Twisted Minds (4 page)

Four

The Addition

I wasn’t going to lie—my dick got hard when I walked out of my room and saw Kira’s door.

Yeah, a door was making me horny. The door, and what I’d seen behind that door the night before. And not to sound like a clichéd asshole, but seriously, no woman had ever made me feel this way before.

It was a fact.

I divided and conquered. Apart from the thrill of chasing a woman and loving the feeling of fucking her brains out, I did not let myself feel anything for a woman. Ever.

You could call me the clichéd product of indifferent parents. After watching both my parents move through numerous relationships and marriages like it was child’s play, I had adopted more or less the same philosophy.

Love was for fools. Fools fell in love. I would neither be a fool or a lover. I would take what I wanted when I needed it. That had been my philosophy growing up, and it wasn’t going to change now just because a small town girl had managed to tick all the boxes.

Kira Walsh was gorgeous, but she was just another woman.

My phone buzzed on the way downstairs. It was a message from my mother.

Call me. I want to explain.

I ignored the message, letting my thoughts drift back to Kira. I was pretty sure she was terrified of me and thought I was a pervert. If I wanted to get anywhere with her then this wasn’t the way to start. There probably wouldn’t be a start now considering she had probably already told her parents what had happened.

Yet, when I headed downstairs to the kitchen, the Walshs’ all acted as though they knew nothing about what had transpired between Kira and me last night.

“Good morning, Nate,” Theresa said with a bright smile as she bustled around the kitchen. “I’ve got more food cooking. Take a seat.”

“Morning,” I responded, watching her in amazement.

The woman was on fire. She was juggling three pans on the stovetop—one with bacon, two eggs—one scrambled and the other sunny side up. The coffee machine hummed in the background, filling the kitchen with that earthy, roasted smell I loved.

I wasn’t used to my mom cooking for me. I was pretty sure the woman had never lifted a finger in her life. Personal chefs, housemaids, chauffeurs—that was the kind of life she lived for.

“Why do it yourself when you can pay someone to do it for you?” she had always told me, as though she was bestowing a great kernel of knowledge upon me.

When Kira caught sight of me, her ears turned pink. She angled her head towards her dad so she didn’t have to make eye contact with me, and it dawned on me that she hadn’t told her parents anything.

Interesting.

She sat at the kitchen table with Finn and Joe, who looked like they were in a heated debate about something. Joe was red in the face, while Finn looked as though he was trying to hold it together. Their plates of eggs and bacon were half-eaten, as they directed their energy into their conversation.

Sports. That was the universal face that every man made when someone didn’t agree with the side they were on. I didn’t care for sports much myself, but I followed enough of it to hold a conversation.

Finn glanced my way. “Hey, Nate, come over here and talk some sense into my dad.”

I obliged, taking the empty seat across from Kira who was eating a plate of scrambled eggs. I could tell she was trying her hardest not to look at me.

Her full lips were shimmering with some pink gloss she’d put on, and I wanted to lick it right off her mouth. I wanted to lick all the way down her neck, down to those pink nipples I could see pressing against her white tank top. I wondered if she was still wearing those lace panties.

Kira’s large, blue eyes met mine as though she’d heard my thoughts, and my cock stood to attention. Her face flushed as though she was having unsavory thoughts about me, too. Maybe she was thinking about last night.

I was thinking about doing her right there on that table. My hands wanted to explore every part of her. I wanted to run my fingers across her body, relishing each second, claiming her for myself.

Of course, that wasn’t going to happen with her family right here, and besides, she was showing no actual interest in me, which was definitely something new for me. The only feelings I could gauge from her were ones of embarrassment, which made complete sense.

I cleared my throat, ordering my dick to calm the fuck down. “Yeah, what’s up?”

“Dad thinks the Mets aren’t gonna win this year. He’s betting on the Royals.” Finn looked livid. “Seriously, they haven’t won a championship in like thirty years.”

“But look at their lineup, look at their wins.” Joe waved his arms around as he spoke, as though illustrating his point. “They’re the team to beat, and everyone knows it.”

“Well,” I said, my tone steady as I turned to look at Joe, “I think you’re onto something. They’re on the up and up.”

Who really cared about baseball when I had a raging, hard boner? Still, I was trying to come across interested, so I had to keep the nice boy act going for the parents. But those nipples, they were staring me right in the face, making it extremely difficult to concentrate.

Kira was staring adamantly down at her plate again, acting as though I wasn’t there. Yet, once again her ears were a telltale red, letting me know she was in fact thinking about things other than how fascinating her scrambled eggs were.

“Alright, that’s enough sports talk,” Theresa said, placing two plates of eggs and bacon down on the table. “Dig in, Nate.”

“Thanks,” I said, grateful I had something else to do with my eyes.

