by Hall, S. E.
I can’t stand to see her like this. I can’t park the car quickly enough, and within moments I’m pulling her into my arms, rubbing her back. “Yes, Laney. I think one day you’ll be friends again, and eventually, he’ll see that you’re happy.”
She smiles at me, reaching up to cup my cheek in her hand. “I am very happy,” she says. Her voice is sincere but her eyes betray her guilt. “I love you, Dane. You make me more than happy. I just hate that I had to hurt him to love you. But that’s not your fault.” She presses her soft lips to mine and when she looks back up at me, her eyes are dry and her smile is bigger. She’s put on a mask, hiding her sadness to ensure my happiness. “Let’s go inside and have fun, okay?”
“Are you sure? We can go home right now.” I rub a finger along her lips, wanting to feel them against mine again.
She kisses my finger, sending a longing through me, and giggles at the loud breath I suck in. “We’re already here. Come on.”
“For you,” I concede, lacing my fingers through hers.
***
She looks amazing. My jaw clenches and temper flares with every devouring look I see cast her way, but Laney doesn’t even notice. That’s one of my favorite things about her—she has no idea her effect on any man with a heartbeat. She’s wrapped up in conversation with Kirby, but her sweet little hand never leaves my thigh. I try my best to stay engaged with Zach, who’s talking to me from across the table, but one eye never leaves Laney.
When Zach leads Kirby to the dance floor, my love bends to grumble lowly in my ear, “freakin’ Sawyer! We owe Tate twenty bucks!”
Tate, Bennett, Laney and I had all laid secret bets with one another in the beginning of the confusing, yet very intriguing, ménage á quatre between Sawyer, Zach and the Andrews twins. It seems now that Sawyer has dropped totally out the race, costing Laney and I each twenty dollars. I thought we’d break even if Zach ended up with Avery, but since he’s currently tangled up with Kirby on the dance floor, it looks like we’re gonna owe double.
I chuckle, relieved that her mood has lifted and she seems more her spunky self, and kiss her sweet lips. “I’ll pay your debt, baby,” I assure her.
She shakes her head, rolling her eyes. “Sawyer isn’t allowed to work his way through my softball team, Dane. I will have his ass.”
“I’ll tell him,” I laugh again, loving how cute she looks with her little brow scrunched in anger, “or feel free to line him out yourself.” I wink at her and raise my arm to get Sawyer’s attention. He’s working tonight, but knows his priorities; come out from behind that bar and help with my plan. He comes over to our table and, of course, scoops my woman up in a big hug. I’m glad they seem to be good buddies again. She’d been furious at Sawyer when he showed up at my door, unannounced, with Evan, but he had told me and I’d foolishly chosen not to relay that information, which was my bad—not his. I made sure she forgave Sawyer of any fault while groveling for my own forgiveness.
“Watch her,” I mouth to Sawyer, waiting for him to acknowledge me with a nod before sneaking away.
***
I pull the guitar strap over my head and watch her looking around, eyes darting, neck craning; poor Sawyer is about to get slapped if he doesn’t tell her where I went. Two chords in, her shoulders relax and she turns, her face now serene as she locks eyes with me. I sing for her, to her; it’s the one way I can reach her soul immediately. Music is one of our deepest connections and tonight I’ve chosen “Endlessly” by Green River Ordinance, with some of my own styling strummed on my guitar. The words couldn’t be more fitting for us.
Oh, my tough girl. I watch as her little pink lip quivers, so she bites it, refusing to let the pools I can see shimmering in her eyes from here, escape. She smiles and mouths an “I love you,” sending my heart to new spheres. I’m so tempted to stop the song right now, but I manage to power through and finish to surprisingly raucous applause.
I weave frantically through people clapping me on the back to get to her. She throws her arms around my neck, a glowing smile making her face even more beautiful, and I know it was the perfect way to get both of our minds off of everything wrong and shift our focus to everything right.
“That was unbelievable, Dane. I love it when you sing to me.”
“I love you.” I blow in her ear, caressing it with my mouth.
“Take me home,” she coos.
