“Is everything okay?” he asked softly, and gently brushed a tendril of hair back over my shoulder. I nodded and gave him a small smile, touched at his concern. His hands continued to trace along my shoulders and down my sides, stroking against the soft material that still separated us.
“Addison…” Josh breathed out my name like a prayer, and his green eyes traced down my body, taking in the sight of me standing there in his jersey. “You are the most beautiful… the most perfect woman I have ever seen.” His words rang with truth, and I felt them down to my bones. It didn’t matter how many had come before me; I was the one who was here now, the one he had shared pieces of his soul with. I leaned in and pressed a soft, sweet kiss to his lips; a silent thank-you.
“Let me show you just how much you mean to me,” he whispered against my lips and grasped my hand. Instead of leading me toward the bed, he guided me over to the highback chair in the corner of my room. Sitting down, he let his hands slide down my back, and I rested my hands on his broad shoulders as his fingers traveled over my ass to grasp the backs of my thighs. Fluidly, he pulled me on his lap and I hovered over him, my knees on either side of his strong thighs. He stole my breath when his hand slid up my inner thigh and touched my core, running his fingers through the wetness he found there. I couldn’t control the gasp of air that puffed out of my mouth as his fingers expertly strummed the bundle of nerves that made my body jerk.
“You have no idea how much I want—God, you’re so tight.” His voice was raspy as he slid a finger inside me, and I arched back in pleasure, his jersey riding up with the movement. He took the opportunity to fist the soft material and pull it up, exposing my breasts to his mouth. He trailed kisses up my sternum, over my breasts, and I thought I might just combust when I felt him take the hardened peak between his lips. I moaned and felt the muscles in his shoulders tense as he warned in a tortured whisper, “I can’t wait. I need to be inside you, Addie.”
I relaxed my legs, sliding further down, and just as quickly, his fingers were gone and I felt the heat of him at my entrance. His fevered hands were on my hips, pulling me down in one quick, hot stroke. I clamped my eyes shut and tried to breathe through the pain as it morphed into unadulterated pleasure. My nails dug into his back, and my face must’ve mirrored the intense pleasure I felt because he grunted in response.
“Addie, look at me,” he whispered. “Always keep your eyes on me.”
I looked him dead in the eye, my arms around him, my breasts still pressed against his chest as I moved my hips, rocking his length slightly out of my heated core and then back in, the friction between us increasing my desire
His hands gripped my hips, lifting me all the way off and then letting me sink back down on his length. I ground down against him, and I couldn’t control the moan that escaped my lips, which mingled with his throaty groan. He held me tight against him with a firm grasp as we both savored the feeling of him buried deep inside me.
He stared at me, his only movement the pads of his thumbs stroking my hips as he allowed me to adjust to his size. When he finally spoke, his voice was thick with need, or possibly some other emotion I couldn’t quite name. “I don’t know why you want to be with me.” He threaded the fingers of one hand in my hair, letting it slide through his fingers and then fall. As dark wisps billowed to my shoulders, he finished, “But I won’t ever let you forget why.”
I cupped his face, kissing him roughly because I didn’t know how else to show the overwhelming emotion I felt for him. Letting one hand fall, I started to shift the jersey over my head so there wouldn’t be anything between us. Josh was quick to circle his fingers around my wrist, jutting his hips up and beginning a rhythm that made my head tilt back in pleasure as he moved inside me.
“Leave it on,” he demanded, his hands on my breasts, his mouth on my neck as hot as his skin was slick.
“Tell me if I hurt you,” he said with a tense jaw. He was trying to restrain himself, and I slid my hands down the taut muscles of his arms, encouraging him to move faster. He pinched my nipples and nipped at my neck as he slammed into me again and again, harder and desperately seeking release.
I rocked my hips up to meet his thrusts, trying to match his pace to let him know that I wanted him as much as he wanted me. “I can’t—I can’t go slow.” He gritted out the words as my fingers weaved through his soft hair.
