Текст книги "Twisted Ties"

Автор книги: K. A. Robinson

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Текущая страница: 8 (всего у книги 14 страниц)

Chapter Fourteen: Emma

“I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to abandon you,” Jesse said as he stood and walked over to me.

“It was my fault for believing Ally. You tried to tell me,” I said, still trying to comprehend everything that he’d just told me about Ally.

He crouched down in front of me. “I don’t blame you for that. We’d just had a fight, and then you walked in to see me in bed with another girl. I would have thought the same thing.”

“She threatened me that night we went to the party on the beach. She said to leave you alone because you were hers. After I saw you in bed with her, I thought that she meant you were sleeping with both of us at the same time.”

“Definitely not. I have never, nor will I ever be interested in Ally, and I definitely wouldn’t sleep with her. I knew I was destroying any chance I had with you when I kept her secret, but I didn’t want to abandon her. If I had known what she was doing, I would have told you what was going on the minute I saw you.”

“Is she gone?” I asked.

“I don’t know. I hope so. Andy is out looking for her now. If she hasn’t left town yet, she will after he gets through with her. I’ve never seen him so mad.”

“This whole situation is a mess—even more so than I thought originally.”

“Tell me about it. She had me fooled, that’s for sure.”

“So, what are you going to do now?”

He shrugged. “The same thing I’ve been doing—going to school. Only now, I don’t have to focus on her all the time. Now, I can focus on getting you back.”

“Do you think that’s a good idea?” I asked. It killed me to say it, but one of us had to.

“Of course it is. Why would you think otherwise?” Uncertainty clouded his eyes as he stared at me.

“Think about it, Jesse. So many things have kept us apart. It’s like fate is trying to tell us something. Maybe we’re not supposed to be together.”

“I don’t believe that. I agree that we’ve dealt with a lot, but that doesn’t mean that we should give up. I’ve always believed that if you want something, then you should go after it until it’s yours. I’m not giving up on you, Emma—not when I just got the chance to win you back. I spent the last two years without you, and it was horrible. I can’t do that again now that I’ve found you. I know this whole thing sucks, but we can move past it. You didn’t come all this way just to let me go.”

I wanted to believe him, but I wasn’t sure if I could. If I did agree to start over, I would constantly be waiting for something else to happen to us.

“I can’t, Jesse. I’m going to New York once this semester is over. We both need to let go of something that isn’t there anymore.”

“If you leave, I’ll follow you this time. I won’t give up without a fight.”

I stared down at him. Every cell in my body was screaming at me to throw myself into his arms, but I was so scared. I was tired of hurting all the time. I couldn’t deal with anything else Ally might throw at me.

“Jesse—”

“Look, give me one chance to prove to you that I’m worth all the trouble.”

“How do you plan to do that?” I asked.

He stood up and pushed me back until I was lying on my bed. He nudged my legs apart with his knees and positioned himself over me.

“I’m going to kiss you. Maybe you’ll reconsider after I do.”

I stared up at him, unable to think of anything to say. I couldn’t think at all with him practically lying on top of me. The heat radiating from his body made me shiver with want. He pushed my damp hair away from my face. My skin tingled where his fingers brushed against it.

“Will you let me kiss you?”

I could only nod. I held my breath as he lowered his lips to mine. The kiss was soft and gentle at first. Jesse had always been gentle with me. As his lips moved against mine, I closed my eyes. I’d missed kissing him so much. He ran his tongue along my bottom lip before biting on it gently. I gasped as fire shot through my body. He took advantage of my open lips and slipped his tongue between them. He kissed me harder as his tongue tangled with mine. I wrapped my hands around his neck to pull him closer. I wanted to get lost in him. Every painful moment had been worth it just to kiss him again.

He pulled away and ran his thumb down my cheek. “I’ve missed this.”

“Me, too.”

He didn’t move away like I expected him to. Instead, he kept his body pressed against mine as he stared down at me.

“Tell me you don’t want this. Tell me that you don’t care about me anymore, and I’ll walk away.”

