by Layla Frost
“Don’t judge me!” I said through my own laughter.
“You know they’re considered good luck?”
“I don’t care. Everyone loves them, but they freak me out. They aren’t even all ladies! I don’t trust a bug that starts out lying to me!”
His laughter grew, his already beautiful face becoming breathtaking.
“Whatever,” I muttered, bending to kiss his abs.
“You’re seriously fuckin’ cute,” he said, still laughing at me. “Fuck, I love you.”
Love.
Did he just say love?
I sat up quickly.
And kept going.
My momentum continued and I fell off the bed, landing flat on my back with a thump.
“Shit. You okay?” Kase asked, his head hanging over the bed. His eyes searched mine as he reached out.
I nodded, taking his outstretched hand and yanking.
Hard.
Already leaning over the bed, Kase fell the rest of the way, though he did a better job at catching himself than I had.
His hands on the floor next to my shoulders kept his weight off me. “Was hoping you’d fall for me, too, ipo, but this wasn’t what I had in mind.”
Wrapping my legs around his thighs, I leaned up. “I love you, too.”
His eyes closed slowly and he dropped his forehead to mine. “Say it again.”
“I love you.”
“Loved you for a while, Harlow. Needed you for even longer. Never thought I’d have this. Like a fuckin’ dream.”
His mouth took mine in a bruising kiss. Shifting away just long enough to whip the t-shirt off me, his body covered mine. His hand went under my ass, tilting my pelvis up. His other one cupped the back of my head, cushioning it from the floor.
Entering me fast and rough, there was no savoring. His body moved against mine, the friction almost too much on my overstimulated body.
There was a new level to it, well beyond the sensation change that came from the lack of condom. Our connection, the closeness we’d spent months developing was stronger than I’d have ever dared to dream.
Pushing his dreads back, I wrapped my arms around his shoulders and leaned up to kiss him. I bit his full lower lip, sucking before slowly releasing it. When I lifted my legs to get better access to his mouth, his cock moved deeper in me.
All thoughts of kissing flew from my mind.
Instead, I wrapped my legs around him and held the fuck on.
My breaths came in small, uneven bursts. Thoughts racing, body trembling, my orgasm tore through me. I dropped down to my back, his hand preventing me from cracking my head on the floor.
Lowering himself to press tight against me, Kase kissed my shoulder, his tongue trailing up my neck. His pelvis and coarse hair ground against my clit as he rocked into me.
By the time I finished coming, it was already growing again. The tension settled low in my belly, my hips undulating.
The force of his thrusts increased, moving me up the carpet.
“Sit up,” Kase ordered, his voice tight with restraint.
“Huh?”
Going to his knees, he gripped my hips. His fingers dug in. “I’m about to go harder. Go up on your hands, unless you want rug burn.”
My eyes widened, his words cutting through my lust haze. “Harder?”
“Up, ipo.”
I lifted my back off the ground. Leaning on my hands, I looked down.
“Oh God,” I breathed, my body tightening.
Kase’s head fell back as he inhaled sharply. Returning his eyes to me, his hooded gaze was predatory. “Watch me fuck you, Harlow.” His words were sharp, clipped. “Take what’s mine. What I need.”
The contrast of his golden skin against my pale was erotically sexy. His length disappearing into me, over and over, was captivating. I couldn’t breathe from the pleasure of it. The intensity.
The beauty.
I tried to keep my eyes open, but they closed as it built again. More powerful than the last, more than ever, I was lost to it. To any thought or feeling other than Kase.
“Love you,” I whimpered on a moan.
My muscles strung tight as pleasure raced through me. Down my legs and back up, my heated body pulsed.
Using his hold, Kase slammed my hips down to meet his. He lost his rhythm, his powerful thrusts erratic as he moved. Wrapping his strong arms around me, he pulled me chest to chest.
I bit the tendon in his shoulder, needing to taste him. My nails raked down his back as I exploded.
