“You’re going to court tomorrow to confront your parents’ murderer and you didn’t tell me?”
“I haven’t really had the chance, Pen. Think about it. With Willow’s accident, and the snake, and now today… It’s hardly a ‘hey, by the way’ conversation. And clearly I’m not in the best of places right now.”
He held up his empty glass as proof, and there was just enough sway in his salute to know he was drunk. He had a point. They didn’t exactly have a normal “how was your day?” relationship.
“How many glasses did you have before I came down here?”
“This is my third.”
She rose and took his glass with her. After setting it in the sink, she checked the cap on the scotch to make sure it was tight and then put it back in the cupboard. She could feel his eyes on her backside as she moved around the kitchen, and tried to ignore the feminine awareness heating the blood in her veins. “Come on.” She walked over to him and held out her hand. “Let’s get you to bed so you can get some rest before tomorrow. What time do you have to be at the DOC?”
“Ten a.m.” He grasped her hand and stood. And then promptly tipped over.
She tried to catch him and wrapped her arms around his waist, attempting to brace herself against his weight, but he was big and heavy. She stumbled back as he pitched forward.
Kyle’s arm caught her around the waist as his other hand shot out to absorb the impact. His equilibrium might be impaired, but his dexterity and reflexes were still spot on. His palm connected with the wall and she was jarred to a stop. She let out a startled yelp, expecting to hit the ground, but when she opened her eyes, it was to find herself pinned between Kyle and the wall. He stared down at her, his focus a bit blurry, but his body was definitely not suffering the effects of the scotch. She could feel every hard, impressive inch of him pressed intimately against her. His hips flexed as if of their own accord, the full length of his arousal an insistent nudge that made her ache to feel him inside her.
The first time they’d fucked it had been combustible—would they have that same kind of explosive chemistry again now that they knew each other? The liquid heat pooling between her legs wagered they would.
“Are you all right?”
Kyle’s breath kissed her lips as he watched her with a concerned frown, and she found herself wondering if that scotch would taste better on his tongue than it had from the glass. She bet it would.
“I’m okay.” Pen slipped an arm up, snaking it around his thick, muscular neck, her fingers threading into the short strands of his dark blond hair. She reached up and grasped the length on top, pale strands streaked by the sun shot out between her fingers. His hair wasn’t overly long, just the perfect length to get a good grip. “Guess you saved me again.”
She was tempted to use her hold to drag his mouth down on hers, but hesitated at his caustic grunt that held a ring of self-condemnation. “From myself? That hardly counts. Shit, the room is spinning.”
“That scotch snuck up and kicked your ass, huh?” she teased, inching her lips closer to his, but not quite touching.
“I think so. That shit should come with a warning label.”
She laughed. “I think it does. It’s called eighty proof. And you just downed three glasses of it. Sounds to me like you should probably tap out.”
His palm connected with the wall above her head in two successive taps. And then his mouth was on hers—hard, and demanding. At her surprised gasp, his tongue swept past her lips, tangling with hers. Yep, she was right. As far as she was concerned, this was the only way to drink scotch. Her grip on his hair tightened and she pulled him closer, deepening their kiss. He may be intoxicated, but that in no way deterred from the skill of his mouth. Kyle kissed her with such choreographed finesse, it shut down her thoughts and obliterated her inhibitions.
His exhale was more like a throaty growl she felt all the way to her toes. His arm uncurled from her waist and his hand slid down to grab her ass. He jerked her hips forward, grinding her against his cock. Darts of pleasure arrowed into her core and a little whimper escaped her throat. She needed more, needed to feel him inside her. Before she could put her thoughts and desires to voice, Kyle slipped his arm beneath her bottom and lifted her up. Her feet left the ground as if she were weightless, her legs wrapping around his narrow hips. Despite the barrier of their clothing, the friction of his sex grinding against hers sent pleasure rocketing through her. Pressure began to build deep inside, igniting her core. If he continued to work his body against hers like this, she was going to come.
She’d never had an orgasm just from making out before, but if this didn’t stop, that was exactly what was going to happen. He was just so freaking incredible to kiss, to touch…she lost control—which was something she prided herself on never doing. But Pen wasn’t the only one who seemed to be losing it. With one hand splayed on the wall for balance, and the other holding her up, his kiss turned as frenzied as his thrusts.
She wanted to get him naked, wanted him to fuck her right here against the wall, and she was about to tell him as much when his mouth broke away from hers and moved to her neck. “You have no idea how much I want you.”
Oh, she had some semblance of a clue, considering that, for the first time in her life, she was about to beg for it.
“You drive me wild.”
“Then what are you waiting for?” she panted, the tension coiling tighter as his erection rubbed over her clit.
“I’m not having drunk sex with you, Pen. I’d never last and you deserve better than some fast fuck. I’m ready to come just kissing you.”
“Me too.” She moaned at the mounting pleasure as his powerful body worked against hers. His muscles flexed and strained, his breaths becoming a throaty pant.
At her confession, he lifted his head and locked eyes with her. “Can you? Come like this?”
