Bare Yourself (Consumed: Book Two)

by Alex Grayson

  I take a deep breath, then let it out slowly. “There’s something I want to say.”

  “What is it, baby?” he asks softly, brushing back some wet hair that’s fallen in my face.

  Nerves makes my stomach jittery, but the need to get this out overrides it. It’s not something I want him to know, but something I need him to know.

  I keep my eyes on his. I want to see them when I say this.

  “I was going to tell you the other day, but the time wasn’t right. Then I was going to wait until a better time came along, but I don’t want to wait anymore.”

  Tegan’s eyes turn dark and his arms around me tighten. My breasts flatten against his chest, the bristly hair there rubbing against my nipples, making them harder than they were before. Up until now, his cock was half-hard between us, but it’s now as solid as stone.

  I lick my lips nervously, although they are already wet from the spray of the water. He watches me, and I think I hear a groan from him, but I can’t be sure with the noise from the shower.

  No more waiting, Willow, I tell myself. It’s time, even if the timing isn’t perfect.

  “I love you,” I whisper, then force myself to not look away from him. Although the need is strong for him to know my feelings, and he’s shown me many times his feelings for me run deep, I’m still terrified he won’t feel the same.

  I hold my breath and wait. What feels like ten minutes later, but in reality, had to only be two or three seconds, I’m lifted in the air and smashed against his chest as his lips take mine forcefully. The move shocks me, but only for a split second. He hasn’t been under the spray of the water, so when I thread my fingers through his hair, it’s still mostly dry. His hands grip my ass cheeks, and I slide my legs around his waist. My pussy meets his hardness, and we both moan simultaneously.

  Tegan turns and my back meets the wall of the shower stall. His tongue invades my month, and I tangle mine with his. I’ve always loved the way he kisses me. He does it like I’m the best thing he’s ever tasted, and I feel the same.

  When he pulls back, I nearly cry out. I wasn’t done with his mouth yet.

  I’m panting, and his breathing isn’t much better when he rests his forehead against mine. We both keep our eyes on each other.

  “Fuck, baby,” he groans. “I love you so goddamn much. I know you’re hurting, and if you want me to stop, I will, but hearing you say those words…” He stops and grinds his cock against me. “I need to be inside you right now.”

  I fist his hair even more, bringing his face closer to mine. “Fuck me, stud. Fuck me good and hard. I need it too.”

  The words barely leave my mouth before his lips are back on mine. His hips rock against me, and I’m so slick with arousal that the length of him slides between my lips. He doesn’t penetrate, just slides his cock back and forth. The friction on my clit is delicious, and I cry out hoarsely.

  He yanks his lips from mine and lifts me several inches. My breasts hang in his face, so he dips his head and takes a beaded nipple in his mouth. He tugs at the tip with his teeth, just hard enough to send a small bout of pain rushing through me, then releases it to lap his tongue around the sting. He does the same to my other nipple.

  “I love your tits,” he says, looking up at me after releasing the nub. He starts lowering me down his body slowly, until my slick pussy meets the head of his cock. “But I love your pussy more.”

  My breath hitches when the head slides in, then it whooshes out when he lowers me even more. He’s not all the way in yet, but I already feel incredibly full. Full of Tegan is one of the best things in the world. He continues to lower me, and I stretch even more to accommodate him. His jaw turns hard and his eyes flash with unmistakable desire.

  “Oh, God,” I whimper.

  “Fuck yeah,” he growls, then shoves his hips forward, impaling himself the rest of the way inside my body.

  Tingles, shivers, and fireworks all implode in me, centered right at the apex of my legs. Sex with Tegan has always been out of this world, but I swear every time trumps the last.

  He pumps his hips forcefully, and each time he’s fully inside me, his pelvic bone hits my clit. I moan deep in my throat because it feels so damn good.

  Using the strength of one arm to hold me up, he runs one hand down past my ass, his finger briefly rubbing my asshole, to my pussy. There’s a bit of pressure as he inserts his finger inside me, alongside his cock. He continues to fuck me with his cock, but holds his finger still.

