Infatuated (23 page)

I reached around for him, but he took my hands and placed them on the wall in front of me.

“This is about you,” was his reply. He pressed kisses along my shoulders, neck, and down my back. “All about you.”

Leaning me forward, he separated my legs and ran his hand between them. His fingers brushed against my sensitive skin. When he slid a finger inside me, then another, I moaned and thrust my hips against his hand. His thumb teased me. “God, I love the sounds you make. They’re the sexiest sounds I’ve ever heard. I could go to sleep hearing them and wake up to them happily.”

He turned me around. Before I could say anything, he took my mouth, slowly, thoroughly. He nibbled on my lip. “And yes, I love your mouth. When you talk, when you smile, and even when you’re swearing at me. I never knew getting cussed out could be so hot.”

I stared, not really sure what to say.

He lifted me up, pressing me against the wall. Inch by sweet inch, he slid me down over him until he filled me completely. My eyes rolled back. Leaning his forehead against mine, he held my hips tight. “I love when I’m inside you, when you’re surrounding me with your heat. When you’re driving me insane with want, with need. When there’s nothing I want more than to be where I am now, deep inside you. I’ve never wanted anyone more than I want you. I’ve never wanted anyone as much or as often as I’ve wanted you.”

“Never?”

He shook his head and wiped the water from my eyes. “Your eyes get me. They’re one of my favorite things about you. Full of life and emotions. You look at me and I’m blinded. I can’t see anything else. I don’t want to see anything else.” There was a pause as he looked me over. “And now, for my favorite part…your hands.” He took one in his and linked our fingers together. He held them tight, then brought my hand to his mouth to kiss.

I blinked. “My hands?”

“Yes. I love when they’re on me. I love when you run them through my hair, when you just touch me. I love when my hand is in one of yours and I can feel you without seeing you. I love how you hold it tight, like you’re afraid to let go of me. I love when I’m sleeping and I wake feeling your fingers around mine. They were the first thing I noticed about you when I watched you pour drinks. Fast, capable hands. That’s what I thought. Not romantic in the least, but it’s the truth.”

Maybe it wasn’t romantic in the classic sense, but… “Kale—”

“Shh.” He brushed my cheek with a kiss. “You don’t have to say anything, Ally. Let me show you.”

He started moving, rocking against me gently, slowly. He took his time, loving my body with unexpected sweetness. Unexpected tenderness. Our first time together had been sweet, but it didn’t compare to this. Not even close.

Even after the climax rippled through me with his name on my lips, he went slow.

I felt his breath quicken and he reached up to tangle his fingers in my hair. “Tell me you love me,” he growled against my ear.

I kissed the side of his mouth. “I love you.”

“Follow me this time.”

I did, but not before my heart broke.

CHAPTER 18

“A
lly?”

I looked up from Kale’s couch. “Yeah?”

“We need to talk.”

I set aside the book I was reading and silently wondered how Kale didn’t notice my heart knocking against my ribs. “This can’t be good,” I said with a small, nervous laugh.

“It’s not bad. I’m just wondering what’s going on. You’ve been here two days and you seem unhappy.” He sat beside me. “Talk to me, babe. Why do you seem so miserable now?”

Besides the fact that I love you and you don’t love me?
“Just tired. Still not sleeping well.” It wasn’t a lie, either. Between thoughts of Earl and now the tension between Kale and I, my dreams were not great. Even my waking thoughts were getting to me.

“What about a girls night or something? You should have Max and Laura come over. Drink, do your hair and nails and…whatever else girls do when they get together in packs.”

He doesn’t have to love me just because I love him. He cares. That’s clear, isn’t it?

I made myself relax and grin. “Talk sex.”

“Really?”

“Oh, yeah.” I nodded. “We take notes and compare.”

His jaw dropped. “You’re shitting me, aren’t you?”

Keeping a straight face, I shrugged. “Maybe. Maybe not.”

He looked scared now. “Is it too late to retract my offer?”

“Definitely. Girl’s night is officially on.” I could use the distraction, and I think that’s exactly what Kale had in mind. Maybe we could both use it.

I didn’t think Laura had work tonight, but I didn’t know if she had other plans with Ted, her boyfriend. As for Max…well, she would be in, even if she did have other plans. She’d been wanting to grill Kale about his family. More specifically, she wanted to see if he had brothers or, hell, she’d probably settle for distant cousins. Other than talking to him on the phone for a few minutes, Max and Kale had only met briefly. Things with Earl had been escalating, so I’d stayed close to home and Kale, where I felt safe. But home wasn’t exactly feeling the safest.

I shook my head at myself. I was
not
going to think about Earl tonight. I was going to have fun and enjoy the time I’d get to spend with my friends. Earl wasn’t going to steal more time from my life. He’d had enough already.

“What are you thinking about?”

And I’m definitely not going to think about things with Kale, either.

I looked up to find him watching me with a weird expression on his face. I frowned. “What?”

“You were smiling one second, frowning the next, and now you’ve got this look on your face…it’s kind of evil, actually. I’m not sure if I should be impressed by whatever you’re thinking about or hide my manly parts before they wither away.”

“I’m just thinking you’re in for a world of trouble having four girls—including Debbie, if she wants in—around for a night of fun.”

“Hell.”

I grabbed my purse. “You coming?”

“Where are we going?”

“For supplies.”

“You need supplies for a girl’s night?”

“Yes. Booze, snacks, movies. Other…things.” More booze. Lots and lots of booze.

