The Mitchell Family Series BoxSet 1-4.5 (6 page)

“Everyone blames me. I just can’t take it anymore. Sometimes I just wish it was me in that hospital bed,” she confessed.

I reached over and touched her cheek. “Please don’t talk like that, Savanna. What happened wasn’t your fault. Shit, he wasn’t the angel they think he was.”

I wish I could tell her the truth…

She sat up and I realized I stuck my foot in my mouth. “What does that mean? If you know something tell me!”

“I just meant that he was hooking up with all those girls instead of just waitin' for you.” It was partially the truth. I didn’t have the heart to be the one to tell her he had cheated while they were really together.

“Oh. Do you think it’s stupid of me to pretend like we are together even though he’s lying in that hospital?” she asked.

We were so close and answering this could change things. We had already taken things too far. But, I couldn’t see her wasting away in that hospital room having false hope that he would ever wake up. It wasn’t fair to her. “You aren’t pretendin', but if you ask me, I would say he wouldn’t want you to be miserable. When you love someone you want them to be happy.”

She smiled a little. “I do want to be happy again. I just think it’s never going to happen. I don’t know if I can let myself go through with it.”

“Well, when the time is right you will know. You will feel it in the pit of your stomach and thinking that you will never have the chance will tear you up inside. That’s when you will know for sure that you are ready to move on,” I said confidently.

I watched tears fall down her eyes. “I want you to kiss me.”

You can’t ask that!

Her request caught me off guard. “What did you just say?”

She got even closer to me. “I’ve never kissed anyone besides Ty. I just want to know what it feels like and since I don’t have any other guy friends, I was hoping you would do it.” I opened my mouth but she started talking again. “Never mind, it was a stupid idea. I am so…”

I pressed my lips against hers, first gently while waiting for her to respond. I pulled away and looked at her. Savanna dug her hands into my hair and pulled my lips to hers again. I tried to be gentle with her busted lip, but she wasn’t even paying attention to it. Her tongue slid across mine for the first time and it was like fuel for the fire. My hands came up and grabbed her face as my tongue played with hers. I teased her lips with mine and licked them before sliding my tongue back into her mouth.  When we finally pulled away we separated quickly, neither of us wanting to say anything.

I was about to turn over and go to sleep when I felt her hands touching my back, and then I realized it wasn’t just her hands. Savanna’s lips kissed the top of my shoulder and I felt her tongue as she did it. “You asked for a kiss. You know we can’t do anymore than that,” I whispered.

I turned to face her, to make sure she heard me.

“Was I bad at it?” she asked.

It was perfect and I want so many more.

“Are you kidding me? You were great. Please can we go to bed?” I begged.

“If you answer one more question.”

“Fine.”

“If I was never with Ty and my face didn’t look so bad, would you have wanted me then?” she asked curiously.

She was so close to me and I could still taste her on my lips. “Savanna, this is so wrong. We shouldn’t be here together. We shouldn’t have kissed.”

“Just tell me the truth,” she begged.

I looked at her again. In the dark, it was hard to see her black eye anymore, not that it mattered to me at all anyway. I knew how she really looked and that it was just temporary. “Even if I tell you yes, it doesn’t matter because it can’t happen. So why do you need to know so bad? It’s just going to make things harder.”

“I just haven’t been around people in a while, especially a guy, but being around you has been so different. I feel like there is something happening between us. I just need to know if I am going crazy.”

Shit. Do I lie and break her heart or tell her the truth and throw caution to the wind
? I wanted her, but the problem was she wasn’t like other girls. I had known her for so long. I spent my summers here as a kid and she was always a part of them.  She wasn’t the kind of girl that you fucked and forgot about. That’s probably why my stupid cousin couldn’t seem to just let her go.

“I am going to say this once and I don’t want you to ask again. I think you are gorgeous. I don’t want to call you Van because you are a beautiful woman who deserves a beautiful name. If you were never with Ty, you would be all I thought about until I had you for myself. Now can I please go to bed?”

