by Amanda Heath
“I missed you too.” I tell him my hands going under his shirt to feel of his warm skin.
“This has to end soon. I can’t fucking stand not having you with me every second of every day.” He mumbles as he trails kisses up and down my neck.
“Me too.” I moan. I have become a creature of sensation as he explores my body with his fingers and tongue. Before I know it I’m on my back on the bed with no clothes on, Caden flicking a tongue over my hard nipple.
“I could stare at you all day. You’re that fucking beautiful.” He whispers against my stomach on his way down. His tongue flicks against my clit making my hips buck up against his mouth.
He makes me come with his mouth before he makes me come while inside me. Our sex is mindless and uncontrolled. It’s the first time I think he didn’t boss me around and it was just as good. It’s nice to know the sex is going to be great no matter how we do it. This is a huge plus for me because I’m a sexual being. I love sex and getting off. And it doesn’t make me a slut because I won’t have sex with just anyone. Caden might have started out as a one-night stand but he turned into the love of my life.
“I love you so much.” I tell him kissing his chest as we fall asleep. Our little world might be perfect but there are people out there suffering. I haven’t been much of a prayer but tonight I say a silent prayer for Chance and Norma Jean. I only hope it helps.
Caden wakes me up in the middle of the night for round two. He is on top of me again, thrusting between my legs. My nails score into his back and it feels amazing. It always feels amazing. I keep thinking maybe the heat will die down and we won’t have our lust anymore. The way things are going I don’t think it would ever happen. I know in my bones I will always want Caden Harper. Whether I’m a million miles away or sitting right next to him. I will want him.
I’m so lost in what we are doing I don’t even notice the light of the hallway until right before Caden’s bedroom door closes. I freeze up and drop my hands from Caden’s back.
Caden stops moving when he feels me tense up. “What’s wrong, Angel? Did I hurt you?” he says panting.
I shake my head, all the blood draining out of my face. “Someone saw us.” I whisper.
Caden jumps up and moves towards the bedroom door butt ass naked. He opens slowly and peaks outside. He turns back around to me his face confused. “There’s no one awake right now. I swear. What made you think that?”
“I wasn’t paying attention until the last second but I swear someone opened and closed the door.” I bite my lip and pull the sheet up my body.
Caden scowls at me before moving over to the bed and sitting down. “Are you sure? That could fuck everything up if someone really did see.”
I nod my head not saying anything. My entire body is shaking. Caden and I know we aren’t doing anything wrong, but not many other people know that. Fuck.
“I think you’re just tired. I shouldn’t have woken you up.” He rubs a hand down his face before climbing under the covers with me. “Go back to sleep. Everything will be fine tomorrow morning.” He kisses my temple before turning me on my side and spooning my butt.
I don’t go to sleep though. No, I stay up and worry. And it’s not me I’m worried about. Caden is already on a thin line with his family and if someone really saw us…things are going to get bad. I can’t count on Jaden coming clean to his family. He’s left people in the dust before and I wouldn’t put it past him to do it now.
Caden nuzzles into my hair and I sigh. “Quit thinking about it. Things are going to be okay. You have to have more faith in Jaden.” He tells me kissing the side of my neck.
I don’t answer him because I don’t have faith in him. Jaden does what helps Jaden. He’s not going to fix this if something gets out. Which will in turn break Caden’s heart. “I think you have too much faith in Jaden.” I finally say.
Caden tenses behind me, his arm over my waist becoming like a brand. “My brother may be a lot of things, but he would never leave me out to dry. Jaden has done a lot of shitty things but he’s never done anything to hurt me like that. When the time comes you will see. He would never let us go down for this.”
Why is it so hard for him to see? All I have ever seen Jaden do is be out for Jaden. He doesn’t care what anyone else wants or needs. That right there is enough to make me crazy with worry.
Jaden will never save us.
I woke up this morning to Declan banging on my door. Kayla had already snuck off. I missed her warmth on my sheets but her sweet scent lingered. Norma was brought into the hospital early this morning. She was hurt, a gunshot to the thigh, but she is gonna live. I’m so happy and relieved. I seriously can’t stand to see my bros hurting. Especially over a woman.
I park my mustang in the visitor’s parking lot at the hospital. Since it’s close to the emergency entrance that’s where I go in. A pretty little brunette looks up Norma’s room number and directs me in the right direction.
I’m about to enter the room when Chance comes out. “Oh I was about to go in and see how our girl was doing.” He looks at me stoned faced and I become confused. “What?”
“Norma is safe and she is going to make a full recovery.” He tells me, no hint of emotion in his voice. Dude is pissed about something. He steps away from door and his back is to me when he says, “I don’t know about y’all when Jaden finds out you’re actually fucking his girlfriend. I know you’re in love with her, but to actually go behind your brother’s back like this is seriously fucked up.”
My hands clinch at my waist and I really want to punch something. “For one you don’t know a damn thing about Grace and me. Second if my brother would bother to take care of his own girlfriend maybe she wouldn’t have to come to me. Third stay out of my damn business. I don’t know how you found out but you better keep it to your fucking self.”