Grunting harshly in my ear, he buried himself deep and came.
Collapsing back against the side of the bed, Kase tenderly held my sore body to him. He pressed his lips against the top of my head, his breathing just as heavy and irregular as mine. “Love you, ipo.”
Love.
“When my dad died, I freaked,” I blurted out, my head still pressed against his chest.
Yeah, this is definitely sexy pillow talk. Maybe I should also go into graphic detail about the time I had the flu, and then tell him my highlight reel of embarrassing stories.
All while dressed like Gandalf.
As much as I didn’t want to talk about any of it, I knew I had to. My inability to open up would always be a box between us. By sharing more, I hoped it showed how much he meant to me.
How much I loved him.
I listened to the sound of his pounding heart, focusing on that instead of my words. “He was young. He worked as an accountant, so his job wasn’t physically demanding. And he was in awesome shape. Went to the doctor, took vitamins, worked out, ate right. All the stuff people are supposed to do. But it didn’t matter.”
“What happened?” Kase asked, his voice so soft it almost hurt to hear.
“Basically, it was a heart attack. The sac around his heart thickened so much it couldn’t beat properly. He’d never had any issues, wasn’t at risk for it. He was at work, and then…” The lump in my throat grew too big for me to talk. Tears burned the back of my eyes and I focused on Kase’s heart.
Steadily beating.
Healthily beating.
After a few deep breaths, I started again. “He’d been fine that morning. He kissed us goodbye, and literally whistled as he left.”
Kase’s arms tightened around me.
“You get it, though.” I looked up at him. “It’s one thing to expect it. To know your parents are getting up there in age, or they’re sick, or something. But to have them just leave for work one day, and then they’re gone? You get that.”
He nodded. “Yeah, I get that.”
“Mom had just started to get sick. Hadley was a baby, Dad was gone, and she was pushing herself too much. That’s why I got it about your sister. Having Hads around gave me purpose. Something to focus on other than the loss. That’s what you were for Willa; a reason to try.”
“You’re probably right.” Kase wrapped a strand of my hair around his finger, twirling and releasing it. “Hate that you went through that, Harlow.”
“You went through it, too, though. Worse.” I thought back to what he told me, the way he lost his parents and Willa. A lump of grief formed in my throat, making my words sound choked. “So much worse.”
“It’s not a competition. Life hits people differently, they feel it differently, deal with it differently. Even if it was the same exact situation, two people wouldn’t have the same exact reaction.”
He was right, of course. There were so many times I felt like an overacting drama queen for being sad. People dealt with stuff way worse than I could even imagine, but they pushed on.
Sometimes I needed the reminder that it was okay to just feel. That I didn’t have to justify or hide my emotions.
“Tell me more about your dad,” Kase prompted softly.
I hated talking about him. There was a finality that couldn’t be avoided. It wasn’t ‘he is’. It would never be that again. It would always be ‘he was’.
And that sucked.
“He was amazin
g.” I forced the words out. “Kinda quiet, which he’d joke was good because, between Mom and me, he wouldn’t have gotten a word in anyway. He was patient, too. He’d sit with me for hours helping with math. The daughter of an accountant, and it was the only class I ever struggled with.”
Kase stayed quiet, but I could tell he was listening to every word.
He always did.
“And he loved Mom.” Tears filled my eyes as I shook my head. “God, he loved her. They were opposites in almost every way. The mild-mannered accountant and the spitfire. Mom’s gorgeous and always has been. Dad was handsome, but not like her. But he made her think. Made her laugh. He made her happy.” I sighed. “And now she’s with David.”
“He doesn’t make her happy?”
“I dunno. It’s different. They’re a lot more alike, actually. You’d think that’d make them more compatible, but…” I shrugged.
“You don’t like him.” It was more statement than question.
“Nope. But that’s not really on him. I was glad Mom found someone else. I didn’t expect her to be alone forever, pining over the memory of Dad. And David’s not the worst person in the world. They’ve been married over a year, and he’s crazy in love with her.”
