I Take It Back

by Liza James

“You have no reason to be nervous, Em. I don’t bite. Well, at least not much. You should know that, don’t you?” My cheeks flared red and I shivered under his cold touch. The words he spoke sent my mind reeling back to that night in his room.

  What the hell was going on here?

  I waited for Tyler to remove his hand, but he never did, instead his thumb would slide back and forth across my skin, leaving his possessive but invisible mark on me. I wanted to throw up, the waves of nausea were coursing through my body and I turned to look at Savannah, trying to warn her with my eyes that something was going on.

  Unfortunately, Savannah and Jake were both engrossed in their phones and hadn’t even glanced up for me to warn them. Logan, however, had to of known what was happening because his face was red and his eyes wide as he glared at the seemingly empty space between Tyler and me.

  Soon, Tyler’s hand had slid farther down my back, getting dangerously close to where it shouldn’t be. I knew I needed to put a stop to this, but I didn’t want to cause a scene at such an important event for the fraternity and our university. This was a charity fundraiser for Christ sake. But obviously, Tyler didn’t care about that in the slightest.

  I slowly arched my back, trying to pull away from his touch, hoping that he would take my body language as a loud signal to stop touching me. But instead of pulling away, I heard him quietly laugh to himself before he slid his fingers in between the gap of my dress and skin, leagues farther down than he should have ever been. He shouldn’t be touching me in the first place.

  It astounded me how calm he was through his entire violation of my body. He was still easily in conversation with Emily, using his other hand to grab hers and even tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. He would try to engage in conversation with Jake, making stupid jokes and putting on his best façade while his other hand silently tormented me.

  “You do look beautiful tonight, Emma,” he whispered in my ear, his lips lightly brushing against me. I was wearing an incredibly thin G-string, because I knew this dress wouldn’t hide the lines of my regular panties. But I was quickly wishing I hadn’t even worn this dress to begin with because his fingers trailed over the thin lacy fabric, lightly tugging at it and sending a sharp intake of breath through my body.

  Okay, we’re done here. He doesn’t get to ruin this dress for me, not this.

  I slowly reached behind me, moving to grab his hand in mine and pull it out of my dress when I felt him clamp down painfully on my wrist, holding me there so I couldn’t move.

  I tried to hide the wince that flashed across my face, reminding myself that I really didn’t want to cause a scene. But I was starting to think that I would have to.

  His thumb rubbed back and forth on my wrist, but not in a soft, gentle way. This was aggressive and the strength of his hand was beginning to cause mine to throb.

  I tried to pull my hand away but it was impossible, I was stuck there and unsure what my next move would be.

  I turned my head to the side, letting my chin rest on my shoulder as I closed my eyes. I forced back the tears of frustration, anger and feeling so incredibly violated tonight. When I looked back up, Savannah, Logan, and Jake’s eyes were all wide with fear and staring directly behind me. The next thing I knew, I felt another large hand wrap around mine, prying Tyler’s grip from me in one swift movement. Tyler snapped his head behind him and soon I felt Cade’s breath directly next to my face. He was leaning in next to Tyler and spoke in a voice I had never heard from him before.

  “Tyler, listen to me right now. I swear to God, if I catch you touching Emma ever again, I will fucking destroy you.” His voice was completely controlled, but it was the sharpest growl I had ever heard, and held so much strength that even I was nervous. It was a promise he made to Tyler, not a threat.

  I looked to see Tyler’s reaction and couldn’t help but feel a sense of relief when I saw all of the blood drain from his face. He was a ghost, and honestly, I couldn’t have been happier about it. I knew in this moment that Tyler wouldn’t bother trying his perverse tactics with me again.

  I looked across the table and noticed that Logan had the biggest grin on his face I had ever seen. Savannah and Jake both looked pissed, however, their anger directed toward Tyler, and poor Emily was so oblivious to what had happened that she just kept chatting about her classes while no one listened.

  Without another word, Cade gently gripped my elbow and pulled me up so that I could follow him. He laced his fingers through mine as I followed him out of the banquet hall and into a small office room around the corner.

