I tensed. “Hi.”
“Uh…” Cory cleared his throat. “Can we talk about the other night? I saw you over here studying earlier, but didn’t want to interrupt.”
I was trying to forget all about that ugly scene outside of the frat party where he said those awful things to Finn about him being nothing more than trailer park trash. Really freaking hard. It was kind of difficult to be the bigger person when I wanted to punch him for being so darn condescending to the man I loved.
No one insulted Finn and got away with it. Call me overprotective, and maybe I was more like Dad than I cared to admit, but I wanted to claw out Cory’s eyes.
I blew my hair out of my face and shoved my last book into my bag. It barely fit. “I don’t really think there’s anything to say.”
“Look,” Cory said quietly, his eyes lowered, “I’m sorry that I—”
“How’s your stomach, by the way?”
Cory flushed and shifted on his feet. “It’s fine. I don’t even really remember what happened that night. I was pretty drunk.”
“Yeah, I kind of noticed.” I headed down the stairs to the classroom’s exit, and he walked with me. “You said some pretty nasty things, you know.”
He stopped walking. “To you?”
“To Finn.” I looked at him out of the corner of my eye.
He totally relaxed when I told him it wasn’t me he hurt. The jerk.
Cory rubbed the back of his neck. For his part, he did at least look slightly ashamed of what he’d done. “I really don’t recall. I just remember waking up with a sore stomach and a copy of the police report I apparently filed. I feel horrible about the whole thing. You have to believe me.”
“I’m sure you do,” I said, gripping the shoulder strap of my bag even tighter. My anger faded away a little bit, but not all the way. “He’ll be outside waiting for me, so you can apologize to him if you want.”
He flushed and stumbled on a step. “Are you two…you know, back together?”
“Yeah, we are.” I pressed my lips together, feeling as if I needed to explain myself or something. “I know you thought we were—”
He laughed uneasily, but his red cheeks gave away his discomfiture on the topic. “I didn’t think anything. Really. It’s fine. I hope you’re happy with him. That’s all that matters.”
“No speeches about how it’ll fail this time?”
He lifted a shoulder and averted his eyes. “I think I said enough on this topic already, don’t you?”
“I guess you did, yeah.”
He opened the door for me and motioned me through. Today he seemed different. I lifted my head, squinting through the bright sun for any signs of Finn. And then I saw him.
He leaned against a huge palm tree, his bike parked behind him. He wore a pair of ripped blue jeans and a green T-shirt with a stick figure missing his back on the front. The other figure held it in his hand and smiled. It was funny and stupid and so Finn.
His tattoos flexed on his muscular arms, making me want to trace each one with my tongue, and I took a big step toward him.
Would that urge, that need for him, ever go away?
God, I hoped not.
I knew the exact moment he noticed me. His eyes warmed, and he ran his left hand over his short brown curls. His mouth tipped into a bright smile…that is, until his gaze skidded to the side and he noticed who was with me.
Then he looked less sunny and more dangerous. Go figure.
He tugged on his curls and he pushed off the tree, stalking toward me. As he crossed the grass, Cory stiffened beside me. “Is he going to hit me again?” he whispered.
“No, he wouldn’t do that.” I hesitated, watching the storm gather in Finn’s blue eyes, making them look almost gray. “I wouldn’t say anything cocky, though, if I were you.”
“God, no,” Cory said, straightening to his full height. “I’m not an idiot.”
That might be debatable, but I kept my mouth shut. He’d said he was sorry.
Finn reached us in record time, and he held his hand out for my bag. I gave it to him without a fight. As he slipped it over his own shoulder, he shot Cory a foul look.
“What the hell is Cody doing here?” Finn snapped, his entire body throwing off anger in heat waves.
I didn’t bother to correct him about Cory’s name. He knew darn well he’d said it wrong. I walked over to his side and rested a hand on his chest. “Finn, let him talk.”