  “Damn,” he grunts. “It’s sexy as fuck feeling my cock slide in and out of you.”

  “Tegan,” I moan breathlessly.

  He removes his finger and moves it back to my ass. He swirls it around, then pushes gently against the tight bundle of nerves there. His wet finger is met with resistance, but then slips inside. There’s a pinch of pain, but I welcome it. It feels too good not to.

  I grip his shoulders and tip my head back, holding on to him as he manipulates my body. The pleasure from his deep thrust inside my pussy and the finger he’s steadily pumping in my ass becomes too much. My body tightens around him as shockwaves of pleasure wash through me. It starts in my toes and fingers and travels up my legs and arms to my center, where it explodes in a blinding white light. My eyes close, and I cry out at the intense feeling.

  Tegan shoves his face in my neck and mumbles something incoherent. His hips continue to rock forward, and each powerful thrust slides me up and down the wall. His grunt rumbles against my throat and he stiffens, holding himself against me as he grinds his hips into mine.

  I lift my head and rest it against the side of his. Hot breath fans against my neck as he tries to catch his breath. My own chest heaves as I pull in large lungfuls of air.

  I whimper when his finger leaves my ass.

  He chuckles against my neck. “I’m taking that ass next time.”

  “Mmm” is all I can say. The thought’s crossed my mind a few times in the past, but I never really thought I would be brave enough to do it. But I’m finding out, with Tegan, my brave meter is very high.

  “Come on, baby. Let’s get you cleaned up and in bed.”

  He carries me back into the spray of the water and gently lifts me from his still hard cock. I look down at it, then back up at him with a lifted brow.

  “He’s a greedy bastard,” he says with a wink.

  I laugh, and he bends to place a light kiss against my lips. He reaches to the left, grabs my shampoo, then twirls his finger in a circle. “Turn.” I do as he says, and seconds later, feel his fingers knead through my hair as he lathers the thick strands. It feels incredible. Next comes the conditioner, then he snags my loofah, squirts body wash on it, and proceeds to wash my body.

  By the time he’s done, I’m so relaxed, I’m barely standing on my feet. Tegan notices, and the amazing man he is, quickly washes himself, then turns off the water. I step out of the tub and reach for the towel, but he snatches it from the towel rack before I can.

  “I’ve got you,” he murmurs, patting my body down until I’m dry. Then, as most men do, he half dries himself, before lifting me in his arms and carrying me out to the bedroom.

  The covers are already pulled back, so he sets me down, and I scoot over to give him room. The sheets are cool, and I shiver. He lies down. “Come here.” He opens his arms, and I immediately go into them. I lay my head on his shoulder, and he pulls the covers over us, then his arms wrap around me. I instantly feel warmer.

  “Sleep, baby,” he rumbles in my hair. He reaches over and flicks off the lamp, shrouding us in darkness.

  “Thank you, Tegan,” I tell him quietly. “Thank you for being there for me and understanding, and thank you for helping Bryan.”

  “Anything for you.”

  I snuggle closer to him and place my hand over his heart, feeling the steady beat. I lift my head long enough to kiss the side of his neck.

  “I love you,” I say sleepily, and relish the feeling of his arms tightening around me when I say the word
s.

  “Love you, too, Willow.”

  That’s the last thing I hear before I drift off to sleep with a happy smile on my face.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Willow

  Two weeks later, Tegan and I walk into the drug rehab facility Bryan is in. The day he showed up at Minnie and Logan’s place, we took him to the nearest hospital. They admitted him and assessed the situation. While Bryan and I were talking to a nurse, trying to find out what our next step was, Tegan was making phone calls. Apparently, he called his old sexual addiction group counselor and got recommendations for drug rehabilitation centers. He came back in the room to let us know there was a facility thirty minutes outside of town waiting for us to arrive. I was both shocked and touched that he did this, knowing he did it for me. His eyes were still hard anytime he looked at Bryan, and I didn’t blame him, I was just glad he cared enough about me to help him.