  Chapter 28

  Cade quickly shut the door behind us and had me pushed up against the wall in less than ten seconds. His breathing was heavy, ragged and I could tell that he had used every ounce of self-control to pry Tyler away from me because now, he didn’t have any left. He turned away from me and lifted his fist, seconds away from smashing the wall in front of him when I stepped forward and wrapped my arms around his waist, leaning my head against his back.

  “Cade, stop. I’m fine, okay? I promise.” Cade’s breathing was shifting his body so drastically underneath me that I struggled to keep my grip on him. He dropped his fist back to his side and turned around, moving us both backward so we were against the wall again. He placed both hands on either side of me, pinning me in place. But he kept his distance, there was still about a foot of space between us and while I knew he needed that space, he wanted it, I couldn’t help but selfishly wish he would close that gap so that I could feel his hard, strong body pressed up against mine.

  “I can’t believe that fucking asshole. The way he touched you all night? When I’d seen him lean in and say something to you, I just couldn’t take it anymore. And then when Savannah and Jake had both sent me texts, asking if I could see what was going on? I had the perfect view. I’ve never felt that kind of rage before, Bambi ... I wanted to—”

  I placed my hand over his mouth. He didn’t need to finish, I knew what he was thinking because I caught myself thinking the same thing when I had felt Tyler’s hand slide mercilessly down my back.

  “Savannah and Jake texted you?” I asked, confused. That must have been when I saw them both immersed in their cell phones.

  “Yeah, Logan asked them to when he saw that something was clearly going on with you and Tyler. I wasn’t sure if it was ... if he was something you wanted, until I saw you look the other way when he ... Fuck, I can’t even say it, Bambi.” I could see slight trembles running through Cade’s body. He was fighting so incredibly hard to keep things under control, and I found myself feeling proud of him for that.

  “Thank you,” I whispered as I hesitantly brought my hand up to his face. He closed his eyes and leaned into my touch, sending that free-falling feeling through my stomach.

  I never wanted Tyler, even that night at the frat house. I had just wanted to feel something, anything really. And Tyler had been my scapegoat. I had been numb over the last several years after my parents’ accident and no matter what I did in high school, or during my first year of college with my boyfriend, nothing made me feel anything. So, I was bored, I didn’t go out anymore, I holed myself in our dorm with my books and theater and Savannah and said screw it.

  Cade was the first person who had ever made me feel again. And just when I thought I never would, he stumbled into my life. While it has been chaotic and messy, I’ve also never felt so alive.

  “I would never want Tyler,” I quietly said as I slid both hands up around the back of Cade’s neck and gently pulled him closer to me. I had a feeling he wouldn’t make the first move; he still had all of those doubts about us, about whether he was good for me. But in this moment, after he just stepped in and literally saved me from Tyler’s cold, prying hands, I knew exactly what I needed, exactly what I wanted.

  “You brought someone with you tonight,” I said, remembering that he must have left his date sitting at the table when he came over to ours. The spikes of jealousy came bubbling up inside of me, but t
he look on his face had me confused. A small smirk had started tugging at his lips as he released a slight chuckle when he looked at me.

  “Jealous, are you?” he teased as he leaned forward and brought his lips to my jaw, slowly planting soft kisses in a trail up to my ear. I realized I had stopped breathing at the sudden contact, his warm lips leaving a trail of fire wherever they touched.

  “Seriously, Cade. Please, just tell me who she is. Are you ... are you dating her?” The words were barely above a whisper when they left my lips, and I found myself shrinking back against the wall behind us.

  Cade immediately stopped kissing me and brought his eyes to meet mine in a steady, sure gaze. “I didn’t bring another girl with me, Bambi. I promise. My plus one was actually Logan, seeing as he isn’t in our fraternity.” Relief washed over me in big, warm waves, and I felt my body visibly relax. “I couldn’t bring myself to ask anyone else, when I knew the only person I really wanted to be here with was you.” His hands moved to my waist and he brought his firm, solid body against mine. I could feel the warmth emanating from him and suddenly it had traveled to my chest, stretching and spiraling outward as the flames engulfed every part of my body.

