Ready to Love

by Franca Storm

  Her eyes are brimming with tears. She tries to reach out to me, but I take a step back. “Oh, darling. I’m so sorry. I hate myself for what happened. I should’ve protected you.”

  “Yes! You should have! But you didn’t. And nothing can change that.”

  “It can. It doesn’t have to be this way between us. Please.”

  How dare she ask for my forgiveness after what she put me through? Incensed, I step into her and seethe, “It has to be exactly this way. Because, when I look at you, all I see is what he did to me; what you let him do to me.”

  “Nicki—”

  I step back and collect myself. My entire body is shaking. And not just from the force of my deep-seated anger towards her, but also from the crippling pain of recalling that awful day. Being around her even for a second always triggers it all.

  “I came here to tell you to stop contacting me. I knew you wouldn’t listen unless you heard it straight from me, face-to-face. Well, here it is. Do not contact me again.”

  With that, I turn on my heel.

  “He’s out, Nicki! He got early parole…for good behavior!”

  I stop in my tracks, completely frozen by her words.

  Oh my God. I can’t…I can’t process this. I can’t move. I can barely breathe. No, no, no. Greg is out? He’s free on the streets?

  “How…how do you know?” I manage to eke out.

  “He came to the house. He wanted to know where you and John were. I didn’t tell him.”

  “Where…where we are?”

  “He blames you two for putting him in jail. It’s why I’ve been trying to contact you, darling.” There’s a pause and I hear her footsteps near me. I’m in such a state of shock that I can’t even move away. Before I know it, she’s standing right in front of me.

  Her eyes flash with fear as she says, “He’s coming for both of you.”

  Chapter 29

  ~John~

  “Where is she?” I ask my uncle as he greets me in the lobby of the gym.

  Nicki hadn’t responded to any of my texts all day. When it got late, I started searching for her. I had no luck. Then, finally, right at the stroke of midnight, my uncle called me. I high-tailed it down here immediately.

  “Wailing on a bag.”

  “You let her stay two hours after closing time?”

  “You know how stubborn she is. Lock up and drive her home,” he says, handing me his spare set of keys. “And…”

  “And what?”

  “Take it easy on her. She’s…something’s wrong. She won’t talk about it with me, but she might with you.”

  I nod. He pats me on the shoulder and walks out through the front door.

  I pocket his keys and make my way onto the gym floor. It’s eerily quiet with no one else around. The only sounds are the rapid thuds of Nicki’s fists on a bag and her little grunts of determination. I spot her instantly, over in the far right corner of the floor, wailing on a bag. She’s not even dressed in her gym clothes. Just her regular clothes. Her leather jacket is crumpled up in a pile on the ground against the wall.

  “Nicki!” I call over the sound of her furious assault as I reach her.

  She stops in surprise and looks at me. “Hey,” she says, breathlessly.

  I reach out and grip her hips, pulling her to me. Mmm…she feels so fucking good in my arms. I kiss her forehead softly and she lets out a little moan. I pull back to look at her. “You went off the grid today, baby. I thought we were going out?”

  She seems confused for a second, before the realization hits her. “Oh my God. I’m so sorry. The day…it got away from me. I’ll make it up to you.”

  “I don’t need you to make it up to me. Just tell me what’s wrong.”

  She pulls herself out of my hold and starts untying the wraps around her hands. “I went to see my mom,” she says in a whisper.

  I knew it! “I see,” I say, unable to keep the edge out of my voice. “What did the bitch have to say?”

  “John, don’t.”

  “Don’t what? Worry about you? You should’ve told me. I would’ve come with you.”

  She pockets the wraps and snatches her leather jacket off the floor, draping it over her arm. “Greg is out on parole.”

  What the fuck? I take a step back as though I’ve just been slugged in the gut. “He’s—he’s what?”

  “He’s out. That’s why she’s been trying to contact me.”

  “Where?”

  “What?”

  “Where is he?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “I bet she does.”

  “She doesn’t. Believe me; I made sure of that.”

