The game continues, the banter between us remaining consistent as we fire off shot after shot. Eventually, I’m in nothing but my boxers and she’s down to Mom’s workout pants and her bra.
And it’s getting really hard to focus.
It’s my shot, and I want those damn pants off her, so I line myself up in my sweet spot.
“Hey! No shots from the same spot,” she reminds me.
I hold up my finger, signaling for her to wait a second, and then turn around to face away from the goal. I square my feet shoulder-length and exhale deep, hoping the trick shot Dad taught me all those years ago will come through. I grab the ball with both hands and toss it backward over my head without looking. A few seconds later, I hear a swish and turn to see a stunned look on Kellee’s face.
Got her.
“Need some help with those pants? They seem like they could be a little hard to get off,” I waggle my eyebrows and Kellee crosses her arms, glaring at me.
“First of all, you’re a cheater.”
“How am I a cheater?!” I ask incredulously. “There were no rules about trick shots.”
“It was still in the same spot!” she whisper yells at me, like she thinks my neighbors are going to hear and come running out to see her in her bra. “And second of all, I’m not taking off my pants. I think it’s time to call game.”
“Wait a second,” I appraise her, stepping closer. “Are you forfeiting, Frecks?”
“No!” she says quickly, crossing her arms tighter. “I’m just saying that obviously we can’t get completely naked, so I think it’s time to call game.”
“Well bra and panties isn’t completely naked,” I point out.
Kellee shifts on her feet, biting her lip and looking at the windows like she expects to see my dad’s shocked face staring out of one of them. She huffs, the puff of air blowing the few strands of her hair that have fallen out of place, and murmurs something under her breath.
“What?”
She murmurs again, but I still can’t hear her. I step even closer, closing the gap between us and pressing my bare chest to hers. “Speak up, Frecks – I want to hear you try to fight my logic.”
“I’m not wearing any panties!” she says loudly, covering her face with her hands. For a moment, I’m not sure how to react.
Did she just say she’s not wearing any fucking panties?
Jesus Christ.
I pull her hands away from her face and tilt her chin up so her eyes meet mine. “I think you’re right,” I say, my chest heavy with anticipated breaths. “Game over. It’s time for you to give me my birthday present.” I crush my lips to hers, startling her at first before she melts into me and wraps her arms around my neck.
I hold her face in my hands before sliding them through her hair and down her sides, my fingers gripping her skin a little harder than I intended. She moans against my mouth and I take her plump bottom lip between my teeth. Every move with her feels natural and yet like nothing I’ve ever felt before. It’s like my body knows hers, like she’s so familiar, but then again she’s like no place I’ve ever been before. It’s fucking exhilarating.
Sliding my hands down a little further, I cup her ass in my hands and lift, her legs wrapping around my waist. I’m hard as a fucking rock pressed against her as I carry her through the back door and upstairs to my bathroom, taking the steps two at a time and not taking my mouth off hers.
A gasp escapes Kellee’s throat as I shove her hard against the door. I tug her hair a little so her neck is fully exposed and kiss from her chin down to the crease between her breasts. “Jesus, Kellee,” I growl against her skin. “I’m trying to go easy, but I just really want to fuck you so hard right now.”
She moans, her breaths shaking as much as her hands gripping my shoulders. “I don’t want easy,” she says, exhaling. Her voice is low and seductive, every word seeping into my skin and lighting it on fire.
I let her feet find the floor and turn the shower on behind us before falling to my knees in front of Kellee. Slowly, I slide my fingers beneath the hem of her pants and tug them down over her hips, her ass, her thighs. When they fall to the floor, I look up at her and can’t help but curse because goddamn she is so fucking sexy it’s not even fair. Her eyes are wide, her lips plump and red from having mine against them, her hair falling out of her pony tail and tickling her shoulders.
She reaches behind her back and unclasps her bra, letting it fall to the floor next to me. The afternoon sun is streaming through the small window above the shower, illuminating every curve, every fucking freckle.
