Just for Now
Page 21
Preston turned his head to look at me. “Hate you? You think I hate you?”
I shrugged. Yeah, that was what I thought. He sure acted like it.
“I don’t hate you, Manda. I could never hate you.”
“Then why are you treating me this way? Why can’t you at least look at me? Talk to me? I’m not asking for—”
Preston grabbed me and slammed his mouth against mine violently. His tongue plunged into my mouth, wrapping around mine while his hands grabbed my butt and pulled me hard up against his body. I’d barely had time to respond, when he was suddenly gone. I opened my eyes, and he was standing in front of me breathing hard. “That is why I am acting the way I am. Because every time you get near me, I want to grab you and hold on so damn tight you can’t go anywhere again. I want to kiss you until you forget what a sorry-ass bastard I am. But I can’t. You want to move on, and I am trying to let you.”
He wasn’t over me. He wanted me. But he didn’t love me. Could I live without love? I wanted what Marcus and Willow had. But I also wanted Preston. Did I let go of the dream of a fairy-tale romance so I could have my dream of Preston?
“You show up here with him,” he growled. “How the fuck do I handle that? All I can think about is, has he touched you? It’s killing me. It is literally eating me up inside. Knowing he may be touching you in places only I had touched you. Places that were mine. Mine! And I fucked it up and lost it.”
I took two steps, closing enough distance between us so that I could touch him. I’d made my decision. Preston wasn’t raised like my brother. He hadn’t been given love. How did I expect him to know how to love if no one had ever shown him? Marcus could love easily. He’d been loved all his life.
I’d show Preston how to love. Maybe one day he’d love me too. He just needed someone to teach him how love works. How it feels. That it isn’t built on lies. I loved him more than my fantasy of what I thought romance was. I would never be happy with anyone but him.
I reached out and placed my hand on his heart. His pec muscle jumped underneath my hand. “I’m not dating Jason. We are friends. Only friends. Never even kissed him. He knows my heart is unavailable. I’ve explained it to him, and he is okay with that. He isn’t looking for anything more with me. This weekend he knew was going to be tough on me, so he flew in to be supportive. Nothing more.”
Preston was breathing hard. “He hasn’t touched you anywhere? Because he sure as hell hugs you too tightly.”
I grinned and shook my head. “He has hugged me twice. That is all.”
“He’s got money. He’s got fame. He’s got that damn jet. Why don’t you want him?”
I rubbed my thumb over his heart. “Because I love you.”
The hard mask on his face fell away, and his eyes swam with emotion.
“How? Why?” he asked, reaching up to cover my hand with his. “I don’t deserve it.”
“I disagree. You’re special, Preston Drake. I think I’ve been in love with you since my sixteenth birthday and you came to my bonfire party on the beach with Marcus. You winked at me and called me beautiful. From that moment on I watched you. I was fascinated by you. Then as I got older, I wanted you. Once I got you, I realized I was in love with you.”
Preston slid his other hand around my waist and rested it against my lower back. “The night you walked out on me and you knew the truth, there were no more lies standing between us, and I realized this crazy, wild, intense feeling I had for you was love. I’d never had this before. Sure, I loved my brothers and sister, but nothing like this out-of-control emotion I couldn’t name. I had been scared to tell you I loved you because I couldn’t believe that what I was feeling was love if I wasn’t telling you the truth about me. I lied to you because I knew you’d leave me if you found out. I didn’t want to lose you.”
My breathing stopped. I’m more than positive my heart did too.
“You love me?”
He smiled and lowered his head until his lips hovered over mine. “I love you with a scary, insane, wild, amazing love. I always will. No one else could ever make me feel this way.”
I pressed my lips against his and wrapped my arms around his neck. Both his hands locked on my waist, and he picked me up. I wrapped my legs around him while I kissed him with all the emotion pouring through me. His hands slipped under my dress and cupped my bottom so he could hold me up.
“Come on, guys. Really? This is my freaking wedding day. Can y’all save that crap until it’s over?” Marcus’s voice carried out over the wind, and we broke apart to see him grinning at us a few feet away.
“She’s hard to resist,” Preston called back out to him.
“Well, try. Please. Everyone is getting ready inside. We need the best man and maid of honor. If y’all could try not to make out during the wedding pictures, I’d appreciate it.”
Preston laughed and set me back down on the sand. “I take it you’re not going to bash my face in this time?”
