Kelly: Summers of Love: A Why Choose Contemporary Romance (Seasons of Love Book 2)

by Pepper Paris

  Roxie: Now I’ve got these horrible images in my head. Plus, after that morning meeting in the hallway with Sophia, I don’t want to do a repeat with anyone’s parents.

  Carter: Yay.

  Kelly: Since we’ve gotten this settled, I’ve got to get to work.

  Jay: I’ve got my night class, which will have a pop quiz.

  Roxie: Good luck on all of your finals.

  Chapter Five

  Roxie

  I’d driven home and turned the corner before I remembered that I didn’t live there anymore. Wade’s house was across town, and I continued past the house where my mom and aunt were still living.

  I was going to try and make a point of connecting with them this summer. Right now, I needed a few days to get my thoughts in order before I braved the lion’s den.

  Wade had given me a key to his garage apartment and told the landlord that I would be there over the summer.

  Kelly had gone home the day before, and this was truly the first time in my entire life that I’d ever been alone.

  None of the guys would be around much since Carter had found a summer job with his professor. Jay was still at his internship, and Wade was somewhere with his band, but Kelly was only a phone call away if I needed him.

  I put the key in the lock and opened the door. Instead of it being all stuffy because Wade hadn’t been home in months, it smelled strangely of lemon cleaner. He’d called someone to come clean up before I arrived.

  It was so different than the homecoming I’d been expecting if I’d made the choice to go back to my mother’s house. Someone had taken the time to make me feel welcome, and had anticipated my needs.

  The suitcase with most of my clothes, I parked in the bedroom. I’d never been to Wade’s house before, and it was so different than I’d imagined. It was organized. There were posters of rock bands and instruments which was typical of a rock manager’s house, but it was the knickknacks and pictures of us on the walls that spoke to his personality. We weren’t just the family he’d been thrown into; he wanted us.

  I had no idea that there were pictures of me and the guys, but Wade had them in frames all over one wall.

  My phone rang before I could make a second trip.

  “Hello?”

  “Hey, babe. How’s the house?” Wade’s deep voice sent chills up and down my arms.

  “Perfect,” I whispered.

  “Are you okay?”

  “Yeah. I just had no idea what it really meant to be wanted. You guys tell me a lot, but this is not something I’m used to experiencing.”

  “Well, we aren’t just saying that, it’s true. Your family should be thinking about you even when you’re not there with them.”

  “You guys have done a great job of reminding me.”

  “Tell Kelly not to have too much fun sleeping in my bed with you because I’m coming back to claim it from him.”

  “Thanks for having it cleaned up for me.”

  “Cleaned up? It’s always that immaculate, babe.”

  “Look at you, using big words that I’m going to have to search for the meaning of.” I smiled into the phone.

  “I don’t plan to be a band manager forever. One day I’ll have enough money to go to law school, and then I’ll be using those kinds of words all the time.”

  “Oh, gracious, I hope not. I want to be able to understand you.”

  “You won’t have any issues with that, babe. Don’t forget to let us know how things are going. I’ve got to go fix something one of the guys messed up. Love ya.”

  “Love you.” I spoke to the silence of his apartment. I wasn’t sure I was ready to say those words to any of the guys at this point. It was a big word that no matter how much research I did, the meaning still eluded me.

  It took a few trips back and forth before I had my stuff up the stairs and in Wade’s apartment. Overwhelmed with all of the emotions I’d gone through on the drive over, and dread at the thought of facing my mother, I decided that I’d call it an early night.

  Crawling into the bed with Wade’s scent lingering on the sheets, I drifted off, feeling his arms holding me so that I wasn’t really alone.

  Not one to wallow in my feelings, I got up and went straight to the accounting firm to bring back all of my finished reports and to find out when they were expecting me to start in the office.

  “Roxie, it’s so good to see you. I know we communicated through email, but we’ve missed having you around this past year.”

  “Thank you, Mr. Johnson. I learned a lot, but I can’t wait to dive into more than just data reports.”

  “Sue, is Roxie’s office still available for her to start work?”

  “Yes, sir. The others have been putting work together this week that she can start on first thing in the morning.” Sue gave me a welcoming smile. “Good to have you back, Roxie.”

  “Well, it’s all settled then. We’ll see you first thing tomorrow. If you have any questions, make sure to let Sue know and we’ll get you updated.”

  “I really appreciate you working with me.”

  “Nonsense. You’re a valuable asset to our company. I just hope that when you graduate, you’ll consider coming back to work for us when the job offers come pouring in.”

  “I couldn’t imagine anything different, sir.”

  “Glad to hear it. Now, go enjoy your last day of freedom before we send you to the dungeons for the summer.”

  Laughing, I made my way outside and took a deep breath. There wasn’t any reason to put off going to see my mom. Better to get it over with now, and then I could enjoy the rest of the day.

  I braced myself for the inevitable and went to up to the front door of the house I’d called home.

  My mom opened the door. “Well, look what the cat dragged in. I guess she’s here to see if we kept her room open for her to come back.”

  “No, Mom. I came to make sure things were going okay. Do you and Aunt Saundra need anything?”

