Where I Belong (Alabama Summer) (6 page)

“Jump, you pussies!” Tessa yells, standing on the pier and
waving at us. Reed and Luke are watching in amusement and Mia laughs next to
me. And it is fucking beautiful. I’d give anything to hear that laugh every day
for the rest of my life.

“I love that sound,” I say, completely unashamed of my
infatuation.

She looks at me with confusion. “What sound?”

“Your laugh. Your voice. Hell,
all
your sounds.” Her
lips part slightly, and a shaky hand comes up and tucks some hair behind her
ear. “I can’t get them out of my head.”

She purses her lips, dropping her gaze to the water. “Stop
it, Ben.” Her voice is an intense plea, like she can’t possibly handle another
word coming out of my mouth. Which is too fucking bad because I have a lot to
say right now.

“Stop what?” I bridge the gap between us and grab her hips
with such blunt force my fingertips ache. I know she likes it like that so I
don’t let her stunned look slow me down. She gasps softly as I turn her toward
me. Her body is tense, fearful even, but she doesn’t try and get out of my
grasp. I hold her gaze, daring her to look away from me as I continue. “Stop
telling you that I want you? Stop telling you that I’ve been going mad since
you walked out of my bedroom?” I reach up and brush my thumb across her bottom
lip, wanting more than anything for her to pull me into her mouth like she did
the other night. I need some part of me inside her. She allows me to touch her
without giving me an inch. I move closer, pulling our bodies together so that
they’re perfectly aligned. “Stop telling you that you’re so incredibly
beautiful, I’m having trouble remembering my own name when you’re around me?”

She shoves against my chest, hard, causing me to stumble
back a bit. “Stop it! You can’t say things like that, Ben. Do you know what
that does to me?”

“I know what being around you does to me.” I grab her hand
and place it against my chest, my other hand reclaiming its spot on her hip.
Her eyes dart from my face to where her hand is and I see her eyes react to the
effect she has on me. “Do you feel that? That’s what you do to me. Every
fucking time I’m near you.” I can hear her heavy breathing while her eyes stay
glued to her hand. I don’t say anything else. I just let her feel it.
You
own this part of me. Take it.
The magnitude behind that admission doesn’t
faze me. I don’t care how crazy it seems to be this obsessed with someone after
one night together. I’ve never felt like this.

She seems hesitant but she stays right there with me, her
breathing filling my ears and her fingers moving against my skin. Tentatively.
Just the lightest brush of her fingertips but I swear to Christ she leaves burn
marks on my chest. Scorching me. Branding me with her imprint. And then I see
it, the very moment a memory of our past washes over her. Breaking our
connection. She blinks several times, her face falling before yanking her hand
away from me as if I’m the one burning her. She looks quickly from my worried
face to the water and without a second glance at me, she jumps.

“Mia!” I move to the edge and see her disappear and I don’t
waste any time before I jump in after her. My body hits the water hard, my back
stinging at the awkward angle I land in. But I wasn’t concerned about form when
I jumped. As I come up to the surface, I see Mia wincing in pain as she treads
water. I swim over to her and hear her gentle whines.

“Where are you hurt? Let me see.” I wrap my arm around her
waist to help keep her head above water. We are chest to chest and I expect her
to push me away but she doesn’t. She keeps her eyes down, looking at the way
our bodies come together. Her hands are gripping my arms and she slides them
higher, grazing my shoulders until settling around my neck. She closes her eyes
as I hold her to me, the pain stricken expression vanishing and replaced with a
look of contentment. She moans as I tighten my grip on her waist, bringing us
closer.
Fuck me. Yes, angel. Let your body feel it.
A minute ago she
jumped off a cliff to get the hell away from me and now she’s making those
fucking noises that drive me insane. She whimpers, raking her teeth along her
bottom lip. I press my lips to her ear and feel her shudder in my arms. “You’re
killing me, baby. Do you have any idea how badly I want to take you right
here?”

I shouldn’t have spoken. I should’ve just enjoyed the moment
she was giving me and let her direct what was happening. Her eyes shoot open,
tears filling them instantly but she doesn’t look sad. She looks enraged. And I
don’t know if it’s because of how blunt I was with her just now or if she is
remembering some asshole thing I did to her years ago. Hell, she could be angry
at herself for letting her body take over and actually enjoying being in my
company. But I don’t have time to ask before she pushes against me with the
same hands that were just holding on to me like she needed my contact. I’m
frozen in place as she begins frantically swimming toward the pier.