Marcus shook his head. “No, but if the two of you had continued to look at each other and sulk like babies, I was going to bash your face in for being an idiot.”
“I take it you found the bride,” Preston said.
What did that mean? Had he lost her?
Marcus shrugged. “Yeah. She’d gone to eat fries.”
“Fries?” we both asked in unison.
Marcus rolled his eyes. “Yeah, fries. It’s one of those Cage and Low things I’m still learning to deal with.”
Preston squeezed my butt and then patted it. “You go on ahead with your brother. I’ll follow behind. Tonight isn’t the time to deal with your mother’s reaction.”
I’d forgotten about her. Crap.
Chapter Twenty-seven
Preston
I wasn’t sure if the wedding was as beautiful as everyone said it was. All I’d been able to see was Amanda. I could attest to the fact that she was gorgeous. It was hard to see anyone else around her. She commanded my complete attention.
The wedding dinner, however, was another thing. Once again she was seated beside Jason, since he was her plus one, and I was across the table getting to witness it.
She’d smiled at me reassuringly throughout the meal. I knew she was trying to get me to stop staring Jason down, but it couldn’t be helped. I was pissed, and I wanted him to leave.
When the longest meal I’d ever sat through was over, Jason had stood up and congratulated Marcus and Low, then explained he had a plane waiting on him. Amanda said she’d walk him out. I didn’t want them alone. I trusted her, but I couldn’t say the same for Jason. Once they stepped out of the dining room, I started to stand up and follow them. Marcus’s hand gripped my arm tightly. “Don’t,” he whispered.
“Let go of me,” I warned.
“Listen to me. She doesn’t want him. She is being polite. He was her guest. Don’t make a scene. She’ll be right back.” Marcus was talking under his breath so no one could hear him but me. I knew he was right, but I didn’t like sitting here waiting.
“What if he tries to kiss her?”
“She’ll stop it. Trust her.”
I did trust her, dammit.
Amanda walked back into the room, and she immediately looked toward me. She mouthed, Let’s go. Then she turned to go say her good-byes to her mother and some guests.
“I’m hoping you two find the time to see us off later,” Marcus said before I could even stand up. He’d read her lips too.
I nodded. “Wouldn’t miss it, and thank you for trusting me with her.”
Marcus smiled. “You are my best man. Who better to trust her with?”
I grinned and headed out the door. Amanda was already out here somewhere waiting on me, and I was more than anxious to get her alone.
Two hands reached out of the shadows and wrapped around my arm, tugging me into the darkness.
“You weren’t very nice in there,” Amanda scolded before kissing my neck and running her hands up my chest.
“I was on my best
“No, you were a bad boy. I’m surprised Jason toughed it out as long as he did.” She bit down on my earlobe and raised her bare leg up my side. I grabbed her under the knee and pulled it higher.
“He was too close to you, and you don’t have on a bra. Manda, you have got to start wearing a bra, baby. I’m gonna get arrested if you don’t.”
She giggled and reached up to pull the straps of her dress down until her breasts were bare.
“Fuck, baby. I’ve got to get you back to my apartment. Now. Real fast.” I bent down to flick her erect nipples with my tongue.
“Mmmmm, I can’t wait that long, and we have to be here to see them off,” she moaned, pressing my head closer to her nipple until I pulled it into my mouth and sucked.
I wasn’t going to be able to wait that long either at this rate. It had been too long since I’d touched her. I was ready to be buried up in her, and this time I might not ever come out.
“Preston,” she panted.
“Yes, baby?”
“Go down the beach that way. There are no houses, and it’s dark and empty. I need you right now.” She was pointing off into the darkness.
She wanted to have sex on a beach? Hell, yes.
I slipped the straps of her dress back up her arms and covered her tits back up, then grabbed her hand and led her out deeper into the darkness. We walked until the music and laughter from the house had faded away and there was no sound other than the waves..
Amanda pushed at my chest when I tried to pull her against me, and she reached for the button on my pants. There was a wicked gleam in her eyes as she looked up at me. She got the button undone and unzipped them, then pulled down my pants and my boxer briefs. I slipped off my shoes and stepped out of them. My girl wanted me naked, so I was going to oblige her.
She placed both her hands on my thighs and stuck out her tongue and took a swipe at my dick. Holy shit.
