He kissed her back, letting his tongue take the lead. He slid it slowly into her mouth, caressing hers with an urgency that he felt deep down. She opened her mouth even more to him, and he gripped a fistful of her hair, bringing her even closer. His need was beginning to take him over and after a few minutes he pulled back. He ran his finger along her jaw line, watching her long lashes flutter open and her dark brown eyes stare back at him. She was flawless, perfect in every way to him. He knew she had imperfections but, to him, he had yet to see them.
“Okay, I think we’ve done enough socializing for one night,” she said in a whisper as she put her palms on his chest and pushed him away.
He laughed, “I knew I could change your mind.” He grabbed her hand as they walked back to Tyler’s table.
“I make up my own mind, David, you only had a little influence in it,” she said, a sarcastic smile on her face.
“Anything you say, as long as you say it on the way out the door,” he said, as he pulled her along behind him.
After saying their goodbyes to Tyler and Paige, they made their way out the door and into the hot summer night, the stickiness of the heat already attacking their skin. “Ky, you’ll need to drive, I’m pretty sure I’ve had too much tonight,” he said as he tossed her his keys.
Giving him a look, she said, “Yeah, I kinda figured that.”
He didn’t miss the hidden accusation in there but he didn’t want to expand on it. She’d made plenty of comments in the past few weeks about his drinking, so he knew without asking what she meant by it. “I parked down along the street a little, it was pretty packed by the time I got here,” he said.
As he went to reach for her hand, he heard someone whistle. He stopped and saw a group of three guys standing next to a jacked up pickup truck, all staring in their direction.
“Come on, David, let’s go,” she said as she pulled on his hand.
A brief thought of running his mouth came to mind, but he didn’t want to start a fight tonight. Getting Kyleigh home and having his way with her sounded a lot more exciting than fighting three rednecks in a bar parking lot.
“Damn, baby, where you going? I’m just getting here,” one of the three guys yelled, throwing his hands out in front of him, and making the other two laugh.
“David,” Kyleigh warned when he paused for a brief second. He knew she could tell he was about to lose his cool. He was trying, dammit, but he had a feeling the jackasses weren’t going to let him stay cool. Suddenly, getting Kyleigh naked was drifting out of his thoughts, taken over by three hilljacks.
“Yep, I’m coming, we’re almost there,” he said through gritted teeth. He clenched his hands into a fist, trying his best to calm his racing heart. He was trying to be rational, but all the alcohol he’d consumed was overriding those thoughts.
“Come on, girl, I can show you a way better time than he can,” the guy yelled, and suddenly David’s cool melted.
He stopped, turned in the direction of the guys and said, “Oh yeah, why don’t you come here and try.”
“David, I don’t want any trouble. I just want to go home. Let’s go,” Kyleigh said, as she pulled on his arm, trying to get him to follow her.
David watched as the guy started walking in his direction, the alcohol in him was begging for a fight and the anger in him was asking to be released. It would help to reduce the frustration that was continuously building up inside him since his brother’s death.
As the guy finally approached, David said, “You got a problem?”
The guy took a long drag of his cigarette before smiling and said, “Nope, no problem. Just thought the lady there might want to have some fun,” he said, showing teeth that were yellow with decay.
The smoke drifted into David’s face, filling him with a cloud of anger. He sized the three guys up, realizing with all the rage inside him that he could probably take all three at once. “Yeah, well, in case you didn’t notice, she’s with me,” David said putting himself in front of Kyleigh. He knew he was being ridiculous, just leaving would be the right thing to do, but these guys were asking for it and it just so happened, he wanted to give it to them.
“Maybe I should ask her that. Maybe she don’t wanna go with you,” the guy said, as he readjusted his hat to show thinning, dirty, blond hair.
“Dammit, David, let’s go, these guys aren’t worth fighting over,” Kyleigh yelled, stepping around him so she could face him head on.
