by Petrova, Em
That drew another peal of laughter from her. “Cris, you should take that comedy show on the road.”
“Nah, I couldn’t succeed at stand-up. Besides, my kid might actually miss me. And I wouldn’t want to send him back to live with his grandparents.” He suppressed a shudder.
At the mention of his home life, Sarah sobered. “I don’t mean to pry, but...”
His shrug lifted her head against his cheek so that his early evening stubble tangled in her hair. He snuggled her closer and wiggled his ass to a more comfortable position on the hard floor while he gathered the thoughts he wanted to share. “You probably know most of the story from Trip’s school records.”
“I know the facts.” She angled her head to look at him, her lips a breath away from his. “You have sole custody. Kit...Trip’s an A student. You moved to Granite Pointe after the first term started. There’s nothing personal in the file. There never is.”
He held his peace for a moment, weighing the words. He’d vowed never to speak ill of Trip’s mom. In the past, it had been an easy promise to keep. But he cared too much about Sarah’s opinion to gloss over the facts as he normally did. The truth affected his kid in the extreme.
“There’s some back story you should know before I tell you what happened with Trip’s mom.” He paused, swallowing hard before he continued. “My mom was an Army colonel on the fast track. I grew up as a typical Army brat. A different home every year or so. Because my mom’s career was on fire, my dad stayed home to raise me. Which he hated. It emasculated him to the point of all-the-time anger. He compensated by being overly strict. He ran our home like a military prison. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner were served daily at the same time. Be at the table, dressed appropriately, or suffer the consequences. Rules and regulations twenty-four-seven don’t mix well with a teenage kid. It was hell.”
Her hand was warm and comforting when she laid it on his arm. “Sounds pretty rigid.”
His dad’s rules weren’t the only thing rigid. He scooted up a bit, relieving the pressure of her butt against his groin. He snorted. “It was. When it was time for me to leave for college, I went a little crazy. God, the freedom.” He’d celebrated being out from under his dad’s rule by overindulging. He barely recalled his first month at university. He pushed the thought away. “You sure you want to hear this?”
“Wouldn’t have asked if I didn’t.” Her breath caressed his cheek.
He craned his neck over her shoulder until he could look into her eyes. When she turned her head, her mouth was suddenly accessible. “I’d rather kiss you.”
When her eyelids fluttered down from his eyes to his lips, he was lost. When he pressed his mouth to hers, it felt like kissing a soft, cherry-flavored cloud. She didn’t resist when he played along the seam with his tongue, licking his way from one corner to the other. She opened with a sigh and cupped the back of his head, urging him on. When her tongue slipped over his lips, a fire began to burn low in his belly. She wanted him as he’d wanted her from the first time he’d seen her in the school office.
Putting a hand on her shoulder, he pressed until she turned against his chest, making the angle of the kiss less awkward, granting him better access. Sarah drew her knees to the side, and it was natural for him to move a leg over them, spooning her against him. He let his hand drift to her hip, squeezing the tender flesh encased in the soft, faded black denim of her skinny jeans. When her fingers trailed up his bare ribs, the muscles jumped.
He had to stop. He’d never finish his story if they continued to kiss. Restraint and discipline came too fucking naturally to him. He tore his lips from hers. “God, I want to keep kissing you.”
“Then don’t stop.” The breathy quality of her voice catapulted heat straight to his groin.
He was so fucking hard it bordered on painful. Blissful agony washed over him when she shifted closer to him and her hip collided with his groin. Her eyes held desire as he lifted his hands to her shoulders. Need changed to confusion when he shook his head.
Physical anguish paled in comparison to the mental hurt when he turned her until her back was to his front again. “You need to hear the whole story so you know what you’re getting into.”
He reached toward the counter behind him and grabbed his shirt. With economical movements, he had the material over his head and stuffed his arms into the sleeves. Sarah leaned forward and let him tug the fabric into place. When he finished, he twined his arms around her waist.
She leaned her shoulder against his chest and relaxed. “Go on,” she encouraged.
