“I have a theory,” Dare says, rubbing a thumb over my bottom lip.
“What’s that?” I ask, pushing on his chest, making him walk backwards. Once he gets to my bed, I press down on his shoulders until he’s sitting, then straddle his lap.
“I think I just need to get you out of my system.” His voice is ragged as his eyes move all over my body and his hands come to rest on my waist.
“You think so?” I ask, tugging the bottom of his shirt up, exposing the colorfully inked skin underneath. He lifts his arms, letting me pull it off him.
“Mhm.” His warm hands smooth up my ribs to the sides of my breasts. “The only way to get rid of this itch…” He trails off, rolling my nipples between his fingers, “is to scratch it.”
“Makes sense,” I breathe, rocking against the hardness I feel under his jeans. “So, what you’re saying is—”
“We fuck. Just this once. Then we go back to being…friends.”
“Just friends.”
“Just friends,” he agrees, fumbling with the button of his jeans.
There are no more words. Dare shoves his jeans down just low enough to free his cock. I feel the hard, silky head poised at my entrance, and Dare doesn’t waste any time thrusting his hips upward, filling me in one swift move. We both groan at the sensation. I’m so incredibly full, and it takes me a minute to adjust to the feeling. Slowly, I start to move my hips. Dare leans back, letting me ride him, his pants still around his thighs. I brace my hands against his chest, increasing speed as he watches me move over him.
Dare sits up and finally touches me. He pulls me flush against him before bringing one arm to band around my waist. The other one comes up to grip the base of my ponytail. He jerks my head back, and the sting of pain only makes it more intense, and I move faster, needing more. I’m so wet I can hear it each time I slide back down his length. This. This is what I needed.
Dare flips me over, throwing me to the dingy mattress, not severing our connection. I drag my feet down his ass and thighs, pushing his jeans off. He kicks off his heavy boots and the jeans follow, then he’s punching his hips into mine, fucking me with the same urgency I’m feeling inside.
His head dips down, and he pulls a nipple into his mouth, nibbling and sucking.
“Harder,” I beg, and he listens, biting hard, causing me to clench around him. He almost growls, pumping faster as he moves to give the other side the same attention.
“I’m going to come if you keep doing that,” he warns, but I can’t help it. What he made me feel in his truck doesn’t even come close to this.
“I don’t care. I need it.”
Dare sits back on his heels, lifting my hips until I’m flush against him, my back still on the bed. He controls my movements effortlessly, sliding me up and down his cock as if I’m nothing more than a rag doll. Sweat drips down the side of his face, his bottom lip trapped between his teeth.
He leans over me once again, licking up my sternum before clamping down on my nipple, harder than before, and the sensation is more than I can handle. My back bows off the mattress, and Dare’s hands slide underneath me to cradle me as I come apart, my body shuddering and jerking before going limp in his arms.
“Fuck.” Dare tightens his grip and fucks my boneless body until he tenses up and spills inside me. He loosens his grip and melts into me, his weight crushing me in the best way, as we catch our breath. His damp face rests on my chest, his cock still inside my body. Minutes pass before either one of us speaks.
“Am I out of your system now?” I ask. Dare huffs out a laugh.
“I’m not even out of your body.” He pulls away, and I feel a gush of wetness that reminds me that he came inside me. Dare must notice it, too, because he’s staring right between my legs, his expression intense.
“I’m on the pill,” I say defensively, even though he has no right to be upset with me. He was the one who made the final move.
Dare groans, one hand on his length as he guides it back to me, spreading our cum around before slipping back inside me.
“That means I can do this?” he asks, and my eyes roll back.
“God, yes.”
Dare makes me come twice more in as many positions before he gets off again. We’re both spent and panting by the end of it, and he excuses himself to the bathroom. I mumble some half-intelligible directions on where the bathroom is—not that it would be hard to find, being one out of the three rooms in the place. When he comes back, he looks unsure, probably for the first time since I’ve known him.
“I, uh…” he says before clearing his throat, scratching at the back of his neck in an uncomfortable gesture. “I should go.”