I thought you’d never ask. Linking our fingers, I pull her towards the exit, giving quick goodbyes to our group.
He’s already glaring at us when I notice him standing directly between us and the door. I know the second Laney spots him because her hand tenses in mine and a shiver runs through her. I pull her tighter to me; no matter what happens, she’s not leaving my side. I’m not gonna be a dick; I promised her I wouldn’t do that ever again, but I’m also not going to roll over. He stands his ground as we come closer, his eyes hard, moving to Laney. She trembles, but quickly gathers herself, pushing her shoulders back and standing tall.
“Hey, Evan,” she says stoically.
He gives her only an obligatory brow raise.
“I called and texted,” she offers weakly. “I thought we could talk.”
“I got them,” he sneers.
I remain silent, letting her get out what she needs to, biting my tongue to refrain from telling him to watch his tone.
“Oh, okay then. I just thought—”
He holds up a hand to cut her off. “Let’s not do this,” his eyes cut to me and back, “here.”
She nods curtly and tugs on my hand, ready to leave.
Well, this night just went to hell in a hurry. The car ride home is hauntingly silent, her anguish palpable. I almost let her stew…
“Talk to me baby,” I finally say, rubbing her thigh. “Tell me what you’re thinking.”
Her exhale is shaky. “I hurt him, worse than I even thought. Evan is never unkind, and the way he acted tonight… Well, now I know it’s really bad.”
I reach for her hand, rubbing my thumb over hers.
“I think you’re wrong, Dane,” she says with a sad sigh. “I don’t think he’ll ever forgive me.”
What do I say to that? I can’t express my real thoughts—how long is this going to go on? When can we quit talking about this? I remain silent and stare out at the road in front of me.
She turns her sweet face, resting a cheek against the seat. “Don’t do that, Dane.”
“Do what?” I wish I wasn’t driving right now so I could stay focused on her expression. That would answer all my questions for me, without a doubt.
“You’re not the only one with ESP. I know what you’re doing.”
I can’t help my grin, pleased that she does, in fact, know me as well I do her. “What am I doing, baby?”
“You’re doubting us. Again. We can’t do this every time we see him, Dane. It’s going to bug me, every single time, to see the pain in his eyes. But it doesn’t mean anything changes for us. I won’t change my mind.” She lifts our joined hands, kissing mine tenderly then resting them against her chest. “He was my first love, and I’d like to keep him in my life, but you are my forever. You’re the key to unlocking parts of me I didn’t even know existed.”
Thankfully, I pull into my garage as she finishes speaking, because I can’t wait another second to hold her. “Laney…” I grab her face in both my hands, sealing my lips with hers in hunger. Her mouth molds with mine, tasting like her fruity drink and Laney, and her moan tells me to take more, roughly, so I gladly do. Both our chests are heaving when we break apart but I manage out breathily, “You are my all day, every day. I will love you, hard, every day for the rest of my life. I swear it.”
“I know,” she hums, kissing me once, quickly, before opening her door. I follow her into the house, stopping to turn out the lights and lock up.
She walks right in like she belongs here, and it makes me damn happy she feels that way.
***
After her nightly routine, she
crawls into bed with me, throwing one long, toned leg over mine and resting her head on my chest. She smells of her favorite lavender lotion, her skin even silkier than usual as my fingertips trace just above her knee, exposed as her silky nightgown rides up. Having never been in love before, or in a real relationship with a woman, I’m not positive what I’m supposed to do right now. Something tells me I need to be sensitive to her difficult night and just hold her, but the man in me is screaming to mark her, claim her, and give her all she’ll ever need from me and only me.
I’ve almost convinced my dick he’s not running the show when she snuggles up closer against me, shifting so the warm, barely-there crotch of her thong slides along my thigh. My arm instinctively tightens around her, a grumble sounding from me. “Laney?” I know she’s not asleep. Tempting little faker.
“Hmmm?”
“Trying to be the sensitive, caring gentleman here.”
“Whatever you think is best,” she mumbles in mock sleepiness, rolling her hips slightly.
Ah fuck.
