She returned a soft smile, sitting back and sipping her tea. “Quinton will be happy to know we got along.”
“Quinton.” I laughed.
“What?” she tittered, eyes sparkling.
“You’re the only person I know who calls him that. It’s funny to hear his real name sometimes.”
“Oh!” She laughed, placing her cup down. “Trust me, he hates it, but when I met him, it’s how he introduced himself. Quinton before Cane, so I guess it just kind of stuck with me.” She shrugged and looked sideways, like she was thinking about the first time they met.
Now was my chance to ask. Cane couldn’t stand talking about Kelly with me. The only way I was going to get answers was through the primary source: her.
“How did you guys meet, anyway?” I asked, running my finger over the cinnamon and pretending it was a casual question.
“Oh, gosh.” She sighed and laughed, as if the memory of meeting him would never fade. “Well, I was actually attending a bachelorette party for one of my friends in Charlotte. We went out one night to this club and had a section reserved for us. I had volunteered to get drinks for everyone, so I went to the bar and ordered way too many to carry—but I tried! I probably shouldn’t have, though, because as soon as I turned, I forgot there was a step I had to take down and ended up tripping and dropping every single drink.”
“Oh my gosh,” I gasped, fighting a laugh.
“Yeah! Everyone was just laughing and all the girls came down in their gorgeous bridesmaid outfits, trying to help me clean it up. I mean, there was glass everywhere—all over my shoes, my skirt, my shirt. My shirt was literally soaked by the way, and it was light pink, so my bra was pretty clear for everyone to see. Then, out of nowhere, this guy came up and asked me if I was okay. He was so concerned, and didn’t drop his eyes to my chest like I expected a man to do. He took me to a back office, and at first I freaked out, thinking this guy was trying to do something or come onto me, you know?” Laughing, she says, “I told him that if he was expecting something freaky, he had the wrong fucking idea.”
“Yeah? To Cane?” I giggled.
“Yes, and he immediately told me to relax—that it was his office, and he had an extra shirt hanging up that I could wear. It was a white button-down shirt. He gave it to me and then stepped out of the office to let me change. When I was done, I met him outside the door, and he took me to the bar and ordered all the drinks I had requested before, but this time he had someone bring them up to us. I felt horrible about what I’d said to him. He was only trying to help me, you know?
“So I finally chugged down a few drinks because at that point, I needed them, but the whole night, I felt someone watching me, and I just knew it was him. Every time I looked up, I would spot him watching. He played it cool in his own way. He would keep his head bowed, but those eyes would be right on me.”
I tried not to sigh. I knew all about the eyes. That searing hot, hungry glare he gave when he wanted something and was trying to figure out how to get it. He was like a beast trying to catch its prey. Watching. Circling. Waiting for the perfect moment to strike. When the beast finally got its prey, there was no running, no hiding, no denying what would happen. You either craved every single inch of him, down to the cell, or you died trying to pretend you didn’t want anything from him at all.
Cane had that kind of power over women, and he knew it. He knew when to use it and when not to. He’d used it on me many times.
“So by the end of the night, the girls are demanding that I go talk to him and get his number. The bride-to-be was more determined to hook me up than she was about celebrating her upcoming wedding. It was a fun, hilarious, insanely embarrassing night, but if it hadn’t happened, I never would have caught his attention and never would have spoken to him.”
“Wow. That’s nice.” I lowered my gaze. The next question slipped out before I could think to stop it. “Do you love him—I mean, are you in love with him?”
She gave me a puzzled looked, as if she weren’t sure how to answer it. “I…do love him, yes. And I think I’m starting to fall in love with him.” She sighed, and her bangs swayed. “I just…don’t think he feels the same.”
“So why stay with him? Why stay with someone who doesn’t love you back?”
