The Keys to Jericho (56 page)

She looks at me, confused. “Where are we?”

“My house—my dad’s.”

She puts the car in park and turns to me. “Why?”

With my arm behind her headrest, I smirk. “You’ll see.”

Getting out of the car, I punch the code in for the garage door, ushering her into the utility room, then the kitchen, where I go to the refrigerator.

“What are you doing?”

“I made some sandwiches and we can take some water with us.”

“To where?”

Tossing my hat onto the counter, and fluffing my hair, I nod to the window. “Out back.”

She smiles brightly. “Oh. Okay. Like a picnic?”

I smile at her. “Yep.”

Kat looks around. “We need a blanket, don’t we?”

“I already have one. It’s on the couch in that room, if you want to grab it and follow me.”

When Kat is ready, I take her to the back porch that overlooks the mostly wooded backyard. She looks to the white rocking chairs on our right, to the porch swing on the left, before gazing out to the small lawn that ends at the wooded area. She asks, “Where should we sit on the grass?”

“Not here. We’re going in there,” I say, nodding to the trees.

“Where will we be able to sit, though?”

Grinning, I lean down and whisper, “Just trust me, Kit Kat.”

She smiles back. “I do.”

I lead her into the trees, but we only have to walk a short distance until we reach the small clearing. I tell her, “Hadley and I used to play in here.”

“Aww, how sweet.”

“Not that sweet. She used to tie me to that tree with her jump rope. What a bitch.”

“Poor baby,” she says, laughing.

Incredulously regarding her, I reply, “That fucking tree was smaller, but so was I. How about a little sympathy?”

“I doubt you need it.” Kat spreads out the blanket, while I teasingly sulk.

“It’d be nice, though.”

“You’re right.” She walks over to me, giggling, and I grab her, making her squeal as I pick her up, and sink us to the ground. Laying her on the blanket, she moves to take out her ponytail. She looks up at me, smiling as her brown eyes shimmer in the sunlight. Gazing down at her, I run my fingers through her purpled hair, and whisper, “Your smile rouses my soul, Kit Kat.”

She looks surprised I said that, and frankly, so am I.

“Why?”

I anxiously lick my lip, unsure if I should say more, yet my mouth doesn’t stop. “Because it warms me. It makes me happy when you’re happy, even though I’m not sure how to be.” I hate my dad for filling my head with shit. Or for being right. Fucker.

Kat’s fingers go to the hair above my forehead as she whispers, “I want to see you happy, and I’m honored that I can make you smile. You’ve saved me from a life sentence that I thought I had no escape.”

I chuckle. “That’s a little overdramatic. You were an innocent victim of a horrible circumstance. You just needed a push.”

Her sad smile returns. “Kind of like you.”

My voice hardens. “I’m
not
a victim of anything.”

“No, you’re not. You’re a fighter, Jared Beckett. You just fight the wrong battles.” Her hand goes to my chest and she pleads, “Let me in
here
. I’m not your enemy.”

Not knowing what to say as I gape at her, Kat lifts her head to kiss me, and I respond with an uncertainty that soon dissolves, as my lips gather speed. When her hand goes to my cheek, I reach up and stroke her fingers, as she makes my fucking head spin.

Remembering why I brought her here, I leave her lips to sit back on my knees, pulling her up with me. As she looks at me in puzzlement, I go to the ground, rolling onto my back. “Stand up.”

Suddenly perplexed, she frowns. “For what?”

I smirk. “Just do it, Kitty Kat.”

She doubtfully smiles, but stands. “Why? What do you want me to do?”

I reach up tugging at the legs of her jean shorts. “Lose them.”

Kat looks around to the trees. “Someone might see me.”

I shake my head. “Nope. Now, do it.”

“Jared, are you sure?”

I nod. “I’m waiting, Kit Kat.”

Inspecting the area around us once more, she unbuttons her shorts and slides them down. She nervously laughs. “What now?”

“You still have your underwear on.”

