The problem was, he was so worried about what the fuck was going on in her head he couldn’t make his regular moves. The fact that she was still raw held him in check and he didn’t like it. He wasn’t one to be held back because of someone else’s mistakes. Especially not some weak son of a bitch who’d done her the way her ex had.
The stakes were stacked against them in too many ways to count. She didn’t know him, she was obviously wary of men and she probably needed a gentle touch. Fuck if he knew fuck all about that minefield. He turned to look back at her as she stood just where he’d left her, biting into her lip for all she was worth.
She had an innocent little girl lost look about her that fucked with his heart and gut. He wasn’t sure how he felt about that. Here he was tumbling head over ass into…something, he still didn’t know what, while she seemed to be stuck in the past. It wouldn’t matter so much if he didn’t feel. Always before he’s been able to keep feelings out of his shit. But one night spent with her and suddenly he’s the fucking poster boy for feelings.
Even now as he looked at her standing there, imagining who knows the fuck what. All he wanted to do was comfort her, reassure her. And then what?
She looked at him shyly, probably wondering why he was staring at her like an ass, and just then the sun came from behind the leaves and framed her. Her hair did that shit in the sunlight again, drawing his eye, which only led to them roaming down to the rest of her. “Fuck it.”
Walking back to her, he drew her in, ignoring her harsh intake of breath just before his lips covered hers. For some fucked up reason he found himself studying that kiss and his own reactions to it. It was more sensual than any he’d shared, maybe because he knew there wasn’t a fuck on the other side of it.
He took his time and seduced her mouth with his, playing with her tongue, nibbling at the corner of her lips and running his tongue along the inside of her mouth. She didn’t shy away but he felt the slight tremble in her body when he drew her in closer.
He went through a million different motions in the two minutes or so the kiss lasted. He questioned the feelings that ran riot inside him from just a small thing like a kiss. Somehow he had known, from the first time he sat across from her in that apartment, he had known that it would come to this.
She sucked on his tongue like an innocent and yet it ignited a fever in his blood the likes of which he’d never known. He pulled her in even closer, letting her feel the hardness of his cock as they each tried to swallow the other’s tongue. When his hand moved down to the plump cheek of her ass he was expecting her to pull away, but instead she moaned into his mouth and ground herself into him, like she was ready to fuck.
It was he who pulled away this time as if burned, and looked down at her in surprise. When he saw that her eyes were still closed, the dreamy look she wore did something strange to his heart. “Fuck.” He let her go and stepped back, still with one hand around her waist.
Her eyes finally opened and she pinked up with embarrassment. He couldn’t resist running his thumb along her bottom lip. “Like a fucking lamb to the slaughter.” He felt a tinge of anger and didn’t know why. Yes he did. He didn’t like being confused and she was confusing the fuck out of him.
Without another word he took her hand and pulled her along with him. “How hung up are you on your ex?” The question took her totally by surprise and she wasn’t quite sure how to answer. She could barely concentrate on putting one foot in front of the other.
“I don’t know what you mean.” Kerry was still reeling from that kiss. Could still feel his lips on hers, his body pressed close. She was tempted to run her fingers over her lips, but didn’t want to seem as gauche as she really was. Not when he seemed so sure of himself.
“I mean are you still expecting him to come back, are you still missing him? He stopped there since the thought made his gut twist. And why the fuck do you care one way or the other if she’s dumb enough to be hung up on the asshole that broke her heart?
Because you don’t want her on nobody else’s dick but yours. What the fuck? “Answer me.” He ignored his inner voice and concentrated on her. “I don’t think so.” It pissed him off that she wasn’t sure. What the fuck did you expect Kyle? You just met for fuck sake. Did you think she would be dying of love for you or some shit after one day?
‘No, but I expect her to be as tied the fuck up inside as I seem to be.’ He answered his inner bitch. “What do you mean you don’t think so, you don’t know? Didn’t this fucker do enough damage, or was there something he left undone, some other part of you still left to be destroyed?”
She looked at him a little bit uneasy. He seemed to be annoyed at her or something and she couldn’t figure out why. How had they gone from that kiss to this… “If you’re mad about something, why don’t you just take me back home?”
His sigh wasn’t much of an answer, neither were the undecipherable words he muttered under his breath as he used his hand to pull her along to stand next to him on the riverbank. He didn’t say anything for the longest while but she could tell that he was thinking really hard about something.
“I’m not gonna put up with any of your shit.” What the hell was he talking about? She decided not to give an answer since he didn’t seem to need one, but went on to tell her all the things he was ‘not’ going to do. As if she’d asked him.
“When you’re with me, you don’t moon over that fuck.”
“Who said I was mooning?” Now her back was up.
“It’s all over you sweetheart and if you think I’m dealing with that shit think again.” Okay, so she hadn’t mentioned the asshole but still, he knew she had to still be healing from the divorce. He hated the fucking thought that the other man played any part in her life no matter what that part might be.
He’d lost his fucking mind. That was the only explanation. He hadn’t brought her out here for anything more than a ride. But then she had to hold onto him like that as they rode and that damn kiss. Did she have to look so fucking sweet and desirable when he took his lips away from hers?
