Black Number Four (40 page)

And then, she starts to gyrate.

On. My. Dick.

Her ass moves in my hands, bouncing up and down and rippling each time it slaps against my lower abs. I can’t handle it anymore. “Fuck, Skyler,” I growl, bucking up to meet her moves. I moan her name as I come inside her, every ounce of pain and pleasure releasing all at once as a shocking electricity rips through me. I can’t hear anything, I can’t
feel
anything except her around me. Leaning up a little, I reach around and press my fingertips to her clit, circling wildly to send her over the edge with me. She comes willingly and I feel her tighten around me as she screams, the pleasure rocking us both, owning us completely.

Breaths. Moans. Electricity.

And then just us.

As we come down, Skyler slows her movements until she’s completely still with me still inside her. I wrap my arms around her and pull her down into the sheets with me, kissing the back of her neck softly. She trails her fingertips up and down my thighs, her ass still pressed against me. And we don’t speak, we don’t move, we just lay like that, touching and kissing and existing together.

I have no idea what comes next for us. I don’t know what I’m going to say to my dad when we get back, what her friends are going to say to her tomorrow, or if we’re even going to be together one year from now. But I don’t care. About any of it. The only thing I care about is this girl in my arms right now. She’s swallowed me down like a ten foot wave, pulling me under the current with her. She controls me, I’m hers.

I’m in deep. I’m drowning.

But I’m not asking to be saved.

“Ugh,” Kade groans, pulling his sunglasses down over his eyes as we walk off the ramp of the boat. “I think my hangover has a hangover.”

I chuckle, adjusting my carry-on bag on my shoulder. The sun is shining brightly today and it’s at least eighty degrees, which makes us all feel like Spring Break should last longer. Technically we don’t go back to classes until Monday, but our cruise is over, and everyone’s feeling the ramifications of the trip.

All the guys grumble as we shuffle toward Customs. “Those Fat Tuesday drinks are no joke.” I laugh, nudging Kade.

He groans and shakes his head. “I’m never drinking a frozen anything ever again.”

I smile thinking back to our last day of the cruise in Key West yesterday. It was the perfect day, all of my brothers together and Skyler by my side. Erin steered clear of us and we bar hopped down Duval street all day before spending the rest of the evening partying on the boat. Everyone went a little too hard, but it was fucking worth it. I’m definitely not ready to be back to reality.

There’s a term in poker for when a player is winning a lot of big hands in a row. They say he’s on a rush. And that’s exactly how I feel right now. Amazing trip, amazing friends, amazing girl. There’s not much more I could ask for.

Well, except for maybe a miracle.

Turning on my phone, my stomach lurches at the thought of the phone call I still have to make. Part of me wishes I could have gotten it over with before the cruise, but at least I was able to have a good time and not be thinking too much about my dad. Now, he’s all I can think about.

When my phone finally powers on, I have a few missed text messages from friends back home in Kansas and a shit ton of social media notifications, but nothing from my parents. The sinking feeling in my stomach intensifies. It’s not like my dad to go this long without talking to me, especially in the middle of his game.

“Morning, sexy,” I hear a smooth voice whisper in my ear. I smile as Skyler wraps her arm around my waist and pulls mine over her shoulder. She’s even tanner after our day in the sun yesterday, her light coral top falling off one shoulder and blazing against her skin. Best of all, her eyes no longer hold the pain of her secret. She’s genuinely happy.

She’s
free
.

And I’m all too eager to join her.

“Hi, beautiful. Feeling okay today?”

She groans, mimicking Kade and the rest of the guys. “I’ve had better mornings, that’s for sure. Nothing a spa day with the girls won’t cure, though.”

I lift a brow. “Oh yeah? Post-cruise massages?”

“And mani-pedis,” she clarifies, throwing me a wink. “Can I see you tonight?”

“Like you even have to ask.”

She smiles and pecks me on the lips quickly before turning to join her sisters that have gathered by the curb waiting for their bus. I reach out and snag her wrist and tug her back, pulling her into my arms and pressing my lips against hers once more. I kiss her slowly, nipping at her bottom lip and gripping her ass firmly in my hands before finally letting her pull back.

“See you tonight.”

Skyler blushes, her blue eyes sparkling as she backs away and finally turns, jogging off toward the group. I watch her go and for a minute, I’m not thinking about anything but her. Her hair is up in a messy bun, her makeup looks like it’s from last night, and she’s in jean shorts and that coral shirt than hangs off her shoulder. She looks casual.
Comfortable
. She looks like herself. And I can’t help but feel like I’m part of the reason she feels comfortable enough to be that way.

