“Mm you were right,” I say in between bites. “This is great.”
“I’m always right.” I roll my eyes.
“When do you leave again?” I ask dreading the answer.
“Two days. I’ll bring you a schedule.” Our waitress walks back to the table to bring our check.
“Can I get a picture with you?” She asks Kellen.
“Only if my girlfriend can be in it,” he steals a glance in my direction.
“NO! I’ll take it for you,” I offer them both a smile and mouth its fine to Kellen.
I take a photo with her phone and hand it back to her. She explains that her boyfriend is a huge fan and he wouldn’t believe her unless she got a picture.
“Is it really fine, Audrey?” He asks after she finally walks away.
“What?”
“In six months are you going to bring this up in a fight?” He chuckles.
“I’m not going to wait six months if you don’t shut up,” I laugh loudly. The table across from us looks in our direction and I decide that it’s time to go.
He grabs my hand and walks me out. I look up at him and catch the most peaceful, genuine smile on his lips. Our normal moments together will be few and far between, but I realize that everything we go through is worth it right now.
Chapter nine
6 weeks later
It’s been about two months since Kellen and I started dating. I can tell that he has fallen for me in the short time that we’ve known each other. Though the feelings are mutual, I keep in the back of my mind that I still haven’t discussed New York with my mother, and he could be traded at anytime.
I hear a car door slam outside my house and run over to open the door, eager to see what he thinks of my costume Olivia made me wear. She assured me that Kellen and Adrian won’t freak out. As I glance in the mirror in the foyer I know this won’t be the case.
My black lace corset doesn’t reach the top of my shorts, showing off a small strip of my abdomen. I’m showing more cleavage and legs that I ever have before. I pull one of my long blonde curls in front to cover up.
"Who the hell are you suppose to be?" Olivia laughs from behind me when I opened the door to reveal Kellen wearing his college baseball jersey.
"I couldn't think of a better person to go as than myself."
"You're such an ass." Olivia and I walk into the kitchen and she hands me a shot. "Audrey is mad at me." She burst into laughter.
Kellen takes the time to glance down at our outfits. His face turns into an unreadable expression but I know exactly what he’s thinking. I take the time to appreciate his uniform in front of me that I never see up close. My eyes linger on his strong forearms down to his tight baseball pants. Those pants should be illegal on that man.
"Did you seriously dress up as yourself?" I start teasing him to remove the growing tension from the room.
"Did you seriously dress up as Olivia?" He asks. "Audrey, come here for a second.” I roll my eyes and walk after him.
"Are you really planning on wearing that?" He asks.
"Yeah Olivia got these and she wants us to wear them. Why?"
"I don't want my girlfriend wearing that to a bar."
"I'm not changing. We won't stay long, come on." I grab his arm and pull him to the door before he can protest. Adrian and Olivia meet us at the front door it's obvious they just had the same talk.
“Ready?” I ask. With Olivia’s drunken shout I can barely hear Kellen groaning in the background. I suppress a laugh at the thought of how our night will go.
We arrive at the bar after a long drive of Olivia saying stupid shit and laughing about it. She’s keeping me entertained, but the look on the guys’ faces say I’m the only one that’s amused. Kellen parks at the back to avoid scratches on his Range Rover. I glance at the building and back down to my feet where my new shoes are. I inwardly cringe; this was not a good night to wear new five-inch heels.
"I'm getting in a fight tonight,” Kellen whispers to Adrian from behind me.
"No you are not!” I scowl at him.
"You shouldn't have dressed like that!" He snaps at me. Adrian shakes his head at him and it’s dropped. He grabs my hand and leads me to the door without another word.
"Let's walk to the bar.” I shiver as he talks over the music in my ear. He hands me a shot of something and a Cosmo.
"Let's dance." I interlace our fingers and pull him to the floor with our drinks in hand.
