The Unexpected Series (Unexpected #1-3) (66 page)

I slowly walk towards it and stand behind the chair finding her computer still on. The windows are minimized and I find a picture of her and Emie as her screensaver. I’d forgotten all about Emie. She was such a crazy bitch in high school.

“What the hell are you doing here?” An angelic voice, though it sounds like an angry angel right now, asks.

I pull a flower from the vase before turning around and finding a vision that has me going from half-staffed to instantly hard at hearing her voice. Her dark hair is curled and pulled partially up showcasing her blushing cheeks and beautiful eyes. My heart pulls remembering how they looked the night I kissed her for the first time, and it makes me smile.

“Stop smiling!” she yells her hands going to her hips.

I’d love my hands on those hips again. I step closer to her and she stands her ground, her mask of anger fading a little. “I didn’t hear from you,” I say, my voice low as my feet close the distance. “Do you like my flowers?”

I point the one in my hand to the large vase of them and turn back to her. She hasn’t moved a muscle except her hands have dropped and are balled into fists. Her chest moves up and down with each slow and deep breath. Her nipples are perked up, pushing through the fabric of her green V-neck shirt.

I lift my hand but she slaps at it. Even the harsh contact is a turn on. The air has shifted and all I want is to touch her. I extend my arm holding the daisy towards her.

Her eyes watch it get closer. “Don’t touch me, Ryder,” she weakly commands, coming out barely a whisper. Her skin above her cleavage prickles. I can still affect her.

Continuing my torturous journey, the flower finally touches the skin of her wrist above her fisted hand and I draw it, slowly, up her arm, leaving a trail of goose bumps. She doesn’t try to push it off. When I reach her shoulder, I find her eyes closed.

So beautiful.

I lightly drag it over her collarbone and across her exposed neck. I step closer, her breath hitches, and her head falls back slightly. If I wasn’t looking, I wouldn’t have seen it. But I did.

“I’m not touching you, Hadley. Not unless you tell me it’s okay,” I tell her as I step nearer.

Her eyes slowly open, lashes fluttering with the light, and train on mine. “Ryder,” she starts. “Please.”

I move in closer, if that’s possible, and her pupils dilate. I can see the black take over the green and I can’t help but groan. I remember her tells–her pupils dilated, her breaths increased and her fingers spread out every time I turned her on.

I lower my head, bringing my lips closer to her ear. “Please what?” I whisper drawing out the air that blows across her neck.

Her hands hit the wall I didn’t realize I backed her up against and she fastens her bottom lip between her teeth, looking up at me, her eyes begging me to stop.

My free hand moves to the wall, trapping her. “I won’t touch you, Hadley, but I’ll keep pursuing you, boyfriend or not, until you tell me to stop.”

She dips down, escaping me and puts a distance between us. “Ryder.”

“Hadley.”

“Ryder.”

“Hadley.”

She rolls her eyes, snapping out of the haze, and steps towards her desk, gently pushing me aside. As she sits down she starts typing away. “I have to work. You need to go.”

“Tell me to stop, Had. Tell me to go away and I will.”

She doesn’t say a word, she just mindlessly types away on the keyboard.

I grab the back of her chair and without warning I spin her around to face me. Dropping to my knees in front of her, I grab the arms of the chair and pull it towards me. Her eyes go wide in surprise and her knees involuntarily spread, pushing at the denim in her skirt, allowing me to nestle myself between them.

My chest leans in but I don’t dare give her the satisfaction of touching her. “Tell me to stop or tell me to touch you. Pick one, Hadley.”

“I...” she starts but the phone interrupts her. She picks up the receiver. “Events Unlimited. Hadley speaking.”

She eyes me for a moment before pushing back on the chair, rolling herself away. I stand up and listen to her conversation waiting to finish ours.

“Hey!” she says happily. “Nope, I’m just wrapping up...No, someone is still here...yea, I can meet you at my place...I was in the back, Braden, relax...I love you too...Bye.”