She nodded. “I never have before, but I…I think so.”
The smile he gave her was sinfully sexy and completely irresistible. “Well then, there’s a first time for everything.” His mouth was back on hers and he was kissing her to the same tempo he worked his body against hers.
Already the early tremors of her release were needling through her nerve endings. “Yes, just like that,” she praised. “Mmm… You feel so good.”
“Baby, you don’t even know,” he growled against her mouth before searing her with a crushing kiss.
She could feel every long, hard inch of his shaft through her cotton panties. His thin nylon gym shorts left nothing to the imagination. He thrust his erection against her, sliding it over the sensitive bundle of nerves at the top of her sex. He stoked her lust, working her to a frenzy. She rolled her hips against his and felt his body shudder.
“Pen…you’re soaking my cock. If I don’t stop, I’m gonna come.”
“Don’t stop!” She was so close. Her legs tightened around him and he clutched her ass, holding her firmly so he could thrust harder.
“Yes, just like that. Harder… Don’t stop…”
The ache inside her core wound tighter with each furious shove. Building…building… “Yes… Yes…” She pleaded between panting breaths.
“Fuck,” he snarled, bucking wildly against her.
She shattered—little explosions of pleasure detonated inside her, carrying her higher and higher on a euphoric wave. Kyle tensed, a low groan erupting from his chest as his cock began to pulse against her. With each pumping release, the moisture between them grew and Kyle’s breaths became as ragged as the shudders leaving his body.
He grew still, his forehead resting against hers, seeming to need a few minutes to catch his breath. Pen’s mind was spinning in the aftermath of what they’d just done. She took advantage of the silence to…what? She didn’t know. This was uncharted territory. Normally, this was the part where she’d grab her things and leave, but she was staying here. The last thing she wanted to do was make this weird between them. But yeah, there really wasn’t much she could do to
affect that one way or the other. He still had ahold of her. Her feet weren’t even on the ground. She couldn’t have taken her leave if she’d wanted to.
And then he was kissing her again. But this time it was a sweet, gentle brushing of his lips over hers with none of that frenzied heat. His touch was tender, almost reverent—she didn’t like it. Well, that wasn’t exactly true. She did like it—maybe too much because it made her nervous. This was too intimate, too real. When Kyle touched her like this, it forced her to feel—not physically, but emotionally.
“Kyle, please put me down,” she whispered between his achingly soft kisses that were starting to make her chest hurt.
He lowered her to the floor and the moment her feet touched the ground, she had to resist the urge to flee. If she didn’t execute her departure with a little finesse, he’d know something was wrong. And in the aftermath of one the most incredible orgasms of her life, she didn’t think she could handle his questions. She didn’t want him to see how broken she was. What woman in her right mind wouldn’t want this man to shower her with affection after receiving a mind-numbing orgasm?
“Are you all right? Did I hurt you?”
If he didn’t stop talking she was going to break down in tears. “I’m fine.” She forced a smile that failed to pass the scrutiny of his gaze. Then again, he was wasted, so maybe come morning, this would all be a hazy memory. “You, uhh…” She glanced down at his crotch. Seriously, he was still hard? “Could really use a shower.”
He chuckled and glanced down. “Yeah, I suppose I could. I think the last time I came in my shorts I was sixteen years old.” He reached for her and cradled her face in his hands, studying her. “What are you doing to me?”
That was a good question, because she’d really like to know herself. What was happening between them? Thank God it was a rhetorical question, because she was afraid of the answer. He didn’t wait for a response. Placing a brief kiss on the corner of her mouth, he let her go and began navigating his way up the stairs. He seemed to be having a time of it, the scotch throwing off his balance, his movements purposeful and slow. She was tempted to offer him assistance, but considering how that went the last time, she refrained.
“Goodnight, Kyle.”
He stopped on the stairs and swayed as he glanced back at her, his hand tightly clutching the railing. “Night, Pen.”
Chapter Nineteen
“You don’t have to do this, you know? I can handle it.”
“I know.” Pen reached over and took Kyle’s hand, threading her fingers between his, and gave him a reassuring squeeze as they headed out the door. “But I want to go with you. I know you think you can do this alone, but that doesn’t mean you should have to. It’s okay to need someone once in a while.” More and more he was showing her that, and little by little, she was making peace with it.
They’d already had this conversation more than once this morning, and she wasn’t particularly looking forward to the rerun. He was tense and surly, and maybe a little hungover.
“Remember those words,” he grumbled as they rounded the Charger and he opened the passenger door for her.
Always the gentleman… She paused before getting in, and turned to face him. Taking hold of his chin, she smiled up at him sweetly. “Practice what you preach.” She wasn’t sure what prompted her to do it. Maybe she wanted to offer him comfort when she knew how much he was hurting. Or maybe she just wanted to feel his mouth against hers again, but she rose to her tiptoes and chastely pressed her lips against his—no tongue, no heat, just the full press of her mouth on his.
