Fool For You

by Megan Noelle

  Confusion passed his eyes as he answered, “I want you to be out there with me.” “Okay then.” I pressed my lips against his to reassure him that Karly’s presence didn’t bother me. His hand pressed against the small of my back as he laid me onto the bed, letting his weight hold me down.

  “She’ll be gone soon—I promise.”

  “I believe you.” With another swift kiss, he maneuvered off me but held onto my hand to pull me with him.

  The lights were on throughout the apartment, but the living room was empty. We glanced around for her but the noises from the kitchen answered the question of her location.

  “You two done yet?” She shouted. Corey turned to me, his eyes empathetic.

  “So, so sorry.” He whispered, making me laugh.

  Karly emerged from the kitchen with two coffee mugs in her hands and a smile on her face.

  “Hot chocolate?” she asked, her eyes meeting mine.

  “Sure, that sounds great.” I took the mug from her.

  Karly sat down on the chair and tucked her legs underneath her petite frame. Corey sat on the couch and pulled me down with him. His arm framed the back of the couch, allowing us to sit even closer. Getting a better look at Karly, I realized just how alike their features were. Dark hair, stunning blue eyes and even the same facial structure. When I took everything about her in, all I saw was that beautiful hummingbird tattoo on Corey’s arm. This was the baby sister that brought joy and love into his life. I already liked this girl.

  “So, how do the two of you know each other?” Karly asked; a smile in her eyes as she scrutinized our proximity.

  “We’re friends and we also work together for certain events.” Corey answered; not giving her any of the juice she was really hoping to hear.

  “Oh I see, you haven’t told mom yet, have you?” This time her glare went to her brother.

  “Why are you here, Karly? You said Jake and you got into a fight—how you managed to do that at 3am is still a mystery to me.”

  Karly rolled her eyes, jaw tensing under her skin; no longer worried about whatever was going on between Corey and me.

  “That man… ugh! I can’t stand him sometimes!”

  Corey breathed out an audible sigh next to me. “What’d he do this time?” It didn’t take a genius to decipher this wasn’t the first time Corey listened to Karly’s boyfriend drama. What was strange was the glimmer of admiration that grew in my heart for him. As irritated as he have been by his sister’s early, early morning intrusion—he was still there for her.

  “I’ve had some pretty intense cravings lately, plus I’ve been waking up to pee at all night long. So when I woke up at 1am, craving a pickle and I had to pee—I took a pregnancy test. Well, I woke Jake up to get the results with me—it came up negative, but that started a pretty intense conversation.”

  “You didn’t stop to think maybe 1:00 in the morning wasn’t the best time for that talk?” Karly looked irritated at Corey’s interruption. He held up his hands in surrender, replacing his arm behind me as she proceeded.

  “I want kids and I know Jake does too, but for some reason he seemed way too happy to see I wasn’t carrying his child. So we got into it. He wants us to wait a year after the wedding before we settle down to have a family.” Karly struck me as a tough woman, but in this moment she appeared to be close to breaking down. Times like this made me that much more thankful I wasn’t in a committed relationship. Karly couldn’t be older than me—and I was nowhere near ready to have a child or think about marriage.

  “What’s so wrong with that?” Corey’s tone softened. He’d noticed too, she was on the verge of tears.

  “The man asked me to marry him! That means we’re going to share our lives together but the thought of me having his child is just,” She shook her head, searching for the right word. “Insane.”

  “I’m sure he didn’t say that.”

  “Why are you taking his side?” Karly whined; oh yes, definitely the baby of the family.

  “Karly, I’m not taking his side. What I’m saying is you are 23 and he is 25. You have so much of the world to see and you found a man that wants to see it with you by his side. What’s wrong with having a year to grow together and discover things you may not be able to, once you’re tied down to the home with a child. Shit—marriage is hard enough without throwing a baby into the mix, right away.”

  Her features were beginning to soften as she listened to his reasoning, but her arms crossed over her chest. Not quite ready to give in.

