Despite Aunt Marcie’s threats, I stayed in Mr. Donnelly’s English Honors class for the rest of the year. But needless to say, he didn’t talk to me after class anymore. He didn’t make comments on my papers. He didn’t call on me in class. He did everything in his power to avoid even looking at me. Still, I liked his class, for the most part—I liked learning, reading, and analyzing poems. And I was pretty good at it all, even if my mind was a scrambled mess.
On the last day of school, just before bolting for summer break, I got a note in last period to report to Mr. Donnelly’s classroom at the end of the day. What could the man possibly want at this point? Maybe my aunt finally got him fired, and he wanted to bitch at me about it. Yeah, that was probably it.
I walked into his classroom, my knees nearly buckling and my mind racing. I should be on summer break now, not dealing with my teacher! Mr. Donnelly was sitting behind his desk, and I couldn’t bring myself to look at him. I scooted into the closest desk I could find and waited for him to speak. He headed my way and sat down in a desk beside me.
“Campbell,” he said, “I’ve seen you slipping away this year. I’ve hated standing by and watching it. It breaks my heart. Your mother wouldn’t want this for you.”
“She also didn’t want me to know my father,” I said.
“The truth is, your mother wanted you to be a happy person, free from all the sadness, hurt, and fear she carried. That’s why she gave you to your aunt.”
“Well, it didn’t work.”
“I know,” he said. “That’s why I’m going to tell you something I shouldn’t. You need to get out of this dark place. Because these lies are doing the exact opposite of what your mother wanted for you.”
“Okay,” I said nervously.
“I loved your mother. She practically glowed when she entered a room.”
“Did she love you?” I asked.
He grinned. “She did, but she liked playing hard to get, too. She made me work for it, you know?” I nodded. “When she got pregnant, I was so angry. There was no way you were mine. She would never tell me who the guy was, or what happened between them. But she was distraught. Still, I loved her. I was so young—I even offered to marry her and raise you as my own.”
“Why didn’t she do that?” I asked.
“I don’t know,” he said sadly.
“Do you know anything else about my real dad?”
“She never told me much. Rumors were he was older, a professor.”
My eyes popped, and I sat up straight. “A professor?”
All my questions seemed to strike a nerve. Mr. Donnelly began to rub his cheeks with his hands, perhaps thinking he’d said too much, perhaps having second thoughts about talking to me at all. “That’s all I’m going to say.”
“Come on, Mr. Donnelly, please!” I begged.
He took a deep breath. “Your father’s name was Lucas Jensen.” He let the name hang in the air, then stood up from the desk, and before walking out of his classroom, said, “Have a good break, Campbell.”
For a few minutes, I sat alone in the room, stunned, trying to process what just happened. I finally heard my father’s name. I could hardly believe it! I’d asked everyone from here to the moon, and I finally found out! But all I had was a name, but there was so much more to know. I suddenly had new plans for the summer—finding out whatever I could about Lucas Jensen.
CHAPTER NINE
STONE
You might think the worst thing about preparing for a fight is the training, but you’d be wrong. It’s my kid sister. Jade takes my fights very seriously. She coordinates my training, my diet, even how much sleep I get. So basically, it’s hell. Jade essentially moved into my place, which gave Campbell the excuse she needed not to move in. Jade insists on sleeping at my place so she can get up with Tate in the night or early in the morning. The extra sleep is nice, but she’s driving me crazy.
Every free minute we’ve had, Campbell and I have spent together. But between my work, the fight, Tate, Campbell’s career, and Jade’s interference, Campbell and I haven’t had more than five minutes alone. It will all be over this weekend, though. And tonight we’re finally getting a few hours all to ourselves. Jade’s not coming over for a little while.
“Okay, baby girl, let’s get you to bed,” I say, lifting a groggy Tate off my shoulder. She whimpers and clings to me. Usually she goes to bed easily enough, but I haven’t been spending enough time with her because of my training schedule, and she’s not happy about it. Plus, it’s storming outside, and Tate doesn’t like the lightning. “Not tonight, Tate,” I say, flashing a look to Campbell. “You need a new attitude, little girl. Because this . . .”
