Meadowlarks (24 page)

             
She yells something, but it's so loud I can't hear. I feel hands on my shoulders from behind me. It's Alex.

             
“This is a one-time thing, bro. What happens in Cody stays in Cody; got it?”

             
I look at him quizzically.

             
“Yeah, that's right.” He looks seriously at me. “You have a little fun, and then go home to my sister and explain yourself, okay?” He pushes me in the direction of the bar and orders us two shots of Jack Daniels each.

             
The last time Alex and I drank this together at a bar, we had just beaten the crap out of that piece of shit, Jacob. The thought makes me smile as we clink our plastic shot cups of alcohol together, tip our heads back and let the poison stream down our throats.

             
Gwen has managed to pull Jeremiah onto the big black dance floor. I have never seen him dance, and I have to admit that he's pretty hilarious. I don't know where he got some of those moves from, though; I tilt my head to the side and watch him hop on one foot while pulling his other bent leg back and forth. Gwen laughs and bounces with her hands around his neck.               Why did she have to turn into such a crazy bitch? She makes him so happy.

             
“Dance now?” Jennifer is back and pulling on my belt. Her cold fingers touch my skin and I flinch. Madison grabs Alex's hands, and they both pull us out onto the black sparkling tile.

             
The song isn't country, but it's not bad, and I feel myself starting to move. Jennifer stands behind me, running her hands all over my chest and squeezing my pectorals. I grab her hands and pull her in front of me, pulling her body close to mine. She has one thigh between my legs and is grinding herself against me. My body responds, and I feel myself start to harden.
Shit
.

             
I pull back, and she doesn't even notice. She keeps convulsing slowly to the rhythm.               When she opens her eyes, she notices me and grabs me again.

             
“Damn, cowboy. You're so hot!”

             
I don't answer, just give her a small grin. It's enough to make her close her eyes and throw her arms around me, crushing me. The J.D. has taken over, and I feel totally out of control. My blood is sizzling, and my skin feels hot to the touch. She spins around and bends over, pushing her behind right into my groin. I unconsciously hold her hips and thrust. She squeals, and I bite my bottom lip, wanting to slam myself deep inside her, glossy lips, popping bubblegum and all. I'm disgusted with myself, but I'm too far gone to care.

             
When I look up slowly from Jennifer's back, my eyes meet Gwen's, and they're blazing.               She isn't dancing with Jeremiah anymore; I don't even see him around her. She walks through the crowd of people and grabs Jennifer's hands, pulling her away from me and not even giving her a second look.

             
“Hey! Bitch...” I hear Jennifer whine, but she quickly finds another guy and starts grinding him instead.

             
Gwen's eyes don't leave mine. The song changes to something slower and more sexual—rougher. She puts her hand on my chest and places one of mine on her lower back, her t-shirt is tied in a knot to the side so her stomach and back are bare.

I can't make out all the words, but I can tell the song is about a guy getting hurt and taking out his
fury on another girl by fucking her senseless—
Only for tonight
, the lyrics moan. It's enough to send me off the deep end, and I find my other hand deep in Gwen's hair, gripping tightly and pulling her face up to mine.

             
We slowly move our bodies together, and I can feel her hot breath on my lips. Her eyes aren't blazing anymore; they're glistening, raw and wanting. I push hard against her, and either she's ready to burst from her longing, or my belt buckle hurt her.
Both, I hope.

             
I'm drunk, but I'm also sober enough to remember what she did to me in my bed last year. How she crept in like thief in the night and wrapped those pouty lips around me, and how she seductively wiped her mouth afterwards. I'm getting heated by looking at her hot mouth—until she opens it to speak.

             
“Told you,” she breathes heavily.

             
I lean in to her ear; my lips graze her skin.               “Told me what?”

             
Her hand runs down my chest and down into my jeans, gripping my growing erection.               “Told you she wasn't good for you.” She squeezes me tightly, gazing with wide eyes.

             
I blink and pull back. Her hand comes out of my jeans, and she looks surprised.

             
“You...” I point at her, raise an eyebrow and ever-so-slowly lick my bottom lip. “
Fuck you
.”

