I didn’t want to keep her, but I wouldn’t rest until I’d fucked her senseless.
His nostrils flared with his heated breath as he tried to control his rage.
“You need to go,” he said calmly. “You need to leave now.”
It was hilarious watching him try to control his wrath. Everyone who knew Devin knew he had a mean streak a mile wide, but I wasn’t scared of him. I had never been. If anything, I was trying to use his anger against him. I wanted him to snap. I wanted the people around us to see how unhinged he was.
“Oh, come on, Devin,” I said with a smirk. “Don’t act like you weren’t trying to get in her pants. I know you, dude. We’re shaped by the same mold. Of all people, don’t even try to play me. I know the way the game is played.” I chuckled.
I was blowing smoke. Honestly, nothing I said was making any sense, but I was pressing any and all his buttons. Still, he wasn’t cracking, which meant I had to pull out the big guns if I wanted him to blow.
“You know … fat girls have low self-esteem,” I whispered so only he could hear me. “Lilly’s a pretty girl, so if I play my cards right, I could be in that tonight.”
I laughed.
And then it happened.
A deep fissure worked its way down him, and he cracked. I could practically see the fracture in his eyes—the pieces breaking away—and the anger flowed out freely.
He was fast, and I didn’t see it coming, but I felt like my head exploded when he punched me. I hadn’t expected him to hit me so hard, and I was sure I blacked out for a minute because when I opened my eyes, I was on the ground and Devin was screaming at me.
He was held back as he barked at me like a rabid dog, spittle flying from his tight lips. My eyes moved around the room, and I watched as expressions filled with disgust at his terrible behavior. I was winning, and he didn’t even know it.
Reaching up, I ran the back of my hand across my nose and wiped at the blood leaking from my nostril. “You broke my damn nose!” I sputtered out for good measure.
“I’ll break more than your nose when I get close to you again, you son of a bitch!” he growled.
I smiled inside, fucking loving what a scene he was making at Lilly’s birthday party. It wouldn’t be long until he was gone, and she was nursing me back to health. I’d be fucking her tonight, no doubt about that. And every time I entered her sweet, plump body, I would think about him and how badly it would hurt him when he found out.
And he would.
If I had to hire a plane to write it in the sky, he would know I fucked the woman he cared about.
Someone attempted to help me up, but the room was still spinning, and I fell back, taking whoever it was down with me. I lay there, blinking away the haze with my face throbbing like a son of a bitch.
With everything going on, I hadn’t even realized I was lying in someone’s arms. Wiping at my bloody nose again, I blinked to gain full consciousness. When I looked up, I was face to face with the best set of tits I had ever seen, which was saying a lot since Lilly had one hell of a rack on her.
I swallowed hard and closed my eyes for a moment. Her body cradled me, her warmth seeping into me, somehow soothing the ache in my face. It was shocking how wonderful it felt to be close to this stranger. It had been years since I had let a woman embrace me this way, and I could only assume it was because I had almost been knocked unconscious.
When I opened my eyes again, my face was curtained by soft scarlet waves as her hair fell all around me.
Red—the color of lust and seduction. The color of sex.
I could practically smell the sweat of two hot bodies just looking through the sinful shade. It was all I saw when I looked at her. Sex surrounded me as she held me in her arms, and for a moment, I forgot that Devin had possibly broken my nose.
I forgot I was lying on Mrs. Sheffield’s floor with people who knew me, and my family as well, staring with sorrow in their eyes. All I saw were those damn misty green eyes—Irish shorelines—next to a sea of unmanageable red hair.
I closed my eyes once more and breathed her in. The soft smell of lavender swirled around me as she leaned closer. Her warm body pressed against me, and my pants tightened. It had been years since I reacted so quickly to a woman over so little. Not since high school when I was too worried about college scouts to notice the cheerleaders with the short skirts.
“Are you okay?” Her voice was deep and husky. Not what I expected from a girl with fair skin and freckles.
She peered down at me with hazel orbs. Her brows pressed down in worry and her lips pursed tight in distress. It was then I felt how tense her body was. While I was feeling like I was melting into her lavender warmth, she was anxious and uncomfortable being so close to me.
I cleared my throat. Even though I knew it would make her even more uncomfortable, I turned my head and brazenly stared at the cleavage peeking over the top of her spaghetti-strapped dress.
“Never been better.” I grinned, leaning in to nuzzle her.
I was definitely out of it.
Devin had packed one hell of a punch.
Her breath stopped, and for seconds, all I could hear was the frantic beating of her heart. It took her a minute to react, but one minute, I was lying in her arms, surrounded by the soft swells of her lush body, and the next, she was using her thighs to shake me off her like a bucking bronco.
“You’re an asshole,” she said, pushing away from me to stand.
Her legs opened as she stood, and I got a peek of purple and black lace panties before she adjusted her dress.
“You look like hot sex.” It was not what I wanted to say, but it was close enough.
I blinked away the blur of being punched in the nose and shook my head a bit to clear it.
“I look like what?” she asked, a horrorstruck expression transforming her face.
Before I could repeat myself, she held her hand up to stop me.