But Dad creeps his way back into my thoughts and I swallow, watching Skyler laughing with her sisters. I know once I tell him, it’ll all be over and we can move on without anything between us. But something in my gut doesn’t feel right. Something tells me we’re far from that moment. I just can’t figure out why.

The bus ride is short, the port only being about twenty five minutes from campus. We all pile out at the house and most of the guys lazily maneuver their way inside while the rest head toward their cars or set off walking to their on-campus housing. I give Kade a hard clap on the back and he gives me a half-conscious wave before I start off toward my apartment.

I take the long way, stopping at the fountain in the middle of campus. My mind temporarily flashes back to watching Skyler run her fingers over the top of the water. I sit on the same bench where she sat that day and drop my bags to the ground, pulling my phone from my pocket. My dad smiles up at me as I hover over his contact, my thumb just centimeters away from hitting the call button. The picture is from my high school graduation. Dad has his arm around my shoulder and he looks so damn proud of me, even though I’m not entirely sure he felt that way at all. I know what would make him proud of me, and I’m about to tell him I won’t do it.

I take a deep breath and swallow down the lump in my throat before letting my thumb drop the rest of the way, hitting the call button.

Every ring makes my stomach sink lower, my throat tighten more. I feel like I’m about to take the biggest test of my life while jumping off a seventy-story building. The phone rings six times and I’m pretty sure I’m about to get voicemail when I hear a soft click, but nothing else.

“Hello?” I ask, the silence doing nothing to soothe the knots settling deep in my gut.

“Kip, honey,” I hear my mom’s voice say. I try to swallow but fail miserably. “How was your cruise?”

My mom and I hardly ever talk on the phone, and she definitely
never
answers my dad’s phone. Something is wrong. Her voice is low and scratchy, and when I hear her sniffle on the other end, I know she’s been crying.

My mind races with possibilities as I lift myself from the bench. Something tells me I should be sitting down for what I’m about to hear but my legs are anxious, my body wants to stand, to move.

“Mom?” I ask cautiously, almost as if approaching a wild animal. “What’s going on?”

Silence again.

Crying.

A long sigh.

“It’s your dad. He…” she chokes on a sob. “Oh God, Kip.” An ache rolls through me as she gives in to another cry, causing my knees to buckle and take me back down to the bench. The sun shines high in the sky, mocking the way I feel and burning down on the skin of my neck. I grip the phone tighter, waiting for her to say something else. Anything else. After a moment, she lets out another shaky breath, calming herself enough to speak just two words.

“He’s sick.”

“I love lazy Sunday nights with you girls,” Ashlei says, snuggling deeper into Jess’s bed. Cassie is in mine and all four of us have been watching
Pretty Little Liars
all day, getting out of bed only for bathroom breaks and junk food runs. We all know that once school starts back up tomorrow, the rest of the semester is going to fly by and before we know it we’ll be moving our stuff out of the house for summer. Next fall, I’ll be a senior and Cassie a junior. It’ll also be the last semester for Jess, Ashlei, and my Big.

Not that I care much about my Big right now.

They all stayed an extra semester so that they could hold their positions. Our chapter votes on new roles at the end of fall semesters, so that means their terms are one calendar year, not school year. If I get elected next fall, I’ll have to do the same.

But now, I’m not so sure I care to take the throne.

“I do, too. I’d like them even more if Cassie and Sky would give us some details about their sexcapades.” Jess throws us a glare and we both laugh. “My lady blue balls need some lovin’.”

“Go get a sex life of your own, J-Love,” Little quips.

Jess sighs. “If only it were that easy. I’m giving up sex for the rest of the semester. Boys, too. I’m over their shit.”

We all exchange glances and Ashlei rolls her eyes and mouths, “Yeah right.” We all know Jess is a little too boy crazy to abstain for that long.

“How are things with you and Adam, Little?” I ask, my voice lower than the TV.

She shrugs, blushing a little as a huge smile spreads on her face. “I don’t know, we’re good I guess. It’s nice knowing that he feels the same about me. And, no offense, but with you out of the picture, things are working out a lot better.”

I laugh, nudging her. “None taken. I’m sorry I got in the way in the first place. That whole game was… stupid, to say the least. I should have never agreed to it and I definitely shouldn’t have pulled other people down with me.”

Cassie smiles. “It’s all good, Big. People make mistakes and it’s all over now. Speaking of which,” she says as my phone pings. I look down and frown when I see the message from Kip. “How are things with you and Kip?”

- I can’t hang out tomorrow night, forgot I have a huge project due Tuesday. Want to sleep over Wednesday night and we can go to class together Thursday? I’m sorry for bailing… -