“He’s just not your dad.”
“Exactly. Mom and Dad were it. They made romance movies look ho-hum. I used to be embarrassed by Dad always touching her butt, or her giggling at whatever he was whispering. When I was old enough to appreciate how rare that love is, it gave me relationship goals. And then, like the universe decided I needed a reality bitch slap to the face, he was gone. After that, my priorities changed.”
Kase’s hands ran along the curve of my waist. The action was soothing, yet possessive. “How so?”
“I became focused on school and work, and eventually stopped dating. It wasn’t that I was afraid of commitment, I just didn’t have time. Until you, of course.”
“And still you made me work for it.”
“Well, yeah.” I cupped his cheek. “If I made it too easy, your ego would’ve been out of control.”
He turned and kissed my palm. “True.”
Dropping my head back to his chest, I let the sound of his heart calm me. “I was scared with you. I think maybe ‘cause I knew I could get attached to you in a way that would seriously suck to lose. I’d always figured, best case scenario, I’d eventually settle down and be happy enough. But with you, it’s more.” I inhaled deeply and finished my rambling. “And, basically, I love you and you make me happy and I’m glad you love me too.” I sat up really fast and forced a smile. “Okay, ready to go tackle some ladybugs?”
His brow went up, cutting some of the intensity on his face. “You gonna help with that?”
“Uhh, no.” I held up my finger. “I will, however, stay in here with the door closed and do my ‘ewww, so creepy’ dance.”
“Deal.” Curling his hand around my neck, Kase pulled my forehead to his. “Never in a million years thought I’d have it like this. Used to see Piper and Jake together and be fuckin’ jealous as hell. It wasn’t about her, just what they had. That easiness. Love isn’t supposed to be all work. Isn’t supposed to drag you down, tie you in knots, and not let you breathe.”
I knew exactly what he was talking about. Even if I was a cynic about love, being around Piper and Jake for five minutes would give me hope.
“Best case scenario?” Kase continued. “Got grilling steaks on my deck with my woman and my brothers. Sweet laughter, fuckin’ ridiculous noodles, and lani pussy.” His voice dropped to a whisper. “What I got is far beyond a best case scenario. It’s moeʻuhane. A dream.”
All the heaviness of what we’d shared settled between us, binding us tighter together.
Lowering his mouth to mine, Kase kissed me hard and deep.
We still went to the movies, it just ended up being a later showing.
Much later.
*******
Balls.
Shit, hell, ass, fuck.
For a week and a half, my life had been easy. I slept in, did whatever I wanted for most of the day, and worked some nights at Rye.
And I did all of that with the knowledge that Kase loved me, so it was extra flippin’ awesome.
I didn’t worry about money, school, or work. I wasn’t even stressing about Mom or Hadley because they were happy, too.
Life was good.
Obviously, too good.
Though I wasn’t supposed to work until the next night, I’d gotten a begging call from a desperate Rhys because half of the Tuesday staff had called off. Since my only plans involved junk TV and snuggling the dogs until Kase got home, I was cool with going in.
My car wasn’t.
Turning the key in the ignition, I hoped the piece of shit would start.
Nothing.
Not even a click or a half-assed rev.
I dropped my head to the steering wheel. “Come on, baby. You know you wanna turnover for me. It’ll be like it used to be. Please?”
I tried again, but still nothing.
“Fine. You’re a whore and I like Kase’s car better. So there.”
I grabbed my phone from my bag and texted Rhys before calling Kase.
“You okay?” he asked as soon as the call connected.
“Yeah, except I’m supposed to be on my way to Rye. Instead, I’m sitting in your driveway because my car won’t start.”
His voice got muffled as Kase pulled the phone away to yell something. I could only hear Key’s name. “You still there?” he asked me.
“Where else would I be? Car’s dead, remember?”