Campbell takes Tate’s hand and starts singing the Patti LaBelle song “New Attitude,” only she’s making up her own lyrics. “I’m feeling good from my bib to my booties. Know how to cry, and I know how to coo.”
Campbell looks utterly ridiculous dancing around and moving Tate’s arm to the beat that she can’t even hear, and thank God for that, because Campbell’s voice is horrible. “Ooo, ooo, ooo.” She nudges me in the side to sing with her. Not gonna happen. I don’t do lullabies. But she just continues without me. “I’m wearing a new diaper, new PJs.” Christ! Is this song ever going to end? It’s like Weird Al Yankovic has invaded my house.
Tate reaches out for Campbell, and they begin dancing around. Tate loves Jade, don’t get me wrong, but Campbell is doing something for her that I’ve never seen before. I’m watching them fall in love. “Come on, Daddy,” Campbell says, hitting the chorus again. She pauses, waiting for me to continue. It’s official—I’m a pussy. I twirl them around and sing the damn song.
We tuck Tate in together and before anything else interrupts us, I pin Campbell to the sofa. Giggling, her arms wrap around my neck. “Jade’s bound to have some hanky panky rules before a fight.”
Hanky panky? Who says that? But coming out of her mouth, it’s fucking adorable. “She does. Sex two days before a fight to take the edge off. Since today’s Wednesday, and the fight is Friday, I’m under orders.”
A little smile covers her pink lips as she helps pull my shirt off. “Any other rules I should know about?”
“A few,” I say, kissing her neck softly.
She moves to flip me over, but of course she can’t. So I roll over voluntarily, as her legs straddle me. Her blonde hair covers my face, and the lightning flashes outside. “Shouldn’t I do all the work?” she asks, grinding her hips into mine.
I’m not sure where this confident little sex kitten has been hiding, but I’m glad she came out to play. She sits up, her fingers softly running along the edges of the muscles in my chest. This isn’t the kind of foreplay I’m used to. Gentle, sweet, and slow are not words that could ever be used to describe how I fuck. But with Campbell, it’s different. Don’t get me wrong, I still want to flip her over, smack her ass, and screw her until she’s screaming. But for the first time in my life, I also want to hold her, tell her nice things, and not rush out the door after. But if she doesn’t touch me soon, the old me just may take over.
She cocks a cute little smile. “Impatient, aren’t you?”
The woman actually makes me growl. Sitting up, I pull her legs around me, my dick finding his home in the warmth between her thighs, and she moans sweetly. “Christ, you feel so good. How can you feel so good with clothes on?”
Rubbing herself against me, she whimpers my name. “I never knew it would be like this.”
Her ass in my hands, I force her tighter. “Tell me,” I say, kissing a path along her neck.
“It almost hurts,” she pants. “This ache.”
“Fuck,” I moan. “You’re open and wet?”
“Yes,” she groans. “I feel so empty. And I know only you can fix that emptiness I feel.”
Lifting my head, I brush her hair out of her face so I can see into her eyes. She’s talking about much more than sex right now. “Let me,” I say. “I promise I will . . .”
; “Alright, Blondie,” Jade says, opening up the front door. “Time to go.”
Fuck! Just when we were getting somewhere. I swear, I should change my address to Blue Balls Road, it’s been so damn long. “Jade, you aren’t supposed to be here yet,” I say, urging Campbell off my lap and getting to my feet. And there’s not a damn thing I can do about the massive erection in my shorts.
“Jesus,” Jade cries. “Put that thing away!”
Trying to adjust myself, I bark, “Why are you here so soon?”
“It’s raining. Can’t do an outside concert in the rain. Show got postponed until tomorrow.”
“Then go home or to dinner,” I order.
She holds up a bag. “Here’s my dinner. Besides, you know the rules. No sex a week before the fight.”
So I lied! Can’t blame a guy for trying. Campbell pokes me in the side, smiling. “I love you, sis, but we need a night alone.”
Jade plops down on the sofa, throwing me my shirt on the floor. “Well, I’m working tomorrow night, so you can have all the time you need then,” she says.