Just then Kira scraped her chair backwards and rose from the table. “Mom, I’m going to read for a while until Amy comes over.”

“Okay, hon,” Theresa said, as she stacked plates in the dishwasher.

After Finn and Joe managed to drag me into a debate about baseball teams, and I finally finished eating, Finn announced we were going into town to pick up some booze for a beach party in the afternoon.

Before we left, I headed back upstairs to change and noticed Kira’s door was ajar once again.

That was practically an invitation, so I took it. Also, I was pretty sure I owed her an apology for last night, as disingenuous as it might be.

This time I knocked.

“Come in,” Kira called out.

Giving her a few extra seconds to put some clothes on if necessary, I pushed open the door and stepped into her room. This time I wasn’t going to feel bad if her big booty was sticking up in the air.

My eyes fell on her bed and disappointment plummeted into my stomach like a sinking stone. She wasn’t naked.

Kira was curled up on her bed, still wearing that white tank top, reading a book titled
Postwar: Europe after 1945
. Interesting book for an eighteen-year-old.

“Are you planning a military strategy to take over a country?” I asked in a casual tone, as my eyes shot right to her pink nipples.

It was all about small steps, taking an interest in what they were doing, acting like you cared. Remembering the small details was key. Unfortunately, I didn’t know much about Kira to even fully start up my game. She’d been a brick wall—a guarded fortress—since I’d stepped into her house last night. She was a mystery to me, and hell it was so much fun.

The only thing I could recall about her was her tits and those fucking nipples that were teasing me through her tank top. One motion—that’s all it would take me to pull it right off her and expose those ample, perky breasts. A further motion after that and her sweatpants would be off and she would finally be naked—exposed—the way I wanted her to be.

“Something like that,” she said dryly, immediately rising from the bed as she eyed me warily. “What are you doing here—again?”

She didn’t trust me, didn’t trust my reason for entering her sanctuary for the second time. This was my chance to prove that I was a good guy. Yeah, right.

“Listen,” I said, glancing to the right as I ran a hand through my hair. I was trying to exude nervousness, uncertainty. “Last night I didn’t mean to walk in on you like that.” Which actually was the truth. “I really just want to apologize again. I was a little drunk and saw that your light was on, so I wanted to come by and ask why you were so standoffish when I first arrived.”

“I knew you hadn’t meant to walk in and see me like
that
.” Kira blushed a little, and her expression softened just the slightest. “You looked terrified, like you’d never seen a woman naked before.”

“Trust me, I’ve seen plenty of women in more compromising positions than the one you were in.” Just none as incredible as her. She was one of a kind.

Her cheeks flushed bright pink, and I could see irritation flare in her eyes. “I’m sure you have!” she snapped.

The blatant anger in her face made me crack up. Realization dawned on me. “Well, thanks for answering my question. Now I know why you were so standoffish last night.”

“Don’t ever assume anything about me.” She crossed her arms over her chest, only making her nipples pop more. I tried not to ogle her chest.

“Oh, I’m not,” I leaned in closer to her. “You were standoffish because you think I’m a womanizer, some kind of sleazebag. Am I right?”

Her lips twitched, but she didn’t respond, only continuing to stare me down. Her silence confirmed that this eighteen-year-old thought she had me figured out. And maybe she had, but I had played games deeper than this. I had the list to prove it.

“Nothing is ever that simple,
Kira
.” I enjoyed the way her eyes widened when I said her name. “There’s more to me than dick and balls and wild sex.”

“Ha!” she scoffed, her blue eyes on fire as she jabbed the air in front of me with a finger. “I very much doubt that. I know your type of guy.”

“Who’s making assumptions now?” I fired back.

“You’re not doing much to prove otherwise,” she fired right back.

Oh, I liked her. I liked that fiery spirit she had.

“So coming in here and apologizing about last night isn’t progress?” I asked with raised brows. “Because if I was as much of a scumbag as you seem to think I am, would I really be here trying to prove you wrong?”

Actually, I sure would be, especially for the right girl. It was actually a huge compliment to her.

Kira bristled, as though she was starting to doubt herself. “You’re terrible at apologies. And knocking.”

I took a step closer, my tone playful. “You’re terrible at accepting apologies. And not being naked.”

The air between us crackled, as though our arguing had charged it.

Kira’s eyes shot to my lips, and mine shot to hers. We froze, suspended in a moment neither of us were quick enough to break. It was one of those moments when you knew deep in the recesses of your twisted mind that something monumental was happening, yet you lacked the experience to really understand what it really was.

That was what was happening to me right now—what was happening to us. It was something pivotal; I just couldn’t figure out what it meant.

I was the first to break away. The moment had sent a fear shooting through me that I wasn’t ready to face or even decipher. Kira blinked as though she was waking up from a dream.

