The Keys to Jericho (39 page)

Incensed and confused, I shove his arm. “Why do I even waste my time with you?”

His gaze is greener, but stone cold. “Yeah. I’ve been asking myself the same question since the day we met.”

“You jerk.” He darts his eyes away from me as my tears threaten. Whirling around, I run into Liberty. She laughs and asks, “What’s going on?”

“Nothing.” I coerce a smile and grab onto her arm. “I was wondering what happened to you.”

“Well, I looked everywhere for
you
!” Liberty looks past me and says, “It’s going to storm. We’d better go.”

“Good.” I pull on Liberty’s arm, dragging her to the exit, and when we step outside, the sky is now dark and menacing.

She moans, “I just fucking did my makeup!”

Having sobered me some, I roll my eyes. “You’re drunk. It can’t be that flawless.”

Liberty gasps with a laugh. “Shut it!”

Dash bobs among the throng of people, over to us. “There you are! I thought you got a job here or something.”

I grin. “Taste tester. Absolutely.”

We make our way to Rio and he takes Liberty’s hand. “Let’s get going. Where’s Jare?”

I sullenly reply, “Probably telling other people they suck, too.”

Dash asks, “He said that to you?”

Shrugging, I grab onto his shoulder to steady myself. “Something like that.”

He laughs. “You know you’re drunk, though, right?”

Holding up my fingers, I try to pinch them together, but forget which ones to use. “Only a smidge.”

Dash says, “Wow, Merrick.” He glances over me, and nods. “Come on.” Dash grabs my hand, and I let him lead me as we follow Rio and Liberty to the truck. I hesitantly peer behind me to see Jared stoically following us. When our eyes meet, he moodily looks the other way. Even with my foggy thoughts, I see the immense distance that has formed between us, and I ache to be in his arms again.

Since Liberty is wearing heels, we walk slower, so it’s not a surprise when the sky bursts open, soaking us before we reach the truck. Dash yanks on me, but my motor skills are lacking and the more he rushes me, the slower I become. Glancing over my shoulder again, I see Jared keeping pace with his head down, and his hands in his pockets.

The ride home is even quieter, despite Liberty and I having occasional giggle fits from random things said on the radio, which the guys don’t find as comical. Their loss.
Shrub
is
a funny word.

Arriving back at the house, Rio quickly ushers Liberty inside, while Dash’s attempts are futile, since I’m enjoying the feeling of the drops kissing my face.

“You’re soaked and it’s lightning. Come on, Kat!”

“Like anyone would miss me!” I giggle up at the drizzly sky, but doing so seems out of place.

Sticking my hands out, I spin around at the top of the driveway, and promptly lose my balance, falling into the house, but I still laugh.

All of a sudden, I’m scooped up, feet and all. “Jared!” I squeal, looking to my hijacker, and trying to wriggle out of his arms.

Dash holds the door open, and Jared carries me into the living room and near the staircase. “Will you put me down? You’re not carrying me upstairs. I’m a big girl!” A drunk, big girl.

He sets me down, but grabs my hand, towing me to the first step. “Knock it off!” I yelp. Pushing his body into mine, he forces me to climb the stairs, as he cages me from behind with his arms. I feel hot even if his shirt is wet against my dress.

Regardless of his effort, I fall up, laughing uncontrollably at the beige-carpeted step in my face.

“Christ,” he mutters, lifting me under my arms to stand.

Dash laughs from below. “Are you sure you’re the best one to teach Kat how to drive, Jericho?”

“Fuck off,” he says over his shoulder as we slowly climb the stairs.

Near the second floor, I yell, “Nightie night, Dashie!”

“Happy hangover!” he yells back.

“I’m not drunk!”

“Bullshit,” Jared contests, which pisses me off.

Reaching the floor, I squirm out of his grip. “Shut up. You wish we hadn’t met.”

He loudly sighs. “You’re exactly right.”

Stopping in the hallway at my door, I hobble as I turn around to look at him. “You really do wish that?”