“I can’t tomorrow,” Campbell whispers. “It’s Thursday.”
Does she really think I’m going to let her bail on me to go watch some asshole? “We’ll talk about that later,” I bite out, my jaw clenched. “Let’s go to your place.” Campbell’s delicate fingers gently touch my chest. I’m sure it’s her attempt to calm my temper, and it’s working. We’ve not had any time to explore each other’s bodies. That needs to happen, and soon.
Rolling her eyes, Jade says, “Yeah, yeah, it’s a man’s bare chest. What’re you, a virgin?”
I’m pretty sure Campbell’s about to die right on the spot, but Jade’s too lost in her takeout to notice. Thank God! If Jade knew Campbell was a virgin, I’d never hear the end of it. I throw my shirt back on.
“I’m just surprised you don’t have any ink. I thought most fighters have tattoos,” Campbell says.
Can we go back to the virginity topic, please?
Jade almost chokes on her food, laughing. “Stone’s afraid of needles.”
“I’m not afraid of anything.” Except needles, and you telling my girlfriend.
Jade rolls up her sleeve, waving Campbell over. “This was my first tat when I was eighteen. Stone passed out cold on the floor.”
“I didn’t pass out. I had to go outside and get some air. The place smelled like pig shit.”
“Right,” Jade says. “Never went with me again.”
Campbell’s lips turn up in a cute little smile. She likes this a little too much. “I’m a nurse. Lots of people are scared of shots.”
“I’m not scared,” I say, taking her hand. “Let’s go.”
“No sex,” Jade yells as I grab my keys, my woman, and head out the door.
*
Campbell’s house and mine are not even remotely close to each other – an hour round trip, if I’m speeding, which I am. I tend to drive faster when I’m angry or horny, and since I’m both, my foot has barely left the gas pedal. The drive over was pretty quiet. I warned you ahead of time, my mood suffers when I’m not getting any. Between lack of sex and Campbell’s stalking plans, my attitude is pretty foul. At least the rain has stopped.
We pull up in front of Campbell’s house, seeing Jenny waiting outside on the porch. “Oh, no,” Campbell mutters, opening up the car door.
“There you are,” Jenny says, cheery as ever.
“I’m sorry,” Campbell whispers to me.
“For what?”
“I got started, but we’ve got two hundred care bags to make for the homeless shelter,” Jenny says. “You didn’t forget, did you?”
“No, of course not,” Campbell says, but obviously she did. “Just give me a minute with Stone, and I’ll be right over.” She opens up the front door telling me, “I’m sorry. I totally forgot I was supposed to help Jenny tonight.”
“Do you have to do that tonight?” I groan.
“Don’t pout,” she says, tossing her keys down on a table, then grazing her fingers across the stone I gave her. “Saturday after the fight, you’ll be off. I’m off, too, so we’ll spend the whole day together. We can take Tate to the zoo, have a little picnic, get your office set up. Maybe Jade will watch Tate for a few hours, or I could ask Jenny.”
“What about tomorrow?” I ask. “Thursday.”
“You know what I do then,” she says.
“I’m telling you to do something different.”
“You’re telling me?” she asks. “Or asking me?”
“Telling you,” I say, pulling her to me. “Tomorrow night, you will be with me. I will not have you on the street stalking some douchebag.”
“You know I can handle myself,” she says.
“Not the point,” I say.
“You don’t tell me what to do. I’m going.”
“You really gonna choose some vendetta over us? Over what this could be?”
She turns away from me, and even though I can’t see them, I know tears are flowing down her cheeks. “I have to do this,” she whispers.
“Why? Tell me why.”
Her head shakes violently side-to-side. “I can’t.”
“You seem willing to lose me over him.”
She turns back to me and whimpers, “I’m going to lose you one way or another.”
I take her cheeks in my hand. “Where’s your fight? The woman I know doesn’t give up, even when she’s facing Goliath on the other side of the mat. You won’t lose me unless you choose to.” She starts to cry a little harder. “Don’t you know how I feel about you?” Her breath hitches, and I know it’s been years since anyone’s said they love her, except maybe Jenny. “I . . .”
