Break My Fall (9 page)

If I hadn’t come over Rachel would have gone bat shit crazy on Lee.

In my own sick way, I was trying to protect her.

“I want you to stay away from that girl,” Rachel said as she straddled me.

I wanted to peel my skin off.

I wanted to throw her off me and get the fuck out of her bed, and as far away from her as I could.

“What girl?”

I leaned back on my elbows, forcing myself not to recoil.

I didn’t want her to fucking touch me.

I didn’t want to breathe the same air as her. I was a poor excuse for a man.

Rachel glared at me as she unbuttoned my shirt.

“Don’t act stupid Kyle. You know exactly who I mean.”

I did know, but I didn’t understand why she had such an issue with her.

“What’s your problem with Lee? She’s a roommate, just like Cam.”

Rachel grimaced at the mention of Cam’s name.

Cam gave her a hard time at every opportunity, and I loved her for it, since I couldn’t do it myself.

“You have shitty taste in friends.”

No, I had shitty taste in women; her being the shittiest.

Rachel finished with my buttons, then pulled her top over her head.

She was braless, her plastic tits fell into my face and I didn’t even stir.

“I see the way you look at little miss southern belle. I’m not blind.”

She moved for my belt, “You’re different with her. Why is that?”

I was threading dangerous waters. I needed to be careful.

Rachel was testing me.

“I don’t look at her any differently than I look at Cam,” I lied.

I unzipped my jeans and pushed them down.

The only fucking reason I was even semi hard was because she brought up Lee.

I focused on the mental image of Lee in that hot little nightdress giving Rachel shit.

“Liar,” she hissed, glaring at me.

“She’s too much of a mouse to look twice at. I don’t fuck hillbillies Rachel.”

Rachel grinned, and I wanted to die.

“Just so long as remember that. You made me a deal two years ago.”

She sheathed my cock and lowered herself onto me, “And I plan to make you keep it.”

I closed my eyes and thought of Lee.

Chapter Eight

LEE

“I still can’t believe you spoke up to Rachel like that,” Cam said as we stood in line at the movie theatre.

Neither could I.

“I don’t know what came over me Cam. I’ve never spoken to anybody like that. I don’t even like Kyle. But she’s just so mean to him, and what’s worse is he lets her. It’s disgusting.”

Cam grinned, “Well I for one am glad you did. I’m usually the one who chews up that gold-digger. I know Derek cannot stand her, but Kyle’s his best friend so he doesn’t get involved. We all hate her.”

I smiled at that.

At least everyone else hated her too; it made me feel a little better about my outburst.

“She’ll probably want revenge, especially since you took her down peg in front of Kyle.”

Rachel didn’t like me as it stood, how much worse could it really get?

“And you committed the mortal sin when you kissed Kyle.”

I cringed. Did she have to bring that back up?

I tried not to think about the kiss, at least not until I was tucked up in bed at night.

“He kissed me first.”

Cam laughed as she paid for her popcorn.

“He kissed you. You kissed him. Is there really a difference?”

Was there? No, no there wasn’t.

“He doesn’t like me Cam. Rachel has nothing to worry about. It’s the other women he’s with that she should be angry with, not me.”

Cam studied my face for a moment, her gaze slipping to behind me.

“Hmm I’m not so sure about that babe.”

She walked off in the same direction.

“Hey boys, what a surprise it is seeing you here. You’re not checking up on me now are you?” Cam said cheerfully.

I turned around, and quickly turned back.

Why God, why? Of all the nights…

“Of course not, come here and give me a little kiss,” I heard Derek say.

That was a big fat lie.

From what I’d seen, he was always checking up on Cam.

There was a truckload of trust missing from their relationship.

It wasn’t my business though, so I didn’t ask.

“I’ll meet you inside Lee,” Cam said.

I didn’t bother answering her.

My night had just taken a major nosedive, not because of Derek showing up.

It had more to do with Mr. Tall dark and sarcastic next to him, and the way my heart wouldn’t calm the heck down.

I paid for my soda and popcorn, while plotting all the ways I could get out of seeing this film.

Cam drove here, and it was a twenty-minute car ride with lots of different turn offs; I would never be able to find my way home.

Falling on empty, I turned around and slowly made my way over to the doorway with the sign ‘screen one’ over it.

With any luck, they had chosen a different movie to us. I didn’t believe that though.

Derek hadn’t shown up for any other reason than to keep an eye on Cam.

Maybe I could just wait outside in the lobby until it was over?

Dammit, I had been looking forward to seeing the movie.

How was I supposed to relax with him nearby?

“Hey princess.”

I jumped, startled, and ended up spilling my entire tub of popcorn all over the floor.

“Whoa, there’s no need to be so jumpy. It’s just me.”

Yeah it was just him; the walking, talking bane of my hormones.

I turned around to scold him for sneaking up on me, but the words wouldn’t come out.

Why did he have to look so good?

It wasn’t fair.

God must have been in a real good mood the day he made Kyle Carter.

I took in the dark jeans and tight grey t-shirt he was wearing.

Couldn’t he wear clothes that made him less…edible?

