The Keys to Jericho (55 page)

Kat yanks me into her, and I come. “Baby,” I gutturally whisper and grunt as I hold onto her streaked hair, while spilling into her throat. She makes quiet gagging sounds as she swallows my cum, so I let go, but she still doesn’t take me out of her mouth.

Leaning my head against the wall, I heave fast breaths and slowly pull out of her. When I look down, she swipes her hand over her mouth. “You okay?” I whisper.

Kat nods, swallowing again, before whispering, “I’ve never done that before.”

“What?” I ask, louder than I should. I’m astonished, but feeling somewhat proud.

“I tried a couple times, but never wanted to…see it through,” she quietly admits, using what I said about her driver’s license. She adds, “Only you.”

I sigh as I peer around the corner to the door, pulling up my jeans, but letting my dick deflate more before zipping them. I whisper to her, “Well,
that
was fucking awesome.”

She winces. “I’m sure it wasn’t your first.”

I ruefully smile. “That was my second, but you’re the first to blow my mind at the same time.” Anya was the other one I let do that to me, and that was damn high school. She was horrible at it, and I didn’t let her, or anyone else, do it again.

Kat stands, and says with a smile, “I daydreamed so many times of doing that to you.”

I grin because we’ve been thinking dirty thoughts about each other so much over the years.

My gaze falls to her lips. “What’s with the lipstick?”

She smiles, touching her mouth, and glancing down to my crotch. “I wanted to leave my mark on you, so when you go home, you’ll be colorful, sticky, and be reminded of me.”

I grab her hand, intertwining our fingers, and whisper, “Not the first time you’ve left me sticky.”

“Oh.” She softly laughs, making me smile.

Pulling her close to me, I say, “I don’t need a reminder. I’m always thinking about you.” I glance down to my wet, and reddish cock. “But that’s one hell of a souvenir.”

Kat looks to the door and whispers, “I need to clean up the lipstick from my face. You probably should go make an appearance before my mom looks for us.”

I grin, quickly zipping up my fly, as she starts walking out of the room, but before she does, I grab her arm. “Hold on. Your turn.”

Smiling, she shakes her head. “Another time.”

“You better believe it, Kit Kat.”

Because I fucking can’t.

What in the hell has Kat Merrick done to my life?

I don’t know, but she’s not the only one being burned alive.

I’m so fucking screwed.

But I like her screwing me.

CHAPTER 25

Running my hands through my hair, I drop them as I round the corner and go into the living room. Sitting on the floor around the coffee table are my dad and Brenda, looking over piles of papers. Dad looks up and says, “You and Kat have been quiet.”

Smiling with a suspicious look, Brenda says, “I wonder if that’s something we should be worried about.”

Folding my arms across my chest, I shrug. “We were talking.” One of my usual responses that I’ve grown used to giving.

My dad seems to buy it, but Brenda narrows her eyes at me, like she can see through my lie; however, I wasn’t lying. We did do
some
talking.

Brenda sighs and says to my dad, “I was telling Jared how much Kat is going to miss him when he’s gone.” She then looks up at me. “I can’t believe you were friends in high school. Why did Kat keep that from me? Isn’t it great that you’ve been reunited?” We’re not a fucking boy band.

“Uh, yeah.”

Dad says, “The only friend I knew of was Dash.”

I scowl at him. “I had other friends.”

Brenda shakes her head. “I don’t think she ever mentioned you to me in high school. I’m sure I would’ve remembered, since she kept a few close friends, and only had one boyfriend then.”

I clutch the back of my neck as I peer around the living room, wondering how in the fuck I walked into this conversation.

Dad asks, “Are you going to see Kat when you come home to visit?”

Bored with this fucking question, I drone, “Yes, Dad. I’m coming back to help Kat get her license. Remember?”

He says, “I mean,
after
she gets her license?”

A noise in the kitchen makes me look over my shoulder, and I ignore his question to go see what Kat is doing; however, she comes into the living room, holding a glass of wine in one hand, and her phone in the other. “Liberty just texted me. She got the job in Virginia she was wanting.”

“Oh,” I blandly reply, but trying not to smile. She’ll be gone and Rio will have to dump her ass. How unfortunate for him.

Kat says, “She starts in a little over a month, so I guess she’ll have to find a place to live down there soon.” Like any bitch, she can just live in a kennel.

Dad looks confused. “What’s Rio going to do?”