“Then don’t,” was all I could say, and that must have been the permission he needed to plunge inside me with harder, deeper strokes. He seemed almost vulnerable, out of control, and I felt privileged to see him that way. We were pressed together, lips to lips, groin to groin, perfectly matched.
When his hand found its way between us and his fingers began teasing me, I arched back as he slammed inside me again and again. Within seconds I was tumbling over the edge, my mind going black as I heard him groan out something that sounded like my name.
“Look at me, please,” he implored. When I finally came down from the wave of pleasure, I focused on his face, so determined. It only took three more long, fast strokes before he was burying his face in my neck, gripping my hip with such need that I’d likely have bruises in the morning.
I collapsed against him, my forehead resting against his shoulder and my palm over his rapidly beating heart. He kissed the side of my head and wrapped his arms around my back as he said, “Come’re. Closer.”
“You make me feel so safe, Josh,” I whispered.
“I’d do anything to make sure you’re safe. Always remember that,” he whispered, and tipped my head back to look at me before he pressed a kiss to my forehead. I smiled at him sleepily because I believed him. He’d proved he would keep me safe no matter what he had to do.
A little while later we were settled together in my bed. I was worn out from the amazing night we had shared together, emotionally and physically.
“Are you scared?” Josh asked quietly as he pulled me back against him under my fluffy comforter. When I twisted my head back to look at him, he clarified, “That he’ll come back. Whoever beat Laney up…”
I thought about it for a moment, because I wanted to be wholly honest with him. I didn’t talk about my feelings much, and even though this whole thing with Josh was brand new, it didn’t feel that way, if that made any sort of sense. It was one of those things where it felt like I was supposed to know him, but it was still new, exciting, and I didn’t know how it would end.
“Not here, with you,” I said and smiled when he kissed me softly.
He frowned, and he was so pretty, full lips, dark lashes downcast. I didn’t tell him that because I was certain boys like Josh Travin wouldn’t like to be called pretty.
“You shouldn’t have to live like this.” He tugged on my torso, his hands sliding under his jersey that swallowed my frame, and then up my sides to turn me toward him and pull me closer. “I hate to see that worried look in your eyes. It hurts me,” he mumbled into my hair, and I nuzzled my face into his bare neck, wrapping my arms around him and enjoying the warmth of his skin.
“I’m not worried when I’m with you.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
I hadn’t heard from Josh in three days. I’d been at work when he called me saying he had to leave town for a family emergency, but when I’d asked him what was going on, he’d evaded my questions. He’d said Jeff would still be around to look out for us; to make sure we were safe. It was only after he quickly hung up the phone, not even pausing long enough to say he’d miss me or when he’d be back, that I wondered what kind of family emergency wouldn’t also involve Jeff.
When I’d tried calling the day after he left, his cell phone went right to voicemail, and I didn’t want to add pressure to him by bombarding him with needy calls or text messages. This morning I’d finally broken down and shot him a quick text asking if he was okay and when he would be home, and his only response was “soon”. I was trying to give him the space he clearly needed to sort out his family issue, but I was starting to lose patience.<
br />
I was on my way home from Dr. Alexander’s when my mind started to wander—I needed to think about anything other than Josh and how vulnerable I felt in his absence, so I let my thoughts turn to the recent break-in. Something about the attack on Laney still didn’t make sense. It had been violent, her nose had been fractured and she was still dealing with the bruises that just wouldn’t seem to fade. And that’s what didn’t make sense to me. He… or… she, whoever it was, had Laney at her weakest moment, knocked out and at their mercy. And then they just left her there. They could have killed her, but they didn’t—they just left her there for us to find like some sort of warning. I cracked my driver’s side window and breathed in the fall air, trying to calm myself. My car was toasty because I couldn’t be a normal person and let it gradually warm up to a reasonable temperature. I would always turn it all the way to hot and let it blast until I felt like I needed to strip down and ride with my head hanging out the window like a labradoodle. Then I would turn it off until I realized my teeth were chattering. This, along with my road rage and inability to care about parking restrictions, was the reason why nobody except for Matt ever let me drive. Plus I had a problem with speeding, even though our town was a cesspool of bored policemen who would like nothing better than to pull me over for doing 45 in a 35. You know, instead of doing important things like finding out who broke in our house and tried to kill my roommate.
