Beautiful PRICK (12 page)

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

“Johnny… Johnny.” I try to get his attention as I find my
footing, but his mind has left the conversation. “Johnny!” I finally grab his
face and yell.

“Are you okay here?” If it’s possible, his dark eyes are
even darker.

“Why? Where are you going?” I keep my hold on his cheeks,
praying that he doesn’t do anything stupid.

He shakes me off of him and makes his way through the crowd,
and to the edge of the ring. I hold on to his wrist, trying desperately to pull
him back, but my mere strength is nothing compared to his determination.

“Hey! Juan!” Johnny calls into the group of people that have
surrounded him.

“Johnny, please. Stop this now.” I beg.

This is not at all what I want to happen. Sure, I had
delusions that I would one day run into him and he would try to jump me in the
middle of a darkened alley, but this time I would be prepared. He’d be hurt, he
wouldn’t know what hit him, and on that day…I would have closure.

But I knew they were delusions, fantasies, and if I had it
my way…I would never see him again in my entire life. He would go on with his
life and I with mine, and our paths would never cross.

I guess that’s not the way the world works.

Johnny escapes my grip and leaves me at the edge of the
crowd as he moves in on Juan and his surrounding team. I watch in slow motion
as Johnny pushes his way through the smaller crowd and lays a hand on Juan’s
shoulder. He whispers something in his ear, to which Juan quickly turns around,
his fist flying. Johnny catches his hand before it makes contact with his face,
and pushes him back. Although I know Johnny would argue, this particular mash
up is a little unfair. Johnny is a giant, and Juan is… well, he’s actually
quite small. I wouldn’t put him any taller than five feet, seven inches, and
maybe one hundred and sixty pounds, sopping wet. I mean, that’s still a good
deal bigger than me, but nowhere near Johnny. If these two were to actually get
in a physical altercation, even with Juan’s impressive abilities, my money
would be on Johnny.

But even as I say that, Johnny’s back is on the floor with
Juan gearing up to jump on top of him.

I start screaming, begging for the fight to stop, as Johnny
finds his way back to his feet and uses his knee to jam Juan in the gut. Instinctually,
I run forward, somehow thinking it’s a good idea to get in the middle of this
fight, but I’m stopped suddenly by the referee. Actually, everyone is stopped
by the referee.

The fight is broken up, and both Johnny and Juan are being
held back as they continue to try and propel themselves forward.

I rush up to them, grabbing Johnny by the arm, all the while
trying to talk some sense into him. But as I turn, I come face to face with
him.

And he starts laughing.

“That’s what this is about? Some fucking broad?” Juan spits
at my feet, and I jump back with a slight yelp.

“Get away from her!” Johnny yells, almost breaking free from
the three people that are attempting to restrain him.

I look him in the eye, trying to calm him down by staying
calm myself. “Johnny, let’s just go, okay?”

“No! He deserves what is coming to him.”

He deserves what’s coming to him? What does that mean? When
did Johnny become crazed?

I almost stomp my foot and demand that we leave now, but I
don’t need to. We’re escorted off the premises by a handful of bouncers,
all who happen to know Johnny by name, and apologize
that it has to be that way. Then, as we’re brought to a cab that is waiting in
the parking lot, we’re told that we’re welcome back any time, we just have to
make sure not to start a fight unless we’re entered into it.

Those are some interesting
rules…

I make sure to thank the group of men before they return to
the metal door underneath the flickering light, and disappear back into the
underground fighting ring. The ride back to my place is pretty quiet. I stare
out the window, fuming, while Johnny stares out the other window, also fuming. I
have so much I want to say to him; mostly about how that was absolutely
ridiculous and immature, but I can’t say a thing. I can’t say a thing, because
I’m actually grateful. He stood up for me. He fought a fight in my honor. I
can’t name another time in my life when someone cared so much.

“That was pretty stupid.” I finally murmur.

“Yeah, well, he’s pretty stupid.” He furiously remarks while
still staring out of the window.