  “Hmm,” she sniffed. “Guess you might as well come in. Saundra, do we need her to do anything before she leaves us again for months?”

  I walked inside, expecting to see things in horrible disarray, but it looked exactly the same as when I’d left it.

  “Mom, I’m going to be living in town for the summer, so I’ll bring your groceries on Saturday. While I’m here, I’ll do a few things to make sure that everything is running smoothly.”

  “Don’t put yourself out or anything. We’ve been doing just fine without you. That young man brings the groceries and puts them up for us. I’ve even checked to see if he can mow the lawn since your boyfriend left you.” She waved her cigarette at me.

  “Are you sure that you don’t want me to just come over to check on you?” I asked, feeling guilty.

  She gave me an appraising look. “Nah, there’s no need for you to be concerned with us. We’ve been doing just fine without you. I’m sure that you have better things to do, and one of those boys won’t let you be alone for long.”

  I must have done something because she’d found the opening she’d been waiting on.

  “Ah, Carter hasn’t even been gone a whole semester and you’re already screwing a different one. That figures. I knew you couldn’t keep your legs closed for long. You abandoned your family for them and now you can just keep them. We don’t need what you’re selling.” She got up from the couch and walked back to the door, holding it open for me.

  Holding back the tears of betrayal, I couldn’t even tell her that I was the one who paid the nice young man that brought her groceries. I fled, forgetting that I’d driven over to her house.

  My feet found the familiar path through the back and to the tree house. I stood looking at it for a minute before deciding that it was urgent.

  I climbed up the ladder and pushed the board from the opening.

  Everything was just as I remembered it, but the guys must have cleaned up before leaving that morning after we gave away our virgin statuses. Although, I was prett
y sure that Wade hadn’t been one for a while before that.

  With a flop, I landed on the couch, lying on my back. Closing my eyes, I listened to the birds in the trees. It was always amazing how they could go on acting like nothing had happened when my world was falling apart.

  This time felt a little different than all of those others when I’d sought the solace of the tree to comfort me.

  I didn’t feel so alone anymore. The words my mother had flung at me hurt, but they didn’t carry as much weight as they would have before I’d left home.

  But she hadn’t wanted to hear that I was the one paying her bills or that if it wasn’t for me, she wouldn’t have a home. I’d had the bank put a limit on her card years ago when she told me to deal with the bank people for her. She had no idea how much money she did have available because she truly thought that fifty dollars was the daily limit.

  It didn’t matter about anything she’d said. What really hurt was that she hadn’t wanted to hear about college or my first year away. When would I learn not to let her get to me?

  The board moved and I opened my eyes, but didn’t stir from the couch.

  “Hey, sorry. I can go somewhere else,” Kelly apologized when he noticed me.

  “Nah, come join me as I have a pity party for one.” I patted the couch cushion.

  “Okay.”

  “What brought you to the tree house?” I threw the back cushions onto the floor so that we’d both fit on the couch.

  “Eh, my parents were all over everything last night, and Mom wanted me to start having lunch with her friend’s daughters again. I escaped while she was cleaning up breakfast. I had no idea where else to go, so I came here.”

  “I escaped as well. Does that mean we’re at the asylum for crazy people since we’re hiding out?” I snuggled my head into the crook of his shoulder.

  “No. It just means that we need to put up better armor so our families can’t hurt us so easily. I want to please them, but then they start asking the impossible, and I’m like, that’s a hard no.” Kelly ran his fingers up and down my arm.

  “I’m glad that you came along to hang out with me. I got settled in at Wade’s and went by work, which I start in the morning. Then for some crazy reason, I thought it would be a good idea to come over and see if my mom and aunt needed anything. Instead, I got laughed at and asked to leave.”

  “Oh, no, that’s terrible. At least my mom didn’t throw me out. I just don’t know where I’m going to get a job so I have a legitimate excuse to leave every day.”

  I pushed up and placed my chin on his chest so I could get a better look at him. “What if you worked for Mr. P? He’s always looking for summer help, and Carter is gone so I’m sure he’s needing someone to fill his spot.”

  “That might work, and I do like Mr. P.” He started to get up, but laid back. “Remind me to do that later when I don’t have you all to myself.”

  “I’d told Carter that I didn’t want to use this place for sex without the others, but we both escaped here. I don’t want gentle, I want to work out some of this frustration and anger that we’ve been holding in. Are you good with that?”

  “Mouse, you just asked a guy if he was good with fast, hard sex. I’m not going to turn you down.”

  “Then stand up and strip. I need to see that cock ready for some action,” I ordered.

  “Yes, ma’am.” He jumped off the couch, making the boards under his feet bounce.

  Stripping out of his clothes, he started posing, pointing his cock in several different directions. My anger started to melt away as I watched him strutting around his hard member.

  Without taking my eyes off of it, I pulled my pants off, taking my panties with them. I threw the panties toward his cock like a ring toss. He barely noticed in time to try and catch them.

  “You’re going to need to practice that move if you want to nail.” I winked suggestively.

  Following my panties, I took one of the pillows from the couch and tossed it at Kelly’s feet.