“Mia! Hold up a second.” I start swimming faster than I ever
have, wanting, no
needing
to get to her before she gets to that pier. I
want her alone, especially if she
is
upset. But she beats me to it and I
get to the ladder as she places her feet on the wooden planks.

“Nice choke, Benjamin,” Luke jokes as I get up on the pier.
“Were you trying to break your back?”

“Fuck off.” I move closer to Mia but Tessa once again puts
her tiny body in between me and what I want. “Move or I’ll toss you into the
water.”

She pokes my chest with her finger aggressively. “Once
again, you’re upsetting my best friend.” She leans closer to me. “What the fuck
is wrong with you?” she sharply whispers her question and I know it’s because
she’s secretly pulling for me. My eyes register that no one’s heard her but me.

“I didn’t mean to.” I look down at her and then over her
head. “Mia, come on. How long are you going to be pissed at me for shit I did
when I was a kid? That’s not fair.”

Her head snaps in my direction and I want to jump right in
the water myself with the look she is melting me with. “
Not fair
? You
wanna know what’s
not fair
, Ben?” She steps behind Tessa, bringing us
face to face. Mia towers over my sister as well so it’s as if Tessa isn’t even
between us. “It wasn’t fair the last time I came here when you told me that I
couldn’t try the rope swing because I would probably snap the branch it was
tied to. It wasn’t fair the time before that when you begged me to keep my
shirt on because I would blind you if you saw me in my bathing suit.” Her eyes
well up and I want more than anything to shove Tessa off the pier and wrap my
arms around Mia. “It wasn’t fair when you…” she bites her lip to stop the
tremors and turns, her shoulders beginning to shake with her cries. Reed comes
up and wraps his arm around her shoulder, doing the consoling that I should be
doing.

“Baby, please don’t cry. I was the biggest asshole back
then.” I step sideways to bypass Tessa, but she moves with me like a shadow. I
meet Mia’s eyes as she finally turns to look at me. “I hate that I said those
things to you. I fucking hate how much I’ve hurt you. I’m so sorry, baby.” I
grab Tessa and shove her into Luke and she goes willingly with a slight grunt.
“Please, just hear me out.”

Mia shakes her head as she moves behind Reed, allowing him
to put himself between us. He blocks Mia entirely and the protective vibe he’s
giving off blinds me with an overwhelming urge to knock his ass out. “I think
you’ve said enough, Ben. Why don’t you just leave her alone.”

I step closer to him and he surprisingly doesn’t step back.
“Back the fuck off before I beat the shit out of you.” I mean every word of my
threat. He is out of his fucking mind if he thinks I’ll let him move in on my
girl.

Luke grabs my shoulders and pulls me back. “Easy, bro. You
need to calm the fuck down. Nobody needs to threaten anybody.”

“Jesus, Ben,” Tessa shrieks, wrapping her hand around my
elbow. “Don’t threaten Reed. He didn’t do anything.”

“She’s mine, Reed,” I declare, loud enough so that there’s
no disputing what I’ve just said. Loud enough so that everyone at Rocky Point
is now aware who Mia belongs to. Everyone on the pier reacts to my words with
the biggest eyes I’ve ever seen.

“Excuse me?” Mia wipes her face and steps in front of me. “I
am
not
yours.”

I shrug Luke off my back. “Yes, you are. You just aren’t
willing to admit it yet.” I move toward the edge of the pier and look over my
shoulder at her. She isn’t crying anymore, the expression on her face has
shifted into something I can’t decipher. And I see that familiar struggle in
her eyes. The way she tries to ignore how I can make her feel. And that
resistance is my fucking motivation to keep pressing her. To keep pushing her
to where I need her to be. Without
giving her a chance to argue with me
any further, I dive into the water and begin swimming toward the drop off.

Mia
is
mine. And I don’t care if it takes weeks for
her to realize it. Not only am I a greedy bastard when it comes to her, but I’m
also determined as hell. I’ll do anything for her forgiveness, hell, I’ll do
anything for
her
. I see my future with her and I’ll stop at nothing to
get her there with me.

