Swirl: The Complete Collection (BWWM Interracial Romance) (Books 1-3)

by Lexi Lewis

  He texted Eve his address along with the reassurance that he was more than fine with her coming to get him. Reese could use a break from this house anyway.

  It had been too quiet and too tense ever since that stupid note had shown up, and his parents had taken to watching him with worried eyes (his father), and disapproving glares (his mother), and he was really tired of it.

  Struggling to his feet, Reese turned to make his way back to his bedroom to change clothes and grab a few things. Maybe he’d see if Eve wanted to go out to lunch or something to take their minds off of the messes that were popping up everywhere these days.

  “Where are you heading?” Paul asked, arching an eyebrow.

  “Eve’s coming to get me,” Reese replied. “She’s having a bad day, and I’m having a bad day, so we’re gonna spend some time together. Is that alright with you, or do I need to moderate who I spend time with in case some faceless saboteurs take issue with it?”

  Paul sighed. “Reese. No one’s trying to punish you here. We’re trying to keep you safe. Maybe if you could spend five seconds thinking about that, then this wouldn’t seem like such a bad thing.”

  “And maybe if you could spend five seconds trying to imagine what this is going to do to my life, then maybe you would see why it’s not that easy,” Reese fired back and then walked into his room, slamming the door shut behind him.

  This house wasn’t helping.

  It was just like being a teenager all over again, wanting to go his own way and do his own thing and being blocked at almost every turn. He’d thought he was done with this when he’d moved out, but here it was again.

  He dressed quickly and put his laptop into his bag to take with him as well as a change of clothes, going out to the porch of the house to wait for Eve.

  When she pulled up, he could tell from the look on her face that she was not having a good day, and he pushed his own issues away as he hobbled over to the car and got in.

  “What happened?” was the first thing he said, taking in her wan expression and the bags under her eyes. She never really looked fully rested, but this was worse than usual.

  “I could ask you the same question,” she said, giving him a tired smile.

  “You could, but all my drama is just an ongoing saga.”

  She laughed a little at that. “I can say the same. My father showed up at the hospital yesterday.”

  Reese’s eyes widened. “Are you okay? He didn’t hurt you, did he?” He was well aware that there was nothing he could really do if the man had hurt her, but still.

  But luckily she was shaking her head. “No, he didn’t get a chance to do anything. He came to bother me at work, Reese. Pretending like he needed help. Like he was sick. And then he spouted off all this crap about how he might have changed and he wanted to know his family. I wanted to punch him in the face.”

  “Maybe you should have,” Reese said, laughing softly. “I’m really sorry. Is Devin okay?”

  She nodded. “For the most part, yeah. He…I never told him about our dad, for good reason. But I had to yesterday because what if he shows up at Devin’s school and tries to get him to go with him or something? And then we spent the night talking about our mother, and I’m just…” she sighed and shook her head. “I’m so tired. And I really wanted to see you, so here I am. Sorry if that’s me being too needy or clingy or whatever.”

  “You’re not being too needy or clingy,” Reese assured her. “I’m really glad that you feel like you can talk to me about this stuff. I like being the one you can depend on.” And he really did. He knew that some people saw him as irresponsible and childish, but knowing that when bad things happened and she was sad and worn out Eve wanted to see him made him feel good.

  “So what’s going on with you?” Eve wanted to know, pulling out of the driveway and heading back towards the highway. “You look like you need a break.”

  Reese sighed, dragging his hands through his hair. “You’re not wrong there,” he said, and then launched into the story of his morning. Really, he’d expected Paul to be able to find a solution other than quit. That was what Paul did best. Whenever Reese had problems with sponsors or organizers, Paul was the one to smooth things over and get things done. He had a silver tongue when it came to stuff like this, and it was baffling that he couldn’t seem to work this out. He had just come to Reese and told him that he thought giving in was the best solution here.

  “He doesn’t even want to keep trying,” Reese said. “He just wants me to go on TV and tell everyone that I’m done. My parents agree with him. I mean, they weren’t there when we were talking about it, but I know they agree. I don’t know what to do.”

  “But you don’t want to give up, do you?” Eve asked, and Reese snorted.

  “Of course I don’t, but if I say that, then I’m being selfish. I told you what that note said. I don’t want to give up, but I also don’t want anyone to get hurt because I was too stubborn, and everyone seems to think that that’s what’s going to happen.”

  Eve was quiet for a moment, seemingly lost in thought. “It’s not fair,” she said softly. “It’s not fair for them to pile the responsibility for this on you. It’s…you’re being punished for something that you have no control over. You didn’t ask them to target you, and you shouldn’t have to be worried about everyone else’s safety. It’s not fair.”

  Reese blinked. That was his opinion pretty much, but he’d not dared to say that to Paul or his parents because it had just seemed too selfish. Like, he would have been proving their point that he was only thinking about himself when it came to this. But hearing someone else say it made him realize that it was true. He hadn’t ask for any of this, and he shouldn’t have to give up on something that he had worked so hard for just because he was being threatened.

