Separated

by Jessica Frances

  “Connie?” she calls out. “Why are you here?”

  “Your dad asked me to come for dinner. I thought you would be eating with us. It’s the only reason I agreed.”

  I elbow Conner, who just gives me a cheeky smile.

  “I’m not hungry, Connie. But you can eat your food in here.”

  “I don’t think your dad will like that. Can I come in?”

  “Are you going to drag me out?”

  “No, I’d never do that. I just want to talk.”

  “Okay, but only you.”

  “Done,” he calls back then looks at me. “Just give me a few minutes. I might be able to talk her down.”

  “Good luck.”

  I stand back as I watch him open the door so she doesn’t see me there and start yelling again.

  Conner leaves the door ajar, and I lean against the wall to listen in.

  “Hey, River. Not having a good day?”

  She scoffs. “How’d you guess?”

  “Well, you’re usually much happier when I see you, and you haven’t left your room the entire time I’ve been here. We missed you chatting while we made dinner.”

  “You better get used to it. I’m never leaving this room again.”

  “Wow, not even to pee?”

  I can imagine the look of annoyance she shoots him. Though she often makes smartass comments to me, she does not appreciate them being directed at her.

  “Fine, I’m not leaving my room or the bathroom.”

  “That sounds reasonable. What will you do about getting new books?”

  “Mia will bring me new books.”

  “What about the Sunshine Carnival happening in a couple of weeks? I’ve been hearing lots about it. It sounds like it’s a fun time.”

  “It’s the best day of the year, besides Christmas and my birthday,” she tells him excitedly, finally sounding like some of the sulkiness has left her tone.

  “That sounds cool. It’s a shame you won’t be able to go, if you’re never leaving your bedroom and bathroom again.”

  She’s quiet for a moment, clearly having to rethink this new plan of hers.

  “I can’t go anyway. All the kids hate me.”

  “All of them?”

  “We were supposed to have that actor man you like come to our school today—everyone has been talking about it for weeks—but he had to cancel or something, I don’t know. But they did this massive, full school assembly about bullying and how it’s not okay. Now everyone thinks they cancelled having that actor come because Dad went and complained to the principal.”

  My heart breaks at the anguish in her voice.

  “I know for a fact that Henry is overseas shooting for the movie they’re making at the moment.”

  “Yeah, but no one believes that. They think it’s my fault.” I hear the tears in her voice and have to fist my hands at my sides, forcing myself to stay still and not barge in to comfort her.

  “Okay, but that isn’t exactly your dad’s fault. He couldn’t have known they would think that.”

  “You don’t get it, because you like him. But it’s all his fault. I trusted him with what was happening, and he ratted me out.”

  “He made a mistake. He’s human, River.”

  “He’s not. He’s a … shit sauce sandwich.”

  Conner snorts at this, while my own lips quirk up at her odd cursing.

  “That’s a pretty picture. I didn’t think you were allowed to say shit?”

  “I guess it depends on whether or not you’ll rat me out, too.”

  I rub my chest, hating that she feels betrayed.

  It’s always been us against the world. I’ve never upset her as much as I have right now. And to think it’s partly because of Henry fucking Prince. Asshole! You can’t make a promise to kids and then bail! Well, I mean you can, but you’re an asshole if you do it.

  “I would never rat you out, River. Just like your dad wouldn’t either, not intentionally. He loves you.”

  “Yeah, well, I hate him.”

  “You don’t.”

  “I do!”

  “If you did, then he wouldn’t have the power to upset you so much.”

  She sniffles, the noise breaking my heart further. I never wanted to upset her.

  “Then I really don’t like him.”

  “That’s fair enough. But I think it’s only fair you think about this from his point of view.”

  “Why? What he did was wrong.”

  “People make mistakes. But something you can never doubt is how much your dad loves you.”

  “If he loved me, he wouldn’t have made my life hell.”

  “This will blow over, River. I promise.”

  “You said you were bullied at school. Did your dad ever go to your teacher and principal and make a scene? Did they then call out the entire school to do some stupid assembly on bullying? Did they pull aside your bullies afterward and make it clear that the entire thing was your fault?”

  “No, my dad was my worst bully.”

  Both River and I audibly inhale loudly.

  “Huh? What do you mean?”

  “I had bullies at school. Like I said, I was nerdy and weird. I was small enough to get picked on. What I didn’t mention was that I was mainly bullied because I was gay. Kids didn’t understand that, and generally, they don’t accept what they don’t understand.”

  “You were bullied for that?” she gasps.

  “Yep. I got the lot given to me. Mean notes left in my locker and slipped into books. They would give my number out to strangers who would call me and leave me awful messages that made me feel sick. The boys would beat me up all the time, and it became this game with the popular girls to try to straighten me out. That’s their words, not mine. They would throw themselves at me, hoping to wear the honor of fixing me.”

  “Fixing you? But there was nothing wrong with you.” River sounds outraged, and I’m damn proud that she feels this way. I’ve done something right in my life.

  “I know that, but it was hard to remember that when I was dealing with that every day at school. When I was being made to feel like a freak.”

  “What did you do?”