I closed my eyes as a battle raged inside of me. I wanted him more than anything else in the world, but I was scared.

“I just don’t want to get hurt again,” I whispered.

“I will never let Ally or anyone hurt you ever again. I promise. Just tell me that you’ll stay.”

“I’ll stay for now. I can’t promise that I’ll be here forever though. If something happens, I’m gone. I can’t stand to be hurt anymore.”

He smiled. “Nothing will happen, so I have nothing to worry about. You’re mine, Emma. You always have been.”

“Jesse, I need to tell you something. I don’t want us to finally start to be happy, and then you find out about it later.”

He rolled off of me and sat up with a nervous expression on his face. “Okay?”

I sat up next to him and took his hand in mine. “Something happened after you left California.”

“What?”

“I slept with Andy. We never meant for it to happen, but it did. Nothing has happened since that one time,” I blurted out in a rush.

“I already know. Andy told me the truth last night,” Jesse said calmly.

“And you’re not mad?” I asked. I hadn’t expected him to be so calm about Andy.

“I was pissed when Andy told me, but I’m trying to accept it. I won’t pretend that it doesn’t suck because it does. But there’s nothing that we can do about it. What’s in the past is exactly where it should be—in the past.”

“I thought you’d hate me when you found out.”

“After everything I put you through with Ally, I have no right to hate you. We both screwed up.”

“We did.”

“I don’t want to screw up anymore,” he whispered.

“Neither do I.”

He leaned over and kissed me. I grabbed him and pulled him back on top of me. I needed to touch him. I needed to feel him against me. He kissed the corner of my mouth and then the tip of my nose. I closed my eyes as he kissed both of my eyelids and then my cheeks. I pulled his face down until he was kissing my lips again. I moaned as his tongue slipped inside my mouth once more. I didn’t want him to ever stop kissing me.

He pushed away and smiled down at me. “I’m not asking for anything more than kisses right now… unless you have something else on your mind, then I’ll ask.”

I grinned. “I have something else on my mind.”

“Thank God. I was hoping you would say that. Two years is a long fucking time to be without you.”

He started kissing me again. He wasn’t as gentle as before, but it was still sweet. I wrapped my arms and legs around him until he was pressed tightly against me. He rested his weight on both of his elbows so that he wouldn’t crush me.

“I love the way you smell,” he whispered before kissing behind my ear.

I shivered from the sensation. His lips were everywhere after that—below my ear, on my lips, on my neck. I moaned as I felt him pressing against me. He’d done nothing but kiss me, and I already felt heat at my core. I hadn’t felt this way in a very long time.

“It’s been too long,” I whispered.

“I know. All I want is to be inside you, but I’m going to take my time. I want to kiss every inch of you.”

He sat up and brought me up with him. He pulled my shirt over my head and tossed it aside. My bra went next. I suddenly felt shy. It had been so long since he’d seen me like this. I crossed my arms over my chest, trying to hide myself.

He smiled as he grabbed my arms and pushed them away. “Never hide from me. I want to see all of you.”

He ran his fingers just under my breasts so that he barely touched them, and I felt my nipples harden. I was torn between covering up and begging him to touch me.

“Jesse?”

“Hmm?” he asked as he grazed my breasts again.

“Please don’t tease me. I want you to…”

“What do you want me to do?”

“Touch me.”

He smiled as he slid his hand between my breasts. “I already am, but I think I know what you want.”

I fell back against my pillow as he ran a single finger across the swell of my breasts and then underneath again. He kept up his teasing, circling motion, getting closer to my nipples each time. When he finally reached them, he barely touched them, and I whimpered. I couldn’t handle his teasing anymore. I opened my mouth to beg when he finally ran his thumb over one of them. Lightning shot through my body and straight between my legs. My hips rose to grind against him. His breathing hitched as I pressed my body against his.

“Let’s get rid of your pants,” he said as he moved off of me.

He tugged my pants down, leaving me in only my underwear.

“Fuck. You never wore anything like this before.”

