Rebelonging (Unbelonging, Book 2)

by Sabrina Stark

  I froze. It would explain so much, the cigarette burns, him getting tossed out of a vehicle that barely slowed down, his warnings for me to stay quiet.

  "Oh my God," I said. "Is that what happened? You killed someone?"

  He laughed. "No. But you should see the look on your face. It makes me glad I didn't."

  "Oh stop it," I said. "So what did happen?"

  "You're right about one thing. It was a fight, except I was supposed to lose."

  "Why?"

  "Remember that businessman I told you about?"

  "The one who loaned money to your Grandma?"

  "Yeah. Well, you know that old saying. He made me an offer I couldn’t refuse."

  "To throw the fight?"

  "Yup. And he'd forgive the loan. Refuse and, well, let's just say he'd be very unhappy."

  "So you agreed?"

  "Yeah. I was young and dumb. I knew I shouldn't. But I kept thinking of getting that loan off her back. It seemed a small price, wrong as it was."

  "So what happened?" I said.

  "One fucking punch."

  "What do you mean?"

  "So I'm supposed to make it look good, right? Hit him a few times. He hits me back. He was supposed to be some tough guy, won a lot of fights. So I hit the guy. Just once. And it's all over. He was on the ground. The crowd was going nuts. The guy never got up. And that businessman, the one who paid me to take a dive, he saw the whole thing."

  "So then what?" I said.

  "Well, as you can imagine, he wasn't too happy."

  My voice was very quiet. "So he tried to kill you?"

  Lawton laughed. "Nah. He liked me. Had 'em drop me at the hospital, right?"

  "Drop you?" I said. "I was there, remember? They squealed up and kicked you out. You could've died."

  "Nah, it'll take more than that to kill me."

  I reached out to trace one of the old cigarette burns, faint, but unmistakable now that I knew what I was looking at. "They hurt you," he said.

  "Baby," he said, "whatever they did, it didn't hurt half so bad as losing you."

  I felt my eyes grow misty. "Really?"

  "Yeah. Even then. First time we met. That's why I couldn't have you talking about it."

  "Why not?"

  "Because them hurting me, I can deal with. But them hurting you, I wasn't gonna let it happen. I still remember that night. You were so sweet." He laughed. "And funny."

  "I was not funny," I said.

  "You were too," he said. "And so fucking beautiful. And your voice. Man, I loved the sound of it."

  "You couldn't have loved it that much," I teased. "You left without saying goodbye."

  "I had to," he said, "for your sake. Those weren't nice people."

  "That's for sure."

  "And then, a couple months ago, when I'd almost given up on finding you again, there you were, walking right past my house, looking just the same as I remembered."

  "This is totally unfair, you know."

  "How so?" he said.

  "I had no idea what you looked like." I smiled. "But what I did see, and heard, I liked. I liked a lot." I looked around the hospital room. "Want to know what I wish?"

  "What?"

  "I wish we were somewhere else."

  He smiled. "Yeah?" He sat up. "Let's go."

  "Oh stop it," "You're supposed to stay at least twelve hours."

  "For what?"

  "Observation."

  He leaned close to nuzzle my neck. "The only person I want observing me," he said, "is you."

  Chapter 67

  An hour later, we were pulling into the Parkers' driveway. Lawton was behind the wheel of a slick black SUV that had miraculously shown up in visitor's parking.

  "I still can't believe you just walked out of there," I said.

  He pulled up just behind my car and shifted the vehicle into park. "Wanna know what I can't believe?" he said.

  "What?"

  "That we've got another chance." He turned sideways in the driver's seat to face me. "And I swear to you, this time I'm not gonna screw it up."

  I shook my head. "It wasn't just you. It was me too."

  I looked toward the Parkers' house, dark and stately in the quiet neighborhood. I'd wanted so badly to belong here that I'd made excuse after excuse for not being honest. But I was done making excuses, to me, and to Lawton.

  "I should've told you," I said.

  "You should've told me what?"