She’s on her back, hands pinned above her head with my body covering hers, before I know what hit me. I lower my head, breathing in her sweet scent, sucking on the spot where her neck meets her shoulder. Helpless without her hands, she writhes beneath me, groaning. I drag my tongue from the base of her throat all the way to her ear where I groan, “Whose baby are you?”
The stubborn, sexy girl holds out, refusing to answer me, so I use my one free hand to push her nightgown up her body. Her muscles quiver beneath my mouth as I bite and lick her stomach, kissing her navel as I would her mouth. Her legs come up, gripping around me as she raises her lower body from the bed, seeking contact.
“Say it, Laney. Whose girl are you?”
She bites her bottom lip, fighting against her words, coaxing me to torture her more. I’m on to her game and more than willing to play. My cock is achingly hard enough to do some serious damage, and I press between her thighs. “Who do you want there, baby?”
Those doe eyes of hers narrow in lustful challenge as she teasingly drags her tongue across her bottom lip. God. That move drives me crazy and she knows it. In one tug, I rip her thong in the middle, leaving the band around her waist, and inch a single finger down, tracing, teasing her right back.
“Dane…” My name is a drawn out moan as her head thrashes back and forth, her cheeks flushed.
There we go—my name. I’ll support her in all the ways she needs me to, always be the sensitive, caring partner, but at the end of the day, my name will be the one she moans. My arms will be the ones that hold her. Laney is mine. I really hope no one mistakes my kindness for weakness; that’d be a big oversight.
“I’m right here, gorgeous.” Releasing her hands, I take her clothes all the way off and she wriggles to help. “Feed me one,” I say, my demand a growl, at the sight of her glorious chest.
With a look of shock, then a smirk of wanton comprehension, she cups one breast and lifts it to my mouth. I latch on to a rosy nipple as soft and pink as her lips, sucking as I firmly grip the other. Soon I switch, showing both mounds equal appreciation while Laney’s hands fist tightly in my hair and smash my face into her. She’s so reactive to foreplay, her nipples a sensitive hot spot, and I show her how much I love them.
Unable to take it much longer, but mindful that I have to get her plenty ready to take me inside her, I release a breast from my mouth with a pop. She whimpers at the loss and tries to pull my head back to her. I snicker at how adorable she is and run my nose along hers, another of her favorite moves.
“I wanna taste you,” I say against her lips.
This will be another first for us, and I’m almost positive her first at all, but the possessive animal in me has to know. “Will I be the first to lick you there, Laney? Hmmm?”
I don’t miss her little gasp. “Yes, just you,” she answers huskily, actually pushing my head down there.
Greedy little thing! I love it; love how bad she wants me, how she forgets she’s a novice when it’s just her and I together like this. Oh, how it fucks with my head, my heart, to know I’m her first at this too. The first taste of her is heaven. She’s smooth and sweet, her scent of innocence and want flaring my nostrils and sending my primal instincts into overdrive. I could feast on her forever, just like this. I push my tongue in and out of her, then lick the edges slowly, finally placing a gentle bite on her clit. She yelps and arches off the bed, so I grab her hips to hold her in place, repeating the pattern. Her thighs begin to tremble and her wail is one long, non-stop noise, so I abruptly add two fingers, sending her completely over the edge.
“Oh my God, Dane!” she screams as I lick slowly, my tongue wide and flat, humming against her, drawing out her orgasm as long as I can, until she relaxes with her finish.
I lift my head and meet her lazy, satisfied gaze. “You want me, Laney?”
“Mhmmm,” she purrs, reaching up to twine her arms around my shoulders, pulling me up her body. “Now,” she mumbles, still a little out of it.
“Now what?” My fingertips skim her inner thigh, earning a shudder from her. I rise to my knees, between hers, and pull off my shirt, grinning as I watch her eyes roam over me.
“Make love to me,” she whispers, licking her lips and staring into my eyes.
“Well, okay, baby.” I laugh lightly as I shift and lose my pants and boxers. “You should have said something sooner.” I wink and she giggles.