Turning back to me, I find an apologetic look on her face. “I think you should go.”

Looking up at the ceiling, I grab the edges of my hair and pull. “Yea.” I blow out a breath as I stand up and start walking towards the door.

There are so many unanswered questions racing through my mind as I near the exit. Why did she leave? Where did she go? Did she even love me?

I’ve wondered long enough.

“I fucking loved you, Hadley.” I spin around to face her. “I loved you and you left me. Abandoned me. I cried. I fucking cried like a chick when you left. How could you be so cold? You didn’t even leave a note! Do you know what you did to me?!” I yell.

She stands from her chair and clasps her hands together, taking a deep breath before unleashing on me. “Did to YOU! Do you know what you did to me? What I went through? I loved you too, Ryder. God! I was willing to risk my family HATING me for loving you and you fucked me over. You hurt me with your words and you can never take that back. Never! I ran because I wanted to follow my dream...and not just be a secret side FUCK to the high school football star!”

I point my finger at her. “You were never a side fuck, Hadley! I was making plans for us. Plans that involved marrying you! And following your dream?” I turn to look around the office. “Painting was your dream! You had dreams to teach others. Not planning someone’s wedding! Did you lose the fucking balls you used to have, Hadley? Where is the Hadley I knew?”

Her feet stomp on the floor, stopping just in front of me. Her tiny finger pokes into my chest. “The Hadley you knew is GONE! You ruined her. You fucked me and got what you wanted. And don’t you ever, I mean EVER, talk about my dreams. They don’t involve you. Not anymore! So, leave! Go back to your country club life and leave your EX secret side fuck alone. I’m fucking someone new now!”

My face drops as do my hands. I can’t think about her with someone else. “I’m leaving.”

She snorts. “Good.”

“Are you going to tell me to stop?” I ask.

She just stares at me saying nothing until the phone rings. She turns around to grab it. “Events Unlimited. Had...”

I don’t wait around to find out if it’s her new fuck.

M
y feet drag as I walk into my apartment. My shoes are haphazardly launched across the room. I’m not only physically exhausted but even worse, mentally. The last twenty-four hours have taken its toll and all I want to do is lie on the couch and fall asleep to some mindless TV.

Clatter from the kitchen startles me, and I slowly walk in finding Braden cooking dinner, something he hasn’t done in a long time.

“Hey, baby. You’re home on time,” he says, surprise evident from his raised eyebrows.

I walk over and lean on my tiptoes, placing a kiss on his cheek. “On time? Yes. Why are you surprised?”

He walks over to the fridge and pulls out a bottle of my favorite wine and pours me a glass handing it over. He continues his assault on the ground beef in the pan as I lean back against the counter and watch him over the top of my glass.

“No reason.” He stops chopping and looks at me expectantly. “How was your day? Anything exciting happen?”

“Fine.” I shrug my shoulder, taking another sip. “Yours?”

From the outside looking in, it would seem like we do this all the time, but I can’t remember the last time he was cooking in my apartment or asking how my day was. We’ve been long past those kinds of pleasantries. But this is nice.

His eyes don’t leave mine. A look crosses his face like he expects more of an answer and when he doesn’t get one he smiles and turns back to the stove. “Mine was fine too. Same shit different day.” He chuckles to himself. “Why don’t you go relax? I’m almost done.”

Not hesitating, I make my way to the living room and sit on the couch, closing my eyes. “I’m starving,” I call out.

“Me too,” he replies while creating more clatter in the kitchen.

My mind wanders to the day’s events. Seeing Ryder in my office was surreal. Never in a million years did I envision him where I work and when he caressed me with that flower, my body started an all out war with my mind. I had to reel it in. I know the physical attraction will never go away, he was my first love, but when I think back to how he was the center of the worst day of my life, all draw to him is lost.

I needed him and he ruined me. I can never take back the time spent with him but I do blame Ryder for a lot of what I call the domino effect that is my life.

