by K. C. Lynn
A growl erupts from him, vibrating against my lips. “You taste as good as I remember.”
I want to tell him the same thing but can’t. All I can think about is his mouth never leaving mine, not even for a second, or it might kill me.
At this moment, I’m not even sure how I survived so long without it—without him.
He slides the stool closer to the drum set before his hand moves between us and presses on my chest. I seize the opportunity to suck in air and let him guide me to my back, my shoulders resting against the musical cylinders.
His hands move to mine and it’s then I realize I still have the drumsticks gripped tightly in my fists. With a sexy smirk, he pries them both from me, throwing one on the floor but keeps hold of the other.
His dark eyes never sever from mine as he unbuttons the shirt I’m wearing, exposing me to his stare. The cool air whispers over my heated flesh, my nipples straining for his touch.
“So fucking pretty.” The wild lust in his eyes triggers an intense desire in me.
I bite my lip to keep from moaning but all silent caution is thrown out the window the moment he takes the stick and brushes the tip of it over one aching bud.
Another gasp parts my lips, a fiery whimper purging from me at the cool, hard feel. My back arches, the small touch igniting an inferno in my body.
“Remember the things I used to do to your body, Alissa? How wet you would get when you’d hear me sing?” he murmurs, dragging the smooth wood down my tummy. “You’d beg me to take your ache away. Remember?”
“Yes. Do you?” I ask. I’m dying to know. Has he thought of me as much as I have him?
“Yeah, baby. There isn’t a moment of our time together that I’ve ever forgotten.”
His admission has my throat burning and heart aching. Aching at the loss of him, of what we could have had.
What we did have.
“The good,” he whispers. “The bad.” He slips the stick in my panties. “And the fucking beautiful.”
“Oh, god, Christopher.” His name spills past my lips on a cry of pleasure as he glides the stick through my wet flesh, slowly working it against my swollen clit.
He plays my body like he plays every instrument. With skilled perfection and grace. Keeping his momentum, he leans down just enough to suck a hard nipple into his mouth. His teeth graze it with a pressure that borders on a beautiful pain and it’s enough to send me over the edge.
Blissful cries rip from my throat as I’m swept up into an intense storm of pleasure.
“Good girl, scream for me, Alissa. Let me have your pleasure because next it’s going to be my cock working this hot little pussy.”
His filthy words drag out the intensity of my orgasm. Before I can come down from my high, he pulls the stick from my panties and tosses it. I hear it clatter to the floor just as he shreds the thin silk from my body and pulls me upright.
Another cry pushes past my lips when his hard, bare cock drives up into me—completing me.
It’s devastatingly beautiful.
A connection I’ve never forgotten and yearned for with every fiber of my being.
Christopher stills with a groan, his wild eyes holding mine. “Tell me,” he demands, his voice guttural. “Tell me you thought about this. That you never fucking forgot what this felt like.”
“I tried,” I choke out truthfully, my throat burning with emotion. “I tried so hard to forget, because it hurt too much to think about but I couldn’t.” My breath hitches as tears begin spilling down my cheeks. “I never forgot you, Christopher. I never forgot what it felt like to be yours. Sometimes the memories were wondeful but other times painful, especially the one where you walked away from me.”
His jaw flexes and he drops his forehead on mine, his tortured eyes bearing the same regret in them that I have buried in my soul. His fingers stroke my wet cheek. “I never walked away from you. Not the way you think. I thought about you every day.”
His admission heals a part of my wounded soul but there is still so much loss and regret that fills me. It’s on the tip of my tongue to tell him I still think about him but I manage to hold back, needing to protect my fragile heart.
Without another word, he pulls his shirt from my body then slides his hands up my bare back, grabbing a fistful of my hair before driving up inside of me, over and over again.
Moaning, my fingers dig into his shoulders as he claims me for the second time in my life, heart and soul. Every touch, stroke, and kiss is remembered as our bodies never miss a beat, moving together in perfect harmony. As if years never separated us.
“Christopher,” I whisper his name, feeling myself inching closer to the brink of destruction once again.
“Come for me, baby. I want your tight little pussy dripping all over my cock.”
The order takes me even higher but I refuse to be the only one. “Fall with me. Don’t let me go alone,” I whisper, then lean in and take his lip between my teeth, biting down hard enough to draw blood.
It shatters him the same way it did in the past. With a roar, he hurdles over the edge with me.
I claw at the skin of his shoulders as I ride out my orgasm. His hips never falter, relentless with every thrust, taking all the pleasure I have to give while allowing me his. He doesn’t stop until we’re both completely sated.
As our breathing begins to slow, his hand hooks behind my neck, reeling me in for a long, hard kiss. A kiss so powerful that it has tears building behind my eyes. I rest my forehead on his shoulder, hoping to hide my emotion.
A sudden loss washes over me when he shifts beneath me and pulls out, severing our connection. After buttoning back up his pants, he presses a kiss to the bare skin of my shoulder then brings his shirt that I was wearing earlier back in place.
Silence remains between us as he gathers me in his arms and stands. I cling to him as he walks back to the house, sadness gripping me at the thought of never feeling this again.