“Why should I?” His heart thumped erratically beneath my hand, and he looked down at me, the anger softening slightly. “I’ve got nothing to say to him.”
“Because he has something to say to you.” I moved to Finn’s side, entwining his fingers with mine. Finn held on, his grip firm. “Cory, go ahead.”
“I’m…” Cory looked at me, pale. I nodded, giving him the encouragement he seemed to need. “I’m s-sorry I was a jerk the other night. Whatever I said…I didn’t mean it.”
“Oh, but I think you did.” Finn snorted. “Maybe, for the first time in your entire life, you were completely honest with me.”
Cory flushed. “Seeing as how I don’t even remember what I said, I can’t agree or disagree.”
“Let me enlighten you. You said that—”
I nudged Finn with my elbow a little harder than necessary. I could tell he was itching for a fight and would gladly give it to Cory if given the slightest provocation. “Finn.”
“Fine.” He sighed and smiled at Cory, but it came across as more predatory than friendly. “You’re forgiven. I won’t punch you, and you can go back to silently hating me and waiting for Carrie and me to fall apart. Deal?”
Cory choked on a laugh and took a step back from us. “Uh, yeah. Sure. Whatever you say, man.”
Finn narrowed his eyes at Cory. I tugged on his hand, trying to distract him, and started talking way too fast. “Well, now that that’s over and everyone is friends again…” Finn still didn’t look away from Cory, and Cory was growing paler by the second. I tugged harder. “Hello? Earth to Finn.”
Finn finally looked down at me, his hot eyes searing into mine. He seemed to shake off whatever he’d been thinking. “Yeah. I’m here.”
“Good.” I smiled at him, my heart skipping a beat when he placed his hand on the small of my back. His hard chest pressed against mine, making me want to press closer and rub up against him like a stripper doing a lap dance. “You ready?”
“Hell yeah,” Finn said, leading me toward his bike. He glanced over his shoulder, his brow furrowed, and his eyes on where Cory probably still stood. “That took a lot more self-control than I thought I had, I’ll have you know.”
“Why?”
“I don’t like him.”
“I know, but he’s harmless enough.”
“Yeah.” Finn snorted. “As harmless as a sniper.”
I looked back at Cory. He wore a lavender shirt, was going to school to become a doctor, and had manicured nails. He turned and walked away, his stride slow and laid-back, just like he was. Call me crazy, but that didn’t exactly scream dangerous thug to me. “I just don’t see what you see.”
“It’s simple, really. He likes you. I don’t like him,’” Finn said, grabbing my helmet off the bike. “Need I say more?”
He stuck my helmet under the crook of his elbow and smoothed my hair from my face. With his hands on either side of my head, he leaned down and pressed his mouth to mine, stealing my breath away with a simple kiss. My stomach twisted in knots, and my heart thudded in my ears.
When he pulled back, he ran his thumb over my lower lip and gave me a small smile. The way my body reacted to the simple touch, he might as well have stripped naked in the street. His blue eyes skimmed over my body, making me tense with anticipation. “Were you a good girl today?”
“Of course I was,” I answered instantly. “When am I not?”
“If you got down on your knees with my cock in your mouth,” he said, his gaze fastened on my mouth. “You’d be pretty damned bad then.”
“Finn.”
My cheeks heated and so did other parts of my body. Namely, in between my legs. I’d be lucky if I made it home before jumping his bones. And man, I wanted to do what he described now that he’d put the image in my head.
I wanted to kneel at his feet and taste him with my tongue, sucking him in deeper and deeper until he came in my—
“Hello?” He waved his hand in front of my face, his lips curved into a smile. “Did I break you?”
I licked my lips and he watched me hungrily, his gaze flashing as he read my expression. “Nope, not broken. I want to go home and do exactly what you just said, so hurry the heck up, will you?”
His eyes widened. “Fuck yeah.” He slid the helmet over my head, slammed his own on, and climbed onto the bike. “Climb on.”
