Control You

by Snyder, Jennifer

CHAPTER FORTY

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  If I hadn’t already known Paige was the good girl type, then I would have from the look on her face right now. Most women I dealt with would have taken that as the go-ahead to become seductive and flaunt what they had. Not Paige. She looked as though she wanted to crawl under the counter and never come out. I grabbed some ice from the freezer and tossed it into the blender without taking my eyes off her. She bit her bottom lip and looked everywhere besides at me.

  I grabbed a lime and cut it into wedges. Reaching for one of the glasses I’d set out earlier, I traced a wedge along the rim, and then sprinkled it with salt before pouring in the frozen goodness I’d created. Paige continued to fidget where she stood. I was making her nervous. For whatever reason, this made me smile.

  “Relax.” I grinned as I handed her a drink. “I don’t bite…unless you want me to.”

  She laughed at my innuendo, and put the glass to her lips as though it held the life force she needed to live. “Oh, this is good!”

  “Is it?” I rimmed my glass with lime juice, and then salted it before pouring my drink. After taking a swig, I met and held her stare. “You’re right. That is good.” I licked my lips in a slow way, one I knew her eyes couldn’t avoid. Her chest rose and fell noticeably and kick-started my heart.

  “Can we move this to the living room or something? These shoes are killing my feet,” she said, her eyes moving from my lips.

  “Absolutely.” I grabbed the pitcher, and carried it into the living room with Paige on my heels.

  The old me reared his ugly head, and began a countdown to how long it would be before we were making out like high school kids on my couch. I bit back a chuckle.

  Paige kicked off her heels as soon as she sat, and I motioned for her to put her feet up in my lap. Generally, I wasn’t one with a foot fetish, but Paige had the cutest toes I’d ever seen. Taking one foot in my hands, I rubbed at her arch. She let out a moan that seemed to speak the language of my dick, because it definitely heard her loud and clear.

  “You really don’t have to do that,” she insisted.

  “Of course I don’t, but I want to.” And I did. If it meant hearing those sweet little sounds come from her lips and being able to touch her, then I’d do it.

  “So, what have you been up to?” She took another sip from her drink, and I realized she must have downed a good portion of it behind my back on the walk from the kitchen to the living room, because it was nearly half-empty now. “Painted anything good lately?”

  She was desperately trying to get some sense of conversation flowing; I could tell. With the way she kept chewing her bottom lip and eyeing mine, I knew it was because she was attempting to behave.

  “Depends on what your definition of good is.”

  Her lips twisted into the hint of a smile. “Okay.”

  I reached for my drink and killed about half of it in one gulp. It was taking everything I had not to crush my lips against hers. My hands slipped to her ankle, and then continued up to her calf, massaging and rubbing with a purpose.

  Paige’s eyes widened and she wet her lips before taking another long sip of her drink. Her tongue darted out to lick her plump lips, and for the first time tonight, I was the one who had to look away. She was doing things to me, forcing me to use every single ounce of my willpower.

  “What about Thanksgiving? Do you have any special plans?” she asked. Her hand came up to smooth a few stray hairs away from her face.

  I shook my head. “No, not really. I never do much for the holidays; maybe I’ll see what Eva’s doing.”

  In fact, all I’d done since graduating high school was find someplace to party my ass off and surround myself with people of a similar mindset. Last year was the first time I’d spent the holidays in Coldcreek since I was eighteen. This year, spending my time at Craig’s parents’ house was out of the question though. Spending the holidays with Eva was probably the best option.

  “Does Eva have family here?”

  “No, her foster family moved away about three years ago. I doubt she’ll be visiting them this year for the holidays. She’d say she couldn’t afford it.”

  “You both should spend Thanksgiving with me and everyone else, then. We always have a little nontraditional thing going.”

  “Maybe. I’ll think about it.”

  Releasing one of my hands from her calf, I grabbed my drink and downed the rest while my other hand made its way back to her heel.

  “I know these are good, but how the heck do you not have brain freeze going on right now?” She giggled. The stoutness of the drink must have a grip on her already.

