The Line Between

by Tamsyn Bester

  I gasped, and I felt Dane’s body stiffen behind me.

  “That’s who did this to you?”

  “That’s what the police told me,” said Grady. “They have it all on camera, and will be using it if I decide to press charges.”

  “If?”

  “I honestly don’t want to talk about this right now, please. I just want to talk about random shit, like why you’re here, and why Dane is with you.” Grady lifted a brow at me, and I shifted on the spot. Did he have to say that while Dane was in the room?

  Luckily, Dane decided to cut in. “I’m going to leave you two to catch up. I’m glad you’re okay, Grady.” I looked up at Dane at the same time he looked down at me. “Call me when you’re done, just don’t take too long. We need to get you home.”

  I nodded, and turned my head back in Grady’s direction. He was staring at me.

  “What?”

  Both of Grady’s brows lifted and he gave me a look that said really?

  “How long have you been sleeping with him?” Grady asked bluntly.

  “W-what?” I sputtered. “I’m not - ”

  “Baby girl, you can lie to anyone else except me. I know what those googly eyes mean. You have seen that sexy hunk of man meat naked, and judging by the color of your cheeks, it’s been several times.”

  My mouth dropped open, and I tried to form some kind of rebuttal, but it wouldn’t come. Was it that obvious?

  “I…uh…”

  Grady chuckled, and then grabbed his ribs with a wince. “Why do you look so horrified? It’s not like I kicked your puppy.”

  “How’d you know?” I asked. He was pretty damn observant for someone who’d just spent the last two days in a coma.

  I thought we’d done a pretty good job of keeping it a secret, considering Jade had never picked up on anything. If she knew, then everyone else wasn’t far behind.

  He shrugged. “I saw it coming before anyone else did, pun intended.” He winked. “It’s fate. Like Romeo and Juliet.”

  I frowned. “That’s a tragedy.”

  Grady waved me off. “That’s just semantics, and to be honest, I think you and Dane just work. Now, the real tragedy is this itchy as fuck hospital gown, and the fact that I still have a pipe up my dick to pee.”

  I bit my lip, and then burst into a fit of laughter. I’d missed Grady so much, and despite his calling me out on my situation with Dane, it felt good to be able to talk to him again. He didn’t judge me, and I needed that.

  “You’re one of a kind, Grady Ambrose,” I said between my bouts of laughter.

  “Oh trust me, I know. Now tell me what the hell I’ve missed, and don’t leave anything out.”

  “Where do you want me to start?” I asked hesitantly.

  Grady simply rolled his eyes, and replied, “With the sex. Duh.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

  Dane

  I WAS SITTING in the stairwell of our dorm building staring at the box of sweatshirts that Kennedy had dropped when she fell. She’d fallen asleep as soon as her head hit her pillow, and I came down here to pick up the box. The sweatshirts were much bigger than anything else she owned which meant they could only belong to one other person, and it wasn’t Mr. Monroe.

  I didn’t want to think about Kennedy’s brother, and what he represented to my family, but seeing his things only reminded me of why getting involved with Kennedy had been a bad idea from the start. I didn’t think ahead though. All I remember was wanting her and having her, and then wanting her again and again. I didn’t stop long enough to think how it would all work out in the end, or that there would eventually be an end.

  I tried pulling away from her, spending fewer nights wrapped in her, or around her, but I’d become weak where she was concerned, and always wound up right where I started – with Kennedy.

  With that in mind, I needed a plan, some kind of fallback for when this was over. I had to accept that there would never be more between us.

  The question was did I want more between us? Did I want her to be more than just a girl whose bed and body I shared every night?

  The answer to both questions was discomforting, and did nothing to help me sort through my frenzied emotions.

  I rubbed my fingers through my hair, and hung my head between my hands as I expelled a heavy breath. I couldn’t escape the ominous feeling that we were running out of time, like I had a ticking clock above my head reminding me that this wasn’t forever, and probably never would be. I could argue that I had no idea why that bothered me so much, but I’d never been one to bullshit myself. Why bother when I was the one who had to face my own reflection every day?

