by Tyler King
“The car battery is still an option,” I reminded her. “No time limit on that one.”
“It wouldn’t be very sporting now.” Hadley knocked her knuckles on the cast that stretched up to my wrist. “I’ll wait until you’re back in fighting shape.”
“You want to pretty me up?” I’d gone with a white cast so Punky could color me in.
“Sure.” She ran her fingers over the coarse texture. “Maybe a scene from Lethal Weapon?”
“Funny.”
“Or a design of yellow police tape.” She looked up, smirking like child.
“You’re a riot. Hysterical.”
“So…” Hadley sat up, leveling her inquisitive gaze with mine. “Now that the ice has been sculpted into a lovely, steaming pile of shit, do you want to tell me what the hell happened back there?”
It had been a decade since I’d seen Gregor, but my instinctual reaction to him was just as potent. He repulsed me. Just the misleading smile on his tight lips was enough to incite me to rage.
“He’s had it coming for a long time.”
I might have been thirteen the last time I saw him. Gregor had been Alexei’s mentor and manager for the entirety of his career. That relationship made me uncomfortable at first, for obvious reasons. As the years went on and we encountered one another on occasion, I became more leery.
Gregor was thirty years Alexei’s senior, and I was certain now the man had taken a special interest in the boy for more than his musicianship. The last time I was in the same room with the man, he had put his hand on my thigh. It wasn’t innocent and it wasn’t meaningless. I ran to my father and told him what had happened. We were in Stockholm at the time. Simon canceled the rest of my scheduled dates in the region and we soon boarded a plane home. It was then my father agreed I’d never attend another event where Alexei’s name also graced the program.
The ban had held until tonight. He’d put his hand on my shoulder. Hadley understood that much.
“Don’t let anyone tell you that hitting never solved anything,” I told Hadley. “I feel a lot better. Cheaper than therapy and the results are immediate.”
“Simon is going to lose it this time. This is a lot worse than giving Nick a bloody nose in high school.”
“Doubtful.” I slouched back in the seat, draping my cast over Hadley’s lap to trace my fingers along the bare skin on her knee. “I forgot to mention the seminar to my dad.”
Hadley’s head again lolled to my shoulder.
“He’ll be more upset that I went at all. But it wasn’t like I wanted to tell anyone why I shouldn’t attend.”
“Tom—”
“I’m throwing you to the wolves on that one. Run interference for me until I’ve talked to my dad’s lawyers.”
“Tell me the truth.” Hadley slid her arm under my jacket and across my stomach. “How bad is this thing going to get? Because if they come for you with handcuffs, I might lose my shit and start a standoff.”
I laughed, kissing the top of her head. “Gregor can press charges. I might get kicked out of school. Probation at worst if it goes to trial. I can afford to pay him off if needed.”
“But you won’t.”
“No. I won’t.” I’d rather put a bullet in my head than give that vile bastard a dime or pretend to feel remorse for my actions.
“Josh?”
“Hmm?”
“Are you okay?”
“I am now.”
* * *
I tried to sneak a peek at my cast, tilting my head just enough to look toward Hadley as she painted. She smacked my arm and used her body to shield her latest—albeit temporary—addition to her living canvas.
“I’m almost done,” she whined. “Stop it.”
I lay shirtless and sprawled out on my bed, an old towel under my arm, as Hadley went about her work. We’d gotten home well after midnight. I decided to put off damage control until morning. Instead, we holed up in my room after locking the house and pretended we hadn’t a care in the world.
“I heard something interesting today,” I said.
“Oh yeah?”
“Yep.”
“Want to share?”
“I’m thinking about coming up with some sort of punishment for your secrets.”
Hadley didn’t miss a beat, just kept right along painting while I stared at the ceiling. I had a headache.
“As it turns out, Andre isn’t the Punkyfucker of infamy he was purported to be.”
“You drew that conclusion all on your own. I don’t recall you ever asking the question outright.”
