“I wonder who they’re talking about?” she said.
“Probably someone who doesn’t want to be found.”
She didn’t comment further. I didn’t want to lie to her any more than I had. Though I wasn’t one hundred percent sure, they were probably talking about me.
We got to the pharmacy.
“I don’t want you to think I’m forcing you to take this.”
Her eyes were full of what looked like fear.
“I’m not ready for kids. Are you?”
I shifted my head side to side. She gave me a shy smile and we walked in. Though I’d given her a hundred dollars, not sure how much it cost, I kept my arm around her as we asked for it. She’d said she could do it alone. But I’d reminded her that we were together when it happened, so we’d be together through the end of it.
Later, after Biscuit went home for a while, I called Mom to tell her about the reporter.
“I heard,” she said. “Dad’s campaign manager has people on it. They don’t know anything yet.”
“I think someone’s been taking pictures of me.” I told her about the two incidents.
“Nothing’s shown up on the internet.”
She promised to work on squashing any rumors. “Someone suggested we hint that our son is at school in California.”
“Do you think this is about my father?”
“I don’t know. But we have that covered too. And Tade?”
“Yes.”
“You can go see him if you want. There’s still time.”
I thought about how he hadn’t reached out to me over the years. He’d passed me to the half-sister he’d only just met without a backward glance.
“I’ll let you know,” I said, before hanging up.
Later that night, Biscuit’s fingers strolled up and down my chest. It felt like ages since that first and only time I’d been balls deep inside her and my dick was doing a happy dance she was so close.
“I thought maybe we could spend the rest of spring break together at my parents’ lake house.”
With reporters and cameramen around, a change of scenery would be good.
“Funny you should ask. It just so happens that Megan said she was going home after all.”
“Yeah, Gavin said the same thing.” We traded glances before bursting out laughing. “I guess you’re thinking what I’m thinking.”
Her head bobbed and she lifted a hand to finger-comb through her hair. “They are so hooking up and not telling us.”
My thoughts exactly. I stroked a finger down her cheek and she bit her lip.
“Do you want to go?”
She nodded. The stare I leveled on her could have melted steel. I claimed her mouth the way I planned to claim her pussy.
I blazed a path down her neck, hitting that sweet spot that made her back arch with a squeal and then moan in delight. My hands worked her shirt high enough so I could taste her nipples. They tightened under my tongue as I worked a hand into her underwear.
A finger was all it took to let me know she was ready. Together we scrambled to get her shorts off as well as mine.
Then her phone chimed. She stopped and scooped it up.
“Hello.” Her voice came out clipped, and not worried as I’d expected.
I couldn’t hear the words from the other end, but I did hear that the timbre of the voice wasn’t sweet and feminine. It was deep with a rasp, and I swear I hoped her mother had a bad cold.
“Dad, I can’t do this right now.” Her posture was rigid as she sat on the edge of the bed with her back to me.
I placed my hand on her back and began to rub circles in order to offer comfort. She stiffened under my touch for a second before she relaxed.
“Look, I’m not alone…Yes, I’m with Tade.” More words were said. “Thanks. Is Mom okay?” Another long pause. “Yes, I understand. I love you. Tell Mom the same.”
She placed the phone on the bed a second before she placed it next to mine on the bedside table.
A soft sound left her body before a small shudder ran through it. I sat up immediately, recognizing the motion. I tugged her into my lap after I moved beside her. I cradled her against me, needing to ease whatever tensions she had.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.” Her response was far too quick.
“You can tell me anything.”
She sighed. “My mom thinks that the world is going to end if I continue to see you. But Dad says it’s my choice.”
Though it killed me, I said it anyway.
“I don’t want to be the cause of a fight between you and your mom.” Then, I admitted something I hadn’t even told Gavin. “I grew up most of my life without mine.”
Wide eyes turned to face me. Her cheeks were damp, and I wiped the wetness away.
“But I thought you said you spoke to her this morning.”
“Biologically, she’s my aunt. But she’s been Mom to me.”
She stared at me. “You’ve never told that to anyone before, have you?” I shook my head. “Thank you for trusting me.”
It was more than trust.
“And no, I don’t want to break up with you. You’re the best thing that’s happened to me.”
I went for her mouth, tugging her shirt off after. Maybe I couldn’t yet say the words, but I would show her exactly what I felt.
40
REAGAN
The second time was the same or maybe even a little better than the first. He started with his mouth between my legs, giving me pleasure like I’d never had before. Then ended it buried inside me, making me feel alive.
On the drive to his parents’ place, I replayed the memory and the delicious ache that I still felt as I watched the scenery fly by.
When he pulled up the drive, the beauty of the place was jaw dropping. Even though tall golden grass covered the yard, it was stunning as it reflected off the surface of the lake.
“I spend a lot of time here. When I’m not at school, I’m generally here.”
I could only imagine what it was like. My house was pretty small and his home away from home was huge. What did their house look like?