My entire body is vibrating with anger. I should have listened to Kayla last night when she said she saw something. I thought she was just tired. I don’t want anyone to think less of me. I can’t help who I fell in love with. Kayla to me is like a starving man getting run over with a McDonald’s truck. She is something I really want and need but she might be too much to handle. I’m ready for it though. I would follow that girl to the ends of the earth. She is everything to me.
Chance’s face contorts into a sneer and he’s pushing a finger in my chest. “If you weren’t fucking her in the middle of the night, I wouldn’t have walked in on you. I was coming to tell you where Norma was and that I was leaving.” He takes a deep breath and takes a step back. “I also wouldn’t tell anyone because I’m your friend and I wouldn’t betray you like that.”
In the middle of his rant Teagan walks around the corner, Declan right at her heels. I feel all the color drain out of my face. This is that one moment I never wanted to be alive for. The hurt and anger in my little sister’s eyes is almost more than I can take. Those eyes used to look up at me with love and trust. I’ve lost that now. I want to fall to my knees and scream.
“I really don’t think this is the place for this conversation. Or maybe I should say there isn’t ever a time for this conversation.” Declan states his voice void of all emotion.
“Teagan…” I stammer out walking towards her. She steps out of my way, tears in her eyes. I can’t do anything but cringe. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean for it to happen.” Little does she know I’m not talking about the Kayla thing. I didn’t mean for her to find out like this.
Teagan slaps me across the face. BOOM. I feel it all over my body. It wasn’t even a great slap, but still it’s the meaning behind it. I’ve hurt my sister far worse than I have ever hurt her before. “You don’t get to say that to me. I always wondered if you two were going behind Jaden’s back but I had hoped not. You have dug your own grave and now you will get buried in it.”
I have nothing to say to her. I’m backed into a corner. I’m protecting two other people’s secrets here. A lot of shit is at stake if I explain to any of them what
is really going on. Is this what Kayla has to go through? Even a little bit? She has to hide behind Grace and lie. I’m lying now to some of the most important people in my life. Fuck I don’t know how she can go day to day.
“I think you should leave, Caden.” Declan says to me in his stern voice. Looks like I disappointed the decent one.
I only nod and exit the building. This is the end of that crap. We are telling my parents first and then we are talking to Teagan. I can’t stand for her to think of me like that for even another minute, but I have too.
I bang on the door of her hotel room. She checked out after I made her promise she would stay at my house. After last night though, she got spooked and said I had to sleep with her here.
I’m beyond pissed and I’m ready for this shit to be over. I’m done letting everyone think I stole Kayla from Jaden. The guy didn’t even want her in the first place. She’s not Ava. Which is a damn good thing because she is mine, end of story.
“What’s wrong, baby?” Kayla says after opening the door and taking in my face.
“We have to find Jaden? We have to go to my parents. We have to tell them.” I cup my hands around her cheek and take in some of her light. My beautiful angel. Looking at this face right now makes it all worth it. Like I’ve been saying, I would do anything for her. Now it’s her turn to do something for me. “You were right. Chance saw us last night. We have to come clean. You should have seen Teagan’s face. I never want to see her look at me like that again.”
“He told Teagan? Really?” she says outraged.
“No, she overheard when he confronted me.” I brush hair out of her face and bend down to kiss her lips. “We need to go.” I tell her again softer this time.
She steps away from me and heads into the kitchen. She comes back out with her bag and opens the door, waiting for me to exit. “He’s already there. An important dinner with your dad.” She shrugs as an explanation.
“How do you know that?” I try to keep the jealously out of my voice.
She rolls her eyes at me before striding out the door. “He updated his Facebook.”
Oh.
Feeling ashamed I quietly follow her out to my mustang. We climb in but before I start the car I say, “I’m so fucking nervous.” My hands beat along the steering wheel.
Her hand shoots out and grabs mine. She laces her fingers with mine and sets them on her thigh. My tension eases a bit, but it’s still there. I want to be there already telling my parents who I love and no one can make me give her up. Mom would die at the scandal but I don’t really fucking care. “I’m nervous too.” She whispers looking out her window.
I squeeze her hand. “It’s okay. They can’t do anything to you. I, on the other hand can get cut off or yelled at. This is going to be one hell of a conversation.”
“No joke.” She lets my hand go and starts rummaging around in her bag. She pulls out a glass pipe. She looks at me, then the pipe and then back to me. Her eyebrow rises as if asking for permission. “You mind?”
“You still do that?” I chuckle giving her a thumbs up.
“Fuck yeah. Nothing will ever make me give up pot.” She pulls the baggie out of her purse next. She pulls out a magazine next and sets it on her lap. She pulls out a small amount of weed from the baggie and places it on the magazine. She breaks up the compacted plant and settles it into her glass pipe.
After taking her lighter and a huge hit she passes it to me. I like the way pot makes me feel and all, but I’m not a stoner. Moments like right now I definitely need it. It’s calming and clears my mind. Exactly what I need.
We pass the pipe back and forth until it’s all smoked. My brain is in a nice blissfully happy haze. Being stoned is like being simple minded. You can only concentrate on one thing at a time. It’s also easy to be distracted. And horny.