“Like, what?” I asked, confused.

“A thong.” He pulled me from the bed and turned me around.

“What are you doing?”

“I want the full image of you wearing this seared into my brain. It’s sexy as hell. Do you have more like this?”

“Yeah.”

“Good.”

He hooked his thumb in the fragile string wrapped around my hips. Before I realized what he was doing, I heard a rip, and then my underwear was gone.

Jesus, he just ripped them right off of me.

I should have been mad that he’d ruined them, but I wasn’t. It was quite possibly one of the sexiest things he’d ever done.

“There—that’s better.” He kissed my neck.

“You’re still wearing clothes,” I whined.

“You’re right, my bad.” He lifted his shirt over his head and then pulled his pants and boxers off.

When he was finished undressing, he grabbed my hips and pulled me tight against him. I moaned as my sensitive nipples rubbed against the bare skin of his chest. He gripped my ass and lifted me as I wrapped them around him. He fell back onto the bed, and I nearly came then and there as I felt his shaft rub against my clit.

No more teasing. I need this now. I need him now.

He rolled me onto my back and started kissing me again. He broke the kiss and lowered his lips to my breasts. I arched my back as his tongue circled my nipple. He rolled off of me, and his fingers skimmed down my stomach to where I needed them. My legs fell open to allow him access.

“You’re so wet,” he said as he ran his fingers along my core.

I moaned when he pushed one of them inside me. He thrust it in and out a few times before pulling back out. He flicked my clit with his fingers, and I nearly came up off the bed. Every nerve in my body was on fire.

“I want you so bad,” he said in a strained voice as he watched me raise my hips with each flick of his finger.

“Then, do something about it.”

“Roll onto your stomach.”

I did as he’d said. He stood and positioned me so that he was against my entrance.

“Fuck, Emma. I don’t have protection.”

“I’m on the pill, and I’m clean, I swear.”

“I trust you, and I haven’t been with anyone since you.”

He pushed in, so just his tip was inside me. He reached around and ran his fingers across my clit. I was going to explode if he didn’t stop torturing me.

“Jesse, stop teasing.”

“You’re tight. I don’t want to hurt you.”

“You’re killing me right now.”

He pushed farther in, making me moan. He pulled almost all the way out, and then he thrust in again, going farther this time.

“Fuck, you feel good,” he moaned.

He continued his slow thrusts until he finally pushed all the way in. I moaned in pleasure. He pulled back out and thrust in again. He kept his leisurely pace for a minute before finally speeding up.

“You can go faster. You’re not going to hurt me.”

He said nothing as he started moving in and out faster. He grabbed my hips and pulled me back each time he thrust in so that he could go deeper. I buried my face in my pillow to muffle my moans.

“I want to hear you,” he said as he slammed into me.

I shook my head. Someone in one of the rooms around us might hear us.

“Emma, let me hear you. If you don’t move that pillow, I’m going to fuck you so hard that nothing will hide your screams.”

When I didn’t move, he laughed.

“I was hoping you’d make me work for it.”

He pulled all the way out and then slammed back into me. I cried out, unable to stop myself. He continued his hard and fast thrusts until I was screaming his name. I was past the point of caring whether or not anyone could hear me. I shattered to pieces under him as I came. He continued to thrust until he found his own release. He shouted out my name as I felt his seed filling me.

When he was finished, he pulled out and rolled me over. I reached up and grabbed him to yank him down on top of me, and his sweat-covered skin slid across mine.

“I love you, Jesse. I always have.”

“I love you, too. I’ve missed you so much. I’ve missed this so much.” He kissed my forehead, and then he rolled to his side and pulled me tight against him. I smiled as he wrapped his arms around me.

This was exactly where I was supposed to be—in his arms.

Chapter Fifteen: Jesse

I held Emma’s hand as she drove us to Andy’s. Now that I had her back, there was no way that I was going to let go of her, not even for a second. We pulled up to Andy’s building and stepped out of the car. I walked around the front and grabbed her as soon as she closed her door. My lips crushed against hers as I pulled her against me. I never wanted to stop tasting her.

