Sweetest Obsessions - Anthology

by Anthony, Jane

  “I haven't heard from you in a week. I thought you were done with me, and now you're standing here expectin’ me to jump right back in your arms? Not quite, city boy. You need to work for it.”

  Her glittering eyes, her quivering lips—I can see she’s not nearly as angry as she’s letting on. “A little hard work never bothered me.”

  Overcome with want, I fuse my lips to hers. The sweet taste of her mouth kick starts my pulse, now pounding with possessive need. I have to have her. The sexy way she breathes my name already echoes in my mind. I need to bury myself so deep inside her that it makes up for these last few months apart and soothes the trembling desire radiating from her until I know she’s mine.

  “You think … a few … sultry little kisses … are gonna … make it all better?” she whispers defiantly against my mouth, but her hungry lips devour mine as her nails rake across my back. The fiery inferno inside her burns hot; I can feel it seeping through her clothes.

  “The first thing I plan to work on is getting you out of these shorts.”

  22

  Casey

  Having AJ in my room makes me feel naughty. I’ve never had a boy in this bedroom before. Not even Austin. “No boys upstairs” was a hard and fast rule. One Gran wasn’t about to bend on. A girl’s room is a private place. However, right now, all my private places are open for business as AJ’s mouth treks across my skin with a luscious mix of nips and kisses. His tongue runs over every freckle and every pore until the throbbing in my core is unbearable.

  The bedroom door sits open a crack. Footsteps pad across the flattened area rug, but I’m too enthralled with AJ’s mouth to care. Austin stands at the foot of my bed. He doesn’t yell. Doesn’t freak. Just stays there watching as AJ continues to tease my body manic.

  Still on my knees, I fall limp, resting on my hands, as I bask in the feeling of AJ’s lips sliding over every inch of exposed skin. My head falls back between my shoulder blades, and my eyes lock on Austin’s. The way he watches, ravaging me with his gaze, unleashes a demon inside. One that seems to reach out and pull him onto the bed with us. With a slow, sensual crawl, he slinks up behind me.

  “Austin ...”

  “No more talkin’, baby girl. From here on out, I only want to hear you moan.”

  One pair of hands slides my bra off my shoulders, while another unhooks the back. I’m sandwiched between two warm bodies, feasted on by two scalding mouths, and driven mad by the sound of two men growling my name in unison, as they push my panties off my hips.

  My head feels fogged, clouded over with lust and confusion. “I can’t have you both,” I whisper, but the feeling of dual erections pressing against my bare flesh makes it hard to want anything else.

  AJ’s gray gaze flits up and down my naked body with carnal hunger. He blows out a long, slow breath across my dampened skin, hardening my nipples into stiff peaks. “But you want us both.” Two calloused fingers trail up my thigh. “You want me here ...” They slip inside me, as Austin’s hands come from behind and glide up my throat to finger my mouth. “In this wet little pussy.”

  Austin pulls his fingers from my mouth and slides them over the curve of my rear. “While I fuck you here …” His saliva covered finger slips between my cheeks and pushes into my backside, stretching the taut flesh where no one's ever been before. “In your tight little asshole.”

  “Is this what you want, cowgirl? You ride my cock while Austin rides your ass?”

  They work me over with their hands, making it impossible to think straight enough to answer. I’m lost in the mindless pleasure of the two men who hold my heart filling me completely. Rough and rhythmic in the front, slow and steady from behind, they're total opposites yet share one common ground. They don’t just want to fuck me; they want to own me. Swallow my broken pieces inside themselves then spit me out whole again—shiny, new, and theirs, to do with what they please. Fighting this aching desire is pointless. They’re right. I want them to own me. Both of them.

  I’m reduced to a gyrating pile of whimpers and whines. Their stimulating hands keep me from falling over as the storm begins to brew.

  “Come for us, cowgirl.”

  The buildup swirls in my tailbone, twisting around, roiling through my gut until I feel like I'm about to unravel. I fuse my mouth to AJ’s, filling it with the keening cry that tears from my lungs as I come apart, still riding both their hands for dear life.