Oh, I wanted to. And I would…as soon as I got rid of some clothes. It was the perfect time to do it, because most of my dorm mates were at dinner. “Hold on. I need two minutes.”
I grabbed the bundle of shirts I was donating, ran inside my building, and threw the clothes in the normal spot. Mom sent me way too many clothes, so I shared. No biggie. I darted back outside without being seen.
As I got on the bike behind him, I let my hands dip lower to his erection. Man, he was hard and ready and mine. He revved the bike and hissed when I closed my hand over him through his jeans. “Fuck, Ginger, keep that up and we won’t even make it home.”
“Then drive fast,” I said, resting my head on his shoulder. “Now.”
The tires squealed as we pulled away from the curb, and I laughed. When we got home, I planned on doing all the things I’d been dying to do since this morning. If I had it my way, we wouldn’t even say a freaking word once we cleared his door.
I needed him too badly.
I closed my eyes, enjoying the air whipping around us as he buzzed through the crowded streets, darting in between stopped cars as if we were invincible. And lately I’d been feeling pretty darn invincible. I felt like I could handle anything life threw at me from now on.
I had a freedom I’d never had before. My lifelong goals were all laid out and in motion, including acing classes and having a great GPA. I was making more and more friends every day. And to top it off, I had a hot, surfing, tattooed, bike-riding Marine for a boyfriend.
Even better? He loved me as much as I loved him.
We were invincible.
As long as we had each other.
As soon as I turned off the bike, she was standing and removing her helmet. After I took it from her, she held her hand out to me. The image of her there, the sun setting behind her and silhouetting her perfectness, was so fucking beautiful that I wanted to take a picture of it and carry it with me wherever I went.
I was never one for taking pictures, but she had changed a lot of things about me. Now I talked and forgave instead of kicking ass and asking questions later. Now I was a fucking softie, and I didn’t even mind.
If I had a camera in my pocket, I’d have snapped it right then and there. But no one carried around cameras anymore. Not with cell phones.
No shit, Sherlock. Use the fucking phone.
“Don’t move a muscle. Don’t even twitch a finger.” I hung the helmets on my bike and took out my phone, grinning at her. “Hey. I saw you blink.”
She shifted on her feet. “Blinking is kind of essential. Are you taking a picture of me?”
“Yep.” I grinned. “Isn’t that what boyfriends do?” I opened the camera app. “Take pictures and set it as their backgrounds or some shit like that?”
She laughed and I snapped the picture. She still was silhouetted perfectly, but she was smiling. Fucking perfect. Her hand dropped. “Let me see it.”
“Nope. It’s all mine.” I shoved the phone into my pocket and grabbed her hand, hauling her up against me. She rested her palm over my heart and I smiled down at her, so fucking happy it hurt. “Just like you are.”
She opened her mouth to talk, but I didn’t let her. Instead, I trapped her mouth under mine, swallowing the words. My mind returned to the odd phone call I’d gotten earlier. I’d called three more members of my unit, and none of them had gotten a call. Just me. I didn’t know what to expect or what it meant, but I needed to tell her about it.
Where were they sending me? And why? How long would I be gone? I had all these unanswered questions in my head, and it was driving me fucking insane. If they sent me away, I couldn’t be Carrie’s bodyguard. And if I wasn’t here, I couldn’t be with Carrie.
If I didn’t have Carrie to kiss every single morning…then who the hell was I? I wasn’t sure I wanted to know, but I had a feeling I was going to find out.
Her arms wrapped around my neck, dragging me closer, and I deepened the kiss before swinging her into my arms. As I walked up the pathway and up the stairs, I refused to break contact. I needed her as desperately as I had before I’d ever had her.
Maybe even more, if that was possible.
I unlocked my door and kicked it open, then shut it with my hip. Even though I wanted to carry her straight to my bed, I didn’t. I needed to tell her about the strange call I’d gotten first. No more secrets. No more waiting.
