Aussie: A Bad Boy Second Chance Romance (11 page)

“Why don’t we stay at your place?” I asked, as we were leaving the restaurant.

Dawn looked up at me. “Are you sure?”

“I wouldn’t have brought it up if I wasn’t.”

She squeezed my hand. “Smartass. You know—”

“Yes,” I said, cutting her off. “I know why you’re asking, and I appreciate it, but I know what I want…” I gave her a crooked smile “…and I don’t think there’s any way you’d be able to talk me out of it.”

“Who says I was going to try?”

I shifted my stare away from her, back toward the line of cars. “Smartass.”

We were waiting outside Spago. The valet was getting my jeep, and it was fourth in line on the driveway, behind a Bentley, a Porsche, and a Maserati. We were clearly out of our usual depth here, and I loved every minute of it. Dawn seemed to be having a great night, despite the fucked-up way it began.

When I saw Scott standing on her porch, I’d felt a surge of adrenaline that I rarely felt. It was the kind of rush that might move me to violence, if I were that type of guy. And there was a time I might’ve been. Not now, though. But I was ready to do anything if he made even the slightest physical threat toward Dawn or me. Luckily, that hadn’t happened.

It was in that instant, I realized how protective of Dawn I felt. I didn’t want anybody unsettling her or causing her problems. She was mine. I would do whatever it took to make sure she felt safe and happy. I looked over her when I was younger, but this was different. This was territorial, intense.

We pulled up to her house, and I parked my Jeep in her drive. Reaching into the backseat, I grabbed my backpack.

“Prepared, much?” She teased. “You have an overnight bag? Feeling pretty confident about yourself, huh?”

I smiled. “It’s my camera.”

She laughed. “Oh! You can leave it there. Nobody will break into your car.”

“There’s over $2,000 worth of equipment in this bag between the camera and the lenses. It’s coming with me.”

We headed toward the front door.

Once inside, I slid the camera out of my bag and pointed it at her. We were standing close, but she covered her face.

“Come on,” I said. “You look beautiful. Just one shot.”

She reluctantly let her hands drop and I took the shot. Then another.

“Smile,” I nudged. The corners of her mouth turned up. Goofing off, she made a face, looking right into the camera. As she started to laugh, I got a great shot of her.

“Okay, that’s enough.” She raised her hand and moved closer, trying to cover my lens.

I backed up and snapped more shots as she moved. I sat on the couch and looked at her through the lens. “Pose for me.”

She tilted her head. “Pose? How?”

“Anyway you want.”

I was pressing the button, taking one shot, then two and three and four in bursts, as Dawn mockingly posed. She turned to the side and bent one knee. Hand behind her head, which was turned toward me.

“No duck-face, please,” I said.

She did the duck-face anyway.

I stood, and walking around her took shot after shot, until I had dozens of them. She seemed to finally relax and have fun with it.

Click, click…click-click-click-click.

I followed her to the stairs. She looked over her shoulder once and I got a great shot—a wisp of hair falling over one eye. Her mouth was slightly open and those bedroom eyes...

She started up the steps. “No upskirt shots, perv.”

“I wouldn’t dare.”

She feigned disappointment. “What, you don’t want any pics of me like that?”

I growled, my voice low. The closer we got to her bedroom, the more I wanted to get her naked. “Not when I have the real thing. I don’t need them.”

Her legs flexed as she took each step.

I was throbbing hard, unsure of how long I could go without dropping the camera and fondling her. Each step, I wanted her more. Inching closer, I ached to be inside of her. The anticipation wrapped around my brain, pushing all other thoughts away.

I followed Dawn to her room. Closing the door behind me, I kept clicking my shutter. She was on the edge of the bed, slipping off her shoes. I couldn’t stop snapping pictures. She leaned back and threw her arm over her head. It was dizzying how natural she was at this. Or how mesmerized I was by her beauty.

She rolled onto her stomach, her dress riding up the backs of her thighs. I moved around to the other side of the bed, ready to snap another picture.

We both heard it. The front door slammed shut. Dawn shot up off the bed. She moved against the bedroom door and raised a finger to her lips.

We stood frozen as footsteps moved closer. Somebody was in the hall, just steps away.

Dawn opened the door and stepped out of the room.

I quietly shifted and sat on the floor. I made sure I was low enough that if the door opened, I wouldn’t be seen.

Their voices echoed in the hallway.

It was her father.  “Whose jeep is that?”

“A friend’s,” Dawn said. “She got a ride to a concert with someone. She’ll pick it up later.”

