The Love Series Complete Box Set (111 page)

“Watching you writhe on the bed, tasting you come in my mouth, is simply the most beautiful thing in the world.” He hovers above me, his lips glistening with my orgasm. I wrap my hands around his neck and pull his face to mine. Plunging my tongue into his mouth makes his cock twitch in between us. A gasp of pleasure passes between us when I feel a drop of his moisture drip onto my skin.

Wrapping my legs around his waist, I grab his ass and pull him as close to me as possible. The tip of his cock nudges at my entrance and I press forward wanting him inside of me already. He gives me an inch, but it’s not enough. “More. Now. Please.” My breathless words are offered up like a prayer.

“No.” He leans his elbows down and places one on each side of my head, supporting his weight. “I told you. I want to go slow and savor you.” He chews on his lower lip and I can tell that he’s having a hard time holding back. But the fiery look in his ocean blue eyes forces me to submit to his pace.

He pushes into me, one rigid inch at a time. I revel in the feel of the bulged veins and silky skin of his cock as he slides in and out of me. “Look at me, Maddy. Look at me, now.” My gaze meets his as his lips crash into mine. He wraps his arm around my waist and lifts my body up as he drives into me. His pace increases a little, but the angle—oh God, the change in the angle makes my insides pulse around him. “Come, beautiful. Come for me,” he mumbles against my puckered nipple. The tenderness with which he nuzzles against my breast makes thrill bumps dot my flesh, and when his tongue streaks hotly against the hardened tip, my pussy flutters wildly around his cock.

He pushes harder and faster through my orgasm, never letting me fall completely. My body splinters into a thousand tiny pieces, but he’s right there, holding me tightly to his solid chest, to put me back together again. With his face buried into the crook of my neck, his lips dance on my skin. The stubble on his jaw scrapes the top curve of my breasts. His hands roam at the softness of my waist pulling me closer as he pushes deeper.

He leans his forehead against mine as he stills his movements. His ragged breaths sweep across my face and he closes his eyes slowly. “What is it, baby? Are you okay?” I brush a lock of hair from his eyes.

“Of course I’m okay. I’m inside of you. What the hell could be wrong?” He drives into me as deep as he can and stops his movements yet again. “I just wanted to feel you pulse around me before I lose myself to you.”

On his last word, he begins moving again, the sole purpose to bring us both over the edge this time. His arms band around my body as we roll on our side. Our bodies twist and tangle, push and pull, rise and fall. “Maddy . . . fuck . . .” he groans into my mouth as his tongue dances with mine. “Baby . . .” I call out as another wave washes over me. I scour my nails over his back as he calls my name out on one last powerful thrust.

We lay together, limbs tangled, breaths ragged, long enough for me to start drifting to sleep. His soft lips press to my forehead as he pulls me to his chest.

“You’re amazing.” He traces circles on my shoulders and back.

“Hmmm.”

“That’s all you can manage, huh?” I feel his chest vibrate under my cheek with his laughter.

“Hmmm.” I can feel his heart thumping wildly under my hand.

He pops a kiss to the top of my head. “Sleep, baby. I’ll let you brag about my amazingness when you wake up.”

“Hmmm.”

Chapter 6

Winter

Late December 2014

“Alright, man. I’m out for the night.” Dylan leans over the wall of my cubicle. “Wanna grab a drink before heading home? It’s Friday, so you know there’s a happy hour somewhere.”

“Thanks, but I can’t, Dyl.” I power down my computer and start packing up my things. “I need to get a few last minute Christmas gifts before Maddy gets home from class tonight. Rain check?”

“Sure thing.” He nods to make it seem like he’s really okay with it, but I know he’s not. We got another call today from our mystery girl and it’s really starting to affect him that he can’t figure it out.

“Hey, Dylan! Wait up. I’ll walk out with you.” I jog to him as he holds the elevator doors open for me. “You okay, man?” I ask as the doors ping closed.

