Breaking Karma

by Charity Ferrell

  "I'll take her home," Cora said, stomping up to us and trying to grab her from me. She failed as I moved Daisy behind my body. "Or she can stay at my house since that's where she told her aunt she was staying.”

  “No," Daisy argued. "I want to go home."

  "We're neighbors, plus you’re not going anywhere. You’ve been drinking,” I said, collecting Daisy in my arms. Cora's cold stare deadpanned on me. She didn't trust me with her friend, which was bullshit because if it weren’t for me who knew where the fuck she’d be right now. Stretching across the bed, I grabbed a blanket and wrapped it around Daisy’s body.

  "Keegan, don't try any shit with her," Cora warned, standing in front of me with her bony finger in my face. I wanted to lean forward and bite it right off her hand.

  "You'd really try to accuse me of that shit? What the fuck?" My anger elevated. She was really drunk if she thought I needed to get chicks wasted to sleep with them. I’d never pull that shit. I only fucked willing and coherent girls.

  "Babe, damn. Chill out," Lane said, clutching her around the waist and moving her away from me. His face turned serious. "Dude, you know Piper is going to freak the fuck out if she sees you leaving with her."

  "Do you think I give two shits about how Piper feels?” I bit out.

  “Nooo," he drew out. "But Daisy might when Piper pulls out her demoness bitch wrath on her." Shit. He had a point. "And you know she will."

  "I'll deal with Piper." I was going to make damn sure Piper didn't fuck with Daisy. "Let's just get her to the garage without anyone seeing us."

  "I'll call Gabby and tell her to start distracting," Cora added. Her hands snaked into Lane's pocket, fishing out his phone.

  "Good idea, babe," he replied, turning around and kissing her. God, he was so whipped.

  I looked down at Daisy in my arms. “Do you want some more water?” Cora was on the phone with Gabby, explaining the situation, so we had some time to bide. She nodded, and I sat her back down on the bed before handing over the cup. "Drink it slow, not too fast." I kept my hold on the cup, in case she got too carried away.

  "We should be good to go," Cora announced, handing Lane's phone back to him. It was like we were on some secret mission. "You two pick her up and carry her to your car. I'm going to assist Gabby in our distraction strategy." She gave Daisy a quick kiss on the cheek before leaving. "Call me when you get her home," she called out, walking out the door.

  "Alright, let's do this," Lane clapped his hands and ran his palms together. "How about you carry her, and I'll be the view blocker?"

  I nodded, gathering Daisy in my arms again with the blanket still wrapped around her. Surprisingly, no one was paying attention to the two guys carrying a body down the stairs.

  A laugh escaped me when I heard Gabby's ridiculously loud voice call out "body shots!" from the kitchen. Good job Gabby; body shots were always a great distraction.

  Lane, on the other hand, wasn't too happy with their plan. "Cora better not be doing any fucking body shots," he muttered under his breath, opening up the door to the garage.

  "Thanks dude," I said, resting her in my passenger's seat. I made sure she was buckled up before getting in the car.

  "Be careful,” Lane said, slapping the front of my hood, and I backed out of the garage. The driveway wasn't as packed as when I got there. The party was beginning to die down. I glanced down at the clock on my dash, noticing how late it was.

  I drove slow and took the back roads because I didn't want to risk us getting pulled over. A soft groan came from the passenger seat, and her head drifted back into the headrest as her eyes fluttered shut. The drive remained silent with the few exceptions of her moans.

  "Don't take me home," she finally whispered, and I gave her a fleeting look. "I don't want them to tell my parents."

  "Huh?" I looked at her incredulously, not knowing what to do. "Where do you want to go then?"

  Her body shifted in the seat, but her eyes stayed shut. "I think I changed my…." Words stopped when her hands clasped over her mouth. Fuck, that could only mean one thing.

  A chilly wind rushed into the car when the passenger door flew open and the top half of her disappeared. I turned the steering wheel until we were parked on the side of the dimly lit road. The sound of her heaving up the contents of her stomach echoed through the dark night. I unbuckled my seatbelt, leaned over, and grabbed as much of her hair as I could hold back. She continued to let loose, and I rubbed my hands down her back, hoping she was making it out of my car.