I answer, “Throw her a bon voyage party, and not inviting her would be awesome.”

“Jared. Not nice,” Kat scolds. I look from my dad to her and laugh, noticing her light pink lips have returned.

Brenda says, “Shit. I need my folders.”

Kat asks, “The ones on the counter?” Brenda nods and Kat says, “I’ll get ‘em.”

“Thank you, Katydid.”

Dad and Brenda start discussing boring shit that I have no interest in, so I back out of the living room, following Kat into the kitchen. She sets her phone and wine down as she digs through another pile of papers.

Going up behind her, I pull her against me and kiss her neck. Kat whimpers before turning around in my arms. Licking my lip, she whispers, “You taste good. Everywhere.”

“Do I, Kit Kat?” Amused, I smile and whisper, “I’m a huge fan of how you autographed my dick.”

She giggles. “I did, didn’t I? I love that. I guess that means it’s mine.”

“Uh-huh,” I say before our lips reconvene.

“Did you find my folders?” Brenda yells from the living room.

Kat pulls back and sighs. As she answers, “Yes, I’ll be out in a minute,” I lick her neck, making her giggle again.

Kat whispers, “What am I going to do with you?”

I grin against her neck and lifting my head, I say, “Any damn thing you want.”

Kat’s smile oddly wilts as she wipes my lips of her pink lipstick. Grabbing the folders from the counter, she takes my hand and leads me out of the kitchen, but releases me before we walk into the living room.

Brenda asks, “What were you laughing at?”

“I had a text message I was replying to. It was funny.”

Dad says, “I think we’re done here. We’ll go over the rest of it Monday at work.”

Brenda sighs. “Okay. I hope this cleared some of it up, though.”

“Yeah, it did. I honestly don’t know what I’d do without your help.”

“Well, you don’t have to worry about that. Thank you both for coming to dinner.”

“Absolutely. Thank you for having us.”

Kat says, “I’ll get your salad bowl.”

“Oh. Yeah.” I nod to the kitchen. “I got it.”

Dad starts shuffling his papers. “I’m almost ready to go.”

Once more, I follow Kat into the kitchen, where she’s waiting for me next to the doorway, and I pull her to me, our lips doing the talking before she whispers, “Are we keeping it a secret this time?”

I frown. “I really don’t want our parents to know. Do you?”

Kat shakes her head. “No. That’s probably a bad idea.”

“It’s nobody’s business what we’re doing. I promise, I won’t say anything. But we’re not doing this if it’s going to cause you nothing but guilt and shame.”

“Jared.” She sighs, looking to the doorway. “I’m not stupid. I know where this is leading to, and I know how this ends, but it’s something we started and now I’m obsessed. Just as you are. I can’t stop this. Whatever it is that
this
is.” Closing her eyes, she licks her bottom lip and winces.

“Whatever
this
is. It’s us being together because we need to be. There’s no other way around it. We’ve been mixed up with each other since we were in a driver’s ed. class, and through the years apart, we’ve been together in our thoughts. Now, we’re finally here with each other.”

“Still, you’ll live your life in Philadelphia, and I’ll be here.”

“I’ll be here. Don’t worry.”

“That’s not the problem, Jared. You know this.”

I sigh. “Kat…”

Shuffling is heard near the kitchen and we break apart. Kat goes to the sink to wash the bowl, and I pull out my phone, checking my messages.

“Everything okay in here?” Brenda asks.

“Yep,” Kat mutters from the sink.

Brenda observes, “It’s quiet in here. You two don’t say much to each other, do you?”

Kat says, “All talked out. Nothing really to say.” I scowl at both of their backs.

Brenda goes to a cabinet, pulling out plates. “I totally forgot that I have a banana cream pie in the refrigerator. I’m so brainless. This project has been draining, I tell you.” She turns to me and asks, “Jared, would you like a piece?”

I shrug. “Uh, sure.” Just not fucking strawberry.

I watch Kat taking her time drying a damn plastic bowl, either ignoring me or deep in thought.

Brenda hands me a plate and sets Kat’s on the counter. “It’s store-bought, so I don’t know how it’s going to taste.” She turns to cut another piece, and as Kat picks up her pie, I peer over to her as she wipes a forkful of whipped cream onto her lips, and suggestively licks it off.

I grin and take my forkful of pie, slowly tonguing it, and her eyes become larger than the small plates we’re holding.