“Yeah, I guess. Just really shaken up about these calls, that’s all.” Dylan shrugs his shoulders but I know deep down he’s never going to be able to rid himself of the uncertainty of the situation. Knowing that it’s more than Cane and this mystery caller weighing on his mind, that it’s more about his guilt over not being able to save Shane, has me in knots. I hate seeing him like this and he has to learn how to forgive himself or he’s never going to be able to move on.

Exiting the building, an icy blast of winter air whips across our faces. “Fuck, it’s cold!” I snap my jacket closed and pull my leather gloves out of my pockets. We walk to our cars in frigid silence, partly quieted by the weather, partly by the guilt that is consuming us both.

Ours are the only cars in the lot. “Where’s the Jeep?” he asks through chattering teeth.

“This beat up piece of shit,” I tip my chin in the direction of Maddy’s ancient Civic, “needed an oil change today. I took care of it at lunch and Maddy took the Jeep for the day.”

“Still can’t get her to give in on the new car thing, huh?” Dylan chuckles and tucks his hands in his pockets.

“Well, she’s not going to have much of a choice after Christmas.”

“You are such an over-the-top bastard, you know that?” He rolls his eyes and tosses his bag onto the passenger’s seat. A tense silence descends on us. There’s so much I want to say to him, but standing next to his car, in the icy winter air, I can’t string the words together.

I want to yell and scream at him that it’s not his fault for what happened to Shane, for what’s happening now with this girl who keeps calling the hotline. But I know it’s pointless. He won’t listen. So, I offer up the best solution I can come up with in the few minutes that I’ve had to think about it.

“Listen, it’s Christmas break for the schools. Why don’t you take a week off from thinking about it and we’ll re-group after the holidays. We can get back in touch with the principal and everything, okay?”

“Sounds good, Reid. See you in a few days.” The engine turns over and roars to life. Dylan pulls away and I know that the last thing he’ll be able to do is shut off his concern for the next week.

Another freezing gust blows over me as I hurry to my car. Sliding inside, I toss my bag next to me and blast the heat. The interior smells like Maddy’s perfume and the heat amplifies the scent. Maybe holding onto this car isn’t such a bad idea, after all. We have had a few good romps in here and I would hate to get rid of those memories.

Before I can get too distracted thinking about all of that, my phone vibrates in my pocket pulling me out of my sexy daydreams. A picture of a smiling Maddy and Braden lights up in the background and I realize I have five missed calls from her.

Swiping across the bottom of the screen with my thumb, I answer the call. “Hey, babe. What’s up?”

Initially, there’s just silence punctuated only by her sniffles. “Maddy, what the hell is going on?” Abruptly, I slide the shifter into drive needing to get to wherever she is. When the car fishtails in the icy parking lot, I take a deep breath and try to calm my nerves.

She still hasn’t said anything and I’m about to freak the fuck out. “Maddy, where are you? Why are you crying?”

“I’m at school. Come get me. I need you to come here, now.” Before I can say anything in response, she hangs up leaving me more than a little confused and extremely worried.

I try calling her back at least ten times in the ten-minute ride to the college campus, but she doesn’t pick up. Spurred on by anxiety and fear, I fly into the lot and spot my Jeep parked on the far end. The Civic screeches to a stop next to the Jeep and I see someone in the passenger’s seat.

My feet slip on the icy pavement as I race around to the driver’s side where Maddy is sitting. Maddy lowers the window and I slip my head inside the cabin. “Reid, this is Lizzy.” Maddy reaches over to the passenger and gently squeezes the girl’s arm. Her small face is hidden in the shadows, but even in the darkness, she looks vaguely familiar. Angling her head more toward the light, Lizzy’s features come into view.

I recognize her instantly.

She’s a student from Lincoln Memorial.

“You’ve been calling us.” It’s a statement, not a question. Disbelief laces through my words. “But how did you . . . I mean, why are you here?” I sweep my arm to the side indicating “here” as the campus parking lot.

