My Sweet Demise (Demise #1) (24 page)

Becca: I hope Kent doesn’t mind another roommate.

My spirits lift as I text her back, asking if she’s coming home.

Becca: U R going 2 get it.

I frown and quickly scroll through our messages. Sure enough, there are a plethora of texts from her in varying degrees of anger and concern. I smirk at the last message.

Becca: Get Kent’s dick out of UR mouth & answer me.

Before I can help myself, I wonder what it would be like to have him in my mouth.

My phone rings, sucking me out of my thoughts.

“Answer your phone. We’re in a restaurant. “
Womanizer
” by Britney Spears isn’t an appropriate theme song. Man hater,” he tacks on, giving me a playful smirk.

“Woman hater,” I tease back.

We’re honestly developing a sick sense of humor.

I quickly answer it. “Becca, relax.”

“Relax?” She is the opposite of relaxed. “You want me to relax? I’ve been texting my baby sister for almost two days with no response. Where have you been? You’d better not say with Kent or I’m going to kill his nasty ass for touching you.”

I shrink at her big sister tone. She’s in parent mode. “Are you really coming home?”

“Yes!” she shrieks.

Even Kent flinches. He’s looking at me worriedly amid sips of his coffee. He’s even cute drinking coffee. I drift off, watching the way he licks his lips as he sets the cup down. I know that tongue. I want that tongue…

“Rain!” Becca shouts.

I nearly drop my phone. “I’m sorry—”

“Save it, you inconsiderate brat. Pick me up from the airport tomorrow at noon. I’ll text you the information. You are able to text, right?”

“Yes.”

She doesn’t even say goodbye. I stare at the phone fearfully.

“What was that about? Your sister sounded pissed.”

“She is pissed. She’s been trying to get a hold of me but I’ve been kind of preoccupied with a certain blond-haired black-eyed hottie. You ever meet him?”

He rubs his chin in thought. “No, can’t say I have. But he sounds dapper.”

“Dapper?” I smirk, setting my phone down and taking a sip of tea. “What decade are we in?”

“Tell me more about this dapper bastard.” He grins at me over the top of his mug. “Does he turn you on?”

“Does he want to know a secret?”

“He’d love to finally know what goes on your head.”

“No man has ever turned me on the way he does.”

“How does he do that? Because from what I hear he’s getting mixed signals from you. He may’ve done his best to keep you right where you were, but you were so
addictive
. He had to see you. He had to hear your voice. A little birdy told me the only time this dapper bastard can stand himself is when he’s around you, Rain. So he’d like to know how he turns you on so he can keep doing it. Then maybe he can keep you.”

My heart hammers and tightens. It’s a sudden struggle to remain seated. “He’s doing it right now.”

His eyes gleam. “Interesting. Anything else you want to tell him?”

I have to break the buzzing attraction or we’re going to end up naked on this table in front of everyone. “Becca’s going to kick his ass.”

He chuckles. “Does she know we’re trying?”

“Nope. That’s why you’re still alive.”

Our waitress approaches our table, steaming plates in hand. I give her a murderous look now that our food’s here and she can’t spit in it. Working in the waitressing business has taught me as much. It also taught me you don’t ogle other girls’ boyfriend right in front of them.

But he’s not your boyfriend
, my common sense kindly reminds me.

I only get a month.

Can the waitress tell? Does she think I’m his pathetic friend who only gets a month? I consider grabbing her and forcing Kent to explain that we’re trying, we’re trying damn it, but I keep my butt in my seat where it belongs. I don’t have to explain myself to anyone.

When she leaves I grab my fork and shove a bite of pancake into my mouth to keep it busy.

“Should I be worried?” he asks, licking syrup from his fork.

“Yes. Becca isn’t like me. She knows who you are, by the way.”

“Great. I wonder what she’s witnessed.” He tries to narrow it down, but of course he can’t. “How does she know me?”

“I don’t know, but she knows you well.”

“Did we…?” He looks sick.

“No,” I assure him.

“Maybe I know someone she does. Name a couple of her friends.”

“Mandy? She’s known her since high school.” He shakes his head. “Kenneth? He’s been her friend for a long time also.” Another shake. “Well there’s also Gwen. They’ve been girlfriends for a long time.”

His face pales. “Gwen Henderson?”

“Yeah…”

“Shit,” he mutters. “No wonder she doesn’t like me.”

“What happened with Gwen?”

“Eat your food.” He picks up his fork and takes a bite.

I feel sick. “Tell me.”

“You don’t want to know. Trust me. I’m trying not to be that man anymore, remember?”

It must be low down if he doesn’t want to tell me. He’s always so honest.

“You have to remember I was hurting bad then. Willow hadn’t been gone long and I wanted to punish every woman I could get my hands on.”

“Are you punishing me? Because it sure feels that way.”

He cringes. “You’re the last person I want to punish. Don’t say stuff like that to me. I’ve never wanted to be better more than I do when I’m with you. I’ve been torturing myself about it.”

“Tell me, or Becca will.”

“Can we do it in the car?”

“Sure.” My tone is dripping acid all over my pancakes. “Eat, Kent.”

For the rest of our breakfast we eat in tension-filled silence. It taints every bite, until my meal is tasteless and unwanted. What did Kent do now? How much more of this will I have to endure? Although I knew exactly who I was involving myself with long before I got involved. I have no one to blame but myself. There are signs, and then there’s walking in on a man having sex twice. Kent has never lied about who he is. I saw him the moment he opened his door.

When we get in the car, I face him. “Talk.”

“Things got out of hand, that’s it.”

I gawk at him. “Kent.”

“Fine. You want to know what happened. I beat her ass.” He pulls over and puts the car in park and then turns to me with a defeated expression. “You want me to walk home?”