The guy took that moment to grab her arm and Kyleigh jerked away in disgust. Before he knew what he was doing, David saw his fist flying into the side of the guy’s face. He heard Kyleigh shriek and saw the man stumble a few steps backward before regaining his balance.
“You mother fucker,” he yelled, as his hand went to the side of his face. He looked at the blood that was starting to trickle down his cheek and then David felt pain shooting in his nose as the guy landed a hit. The alcohol was screwing with his timing and he suddenly found himself swinging blindly. He heard Kyleigh yelling in the distance but he didn’t stop, he just continued throwing punches. He felt all the tension and anger diminish every time his fist connected with the guy’s body. His vision was blurred from what he assumed was blood, but it still didn’t stop him.
He heard yelling, felt people grabbing his shoulders, and the stickiness of blood on his hands before he finally came to. He didn’t know how long they’d been fighting, but when they were finally pulled off each other, he looked around to see a group of people standing around them.
Breathing hard, he looked at the guy in front of him who he’d been fighting. His white shirt was smeared with splotches of red and blood dripped off the hand that he had pressed to his face. His hat was lying next to him, and David felt blood trickle down his own face, and the reality of what he’d just done finally hit him. It had all happened so fast that he didn’t know what happened. He looked behind him for Kyleigh and saw some strange girl with her hands wrapped around her as Kyleigh cried. He ran a hand through his hair, aggravated he’d let himself lose it like that in front of her, but it was just a fight, he didn’t understand why she’d be crying over it. Mad, maybe, but full on bawling didn’t make sense. He was sure she’d seen plenty of guys fight like idiots before. And he knew he was definitely being an idiot.
He walked over to her and pushed the girl to the side. “Ky,” he said as he gripped her shoulders. She didn’t say anything; she just continued to cry, so he tried again, “Ky, are you okay?”
She finally pulled her hands away, revealing flushed cheeks and a wet face that held nothing but anger. “You bastard! How dare you act like that in front of me. You know how much I hate violence!” she yelled, jerking out of his grip. Her eyes glared into him with an anger he’d never seen from her before, but was something he felt himself daily. Seeing that anger on her, and towards him, made him wish he could have smacked some sense into himself before he’d gotten out of control like that.
He wiped at the blood leaking from his nose and into his mouth, before he said, “I know, I’m sorry Kyleigh. I don’t know why I snapped like that. I don’t know what was going on in my head to get so out of control.” He knew why, but he wasn’t about to say. It was something that he hadn’t told anyone and he didn’t know how to deal with it himself.
She huffed and said, “You don’t? I can tell you, it’s that alcohol you’ve been sucking down like water. You think I don’t know how much you’ve been drinking lately? Oh, I know, and I’m over it. I’m not going to be with an alcoholic, David.”
He watched her stomp away, slinging her purse angrily over her shoulder, before he went after her.
“David, leave me the hell alone,” she said as she got to her car. She began digging into her purse searching for her car keys, tears streaming down her cheeks.
He looked behind him at the jacked up pickup truck driving away, glad those guys were leaving and glad the cops didn’t show up. He reached out and gently grabbed her hand, pulling it away from her purse and to
his lips. He kissed it tenderly and said, “Ky, please don’t leave me. I’m so sorry. I promise it won’t happen again. I’ll slow down on the drinking, if that’s what you want.”
She paused for a second before lifting her eyes up to his. “Do you promise?” she asked, hope flooding her voice.
The amount of pain showing in her soft features almost brought him to his knees right there in the middle of the parking lot. “Yes, I promise,” he said.
“David, I swear, if you ever lose control like that again, you’d better believe me when I say I’ll walk away from you and never look back. If you’re not going to tell me what it is that’s bringing you down, you’d better get it under control yourself, because it’s going to tear us apart.” Her words came out in a low whisper; barely audible over the cars leaving and the people talking as they left the bar, but he didn’t miss a word.