Mia

I stare up into his eyes as he enters me, so slowly that
it is almost unbearable. I want him to take me right now, to use my body for
his pleasure and I don’t want him to be gentle about it. Reaching down, I grab
his ass and urge him deeper, harder. But he ignores my request and shakes his
head, resting his hand on my cheek.

“No,” he says, his word a breathy pant as he drives into
me. “If you want me fast and hard, baby, you’re going to have to give me what I
want.”

Anything. I’ll give him anything right now. I pull my
legs up, giving him deeper entry. But he doesn’t take it. He teases me with his
cock and it is the greatest torment of my life. I feel a brush along my nose,
but his hand stays in place on my cheek. Confused, I ignore it and focus on
him. On the way he looks at me, his gray eyes so bright it’s almost blinding.
On the way his other hand grips my ass, fingers digging into my skin. I feel
another brush and shake my head, needing him to give me what I want. I try to
urge him deeper again but his will is stronger than my desire. He keeps up the
long, slow drags of his cock. It’s a blissful torment that rocks me straight to
my core.

“Please. I’ll give you anything,” I beg, digging my nails
into his back. I feel another brush down my nose and grunt it away, not wanting
anything to pull me out of this moment.

“You. I want you, pretty girl.”

I close my eyes and feel his words run through me. He
wants me, but can I give him that?

“Are you a wheal pwincess?” Another voice enters my head,
along with another brush down my nose.

I shake my head, not wanting to hear anything but the man
above me. But I can’t hear him anymore. I can’t hear his soft moans. I can’t
feel his skin against mine. Flesh to raw flesh. And when I open my eyes, I
realize why.

My eyes focus on a tiny face that is staring at me, with
wild brown hair and big gray eyes. He smiles, brushing his finger down my nose,
and I don’t miss the two massive dimples that appear in his cheeks.

“I woke the pwincess.” His little voice is husky and deep
like he’s just had his tonsils removed. He climbs up onto the bed, holding a
wooden sword in his tiny grasp.

I rub my eyes and sit up a little, propping myself up on two
pillows. Smiling at him, I run my finger down his nose and he giggles the most
infectious laugh I’ve ever heard. “Hi, cutie. What’s your name?”

“Nowwllaann.” He drags out his name, jabbing his sword into
the bed with three enthusiastic thrusts.

I laugh. “Nolan. That’s a cool name.” I touch his sword and
he holds it up in the air, swinging it around his body. I notice the dragon
embroidered shirt and patterned socks he’s wearing, sensing an interest. “Did
you slay all the dragons for me?”

His eyes go wide and he shifts to his knees before nodding
frantically. “Daddy said I had to save the pwincess.”

Daddy?
Does Ben have a kid?
“Did he? How many
dragons did you slay, noble knight?”

“One Fousand!” He jumps to his feet and holds his sword
above his head. I think I’ve just met the cutest kid that’s ever existed.

I hold my hands around him in case he gets too close to the
edge of the bed. “My hero. How old are you?”

“This many.” He holds up three fingers and falls to his
belly, sliding off the bed and swinging his sword all around him. He stops and
moves closer to me, running his finger down my nose again. “What’s your name?”

“Mia.”

“Pwincess Mia,” he corrects me with crooked grin. “Daddy
said that you might need to be kissed to wake you up.”

“Oh, you’re right. How silly of me.” I slump back down in
the bed and close my eyes, feeling the weight of a small body next to me. I try
not to smile as his lips touch my cheek, prompting me to pop my eyes open.

“I see you found the princess, buddy.” Ben leans against the
door frame, smiling at me with the same dimpled grin that just saved me from
the dragons. “But didn’t I say that if she needed to be kissed to come get me
so I could do it?”

I sit up against the headboard, pulling the covers up to my
chest. I slept in a tank top and tiny shorts, and I am definitely not wearing a
bra. I smash the covers to my body, suddenly feeling incredibly shy around the
only man that’s ever seen me naked.

Nolan hops off the bed and walks over to him. “Can I go
swinnin now?”

“Yeah, go get your bathing suit from the bag.”

“Wait,” I say, sitting up and motioning for Nolan to walk
over. He quickly scrambles in front of me and smiles. “Your sword, noble
knight.” I hold out my hand and he gives it to me without a question. “Look
down at the floor.” He does and I place the sword on his left shoulder. “I dub
you Sir Nolan, slayer of all the dragons in the kingdom.” I move the sword to
the opposite shoulder. “And protector of the realm.”