"Are you having fun baby?" He whispers in my ear while he kisses up my neck. I can tell we aren't going to be staying long. I always get brave when I’m drunk but he never lets it get far. He tells me the day I ask when I’m not drinking will be the day he says yes. Alcohol gives me courage.
"We are leaving now!" Olivia screams at us. Adrian is waiting for us at the car he looks pissed, and Olivia looks like she has been crying.
"Why the hell did you let some guy buy your drink?"Adrian wastes no time once we reach the Range Rover.
"He just handed it to me! I didn't ask for it." She snaps back.
"If you weren’t dressed like that this wouldn't have happened."
"What am I dressed like?" She asks in a daring tone.
"Like the kind of girl that would go home with him after one drink." Olivia and I both gasp.
"I'm wearing the same outfit as her. Do I look the same way?" I glare at Kellen when he doesn’t have a reaction to Adrian’s harsh words. He doesn’t respond to me and he keeps his eyes glued to the road, "Kellen."
"What baby? I'm paying attention to the road."
"Do I look like a slut also?"
"No you look beautiful." He leans over and gives me a kiss on the cheek I hear Adrian mutter something from the back seat. I think he’s learned to pick his battles and keep his temper under control, but it seems that Adrian has not.
Once we arrive home I reach for the door handle but Kellen grabs my arm and shakes his head at me. I look out the window as Olivia stalks into the house with Adrian following behind her. This would be a long night if I stayed here.
"You have stuff at my place just stay there." He reminds me. I now have a drawer at his house. I hope this will satisfy him from asking me to move in again. He asked when we were in the same situation as the one that happened tonight. Olivia and Adrian got into a fight and we had to leave early, he tried to talk me into it that night. I said no repetitively and it’s been dropped since then.
"What time are you leaving tomorrow?" I ask.
"Four."
"Are you sure you have to stay three days?" I poke bottom lip out. He reaches over and bites it out of habit. I start giggling at swat him away. He’s going to stay with his family for his uncles surprise birthday party. He asked me to join but I can’t miss anymore days of school.
"Pull into a fast food place along the way."
"Yes mam," he responds with a goofy accent.
We pull into my driveway a few minutes past one in the morning. I’ve eaten a large order of fries and drank a sprite. I feel completely sober now. I start pulling my black stilettos off before we get out. Kellen jogs over and carries me into the house.
"Now I remember why I keep you around," I tease.
"That and other things,” He whispers in my ear and nips at it. I pull his face to mine and start to slowly kiss him as he carries me into his bedroom and lays me down on his bed.
"I love you, Audrey."
"I love you, too Kellen." I blurt out before I have time to over think it.
I push him on his back so I can straddle him. My fingers run along his sculpted muscles and I start to kiss each one. He lets out a throaty moan when I kiss his lower abdomen.
"I didn't tell you that so you would sleep with me, Audrey." His fingers hold my chin up to look at him.
"I want you." I look up at him with heavy lids and bite my lip.
All of his restraint melts away from his body. He pushes me on my back and rolls on top of me. His lips instantly go back to mine, hungry with ne
ed. He pulls my black corset off of me with one tug, but his lips remain on mine. His hands skim down my side and stop at my shorts and.
"We can wait Audrey." He's giving me a last warning before he loses all control. I nod my head in approval and pull his mouth back to mine. I hear a rip and look down to see he tore my shorts off and tossed them on the ground. Oh. My. God.
His hands start at my thigh and travel up to a place that's never been touched before. My back arches from the pleasure of his hand. He kicks his briefs off in a sharp motion and reaches in his side table and pulled out a square wrapped package. He leans down to kiss me one more time, but this time I can feel him at my entrance. He looks me in the eye intently while he removes his fingers, and with one slow thrust he's inside me. I cry out in pain.
"Are you okay?" He stills his movements to study me I only nod in response. He picks his slow and steady rhythm up, while I bite my lip from the pain. The pain turns into a feeling of pleasurable fullness after several slow thrusts. I smile at this man above me making love to me.
