Falling Away

by Penelope Douglas

  I could only watch as he flattened his tongue and licked oh so slowly up my folds to the top of my clit and then dragged his tongue back down over the hood all the way to my entrance. Up and then down, up again and then slowly, all the way down. I could feel my clit throbbing a mile a minute, and my pussy clenched with his agonizing slow speed. Up and then down, licking and tasting, and I cried out, slamming the palm of my hand down on my thigh.

  “Jax,” I whimpered, and I felt a tear spill out the corner of my eye.

  Relaxing my legs, I let my thighs fall wider apart, and I dropped my head back to the bed as he increased the speed.

  I throbbed, and my belly swarmed with heat like hot water gushing over my skin.

  I arched my back. “I never want you to stop,” I groaned.

  His teeth pinched my clit, and I grabbed his hair at the scalp as my back bent off the bed. The blood rushed through my arms and legs like liquid heat, and I released one of my hands and brought it up to my breast, massaging it.

  “Jesus, Juliet,” Jax growled into my pussy. I looked down to see him watching me. “Keep doing that,” he ordered.

  And I obeyed.

  I rubbed my hand over my breast and across my nipple slowly, loving the feel of my body and loving how he watched me. Every hair stood on end, and my cheeks warmed with a small smile at how alive I felt.

  But then he grabbed my clit in his mouth and sucked.

  “Oh,” I cried out, feeling a new surge of need. “Jax, don’t stop. That feels so good.”

  Squeezing my tit in my hand, I jerked my hips up against his lips, holding his head there with my other hand. He looked as if he were sucking fruit, the way his lips surrounded me and stretched my skin with how hard he tasted me. He dragged my tender flesh out through his teeth only to recapture the erect nub and suck me again. My chest shook with my shaky breaths, and I started rolling my hips into him gently.

  “Baby, you should never have let me taste you,” he choked out, dipping his tongue to lick my clit and then suck, lick and then suck. “I’m going to come at you tonight. Tomorrow. At school. Hell, I may just have you spread these legs at the dinner table so I can eat.”

  I narrowed my eyes in painful desire, thinking about him sitting in a high-back chair at a twelve-foot-long dining room table with my legs spread for him like a goddamn meal.

  Holy shit.

  I licked my sandpaper lips. “I want you in my mouth, too.”

  And then he plunged his tongue inside me, and I shot off the bed, throwing my head back.

  “Jax, fuck!” I screamed, squirming under his assault. “It’s too much!”

  “Juliet?” I heard my name being called from somewhere, but I didn’t care.

  Grabbing Jax’s hair, I held him to my seriously overheated and throbbing clit, seeing the flesh of my nipples pebble and my breasts bob back and forth with my movements. He dipped his tongue inside me, making me contract and release. I needed more. I needed him.

  He trailed his tongue out of my pussy and started French-kissing my clit right before he slid a finger inside me.

  My head dropped to one side, and I started gasping and fucking his finger, not fucking caring that I was shameless or that Jax wasn’t even my boyfriend.

  “Jax,” I moaned. “Oh, my God.”

  “Jax?” I heard someone repeat. “Juliet, are you okay?”

  My eyes snapped open, and my face flushed with heat.

  “Oh, my God,” I whispered, looking down at Jax’s laughing eyes as he kissed my clit.

  “Juliet?” Shane called again from the other side of the locked door.

  Jax arched an amused eyebrow. “Come on. Let her hear how wild you are. How much you’re fucking enjoying this.”

  In and out, his finger plunged, back and forth. So good, and the itch was right there hanging on the edge. I was almost there. His tongue was tireless, going at me, licking and sucking me. In, out, lick, taste, bite.

  “Ah,” I gasped. “Oh, God!”

  Then I came, shocks exploding below my belly as I grappled the comforter over my head. I jerked into him, sucking in air and rolling my hips into his fingers, needing everything he had to give me.

  More. I swallowed and looked down at him with blurry eyes.

  I wanted more. More of him.

  “Juliet!” The doorknob jiggled, and I grabbed the T-shirt I slept in off the top of the bed.

  Sitting up and slipping it on, I caught Jax just as he pulled me into him for a kiss. Kneeling between my legs, he cupped my face and held my mouth to his. Slow and sweet.

