus on the nerve endings that tweaked with each stroke. Despite the gentleness of his movements Lane’s breath became more and more labored. He came to a stop again.

  "You feel so good," he whispered. "So damn tight. I'm sorry baby, I'm not going to last long."

  "It's ok," I told him.

  He pulled back, stroking slow, then pushed home again. And again. And more quickly but not too quickly. As he moved my body continued to accept and accommodate him. The connection between us was on a level I had never imagined. I felt different sensations from places that had never been touched before. It wasn’t long before I felt his whole body tense. He pushed into me deeper than he had the whole time and I had to stifle a yelp. Then a moment later, he eased back and he rested his weight on top of me.

  "Jesus," he groaned.

  We laid there for a while, skin to skin. Then, he gave me one more kiss before pulling away, slowly. With the absence of his body in mine the ache from the beginning was more of a sting. It made me suck in a
little hiss.

  "Sorry," he said, softly. "Are you ok?"

  I nodded.

  "I need the bathroom," I said.

  I hopped up and scooped his shirt off the floor. Even though we were alone I didn't feel right running around the Campbell house bare-assed. In the bathroom I turned on the light and looked at myself in the mirror. I didn't look different. I was a little flushed and my neck was red from kisses and touches but there was no big difference to let everyone know I was no longer the last virgin on earth. I used the facilities and cleaned myself up, quickly. When I got back to Lane’s room there I found him back in boxers, sprawled on the bed.

  "You ok?" He asked again.

  I smiled.

  "Nope, you broke it. It's never gonna work again. Ever," I told him, as I climbed up next to him.

  "Bailey," he groaned.

  "I'm fine," I assured him.

  "It'll be better next time," he told me. The tone of his voice was odd.

  I turned and looked him right in the eyes. Lane Campbell was unsure and worried. I had never thought I'd see the day.

  "It was perfect," I told him. Then I snuggled next to him and we laid in silence for a while. Then I remember something. "Lane?"

  "Yeah?"

  "What happened to your mom's strawberry lotion?" I asked with a grin. I was pretty sure I already know.

  "You don't worry your pretty little head about that," he replied dryly, dropping a kiss on the top of mentioned head.

  I laughed and let comfortable silence settle in again. I could feel sleep threatening again. But there was one more thing I needed to tell him.

  "Lane?"

  "Yeah?"

  "I love you too."

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  Chapter 20

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  "It feels like this tingle. This sparkle that this just takes over everything. And it gets more and more powerful until that’s the only thing in the world you can concentrate on. Then blam it just explodes. You explode. Then you’re just laying there feeling like a big, boneless, mushy pile of squish," Lucy said, in between bites of red Twizzler.