“Don’t answer that. You’re disgusting.” She scowled down at me. “I can’t believe I was actually worried about you.”
She ran a finger under the thin strap of her dress, pulling it back onto her shoulder.
She was taller than most girls I fucked, and her body was billowing with curves. Lilly was attractive, but I was looking forward to fucking her more for the devastation it would cause Devin. But this girl—the redheaded viper—I wanted her bite and venom like I wanted my next breath.
I ached to climb inside her and feel the wrath plastered all over her face.
I had never had a woman call me disgusting before. I had never been looked at with such contempt by the opposite sex, and for some sick unknown reason, it was doing it for me. I was turned on beyond belief, even with my face throbbing.
“You should be worried about me, considering what you’ve done to me.” The room swam around me when I finally made it to my feet.
“I didn’t do anything to you,” she said, appalled.
“Well, I certainly didn’t do this to myself,” I said, motioning to the crotch of my pants and the tent sticking out.
I was hard as a fucking brick wall, and the pressure of my jeans pressing against my rock-hard dick was almost as painful as my face.
Her eyes grew large, and her skin paled. My balls reacted, my cock jerking at the attention when her eyes dipped and moved over my body. The shocked expression on her face made me chuckle.
“What’s wrong, Little Red? Never seen a big, bad wolf before?”
Little Red.
That was what I would call her.
She made me feel predatory. Like a wolf waiting to taste her flesh. It was the perfect name for her.
This wasn’t the first time I saw her. I had seen her before, and I knew she was Lilly’s friend, but apparently, I had been so caught up in my revenge scheme that I hadn’t noticed how fucking sexy she was.
She didn’t respond.
Instead, she turned and left me standing in the middle of the room with a bloody nose, a hard-on, and one
hell of a challenge.
THREE
SHANNON
AS SOON AS I COULD, I hustled to the bathroom and slammed the door behind me. With my back pressed against the cool wood, I sucked in the air of the room, filling my lungs until they burned.
The chattering of the rich bitches at the party could be heard through the door like little chirping biddies. Talk of lowly boys from the country and brawling reached my ears. They were chittering about Devin and Matthew fighting, and I didn’t want to hear any of it. Turning the water on, I drowned out their voices.
Confusion swept through me. I was clueless to what had happened, but I knew my body was on fire, and I was trembling uncontrollably. Checking the water to make sure it was cold, I snatched the decorative hand towel from its rack, soaked it, and then wrung it out. The plush cotton felt like icy heaven against my skin, and I sighed in relief as I pressed the frigid towel to my flushed cheeks.
I was ablaze. My entire body sizzling and aching while my heart felt as though it was going to burst from my chest. It took a lot to admit it to myself, but I was aroused.
When Matthew fell between my legs, his muscled back pressed against my center. Every time he moved, he brushed against the tiny bundle of nerves I hadn’t given enough attention to lately. But the strangest part was, I was also in the midst of a massive panic attack.
Panic and arousal had no business in the same body at the same time. The gripping fear of death was squeezing me, my body tense and shivering, as all the things that could go wrong flew through my demented thoughts. I gripped the marble countertop to keep myself upright while the room around me spun and shifted beneath my heels.
If I had known touching him would cause me that kind of hysteria, I would have never offered to help him up. I didn’t want to touch him. Just the thought of his coppery skin against my fingertips made me uneasy, but getting him out of the house before Devin ripped him apart was crucial.
It was my fault he was there in the first place, and I was prepared to drag him out the front door if it meant calming Lilly down on what was supposed to be her special night. What I hadn’t expected was for him to fall back against me and take me down with him.
Staring in the mirror above the sink, I looked flushed as if I had just finished a workout, my red cheeks glowing under the overhead lighting.
I set the wet towel down on the counter and smoothed the hair away from my face. A few deep breaths and I was feeling much better. I gave myself two more minutes before I opened the bathroom door and joined the party once again.
The mood was tense, but Matthew was gone, and for that, I was extremely thankful. I never wanted to see him again, and after what happened between him and Devin, I didn’t think I needed to worry about that.
I joined my group of friends in the corner and took the offered slice of birthday cake.
“Poor Lilly. Her mom’s going to flip her shit when everyone leaves,” Anna said as she cut into her slice of cake. “You know how she hates when people cause a scene in front of her rich friends.”
I did know.
And I agreed … poor Lilly.
But I couldn’t think about that. Not when my anxiety had reached epic proportions. I hadn’t been touched by a man since my dreaded prom night. I’d spent the past three years of my life avoiding all physical contact with the opposite sex.
My body was wracked with pain and anguish. Not only did I land on the marble floor when Matthew fell back on me, which I knew would leave a nice bruise on my fair skin, but I also had to endure the one thing I promised I’d never endure again.
The touch of a man.
It repulsed me, but at the same time, I yearned for more.
It was twisted—sickening—demented.
“Earth to Shannon.” Anna snapped her fingers in front of my face, making me jump.
I shook my head and chuckled. “Sorry. I’m exhausted and out of it.”
I’d known Anna for a couple of years, having met her through Lilly. She was the sweetheart of our group; her shoulder-length dark hair was curled into an adorable set of beach waves that framed her beautiful face, but it was her emerald cat eyes that stole the show.