“Jesse, stop it! We’re in a very public parking lot. Someone might see.”

“Let them watch. Maybe they’ll learn something.”

She rolled her eyes as she linked her fingers with mine, and we started walking toward Andy’s building.

“I’m sure they would,” she said.

Once we were inside, she turned to take the steps.

I tugged on her hand, stopping her. “Let’s take the elevator.”

“Okay…”

I ignored her questioning look as I walked to the elevator and pushed the button. The doors slid open instantly, and I pulled her inside. As soon as they closed, I pushed her up against the wall. My hands worked to push her shirt up.

“What are you doing?” she cried.

I ignored her as I pulled the cups of her bra down. As soon as her breasts were free, I leaned down and sucked one of her nipples into my mouth. She grabbed my shoulders to hold herself up.

“Oh god, Jesse.”

I ran my tongue across her nipple. I wanted her here and now, but I knew that wasn’t possible. I was going to take her home as soon as we left Andy’s apartment. She wouldn’t have to worry about being quiet since no one would be around to hear her as I made her scream out my name.

“I want to take you right here, but I can’t. Soon though, I promise.” I helped her fix her bra and pull her shirt back down.

I hated the jeans she was wearing as I reached between her legs and stroked her through the material. Her lips parted as her head fell back against the wall.

“Soon.”

The elevator door sprang open, causing us to jump apart. I cursed as I realized that I’d forgotten to push the button to take us up to Andy’s floor.

“Okay, gross. I don’t even want to know what you two were doing five seconds ago,” Andy grumbled as he stepped onto the elevator. “I see you two worked everything out at least.”

“I worked her pretty good,” I said as I grinned at Andy. I knew I was being a jackass, but I couldn’t help it. I realized that there was nothing between the two of them, but I wanted to make it crystal clear to Andy that Emma was mine.

“Jesse! Shut up!” Emma said as she blushed.

“It’s fine. I knew you two would act like bunnies once you kissed and made up.” Andy grinned at her.

When she turned away from us to push the button, he shot me a dirty look, letting me know that I wasn’t fooling anyone with my caveman act. I ignored it as I pulled her back against me. I was marking my territory.

“You’re both idiots,” Emma grumbled as the elevator rose to the second floor.

When the doors opened, we followed Andy down the hall to his apartment. He unlocked his door and threw his keys on the table.

“By the way, if you start acting like bunnies on my couch, I’ll kick you both out.”

“Oh, shut up,” Emma said.

I walked over to the couch and sat down as Andy headed into the kitchen. Emma started to sit down next to me, but I grabbed her and pulled her onto my lap. I wanted her as close to me as possible.

Andy returned a few seconds later with a beer in his hand, and I raised an eyebrow.

“What? If you want a beer, you can go and get it yourself. I’m not your maid.” He sat down on the opposite side of the couch.

“I’m your guest. You have to wait on me hand and foot.”

“Try again, asshole.”

I smiled. It was like the past two years had never happened. Andy and I were back to the way we’d always been.

“Did you find Ally?” Emma cut in.

Andy shook his head. “No, and believe me, I searched everywhere. One of the girls at her work said Ally had come in early this morning and quit. I think she’s gone.”

“Good riddance,” I muttered.

“I feel like an ass for saying this, but I agree. Ally has changed and not for the better. I just hope that she’s smart enough to leave the two of you alone,” Andy said sadly.

“I think she will. She must realize by now that we all know what she did. I don’t think she’ll show her face around any of us again. I know this has to be hard for you, Andy. She’s still your sister, and despite everything that she’s done, I know you still love her,” Emma said.

“I’ll be fine. I’m more ashamed of what she did than anything. If this is the person she’s become, then she’s not my sister anymore.”

We were all quiet as Andy sipped his beer. None of us really knew what to say at this point. The things that Ally had done were unreal.

“Andy, I really do think that she made me sick that night,” Emma said quietly.