  “I suppose.”

  “You love Jake, don’t you?” Corey pressed on, sensing her weakness for him.

  “Well, of course I do.” “Then, why don’t you let me bring you home and have him make it up to you. Trust me, I know Jake very well, he has to be a complete wreck with you gone.” Karly smiled to herself, her mind surely going to the fiancé she obviously loved.

  “Sorry to come over so late,” she apologized sheepishly.

  Corey shrugged, taking the hot chocolate from my hands fortifying himself with a large gulp. “It’s what you do.”

  “Well, mom lives thirty minutes away, plus you know Lainey and Abby would freak out at me if I showed up at this time. Which reminds me—you’re usually up this late shutting down the bar—what are you doing asleep?”

  “Been switching up my hours, is all. This way I’m not closing anymore.”

  “Oh yeah…any particular reason?” Her eyes shifted to me.

  “Just don’t want to spend every night dealing with the same bullshit with work.”

  “You seem happier, Core, your skins glowing.”

  “My skin’s glowing?” he asked sarcastically.

  Karly nodded, I looked over to see Corey look down at his bare arms. “Like I need to go to the doctor?” We both laughed.

  “No, everyone knows when you’re happy your skin is healthy. Has a nice glow to it, isn’t that right, Dani?”

  Corey turned to face me. “Is that true?”

  “It is, skin definitely benefits from happiness.”

  His face cracked into a smile that reached his eyes.

  We were mere inches apart and I had the sudden overwhelming urge to kiss him. However, kissing Corey in front of his sister—when I knew the first thing she’d do is tell their family—no way would that be a good thing. I had no problem admitting to myself and others that Corey was a good friend of mine—even saying good friend didn’t do him justice. However, we needed to keep our affectionate side locked away in the bedroom.

  I wasn’t sure how long I sat staring at Corey before Karly cleared her throat to get our attention. My cheeks and neck grew hot as I turned away from him; Karly was practically glowering at her brother. Obviously, they didn’t see him with women very often.

  “Let’s get you home.” He stood; grabbed the empty mugs of hot chocolate from us, and brought them into the kitchen.

  Karly and I stood; she took my hand in both of hers with a smile.

  “It was great meeting you, Dani. I really hope it’s not the last time I see you.”

  “It was nice meeting you too, and congratulations.”

  “Thanks.” She said her grin widening. “Core, I’ll go wait in the car.”

  “Hang on a sec.” Keys jingled as they came in the air at Karly, she caught them without a problem. “You can warm it up so you’re not sitting in a cold car. Just remember I drive stick, so you can’t just start it.”

  “Yeah, yeah—not the first time I’ve had to start your car,” she reminded him, leaving me with a wink.

  Corey came up behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist, pressing his face into my hair.

  “I really am sorry about that.” He loosened his grip so I could turn to face him.

  “Don’t be, she’s sweet. Besides, it’s cute that you are such a good big brother.”

  “Oh yeah? Does it make my skin glow nice and pretty?” I laughed and nuzzled my face into his chest.

  “Very nice.”

&n
bsp; “Well, I should probably go bring her home now before she comes back up here with another problem she forgot about.”

  “Alright, well I can just grab my stuff and head out too. I mean I’m feeling better now.” Corey pulled my face back so I could see the flash of concern in his eyes.

  “Dani, I don’t want you to go. I just got you here. Please, don’t leave while I’m gone.”

  “Okay I won’t, if you tell me why it’s so important to you for me to be here.” Corey shrugged, brushing a strand of hair out of my face.

  “I don’t know but since I first met you Dani, I have wanted nothing more than to just be near you. You’re not like anyone I’ve ever met before, and I like it.” The thought of heading home tonight was completely out the window now.

  “I’ll be here when you get back.” He smiled and leaned down. He scooped me into his arms, walking us back to the bedroom. Gently, he laid me back on the bed. Before he could move away I pressed my mouth to his. The need to ravish his perfect lips hadn’t gone away since the moment on the couch. My body could only handle being so close to this man for so long, before I had to extinguish the burning desire.