“I’m sorry again,” I blurted out before turning out of the room, as confusion swirled inside my head like a darkened mist.

What had just happened? Why had that happened? If I knew what it was then maybe I could try to clear away the haze descending upon my thoughts.

I had to snap the hell out of it. I couldn’t have feelings like that for a girl I’d just met—feelings that were foreign, fictional, not real. This was just about sex, that’s all it could ever be about.

Fuck her, then forget about her.

As I entered the guest room, I walked over to the bed, wanting to change out of the clothes I’d slept in. Instead, my hand sought out the journal in my bag, finally finding a blank page closer to the back. There was a pen tucked into the back cover that I removed, rolling it around my fingers as I tried to figure out how to put Kira on paper.

Kira.

Long, blonde curls—blue eyes—pale complexion—big tits—huge butt.

Then I paused, chewing on the end of the pen unsatisfied with the words. She was more than just her looks—more than an attractive, blonde woman

My fingers began to fly across the page again.

Fiery—hot headed—strong morals.

Likes to read history books.

The addition made me smile. She was definitely one of a kind.

Five

When in Ripley…

Ripley was a tiny town tucked away just south of Niagara Falls.

When I said that barely no one lived here, I wasn’t exaggerating. As Finn drove me through downtown Ripley with its single general store, post office, and bank, I felt like I was in my own version of a ghost town.

New York City easily had over eight million people. When I’d first met Finn, he’d informed me there were a little over two thousand people living in his hometown
. Two thousand
people. Holy shit. There were that many people living on my block.

I liked the noise and being able to lose myself in the city. This wasn’t a town I would flourish in. The city made it so easy to move from woman to woman. They rarely knew each other and would never be able to spread gossip about my philandering ways. I loved the anonymity that I had with each woman.

Here, in Ripley, everyone knew each other. That just didn’t work for me. The solitude and peacefulness gave me too much time to think, and the last thing I wanted was to be left alone with my thoughts. Reflection—that word wasn’t in my vocabulary.

“Pretty different, huh?” Finn asked as he pulled in behind a pick-up truck on the street.

“You’re telling me.”

Climbing out of his Subaru Liberty, I stood on the sidewalk, staring around at the unfamiliar surroundings as I tried to get my bearings. If I stayed here long enough it wouldn’t take me long to familiarize myself with the town and surrounding area.

Luckily, I wouldn’t be here long enough to do that.

“Stay close, city boy. I don’t want you getting lost,” Finn joked, not even bothering to lock his car.

“Is that even possible?” I wondered out loud, following after him down the street.

The air was warm against my skin, and my lungs were clear. The streets of Ripley were clean; the grass was vivid green and well-manicured; the stores were older style buildings, yet in good condition.

The city must’ve been a big shock for Finn at first. To grow up his entire life in this town and then to just up and move to the city for college was a huge change, yet he’d always handled it well. I’d never once stopped to even think about where he’d come from, but now it was really sinking in.

The first stop on our list was the liquor store. Since we were hanging out with his friends at Ripley Beach in the evening, booze was an essential.

Finn led the way into the store and headed straight for the back where the fridges were, just as I caught sight of the girl at the counter.

It was Amy.

Her eyes lit up when she saw me, and she subconsciously straightened up and pushed her tits out.

An automatic smile crept onto my face. The girl was out to impress.

“Well, hey there,” I said slowly, my eyes trailing down to her bust. “It’s nice to see you again.”

“You too.” She flattened her already straight hair, making sure it wasn’t messy. “Is Finn showing you around Ripley?”

“Yeah.” I nodded, my eyes moving back to her face again. She was cute—chubby cheeks, large eyes, baby faced—but not my type. I quickly lost interest. “Whatever there is to see.”

“Not much,” she said with a laugh. “Though if you like wine then you should definitely make a trip to one of the wineries here. Kira and I are actually going to a wine tasting in a few days.”

I cocked a brow. “Aren’t you a little young to be going to a wine tasting?”

“My family own the winery, so they’re a little more chill about it.” Her eyes flitted around the store as though she was letting me in one some huge secret. “But shh, don’t tell anyone.”

“My lips are sealed.” I made a zipping motion across my mouth. “Well, I gotta pick some booze out for some beach party Finn’s taking me to.”

“Okay,” Amy said with a frown. “I work all day, so I probably won’t make it until later on tonight.”

“Well, maybe I’ll see you there tonight.”

She brightened at my words. “Hopefully!”

With that, I headed to the back of the store where Finn was grabbing a case of Budweiser. He swung back around as I approached, my eyes seeking out the shelves for some of the harder stuff.

“Remember that night we were at that frat party?” I called out to him, making my way to where all the tequila was located. “And tequila made her clothes fall off?”