He hurt me. I left. I went into protect mode. Don’t let anyone in and don’t let my true self out. I expressed it in my art but never outwardly. He changed me and not for the good.

Amazing pressure is being applied to the balls of my feet and I open my eyes to find Braden with one in each hand. He’s looking down at them, a worried look on his face.

“That feels amazing,” I compliment.

Not looking up or responding, he keeps massaging. I leave him be for a minute, not only because it feels good but also because he seems to be lost in thought.

When I can’t contain the silence anymore I ask, “Are you okay?”

Lifting his head, he smirks, never letting go of the hold on my feet. “I’m good. I was just thinking.”

“About what?”

He doesn’t answer. He just pries my legs apart and slides between them. The memory of Ryder doing the same invades my thoughts for a split second until Braden sweet voice speaks, “I love you.”

My heart constricts. “I love you too,” I say but it’s an automatic response. I lift my fingers to his face and rub down the side of cheek. Guilt creeps in. I do love him. So much. I’m just not sure I’m in love with him anymore. Ryder’s recent presence has made sure I’m fully aware of that.

“I trust you, Hadley. I want you to know that.”

I give a half smile. “I know. I trust you too.”

Braden lifts up onto his knees and pushes my jean skirt up. My thighs start to tingle at his touch. His hands creep up higher. “Is this mine, Hadley?” he asks caressing the fabric of my panties between my legs. My toes start to dig into the carpet. I squirm. He hasn’t been this attentive before sex in a long time.

I love it.

“Yes,” I breathe out.

The pressure gets harder between my legs, and he slides the material over, teasingly caressing me up and down.

“I couldn’t hear you,” he commands, dipping his finger into me.

I throw my head back and the invasion. “Yes!” I cry louder.

In an instant my panties are ripped down and off my feet.

“I thought you were hungry,” I whisper.

His arms burrow their way under my thighs and wrap around pulling them towards his waiting mouth. “I’m famished.” He growls just before he licks me up my center. “Starving, Hadley.”

And with that, his mouth moves quickly, sucking, pulling, pushing against me. I can’t help but rub myself all over him, trying to reach a destination that hasn’t been visited in a while. I whimper as my body tenses and the explosion consumes me. I scream out his name and push his face into me, riding it out, almost embarrassed at how fast I came.

I’m sated but have no time to relax before I’m pulled up and thrown over the back of the couch, my ass pushing towards him. I lean over and use my hands to steady myself. I can hear the zipper of his pants come down as he situates my skirt over my ass.

He’s in me, gripping my hips from behind, pushing in and out at a rapid pace. His mouth teases my ear and his hand grasps my shoulder. I can already feel the start of another orgasm. “Louder, Hadley. Tell me this is mine.”

My body lurches forward and back. I can barely breathe, let alone talk. Another orgasm is within reach but he stops just short of completion. I let out a frustrated groan.

His breath caresses my ear and he whispers, “I won’t ask again. I said louder.”

“Yours! It’s fucking yours! I’m yours–just make me come, Braden!” I yell. I’m pissed. I’m frustrated and I want a fucking orgasm from a dick and not from a vibrator finishing me off after he has long since come inside me.

He starts his pace again, punishingly slapping his front to my back. The tingling sensation starts all over again and when he reaches a hand forward and slaps my clit I yell out, seeing stars take over my vision as an orgasm to end all orgasms rips through me.

“FUCK!” I scream over and over again riding it out.

Braden doesn’t stop. He continues to thrust into me. “Again,” he says grabbing a nipple in his hand and pinching it. His mouth coming down onto my shoulder before he takes a bite. “I want you to come again!”

“Braden, I can’t...”

“You can and you will,” he states, moving his hands so one is on my hip and the other is holding onto the crease between my neck and shoulder. He pulls back gently, lifting me off the back of the couch and fucks me so fast I have no warning before I come again. My body screams out in protest. I haven’t come this many times, ever, and the third time is better than the first and second combined. It lasts longer, and I feel as though I might black out.