             
She groans and grabs me, holding herself against me again. “
Exactly.
That's right, Blackstock. I'm all yours.”

             
Gwen is the epitome of why I've never had a relationship last. Anyone I've ever been with has been just like her. She's completely raw and sexual, which drives me crazy, but that's where it ends. Her eyes have never been passionate or emotional. She's empty.

             
“I'm outta here.” I start to back up and stumble into a few people dancing. I hold my hand up to apologize, but I don't even think they notice me. I have to find Jeremiah.               When I do find him, he's sitting in a booth with his arm around a pretty girl with jet black hair.

             
“I’ve gotta go.” My voice sounds panicked.

             
“You okay? What's up?”

             
“I gotta go home, Jer.” I look at the ceiling, wanting to scream out at how disgusted I am with myself. I just want to be at home in my bed, with Addison.

             
“Sit down and relax, buddy. We'll go home soon.” He lifts up his beer bottle and nods it at me. I sit down on the vinyl seat and put my head in my hands.

             
“You need a drink!” the black haired girl shouts. I lift my head, and she's blurry.

             
“I've got one right here!” It's Gwen. She's at the table with two drinks in her hands. She flops down beside me and hands me a pink drink in a martini glass. “Drink up,
big
boy!”

             
Jeremiah doesn't seem bothered that she's even in the booth; he's in deep with the other girl.

             
“Blaine is getting married soon. We need to show him what he's gonna be missing!” Gwen holds up her drink and elbows me. “Drink!”

             
I inhale deeply, but I take the glass and pull the straw out, tossing it on the table. The glass is rimmed with green sugar crystals, and Gwen traces her finger along my glass and licks her finger off seductively.

             
I toss back the drink in a few chugs. It's far too sweet, and I wonder if there's any alcohol in it at all. Alex and Madison join us at the booth. I have no clue where Jennifer is, and I don't really give a shit either.

             
“Blaine, you look wrecked!” Alex laughs and points at me.

             
I grin back. I'm starting to feel better, and now I don't want to go home just yet.

             
              The night turns into a blur—a blur of flashing lights and beams of color. I feel like I'm spinning in the booth, like I’m on one of those rides at a carnival that you spin around in by turning a large wheel in the center.

              I remember Alex and Jeremiah helping me walk, though I’m not sure to where. I remember being in a cab and then an elevator. Now I feel like I'm laying on a carpet or some plush surface, and I'm falling into the black. The buzzing around me is deafening. I try to open my eyes, but I'm in a fog. I can't even move my body. The commotion is becoming more clearly now.

             
“Blaine? Blaine! Baby, please wake up!” Someone is shaking me, warm hands on my face, and she's hysterical. “What did you give him?!”

             
“I...I...I don't know! We were just having fun!”

             
“Gwen, so help me, tell me what you gave him!”

I can make out Jeremiah's voice.

              “Fuck, I don't know. I think it was E.”

             
My shirt opens, and I feel warm skin against my chest and soft hands on me.
              Mmm
. It feels good.             

“Oh, my God. Baby! Come back to me.” She sounds more controlled now, but I can feel her panic. “Get her out of here, Jeremiah!”

              I hear more commotion, then a door open and close, and now it's quiet.

             
“Blaine, my love. Please wake up.”

             
I groan and clear my throat. I hear Addison inhale quickly, and the fog starts to clear a little.

             
“You.” I smile and peek out slightly with one eye. My body is tingling, and my head is full of pressure.

             
“Sweetheart, you're okay. I'm here.” She hugs me; some of her hair falls on my face, and I breathe in her familiar scent. It's the smell of home, and I know I'm safe in her arms.

             
“Can you get up?” she asks softly.

             
“Mmm, no. Let's stay down here.” I grin and close my eyes, trying to pull her on top of me.

             
“I think you need to go to the hospital. You were drugged.”

             
Jeremiah comes back in the room, and I hear her tell him to call 9-1-1. What seems like only a few seconds go by, and two paramedics are at my side. They’re asking a bunch of questions, which I don't have the answers to, and flashing small lights in my eyes.

             
“We'll take him in and pump his stomach,” one guy says, and I feel a tightness on my arm from what I assume is a blood pressure cuff.

