Forever & More: The Friend Zone series

by Thompson, Tabetha

  It’s not that I don’t want that asshole locked up. I’m just worried about Chloe, I want to lock her in a bubble, away from the world, and protect her. I know that’s unrealistic, but the overprotective male in me is constantly mocking me and screaming that I have failed to protect her once already, I refuse to do it again.

  It doesn’t matter to me if I’m protecting her from someone else or herself, the bottom line is, she’s mine; nothing and no one will ever cause her any pain in any form again.

  “How does two o’clock work for you?” he asks.

  “That’s fine, see you then,” I reply. He ends the call without another word.

  As I’m pushing my phone back into my pocket, the front door opens. Chloe appears in the doorway looking even more beautiful than the last time I saw her. I give her my most charming smile, hoping she is in a better place and mood now that’s she’s sated.

  “Hey.” The way her stunning pink lips curve into the shy smile causes my cock to twitch.

  The vulnerability in her eyes makes them shine bright. I take a step forward and wrap my arms around her small body. Since the hospital, Chloe has lost a total of fifteen pounds, her lack of eating and the occasional vomiting is to blame for this. She’s happy with the disappearance of her weight, but I try to explain to her it’s not the weight I’m concerned with, it’s the way she lost it.

  The smell of strawberry and vanilla hits my nose, causing my mouth to water. That divine smell will forever be associated with Chloe and cause me to drool like a begging Mastiff at just the thought of the bright red fruit. I leave one arm wrapped around her waist and lift the other. Running my hand through her still wet hair elicits a moan of appreciation from her. I move my mouth closer to hers; when our lips meet, mint explodes across the tiny buds on my tongue. I pull her body in closer to mine while she wraps her arms around my neck.

  She pulls back, the mint that was dancing across my taste buds is now assaulting my face with her heavy pants of desire. Her nipples are pebbled and pressed into my chest. Once she catches her breath, she looks at me with wide, glassy eyes. “Who was that?” Her voice comes out lazy and slurred. Her southern accent more pronounced.

  “You okay?” I ask, changing the subject.

  “Yep! I’m fine as frog hair. Whatcha’ doin’ out here?” Chloe is acting so strange, like she’s drunk. Something is definitely up. I make a mental note to ask Sara and Harley if they notice it too, or if I’m just being paranoid. Unease hangs over me like one of those cartoon rain clouds that follows you around, raining on just you. I move around Chloe; one hand remains on her waist in a possessive gesture. I open the door and guide Chloe inside the apartment.

  At first, I think we’re going to eat with Harley and Sara, but when Chloe walks past the kitchen, I follow.

  Once we both enter in the room, I release my hold on her. I close the door and spin around to find Chloe sitting on the edge of the bed, legs spread, shorts pulled to the side, and assaulting her sex. Her head lolls back and she moans. I lock the door, I don’t need Sara or Harley walking in on this.

  “Baby? What are you doing?” I hate the way my voice comes out sounding like a little boy going through puberty.

  “I’m doing what you should be doing, Skye.” Her statement catches me off guard. I’m not sure what to do, she’s never been so forward. My head and cock scream at me, telling me to dive into her inviting heat, but my heart tells me something’s off and to be very careful about how I handle this.

  Her hips begin to gyrate against her fingers. Her swollen lips glisten in the dimly lit room, taunting me, testing my restraint. My cock strains against the denim of my jeans, growing harder with each thrust of her fingers.

  A breathless moan escapes her parted lips and all rational thoughts leave me. My body flies across the space between us. I’m towering over her before either of us realizes I’ve moved. Our mouths meld together with a force that causes my teeth to clash with hers.

  I back up and she raises a trembling finger to my lips but never makes contact. Her eyes dance with lust and excitement as she watches me caress the tip of her finger with my tongue. Slowly, I trail my tongue down her middle finger to the inside of her palm, nipping gently at her skin. When I reach her wrist, I plant a small kiss on the sensitive skin.

  Chloe raises her hips, grinding herself into my throbbing steel. I close my eyes reveling in the exquisite feeling of her pressing against me, silently begging me to be inside of her. I shift my weight off of her and she slides up higher on the bed.