  But our time wasn’t up yet, and even with our sordid family history, and the hatred I harbored for her brother, I wanted to spend time with Kennedy until we had none left. We had four days alone together before Reid and Jade returned, and being the glutton for punishment that I was, I wanted to be with her every hour of those four days. As soon as our friends came back, and school started up again for finals we wouldn’t be able to keep up the charade. I was in too deep already, and I suspected Kennedy was too. When the time came, I’d have to be the one to walk away. For both of us.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

  Kennedy

  AFTER MY DISASTROUS, and slightly embarrassing trip down the stairs two days ago, I noticed a shift in the dynamic between Dane and me. It was subtle, and maybe he intended for it to be that way, but I saw it. He’d become slightly more attentive in the little things that he did, like wrapping my ankle, and making sure I was comfortable before he set out to make us dinner.

  It was odd.

  But I liked it.

  A lot.

  It felt normal for us, and he was everything I’d imagined he would be if we were together. As a couple. As Dane-and-Kennedy.

  We hadn’t had sex in a few days, and after having had it for almost three consecutive weeks, my sexual frustration was higher than normal. I found myself clenching my thighs more often than not, even when he was doing something as mundane as making a cheese sandwich. Yes, that is how bad it was, and no, I refused to be ashamed. I was only human after all, and Dane had awoken my baser sexual needs the first time he fucked me. Thank the Pope my period was over tomorrow, I wasn’t sure how much longer I would have been able to restrain myself. Our time was limited, and I wanted him one last time before it all ended.

  That aside, there was still a sense of dolefulness between the two of us that Dane had been trying very hard to cover by keeping us busy. He was determined to stay with me, and only really went next door when he needed a fresh change of clothes. He even showered here, and it was a test of my will power because I wanted to see him all gloriously wet, and naked, and in my shower no less.

  We were sitting on mine and Jade’s slightly worn sofa, him with his long, lithe legs stretched out on front of him, and me with my injured foot propped up on the coffee table in front of us. I was acutely aware of how close Dane’s body was to mine. Even in light grey sweats, and a plain white t-shirt, he looked hot, and beddable. He was watching something or other on one of his sports channels, while I was trying to concentrate on the book I was reading on my Kindle. Trying being the operative word. It was difficult when I could feel the heat coming from his still damp and freshly showered body, and smell the scent of his body wash. It was messing with my body, and the fact that I was fidgety hadn’t escaped him.

  “Is your foot okay?” He asked, turning his gaze to me. “You’re restless.”

  I bit my thumbnail, and kept my eyes trained on my Kindle. “I’m fine,” I replied. I managed to drag my attention away from Dane’s physical closeness, and became engrossed in what I was reading. I was a bookworm by nature, but after discovering some new indie authors online, my appetite for books had grown. It turned out I had quite the weakness for books that closely resembled the much-loved ‘Fifty Shade of Grey’ series by E.L James.

  I was reading a scene that had me a little flustered, and I couldn’t help
but squirm. Of course Dane noticed.

  “What you reading over there, Kitten?” He leaned over, and I held my Kindle to my chest in case he caught of glimpse of the naughty literature.

  “Nothing,” I said, aware that I sounded slightly breathless. Damn you Kyler Knight.

  Dane quirked a brow, his blue eyes bright with mischief. “Then why are your cheeks flushed?”

  “They are not,” I replied indignantly, if not with a little embarrassment.

  His eyes darted between my face, and my Kindle, and before I could move away, he snatched my kindle out of my hands, and took a look at the screen.

  “Give that back!” I leaned over, pressing my front to his side, and tried to pry it from his hands. He only stretched further away from me, and when he started reading the words out loud, I wanted the floor to open up and swallow me whole.

  “‘I have no words left when Cassey moves quickly and kneels between my legs. She pulls my cock into her mouth and sucks hard, hollowing out her cheeks.’ ”

  Oh crisis. Hearing him read that line with his smooth voice, and deep timbre made me squirm more than the words themselves did. I could imagine him reading to me, and then me acting the words out.

