Believing Lies

by Rachel Everleigh

  “A little game?” His voice was suggestive, and one side of his mouth turned up in a provocative smile.

  I gently kicked his thigh. “Get your mind out of the gutter, Korbell.”

  “You know my mind lives in the gutter, Princess.” He winked.

  “Oh, I know. Anyway, when Sophie and I were little, we would play in the tree house in her backyard. Lots of nights, we’d camp out in it, and while we laid in our sleeping bags, we’d play a game we called Questions . . . We were like ten or something, so our skills at naming a game were pretty weak.”

  “I’ll say.”

  I kicked his thigh again, and he chuckled. “So, as the title suggests, we would just take turns asking each other questions.

  He looked skeptical “What kind of questions? As in ‘what’s your favorite color?’”

  “Purple, but no, not those kind of questions—creative questions. Usually we make them funny or completely random. No serious or sad ones allowed. Well, what do you think? Want to try?”

  “This seems like a bad idea,” he stated, his voice low.

  I felt like a fool and also a tad hurt. Of course a silly childhood game is a stupid idea. He’s a sexy, grown man for God’s sake, not a little girl. “You’re right. It was just a thought.” I used a false upbeat tone. “Are you sure you don’t want to watch a movie?”

  He started to rub my foot. Oh sweet baby Jesus! Heat ran up my legs, and my whole body hummed. I didn’t know how to react, so I acted as if I wasn’t affected at all. I bit the inside of my mouth to keep myself from making a noise as he kneaded my foot.

  “I don’t want to watch a movie. I want to play Questions. I didn’t mean that I thought the game itself was a bad idea. I meant that I thought us playing the game together was a bad idea.”

  “Then why play it?” I asked quickly before biting my mouth again as I relished in the feeling of his hands on my foot.

  “I changed my mind. You go first.”

  I tried to hide my delight that he was willing to play my dumb game. “Um . . . If you could have just one super power, what would it be and why?”

  “Lots of possibilities for that one, Princess.” He thought for a little while. “The ability to look through clothing,” he said, staring straight at my boobs while trying to keep a serious face. His smile broke free when my chest started to shake from the laughter I was attempting to contain.

  “I should have known you’d say something like that. Your turn.”

  “What to ask? What to ask?” He set down my foot and picked up the other one. Starting the massage again on my other foot sent another jolt of heat through me. Great, now I’m turned on even more. “This is harder than I thought it’d be,” Adam said. “I can’t think of one . . . Hold on, I got it. If you were going to be put on a deserted island, and you could only bring three things, what would you bring? Oh, before you answer, you can’t bring food, water, or anything used to start a fire.” The look on his face said that he was very satisfied with his question. He was still massaging my foot, and it was very distracting, but in a good way. When I didn’t answer after a a minute, he said “Come on. Any day now.”

  “You’re so impatient sometimes,” I chided. “Alright, I’m ready to answer. Gasoline, a helicopter, and a manual on how to operate it.”

  “That’s cheating.”

  “Nope. Your question said I was going to be put on a deserted island. You never said I’d be stranded on it.”

  He stared at me transfixed. “Holy shit. I think you’re a super-genius.”

  “A super-genius, huh? Wow. I never expected to hear you call me that.”

  “Don’t let it go to your head.”

  “Too late,” I said smugly. “My turn now.” I thought for a moment. “If you could buy anything in the entire world, what would it be? Keep in mind that I said anything. Money, laws, and plain old reality do not matter. You could buy a dragon if you wanted.”

  Slowly, he moved his hands from my foot to my ankle as he thought about the question. I wished he’d answer soon because I felt as if I would literally combust from the pleasure. Slippery slope indeed. More like a treacherous mountain.

  “A dragon would be badass, but I’d buy the largest mansion for Conner’s parents, equipped with staff and lots of vehicles. Plus, I’d get a shit-ton of gold bars and bury them in a secret bunker in the backyard, so they’d be set for life.”

  “I like the bunker idea. Why Conner’s family?”

  “I can’t answer that. Your rules said no serious or sad questions.” Despite the grin on his face, his eyes were sad.