“You’re fucking killing me, Frecks,” I run my hands from her hips down to her knees and spread her legs a little, opening her up for me. My head is screaming at me to go slow, be easy, don’t hurt her – but my body is raging an intense war against those notions and I think it’s starting to win.
Standing, I press Kellee hard against the door again and slide two fingers inside her swiftly, making her arch her back and cry out in response. The palm of my hand rubs against her as my fingers work, pumping in and out harder and faster as I tug at her lip with my teeth.
“Oh God, Tanner. Oh fuck,” she moans into my mouth and the muscles in my arm burn with how fast my fingers move, the pain adding to the pleasure.
“Did I ever tell you how incredibly sexy your freckles are?” I ask her, kissing one on her chin, her neck, her collar bone. “I want to kiss.” Just above her breast. “Every.” Right under her pebbled nipple. “Single.” To the left of her navel. “Fucking.” Between her hips. “One of them.” I kiss and suck on the freckles that line the insides of her thighs, sliding another finger inside her and using the thumb of my free hand to circle around her clit.
“Tanner, oh,” her body tenses, her eyes closing. It’s like she’s lost all words, but she moans and trembles at my touch. I know she’s close, but I want to save it – I want to give her the best fucking orgasm of her life.
I pull my fingers out slowly, standing and pulling her into the shower. Steam has already clouded the bathroom, making every touch feel like a dream. And damnit I feel like it’s too good to be true, so it fits.
“I want you to take me from behind,” she whispers in my ear, her breaths sending electric currents straight to my fucking cock. “I need to feel you deep inside me, Tanner. Don’t go easy. I don’t fucking want easy.”
Yes, ma’am.
A growl rips from my throat and I spin her around, the hot water cascading down her skin as she uses her hands to brace herself against the wall. I grab her hips and right between my thumbs are two dimples in her lower back, and fuck if they aren’t the sexiest things I’ve ever seen.
“Tanner,” she moans, moving her ass side to side in a slow, painfully intoxicating rhythm. “Please.”
I grip her hips tighter and thrust into her hard. She cries out and I groan in response, her fucking tightness almost too much to handle. I feel like I could come right fucking now, but I focus and move against her, watching as my dick disappears inside her over and over again.
Kellee throws her head back and I grab her hair in my fists, my hips slamming against her ass with every thrust. Her moans are low and exotic, echoing off the walls of the shower and penetrating every inch of my skin. I’m on a powerful drug, higher than I’ve ever been, standing outside of myself and feeling my pleasure and hers at the same time.
My hands find their way to her throat and I wrap them around her neck. She screams my name and I move faster, harder, my body screaming. I have never been this fucking turned on. Ever.
Kellee tenses, her legs shaking so much I think she might fall. I slide my right hand down her side and between her legs, applying pressure and keeping my left hand secure around her throat.
“Fuck, oh my God, Tanner!”
Hell yeah, I fucking love when she screams my name. I move my hand against her harder and push in as deep as I can. She stiffens, her breath nonexistent, and then she releases, her entire body trembling as she moans m
y name over and over and over again.
“Tanner, oh Tanner, oh my fucking – oh –“
Her muscles are clenching around my cock and I can’t take anymore. I thrust into her harder, taking her breasts in my hands as a ripping current shoots through me, numbing me to everything else, demanding to be felt.
Holy fucking shit.
Kellee turns around slowly, her legs still shaking, and I pull her into me. My arms wrap around her and I press my forehead to hers, our breaths still erratic and unsteady as we try to come down from the high.
“I don’t think they make words for that,” she breathes, laughing a little. Her breasts bounce lightly as she does and I’m practically ready for round two.
I don’t respond, I just pull her into me tighter and press my lips to hers, hoping my kiss will say what my words can’t. Honestly, maybe I’m afraid to say anything because of what might come out if I talk right now. Every emotion inside me is amplified, so I choose to keep them inside, saving myself from ruining the moment. I nuzzle my nose into her wet hair as she slowly runs the tips of her fingers up and down my back.