I can’t help but laugh. “He’s pretty stupid? That’s your
come back?”

He finally turns to me, and I can see that he’s trying to
hide his smile. “Well, he is!”

“Sure,” I come right back, “but I’m sure he could definitely
beat you at a battle of insults. Because, honestly, you suck.”

He shakes his head, and I can tell he wants to say
something, but I continue. “Seriously though, Johnny. That wasn’t smart. Say he
punched you in the face. How are you going to explain that on set tomorrow? How
much extra makeup would be needed to cover up a black eye?”

“I get it, Caroline.” He dismisses me.

“Then I need you to get something else.” I take a deep
breath. “I don’t want to be a damsel in distress. That’s why I asked you to
train me. I don’t want you to take care of me and fight my battles. I want the
freedom to make decisions like that, that affect only me, on my own.”

Johnny finally fully turns to me, and even through the
darkness, I can tell that he really can see me. I might not be strong, but I
want to get stronger. I might not be brave, but I want to get braver. I might
be scared, but I want to fight it. And finally, he can see that in me.

Johnny lowers his head and rests his palm right above my
knee. “I hear you, Caroline, but I want you to know that your decisions don’t
only affect you, because you affect me.”

What? What?
You affect me?
Kiss me you freaking
idiot! Who says that and then doesn’t kiss the person they say it to? Am I not
giving you all the signals? Am I not begging to be kissed? Hell, I just leaned
in. Take a hint.

Just don’t take all of the other hints like when I directly
told you that I would never be interested…

Life, huh?

The cab drops us off in front of my apartment, but instead
of wishing Johnny a good night, I invite him in.

Once inside, I try to drop more subtle hints, but he still
doesn’t get it.

“If I swing this way, how do you block me?” He throws a slow
punch.

“Like this.” I lift up my forearm to stop his throw.

“And what about like this?”

We continue this back and forth, throwing and blocking,
throwing and blocking, until I end up against the wall. I duck from his next
punch, and take an offensive stance by throwing my shoulder into his gut and
tackling him to the floor. I know he’s being easy on me, but it still feels
pretty empowering when I land on top of him. I’m not there more than a brief
second before he entangles his legs in mine and twists, causing me to lose my
stance over him. We both pause to catch our breath, and I have to smile at him.
He lowers his weight so he’s hovering inches above my chest, and quickly swoops
his hands to his sides and grabs my wrists. I’m completely pinned and I
completely do not want to get out of this hold.

“What do you do now?” He whispers, his lips now so very
close to mine.

So I close my eyes. “Absolutely nothing.” I hum through a soft
smile.

I feel his breath on my lips, but I refuse to open my eyes. I
want him to make the decision. I want him to want to take that step. But the
torture is too much. I hate the waiting. I hate the not knowing. I slowly part
my lips as I come up with something else to say, but just as I take a breath
in, I feel his mouth invade mine.

He doesn’t let go of my wrists. In fact, he makes his grip
tighter. This kiss is different than the one on my porch. That was passionate,
yet kind and reserved. This is… this is fiery. His breath is hot, and I can
feel it warm my body. It’s been so long since I’ve been kissed this way; it
makes me feel wanted, sexy. I need my hands. I need to feel him. I quickly
twist my fists out of his hold and shoot my fingers through his tousled hair. He
moans as my nails graze his scalp, and his strong hand wraps around the back of
my neck, deepening our kiss.

I laugh at myself for the amount of unnecessary thought that
went into making this precise moment happen. Why did I fight it? Why did I
care? We’re two people. It doesn’t matter if he’s a movie star, he’s still a human
being. He has feelings, he has desires, and right now, I’m that desire. What
was I trying to prove? Who was I trying to be better than?

And why am I wasting my thoughts justifying my actions when
I could be focused on the feeling of his hand gliding up my hip and under my
shirt. The touch of his fingers on my soft skin is rougher than I imagined, but
it makes the sensation that much more intense. He tenses his fingertips, and
they dig into my ribs. I want him to be rough. I want him to take me.