She sighs, but pulls them down. “Now what?”

I lick my lips and say, “Stand over me.”

Her confusion builds. “How?”

“Like this,” I tell her, raising my eyebrow, as I reach for her leg, lifting it over me. Seeing what I want her to do, she straddles me. I run my hands up her smooth legs, dragging my fingers slowly along her skin, and then slide my fingers back down to her knees, before repeating my path. I purposely don’t go all the way to the top of her thighs.

She inhales a deep breath. “You’re driving me crazy.”

I shamelessly smile. “Good.”

Kat whimpers, “I want you, Jared.”

Unexpectedly, she squats to undo my fly, which isn’t part of my plan, but I go with it, and I let her pull out my dick. However, before she can do anything more, I repeat my earlier order. “Stand up.”

“Why?” She again stands, and I crook my finger for her to walk forward. Her face scrunches in curiosity. “Okay…”

When she’s up far enough, I put my hands on her calves. “Kneel.”

She questioningly looks down at me and I move my hands to the back of her knees, coaxing her to kneel right where she is. Realizing what I want her to do, she says, “God, Jared. I can’t do that. It’ll hurt you—”

“Shut up and just do it,” I impatiently say with a grin. I lick my lips, pulling more on her legs until she buckles. Putting my hands on her inner thighs, I whisper, “I owe you some orgasms.” Her mouth falls as I split her open, kissing along her thighs, and through her hair, before I take my first long lick into her pussy.

“Fuck!” Kat gasps, and I smile again before swirling my tongue around her clit. Her scent is heavy and I take a deeper lick, tasting more of her, which makes me groan. Fuck, she tastes even better than the preview I had on our first night.

She pants, “Damn. Oh, Jared.”

I push and pull on her thighs to get her moving, and I bury my tongue deeper, thrusting in and out of her pussy. My cock is at full attention, wanting the action, but it’s all her right now.

She gets wetter the more I lick her, so I make a pattern of my focus points, teasing her clit, and then lapping her cream. I don’t have to encourage her to move anymore because she starts doing it on her own. She moans, “I love fucking your tongue.”

I groan against her pussy, which causes her to whimper louder. “I’m going to come!” She noisily pants and I squeeze her thighs to encourage her, spreading them wider, and her spasms flood my mouth. So fucking amped, I feverishly lap at her and lose it.

I muffle into her, “Fuck! Kat!” I buck my own hips up, spurting into the air, and leaning my head back, gasping.

“Jared,” she breathlessly says. “Holy shit.”

“Fuck, I know,” I pant.

She shakily stands, moving off me. Looking down, her eyes widen and she giggles. “Whoa. You enjoyed it that much?”

I nod, admitting, “I’ve never done that before, either.”

“Which one? The licking or the coming while doing it?”

“Both.”

Appearing shocked, she asks, “You’ve never done that to a woman before?”

I shake my head. “Never wanted to.”

She numbly says, “Oh.”

I sit up, taking the edge of the blanket to clean off my dick, while Kat gets dressed. When I’m done, she hands me a bottle of water.

“Thanks.”

She laughs. “I should be thanking
you
. Wow. I don’t even know what else to say.”

I scoff, “Don’t. I really wanted to do that, as you can tell.” I grin before taking a drink.

She sits down next to me, tucking hair behind her ear. “You’re the first to do that to me.”

I lower my water. “I am?”

She nods and shyly smiles. “I guess I wasn’t in demand.”

I lean toward her, tipping her chin and giving her a quick kiss. “Bullshit. You’re fucking hot to me.”

Her smile deepens and I tuck the same, rogue hair behind her ear again, and whisper, “You taste phenomenal, too.”

She bites her smiling lip, shaking her head. “You’re unbelievable, Jared. In more ways than one.”

My fingers trail over her cheek. “So are you, Kat. More than you even realize.”

We eat our sandwiches and then drop off the blanket to the laundry room, before I take her back to the build.