  Corey placed his hands on either side of my face as he prolonged the kiss. My fingernails traced up and down the smooth planes of his back. A groan of pleasure came out, as the kiss took a turn down a path it shouldn’t—at least while Corey’s sister waited outside. He climbed on top of me, deepening the kiss as his fingers laced with mine. I could feel his entire body go hard, as his need for me grew. Just as quick as it had begun—it ended—with the annoying buzz of Corey’s phone coming from his pocket. At first, it looked like he was going to try to ignore it, but as the buzz persisted—he gave up. With a sigh he yanked it out and opened it.

  “I’m still here!” Karly’s voice echoed through the speaker.

  “I’ll be down in a minute, and just so you know this is the last time I do this for you.”

  “Uh huh sure, now hurry your ass up!” Karly yelled before disconnecting the line. Corey placed a soft kiss against my forehead before sitting up.

  I rested my head against his pillow, watching as he took a sweatshirt out from his closet. My eyes were getting heavy, but I didn’t want to give in just yet.

  “Corey?”

  “Yeah?” He asked.

  “Thank you for caring about me so much.”

  He smiled. “You say cute things like that and it makes it even harder to leave.”

  It was my turn to smile. “I’m sorry I’ll stop.” “I’ll hurry back.” He promised.

  Into The Heartbreak

  I was only vaguely aware of Corey’s return, but the warmth that flooded my body told me I was once again wrapped in his arms.

  It was a little after nine when I awoke the following morning to find Corey sleeping soundly beside me with his arm stretched across my pillow. Letting him sleep was the nice thing to do. He worked hard, and the day before had dealt with not only my problems but his sister’s as well. I could just as easily have left his room and made myself some breakfast. I prided myself on being an independent woman with the ability to get through a day with anyone’s assistance.

  My only issue was I would much rather wake Corey up. A mischievous grin spread over my face, as I thought about the best way to wake him. Besides, the least I could do was be gracious in my wake-up method.

  With that in mind, I shifted my weight to reach up to Corey’s neck where my lips slowly tasted his skin. His pulse sped beneath my tongue. I dragged my lips down to the base of his throat and then further down his bare chest. My nails delicately ran up his stomach, while my lips moved back to his neck. In an instant, I was on my back with Corey hovering above me. His eyes darkened with the same desire that had filled them before he left the night before.

  “Did I wake you?” I asked with an innocent smile.

  “You bet your sexy ass, you did,” he rumbled, and I giggled against his lips.

  The mood didn’t stay light for long, once he thrust his tongue inside my mouth. His hands roamed my body, while my fingers dug into his back. Our breathing quickened, as did the fire between my legs. Craving only one thing, I pushed against Corey’s shoulder. He took the hint and rolled over with me on top.

  We stripped out of our clothes as if they were on fire. Straddling his hips, I ground my sex against his. A growl erupted from his chest before he captured my mouth, letting our tongues dance together. We were both enthralled in the passion surrounding us. His hands left no part of my body untouched, while I situated myself to accept every inch of his hard erection. Our mouths never strayed, as I bounced and circled my pelvis. When I felt him grow harder inside my walls, I knew he was close. Just like that, he flipped us again, so I was beneath his hard body. The fire in his eyes ignited my insides. He pumped rougher and faster, rubbing against my most sensitive part. We came together with such force that I was almost rendered unconscious. Every single time we were together was wonderful and powerful. Despite all my past relationships, I’d never had quite as much fun in bed. Before, sex had been just a necessary part of being together—sometimes fun but usually involving a little liquid courage. This was the first time I found myself actually wanting to explore. More importantly, I felt comfortable doing so.

  “What are your other two sisters like?”

  We were sitting around the table in Corey’s small dining room, eating French toast that was pure Heaven.