But he’s taking it very slow.

His lips leave mine, and I feel their sweetness again on the
curve of my hip. He slowly follows with a path of light pecks across my belly
and to the base of my ribs. Sneaking his hands under my weight, he quickly
unhooks my bra, and I watch a smile appear across his face at the ease.

Now he’s looking at me, right into my eyes. It’s that same look
from before, only slightly more intense. His dark eyes are soft, and have a
sense of longing about them. No, I don’t think he pities me. I think he wants
me. I bite my lower lip, telling him that I want him too.

He lifts up and pulls me with him, bringing me back to my
feet.

“I want to see you.” He whispers as he slowly pushes my
shirt up.

I lift my arms into the air to help him with his task, and
we both chuckle as the neck of my shirt gets stuck over my head. It’s nice, and
freeing, and not at all awkward, like I assumed it would be. As I drop my arms,
my already unclasped bra falls to the ground, and I watch as his eyes leave
mine and fall to my body. He takes a step forward, placing his hands softly on
my hips, and lowering his head to my shoulder. I feel the soft whisper of his
breath as he kisses the base of my neck.

“You are so beautiful.”

I hum in response, delighted by his compliment and weakening
at his touch. I pull at his shirt, doing a much better job at getting it
swiftly over his head than he did with mine. Being as I’ve seen him shirtless a
good number of times, the sight of his body shouldn’t shock me. And yet, in this
circumstance, knowing that his body is now mine to touch, it makes him real,
attainable, and ridiculously hot.

I fall to my knees, landing my mouth right at those boy
lines that are just daring me to follow them. I kiss and bite at his hips,
tickling him as I make my way to the top of his pants. We stare at each other
as I slowly undo the button, and then the zipper, and finally slide his jeans
down his hips, allowing them to pile up at his ankles. Johnny kicks them off
and to the side, ultimately standing strong in front of me in nothing but his
boxer briefs. I slide my hands up his legs,
making
sure to keep eye contact as I continue to move closer to my prize. He’s hard, there’s
no mistaking that. I feel myself warm at just the sight of the outline of him.

Am I about to sleep with Johnny Braylock? My celebrity
crush? The boy who snuck into every one of my dirty pubescent dreams?

Focus! Not the time, Caroline… not the time.

I smile as I focus on the now: what’s right in front of me. I
open my mouth and softly place my lips around him, but still over top of his
boxers. And I blow.  I feel him pulse at my breath and grow with every
movement. My fingers move higher and sneak under the elastic of his shorts. I
slowly pull down, allowing him to spring to life literally before my eyes. I
catch his erection between my lips and suck as I glide up and down his shaft. I
hear him whisper my name, but I am too focused. I want him where he is. I want
to be in control. He pushes deep into my mouth, and I gladly accept, my tongue
swirling around him with each thrust.

“No. You first.” He moans as he escapes my hold.

“I was going first.” I smirk up at him.

Johnny lowers to his knees so we’re now face to face. He
quickly steals a kiss, and then another.

“Believe me, I’ll let you take care of me, but I’m taking
care of you first.”

His hands move swiftly as he pushes me to the floor,
catching my head before I hit the ground. He lowers his full weight on top of
me, and my body sinks into the floor beneath him. He kisses my lips, my chin,
my jawline, and my neck. He stays on my neck, suckling hard enough that I know
he’ll leave a mark, but that knowledge only makes me arch into him more. I want
to be able to see what he’s done, even after the fact. I want to remember this
moment.

His hands skirt down my sides and grab hard onto my waist as
his lips trail lower. He pauses at my breasts taking each one in his mouth,
back and forth, back and forth. It hurts, but I want it to hurt more. I want
him to take more of me.

Johnny presses his pelvis into mine, and I lift to meet him.
The suspense is killing me, and I’m quickly losing my patience. I tug at his
boxers, trying to slide them from his hips, but he stops me with a chuckle.