Текст книги "Perfect Kind Of Trouble"

Автор книги: Chelsea Fine

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Текущая страница: 14 (всего у книги 19 страниц)

25 Kayla

As Daren hungrily brings his mouth back to mine, I part my lips and moan as his tongue slides inside my mouth. I slip my hands under his shirt and press my fingertips into his back, pulling him closer to me as I open my legs, desperate to give in to the wild passion I’ve been denying these last few days. I kiss him back, exhaling heavily as our tongues meet and slip around each other. I move my hips against his, thrilled by the hard length of his erection rubbing against my center.

My heart beats wildly. I want to kiss him and feel him and please him all at once, moaning into his mouth as he trails his free hand along my rib cage while keeping our cuffed hands pinned beside my head. I slide my hand up his bare back, gripping the corded strength beneath my fingers as he shifts above me.

Tugging on his shirt, I lift it up and he helps me pull it off him and down to our connected wrists. Wishing I could see his naked chest just a breath away, I blindly reach my free hand out, roving it over his shoulders and down to his rippled stomach once I find him in the dark.

I love the way he breathes against me, warm and alive and filled with wanting. Where our bound wrists lie, he laces his fingers through mine and holds our hands there, a steady place where we connect.

He lightly sweeps his tongue up my throat, gently tipping my head back so he can kiss my collarbone and then lower. I run my hand into his hair and hold his head against my throat where his tongue is now licking a hot trail up to my ear.

Pulling back, he lifts my shirt off and pulls it down to where his is tangled in the handcuffs. The cool air of his room drifts over my already hard nipples, tightening them even more as Daren’s palm glides over my naked breasts and lights a current inside of me.

I exhale in pleasure as he lightly squeezes my breast with his big hand and rubs his thumb over my nipple. He squeezes my other breast, harder than the first and I moan.

“I like it when you moan,” he says and I can hear the smile in his voice.

Arching my back so my breast fills his palm again, I say, “I like it when you make me moan.”

He softly plucks at my left nipple then my right. I feel his mouth come down to my chest and he licks a hot, wet trail between my breasts as he takes them both in his hands and massages them under his palms before lightly pulling at their hardened tips.

I whimper and his hot, wet tongue is suddenly wrapped around my left nipple, tugging it into his mouth with a groan. With every hot suck, my core tightens and pulses, growing wetter as my thighs flex.

With my hand still in his hair, I hold him to my breast. He pulls his mouth back and my nipple tightens under the cool air breezing over the wetness left behind.

He pulls my other nipple into his mouth and I moan a little louder, loving the darkness and the freedom it gives me to enjoy this without reservation.

It’s pitch-black. Completely blinding. Without the light, all I have is Daren. The warmth of his body above mine, the feel of his heartbeat against my chest, the sound of our tangled breaths coming out in pants and searching for a place to land.

In the darkness, in this place where nothing is visible, I feel beautiful. The way I look does not exist. But who I am is very much real, coming out in soft gasps and unfamiliar emotions. Desperation. Eagerness. Desire. Affection.

I run my hand down his back and to the waistband of his shorts, slipping my hand inside to the hot length of his erection. I run my fingertips along the soft wet tip of his hardness then softly grasp him in my hand. He’s so thick and hot it makes my core ache in need. I slip my hand out with every intention of pulling his shorts off but the moment my hand is free he presses himself between my thighs. The rock-hard length of him rubs against my soft center again and I wiggle to add more friction, wanting more.

I softly whimper. “Daren.”

“I know,” he whispers beside my ear. “I’ll give you everything you want.”

A shiver runs over my body and his fingertips lightly brush over the tiny shiver bumps on my stomach as his hand moves down to my shorts. He pulls them off in a few short movements, leaving me in only my panties. Then, finding my knees, he runs his hands up the inside of my legs and trails his fingers over the sensitive skin at the top.

Then he spreads my thighs, opening me up all the way. I let my legs fall open, reflectively arching my back as the cool air in between our bodies wisps over my wet panties.

With my body fully opened, he skims his fingers up and down the inside of my thighs and I exhale and let my head fall back. The barely-there touch, causing a needy ache inside me, is soft and careful—and only for me.

He can’t see me or my reactions, so I know the light brushing of his fingers over my tummy and the underside of my breasts and the inside of my arm aren’t for his benefit, but for mine. They’re so I know he’s there. Connecting us softly.