Her father said something quietly that I couldn’t hear.

Then Dawn asked, “You’re home early. What happened?”

“Cut our trip short. That’s all.” He was short, not giving any details.

The bedroom door handle rattled a little. I hoped it was Dawn’s hand on it.

She wrapped up their conversation. “Okay. Well, I’m really tired so I’m going to bed early.”

I heard her mom’s voice, softer, quieter, but couldn’t make out what she said.

My heart lodged in my throat when the door opened. I wasn’t sure if I’d be seen.

“Goodnight,” Dawn said, then closed the door as her parents responded. She turned the lock and turned toward me.

I sat on my knees and mouthed, “Fuck.”

Dawn fell onto the bed on her stomach, her face just inches from mine and whispered, “Holy shit.” Her eyes were wide and her expression blank. She broke out into giggles and buried her face in the comforter, trying to muffle the sound.

The unmistakable sound of her parents’ bedroom door closing echoed down the hall and into Dawn’s room.

I raised the camera to my eye and took a final picture of her with her head down. “I guess that’s enough pics.”

She raised her head. “Why? I was just starting to have fun with it.”

“I have other things in mind,” I answered, placing my camera on her nightstand. I stood and leaned over the bed, sliding my arms underneath her. “Come with me.”

She caught herself mid-squeal, then whispered, “What are you doing?”

I led her into the bathroom. “It’ll be quieter in here.”

Dawn started to say something. “Quieter for…”

She stopped as I turned her toward the mirror. I nuzzled and kissed her neck. She sighed and closed her eyes. I watched her in the mirror as she rolled her head back.

I lifted the back of her dress and slipped my hand into her panties, yanking them down to the tops of her thighs.

“Luke,” she said breathlessly, “they might hear.”

“Then I suggest you be very, very quiet,” I teased while pushing her panties to the floor.

With her hands planted flat on the sink countertop, she looked into my eyes. Our gaze locked in a long, slow, smoldering stare.

I unzipped my slacks and dropped my underwear. My cock sprang to life, hard and ready for her. It rubbed against her ass, as I continued to watch her in the mirror.

My heart thundered in my chest. She was grinding against me, moving her hips, pressing into my cock. Without any warning, she reached around, desperate to touch. Wrapping her fingers around me, I drew a deep breath, needing her.

It made me think of all the years I’d fantasized about fucking her in this very house, in her bedroom, with her parents down the hall. It was the fuel for many a night, lying in my bed down the hall, stroking myself.

Now, the fantasy was coming to life.

Neither of us could wait. She let go and placed her hands back on the counter.

I slipped my hand around my cock and guided it to her slick body, easing just inside her. Watching her reaction in the mirror, I knew it was an expression I’d never want to forget. A look I’d waited for most of my life.

In one long stroke, I thrust into her. She inhaled sharply, then her mouth fell to a perfect ‘o’ as she adjusted to the sensation.

She’d closed her eyes momentarily, but re-opened them and was looking at me in the mirror. I was consumed by her radiance.

I slipped a finger under the strap of her dress and slid it over her shoulder, then her arm. I shoved her bra up over her tits, needing to see their perfection. I pinched one of her nipples, pulling a little as she bent over more, begging me to go deeper.

The soft whimpers started to spill out of her lips. I covered her mouth with my hand, a quick reminder that we had to be quiet. Dawn parted her lips and sucked a finger into her mouth, then bit down on it lightly.

I felt light-headed, but in a good way. It was like I was halfway into a dream state. I struggled to focus, was eager to take in every sight, sensation, and sound. I didn’t want to forget one single detail.

I spoke in a whisper; my lips close to her ear. “I’ve always wanted to fuck you like this, Dusk.”

Dawn’s breathing quickened. She clenched my cock in uneven pulses, first fast, then slow. Dropping her head down, she bent lower and moaned softly, riding the orgasm.

I lost it. I didn’t want to. I could have fucked her all night, but this was better than anything I’d imagined back then.

I squeezed her breast as I my stomach and thighs tightened, coiling up, then relaxing as the slow burn of my own release took over my body.

I woke up alone in bed.

We’d been awake until at least three in the morning. We quickly snuck down the stairs, then outside. I hated watching him leave, but it was for the best. Luke put his Jeep in neutral and let it roll down the driveway. He didn’t start it until he’d hit the street.

So much for my plans to wake up in bed with him, but my parents early return squashed those plans.

Climbing back into bed, I closed my eyes and pictured our bathroom adventure. The way he looked at me, feeling him thrust into me, the way he’d let a slow groan rise from his belly, I could replay those moments over and over in my mind.