  I gave a small laugh. "Where to begin?" I said. "About house-sitting, Grandma, Josh, my job." I heard a soft sigh escape my lips. "You know, Lawton. I never meant to lie to you." I looked down at my lap. "But I guess, if I'm being honest, it was nice to feel like I belonged somewhere for once."

  "Hey," he said, his voice quiet in the darkened car. "I know exactly where you belong."

  "Where?"

  "Wherever you want to be." He grinned. "As long as it's with me."

  I returned his smile. "While I’m apologizing," I said, "I guess I should apologize for flipping out on you."

  He laughed. "Which time?"

  "Hey!" I said, giving him a playful swat on the arm. "I meant about the whole hooker thing. But I've gotta tell you, I was pretty mad."

  "Were you? I couldn't tell."

  I laughed. "You are so not making this easy."

  His voice grew serious. "Baby, whatever you said, I deserved it and then some. I should've known what you meant." He shook his head. "But thinking of you with other guys, it made me so crazy I wasn't thinking straight."

  "So you're pleading insanity?"

  "And stupidity. Because I should've known that's not you. So, if anyone's sorry, it's me."

  "Speaking of sorry," I said, "why didn't you tell me that Shaggy was the guy behind that sex tape?"

  "Who's Shaggy?"

  "Oh crap. I mean that Chester guy."

  "Who?"

  "The guy with that camera phone? You know, the one whose girlfriend pelted him with shrimp?"

  Lawton shook his head. "He didn't have anything to do with that tape."

  "He didn't?"

  "Nah. Was a totally different guy. Remember the guy they caught screwing a pumpkin?"

  "At the Tiger's game?" I did remember. A few years earlier, the guy had been the punch-line of countless late-night jokes, especially after he claimed the whole thing was a setup.

  "That's the one," Lawton said.

  "Wow, talk about karma, huh?"

  "How so?"

  "I mean, look, he set things up to violate your privacy, and then his um, sex act was just as infamous. And talk about embarrassing. Funny how that works, isn't it?"

  "Yup." He glanced toward the house. "Want me to come in with you?"

  He'd never been inside the Parkers' house before. Well, not by invitation anyway. The Parkers definitely wouldn’t like it. It would violate my agreement and cause all kinds of grief if they found out.

  I smiled. "Yeah, come on in," I said.

  When Chucky saw Lawton, he went berserk, diving for his legs so ferociously that it would've toppled a lesser man. Lawton crouched down to ruffle his fur, and Chucky bounded up on him so fast and so frantically that this time, Lawton did let himself get toppled over. And before I knew it, they were wrestling with each other across the hardwood floor.

  I rolled my eyes. "Boys will be boys." I set my purse on the kitchen counter and called out to Lawton. "Could you take Chucky on a little yard walk while I grab some stuff?"

  "How little?" he asked.

  "Five minutes."

  When he left, I dashed upstairs to grab a few essentials – my toothbrush and makeup, along with a small overnight bag with a change of clothes.

  I looked around the guest room. If the situation with the Parkers continued to slide, I wouldn't be able to stay here much longer. But leaving Chucky wasn't an option. The plants, well, they were on their own.

  I felt grubby after those hours in the hospital, or maybe it was from spending time at Loretta's. But either way, I n
eeded a shower. When I heard the front door open and shut, I felt myself smile. I didn't plan on showering here, and I sure as heck didn’t plan on doing it alone.

  I tossed my keys into the overnight bag and practically flew downstairs, where I grabbed Chucky, and dragged Lawton out the front door, locking it behind me.

  Lawton made a show of looking around. "So, uh, is the house on fire?"

  "Nope," I said. "But I am."

  Chapter 68

  Five minutes later, we were wet and naked in his shower, surrounded by clear glass on three sides and smooth marble on the fourth.

  We stood in a timeless embrace, our hot, wet bodies pressed against each other, while the steaming water cascaded over us. I wanted to be closer, to feel him inside me, and wrap my legs around his waist and beg him to pound into me like it was our last night on Earth.

  And I wanted to step away, to watch the streams of water dance over his glorious body, to see his muscles and tattoos shift and glisten, to watch the thick soapy lather slide down his skin while my hands and fantasies ran wild.

  I wanted it all.