He chuckled. “We’ll be right there.”
“Sorry to pull you away.”
“Don’t sweat it. Enjoy one of the many perks of dating a mechanic.”
Hanging up the phone, I tried the ignition one last time. When nothing happened, I gave up and got out, slamming the door with more force than was necessary.
I sat on the hood, scrolling through my texts and Facebook until I heard someone pull into the driveway. I hopped off when I saw Kase and Key getting out.
Key gave me a chin lift and held up his hand as they approached. Catching the keys I tossed to him, he started looking over my car. His face remained its usual blank, but I swore I could see his sneer of disgust.
Gripping my ass, Kase turned my body toward him. “You good?”
I nodded. “Just hoping the problem is an easy fix.”
Auto work was expensive. Even if Kase or one of the guys did the work for a steep friends and family discount, I wasn’t sure if it was worth it. At that point, it would be like sticking a piece of tape across a hole in the Hoover Dam.
Not duct tape, either. Just the flimsy masking tape kind that starts to fall off as soon as it’s on.
The hood dropped down, the loud noise startling me.
Wiping his hands on a towel, Key shook his head. He looked like a surgeon breaking bad news. “It’s a no-go.”
“You sure?” Kase asked.
“I could pull out the engine,” he started.
Oh, good, he can replace some of the doohickeys with the thingamabobs and the automotive jargon.
I tried to follow along as Kase and Key went back and forth, but I was completely lost.
“I’m not up to date on all my car lingo,” I said, drawing their attention, “but I’m gathering all of this would be more work than it’s worth.”
Key nodded. “I’m happy to do it, don’t get me wrong. But there’s no guarantee it’ll do any good. And even if it does, it’ll be a temporary fix.”
“So I should pull the plug.”
Balls.
Kase’s arm around me tightened. “Use my car.”
“I can’t drive stick and I don’t think it’s something I can learn before I’m due at work.” I looked at the time on my phone. “Especially since that was an hour ago.”
Seeing the text icon at the top of my screen, I opened up my messages.
Rhys: Got so
me staff in, you’re good. Sorry about the car. Let me know if you need tomorrow off.
“Never mind, looks like I’ve got the night off after all.”
My brain ran through my account information, the likelihood I would find a reliable car for what I could pay, and it being available to drive right off the lot.
I’d nearly failed statistics, but even I knew it wasn’t probable.
“Wanna junker from Hyde?” Key asked, cutting off my panic before it could fully bloom. “We keep a few cars around to practice on.”
“How much?”
“Nothing.” Before I could argue, he continued. “We just scrap them when we’re done, so it’s no biggie. I think we have at least one in decent condition.” He rubbed the rusted hood of my car. “Not compared to this beauty, of course.”
I looked up at Kase. “Thoughts?”
He rubbed the back of his neck. “Why don’t we go to some dealerships tomorrow, and I’ll help—”
I turned back to Key. “I’ll take one.”
*******
“I’m so taking a nap when we get home.” I yawned and leaned back against the headrest, closing my eyes.
Way too early for my liking, Kase had hauled my ass out of bed to go register the new car. While we were gone, Key and Eli were dropping it off and towing away my old one.
I was glad Kase insisted on coming with me. Not only had he made the DMV kinda bearable, but he also took care of most of the work.
Registering a car wasn’t tricky. Fill out some forms, have the title and insurance, and that was about it. I’d done it on my own twice before.
But being capable of handling something was a lot different than actually wanting to.
“Coffee didn’t do the trick?” Kase asked, resting his hand on my thigh.
“Mmm,” I mumbled. “It kept me up this long.”
“You closing tonight?”
“Yeah.” I rolled my head to look at him, not having the energy to lift it. “You heading to work?”
He nodded. “I’ll come in and have dinner, see you.”
“I love when you do that.”
His hand on my leg tightened, though he didn’t respond verbally.
When we pulled into the driveway, I didn’t see a car waiting.