He looks up at me with sheer exhilaration as I hand him back
his sword. “Daddy, I’m a wheal knight!” He runs over toward Ben, jumping up and
down enthusiastically. Ben drops his smile from me to Nolan. “I wanna go
swinnin now.” He runs out of the room and Ben rustles his hair as he passes by
him.

“It looks like another Kelly boy has a crush on you,” Ben
states, crossing his arms over his chest. He looks incredible in just a T-shirt
and shorts and my mind is suddenly flooded with images of the dream I was
awakened from. Him above me, naked, driving me toward my pleasure at a
punishing pace. I shake those thoughts out of my head and focus on him which
doesn’t help me in the slightest. The way his muscles stand out, stretching the
thin material of his shirt that I want to shred to pieces, is currently making
me clamp my legs together underneath the sheet.

I try to keep myself from blushing, but I feel the warmness
spread across my face. “He’s so cute. I had no idea you had a son.”

“I’ve been told that we look alike, so I guess that means
that you think
I’m
cute, right?” I look away from him with a slight
smile. “Yeah, that’s what I thought.” I turn back just in time to see his grin
turn cocky, and I’d like to say that it doesn’t do anything for me, but it
does. Damn him and that face.

“Daddy! I wanna go swinnin.” Nolan’s tiny excited voice
comes calling from the hallway.

Ben turns his head to look down the hallway, straightening up
before he looks back at me. “The next time you need to be woken up, it won’t be
my son kissing you, Princess Mia.” His words are a promise that I don’t want to
react to, but I can’t deny the shiver that runs through me. He has all the
confidence in the world that he’ll be the one to wake me up with a kiss. And I
want to tell him that I’ll never let that happen, but I can’t seem to find the
words.

I scramble out of bed once Ben leaves, and as I’m slipping
my favorite summer dress over my head, my mind begins to wander to memories of
the old Ben. The boy I remember that never willingly stepped into any room I
was in. The same boy that freaked out when he caught me in his.

“You wanna listen to music while we lay out?” Tessa asks as
she skims the pool for bugs with the net.

“Yeah, definitely.” I stretch out on my lawn chair,
shielding my eyes with my hand.

“Well don’t just lay there, goof. Go get the stereo.”

I sit up and smile. “Where is it?”

“Ben’s room. I think it’s on his desk.”

I lay back down. “Forget it. I’ll just hum to myself.”

She giggles softly. “He’s not home. Just go in there and
grab it really quick. I wanna listen to my new Justin Timberlake CD.”

Okay, I can do that. He won’t even know I was in there.
“Alright. Be right back.” I swing my legs off the side and stroll into the
house.

I stop outside Ben’s room and hesitantly turn the handle,
pushing it open. I’ve never seen the inside of his room. It’s off limits, which
is fine with me. I don’t want to be in here so I’m going to make this quick. I spot
the stereo on the desk and run around his bed to get to it.

“Oh!” I trip over something, falling into the desk and
rattling everything on it. Including the stereo. “Oh no.” I reach for it but
it’s too late, and I watch with a sick feeling as the stereo hits the hard
floor. I clamp my eyes shut, but I hear the damage I’ve done. “Oh no,” I
whisper.

“What are you doing?”

My eyes shoot open and I spin around, coming face to face
with a very angry Ben. “Uh, I’m sorry. I was just borrowing your stereo. I didn’t
mean to…”

He pushes me out of the way and bends down, picking up the
scattered pieces. “What did you do?” I open my mouth to speak but he cuts me
off. “You broke it. It’s ruined. Why are you even in here? I’ve told you never
to come in my room.”

I step back, holding my hands out in front of me. “I’m so
sorry. Tessa asked me to grab it and I tripped.”

He throws the pieces of the stereo against the wall. “Stay
away from my stuff! Get out! God, I hate you! I hate you!”

I dart out of the room, through the house, and back outside.
Tessa sits up and studies my empty hands, tilting her head.

“Where’s the stereo?”

“Your brother’s home. I broke it. He’s really angry.”

Her mouth drops open. “Uh oh.”

“Tessa!” Ben’s voice booms out the sliding glass door I
haven’t closed.