  “Dane, give that back, right now,” I demanded.

  He let out a husky chuckle, and tortured me with one more line.

  “‘I caress Cassey’s tits from behind as I push into her. She cranes her neck and plants a searing, hungry kiss on my mouth before pulling away to catch her breath. “Oh God, Kyler,” she moans loudly. “Harder, baby, please.” ’

  I mentally ran through the scene from which he read, and recalled the night Dane had me in that exact position. In his lap, his strong arm around my waist, thrusting into me from behind. My body shivers in remembrance, but luckily Dane is too busy looking at my Kindle to notice.

  “I didn’t think you would read this kind of stuff,” he said, giving me a sideways smirk.

  “I happen to like all kinds of genres.” I sounded petulant, but having him judge me for my choice in books was a little annoying. I made a grab for my Kindle again, but only ended up falling on top of Dane. He caught me around the waist, and when our eyes collided, I felt the shift in the atmosphere. It wasn’t playful anymore.

  “Tell me,” his hot, minty breath fanned across my face. “Does it turn you on when you read stuff like this?”

  I hesitated, and then decided the best defense was offense, so I kept quiet, and pinched my lips together. My body was already starting to respond to his, I felt my nipples tightening under my t-shirt and cursed myself for not wearing a bra after I’d showered.

  Dane’s eyes darkened, and his expression morphed from teasing to serious. “I’m thinking it does.” His voice was low, and he swallowed when my deep inhalation made my hardened nipples brushed against his bicep. Our position was awkward, but all Dane had to do was move his arm around me, and twist to the side and I’d be straddling him. He licked his lips, and I mirrored the movement by licking mine. My mouth was suddenly dry, my breathing suddenly uneven.

  “It does turn me on,” I relented. “But not as much as hearing you read it to me, and not as much as thinking about you doing those things to me.”

  The charge between us intensified, I heard it crackling the way you would an oncoming storm. I stared at him unabashedly, as he did me, and I realized we had nothing to worry about in this moment. We could get totally carried away, and not worry about who might catch us. He must’ve realized the same thing because ever so slowly, he put my kindle on the floor, and shifted exactly the way I’d hoped he would.

  I straddled his waist, and lowered until I felt the length of his erection through his sweats. He was so hard that I could make out exactly where his apa was.

  “How much longer before I can be inside you again?” He asked. I undulated my hips, and he grunted loudly. The only things between us were his sweats, and the thin cotton of my sleep shorts, and the barely-there barrier made the friction so much sweeter.

  “Tomorrow,” I sighed with every rock of my hips.

  Dane’s hands traveled around my hips, under my shirt, until his cool hands cupped my breasts. They were still a little tender, but what surprised me was that Dane seemed to know that.

  “I love your tits,” he said huskily. “They fit so perfectly into my hands.”

  I covered his hands with mine, and together we rubbed and squeezed and gently kneaded my breasts. It was so erotic, and heady, and it sent a delicious surge of want straight to my core.

  “You’re gorgeous like this,” said Dane. His eyes were on my face, so wide, and so expressive, and I wanted to dive into them without ever coming out.

  “You do crazy things to me,” I replied. I wanted to be honest with him while I had the chance. We weren’t going to have sex, but having him touch me this way seemed so much more intimate. His look alone made me feel more naked than the day I was born, and the lust, and raw need in his eyes made me feel incredibly beautiful like this. I needed him to know, if he ever had a doubt, that he made me feel things I knew no one else ever would, but I wanted him to see it without me having to physically say the words.

  “Dane,” I whispered. “Kiss me. Please.”

  His mouth descended on mine, but there was no urgency to his kiss. He took his time, his tongue exploring my mouth in that unhurried way that he knew drove me wild. I shifted closer, and continued to rub against his erection. I swallowed his groans, and he kissed through my whimpers. It was the perfect balance between give and take, and it felt so incredibly right with him that I wondered how I would ever be able to do this with anyone else.

