F*ck Perfect (MindF*ck Book 2)

by Danyell Wallace

  Glass breaks somewhere in the house, bringing me back to the here and now. I find that familiar pair of sage green eyes fixated on me. He’s alone now, standing against the wall, sipping from a beer in his hand. His eyes trail over me, making me flush with his familiar stare. It’s the one he used to give me when he wanted to fuck me and words wouldn’t allow him to express his feelings verbally. Bridget’s tall, beautiful frame sidles up beside him and runs a hand through his short strands. My strands. His eyes remain on me as they exchange words.

  “Sweetheart, are you ready?” My dad’s body blocks my view of Bryce and Bridget.

  “Yes.” I plaster a smile on my face. “Have you found Mom?”

  “Yes, she’s in the car waiting on us.”

  “Okay.” I walk behind my dad, looking over my shoulder briefly to see Bryce watching me. Bridget is oblivious to what’s going on. I turn back around, almost bumping into Clay as he storms past me and out of the house. My father and I follow close behind, and as soon as we get outside, the sight of dark clouds and the wind swirling around give my dad and I pause. I hear the door creak open, and Kennedy appears dressed in her white sundress from the funeral. She takes careful steps down the stairs and stands in the yard, watching Clay in his truck, revving the engine, before spinning in the yard, kicking up dirt, and speeding away. I hear an alarm then turn to see my dad looking down at his phone.

  “Ava, get Kennedy inside. It looks like we’re under a tornado warning. I’ll get your mom.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  I jog over to Kennedy who remains standing in the yard, looking at the tire tracks that Clay’s truck left behind. “Kennedy?” I call her name, but she doesn’t look my way, so I touch her arm, and she flinches as if I burned her. “We need to get inside. It’s going to get pretty bad out here.” Kennedy finally looks at me, and that’s when I see tears filling her eyes. I pull her into a tight hug. “Oh, honey. Clay will be okay. He just needs some time alone.” She sobs quietly in my arms then pushes away and rushes back inside the house.

  The sky opens up and it begins to pour. I hurry inside then go up the stairs, stopping outside of Clay’s childhood room. I knock several times. “Kennedy?” I open the door to find no one inside. I close the door, just as thunder roars, shaking the house a little before the lights suddenly go out.

  Inhale, Exhale. I grip the doorknob to Clay’s room. You were doing so well. I flatten my hand against the wall and feel my way around the upstairs area.

  “Ava.”

  Bryce?

  “Yes?” My voice comes out shaky.

  Lightning flashes, illuminating the space just enough for me to see Bryce making his way up the stairs.

  I grip the wall then close my eyes.

  “I’m right here.” He envelopes me in his arms, and we slide down to the floor until we’re seated against the wall. I snuggle against him and allow his body to protect me like a shield. “I’m right here.” His breath fans through my hair. I close my eyes and allow his warmth to relax me, giggling into the crook of his neck when I feel his thumb rubbing small circles against the upper part of my thigh.

  “Still ticklish, I see,” he points out but doesn’t stop touching me. I shift in his arms, causing his hand to go up higher on my thigh where he starts gently massaging it. “How’ve you been, Ava?” His deep voice warms my insides.

  “Good and you?”

  “I’m making it,” he responds after a long pause.

  Thunder rumbles along the house, making me snuggle deeper into him.

  Silence falls between us. The voices coming from downstairs, the rumbling thunder, and raindrops pelting against the windowpane fill in our unspoken words.

  “I’ve missed you,” Bryce says after a long moment passes.

  I lift my head from the crook of his neck and stare at his profile in the darkness. “Then why did you stop writing?”

  He shifts. “I should ask you the same.”

  I furrow my eyes. “I wrote to you every single day. Then once I stopped receiving your letters, I stopped writing.”

  “I never stopped writing you,” His tone becomes clipped but quiet, “and I mailed out every fuckin’ letter.”

  The lights flicker on, and we finally can see each other visibly.

  I shudder when I feel his hands gripping me around the waist, and a match ignites in the pit of my stomach when he pulls me closer. Our lips are so close. My hands find his thighs, gripping the fabric of his pants.