  “I’ll find him, Nicki.”

  She shakes her head. “You won’t need to. He’s coming for us, John. He’s coming.”

  I bring my hand to my face, rubbing my eyes roughly as I try to think, try to summon rational thought. “I’ll talk to my dad. That asshole won’t be out for long.”

  “John—”

  “We’re gonna do things differently this time. We’re gonna stop him before he gets anywhere near you.”

  “No,” she snaps.

  “What?”

  Her eyes lock with mine. “I’m going to stop him.”

  “What are you talking about?” I demand, instantly getting my back up just at the idea of her putting herself in danger.

  “I’m gonna kill him, John.”

  Chapter 30

  ~John~

  I lay Nicki down in my bed and tuck her in.

  “John?” she slurs tiredly.

  “Yes, baby?” I ask, stroking her hair.

  “I like being in your bed.”

  “I like having you here. Sleep now,” I say, kissing her cheek.

  She smiles and closes her eyes.

  After our conversation at the gym, I knew she was in shock about Greg being out of prison. When we got back to my place, I brought out the scotch to calm her down. It worked too well, completely knocking her out. She’s such a light-weight and it’s hard to tell what her limit is.

  She hasn’t said another word about wanting to kill him. It was just a fearful reaction. She would never…she couldn’t kill someone. It was just talk.

  I quietly leave the room and make my way to the bathroom. I need to wash away this hell of a day. First dealing with Axel and now this. The only way things could have gotten worse would’ve been if Greg had crossed my path. That fucker. He won’t get anywhere near her this time. I won’t let it happen. But this time, I’m gonna be smart about it.

  Doing things the sensible way isn’t usually my MO. But…maybe I’m a little gun-shy after all the shit that’s been happening lately. Axel was right about one thing: I do have one hell of a temper. And it’s been tested a lot recently. I can’t risk it again with Greg. If I face off with him…let’s just say, I don’t trust myself enough. The stakes are too high.

  Mitch is out tonight. Normally, I’d enjoy the company with Nicki asleep. I don’t like being alone usually. But right now, I’m grateful for it. My mind is working a million miles a minute. And the glass of scotch I’d downed had done fuck all to dull it. I need some peace and quiet to get my head straight.

  I walk into the bathroom and turn on the shower. Quickly, I pull off my jeans and t-shirt and step under the soothing warm water and pull the shower curtain closed. I close my eyes and let it calm me as I draw in a series of deep breaths.

  My eyes snap open suddenly at the sound of the shower curtain being ripped aside. I almost choke on my own breath as I see Nicki standing there completely naked. Holy fucking shit. Well, so much for her being asleep. Fastest nap ever.

  She steps into the shower before I can get a word out.

  “Nicki, what are you—?”

  Her lips crash against mine, silencing me. She kisses me hard and desperately. My cock responds instantly, loving the feel of her wet, naked body pressed against mine. But I ignore what it wants and grip both her shoulders, pulling her lips from mine.

&nb
sp; “Nicki, no.”

  “Why not?” she asks, pouting at me.

  I look away to avoid that and the sight of her sexy-as-sin body on full display for me.

  “You’re drunk and upset. I can’t.”

  “You can.”

  Oh fuck. “Please don’t do this to me.”

  “What?” she says, placing her hands on my chest. “Make you want me?”

  “Yes.”

  “I need you, John. I need you to take it away.”

  “Take away what?”

  “All the bad,” she whispers hoarsely.

  Fucking hell. This woman owns me. I’d do anything for her; give her anything she wants. I can’t do it. I can’t walk away like I probably should. Not with her looking at me like that. Not with her needing me.

  I drop to my knees and grip her thighs.

  “Spread your legs,” I command.

  She does it instantly, submitting to my power. And that just turns me on more.

  She sucks in a breath as I spread her pussy lips apart, opening her wide for me. I lick the length of her in one long, firm stroke.

  “Oh God, John,” she gasps.