  It was stupid on my part, and my only excuse was I was distracted, but the thought of the cost for a private facility never even crossed my mind as we all rode in silence. It was early evening, so the sun was just setting when we rolled up to the front of the building on a white gravel driveway. The place was huge and looked more like a resort than a place people go to recover from drug or alcohol abuse. There were lush trees, beautiful flowers, and the greenest and thickest grass I’ve ever seen, a basketball court and a tennis court in a fenced-off area, and also a volleyball net set up, along with croquet stakes in the ground, and even horses surrounding another stake.

  I stood gawking at the place until Tegan tugged on my hand. When I looked over at Bryan, his face wore a look of fear. I let go of Tegan’s hand and turned to face Bryan. Grabbing his cheeks, I pulled his face down until he was forced to look at me.

  “It’s going to be okay,” I told him firmly.

  His face was wet with sweat and pale, his eyes still red and slightly puffy from crying earlier. His Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed thickly. I felt the tremors running through his body with the grip I had on his cheeks.

  He nodded. “Okay.”

  It wasn’t until Bryan and I were filling out the paperwork—I had to do it for him because his hands were shaking so badly he couldn’t hold the pen—that I thought about the cost of a place such as this. I had money in savings, but there was no way it would cover it. My heart dropped. I wanted Bryan to be comfortable, because I know what he was currently going through, and the battle he was getting ready to face would be horrible.

  I looked over to Tegan, who was talking to an elderly lady behind the counter. I was just getting ready to stand and tell him there was no way I could afford a place like this, when he turned and walked back over to us.

  As if hearing the words floating around in my mind, he said, “It’s taken care of.”

  “What?” I screeched, then looked around guiltily for being so loud.

  Looking briefly at Bryan, who was sitting beside me on the edge of his seat with his hands shoved between his knees—he looked like he was ready to bolt—he grabbed my hand and pulled me several feet away.

  “Don’t argue,” Tegan said, looking down at me.

  I shook my head vigorously several times. “No, Tegan. I can’t let you do this. It’s way too much. We’ll find him a place I can afford.”

  He smiled crookedly. “Sorry, baby, it’s already done. He’s paid up for four months.”

  My heart dropped to my stomach, where it still pounded heavily, making me feel queasy. I stared at him, eyes wide, for several seconds.

  “I can’t believe you did that.” I leaned closer to him and whispered, “You don’t even like him. Why would you do something crazy like that for someone you don’t know?”

  His hand cupped the back of my head and his thumb swiped over my cheek.

  “Because I know you’d want him in a place like this. And I want to give you what you want. I always want to give you what you want.”

  I nearly melted on the floor at that point. If I weren’t already in love with him, I sure as shit would have fallen then. Not because he spent what I know had to be thousands of dollars on a man he detests, but because he did it knowing how much it meant to me.

  When I told him I was paying him back every penny, he didn’t respond, but he did give me a look that said I was being ridiculous. He may not want to accept it, but Bryan is my responsibility, and I will be giving back what he spent.

  The place looks just as fancy as the last time we were here as we walk across the eggshell-colored floor. We haven’t been back since the day we brought Bryan here. I wanted to come earlier, but Bryan asked that I give him a couple weeks before I visited. I think he didn’t want me to see him any more than I already had looking the way he did.

  Tegan flips up his sunglasses to perch on top of his head as we walk up to the same lady that greeted us the first time we were here. Patty is her name.

  “Hello, Tegan and Willow, right?” Her smile is warm and welcoming.

  “Yes,” I answer, returning her smile, glad that she remembers us. “We’re here to see Bryan Bennett.”

  She taps something on the computer in front of her, then stands and steps from behind the desk. “He mentioned you were coming today. I could see the excitement in his eyes when he told me.”

  A happy fluttering feeling has my stomach in knots. I’m both anxious and scared to see him. But I’m ecstatic that he obviously wants to see me. I’ve spoken with him a few times on the phone and each time he sounded reserved, so I wasn’t sure how today would go. Him wanting to see me is a good sign.