Kayla’s hand finds its way to my thigh and starts to move higher. When it smooth’s over my dick, my eyes close of their own accord. It feels so good as she strokes me through my jeans.
Before I know it we are running off the road and straight into a tree. Kayla slams her head on the dashboard. I wonder briefly why her air bag didn’t deploy. The air bag pops free from my steering wheel and I feel my nose break on impact of my face. My head then hits the window and I know nothing else.
When I open my eyes next, my mother’s face is the first thing I see. There are new lines forming on her face. She looks ten years older then the last time I saw her. “Mom?” I groan.
Her head pops directly over me as she cups my face. “Oh Caden. I’m so happy you’re awake.” She kisses my forehead and runs for the door. “He’s awake!” She shouts down the hall. Not ten seconds later I hear the sounds of twenty different sets of feet.
My dad comes in first, followed by Teagan, Declan, Marcus, Jessica, Forest, and last but not least is Jaden. I forget everyone else as I reach out my hand for Jaden. He walks over to me with a forced smile. I can tell the smile isn’t forced because I reached out for him, but because something is going on.
“What’s up bro?” he says taking the seat mom vacated for him.
“What’s going on?” I know I can ask him because everyone else will refuse to tell me. He may keep shit about himself too but here and now he would tell me the truth.
“Caden, you just woke up. Now is not the time.” My dad says from the other side of my bed.
“No one asked you.” I say to him. He didn’t bother to tell me I had a little sister for ten years of my life. He can go to hell.
“Caden Gabriel Harper! You don’t talk to your father that way!” my mom exclaims. Even in a hospital bed she scolds me. God I’m freaking twenty-one years old.
“Look someone tell me what the hell is going on!” I yell. I think I just busted a blood vessel. My nose is freaking killing me, as well as the eggplant on the side of my head.
“Grace wasn’t who she said she was.” Teagan says softly. Tears leak out the side of her face and it’s all I can do to reach out for her. Declan stands behind her, protecting her from everything. Well almost everything.
“I know.” I tell her.
Her face pops up and her eyes glare at me. “Oh I forgot you were sleeping with her! I bet you knew everything! More than her best friend, yeah?”
The collective silence in the room says it all. I’m so fucked right now. “She dumped me two years ago.” Jaden blurts out. Everyone including me, turn our heads in his direction. I know of course but I wasn’t expecting him to come clean like this.
“WHAT?” My mom screams.
“She wasn’t in Dallas being a cheerleader. She was in Arizona with her older brother. She didn’t even tell anyone she was leaving, so instead of saying I got dumped, I just played like she and I were doing the long distance thing. But all along she wanted Caden anyway. Not me.” Jaden meets my eyes at the end and I give him a nod of thanks.
“So you knew she wasn’t Grace, either?” Teagan asks Jaden.
He only nods and our sister gets even more tears in her eyes. “She couldn’t tell you, Teagan. She was scared and had no choice. She only told Caden because she loves him. And I only knew because I forced it out of her brother.”
“So does that mean she doesn’t love me?” Teagan sobs out.
Declan takes her around the shoulders and turns her to face him. “No. It just means the situation was out of her control.” This is why I love Dec. He knows how to fix any situation.
“I for one don’t care who she is or who knew. She isn’t coming around this family anymore.” Mom of course had to throw her two cents in.
Head injuries are funny things. See I slammed my head into the dashboard because my air bag didn’t deploy. I walked away with an egg on my forehead and a horrible headache. Caden slams the side of his head into the driver side window and gets knocked out. For hours. He also broke his nose. And I only know this because I saw it happen.
I’ve been locked in an interrogation room for the past sixteen hours. I called 9-1-1 after the acc
ident. When the police showed, they found my pot and pipe. I told them it was mine and Caden didn’t even know I had it. The idiots believed me.
I, of course got booked and finger printed. And I’m sure by now they know I’m not who I say I am. I don’t give one ounce of a fuck if they know. I just need someone to come in this room and tell me the love of my life is alive. That he is awake and wondering where the fuck I am. I swear to my brother if someone doesn’t tell me what the hell is going on soon I’m going to go crazy. For real’s.
I mean do I not get a fucking lawyer? Phone call? I do realize I was doing something illegal. But I still have some rights. I’m going to sue this police station and Ford. Someone should have to pay for this damn egg on my head. Fuck, they won’t even give me any pain meds for it. I’m about to get out of control.
I have my head down on the cool metal table, while one of my wrists is cuffed to the leg. Who the hell am I kidding? They found out who I am, they called Daniel. I know any second that evil bastard is going to walk through that door. My life is over. He is going to take me back to New York and most likely kill me. He can’t stand to be disobeyed.
My high left me hours ago and here I’m sitting freaking out and pissed the fuck off. I think the first person who comes in here is going to get kicked in the face. It’s so quiet in here. Only the sound of my breathing. If they want me to go insane then it’s working. I’m on the verge as we speak. And I’m rambling in my head.
There’s a knock on the door and I roll my eyes. Dude I’m set up in this room, handcuffed to a table. What am I supposed to do? Get up and answer the door? I don’t answer the knock. This room has a two-way mirror. They know I’m awake in here.