  “What’s that for?” He looked confused.

  “Your knees.”

  He pulled me out to where my ass was hanging off the couch as he rubbed his cock up and down my slit.

  He stopped right as he was about to make me happy.

  “Condom. We can’t forget that.”

  “You’re kind of leaving me hanging here.”

  Seconds later, the package hit the floor next to the trash and he resumed, only this time he plunged inside with no warning.

  On his knees, his reach wasn’t as filling, so I took my ankles and hooked them over his shoulders. As he thrust again, he hit the perfect spot. In all the months since I’d starting having sex, I was beginning to think that the G-spot was a myth.

  Not anymore.

  His hands gripped the rounded curves of my ass as my eyes rolled toward the back of my head.

  “Are you okay?” Kelly paused mid-thrust when he realized that I wasn’t completely with him.

  “Keep going. You’re hitting that spot just right.”

  Taking me at my word, his cock continued to rub against my spot as his tip went deeper and deeper, stroking me to a height none of the others had managed to hit yet.

  I wanted words to come out, but the only thing I could do was ride the wave until Kelly sped up for the last few thrusts, joining me as I milked his cock until there was nothing left.

  He placed his hand on either side of me, laying his head between my breasts.

  “Does it just keep getting better the more you do it?” He lowered my legs to the floor. “I don’t remember Carter mentioning it.”

  “I think the more we practice, the better we’re going to get, right?” It dawned on me that I was lying there with my entire self on display for anyone that stuck their head up through the door. “Can you hand me my panties?”

  “If I can find them.” Kelly got up and started looking around on the floor.

  “Ah, here they are.” He swung them around his finger.

  “I think I should keep them for a souvenir.”

  “Don’t you dare,” I warned as he scooped up his clothes and began dressing rapidly.

  “You want them, come and get them.” He moved down the ladder and out of reach.

  Unable to gather the energy to move, I lay there contemplating my next move. I could put my pants back on and go commando, or I could wait and see if Kelly brought them back.

  “Eh, who am I kidding? It’ll be fun to walk around with no panties,” I spoke to the empty room.

  A year ago, I wouldn’t have even considered such a crazy idea, but this was part of the new me. It was something that my mother would never do, which sealed the deal for me.

  Fixing my clothes only took a moment and I hurried down the ladder, making sure to close the board over the hole until the next time I needed to escape.

  We’d each gone our own separate ways, but I felt drawn to Carter’s house. I hoped that the new Mrs. P didn’t mind me dropping in on her.

  “Roxie, how great to see you. I was hoping that you’d stop by when you got into town. Would you like some coffee?”

  “Sure, if you don’t think I’m imposing.”

  “Nonsense. I’d love the company.” She started over to the coffee pot and hopped up onto one of the barstools.

  “How was school this past semester?”

  “Oh, it was pretty normal. Well, except for the fact that Carter wasn’t there this time. I had a happy surprise when Kelly showed up. He’s been going there this semester.”

  “Was he the one out there in the tree house with you?”

  I blushed, but knew that wasn’t what she was talking about.

  “Yes. I went to see my mom and aunt and ended up there by habit. I hope you don’t mind.”

  “No, of course not. It’s been really quiet without Carter around, and I think Ken is always more comfortable when you guys are here. It’s more that he can see you so he’s not worrying about you quite so much.”

&nb
sp; “Aw, that’s so sweet, Mrs. P.”

  “Gracious, don’t call me that. Sophia is just fine, and now that you’re not in high school anymore, I don’t see any reason to stand on ceremony.” She wagged a finger in my direction. “Did it go okay with your mom?”

  “Not really. I guess I was expecting some acknowledgement of the fact that I was home. Instead, it was like when I moved out, I didn’t exist in her world anymore. Even her insults were weak, or she didn’t know which ones to throw at me.”

  “When a kid goes off to college, it can be an adjustment for everyone. You have such a unique relationship that her reactions are going to be even more different than that of other parents.”

  I gave a frustrated sigh. “You’re right. I just keep hoping for a different response, and it’s the same thing over and over. Isn’t that the definition of insanity?”

  “Sweetie, you can’t take it that way. She’s your mom, so of course you’re going to keep trying to connect with her. Some moms just can’t be there emotionally or physically, and they don’t know how to change.” She got a faraway look in her eyes. “It was a different time, not that it’s a good excuse, but honey, I’m just guessing that your mom has a lot of wounds.”

  “I’ve always accepted that she’s just the way she is and went with it. Even when she would say horrible things, I just shrugged them off, but the guys really hated it. They want me to ignore her, but I can’t do that. They may not want me around, but they do need me.”

  Sophia came around the counter and put her arms around me.

  I’d finally gotten used to having the guys hug me, but this was so different. It felt like what I’d been missing all these years. I couldn’t stop as I burst into tears.

  “There, there, just let out all those emotions.” She patted me and held on just a little tighter.

  “Why can’t she just love me even a little?” I sniffled.

  “Oh, I’m sure she does love you. She doesn’t know how to let you know it.”

  “I’m sure this wasn’t what you were planning when you invited me inside.” I wiped at my tears.