Redemption and Regrets (Chastity Falls, #4) (13 page)

"Did you hear a fucking word I just said? Your father tried to take me out. You're delusional if you think he's just going to bury the hatred because his daughter has a schoolgirl crush."

Anger flared on her face, color spreading on her cheeks. "I know what you're trying to do. You're trying to make me hate you, but it won't work. You feel it; I know you do."

We stood, eyes locked on the other, engaged in a battle neither of us was willing to concede. If I wanted to get rid of her once and for all, I needed something more. Something that would hit her where it hurt most.

"You're so blind," I said forcing my lips into a smirk.

"Excuse me?"

"I was leaving anyway, Cara. I wasn't ever going to stick around. You were just a bit of fun to pass the time. I've been stringing you along all this time."

"Liar." Her voice wavered, and I could see the seed had been planted.

"Do you honestly think I wanted something serious with a college junior? Baby, I was banging the waitress at The Grove from the moment I arrived."

The defiance melted away, replaced with hurt, and Cara stepped back putting distance between us. "You're lying," she said. 

"Am I?"

Cara came at me like lightning, and too stunned to think, I didn't move quick enough to avoid her palm as it collided with my face. The sound of skin slapping skin filled the room, and I hissed at the sting. Shock registered on Cara's face and we stood motionless.

Until the final tether snapped.

Cara rushed me, throwing her hands around the back of my neck and pressing herself up to claim my lips. I scooped her up and swung her around dropping her on the counter, pushing myself between her legs. She moaned into my mouth as our tongues danced. With one hand buried in her hair, anchoring her to me, I used the other to free her blouse from the waistband of her jeans. The palm of my hand brushed over soft skin and I wanted nothing more than to sink into her and finally claim her. 

"Don't stop, never stop," she moaned as I pulled my lips from hers and started sucking along her jawline. Cara's body arched into me, and my dick strained against my jeans.

She tasted like heaven. Vanilla and strawberry and all of the things a woman should taste like. My mouth traced a line across her collarbone as my hand moved up her stomach and cupped her tit. I squeezed, probably a little too hard, but shit, it had been so long I was struggling to rein in the urge to yank off her jeans and fuck her right there on the counter. 

But she deserved more.

Cara wasn't some football groupie or a quick lay. I wanted to take my time with her, make her feel good ... And then I wanted to fuck her into tomorrow.

"Braiden." She panted my name like a prayer.

I ran my hands around her waist, hitched her body flush against me, and walked us backward to the bed. When the back of my legs hit the edge, I dropped down, taking her with me. Winding my hand into her waves, I yanked slightly forcing her back, demanding she look at me. "If we do this, there's no going back. Do you get that? Once I have you, I won't be able to give you up."

Lust glittered in her eyes, and Cara pulled her bottom lip between her teeth as she nodded. Slowly, I inched forward until our mouths connected. My tongue swept into her mouth, and I felt her whole body relax against me. Cara wasn't going anywhere; we were in this together. I hadn't realized it then, but now, I felt it burning between us. Around us. We were doing this thing.

Even if it burned us to the ground.

My hands popped open the buttons of her blouse, one by one, and I pulled back to look at her as I slid the thin material off. "Mine, you get that?"

Cara nodded again tilting her head back to reveal her neck to me. I traced my tongue over the dips and curves of her collarbone eliciting soft moans from her. If she carried on, I wasn't going to last two fucking minutes when I finally sank into her.

I thrust up slightly creating some friction between us, trying to relieve some of the tension straining against my jeans.

"Oh God," she murmured gripping my shoulders and pushing down on me.

"Shit, Cara," I groaned against her slick skin. "I wanted to take my time, but I'm not sure I can."

"So don't. Don't ..."

I leaned back and rolled taking Cara with me until she was lying flat against the mattress and I hovered over her. She stared up at me like I was the single most important thing in her life, and damn, if it didn't do something to my soul.

"Condom, we need a condom."

Shit.

She must have noticed my face pale because a slow smirk tugged at her lips and she said, "My purse."

Was this girl for real?

I went in search of her purse, and when I returned with the foil packet, Cara had shimmied out of her jeans and scooted back to the center of the bed. The sight of her lying here in just her lace bra and panties was like all my birthdays and Christmases rolled into one. Obviously, someone up there felt I'd paid for the sins of my past because the sight of her lying there, bared to me, was everything. And even though I knew I didn't deserve something so perfect, I was done trying to be the good guy. This was happening, and I was going to enjoy every damn second.

I threw the foil packet down beside Cara and leaned forward, grabbing her ankles and dragging her back to me. She shrieked, and for a second, I worried it was a dick move after what Jason did, but the look of longing on her face reassured me. I released her and hooked my hands underneath my hoodie and t-shirt pulling them off in one motion. Then with one hand, I unzipped my jeans, pushed them down, and stepped out of them. Her eyes went straight to my cotton-clad dick, and I swallowed hard trying to hold back.

"God, you're so pretty," Cara said in a husky voice propped up on her elbows, a huge smirk on her face.

"Did you just call me pretty?" I replied staring down at her, my whole body vibrating with need.

She licked her lips and smiled. "What are you going to do about it?"

Oh, challenge accepted.
I kneeled on the edge of the bed lowering myself over her, letting my forearms take the weight of my body. Delicate hands reached out to trace my abs and my heart somersaulted followed closely by my dick.

"Fuck, that feels good."

Her hands didn't stop at my chest; they kept going until her fingertips grazed my dick. My body shivered, and I tipped my head back. Cara hooked her fingers in the waistband of my boxer briefs and pushed them down.

"Touch me, Braiden," she purred.