Who the fuck looks like that after a little kiss in this day and age? Green as fuck! And she was tying him up in knots. He felt fear slither down his spine and that only pissed him off farther. Why should he be afraid of her? He wasn’t afraid of anyone and he’d be fucked if he was gonna start now, especially with some small town beauty who was afraid of her own damn shadow.
He wanted to rant and rave but didn’t know what the fuck for. Was it only yesterday that he knew exactly where his life was going? He’d been working on wearing his grandpa down to seeing his way; that was the biggest thing on his plate. He didn’t have a fucking care in the world other than getting back to his business and running shit. Now this shit just fell in his lap out of nowhere and was throwing his game off. Fuck that!
“I don’t want this.” Good, let her know where shit stood before he got anymore tangled up with her.
“Well nobody asked you to.” Kerry had been enjoying the afterglow of that kiss, reveling in the fact that she could still feel. That even with her heart in tatters, there was still hope at the end of this very long and dark tunnel. It was something to be celebrated as far as she was concerned. Another post divorce first. She seemed to be racking them up. Now his surly attitude was spoiling it. The man had split personality disorder. Boy could she pick ‘em.
“Don’t talk back to me.” He growled more than spoke and she felt it tremble down her middle.
“Excuse me?” She tried pulling her hand out of his but he held on tighter. Still she didn’t feel fear, not the life threatening kind anyway, but there was danger of another kind in the air.
The look he gave her could’ve baked bread or frozen a melting glacier she wasn’t sure which. She did know that she had a little devil on her shoulder this morning that had decided it was time she grew a backbone. Figures, they were out in the middle of nowhere and he was gonna strangle her and leave her out here for the wildlife.
“Look,
I don’t know what your problem is…”
“You, and your fucking eyes, and your mouth, and those tits. All fucking you, that’s my problem.” Her mouth hung down to her chin. “Why don’t you take this fucking problem back where you found her?” Oh yeah, she was good and pissed, she was also tired of people…
She didn’t finish the thought because one minute she was working up a good head of steam and the next, she found herself hauled back into his chest and her mouth was being devoured. There was something hard and throbbing pressed between her thighs that invited her to rub against it and she did.
He groaned into her mouth and the argument left her. No one had ever groaned for her like that, it was its own sweet little aphrodisiac, it made her feel powerful. She became the aggressor, biting his lip and tugging on his head as she tried to get as close to him as possible.
Kyle felt himself slipping. The taste and feel of her wasn’t supposed to do this shit to him dammit. He had to force himself to leave her mouth, and his fucking heart was doing some weird shit in his chest again. No fucking way. He wasn’t going out like that.
No fucking way she was what she seemed. He’d never believe that an innocent had brought him to this. Which meant.…“You fucking set me up?” He pulled her hair back roughly and glared down at her. “Stop that.” He wrapped his free arm around her ass to keep her still and hold onto his sanity.
She wasn’t even aware that she was still trying to climb his dick. Mortified, she tried pulling back. “No I didn’t, promise.” She had no idea what he was talking about but she knew pissed when she saw it and he was well and truly beyond that now.
Her answer brought him back down to earth. She’s so fucking innocent. How can anyone be that innocent after being married for so long? Fucking small town bullshit. Kyle had no idea why he was so angry, but he could take a wild guess.
Now, he understood why Lucille had been only too eager to tell him Kerry’s life story. And why all of a sudden, his gramps was so chipper this morning. The old fuck had been grouchy as hell for the last few weeks, but this morning when he’d told him he was going to go have breakfast with Kerry, he’d been all-smiles. He’d grilled him good when he got home last night too, now that he thought of it.
“Have you been talking to them?”
“Talking to who?” Now she was looking at him like he was nuts. “No one let’s go back.” He pulled her along to his bike and she glared at his back. He was too fond of dragging her around, but she wasn’t gonna mention it. Not now with him acting like a bear.
All the way back, Kerry wondered what she’d done wrong. She tried not holding on so tight this time but that seemed to upset him as well and he growled at her and pulled her arms tighter around him. “You’ll fall and break your damn neck.” That was all he said to her as they rode along at a much faster pace than when they’d made the trip out.
She was close to tears by the time he dropped her off and left as if the hounds of hell were after him. He hadn’t even said goodbye the pig. Just helped her off grudgingly she might add, and rode off.
She’d thought she’d grown accustomed to disappointment in the last few months, but for some reason, his actions cut deeper than any she’d faced. Which made no sense. Why is that, she wondered? Why, after only one day was he able to make her feel these things so deeply? Then she decided to stick with her mad instead of questioning herself all over again the way she had after the divorce.
Well screw you too. She thought as she slammed the door. She was so mad, she couldn’t think straight, but instead headed for her new companion. She powered on the laptop and just pulled up her story and got to work. She didn’t know what she was writing, just started tapping away at the keys.
By the time she was done, she’d almost killed off her hero, her stomach was growling and there was a knock at her door. She opened it expecting to find him there so she could give him a piece of her mind, but instead, was faced with a complete stranger with a clipboard in his hand.