  I quickly find the button on her cut off jean shorts and work it free. Within seconds, she’s naked from the hips down and rapidly working on removing her top. I take a moment to relish in the beauty before me for the second time within the hour. Her strawberry-blond hair is fanned across the pillow, her tanned skin stands proudly next to the pale flesh that’s been protected by her clothing; even the dip in her collar bone right below her throat excites me.

  It amazes me how that one little spot can turn me on to the point of pain. I kneel on the bed at her feet, gazing at her smooth, ivory skin stretched out before me. She becomes squeamish under my stare, her eyes begging for my touch.

  Leaning forward, I reach for her legs and trail my fingers upward, achingly slow. A thousand tiny bumps spread across her as she squirms at my touch. The air in the room becomes so hot and stifling that sweat starts breaking across my upper lip.

  “Skye, please,” she begs.

  I lean forward and dip my head between her parted legs. Her back arches, her fingers find their way into my hair, tugging lightly. She gasps for air and squeezes her thighs against my ears. I find the bundle of nerves that drive her crazy, pull it into my mouth, and suck. When I hear her harshly fill her lungs, I plunge two fingers deep inside of her.

  Her sex clenches my fingers tightly, milking them as if they were my cock, and in this moment, I wish they were. My scalp prickles right before she cries out, “Skye, now… I need you now.” She pulls my hair and writhes against my face again.

  I dip my head and press my tongue flat against her taint, dragging it upward slowly until I hit her clit. Her body shudders, then starts to convulse with another orgasm. I suck hard on her nub until her movements become small and jerky, indicating that she’s completely ridden out the wave of ecstasy that rocks her.

  I climb up her body, but before I can reach her mouth, she pushes me over until I’m lying on my back. When she straddles my hips, my erection sits proudly in the crack of her glorious ass. She wiggles against it in a teasing manner. Her evergreen eyes are wild with yearning, and the smile that lights her face is full of seduction. Chloe lifts her hips and slides against me. Her wet folds allow her to glide over me easily.

  The moment I close my eyes, her movement ceases. Her soft heat is replaced by her warm mouth. Her plush lips wrap around me and it’s almost too much. My hips move on their own, thrusting me into the back of her throat. The movement doesn’t affect Chloe’s actions in the least. She continues to bob her head up and down hastily, taking in all of me.

  Chloe’s and my lovemaking has always been full of passion and tender. But this is the roughest we’ve ever been with each other. There’s an underlying desperation to her need for me.

  Her tongue circles my engorged head. My spine tingles from the motion and my balls draw up, threatening to explode. “Chloe, stop,” I plead.

  She glances at me through thick lashes and drooping eyes but ignores me. She fists the base of my cock and moves her head up and down faster.

  I’m so close to exploding in her sweet mouth it becomes an excruciating ecstasy and as appealing as the idea is, the need to be buried deep inside of her is stronger. I lean forward, hook my arms under hers and pull her up. My cock springs from the confines of her mouth with a loud pop causing my whole body to twitch.

  “Take me from behind.” Her words cause several alarms to go off inside my head, but I’m so riddled by love, lust, and adoration, I push them to the back of my
mind. Chloe spins around, kneeling on all fours, ass in the air, and face buried into the mattress.

  I crawl up behind her and rub the head of my dick against her slick, swollen folds. I slide it up and down a couple of times, causing her to wiggle her ass against me, trying to impale herself. She grunts in frustration right before I pierce her.

  I start out with long, slow strokes.

  “Harder, Skye. I need it harder.”

  I pick up my pace. She grabs the comforter and moans in approval. When I pull back, she pulls away, too. She slams herself onto me before I can push forward. It feels so good. She repeats the motion again and I can’t stand it anymore. I pick up the pace and slam myself into her, harder and faster each time we connect and pull away. Our skin slaps together, making loud smacks in the otherwise silent room.