I didn't need asking twice. Leaning to one side, I was careful not to put all of my weight on her as I slid my free hand down her stomach and into her panties. Met with warm heat, I slipped a finger inside her and she bucked against me, moaning. Fuck, I'd missed this. How I'd lasted four years was anyone's guess because this, right here, was everything.

I swallowed her moans, pushing my tongue into her mouth, giving her everything I had as my fingers worked her harder. Her body started to convulse, her breaths coming in rapid bursts, and when I rolled my thumb down over her clit, she fell apart, moaning my name over and over.

In no time, I'd tore open the foil packet, rolled it over my dick, and slammed inside her. Cara gasped as I filled her to the hilt and I groaned. "Fuck."

It was almost painful. Cara fit me like a glove, and I had to still for a second to gain control of myself. But she wasn't willing to wait. Her legs wrapped tightly around me, and she started to move underneath me. I snatched her hands from my around my neck and pinned them above her head; this was my show, not hers.

I needed this.

Her.

Us.

I withdrew slowly, drawing a soft mewl from her and then slammed back in. I wasn’t going to last more than a few seconds. But we had all night.

And tomorrow.

And the next night.

Because now that I’d felt this, I wasn’t sure I could give it up.

“I
s it weird that I already want to do it again?” Cara’s fingers traced lazy circles on my stomach doing all kinds of weird shit to my insides. After going at it twice last night, and once more this morning, we were wrapped in the bedsheet with her tucked in my arm.

Her words sunk in and it hit me. “Wait, you- you weren’t a virgin, were you?”

Cara’s hand collided with my solid muscles. “No, jackass, I wasn’t a virgin. But so what if I was?” She pulled back to look at me and I dipped my head and captured her lips. “Then I would have gone easier on you,” I joked, not sure which I preferred; the idea of her untouched or giving her v-card to me.

“Jerk,” she mumbled into my mouth, and I felt my dick stir, but from the way the sun was shining through the threadbare curtains hanging in the window, it was already late morning and we needed to talk. Cara had other ideas. Rolling herself onto me, she straddled my legs and drew the sheet up around her body.

“I think it’s too late for that.”

“Can you be serious for just a second? I wanted to say thank you.”

“Thank you?”

“For this. For letting me in ... after everything.”

“Yeah, about that-”

“No talking.” She leaned down pressing her lips to mine and my hand drifted up to her waist, anchoring her to me. Her kiss consumed me, igniting a fire so wild in me it took everything I had to break away.

“We’re talking, blondie.”

“Blondie? All this time you had a nickname for me. Blue and Blondie. I like it.” Cara didn’t resist when I rolled her off me and sat up.

“Last night was ...” I struggled to find the words to describe what was probably the best night of my life.

“Epic. Amazing. The best you’ve ever had. Lay it on me, big guy.” Cara smiled and gripped my jaw between her fingers. “I know exactly what it was. I was right here with you.”

Choked with emotion, I gulped and nodded. She saw right through me. Cut through my bullshit with a knife. It was refreshing and terrifying and left me reeling. But still, it didn’t change the gravity of our situation.

“You must have questions? For me, I mean.” I held her gaze daring her to step over the line and walk on my side. I shouldn’t have doubted her.

“Sure, but can we eat, first? I’m starving,” she replied choosing to ignore my attempt to talk about us.

I rolled my eyes at her and climbed out of bed. “I know a place.”

“I was hoping you’d say that.” Her voice followed me as I headed into the bathroom to take a piss ... and get a grip on my emotions. Last night, I’d told her that if we took this road, there was no going back. But I needed time to think, to figure out a way to fix this mess. What I needed was a clear fucking head, something that was hard to come by in Cara’s presence.

“Hurry up,” she called. “I need to pee.”

Groaning to myself, I shook my head. What the fuck was I going to do with her?

~

A
n hour later, we were sitting in a diner just outside of town. I almost risked taking her to the Pancake Shack for the best pancakes in town, but it was opposite Dante’s and I couldn’t risk someone noticing me. Denny’s was quiet; the early morning customers were already on their way.

“What’s it like being back?”

I shrugged, stuffing another piece of bacon into my mouth.

“Someone’s happy this morning.”

A low growl bubbled up from my chest. “Cara,” I warned.

“What? We’re just having breakfast and talking.” She batted her eyes innocently, but I saw the knowing gleam there. She knew exactly what she was doing, and for all my better judgment, it was working.

“We need to talk about you being here. About everything.”

Her eyes softened, and she tucked a stray hair behind her ear. “I know, but is it so bad to want just one day of normal? I came all the way out here for you. Give me one day. I know we have to talk. I know things are a mess. God, do I know. But I wasn’t thinking. I just knew I had to see you, and now, I’m here and you’re here and I just want one day, Braiden.”

When she put it like that ... was it so bad to give her one day?

“One day.” The words spilled out before I could stop them, but the way her eyes lit up told me I’d done the right thing.

Maybe we’d have longer, but if we only had a day, I didn’t want to waste it worrying about what the future held. I wanted to spend it with the girl sitting opposite me.

Cara dropped her cutlery and clapped. “So I was thinking we could ...” Her voice drowned out in the pounding of my heart in my chest as I watched her come to life, planning the next few hours of our lives, all while thinking how easy it would be to fall in love with her.

~

“I
t’s so peaceful out here.” Cara pressed closer into my side and laid her head against my shoulder as we watched the waves crash against the rocks.

“I haven’t been here in so long.”

Dead Man’s Cove was a student hotspot, but today, it was empty except for the odd dog walker and couple walking the shore.

“We could go skinny dipping?” If it weren't for the playfulness in her voice, I would have readied myself for an argument because there was no fucking way I was getting in that water. Let alone naked.