He rubs a thumb over the wettest part of my panties and I jerk. He does it again and my thighs quiver as I let out a gasp.

He gently suckles on my earlobe as his thumb finds my clit through the thin material of my panties and strokes tiny circles around it.

I pant as my thighs jerk. “Ye—yes.”

Slipping his fingers inside my panties, he gently strokes me between my legs and I whimper. I’m already wet and hot, but his long fingers, slipping in and around my slick folds, make me even more aroused.

His mouth finds mine and he traps my moans and my gasps as he works me closer… closer…

I’m panting and shaking. I let my thighs fall open even more and squirm beneath him eagerly.

Closer…

He teases my entrance with one thick finger and slides it inside. My tiny inner muscles squeeze him with need. He adds another finger and starts to move them in and out of me, drawing out more wetness from my center. Then withdraws both fingers, shoves my panties to the side completely, and uses his thumb and forefinger to softly pluck at my clit.

I cry out at the touch, feeling my core tighten and ache as he rolls over my clit again and again.

Closer…

He pushes his big fingers back inside while his thumb continues to tickle against my most pivotal place. My body tenses as I reach the peak, and my thighs begin to quiver as pure ecstasy courses through me, pulling a cry from my throat. Daren bends to kiss me as my climax washes over me in waves, and I bend my back in a tall arch to meet his mouth and his skillful fingers. And then—

The phone rings.

26 Daren

No.

It rings again.

No, no, no. Dammit.

I slowly withdraw my fingers from Kayla’s tightness, gently cupping her between her legs as her thighs shake around me and her arousal spills onto the bed. I kiss her deeply, sucking in her quiet moans and whimpers and loving every desperate cry. Pleasing this woman is pleasure in itself.

I shift above her, willing the phone call to disappear and leave me to this plush, naked body I have beneath me in the dark.

But it rings again, and this time Kayla pulls away from my mouth and breaths out, “Do—do you need to get that?” Small spasms continue to run through her and she lets out a wanton sigh.

“No,” I say, my fingers still playing inside her panties where she’s wet and warm and ready for me. And I am most definitely ready for her. Fuck, I’m hard.

Not a chance in hell.

Kayla seems distracted now, shifting as the phone rings again. “Sh—shouldn’t you at least see who’s calling?” she pants.

I hang my head. Only one person would be calling me at this hour.

“Probably,” I say, out of breath. My dick aches in mean protest as I slip my hand out of her panties. “Is that okay? I’m so sorry.”

“Yes. Of course,” she says, scooting out from under me with quivering legs. I curse all the phone gods in all the land as I lift away from her hot naked body and reach for my phone. I adjust myself but it doesn’t help. I’m already so hard it hurts.

“Hello?” I say, bracing myself.

“Hi, Daren. Sorry to bother you at this hour, but it’s important,” says Eddie Perkins. I knew it.

“What?” I say, pissed off and irritated.

“Your father’s arraignment for the accident charges is tomorrow, and he’s refusing to plead guilty.”

“Shocking.”

“I need you to come down to the courthouse and talk some sense into him—”

“No.” I start shaking my head even though he can’t see me. “No way. I’m done speaking to him.”

“You’re the only one he will listen to and if he doesn’t plead guilty and this goes to trial he could end up in prison, Daren. Prison.”

“He deserves prison.”

Eddie sighs. “You and I both know you don’t mean that. Will you please come?”

I clench my jaw, hating that my father has spiraled so far down that I feel like I’m at the bottom of a deep, dark pit. “Fine. I’ll try to talk to him.”

“Thank you,” he says. “I really appreciate it. I’ll see you at eight a.m. tomorrow.”

I hang up and throw my phone back on the nightstand with a curse.

Beside me in the dark, Kayla quietly says, “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.” I shake my head. “Just some stuff I have to do in the morning for Eddie.”

“Oh.” She shifts on the bed and I feel a tug against the handcuffs.

“Fuck,” I mutter, running my free hand through my hair and pulling at the ends. I hate my father. Then I turn back to Kayla and quietly say, “Sorry.”

The darkness makes it impossible to read her face, but the passion that filled the room just minutes ago has all but evaporated, and I’m sure her sexual desire probably went with it.

“No problem.” Her voice is soft.