  She begins screaming “harder” and “yes” like a crazed, wild cat, encouraging me to take her rougher. My balls tighten and my body hums with excitement. Her walls clench around me, her body stiffens, and she releases a high pitch wail that causes my ears to ring. My body falls in step with hers and I spill my seed inside of her, her name a whisper on my lips.

  Chloe’s body collapses underneath mine, face down on the bed. A grunt escapes my lips as I slide out of her. The feel of her soft, swollen flesh sliding over my sensitive rod feels phenomenal. I lie beside her and begin to draw lazy circles with the tips of my fingers on her back.

  “You okay?” I ask to fill in the silence that sits heavy in the room.

  She mumbles into the wrinkled comforter. I lazily glide my finger up her spine until I reach her shoulder blade. I gently cup her shoulder and pull lightly. She rolls over until she’s resting on her back.

  “What was that?” I say again. She offers me a lazy smile, her eyes shining bright, threatening to light up the entire room. While gazing into her eyes, I can’t help but notice the way her pupils are so dilated that they almost take over the green of her irises. Before she can answer my first question, another is out of my mouth. “What did you take, Chloe?” She’s still on some mild pain medications because she suffers from severe migraines from her head trauma. On top of that, Chloe’s on a small dose of Xanax for anxiety.

  Even though all her medications are safe enough to be taken within small amounts of time together, if she takes to them too soon or takes too much of them within a certain time frame, the effects can be damaging and leave her without the ability to function like a normal person. Basically, she will be high as a fucking kite.

  She gives me an annoyed glower and I can see her mind trying to come up with an excuse that will appease me and lower my concern. “It’s okay, I just took half of my usual dose of Xanax. I feel a little light headed, but I haven’t eaten either.” She shrugs casually, as if it’s not a big deal. I shouldn’t have ignored all those warning signs that were gnawing at me. She gets up off the bed and when she stands on her feet, her body sways slightly. In the time it takes her to blink, I’m by her side and holding her up.

  “Chloe, you need to tell me what’s wrong?”

  She snatches her body away from me.

  “I told you I’m fucking fine, Skye! I just wish you’d believe me!” she screams as she jerks her clothes back on. Once she’s fully dressed, she storms out of the room and slams the door.

  When I enter the kitchen a few minutes later, Sara’s at the table talking animatedly with Harley. They both silence the moment I step in the room.

  “Everything copasetic?” Sara asks, looking at me, then at Chloe leaning against the counter on the other side of the kitchen.

  “YERP,” Chloe spouts before walking around the bar into the kitchen. The door rattles loudly from across the room.

  “Put your knickers on, ladies, I’m comin’ in.” Without waiting for our acknowledgement, Brady barrels in. The slight glossy sheen to his eyes tells me he’s hammered.

  “What’s up, rot cock?” Harley says and Brady glares at him. “What? Did I say something wrong?” Harley’s innocent expression causes everyone but Chloe to laugh.

  Brady notices that she’s not finding the moment as humorous as the rest of us. ”See, the rest of you assholes think you’re fucking hilarious. But, not boss lady. She’s got my back.” He slides in next to her and wraps an arm around her.

  I’m just about to grab him by the throat and rip him away from her when she cringes and pulls away. Brady immediately looks guilty. We all know that since she’s come home, she doesn’t like to be close to anyone emotionally or physically, until today. Something has happened in the last 24 hours that caused her to flip a switch. I would say it’s a good thing since we were intimate for the first time in months. The sudden change in her moods and the way she wants it is what baffles me the most. Just yesterday, she would cringe when I touched her. However, since we’ve gotten home from the cemetery, every time we’re alone, she pounces on me. I notice her throwing herself at me with her body but in her eyes, she’s so withdrawn. We used to have sex so sweet it would rot your teeth.

  Now I know what Brady meant when he would refer to slow, passionate love making as sugar sex. Today was something entirely different though, it was like an inferno. So extremely hot, so consuming that at any given minute, it will engulf you in flames and burn you alive. I love inferno sex, but is it really what she needs? With her past looming in her present, someone holding her down and pulling her hair, or slapping her ass and pounding into her mercilessly can’t be good for her psyche.

