Pointe of Breaking (12 page)

“You’re a fighter.” His admiration was evident in his gaze. “That’s what I like about you.”

I laughed. “I’m a fighter? What’s my weapon of choice, Richards? My pointe shoes?”

He grinned. “You’re more powerful in them than you know.”

It was my turn to kiss him. The bravery it took to dance was one thing. To put it all out there—all on the line… But to accept his compliment… I shook away the thought. I was over-thinking his comment. “So how does a socialite manage to sleep on a park bench?”

“It was around the end of my sophomore year. I was a lot like Blake and all the brothers at the House. A prick, pretty much. Then one of my econ professors, Professor Callahan, posed a challenge to the class that I took a little more seriously than others.” Leo shifted, gazing out at the park. “Callahan explained that most people were two months away from being homeless and that the majority of our society lives paycheck to paycheck. I pretty much knew that already. He explained how one bad thing can happen to someone. One tragedy, one lost job, one blip on the radar and people can lose everything. Their homes, their friends, their lives. He challenged us to imagine what that would be like. He even offered extra-credit if we spent a night on the street to actually understand the fear of losing it all. Of course, that wasn’t condoned by the university and ultimately got him fired.”

“I can understand why. It’s not safe!” I hoped my sister had a hot meal and a warm bed to sleep in tonight. Deep down I knew that it was my fault she was living on the streets…

“I did it anyway. I spent a night sleeping on a park bench in Central Park. I met people, saw things that people do when they are so desperate,” he said, edging me tighter against him. “To lose it all changes a person. You get swallowed up in the darkness of the night and I can see how those people turn to booze and drugs. I felt it. It stuck with me.”

He paused and waited for any type of response. My eyes were watery from his confession.

“After that, all the fraternity bullshit and drama just didn’t seem as important. Our world is so much bigger than that. So when I said that I come here to clear my head sometimes, I meant it. It puts things into perspective.”

I glanced back at the wrought-iron gate and bit my lip. Challenging perspectives…accepting them…breaking them. I wanted to see the world through his eyes. I hadn’t noticed my grip on his shirt until he pried my fingers loose and kissed each one.

“It’s locked. We are safe. I wouldn’t let anything happen to you,” he promised. “So we can stay as long as you’d like, at least until morning.”

And so I closed my eyes. I fell asleep, on a park bench, next to a man who had enough money to buy anything he wanted.

I woke to sound of loud and annoying as hell birds chirping. I cracked my eyes open and saw the faint glow of early morning sunlight just beginning to show life in the sky. Jesus. It probably wasn’t even five a.m.

Adeline was fast asleep on top of me, her head using my chest as a pillow. I was on my back, and she was lying on top of me. Her full lips were puckered out and slack as she breathed deeply. I played with the strands of her brown silky hair, wishing I could lean down and drop a kiss on her head, but knowing that movement would wake her.

A light breeze blew over us and she shivered ever so slightly. My leather jacket was draped over her like a blanket, but her bare legs still stuck out beneath it. They had to be freezing. I needed to get this girl back to her apartment because there was no way we were going back to the fraternity house after the scene I caused last night.

I just knew I wasn’t ready to let go of her yet. Her gold digger comment from earlier repeated in my head. It bothered me last night, but I let it slide because she really had no idea how little I care about that shit. I wasn’t dumb. I could tell she didn’t come from a lot of money. It was one of the things that attracted me to her actually. My entire life I’d been around girls like Sasha. Girls from a pedigree, who’s daddies paid for everything for them. Girls who actually had money, but are the biggest gold diggers of them all because it’s all they fucking thought about. Their next handbag, their next designer outfit, fashion show, whatever. Women in New York could be so shallow about their fucking clothes.

The fact that Adeline didn’t have a lot of money meant she had earned every facet of her life. Nothing was handed to her. And yet, she carried herself with more grace and integrity than most of the people my parents socialized with. Adeline wasn’t intimidated by wealth and power. She was just focused and determined to carve her way in this life with her own two feet.
Her own two perfectly pointed feet.