  The sweet pressure between my legs blocked out all of my thoughts and I continued to circle my hips as our joined hands palmed my breasts. The perfect combination of the two, and our perfect synchronization with which we moved made reaching my orgasm easy, and quick. I bucked, and gripped Dane’s hands as I quivered shamelessly on his lap. I came down from my high, and found Dane giving me his lazy smile. “I’ll never get over that,” he murmured.

  I was still trying to catch my breath when I asked, “What?”

  “How unbelievably stunning you look when you come.”

  I wiggled my hips, and Dane hissed. I looked down, and saw that he was still hard. An idea formed in my head, and knowing how long I’d been thinking about doing this got me excited all over again.

  I slid off Dane’s lap, mindful of my busted ankle, and fell to me knees between his legs. With slightly trembling hands, I reached up, and tugged at the edge of his sweats. His hands stopped mine, and I looked up at him from beneath my lashes.

  “Kitten, you don’t have to.”

  I smiled shyly, knowing that I was about to do something I’d never done before.

  “It’s okay. I want to. I’ve been fantasizing about it for a while.”

  Finally, Dane lifted and helped me move his sweats lower until his rigid cock sprang free, his piercing glinting in the light. I wrapped my hand around it, my fingers not even touching because of his size, and I started rubbing him.

  Leaning forward, I covered the head with my mouth, and swirled my tongue over his slit.

  “Fuck,” he sighed.

  I wanted to smile but instead I took more if his shaft into my mouth until he hit the back of my throat. I wasn’t a pro, but my instincts seemed to guide me, and I paid attention to what made Dane feel good. I made a swallowing motion, and Dane gripped my hair.

  “Do that again, Kitten.”

  I obliged, and Dane growled. Our eyes met, and I decided I wanted him to come at my mercy. I wanted to undo him, unravel him the way he did me. I pulled back, sucking on the head of his cock, and took him in again. With hollowed cheeks, I increased my pace, my hands digging into Dane’s tensed thighs.

  “Oh Jesus,” he moaned. “Right there….”

  I squeezed the base of his cock, and opened my throat just as his hot cum leaked into my mouth.

  Dane roared, and his hips pulsed until he’d
emptied himself into my mouth.

  My head moved up, and his cock left my mouth with a pop.

  I wiped the sides of my mouth, and smiled smugly with satisfaction.

  “Still want to make fun of what I read?” I asked lightly.

  Dane shook his head. “Not when you do that.”

  I laughed, and helped him pull his sweats back on before settling next to him on the sofa. He wrapped his arm around me, pulling me into his side, and I reveled in the rightness of it. There was no awkwardness between us, no stilted conversation.

  Only a sense of being completely at home.

  Until I realized it wasn’t forever, and that no matter how badly I wished for it, or how desperately my heart longed for it, Dane Winters could never be my home.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

  Kennedy

  THERE WERE A number of things that I found incredibly sexy when it came to a man. Like the way he walked with a determined gait, or how he opened doors for a girl, whether he knew her or not. But none of those simple things compared to what I saw when I walked into my kitchen on Thanksgiving morning.

  Dane had his bare back to me, wearing nothing but his white boxer briefs. He had his earphones in, and he was doing a little shimmy with his hips while he prepared some breakfast in front of the stove. His body was carved, each line of every muscle clearly defined. I followed those very lines down his back, to the dimples in his back, and the taught, shapely muscles of his butt. He shimmied again, and started humming along to whatever was playing through on his iPod, while I leaned against the kitchen counter and enjoyed the show.

  Seeing him so carefree, and at ease in his own skin, was enough to elicit a slight stir between my legs, and I wanted nothing more than to satisfy my innate hunger for him.

  I pushed off the counter, and walked forward until I could wrap my arms around him, and feel his warm, smooth flesh through the shirt I’d thrown on. After we’d gone to bed last night, Dane continued to lavish my breasts, and we ended up making out like horny teenagers for the second time in a day. But this morning I had other plans, and they were explicit, adult plans.