“Oh.” I don’t know what I expected. It’s not like I expected him to sleep over, but I didn’t think he’d run out the door before my cum-stained sheets dry. I don’t know why I thought this would be different than any other one-night stand, but I can’t help feeling rejected by him, for the second time tonight.
“I mean…unless you don’t want me to?”
This is the part I hate. Is he saying that because he doesn’t want to go, or because he thinks I want him to stay and he’s just trying to be nice? People spend so much time guessing what others are thinking instead of just fucking asking. Myself included.
“This was a mistake.” He looks conflicted, his blue eyes swimming with regret. He opens his mouth, then closes it, like he wants to say something but thinks better of it.
“Okay,” I say, because what else do you say to that? So much for having to guess how he feels.
“Lo!” Jesse’s voice breaks through my consciousness, and I stretch my arms above my head tiredly. Soreness between my thighs reminds me of last night’s activities.
I usually don’t sleep so soundly—another direct effect of growing up in a shitty neighborhood with a shitty mom. I never knew when some drunk asshole friend of hers was going to barge in, thinking it was the bathroom. Even worse was when they knew damn well it wasn’t the bathroom and wanted company. Of course, we worried about break-ins, too, but I was more afraid of the people we knew than of strangers. Strangers hadn’t ever let me down the way Crystal and the people she ran around with did.
Jess throws my door open, looking half-asleep himself. He’s wearing a baggy light gray sweatshirt that looks like it hasn’t been washed in a hot minute, the hood pulled over his shaggy, still-wet hair. A black duffle bag is thrown over his shoulder.
“Can I take the car today?”
“I’ll take you,” I say, yawning as I pull the blankets higher. “Just give me a second to get dressed.”
“You have to work today. I have to start that wrestling shit after school.”
“Can’t your coach take you?” It’s not like they aren’t going to the same place.
“Yeah, let me just ask my teacher for a ride. That won’t be weird at all. Come on, Lo. You’re the one who got me into this shit.”
“Excuse me?” My eyebrows must hit my hairline. “Correction: I got you out of this shit,” I say, using air quotes. “You got yourself into trouble.”
“Whatever. Can I have the car or not?”
“Fine,” I say, running a hand through my messy hair. There’s still a hair tie in there somewhere, but I know when I look in the mirror, it’s going to look like an actual bird’s nest. “I’ll find a ride into work. You still have the keys,” I remind him. I never got them back after Henry fixed it last night.
“Thanks. I’m going to have sweaty balls in my face and then have to follow it up with cleaning the whole damn place, so I’ll be home late.”
“Living the dream, man.”
“I hate you,” Jess says, but his lips are quirked up in a grin.
When Jess leaves, I grab my phone to text Sutton and see that I have two voicemails from a private number. I delete them without listening. Eric’s determination shouldn’t surprise me. It’s not about me. I could be anyone. To him, it’s about winning and having the upper hand. Eric probably feels
pretty rejected, and there is nothing more dangerous than a man with a bruised ego.
I tap out a text to Sutton, asking if she’ll take me to work before her shift. We both go in at noon, but thanks to the new girl, whom I have yet to meet, I’m only working five hours. I’m scheduled to work a shift at Bad Intentions right after. Where I’ll see Dare.
I didn’t see last night coming. The last thing I wanted was to get myself in another situation like with Eric, but when Dare touched me…he consumed me and excited me and calmed me all at the same time. Dare isn’t looking for anything in return. He doesn’t want a relationship, and he swore anything that happened between us wouldn’t affect my job…what could possibly go wrong? Him regretting it. That’s what.
Sutton texts back, letting me know she’ll pick me up in a couple of hours, so I throw a load of laundry into the washer and take a shower. I take as long as I can, giving extra attention to my makeup, even blow-drying and flat ironing my hair to pass the time, but I still have over an hour to spare. I decide to clean the house, but even that doesn’t take long. I’m literally twiddling my thumbs, looking around the small cabin for something to keep me occupied. What do people who have free time do? Watch TV? Twenty minutes before Sutton is supposed to show, Henry arrives, surprising me.