He swallowed hard, the thought of her leaving him making him feel more pained than his broken nose and bruised ribs. His voice broke mid-sentence when he said, “Ky, I would rather walk away from anything you ask me to than to watch you walk away from me. Do you believe me?”
A small smile formed, looking almost forced, but it made the anger in her face diminish slightly. “Yes, I believe you, David. Now take me home so I can get you cleaned up. You know, I am a nurse.”
“Yes, ma’am, Nurse Kyleigh,” David said, giving her a twisted smile that only meant one thing.
She playfully smacked his chest as she wiped at her cheeks. Before she could turn and walk back towards his truck, he grabbed her hands and pulled them down, kissing each side of her cheek. She gave him a smile that showed both relief and exhaustion “Thank you,” she said before planting a light kiss on his bloody lips.
“No, Ky, thank you for always making me be a better man.”
Chapter 5
Connecting
Kyleigh unlocked the door to David’s, barely making it into his house before his hands were ripping her clothes off. She squealed as she saw her shirt go flying to the floor, but it was abruptly cut off by David’s mouth closing on hers. “David, eww, you need to clean up first,” Kyleigh said, as she pushed him away and headed towards the bathroom. “Follow me. The faster you’re fixed, the quicker you can take me.”
She took off down the hall, and as she looked behind her for a brief second, she laughed as she saw him half jog after her. She quickly opened up the cabinets, pulling out some antiseptic and cotton balls. “Come here,” she said, as she grabbed his arm and pulled him to her. “You’re a mess.”
She smirked when he winced as she pressed the cotton ball to his cheek. “Damn,” he said, as he sucked in a breath.
“Yeah, well, that’s what you get for fighting that loser. I don’t feel sorry for your pain right now,” she said, turning his face to the side so she could check out his nose.
“You’re very good at your job, Nurse Kyleigh,” David teased, as his hands ventured up her shirt.
Pushing his hands away, she said, “Yeah, thanks. I do love my job, so that helps.”
“Maybe I should get into more fights, just so you’ll be this attentive to me.”
Her hand paused as she said, “Um, no, you will not. You promised.”
He laughed and said, “Just kidding,” as he threw his hands up in surrender. “I’m pretty sure you’re the only person in the world to get me to roll over on my back like a helpless dog.”
“Oh, I’m definitely going to get you on your back tonight,” she said, as she tossed the cotton balls into the trash.
“I’m all yours.”
“You’re too easy,” she huffed, “I like a little challenge sometimes.”
“I’m only easy for you, but if you want a challenge then maybe I won’t give it up tonight,” he teased, as he bent down and kissed her.
His kiss was soft, making all her anger melt away with every second that went by. Her hands went under his black shirt, feeling his tight muscles underneath. She had to practically stand on her tip toes to reach him; his six-foot-four towered over her five-foot-three.
“No, easy is still good sometimes,” she said, in between each kiss.
His arms wrapped around her waist and legs as he lifted her with ease and carried her to his room. He laid her on the bed, and finished yanking her clothes off.
“I don’t think you need these anymore,” he said as he pulled her pants off. “Or these,” he said as he slid her panties down too.
Lying flat on the bed, she stared up at him as he towered above her. His hair was a mess of dark strands that now went everywhere from the fight earlier, and his nose was already swollen and slightly discolored, but as he looked down at her, showing nothing but dimples and a boyish grin, to her he was completely sexy in every way possible. At times, this scared her to death.
She sat up and pulled his black shirt over his head and tossed it to the floor. With her legs wrapped around his waist, she ran her hands over his bare chest, tracing her finger along the many tattoos he had. For someone so tough looking, he was really a softie underneath.
He bent down and kissed her, letting his tongue slip into her mouth as his hands went to her breast. He gripped each one, bringing his mouth down to her nipple, and she threw her head back as he gently pulled her breast into his mouth. She grabbed a fistful of his thick hair, and then the zipper of his jeans, frantically pulling them down his hips. She suddenly needed him more than ever, wanted him to dull the ache in her heart and fill it with a passion that was heartfelt.