  The slight pull I gave him was all the encouragement he needed before his lips came crashing down onto mine. It had been weeks since we had last kissed, even longer since we had done anything more than that. I felt my body weaken under him and his arm tightened around me, holding me up against him. His tongue slid through our kiss to nudge my lips apart and I gladly opened them, welcoming him inside me. Our kiss was full of passion and fire, more so than ever before. Like we had been starving for each other and were finally able to have this moment.

  His teeth lightly pulled on my bottom lip as a quiet moan escaped my mouth. My hands were tangled up in his hair, pulling him harder against me. I needed to feel every inch of him, I needed him to feel me, to touch me like I so desperately wanted. His mouth travelled down my neck while his hands grazed over my hips, sliding upward and over my chest. He brought his thumbs up and slid them over the fabric covering my nipples, and I felt them harden against his touch. He didn’t even need to touch my bare skin for me to instantly respond to him. My body instinctually knew what it wanted when it came to Cade.

  I slid my hands down his chest and lower, over his slacks. Instantly, his hard shaft pressed into my palm and I loved the feeling of him, of how I made him feel when we were together. A soft groan escaped his lips, and I felt it vibrate through my entire body. I wanted to touch him, to make him feel as good as he made me feel, so I quickly tried unbuttoning his pants before his hand pulled mine away and brought them up and over my head, pinning me in place.

  “No.” His voice was rough as he said the words, and I worried for a moment that he was pulling away again. “Not tonight, tonight is about you. I’m in a tux and it would be a little harder for me to clean up my mess than it is for you in that dress. I want to make you feel good, Bambi. I want you to come for me.” His hands grasped the sides of my dress and began inching them up my thighs, exposing my bare legs for him to touch.

  “Cade, I want to make you feel good, too,” I said breathlessly in between the countless moans that I was having a hard time controlling.

  Cade chuckled slightly against my lips before pulling away a fraction of an inch. “You always make me feel good, Bambi. Besides, I can never stay away from you for long, so I’m sure we’ll back in this same scenario again.” His words were hopeful, and I felt the warmth spread throughout my entire body. “Now please, just kiss me. I need to feel you come for me.” His voice had gone low again, taking on that sexy, filthy way he spoke when we were like this.

  I had never experienced anyone saying these kinds of things in the way that Cade said them. I never would have thought that I’d enjoy the idea of dirty talk, but when we were like this? I couldn’t get enough of it.

  My dress was pulled up around my waist and the ache between my legs was becoming more than I could bear. I needed him to touch me, to feel his warm skin against me before I came undone.

  “Tell me what you want,” he said, his fingers grazing up my inner thigh, teasing me. He knew exactly what I wanted, but he wanted me to say the words.

  I looked up at him, unsure of myself all of a sudden, nervous at voicing my desires to him.

  “Don’t be nervous around me, Bambi. I want to hear you say it, you have no idea how good it sounds when those words leave your beautiful lips.” His hand continued to slide upward, dangerously close to the most sensitive part of me. I wondered if he could already tell how incredibly wet I was at his voice alone.

  I did actually know how good it sounded when those words were said, because I knew how much I loved hearing him say them to me. If I couldn’t touch him like I wanted to right now, I could at least give him this. I wanted to give him this.

  I pulled his mouth back to mine as I whispered the words in between breaks in our fiery kiss.

  “I want you to touch me, Cade. Please.” It came out as more of a moan, and I think that was actually better because he instantly brought his hand to touch me over my panties. My hips jerked forward at his touch, and I found myself grinding against his hand.

  “Like this?” he whispered, clearly not going any further. He needed me to be more specific.

  “More. Please, Cade. I need to feel you inside me.” I was begging now. I knew we weren’t going to have sex here, but I needed as much of him as I could possibly get.