He sighed. “I think you’re probably right. I didn’t think she’d do something like that before, but now, I have no idea what she’s capable of.”

Emma scooted off my lap and over to Andy. My hands balled into fists as she reached over to hug him. I knew they were friends now, but I wasn’t used to seeing them together like this, and it bothered me. I wasn’t sure if I’d ever be okay with the two of them alone together after what had happened between them.

“I’m sorry, Andy. I started all of this,” Emma said as she pulled away.

He shook his head. “Nah, this is all on Ally. She’s the one who fucked up.”

“Agreed,” I said as I pulled Emma back over to me.

“I hate to cut this short, but I need to get ready for work. Sam texted me and said one of the guys called in sick, so I have to cover his shift.”

“Whoa, wait a minute. You work with Sam?” I asked.

Emma tensed beside me. “Jesse, don’t.”

Andy looked between the two of us. “I do. He’s my boss’s irresponsible younger brother. Why? Do you know him?”

“He lives a few houses down from me. I caught him trying to maul Emma at one of his parties.”

I could practically see the smoke coming out of Andy’s ears.

“He did, what? Emma, why didn’t you tell me?”

“I didn’t want to make things awkward for you at work. It was my own fault anyway.”

“I’m going to strangle the asshole,” Andy said.

“No, you’re not. You’re going to pretend like you don’t know. He’s your boss’s brother. If you fight him, you’ll get fired.”

“Is there anyone in this world who isn’t an asshole?” Andy seethed.

I raised my hand. “Me.”

“No, you’re definitely an asshole.”

“Please don’t say anything, Andy. Please,” Emma begged.

He rolled his eyes. “Fine, I won’t. But if he so much as mentions you, I’ll knock his head off.”

“And if you get in a fight, I’ll hit you.” Emma scowled at him.

He laughed. “You’ve hit me before. It doesn’t hurt.”

“Whatever,” she huffed as she stood up. “We’ll leave you alone, so you can get ready for work.”

I stood and started to follow her, but Andy called my name.

“Jesse, hang on a minute.” He waited until Emma was out in the hallway before he continued. “Look, I know you’re butt-hurt over Emma and me, but you need to let it go. It was a long time ago, and I’m not going to come between you two. Stop trying to make me see that she’s yours. I already know it.”

I nodded, feeling like an idiot. “You’re right. It’s just…I just got her back, and I don’t want to lose her.”

“I’ve been her friend for a long time now. Trust me when I say that she isn’t going anywhere.”

“Jesse, are you coming?” Emma asked as she opened the door to look for me.

“Yeah.” I glanced at Andy. “I’ll see you later.”

“Later.”

Emma refused to take the elevator back down to the main floor. She said something about not trusting me. I had no idea why she would think that. Okay, maybe I did see her point.

The skies had darkened while we were inside Andy’s place. I could hear thunder in the distance. From the way it looked, we were in for a nasty storm.

On the way back to my house, we stopped at a fast-food restaurant to grab something to eat. It was nice to just sit there and chill like a normal couple. I relaxed back into the booth as I realized that there was no crazy bitch hanging over our heads. I wasn’t about to let my guard down just in case Ally showed up again, but that didn’t mean that I’d let her ruin my happiness.

Emma was mine again, and I planned to keep it that way. I didn’t care what I had to do. I would make sure that she was always mine.

“What are you thinking about?” Emma asked as she stared at me from across the table.

“You,” I said simply.

“What about me?”

“Just that I’m the luckiest guy ever to have you back in my life. It doesn’t matter, but I have to ask you something. What’s the situation with your mom now? Is she as bad as she was before?”

“Nah, she’s worse. She took my car and kicked me out when I told her I was coming to West Virginia for college. That was in May, and I haven’t heard a word from her since. My dad let me stay at his place over the summer.”

“She kicked you out? How can a parent do that to her kid?”

Emma shrugged. “It doesn’t matter. I’m glad that I’m finally free. All she did was make my life hell.”

“Did you ever tell her about me?”

She shook her head. “No, I didn’t see the point. You were gone.”