I’m confused. “You…hit her?”

“I slapped her, pulled her hair, and left my mark. But she wanted it. She begged me for it. That kinky shit was her idea. Not mine. Then I slap her too hard and all of a sudden she wants to stop and it’s my fault and she’s screaming at me to go.”

My stomach sinks. It’s on the car floor and Kent’s kicking at it with his boots. “You slapped her?”

“She asked me to,” he insists.

“But you did it?” I can’t even look at him.

“Yes. I did it. And she was sucking my dick while I was doing it. Remember that part.”

I squeeze my eyes shut in agony. “Don’t move,” I warn him. I find my phone from my purse and call Becca. “I need to know one thing.”

“What?” she snaps, still pissed.

“Kent and Gwen.”

She gasps quietly. “Did he tell you?”

I start to sway. “So it did happen?”

“It happened. The bastard roughed her up.”

“But they were having sex.”

“So!” she growls. “So what if she wanted it a little rough? It doesn’t give him the right to slap her.”

“She asked for it.”

“That’s not what she told me.”

“What did she tell you?”

“They were having sex and he wanted it rough. When she declined he slapped the shit out of her.”

“No. I don’t believe it.” I’m shaking my head and staring at Kent in horror.

He looks like he knows exactly what I’m hearing.

“Is he there?” she guesses. “Give him the phone. Give Kent the phone!”

Shaking, I hand it over. “She wants to talk to you.”

He takes the phone and holds it to his ear. His face is pale, frightened and reproachful at the same time as he listens to what Becca tells him. “Good, now listen to me. I like your sister. A lot. All that shit with Gwen didn’t happen the way she says. I don’t abuse women. But she asked me for it and I was caught up in the moment. Should I have done it to her? No. Of course not, but I have my own issues.” He pauses to listen to her. “She’s a big girl. She can make her own choices.” And then he hangs up and hands me back my phone, cutting off her loud angry reply. “Who do you believe, Rain? Me or some chick that got mad at me for doing exactly what she wanted?”

“What did Becca say?”

“She’s going to shoot me in my dick if I don’t leave you alone. Does she own a gun?”

That makes me laugh uncontrollably hard until my stomach hurts. “Yes. She got one after someone tried to break into our apartment.”

He pales further. “She really doesn’t like me.”

“Do you blame her? I don’t like you right now either.”

“Do you believe me? It was kinky sex gone wrong. I would never actually hit a woman. I don’t want to punish them that badly.”

“Did she call the police?”

“She didn’t do anything because she’s lying. She couldn’t handle it and turned it around on me. Do you believe me? You have to believe me.”

“My common sense is telling me to run right now.”

He leans forward and kisses me softly, barely touching my lips. “Don’t listen.”

“You have to fix yourself. Let your anger go and stop taking it out on all women. Not all women hurt you. Willow did. She’s only one person.”

“Not all men broke your trust. Your dad did. He’s only one person. You have to learn to trust us again. Start with me.”

He kisses me again, this time longer, his soft supple flesh melting against me. His lips are persuasive and sexy, kissing me in a way that leaves me confused and wanting.

He’s doing it on purpose. I let him confuse me. My common sense is screaming at me to run and any deterrence is welcome. But there is something deep down inside of me that truly believes it was kinky sex gone wrong. With Kent it’s disappointingly plausible.

I free my lips from his persuasive kiss and sit back in my seat. “What did she say when she asked you to hit her?”

He drives with his eyes on the car in front of us. “She said, ‘Do you want to do something different?’ because we’d hooked up a couple times before that. I said yes. She said, ‘Spank me.’ I laughed. She got mad. She was serious. She wants me to spank her. I do it. And it’s hot. I liked spanking her.” He swallows hard. “I do it again. She loves it. Then she starts blowing me. She tells me to pull her hair. I do it. That’s hot too. And then she says to slap her. I didn’t believe her at first. Because who asks that? Then again, who does it?” He sighs and turns right, pulling into the library parking lot. “I do that too. And guess what?”

“It was hot,” I whisper.

“It was hot. I do it again. She loves it, on her knees in front of me. She says harder. But this time it’s too hard. She gets pissed and starts crying because she’s embarrassed. Suddenly she’s screaming for me to get out. I hit her because she asked me to. I’d never actually hit her. She had to tell her friends something.”

I picture Gwen. Dark ash blonde hair, green eyes, and the sultry look she constantly wields over men. In my mind I want to dislike her. It isn’t difficult. We never got along before I learned what Kent did to her. I don’t suppose we will now. But I can’t dislike her to make myself feel better. Why would Kent lie to me? He’s done things to women in front of me I never should’ve witnessed. He has no reason to lie.

“I don’t think you beat Gwen. But your idea of kinky sex is messed up and if you ever try that shit on me I’ll borrow Becca’s gun and shoot your dick off myself.”

He closes his eyes in relief.

“Is there anything else you have to tell me?”

“You don’t want to know any of it. We’d probably have to move away from Jacksonville if you wanted to get away from the women I’ve slept with. There’s nothing special about me in that sense. Only what I do with you.”

He sighs when I don’t answer.

“Let’s go. I have to write my paper.” He reaches for his backpack from the backseat. Right before I leave he grabs my hand and pulls me toward him, catching my mouth on the first try. He kisses me so hard and so deep my panties dampen and my common sense is in the fetal position in the corner. “Thank you for believing me. I don’t know what I’d do if you didn’t.”

I kiss him one more time. One soft short kiss, when really I want to wrap my soreness around him in the front seat. “I can’t believe I like you. You’re disgusting.”

He grins at me. His smile this close is confusing. “I can’t believe I like you either. You’re a smart-mouthed, pissy wing-woman. Come on.” He reaches over and opens my door. “Let’s go study.”