  I sit up with a gasp, soaked in sweat, alone in my bed. The area between my thighs is slick and pounding. “Holy hell!” I catch my reflection in the mirror ahead. An aroused flush mars my cheeks, but the bite marks on my neck are a reminder that not all of it was a dream. AJ did show up here unannounced. What started in the stable, ended in my bed, and I didn’t get the chance to introduce him and Austin properly.

  I need to find him.

  Before Austin does.

  But I’m too late. Voices bark at each other from downstairs. The words muffle through my bedroom door, but the tension seeps under the crack.

  The voices get louder as I race down the stairs. An irate Rebel and a smart-ass Yankee go head to head in Gran’s kitchen. AJ and Austin ram into one another like goats locking horns, but I’m too stunned by the sight of them to move at first. Just like my dream, they’re shirtless in jeans. Two bare chests, each puffed out, overexerting dominance that unleashes so much pure testosterone into the space that I’m chewing on it.

  Trying my best to ignore the awkward uprising of hormones threatening to burn me to soot, I run toward both men and push them apart.

  “This guy claims he’s a friend of yours. That true?” The divot between Austin’s eyebrows is so deep I could fit my pinky in it. This is bad. Add a check in the box marked Poor Decision Skills and add it to the pile. A blind man could have seen this coming. Why didn’t I?

  “He is, Austin.”

  “You’re Austin?” AJ pushes the thick swatch of raven hair from his forehead with both hands and holds it there while the wheels in his head turn at a furious pace.

  Something somehow got lost in translation. Judging by AJ’s reaction, he was picturing some toothless yokel, not a tall thirty-year-old man with dark brown hair and flawless abs.

  “Oh, you’ve heard of me? Nice to know she’s talked to someone about somethin’!”

  “That’s not true. I told you I was seein’ someone. I never lied to you about that.”

  “But I thought you were done sowin’ your wild oats when you came back! How long am I supposed to wait, Casey Jane?” I’ve never seen Austin’s eyes this wild and manic. Foaming at the mouth, he’s lost all semblance of self-control. I don’t know how to fix this. “Did you ever love me at all?”

  I keep my eyes trained on Austin, too terrified to see the expression I can only imagine is on AJ’s face. This isn’t how this was supposed to go down, but the lid has popped off the box, and since I can’t shove it all back in, I may as well empty it for good. Put on some music; let the skeletons dance right out of my closet for all to see.

  “I loved you so much I couldn’t stand it, but I couldn’t be your wife, Austin! I’m not the kind of girl you’re lookin’ for.” A river of tears leak down each cheek, one after the other, until the hurt on Austin’s face is nothing but a blur in front of me. “Raising a hundred kids on a farm was your dream, not mine. Davis made me an offer, and I took it!”

  A bang thunders through the room as Austin’s fists come down on the kitchen table. “Don’t you fuckin’ say his name in this house!” Austin’s furious outburst makes me jump. He’s never cussed at me. Not one time in all the years I’ve known him. “Second thought? Nah. Call him up; go ahead. We can have a reunion tour of all the guys you’ve fucked behind my back.”

  The serrated edge of his hateful words cut jagged pieces of my heart off in bite-sized pieces. You’re not allowed to be angry, Casey. You did this. Deal with it. Take the backlash; you deserve it.

  “How many more times can I apologize? I can’t take it back, Aust
in. And I wouldn’t want to. Davis was a bastard on wheels, but he’s a part of my past, just like you are.”

  “I’m not sticking around for this. I’m out of here!” AJ shouts with quivering lips. The screen door slaps as he pushes through it, walking away from the crushing weight of tension in the kitchen.

  I head for the door, but Austin’s fingers close around my forearm. “Don’t you run out on me again!” I try my best to wrench my arm from his tightly clasped fingers, but his grip holds strong. “I’m warnin’ you, Casey Jane.”

  “Let me go!”

  The morning grass is dewy under my bare feet as I run outside. “AJ!” He stops yet keeps his back to me as I get closer. Smoke plumes all around him as he dips his head and lights a cigarette. “What are you so mad at?” I pant, trying to catch my breath.