He lightly pushes me into my room and mumbles, “Night.”

As he turns to walk out of my room, I shriek, “Wait!”

Jared stops, but doesn’t look at me, which hurts. “What now?”

Desperate for him not to go, I ask, “Aren’t you going to help me change my clothes?”

“No.” I note the surprise in his tone, so I hang on to that.

Since he hasn’t left yet, I yank off my soaked dress, leaving it in a wet heap, and walk over to him as I peel down my bra straps. “Really? You can’t unhook my bra?”

“Kat, I’m leaving.”

I morosely say, “Of course you are. You constantly remind me. I’m going to be alone. Again.”

He sighs. “I meant, I’m going to my room.”

“But, I’m not wrong.”

“Goodnight,” he tells me, but he doesn’t leave.

“Jared, please help.” I try twisting my bra so I can unhook it, but it’s so wet it won’t budge.

“Kat, come on.” He turns around and though he remains overtly expressionless, his jaw tightens and his eyes widen a little.

I shrug, throwing my hands out. “See? I’m serious. It’s stuck and I’m tipsy.”

Jared doubtingly frowns. “Tipsy is an understatement.” He stands in front of the open door, but modesty isn’t my forte at the moment.

Stumbling as I turn around, kicking off my slippery mules, I gather my wet hair to hold it out of the way. Several seconds pass, maybe, before he works on the hooks. His fingers on my damp skin cause my already erect nipples to throb. He releases the straps and I let the bra heavily fall to the floor. Letting go of my hair, I say, “Thank you.”

He clears his throat and I hear him step back. “Yeah.”

Slowly, so I don’t fall, I turn to face him. His eyes flare and drop to my chest, then to my underwear, and my heart races from the heated way Jared is looking at my body. As he openly stares, he loudly swallows. Vaguely remembering the reason I was mad at him, I cast it aside when his intent gaze exposes the wicked thoughts crossing his mind.

“What, Jared?”

He blinks and licks his lips, but doesn’t look away from my breasts. “I need to go.”

“Why? Do you regret what happened? Do you really not want me anymore?” I look down to his crotch, and it’s apparent he’s turned on.

“Kat, I…” He shakes his head as he brushes his wet hair with his hand. “You’re drunk. I can’t.”

“Why not?” I slowly move closer to him, and grasp his soaked shirt, yanking upward. I trail my fingers over his muscles, into the hair above his waistband. “Show me how much you
don’t
want me.”

Suddenly, he grabs my wrists, holding them, but he shifts and bumps into the open door. When he looks to see if someone is there, I break out of his hold, and reach behind him to shut the door.

I grasp his belt buckle and he looks down at my hands, again grabbing onto my wrists. He says, “
Now
you want me around when you’re drunk and horny? How fucking convenient.”

“Convenient?” The word comes out like I’m riding on a bumpy road. “What about
you
? Nailing and bailing me?”

Releasing me, he puts his hands on his hips and frowns. “What?”

“You fucked me this morning and left. All you want me for is a 24/7 pussy! That isn’t
convenient
?” I again drunkenly amble over it.

Jared glances at the wall next to Rio’s room and he lowers his voice. “Keep it down.” He then shakes his head. “They were awake downstairs. I didn’t want them looking for me and I wasn’t in my room or the bathroom. I
had
to leave. And you’re fucking wrong. I’m not using you. I do care.”

“But not enough to want me as your girlfriend.”

He slowly speaks, talking to me like I’m drunk. “And I told you, relationships don’t work out for me. I can’t live up to your expectations of what a boyfriend should be. It’ll only lead to heartache and losing you from my life again.”

My eyes sting as I softly say, “Jared, you already will lose me.”

“No, that won’t happen again. I won’t let it.”

I ineptly roll my eyes. “What
expectations
do you mean? Is it because you can’t be faithful?” Fuck. These words are making me sound idiotic.

He shakes his head. “No. It’s not that.”

“I didn’t say I want to get married
now
.”

“But eventually.”