  I didn’t press. “Fair enough. Your turn.”

  “If you could buy Sophie anything at all, what would it be?”

  “You’re kind of piggy-backing off of my question, but I’ll allow it. I’m going to cheat a little and pick two things. A never ending supply of red lipstick and a personal lap dance from Channing Tatum.” Adam laughed at my answer. “She’s always had huge celebrity crush on him, but after seeing Magic Mike, she keeps begging me to go to a male strip club with her.” He cocked an eyebrow. “Before you even get started, no, I’m not going with her. Guys covered in baby oil and wearing banana hammocks aren’t my thing.”

  “Then I guess I won’t be needing baby oil anytime soon,” he teased. “Too bad. I look damn good in oil.” Adam stripping down did paint a nice mental picture.

  “You’re arrogant,” I pointed out.

  “You’re blushing,” he shot back. Crap. “I like making you blush.” I blushed even more. Double crap. “Hope you don’t mind, but I’m going to tell Conner about this one. He’s so whipped by your cousin, I bet he’ll strip for her.”

  “Oh no, mental image. TMI,” I said while laughing. “Okay, okay, enough with the stripper talk. My turn now.”

  “Hit me with your best shot,” he challenged.

  Adam took the backs of his fingers and ran them along the arch of my foot, causing my brain to short circuit. “Um, I’m actually running out of questions.” No, you’re getting too worked up with his hands on you to think of one. Unable to come up with something original, I asked a question that Sophie and I used a lot during this game. “If you could do any one thing, without any repercussions at all, what would it be?”

  He stopped rubbing my foot and gently laid both of my feet on the floor, in turn causing me to sit up a bit. What the heck? He looked at me, and I could feel the full force of his gaze. “Anything at all? Zero repercussions?”

  I was baffled by the intensity I saw in his eyes. “Uh-huh,” I squeaked.

  Ever so slowly, he crawled over me until his body hovered over mine, caging me under him. Keeping his eyes locked on mine, he lowered his face and gently placed the softest kiss on my lips. My eyes fluttered shut. I was absolutely stunned, every nerve in me tingling. I felt his tongue brush my bottom lip, and I slightly parted my lips in encouragement. He kept the kiss soft as his tongue coaxed my mouth open. I kissed him back, and soon we were engulfed in the sweetest kiss imaginable. A slow dance of give and take. Before the kiss could deepen further, he pulled away, and I lazily opened my eyes. He searched my face for only a moment before standing up. As if a rope was connecting us, I sat up.

  “I don’t know why I did that.” His voice was strained. “It’s late. I’m going to get going. I’ll see you later.” He was leaving. Disappointment at the thought raced from my head straight to my stomach. I couldn’t stand the thought of him walking out the door.

  “Stay,” I heard my own voice breath out the single word. His eyes shot to mine and locked with a mixture of piercing intensity and complete disbelief. Holy shit, what am I doing? I’d only just tonight admitted to myself that I was falling for him. Am I ready to take a leap like this? I knew it was nonsensical, but it felt as if the reason I’d never slept with anyone else was because I’d been waiting for Adam.

  He looked at the ceiling. I’d begun to notice it was his telltale move when he was avoiding something or concentrating. Although it
was probably only seconds, it felt as if hours passed before he finally brought his head down and faced me, though he avoided any eye contact.

  “Yeah, sure. I’ll sleep on the couch,” he flippantly replied. “Sophie is staying with Conner, so it’s probably best that you aren’t home alone.” He’s playing it off—giving me an out.

  “I didn’t mean on the couch, but you already knew that.” My tone was calm, but I could barely keep my voice from trembling.

  “That’s not why I came here tonight.” He closed his eyes and exhaled. “I shouldn’t have kissed you.” He finally looked straight at me, and I could see his face was as strained as his voice. “Please, just go to bed.” He gave me a small, forced smile. “I’ll see you when you wake up, Sienna.”

  A tsunami of embarrassment and rejection washed over me, threatening to drown me. He called me Sienna. He’s never addressed me by my name before. The dynamic of our relationship was altered.