She tried to kiss me again, but I stepped back and unwound her arms from my neck. “Hold on. We need to talk.”
“Why?” She bit down on her lower lip. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing too serious.” I cupped her cheek, running my thumb across her lower lip. I loved doing that. Loved seeing her smile, and the faint freckles that danced along her cheekbones when she did. Loved seeing her light up when she helped another person. Loved seeing her on a surfboard. Fuck, I loved her. “I got a phone call from my commanding officer. I have to report to base this weekend.”
She blinked at me. “But it’s the wrong weekend, isn’t it?”
“It is.” I hesitated and tugged on my hair. I’d have to cut it again. “I don’t know what he wants with me, but he mentioned a possible deployment.”
She lowered her eyes. “You mean war?”
“I’m not sure yet.” I cleared my throat and met her eyes. “The thing is, I called a bunch of guys from my unit, and none of them have to go in. It’s just me.”
She shook her head. “But what does that mean?”
“I have no fucking clue,” I said, reaching up and playing with her hair. I loved the way it felt against my fingers. “It could mean ten million things. I really have no way of knowing until I go and hear the news. But there’s definitely something going on.”
She nodded, her eyes never leaving mine. “Is this a bad thing or a good thing?”
“I really can’t say,” I said, shrugging. “I can speculate and freak you out with all the what ifs, but until I go and hear the news? It’s pointless. I just didn’t want to not tell you.”
“Thank you for being honest right away,” she said, after letting out a sigh.
“I won’t keep anything from you. Not anymore.” I leaned down and kissed her gently, knowing she probably needed a minute to absorb all this. “We’re in this together.”
She rose up on tiptoe and kissed me, not replying. She curled her hands into my shirt, a desperation in her kiss that hadn’t been there before. She was freaking out, and I needed to make it better. I broke off the kiss again, taking a deep breath of air.
“Ginger, it’ll be okay.”
She nodded, her mouth pressed tight and her eyes narrow. “I know. Just kiss me. I need you to kiss me now.”
Well, when she put it that way, who was I to say no?
So I kissed her.
Okay, I was trying really, really freaking hard not to start panicking.
I mean, he’d said he wasn’t going to war, or at least his unit wasn’t, so that sounded promising. But still, he’d thrown out the word deployment. I might not know much about the military, but even I knew that meant he’d be leaving me.
And if he was leaving me, I wasn’t happy.
When he closed his mouth over mine, I shut off my mind and stopped thinking. He’d already told me all he could tell me about the call, so focusing on it wasn’t the healthiest choice. We had to wait until this weekend to hear anything more. Until then we were just sitting ducks.
And if I was going to be forced to wait, then I’d do it my way.
He picked me up and carried me to his bed. He was so hard and solid and it drove me insane every time he moved his tongue over mine like that. His teeth scraped my lower lip, and I whimpered into his mouth. His fingers moved over my butt, slipping between my legs and rubbing against the spot where I needed him most.
As he lowered me to the mattress, he started to climb on top of me, but I broke the kiss and shoved at his shoulders. “No,” I said, locking gazes with him. “It’s my turn. Just stand there.”
He stilled, instantly giving me what I wanted. “Your turn for what?”
“Control,” I said, my cheeks heating. “I want to undress you. And then I want to wrap my lips around your…your…”
When I drifted off, uncertain what to call his penis, he chuckled. “Cock. It’s a cock, Carrie. Say it.”
My cheeks heated. I knew what it was called. It just sounded so dirty and wrong. “Around your cock,” I said in a rush, my cheeks getting even hotter.
“Okay.” He fisted his hands at his hips, watching me from beneath his lowered lids. When he looked at me like that—like I was his dessert or something—it made everything inside me quiver and beg for his touch so much it hurt. I licked my lips and crawled to the edge of the bed on all fours. He twitched and took a step toward me; as if he couldn’t hold himself back anymore, but then he stopped.
Out of Time (Out of Line #2) (Volume 2) Page 2