             
“Thank you, guys. Can I ride with him?”

             
“Of course, ma'am.”

             
I'm loaded into an ambulance. The interior lights are dimmed a little once we start driving, and when I adjust my eyes, I see Addison sitting on the bench beside the gurney I'm strapped to.

             
“Hi, beautiful.”

             
She has tears in her eyes; they pool at her lashes and start rolling down her cheeks.               She begins to sob.               “Blaine...I...I.”

             
I try to reach to wipe her tears, but I can't move my arms. “Do you like your car?” I look at her, feel like I could cry, too, but nothing is coming out. I am full of emotion, but I can't express any of it.

             
She laughs, and wipes her tears.               “I love it. Thank you.”

             
“I'm sorry I didn't text you back.”

             
She shakes her head like she's dismissing my apology.               “I'm just happy you're okay.” She brushes my hair off my forehead. “I love you so much.”

             
I manage to mouth the words back to her before I close my eyes and fall into the dark again.

             
“Mrs. Blackstock? Hi, I'm Doctor Sheldon,” a woman’s soft voice speaks.

             
“I’m Addison. How much did he ingest?” I hear Addison answer.

             
“Seems as if it was only one tablet, but he had a lot of alcohol in his system.”

             
I open my eyes and swallow loudly. They both turn and look at me. Addison has wide, worried eyes, but she smiles. The last time I woke up in a hospital, I had no idea who she was, so I'm relieved when her beautiful face is the first thing I see. Her smile warms me.

             
“Mr. Blackstock. You had quite a night, I heard. We had to pump your stomach, but you're going to be just fine. Luckily, you have a nurse to take you home and care for you.” She smiles and looks at her watch. “He can go home in a few hours; we just want to keep an eye on him since he just woke up.”

             
“Thank you, Doctor Sheldon.”

             
She smiles and leaves the room, closing the curtain behind her.               Through Addison’s half-open hoodie, I can see she's wearing one of my John Deere t-shirts. Her hair is up in a messy bun, and she's wearing jogging pants. She looks beautifully unkempt, and I reach for her hand.

             
“You're gorgeous, baby.” I smile.

             
She sits down on the bed and takes my hand, holding it with both of hers. My hand tingles from her warm touch.

             
“I'm sorry about what happened with Reid.”

             
I stop smiling.

             
“I thought he was a friend; I was wrong.” She looks away, and I try to sit up.

             
I pull her closer to me; she almost hesitates but then leans in.              

“After you walked away and I was making sure you didn't break his face, he tried to kiss me.”

              I inhale deeply and clench my teeth so hard it almost hurts. Her eyes are wide and glossy, and she starts to cry again.

             
“I told him to stop and that I didn't like him like that. I love
you
. I'm marrying
you
.” She sniffles, and I can reach up this time to wipe a tear.

             
“I'm sorry I walked away. I'm even sorrier about everything that happened since then.” I trail off not wanting to talk about any of it, because I'm sickened at myself.

             
“Alex told me; you didn't do anything. You were hurt and upset, I understand.”

             
I shake my head; she's wrong.               “Addy, I just wanted to...” I stop before I tell her how badly I wanted to drink myself into a stupor and fuck other women on a dance floor in a bar.               “I wasn't me.” Or maybe I was. Maybe the person I was before she came into my life is the real me, and the person she got to know is all a facade.

             
“No, we're not going to talk about it,” Addison says. “You're okay, and I'm here now. I just want to take you home.” She rolls up her sleeves and rubs her eyes with her hands. “That is if you want to come home with me.”

             
“Where else would I want to be?” I'm starting to feel better now that all the toxins were either pumped out or have been absorbed. “I just want you.” I pull her closer until she's almost right on top of me.

             
“Blaine!” She giggles. “Not here!”

             
“Why else would they have these curtains?” I smile and hold her face in my hands. “I love you, Addison Cole. I love you so much.”

             
We talk for another hour or so, and Doctor Sheldon comes back to release me. I thank her for everything.

             
Addison drove her new car to Cody; it's in visitor's parking, glistening under the morning sun. She holds up the key fob and pushes a button to unlock the doors. I wince when I think about how it’s the same key that was in my hand yesterday before I threw it at her.