“But you let me assume.”
“You can make an ass of yourself all on your own, yes.”
“Did you...back then...did you—”
“Turn him gay?”
I glanced in her direction again and got a streak of green paint across my stomach for the trouble.
“No. I can’t take credit for that, but thanks for asking.”
“That’s not what I meant.”
“We’re friends,” she stated as if she was sick of hearing herself say the words. “You could have just asked.”
“I didn’t have the right.”
“Yes, Josh, you did. That’s the point.”
“Right. Sorry.”
Hadley sprayed something over the cast before she shifted her position on the bed next to me. “Okay. Done.”
Sitting up, I inspected the result. The landscape was spectacular in its detail, considering the small size and rough texture of the canvas.
“Hadley.” I couldn’t take my eyes off the painting, turning my wrist over to scan every inch. “This is amazing.”
“Don’t sound so surprised.”
“No. I mean it. Fuck, Punky. You know I think you’re beyond talented, but this is incredible.”
She leaned closer, admiring her work. “It’s the tree house. The one we found the summer after fifth grade.”
“I know.”
The scene was impossible to mistake. She’d captured the tiny structure nestled inside a massive tree to perfection. It was astonishing.
“You realize I can’t ever take this cast off, right? This is too good to ruin.”
“That day was the most fun I’ve ever had.”
“Sure. We trudged for hours through the woods hunting for buried treasure. You twisted your ankle, I had some gnarly bite from fuck-knows-what, and then we got lost on our way home. Tom had to send dogs and half the town out after us. We were freezing and soaking wet by the time they found us that night.”
“It was awesome. We had an adventure. And even though we never went back there, I held on to the memory.”
Her eyes lifted to mine and I saw the glassy swell of tears that formed there. I reached out for her, sliding my hand to cup her cheek.
“For one day, this place was us. I never forgot about it.”
“Neither did I. Never, Hadley.” I touched my lips to hers. “I love you.”
“Show me.” Hadley pulled back just enough to look me in the eyes.
What I saw cut me open. She was so vulnerable in her bravery, so beautiful in her need.
I kissed her again and with every ounce of sincere meaning I could imbue into just two lips. I kissed her to say that she had always been mine, and I hers. We’d gotten all mixed up and separated along the way. I would be a better man than that. Hadley deserved someone stronger, someone dependable; I would become that man or die trying.
Freeing her of clothing an inch at a time, I worshiped every perfect surface of her body. Fingers followed lips over the expanse of her stomach. Hands held her breasts when each tight nipple met my tongue. I traveled the ridges and valleys of her collarbone and shoulders, professing my loyalty against her neck.
Hadley lay back on my bed while I descended lower, removing her little shorts, where I caressed her bare thighs and higher. Her entire body quivered as I laved at her sex. I devoured her, cupping her ass and lifting her to meet my mouth.
To every whimper and
moan, I doubled my efforts; rubbing against her clit, sucking and tonguing the sensitive spot, watching in fascination when her back arched until she grabbed my head and forced me deeper. She came hard, tugging at my hair.
Climbing up the bed, I shoved my pants free of my legs. My cock strained for her, hard and eager. “Hadley—”
“Don’t run from me again,” she pleaded. “Just stay with me. Please.”
Settling between her legs, I fisted my cock in my left hand and dragged the head through the slick lips of her cunt. I sucked in a breath and clenched my jaw, concentrating on keeping my shit together long enough to make this good for her.
“I’m ready,” she said. “Please.”
I pushed inside her, groaning through my teeth as she stretched to accommodate me. Fuck, it was too good. She was so goddamn soft.
We kissed and huddled close, her arms and legs wrapped around my back as I made love to my Hadley. Too soon, the need became too much. Tiny whimpers turned to throaty moans. I couldn’t hold off any longer.
“Hadley, fuck, I’m coming.”