  “There’s a blanket and pillow in the hall closet,” I said on autopilot. I stood up and walked to my room. I closed my door and sat on my bed, bringing my knees under my arms and burying my head.

  I waited with bated breath, wondering which I’d hear open—the closet or the front door. I was betting on the front door. Hell, I was hoping for the front door, simply to save me the pity and awkwardness the morning would surely bring. The silence that ensued was torture. When I almost couldn’t stand it anymore, I heard faint footsteps. He was moving in the hall, which meant he was going to the closet for a blanket. It’ll be fine. Just pretend as if nothing happened when you wake up. My head shot up as the door to my room opened. The lights in the hall and in my room were off, but the moonlight and city lights shining through my window allowed me to see him standing in my doorway. He was so beautiful.

  “I’m sick of fighting it,” he said quietly, his head hung low.

  I climbed off of my bed and slowly walked to him on unsteady legs. I stood directly before him and used my hands to guide his face to mine. His eyes were wary, but behind the wariness I could see the desire.

  “Then stop fighting it. I have.” I moved to my tiptoes to close the small distance separating us and ever so slightly brushed my lips to his. I don’t know where my confidence was coming from, but it was only there by a fragile thread. Instead of kissing me back, he took a miniscule step backwards. When he turned away from me, the sight of his back almost ruined me. The thread was cut.

  I was seconds away from slamming the door when he turned around. I no longer saw hesitation. He was looking down at me with a heated stare, his jaw clenched. In an instant, his hands grasped my waist, to the point of being almost painful, and his mouth covered mine. This was nothing like the soft kiss on the couch. He kissed me deep and hard as he moved forward, pushing me backward with his body until the wall stopped us. Never breaking the savage kiss, he moved one hand from my waist and used it to pull my arms above my head, pinning me in place. A shiver rocked through me as his body molded to mine. I could feel his desire pressing against me. I’d never felt so powerful and vulnerable all at once. The hand that was still on my waist snaked down my thigh, and I raised my leg at his touch. He roughly grabbed it and pulled me up, both of my legs immediately wrapping around his waist in desperation to get closer. I was completely at his mercy.

  I moaned into his mouth, and he broke the kiss. I worried that I had done something wrong until I saw the possessive and wild expression on his face. He went for my neck—sucking, licking, kissing, and even biting. I moaned louder. He let go of my arms, so he could hold up my body with greater ease. My own hands freed, I roughly grabbed his hair. He was grinding himself against me, causing excruciating pleasure to build inside of me.

  “Adam, please, I need you. Don’t stop,” I pleaded with him in between short breaths, my heart racing.

  “I need you too, Princess.” His voice sounded raspy and thick. Once again, he claimed my mouth in brutal abandon.

  After hearing him call me “Princess” and confess to needing me too, there was absolutely no way I was turning back. I was his. I started to pull his shirt up and ran my hands up his lower torso and back. I wanted him so much that it was getting painful. I knew that although he came to my room, it was reluctantly, and he may still stop this at any moment. I was scared his previous hesitation would return. I needed to make him understand what I wanted without having him put up his defenses. Terms like “making love” or “sex” weren’t going to do it, but I knew the three words that would. I nipped his bottom lip and then moved my mouth to his ear. I sucked his earlobe once and whispered, “Fuck me, Adam.”

  His breath sharply hissed through his teeth. In a whirlwind, I was carried to the edge of my bed and roughly tossed onto it, landing on my back with a thump. Adam stood over the bed, his eyes smoldering as he looked upon me. This was the complete opposite of how I’d expected my first time to be. I’d always pictured it being romantic and gentle. Here I was being roughly handled and tossed around, and I’d never been so turned on in my entire life. Cocking my eyebrow, I crooked my finger for him to come to me.

  “You’re going to be the death of me,” he muttered, almost to himself.

  In a fluid motion, he pulled his shirt over his head, allowing it to fall to the floor. I had only a few seconds to take in his sinewy muscles and the perfect V of his hips before he was on the bed, stretching his body over mine. With expert skill, he used one hand to abruptly arch my back and the other to hastily tug my shirt over my head and undo my bra before throwing them to the side. Both his mouth and hands were drawn to my naked chest like a magnet.