I grimaced as I checked the time and sat at the only traffic light in town, and watched as students crossed the street at the glacial pace of an iceberg. Taylor and Laney knew I was always running late for everything, but it didn’t mean they were going to be happy about it. It was the night before Laney’s big party; she wanted to go get last-minute supplies, and Taylor wanted to get a new dress from the local vintage boutique for the occasion.
I hadn’t planned on being at Dr. Alexander’s for long, but we started talking about animals, and the time just melted away. I knew from a mutual friend at the shelter that Dr. Alexander had been really under the weather, so I brought her some pumpkin bread and tea. She asked me if I was ready to adopt another dog, but when I filled her in on Laney’s attack and the vandalism to Taylor’s car, she agreed it would be best to wait until things calmed down.
“Oh my God, can you walk any slower?” I yelled to the tall redhead carrying a basketball. I knew I was irritable because of Josh’s unexplained absence, but that didn't stop me. The guy must have heard me through my cracked window because he actually started to walk even slower. He dribbled his ball a few times, glancing at me pointedly.
When I finally pulled up to my house, I parked on the side of the road because Jeff’s sleek black car was parked in my spot in the driveway. I hurriedly turned off my car and headed inside, hopeful that he’d only stopped by because he was bored and not because something happened to Josh. I thought maybe he’d heard from Josh, maybe he had some answers as to what was going on or at the very least when Josh would be back.
I could hear Laney and Jeff talking calmly when I entered the house, and thankfully it didn’t sound like an emergency. I made my way through the living room and peeked my head into the kitchen where they were standing. “I’m tellin’ ya, nobody’s been in here,” I heard Jeff say as he set his beer on the kitchen counter. “I’ve checked every possible entrance, are you sure you heard someone trying to break in?”
“Hey, guys.” In my peripheral vision, I could see Jeff look in my direction and then turn back to the doorknob he was examining.
Laney didn’t respond directly to his question but instead grabbed onto Jeff’s lean bicep that peeked out from the black t-shirt he wore. “It just makes me feel so much safer when you’re here checking things over.”
I struggled to hold back my eye roll. I didn’t want to discount her feelings if she really was afraid. I knew how I felt being alone in the house, and I wasn’t even the one who was attacked—at least not here. But it was something about the way she hung on him, and the irritation she showed when he wiggled out of her grasp that made me feel like maybe she was milking it for the wrong reasons. She didn’t seem frightened or even nervous, and as I watched her pout at Jeff as he nursed his beer, I wondered how much of her theatrics since the attack had been contrived.
“Are you staying again tonight?” I asked, keeping my voice light.
“Yeah, yeah.” Jeff nodded, an unlit cigarette hanging from his mouth. He shut the door and pulled hard on the handle as if he just needed that extra reassurance that someone couldn’t get in. As he walked back through the living room, Jeff looked over his shoulder at me, scratching his fingers along his ribs absently.
Laney followed him, adjusting the tight, off the shoulder teal sweater that didn’t seem to want to cooperate and stay off her shoulder. “Are you sure you don’t want to come with us? It’ll be a lot of fun.”
Jeff scratched his chin absently as if it would buy him time to figure out what to say. “I’m not much of a shopper.” He shrugged and then pointed at me, screwdriver still in hand. “You sure you wanna have all these randoms over? We still don’t know who broke in…” he trailed off, waving his hands.