“Hey, kid,” he says, sporting black Dickies coveralls and a backwards Raiders hat. He makes his way to the sink before dumping the contents of his thermos inside.
“Lunch break?” I ask.
“Yep. Just thought I’d swing by to get a couple boxes from the garage. I’m slowly moving my shit over to the shop.”
I nod, having figured that’s where he’d be staying. “Need me to do anything?”
“Nah. I’m pretty much packed besides the living room and kitchen, and I can’t fit all this shit anyway. If you and Jess want those couches for your place, have at it.”
“Thanks,” I say, leaving out the fact that we haven’t had any luck finding a place yet.
We’re silent for a beat, neither one of us knowing what to say. We’ve seen each other in passing and we had dinner the other night, but for the most part, we’re still strangers.
“Have you, uh, heard from your mother?” he asks, leaning his grease-stained hands against the counter behind him.
“She wrote to Jess. I guess she’s been calling him.” She hasn’t tried to call me once. My guess is she’s trying to pit Jesse against me. It’s what she does when someone’s on her shit list.
“She knows you’re here?” he asks, letting out a low whistle. “Guess it’s a good thing we’ll be out of here soon then.”
“Don’t worry. Even if she gets off easy, she doesn’t like to leave the block, let alone the city.”
“If it’s in the name of spite, she might.”
“Valid point.” Sometimes, I forget that he probably knows our mother better than we do. My phone buzzes on the counter and lights up with a text from Sutton, letting me know she’s out front.
“Hey, Henry?” I ask, stuffing my phone into my back pocket. “I took a job at Dare’s shop. I don’t know if Jess mentioned it.”
“He didn’t. Dare’s a good kid.”
“He’s really helping me out. Anyway, I just thought maybe since I’m not around in the evenings, you could, I don’t know. Be more…present?”
Henry swallows uncomfortably, running a hand over his short, wiry beard. “I wasn’t sure what I should be doing,” he admits. “I wasn’t there for you kids. Hell, Jesse barely remembers me. I’ve been making myself scarce because I’m just really not sure what to do here.”
“He just wants to know you, Henry. He’ll never admit it, though.” I clap him on the shoulder before turning to leave. “Take the kid out for a burger or something. I gotta go. My ride’s here.”
“I’ll see what I can do.” His arms fold across his chest, and I can tell that I’ve planted the seed, at the very least. I’m not expecting Henry to suddenly be father of the year, but I do want Jess to have some sort of relationship with him.
I sling my bag across my shoulder and jog across the fake wood flooring toward the front door. Sutton’s black SUV waits in the driveway, and I hop in. She reaches over the middle console to hug me.
“Thanks for picking me up. Jess needs the car,” I explain.
“It’s all good. I’ve been dying to get you alone anyway.” She wiggles her brows, turning down the radio.
“Not this again.” I roll my eyes, throwing my head against the headrest dramatically as she pulls out of the driveway and heads toward Blackbear.
“Come on, Lo. Admit that there’s something going on between you two.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” I lie. I’ve never really had a girl friend. I’ve never gushed about boys or sex or vented about my problems, for that matter. It’s just not something that comes naturally to me. Sutton seems to know everyone, and I haven’t heard anyone say one bad thing about her. Even more telling is the fact that she doesn’t seem to tolerate bad-mouthing others. Of course, she gossips, like anyone else. But she’s also the first one to play devil’s advocate or come to someone’s defense. Case in point—when Jake had something to say about Dare, she shut that shit down.
“Anyone with eyes can tell.” Her head rests against the back of the seat, and she swivels to face me. “I’ve known Dare for a couple years, and I’ve never been able to pull more than two words out of him. I was actually sort of scared of him. I mean, turned on, but scared nonetheless.”
“Really?” I know he’s not the most social person on the planet, but that sounds a little extreme.
“Oh, he’s a broody motherfucker. It takes a long time for him to warm up to people. But it’s like you just…skipped that stage.”