“I thought I’d lose you because of her.”

“And I was afraid that she’d keep me away from you. Obviously, that isn’t a problem now. It’s not like she can disown me twice if she did find out.”

“That’s true. You know, I still have the same fears as before. I’ll never be rich, Emma, and I hope you can accept that.”

She frowned. “I told you before that money doesn’t matter to me. The only thing I ever wanted when I was growing up was to be happy. My family had all the money in the world, and we were miserable. Money doesn’t buy happiness. Happiness is something that comes from within. I learned a long time ago that my mother could never be happy. She just doesn’t have it in her.”

“But you do. You’re the happiest person I’ve ever met.”

“You haven’t seen me on a bad day,” she teased.

“No, I haven’t—well, except for that day in your room, but that doesn’t count. I can’t wait to see it. I bet you’re even hotter when you’re in a pissy mood.”

She laughed. “You’re an idiot. So, tell me, what have you been up to since you moved?”

“Not much. We moved here, and I started a new school. I made a few friends but none worth mentioning. I kept my nose out of trouble and graduated at the top of my class. Mom married Mark a year ago, and they’re both blissfully happy. It made me want to vomit when I lived there.”

“Do you like Mark now?”

“I do. When I met him, I convinced myself that he was going to break her. Instead, he made her happy. I’ve never seen her the way she is now. Once I got over myself, I actually talked to him, and I realized that he isn’t such a bad guy. Before he met my mom, he was married, but his wife died four years ago. I think it really messed him up for a long time.”

“I can’t even imagine.”

“Neither can I. But I think my mom helped him as much as he helped her. They’re both really happy together.”

“I’m glad. Your mom was always so nice to me.”

“She liked you. She never asked why I’d left, but she knows it had to do with you.”

“I bet she hates me now.”

“Nah. My mom doesn’t have it in her to hate anyone, even my dad. She’ll be excited to see you again.”

“I hope so.”

“Why don’t we go visit her tomorrow? I could use a day away from here and all the drama.”

“If you’re sure that she doesn’t hate me…” Emma said, obviously nervous.

“I promise, she doesn’t. She’ll probably bake cookies for you or something.”

Emma laughed. “I’d like that. The only person who has ever made me cookies was the chef my mom hired.”

I frowned when I noticed how something as simple as cookies could upset her. It was obvious that her mother had never taken a second to actually be there for her daughter.

“I’m sorry that you had to grow up alone.”

“It’s fine. I’m over it. I’m putting the past behind me and moving on to bigger and better things.”

“Like the poor kid from the trailer park?”

“Like the boy who stole my heart and taught me how to surf.”

“I miss surfing. It’s been a long time since I was on a board.”

“I kept surfing after you left. I went to that spot you had taken me to, and I surfed there. Andy and I found a good spot, too.”

“You surfed with Andy?” I hated the fact that he’d been there for her when I wasn’t.

“Yeah, we surfed a lot this summer.”

“I thought you said you moved to your dad’s place in L.A.”

“I did. Andy came with me.”

I sighed. “This really blows.”

“What do you mean?”

“I hate the fact that you’ve spent so much time with him. I know you two are just friends, but it still bothers me.”

“Jesse, you have to understand the relationship I have with Andy. He was there for me when I had no one. He’s my best friend. Well, he was. Since you are back with us, I think I’ve been bumped down to just a regular friend. You stole my spot.”

“I doubt that. Andy is the kind of guy who will always be loyal once you break down his wall. Once you’re in, you’re in.”

“Good. I don’t want to lose him.”

“I’ll try to work on my jealous side when it comes to him, I promise. Just give me some time. When I left, you two barely knew each other. Now, you’re as close to him as I used to be.”

“Thank you. And I promise you that you have nothing to worry about when it comes to him. He’s nothing more than a friend.”

“Good.” I glanced outside to see that the storm was getting closer. “I think we should probably get back to my house before that storm hits.”

“Sounds like a plan.”

I stood and followed Emma back to her car. I couldn’t wait to get her alone.