  Another grumble came from outside of the car and then the heaving subsided. Releasing her hair, I opened up the glove compartment and grabbed a handful of napkins from my food run. She plopped back against the seat and shut the door.

  "You good?" I asked, handing over the napkins.

  "Sure," she muttered against the napkin at her mouth. "So gross." I watched her face twist up in revulsion, and she balled the napkin up in her hand before setting it in the cup holder. "I can't believe I just got sick in front of you."

  "It's happened to the best of us," I reassured, trying to make her feel better. Shit, I'd lost count of how many times I've puked on myself, people, and other shit. I patted her thigh with my hand gently, but instantly removed it when I felt her entire body tense up at my touch.

  Cursing myself for my stupidity, I put the car back in drive and drove down the street while she violently tugged on her damn dress and avoided all eye contact.

  We have three options," I said, holding a finger up. "One, I can take you home." She flashed those dark eyes at me, shaking her head at option one. I held up another finger. "Two, I can take you back to the party and you can stay at Lane or Cora's?" She shook her head a second time. A third finger went up. "Or three, you can stay at my house." She didn't say anything for a minute while she contemplated the options in her head.

  "Your house it is," she answered, resting her head down on my console.

  The night was about to get much more interesting.

  DAISY

  Chapter Ten

  I loved these dreams. I knew they were bad for me, but I always wanted more.

  I rubbed my leg along the warm skin tangled against mine. Every nerve in my body came alive. Sliding against the sheets, I snuggled closer into his touch, sensing the hot hand run up my leg slowly, leaving a trail of goose bumps in its path.

  He stopped at my thigh, rubbing it lightly, and then hitched it over his waist. My head fell back against the bed, my breathing growing heavier. I slid my trembling hands up his hard chest, tracing the hard indentations of his six-pack. He moaned loudly, creeping his hands down my ass to pull me into him harder. Sighing in pleasure, I stroked my fingers over his bare chest and down his thigh before briefly sliding them between his legs and over the thin material covering him, feeling his excitement.

  Another groan from him. I leaned back, allowing him to push into me harder, giving me the full feel of the arousal I was giving him. I spread my legs wider, an invitation to give me more. My skin trembled with anticipation as his large hands moved up my waist and underneath my shirt.

  The dream, it felt so real. I missed the feeling of someone else’s skin against mine and hands discovering every inch of my body. My senses kicked into overdrive as we continued our pleasure game of who could press into each other the hardest. The throbbing between my legs grew antsy, and I knew I was close, so close, to feeling something I hadn’t in months. I was ready to experience that feeling I’d been craving from Tanner more than anything, and I was going to get it from this dream. My mouth released one more moan as I prepared for the final moment of pleasure until a wet, sloppy tongue licked the side of my face.

  What the hell?

  My eyes flew open at the same time another lick came my way, this time across my nose. I glanced up to see the small face of a tiny dog above me panting. I froze, terrorized that I’d been romantically dreaming of being in bed with a dog. I had to still be dreaming. I didn’t have a dog.

  A
chuckle beside me snapped me back into reality, assuring me I was clearly awake. I wasn’t in my bed. I had no clue whose dog it was. More importantly, I needed to find out who the laughing voice belonged to. But I was terrified to know at the same time.

  I inhaled a deep breath, slowly lifted up my head, and gasped. My non-dream guy was NOT Tanner. Instead, my slut bag neighbor was lying next to me with his head perched on his arm, sporting a huge grin across his smug face.

  I glared into his green eyes that were staring straight back, awaiting my reaction. My body sprang out of his bed like I was on fire. "What. The. Fuck. Keegan!" I screeched out each word, running my hands through my hair, which was weirdly sticky. Ew. How did that happen? No more vodka for this girl.

  “Good morning to you too, sunshine," he said, looking up from the bed with a twinkle in his eye. "Do all girls really freak the fuck out like this in the morning? Thank God I never let them spend the night."

