“No. I was giving him space. He’ll call me when he’s ready.”
I groan, and she laughs, but I hug her tighter.
“Am I smushing you?”
Her chest vibrates as she laughs. “Yes. But it’s okay. You’re like my big Grey bear.”
Kissing her neck, I pull my arms from around her and press my palms onto the bed, lifting myself off her, only to lower down into a push-up to give a quick peck, before I roll to my back, staring up at the ceiling.
“He skipped out, huh? Are you sure you don’t want to talk about it?”
I hear the worry in her voice, and it makes me feel like shit, because all of this is my fault. My eyes meet hers as I shift to look at her. She squirms down to face me, lying inches apart, just staring at me. I love her. She’s waiting for me to speak, and it makes me want to say everything.
“He’s pissed at me, and he’s right to be. What I did wasn’t cool, and I don’t mean all the shit from Monday. I mean back when we started. At the lake.”
Her teeth begin to gnaw on her lip, as her fingers pick at those strings. She’s nervous to broach this subject. I am too, but it needs to be said because that was the tipping point. It’s also why it’s hard for me to see him play around with her like he did this morning. He’s played around with her. Felt her. Kissed her. And I don’t know if he thinks about that every fucking time her hand brushes his or she licks her lips.
“I already knew I wanted you way back then. Damn, I think a part of me even knew I loved you. I should’ve said no when he started dancing with you that night. But we were drunk, having a good time, and I’d convinced myself that it was just some dirty fun. We knew it was a fantasy of yours…you made that clear in your sleep.” She smiles, a blush creeping over her cheeks.
“And we’d done it before with girls way less deserving.” She rolls her eyes, and I grin. “But I told myself it wouldn’t mean anything because I wanted you. Except so did he. I knew that. I just should’ve said no and saved us all the fucking drama.”
She leans in with that worried brow and kisses my lips, pulling back, then coming in again for a longer one.
“What’s that for?” I whisper against her lips as she pulls away.
“For always trying to carry everyone over the finish line.”
I prop up on my elbow, staring down at her and waiting for an explanation. She smiles before answering, “You can’t carry all the blame, Grey. We all decided. And I don’t regret anything. It happened. But you didn’t decide for us, and you don’t get to carry all the responsibility for the fallout. This was all going to happen, because feelings are complicated. Life is fucking complicated.”
Damn. She always gives me exactly what I need.
“I love you. Have I told you that?”
I motion with my head for her to come kiss me again, and she does. Her lips press to mine, hungry and soft, as her breasts squeeze against my chest. She pulls away, all hazy and fucking adorable, lying back in her spot.
“Do you think he’ll get over all of this?”
“All of this? What do you mean?”
“Well, you think he’s jealous because we’re together,” she states, fluffing her pillow, before laying her head down. “That’s what you’re implying. People always think from their own perspective. You’re jealous of him. Why?”
I blink, struck silent. The way she says it, so matter-of-fact. Fuck. This girl. There’s not one demon inside of me that she hasn’t met, looked in the eye, and blown a kiss at. I couldn’t scare her away if I tried. I am jealous, because he’s the better choice, even if I’m the one she wants.
“Because he wouldn’t fuck up, burn down trees, get jealous and possessive. But all of that is my fucking nature.”
“That’s why we’re perfect. You’d never stop fighting. And I need that, as fucked-up as it sounds. I want someone who would demolish this city to clear the way to me. The right man had to match the kind of love I’d give. It’s my nature, too.”
Everything she fucking says heals another wound inside of me. I reach down and grip the band of her shorts and jerk her closer to me. “Good, because I’m keeping you. But I think he feels robbed. Like he deserved you, and that’s worse than jealousy because it means he’s the winner without the trophy. So no, I don’t think he’ll get over this anytime soon.”
“Then we’ll just have to wear him down. Together, Grey.”
Together. She knows that’s what I’m scared of most—that she’ll walk because everything’s become as complicated as she’d feared. I slip my fingers inside her silk shorts, diving down between her wet, exposed lips, circling her clit. I want her so fucking bad.
“Oh fuck, Grey,” she breathes out loudly, dropping her head back, grabbing my bicep.
“I want to watch you come. Hard and fast. Show me, Cherry.”
“God that’s fucking hot,” she moans, spreading her legs wider and watching me work.
I push two fingers inside of her, watching her eyes squeeze shut and her breathing pick up as she rocks into my hand with each thrust. She’s fucking soaked, covering my fingers in her desire.
“I want to run my tongue over your clit and taste you after you come.”
Those doe eyes open, staring into mine, hand gripped on my arm as I finger fuck her faster and faster.
“Fuck yourself, Cherry. Rub that needy little clit.”
Her breath is unsteady as she rocks her hips faster, bringing her hand to her clit. Her fingers begin rubbing as she stares at me with her lips slightly parted, panting.
“Get there, because then I’m gonna feed you my cock.”
I lean in closer, pulling her bottom lip into my mouth and kissing her hard as she begins to tense around my fingers, breath held until her back arches, and she lets out a long exhale of my name.
“There it is, Cherry.”
She licks her lips, savoring the feeling as her hand pulls from her shorts and the other cups my hard cock. My fingers work slower, in and out of her, still feeling the convulsions continuing. Her eyes flutter open when I pull them from her slowly, and she lets out a sweet sigh. Rolling toward me, she rubs the length of me as she sets the sexiest smirk on me.
“My turn.”
Donovan
FIRST PERIOD CAME AND WENT, but the only thing I really focused on was Grey’s darkening mood and Liam’s absence. I know he’s here because I saw his Ducati, but he’s skipping out, avoiding us, and I’m beginning to feel hurt. I look down at the paper on my desk and doodle squiggly lines, lost in my thoughts.
If Grey’s right and Liam’s jealous, this friendship’s going to be hard to salvage, and that’s not the reality I’m looking for. But my gut tells me something else is going on. He’s mad at Grey, and after the shit he pulled in the cafeteria, mixed with all the other parts of the day, there’s no way Liam is going to let that go without making Grey suffer a little.
He was the same when we were little. Holding a grudge until Grey finally broke and apologized sincerely. Until it happened, he would hide out. Hide out… Oh my God. I know where you are.
My hand shoots up as I dip, reaching for my bag. The substitute just waves at me, uncaring of what I want, so I push out of my seat and make my way out of the door, saying “bathroom” as I pass him. The halls are empty since classes just started, leaving my footsteps sounding uncomfortably loud, as I rush to the only quiet, hidden spot on campus. Last month when I had to make up an art studies project, I was shown to a back room by the art classrooms that would give me privacy and uninterrupted time. Nobody uses it except for a few very serious art students. He’s there. I know it.