  “You know what scares me, Casey? What would have happened if I hadn’t shown up? How long would it have been before you ended up riding old Austin like Seabiscuit?” He turns and glowers at me, his gray eyes darkening to a terrifying shade of new moon midnight.

  “That wouldn’t have happened, AJ.” My mouth says the words, but a grimace crosses my face knowing there may be a hint of truth in that statement.

  “Oh, no? You sure jumped on my dick pretty quick!”

  “That’s not fair!”

  “No! You know what’s not fair? Not telling me that you're living with your ex-fiancé! All this time, I imagine you all alone out here, but you got John Wayne sleeping off the kitchen.”

  “Okay, fine! You’re right! I messed up! It’s not ideal, but it’s how it is. Besides, it’s not like you handed me a checklist of all your ex-lovers!”

  “Well, I can assure you, none of my exes are going to jump out of the woodwork at you either,” he growls through clenched teeth. “I shared everything with you. No matter how painful it was to open those doors, I did it anyway because you deserved to know what kind of man you were getting. It would have been nice to be given the same courtesy.”

  He brushes past me, but I stay hot on his heels forcing him to listen. “I was afraid if you knew what I did you wouldn’t want me anymore.” Desperation leaks from my voice like the fresh tears falling from my eyes. “The idea that I was innocent made you feel special. I liked making you feel that way, and I loved how it made you look at me. It made me feel worshiped and loved. I’m sorry if that was wrong, but it’s the truth.” AJ doesn’t acknowledge what I’m saying; he just keeps walking away from the house. “I’m still the same person.”

  He whips around to face me, his eyes glittering in the morning sunlight. “I don’t even know you.”

  23

  AJ

  My brain feels like it’s melting from information overload. What do I do now? I’m stuck in hillbilly hell with the woman who tore my heart out of my ass and a good ol’ boy who looks like he wants to hand said ass back to me. What the fuck, man?

  I need something to hit. If I had my drums, I could hide away and bang out my aggression until my head was clear. I knew how to handle this, but without them, everything jumbles together in my mind, making it impossible to think straight. J. Geils was right. Love does stink.

  It feels like hours before I finally make the long walk back. Not because I want to, but because I have to. The only thing I have is a dwindling supply of cigarettes. I have no shoes. No shirt. All my shit’s in the house. Including my heart. In addition to all that, it’s hot as fuck out here already. I’m too depressed for this kind of weather. It should be raining, with demonic storm clouds overhead threatening to open up the heavens and pelt frogs down upon us. But the sky is clear and blue, as bright and bold as Casey’s eyes. And hot. Actually, hot isn’t the right word. It’s the setting for London broil outside.

  F-bombs flying from the edge of the barn catch my attention on the way. Grass and straw crunch under my bare feet, as I follow the clanging sound of metal smacking metal.

  “I can help you with that if you’re having trouble.”

  Austin glares at me from beyond the raised hood of an old Ford truck. A starter motor box lays at his boots. “What the hell do you know?”

  “I know replacing the starter is probably overkill. Did you jump the solenoid?”

  Austin gives me a dismissive look as I grab a screwdriver and step in front of the engine. “Start the truck.”

  “That ain’t gonna do shit.”

  “For the sake of four hundred bucks and an hour’s worth of your time, humor me, Hoss.”

  With the roll of his eyes, he reaches into the cab and twists the key forward. You don’t spend as many years around cars as I do without learning a few tricks. I lay the shaft of the screwdriver between the starter post and the thick battery cable that leads to the solenoid. Sparks fly as the engine lurches, and the starter kicks over. “Bad solenoid, bro. Change that shit and you’re good to go.”

  He grumbles under his breath and starts throwing tools into the box on the bed.

  “You’re welcome,” I add for good measure. “Listen, man.” I cross my arms over my naked chest and lean on the quarter panel of the dirty blue truck. “This morning was a shit show for both of us. But I’m letting you know right now, I don’t want any trouble with you, bro.”

