Jayded (16 page)

I softly place my lips on his, and when he reaches for me, I hold his hands down. He whines in objection. I trace my kisses down his jawline to his neck and down the middle of his hairless, rock-hard chest. I
’
m already turned on without even a touch from him. Lord, help me!

I slide down the middle of his legs until my knees touch the floor. It isn
’
t until this moment, when I kneel down before him, that he registers what it is I am up to. He bites his bottom lip, trying to hold back a grin. I see the twinkle of excitement in his eyes, and I can also
feel
the excitement as I unzip his pants. He watches eagerly but patiently for what is next, and as soon as I reach for him, the doorbell rings.

His head slams to the back of the couch.
“
Aww, man! What the fuck?
”
he whines. But before he gets up, he gives me a sweet kiss on the lips, adjusts himself, and then heads to the door for our food. I just chuckle to myself. I
’
ve just witnessed his first
“
man tantrum.
”
It was cute, but let
’
s hope that
’
s the last of it.

Kyle sets our food up on the coffee table in the living room and grabs some big, cushy pillows from his bed for us to sit on. His bed is on the other side of the glass block window
–
wall behind us. I
’
m just hoping he doesn
’
t expect me to sleep in it. I really don
’
t see him asking, though. Most men his age are all about the perks and not about the work that
’
s needed to hold down a relationship.

He passes me the white rice, then the lemon chicken.
“
Mmm, this is so needed after that workout we just had.
”

Kyle cranks his head back in an over-dramatic way.
“
Workout, huh? We might have to change that to a marathon,
”
he says with a wink.

“
I look forward to that.
”
I wink back.

“
So tell me something
—”

“
Anything,
”
I respond before putting a big bite of chicken in my mouth.

He takes a sip of wine first.
“
Have you decided if you
’
re going to stay here?
”

I knew this question was going to come up sooner or later.
“
I
’
m not too sure yet. I
’
m leaning toward yes, but I still have to head back home to tie up the loose ends
”

“
Do you have a house you have to sell in South Carolina?
”
he asks.

I wiggle to adjust myself on the pillow.
“
No, I actually have an apartment. I wasn
’
t too sure what my future plans were, so I thought it was best to just rent. The next move I make is going to be a permanent move.
”

“
Jeff used to live in South Carolina when he was younger.
”

“
Oh yeah? He moved here with his parents?
”
I ask.

He swallows his bite.
“
No, just his mom. His dad
’
s still there though. Do you have family that you would be leaving behind?
”

I take another sip of my wine. I need some liquid courage for these questions.
“
Yup, my two brothers. Luke is my older brother and Justin is my younger. I haven
’
t seen my parents in years. I don
’
t even know where they live nor am I interested in knowing,
”
I admit.

“
Aww, I
’
m sorry to hear that. How about your brothers
—
do you have a good relationship with them?
”

I can
’
t help but smile.
“
Yes, I do. Luke pretty much raised me. We all went through a lot together. It gave us a bond that can
’
t be broken, no matter how far apart we are.
”

A tear slides down my cheek.

I haven
’
t actually allowed myself to feel sad about leaving my brothers. I left so fast. But the longer I
’
m here, the more it
’
s sinking in. I have a couple of missed calls from Luke that I haven
’
t yet returned. I
’
m sort of putting it off because I know what the inevitable turnout will be: They
’
ll be fuming, and it will be all my fault.

I
’
ll probably get the most pushback from Luke. Justin
’
s a little preoccupied. He
’
s been dating this girl, Valerie, for a while now, and it seems as though things are heating up with them. Luke can
’
t stand to be in the same room with them. I don
’
t know if it
’
s jealousy, or if he really just hates PDA.

Cody and I were never very affectionate in public, and that wasn
’
t my choice; that was just how he was. He made up for it in private, which is why I stayed with him as long as I did. He
’
s just extremely clingy and possessive, and once in a while it would make me nervous. I never knew what would set him off.

He was never abusive toward me, but he did always want to be a part of my free time. Some days, I just need a moment to myself; Cody never understood that. He would take that to mean I didn
’
t want him or I was interested in someone else. Of course, I
’
m not sure how that was possible since I was always either working or he was always by my side.

Kyle scooches over to wipe the tear from my cheek.
“
It
’
s a beautiful thing when you can get that connection with someone. Especially when you
’
ve been through so much with them. My brother and I were close when we were younger, but as time progressed, he always felt he needed to compete for my parents
’
attention. He was the good one, and I was the bad one. I
’
m sure you can guess who got more attention naturally
—
even if it wasn
’
t the good kind.