  He raised up, leaning his head against the padded headboard behind him. My gaze drew down his body to the blanket only covering up his lower half, giving me a full view of the six-pack I'd just been molesting with my hands earlier. Damn, the boy was ripped. Like unreal ripped.

  I shook my head, trying to get rid of the awful thoughts that were trailing through my mind. No, stupid horny girl. You cannot jump back into his bed and straddle your neighbor. I hated when my loneliness called out to me.

  That, or I was still drunk.

  Maybe both.

  Guilt swept over me. I was just in bed with someone who wasn’t Tanner. My heart began to race, causing me to grow panicky.

  "What am I doing here?" I hissed out at him, cringing when my brain suddenly rattled against my skull. My hands moved up to my temples, trying to rub some of the pain away. I felt like I’d been smacked upside the head with a frying pan.

  "You don't remember?" he asked, tilting his head to the side.

  "If I did, I wouldn't be asking you."

  The tiny dog that had been bathing my face got up and curled up against Keegan’s side. My question went unanswered while he gave the dog a few pets down his back. I racked my brain in an attempt to remember everything that had happened last night at the party.

  Power Puff costumes, check.

  Witnessing Piper go all bitchy on Cora, check.

  Drinking too much vodka and ignoring Gabby's protests against it, dumbass double check.

  Everything after that was a blur as to how I found myself in Keegan's bed.

  I raised my hand up, forgetting about my headache, and smacked it against my forehead, causing me to wince out in pain. Idiot.

  He stretched out his arms. "You came here because you drank too much and didn’t want to get in trouble. That's about it."

  "We didn't uh ..." My voice trailed off, waiting for him to finish my sentence. My eyes roamed around his bedroom, looking everywhere but at him.

  His room had to be the master bedroom because it was gigantic. The walls were painted a light gray similar to mine. A few posters and pictures hung along the walls, but there was nothing personal. No pictures, sports memorabilia, or anything like what used to be in Tanner's room. It was pretty tidy for a guy's room, except for a tiny pile of clothes lying on the floor.

  I looked back and forth to each wall three times, still waiting on his answer, and getting nothing. There was no way in hell my mouth was going to say those words out loud for him.

  "No Daisy," he rasped, blowing out a breath. "We didn't fuck last night, so you can settle your fine ass down."

  Well, I wasn't thinking those exact words, but it didn't surprise me he’d call it "fucking." That's all he did with girls. I exhaled loudly at his confirmation. Now, I just needed to get the hell out of there.

  I raced around the side of the bed, stepping over the pile of clothes on the floor, and rushed towards the door. Keegan jumped out of bed at the same time, beating me to my destination. The small rat below us started to jump around on his hind legs, barking, and causing my head to throb harder.

  Keegan’s bare-chest formed a barrier between the door and me. His lips turned into a smirk as he crossed his arms across his chest. My eyes trailed down his body, fully taking in his clothes, or lack thereof. The only thing covering him was a pair of boxer briefs hanging low on his hips, showing off the deep V that disappeared below them.

  “And where do you think you’re going?” he asked. The tiny dog continued to yap, jumping around in circles in an attempt to make my head explode. Keegan’s fingers snapped loudly, getting the dog’s attention. “No bark,” he commanded, pointing his finger down at the suddenly silent, obedient dog.

  "Uh home," I spat out like duh. I attempted to maneuver around his body to get through the door, but he stopped me by putting an arm on each side of the doorframe. I stepped back, watching his chest move with laughter. Asshole.

  “What's so funny?" I demanded, narrowing my eyes. My hand was itching to smack the smile off his face.

  "You see," he started to explain, leaning back on the heels of his feet. "It would be very interesting to watch you walk through your front door and explain why you're wearing that."

  I followed his gaze skimming down my body. Oh hell, the asshole had a point. A t-shirt two sizes too big covered my upper half while an oversized pair of Nike shorts with the drawstring pulled tight was wrapped around my waist. Neither item belonged to me, but I had a hunch of who the owner was.

  "Now I can't be positive," he continued, his index finger moving to the edge of his mouth in a sarcastic gesture, "but I think that might be a dead giveaway you didn't stay at Cora's last night. Unless Cora has turned into a guy and in that case, I’d better let my cousin know."