Last night, protecting her against Blake and seeing her shed tears for him was hard. Damn hard. But I hoped and prayed that I saw her shed her last tear over him. I could feel her opening up to me. I could see her walls falling. And I wanted it all. Every bit of it. But right now, I really just wanted to get this girl into a bed.

“Adeline,” I gently rubbed her back over my jacket. Just thinking about her in my jacket made my dick stir. What was it about a woman in your own clothes that was so fucking sexy?

“Hey, baby…we should go,” I said again and she stirred and squirmed her crotch right into my groin.

Oh fucking hell. I tried to break my concentration from how close her apex was to my dick, but all it did was excite me more. Well, she said she liked how I looked at her, so this should be of no surprise.

“Ummm,” she mumbled and lifted her head to me. Her eyes were droopy but still twinkling, even in her obvious state of exhaustion. “Are you trying to poke me awake right now?”

My body shook with silent laughter. “Stop fucking squirming on me and I could be a little more gentlemanly.”

She pushed herself up so she was straddling me and I was intrigued by that lascivious tweak to her brow. Her brown hair was a gorgeous mess all around her, which only had me thinking about bed head and tangling in the sheets with her.

“You’re really not helping matters,” I said as she wiggled herself right on my package. “I swear to God, baby,” I warned as she teased me to my breaking point.

She giggled and I paused for a moment, staring up at her dazzling clear blue eyes. They were positively glittering with happiness and her gorgeous as fuck playful smile made me ache for
more
. More of what? I wasn’t quite sure yet. But I knew that this girl was something special. The way my heart felt in this exact moment was something I’d never experienced before. It was a strange aching comfort because what it was aching for was sitting right before me. Suddenly, I knew that this was a moment I would want to remember for the rest of my life.

Her words from last night echoed in my ears:
But what I want more than anything is a secret.

I think I want it too, baby. I think I want it more than I’ve ever wanted anything my whole damn life.

“Why the sudden serious expression?” she asked with the look of an angel sent from heaven. “What am I doing to you, Leo?”

She sexily thrust her crotch forward.

So many things, baby. So many things. If you only fucking knew.

In a flash, I sat up and grabbed her around the waist, hauling her up with me. She laughed loudly and wrapped her legs around me. My hands tickled her bare thighs right where her lacey underwear covered her ass.

“Where are we going?” She giggled and clutched her arms tightly around my neck.

“Your place. I can’t deal with this shit in public. What I want to do to you right now…” I stopped myself from finishing that sentence because I know she was still determined to take it slow. And so was I…to an extent.

***

I didn’t remember the drive to her place. I didn’t remember parking my bike. I didn’t even remember her unlocking her apartment door. The first time I had a conscious thought about what I was doing was when we broke the threshold of her apartment and I slammed my lips to hers the second she finished locking the door behind us.

I pressed her up against her door and kissed her like I was going to lose her if I stopped. My hands groped greedily up her dress, tickling just the edge of her panty line and stroking her over top of the fabric.

“Leo,” she said on a cry as I broke my lips from hers and hungrily kissed down her neck. She could feel very free to utter my name again if she wanted to. Fuck, I loved my name on her lips.

I stood up straight and pulled my jacket off of her shoulders, slowly letting it drag over every inch of her arms. The jacket dropped to the floor.

“I thought…” she started and then paused, taking a big gulp of air. “I thought we were going to take it slow.”

I grumbled moodily. “We can. We will. But fuck, Adeline, we’re not kids. We can still do other
things
.”

I pressed my hands on either side of her face, trapping her against the door and eying her carefully. Damn she was gorgeous. Her lips were plump and raw from my assault on her mouth. I loved marking her with my body.

Please God, don’t let her put the brakes on this right now.