  “Fuck, Bambi. You’re so wet, so ready for me.” He groaned against my neck. His fingers pulled aside the small amount of fabric I had covering me as he slid his fingers up and down my core, basking in the wetness that had pooled there.

  Noises that were still so unfamiliar to me fell off my lips. I couldn’t understand the way my body ignited when Cade was touching me. My skin was on fire, sparks moving all across my stomach and deep into my core. My breasts would tighten against him, feeling heavy and aching for his touch. I couldn’t wear a bra with this dress, so I knew my nipples were showing how hard they were through the fabric.

  One of his hands came up and worked my breast, pulling and tugging gently on my nipple, sending shivers through my body. The other hand slid farther down my soaking wet core until he rested his finger over my opening.

  “Please, Cade. Don’t stop,” I moaned when he halted his movements right when my body was craving more.

  “Fine, but this isn’t how I’m making you come,” he said as he slipped one finger inside of me, causing me to drop my head backward against the wall and gasp at his entrance. “You are so perfect, Bambi. Every sound you make, everything you say. I could explode just from hearing the way you moan when I touch you.”

  He continued his slow, tortuous movements by sliding his finger in and out of me at a steady rate. I could feel the waves of pleasure building inside of me, crashing over and over again until I was ready to be completely drowned out by them.

  “Cade,” I groaned when I felt myself coming closer to that pure release. At that moment he pulled himself out of me and slid down to his knees, bringing his hands to either sides of my legs. I winced at the sudden emptiness I felt without him touching me, and I saw a smirk play along his lips.

  “Don’t worry, Bambi. I’m not finished with you yet.” He was looking up at me, his deep blue eyes boring into mine when he tugged on the strings of my panties, sliding them down my legs and dropping them at my ankles.

  “What are you doing?” I whispered, nervous at where this headed, but also feeling the electricity pulsing through my core.

  “I want to taste you. I’ve wanted to ever since our first night together at the house.” I felt myself tense at his words, I remember doing this with my ex-boyfriend last year. But it always left me feeling embarrassed and uncomfortable for some odd reason. I could never have an orgasm, obviously, but I felt like I should be having one. Especially for him going down on me. I was almost ashamed when I couldn’t come, and having Cade do this brought
those same fears back to me.

  Cade leaned forward, but I laced my fingers through his hair, stopping him before he could get to me.

  “Okay, now who’s the tease here?” he said, looking back up at me and sliding his hands to the back of my thighs.

  “I ... I don’t know, Cade. I’ve done this before and I couldn’t ...” I was stuttering, trying to voice my concern while the incessant throbbing in between my legs was begging for a release.

  “You couldn’t what? You couldn’t have an orgasm?” he asked, genuinely curious.

  I nodded, afraid of the way my voice would betray me if I spoke right now.

  “Then he obviously wasn’t doing it right. Do you trust me?” Cade’s voice was so sure, so positive he’d be able to get me there, and I had to admit that I wanted him to.

  “Of course I trust you,” I said, and in that moment, I knew I did. Even when Cade left, he did it out of good intention. Did it hurt? Hell yes, but I also knew that I had him right now, right here, and I wanted to make the most out of the time we had together. Even if it was brief.

  My words of trust were all he needed to continue forward. Using his strong hands to pull my thighs farther apart, he lifted one of my legs by the back of knee and laid it over his shoulder.

  Suddenly, I felt his mouth against my skin. His tongue slipped out and slid up and down my opening. My knees suddenly went weak below me and Cade had to use his strength to keep me upright. Soft moans escaped my mouth, and it seemed to encourage him further as he began licking and sucking on the swollen bud that held the most sensitive part of me.

  A slow, burning blaze began under my skin as I laced my fingers through his tousled hair and pulled him tighter against me. My hips began rocking against his mouth, and I realized how incredibly powerful I felt in this moment. I wondered if this was how it was supposed to feel, empowering in a way while preparing to give him my anticipated release. Cade groaned underneath me, and I felt the vibrations linger on my skin, bringing me closer and closer to exploding around him.