She seemed to surprise him nonetheless, and she wondered if he remembered their hot and heavy make-out session in the kitchen. He’d yet to mention it this morning. Understandable, considering everything else weighing on his mind. But when she broke away, setting her heels back on the ground, she sensed his reluctance for their kiss to end when he followed her down, briefly prolonging their contact.
She settled into the car, and a moment later, he joined her in the driver’s seat. Glancing in his direction, Pen noticed the scowl on his face seemed less severe than a moment ago, the lines of tension bracketing his mouth softened a touch. Could she have that powerful an effect on him? Strong enough to ease a measure of the pain he was obviously enduring? She’d never been wanted or needed like that before, and the idea of it felt foreign to her, yet she found herself wanting to comfort him.
Perhaps it was out of gratitude, or maybe it was something more. But the idea was pleasing that maybe Kyle needed her more than he wanted to admit. She certainly knew the reverse was true for herself, and the balance of those scales tipping in her favor certainly helped her feel more in control when everything in her life felt like a pendulum.
“Have you heard anything from Regan? How’s Willow this morning?”
Kyle started the car and backed down the driveway. “No change. I’m heading over there after the appeal and I have a meeting with Coach this afternoon. Shield Security is wiring your place at three.”
“Let me take care of that. I’ll meet them there and pack a few things while they’re doing the installation. You’re dealing with enough right now.”
He shifted the car into gear and headed down the street. “I don’t want you going over there alone, Pen. Not after—”
Her cell rang, cutting off his protest. She’d begun to hate that damn thing. Every time it rang or alerted her to a message, her stomach dropped in anticipation for the next call, the next threatening message.
“You should probably get that,” he told her when she made no move to answer it. The cell went off a few more times before Kyle reached into her purse and plucked it out of the side pocket. “Hello?”
She studied his expression, anxiety unfurling in her gut.
“Yeah, just a minute.” Kyle handed her the cell. “It’s Detective Paskel from LVPD. He wants to talk to you.”
She took the phone and placed it on speaker. “This is Penelope.”
“This is Detective Paskel. I’m going to be working your case. I spoke with Officer Grady this morning. He told me what happened last night and I was wondering if you might be available to come in and speak with me? Your situation has some concerning similarities to a missing person’s case I’m currently working.”
“Shit,” Kyle growled under his breath, and roughly dragged his hand through his hair.
She regretted putting the call on speaker. This was the last thing Kyle needed to be thinking about right now. Today was going to be hard enough without the distraction of worrying about her.
“I don’t want to alarm you, ma’am, but do you have a safe place to stay?”
“I do. I’m staying with my boyfriend.”
“That’s good. When do you think you could come in?”
“Today isn’t a good time—”
“This afternoon,” Kyle cut in, speaking over her. “I’ll have her there by one.” Then, to Pen he said, “I’ll call Coach and push off the meeting.” Under his breath he grumbled, “He isn’t going to want to hear what I have to tell him, anyway.”
She hung up the call, dropped back against her seat, and sighed. “You know, you can’t even make this shit up. Seriously, here we are on the way to face your parents’ killer and I’ve got a detective calling to tell me he thinks my case could be connected to a missing person.”
Kyle shook his head. “I don’t even know what to say, Pen. It’s fucked up. This whole situation… It’s just fucked up.”
They pulled into the entrance for the DOC and followed the signs for visitor parking. Kyle cut the engine and sat there a moment, hands gripping the wheel. As much as it killed him, the circumstances behind why Willow couldn’t be here, he was glad he was the one carrying this burden and not her. He didn’t want to see her go through this again, and sitting here, preparing to walk that mile in her shoes, he wondered how in the hell she ever had the strength as a fifteen-year-old girl to sit in that courtroom and testify to her own attempted murder.
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Loss, heartache, and grief culminated inside him, churning like cumulous clouds in the sky. Faster and faster…gaining speed until he felt like a tornado of emotion was inside him—a twister of F5 fucking proportion. How much longer could he avoid dealing with this loss? Would this finally be the day that he broke? Would looking Sean Campoli in the eye bring all his suppressed guilt and grief to a head? He almost wished it would. He was tired of living a lie, pretending everything was fine and playing his part as the savior when he was so broken inside.
Pen saw through his bullshit, though. She saw him in a way no one else did—not even Regan or Willow. And she’d been absolutely right to call him out on it. He needed to save her. He needed to be the hero. His life had to have purpose, and he didn’t know how to find it on his own. So yeah, he was fully aware of how messed up that was, but he couldn’t do anything to correct the situation because the irony of it was, Pen did need him. And things were getting more complicated by the day because he was starting to fall for her—hard.
“You all right?”
She laid her hand on his thigh, and he turned his head to look at her. For a moment, the blanket answer was on his tongue, the same thing he told anyone who asked him that question over the last five years. I’m fine… But his response stalled. He didn’t want to lie to her. For once in his life he wanted to be real with someone. She deserved his transparency, especially if he expected to get it from her in return, and that was something he had to have if there was ever going to be anything more between them.
In for the Win (Against the Cage Book 5) Page 16