I love how harmonious we are in the bedroom. While I need control, I also thrive on her interaction, the taunting wit and sexy playfulness that only I get to see. She matches me, and often exceeds me, on many levels, and in the bedroom—phenomenal. If I’d filled out a questionnaire and mail-ordered for my perfect fantasy, they would’ve shipped me Laney Jo Walker.
Unhurriedly, I ease into her warmth and just like the first time she welcomed me there, it feels like home; the single most perfect place I’m supposed to be. The place I’m meant to be.
“Fuckkk,” I drag out the growled words as long as it takes me to work myself in. Her arms reach around, grabbing my ass to push me in her deeper. “Easy, I don’t want to hurt you.” She’s still very new to this and she’ll feel it tomorrow, so I hold myself back despite her urgings. “I wanna go slow and feel every minute of it,” I pant. Being inside her, her body a scorching vice around me, feels incredible, like nothing before. “You feel so good, Laney, so soft and tight for me.”
Honestly, it’s never even been close to thi—shit! Condom!
She must feel my body tense. “Dane?” Her scared eyes look up at me and she clutches my shoulders. “Did I do something wrong?”
I’d rather do anything than pull out of her right now, but that’d be way too selfish, and Laney comes first, literally. Grimacing, I withdraw, swiping a hand down my face. “Laney, I’m so sorry, baby. I forgot a condom.”
She giggles—giggles! I’m waiting for her to cry, or slap me, and she’s laughing! She sits up and wraps her arms around my waist. “I trust you, Dane. You’d never intentionally hurt me. If there was anything you needed to tell me, for my health, you would.”
Whoa, wait! “Laney, I’m clean. I have physicals every year, the insurance on my companies demands it. And I haven’t been with anyone else since, well, awhile… before the last physical by a long shot.”
“Then why are you so worried?” She kisses my chest, moving one hand to rub my back. “I think it’s safe to say I’m clean.”
Do I really have to map this out for her? Nope, it takes a few more seconds before she simpers again, peering up at me.
“You ever been in the middle of a softball tournament, away from home, in the Georgia heat and white pants, when all of a sudden you start your period?”
I wait for her to continue, pretty sure I don’t actually have to answer her.
“Well, I have, and it sucked. On the pill, you know exactly when it’s coming. I’ve been on it ever since; it’s the best advice Kaitlyn ever gave me.” She kisses the e
nd of my nose and smiles reassuringly. “We’re good, babe.”
Holding in a gasp of relief, I try to return a positive smile, still a little shaky. Laney’s 19 years old, with a sex life still in its infancy, and I’d been careless with her. I wince a bit at the thought, ‘cause it really had felt fucking incredible.
Focus, man!
“Now. Where were we?” She nibbles along my jaw, trailing up to suck on my earlobe. “You’re not a quitter are you?”
“Not. Even. A. Little. Bit,” I warn her as I lay her back, reaching to the nightstand to do things right this time. Moving over her again, the teasing mood is gone and her eyes are sultry, breathing choppy.
“Love me, Dane,” she says and her back bows, her knees falling open as I bury myself in one smooth thrust.
“I do, baby, I do.”
CHAPTER 3
Stomping Grounds
***Evan***
Seeing them together, again, really knocked the wind out of me. I’d better get used to it, since Southern is my new stomping grounds and not that big. I’ve been sitting on this barstool, replaying the scene in my head over and over way too many times, for what feels like hours. I must look as helpless as I feel since Sawyer cracks a beer open and slides it my way.
“Thanks.”
“Not a problem. I didn’t ask the other night, but you’ve got an ID just in case, right?”
I nod in affirmation.
“Just making sure. Dane’s place and all, wouldn’t want to jeopardize it for him.”
Dane owns this bar? Of course Dane owns this bar. And a mansion. And now he’s got Laney too. For the love of crap—could he be more impressive? More lucky? There’s nothing wrong with hating the guy, and boy, do I. So yes, I will gladly sit here and drink all of his free fucking beer I can stomach.
Yeah, you really got him there, Evan.
The faint smell of sweet musk drags my attention away from Sawyer’s bottle-flipping skills, and out of the corner of my eye, I see the blonde who’s scooted up to the bar. Oh what the hell—I lean back, running my eyes up and down her body. Not bad at all.