  “I never stopped writing,” he says then tilts his head slightly, his lips slanting over mine.

  “You said you mailed out every letter?”

  “I did.”

  “So, you physically took them to the post office, put a stamp on them, then dropped them into the mailslot?”

  “No, I put them in my mailbox.”

  “Bryce!” A feminine voice calls out to him from downstairs.

  “Then maybe someone made sure that your letters didn’t get to me.”

  The echo of heels click-clack up the stairs. Bridget pauses at the top of the stairs and glares down at us.

  “Yeah?” Bryce sounds irritated by the interruption. His hands remain around my waist.

  looks between us before saying, “It’s your cousin Clay. He’s been in an accident.”

  Chapter 32

  Bryce

  How much more can I take? First, Kyle; now, Clay is lying in a hospital bed in a coma. I swear my family must be cursed, but thank God Kennedy found him when she did.

  Ava brings my car to a stop in front of my trailer then cuts the engine. After Bridget delivered the news that Clay was in an accident, I rushed down the stairs to find that my mom was long gone with my aunt and uncle, and Morgan and her boyfriend were en route back into town. Bridget offered to drive me, but I told her that I would be fine and that I would keep her posted about my cousin once I found out more. I burst out the door as soon as Mr. Walker surprisingly assured me that he’d lock up the house. My mind was a scattered mess that I couldn’t even think straight when I got into my car. I became immobile and just stared out the window. A light tap on my window caught my attention then my door opened.

  “I’ll drive,” Ava offers.

  I get out of my car and hand over my keys with no further question. A blanket of fog makes it harder for her to see, but we get to the hospital before visiting hours are over to find out that Clay is in critical condition and that he had been in and out of consciousness before falling into a coma. I break down mentally and physically when I see my cousin lying in that hospital bed unresponsive. I walk out his hospital room, unable to focus through my tears, passing Ava who stands against the wall, holding Kennedy, Clay’s new bride, in a tight embrace. It seems that only Ava and I are the only ones who know that the two lovebirds flew out to Vegas and got hitched.

  I could hear Ava call out to me as we walk down the hall. We get to the elevators, and I remember telling her that I needed to get out of there and gripped her hand in mine. The whole fuckin’ ride to my place consisted of me drowning my eyes out.

  When we arrive at my trailer, I head straight for the cabinet where I keep all my liquor, but tonight, a little Jack Daniels is what I need. I grab two glasses from the dish rack, fill them both up with ice, and carry them over to the small table in the kitchen and drop down in a seat. I twist the cap off the heavy glass bottle and pour two shots worth in each glass. Ava joins me at the table and sips from hers while I down mine before pouring another glass. This time, more than two shots and I keep them coming until the liquor gets the best of me and I start sobbing once again.

  “After everything, your dad performed the service and didn’t charge my family. Why?” I ask.

  Ava’s chair scrubs against the linoleum floor then I feel her hand run across my head. I look up and see that she’s crying too. I turn in my seat and pull her against me. She wraps her arms around me, and I sob into her chest, soaking the front of her dress with my tears.

  “I think he feels
guilty for what he did.” Her lips touch my forehead then make their way down to my cheek.

  I turn my head and my lips touch the corner of her mouth. Her head shifts slightly, and we’re now exhaling each other’s breaths. “I need you,” I murmur desperately.

  “I’m right here.”

  I run my hands up her smooth, toned legs until they disappear under her dress. My fingers skim across lace fabric nestled on her hips, making me groan. “I don’t think you understand,” I clarify. “I need to taste you,” I pull her panties down halfway, “and I need to bury my dick so deep inside you.”

  Our lips brush against each other.

  “Bryce, we shouldn’t.”