“Kerry Lashley.” He looked down at the paper in his hand.
“That’s me.”
“I’ve got your phone.”
“My what?” she started to question, before she saw who else was coming to her door.
“Get out of the way and let the man do his job.”
Kyle moved past her taking the man into the apartment with him, leaving her standing there at a loss. “What’s going on?” She followed them inside.
“You’re getting a new phone.”
“I didn’t…”
“Didn’t I tell you to shut up? I think I did. Why don’t you go over there and finish doing what it was you were doing until we’re done here?” He was obviously nuts, but true to form she didn’t want to make a scene, not with the technician there, so she went back to her seat and watched as Kyle gave the man orders.
She was to have two phones, one in the bedroom and one out here for when she was working. As soon as the line was hooked up, which took all of ten minutes, he went to the bag she hadn’t even noticed he’d been carrying and took out two phones.
“This is so you can have Internet, and this is so I can reach you when I want.” He handed her another little box with an apple on top. “What’s all this?” She looked at it like it was a snake ready to strike. He shook the box. “Take it.” She knew what it was. It was a cellphone like the one he carried. Her back went up again, this time for a different reason.
“I don’t need your charity take it back.”
“Don’t be an ass. When a man takes care of what’s his it’s not charity.” He kept going as if she wasn’t even there.
“What’s his?” Her voice was a tinny whisper, which she could barely hear over the ringing in her ears. He stopped with a box of something in his hand and looked at her from beneath hooded lids.
“You’re not ready for this conversation. Why don’t you plug that up and I’ll take us out for some lunch? Did you eat?” Totally nuts! She couldn’t keep up with his damn moods.
“No, I’m not hungry.” Her stomach chose that moment to growl and she jumped up from the table to go plug the new phone into the wall to charge. She wasn’t sure what to feel at this point, but she was sure he wouldn’t listen to anything she had to say anyway. Maybe later she could get to the bottom of just what exactly was going on.
No wonder I hadn’t heard him coming, she thought when he led her out to the black truck. If she weren’t so annoyed with him she would’ve taken the time to appreciate the fact that his truck was one of those manly man types, muscle trucks she thinks they were called. But since he was such an asshole jerk she kept her thoughts to herself.
He’d changed his shirt and this one showed even more of the ink on his arm. She tried hard not to look. He was still in a snit when he helped her into the truck; more like lifted her in. And she was surprised when he even took the time to strap her in. She knew he was still in a mood because of the tic in his jaw, and the fact that he almost took the door off its hinges when he slammed it shut.
She was of a mind to open it back up and jump out, but the confusing jerk did the damnedest thing once he climbed in on the driver’s side. He took her hand. Not only that, he kissed her fingers before laying their joined hands to rest on his thigh.
It didn’t enter her head to ask where they were going, until he pulled into the parking lot of the busiest restaurant in town. She felt the bile rise in her throat when she took in the packed space, and almost begged him to take her anywhere but there.
He seemed to somehow be anticipating her and gave her one of his looks before getting out and coming around to her side. This time when he lifted her down, he held on for longer than necessary and just looked down at her. She wondered what he was looking for.
He must’ve found it, because the next thing you know he was kissing her brow and taking her hand to lead her inside. She avoided eye contact with everyone she passed, but she was secretly tickled pink that he was holding her hand. Tongues will wag for sure, but th
ey didn’t need to know that he wasn’t interested in her, or that not too long ago he’d told her he didn’t want this, or her. At least that’s what she’d taken that statement to mean.
The thought kind of took the shine off her newfound pleasure and brought her back down to earth. Her feet stumbled just a little and she was trying to come up with an excuse to turn around and head back out. She didn’t need this kind of embarrassment. Not so soon after the divorce. She was enough of a laughing stock as it is.
“Stop it Kerryanne.” He tugged on her hand and stopped to look down at her.
“Stop what? I wasn’t doing anything.”
“You were thinking. Do me a favor, stop thinking so hard and watch. Try to see what’s in front of you instead of what’s behind.” He continued on taking her along with him.
Who died and made you Dr. Phil? She didn’t dare say it out loud because who the hell knows how he would react? She had another moment of panic when she remembered that this was the place Paul usually chose for lunch on his days off. A quick calculation told her that she might’ve lucked out there.
The place of course was bustling and the nausea came back. If he hadn’t been holding her hand as if he expected her to bolt, she just might’ve. “Well hi Kerryanne, it’s been a while.” The hostess, another school friend, greeted her but the woman’s eyes were glued to Kyle. “Hi Pat, how are you?” He squeezed her hand and pulled her in a little closer to his side. She guessed he’d heard the tremor in her voice.
“You have a table for Clancy?” Pat took a look down at her little book and back up at him. “Yes sir, what are we celebrating?”
“Who says we’re celebrating anything?”
“Well it says here you requested the best table in the house. I just thought…” Kerry almost felt bad for the poor girl. Bad enough he was being a grizzly bear with her, but did he have to give the hostess the freeze as well?
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