Deceitfully (Sinfully Series) (20 page)

“MAYBE THIS WASN’T THE best idea. We can go back to the house now, Tate.” Stella crossed her arms over her breasts, causing them to spill out over her top. We were walking down by the water and the wind had picked up considerably, causing the sand to stir.

Dinner was better than I could have ever asked for. The six of us adults fell into harmony once we had liquor around the table, and it was like we’d been friends for years. Payton questioned Stella about her cake decorating skills and asked her about the ability to make the liquor-filled treats she gets at the bakery down the street. Payton was ecstatic knowing that Stella thought she could whip up a batch of something she’d be able to enjoy, and from that moment on, Stella was in.

Ryder and I hadn’t talked much in the past, but I think him seeing me so happy with Stella put him at ease. He should know by now that I wasn’t after Payton anymore. We talked about routines in the gym and about how to tone up without bulking too much. Tristen and his wife chimed in throughout both conversations. I hadn’t realized how much I needed this acceptance.

“Relax. It’s darker and more secluded down there just a bit. We can use the blanket over us if we need to. It’s a beautiful night, other than the wind.” I wrapped an arm around her back, holding her close to my side. Once we got to a decent spot, I lay the blanket down and guided her down into my lap. My hands began massaging her back, and as they got lower, I gave her ass a good squeeze. I was just about to spank her but then I remembered. Kissing her shoulder, I asked, “Will you tell me about your past? With your sister and growing up.” Something was hidden deep inside from her past, and I couldn’t help but want to know.

I hadn’t planned to bring it up, but it just slipped out. I felt her still in my arms and hoped I hadn’t just made her throw the walls back up. She took a good minute before saying anything. When she did, the pain and uncertainty in her voice was enough to make me regret bringing anything up.

“Uhh. Yeah. When we were in middle school, Dad got heavy into gambling and betting with a bookie. Momma didn’t know, but he wasn’t that good. He always owed the wrong people money. Eventually, he ran out of ways to pay and bargained me to clear his debt,” she said without intonation in her voice. She was clearly reliving the past. Her body was stiff, and when I looked in her eyes, they were far off, remembering that time of pain.

“What? What do you mean bargained you?”

Her voice was weaker now, slightly unsteady, and I could feel her body shaking. “He’d drop me off at the bookie’s house. Sometimes the guy would come to ours, if Momma wasn’t home. Gary, I think, was his name. He was fat with balding hair and smelled like stinky cheese and cheap cologne. He told me to call him Daddy once, but I just couldn’t. He would always spank me though, and I grew to hate it. The redder my skin was, the more turned on he got. Anyway, girls in school had talked about sex and about what they knew about it. He said he’d show me what to do, and I could be his student. I was so scared; he told me that if I didn’t then my dad would pay the price. I didn’t want to get my dad in trouble, so when Gary touched me, I just closed my eyes and sang songs in my head until it was over.”

“You never told anyone? How long did this go on for? How could your dad—?”

She cut me off. “He’s gone now. Part of me still thinks it’s my fault. Daddy always said that I brought it on myself, that my shorts were too short or that I was being a tease. I was in middle school and going through that awkward stage where my body was changing, and I was so concerned about how people perceived me that I believed him. By the time I got to high school, Sophia had found out about what was going on. She walked in on it once, but she saw it completely different. We look the same, but in her eyes, our dad had picked me as the one to show off. Dad had told me once that Sophia was going to make something out of herself and that he wouldn’t dare tarnish her. Me, on the other hand? He saw me as disposable. Sophia didn’t see or care about the toll it took on me mentally and physically. It was a game to her and she saw herself as the loser in the situation. She told Mom, who in turn forbade Dad from allowing it to happen anymore. She had always liked Sophia more, it seemed, so besides a slap on the wrist from her, she did nothing. ”

“Did he go to jail? He was pimping you out!”

