Bent not Broken (241 page)

I gave him a swift kiss on the cheek before bar patrons congratulated me with hugs and high fives. It was all scary as hell, but judging by the overwhelming praise, it was worth it. If I never did anything that impulsive again, I would always have that moment.

I was surrounded by a group of fan-boys asking to buy me a drink, when my body began to hum, the intoxicating smell of mint and spice impaling my senses. I felt his heat at my back first, creeping up over my shoulders and down my chest, before settling between my thighs. With a slight grin on my face, I turned. I didn’t know what to expect. I didn’t even know if he truly felt the same, but the look of pure adoration on his beautiful face said it all.

“Blai-,” was all I could get out before his mouth was on mine, taking me hungrily, as he picked me up and coaxed my legs on either side of him. The bar broke out into hoots, hollers and whistles, as Blaine claimed me for the world to see. He didn’t care about staying professional. He didn’t give a damn what anybody else thought. And with his mouth working feverishly against mine, my legs wrapped around his waist, neither did I. It was overly dramatic, corny as hell and ostentatious, and I loved every single second of it.

“You are so amazing,” he murmured against my lips. “So fucking amazing.”

His tongue dove in for another taste, and I gleefully complied, squirming as his hands squeezed my ass through my jeans. My hands fisted the long layers of his hair that he so masterfully styled into unbelievably hot, “Fuck Me” hair. And that’s exactly what I wanted to do.

“Get a room!” someone called out, making us chuckle into each other’s mouths.

Blaine reluctantly let me slide down his body, letting me feel the hardness concealed under worn denim. I gasped and bit my lip, unable to tear my eyes away from the pronounced bulge. Following my gaze, he pulled me by my hips into his middle, giving me just a sample of what I longed to feel.

“A round on the house!” he announced to the onlookers, still holding me close to his body. “And you all can thank this beautiful woman beside me!”

We made our way back to the bar, where CJ was already distributing beer. He shot us both a knowing grin and clapped Blaine on the back. “Proud of you, cuz.” Then he looked to me and winked. “Sexy and talented. B better keep his eyes on you. Big dicks run in the family, you know.”

I shook my head and smacked CJ on the arm before jumping into serving, a wide grin on my face. I looked at the appreciative faces surrounding me, thanking me and showering me with praise.

All I could do was smile. I smiled for all the times I wished I could step out on faith and perform. I smiled for the friends that had been my rock and my family, and I even smiled for people like CJ that I had begun to care for, as unlikely as it may have been. But most importantly I smiled because I had finally found it. I had discovered the meaning laced between the lyrics of that song. I had finally found
my
exception.

Chapter 20

Blaine

The best part about being the boss? I could close up shop whenever I damn well felt like it. And if there was a reason to shut down for a day, it was getting to see Kami in a bikini.

Oh. Hell. Yes.

I decided a team-building trip to Lake Norman was in order and invited the entire staff and their families for a day of fun. I had even gone all-out with food and drinks. Shit, I deserved some fun. Ever since I came back over a year ago, I was all about business. I wanted to put the bullshit of my past behind me and prove that I wasn’t just some hot-tempered misfit with a record. Not for anyone else; I could give a flying fuck what people thought about me outside of my family and Ms. Patty. I wanted to prove it to myself.

But now that things were finally falling into place, now that I actually had a reason to wake up in the morning aside from the distraction of work, I was ready to slow down. And I wanted to slow down with Kami. Shit, I knew I was being presumptuous. I still knew very little about her and, honestly, there were things that she still needed to know about me. But I was ready to share them with her. Hell, I was ready to share my life with her. I just didn’t think I could ever tell her without scaring her shitless.

We caravanned up to the lake late Sunday morning, BBQ utensils and swimsuits in hand. Kami rode with her friends and the rest of the AngelDust girls, even though I wanted her to ride with me. It was cool though. They were taking Dom’s Expedition, and it was more convenient for her. Plus, I had agreed to drive my bonehead cousin and his random flavor of the week that had already started pre-gaming earlier that morning.

“So Blaine, do you have a girlfriend?” his date asked from the backseat, where she had been damn near giving CJ a handjob. I think her name was Mindy. Or Misty. Or something equally unappealing. “If I would’ve known you were coming alone, I would have brought one of my girlfriends. You are way too sexy to be all alone. We all could have had a little fun.”