“Campbell, you almost ready?” Jenny asks, banging on the door.
Opening up the door, I turn back, picking up the bloodstone and placing it in her hand. “I hope you make the right choice.”
*
Campbell crept into my mind throughout the day, Thursday, but training, teaching classes, and getting ready for the fight tomorrow kept me busy enough that I didn’t dwell on whether or not she’d show up to my house. Until now.
I drove home after my last class at the gym hoping she’d be waiting inside, but no such luck. It’s storming something awful outside, so Jade’s concert was canceled again. I sent her home, though. I think she could tell I was in no mood to be in anyone else’s company because she didn’t fight me on it. It’s getting late, and Tate’s asleep. Usually before a big fight, the nerves would be swirling around a bit, just enough to give me a little edge, but none of that is happening tonight. My only thoughts are about Campbell.
The thought of her standing on some New Orleans street in the pouring rain makes me want to put my hand through a wall. And did she get another gun? Would she do that? Jesus, the questions are killing me. But I can’t think about them. I have no answers anyway. I need to focus on the fight tomorrow. That’s what’s most important right now—getting the money for Tate’s implants and surgery. Not love, not getting laid. None of it. Only Tate matters.
Damn liar!
I peek in Tate’s room at her sleeping little face. “Just me and you again, baby girl.” Shutting her door, I look down at my hand. “And me and you again!” Can I just state for the record that jerking off is a poor replacement for being balls deep in a woman? But what choice do I have? Yeah, I could call Angel, although I never do that shit with Tate around. But the fact is, my dick has its heart set on one woman, and only she will do.
So it’s me and my hand tonight. One session of choke the chicken coming right up. A guy can pretty much rub one off anywhere. As teenagers, we tend to be pretty creative in an effort to hide the evidence from our mothers. Socks, bottles—you name it, and we’ve jizzed in it. But the easiest and cleanest place is in the shower. Soap can be lubricating, and the mess goes right down the drain—perfect. Since I’m not in the mood to clean up anything, a shower jack off is in order for tonight.
Placing the
baby monitor on the sink, I start to undress and turn the shower on. Holding the edge of the sink, my head hangs down. Loving a woman is kind of like getting sucker punched. You’ve got no idea it’s coming, no way to prepare. It just comes out of nowhere, like a cheap shot. It leaves you breathless, brings you to your knees, and all your defenses fly out the window.
It can’t really be over with Campbell, can it? It just started, didn’t it? I know I gave her an ultimatum, and she’s obviously made her choice, but I’ve been a fighter my whole life. Can I really just let her go?
“Stone?” The bathroom door flies open. Campbell’s soaking wet from head to toe, shivering, and I can’t be sure because of all the rain on her face, but I think she’s been crying.
“What happened?” I ask, grabbing her arms and looking her up and down. If that fucker put one finger on her, I swear to God, I’ll kill him myself! “Are you hurt?”
“I was standing there,” she says, her voice trembling. “Waiting for him. Like I always do.” Grabbing a towel, I start to wipe her off to warm her up. “But it wasn’t like it always is. At first, I thought it was because I didn’t have my gun this time. But it wasn’t that. It’s hard to explain. But it felt different. It felt like I had something to lose.”
Her tears multiply, but a small smile graces those beautiful pink lips of hers. A part of me is pissed she went out there, put herself at risk like that. But a bigger part of me is happy she’s here and seems to have put away some of that dark shit.
Sliding her black hoodie down her shoulders, it drops to the floor with a slushing sound. Curling a finger in her belt loop, I tug her to me, locking eyes with her and unbuttoning her jeans. She finishes the job, wiggling her hips side-to-side. Her body shivers, and guilt settles into my chest. I’m focused on getting her naked while she’s standing there freezing. “Let’s get you warmed up in the shower,” I say, lifting her shirt over her head.
Her matching light pink cotton bra and panties are wet enough for me to see a small patch of hair. She reaches around, unhooking her bra and letting it fall of the floor. Her tits are small, but perfect. Kneeling in front of her, my hands slide down the curve of her waist and hip. My fingers hook under the side of her panties, and I slip them down the smooth skin of her long legs.
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