  Pulling back and tilting his forehead into mine, he closed his eyes. I watched in silence as his eyebrows pinched together, and he looked as though he was sad about something or thinking about something important.

  He pulled back, shaking his head and letting out a sigh. “Shit,” he mumbled, barely a whisper.

  “What?” I asked quietly, suddenly feeling as if I’d done something wrong.

  “Nothing,” he breathed out, running his hand through his hair. “I just …” He hesitated, looking away and then back at me. “I just never thought the real thing would live up to the fantasy, you know?” He tipped up the corner of his mouth in a smile. “Hope you like summer fun, Juliet, because it’s just getting started.”

  And I watched as he stood up, unlocked the bedroom door, and walked past Shane’s stunned face and frozen body.

  Summer fun? I felt a mischievous smile cross my lips. So he thought he pulled all the strings, and that he had me.

  I almost snorted.

  CHAPTER 13

  JAXON

  I threw the shop cloth down and gestured with my chin at Sam to help me with the tire. He rolled it over, and we lifted it onto the axle.

  My house had been flooded with people as soon as I left Juliet only a few hours ago, and we were all prepping for races tonight.

  They were here, their heads under their hoods, but mine was still between her legs.

  Jesus.

  I reached over, jacking up Korn’s “Falling Away from Me,” and ran my hand over my hair just above my ear where her braids still stretched my scalp.

  I smiled, remembering her doing my hair. She hadn’t touched too long in any one place. She hadn’t fallen all over me or petted me. And when she reached out and touched my hand, just letting me know that she understood, and that I didn’t have to talk about it, I’d closed my eyes, feeling safer. I didn’t like to be groomed, but I’d liked her touching me, and I’d happily let her do it again.

  She took care of me today.

  And what did I do? I spread her legs and ate her out as if she were a whore.

  I still hadn’t taken her on a date, a nice dinner, or a walk in the goddamn park the way girls wanted. Over the past couple of weeks, I’d fought with her, threatened her, and then tried to get my hands on her every time we were alone. I’d pushed her, grabbed her, and yelled at her.

  I was an asshole, and I wasn’t gentle.

  Fuck me. Sweat trickled down my temple, and the bugs buzzing outside in the summer sun had me itching to turn the music up. Drown out all these thoughts.

  I wasn’t going to stick around long enough to see her push me away when she realized the mistake she’d made in getting close, but every time I thought I could pull away, her defiance and fight drew me back in.

  “Shit!” Sam barked, being dragged to the ground by my end of the tire I hadn’t realized I’d dropped.

  I fisted my hair at the top of my head and turned around, kicking the toolbox against the wall. The tools crashed together inside, some of the drawers popping out.

  “Um,” I heard Sam venture. “Overreact much?”

  I turned around, seeing his confused expression, and let out a shaky laugh. “Sorry. My head’s preoccupied, man.”

  “Since when?” he mumbled, bending to lift the tire back up. “That was the first time you ever reminded me of Jared.”

  “Yeah,” I grunted, bending to lift the tire with him, “what’
s wrong with that?”

  He struggled with the weight, gritting his teeth. “Nothing at all, if you’re the tornado,” he joked. “It’s everything in its way that gets destroyed.”

  Okay. Solid point.

  My phone vibrated in my pocket, and I let out a hard breath as I slipped the tire on its axle.

  I looked at my phone, seeing Jared’s name, and rubbed my hand down my face.

  Great.

  “What?” I answered, knowing he was going to bug me about that damn restraining order again.

  “Jesus Christ,” he swore. “What’s crawled up your ass this summer? Every time I call you you’re bitchy.”

  “Nothing. I’m nice to everyone except you.”

  “Lovely,” he shot back. “Sue me for caring about you.”

  “Bullying me is more like it.” I walked out of the garage, away from the half dozen other guys and their girlfriends in my driveway.

  “Funny,” he said. I could hear the fake humor in his voice. “So, what’s wrong with you?”

  I tightened my lips. “Nothing,” I lied. “Just busy.”

  “You’re always busy.” He hesitated. “And we need to talk.”