  I lifted my head and met his gaze. He lowered his head, and his lips met mine. I felt a strong hand caress the back of my neck as my wet hair slid over his long, strong fingers.

  Desperate to be closer, I rubbed up against him, savoring the feel of his muscles and the rock-hard proof of his arousal.

  Already my breaths were already coming short and fast. I was drowning in desire, and wet inside and out. Stifling a groan, I reached for the soap and moved backward, breaking the embrace while my eyes feasted on this fantasy guy come to life.

  I rubbed the bar of luxury soap between my hands, watching a thick white lather grow between them. Then, I brought my hands, soap and all, to his chest, rubbing in slow, steady circles over those glorious pecs, feeling the muscles tighten and shift in time with my movements.

  I lifted my eyes to gaze at him through my eyelashes, taking in his wet hair, his smoldering eyes, and his lips that parted as he stared down at me with an expression of such love and desire that I felt my heart soar and body tremble.

  Breathing hard, I ran my palms across his chest, watching the lather gather between my fingers and slide downward, cascading in soapy waves over his washboard abs and lower still.

  My hands drifted lower, sliding over those tightly defined stomach muscles as the sudsy water danced between my fingers. Desperate for more, I splayed my fingers, stretching them out as far as they could go, trying to touch every ridge and to catalog every sleek line of his amazing body. I ran my hands over his lean hips and reached around to caress his backside, relishing the hardness of his ass and the shift of his muscles.

  He felt like a dream, a work of art come to life, and with every shift of his body and every movement of my hands, I marveled that I was actually here. With him. And that in spite of everything, this dream guy was actually mine.

  I worked up some more lather and moved my hands back to his front. I wrapped one slippery hand around his rigid tool, sliding my closed palm up and down the length of him, the whole time marveling at his amazing size, his perfect shape, and the smooth hardness that felt so magnificent in my tight wet grasp.

  His arousal pulsed in time with my touch, and when I tightened my grip, he moaned my name. "Chloe."

  I lifted my gaze to his face and felt myself smile. His eyes were shut, and his lips barely parted. But then, as if feeling the heat of my gaze, his eyes slowly drifted open, and slowly, he smiled that heart-stopping smile.

  "Turn around," he said.

  "Why?"

  "Do I need a reason?"

  I smiled. "But I'm not done yet."

  "Me neither. And I don't want to be. Not yet." He reached out for my shoulders and gently turned me away from him. I felt a strong arm wrap around my stomach, and Lawton's front pressing against my back. His body was hot and hard, and slippery with soap suds and cascading water.

  As for me, I was slippery with something else. Hot desire that coursed through me like a greedy life-force with a mind of its own. I wanted him now, and I wanted him always.

  I heard his voice in my ear and felt his lips on my neck. "Baby, I love you so much it hurts."

  A sigh escaped my lips, and my head fell back against his chest. "I love you, too. And God, I've missed you. I've missed this. I've missed everything."

  He wrapped both arms me and squeezed me tight, gathering me against him and whispering. so low I could barely hear. "You're mine. And I'm never letting you go."

  His words, sultry and sweet, turned my insides to butter and my heart to mush. I ground my hips back against him, urging him closer, and wanting him forever.

  I reached up, arching my back as I placed my hands around the back of his neck, feeling his hard, corded neck muscles against my palms and his wet, soft hair brush the backs of my fingers.

  I closed my eyes and felt his hands slide upward until they reached my breasts. He cupped their undersides, gently squeezing them together and then cupped them upward into the cascading streams of water as his lips pressed into my neck, and his hot erection pressed into my back.

  When a moan escaped my lips, his hands moved higher, caressing my curves with sweet persistence until I trembled against him, panting for more.

  When his fingers brushed my nipples, I arched into him, wanting more, and more again. Soon he was toying with my nipples, stroking them, rolling them between his hot, wet fingers, and gently tugging at them until they were hard knobs of taut desire.

  When I ground my backside into him, I felt one of his hands drift lower, sliding down past my ribs, over my stomach, and drifting down toward my pelvis. When I felt his fingers slide back and forth on either side of my hot center, I moaned and ground my hips forward, my need so desperate that my body was begging.