It wouldn’t matter much what he wore though; Kyle smiling that perfect smile of his was enough to turn me into a puddle of mush on the floor.

That dimple did strange things to my chest.

“Why did you sneak up on me?” I asked, when speaking was manageable again.

He threw his head back and laughed; a deep virile laugh and my heart accelerated.

I couldn’t turn my eyes away from his throat, and the way his Adams apple vibrated…

“I was just waiting for you. The others have gone in already. Cam said it was your first time at the movies, I thought you might get lost.”

Gee, thanks for that Cam, as if I needed to look anymore country.

Kyle took a step towards me and I gasped.

I needed to get a grip.

I backed up, and managed to snag the heel of my shoe on an upturned piece of carpet.

My coke flew out of my hand, as I flayed my arms out.

Oh great, I was going down.

Before I could holler, two arms snaked around my back, pulling me into a chest of ribbed muscle and toned abs.

I knew that because I had to endure looking at it every day.

“You’re a little clumsy tonight aren’t you princess,” Kyle chuckled, as he held me flush against him.

“Uh…”

I could not think of one thing to say. I involuntary shivered.

He straightened and put some space between our bodies, but his hands were still on my hips.

He seemed to notice where his hands were and moved them away quickly, clearing his throat.

“We should go in,” he muttered, as he turned and strode through the doors.

I followed him, desperately trying to get a handle on my nerves.

My nerves were causing the butterflies in my belly, nothing else.

KYLE

This was the biggest load of crap I had seen in years.

It was a typical chick flick; girl meets boy, girl falls in love, boy screws up and girl runs off. Then boy fixes the shit pile he’s gotten himself into and gets nailed.

What a crock.

It was fucking painful to sit through, and I had paid ten bucks for the privilege.

Derek owed me big time.

His paranoia over Cam cheating was the reason I was now sitting in a movie theatre packed with women weeping and crying and shit.

Fair enough, Cam had a past, but Derek needed to trust her.

He couldn’t leave the girl alone for a minute.

Sometimes Derek acted like a vagina.

“That’s it Cam baby, suck it.”

Those two had no fucking shame.

Even I drew the line at getting a blowjob public.

Well at least not while sitting next to my friends…

I shifted as far in my seat as I could from them. It could get messy; I wasn’t taking any chances.

A soft groan from the other side of me alerted me to the fact that I was now squashing Lee.

We were in one of those love seats; the double seats used for making out.

It was ironic, considering I couldn’t touch the girl who was pressed up against me.

I had been trying to keep my distance from her all night.

Cam had cock blocked me.

“Uh sorry…” I muttered, pulling back a little from her squashed body, but not so far that I was within aiming distance of Derek’s dick.

“It’s okay.”

Lee looked up at me with a nervous smile.

Her eyes were like saucers, and I could practically see the innocence pouring out of them.

“I guess I’d be moving closer to you too, if I had to sit on your side,” she whispered, pointing at Cam and Derek, who were now gone way past the point of return.

Lee blushed and faced forward, focusing her attention on the screen.

I took that as my chance to study at her.

She was so damn hot in those worn denim jeans and yellow t-shirt that it hurt to look at her.

I was not used to girls who dressed like that.

The women I knew wore tight little dresses and low-slung tops.

They had make-up plastered on their faces, and orange skin from too much fake tan, and hair designed into all types of weird styles.

Even Cam was guilty of the make-up and short skirts.

Lee wore none of that shit; she didn’t need it.

Her sun kissed skin was naked, and she had her curly hair bunched up in a messy ponytail; the odd stray curl escaping to fall around her face.

I wanted to reach out and tuck those silky curls behind her ear, but that would be bad.

I would be edging too close to a line I wasn’t supposed to cross.

I thought of the look on her face the morning she had defended me to Rachel. The way she had stood up for me…

It wasn’t something I was used to.

I expected to feel annoyed with her for interfering in my business.

Instead, I felt pleased.

The smile Lee had given me in the kitchen that morning; it had changed something in me.

It made me feel, and I hadn’t felt anything in so long.

The girl was fucking amazing and she didn’t even know it.

That made me even more determined to stay away from her.

Lee didn’t need to be marred with my bullshit.

I had to remember that; she was too good for me.

“Now Cam, it’s gonna be now baby.”

I moved even closer to Lee than before.

“Dude you’re in a movie theatre,” I growled, “Show a little restraint.”

Derek didn’t know the meaning of the word.

“Are you really this squeamish?” Lee giggled.

I looked down at her. Her eyes were dancing with humor.

“Oh you think it’s funny do you?” I teased.

I reached out and tickled her, making her laugh harder.

It was a pleasant sound, and I liked it, probably more than I should.

I couldn’t help staring at the way her tits bounced as she chuckled.

“Stop, Kyle I’m so ticklish,” she gushed, as she tried to wrestle my hands away from her sides.

She pushed herself closer to me.

“Oh Kyle, I can’t take anymore,” she groaned.

Fuck, I was turned on and it had nothing to do with the sex noises coming from the love seat next to me, and everything to do with Lee and the way her body felt when I touched her.