  “It’s not a good time.”

  “Dad’s getting out of jail soon,” he shot out. “We need to talk.”

  I squeezed the phone in my hand and calmed my voice. “My answer about the restraining order hasn’t changed.”

  My father still had three years left on his sentence for drug possession and child abuse, but his time had been whittled down for good behavior and ratting out two old contacts in the drug trade.

  Jared was talking to his mom’s new husband—Madoc’s dad—about getting a restraining order in place for when our father was released from prison. He wanted Thomas Trent away from him, his mom, and Tate—and I, on the other hand, welcomed my father.

  I wanted to face him, and I had a contact on the inside keeping me well-informed of everything that was going on with him. His friends, his visitors, and his enemies.

  “I’ll be home Friday, and we’re taking care of business.” He was telling me, not asking.

  The anger warmed my whole body, but I didn’t want to get into it with him again. He was away a lot, and I loved him.

  But he had to fucking stop already.

  Madoc’s GTO pulled up in front of Tate’s house, and I narrowed my gaze, seeing a red Nissan 370Z cruise to a sudden halt right behind it.

  Jared rambled on in my ear, but I couldn’t hear him. Why was Madoc at Tate’s house? And whose Nissan was that?

  Madoc and Fallon climbed out of his car, followed by the driver of the Nissan, a tall blond yuppie who dressed a lot like Madoc with navy blue cargo shorts, an expensive-looking T-shirt, and flip-flops.

  Jesus. They were walking up Tate’s walkway. Why were they walking up Tate’s walkway?

  I hung up on Jared as Madoc headed my way and Fallon and the yuppie continued to Tate’s door.

  “What’s up?” I jerked my chin at Madoc and gave him the usual casual handshake.

  “Nothing,” he chirped innocently.

  “Cut the crap. What’s with One Direction over there?”

  He laughed. “Oh, you mean my buddy from Northwestern?” Asshole’s enjoying this. “His name’s Adam Larson. He’s in town visiting. Fallon and I are taking K.C. to the carnival and thought …”

  But I’d stopped listening.

  Peering around Madoc, I saw Juliet emerge with Shane, and it looked as though Fallon was introducing them all.

  Juliet reached out her hand, shaking his, and I saw her smile.

  My phone cracked in my fist, and I blinked, bringing it up to see that I’d splintered the case.

  Fuck.

  “Oops,” Madoc said, jeering, laughing at my cracked phone. “Someone’s mad.”

  I shook my head. “What are you up to?”

  He held up his hands in defense. “Nothing. I saw what happened at the party last night, and I figured you weren’t interested anymore. Adam’s a good guy. I just didn’t want K.C. to feel like a third wheel with Fallon and me at the carnival.”

  “She has her cousin,” I growled through clenched teeth. “How would she be the third wheel? And her name’s Juliet. And I don’t want him anywhere near her!” I got in his face.

  “Hmm …” He regarded me for a few seconds and turned to look at everyone coming down the stairs. Juliet glanced at me, looking slightly uncomfortable before turning away and letting Adam open the door for her.

  She looked hot as hell, and I wanted to see her eyes again. She wore frayed jean shorts with one of Fallon’s specialty T-shirts. Black Def Lepperd logo on the front, with her smooth, tanned back peeking out of twenty or so slits running horizontally across her back. I also made out long earrings—feathers, I think. Her hair was straightened, her makeup made her glow, and my hands wanted those legs.

  And she was leaving with another guy.

  Madoc turned back to look at me. “If she knew she was yours, she wouldn’t have gotten in that car.”

  Motherfucker.

  “Took Jared eight years to pounce on Tate,” he challenged. “Thought you had more game.”

  He narrowed his eyes, his point made, and stuffed his hands into his pockets before walking away. Shane climbed into Madoc’s car with Fallon, and that meant Juliet was alone with that guy.

  And I watched as all of them sped away.

  I tightened my fists and reached in my pocket for my keys.

  “Sam.” I grabbed my T-shirt off the worktable. “Can you lock up when everyone’s gone? I need to head out for a while.”

  He nodded. “Sure. Where are you going?”

  I ignored him, Madoc’s words still floating in the air.