At the last stop sign prior to the site, I lean over as she looks at me. “Kiss me, baby,” I whisper, grinning.

She kisses me and whispers, “I’ll miss you.”

“I’m still here with you, Kat.”

She nods and glances to the rear-view mirror. Pulling forward, she says, “I guess so.”

Returning to our platonic-friend mode, she parks and we walk up the sidewalk. Seeing Dash coming out of the house, Kat falls behind me, putting more space between us.

Suspicious as usual, he asks, “Where’d you two go driving?”

“Around,” I mutter, reaching into my pocket for my ringing phone. Not recognizing the number, I still take it to avoid talking to Dash.

I vaguely carry on my conversation, half listening to the building manager of the apartment I’m renting in Philly, while they ramble on about shit.

Dash asks, “Did you and Jericho play at the park again?”

“No. Driving.”

“He didn’t like the park?”

Kat says, “I guess he thought it was okay. He wasn’t crazy about my favorite part, the gazebo.”

“Hey, I love the gazebo!” Dash laughs.

Kat laughs with him. “It’s so
The Sound of Music
, right?”

“That movie sucks, but yeah, I remember when they danced and sang in there.”

She dreamily says, “I could sit in there for hours.”

“We can do that sometime, Merrick.
I
won’t complain.” Asshole.

She laughs. “You’re on.”

Hanging up my phone, and walking back over to them, I say, “That was the building manager of my apartment building in Philly. The previous tenants left early, even though they paid July’s rent. It’s been cleaned and it’s ready for me to move in, if I want. I just have to sign some liability papers, taking responsibility for damages that may occur.”

Dash says, “I guess you’ll have to keep your raging parties to a minimum.”

I shrug. “Same with when I murder certain visitors with a saw.”

He cringes. “You just had to go there, didn’t you?”

I nod. “Yep. I did.”

Kat drops her gaze, slightly frowning, and I say, “I don’t have to live up there yet, but it’ll be good to at least get moved in.”

Dash asks, “You need me to help?”

I look back to my phone screen. “I was going to ask Duquesne.”

“He’s spending time with Liberty before she moves, I imagine. Come on, Jericho. I helped you move before. I told you I won’t say anything else to you.” Swiftly looking up, I widen my eyes at him to shut the fuck up, and he hurriedly adds, “About your daily horoscope.”

Rolling my eyes, I concede, “Fine. It’s only one bedroom, so you’ll have to crash on the couch.”

“Shit. I was looking forward to spooning with you.”

“In your fucking dreams, Calder.”

Kat says, “Sounds like fun. I’ll see you around.” She quickly walks into the house, where I can’t even talk to her, since there are witnesses everywhere.

Dash yanks a red sucker from his pocket. “We can stay up there a few days, set up your furniture, get to know your neighborhood, find your commute. Whatever.”

“Shit. I totally forgot about Kat’s classes and driving. Damn it.”

“Her mom can take her. It’s only a few days.” And I plan on taking Kat up there this weekend. I just have to figure out how that will work without tipping off everyone, giving them the wrong idea, which happens to be correct.

Returning my phone to my pocket, I say, “I’ll go find her and see if she can swing it with her mom. If so, we can leave tomorrow morning after rush hour.”

He garbles, “Awesome.”

“Get that fucking thing out of your mouth. Jesus.”

He rolls his eyes and I go into the house, but have no idea where Kat went. Walking throughout, I quickly look into rooms. Unfortunately, I’m not fast enough with the checking, because my dad catches me as he sets down a ladder. “Hey, Jared.”

Rolling my eyes, I turn and nod at him. “Hey, Dad.”

“What are you up to?”

I shrug and try to sound casual. “Looking for Kat.”

He nods, like he knows something I don’t. “I haven’t seen her.”

“Thanks for telling me nothing, I guess.” He frowns and I say, “Oh. Dash and I are going to Philly tomorrow morning. I can get into the apartment early, so he’s helping me move my furniture.”