She thought on it for a moment, her eyes a little wider. “Because Quinton is a complex man. He comes with many layers. What he shows you is just one of the layers—the person he wants the whole world to see, which is his good side. But after spending several months with him in a bed, listening to the things he says in his sleep, and even watching him wake up out of nowhere, gasping like his life depends on it…well, it’s understandable.” She paused for a moment, studying the table. “I’m a patient woman, I suppose. And I know it will take time for him take the next step and love someone that way because—,” she smiled, as if it pained her, “if you don’t love everything about yourself, how can you possibly take on the task of loving everything about someone else?”
24
CANE
The last thing I expected to see was Kandy walking into the house, laughing, with Kelly trailing closely behind her. I had to blink hard twice, just to make sure my eyes hadn’t deceived me.
“Did you see that guy?” Kandy laughed. “He was staring so hard at Frankie’s butt! Freakin’ perv!”
“I saw! I can’t believe it! He had to be my dad’s age!” Kelly chimed.
They both laughed again and as they passed by the living room, Kelly looked my way, winking with a smug grin. Wow. When she said she could handle it, I didn’t think she’d actually be able to pull it off.
I put my attention on Kandy, but she didn’t even look my way. It was like I wasn’t even there to her. “I’m going to put my bags in the room,” she announced, switching glances between Kelly and her mother. “You guys want to come lay out with Frankie and me at the beach?”
“Sure, sweetie.” Kelly smiled graciously, like she was happy about the offer. “I’d really love that.”
“Cool. Meet you down here in twenty.” She and Frankie hustled up the stairs, squealing and laughing about God knew what.
Kelly met up to me, sitting on the arm of the sofa as Mindy went to her bedroom. Derek was already in there, taking a shower.
I closed my laptop when she eyed it. “You aren’t supposed to be working on vacation, Mr. Cane,” she said playfully.
“I wasn’t. Just checking a few emails.” I sat up in my seat. “What was all that about?”
“All of what?”
“The laughing. The invitation to hang out at the beach…”
“Oh, with Kandy?” Kelly waved a hand, like it was a simple work of nature. But I knew Kandy. She wasn’t simple. She was complicated as fuck. “We had a really good time at the mall. I got her to open up a lot with me. I’m telling you, a shopping spree will win over any girl’s heart.” She winked and stood up. “Remember that.”
“You really going to the beach with them?” I asked when she started to walk away.
She shrugged and pressed her lips. “Sure. Why not?”
Don’t be too obvious, I reminded myself. “Just asking.”
She turned and faced me. “Don’t worry, Quinton. I’ve got this. We’re bonding, and I like it. I won’t push too much. I promise.”
I nodded and forced a smile, but that wasn’t what I was worried about. Someone with a personality like Kandy’s would befriend a woman I talked to, just to get under my skin. She tested my patience and my boundaries constantly. I should have known it would come to this. Kandy wasn’t a dumb girl. She knew how to play her cards right, and knew exactly how to get to me.
Not even twenty minutes later, Kandy came back downstairs with Frankie behind her. She had on a sheer white cover-up over a pink bikini. The cover-up was pointless. I could see every fucking thing and seeing it made me want to tell her to go back upstairs and put something less revealing on.
Boys would look.
Men would look.
In that moment, though, I grasped the full concept. If I hadn’t known Kandy, I would have assumed she was a little older than eighteen. My guess would have been twenty-one or twenty-two. With tits that voluptuous, thighs that thick, and an ass that round, it occurred to me that maybe I’d missed what she’d been trying to show me all along. Her full figure had been hidden beneath her clothes, but without them…I could really see her.
She was a woman now.
Young. Ripe. Ready.
And though she had a free spirit and a wild heart, she knew exactly what she wanted…
Me.
25
KANDY
I’d spent two hours on the beach with Frankie, Mom, and Kelly. Surprisingly, it wasn’t so bad. Mom didn’t nag me about my bathing suit. In fact, she said she loved it, even though it was a little more risqué, hence the reason I wore the cover-up on the way out of the house. I didn’t need Dad catching sight and demanding that I change.