  “Thank you,” Reese said, reaching over to place a hand on her knee. “I think I just really needed to hear someone say that. Someone other than me, I mean. I’ve been saying that in my head for days now.”

  “You’re welcome,” Eve replied with a little smile. “Personally, I’m not expecting you to be responsible for my safety. I’ve got an abusive father and my brother getting picked on at school to deal with, so these people can just take a number.”

  When they stopped at the next red light, Reese leaned over and kissed her. It wasn’t anything too deep or distracting, but he had the urge to just…do it. So he did. The smile on her face when he pulled back proved that she had liked it, too, and Reese was grinning when he turned to look out the window.

  “I was going to suggest we get something to eat, but now I think I’d rather just go home with you,” he said. “I can think of other things we could be doing.”

  Eve grinned back. “Oh, really? Well, I mean, Devin will be with the Santiagos pretty much all day. It’s a teacher work day at school, and Carla was going to take Devin and her boys to the park to get them out of the house for a while. Apparently they don’t care that it’s freezing out.”

  “That’s kids for you,” Reese said with a shrug. “I used to be like that. I’d be outside in any weather. My favorite thing was riding my bike in the pouring rain. I felt so carefree. Things aren’t like that anymore, though.”

  There was a tinge of nostalgia in his voice, and he knew that going to Eve’s and working off some stress was a good idea. The news station was in the city anyway, so he’d just have Paul come pick him up the next morning so they could get this interview over with. He could still remember the words he had written down on his notes. Those words of triumph and perseverance that had lit a fire in him and made him even more eager to be done with casts and pain pills.

  No, he decided. They hadn’t seen the last of him, and they were welcome to try to do their worst.

  CHAPTER 8: BREATHER

  Eve had been smart enough to guess that walking up the stairs and trying to kiss at the same time, especially when one party only had one good leg, would have been a hassle, so they weren’t even going to try that. In
stead, they made it to the elevator before they started kissing, heedless of the fact that someone could get on at any time. They both needed this, a distraction from the things that were going on around them. From threatening notes and abusive fathers and parents who meant well and brothers who didn’t understand.

  It was nice for it just to be the two of them so they could lose themselves in each other. Of course, they had to get into the apartment first before they could really do that.

  They managed to make it up to her floor with no injury and no one seeing them, and Reese pulled back from her long enough to round the corner and head down the hall, though his fingers were laced through hers the whole time, and he kept leaning forward, pressing for more kisses.

  Eve batted him away with a giggle and dug in her purse for her keys. “Stop that,” she said, voice soft and fond. “At least wait until we get inside. I do have neighbors, you know, and any one of them could come out their door right now and see this.”

  “So?” Reese replied. “Are you ashamed of me?” He batted his eyes at her in a ridiculous imitation of some flirtatious woman or something, and Eve nearly dropped her keys with laughter.

  “Shut up,” she said, poking him in the side. “God, you’re like a child. It’s like having another child to look after.”

  Reese put on a mock offended look. “Don’t say that. Especially considering what we’re about to do when we get in there.”

  “And what might that be?” Eve asked, but she’d gotten the door open and was stepping in. Reese did the rest of the work, coming in and closing the door behind them. As soon as it had clicked closed, he was wrapping his arms around her and pulling her closer, leaning in to claim her lips in a fierce kiss.

  Eve gasped against his mouth and wound her arms around his neck, going onto her toes a bit to compensate for the height difference between them. Warmth laced through her as their lips moved together, and she found herself making a wanton noise right into the kiss.

  Her cheeks flushed at his husky chuckle, but she didn’t back down.

  She was not used to this at all. To having someone she could kiss and have sex with almost whenever she wanted, and the exhilaration of it was heady and wonderful. This was the second time they had managed to have time to themselves to do this, and Eve knew it was going to take some adjusting to, but she was more than willing to work on that. Not having to rely on herself (and her vibrator) for pleasure was one of the best things that had happened to her in recent memory. Maybe the best thing.

  And Reese was a pretty good thing, too. Especially with the way his lips were trailing down from the corner of her mouth to find the skin of her neck, pressing open mouthed kisses along her smooth column before moving back the collar of her shirt to find her shoulder.

  “You’re wearing too many clothes,” he murmured, voice husky. “We should probably do something about that.”

  Eve grinned slowly, fingers tangling in his hair. “Probably should. Would you like to do the honors?”

  His eyes lit up and he nodded, and the two of them made their way back to Eve’s bedroom, hands gliding over and under clothes as they went, clearly impatient for this even though they could take their time.

  But it was one thing to rush because they had to, and quite another to rush because they just couldn’t wait.

  Still, once they were behind the closed bedroom door, Reese slowed down. He pushed Eve gently until she was laying out on the bed. She looked up at him with hooded eyes, her heart pounding and making her blood pump harder and faster through her already heated body.