“I met Larie right before semester break. The attraction was instant. I loved her wild hair, her colorful style. Her extremely dirty mouth. She was the complete antithesis of my parents. Light-hearted, carefree. She was insanely talented, an art major and perfectly suited for the creative life. She was bohemian where I was regimented. Free-spirited to my disciplined. Passionate to my restrained. She was like the forbidden fruit. I wanted to be more like her. I wanted to be with her.”
“Sounds like a typical college romance.” Sarah’s tone held no judgment.
“Our relationship got physical immediately. I cashed in my plane ticket home for the holidays and rented a room at a hostel. When my parents called, I didn’t bother to answer. We spent the three weeks of Christmas break in the room, in her words, ‘fucking like bunnies.’” It had been an incredible period of his life. “Larie announced she was pregnant before the end of January. I should have expected it. We’d run out of condoms by the end of the third day. She begged me to ‘pull the goalie,’ to go bare with her. At the time, I was only too happy to comply.”
“Everyone makes mistakes.” She traced her fingers on the edge of the tat that peeked from the bottom of his sleeve.
He leaned his head against the cabinet behind him. “This one was life altering. I considered quitting school, but decided if I was going to be a dad, I’d better have a way to support my family. So I registered for extra courses each semester and got a job as a waiter and another as a night clerk at a motel. Larie seemed fine throughout the pregnancy, but once Trip was born, everything went to hell. Poor kid could howl like a banshee, and she’d never hear it. She painted all day long, but the images were dark and scary. It got so I was afraid to leave in the morning or go to work.”
“Oh, Cris, it sounds awful.” Sarah squeezed her fingers on his arm, and he gladly took the small comfort it offered.
“Although she wasn’t diagnosed, I think she had post partum depression. And she turned every shred of anger on me.” This was the hardest part of the story. The one fact no one but his parents knew. “One night, when Trip was just six months old, she called the motel, crying and screaming. I could hear Trip wailing in the background. Even on the phone, she was out of control, screaming obscenities and abuse. I raced home, relieved to find that at least she’d locked Trip in his room. Larie paced like a caged animal, ranting at me. While I tried to calm her down, she went off. Hitting, kicking...biting me. She attacked like she could kill me with her bare hands. And I took it because I couldn’t hit a woman. I couldn’t even defend myself.” Cris slammed his eyes shut, blocking out the ugly, not-so-faded memory of that night.
Sarah gasped sharply, but remained silent, waiting for him to continue.
He did. “When she started throwing things, I yelled at her to stop. We were in the kitchen, and she picked up a knife. I’ve never been so scared in my life. If she took me down, what would happen to Trip?” He slipped his hand over Sarah’s on his arm and directed her fingers to the back of the tat and the fat line of the scar he’d hidden with ink. “She sliced my bicep, cut me deep. When I turned to grab a towel to stop the bleeding—”
“You don’t have to finish, Cris.” Her voice was soft and compassionate. Her eyes glistened with unshed tears.
“I want you to know. Unless, you’d prefer I stop?” He held her gaze until she shook her head. “There was a dirty skillet on the stove. I heard the knife clatter to the ground a
nd the scrape of the pan on the burner but never expected to feel the cast iron connect with my face. She walloped me good, and I went down like the roof of a burning building, hard and fast. When I managed to shake off the stupor, she was gone. She’d packed a suitcase, grabbed a couple of her paintings and her art box, and split.”
“And Kit?” The ice pack lay forgotten in her lap.
Cris plucked the cold pack from her and lifted his arm to deposit it on the counter behind him. “He’d finally cried himself to sleep while we were fighting. She left him and just ran.” He shook his head. “Poor kid was covered in snot, had a diaper that weighed a ton, and a hellacious case of diaper rash, but he woke up with a smile. I did the only thing I could think to do. I called my dad for help. And he came, no questions asked. Stayed with me for a month, helping with Trip, helping me. Told me I could come home to Georgia and live with him and mom while I got it together.”
“So your dad ended up being a bit of a hero in the story.” Sarah shifted up until she could rest her head on his shoulder.
