Break My Fall (3 page)

I had been so sick afterwards and when daddy caught us, I was punished so badly, I had never touched a drop since.

However, the appeal of fitting in for once in my life swayed me, and I swallowed it.

The taste burned my throat, and my eyes watered and stung. My head swam.

“Yeah that’s it girl, chug it back,” Cam cheered, flicking her long blonde hair behind her shoulder.

I sputtered, holding my hand across my mouth.

She filled another shot of the black stuff, and this time I swallowed without choking.

KYLE

This was not the early night in I had planned.

There were people all over the house, and I felt unusually unsociable.

Most of the time I enjoyed a good party, but after the last couple of days of bullshit I had put down, I just wanted to crash.

I had been in New York all week and had stopped by the office on my way home.

It was just as well I had because my nosy fuck of a father was snooping around again.

Christ he was like a dog with a bone.

It had been over a year, he needed to accept my grandfather’s decision.

Hell, I needed to accept my grandfather’s decision.

My roommate Cam phoned me at the office with some sob story about a friend of hers needing a dig out.

I had a spare room at the house so I gave her the go-ahead.

Cam had said Lee would pay board and what not, but to be honest I hadn’t paid much attention to the conversation.

I had been too busy dealing with dear old dad, and Cam and her crazy ass drama had been the furthest thing from my mind.

I however curious as to who this Lee dude was, and with Cam you never knew what to expect.

She knew her fair share of creepy bastards.

I wasn’t going to have some free loader scamming on my friend’s good nature.

Besides, rent was not the issue for me.

I owned the house outright, had done without knowing since freshman year of college.

My grandfather had lead me to believe I was leasing the place.

I didn’t discover the place my mine until his will reading.

He’d bought it when I started C.U, it was another asset of his estate I had inherited.

Cam and Derek lived here because they were friends, not because I needed extra cash.

The old man had left me well cushioned.

They had been my roommates from day one, and their being here gave my life some semblance of normality.

I could act my age when I was here, and just be a normal twenty-two year old and not the owner and CEO of a fucking multi-million dollar corporation.

I kept the house minimalistic in its appearance because of this fact.

I wanted a normal damn life, the life I had before my grandfather went and fucking died on me, leaving me in the driving seat of his empire.

I scanned the room, my eyes zooming in on the tiny brunette standing next to Cam.

Holy shit, she was something else.

Her small face was partially concealed by a dark head of curls.

I focused on those curls and the way they hung over her tits, damn what a pair she had.

Even in the boring white shirt she wore, it was easy to tell she was blessed in the breast compartment.

Her narrow waist cinched in the middle, curving out to form the sexiest pair of hips I had ever seen.

Her pants were snug on her, and I could only imagine what her body looked like, minus the clothes.

Now those were the curves of a real woman.

She wasn’t a matchstick like most of the girls’ I knew.

She radiated healthiness.

My eyes slipped to her waist again.

Fuck, I could think of nothing else but burying myself between those goddam hips.

I took a double look at her and my cock twitched. I had a fucking semi from just looking at her.

Derek was standing beside me, noticed my staring and chuckled.

“That’s her man isn’t she something?”

I looked at him with narrowed eyes; I was feeling oddly possessive.

Shit, looking back at her, I was ready to beat my fits against my chest and make my claim on this girl.

“That’s who? Who is she?”

Derek pointed at where Cam and little miss titties were standing.

“Our new roommate; Cam’s latest rescue baby.”

I gaped at Derek, and he burst into a fit of laughter.

I was in shock.

Damn she was beautiful.

“Lee is a she,” I pointed out.

I knew right then that Rachel was going to flip out.

I was under strict orders as to what and who I could do, and hell, this girl was going to cause a few problems for me.

“And what a she, she is.” Derek grinned, shaking his head.

LEE

This was not a good idea.

Five shots in and I was a little worse for wear.

At least the party wasn’t bothering me anymore.

Nothing was bothering me now.

I felt a presence behind us.

“Oh baby you softened the ice queen,” I heard Derek say.

“I resent that,” I managed to slur as I glared at him.

He had nicknamed me ice-queen after our first meeting this morning.

I had obviously offended him, but he didn’t know a thing about me, or why I was the way I was.

I wasn’t a naturally cold person but life had dealt me some crappy cards, and experience had taught me to guard myself, especially around men.

After all my father was the perfect role model for the type of man I needed to stay away from.

Derek obviously didn’t care for my standoffishness.

Cam giggled and cooed when Derek wrapped his arms around her, and then they began to make out.

I flamed in embarrassment; this was not something I was used to seeing, ever.

“Get a room,” I grumbled, leaning over the kitchen counter for support.

This was all so new to me.

I had never been allowed date a boy, let alone live with one.

My father had been strict in the extreme.

The only place I was allowed to go besides school was my job.