“Yes,” was all she said.

Chapter 9

Savanna

There are times when someone drinks where they wish they could forget what their drunk self did or said the night before, but last night just wasn’t one of those nights. I remembered everything that was said. Mostly, I remembered every word that came out of Colt’s mouth. I was almost afraid to open my eyes to see if he was still lying in the bed next to me. I opened my eyes just as Colt stirred next to me. When I turned to look in his direction, he was already looking in mine.

“Hey,” he said.

“Hi.”

Obviously, he was wondering what to say next. Something had happened between us and as much as I should be upset with myself over it, I couldn’t help but to feel happy.

“Your eye looks better,” Colt said as he reached over and pushed the hair away from my face.

“Is it still black?” I asked.

“Eh, it’s kind of like a faded brown and purple now. Your face isn’t swollen though, and your lip is barely noticeable.”

Since he was clearly looking at every aspect of my face, I started to blush. It was weird, being here like this with him, but at the same time, exciting.

I needed to change the subject. “So what are your plans today?”

“I don’t know. What did you have in mind?” he asked.

I was shocked that he asked. I figured he would be the first one of us to bolt out of this bed and drop me off at the dorm. “I am pretty comfortable right now,” I admitted.

“Me too,” he said as he looked at me and smiled.

I smiled back and we just lay there looking at each other for a long time before either of us said anything.

For the next two hours, Colt and I laid in bed across from each other talking about everything under the sun. It started as a joke, but soon progressed to an intense conversation. I thought it would be awkward talking about such personal stuff, but after a while, I realized it was easy. Colt hung on to my every word and he seemed genuinely interested in everything I was saying. Whenever he would ask a question, I would have to answer, but he would have to answer the same one too. After two hours, I felt like I knew so much more about him.

His favorite color was gray. He preferred Country music over any others. His favorite food was hot wings and anything breakfast. He talked about college and jobs that he had. We even talked about funny things we did as teenagers.

Colt only got out of bed because we were both starving. I offered to make pancakes, but he claimed he made the best in all existence. After they were served, I had to admit that they were pretty dang good. Not being around other people had become so normal to me in the past few months. I had shut everyone out in fear of being hurt or rejected.  I honestly wanted to be around Colt. He made me smile and always said the right things. He made me feel like we were kids again and that it was alright to smile and want things.

I insisted on doing the dishes and Colt didn’t argue. He was sitting on the couch with Sam sprawled out over his lap. Once again, he wasn’t wearing a shirt. I caught myself glancing over and just looking at his body. He wasn’t giant, like over muscular, but he was well defined. I thought about the way his skin felt last night when we kissed and I felt my cheeks getting hot. As much as we were trying to fight it, I wanted to kiss him again, even more so today. I kept replaying what happened last night in my mind and all of the things he said to me.

That was one thing that neither of us brought up so far today, and part of me worried that he may have regretted it. He was right about me needing to be happy with my life. Ty wouldn’t want me to be miserable. Was I wrong for wanting to move on? Was I an awful person for being attracted to someone that saved and took care of me? He was the first person who had treated me with respect since the accident. Even if he didn’t want me for more than a friend, I would be okay with that. Except for my so-called friend Brina, he was all I had.

Once I finished in the kitchen, I headed over to the couch. We sat on opposite ends and started watching a movie. After a while, he sat a pillow in his lap and asked if I wanted to lay down. At first, it was innocent, but as the time passed, I felt his hands stroking my hair. I wanted to look up at him, but I didn’t have the nerve to do it. I was afraid he would stop and I didn’t want him to.

“Savanna?”

“Yeah?”
 

“I know you have to get back to school tomorrow for finals, but I need to talk to you before you go.” he stated.

“Okay. Just so you know, I don’t have finals until Tuesday,” I said as I smiled up at him.