  Chuckling, I leaned forward to grab the pitcher and pour myself another. The scent of her perfume teased my senses, and made it that much harder for me to not pursue her the way I wanted.

  “Honestly, I’m not sure.” I smiled.

  Without any type of warning, Paige’s mouth grazed across the skin of my neck. The sensation sent a spasm like nothing I’d ever felt before to my crotch, and I froze. Her warm lips, a little sticky from her drink, moved along my skin. Her tongue darted out, and I closed my eyes and held my breath. When her delicate hands reached up and her fingers entwined through my hair, I set the pitcher down.

  Tilting my face toward her, I found her lips and did what I’d wanted to do all night—kiss her. The slow movement my lips had been able to make across hers on Halloween night was nowhere to be found tonight. Instead, my kisses were infused with alcohol and pent-up sexual frustration. Slipping my tongue out, I willed her mouth open so I could deepen the kiss. The temptation to lay her back and rip off every piece of clothing between us blazed through me. The buildup for this moment had been going on for far too long.

  Guiding her back, I repositioned us on the couch. Paige’s legs spread, and I lowered myself between them, pressing my throbbing self against her. Her fingers slipped beneath my T-shirt and trailed along my back muscles. I nipped at her bottom lip, wishing she knew how badly I wanted her to scrape her nails along my skin. Making my way down the side of her throat, I sucked and pulled at the skin there, knowing there was a chance I’d probably break the skin and leave behind a few telltale marks, but I didn’t care. Paige’s hips grinded against me as a soft moan flitted past her parted lips. Her breathing hitched when I pressed back just as hard.

  Lost in a fog, I couldn’t be sure who pulled the first article of clothing off whom, but was grateful when Paige was lying beneath me without a single shred of clothing on. My fingertips skimmed along the silky smooth skin of her inner thigh as I situated myself between her knees once more.

  “Protection,” she breathed.

  Gripping her thigh, I leaned over and found my jeans on the floor. Pulling my wallet out, I grabbed the condom and tore the edge with my teeth. My eyes locked with hers, and I could clearly see the same hunger I felt burning inside of me reflected in her brown eyes. The doe-like qualities I’d witnessed within them time and time again had vanished. They were replaced with a sense of wickedness that turned me on as nothing ever had before.

  This was truly the start of something wicked between us tonight. I could feel it.

  EPILOGUE

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  The weeks passed and I was quite surprised at how quickly Thanksgiving was upon us. Last year had been the first I’d come back to Coldcreek for the holidays since before I graduated from high school. Every year prior, I’d spent messed up beside some bimbo who didn’t have a home to go back to either.

  This year was different. This year I wasn’t spending the holiday with Scott and Candace, because being anywhere near Craig was out. I couldn’t stand the sight of him after all he’d put Paige through, but also he was having a hard time with his treatment and counseling. My presence would only darken his already sour existence and stir shit up. I knew this because Scott had called a few times over the previous weeks to keep me posted. I listened to his updates, because I felt as though Scott needed me to and not because I cared about Cr
aig’s well-being. Paige enjoyed hearing he was getting the help he needed, though. That woman’s ease of forgiveness was beautiful to me.

  Bypassing all the drama, I was spending the holiday with Paige, exactly as she’d asked me to.

  There were two dinners we’d been invited to—one with her parents and one with her friends. The one involving her parents had me on edge the entire week before. During that dinner, I learned three things about her parents in the course of an hour: One, her mother was a serious alcoholic. Two, after mentioning you were from money, they immediately liked you regardless of how much distaste they expressed over your appearance and tattoos upon first laying eyes on you. And three, they were shallow as fuck, and I wondered how in the hell Paige had made it out of that house being the amazing person that she is.

  It was the dinner at Jason’s house that turned out to be the highlight of my Thanksgiving, and made me realize how long it had been since I’d been surrounded by such warmth and good-spirited people for the holidays. As I sat around the living room, staring at all of their faces and soaking in their laughter, I realized there was one more person who needed be here to make this dinner seem whole to me—Eva.