I glanced at her through my rearview mirror, and shook my head. Her store-bought cleavage was spilling out of her bikini top, and she had the nerve to lick her inflated lips at me. Hell no. She had nothing on Kami. Hers were the only set of lips that got me hard as steel just thinking about them.

“Nah,” CJ answered, saving me from having to embarrass this broad. “He’s not interested.”

“Not interested?” Misty/Mindy scoffed indignantly. “How could you not be interested in
this
?” And with that, her hand snaked around my waist and tried to grab my junk. I swerved, barely missing the guardrail.

“What the fuck?!”
I shouted, scowling at her through the rearview mirror. “Don’t ever do that shit again!”

Mindy/Misty waved off my warning. “Oh, come on, Blaine. I’m totally cool with taking you both, sugar. Don’t be shy.”

“Calm the fuck down, or your ass will be on the side of the road,” CJ interjected, his voice devoid of his usual playfulness. “Now I told you he wasn’t interested. He has a girl. A girl that is 10 times hotter and cooler than you could ever be. She’ll be at the lake, so you might want to take notes. Now chill the fuck out, or you can get the fuck out!”

CJ’s words left both Mindy/Misty and I with dropped jaws. I never expected him to speak up on my behalf. CJ and I had a reputation for sharing chicks in the past. We were the same age, and in high school, we were pretty notorious for our wild parties and sexual antics. Even when I had hooked up with Amanda, CJ was less than accepting. He thought Amanda was narcissistic and vapid. It nearly killed me to admit he was right.

When we pulled up to the lake, I couldn’t wait to escape the tension of my truck and scoop Kami up into my arms. She and her roommates arrived a little while later, the three of them lugging their towels and foldout chairs. I grabbed her things from her without a second glance. There was no way my lady was carrying shit when I had two functioning hands. I was a stubborn sonofabitch sometimes, but I had been raised right.

Dive’s head cook, Mr. Bradley, a 60-year old veteran that had been with us for years, had already fired up the built-in grills, while some of the other staff prepared the hot dogs, hamburgers, steaks and veggies. Of course, I ended up playing bartender.

“Anything I can do to help?” Kami asked, making her way over to the picnic table that I had deemed the bar as I mixed a pitcher of Rum Runners. She looked incredible, a light, cotton cover-up dress concealing her yellow bikini. My cock twitched at the possibility of having her sprawled out under the hot sun, her tan skin warm against my tongue.

“Nah, babe, you go relax. I’ll be done in a minute.”

Kami smiled before placing a tiny kiss on my cheek, and I felt like I was on top of the fucking world. That was a big step for her. Even though everyone had seen us full-on making out Thursday night, she wasn’t a PDA type of chick. She didn’t like everyone knowing her business. I could respect that because I thought I was the same way. But there was something about her that made me want to show her off. I wanted everyone to know that she was mine, even though we hadn’t seriously had that conversation yet. She knew I wanted to be with her and only her. And while she would sometimes show it, she hadn’t said that she wanted the same.

Once Mr. Bradley announced that lunch was served, our group lined up to pile their plates high with meats, salads and sides. I let everyone get their fill, standing back to sip on a cold beer. When Kami, Angel and Dominic stepped up to get food, I watched intently. Not because I was jealous. Not because I was having a semi-creeper moment. But because something seemed... odd.

They stood side by side, Dom and Angel on either side of Kami, as if they were glued together. As Dom distributed meat onto the girls’ plates, Kami moved effortlessly around his hands to place side items on each of their plates. Angel dressed their food with condiments and grabbed silverware. They didn’t speak. They hardly even looked at each other. It was like they already knew what each person wanted without even communicating. As if they were much closer than I had originally thought.

“Dude, are you seeing this?” CJ asked, suddenly beside me, watching the trio just as intently.

I took a long swig of my beer. “Yeah.” What else could I say?

“Are you sure the three of them are just friends? I mean, they look like a helluva lot more.”

Another swig. “Yeah. As far as I know.”

“Well, there is something going on with them. That doesn’t look just friendly. Pretty suspect as fuck.”