I loved how Luke took control, whether it was moving my body a certain way, telling me to pose for his camera, or even the tone of his voice. He was so fucking hot and knew what I wanted almost more than I did.

The fact that he still fucked me after my parents were home, it made the entire thing even more exciting. We opened a window and curled up in bed, a light breeze blowing into the room. It was easily one of the most intensely emotional moments I’d ever had. We held each other, not speaking, only our breath filling the silence. Amid the fading pleasure, we were somehow still communicating without words. I felt it, I know he felt it – pure contentment. We’d worry about everything else later.

It was only after he left that I started to cry. 

*****

Work moved so freaking slowly the next day. I was dragging ass, having stayed up so late the night before. With summer sales starting, people were hitting up the racks and bins in full force.

I figured a mid-afternoon pick-me up might do wonders. I texted Luke and asked if he wanted to meet for lunch, but he wrote back that he was busy. He said he’d take me out for dinner and we’d spend the night at his place. Having something to look forward to lifted my spirits enough to get the day moving a little more.

I should have left it at that. Instead, I called Aunt Jackie, trying to fill some time. Big mistake.

“I’m driving,” she said, “and the top’s down so if you hear lots of background noise, I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine.” I threw away the remains of my lunch and went back to the table in the food court.

“How’s your day going? You working?” she asked.

I sighed in response. “Aunt Jackie, I don’t know what to do.”

She didn’t say anything for a moment. The wind and other cars hummed in the background. I could almost hear her lips tighten. It was a statement, not a question. “You’re still seeing him.”

“Yeah. I can’t stop; don’t want to stop. There’s something special between us. A bond that’s so intense, real…perfect. I just-”

She interrupted me. “I believe you, Dawn. I do. But you need to know that you’ll be better off if you don’t get involved. He’ll be better off, too.”

“Why?” I didn’t get it. Years had passed. Why couldn’t they let go of it all?

“I can’t say.”

I was angry at her response. How could she not say? She knew how important this was to me. “Are you fucking kidding me?”

“You have to trust me on this. I can’t tell you why. You know I’ve always kept our talks confidential, right?”

I didn’t say anything. I couldn’t. I was dumbfounded.

“Well,” she said, “I’m like that with everyone. If someone tells me something they don’t want anyone to know, I don’t tell anyone. I’m sorry, Dawn. I just can’t. All I can say is that I think it would be best if you didn’t see him anymore.”

“Is it something Luke said to you? Told you? Back then?”

“No.” She didn’t add any detail, just kept her answer short.

“Is he…” I didn’t want to say the word but I had to. “Is there something dangerous about him?”

“No, sweetie. That’s something I would tell you. I wouldn’t let you get in a situation where you were in some kind of danger. I promise.”

I believed her. It didn’t change the fact that I was frustrated. Fine, she was keeping something confidential – and I got that, respected it, but what in the hell did it have to do with Luke? I tried to let it go, thinking back on the things I’d told her and appreciating that she was trustworthy with my secrets. Telling Aunt Jackie something was like putting it in a vault.

Who had told her? And what was it that she was keeping secret?

I could have begged. I could have pleaded. Maybe even worked up some tears—I was already on the edge of breaking down—and put her in a position to tell me what she couldn’t tell me. But that would have been unfair to Aunt Jackie. I knew how important confidentiality and privacy were to her, and I’d been the beneficiary of her strict adherence to that several times.

I started to cry.

Between my sobs she said, “Dawn, please trust me on this.”

I managed to get control of myself before returning to work. Great. My face was going to be red and puffy and my makeup would be smeared.

“I have to go.” I hung up without saying goodbye.

*****

“I’m going to tell them right now.” I said the words just as Luke answered his phone, before he even had a chance to say anything.

He was silent for a second. “You sound pissed.”

“I am fucking pissed.”

“Maybe you should calm down before you—”

“Don’t fucking tell me to calm down!” I yelled, actually pulling the phone away from my face and holding it in front of my mouth. I instantly regretted it. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have taken this out on you.”

“Babe, what’s going on?”

I wanted to, needed to tell him, but I wanted to do it face to face. “Can I come to your place in a little while? I’m sure it won’t take long.”

“Yeah, sure, I’ll meet you there.”

“Thanks,” I said, trying to calm myself.

“No, Dawn, I meant, I can meet you at your house. We can tell them together.”