  “Sexy?” I leaned over and whispered into Paige’s ear. “Do you think it would be okay if I called and invited Eva?”

  Paige’s eyes widened, and she paused mid-chew on the bit of pumpkin pie she’d crammed into her mouth. “You didn’t invite her?”

  I shook my head. “No, I wasn’t sure how this dinner thing would pan out, and I didn’t want to bring her if it was going to be awkward, you know?”

  “Cameron!” She slapped me on the arm. “Look around you. We have a hodge-podge of people here. Why didn’t you invite her like I told you?”

  Shrugging, I flashed her an impish grin. “Because I wasn’t sure it would be this laid-back and enjoyable.”

  “Never doubt me again, that’s the lesson here.” She shook her finger in my face and attempted to look stern, but a smile tugged at the corners of her lips. I dug my fingers into her side, just as I’d done every chance I could get, now that I knew it was her most ticklish spot. She busted out laughing, and nearly dropped her plate of pumpkin pie. “Stop, stop!” she squealed.

  “All right, all right.” I withdrew my hand as Blaire’s three-year-old niece, Tinley, came running up to me.

  “Tickle me!” She grinned. Her big blue eyes bored into mine while she waited, and I grinned like an idiot at her. It was the first thing she’d said to me the entire night.

  Growling, I reached my hands out to grab her while wiggling my fingers in a slow tickle motion. She bolted from where she stood and screamed as she ran through the house and straight into her mama’s arms. Bonnie, Blaire’s older sister, rubbed Tinley’s back and laughed.

  “She just barely got away,” I said with a grin. Glancing back at Paige, I stood and pulled my cell from my pocket. “I’ll step outside and call her.”

  “Good.” She narrowed her eyes at me.

  Shaking my head, I made my way to the back door. Sharon, Jason’s mom, called out to me before I ever gripped the handle.

  “Could I get a little help here?” she asked. A large bowl of mashed potatoes was in her hands, and she was attempting to pour them into a Tupperware container on the counter. “If I don’t put this stuff up now, Jason will never do it. Besides, I feel like it’s the least I could do since he and Blaire cooked everything for us.”

  “Sure.” I slipped my cell into my back pocket, and crossed the kitchen to help her. Taking the bowl from her hands, I watched as she scooped the potatoes into the container.

  “So, you and Paige, huh?” Sharon asked with a smile.

  “Yeah.” This was treading on awkward. I prayed she would hurry in her scooping.

  “You two look good together.”

  “Um, thanks.” I smiled.

  Sharon took the bowl I’d been holding and set it in the sink. “Thanks for helping.”

  I stood there for a second, waiting to see if she needed anything else. When she didn’t ask, I headed outside. The cool November air hit my face as soon as I opened the door and stepped out onto the back deck. Inhaling deeply, I fished my phone out. Tapping on Eva’s name, I exhaled and listened for the first ring.

  “Hey, what are you calling me for? Did the dinners not go over so well?” Eva answered on the second ring. She’d been sitting beside her cell; I was positive.

  “No, actually they’re both pretty decent. Best ones I’ve had in a while.”

  “Oh.” She sighed. “Well, that’s nice.”

  “So when are you getting here?”

  “What?”

  I chuckled, enjoying the slight amount of relief etched into her words. “You heard me. Don’t pretend.”

  “I wasn’t invited.”

  “Um, yeah you were. I just wanted to see how this thing was gonna be before I dragged your ass here,” I admitted. “Paige about had heart failure when I told her I hadn’t given you the invite yet.”

  “Dipshit, you’re already making her angry with you. You better watch out; you know she’s a keeper,” she chided.

  “I know, I know,” I insisted. “I’m gonna text you the directions, and I expect you to haul your ass over here in no less than forty minutes. Got it?”

  “Oh, you know I don’t do bossy, Cam,” she said sharply. “But, since it’s a holiday, I guess I’ll let you off the hook. All right, text away, my friend.”

  “See you in a few. Drive safe.”