“Hmm.” I don’t know what to make of that. He’s a little rough around the edges, but nothing like what she’s describing. “Do you know what happened? Why Jake seems to think he’s dangerous?”
“That’s his business to tell you. Especially since I’ve only ever heard rumors. This fucking town is full of ’em,” she mutters bitterly. “I truly believe he is good. Briar wouldn’t love him if he wasn’t. I’d warn you if I thought otherwise.”
“It doesn’t matter anyway.” I shrug. He made that clear last night, face full of regret.
“Keep telling yourself that.” Sutton laughs, shaking her head. “Speaking of bosses…”
She spends the drive filling me in about work. Apparently, the new girl isn’t new. She’s the co-owner’s niece, and rumor has it, she and Jake spent all summer hooking up when she worked there. Things went south and now, for some reason, she’s back. That would explain his saltiness about her being there. Gone is the laid-back, flirty manager who made us pancakes, and in his place is Grumpy Jake.
When we get to Blackbear, I fight the urge to catch a glimpse of Dare in the window, going straight to the back to stash my stuff instead. We’re in the middle of the lunch rush, so we don’t waste any time. I grab my apron and almost collide with Jake when I turn to leave. He’s wearing a white polo with the Blackbear logo, and his usually floppy hair is pushed off his forehead, styled to perfection.
“Hey.” I give him a bright smile, and he distractedly mutters a greeting before moving past me. Okay, then.
“Told you he’s different.” She shrugs, tying her apron around her waist as she passes me. “You think he’s okay?”
“He’ll get over it. My bet is that she’ll be gone in a month. She’s not the best server. Hey, you want to get a drink after work tomorrow?”
“Sure. Jess has wrestling shit almost every day now, so that works.” I’m not exactly feeling social. I’d rather wallow in Dare’s rejection and lick my wounds in peace for a day or two. But I’ve always believed in faking it until you make it.
“Perfect.”
The afternoon goes by quickly, and soon my shift is almost over. I’m finishing up with one of my last tables—a family of four on vacation from Sweden—when the door swing
s open. I look up, mid-smile, only to see him. The grin melts off my face and shock has me frozen to this spot.
Tall and tanned with a perpetual five o’clock shadow. Sharp suit, sharp jaw, and an even sharper tongue. Eric. What the hell is he doing here? He spots me, flashing one of his signature smirks my way before taking a seat in the corner booth.
“Enjoy the rest of your vacation,” I say quickly before hightailing it to Jake’s office. He’s at his desk, eyes focused on the laptop in front of him.
“My shift is almost over. Mind if I leave early?” I try to keep my voice even, though my stomach feels anything but. Jake throws me a disbelieving look.
“First, you’re mad about not getting enough hours, and now you’re trying to cut out,” he checks the time on his phone, “forty-five minutes early?” His tone is biting, and if I wasn’t in such a hurry to get out of here, I might take it personally. I’m under no illusion that Eric won’t follow me when I leave. In fact, I want him to follow me. I want him as far away from my friends, my coworkers, my life that I’ve made for myself here.
“Please, Jake. I’ll explain later. I just really need to leave.”
His expression changes as he detects the desperation in my voice, and he stands quickly, coming to my side.
“Are you okay?” He peeks over my shoulder, looking for clues to my sudden shift in demeanor.
“My ex is here.” I wave an unconcerned hand, trying to downplay the situation. “I just really don’t want to see him.” I don’t tell him that Eric lives four hours away and has probably done some serious stalking to find my whereabouts.
“Grab your stuff. I’ll walk you out.”
“Jake, it’s fine, really. I don’t want to bring my drama here.”
“Get your stuff, Lo,” he insists.
Knowing he’s not going to let it go, I do as he says. I wouldn’t put it past Eric to come looking for me. Jake puts a hand on the small of my back, ushering me through the restaurant and I walk faster, away from his touch, not wanting to provoke Eric. We’re halfway across the floor when Eric rises, along with the dread brewing inside me, and smooths his suit with the palm of his hand.
Bad Intentions (Bad Love) Page 12