I’m addicted to this girl, and I don’t want to be helped.
Chapter 20
Something Like That
Kellee
I run my thumb over the fabric of the seventh t-shirt I’ve picked up before putting it back down again, huffing. I hate shopping, which I think makes me a disgrace to women everywhere but it’s just really not my thing. And shopping for a boy? Forget it.
I’m like a fucking lost puppy in a zoo.
Sighing, I drag my fingers across the shelf, picking up little things that catch my eye here and there. Tanner’s mom came home literally two minutes after Tanner and I had retrieved our clothes from the back yard. She came bounding through the house more energized than anyone I’d ever seen and asked if I was ready to go shopping, only she asked it more like she was inviting me to Disney World or a bar with free wine. Since I’m pretty much helpless on my own, I’m glad she offered.
“What about this one?” Sharon asks, holding up a nice black button up that I have no doubt would look amazing on Tanner, but I shake my head.
“It’s nice, but I don’t know,” I just don’t think a t-shirt is what I want to give Tanner. Hell, to be honest, I don’t have a flying clue in the sky what to get him. I think of how he looked in the shower, the water glossing his abs and highlighting every defining ridge in the muscles in his arms. My body still feels like it’s floating from his touches, like I’ve been numbed but I’m still walking around, a soothing sensation flowing through me.
I shiver, trying to focus on the task at hand.
Sharon sighs and puts the shirt back on the rack, “I know, sweetie. I’m sorry he didn’t tell you, he’s been like that since I can remember. I love him, and I know he thinks birthdays aren’t a big deal, but it makes him awfully hard to shop for.” She taps her chin, thinking. “Oh! I know. Let’s bake a giant cookie cake for him! Those are his favorite, and you know the best way to a man’s heart is through his stomach.” Her eyes go wide. “Not that you would want to get to his heart or anything, but you know what I mean.”
I smile, “Don’t worry, I think we’re past pretending like we’re just friends, Mrs. West.”
“Ick, don’t call me that,” she says, scrunching up her nose. She smiles and leads us out of the store, “But I’m glad you’re done with the silly games. I could see how crazy he was for you the first time I saw you together.”
I tilt my head at her, my heart suddenly pounding harder in my chest. “Really?”
“Oh sweetie, yes,” she smiles, shaking her head. “He’s different around you, you know? Careful, respectful – and I can just tell that you mean something to him. I’ve never seen him be that way before.”
I try – I really, really try not to let my heart swell but the damn thing turns against me and does what it wants. A smile breaks on my face and I bite my lip to try to stifle it. I don’t want to get too excited. Everything with us is… fragile, complex. There’s Paisley, his weakness, and then there’s me and my knack for running from shit that scares me and for just being a selfish person in general.
I don’t want to assume anything right now, least of all that there’s something more than what just is between us.
We’re just about to exit the mall when I see a small shop in the corner with personalized photo frames and such lining the windows. I stop, surveying the items. “Can we stop in here real quick, Sharon?”
“Of course!”
She leads the way and goes straight to the back where a small jewelry case is, but I turn to the right and find the object that caught my eye. Nestled just beneath a row of personalized dog tags is one lone silver guitar pick.
“Looking for something in particular?”
I turn and find a small, older man with just a touch of gray in his hair and glasses larger than any I’ve ever seen. He’s dressed in a plaid button up shirt and a cowboy hat. He reminds me of Paw Paw, except not as tall or as warm. Paw Paw used to tower over Mee Ma, and I remember him letting me sit on his boot and wrap my arms around his leg so that when he walked he carried me with him. He passed just before my mom left. Maybe he was the last straw for her, the last anchor keeping her from drifting off into the water.
“Can you personalize this?” I ask, holding up the shiny pick between my fingers. The man takes it from me and ushers me over to a small desk with an engraving machine. He inspects the pick under a small magnifying glass before answering.