  I offer him my hand, but Austin just stands there, scowling at it. The last thing I need is adding fuel to this fire and beating Opie’s ass. Yeah, he’s taller than I am by a few inches, but I’m not intimidated by that. I’ve beat up dudes bigger and way tougher than he is. I’m a surprise. I can take a guy down faster than you can say “what the fuck?” They don’t see me coming. I have East Coast rage and a street savvy attitude, not to mention a low center of gravity. The bigger they are, the harder they fall.

  He cocks his head to the side, his eyes crinkling in the corners. “You think you’re gonna come in here and steal what’s mine, pretty boy? Think again. It ain’t ever gonna happen on my watch.”

  Synapses fire in my brain, telling my impulses to bury this guy where he stands. He’s provoking me. If he wants a fight, he’s got one. I won’t back down, but I’m not going to throw the first punch. “You had your chance, and you couldn’t keep her. Casey’s my girl now. This thing with you and her? It’s done, bro. Just like this conversation.”

  I turn and head for the house, while the daggers of his gaze leave puncture wounds on my back. I don’t lose. If he thinks I chased Casey all the way out here just to turn back now, he’s mistaken.

  A blue gingham couch sits in the center of the huge family room next to a beige Barcalounger with a blue lace doily draped across the back. Fake ivy hangs across the enormous stone fireplace, and decorative oil lamps flank the mantle.

  At first, I don’t see the sunny blonde beauty curled up on the sofa fast asleep. A colorful knit blanket covers her almost entirely, but a halo of golden hair pokes out from the large woven holes.

  I could leave right now. Pack my shit and go. Leave her a note; send her a text. Say goodbye and never return to this hellhole, but I can’t. I’m stuck. Permanently attached to the girl who glued my cracked heart together with her own delicate fingers then sealed herself to me for life. Maybe she’s not perfect, but she’s perfect for me.

  “Rise and shine, cowgirl,” I mumble, peeling the blanket back. Warm pink circles dot both cheeks, and her light eyelashes still stick together in points. The idea that she cried herself to sleep on this couch while I sat outside and stewed like a baby makes me want to kick the shit out of myself.

  Her eyelids flutter before opening. “AJ.” My name comes out as merely a whisper. Two stupid letters given by my parents that somehow sound like a cello solo falling from her beautiful lips. Rays of light filter in through the flimsy lace curtains covering the windows and highlight her eyes in brilliant shades of cornflower and topaz.

  Everything about her is bright. Like a rainy winter day, depressing shades of black and gray encompass me, but Casey is like the beach on the sunniest summer afternoon. She’s the light to my dark, the sun to my moon
. Just looking at her gives me hope. It makes me feel good in a way I didn’t even know was possible until I met her.

  The feel of her soft body against mine as I take her in my arms is all I need. Her floral fragrance wraps itself around me, making its home in my heart.

  “I’m sorry.”

  “Forget it. It’s over,” I reply, stroking her hair. Apologies aren’t necessary. I don’t want to talk about it anymore. I just want to move on from here.

  “I want you to know me, AJ.” She leaves the room for a second and returns with a book. Stickers decorate the brightly colored cover, and the overstuffed pages cause it to take on the vague shape of a sideways V.

  “What is this?”

  “This,” she starts, placing her hand on top of the book as if it were a bible, “is a glimpse into a life I can’t keep runnin’ from.”

  A hot pink paper sticks to the very first page, surrounded by more stickers and a blue ribbon in the corner. "Casey Jane, live at The Wander Inn," I read aloud.

  I catch the corner with my fingernail and flip the page over. On the opposite side are photos of Casey in fancy dresses and princess crowns. The headline, Pageant Queen, cut out of construction paper curves along the top.

  The entire album is like this. Bursting at the seams with fliers and photographs meticulously cut out and decorated page by page. Memorabilia from the past she's kept hidden until now.

  I pull out a photo, and my eyes go wide. A much younger Casey is smiling on stage in front of a mic stand with a guitar strapped over her shoulder. The background is dark, but she stands out under the bright lights. On the adjoining page is a playlist of fifteen songs with her name and the date at the top. "Y-you're a musician."

  "I was a musician. Now, I'm a bartender." Casey's lips press into a thin line.