  Shit. If my parents found out I was out partying all night, they’d most likely force me to come home.

  "Where's my bag?" I asked, ready to fix this. He opened his mouth to say something, but I held my hand up. “Hold on, how the hell did I get out of my clothes and into yours?"

  "How do you know they're mine?”

  “Don't be an idiot. Answer my question.” My hand went to my hip and I kicked my leg out to the side.

  "Whoa, calm down there. You're going to scare Theo." Theo jumped at the sound of his name and nuzzled his head against Keegan's foot. "I had to change your clothes because you were so wasted off your ass you could barely stand, let alone take your clothes off. I didn't think you’d want to sleep in puke and beer covered clothes, so I changed them. Plus, there was no way in hell I was letting you in my bed covered in that dirty shit."

  The excruciating pain in my head magnified, and insecurity sunk into my thoughts of him seeing me naked. Warmth filled my cheeks, wondering what he’d thought about what he saw and how I compared to all the other girls he's seen.

  "Don't worry," he said, holding up his fingers in some sort of oath. "I didn't look at anything. Scouts honor.”

  I snorted. "You're far from a boy scout."

  "True, but I did eat the Brownies."

  I shoved his shoulder. "I was a Brownie, you jackass. Now, where is my bag?”

  “I'm not really sure. I didn't have the chance to get it last night."

  That meant it was most likely still over at Cora's house. I needed to talk to her or Gabby. I needed to know what went down at Lane’s party, and there was no way I was going to embarrass myself by asking Keegan the questions I didn’t necessarily want to know the answers to.

  "Did you happen to grab my phone from Cora's car?"

  "No, sorry.” He left the doorway and headed towards the dresser to grab his phone. “Yo, we need Daisy’s shit and her phone. Ask Cora if she knows where it's at." Tapping the screen, he ended the call and walked back to the bed, throwing his phone down on the nightstand. "I just left Lane a message, but they're probably still passed out." He looked over at me. "Which is exactly what we should be doing since it's eight in the fucking morning and we were up all night. We'll get your stuff when he calls back, but for now get your ass back in bed." He crawled
back underneath the blankets.

  “You must be drunk if you think I’m getting back in there with you after what just happened.” I was terrified my body would betray me again and I’d rape him in his sleep or something. Lack of intimacy is bad for a girl.

  "Look, I'm sorry. You were rubbing that hot little body all over me. I’m a guy, of course I’m going to react.”

  I stood there, staring at the floor, pondering the few options I had. Going home and having to explain why I didn't have my phone or bag was out of the question. “Do you have a guest room?” I massaged my fingers through my hair and let out a long yawn.

  Problem solved. I would get a few more hours of sleep, not in a bed where Keegan was lying half-naked, while we waited for Lane to call back.

  He propped his elbow down on his pillow to hold up his head. "Seriously? Get in the damn bed. I’m tired. Theo will lay in-between the two of us to make sure there are no wandering hands.” Theo barked once in confirmation, peering up at me, and jumped back on the bed. His head fell down on the pillow next to Keegan’s. "It's early, and neither one of us has gotten any sleep."

  Sighing, I walked back around the bed hesitantly, watching Keegan smile in his victory. Creeping in underneath the sheets, I wrapped the warm blanket around my body before drifting back into a deep sleep.

  ***

  “Keegan,” I whispered, shaking him in order to get his attention, but he continued to snore. I was going to murder whoever kept calling. I studied him sleeping; his arm covered his eyes, giving me a clear view of his chest. The words, “Still I Rise,” were scrawled across his chest in black ink.

  The phone rang again, causing me to shake him once more, but he didn’t stir. “Keegan!” I finally screamed, losing my patience.

  He jumped at the sound of his name. “What?” he asked, eyeing me curiously. I pointed to the ringing phone. “Fuck,” he groaned, twisting around to answer it without looking at the caller. “What?” His scratchy voice asked the person on the other end. “Goodbye, Piper.” He tossed the phone back on the table. Of course, Piper was blowing up his phone while I was lying in bed with her fuck buddy. “That chick drives me fucking nuts. Did you get some sleep?”