  I was anxious. I was needy. I grabbed his hair and pulled his mouth back to mine. I started to sit up while still kissing him, my hands keeping him locked to me. Upright, I let go of his hair, and my fingers scratched down his sides until I reached his jeans. I grasped for his belt and hastily fumbled to undo it. My entire world was spinning, but I was a woman on a mission. Freeing the belt, I went for the button, but he covered my hand with his, stopping me.

  Adam reached into his back pocket and pulled out his wallet. I was slightly confused, until he pulled out a foil packet. He set the condom on the bed and tossed the wallet to the floor. He quickly finished what I had begun, maneuvering until his pants and boxer briefs were off. His fingers teased the top edge of my shorts before he hooked his fingers on the elastic of both the shorts and my panties and, with one firm tug, pulled them off my body. The reality of what was about to happen nudged at the corner of my mind, but the thought was soon pushed back. I wanted this. I needed this. No, I needed him.

  His hand moved down my thigh as he sucked one of my nipples into his mouth. I moaned as his fingers found their destination and began to make small circles. When the pressure began to build, I bit my lip. I was so wet, it was almost embarrassing.

  “Adam. Now. Please.” It came out as a breathy demand.

  A dirty grin played upon his lips. He removed his hand and gripped my hips. He pressed himself against my entrance and hesitated. As he hovered over me, looking into my eyes, I knew he was asking permission and giving me a last chance to change my mind. My hand searched the bed until I felt the condom. I brought it to my mouth and tore it open with my teeth. My inner vixen fist pumped in triumph. This was the point of no return. He took the packet from my fingers, put on the condom, and within seconds I felt him enter me.

  “You’re so tight,” he gritted out. My muscles clenched at the intrusion. He abruptly froze inside of me when he hit my barrier. He searched my face frantically for an answer to his unasked question. I gave the slightest nod and then watched the realization hit him like a ton of bricks.

  “Shit. Please tell me to stop,” he whispered. “You can’t want this—not with me.” His voice broke.

  I could see him warring with himself, so I lifted my hips in response. “Yes—with you.”

  He claimed my mouth in a deep kiss, and then he claimed my body with one sharp movement. I screamed against his lips. The pain
was worse than I’d thought it would be. He stilled, allowing me time to adjust to the feeling. He pulled his mouth from mine and looked at me, concern written all over his face. He brushed a stray lock of my hair to the side and caressed my cheek. His tenderness, more so than the pain, caused a tear to cascade down my cheek.

  “I’m so sorry, Princess. I didn’t mean to hurt you . . . I promise it’ll get better,” he softly reassured me and kissed the tear away.

  I took his face in my hands and kissed him tenderly. “It’s okay, Adam. It doesn’t hurt anymore. I don’t want you to stop,” I coaxed softly. We slowly began to move together. Pleasure began to take place as the stinging subsided. It felt so amazing, but I could tell he was holding back. I wanted more. “Harder,” I urged.

  “Are you sure?”

  I nodded. “Yes.”

  He granted my request. He slowly glided out before returning hard and deep. I screamed. This time, in a good way. Over and over he continued this pattern.

  “I’ve wanted this since the moment I saw you,” he spoke into my neck as his pace quickened. I loved the way it felt. I responded eagerly, wrapping my legs around him tightly. I cried out as I dug my fingernails into his back. He began to move at a frantic pace, seemingly possessed. My entire body was spiking with heat until I was engulfed in flames. He brought his head to my breast and bit my nipple. The mixture of the sensations caused my body to completely shatter and fall apart. He crashed his mouth to mine in a passionate, soul possessing kiss as he came with me. It was hard to tell where he ended and I began.

  He pulled out slowly and removed the condom, tossing it into the small trashcan near my bed. We laid in a sweaty tangle of arms and limbs until our erratic breathing slowed. My bed was messed, but we were still on top of the comforter. He lifted my spent body enough to tug down the bedding and pull the covers over us. He gently rolled me over, so that I was lying on him with my head on his chest. I absentmindedly began to trace his tattoo with my finger as I listened to his heartbeat.