“Other things? I’m not going to survive this night, am I?”

“You will. Your place on the other hand…I can’t make any promises.”

T
hree hours and fifty dollars later, girl’s night commenced. Introductions were made, booze was handed out, and after ten minutes of socializing with the guys, we left them to their own devices. The girls were in Kale’s living room and Rob and Kale were out in the backyard.

Everyone was trashed and I was pretty sure Kale’s living room would never be the same and would forever smell like burnt popcorn.

“Your guy’s here,” Max said. She pointed to the door and then promptly fell off the couch.

Even as I laughed, I looked up to see Kale leaning against the doorjamb. He was actually smiling. It stole my breath. I got off the couch, tiptoed my way around the fallen Max, and made my way to him. “What are you doing here? Didn’t we ban the men-folk?”

“One, it’s my place, so I get visitation rights. Two, I wanted to see how my place was holding up. And three—” He yanked me close planted a rough kiss on my lips. “I wanted to give you that.”

“Oh. Well, I guess you could visit more often then.”

He grinned and then whispered, “Max is a really bad drunk.”

“Yup.”

“You’re not drinking?”

I’d thought about it, a lot, but decided it wouldn’t help and could be hazardous to my health. “Only enough to make them think I am. Max is drunk enough for the both of us, and someone has to keep an eye on her. The last time we got drunk together, she punched me in the head. It was mostly an accident. Actually, I think she just likes punching people in the head. It makes her laugh.”

He fought a grin. “I thought you said she’s only punched you three times?”

“Drunken punches don’t count.” I glanced over my shoulder and winced as she swung out. Debbie was quick and ducked. Laura dodged to the side, but the punch still connected with her shoulder. Her jaw dropped and she looked at her shoulder, and then she clocked Max.

Max laughed like a lunatic.

“Impressive. But maybe you shouldn’t have bought the Jack.”

I scratched my head. “Yeah. I forgot how much Max likes it and how much she hates sharing. She actually snarled at Debbie when she tried getting a shot. I thought they were going to wrestle over it.”

“Wrestling? You have to call us in if there’s wrestling. It’s my place, so it’s only fair—”

“Go away,” I said laughing as I shoved him out the door.

Grinning, he walked away.

Max and Laura, who were both on the floor now, leaned to the side to watch him walk away. “Nice ass,” was Max’s comment.

Laura and Debbie both nodded.

Max downed another shot and then shook her head. “You guys make googly eyes if you’re within ten yards of each other.”

Laura nodded again. “It’s cute.”

“It’s—okay, fine, it is cute. They’re in love,” Max said, drawing the word out until she was out of breath.

Debbie reached across the table for the bowl of cold popcorn. “It looks good on you two. And it’s nice to see him happy, especially after things with Monica.”

Max let out a whoop. “Someone has the juicy details.”

Debbie slapped a hand over her mouth and winced. “Just pretend I didn’t say anything.” She shoved the bowl toward Max. “Popcorn?”

Not one to shy away from anything, Max shook her head. “Spill it, girlfriend. And I don’t mean the booze or snacks. Who’s Monica?”

“One of Kale’s ex-girlfriends.”

I, on the other hand, was definitely one to shy away from things, especially conversations that could lead only bad places. “Just let it go, Max.”

She scoffed at me. “Like you’re not dying to know.”

I did want to know more about Kale, no question about it. But not like this. “Look, I do, but—”

“But nothing.” Max poured a shot of Jack. She held it up and moved it back and forth in front of Debbie. “Trade? Juice for juice?”

Laura frowned. “That doesn’t even make sense. ‘Juice for juice’? What—”

“I’m drunk. Everything makes sense.” She tipped the shot glass to the side and watched Debbie’s head tilt with it. “You know you want to share. You know you want
me
to share.”

Debbie looked from Max, to the glass, then to me. “He’d kill me.”

Max’s grin was wide. “Who’s gonna tell?”

“No way,” Debbie said, shaking her head.

“Ooh, it must be good.”

“You don’t have to say anything, Debbie.” I grabbed the shot out of Max’s hand. She glared at me as I handed it to Debbie, so I snatched the bottle from her and filled a shot for myself. “Eat, drink, and be merry,” I said, holding up my glass.

“Kale almost got married,” Debbie said, running the words together fast.

Suddenly, getting drunk and punched in the head seemed like a good idea. I downed the shot. It burned as it went down. I poured another.

Max and Laura both stared at Debbie then stared at me, as if waiting for my reaction.

I said the first thing that came to mind. “Oh.”

“He almost got married? When?”

They were the questions I wondered about but didn’t ask, so naturally Max beat me to the punch. Laura was too busy holding her mouth open to say anything.

“When he was eighteen, with his high school sweetheart. He proposed, right after graduation, and she said yes. But a few weeks before the wedding, she called things off, saying she loved him but wasn’t in love with him.”

Max winced. “Ouch.”

“It was hard on him. She broke his heart. He’s had girlfriends since, obviously, but nothing serious.” She laughed. “In three years, I haven’t heard the words ‘I love you’ come out of his mouth, so I was beginning to wonder if he’d wiped them from his vocabulary.”

Laura and Max shared a glance. I raised a shot glass in the air, then tossed it back.

Debbie cringed. “Sorry, Ally! I’ve got a loose tongue when I drink. I didn’t mean it like that. Things have changed since you. He smiles like he used to, laughs like he can’t stop. He’s happier than I’ve ever seen him, even before bitch Monica. It’s obvious he loves you.”