He wove his fingers through her soft blond hair until he cupped the back of her head. “Kind of. Don’t get me wrong. He was still a strict son of a bitch. But I’d see him with Trip in the yard playing when I got home at the end of my school day, and he looked almost relaxed. We’d all have dinner, at the appointed hour, then I’d get some studying done, put Trip to bed, and leave for my night job.”
Sweeping his thumb over the shell of her ear, he allowed the motion to soothe him. “With my folks’ help, I finished school in three years and found a job with the Atlanta Fire Department. Believe it or not, moving out of my dad’s house was hard. A lot harder than the first time I left.”
“What happened to Larie?” Sarah lifted liquid brown eyes to his face.
Lost in her gaze, he didn’t answer right away. He studied her face, resting on her lips a moment. He lifted his eyes to hers, finding them expectant. “She got in touch with me through school after about a year. I’d already been to family court and obtained full custody on the grounds of abandonment. She’d moved to New Mexico and joined an artist commune there. She sounded happy.”
“Does Kit ever see her? Do they have any sort of relationship?” The teacher in Sarah was showing.
“We hear from her occasionally, but not often. He’s spent a couple of vacations with her, but he would call for me to pick him up before the appointed time. She misses Trip’s birthday every year. When she does remember, she sends some sort of little drawing to him, and it’s always dark and spooky. I want to hide them from him, but it’s the only way for him to build a connection to her. For some reason, the kid adores her. When she calls, which, again, isn’t often, they’ll talk for a few minutes, then she creates a reason to get off.”
Sarah sat up, pulling out of his arms. She searched his face. “Given the circumstances, I think you’ve done a great job with him. He’s a gifted young man. It’s just he’s having a hard time acclimating to a new environment.”
Her gaze tracked to his mouth when he smiled. “Kind of like his dad’s freshman year at university. Funny thing is...the entire experience actually made my dad and me closer. He’s still strict, but I get it now.” He sighed and shook his head. “And that’s the whole sad story.”
Sarah pressed a soft kiss to his cheek, her lips heated yet tender against his skin. She scrambled to her feet. She extended her hand and pulled him to his feet. “Thanks for sharing. I know that wasn’t easy.”
He faced her, grasping her shoulders and holding her gaze. “I’d appreciate it if you’d keep it under wraps. You and my parents truly are the only people who know I let Larie beat me up. It isn’t something I’m proud of.”
Pursing her lips, she narrowed her eyes, pinning him with a hard stare. “Dammit, you should be proud of it. She hit you, and you didn’t retaliate. I admire that.”
Dull heat flushed his cheeks. He’d never had anyone compliment him for his restraint. It was embarrassing, but felt great at the same time. He slid his hands down until he laced his fingers with hers and tugged her against his chest. “Thank you,” he murmured.
When she tilted her chin, he claimed her mouth. She outlined his lips with her tongue, stroked it over his teeth. The corners of her mouth lifted when he laved the tip of his tongue to hers and then dragged it over her bottom lip. Her kiss turned hot and greedy, reaching a place that ignited his need into a lusty inferno. She wrapped her arms over his shoulders and pulled, and he pressed willingly against her, moving their bodies back until he had her against the counter. He dropped his hands to her waist and ground his erection into her belly. Sensation rolled through him with each of her soft moans and panting mewls as he pillaged her mouth like a marauding Viking.
Her fingertips were icy-hot on his back when she slipped them under his shirt. Flat-palmed, she smoothed her hands up his ribs until they came to rest on his shoulder blades. She rubbed her breasts against his chest, sending shards of desire straight to his groin.
God, had he ever wanted a woman, any woman, this strongly? If he couldn’t bury himself in her slick heat, he’d die. He lifted one hand up her belly until he found the soft plump orb he sought, cupping his hand around it, squeezing gently.
Sarah arched her back, pressing her flesh more firmly into his hand, her lips fevered on his. He dropped his other hand and moved around to stroke her sexy butt, pinching the flesh, pressing her to his hips. He dipped his knees, angled his pelvis into position, and then rose against her. Only the thin material of his shorts and the denim of her jeans stood in the way of him achieving his goal of being in her.