I run my fingers up her arm and to her jaw, wishing I could see what she wanted right now. She covers my fingers with her free hand, holding them to her face.

“You seem upset. Maybe we should just get some sleep,” she says. “And we have to get up early, anyway.”

I inhale slowly, frustrated and irritated with Eddie for calling so late and my father for being such a dick that his decisions now affect my sex life. “Yeah.” I nod even though Kayla can’t see me. “Maybe you’re right.” I find her face and gently kiss her on the lips, not wanting her to think I’m pissed at her in any way, and she kisses me back.

It’s a sweet kiss. No heat. No wanting. It’s a goodnight kiss.

I pull away and she fumbles to put her shirt and shorts back on, the mattress shifting beneath her movements as she yanks it back up her arm and over her head. I do the same. Then we lie back down.

I feel her body heat beside me but we’re not touching anymore.

Silence falls over the room as I stare blindly into the black and mentally curse my father for ruining my life and interrupting the feel of Kayla Turner in my arms.

27 Kayla

This morning, we brushed our teeth side by side at the bathroom mirror. We turned our backs on each other while we got dressed. And then we descended the staircase in the big empty house and got in my car.

Not once did we mention last night. And so much happened.

Getting swept up in the heat of the moment in Daren’s bed was a game changer in itself. But I also told him about my mom dying—something I haven’t told anyone other than the paramedics and cops. It’s strange how comfortable I am with Daren. Telling him actually made me feel… lighter, in a way. Like talking about my mom unloaded a burden I didn’t know I was carrying. Between working and taking care of my mom, I haven’t had much time to maintain my other relationships. So I didn’t really have anyone I could talk to about my parents passing away. But Daren makes it easy.

And it doesn’t hurt that he knew my dad—and cared a great deal for him. I glance at him as we finish our breakfast cookies and my heart dips a little as I realize that I’m going to miss him when this is all over. When the handcuffs come off, will I ever see him again? Will he ever want to see me again?

Scanning his face, I try to read his eyes but there’s nothing familiar in their brown depths. He’s been like this all morning. Pensive. Anxious. I know we’re going to meet Eddie and his dad, but I don’t understand why that has him acting so nervous. The handsome happiness he almost always has on is locked away, somewhere behind the shadows passing his face, making me wish I knew how to take them away.

“So where am I going again?” I ask as we pull out of the driveway.

“The courthouse,” he says. “It’s on the north side of town. Just take the main road until you reach the turnoff by Wilcox Farm.”

We drive in silence. Every few minutes, I catch him staring at me. Sometimes his gives me a small smile and other times he quickly glances away.

Being with Daren last night was amazing. The way he touched me and moved against my body. I didn’t feel like a piece of meat in his arms. I felt like myself. I felt important. But now, even chained to his side, I feel a hundred miles away from him.

Daren clears his throat. “So about my dad…” he begins. “He’s uh… he’s not the most pleasant guy, so don’t let him bother you or freak out when we get there, okay?”

Now I’m nervous. “Why would I freak out?”

“I don’t know. I just… I haven’t seen my dad in almost a year. We weren’t on speaking terms when he went to jail, so I’m just not sure how he’ll react to me today.”

I nod. “Okay.”

This is obviously a big deal for Daren and the only reason I get to peek into this very personal part of his life is because of these stupid handcuffs. Shame sweeps over me as we drive. My desire for this inheritance has inadvertently made me intrude on his life.

From the corner of my eye, I see him stretch his neck and crack his knuckles. Anxiety rolls off him, filling my tiny car with a thick tension. I glance at our cuffed wrists. If there was no inheritance, I would be fine. I don’t need a lump of money to get my life in order. I’m smart and capable. Do I really want to force Daren to show me a part of his life that has him squirming? Am I that financially desperate?

I look at his profile and think about how he likes to cook and is working so hard to pay off a stranger’s medical bills. For all the beauty of his face and body, his heart is the most stunning thing about him. And here I am, using him to get money.

“Maybe we should swing by the hardware store and find some bolt cutters to snap these things off,” I suggest, lifting our joined wrists. “That way you can have some privacy with your dad.”

He looks taken aback. “But then we’d forfeit and you wouldn’t get any money.”

I shrug. “So what? It’s just money. I’ll make do.”