“
Junior just has some major resentment toward me, and I have no idea how to fix it. Sometimes I feel like he
’
s out to destroy me,
”
Kyle tells me, letting me in just a bit.

My heart goes out to him. Mostly because I saw firsthand how Junior perceives him. He has no ounce of remorse for badmouthing Kyle, and he made it very clear that he has no belief in Kyle doing anything for the right reason. I think Junior
’
s unwillingness to let go of the past is actually hurting him in the long run. Kyle is an amazing guy, and I think his brother could see that if he just let go. Maybe I should step in and help, open his mind a little. Holding on to a grudge takes ten times more energy than just forgiving. I wonder how Kyle would feel if I were to butt in.

“
Can I ask you something?
”

He pushes his empty plate of food away.
“
Ask away!
”

“
That argument with your brother at work, was that about me?
”

He takes a deep breath and runs his hand over his head. I
’
ve noticed he does this whenever he
’
s put in an awkward situation.

“
Man, you too?
”
he states, shaking his head.
“
To be honest
—
yes, it was. I saw him walk out of your office. I knew exactly what he was up to. He
’
s done it to me a million times. The only difference is this time I cared.
”

Wow. Um, that was not what I was expecting to hear. But what does that even mean exactly? I don
’
t think he even knows. I decide to ignore that part for now.

“
Have you actually tried to sit down and have a heart-to-heart with him?
”

Kyle begins to pick up the food and carries it over to the kitchen. I get up and help. It
’
s obvious he wants to avoid the question. We stand in the kitchen on either side of the counter. I wait for him to speak.

“
I
’
ve tried to talk to him. Maybe not in the way you might, but I
’
ve tried in my own way. My mother
’
s even tried to sit us down, but he won
’
t budge. After a while, you just accept what is and what won
’
t be. I
’
ve accepted it, and I
’
m going on with my merry life. Life
’
s too short for this bullshit; one day he
’
s going to realize it, and it will be too late.
”

Damn. I
’
m actually pretty impressed. I was expecting a
“
fuck him
”
or
“
I
’
m not going to do it,
”
but the fact that he
’
s already tried is kind of awesome.

He starts putting the covers on the leftover Chinese, but I walk around to stop him. I put my hand over his. I can see that he
’
s upset but trying to cover it up.
“
We might need that later.
”

He looks up at me, confused. I give him the vixen smile and watch as the light bulb turns on in his head. He swoops down on me in one fast motion, crashing his lips against mine. Thank God he
’
s shirtless already! He rips open my shirt just like a Lifetime movie and goes right for my chest. My nipples pucker under him, begging to be touched. I slide my hands down his swollen chest, past his rippled stomach, and down to his zipper to unleash the dragon. I quiver at the thought.

Kyle bends down, grabs underneath my thighs, and lifts me up so my legs are around him. He waddles over to his bed and drops us down. He waits for me to look at him before he kisses me. This time there
’
s no demand or rush; it
’
s gentle and patient.

He coaxes my mouth open and glides his tongue with mine. It
’
s all emotion that I feel. Not hot, sweaty sex emotion but the mind-blowing emotion. I don
’
t know how this is possible. Where is all of this feeling coming from?

He explores down my neck, leaving trails of kisses behind. I dig deep into his back with my fingernails, trying to get a grasp of this all. Every inch of skin he touches is burning me alive. I feel his tongue glide over my chest until he finally draws each breast into his mouth. I buck up, rubbing against his hard shaft with my dripping wet sex.

I can
’
t take it anymore. I
’
m going to catastrophically combust if he doesn
’
t get inside me right now.
“
I need you. I need you inside of me, please?
”
I beg.

“
Me too, baby. I want to feel your tightness around me. I
’
m
dying
to be inside of you,
”
he reaches quickly for a condom, and within seconds, he enters me.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Kyle

I crack my eyes open from the sound of rustling and the cold air that
’
s now touching my arms. Max is gone. I look at the clock; it
’
s three thirty in the morning. I see her shadow tiptoe across the living room. It
’
s clear to me that she
’
s trying to sneak out.

I flip on the light, immediately squinting until my eyes can adjust. She freezes and slowly turns around with her heels in hand.
“
Where are you going?
”
I question, voice rugged.