But he didn’t want their first time together to be in middle of her kitchen. She deserved a soft bed with silken sheets, sweet smelling candles and soft, romantic music. He didn’t want this to be a quick fuck. His emotions were stronger than just need, just lust.
He stilled his hands on her body and drew away, breaking the frenzied kiss. “Sarah, wait. We shouldn’t.” Oh, God, wasn’t that her line? He was such a fucking girl. Huffing out a deep breath, he shut his eyes at the look of dazed confusion on her face. “I can’t do this with you, not here.”
She jumped then side-stepped out of his arms. “Shit. I forgot about Kit joining us for dinner. When will he get here?” She jerked her T-shirt into place and tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear.
Cris grasped her hand. He pressed a kiss to her knuckles before resting it on his chest. “Trip isn’t going to join us. I talked to him earlier, and his ankle was killing him. I told him to take some pain medication and go to bed. I’m sorry. I should have told you earlier.” But he’d been so wrapped up in her injury and telling his sad-sack story, it had slipped his mind.
She drew her brows together and canted her head to the side. “Oh. I don’t understand. I mean, I’m willing to go to...to be with you. And believe me, inviting men to my bed isn’t something I do with any regularity. Certainly never parents of my students.” Her eyes misted, and she turned her head to the side, staring out the window over the sink.
“Sarah—”
She shook her head but didn’t make eye contact. When she spoke, her tone held a note of hurt. “You really don’t want me?”
Chapter Eight
Tucking a finger under her chin, he urged her face back to him. “Never, ever think that, Sarah. I was practically glued to you. I think you know how much I want you.”
She lowered her gaze down his stomach, then darted it back up, pink staining her cheeks. “If Kit isn’t coming, and we both want this, what’s stopping—” She buried her face in her hands, groaning.
“Sarah, look at me.” He waited until she peeked between her fingers. “Don’t ever think I don’t want you. But I’m old-fashioned. Our first time together will be magic. I won’t stink because of working in the yard all afternoon. I won’t ravish you in the kitchen against a hard cupboard. You deserve more than that. I want more for both of us.”
She lowered her hands, relief flooding her eyes.
She pressed her palms to his chest. “Maybe we should start with a date first, huh?”
“It wouldn’t hurt.” Cris grinned and inclined his head to the counter. “We could start with the pizza you brought. Get better acquainted. Although, you know all my secrets already.”
“Sure you don’t have a few more? Secret baby somewhere? Criminal record? Women’s high heels in your closet?” Her eyes lightened to a sherry-colored brown and danced as she teased him.
“No, no, and hell no!” He pulled her into a companionable hug.
“Um...Cris? You were right. You do stink.”
He released her and jumped away. Lifting his arm, he inhaled a mighty whiff of outdoor-working stank. “Shit, I’m sorry.”
“Feel free to use the bath to uh, freshen up. I’ll get the pizza in the oven,” she offered.
“Really? You wouldn’t mind?”
Her blond hair swept her shoulders when she shook her head. “Top of the steps, end of the hallway. There are clean towels in the cabinet behind the door. Help yourself and take your time. Pizza has to be in at least fifteen minutes. I’ll make a salad and pour some iced tea.”
“Sounds wonderful.”
“Cris...”
Something bothered her. He could tell by the shadows that dulled her eyes to a muddy brown. “Spit it out, Sarah.”
“I’m a rule follower. Always have been. I make and enforce the rules. I don’t break them. ” She chewed her lip, making him want to soothe the sting with his tongue. Opening her mouth, she heaved a gusty sigh. “I told you before I don’t date parents. I’ve done it once with really shitty results.”
“Want to tell me about it?”
She shook her head. “I dated a father who wanted me to ‘fix’ his daughter’s academic record. It ended very publically.”
That sucked. “That guy was an asshat who didn’t deserve you. I would never do anything to try to sway you professionally or embarrass you in front of students or peers. I’m not that guy.” He didn’t know what else to say to ease her mind. In this life, there were very few assurances.