He stares at me for a long moment before shaking his head. “No. I can’t ask you to do that. Besides, it’ll be fine today. With my dad.” He gives me a lopsided smile that looks more strained than sincere. In fact, everything about him looks strained. His shoulders are rigid, his jaw is flexed, and his eyes are hard and distant. No smile in the world could mask the turmoil in his expression.

Stressed. Angry. Nervous. Afraid. His eyes flip from one emotion to the next, never settling.

My stomach twists in anguish, not for myself, but for him as he stares out the window and murmurs, “It will be fine.” A sure sign that it will be anything but.

28 Daren

Do you know how difficult it is to be granted entry into a public courthouse when you’re handcuffed to another person but not for legal reasons?

Pretty fucking impossible.

Kayla and I spent a good hour with the security guards, answering questions and giving recorded statements about why we’re handcuffed together explaining that, yes, we chose to be chained together and, no, we are not under duress.

Eddie came out at one point and helped smooth over some of the confusion. It took eight security guards, two police officers, and one notary public to get us cleared for entry, but we managed to make it inside.

And that wasn’t even the hard part.

The hard part was biting my tongue when I walked into the holding room and saw my dad laughing with the bailiff. He hasn’t taken any of this seriously since day one.

I glance at Kayla. She gives me an encouraging little smile and I quickly look away. She offered to cut off our handcuffs and forfeit her inheritance—an inheritance that would give her a better future—for me. And she didn’t even bat an eye.

No woman has offered to sacrifice something so important for me. I don’t know what to say. Or think. Or feel about Kayla right now. So I’m avoiding eye contact until I figure it out.

“Daren, my boy!” My dad waves at me with his cuffed wrists and smiles. “Like father like son, eh?”

I curl my lip. “I’m nothing like you.”

“Ouch.” He mocks a look of hurt. “Are you still pissed about Connor? Because you don’t have to pay his bills, you know. He can get a loan from the hospital or work with his insurance company—”

“No, Dad. Just—” I inhale. “Just no. Someone needs to pay for the medical care he needed because of your horrendous decision making. And it shouldn’t be the guy who just recently learned how to walk again.”

I purse my lips, thinking about the first time I saw Connor after the accident. It was the first court date and the poor guy was sitting in court in a body cast with two black eyes and a breathing tube sticking out of his neck. And my father wasn’t even fazed.

He sighs. “Then I guess you’re welcome to be that martyr. Sweet Jesus, is that little Kayla Turner?” Dad’s eyes light up as he looks Kayla over. “My goodness, girl. I haven’t seen you in ages.”

“Hi, Mr. Ackwood.” She smiles politely.

“Call me Luke.” He smiles back. “Now why in the hell are you handcuffed to my son?”

She bites her lip. “Well, uh…”

“None of your business,” I say, taking a seat in one of the metal folding chairs on the other side of the table. I pull one out for Kayla as well and she sits beside me, crossing her legs.

She pulls her phone and a pair of earbuds from her purse and holds them up. “I’m just going to…” She puts the buds in her ears and soon I hear the distant sound of music streaming from her phone. I let out a silent sigh of relief, grateful she won’t have to listen to this conversation—however it may go.

I look at my dad. “Eddie tells me you’re refusing to plead guilty.”

“So that’s how it’s going to be, then?” he says, spitting the words out like I’ve greatly offended him. “You’re not going to speak to me for ten months, and then when you do come to see me, you come leashed to Kayla Turner without explanation and try to give me legal advice?” He laughs out loud. “Oh, my boy. That’s priceless.”

Eddie shuffles into the room, looking out of breath and a little bit sweaty. “Sorry. Sorry. I forgot which room number we were in and got a tad bit lost. But I’m here now!” He smiles.

My father says, “Eddie, why is my son handcuffed to Kayla Turner?”

Eddie frowns at me. “You haven’t found the money yet, I’m guessing?”

I shake my head. “Turner’s letter turned out to be more of a scavenger hunt. We’re still looking.”

Eddie makes a face of concern. “Oh my.”

Dad looks at me. “What in the hell does a scavenger hunt have to do with your handcuffs?”

I flex a muscle in my jaw. “Old Man Turner left us money in his will but we have to be handcuffed together until we find it.”

Dad laughs again. “Well isn’t that a kick in the pants? Chained to a pretty girl and searching for treasure.”

“Can we please get back to why I’m here?” I say, my patience less than thin.