He helped me out of the car and then got our bags. I surveyed the place. We hadn’t talked much about our families, and besides the luxury of his car, I hadn’t asked about his financial background, because it didn’t matter.
I just wasn’t sure how to react to the opulence of the place. It was large, perched at the top of a small hill with unobstructed views of the lake down below. The lawns immediately around the house were manicured. But the descent beyond the driveway ran rampant with wild grass that gave the place more of a rustic feel.
Trees to the left of the house were dense and filled the area so I couldn’t tell if there was another house nearby. From where we stood, it was almost like he owned the entire lake on this side.
“It’s beautiful here,” I said.
“It sure is.”
He stared at me like he wasn’t taking about the house, the lake, or the view around us.
He reached out his hand and I took it. When we got close, we walked up a few stairs to the front door.
After he unlocked the door, he said, “Go ahead and take a look around. I’ll take your bag upstairs.”
I nodded, but then clutched at my stomach as queasiness took hold.
“What’s wrong?” Tade asked, quickly coming to my side.
The pill had nasty side effects like nausea.
“I just need a bathroom.”
“There’s one down here and several upstairs.”
“Closest one,” I said, hoping I didn’t lose my breakfast before I got there.
He did one better and led me there but didn’t force his way inside when I closed the door on him.
Luckily, the wave passed. I splashed water on my face before opening the door.
He stood there with a worried expression on his face.
“It was nothing. The pill just made me a little queasy. It could have b
een the long ride. But I promise you I’m fine.”
The instructions of the morning after pill warned of possible nausea and vomiting.
He relaxed some, but kept staring at me.
“What?” I asked, glancing down at the yellow top I wore.
He stroked a hand down my cheek. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
I lifted onto my toes and pressed my lips to his to reassure him. When I pulled back, a four-letter word hung in the air. But neither of us said it. It had been a couple of months since we’d first met. However, fear kept me from admitting it. I wanted to believe he felt the same way.
“You’re like the sun and I’ll forever be in your orbit.”
He leaned in and devoured me. He tasted like the sour apple candy I’d given him on the drive up.
He hoisted me up and I twined my legs around his waist. Somehow he managed to get me upstairs without us falling.
We ended up taking things slow, not in a hurry to remove our clothes, though I wouldn’t have been able to describe the room we were in. My eyes were only for him and the beautiful way his hair messily stood on end. I couldn’t wait to get a hold of it and I knew I would.
He took his time exploring every inch of me, from my collarbone to the swell of my breasts to the arches of my hips.
He took his time between my legs. His ministrations didn’t stop at one orgasm, but two. I tugged his hair, lost in sensation. When I came down, I glanced at my hands, afraid I’d pulled out a handful.
It didn’t seem to bother him as he crawled between my legs. He had a tight grip at the base of his cock.
“You make me greedy,” he said, glancing down at my center. His voice was deep, rough, and sexy as hell.
“You make me needy.”
I couldn’t believe I’d admitted that out loud, but as he slid inside me, I didn’t care.
I cupped his face, tasting me on his tongue. He pulled back, moved to my breast, and sucked in one bud. I moaned, because every time he did that, everything inside me boiled to a feverish pitch.
As he drove inside me, I wanted more. I dug my nails into his ass, egging him on.
“Reagan,” he called, a little desperate.
That place inside me coiled up tight, wanted to spring free. So I bucked against him, needing more pressure, more touch points on the electric places inside me.
“Tade…Please,” I begged, not sure how to ask for what I needed.
He did. The angle of his strokes changed and I detonated, shattering in a million pieces as my heart swelled to two times its size.
I might have been able to keep from saying it out loud, though I almost did. The truth of it was I was in love with him and my please had been a prayer that he was in love with me too. I wasn’t sure I could handle the fallout if he wasn’t.
41
TADE
Being with her was always more than it had been with anyone else. We ended up lying in bed with pizza and popcorn, watching a movie, before she finally drifted to sleep curled up next to me.
I took the time to draw patterns on her back and faced the feelings in my chest. I was pretty sure I was falling in love with her, if I wasn’t already there. Especially when the driving urge inside me was not finishing school or winning the next race—it was making her smile. As I coasted off to sleep, I didn’t think I liked the idea of not waking up with her in my arms.
The sun had barely shown its face when I got out of bed and shrugged on clothes. I was sure I could make it back before she woke up.
“Where are you going?” a sleepy voice asked.
Shocked, I stumbled a bit after trying to put the other leg in my shorts. “Sorry I woke you. I thought I’d get some training in this morning. It’s early. Go back to sleep.”
She sat up and the sheet fell away from her naked breasts. “Let me come with you.”
I groaned and closed my eyes. “Come, and with me,” I repeated and grasped my dick tightly. “You’re going to make me get back in bed with you.”
She flushed and bit at the corner of her mouth.