  Holding her open with my fingers, exposing that sweet pussy of hers, having her at my complete and utter mercy, is such a fucking turn on.

  I devour her mercilessly, tasting every inch of her, savoring the taste of her, lapping up her juices as they drip down her inner thighs. She’s moaning and bucking against me. I slide a finger inside her and she screams as I start to fuck her hard.

  “Yes! Yes! More, John!”

  This wild side of her drives me insane. It’s so fucking hot. I remove my finger. It’s dripping with her wetness. I look up at her as I trace a circle around her asshole. Her eyes widen as I slowly push the tip in.

  “You like that, baby?”

  She nods, unable to speak, she’s panting so hard.

  I ease in further, holding her gaze. A mischievous smirk plays on her face. She likes this. I stop when I’m knuckle deep, holding my finger there in her tight little ass.

  She’s gazing at me in wonder. She can’t believe I’m doing this; that she’s letting me do this with her. I’ve wanted to experiment with her, but I really thought this would be a no-go. But she’s loving it. And so am I.

  I reclaim her pussy with my mouth as I start to move my finger slowly in and out of her ass.

  She screams and squirms against me, trying to ride my face.

  When I thrust two fingers into her pussy and start fucking her pussy and ass simultaneously, an animalistic growl rips from her throat and she tugs roughly at my hair.

  Her legs tremble and she screams my name as she comes hard around me. But I don’t stop. I step up my assault.

  “John!” she pleads. “Ah…it’s too much.”

  “Come for me again, baby.”

  “I…I can’t.”

  “Yes you can. Let go. Feel it. Let go of everything.”

  I suck her clit into my mouth and, sure enough, she comes, shrieking, “Ah! Fuck!”

  I pull out as I feel her legs about to give way and I grab her hips to stop her from falling. I rise to my feet and grin at her. “Better?”

  She doesn’t answer. She just throws her arms around me and squeezes me tightly. I wrap her up in my arms.

  “I love you, John.”

  “I love you, baby. It’s gonna be okay. I promise. We’ll deal with this together.”

  “Yes,” she murmurs. “Thank you.”

  “For what?”

  “Loving me.”

  I laugh. “You’re easy to love, Nicki. So damn easy to love. I can’t get enough of you.”

  “Me neither. I’ve never needed anyone, but I need you, John.”

  I smile against her hair. She has no idea how badly I needed to hear her say that. Now I know she’s in this as much as I am. She’s all in.

  This thing between us is the real deal.

  “I need you, too, baby.”

  Chapter 31

  ~Nicki~

  I walk out of John’s bedroom into the living room. Mitch is sitting on the couch eating some toast and watching the TV. He looks up at the sound of my footsteps and wiggles his eyebrows. I tug at the hem of John’s t-shirt; suddenly feeling really exposed. Shit, I’m not even wearing any panties. What was I thinking?

  “Hey.”

  “Morning,” Mitch answers, through a mouthful of toast. “You want coffee?” he asks, moving to get up.

  “Relax. I’ll get it. I know where everything is. I’ve spent enough time here since you guys moved in.”

  “Just not in his bed before.”

  I feel my cheeks redden. Uncomfortable, I change the subject quickly. “So…how are classes?”

  “A breeze,” he says with a grin.

  I laugh. Mitch is so cool and collected. Nothing ever seems to faze him. “Really? That Engineering program is supposed to be one of the hardest programs in the college?”

  He wiggles his eyebrows. “I’ve got mad skills, Nicki.”

  “I never see you study.”

  “Gotta keep my rep intact, right? But, no, I do study. Just away from prying eyes. I need complete quiet. Can’t concentrate otherwise.”

  Huh. This is news to me.

  He leans back against the couch and says, “People like you and me have to work hard for everything we get. John and Chloe don’t have that problem. They’ve got their trust funds to fall back on, right?”

  “Yeah,” I say quietly. “Yeah, they do.”