With eyes clenched and my jaw locked, I pumped until I hit my climax. My stomach rolled as the inescapable images assaulted my mind. Every muscle tensed. My skin crawled.
“Josh, look at me. Please.”
Her hands grabbed my face and I flinched.
“I’m here. It’s just me. No one can hurt you. Look at me.”
I barely cracked the seal between my eyelids. Just a sliver of Hadley’s face made it inside.
“You’re okay. You’re okay. It’s not real.”
She continued to whisper reassurances as I caught my breath and swallowed down the bile on my tongue.
Hadley nursed me through the panic attack. She held me up while we showered together. Back in bed, she ran her fingers through my hair until my body gave up and I fell asleep.
It was better and worse than I had expected.
* * *
The next morning, I woke to the subtle stimulation of Hadley toying with one of my nipple rings. I pulled in a deep breath full of her scent, aware of her warm, naked body curled around mine. My right arm, however, had lost all feeling under her pillow. Perhaps forever. I’d have to learn to live without it, because I had no intention of moving.
“Hey,” I greeted her.
“Hi.” Hadley’s dark eyes smiled. She pressed a kiss to my chest, her middle finger rolling back and forth across one piercing.
“Having fun?”
“These are sort of fascinating.” She looked up from under her lashes with a coy tilt to her lips. “I’ve wanted to do this for a while now. Pretty much since the day you came home with them.”
“All yours, sweetheart. Knock yourself out.”
Hadley dragged her leg up my thigh, brushing against my erect cock. “You know...” She repeated the action twice more. “I haven’t seen it yet. I sort of forgot to look at it last night. The hardware, I mean.”
I stuck my tongue piercing out, to which Punky looked at me with confusion.
“It’s like that, only it’s in my dick.”
“Does it...hurt?”
“No. Feels pretty goddamn fantastic.”
“I’m not complaining.”
She bit her lip. For that, I grabbed her leg and held it against my groin.
“You don’t have to ask, Punky. You want to get acquainted, you go right on ahead.”
She shrugged. “Eh. Maybe later.”
Infuriating ego-basher.
I grabbed her by the back of the neck and claimed her lips, nipping at the bottom one. That’d teacher her. I didn’t know what the lesson was, but she learned it.
Taking Hadley by the hips, I hauled her up to straddle me. “Fuck, sweetheart. You’re wet.”
“I had a very entertaining dream,” she replied while pressing her lips to the base of my throat. “But you were still asleep.”
“Hence the subtle wakeup call?”
“Something like that.”
Her pussy slid back and forth over my cock. She skimmed my chest, flicking her tongue at one nipple ring and then the other. I thrust up, grinding between her legs. Hadley raised her eyes to mine and I reached down with my left hand to grab my cock, ready to be inside her.
“About last night...”
I exhaled. Mission aborted.
“What do you want me to say?”
“Nothing. That’s not what I mean. Just...are you okay? Is that what it’s like every time?”
“Just about. Except I do it alone and sometimes I throw up before I can breathe again.”
“Was it...”
The stops and starts were getting on my nerves.
“Don’t be shy or embarrassed or whatever the fuck else. Just ask. I’ll tell you the truth.”
“Did I make it worse? By asking you to stay, not letting you handle it your way?”
“No.” I pulled her lips to mine and brushed her hair back from her face. “No. Making love to you was the highlight of my fucking year. I’d like to do it again. Often. Now would be good. I can’t promise you it is going to get better anytime soon. The panic attacks, not the sex. I mean, I guess that could get better. I thought it was awesome. You tell me what you want—”
She put her fingers over my lips and smiled. “Awesome covers it. By the way, you’re a lot bigger than I remembered.”
I squeezed a handful of her ass. “You brilliant girl. Now just tell me you didn’t think it would fit and I can die a happy man.”
“Nah.” She pecked my lips and wiggled her hips on top of me. “I’ll save that one for our first fight.”
“First?”
She rolled her eyes. “First where makeup sex is an option.”