  We’re grasping at each other desperately trying to hang on to the other, but the only thing still linked are our pinkies. The ultimate pinky promise to never let go, to hold on to her forever.

  I’ve got to get with Sally to see what I can do to help pull her out of her mind and the horrible place she seems to be content on staying in. This is not my fierce, strong Chloe; this person is an empty shell of who Chloe used to be.

  No matter who she has become, I refuse to let her stay inside herself. I will build her back up and get her back.

  “Man, you ready?” Harley asks, eyeing me cautiously. I look at him in confusion for a moment until it suddenly dawns on me what he’s talking about.

  Wary of leaving Chloe alone, I glance at her. She nods her consent, knowing I don’t want to leave her. Before I leave the room with Brady and Harley, I find my resolve; I have to try harder. If I don’t, I will be giving up on myself, my life, and my happiness, and all of these things sit in the palm of her sullen hands.

  I walk over to Chloe, place both hands on the counter, pinning her in between my arms. I lean my head in toward hers and smile when I see her lips part as she takes in a small, harsh breath. I clash my mouth into hers with newfound vigor. She responds immediately and wraps her arms around my neck, completely losing herself in the kiss.

  It starts off as a kiss meant for goodbye, but rapidly turns into a “hello” that rocks me straight to the core. I feel the rush of blood that was swarming my head and making me dizzy, stream straight to my cock.

  A throat clears from behind us, but I couldn’t care less. Chloe, however pulls away, gasping for air. A pink hue burns her neck and slowly works its way to her cheeks.

  Brady decides that this is the perfect moment to open his mouth and say, “If you’re done with the peep show, which was worth half a woody by the way, can we go?”

  Harley slaps him on the back of the head, causing everyone to laugh. He leans down and plants a small kiss on Sara’s cheek. I turn back to Chloe.

  “You sure you’re all right to get Sara to BAR alone? I can come back if you need me to.”

  She smiles softly, her eyes are still hazy, her smile somewhat lopsided. “Yeah, I can handle it. We shouldn’t be far behind you. I’ll call if I need help.” Her words drag out and slur together.

  “All right.” I plant another kiss on her lips and pull away before she can reciprocate. I start to follow the guys out the front door, but then realize I’ve gotta give her the keys to the Jeep so she can get Sara to BAR. I tell th
e guys to go ahead, that I will be right behind them. The keys are in my pants pocket on Chloe’s bathroom floor, so I head that way to retrieve them.

  When I enter the cold room, I immediately spot them exactly where I left them earlier. I reach down and pick my blue jeans up. A soft tinkering sound bounces off the walls, I look down and spot the source. Six tiny, blue pills are scattered haphazardly across the floor. For a few long moments, I just stare at the small ovals as apprehension settles over me.

  I lean down, scoop up the pills, and toss them in the toilet. I wait until they sink to the bottom of the bowl and flush. The water swirls, dragging the pills away with the undertow. For a moment, the thought of flushing the whole bottle is extremely appealing, but then I think about how it will affect Chloe. I know what she’s doing; I’ve been seeing all the signs for the past month. I’ve just been praying I was wrong, but her behavior, combined with the haze in her eyes, all prove my theory. Chloe’s self-medicating; I’m just not sure if it’s her pain medication or if it’s her Xanax or both.

  Icy tendrils of dread replace my blood. How the fuck am I going to approach her with this? First thing I need to do is catch her in the act, that way she won’t be able to deny my accusation. Apparently, I’ve conjured her up because she stands in the doorway, watching me intently. Her body language is sluggish and lazy.

  “Hey, they’re waiting on you.” Chloe nods in the direction of her bedroom door. I want so badly to confront her problem, to start the process of getting her off the medication, but I don’t. Instead, I walk to her and wrap my arms around her. The top of her head sits right under my nose and I can’t help my body’s natural reaction to her. I inhale her intoxicating aroma of strawberries and vanilla. She starts shaking with laughter so I pull back.

  “You sniffing me?” She raises a playful eyebrow in question. Since she’s being playful for the first time in months, I decide to hold my tongue and continue the banter.