  “The oldest is Abby. She’s a thirty-three year old lawyer and all about business. She spends a lot of her time working or talking about whatever case she’s working on. No kids—no husband—I doubt if she’s even in a relationship right now. Then there’s Lainey. She’s twenty-nine and having a total panic attack about it.”

  The way Corey said it while letting his head fall back in exaggeration made me laugh.

  “How come?”

  “Oh ya know, the big 3-0 is next, and she is acting like it’s the end of the world. Lainey is somewhat of a serial dater. She gets super serious, and then scares the guy away to find another. She’s not handling it well that Karly is getting married.”

  “And Karly’s twenty-three?”

  “Yep, she acts like it to.” I smiled, enjoying this conversation and finding myself wanting to know more.

  “What does that mean?”

  “Oh, she’s just so damn impulsive. She wants more than she needs and doesn’t like not getting her way. Typical signs of the baby of the family.”

  “She seems to adore you.”

  Corey shoveled in another bite of food as he smiled. There was an equal adoration for her in his eyes—for all his sisters.

  “Yeah, well not having my father around from a very young age, I took it upon myself to protect them. Their shithead boyfriends had to answer to me. I took care of them when they were hurt or upset. My mom was always around, but sometimes she’d be off in her own world, dealing with the pain my father caused her.”

  “What’d your dad do?”

  The few times his father came up in previous conversations, I’d known better than to ask more. This day felt different, along with my courage to question him. His shoulders moved in a careless manner, but the tensed skin around his jaw told me more.

  “He just wasn’t there like he should have been.”

  Corey put another bite of food in his mouth, and I watched as his persona changed at the mention of his dad. Apparently, the subject of Fathers was a sore spot for both of us.

  Seeing him feeling down shot a pain through my heart. I hated the way Corey looked absolutely defeated and felt the need to fix it. My legs reacted first. Walking around the table, I sat down in his lap, and my arms slowly wrapped around his neck.

  “You’re a good brother and an amazing friend.”

  The corner of his mouth pulled up. “Friend? Isn’t that the same as a death sentence?”

  My head fell back when a rich laugh rolled out. Corey’s hands rubbed my back, while he placed a kiss to my exposed throat.
/>   “So what do you want to do today?” he asked, sounding hopeful.

  “Well, I should probably get home.”

  The smile on his face slowly fell.

  “Sure, I’ll bring you—no problem.” His hurried tone tried to cover the obvious disappointment he was feeling.

  Corey’s mood remained considerably low for the duration of the morning. It wasn’t easy watching him that way, but I needed to keep some space between us. The only problem was my head knew this, but my heart was drawn to him in a way I couldn’t explain. I had to keep reminding myself this wasn’t the first time I’d been drawn to the wrong type of guy. The only difference was this time I’d promised myself to resist being the fool.

  Despite his silent protests, I was home before Noon. To keep the moment light (and from making me feel even worse), I placed a kiss on his cheek and jumped from the Jeep. Walking to the door, I flashed a smile and waved. Core refused to pull away until I’d closed the door.

  Once inside, I allowed myself a single moment to lean against the door and feel what he was doing to me. Corey was drawn to me in the same way I was to him. I could just as easily give in to the overpowering feelings I had for this man—let myself free fall into the unknown. I’d fall hard, smile and laugh. But then, I’d undoubtedly get hurt in the end.

  It was the idea of another tragic end that I couldn’t take. The journey, not the destination, was supposed to be the point of life and love. And yet the journey sometimes felt like nothing more than a lie, sucking me in the way it had so many times before. With Corey, I was willing to admit things were different. Not because I expected a happy ending, but because of the underlying need I had for him.

  If he knew it was there, he’d never let me go again.

  My answering machine blinked on the kitchen counter, indicating two new voice messages. Both were from the prison. Apparently, my mother had wasted no time jumping right back into the overabundance of phone calls. The difference was I felt fine not being around when she did call. I wasn’t worried she’d continue her screaming at me. Worse. I was afraid she’d go right back to the carefree Mom I’d seen most of my life. Worse yet—I was terrified I’d fall for it all over again.