Yet, my body heated up as I rested next to Evie. Dim candlelight danced against her skin. Her eyes appeared to be on fire as they glowed. Her blues filled the silence between us as we studied each other’s' faces.
Friends don't do this. They don't stare for silent seconds in the candlelight. There's something more here between us. I can't be crazy.
“If you died and could come back in another lifetime as a tree, what type would it be?” she asked.
“Banyan,” I said with no hesitation.
“Banyan? Why?”
“They're the strongest ones in the forest. They start off as little host trees. Their roots start to grow around it, over and over, rising up from the ground and shooting up into the air. The outer shell of roots and bark are always growing.”
“What happens to the inside? The host?”
“It eventually dies. The centers of old banyan trees are usually hollow.”
“So, it's desperate to survive but the whole time killing its insides in the process.”
I paused with a weird look on my face. “Huh?”
“Sorry. Sometimes old remnants of marijuana highs rise up and take over my brain. I might have gone too deep with that one.”
“Maybe.” I giggled. “What tree would you come back as?”
“I would come back as an undirected graph.”
“That's not a tree. You're cheating,” I said.
“It's a tree in graph theory.”
“Oh God, are you making up an excuse to bring up math?”
“When there is an undirected graph where any two vertices are connected by exactly one simple path, then it is a tree in graph theory.”
I pulled the bottle to me and placed it behind my back. “I'm cutting you off of wine for tonight.”
“What?” She reached for it.
“Yes.” I dodged her arm. “That was the worst answer I've ever heard for a question like that. Seriously.”
“Give me back the wine, crazy woman.” She nudged me.
“No way. Give me another answer and I'll see.”
She squinted her eyes at me as if she was contemplating body slamming me. I mock growled which made her break into loud laughter. She fell on the floor and covered her stomach. “You're absolutely insane.”
“I'm insane? You're the one who said you would come back as a graph.”
“Fine. I would come back as a pecan tree.” She reached for the bottle of wine.
“Why?” I knocked her hand away.
She scooted closer. Her sweet scent consumed me. “Come on, Cyn.”
My nickname was succulent on her tongue. She scooted closer to me. There were barely four inches between our faces. We were closer than we'd ever been in this whole week. My heart sped up.
“Tell me why you chose a pecan tree,” I said.
“Because those are my favorite nuts.” She giggled.
“Why does that sound so dirty coming out of your mouth?” I asked.
“Because you have a dirty mind.”
“No way.” I brought the bottle in front of me and sat it in my lap. She would have to touch my thighs to grab it. I was hoping as much.
God, I want to kiss her.
“Did my answer pass the test, you Imprisoner of Wines?”
“You may take one sip.”
“Oh, aren't I lucky?” She leaned my way and grabbed the bottle, her fingers brushing against my thighs. My body hummed. My legs warmed. I was so close to her I could just tilt an inch and trap her lips to mine.
Not yet.
She wasn't ready, and I wasn't sure that I was either. And where the hell did Jay play out in all of this? I cared about him but felt nowhere near the hot reactions I did for Evie. However, Jay would be going nowhere. Like me, he pretended to give her space. I spotted him a few times in the background as I followed Evie to her class a few times. The very thought of anybody knowing Jay’s and my obsessive actions toward her freaked me out. Surely, we were behaving like psychotic people. Normal individuals didn't stalk their ex- or future lovers. They stayed patient and waited for that love interest to come to them.
I'm tired of trying to be normal.
I would give her time now, a few weeks, maybe even a whole month. I'd even sit back and let Jay fuck up a few times, as I was sure he would do. She'd been pretending to be going on dates and telling Jay that so he would back off. What she didn't understand was that he wouldn't leave her alone just because she started dating. He would come on stronger.
And when he messes up enough, she'll be through with him and most other men. Maybe she'll explore this other side with me. Maybe we can figure it out together.
“What are you thinking about over there?” She poured us both a glass, finishing the bottle.
“Nothing.”
“It didn't look like nothing. You look like you're going to explode with joy over there. What's happening? Are you seeing somebody?”
“I'm interested in someone.” I avoided gazing her way.
“Who?”
“Not telling.”
“Boo.”
“I'm not sure if she feels the same way.”
Her mouth dropped open, but she recovered with no problem and closed it. “So, you're really taking this lesbian thing seriously?”
“Yes.”
“Just from our kiss?”
“It wasn't just a kiss to me,” I muttered, too afraid to see her reaction, so I turned my attention to the black roses on the floor. They glittered in the light where shadows didn't linger. Those dark petals shined as if dipped into sunshine and somehow able to keep that glow. I could see why Evie loved them. What a rare flower to behold, so dark that its true elegance hid within the petals and only made itself known when the viewer stared for a long time.
“I'm just saying. Maybe you should consider the fact that you might like guys too,” she offered.
“I will.”
“And I know our kiss was something more than a regular one.”
“Yeah?” I dug my nails into the palms of my hands, cringing with each word and scared she would say something that would hurt my feelings.
