Holding on to Us

by A. E. Neal

  "Thank you. I don't know what I would've done if you weren't here."

  "I love you, too, friend. But I'm exhausted. Deacon offered to take me home, but you know I'll be back later. I promise."

  "You should. You look like crap," she teased.

  "Like you have any room to talk," I teased back and she squeezed me tighter.

  "I really do love you, Kennedy Allen."

  We parted ways in the hallway as I threw a wave over my shoulder.

  Chapter 13

  Zac

  There was the quintessential normal woman: one who enjoyed having only one man in her life, who would declare her love for a guy only after a few months. And then, there was Kennedy.

  If you looked up the words, 'emotionally unavailable' in a dictionary, you'd find a picture of the one and only, unattainable Kennedy Allen. She was the true definition of 'emotionally unavailable'. And, as determined as I was to finally break down that wall, she'd already put up a new one in its place. Every. Single. Time.

  After our lust-filled encounter in the storage room, I really thought something had finally changed between us, but then that ass-hat, Deacon, had to show up and she just pretended like nothing happened. Kennedy Allen was driving me to the brink of insanity.

  I guess bringing my new neighbor along for the game wasn't exactly the smartest move, but I hardly knew Kirsten. I'd only talked to her briefly in passing and when Brody offered the tickets, it only seemed like a good idea at the time to invite her. Boy, was I wrong. It wasn't like I planned running into her at the game.

  I checked on my sister and Brody once more, before heading home to get some sleep and a hot shower. As I parked my car in the designated space in front of building number three, I noticed Kirsten lounging on her balcony in a bikini. It wasn't hot outside, by any means, maybe sixty-five degrees tops. But damn, any guy within a mile radius could see her smokin' hot body.

  I turned the ignition off and hopped out. I ran a hand through my hair and slammed the door in frustration. If Kennedy wanted to see other people, then I had VIP access to the sexiest girl around.

  "Zac!" Kirsten shouted as she waved.

  "Hey!" I replied and sheltered my eyes from the blaring sun, so I could get a good look at her.

  "Can you do me a favor?" she asked as she shimmied to the edge of her lounge chair.

  "Sure, what's up?"

  "There's a leak in my bathroom and I put in a maintenance request, but they can't fix it until tomorrow. Would you mind taking a look?"

  "Uh—" I was a bass player, not a plumber. But sure, what the hell? "Yeah, no problem. I'm gonna grab a shower first and I'll be over in a few."

  She smiled brightly. "Oh, thank you so much. It's been driving me nuts."

  I waved and climbed the stairs to my apartment, jamming the key in the lock and pushing my way inside. I hadn't unpacked all of my boxes yet, so there was shit strewn from one end of the apartment to the other. One thing I did set up was my bed and as inviting as it looked, I hauled myself into the shower.

  Something about a hot shower always gave me a second wind when I'd been running on little to no sleep. Feeling recharged after my shower, I quickly pulled on a clean pair of boxers, shorts and a white t-shirt. I ran my fingers through my wet hair and headed out the door.

  A few doors down, I knocked lightly and I heard Kirsten call from the back balcony. "It's open!"

  I turned the handle and slid through the door way. "I'm out here," she said. I caught a glimpse of her rubbing tanning oil on her already tanned skin and my cock jumped to life. Down, boy!

  Her apartment was almost twice the size of mine and definitely screamed, 'a chick lives here!'. Purple curtains, large photographs of daisies and other flowers adorned the wall behind her TV. It even smelled like a chick: perfume mixed with tanning oil and flowers. I couldn't remember the last time the townhouse smelled that good, even with two other girls living there.

  I made my way through her immaculate apartment, when out of nowhere, a fur-covered rat-dog came barreling into the living room, teeth bared and yapping like a small child after inhaling a helium balloon. I froze in place. Even though it was small, I didn't want to piss it off and have it come flying at my manhood with its razor sharp, demon-like teeth.

  "Paolo, no!" Kirsten shouted and the tiny, fur-covered rat-demon wagged its tail and rolled over.

  "Paolo?" I asked, because how ridiculous was naming a pet after a character on a TV show?