His face was serious so I sat up and faced him. “What’s wrong?” I asked.

“I um. Well I didn’t really sleep much last night. After what happened….the kiss I mean, well it got me thinkin'. Then after this morning I knew for sure I needed to bring this up.”

“I’m not following you, Colt. Just tell me,” I said, wondering what was going on. “Do you want me to leave now? Are you mad about the kiss?”

He looked down at his knees. “I really enjoy your company and I don’t want you to leave. I was kind of hopin’ you would stay,” he said in a calm voice.

My mouth dropped open. I didn’t know what to say…

I had loved Ty since I was fourteen years old, but the past two days with Colt had made me feel alive again. So much had happened to get me to where I was right now. I didn’t want to turn my back on Ty, but how long could I wait? For countless days, I had done nothing but cry and want to end my life. Finally, someone made me want to smile again. At first, I thought it was through pity, but I could see the fire for me building in Colt’s eyes and just knowing it sent sensation through my body that I thought would never exist again.

I wanted more…

I wanted him…

Colt

I shouldn’t have said it, but I did. I just wanted to be around her and it wasn’t because of some kiss, even though that was pretty hot. It was because I genuinely enjoyed her company and seeing that she enjoyed mine, well, it made my decision making easier.

She was like a lost little puppy and I wanted to save her. I wanted to see her smile and I especially wanted to feel those lips. Even if this was a temporary attraction, I wanted to explore it more.

At one time, she may have been my cousin’s girl, but right now, she was all alone.  Maybe I was being a horrible relative, but I was a grown man. I’d been so horrible to her in the past. I couldn’t help but want to make it up to her, to spend time with her and show her that she was allowed to smile again.

“Say something,” I said in a panic when I saw the look in her eyes.

She closed her eyes and shook her head.  “I don’t know what to say, Colt. I mean, what’s this thing that’s going on between us? Is it real or is it just something new and exciting? I want to tell you that I can’t stay. I want to say that I regret kissing you.” Her eyes locked with mine. I could feel my heart beating in my chest. She was going to tell me we weren’t on the same page and that she just couldn’t do something like this, with me of all people. How could I expect that she would? Of all the people in the world, why would she want to start something with her boyfriend’s cousin?

Before I could tell her never mind, she shocked me by taking my hand. “But it would be a lie, Colt. I don’t know what’s happening, but I don’t want it to stop. I haven’t felt this way in so long. I haven’t let myself live. And if you don’t kiss me right now, I might pass out from all of this excitement.”

Without hesitation, I pulled her into my arms and pressed my lips against hers. There wasn’t anything gentle about it this time and I could sense her sudden eagerness. We went from something innocent to an explosion of lust.

I ran my hands into her hair and pulled her in closer. With my other hand, I touched her thigh and ran my hands slowly at the base of her shorts. Savanna grabbed the collar to my shirt and pulled me even closer into our kissing. She held me tightly as her lips dragged over mine. Her soft tongue played with my bottom lip before she bit it gently with her teeth. When her hands found the edge of the bottom of my shirt, I pulled away. “Are you sure about this, Savanna, because if we go any further, I won’t be able to stop,” I admitted.

I put my forehead against hers and waited for her to reply. She reached for my lips again, but I pulled away, awaiting her answer. She kept her eyes closed but I watched as she licked her lips. “I want you, Colt,” she whispered.

I didn’t reply with words, instead, I grabbed her shirt and pulled it over her head. I could feel the heat building as I caught my first glimpse of her bra. Her perky little lips found mine again as one of my hands caressed her breast. I finally let her pull off my shirt and our mouths only separated for seconds as it left my head. Savanna slowly kissed my chin and I held my head back and absorbed how amazing her tongue felt as she slid it against my neck. With both of her hands, she began feeling my chest, paying close attention to my nipples. When she reached them, she pinched them both while she kissed my shoulder.