“I did enjoy it.”
“Me too.”
“But… ”
I couldn't let her finish. Whatever she had to say wasn't something that needed to be said aloud. I felt the magic that came alive between us each time we simply gazed at each other. She had to feel it too. That energy had to drum in her bones as it did mine.
“Let's just not talk about that for now,” I suggested.
“Okay.” She sighed. “What about the report? Did you file it?”
“Let's not talk about that either.”
She grabbed my shaking fingers.
Does she understand why I'm really nervous or does she just think this is all about my uncle?
“I'm here for you, Cyn. Whenever you need me, I'll be there. Okay?”
“Okay.”
And we remained there as once again the storm battered around us. Blues drifted through the room. We lounged on soft pillows and dragged our blankets down to the floor to get more comfortable. Candle ight set the mood with a softness that only the power of fire could bring. We held hands for what seemed like hours. Hours. We talked about more things, muttered confessions to each other and to our shadows. We laughed and then cried. She held me during that time, squeezing my arms and patting my back like a soothing mother would.
That was when we fell asleep, together, our arms tight around each other and the storm pushing our minds deeper into a slumber where hearts don't get shattered, and broken girls could find a place to call home.
Complete With You
Book Three
Intro
Last anyone heard, Pipe was bloodied and broken in a Miami hospital. The next day, Pipe checked himself out and stopped answering his phone.
* * *
Jay and Evie drop everything and fly to Miami to check on their friend. Last time they’d gone to the sexy city, too much had happened, and
Pipe had saved the day. Now Pipe needed them to come to his rescue.
But before they can find Pipe, Evie and Jay nearly break the internet with a racy video viral video heads can’t seem to get enough of.
With Evie dating someone new, Jay focused on getting drafted into the NFL, and Pipe on the verge of a nervous breakdown, everything’s changed. Years ago, things seemed simpler.
COMPLETE WITH YOU is the sexy, twisty conclusion to Kenya Wright’s bestselling New Adult Erotic Coventon Campus series, told from Evie, Jay’s and Pipe’s point of view.
Prologue
Pipe
He loved to cut me.
Sharp blade to the skin.
Very precise.
Never left a mark, but still he left scars. So many within me. They expanded as I breathed. When I exhaled, blood seeped out of my heart. When I inhaled, I consumed him once again, begging through teary eyes to be free.
He loved to cut me.
Sharp blade to the skin.
This time, he left scars and gashes. This time, he wouldn’t stop slicing. This time, he watched my tears mingle with my blood. This time, he placed a phone into my shaking hands and left me there.
“9-1-1, what is your emergency?” the woman said.
My voice came out hoarse and thick with sadness. “I've been cut all over my chest and face...I'm...”
Warm blood dripped down my forehead and into my eyes. I tried to blink through the stinging, hoped to stay conscious enough to let them know where I was. That metallic scent drenched the air. I choked on the smell as my own fluids spilled from me.
“Hello?” the woman said.
I should've never come back when he asked. I should've stayed with Mrs. Elaine.
“Hello? Sir? Where are you?”
My words were weak whispers. “South Beach. Fontaine Bleau. Room...”
And then darkness swallowed the world around me.
Chapter One
Evie
Heat bore down on Coventon Campus football field.
Women roared in the stadium, slinging out dollars and whistling to all the glammed-up guys. Tons of players ran by, but today they didn’t rock pads and uniforms. On this hot afternoon, they donned elaborate prom dresses, wigs, and shoes that would have made any stripper feen. The whole team had volunteered for my Heels that Heal charity event. Even a few coaches limped around in badly shaped sundresses and scuffed-up flats.
I checked my watch. We had only ten or so minutes before the charity event would end. Jay had just finished his laps that many people put money in to sponsor. He’d earned more than enough for the poor kids around Coventon.
“You fucking rock!” I patted his arm.
“These heels hurt my feet.” Wearing pink bows in his chestnut waves, Jay wrenched the candy apple red shoes off and slung them to the running track. Coventon’s defensive line stomped by in knee-high boots and grotesque make-up with sequin tube tops that ripped at the sides
I studied his sexy frame. “I don’t know how much this means to you, but you’re the hottest player here. The red lipstick went perfectly with your shoes.”
“Did you have to take all of those pictures?” he asked.
“Of course.”
“Did you send them to anybody?”
“Just CNN and Sportscenter.”
“Good. As long as it’s not Fox, I should be safe.”
“Can’t get too girly on Fox, can we?” I asked.
“No.”
“Funny. No, I just sent the pictures to Mom and Pipe.”
“Which means that Pipe will send it to CNN and Sportscenter.”
“Pretty much.”
“I don't know how you women even wear these things.” Jay bent over and rubbed his big toe. “No sane person should be walking in them.”
“Hey, I agree. You see why I barely wear them.”
He wiped the beads of sweat off of his forehead. “Yeah, but you had no problem ordering me to run in these damn things.”
“It’s for charity, dickhead.”
“Why do all of your charity ideas end up with me in a dress?”