  “I put up with it for a while. My brother was older, and he knew what was going on, but he never stepped in. Finally, it got so bad that I had to go to my dad. I told him everything.”

  “And what happened?”

  “He slapped me across my face, told me to grow a pair and get over it.”

  River gasps while my own fists clench as I consider hunting down that asshole and killing him myself.

  “That’s horrible.”

  “Yep.”

  “What pair were you supposed to grow?” she innocently asks.

  “Just thicker skin,” he quickly explains. “He didn’t think the bullying was that bad, or maybe he just didn’t care that it was.”

  “So, then what happened?”

  “I went to a teacher, and they explained that it was better to just ignore it.”

  “They didn’t do anything either?”

  “Nope. And River, feeling alone was worse than anything those people said to me. I had no one to back me up. No one even wanted to. It was a scary place to be.”

  “I would have stood up for you.”

  I smile, because River would have. She’s such a good kid.

  “I know you would have. You’re a good person. And that’s the thing, there are so many good people in the world. There are more good than bad. I know it does sound cliché, but things do get better.”

  “But Dad just made sure it’s going to get so much worse.”

  “River, you’re always going to have your dad behind you. You’ve got people who love and support you. Okay, there are a few bad apples in the group at your school, but you have adults who are there for you. Do you know how special that is?”

  The silence after this stretches on, and I strain to listen in case they’ve just gotten too quiet to overhear.

  “I’m still so
mad at him.”

  “And that’s okay. Be mad, be angry. But you should know that your dad feels awful that he upset you. He wanted to protect you, and he should have talked to you first, but you have to realize that the outcome was going to be the same. He couldn’t let what was happening continue, and those girls needed to be stopped.”

  “But they won’t stop—”

  “They will, because they’re going to be held accountable now. They might never be your friends, but that’s no loss, right?”

  “But he embarrassed me.”

  “His heart was in the right place. Just like yours was when you told me he had smelly socks and he snores really badly.”

  She gasps. “I didn’t mean anything bad by that!”

  “I know, and so does he, because he knew you were saying those things with love. He knows you love him as much as he loves you. But if you didn’t speak that with love, and if I didn’t think it was super cute, then it could have had side effects that you didn’t expect or intend.”

  I desperately want to take a peek inside her room; see how she’s reacting to this. Is her anger easing? Or am I still the worst?

  “I’m sorry your dad didn’t stand up for you.”

  “I am, too. You’re very lucky to have your dad, just as lucky as he is to have you.”

  “You have him now, too.”

  “Then we’re both lucky. So, you ready for dinner yet? I’m starving.”

  “Not really, but I guess I can sit with you guys.”

  Letting out a relieved breath, I stand off to the side and take a few more steps for good measure. Then I lean against the wall as River’s door is opened fully and she emerges with Conner coming up behind her.

  When she moves beside me, I reach out and lightly grab her shoulder, stopping her.

  “I’m sorry, River. I didn’t mean to upset you.”

  She looks up at me and, for the first time since I picked her up from Read or Die, she isn’t glaring at me. “Okay.”

  It might not be much, but it’s the best word in the world right now.

  I let her pass, and once she’s moved down the stairs, I turn to Conner, who has a smug smile on his lips.

  “I’m a kid whisperer!” he teases me.

  I’m not sure what he’s expecting—hell, I didn’t even know how I was going to react—but I swiftly reach out and grab him, hauling him against me and mashing my lips against his, kissing the hell out of him.

  It takes him a few moments to recover from my sensual attack, but soon, his hands roam over my scalp, pulling me just as hard against him.

  It’s hot, sexy, and one of the best kisses of my life.

  I have to force myself to pull away from him. Even then, I can’t bear to be farther than a few inches from his face.

  “Thank you,” I whisper against his lips, holding him tightly in my arms for a few moments, enjoying having him here.

  He nods, looking slightly dazed from my carnal attack, before he steps out of my arms and indicates for me to go down the stairs.

  “Later tonight, your ass is mine,” I tell him, not waiting to hear his response before I’m at the bottom of the stairs and heading toward the dining table where River is already sitting, eyeing the taco shells and fillings in different bowls in the middle of the table.

  River loves tacos, which is probably why I decided to make them.

  I inwardly smile when she can’t resist them.

  As we sit and listen to Conner speak about the hike he took today with passion, the tension around us all cracks a little, and it almost feels like a normal dinner.

  ***

  “She asleep?” Conner asks distractedly. He’s typing on his phone as he sits on my bed. He has taken his shirt off, but he hasn’t removed his pants.

  He luckily still had his overnight bag with him and had a quick shower when he first arrived to get rid of the sweat and dirt that he picked up on his hike.

  “Yeah.”

  She didn’t tell me she loved me, which she usually tells me each night before she falls asleep, but she did allow me to tuck her in, so I think we’re on the right track.

  “That’s good. Hey, want to see this video I—”

  I grab his free hand and yank him to his feet, causing his phone to slip from his hand and bounce on the bed.

  “Hey! What are you—”

  I pull him into my bathroom then begin stripping. As soon as my shirt comes off, he quietens, watching me intently with his keen eyes. Then, when I shove my pants off, he licks his lips.