             
Our drive home is quiet. I sleep off and on, and the clock on the dash reads almost ten when we drive under the Blackstock banner across the driveway.

             
Rex and Luca get up from laying on the porch and run to greet us as we pull in to park beside my truck.

             
“There's my boys.” I pet them both, and Luca does the big howling noise he makes when he's excited. “Missed you too, Luca.”

             
“They slept at the foot of the bed last night.” She smiles, but it's a sad smile. “I think they wondered where you were.”

             
“Well, my side of the bed won't be empty ever again.” I pull her into an embrace and kiss her neck. She moans softly and kisses my collarbone.               “I want you,” I breathe.

             
We shower together. The steam is invigorating, and I feel tired and recharged all at once.               My mouth travels down her body, kissing and licking gently. She has one hand in my hair, pulling gently, and the other is against the glass. Her stomach heaves in and out when she climaxes, and I kiss between her legs and look up at her. Her head is thrown back and her mouth wide open; when she looks down at me, her eyes are so deep they're almost midnight blue. I suck and kiss inch by inch up her body until I'm standing, and I kiss her lips as hard as I can. Our tongues wrapped in each other, we don't even breathe.

             
I pull one of her legs up, and hold it against my hip. She puts one hand on my shoulder, and my other caresses her breast, thumbing her nipple while she looks at me intensely. I almost orgasm right there on the spot, but I restrain myself and ease into her. Her body is heated and responds to me like it's been waiting eagerly. Our stare doesn't break, and I thrust deeper and harder, biting my bottom lip to keep myself from roaring.

             
Over and over I push and pull, deeper until I can't go any further. She starts to unravel around me, and I push as far as I can. Her body is pulsating, and she screams out.

             
“Baby! Oh! Please…Ahh!”

             
The words are like a spark to dynamite, and I hold her against me as I shatter and grip her thigh tightly. My knees feel weak, I almost buckle before letting her leg go and pushing against the tile wall to steady myself.

             
“You okay?” She breathes, her chest heaving and eyes still heated.

             
“Mmm. I'm more than okay.” I grin, breathing heavily. “Ready for bed?”

             
“I start night shifts tonight.” She pouts. “So, if we go to bed, you have to promise to let me sleep...eventually.” She narrows her eyes and smiles.

             
“I promise.” I hold my hand over my heart, unsure if I'm going to keep my oath, and kiss her forehead. I break my promise, and once I have her on our bed, I pull her on top of me and guide myself into her again. Afterward, we lay in bed, panting. The bed feels so soft and warm against my skin.

             
“What do you want for your birthday?” I ask.

             
She smiles and closes her eyes.               “Just you.”

             
“Wish granted.” I kiss her cheek softly, and she drifts off to sleep.

             
My phone vibrates on the nightstand beside the bed and I carefully roll over to look at it.

             
Hey buddy. I want to talk to you, I hope u are OK.
It's from Jeremiah.

             
Come over, we'll talk.
I reply.

             
I need to hear from Jeremiah about what exactly happened and why I ended up in a hospital. I draw the blinds, and the room darkens. I dress quietly and close the bedroom door behind me so she's not disturbed.

             
Fifteen minutes later, while I'm sitting on the tailgate of my truck, drinking coffee out of the biggest mug I could find, Jeremiah pulls in and parks behind me.

             
“Hey, man.” He walks up slowly, looking like a kid who just broke a window and is scared of what his dad is going say to him. “How are ya feeling?”

             
“I'm good, actually. Feeling much better.” I take a sip from the mug. “Coffee?”

             
“No thanks, I've had like, ten this morning already.” He laughs nervously. “Shit, man. I'm sorry about everything.”

             
“It's not your fault, and I don't blame you for any of it.” I feel awful that he blames himself. “You did everything I wanted to do.”

             
“Pfft.
Gwen
.” He hops up and sits beside me on the tailgate. “She's nuts, man. I finally got it outta her that she bought pills from a bouncer there. That's what she gave you.”

             
I laugh and shake my head. That woman is a fucking trip.