“It didn’t go that far. I guess I hadn’t settled the debt in full for him, and a week later, he never came home from work. They found his body behind a business the next day; death from a gunshot wound to the head. The case was never solved, but it was obvious who it was. Sophia blames me for his death, and for being the daughter he picked over her. I’m over it, though. She means nothing to me. In school, it was easier not to get close to other people. Eventually, I accepted it for what it was, and over time, I realized he could never hurt me again. It was a slow process, but I’m stronger for it now.” Stella stayed facing the water and I had to take a minute to really process what she’d just confessed. She’d kept to herself in high school, and it was evident way back then that she and Sophia weren’t close. How did I ever care about Sophia in the first place?

“I’m so sorry, baby. No one should ever have to go through that. And your mom now? Do you still talk to her?” We’d never really talked about her parents before and now I realized it was on purpose. If the fucker weren’t already dead, I’d go and hunt him down now. Who allowed that to happen to their daughter? He was a sick man, and I’m grateful she had come out of it in one piece. A part of me hated that I hadn’t been there for her back then.

“Nah. She could never look at me the same. After graduation, I left, and we’ve only spoken twice. Once, when she couldn’t get a hold of Sophia and the other was when she called to let me know that her grandma had passed away. Sophia and I have always had an intense sibling rivalry, but in most cases, I let her win because her retaliation was so much worse. After she saw what happened though, she took everything to a whole new level, and I really saw how dark of a soul she had. It took a long time, but I’ve finally come to terms with it and accepted it for what it is. Don’t even think of pitying me or I’ll withhold sex for a month.” She laughed lightly, but her heart wasn’t in it.

My heart was breaking for what Stella went through when she was younger. I hated that I wasn’t there for her, and that she didn’t have anyone to go to for help. Her family was supposed to be there for her, but instead, they were the ones causing the damage.

Looking deep into her eyes so she knew I meant every word, I told her, “I’ll be your family. I’ll protect you from all the bad guys and love you each night. How’s that sound?” For a grown man, it was hard for me not to break down. I loved this woman so much and to know she had been hurt was killing me inside.

After a moment of silence, she gave a sweet smile and kissed me lightly on the lips. “It’s funny, but you really are the closest thing I have to a family. Now what’s your story? I know you have sisters.”

She was so resilient through it all. Stella was no doubt one of the strongest women I knew, and she downplayed it as if it was nothing.

“I do. Two. Dad left when I was four, but we were a pretty normal family. My mom raised us as best as she could, and as I got older, my sisters leaned on me more and more for support. It was hard on her, I think.”

“Being a single mom?” she inquired softly.

“Dad left right after—right after my little sister died. SIDS, they said. I barely remember her, and it was before my other sisters came along. They were from different dads, by the way. My dad just couldn’t deal with the death of Willow though, and when he left, I think it changed my mom. She always had a smile on her face, but I’d catch her singing
Baby Blue
when she thought we were all asleep, holding a onesie in her hands, rocking it as if it were Baby Willow.

“I knew she was broken, even from a young age. I tried being the man of the house and started mowing lawns as soon as I turned thirteen. Anything I could do to help her, I did.”

“And your sisters now?”

“They’re grown up and doing fine on their own. One is a senior in college and married to her high school sweetheart, and the other is a sophomore who plans on going into marketing. I don’t really worry too much about them anymore, but we still meet up for holidays and such. It works out and makes Mom happy when she sees us all together.”

“We really are each other’s family. I hate feeling like it’s us against the world but that idea isn’t so scary when I know I have you by my side. Being out here, away from everything in Chicago, relaxes me. Putting the distance there has been good for my soul, I think. Thank you for bringing me out here with you.”

“Thank you for coming with me. After everything we’ve been through the past few months, we deserve a little peace and happiness. Whenever you need to get away, just say the word, baby. We can take a weekend trip somewhere and disconnect from the world a few days. Just you and me.”

I felt her squirm a little on top of me and fuck if it didn’t make me hard.
How had we gone from that serious of a conversation to not being able to resist her?

“I’d like that.”