I had no friends and people tended to avoid me.

Well everyone except Cam.

She had lived next door until I was twelve, and even though she was over three years older than me, we had hit it off instantly.

She had been my lifeline in a world of isolation. She knew my situation, but stayed friends with me anyway.

That meant a lot to me, more than she would ever realize...

I felt someone behind me press closer.

I tensed and pushed closer to the counter to make room for them to pass.

I urged my body to relax, and I inhaled slowly.

I was a nervous wreck after what happened back home, and I tried so carefully every day since to stay in the background.

I never wanted to be called a tease again…

Breath on the side of my neck made me jump.

“You gonna share that?” a deep husky voice said.

A male arm, swooped around me and grabbed the bottle of whatever the hell it was in front of me.

“It’s all yours.”

I turned to move out of his way, and stopped in my tracks.

Whoa, maybe it was the alcohol or maybe I was turning into a PG version of Cam but damn the guy in front of me was incredible.

I took in his grey suit pants and half buttoned white shirt.

My god he was well built.

Arching my neck to see his face I gasped.

A head dark unruly hair, ‘after sex hair’ as Cam would put it, framed his face.

His eyes were a striking shade of deep ocean blue, seductive and entrancing with long dark eyelashes and perfect eyebrows.

His eyes danced with humor, and his full lips turned up into a half smile, exposing the cutest dimple in his cheek…

I was drunk but not drunk enough not to notice him. Good Lord, he was beautiful.

Did boys like him really exist? I thought I might be imagining him.

“You wanna take a shot with me sweetheart?”

He smiled crookedly and lifted the bottle up.

The huskiness of his voice made me him sound dangerous, yet he was soft spoken…an enigma.

“Uh” was all I said, all I could say.

His voice was spine tingling, and very sexual.

Not that I knew much about that, but a girl could guess.

A boy had never asked me to do anything with him, well except for Perry Franklin, who had asked me to senior prom.

Going to prom was a decision I would regret for the rest of my life…

What surprised me now though, was the fact that I wasn’t afraid of the boy in front of me.

Well boy was the wrong choice of word to describe him; he was all man, one hundred percent.

He turned his head to the side, his eyes studying me.

Frowning he asked, “Do you speak?”

Oh fantastic, he thought I was slow.

“Yes,” I said, my voice coming out little more than a whisper.

He smiled down at me and leaned closer.

I leaned back until I was flush against the counter behind me.

My body burned with heat, good grief I was on fire, what was happening to me?

He smiled, “Yes to a drink with me or yes you can speak?”

He was flirting with me.

I knew enough to at least know that.

However, this guy was way out of my league.

He could eat me up for breakfast.

I was not going to encourage him. I couldn’t handle him.

“Both,” I said.

Wait, I shouldn’t have said that.

I slapped my hand over my mouth in surprise, and he chuckled, eyes twinkling, exposing that damn dimple again.

Music was pumping from the stereo in our living room but I swear I could hear my heart hammering above it.

I wondered if he could too.

Pressing close enough to my body that I could count the abs beneath his shirt, he reached over my head and pulled two glasses from the cupboard and poured our drinks.

I concentrated on keeping my breathing even.

This was the closest a man had been to me in a while, and my body seemed to be awakening from eighteen years of hibernation.

He handed my glass to me and tipped it with his.

“Cheers,” he drawled and tipped his glass back.

My legs weakened as I watched his throat move as he swallowed.

He looked at me expectantly, and I cleared my throat and tipped the drink back, gulping it down quickly.

He took my glass from me and I reached behind me and held the counter with both my hands for support.

A drop of liquor spilled from my chin to my throat.

I watched him watch me.

His eyes flickered from mine to my neck.

He smiled darkly, a low growl escaping his throat.

Oh Sweet Jesus.

He bent his head to my neck, and I felt something hot and wet sweep across my throat.

He eyes flicked back to mine.

“Hmm, sweetest fucking shot I ever had.”

I gaped, my mouth dropped open.

I didn’t know what to say.

Did he just lick me?

I could vaguely hear wolf whistles in the background, but my focus was completely on his blue eyes.

He poured me another shot and pressed it into my hand.

“Drink.”

I held the glass with trembling hands and brought it to my mouth.

I could barely concentrate; he was pressed so close against me.

I could feel something hard against my belly and I reddened with realization.

He smirked; he must have noticed my train of thoughts.

I tossed it back quickly, ignoring the burning in my throat.

There was a far hotter fire, burning deep in my belly.

He moved quickly, one hand swooping around to clasp the back of my neck, the other clenching my hip.

I opened my mouth in surprise and he pulled my face to his, crushing his lips against mine.

Holy Mary mother of God, I couldn’t breathe, I was drowning in him.

He growled against my lips, and I swear I nearly melted.

I should be afraid of this, of him.