  “If she knew she was yours, she wouldn’t have gotten in that car.”

  No, I thought. She knew she was mine, and she shouldn’t have gotten in that car.

  CHAPTER 14

  JULIET

  When I get my hands on you …

  I texted my threat to Shane and Fallon and stuffed my phone back into my purse.

  “Sorry if you were ambushed.” Adam shot me an apologetic look as he drove. “It wasn’t my idea.”

  “I’m sure.” I didn’t know Fallon extremely well, but I got the impression that this was probably more Madoc’s brainchild anyway.

  “But I’m kind of glad.” He flashed me an honest grin. “As long as you don’t have a boyfriend that’s going to come and beat my ass.”

  I sucked in a shaky breath, immediately thinking of Jax, which was strange, since I’d just broken up with Liam. Shouldn’t I have thought of Liam when Adam said “boyfriend?”

  “Nope,” I rushed out. “No boyfriend.”

  “Good.” He relaxed into his seat, doing the guy thing like Jax. But not doing it nearly as well.

  Adam’s body wasn’t long, and it didn’t fill the space the same way. His car was more compact, and I didn’t feel the quivers in my thighs the way I did when Jax’s Mustang vibrated under my body.

  Adam’s car was fun. Jax’s car was a threat.

  Oh, my God. Why was I comparing them? Jax wasn’t making me any promises. And Adam was only here for a few days.

  Both were unavailable, in my opinion, and I was a free agent.

  Just have fun at the carnival, Juliet.

  We pulled into the fairgrounds and parked on the grassy field, right next to Madoc’s car.

  As soon as I stepped out of the car, I smiled.

  County fairs were held at the town’s established fairgrounds, not far from the Loop, and today was probably the best day to come. Being that it was midafternoon, the temperature had to be pushing a hundred degrees already, and I was already sticky. While some hated that, I loved it.

  The fuzzy lights in the distance cast a spectacular glow of reds, greens, yellows, and blues, and the sounds of carnival life filled the thick, hot air, making me want to smile.

  Eighties music crackled over cheap speakers, riders
screamed as their roller coasters whipped them through the air, and intercoms blared names of the latest winners of the ring toss and duck pond, while the sharp pop of the balloon-and-dart game cut through my ears.

  I inhaled the hot scent of funnel cake, mixed with sickly sweet cotton candy, and clutched the hem of my shorts at my sides as we traipsed through the high grass to the entrance. With the sun beating down on my shoulders, and the sweat already dripping down my back, I licked my lips, tasting the dirt in the air.

  Cheap carnivals grossed a lot of people out. They were grungy and dilapidated, and they attracted deviants.

  At least, that was what my mother had told me.

  The only reason she ever came was to work a stand, signing up people for the Garden Club, the Rotary Club, or whatever election candidate she was supporting that year.

  I never wanted to be a part of that, though. I never wanted to be stuck inside the old banquet hall at the fairgounds with the air-conditioning. There was just something completely raw about the atmosphere outside. About the sweat, the heat, and the dirt.

  I couldn’t explain it, and I was always ashamed of it, but I felt primal here. I loved the carnival. For all the reasons my mother hated it.

  Walking in, we purchased bracelets that would allow us to ride as much as we wanted until closing, and then we went for food.

  “Hot dog,” Fallon ordered, digging in her purse.

  Madoc came up behind her, sucking on her neck. “Save your appetite. I’ve got a foot-long for later.”

  “Ugh.” She shoved him away but still smiled.

  I grinned, Madoc laughed, and Adam and Shane were helping each other with their wristbands.

  I turned to the girl working the concession stand. “I’d like a cherry Popsicle, please.” And I raised my eyebrows to Shane. “You?”

  “Hot dog, too!” She barely glanced up as she fastened the band at Adam’s wrist.

  “Adam? You want anything?” Madoc asked.

  “Nah, I’m good.”

  We paid and ate and chatted about everything that had been going on. Shane’s brilliant notion to change her major again for a college career she hadn’t even started yet. Fallon trying to decide which piercing she’d get, and Madoc trying to stick his hand between her legs to indicate where he wanted her to get pierced. Adam talking about the latest research on vegan diets.