I cross my arms over my breasts, feeling overexposed to him now. “Do I fucking mean anything to you then?”

He nods, his wet hair bouncing off his forehead. “Yeah. You do.”

“Right. You
care.
All you care about is getting laid.”

“No, I don’t!” He glances at the wall and winces.

I sadly laugh. “Heaven forbid you ever have deeper feelings for me.”

“Kat, stop. I do have feelings for you, but I can’t guarantee they’re what you’re looking for.”

“I doubt you know
what
I’m looking for.” We stand glaring at each other, silently debating. Still, his words are like a far-away beacon in my alcohol fog, giving me a tiny bit of hope, so maybe having sex with Jared is the right path after all.

Taking a deep breath, I ask, “Are they good feelings, at least?” He warily nods, and stepping closer, I tentatively move my arms from my chest to attempt his belt buckle again. “So, I still turn you on?”

Jared stops my hands once more. “You’re drunk. I’m not taking advantage of you, Kat.”

“Maybe I want you to take me from
every
vantage.” That was kind of witty for being trashed. “I’m standing here almost naked in front of you. Are you going to leave me like this?”

“I have to.”

Since he’s cockblocking me at the buckle, I go to the source and take hold of him through his wet shorts, rubbing his strained erection, and I smile. “I guess I do turn you on.” His eyes close as he sucks in his bottom lip. “I know what I’m doing, Jared. I want to have sex with you. Get these shorts off and fuck me hard.”

“Kat.”

I whisper, “I’m running on empty. I need a refill of you.” Letting go of his dick, I put my hands on either side of his jaw and get on my tiptoes to kiss him. As much as he’s fighting with me, he instantly gives in to my kiss, almost as if he needs to kiss me.

Shifting closer to him, his cold, wet shirt torments my nipples. My right hand goes into his wet hair and my left returns to his dick. He pauses our kiss to groan over my lips before thrusting his tongue into my mouth, fucking my lips with it, but I can practically taste his uncertainty.

Our kiss intensifies when I lick his tongue, and twirl mine around the tip of his. He whispers, “Fuck,” but it’s swallowed in our kiss.

Having had enough of his indecision, I lean back, clawing at his shirt and panting, “I want you.”

He replies with steady pants, as his eyes wander over me again, with the raring bulge in his shorts prominent against me. Taking his hands, I put them on my breasts and his fingers dig into me as raptly as his eyes do.

I push my hip into his hard-on, and he groans louder. I whisper, “I’m not just wet from the rain.” His thumbs circle my damp nipples and I moan, “Jared, fuck me.” His thumbs press harder as my hand clutches him more firmly and I whisper, “I want to feel you possess me from the inside.”

Jared looks up to the ceiling, and then around the room. Suddenly decided, he picks me up and I instinctively wrap my legs around him. He carries me to the brown couch in the room, laying me down, before passionately kissing me and fondling my breasts again. I unbuckle his belt and undo his fly, but when I go to slide my hand into his shorts, he pulls away, his eyes boring into mine.

“I’m drunk. Repeat that.”

“I’m drunk, and I want you to have sex with me. Now. Fast and hard.”

“I can back out at any time. Repeat.”

“I can back out at any time, but I won’t.”

He angles his head with a glint in his eyes. “It’s my fault I’m irresistible and I knowingly seduced Jared. Repeat.”

I’m charmed, but impatiently say, “That’s too long, but yes. I seduced you. My fault.” He slightly smiles.

Standing and towering over me on the couch, he pares off his wet shirt, dropping it with a soppy thump on the floor, and then shoves down his wet shorts and underwear. With his dick within reaching distance, I grasp it, coaxing Jared closer to me like it’s his leash. Giggling, I joke, “I fucking own you, Jared Beckett.”

Instead of laughing or even getting pissed, he softly says, “I know.”

His downward gaze upon me is dismal, which sobers me somewhat, and still holding him in my hand, I lightly stroke him and spontaneously proclaim, “I don’t want this dick inside any other woman. Please… Please, respect me that much.”