I couldn’t disagree with him. I downed my beer and went for another, just to give my eyes and head a break. Once they had found a place to sit - together, of course - the shit just got more bizarre. It seemed like they were always touching. Kami pushing a lock of Angel’s hair out of her face. Dom wiping a smidgen of ketchup from the corner of Kami’s mouth, then sucking it off his thumb. Angel feeding Dom a bite of her food. Them rubbing each other’s backs. Resting their heads on each other’s shoulders. What the fuck was going on? Was I the only one who saw a problem with this shit?

Thankfully, they finished their lunches, and Kami’s eyes searched for me in the crowd. When those green depths landed on me, the irritation evaporated instantly. I only saw her. But, I knew that I wouldn’t be able to fully have her until I understood the relationship she had with her roommates. I had unknowingly shared a woman with someone before. I’d be damned if I’d let that shit happen again.

“This seat taken?” I asked, as she was reclining in one of the beach chairs. Dom and Angel had decided to go swimming, finally leaving her alone.

She lifted her sunglasses to the top of her head and peered at me mischievously. “Hmmm, I don’t know.”

“I come bearing gifts,” I grinned, holding up two Coronas.

“Eh, I guess. You’re lucky I’m thirsty, and it’s so hella hot out here.”

I handed her the beer, then slid my seat closer to hers before sitting down. “That’s the only reason you’ll let me sit next to you?”

“Well, there are definitely other advantages.” Kami placed her perfect lips around the rim of her bottle, and I prayed my dick wasn’t pitching a tent under my board shorts.

“Oh? Like what?”

She took a small sip, then let the ice-cold bottle skid across the top of her cleavage. My eyes followed the movement, hypnotized by every drop of condensation that slid off the bottle and onto her plump breasts.

“Well…if I don’t put on some sunblock, this hot country sun is going to burn me.”

I laughed, throwing my head back. “Hot country sun? I think the sun is the same no matter where you are, babe. And Charlotte is hardly the country. I bet Atlanta was way more country-fied.”

She shrugged. “Yeah, I guess you’re right. Though it wasn’t as bad as Memphis.”

Another tidbit of info, thank you. “You’ve lived in Memphis?”

Kami answered with a quick nod of her head, then avoided my eyes by rummaging through her beach bag to retrieve her sunblock. “Please?” she asked holding out the bottle.

I looked her up and down and licked my lips reflexively. “You’re gonna have to take that dress off.”

“Not all the way. I just need a bit on my shoulders and back.” She turned around to give me access, and gathered her long, thick hair in her hands. I fought the urge to kiss and lick every inch of her neck and back. Fuck, she was the sexiest thing I had ever seen, and she didn’t even know it.

Slowly, I pulled at the strings of the halter style dress and let the thin fabric fall around her waist. Irresistibly smooth skin stared back at me, and, dammit, I wasn’t one to let an opportunity go to waste. I leaned over and pressed my lips to her shoulder, trailing a path to the other.

“What are you doing?” she half-moaned, prompting me to repeat the ritual.

“Protecting this precious skin from the hot country sun,” I answered, running my tongue along the back of her neck.

She giggled and turned to face me, her green eyes burning with lust. My gaze fell to her pebbled nipples straining against her bikini top. Shit. What I wouldn’t give to have them in my mouth again. But I didn’t need these other assholes getting a glimpse of what was only for me. Hell no. Gently, I turned her around again and opened the bottle of sunscreen. My mouth would have to wait, but at least I could still have my hands on her.

“You enjoying yourself?” I asked, making small talk as I rubbed her soft skin. To be honest, I was trying to subdue my raging hard-on. I had to focus on anything but the feel of her under my fingers.

“Yes. You?”

“Yeah, I am.” I knew this was the best time to ask her about her relationship with Dom and Angel. I didn’t know when I would get another chance. And if she admitted to being more than friends with them, I could easily jump in my truck and drive away from the situation before my temper got the best of me.

“So you’ve known Dom for a long time, right?” I asked, opening the conversation I had been dreading.

“Yeah. About five years.”

“And Angel? You two are close too.”

“Yeah? Why?”

I was done rubbing sunscreen on her back but I kept massaging her shoulders, thankful she couldn’t see my face and I couldn’t see hers. “It’s just…you three seem really close.”