“They’re Josh’s teammates.” Laney’s tone turned sharp so quickly it caused Jeff to quirk an eyebrow at me. “I deserve a night of fun.” She pouted and seemed to be annoyed when neither of us agreed with her. Her phone that was sitting on the counter dinged, indicating she’d received an email, and she all but dove for it. Excitedly, she checked her phone, smiling as she read the email. Laney only got that excited over boys, and even in my current headspace, I wondered what type of college boy emails instead of texts. I guessed it could have been one of the people she stayed up late chatting with on those true-crime forums she loved.
I didn’t put too much thought into whatever had elevated Laney’s mood because the mention of Josh had so many questions on the tip of my tongue. I promised myself I wouldn’t ask, I wouldn’t whine and pry like Laney, but the nagging feeling in my gut made me blurt out my words.
“I get that he’s probably going through something, but I’m not really sure what happened.” I bit my lip, looking at Jeff, trying to appear casual, but I could feel my eyes prick with emotion. I wanted to be mad at Josh for all of his secrets, for whatever it was that he’d been keeping from me since the day I first saw him, but the only emotions I could muster were worry and uncertainty. “Is he okay?”
“Shit, don’t look at me like that, kid,” Jeff said, rubbing a hand over his face. “He’s not answering the phone for me either, so I can’t tell you where his head’s at. I've just been keeping him updated by text,” he said, looking around uncomfortably. “And the fucker just sends back one-word answers. I’m gonna kick his ass when I get my hands on him.” He chuckled softly, giving me his lopsided smirk and squeezing my hand roughly a couple of times, trying to lighten the mood. His face sobered when he said, “You two have a lot of shit to work out, but I think you can do it. You’ve just gotta let each other in one hundred percent, no secrets.”
I opened my mouth to ask Jeff what he meant by that and quickly shut it when I realized I wasn’t ready for that conversation. Obviously, he knew Josh’s secrets and what he was keeping from me, so if Jeff had faith that we could get through our issues, I allowed myself to hang onto hope that everything would work out. All along, I’d wanted to tell Josh about my mom and my sister, but I just couldn't find the right time. I didn’t want him to look at me any differently after he knew the trauma I’d endured.
“I just hope he’s okay,” I said, biting my bottom lip and leaning against the counter. “He wouldn’t leave like this unless he absolutely had to.”
“We get it, Josh is obsessed with you. How great for you,” Laney sneered and rolled her eyes. “Are we going to get the supplies for the party or not?” My stomach dropped at her harsh words, but I didn’t say anything.
“Knock it off, Laney.” Jeff pulled the unlit cigarette from between his lips, unwavering when she huffed and stomped out
of the room. He shrugged at me before heading to the back door to go out for a smoke. “Don’t let anyone treat you like that,” he said seriously, but then he shot me his trademark smirk as he stepped outside, letting the storm door clank shut behind him.
I sighed and headed for Laney's bedroom when I heard her slam her door. We were supposed to meet Taylor at the nail salon to get pedicures and then head over to the store to pick up supplies for the party tomorrow night. I still hadn’t told Laney I wasn’t planning on staying for the party because Josh and I had plans for two reasons. One, I knew it would make her angry that I wasn’t adhering to her plan and two, I wasn’t even sure if Josh would be home to take me on that date he asked me to go on.
“Laney, we’ve gotta go meet Taylor, she’s probably already there,” I said through her door.
“I’m not going.” Laney’s tone was hard, but not loud. “My night is already ruined. You can thank Jeff for that.” I huffed at her petulant tone, did she ever take any responsibility for anything?
“Taylor took off work to meet us for the pedicure that you insisted we schedule.” I took Jeff’s advice and told her exactly what I was thinking. “She doesn’t deserve to be punished because Jeff made you mad.”
“I don’t really care,” was all she said before she turned her music up so loud she wouldn’t be able to hear me anymore.
Beautiful Legend: An Angsty College Romance Page 16