“I think the first time was makeup sex. You did call me stupidhead, if I remember correctly.”
“Huh.” Hadley kissed along my jaw.
I turned toward her, taking her mouth as she mumbled through my efforts.
“I guess you’re right. I’m pretty sure I forgave you, Punkyfucker, so I guess it worked.”
“No, no,” I protested against her lips. “You kneed me in the balls. That warranted reparations.”
I slid my tongue along hers, my left arm holding her waist. And just like that, we were cracking jokes about the night that had ruined our lives for five years. Shit. I never imagined a day when such a thing could be possible. Then again, with Hadley naked in my arms, nothing else seemed important or so scary.
“Wait a minute.” I pulled back. “You called me Punkyfucker.” I laughed when it sank in.
“Sure did.”
“I think I like it. I’m keeping it. Maybe I’ll get that tattooed on my dick.”
“The hell you will.” Hadley tugged on one nipple ring.
I went still. That could go very right or very wrong real quick.
“No names. It’s bad luck. You know that.”
“Too late.”
“What? You didn’t. Where?”
She sat back, scanning my torso and arms. I raised my left arm. Hidden in the trash polka illustration she’d designed, Bear had inked her signature that he’d copied from a photograph.
“Josh.” She ran her fingers over the image. “I don’t know what to say.”
“You’ve always had my heart.”
She looked up, biting her lip and failing to hide her sweet smirk. “That’s the cheesiest line I’ve ever heard.”
“That? That’s what you tell me when I profess my undying love for you? Fuck, Punky. You’re killing me.”
She laughed, grabbing two fistfuls of my hair and shaking my head. “I love you, dummy.”
Our phones rang. We’d been content to stay in bed and put off the inevitable. The inevitable, however, caught up with us all at once. Resigned, Hadley and I turned to opposite sides of the bed and reached for the phones.
“Morning, Dad.”
“Hey, Tom.”
Hadley moved to get out of bed. I halted her, grabbing her chin to kiss her. She smiled, ro
lling her eyes to something Tom said, and then shimmied out from under the covers. I was distracted by watching her bare ass saunter out of my room.
“Josh?”
“Hmm?”
I rolled to my back, propping my injured hand above my head on the pillow. It was already starting to itch like a motherfucker.
“I just spoke with Tom,” my father answered in that dry, reserved tone that I knew so well.
“Figured.” Their tactic now was to divide and conquer.
“You sound tired. Did I wake you?”
“Not really.” I decided to ease us into the topic with something more pleasant to start. “We were just getting out of bed.”
There was a loaded pause. “I see. Well, I take it the two of you had a constructive conversation.”
“Quite,” I answered with a smirk.
“Good.”
“My hand’s in a cast.” I brought it down, again scanning Punky’s work. It was even better in the daylight. “Boxer’s fracture. Fourth and fifth transverse necks of the metacarpal bones.”
“The dean gave me a summary of the incident.” Another uncomfortable pause. “You fractured Gregor’s jaw.”
“I had to leave, Dad. It would have been a lot worse if I’d stuck around.”
“I understand.”
Another uncomfortable span of silence ensued.
“I’m fine. Got it out of my system. Now I just need to know how much trouble I’m facing. Should I turn myself in?”
“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. I will contact our lawyers and they’ll follow up. Tell me what happened.”
I figured I had better get used to repeating the story. I did so, filling my dad in on the events of the previous evening.
“He touched you.” Simon’s voice was calm—that violent calm that concealed surging rage.
Yes, he understood.
“This will go away,” he said in a clipped tone. “It happened on campus and quite publicly; there’s nothing to be done about that. You’ll get a slap on the wrist because the university has to act. But don’t worry about this, son. That man wouldn’t dare face us in a courtroom. Just do me a favor and keep your nose clean for a while.”
“I can do that.” I was relieved, sure. More than that, I was just so fucking grateful that Simon was my father. “Thank you.”