After a good ten to fifteen minutes of just enjoying each other’s company and reflecting on our pasts, Stella spoke up. “Didn’t we have a reason for being out here?” Stella inquired as she turned around and gave me a devious smile. Pivoting so that she was now straddling my lap, my cock immediately became as hard as steel underneath her. Her hair smelled like the heavens as she tossed it over her shoulder and leaned down for a kiss. It was smooth, and I could taste the wine we’d drank after dinner. Looking into her eyes, I wanted to put into words how much she meant to me. We’d said we loved each other, but it still didn’t feel enough.

“Stella. I’ve never felt this way before, ever. I thought I knew what love was but that couldn’t have been further from the truth. You’ve slowly taken my heart, piece by piece, and it’s yours now. I can’t imagine a life without you in it. I love you so much, baby.” I held her tightly in my arms, her forehead touching mine.

“I feel the same way, Tate. I’m in it with you til the end. Pinky promise.” She giggled as she held up her little pinky finger that just so happened to have a purple coat of nail polish on it.

“Pinky promise.” I interlinked our fingers and leaned back to lay on the sand. My lips met hers again; desire and need pulsing through us. My hands roamed over her back, pulling the shirt off between kisses. Stella rubbed her hot core against my cock, moaning at the pleasurable friction. Her unsteady hands moved down to unbutton my pants.

I kissed a trail of hot, messy kisses from her neck to her collarbone and down to her breasts and stomach. My hand pulled at her hair and she gasped in both pleasure and pain. “Don’t make me wait. Don’t make me beg,” she moaned as she ground her pussy against me. She had to stop that if I was going to last.

“No begging tonight, I’ll give you what you need. Just tell me exactly what you want from me and you’ll get it.” I worked on her shorts. She leaned on her right knee as she took them off her left leg, not caring that they were hanging to the side. My thumb found her clit as I waited for her answer.

“I want you to take me and fill me up with your seed. Mark what’s yours. I’ve been on the pill for months now and we’ve both been tested. I want to feel your skin against mine as you fuck me tirelessly.”

Her slick, wet core slid over my throbbing dick. I almost slipped in, but I had to make sure she was really okay with this first.

“Do you promise this is what you want? I’ve got a condom if you want me to wear one.” I twisted the words out, delirious with want.

Without a verbal answer, she reached between us and guided me inside of her, her face contorting beautifully as she took all of me in.

“Fuck. So good, baby. So, so good.” I couldn’t help myself. “This isn’t going to be slow, okay baby girl?”

She nodded in response as her hips started moving against me, and I pushed into her repeatedly, trying to memorize how fucking fantastic it felt to be bare inside of her.

“Just like that, right there, Tate.” Stella pressed her hands against my chest as her greedy pussy took me in over and over, bringing her closer and closer to climax.

“Fuck!” I growled as I felt my own orgasm low in my stomach. The thought of spilling myself inside her was going to send me over the edge.

“So close, baby. I’m right there!” she screamed, her eyes closing as I felt her walls start to contract around me. I was coming right along with her, pistoning into her the last few times with everything I had, knowing I had marked her deep inside.

Our bodies stayed mangled together as our breathing evened out, taking our time coming down from our own highs. I closed my eyes, savoring the feel of her skin against mine when I felt her luscious lips kiss a trail up from my chest to my lips.

“Mmm. I could lay here with you all night, my love.”

“My ass is out for the world to see. Think we can move the after-party back to our room?” She lifted her head up. Opening my eyes, I watched as she pulled her shirt back over her head. The moon was full behind her, causing her to glow like an angel.

“It is a beautiful ass. No one should be complaining.”

“Exhibitionist.”

“Damn straight. Letting everyone around here know that you’re mine? Any day.” I laughed as I sat up and pulled my pants up.

Sand was everywhere. Everywhere.

We walked into the house as quietly as possible, assuming everyone was asleep. Ryder cleared his throat from the kitchen just as we turned the corner to go to the bedroom.

“You know you don’t have to sneak in? You’re not going to get grounded for being out past curfew.” He turned the light on, and I could see the glass of whiskey he was nursing. The personal trainer in me assessed his bare chest and it was obvious he worked out in the gym as well as in the water. His stomach was toned, but he had bulk to his shoulders and arms.