  When he rubbed his thumb along my clit and ran a long finger across my hot, wet opening, I couldn’t stand it one second longer.

  I twisted around and coiled my body against him, feeling my breasts flatten against his chest and my abs contract with desire. I reached between us and took his rigid length into my eager hands.

  I wanted to climb up him, to cover him with kisses and sheath his hardness with my hot, slick opening until he filled me completely.

  "Lawton," I said, more a moan than a word. "I need you so bad."

  He lowered his head, silencing my words with a long, drawn-out kiss. I reached up, wrapping my arms around his neck and savoring the feel of his wet lips on mine.

  As his sighs mixed with my own, his hands drifted downward. He cupped my ass and lifted me up around him like I weighed next to nothing. I wrapped my legs around him, savoring the tightness of his hips and the muscles of his back.

  And then, with a low groan, he was sliding into me. I moaned and wrapped my legs tighter, feeling his hot, hard length thrust deeper and deeper. Lost to everything except this, I ground into him, feeling my legs tremble and stomach clench.

  He was so strong and so beautiful, it seemed like a dream. But it wasn't a dream. I knew this by the ragged sound of his voice as he said my name over and over again.

  And then, I was convulsing. I felt my walls tighten around him, and his hardness pulsing with every thrust. Soon, the pressure was almost unbearable. I felt my insides convulse and my legs shake.

  I called his name and hung on for dear life as waves of our united pleasure trampled all my doubts, all my inhibitions, and all my fears in a sea of sound and sensation that threatened to carry us away to who-knows-where.

  Together, we sank down into a trembling heap, letting the steaming water wash over us as we stared into each other's eyes, oblivious of everything except each other.

  Slowly he reached out, running the back of his index finger across my jaw. "If I wake up, and you're not here, if this is all a dream, I don't want to wake up at all."

  I felt myself smile. "Me neither."

  Chapter 69

  Ten minutes later we collapsed, still naked, onto his bed wi
th wet hair and damp skin. He was sprawled on his back, and I was cuddled up next to him, with my head on his shoulder, and my hand resting on his chest.

  The air was cool, but my skin was warm. I sighed into his shoulder. "Best Thanksgiving, ever." I winced. "I mean aside from the thing at my dad's. Um, and the hospital. And losing your keys." I lifted my head. "You know what? I'll shut up now."

  "No. Don't do that," he said in a sleepy voice. "I love to hear you talk." He pulled me closer. "It was the best. But you know what?"

  "What?"

  "Next year, it'll be even better."

  "How do you know?" I said.

  "Because we'll make sure of it."

  I smiled into his shoulder. "Yeah," I murmured, feeling myself drift. "I can see that."

  I woke in the darkened room to find myself wrapped in Lawton's arms and covered with a soft fleece blanket. I glanced at the clock. It wasn't quite nine.

  The night was still young. I'd slept barely an hour, but felt wide awake – no surprise, given the fact that for someone like me, who worked nights, this was practically the middle of the day.

  Gently, I slid out of Lawton's embrace and got out of bed. I spotted Chucky, curled up near the footboard, with a furry paw resting on Lawton's ankle.

  Smiling, I made my way to the bathroom, and returned to the room a couple minutes later for my overnight bag. Determined not to wake either of my two favorite guys, I lugged my bag into one of the spare rooms. Quietly, I dug out some casual clothes, got dressed, and ran a brush through my still-damp hair.

  It was a big house, so there wasn't any shortage of things to do, or places to do it in. But what I really needed to do was figure out what to do about the Parkers. It was beyond obvious that things weren't exactly what they seemed.

  I had received no returned calls, no replacement checks, and no instructions from the financial guy or anyone else. Planning to check my phone, I went to retrieve my purse and stopped, confused, when it wasn't in its usual spot. And then I remembered, I'd left it on the Parkers' kitchen counter when I'd gone there earlier with Lawton.

  "Oh crap," I muttered, suddenly feeling very naked – and not in a fun way – without my purse and everything it contained, my phone in particular. I glanced toward the quiet stairway and considered the timeframe.