"I love you." He whispers in my ear through shallow breaths.
Chapter ten
I awake naked and tangled in Kellen Reeves sheets. I'm grinning from ear to ear. I stretch my stiff body and it responds with soreness mixed with pain. Kellen is still asleep by my side. I glance over to see him flat on his stomach and snoring. My phone rings and I slip out of bed to retrieve it from my purse. I grab Kellen's shirt on the floor and yank it over my head. It's my mother, just what I need right now.
"Hello." I can't mask the giddiness in my voice.
"Good morning dear. You are cheerful this morning."
"Can't slip anything past you, mother."
"Mind your tone. Audrey. I was calling to assure you saw my email. I will be flying in to visit in four days."
"No I didn't," I mutter a curse before I can stop myself.
"Audrey Henson I was under the impression that I raised a lady! I will be there for two nights. Please plan accordingly." Uh oh, this is it.
"Mother, I've been seeing someone for a couple of months. I would like for you to meet him." I bite my lip and wait for her response.
"Why am I just hearing of this?" The accusation is thick in her voice.
"I haven't had time to talk, mom. I love you and I can't wait to see you. Goodbye." I end the call but I know I will be paying for that later. I don't want to discuss things with her after my night with Kellen.
"Come back to bed." He mutters into the pillow.
"I didn't realize your snoring stopped," I laugh loudly. I'm still on a high.
"Who was that on the phone?"
"My mother," I groan.
"She didn't know about me?" He sits up to watch me closely.
"I try to avoid talking about my personal life with her," I shrug.
"I'm meeting her Thursday?" I nod in response but he looks nervous. "I’ll be back Thursday morning, maybe we can plan to eat dinner here."
I'm very nervous about my mother's sudden visit. She has never visited in the three years I've been here, she must have a motive. I haven't exactly been a star student this semester, maybe she knows that. I’ll find out Thursday. She doesn't exactly beat around the bush.
"I like my jersey on you." He gives my body a once over but I shake my head at him. “Are you sore?”
"I need to get ready for class." I say as I walk into his massive on-suit to take a shower. I shower quickly and finish my morning ritual in record time. Kellen is holding a donut and coffee out for me as I pass through the kitchen.
"I'll drop you off at your house." He says following behind me.
Kellen drops me off at my house and I don't even bother going inside. I haven't spoken to Olivia since their fight started last night. Glancing at my watch I know I don’t have time before class. I make my short commute to the university while my mind lingers on Kellen. He will be gone when my last class lets out today. The thought brings a frown to my face.
I run into my first class just as Dr. Demby is starting the lesson. I have to take a seat at the top of the lecture hall. I recognize Rockell Luna sitting next to me. We've shared a few classes in the past and she has hung out with Olivia and me. She's the president in one of the many sororities on campus. She's from Texas and equipped with a southern accent.
"I saw you last night." She leans over and smiles at me.
"What?" I turn to face her with confusion written on my face.
"At underground, I saw you and Kellen. So it's true." She looks at me in question. Oh yeah I went to a bar last night, I forgot after everything else. I nod my head in response trying to ignore her and pay attention to the lecture.
"Just be careful with him, Audrey." She shoots me a fake sympathetic look that doesn’t sit right with me.
Kellen's past has been shoved in my face since the very beginning. No one seems to think he has changed. I wonder to myself if Rockell has ever been with Kellen, but I shake the thought as soon as it enters my train of thought.
My next class goes without any interruption. To my surprise, we are let out early. I use this opportunity to go off campus for food. I drive my Beemer to my favorite sushi bar for a quick lunch. The waiter gets my order and I pull out my phone while sipping on my lemonade. There's a text from Kellen.
Miss you already. It says.
Miss you too baby.