I look at Maddy with what I’m sure is my “what the fuck” face because she smirks knowingly at me as she steps out of the Jeep. Maddy kisses my cheek and pulls her bag over her shoulder. “She followed the Jeep after school. She thought you were driving. I’ll let her explain the rest.” She hugs me tightly and the sweet smell of her hair swirls in my head. “I’ll see you after class, but talk to her.” With one last quick kiss, Maddy turns on her heels and walks toward the building where her class takes place.

I inhale the cold night air deeply. My lungs protest as the chill seizes them, but I need a minute to gain my composure. I huff out one last cleansing breath and watch the steam from my exhale curl into the night sky.

Slicing through the uncomfortable silence, the door lets out a loud creak as I open it. I twist in my seat and face Lizzy. She’s got a wad of tissues bunched up in her lap and I can see the tracks of the tears that she’s been crying streak down her cheeks. Whatever it is we need to talk about can’t be said in the darkness. I reach up and turn the overhead light on and I’m shocked to see that her face is all beaten and bloody.

“My God. Lizzy, what happened?” I don’t even let her answer as I reach into my pocket to call the police.

Her icy-cold hand stops my dialing. “No. Please. Wait. Just let me explain.” Through her wobbly and unsteady voice, I can hear determination and strength. I put my phone away and hand her another tissue from the box sitting in between us.

“Okay. Talk to me then. Is this about Cane?” I’ve put on my best counselor voice, but I’m sure that she can hear the fear there.

At simply mentioning his name, Lizzy recoils in her seat. She ghosts her fingers over her split lip and my gut churns in disgust. “Did he hurt you, Lizzy?”

“No!” she barks out. “No, he would never . . . it wasn’t him . . . it was . . . oh God, I don’t even know where he is. He just left.” Sobs wrack her tiny body and I can no longer make any sense of her words as she muffles them into her pile of tissues.

“Shhh . . . it’s okay. Just calm down and tell me exactly what happened.” I try to keep my voice steady and relaxed, even though I’m feeling the exact opposite.

After a few moments of awkward silence, her crying slows and she regains her self-control. “Cane is my best-friend. We’ve know each other since kindergarten.” She pauses for a minute to blow her nose—loud and not at all sounding delicate. When her breathing is steady, she continues her story, “He asked to borrow my glue stick, and when I wouldn’t give it to him, we ended up wrestling over it. We had to stay inside at recess for detention and I guess we hit it off because we’ve been inseparable ever since.” A cute, little smile curls at her lips as she retells her childhood memories.

I don’t want to interrupt her, so I bite my tongue stifling the long list of questions that I want to ask. Giving her the space she needs to piece her story together, I don’t say anything.

“We dated when we were in ninth grade. But really, it was the same thing as being friends. We played video games and skateboarded and all that stuff. One day, I tried to kiss him because, well, that’s what boyfriends and girlfriends were supposed to do. He wasn’t too keen and we got into a huge fight. We didn’t talk for a few months after. I was really hurt and just couldn’t bear to be around him.” Staring up at the ceiling, she huffs out a frustrated sigh as she swipes away a few more tears. She lets an amused laugh go and her shoulders sag with relief.

“I don’t know how I didn’t see it before we dated, but I guess when you’re best friends with someone you just get so used to who they are that you don’t question anything about them. They’re always there, no matter who they are.”

“What happened, Lizzy?” Even though I’m pretty sure I know where this is going, I want to hear it from her.

“I was the first person he ever came out to.” She cries a little more and slumps down in her seat. “I think he knew for a long time, but our ‘dating’ forced him to admit it even to himself. He made me promise not to tell anyone and I never did. Until . . .”

More tears and sobs. More pieces fall together. More ugliness in a world when it’s the last thing any of us needs.

“A few of the guys on the football team got suspicious. Something about Cane not wanting to change in the locker room. Apparently when they approached him about it, they didn’t like the way Cane answered their questions, so they accused him of being gay. I can only imagine how scared he felt. His deepest secret was suddenly exposed to the meanest and least understanding people in the school.”