  “Cam, thanks for thinking of me,” she said in a hushed tone, and then hung up before I could respond.

  I clicked on her name to open a new text as my lips twisted into a sad smile. I wished I’d invited her earlier, as Paige had said. Damn, I needed to listen to that woman. With my fingers flying across my keyboard, I typed out the directions to Eva and hit send. The door behind me opened and Paige stepped out, wrapped up in the long sweater robe thing she’d worn today. She folded her arms across her chest and walked to where I stood, leaning against the railing that overlooked the lake.

  “Did you get a hold of her?” she asked.

  I nodded. “Yeah, I was just sending her the directions. I think she was relieved I’d called. God, I feel like shit. I should have listened to you.”

  Paige wrapped her arms around me and I pulled her in close. “See, I told you.”

  The door to the house opened again and Blaire stuck her head out. “Hey, there you two are. You guys need to get inside, especially you.” She pointed at Paige and smiled wide. “This is something you won’t want to miss.”

  “Umm, okay.” Paige’s eyebrows narrowed.

  I gripped her hand in mine. “Come on. Let’s go see what’s got her all excited.”

  When we stepped inside, everyone was congregated in the living room and Blaire motioned for us to head in that direction as well. I sat on the arm of the overstuffed couch beside Lauren and pulled Paige to sit on my lap. Wrapping my arms around her waist, I eyed Jason and Blaire as they stood smiling all goofy-like in front of us.

  “We have some news,” Jason said. He pulled Blaire into his side and looked down at her with a large, wide smile. “Tell them,” I heard him whisper.

  Blaire chewed on her bottom lip and faced us. Her left hand flew out of her pocket, giving us all a view of her shiny rock. “We’re getting married!”

  Paige leapt up faster than I’d ever seen her move, and hopped up and down. All I could do was laugh. I’d never seen her so happy before. Lauren was next, followed by Bonnie and Susan. It was like a high school slumber party up in that place with all the squeals and cries of joy.

  “I can’t believe this! When did this happen?” Paige shouted.

  “Mom is going to be so upset she missed this! You have to call her back and tell her the news.” Bonnie grinned. “She’s never going to miss another holiday to travel now. You know that, right?”

  I slid off the arm of the couch and took Lauren’s place. Jason crossed the room, wea
ving around the cluster of women in the center of his living room, and sat down beside me.

  “Guess I did good, huh?” he asked with a shit-eating grin.

  “I’d say so.” I chuckled. “Think I can get another beer from you?”

  “Sure.”

  I followed him into the kitchen and popped the top on two before handing him one. “Cheers, man.”

  “Cheers.” He nodded and clinked his beer to mine.

  We stood around the kitchen, bullshitting for a while, until the front door creaked open and Eva stuck her head inside.

  “Knock, knock.” She smiled. “I swear I did that a few times for real, but no one answered.”

  “Come on in,” Blaire called to her.

  “Hey!” Lauren shouted. “Come see Blaire’s rock Jason got her. He finally popped the question!”

  I watched Eva as she made her way from the front door with a smile on her face, knowing this would be the best Thanksgiving she’d had in a while too. Paige walked up to me and leaned her head on my shoulder. Jason left us to go stand beside his fiancée.

  “This is nice,” she said, her hand slipping across my chest. “I’m glad everyone is all here.”

  I kissed the top of her forehead and smiled. “Me too.”

  “I’m so glad to see them happy.” Paige nodded to Jason and Blaire. “They really have been through a lot together.”

  “I know.” I took a swig of my beer, remembering the story Paige had told me about them recently.

  We all had been through a lot lately when I paused to think about it, but I didn’t say that aloud. Paige’s fingers moved to my forearm, causing my shirtsleeve to rise up and my tattoo to become visible. I thought of Hemingway’s words and smiled.

  They reminded me of us—Paige, me, Eva, Blaire, Jason. We had all been broken at one point, but now we were stronger because of it. I pulled Paige in once more and kissed the top of her head as my eyes skimmed over the tattoo.

  “The world breaks everyone, and afterward many are strong at the broken places.”