I add with a sad face I hate that he's leaving for three days. Especially since my mother is coming the day he will be here. I know she isn't coming for a friendly visit, and I'm scared to see what it's about. My phone buzzes with an incoming call from Kellen.
"Hey." He says while panting for air.
"What are you doing?"
"I've been running." He replies still breathless. I can imagine him in a pair of low fitting athletic shorts with sweat rolling off of his body. Think about anything else.
"Hmm I think you had enough of a work out last night," I smile.
"Yeah, you're right. I did do all of the work." He chuckles lightly, "Kidding."
"I'm ignoring that." I feel my face heat. "Hey baby my food is here. Have a safe flight."
"You should call the pilots and tell them to be safe," I choose to ignore his poor choice of sarcasm.
"I love you, Kellen."
"Love you too, babe."
I hang up and devour my two favorite sushi rolls before I have to get back to the university. I should ask Olivia if she knows why my mother is coming. Our mother's have been acquainted for years. I use that word because I'm not capable of my mother is capable of having friends, but Olivia's mother, Marilyn, comes close to that.
My father was the polar opposite of my mother. He was CEO of a success company and an heir of a fortune but he never let that get to his head. I never saw him without a smile or kind words to say. He kept my mother grounded, since he's passed away that has been shot to hell.
My father would not have made me take over his company if he knew that's not what I wanted. I thought I wanted this when I graduated high school, so I set out to California to get away for awhile and attend business school. My father passed away from a heart attack my freshman year of college. I've realized since then that I don't want the stress of running the business. My mother was furious when I moved to California. She thought I should stay on the east coast and go to a college she approved of, but my dad was happy with my decision.
He knew I needed to have time to find myself. With his approval I moved across the country bringing my childhood friend with me. I snap out of my depressing thoughts and throw more than enough money on the table and head to my car. It looks like I will be late to each class today. With Kellen gone this week, maybe I will be able to focus on school and the impending doom of my mother's visit.
Chapter eleven
I come in after five from studying in the library for my test tomorrow. "Hello stranger." Olivia sneaking up on me causes me to jump.
"Hey Liv, my mother will be here Thursday."
"I know." She st
ares down at her feet.
"Do you?" I eye her, waiting for an excuse.
"I sort of told my mother you were at Kellen's house when I was alone, and she called Vivian. I'm so sorry, Audrey."
"It's okay. I knew she was coming for a reason." I start chewing on my lip from nerves. This will be a disaster. She's going to tear into Kellen right in front of me. My phone rings and pulls me from my panic attack. Kellen is requesting face time. I answer and hope it’s appropriate since Olivia is standing a few feet away from me.
"Hey." He calls out as soon as he comes on the screen.
"I see the pilots were careful."
"My family wanted to see you. I'm pretty sure they thought I made you up." He turns the screen so I can see his aunt, uncle, and his cousin, Chloe. That's definitely the gorgeous blonde I was pissed at a couple months ago, and the same girl that’s in the picture with him in his living room.
"This is Chloe, my aunt Lori, and my uncle Calvin. Everyone this is Audrey." They all wave at me, but I'm watching Kellen I've never seen him so happy.
"Okay, you guys will see her at thanksgiving. Give me some privacy," he laughs. They get up and walk from the room.
"Are you having fun?" I ask, already knowing the answer to this. I can see how happy he is when he's with his family.
"I am, but I wish you could've joined me." Seeing him on the screen and not being able to touch him is torturous.
"What's going on here?" Olivia asks when she notices I’m talking to Kellen.
"I heard you and Adrian broke up." Kellen says in a nonchalant tone and I glare at him. She hasn't brought it up and I was giving her time to talk about it.
"I'm going to study." Her icy tone is present as she stalks up the stairs.
"What the hell was that?" I snap at him as soon as she's out of view.
"I was making small talk," he shrugs.
"You talk about the weather as small talk!"
"I'm in a different state, Audrey. I don't know what the weather is like there."
Forever Careless Page 6