  I pry my lips away from hers and stare into her eyes. I’m dying to ask her if she’s happy with Ray. To be honest, I don’t care if she makes Ava happy. She is here with me now, and I want her all to my fuckin’ self. I continue to remove her panties, and she doesn’t stop me. I lift her dress up as she’s scooting back on the table. I massage her calf muscles. “Lay back,” I softly command her, and she complies. I kiss her left knee then trail my lips down her thigh. When I face her smooth, waxed pussy and the tiny, violet-colored flower gem pierced to her clit, Ava rises on her forearms and looks down between her parted legs and watches for my reaction.

  “Fuck, are you trying to make me come in my pants?”

  She bites down on her lower lip then spreads her legs wider for me.

  One swipe of my tongue over her piercing and pussy lips has her mewling and grabbing the top of my head, tugging me closer. I separate her pussy lips with my tongue and suck on her sweet little clit. The hand grabbing at my strands moves between us, and she takes over with keeping her lower lips parted for me so I can toy with her clit. When I think she’s about to come, I suck on her pussy lips to give me more time to taste her because I know once she comes, her clit will be too sensitive for me to lap and enjoy.

  Ava pants my name as soon as I slide my tongue past her entrance to taste her inner walls, and she comes undone. I continue to kiss and thrust my tongue inside her tight pussy before rising to my full height. Ava watches me unbutton my pants and shove them down. I pull her forward on the table, rip a condom open, and cover my dick before diving hard and deep inside of her, stealing her breath away. I lift her to a sitting position and kiss her tenderly while fuckin’ her fast and hard then slow and tender. I slide my dick out of her then turn her over on her stomach and slide back in from behind. The table screeches against the floor, ramming into the wall. I watch the sight of my dick slide in and out as my pelvis connects with her bouncing ass.

  “I’m so fuckin’ deep, baby,” I rasp.

  “Oh, yes! Feels so good.” Ava reaches for me.

  I place a majority of my weight on her back and suck on the side of her neck.

  “I don’t think I can take anymore,” Ava says drowsily.

  “But I’m not ready to come yet.” I nip her earlobe. “Please don’t make me stop.”

  Ooomiiiigod.” Her eyes become hooded, and her pussy squeezes around my dick.

  “Mmmm, yes! That’s it, baby. Come all over my dick, Ava,” I hum against her ear.

  “Bryce, aaaaaahhh!”

  Several thrusts later, I explode.

  Our harsh breathing and the sound of the window unit blasting cool air are the only things that can be heard. With my dick still buried deep inside of her, I tilt her head back and kiss her lips before whispering, “I never stopped loving you, Ava.”

  “Don’t go.” I want to utter those words as I watch Ava slide out of my bed the next day. The late afternoon sun shines brightly through the blinds, over her brown skin, giving it an even healthier glow. If it weren’t for Mr. Sun, we would still be cuddled under my sheets, naked with the scent of sex still on our skin.

  “Were you going to leave without saying goodbye?” I smooth my hand down her naked back. She looks over her shoulder at me and smiles before looking away.

  “I didn’t want to wake you.”

  I sit up and rest my back against the headboard. “Too late for that; now, come back to bed.” I reach for her and pull her back to me. She falls back and rests her head on my raised leg, gazing up at me. “Spend the rest of the weekend with me.” The rest of your life. I run my thumb over her parted lips and chin then down over her throat.

  “I want to so bad.”

  “Then stay.”

  “Bryce, I missed my flight last night to be here with you, and now, I have to get back to Georgia. I was only here for the funeral. What we did probably—“

  I kiss the words ”should’ve never happened” away. Ava grips the back of my head, and I deepen the kiss. I lift my head and stare into her eyes. “Then what do we call what we just shared?”

  ”Closure,” she whispers.

  Silence ensues as we digest that piece of information.

  “Stay,” I plead once more.

  “But I have a life in Georgia now,” she says quietly.

  ”But I can’t lose you again when I just got you back.”

  ”Who said you’re losing me? We can still be friends. You can call or start writing to me again.” She gives me a sad smile.

  It’s not enough. “So, that’s it? Just friends?”

  “Just friends,” she confirms.

  “What time does your flight leave today?” I skim my fingers over her collarbone then back up to brush over her lips, remembering how they felt when she parted them wide to receive my cock last night.