  "Yeah, like Rachel's boy-toy on Friends," she said and scooped the four pound nightmare into her arms. I had to remind myself that Friends wouldn't be ruined just because of one little ankle biter, but I also knew I could never watch those episodes again for fear the real Paolo would bare his teeth and attack Rachel. God, I needed a life.

  "You scared poor, whittle Zac, didn't you, baby?" she asked the-terror-on-four-legs in an obnoxious baby voice.

  The dog licked her mouth and she giggled. I, on the other hand, wanted to puke. It wasn't that I hated dogs, okay, maybe I did. Just a little. Or maybe it was just her dog, since it clearly wasn't too fond of me, either. They can sense fear, like bees and grizzly bears, I thought to myself.

  "It's okay, you can pet him. He won't bite," she cooed as the rodent lapped at her cheek.

  "Nah, I'm good. I'm not a big fan of dogs," I said and she set Paolo back on the floor where he proceeded to growl at me.

  "No, Paolo, no!" she scolded in a high-pitched squeak, I assumed was only meant for dogs to hear, not humans. Unfortunately, I could hear her loud and clear and my ears rang.

  "I'll just lock him in the bedroom," she said and called after the devil dog. He followed her happily down the hallway and I heard the bedroom door close.

  "Thank God," I mumbled to myself.

  Kirsten came sauntering back into the living room where she'd left me. Her perky breasts bounced with each step and a small bead of sweat rolled down her chest between them. Holy shit, this girl was going to kill me. My cock sprang to life again as I imagined her silky smooth naked body against mine.

  "I'm thirsty, you want something to drink?" she asked sweetly.

  Suddenly, my mouth was dry. Stupid fantasies. "Uh, sure. Whatever you're having is good," I said as I swallowed hard when she bent over to reach into the freezer drawer for ice. Her ass curved in all the right places and it was as if the bikini she was wearing was actually made specifically for her.

  She turned around with two glasses of ice in her hands. "Lemonade okay?"

  I nodded and she pulled a container from the refrigerator. I knew she was putting on a show, just for me, but I couldn't help myself. I had every urge to take those ice cubes and swirl them over her puckered nipples before I took her right there in the kitchen. She was a maiden, a temptress and I couldn't peel my gaze from her, even if I tried.

  "Here, babe," she said as she handed me the chilled glass.

  "Thanks," I said roughly as I took a sip to clear my throat.

  She set he glass on the edge of the counter and sauntered over to me. My cock throbbed as soon as she reached up and wrapped her arm around my neck.

  "Your hair's still wet," she purred and she entwined her fingers in my hair.

  Her breasts were against my chest as she moved closer into me. The warmth of her sun-kissed skin seeped through my shirt. The urge to untie her string bikini was weighing heavily on my mind, but I knew she'd invited me over to fix something...or maybe that was just a ploy to get me into her apartment. Either way, I was screwed. Her lips grazed my chest as she stood on her tiptoes and continued along my neck.

  "Uh..." I stammered, "what're you doing?"

  "You don't like it?" she asked, almost whispering.

  "I do...but," I began and she snaked her long fingers down my chest and gripped my now screaming dick. "Fuck."

  "Yeah, that's what I thought," she purred as she lifted the edge of my t-shirt up. "You're so sexy. And I can tell you take care of your body, which makes me even more hot."

  Je
sus, where the hell did this girl come from? I couldn't even think straight, anymore. I lifted her with both hands and placed her on the edge of the cool tiled counter. I moved between her legs and she spread them wide for me.

  She licked her lip and in an instant, my mouth was on hers. She tasted like lemonade and vanilla. Our tongues danced together and she let out a moan when I pulled her into me. Carefully, I untied her top and let it fall, revealing her beautiful, tanned breasts. I wrapped my lips around her nipple and gently tugged with my teeth. She moaned again and began rocking against me. My dick ached to meet her warm flesh.

  She pulled my shirt over my head and began unbuttoning my shorts. Both articles of clothing dropped to the ground and I seized her mouth once again. God, she was beautiful!

  "Do you have a condom?" I asked, because I hadn't even thought of bringing one with me.