She was going to school to be a veterinarian, but we all worried she would be taken out by a large dog since most of them towered over her when they stood on their hind legs. Her laughter was infectious, and she jiggled a bit when she giggled. Simply stated, I adored Anna-banana.
Things were different from when I was younger, and I actually had a group of friends now, thanks to Lilly. I never had many friends growing up. Life got better with age, but no matter how great things seemed, the past always followed you everywhere like a piece of damp toilet paper stuck to the bottom of your shoe.
“Do you guys think Lilly’s okay?” Erin asked.
Erin was our number four. She was tall and bronze with long black hair. We called her our beautiful Indian friend, but she was made to be a plus-size model.
There were six of us altogether. Lilly and me, of course. Anna and Erin, as well. But there was also Meg, who was the tall, statuesque blond in the group. She wasn’t your average golden vixen, though. She was different. We liked to call Meg “a fat girl stuck in a skinny girl’s body.” She might look like the cheerleader you’d love to hate, but she had the personality of the sweet, round band geek.
Last, but never least, was Randy. He was the girlie one in the group, and the only one who was getting any action. Occasionally, he would bring around a new boy toy, but most of the time, he kept his love life at the gay club down the street from Franklin’s Jewelry store, which was the best place to have a good time in Charleston.
We were close, but like most adults, we had jobs. Yet that didn’t keep us from getting together most Wednesday nights to have a few drinks and play board games.
“I’m sure she’s fine,” Randy stated, sipping from his champagne glass like he was used to living the high life.
He wasn’t.
None of us were, with the exception of Lilly. Her family was loaded, yet she lived the life of someone who had been raised like the rest of us. I adored that about her. She moved away from her parents and their money and was living in our tiny apartment while driving an old Honda.
Her mom, on the other hand, was lavish, spending money constantly on things Lilly didn’t want. Lilly hated it, but I never complained when her mom had things shipped to our house. Lilly handed it off, and thanks to that, I had a well-stocked closet and expensive purses I would never be able to buy for myself. Things I never imagined owning.
The night stayed mellow after the big fight, and I found a corner with my friends and stayed for the appropriate amount of time. When I got back to the apartment, I showered, feeling extra dirty from having been touched by a man, and then I went to bed. Sleep didn’t come right away, but when it did, I dreamed of sea blue eyes and caramel skin. I dreamed of fingertip touches and kisses.
In my dreams, my fear of the opposite sex didn’t exist. Thankfully, in my dream world, I could enjoy being physical because, in the real world, being touched would never be okay. Not when my brain kept tossing terrible memories to the front of my mind.
THE FOLLOWING DAY WAS SUNDAY, and I took the day to visit my grammy. I drove to Somersby, the small town where I grew up, and during the hour-long ride, I listened to my music and drowned out the thoughts plaguing me lately.
Things with Lilly had been different since her relationship with Devin seemed to be changing. She was the same, but she was changed.
Not bad.
Not good.
Just different.
I found myself thinking of ways I could stay gone. The thought of walking in on them again or running into Matthew had me terrified to go home. The place I was once comfortable in became a place I dreaded going to. I knew I could easily go to Lilly and ask her to keep males away from the apartment, but that meant explaining why it was an issue. Explaining why I had only pretended to be interested in men and sex throughout our ent
ire friendship.
It wasn’t something I was ready to discuss.
So instead, I visited my grammy more, which was good, considering she was getting up in age and needed more of my time.
She had raised me after my birth mother, her only daughter, left me on their steps. I had no idea who my father was, and my mother had never returned home to her family after leaving.
It was for the best. No better set of parents existed than my grammy and pop. I was given everything they were capable of and loved beyond measure. I was shown the extent of a near perfect marriage and the correct way to get through life’s struggles together.
They’d been happily married for over sixty years. Pop used to say the trick to a long, blissful marriage was to treat your wife like it was the last time you’d ever see her … every day. He stuck to that, treating Grammy like she was a precious moment in time. At least that was what Grammy called it.
“He treats me like I’m a precious moment in time, which makes sense since we’re all just passing through.”
It was a sweet thought, and I always prayed I’d find a man who loved me and treated me the same, but I wasn’t about to hold my breath, considering how screwed up I was. But if I could never have the real thing, at least I grew up seeing the genuine love of my grandparents. There was no doubt about their affection for each other. You could see it in their eyes.
Then when I was sixteen, my pop had a massive heart attack and died, leaving me and Grammy devastated and alone in the world. Since then, Grammy and I had grown even closer.
I pulled into the trailer park where I grew up. The long, narrow dirt road was still full of potholes, making my car dip and bump as I drove over them. Kids rode their rusted bikes alongside my car, taunting and laughing. I parked beside Grammy’s trailer, the fifth one on the right, and cut the engine.
The place was neglected. The aluminum siding had long started to rust, leaving the beige trailer looking as if it had bled out and the blood had dried. The front door had a tiny diamond-shaped window, but you couldn’t see through it into Grammy’s living room because she kept a dark-colored rag tacked up to keep the sun out.
Hot & Heavy (Chubby Girl Chronicles Book 2) Page 3