“That’s not helping.” I shook my head.
She got off the bed, pulled my shirt from my hands and put it over her head. Then she bent to our bags that sat untouched on the floor in front of my bureau. Her lovely ass was in the air, covered only by panties I didn’t remember her putting back on.
I rushed to press my cock against her sweet spot. She squealed and stood up with shorts in her hand. “No, no, no.” She waggled her finger in front of my face. “You said you needed to train. So what kind of training are we in for?”
It was cute—no, rather, she was cute. “I’m taking the boat around the lake a few times.”
Stepping into her shorts, she said, “And I’m coming with you.”
With a quizzical brow, I asked, “You are?”
“I am.”
Her smile made me give in. She followed me down the slope with only the birds making noises. The houses that dotted the shores of the still and glassy lake were all quiet. I positioned her at one end as I pushed the boat out into the water before getting in opposite her to reduce the risk of us capsizing.
I got the oars in position and began to scull. I had to admit, having her staring at me made it harder to row. Not that she weighed a lot, but her wearing my shirt and no bra made me want a different type of workout.
“I think I love it here,” she said.
I think I love you. The thought came before I had a chance to stop it. “Me too.”
She dropped her hand in the water, creating ripples. “Should you be timing yourself?”
“No. The purpose of this is strength and repetitive motion. I’ve got to keep my muscles trained for this movement.”
“You do this every day?”
“Every day I can. There are things I can do on land but nothing beats being in the water.”
I lost my rhythm when she took off her flip-flops and let a foot hang over the side to sink under the water. It left her center open somewhat and I wanted to be buried deep in there.
“Your eyes are so pretty,” she said lazily. Her gaze smoldered with something like sin.
I felt the cord of her gaze yank me from my lustful thoughts. “My eyes? What about them?”
“They’re green or gray depending on the light.”
“What color are they now?”
“Gray.”
I hadn’t shaved that morning and rubbed at the scruff that covered my face.
“I like it.”
“What?”
“That beard thing you have going.” She flushed. “It’s seriously sexy as hell.”
All thoughts of a workout disappeared.
“Come here,” I said, curling a finger at her. “I need to kiss you.”
She licked her lips before she started to move, rocking the boat.
Shit, I’d forgotten for a second where we were, I’d been so lost in her.
“Wait.” She stilled and I secured the oars inside the boat. “Together and slowly.”
It felt like we were fastened to each other like two sides of a zipper. The closer we came together, the tighter our connection. When we met in the middle, I shifted her to straddle my lap.
The sun had risen higher in the sky, but I needed to be inside her. I started to shift the thin shorts and her panties aside to drive inside her.
“Shit,” I groaned. “I don’t have a condom.”
She was as worked up as I was. “I took the morning after thingy. We should be good, right?”
What the hell did I know? “Yeah, I guess.”
I’d already hit the point of losing higher reasoning. I tore at the fabric and it broke under my needy hands.
“Yes,” she sighed, as she slid down my length.
“Fuck, either I’m not going to last or we’re going to end up in the lake.”
That didn’t stop me from hiking her up and slamming her down on my cock over and over again.
As shy as she was most of the time, she wa
s also determined and funny on occasion. “I suggest you work on balance then.”
“Wait.” I stilled her hips with my grip. I needed her to remain motionless not only so the boat would steady, but so I didn’t lose it on the next stroke.
I didn’t waste the moment, covering her mouth with mine. She kissed me fervently, trying to coax me to move. I shifted my hand in between her thigh and strummed her clit with my thumb like it was a guitar string. She cried out and it reverberated across the lake.
“Shh,” I murmured before claiming her mouth. “You’re going to wake the neighbors.”
I’d begun moving her up and down slowly so my breath hitched when I’d spoken.
Lost, she sighed, “Oh my…” before I swallowed the last of her words.
On autopilot, my shoulders and arms began working her like I would the oars, almost circular.
“Tade,” she whispered urgently.
I exerted more pressure on her nub and flicked it until I felt her tightening around me. It caused my own eruption with no way to stop it. Roughly, she tugged my hair as I came hard inside her. I groaned into her mouth, grinding her on me as her pussy milked me of every last drop.
42
PAST
There was no way to mark the passage of time. The walls were padded with a fabric that didn’t break under my nails. Besides, Adam didn’t like when Eve made a mess. The small amount of blood from raw nails that broke nothing but skin caused Adam to punish Eve in a way that made her not make a mess again.
In order to try and remember who I once was, I’d begun to think of Eve as the poor girl who was raped once a day at least, sometimes twice.
So when Eve began to gain weight, even though she’d only been given meals after she was good to Adam, somewhere inside me I understood.
As she had to stretch the food that was placed on the paper plate in order to stop the hunger that came throughout what she assumed was a day, there was no way her belly should start to grow.
Adam didn’t seem to notice until one day her belly was big enough there was no denying what was happening.
Because of Him Page 15