  Mitch is like me: from the wrong side of the tracks, or whatever you want to call it. Like me, he’s here with a scholarship. I’m not sure about his exact story, because he never talks about it, but I know he came from a bad situation just like I did. Having that in common had us hitting it off right away when we met through John a couple of years back.

  I cross to the couch and take a seat beside him. I’ll wait for John to get out of the shower and we can have our morning coffee together.

  Something crumples under my weight and I lift my butt off the couch a little and grab the offending object. A piece of paper. I’m about to place it on the coffee table when the contents catch my eye. What on earth? My blood boils as I read it.

  I turn to Mitch. “What the hell is this? Is this from Axel? He’s threatening John?”

  Mitch looks as uncomfortable as hell. “It’s handled.”

  I’ve known him long enough to be able to tell when he’s bullshitting me. I catch the twitch of his right eye and I know right away that this is one of those times. “You’re lying.”

  “Nicki—”

  “This is happening because of me.”

  “John knew what he was doing when he crossed Axel Craven.”

  I shoot to my feet. “I’ll handle it.”

  “How?” Mitch asks, worriedly.

  I ignore the question. “Tell John I went home to change or something.”

  “Don’t, Nicki. He will flip if he finds out you’re going anywhere near Axel.”

  “That’s why you won’t be telling him. He doesn’t deserve this shit hanging over his head. I’ll take care of it.”

  “Don’t you guys have Sunday lunch with his parents today? In like two hours?”

  We do. For the last two years since John and I went away to college, we’ve been attending monthly lunches or dinners with his parents. We used to do it on a weekly basis when I lived with them during the last couple of years of high school. It’s something I always look forward to. It’s like having a family. His parents are always so warm and kind to me.

  “Yeah. I won’t be that long.”

  I hurry to the door. As I haul it open I hear Mitch cursing but I ignore it and hurry down the hall to my apartment.

  ***

  I’m leaning against the ivy-covered wall of the Grover building where a bunch of TA offices are located. I know that Axel has a tutoring session with one of them every Sunday. Knowledge like that comes from almost dating someone. What a mistake that’d been
. I try not to have regrets about anything I do now. I had enough of that with my childhood. But Axel is most definitely one regret I can’t deny.

  I watch him push through the doors, dressed in his usual preppy way: a golf shirt and ironed beige slacks. His hair is slicked back with too much gel as usual. I step into his path.

  “Nicki,” he greets me, flashing that fake perfectly white smile of his.

  “We need to talk,” I tell him, my gaze steady and offering no alternative.

  He hesitates for a moment, clearly not expecting neither my presence nor my demanding attitude. And then he nods and gestures to a bench a few feet away on the green.

  He slides onto one side and I perch on the edge of the table top. Yeah, I prefer the higher ground.

  “So, what do you wanna talk about, Nicki? Is lover boy not giving you what you need? Just say the word and I’m all yours.”

  Ugh. Disgusting. “I’m here to talk about that night when you tried to rape me.”

  “What?” he gasps, jerking in his seat at the sound of the ‘R’ word. “I didn’t…I—”

  “Yes you did. I was drunk and you tried to take advantage of that. I was inebriated and incapable of giving you my permission,” I tell him bluntly. “Like I said; attempted rape.”

  He holds up his hands. “Look, I made a mistake. I’m sorry.”

  I scrutinize him as he says the words and it’s clear he’s not lying for once. He really is sorry. Of course, that’s probably in response to the threat I’ve just uttered. But I don’t care about the reasons. I just need him unsettled enough to respond to me in the way I need him to. And I have it. He’s scared shitless, his eyes flicker erratically as he fiddles nervously with his well-coiffed hair.

  “Sorry isn’t gonna cut it.”

  “It was weeks ago. You can’t…do anything.” I can tell from the nervous waver in his voice that he’s not even sure if that’s true. Good. I need that doubt.

  “I have a good lawyer.”

  His eyes narrow and I see the Axel I’ve come to know. The dangerous, devious bastard. “John’s father, right? It will never stick, Nicki. You’ve waited too long.”