  “He’s in the common room. If you’ll follow me, I’ll take you to him.”

  I nod and a smile creeps across my face. I lace my fingers with Tegan’s, and we follow Patty down a hallway, through a door, across another hallway, then come to a stop at a set of double doors.

  The doors and walls around it are made of glass, so I can see inside the room clearly. My hand tightens in Tegan’s and my breath catches. Tears immediately hit my eyes, and I try so hard to force them back, but I feel one slide down my cheek. I’m rooted in place as I watch my brother, the brother that looks nothing like the man I saw two weeks ago and now looks more like the wonderful man I used to know, sitting on a couch watching some stand-up comedy, laughing. He looks a lot better, healthier. He’s no longer pale, and the gauntness is gone from his face. It also looks like he’s put on a little weight. He still has a long way to go, but he doesn’t have that half-dead look anymore.

  Patty pushes open one of the doors and it grabs his attention. His smile is still in place when he looks over and spots us standing there. I hold my breath as his gaze meets mine. The smile slips from his face and pain replaces it, which makes my stomach plummet. My hand flies to my mouth to stifle the sob that wants to break free.

  “You okay?” Tegan asks beside me. “We can do this another time.”

  I swallow, and without taking my eyes off Bryan, nod. “I’m okay.” Taking a deep breath, I take a step forward. Bryan stands and stuffs his hands into the pockets of his black cargo pants. I take two more steps and he drops his head for a moment, before lifting it again. Tears glisten in his eyes.

  Not able to stand the distance anymore, I release Tegan’s hand and run the rest of the way to my brother. His hands come out of his pockets right as I reach him. He catches me, and I wrap my arms around his waist and bury my face against his chest.

  “Lo,” he whispers brokenly, which only makes my own tears flow faster.

  My brother was always so big and full of life. He was one of the strongest men I knew and someone I looked up to growing up. Someone I admired. It broke something inside me when he pushed me away like he did after our dad died, and that something splintered into pieces when I saw him two weeks ago in Minnie’s backyard.

  Seeing him now, hearing the hitch of his breath as he fights his emotions, and feeling his strong arms around me, I can finally breathe again without it hurting so much.

  He holds me for several l
ong moments as I cry against his chest.

  I pull back, wipe my eyes, then look up at him. He looks down at me, and I can see so much of him has changed. I still see sadness lurking in his eyes, but there’s also a new light.

  “How are you?” I keep my voice low, because if I go any louder it’ll come out all wobbly.

  One corner of his mouth quirks up, and it makes my chest feel even lighter.

  “I’m a lot better,” he answers.

  “That’s good. I’ve missed you, Bryan.” Tears threaten again, but this time I’m able to force them back.

  He puts his forehead to mine, closes his eyes, and breathes, “I’ve missed you too.” He opens his eyes again and the pain in their depths is stronger. “I’m so damn sorry.”

  I lean up and kiss his cheek, then pull back. “No more apologies. It’s behind us. Just get better. I just want my brother back.”

  He nods and squeezes his eyes closed for several seconds. When he opens them, he looks over my shoulder. I turn and look as well to find Tegan several steps behind me. He’s watching our exchange with vigilant eyes. I feel Bryan stand up straighter, and he moves me aside so he can step up to Tegan.

  He holds out his hand. “I know we met a couple weeks ago, but I’d like to start over. I’m Bryan.”

  I hold my breath as Tegan looks down at his hand, making no move to take it. His eyes flicker to mine and the animosity disappears. They soften as he takes in my hopeful expression. They travel back to Bryan, and he slowly lifts his hand, grasping Bryan’s in a firm grip, shaking it twice, then letting go.

  “Tegan” is all he says. It’s more than I hoped for.

  “Thank you,” Bryan says. He looks to the side, clears his throat, then looks back at Tegan. “Thank you for everything. But thank you especially for taking care of my sister.”