  “Rocky?”

  “I haven’t done anything in the house with … but we can make noises in here,” I say, leaning to the side to turn on the water. “Strip.”

  Conner does not need to be told twice. He rips off his pants and briefs at the same time, revealing his thick cock to me, which is hardening before my eyes.

  Glancing over his entire golden-skinned body, I take in the man who has turned my world upside down. His chest heaves with his quickening breaths, his slim figure fit and seductive, while his eyes are magnetic as they hold my gaze. Nothing can stop me from glancing downward when he begins to stroke himself.

  “I have to warn you; I’m fucking horny right now.” My voice is hoarse, my body vibrating with the need riding me.

  “So am I.”

  “It isn’t going to be gentle.”

  “Never said I wanted gentle.”

  “What do you want?” I reach inside the top drawer and pull out lube and a condom.

  “You.”

  I smile as I drop the lube and condom down by his feet.

  His eyes stay on them for a moment, confusion lighting his gaze, before I drop down to my knees in front of him, moving my hands to his hips as I first breathe him in, his hard dick close to my face.

  I love Conner’s scent here. It’s arousing to inhale his musk and know how much having me so close to his cock teases him.

  “Rocky.” The last part of my name is moaned when I turn my head and suck the tip of his dick into my mouth. I lap my tongue over the sensitive head, tasting his pre-come on my lips, while he quickly moans again above me, gripping my hair. Then he strokes his fingers down the side of my face, and I look up, loving his heated eyes and the hot blush over his skin. I have all of Conner’s attention right now, and it’s a heady feeling.

  I pop my mouth off his dick, stroking it a couple of times and enjoying the way it throbs in my hands. “Fuck my mouth,” I tell him before wrapping my lips back around him and groan when he pistons and his dick hits the back of my throat. He sets a rhythm doing this, holding my face while I move my hands on the floor and blindly feel for the bottle of lube.

  Finding it, I pop open the lid and pour some onto my fingers. Then I drop it back to the floor and tap his legs, making him step them farther apart before I finger along his crack, touching his puckered hole. I toy with pushing the tip of my finger in.

  His thrusts become more frantic as I begin to finger-fuck him, and I swallow him back when I insert a second digit.

  “Fuck, Rocky. Fuck, fuck, fuck!” he cries, mouthing more expletives that come out soundless.

  When I’m satisfied that he’s ready and I’ve tortured him enough, I leave his dick, but not without one last kiss to the tip, making him shiver, and then I remove my still slick fingers out of him.

  “Turn around, put your hands on the shower door, and look to your right.”

  He does as I ask, his eyes lighting up when he sees our reflection in the bathroom mirror to our side.

  I place the condom over me, cover it in lube, and then I meet his eyes in the mirror. “I want you to watch as I fuck you,” I tell him, caressing his ass before I part his cheeks, lining up my cock against him. “You watching?”

  “Yes,” he hisses, extending the S when I charge up into him as he’s speaking.

  He closes his eyes for a moment, but without needing to be prompted, he quickly forces them open.

  I have the best view as I watch myself disappear i
nto his body, his tight hole gripping me in a way that I know I won’t last much longer. Then, when I glance to the side and watch us as he’s seeing us, I know we make a fucking hot sight.

  “Fuck, Rocky, this is incredible,” Conner says on a moan.

  “You’re incredible,” I tell him, rocking into him harder as I chase my orgasm.

  I move one hand from his hip and snake around to his front, using my still slick fingers to stroke his hard dick.

  He cries out from my touch, fucking himself into my hand while I fuck into his ass.

  “I’m gonna come!” Conner cries, his body locking as he shoots his come over my hand.

  I take only two more thrusts before I’m coming, too. It feels fucking good. Then I wrap my arms around his middle to catch him when he falls forward.

  I move out of his ass, missing his tight grip from around me instantly. I then open the shower door and push him forward into it. I remove the condom and throw it away before I join him.

  I quickly decide that I want to shower with Conner every single day of my life. Getting to touch him, to run soapy hands over his skin and tease him is relaxing and fun. It equally makes me smile and turns me the hell on again.

  We make out under the warm spray and jack each other off before we step back out. I don’t come as hard as I did before, but it’s fucking hot, and I’m not sure I’ve ever felt so sated in my life.

  We crash into bed soon after, both barely able to move once the lights are off and Conner is wrapped around me. I hold him tightly and settle in for the best night’s sleep I’ve ever gotten. That is … until my phone goes off at two in the morning and I have to leave to sort out a domestic situation between a husband and wife.

  Two hours later, I’m crawling back into bed and into the arms of the man I’m beginning to realize I might not be willing to live without.

  Now I just need to find out who the hell is sending threats to Conner, make sure they’re locked up and cannot ever touch so much as a hair on his head, and life will be perfect.

  Chapter Nine

  I groan in frustration as I go over every statement I’ve gotten in Conner’s case. But, as far as I can see, I’ve missed nothing. Well, except whomever the fucking culprit is. With no more hate mail and the perpetrator keeping quiet, I don’t have much to go on.