Once he was completely naked, she pulled him closer to her, wanting him inside her as fast as possible. She saw the smile tugging at his lips as he said, “Maybe I should play hard to get.”
He began to pull away and she placed her hands on each side of his waist, gripping with all her strength. “Oh, no you don’t, mister. There is no teasing tonight.”
He planted a soft kiss on her lips before putting more distance between them. Huffing, she pushed him back and wrestled her way to where she was now on top of him as he lay on the bed, a satisfied smile on his face.
“Damn, I like this playing hard to get. This position is much better than what I was doing,” he said as he gripped her hips.
“You jerk! You did that on purpose, didn’t you?” she asked.
“Not at all.” He positioned his hands behind his head as he looked up at her with expectant eyes.
Her expression turned incredulous as she stared down at him, her hands resting on her hips.
“What? I’m waiting for you to take control. You’re supposed to try and have your way with me,” he teased.
Deciding to play along, she did the one thing she knew drove him crazy. As her lips brushed across his earlobe and her tongue barely flicked against it, she heard a soft moan escape his lips, and she couldn’t help but smile. She let her lips move slowly down his neck, along his chest, and across each nipple before she made her descent even lower. A gasp told her she was well on her way to getting what she wanted, and as she took him in her mouth, it wasn’t long before he was yanking her up and positioning her where he wanted.
As he thrust into her, her need took on a control of its own, and she began moving effortlessly in rhythm with him, leaning her head back as she eagerly thrust her breasts out towards him. He roughly took them in each hand, letting her take the lead. With each thrust, she felt his need become hungrier, more urgent, and before long, he was grabbing her arms and tossing her down onto the bed, passion fuming in his eyes as he stared down at her.
Leaning down so his face was inches from hers, he kissed her gently, his lips offering promises of more to come. His movements slowed as each touch became more loving, and they fell into a seductive rhythm as they held each other, not only with their arms, but also with their eyes.
With her arms secured around his back, she felt all her worries slide away as ecstasy took its place, filling her with love and passion instead of the resentment and anger she had earlier. The feeling was intoxicating, and she didn
’t want it to end, but she felt her release getting close.
Letting out a low moan, she tightened her hands around his back, feeling her nails dig lightly into his skin as a wave of pleasure rolled through her, causing her body to tense. She felt his wet lips crush against her mouth, silencing the scream that was on its way out.
It wasn’t long until she felt David quicken his pace as his thrusts became deeper and harder. She closed her eyes as he buried his face against her neck, and hot breath brushed against her skin as a muffled groan escaped through his clenched teeth. After a moment, he gently relaxed on top of her and nestled his face into her hair, letting his breathing return to normal.
With her arms around his back, she held him tight, wishing there was nothing that put distance between them. But the truth was, there was so much that needed to be talked about before she could really let herself connect with him. And she knew the same was true with him. It was obvious there were things he was holding on to that were causing rifts in their relationship. But it scared her to know how much she wanted those rifts gone so they could really be together.
She heard the bed squeak as he adjusted himself beside her. His hair was damp with sweat and his breathing had finally steadied. Looking at him, she heard herself saying, “You scare me, David.” Her voice was quiet, almost as if she really didn’t want him to know what she’d said, but she needed to say it out loud. She pulled her bottom lip into her mouth, embarrassed to meet his eyes.
Leaning on his elbow, he studied her face for a brief moment before he said, “Why do I scare you, Ky? Are you still thinking about how I lost my cool earlier?” Not giving her time to answer, he added, “I would never hurt you, I hope you know that.”
Turning her head towards him, her eyes danced around his face as she tried to find the words to explain what she’d meant. “No, well, I didn’t like to see you fighting but that’s not what I’m talking about.” She touched the light stubble on his cheeks and said, “I’m talking about you. How you make me feel. It scares me. I’m not used to caring for someone so much, in this way.”
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