“Manda, baby . . . Ohgod.” She wrapped a hand around the base of my cock, then covered it with her mouth.
“Baby, AH, you . . . OH, Manda, God, that feels incredible.” I gave up trying to stop her. I couldn’t form words. I reached down and buried my hands in her hair, and watched in delirious pleasure as she slid my dick in and out of her mouth like it was a damn Popsicle and she couldn’t get enough.
“Holy . . . fuck. UH, yeah. That’s it. So good.” She sucked harder when I praised her. If I wasn’t about to explode, I’d keep on talking, but I needed to get her sweet, hot little mouth off my cock and get inside her.
I reached down and pulled her up. The popping noise her mouth made when my dick sprang free might go down as one of the hottest sounds ever.
“I don’t want to stop,” she said with a pout, trying to go back down on her knees.
“I was about to lose it right there in your sexy-as-hell mouth, and I didn’t want to do that. I wanted to lose it in you.”
Amanda made a cute little O with her mouth, and I reached under her dress to rid her of her panties. I threw them aside, and she laughed at yet another torn pair of her little sexy underwear. I was going to go buy her some more tomorrow. We were gonna need them.
I slipped a finger into her, thinking I needed to get her ready, when my hand met wet heat. “You liked giving me head, didn’t you?” I asked in wonder as she trembled against my hand, more than wet enough for me. “That’s so damn hot,” I whispered, lowering my mouth to capture hers. She was turned on and ready for me just by sucking my damn cock. Shit. This woman owned me. I’d be her slave for life. I just couldn’t lose her again.
Amanda
Preston unzipped my dress and let it drop to the sand below us, and I kicked it aside. He reached for his pants and pulled out his wallet and a small foil packet. I watched as he tore it open with his teeth then slid the condom down over himself. His white teeth bit into his bottom lip as he worked to get the protection in place.
“I’m gonna lie down, and I want you to get on top of me. Just like you rode me on the couch.” He pulled his shirt off, then lay down on the sand, and I stepped over him and lowered myself on him.
“Ah, damn, I’m not gonna last,” he breathed as I placed my hands on his chest and let him guide his erection into me. I was more than ready for him. As soon as he had it in place, I sank down on him and we both cried out from the pleasure of it. I’d missed him so much. This time knowing he loved me. It changed everything.
We dusted the sand off the best we could and fixed each other’s hair before we headed back to the house. We could see people piling out of the front doors as we approached. We’d made it back just in time.
“You want to go in first so your mom doesn’t see us?”
No. I didn’t. I wanted to walk in there holding Preston Drake’s hand and daring her to say anything about it. Was she really going to tell everyone about his past? Because I wasn’t going to leave him, so they’d all know that her daughter was dating a former gigolo. I wasn’t so sure my mom was that self-destructive. Her social circle would eat that information up. Also, she’d have to rat the mayor’s wife out, and that would cause all kinds of drama.
“I want to walk in there holding your hand. I’m tired of hiding things because I’m scared of my mom’s reaction. She is going to be against this, but I don’t care. She’ll learn to live with it. And once she’s around you for any amount of time, she’s going to be charmed. You have that way about you. It is impossible for a female to not like you.”
Preston pulled me up against his chest and cupped my face in his hands. “I love you. I love you so damn much it consumes me. I don’t deserve you, but I’m gonna become the man who does deserve you. I promise you. I’ll make you proud of me.”
I reached up and ran my thumb over his lips. “I am and will always be proud of you. I want the world to know you’re mine.”
About the Author
Abbi Glines is the author of The Vincent Boys and The Vincent Brothers in addition to several other YA novels. A devoted booklover, Abbi lives with her family in Alabama. She maintains a Twitter addiction @abbiglines and can also be found at AbbiGlines.com.
Also by Abbi Glines
The Vincent Boys
The Vincent Brothers
Because of Low
While It Lasts
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This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and events are products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
SIMON PULSE
An imprint of Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing
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First Simon Pulse paperback edition April 2013
Copyright © 2013 by Abbi Glines
All rights reserved, including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form.
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Also available in a Simon Pulse hardcover edition.
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This book has been cataloged with the Library of Congress.
ISBN 978-1-4424-8861-8 (hc)
ISBN 978-1-4424-8860-1 (pbk)
ISBN 978-1-4424-8862-5 (eBook)
Table of Contents
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
About the Author
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