“It won’t fit much, but we can get a little something on there.”
“Perfect.”
I write down the message I want engraved on the pick on a sticky note and the man, who I find out is named Gary, gets to work. Sharon is still in the back looking at frames, so I take the spare moment to text Mee Ma.
- I think you were right. About Tanner, I mean. –
- I’m always right! Does this mean you’re having fun? –
- You could say that. ;) I’ll call you soon! –
- Don’t tease an old woman! –
I smile and tuck my phone back in my pocket. Admitting to Mee Ma that she might have been right about Tanner is terrifying. Last night was amazing, and today has been the same but I still feel the uneasy pull between us. Whether he talks about it or not, Paisley has a grip on him that I’m not sure he can break free from. And what’s worse is it’s not just him. The way he held me today after our shower, I could feel something deeper between us – something deeper than I’ve ever felt before. And it scares the shit out of me because my urge to flee came rushing at me full force.
I don’t know if I know how to not be my mom.
“Is this for your boyfriend?” Gary asks as he wraps the finished product in tissue paper and slides it into a small gift bag.
“Something like that,” I offer a small smile just as Sharon walks up beside us.
“Well, whoever he is to you, I think he’ll love this.”
I take the bag from his hand and nod, “I think so, too.”
* * *
“Um, okay. Well, it’s a food, and it’s really tasty,” Sharon says to David, staring at her card while Tanner stands over her shoulder, buzzer at the ready.
“Ice cream!”
“No,” she shakes her head and lets out a huff of air. “It’s uh, you might get it from – oh darn – can’t say that!”
“Better hurry Mom, time’s almost up,” Tanner teases.
“Oh hush!” Sharon says, smacking his arm. David laughs and Jack barks at all the noise, his tail wagging furiously as he stares up at Tanner.
I watch the small sand hourglass timer slowly trickle and bite my lip to keep from screaming out the answer. I haven’t played Taboo since I was ten I think, but I still have a hard time sitting still when it’s not my turn.
The basic premise of the game is that you have to get your teammate to guess the word on your card without saying any of the “buzzer” words. It seems pret
ty easy, but when you’re against a timer and get stuck with a tough word, it’s hard not to slip and say something you’re not allowed to. I’m the worst at keeping my mouth shut when the other team is playing. I always want to say, “Oh! I know what it is!” because I’m so sure I do. But then when I find out what it is at the end, I’m wrong almost seventy percent of the time.
“Oh! Okay, it’s one of Tanner’s favorites. He always used to ask for it when he was younger!”
“Meatloaf?”
She shakes her head.
“Grilled cheese?”
“No, think more Italian.”
“Lasagna?”
“What? Tanner hates lasagna!”
David shrugs and throws his hands up, “How am I supposed to keep track of all the foods the boy likes or doesn’t like? He’s like a garbage disposal!”
“Time!” I yell and we all laugh except for Sharon.
She shakes her head and tosses the card down. “It was pizza! I can’t believe you didn’t get that,” she has her hands outstretched toward David like that final clue should have sealed the deal.
David smiles and pulls her into his arms, planting a series of kisses on her forehead. She tries to cross her arms and be mad, but I see her resolve fading fast.
Damn those West men and their sorcery.
“I’m sorry, dear. You’re right, I should have known,” he says, kissing her again. She smiles and pushes him away, but then she grabs his hand and pulls it into her lap.
“You’re damn straight I’m right. Let’s see if Kellee can have any better luck with Tanner here.” She hands me the pile of cards and David stands over my shoulder with the buzzer.
“Come on, Frecks. We need to get four to win,” Tanner says, leaning forward on the edge of the couch and rubbing his hands together. Looks like the competitive nature runs in the entire family.
“Ready? Go!” Sharon flips the timer over and I pull the first card. The word is shade.
“Um, okay. You might want to find this when you’re warm.”
Song Chaser (Chasers) Page 17