We both knew exactly which “her” I was talking about. Anna Richardson. The peppy freshman with the too-tight shirt who’d gotten so wasted on shots of Patron that she’d clumsily taken her shirt off to give her boobs some air to breathe.

You had to love drunk sorority girls. They would do just about anything for a little attention. And I did just about any of them who wanted attention. Seemed like a fair trade.

“She wasn’t bad looking, but it was a turn off when she started grinding on me.” Finn scowled as he came to a stop beside me, his eyes following the line of bottles on the shelf. “But goddamn, she had amazing ti-”

“Griffin?”

The voice caught us both off guard. Finn and I reacted exactly the same way—we shot each other a sidelong glance, our bodies tense as we turned to face the girl standing a few feet behind us.

Cassidy. Twice within twenty-four hours of being in this town. Fuck me.

“I didn’t expect to see you here,” she said with a smile, but there was something in her voice which immediately gave away that she did know where to find us.

It wouldn’t be a long stretch to assume she was stalking us. The Cassidy I knew was ruthless, someone who didn’t seem a product of this serene town. She was also someone who thrived in the city, just like me.

“Yeah, just getting some beer,” Finn said with a shrug, his jaw tightening.

“It’s a small world,” she said with a nervous laugh that was so fake it was practically plastic.

I groaned. “There’s two thousand people in this town, Cass, so yeah, it’s pretty fucking small.”

Her grey eyes narrowed as she acknowledge my existence. “I never thought you’d ever make it to Ripley. I figured you were too good for us.”

No, just too good for you.

“Nice chat, Cass.” I ignored her comment, spinning around to grab the silver bottle of Patron from the shelf. “But we have other things to do.”

Since Finn was staring at her, transfixed, it fell on me to move things along. The thing was, Cass knew the kind of effect she had on him and she used it to her advantage.

Flipping her glorious hair over her shoulder, she focused on him.  “Oh, are you guys gonna be at the lake this afternoon?” she asked, an eagerness in her tone I didn’t like.

“Uh.” This was where Finn’s entire demeanor fell apart. He was a good guy, always had been, and it took a lot even for him to be blatantly rude to someone—even if it was his psycho ex-girlfriend.

“We’re done here.” I gave Finn a pointed stare, and he finally broke out of his trance.

“Yeah, uh, see ya later,” he spluttered, completely losing his cool.

Cass shot me a smug smile as I nudged Finn with an elbow to get him moving. I wanted to flip her off, but chose to be the bigger person in this situation.

Herding Finn to the register, we paid for our booze, and escaped from a further encounter with Cassidy, who was pretending to read the label of a vodka bottle when really she was just desperately trying to make eye contact with Finn.

Skank.

“Here,” I said, pulling the seal off the bottle of tequila the second we were out of the store. “You need it.”

“Nate, it’s barely noon.” He shot me an incredulous look as he balanced the case of beer under his arm. “Besides, you can’t just walk down the street and drink a bottle of tequila. It’s kinda illegal.”

It killed me what a goody-goody Finn could be.

I shrugged, unscrewing the lid anyway as we walked the short distance to his car. “I figured you needed it after running into psycho ex.”

“It’s not that easy.” He let out a breath as we reached his car, pausing by the hood. “It’s going to take a lot more than expensive tequila to fix that problem.”

“Well, I definitely fucking need it after running into her.” Then without further hesitation, I poured the burning liquid down my throat.

Seriously, fuck Cass. I wasn’t going to let her descend upon our lives again with her twisted games.

Shaking his head at me, Finn began to walk around to his door. My phone buzzed just then, alerting me to a message. Once again, it was my mother.

Nathaniel Richard James, call me immediately. We need to talk about what happened.

Using my full name, like it was going to get my attention. Pathetic. The last thing I wanted to do was talk about her getting her pool skimmed by the pool guy.

“Everything okay?” Finn asked.

I glanced up to find him studying me in concern. I could tell him everything that had happened. I could tell him the real reason why I’d left New York City. He already knew about my mother and her unsuccessful marriages, and wandering eye. But he was already having a bad day and didn’t need my problems added to the ones he had brewing with Cass.

“Just my mom, being my mom,” I responded in a light tone.

Seeming satisfied with my response, he made a sympathetic face before getting into the car. I paused just a second longer, taking an extra big swig from the bottle.

It was just my mom being herself, but I wished it wasn’t that way. I wished she could be a different way, that she didn’t keep letting me down and setting me up to fail in my adult life with any relationship I encountered.

It was a heavy thought, and my chest squeezed as I got into the car. I noticed Finn had opened a can of beer and was chugging it down like it was a remedy. I didn’t comment on his change of mind.

We were both silent as he drove home, buried deep in our own thoughts.