  "Yeah. I have one in my room," she said breathlessly. "Come on."

  I picked her tiny body off the counter and she wrapped her legs around my waist. I couldn't get enough of her pouty lips and fumbled down the hallway until we reached her bedroom. I reached behind her and found the handle. The door swung open and I glanced over her shoulder to find her demon dog curled into a little ball in the middle of the bed, sleeping.

  I set her on the edge of the bed, hoping we wouldn't wake the sleeping monster. She leaned back and reached into her nightstand and pulled out a foil package and tossed it to me.

  I slipped out of my boxers and rolled the condom on. Kirsten watched me carefully, in what looked like amazement, and I smiled. I crawled over her, pulling her bikini bottoms down to her ankles. She laid back and spread her legs for me. I didn't want to be too quick and I was so ready to fuck the shit out of this girl, but I took my time, tracing her drenched sex with the tip of my cock. She was so ready for me.

  "You're so fucking wet," I said as I guided myself into her slowly.

  She was tight. So tight, I'd never felt anything like that before. She winced when I filled her completely. "I'm sorry, does it hurt?"

  "No, no. It feels good, you're just so big," she moaned.

  I pulled out of her a bit and sunk back into her again, slower than before. She moaned again, closed her eyes and dug her nails into my back.

  "You sure I'm not hurting you?" I asked again, because the look on her face said she wasn't having a good time.

  I stopped to wait for her to respond. "No. I swear. It feels amazing. Keep going," she said softly.

  And that's exactly what I did. I took my time, delving in and out of her. Each thrust felt more amazing then the one before. Her eyes were glossed over and her cheeks were flushed. I sensed she was close. I could feel her contract around me and if she kept that up, I wouldn't last longer than two minutes.

  "Easy, sweetheart. You're gonna make me come, if you keep that up," I warned.

  Her grip on me was so powerful that I had no other choice, but to pull out of her. "Roll over for me," I said and she did. Her beautiful ass was in the air, begging for me to spank it. I smacked it lightly and she moaned.

  "Do it, again," she begged. This time, I put a little more force into it and my palm met her skin with a loud clap.

  I took her by the hips and buried myself into her glistening sex, once again. I couldn't take much more. Each thrust was harder and faster, I reached my hand around, found her sensitive nub and rubbed it with the pad of my thumb as I drove into her. She cried out, begging me to stop, but I was so close. Her fingers gripped the edge of the bed as she screamed. Another deep thrust was all it took. My orgasm sent me spiraling into space. I actually saw stars before I collapsed against her back.

  I gripped the edge of the condom, holding it firmly in place as I pulled out of her. She rolled to her side to face me with tears in her eyes. Oh my God, what the hell did I do?

  "What's wrong?" I asked as I caressed her cheek with the back of my hand.

  "That was my first time," she said.

  "First time for what? Doggy style?"

  "No. Like my first time. Like, ever."

  Shit!

  "You're a virgin?"

  "Yes. Does that mean you hate me, now?"

  "What? Of course, not." I was in over my head. I tried to remain calm and pressed my lips softly to the tip of her nose. "I wish you would've told me, that's all."

  "So, you don't hate me?"

  "No. I don't hate you," I whispered. "Are you sure I didn't hurt you?"

  "I don't think so," she said and rolled to her side, away from me. "I should probably clean up. There's another bathroom down the hall on the right."

  She closed the bathroom door behind her and I covered my dick with my hand and walked stark naked into the other bathroom. I looked down to find the condom was lightly stained red and realized she wasn't kidding. Damn it! This was just icing on the proverbial shit cake.

  I cleaned up and found my clothes in the kitchen before returning to her room. She was wearing a pair of tiny blue and white striped shorts and a black lace bra. She really was beautiful.

  Still naked, I walked over and kissed her deeply. She wrapped her arms around my neck as our tongues explored one another's for a moment until she backed away from me.

  "I'm so glad you aren't freaked out, right now," she said sweetly.

  But to tell you the truth, I was. I was one hundred and twenty-five percent freaked out. I'd never taken a girl's virginity before. Never. And I'd heard stories from the guys about them becoming clingy, saying they love you and it turning into a mild case of stalking later on down the road.