“Things,”
she repeated, eyes locked on mine in heated desire. She pulled both of her swollen lips into her mouth and bit down on the lower one, releasing it painfully slow. My dick hardened. I pressed my groin into her to show her just how much she affected me.

Her eyes flashed ravenously and she glanced down at my obvious state of arousal. Deep desire washed over her features and she grabbed my neck, pulling my mouth back onto hers. She turned us so my back was to the door. Her hands trembled as she began unbuckling my belt. My dick screamed with delight.

Just a hand, baby. Just put those beautiful hands of yours on me and I’ll want for nothing in this moment. Just give me your hands…

Suddenly she stopped our kiss and dropped to her knees, taking my jeans and boxer briefs with her. Before I knew what the hell was happening, her mouth was on me, wrapping me in a tight cocoon of wet, silky heat.

Holy fuck, I’m going to marry this girl.

She rocked her mouth over my dick several times, sucking even harder on the tip as she pulled her mouth back. Jesus, fuck! This girl…this girl had skills! Suddenly, she unsheathed her teeth and I could feel her pearly whites rubbing ever-so-lightly over my length. Scared and exhilarated as fuck, I slammed my fist against the door in pure exaltation. “Holy fuck, I’m going to…”

“Let go, Leo.” Her voice was hoarse and laced with so much arousal it brought me to my peak.

Before I could stop myself, I released. She quickly wrapped her mouth around me again, taking everything that she had so quickly brought out in me.

As soon as my body stopped shuddering, I grabbed her arms and pulled her back up to me, covering my mouth with hers and hugging her tightly around the waist. I needed to show her my appreciation. Like, right the fuck now.

Without breaking our lips, I carried her over to her futon. I set her down and removed my shirt, enjoying the sexy look she got in her eyes every time she saw my abs. I just realized the real reason I go to the gym six days a week…that girl, right there, staring up at me like she wanted to lick me. The reality was, she was so,
so
much more.

I knelt in front of her and slid her lacey panties down her body. She lifted her hips to help, then reached for her shoes. I shook my head. I loved those fucking boots…they were staying put. I then pulled her dress off, grateful as hell that she had no bra on. The instant gratification of her leaning back naked before me officially ranked number one in the most sexually satisfying experiences of my life. And I wasn’t even inside the damn girl.

I spread her legs and groaned with anticipation of tasting the sweet arousal that I knew I’d put there. That dampness was us—our attraction—our connection. Whatever cosmic thing we discovered in each other was important, and not something I was taking lightly.

***

Sometime after seven a.m., we lay completely naked on her futon with just a sheet draped over us. I couldn’t believe how sexually sated I felt considering we still hadn’t even had intercourse. Foreplay with Adeline Parker was fucking epic.

We blinked slowly, gazing into each other’s eyes, both deliriously tired but willing ourselves to stay awake and not end this incredibly happy bubble we found ourselves in.

Sleep took us. Hours later, when I woke before her, I watched her sleep and just appreciated all that had happened between us. We hadn’t known each other long, but already I had told her so much more than I’d ever told Sasha. I never opened up to Sasha about Professor Callahan’s challenge and how that affected me. There was just something about Adeline that made me want to be better. She was inspiring me.

She looked so perfect and peaceful in the mid morning sunlight creeping in through her blinds. Her chestnut hair splayed wildly across her pillow. Her dark lashes fanned her cheeks perfectly. My heart shifted beneath my chest…like the gears on my bike and all of it—just felt right.

Unable to keep my hands off of her, I trailed my fingers lightly from her cheek, to her neck, then to the valley in between her perfect breasts. I half smiled as goose bumps prickled over her body. Still, her eyes remained closed. Her breathing remained heavy. I continued my descent over her toned stomach, and finally to her wet and ready center. I relished the sound of her deep breathing, as it grew more labored in her contented sleep. When I plunged my fingers inside of her, she moaned my name out in her slumber with that hoarse, morning voice. There was no way foreplay was going to be enough anymore. Slow or fast, I was going to make this girl mine.