We both wince and run for our lives.

I sigh, clearing that God awful memory from my head. That
was the last time I stepped foot in Ben’s room. I understood his anger at the
time, but it was an accident. And I felt so bad about it, I saved up my allowance
and used the money to buy him a new stereo. But that didn’t matter. Not to Ben.
He still acted like my very existence pissed him off. And that attitude
continued until I moved away nine years ago.

My existence doesn’t seem to bother him now.

I make myself a cup of coffee, moving to stand in front of
the sliding glass door as I stir in my creamer. Ben is in the pool with Nolan,
pushing him around on a boogie board. He seems like a natural father, and
seeing him with Nolan does things to me. Things that I try to ignore. He holds
on to Nolan’s hand so he can stand up on the board and pretend he is surfing.
They are both smiling at each other, and watching him share this moment with
his son shows Ben in a completely new light. It distances him from the Ben I
remember from years ago even more. I don’t want to be intrigued by this Ben,
but I am. My brain is screaming at me to stay away from him, but the way my
body reacts in his presence is becoming harder to ignore. Hell, I practically
came in his arms yesterday at the dam. That would’ve been slightly
embarrassing. He was barely touching me and I was whimpering like I’d actually
die if he stopped. Thank God he spoke and snapped me out of my pathetic state.
I really didn’t want to fall apart like that. I wanted him to keep his distance
from me. Being in his presence felt dangerous. I didn’t trust my body around
him. It seemed to betray me every chance it got. He didn’t even have to work to
get me close to orgasm. Just stick him in my general vicinity and I’m immediately
firing on all cylinders and holding the starter pistol in my hand with my
finger on the trigger. Just pathetic.

I don’t even resist the urge to stare at him while he’s in
the pool. It’s a battle I know I’d lose anyway so I might as well save my energy.
The sun beams off his chest, and as he turns in the pool, I watch as the
muscles of his back ripple with his movements. The dark ink of his tattoo seems
to stand out even more in the sun and I want to be close to him. Close enough
to study the design and read the words that are etched on his skin. His hair is
wet and sticking up a bit, reminding me of the way it looked the other morning
after our night together. There is no ignoring how attractive Ben is. And Nolan
did resemble his dad, but I’d never label Ben as cute. He is ridiculously
handsome, almost too good looking to be real. His words to me from yesterday
keep playing on loop in my head.
You are mine.
He was so sure of
himself, so certain that I found myself considering the possibility of actually
being his. But I’ve hated him for so long, it seems impossible to let go of
that emotion. Desiring someone and actually liking them are two completely
separate things. And I can’t deny that I desire Ben. It is the whole liking
thing that I’m having trouble with.

“Enjoying the morning view?”

I nearly drop my mug as Tessa comes barreling into my inner
thoughts. “Jesus. You scared the crap out of me.” I glance over at her teasing
smile, ignoring it as I take my first sip of my now cold coffee.

She waves at Nolan who does the same, smiling wide as he
does it. Ben seems to only notice me and I try to ignore that also. “If I were
to ask you how wet you were right now, what would you say?” Tessa inquires.

“My God. Is there any topic that’s off limits to you?”

She thinks it over for a moment, twirling her hair around
her finger. “Nope.”

I step away from the door and sit down on the arm of the
sofa. “Why didn’t you tell me Ben has a kid?”

She shrugs once. “I told you he isn’t the same guy he used
to be.”

“Just because someone isn’t
the same guy
, doesn’t
mean they have little dimpled lookalikes running around. Did you really think
that was how I’d interpret that?”

She moves to the chair next to me and slumps down in it. “I
figured you’d find out eventually, especially if you give Ben a chance and
actually
hang out with him, Little Miss Unwilling to Let Go of the Past.”

I ignore that last dig. “Where’s the mom in all this? I’m
assuming considering what’s transpired over the past several days she isn’t in
the picture?” I take another sip of my coffee, contemplating the idea of Ben
being married to someone. My stomach rolls at the thought.

“Ugh, don’t get me started on that bitch.” She gathers her
hair off her neck while I wait for her to elaborate. “She’s so bitter about not
being with Ben that she uses that against him. They were never together. It was
just a drunken hook up that she’s tried to make into something more, but
because Ben isn’t interested, she gives him as little time as possible with
Nolan. Shit is fucked up.”