  But, what the hell did I know? Maybe she wasn't like those girls...I prayed she wasn't, because I didn't think I could handle any more drama in my life.

  "I don't want you to get the wrong idea about me, Kirsten. I'm not just some man-whore that sleeps girls and leaves them, you know?" I lied. God, I lied a thousand times before, but nothing hurt worse than that lie.

  "Really?" she asked. "You're not just saying that, are you? You know to make me feel better about losing my v-card to a guy I barely know?"

  "Of course, not." LIES! I was going to hell.

  "Oh good," she squealed and wrapped her tight little body around me.

  What the hell had I gotten myself into?

  Chapter 14

  Kennedy

  It had been over a week since I'd seen Zac. I'd sent him a few texts and never received a response. Every time I visited the hospital, he had either just left or wasn't around. Without giving anything away, I asked Ally what he'd been up to. She'd said he was spending a lot of time with his new girlfriend, Kirsten, and my heart sank into the pit of my stomach.

  Really? The blonde bimbo from the hockey game? If it was possible, I felt heart broken and relieved all at once. I was the one who wanted to take a break from 'us' and see other people, I just didn't know I'd feel so broken without him around.

  It was a gloomy afternoon and I'd made plans to meet Deacon for lunch, since he had some free time. Which was usually never. When he wasn't visiting his dad in the hospital, he was volunteering there. We spoke almost everyday, and he was true to his word of holding up his end of being the perfect gentleman. He'd sent flowers to the shop and had someone hand-deliver a note to me while I was busy touching up a client's tattoo.

  I parked my car outside Deano's Pizzeria around one o'clock and pulled my phone from my purse. I hadn't spotted Deacon's BMW and I wondered if he would be late.

  Me: I'm here.

  I hit 'send' and waited for his reply. Rainclouds covered the sky and I felt the moisture in the air. It was a nice break from the unseasonably warm weather we'd been having, but on this particular day, it just put me into a foul mood.

  "Hurry up," I said to myself as I stared at my phone.

  Minutes turned into an hour and I'd finally had enough.

  Me: I've been waiting for an hour. Why won't you text me back?

  I sent the message, shoved my phone back in my purse with more force than what was necessary and headed to the
hospital to visit Brody.

  The impending rain had finally broken through the clouds and it began pouring. After I parked and attempted to shield myself from getting soaked, I made it through the front entrance and I was drenched from head to toe.

  "That rain just sneaks up on you, don't it?" an older man in a wheelchair asked as I shook my head back and forth like a wet dog.

  "You got that right," I laughed and made my way to the elevators.

  The doctors had moved Brody to a private room, which was more like a suite, on the seventh floor. His leg was healing quickly and according to Dr. Stevens, he would be able to finally go home in a day or two. Over the last week, the press had been camped outside of the hospital, stalking Ally. Brody hired a security guard to escort her to and from the hospital, since the paparazzi cornered her in the parking lot a couple of days after the accident. Since I hadn't seen any press when I walked in, I figured the media circus had finally died down.

  I took the elevator to the seventh floor and checked in at the nurses station, before making my way to Brody's room. I heard my phone chime in my purse, but chose to ignore it, since the hospital wasn't too keen on having phones around, anyway.

  I knocked softly on the closed door and waited.

  "Come in," Ally called from inside.

  I opened the door and walked in. "Hi, friend," I said as I pulled Ally in for a hug.

  The nurse had just delivered Brody's lunch, so I sat on the couch under the window, so he could eat without interruption.

  "I'm so fucking sick of this food," he grumbled.

  "I know, Bear. But you have to eat something, since you didn't even eat breakfast this morning," Ally urged.

  "Sorry, B. I would've brought you a cheeseburger, had I known the food was shitty," I offered.

  "Ah! A cheeseburger. Do you know what I would give to have a fat, juicy cheeseburger?"

  Ally and I laughed. "I know it sucks, but I promise I'll bring you a burger when Doctor Stevens gives you the all clear."

  "I'm fine. See...ten fingers, ten toes, and they all move. I'm so tired of laying in this damn bed. I just want to get home so I can get you naked again."