“It just works out like that.”
“Evie, admit it. You like to order me into female garments.”
“No way, and I didn't order you to do this. I begged on my knees.”
His smile faltered for a second. “I would’ve remembered if you got on your knees.”
A memory ran through my mind—us, both naked and lust hungry. It was a moment from long ago, when things were different. He’d thrust his cock into my mouth and groaned loudly as I sucked. When I’d flicked my tongue against his mushroomed tip, he’d whispered my name with so much longing that every part of me had unraveled.
The memory left. A shiver ran through me, even though Jay and I stood on the hot football field. We both stared at each other in silence. He sighed.
I cleared my throat. “Yeah. Maybe, I wasn’t on my knees.”
“Maybe not.”
We exchanged uncomfortable glances. Perhaps, we’d both walked through our past for a few seconds. As the semester’s ending came, I battled with not daydreaming about him. Jay had been in my life since my days of bony legs and first kisses. We skinny-dipped as kids. Slaved over grades. Worked hard at our goals. Mourned deaths. Celebrated life.
And then, we’d loved.
Everything turned left. Instead of joining together as a normal couple, Jay had invited me into his relationship with my roommate.
I didn’t think. I just tried it.
And then, we collided.
Our three wet bodies mingled together in one bed. Jay, Cynthia, and me. It was out of character. I’d gone in, not thinking about myself and only focusing on Jay. Within those sheets, my insecurities grew. Upon the throbbing mattress, a darkness birthed within me.
I lost myself and fell into a pit where I couldn’t find any light or sense of logic. I spiraled into contradictions, breaking up with Jay and Cynthia and then turning around and going on a road trip with them. I told them to stay away from me, and then slept with Jay twice and made out with Cynthia once.
I remained a scattered mess, bubbling over with hormones and chaos.
When we returned from Miami, I gave them both space. Being my roommate, Cynthia was harder to avoid. For weeks, I stayed away from her. Constantly, I reminded her to respect my space. And I mean actual physical space. She tried to touch me too much. More than a normal friend would. Once I swore I caught her smelling my hair. I’d been considering just moving into my girl, Melanie’s dorm room until the end of the semester.
On the field, I decided to cut through our uncomfortable quiet. “I didn’t order you to put that dress on, Jay. And I didn’t have to spend much time convincing the rest of your football team to put on gowns either. In fact, I believe you all were pretty hyped about it.”
“Lies. All lies.” He grabbed the bottom of his red dress, yanked it up, and pulled it over his head.
“No lies.”
He dropped the garment next to the shoes where his bag rested. Really? You’re just going to get naked out here? The freaking man only wore black boxer briefs. The soft material stretched over everything that it shouldn't have and incited my insides to clench.
I should've looked away.
After two months of Jay and I being broken up, I'd been doing well with not drooling for too long, but sweat glistened over his rippled muscle. His length, although in relaxed mode, pushed up against the boxer brief’s fabric. Those thighs sang to me as if pleading to be humped or bitten.
Just a little nibble.
“Evie?”
Damn. It's been a minute.
“Evie?”
It's perfectly normal for someone to want to bite those abs. Just look at them. His skin against my tongue.
He waved his hand in front of my face and then followed my gaze that was directly targeted on his crotch. “You know you never have to beg with me.”
Clearing my throat, I directed my view to his ey
es. “What?”
“I’m talking about you ordering me. You know all you have to do is ask, and I'll give you anything you want.”
“Okay.”
“Seriously.”
“I got you.”
“Anything.”
“Okay.”
He licked his lips. “Anything.”
I hugged my clipboard to my chest. “Are we still talking about the Heels That Heals charity project or are you referring to something else?”
He didn't respond and captured his bottom lip with his teeth.
More players ran by while others limped. They'd been moving in those ridiculous shoes all morning. The more laps they finished, the more donators would put up money. Women crowded the bleachers, some wagging dollar bills in their hands and cat-calling the sexy guys as they jokingly wiggled their hips and rounded the curves of the track.
The event had resulted in a major turnout. I'd figured as much. Eighty-percent of the football team represented lush man meat. Coventon College had one of the top-ranked athletic programs in the country. Their recruitment was stealth and relentlessness. Plus, the college now had Jay, Heisman Quarterback winner and possible Pro NFL legend. Although he didn’t walk around campus like he owned it, he did.
Even today, cameras flooded the track area—ESPN to local news. Everyone wanted to see what crazy thing Jay would do next. For God’s sake, he’d tongued Cynthia and me down on TV after being announced as the Heisman winner. America was advanced in many things in comparison to other countries, but the country didn’t hold an open mind when it came to alternative social ideals.
The media persecuted Jay, Cynthia, and I.
Jay did a big interview two months ago, claiming that he and I were just friends. No one believed him. The Internet continued to speculate. Memes had Jay adorned in football pimp decor—purple and gold suit with his number on the shirt, black cane, huge helmet with naked women bursting out the top.
The COMPLETE Coventon Campus Series: Books I, II, & III Page 31