He deposits me gently on his bed, and I grab his wrist before he can leave, peering up at him in the shadows of the room. “Stay with me.” The vulnerability in my words is undeniable and I brace myself for his rejection again but it never comes.
His finger softly trails down my cheek. “There’s nowhere else I’d rather be.”
A small smile whispers across my lips as he rids himself of his jeans and climbs in next to me, gathering me in his arms.
Face to face, chest to chest.
Close enough to feel each other’s heartbeats.
My hand moves to his strong jaw, touching and stroking. A million questions dangle in the back of my throat as I stare into his wounded eyes. The urge to ask all the questions that have been plaguing me since seeing him again. To know every part of his life for the past five years. However, I refrain, not wanting to pry.
In the end, I settle on a truth of my own, a confession, revealing a small part of my fragile heart. “I’ve missed you.”
He takes my hand from his face, bringing it to his mouth for a kiss. “Not as much as I’ve missed you, baby.”
Unable to hold it back, a sob tumbles past my lips, my heartache filling the space between us. He closes the remaining distance, his lips sealing over mine and inhaling my pain.
His hard body rolls over top of me, his hips settling between my open legs. He reaches between us, pulling his underwear down only far enough to free himself then he pushes into me once more. My nails dig into his shoulders as I cling to him with everything that I am.
No more words are spoken, not about our past, present, or future but we don’t need any.
Our bodies and touch say it all.
CHAPTER 16
Christopher
The screen door creaks as I slowly push it open the next morning and step out onto the porch, trying my damnedest not to wake the beauty in my bed.
“Hey, Kistipher!” Mia shouts from the pasture as she rides Starlight.
Waving, I descend the steps and walk over to the white fence where Cade
stands, watching her.
“You’re up early,” I say in greeting.
“Funny, I was just going to say the same thing about you. Usually, we don’t see your ass until after lunch.”
I grunt but can’t deny it. Unless he needs help with morning chores I don’t get up before noon, but that’s because I don’t fall asleep until the start of daylight, when my demons finally rest.
“She woke me up at the ass crack of dawn,” he continues, gesturing toward Mia. “She wanted to ride and your other sister is already at it, too.” He nods across the way, where Ruthie’s on her skateboard, coasting up the half-pipe he just finished making her last month.
It’s a cool gift and something I wish I had when I was her age. His reasoning behind it though is so she will stop skateboarding from town on the back roads. Something he gives her shit about constantly. We’ll see how long that lasts.
“So how did last night go?” he asks.
I shrug easily but the center of my jeans tighten at the memory of Alissa straddling me, head thrown back as I drove up inside of her tight pussy, claiming what still belongs to me.
“It was fine,” I finally answer. “It will be a lot better when Cooper gets back to me with some answers.”
He nods. “I’m sure it won’t take long. The tough part is going to be finding out who did it.”
The rage that I buried last night begins to surface. “It still makes no damn sense why anyone would want to hurt her.”
It’s obvious someone more than wants to hurt her. The only outcome from yesterday would have been death. What I can’t figure out is how it links to what happened in Kenya. The two have to be tied, it’s too coincidental not to be. Those pirates had the chance to kill her but didn’t. For the most part, they didn’t harm her. So what was the goal?
“Who knows why people do what they do,” he says. “If there’s one thing I’ve come to learn in life it’s that there are monsters lurking in every fucking corner, waiting to strike.”
We’ve both seen and lived them. For me, it’s been more times than I care to count and the last one fucked me up enough that I’ll never be the same again.
“Sometimes, they even live inside of us,” he adds, shooting me a pointed look.
“You say that like you know how it feels,” I murmur before I can stop myself.
He props a booted foot on the fence and leans in closer to me, his assessing eyes not missing a thing. They never have. I swear the fucker knows everything, which is why I’m glad I had him for my greatest mentor.
“Trust me, kid. I know that better than anyone else.”
I look away, having a hard time believing he could have an inkling about the demon that haunts me. He wasn’t there. No one can understand if they weren’t there.
“It’s not always a bad thing you know.”
“Why do you say that?” I ask, staring down at my dirty boots as I kick the ground.
“Because once unleashed, it can’t be beaten. If anyone ever attempted to fuck with the people I love, I would gladly let him out and fucking rip them limb from limb.”
Unable to stop myself, I meet his gaze once more, and I have no doubt he sees everything I’ve tried to keep hidden.
“You have to face it, Christopher,” he says. “Whatever he’s taunting you with. Face it. When you do you’ll be able to control him, not the other way around. Only then will he become an ally, not the enemy.” Without another word, he pushes off the fence and heads for Mia.
I use the opportunity to make my own exit and walk toward Ruthie, trying not to let the guilt swallow me whole as the emotion emerges. I had enough of it last night.
The memory of Billy festered and ate at me until I had no choice but to shut it up by unleashing on my drums. Except, this time, there wasn’t much reprieve. Nothing was working until she came. The one girl who has always calmed the beast. With just a touch or a look, her light outshines my dark.
It always has.
“Holy cannoli, look who’s out in the morning light,” Ruthie shouts in greeting. She slides down the half-pipe, ending it with a Caballerial at the end.