After shutting off the shower, I turned and looked toward the balcony where Cane’s room was. I could feel him watching me again as I showered off.
There was no sign of Kelly. Only him. His eyes weren’t hot and hungry this time, though. They were narrowed and curious.
I tried to ignore the way my belly fluttered as I grabbed my things and went inside, heading straight to my floor where I saw Frankie crossing the room with damp hair. She’d gone in about twenty minutes before all of us. Her period started. Fucking sucked.
After I hit the real shower, I got dressed. Apparently we were going out for dinner on Cane again. I put on a white jumpsuit, paired with rose gold bangles and my favorite rose gold necklace with a white feather at the end of it. Frankie was still getting ready, so I decided to go downstairs for something to drink, and that’s when I spotted Cane at the counter.
He had one elbow resting on the marble countertop, his phone in hand as he scrolled through it. I looked around for Kelly but didn’t see a sign of her. For some reason, after Kelly’s story at the mall, I felt bad for going after him so much. I know that made me wishy-washy, but it was true. The guilt always got me. I was an over-thinker. I assumed the worst about everything.
She loved him. I could tell. She loved him so much it hurt, just like me, and she knew he didn’t feel the same. That was already heartbreaking enough. I was certain the last thing she wanted to see was Cane all over an eighteen-year-old girl. In a way, we were kind of in the same boat.
I stepped past him and opened the fridge, pulling out a bottle of water. I cracked it open and took a few gulps, avoiding his eyes. I was about to make my way to the living room, but his voice stopped me mid-step.
“So now that you’ve become best friends with Kelly, I don’t exist to you anymore?” His voice was low, but clear enough for me to hear.
I turned to face him, tilting my head. “What makes you say that?” I played dumb.
“You just walked right past me. You did it earlier, too, when you got back from the mall.” He rested his lower back on the edge of the counter, folding his arms across his broad chest.
I’d been so busy avoiding him that I didn’t even realize he was wearing jeans. Cane in jeans. Such a rare sight, yet I think I loved it just a little bit more than his suits. Dark blue jeans hung low on his hips, and the black T-shirt he wore revealed most of the ink on his arms and throat. It instantly reminded me of the night Dad was shot—the night when he kissed me. Touched me. Shared forbidden words with me.
When I took in the sight of him, my plan to keep him at a distance somewhat backfired. I could smell his expensive cologne and even spotted the defined print of his manhood in his pants. His shirt fit him snugly, molding to his abs. I had no idea how a busy man like him even had the time to develop abs.
I blinked rapidly, pulling myself out of my lust-filled haze. “I got to know her a little better,” I said, taking a step toward him. “She’s a good person.”
“I know she is. You knew that too.” His eyes were cloudier as they studied me.
I dropped my head. “She was telling me how you guys met…and that she loves you but knows you don’t feel the same. I instantly felt bad for her…and for all the things I did behind her back with you.”
“The things you did,” he repeated with a soft growl to his voice. “You mean the things that made your pussy wet while you did them?”
I picked my head up, focusing on him. He’d pushed off the counter and was looking me up and down like he was ready to eat me alive.
“If you don’t love her, why stay with her?” I asked quietly. “Stop wasting her time.”
He narrowed his eyes, and as if my statement had punched him in the gut, he looked to the right, away from me. He was quiet for a beat, so quiet I could hear Mom and Dad’s shower running.
“Come with me,” he ordered lightly. He walked past me, going for the door that led out to the pool. He made his way out, and I blew a breath, looking over my shoulder before following behind him.
It was still warm outside, and also a little humid. I thought about my hair, and how frizzy it would get if I stayed out here for too long.
“Cane, what are we doing out here?”
He kept walking, going past the sitting area made of wicker and plush white cotton, until he reached a door. He opened it, turned on a light switch, and stepped inside. My eyes stretched wider when I realized where we were.
“Holy shit.” We were in a home theater. There was a large projection screen plastered to the north wall and a projector in the aisle between the reclining leather seats.