His offer made me want to cry—that he’d put himself in such an uncomfortable position for me, just to make what I had to do easier. But I was too angry to cry. “Thank you for offering. It’s sweet, really, but I can handle it. I’ll text you and let you know what’s going on.”

“Call.”

“Huh?”

“Don’t text. I want to hear your voice. Call and let me know what happened.”

“Okay,” I said, making the right turn onto my street. “I’m almost there.”

“Hey, Dawn?”

“Yeah.”

“This is all going to work out. Trust me.”

My parents were in the kitchen when I got home. I heard them as soon as I walked through the front door. I closed it gently and stood there for a moment. They were arguing. Dad’s voice was loud, an octave higher than it usually was. Mom was talking quickly. These were the two signs I’d always keyed in on that let me know something was terribly wrong. I couldn’t hear their exact words, but I did pick up the phrase, “We’re going to tell her the second she gets home.”

That was Dad’s voice. He seemed to have discerned that I was indeed home. I heard his footsteps leave the kitchen, walking through the dining room, and then he and Mom were standing there looking at me.

Dad’s frown was severe. Mom’s arms were crossed tightly across her chest.

“Luke was in the house?” Dad’s nostrils flared. I hadn’t seen him this mad since the day he kicked Luke out.

How the hell did they know? I didn’t have a chance to say anything.

Mom said, “Dawn, this is serious. Why was he here?”

“You’ve been talking to him? Seeing him? How long?” Dad demanded.

“Why was he here?” Mom repeated.

Dad started to say something, but I cut him off. “If you guys would let me speak, I’ll answer you.”

“And why didn’t you tell us you broke up with Scott?” Mom asked, her voice shriller than just seconds ago.

“Are you going to let me say anything?” I snapped. I brushed past them and moved to the den. They followed behind me. I dropped onto the sofa. They stood over me, like I was a kid who’d broken curfew. I hated him hovering over me, so I quickly stood back up, regaining my ground. “Who told you?”

“That’s not important,” Dad said.

“It is to me. Who told you?” It had to be Aunt Jackie. I’d just talked to her, and she’d given me a dire but vague warning. She must have called them. No. That wasn’t like her to break my trust. That’s when I knew. I rolled my eyes upward and spoke flatly. “Scott, it was Scott.”

My mother’s voice was racked in tension. “Yes. He was just here a while ago, not even thirty minutes ago, to fill us in. To say it was a bombshell is an understatement.”

Fucking asshole. It was one thing for him to try to fight for me, make an attempt to get me back, that would’ve been understandable, normal. But he must have known it wouldn’t have worked, and he’d come to tell my parents what I’d done, just like we were little kids again. Fucking great.

“Look,” I said, “what I do with my life is my business—”

“The hell it is,” Dad scolded forcefully.

My face tightened. What the fuck? I was an adult. When would they see that?  I clenched my teeth and responded. “I’m twenty-five.”

“And you live under
our
roof,” Mom said. “Why was he here?”

I decided that if they were going to treat me like I was twelve, I was going to act like it. “Because I invited him.”

“Why?”

“Because I did.” Okay, that was enough of playing the game. You’re an adult, be an adult, I told myself. “Because I’ve been seeing him, dating him. We have something special, genuine.”

My dad put his hands to his face, covering his mouth. “Oh, my God,” he mumbled.

Mom frowned. “Dawn, you know the trouble he caused. What he did to your father…”

I shook my head slowly, firmly, absolutely sure of myself. “You don’t know him. Not anymore.”

Mom drew her hand up over her eyes. She shielded herself from what I’d said, like it would make it go away.

“Scott and I were never meant to be a couple. There’s nothing there. You have to see that. We stayed together because of you two, and his parents. With Luke, it’s real. I’ve never been more sure of anything. I don’t care what you think about it. I’m not going to stop seeing him.”

My dad took a step closer, and looked down at me. “You’re never to bring him into the house again. Is that understood? You have no idea what you’re getting into.”

I felt the rage burning inside me, gathering strength, building toward an explosive outburst that I’d probably regret for the rest of my life. I wanted to tell him to fuck off, that he had no idea what he was talking about. But he’d just alluded to something—I had no idea what I was getting myself into? It was more direct than what Aunt Jackie told me, but it was along the same lines.

“Why don’t you tell me?” I said, raising my eyebrows, taunting my father. “Maybe if I had an idea what I was getting into, I’d come to my senses and stop seeing him. Right? So tell me, Dad.” I turned my head toward my mother, raising my voice. “Or you can tell me, Mom. Doesn’t anyone have the guts to tell me?”