  “I wish I could bend my stupid leg,” Reese murmured, and one hand trailed down her chest to her stomach, fingers slipping under the hem of her shirt to touch warm skin.

  “Why?” Eve breathed back.

  “So I could kneel down and return the favor for that time in the hospital,” he said. “So I could run my hands up your inner thighs and then find out what you taste like. Spend some time getting to know what you like.”

  Her cheeks flushed at the image of him with his face buried between her legs, and her eyes went even darker with need. “Well, that just means you’re going to have to stick around once your leg heals, doesn’t it,” she said with a smile. “Or…that we’re going to have to get creative with positioning.” Eve had an idea. It wasn’t something she had ever tried before, but she’d read about it in one of those romance erotica novels she’d picked up when she had been sexually frustrated and pretty sure there was nothing she could do about it.

  “Oh yeah?” Reese asked, tilting his head and looking curious. “Do you still need to be naked for this?”

  Eve laughed. “I definitely do. So chop, chop, Mr. Abbot,” she teased, arching her hips up a bit.

  Apparently he needed no further urging before he was lifting one of her legs up and slipping off her shoe, fingers massaging into her instep as he got the sock off as well. He did the same thing with the other shoe, sock, and foot, and Eve felt herself melting into the bed a little.

  This was definitely new to her, and she had no idea how it was supposed to feel, but the warm lassitude, as well as the sudden surge of arousal seemed about right to her.

  Reese bent at the waist to undo the button and zipper on her pants, and she moved her hips to help him get the jeans off and onto the floor, sighing with pleasure when his rough hands slid up her legs.

  One finger found the edge of her panties, and he grinned as he traced along the lacy trim. “Girls get such cute things to wear,” he murmured, eyes finding hers.

  “Jealous?” Eve teased. “I’ve got a few pairs you can borrow if you really want to.”

  He snorted and then kept going, urging her shirt over her head and throwing that down, too. Just her underwear remained, and it was clear that by that point, Reese was losing his ability to take his time.

  That suited Eve just fine because she wanted him. Already she was hot and slick between her legs, and when he got her bra and panties off and slipped two fingers into her, she groaned and bucked up for him, unable to help herself.

  “There are so many things I want to do with you,” Reese murmured, eyes tracing over every inch of her bare skin. “So many things I want to try with you. God, I don’t even…” He trailed off, shaking his head as if lost for words.

  “I know,” Eve said back with a smile. “I feel the same way, trust me.” A wicked gleam entered her eye, and she used her foot and the very tips of her toes to stroke up the prominent bulge she could see in his pants. “And there will be time for all that, definitely. For now, though…” She waggled her eyebrows at him suggestively. “I’ve got something we can try, and I need you to be naked, too.”

  Reese didn’t need telling twice. Already he was shucking his shirt over his head, revealing that deliciously toned upper body that Eve just wanted to lick. She had to recall what she had literally just said about there being time because it was sort of unfair for him to be that hot and her not to be able to take her time exploring him.

  But she had other plans, so it was fine.

  Once he was as naked as she was, cock flushed and hard already, Eve grinned at him and got to her feet.

  “Alright, now you have to lie on the bed on your back,” she directed. “Head on the pillows to make this easier.”

  “Okay,” he said, moving to do as she said.

  He looked so good spread out across her bed, cast or no cast, and she took a second to admire his skin against the dark blue of her bedspread.

  “Planning on joining me?” Reese asked, and that spurred her back into action.

  She grinned and nodded, trying to find the best way to do this. It seemed like one of those things that only happened in porn or in smutty books, but knowing that she was about to attempt this had her heart pounding.

  Eve climbed onto the bed and swung her leg over Reese’s chest, straddling him before she moved upwards so her wet sex was right at his mouth’s level. She gripped the headboard of the bed for leverage and glanced down to s
ee that he was practically drooling.

  “Are you on board?” Eve asked, mostly teasing.

  “Oh yeah,” Reese replied. He brought his hands up to grab her waist, fingers digging into the flesh there. The pressure felt good, but it was nothing compared to the pure jolt of arousal and pleasure that went through her when his tongue slid along the slick folds of her center.

  Eve practically whimpered, fingers gripping the wood of her headboard harder as she fought not to roll her hips and practically ride his face. That would be sort of rude since this was their first time doing this, and she wanted it to be good. She wanted him to get what he wanted, even as she was getting what she wanted.

  And man, did she want this.

  As he grew bolder, his tongue pressed deeper, and his hands dragged her forward more so he could really get in there. He worked her clit and then sucked on it, and Eve threw her head back and moaned.

  “Reese, god,” she gasped, and he chuckled against her, tongue swirling and making her shudder at the sensation.

  It had been ages since anyone had done this to her, and she honestly couldn’t remember whether it had been this good the last time or not, but she supposed that didn’t matter. Not when Reese was making her feel like she was going to come at any minute.