I pulled her onto my lap and let her straddle me. Just having her ass in my hands made me rock hard. I had felt it a few times in the past couple days, but this time she was offering. Her shorts made it easy for me to slide my hands up them. I pressed firmly as I made my way up her thighs and when I touched the fabric of her panties, she giggled. “Are you okay?” I asked.

“It just tickles. Don’t stop though,” she whispered in my ear before biting on the lobe.

My fingers grabbed the fabric to her underwear and I pulled them away from her tender skin. I could feel her soft skin on the back of my fingers. She giggled even more than before as my fingers rubbed against her smooth skin. I could already feel how much she wanted me by how wet she had become.

I pulled my hands away and grabbed the back of her again. “We need to get these off,” I said as I quickly removed her shorts.

She scooted back on the couch and, before joining her, I remained sitting up admiring her tiny stomach and beautiful curves. Her underwear were so small they almost didn’t exist and I couldn’t help but lick my lips again. “You are so hot, Savanna. God, I want you so bad,” I admitted while sliding my hands up her thighs again. I watched as she lifted her hips a little, as I got closer to her center.

My mouth touched her inner thigh and she retracted, giggling again. “Sorry, it tickles when you touch me, Colt.”

I smiled and focused on her soft skin. Her creamy thigh just wanted to be kissed and it was exactly what I did. When I got to her panties, I kissed them and stroked my tongue over them. Her hips lifted again. “Oh my God, that’s so hot!” she spat out.

Her eyes were focused on mine, so I never took mine off hers as I licked the fabric again, this time aiming for the direct center. Savanna gasped and I knew she liked it. With my teeth, I grabbed the fabric and pulled it away from her skin. I used my hand to hold the fabric out of my way as I gently kissed her wet skin for the first time. She tasted sweet and part of me wanted to stop fooling around and be inside of her. My dick was starting to throb from not getting attention, but I wanted Savanna to be satisfied. She needed to be.

I slid my tongue inside of her again and found the tiny nub at the base. I let my tongue go a little crazy when her body started to convulse against my face. When she finally began screaming out, I took it into my mouth and sucked hard. Savanna’s hands were in my hair and she was pulling me up to her face. I grabbed my shirt and wiped it off before kissing her, not knowing if that was something she was in to.

As my body lingered above hers, she reached for the button to my shorts and yanked my pants down off my ass. I felt the edge of her fingernails digging into my skin as she pulled my body against hers. With one hand, I reached down and threw off my shorts.  I found her mouth again as I reached behind her back and unhooked her bra. She sat up and let me slip it off her arms.  I cupped her breasts in my hands and sucked on one of her nipples. Her soft moans filled me with the hunger to be inside of her, but when her hand found my shaft and began stroking it, I knew it was only a matter of time.

“I don’t have protection,” I confessed, realizing that I hadn’t thought this through.

Her lips found mine again and God she tasted so good. “Bedside table in the back,” she said between kisses.

I was using Ty’s rubbers…what the fuck?

I pulled away far enough where I could see her face. “Are you sure about this?”

“Yes, please hurry.”

I jumped off the couch and ran into the bedroom. At first, I thought I was out of luck, but then I noticed the familiar feel of a plastic wrapper all the way in the back. I suppose it was hidden in case my aunt was being nosey.  Considering that this was a reminder of her being my cousin’s girl, I sat down on the edge of the bed and considered that I was making a huge mistake, possibly something that I would never be able to forgive myself for.

As I was about to chicken out, Savanna came walking into the room. She stood naked right in front of me. Just looking at her took my breath away. “You are worth it,” I said as I pulled her into my arms.

She pulled away for a moment, maybe to question what I meant, but I cupped my hand between her legs and used the palm of my hand to rub against her. I started kissing her stomach and noticed a tiny butterfly tattoo that had been hidden by her underwear. I wondered why she hadn’t mentioned it, but considering where it was located kind of answered the question.