  One of the best fuckin’ feelings ever.

  Ava comes to her knees and straddles my lap. Her perky breasts bounce in my face. “Before you woke up, I was in the process of getting an Uber back to my parents’ to book my next flight.”

  “I’ll take you back to your parents’.” I flick my tongue across her nipple, making it harder. Ava hisses then grabs my head and offers her other nipple to me. I suck it inside my mouth and slowly release it. Thank you for always being there for me when I need you the most.”

  “Always,” she moans. “You would do it for me.”

  “I’d do anything for you,” I murmur and trail kisses along her sternum.

  “I’m going to miss you.” Ava reaches for my dick and strokes it. “So, so, so much,” she says before her pussy swallows the head of my cock. “Condom!” she pants before I can sink to the bottom of her pussy.

  I pull out and reach for the box of ultra-thin condoms that I bought when Bridget and I were together were finally put to use last night. Before then, I was celibate and didn’t have any use for them. I roll one on and then fall on my back.

  Using my headboard for support, Ava rides my dick until I’m spilling inside the condom. After we shower, we lie in bed and take a nap, later waking up to her phone alarm. During the drive to her parents’ house, our hands link together. When I pull into the driveway, she leans over the console and presses her lips against at mine. “If you need anything, don’t be afraid to pick up the phone and call me.”

  ”That goes for you too.”

  “Goodbye, Bryce.”

  “Goodbye, Ava.”

  Chapter 33

  Ava

  Present

  Our lips pressed together one final time that night—so I thought. Several hours later, I was on a flight to Atlanta, Georgia, coming home days earlier than I planned, to find my girlfriend Raychel using a strap-on with Kacie, the girl she introduced me to as her first cousin. Any guilt that I felt for cheating on her with Bryce quickly eased away.

  Instead of busting through the door to ask them what the hell was going on or react with violence, I quietly closed the door and left to get a hotel room. The next day when I knew Ray wouldn’t be at the apartment, I packed up my stuff and left her a note thanking her for acting as a replacement for someone I never really got over. I simply ended the note with I hope you and your kissing cousin Kacie have a nice life.

  I had two months left until I finished up my final semester at Spelman, so I stayed in Georgia until
graduation. With the monthly allowance my dad deposited into my bank account, I rented out a small room from an elderly couple that sat above a garage. The space was similar to Bryce’s grandfather’s garage but much smaller. It had all the amenities and enough room for my queen size bed. Once I settled into my new routine, I began to receive letters from Bryce again, and I responded to them all. We even started to text and talk regularly.

  I roll onto my side at the memory and stare out the open door of Bryce’s bedroom, into the living room, and through the kitchen at the side door of his trailer. It’s been four hours and counting since Bryce left. He’s probably with Bridget now, finishing up with what they started last night when I showed up unannounced and ruined the moment. Bridget’s therapy sessions must be coming along really well if they’ve reached this milestone in their relationship.

  “Stop,” I huff to myself.

  Maybe I should just leave, bite the bullet, and stay with my parents. I take out my phone and stare at my screensaver of Bryce pressing his lips against my temple. I’d taken the picture when he surprised me one weekend in Georgia, three weeks before I was set to graduate from Spelman. We decided to see the midnight showing of the latest Star Wars installment that had been out of theaters for months, but the City of Atlanta organized A Blanket and A Movie event in the park, so we went. The look on my face was pure joy. I planned to snap a photo of us and post it to social media with a few hashtags. We had so much fun, just the two of us sitting on the lawn with other Star Wars fans and our store-bought snacks, only to wake up in each other’s arms with our half-eaten snack bags to see the closing credits of the movie.

  “We couldn’t even stay up and watch the whole movie,” I laugh to myself and caress the screen then quickly press the side button on my phone. The screen darkens and the picture disappears instantly. I roll to my back and shove my hands through my hair, gripping the roots so tightly that my scalp begins to burn. Why do I keep doing this to myself? “Because I love him,” I confess quietly to myself. “To a man that is very much taken.” Shit, he didn’t even tell me that he and Bridget were back together.