Seeing Brenda finishing loading two more pieces onto plates, we look down to our own as she turns around. “Are you sure you two ever talk?”

Kat scoffs and asks, “So, Jared, what’s your favorite sexual position?”

Brenda laughs, gasping, “Kat!”

Kat shrugs. “Aren’t you curious?”

Brenda says, “Okay. I get the hint. Jeez.” She shakes her head and leaves the room, leaving us laughing.

Taking my fork, I swipe my lips with whipped cream, set down my half-eaten pie, and walk over to her, smiling. She giggles and does the same, and I peer over my shoulder to the doorway, before we kiss, licking the cream from each other’s mouths.

I whisper, “By the way, my favorite sexual position is
any
when I’m inside you.”

Kat whispers, “I’m going to miss you tonight, honey.”

I smile over her lips. “I’ll miss you, too, baby. I have your autograph to remind me, though.”

She giggles and says, “I want you to stay with me, but your car in my driveway overnight might be obvious.”

“We’ll figure it out and do it soon.”

Her smile fades. “I guess this is goodnight. I… I hope you have a good one.”

“You, too. I’ll be thinking about you, Kit Kat.” I kiss her again, and it turns almost frantic, with our tongues tasting each other for the last time tonight. However, I can’t just expect to kiss her tomorrow, because anything can change, like it did twice last weekend or like I thought it had yesterday afternoon. I had been feeling like my life was actually starting to make sense, only to have it twisting into knots the next second.

Hearing plates clattering, we swiftly return to our pie. Brenda returns, asking, “You’re still eating?”

Kat shrugs. “We took a break to discuss positions.”

Brenda laughs. “I’m usually the one with the dirty mind. What’s gotten into
you
tonight?”

When Brenda goes to the sink, Kat looks at me and I mouth, “Me.”

Kat grins, nodding and licking her lips.

My dad comes into the kitchen and says, “Jared, when you’re finished, we’ll get going.”

I set my plate in the sink and grab the salad bowl.

At the door, we all say our goodnights, but before I go, Kat stealthily grabs my hand, giving me a quick squeeze. I hang onto her for as long as I can before I follow my dad out the door.

“Hey, Jericho. Did you hear about Liberty getting the job in Virginia?”

I roll my eyes. “Yep.”

“Rio’s happy for her, but I think he’s sad, too.”

I shrug as I lift my foot, propping it on the van’s bumper to tie my shoe. “He’ll move on.”

“He didn’t say he was breaking up with her.”

I peer over at him. “Right. Like
that
shit will work out.”

Dash shrugs this time. “It could. I’m sure they’ll make it work.”

“For what? They’ll barely see each other. How’s that work?”

“Your sister and Finn seem to make it work. But on the other hand, it’s a good thing you and Kat
aren’t
together, because you’d have to dump her, too.
That’s
a relief.” Fucking hell. I hate Dash Calder. And my own damn mouth.

Putting my foot on the ground, I dully repeat, “Yeah. Good thing.”

“What’s a good thing?” Kat asks from behind me.

“Jericho was just saying how happy he is that Rio and Liberty are staying together.” I roll my eyes at him, shaking my head.

“Oh, really?” Kat says, not believing a word Calder said, even if she didn’t see my reaction just now. I guess she knows me better than I thought, too.

I say to her, “I think you need to get some driving done.”

Kat nods, her striped ponytail bobbing. “Okay.” She doesn’t argue, which surprises me.

When we’re in the Nissan, as Kat pulls away from the curb, she drops her hand from the wheel and takes mine, merging our fingers together. “Both hands on the wheel,” I warn, as I pull my hand back, but she tightens her fingers, and for a few seconds, I revel in it.

She complains, “
You
only drive with one hand.”

Sighing, I let go of her. “Yeah. I’ve been driving a lot longer.”

Kat sighs, too, and dejectedly says, “Oh. Like
I
should’ve been.”

Untangling my hand from hers, I lift and lower my hat, wishing I hadn’t said that. “Kit Kat, you’re working on it. Shit happened that you couldn’t control.”

Kat glances at me. “I’m getting better, right?”

“Eyes on the road. Yes, you are, but for now, both hands on the wheel.”

She pouts, “You’re no fun.”

I grin. “Nope. Not at all.”

After I have her drive throughout various places in Annapolis and some of its outskirts, I give her new directions, eventually leading her to pull into the driveway.