“Yes, yes.” Eddie pulls up a chair and sits. “Here’s the problem, Luke. If you don’t plead guilty, and this thing goes to trial, you could serve up to eight years if we lose.”

“Then we’d better not lose.” He grins nonchalantly.

Eddie’s phone rings and he glances at the caller ID before standing back up. “I have to take this. I’ll be right back.” Once again he leaves, and I turn to my father.

“This isn’t a game, Dad.” I look at him sternly.

He leans forward. “Don’t you think I know that? But I don’t want to storm into a courtroom and plead guilty to almost killing a man.”

“But you did almost kill a man!” I say. “You are guilty.”

“Which is exactly why I want to go to trial.” He sneers at me. “Why do you want me to plead guilty so bad?”

I lower my voice and lean in. “Because it’s the right thing to do.”

He eyes me for a moment then shifts his gaze to Kayla and shakes his head. “Doing the right thing doesn’t always get you to the right places. I did the right thing with your mom. I was faithful to her. I was loving and honest and all that sappy shit a good man is supposed to be. And what did she do? She fucking left us.”

“Dad.” I rub a hand down my face. “This isn’t about Mom—or any other woman.”

He waves me off. “It’s always about a woman. And let me tell you something else.” He lowers his voice. “Kayla Turner isn’t going stick with you either.”

“She’s not with me, Dad. We’re just together to find the money.”

“Say whatever you want, but I know that look in a man’s eyes. The look that says I want to be worthy of this girl. The look that says I want to do the right thing for this girl. But at the end of the day it doesn’t matter.”

I roll my eyes and sigh.

“Because you aren’t good enough for her,” he continues quietly. “And I know she’s handcuffed to you now, and you’re probably thinking that you stand a chance, but she’s just using you. That’s the truth, and the truth hurts.

“Look at her, Daren. She’s young and beautiful, and she wants someone who’s stable and has money. And as soon as she gets that inheritance and you two unchain yourselves, that’s just what she’s going to go find. You don’t stand a chance, son. All the good looks in the world won’t keep a girl like Kayla Turner waiting around for you while you get your shit together.” He purses his lips and shakes his head. “She’s going to leave you. Women always leave. Hell, your own mother left you.” He inhales. “So if you know what’s best for you, you’ll drop this high-flying fantasy of yours where you and Kayla live happily ever after and get back to reality.”

I don’t like my father. I despise him, mostly. But I can’t argue with his words. He’s right. Kayla deserves something more than me. This world we’ve created, with scavenger hunts and handcuffs and sleeping in the dark, has always been temporary. I’ve always been temporary.

Eddie bustles back into the room and puts his cell phone away. “Sorry about that.” He sits back down. “Have we made any progress yet?”

Dad leans back in his seat. “I still don’t want to plead guilty, Eddie. I’d rather take my chances in the courtroom…”

They start discussing their odds in court while I sit back, pretending to listen. My eyes drift to Kayla, who’s scrolling through the music on her phone, oblivious to the conversation that just happened. I run my eyes over her soft face and slender arms and my chest tightens as I think about last night.

I had that soft face in my hands and her sweet body tucked beneath mine. She was kissing me back with passion—I couldn’t have imagined that. The way she moaned and exhaled; the way she moved against me and melted around me… those aren’t things I imagined. But could she really just be swept up in this hunt and last night was just a part of the game?

I study her for a moment. Is she faking it for the sake of the inheritance? For the fun of it? It doesn’t seem likely, especially since she was willing to forfeit the inheritance in the car this morning. But maybe that’s all fake too.

I rub a hand over my mouth, totally confused. This is why I don’t get attached to girls. They get in my head and make me second-guess everything. Then they get in my heart and scare the shit out of me with the prospect of being left behind.

What happens when we find the inheritance? Will Kayla leave? My heart drops as the answer seeps in. She will. She’ll leave me.

She shifts in her chair and gives me a small smile. I smile back, but it’s forced and feels wrong on my lips.

“… at least consider what we’re asking, Luke,” Eddie says to my father.

I tune back in to the conversation.

My dad sighs. “Fine. I’ll think about pleading guilty. Think about it.”

“Excellent.” Eddie looks at me. “Isn’t that good news?”

I nod. “Yes. Good news.” I stare at the table with a heavy feeling in my gut.

That might be good news, but the fact that Kayla Turner is probably going to leave me is not.

Dad was right. The truth hurts.