Pride surges in my chest at the execution. She’s gotten pretty damn good.
“Here to take lessons, brother?” she taunts, strolling up to me with her skateboard under her arm.
My arm hooks around her neck, putting her in a headlock. “I don’t think so, sis. Did you forget who rules the skateboard in this family?”
“That was a long time ago. Now there’s a new ruler in town.” Her laughter fills the air as she delivers tiny jabs my way.
Grunting, I take mercy on her and release her.
“I’m serious,” she continues, not letting it go. “It’s been a long time since you’ve been on one.”
“Doesn’t matter. It’s like riding a bike. A legend like myself never forgets.”
She quirks a playful brow at me, her black-rimmed glasses lifting in the process. “Is that a challenge?”
“No. It’s just the truth.”
Lifting her chin, she heads over to the small shed and disappears inside before walking back out with my old skateboard. “How about you put your money where your mouth is?”
She’s gotten damn lippy over the years. It’s all the shit Cade has been teaching her.
Ripping my skateboard out of her hand, I drop it to the ground and put my foot on it. “Let me show you how it’s done.”
“Ha!” she taunts back but follows me, keeping up for the most part.
The feel of the breeze on my face as I surge up the ramp onto the half-pipe fuels a forgotten feeling inside of me.
Freedom.
I used to love the hell out of this. It was a place to just be me when I didn’t have music for an outlet.
On the third lap, I come down the half-pipe and execute a kick flip. Something I’m surprised I can still pull off. Ruthie tries to show me up but fails, losing her footing. I grab the back of her hoodie before she face-plants into the concrete.
She fists my shirt and looks up at me, her black beanie pulled low on her face and glasses hanging sideways. “I almost ha—had you,” she says, her stutter making an appearance.
I grunt. “I don’t think so, grasshopper. But I’ll admit you’re getting good. Though, here is a word of advice. Never challenge someone unless you know you can win.”
“Maybe it wasn’t about the challenge. Maybe I just wanted to hang out with my brother,” she says, her voice softening. “I miss hanging out with you.”
The confession has my chest tightening. Sometimes, I forget that she might still need me. I was always the one to take care of her before Cade and Faith came along. But since they have, and with her and Cade being so close, I was able to be more of a brother than her guardian. However, I haven’t done a good job of that either lately.
She wraps her arms around my waist, burying her head in my chest.
I hold her close. “I’m sorry, Ruthie. I know things have been different lately. I never meant to hurt you.”
“I know,” she whispers. “I just want you back. The way you were before you le—eft the last time.”
How do I explain to her that I am not the same person and never will be? How do I make someone understand when all they see is the light, never the dark?
“Sometimes things happen that change us but it doesn’t change the way I feel about you.”
“Promise you’ll never leave me?” The prominent fear in her voice has me wondering what exactly we’re talking about here.
“I promise. I’ll always be your brother, Ruthie. Nothing will ever change that.”
“I love you, Twistiphwor.”
Why is it every time she calls me the damn name from our past I get a shift in my chest?
“I love you, too.” The words are gruff even to my own ears.
“Alissa, Alissa! Look at me and Starlight,” Mia yells from across the way.
My head snaps up and Ruthie steps back. I watch Alissa make her way over to us, her
head twisted to the side as she waves at Mia and blows her a kiss. When she brings her attention forward again, her eyes lock with mine, making my heart hammer in my chest.
She’s changed back into her white sundress from yesterday but wears my dark gray button-down shirt that she slept in over top of it. The material hangs off one slender shoulder, revealing her satin skin. Her hair gently blows in the morning breeze, and if I didn’t know better, I’d swear the sun was only shining for her.
“You still have it so bad,” Ruthie chuckles quietly next to me.
I rip my gaze away from the beautiful sight and glare down at her. “I do not.” The lie is weak and fools no one, especially myself.
“Good morning,” Alissa greets us with a smile.
“Hey!” Ruthie walks over and wraps her in a hug. “Good to see you. I’m sorry about what happened, but I’m glad you’re okay.”
“Me, too,” Alissa murmurs, returning her embrace. “I hope I’m not interrupting.”
“Not at all.” Ruthie assures her before I can. “I was just schooling my big brother here on skateboarding. He has forgotten over the years.”
Alissa giggles at the lie, the sound humming through my body like my favorite song. “I have a feeling he’s still good at it like he is everything else.” A blush stains her cheeks as she makes eye contact with me, and damn if I don’t want to rip her fucking dress off again and have her right here.
Ruthie’s dramatic sigh knocks me from my stupor. “Unfortunately, this is true. One day I will be better than him at something.”
I’m about to tell her that she’s always been a better person than me but she starts away before I can expel the words.
“I’ll see you guys later,” she yells over her shoulder, carrying her board with her.
Alissa steps closer to me, her teeth sinking into her bottom lip. It has my cock hardening behind my zipper.
“Hey,” she whispers.
“Hey.”
“I missed you this morning,” she confesses.
“I didn’t want to wake you. You needed to sleep, especially after everything that happened yesterday.”