A popcorn maker was pushed up against the back wall, as well as a counter that was topped with a bowl of various candies and goodies. Beneath the counter was a stack of movies. I had a feeling I was going to make good use of this place with Frankie during the rest of our stay.
Cane took a step aside, closing the door quietly as I scanned the room again. “You have to pay extra to have access to this room,” he said. “Derek wasn’t up for paying for it, but I knew you would like it, so I gave him the money to get it.”
“Wow. Thanks, Cane, but you didn’t have to do that.” I turned to face him but he was already looking at me. “What?” I asked, tucking my hair behind my ear. I was nervous now. He was looking at me like I had two heads. Did I look bad? Did I not put on enough makeup? Had my hair become a ball of frizz from that short walk here? “What? Stop looking at me like that and say what’s on your mind already.”
His stare switched then, to that same searing hot gaze he always used—the gaze that awakened my soul and made me feel my pulse in every sensitive part of my body.
I realized what this was right away.
He wanted to show me this room himself. He wanted me to know he’d gotten it just for me, but he also wanted something else. Needed something else.
Before I could completely process this moment, Cane took a step toward me, grabbed me by the waist, picked me up like I was the weight of a feather, and pressed my back to the wall. His chest warmed mine, his groin sinking between my legs. Without warning, his mouth swept over my neck, nipping, sucking, and biting.
I didn’t know where this was coming from, but I refused to stop him. No matter how much the guilt swallowed me up, or how badly I knew we needed to quit this before I ended up hurting my parents or even Kelly, I didn’t stop. He’d gotten me when my walls had crumbled, and he didn’t give a damn about stepping over the bricks in order to catch me.
I sighed and twisted my fingers in his hair, the heel of my sandals digging into his lower back. He groaned, bringing his mouth up to my ear.
“Why the fuck can’t I stay away from you?” he growled. “Why? I don’t fucking get it.”
“I don’t know,” I breathed. I really didn’t know why Cane couldn’t resist me. Kelly was much more mature, and she was very pretty. She was any man’s dream girl. She kept in great shape, ate well, and knew how to cook, too…but he seemed to want
me more.
Was it because he knew he couldn’t have me? Did the forbidden thrill him just as much as it thrilled me? Or did he just like that I was untouched and uneducated about sex, and wanted to teach me all the dirty things?
“All I want to do is touch you. Taste you. I’ve never been this fucking weak for a girl in all my life.” He sucked on the lobe of my ear and I shivered. He took a step back, placing me on my feet. “Get on your knees,” he ordered, breathing quickly.
I frowned a little. “W-what?”
“Get on your knees, Kandy.”
My brows stitched but I didn’t hesitate. It was a dream of mine to please him—to give him whatever he wanted, no matter how bad he was for me.
I lowered to my knees, and on the way down I noticed how hard he was. His cock was pushing on the fabric, trying to break through the jeans.
“Unzip my pants.”
I unzipped them, and he pushed them down just enough to reveal his hard, angry, beautiful cock. Veins ran along the length of him, straight down to the round, thick tip that was glistening with pre-cum. Kelly hadn’t pleased him since we arrived in Destin. I could tell. He was way too hard, like he hadn’t fucked in weeks.
I would never forget how big he was. So big that it frightened and thrilled me all the same. He didn’t have the size or girth of a beginner. He was fully developed and intimidating as hell. I was sure I would cry tears of joy when he entered me for the first time, and then cry out in pure bliss when I adjusted around his size and came all over him.
“What now?” I whispered, looking up.
“I’m sure you know what to do.”
My tongue ran over my lips, and I leaned forward, kissing the tip of his cock. He shuddered and groaned, closing his eyes like he couldn’t handle my teasing—like he would explode if I didn’t hurry up.
I started to lift a hand to hold his waist, but he shook his head, lightly pushing my hand away. “No hands. I only want your mouth.”
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