Текст книги "Truth in Watercolors"

Автор книги: Kimberly Rose

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Текущая страница: 11 (всего у книги 16 страниц)

“I don’t wanna play.” I pulled on his shirt, but he wouldn’t budge. “I wanna fuck.”

His head dropped back into the crook of my neck, and I felt the vibration of his mumbled groan. “You can’t say those things to me. I’m barely keeping it in as it is.” He lifted his head so that we were face to face. His hand brushed across my forehead and down my cheek. I watched his eyes bounce over my face until they settled on mine. “Besides. You know just as well as I do that’s not what this is.”

“What is it then?” I asked feeling the throb spread into my stomach. His eyes deepened and flared before perking up.

“Fucking passionately,” he said and dove back into nibbles down my neck. I laughed and tried to bring his face back up to mine, but he dodged me moving lower. “Playtime,” he mumbled, pushing my shirt up and placing open-mouthed kisses against my stomach. He unbuttoned my jeans and pulled away. I lifted myself up as he peeled them down to my knees. Then he began with the open-mouthed kisses again, except this time between my thighs. The heat of his tongue against my skin brought on an empty ache that had to be filled.

I ran my hands through his hair and tried to guide him to me. He shook his head releasing my hands and continued the steady stroke of his tongue up my thigh. The calloused pad of his finger brushed the edge of my underwear to the side. I shuddered against the sudden assault of balmy sea air.

The anticipation of having Wes’ mouth against me, and his tongue in me had me completely wet. Though, instead of doing what I so desperately needed him to do, he continued to tease with the light trail of his tongue across my bare mound. “You’re an asshole,” I forced out in a heavy breath. His chuckle pulsed through his tongue adding an insatiable need.

Then he did it. He pressed his face into me. Tongue deep. I moaned myself into an arch, taking in as much of his mouth as I could. His close shaven beard scratched against my thighs and massaged his lips into me. Nothing had ever felt physically this amazing. The throb deep in me was pulsing at an all-out ache, and I could feel myself dripping down my thighs.

“God, you’re soaked,” Wes whispered roughly.

“I need you,” I whined out. I needed him so bad. In more ways than I thought I’d ever need a person.

Wes pulled away from me letting the coolness of the air slip in between us. He peeled my pants off the rest of the way then lifted me from the hood of the car. I wrapped my legs around his waist and stared into his eyes. “You ready for this, baby?” He spoke softly. I nodded and touched my fingertips to his jaw.

He walked us to the car and held me completely in one arm as he opened the back door and slid me in. I climbed backward toward the other side of the car making enough room for him while peeling off the rest of my clothes.

Still standing outside, Wes unbuckled his pants and quickly removed them and his shirt, tossing them into the front seat. Then he crawled in and propped himself above me in a canopy of his heat.

He lifted up a foil package to his teeth, and I put my hand on it to stop him. “I don’t know how to fuck without one of these.” He shook his head in a smirk.

“Neither do I,” I said, “but this isn’t just fucking. This is fucking passionately, and I want to feel you completely.”

“Damn, how does a guy say no to that?” He tossed the packet onto the floor. “Wait, what about—?”

“I’m on something,” I assured him, knowing what he was about to ask. “So fuck me, Wes. Passionately,” I whispered the demand.

Wes lowered himself closer to me, and we stared at one another. I took in the subtle vulnerability of his eyes, and the anticipation of his breath. We were seconds away from changing everything, and I was so ready.

Seeming to come to the same conclusion, Wes pressed his lips to mine and kissed me slowly. The weight of him on me increased as he slid into me slowly at first, and then sunk in fully.

Our lips parted in silent exhales, and his forehead fell against mine. He pulled out slowly and filled me once again at just the same pace. Over and over again, slowly and deeply Wes rocked into me. Our legs and arms moved within tangles together and our hands brushed and gripped each other. With each thrust and every touch, I felt him burying further and further inside of me, yet he wasn’t deep enough. I still wanted more of him. I wanted all of him. The need spiraled up in me and our movement became more emphasized. I pushed my fingers further into his skin, and he filled me in heavier thrusts.

Sparks of white light flashed in my clenched eyes the closer I got. Brighter. Brighter. Closer. Closer. Until with one last push into me, a rainbow of color burst into my subconscious and my body exploded in delicious pulses around him. Wes followed me with his own release almost immediately after.

He fell cautiously onto me and peppered my chest, neck, and cheeks with soft cool kisses. Our chests battled against each other for breath until they both settled into a soft, steady pace together.

Never. Never had sex ever been that amazing for me. Never had it been that consuming. “I think you ruined me,” I whispered thinking that Wes had just become the last and only man I’d ever want again.

“I think you made me,” he whispered back laying his head over my heart.

Men were simple fellas. We didn’t want much in life; food in our bellies, a kind woman on our arm, and a morning B.J. My girl excelled at keeping the simple me happy.

I should probably get up and shower or something, but I was sprawled out on my bed in happy man euphoria. My bathroom door squeaked open, and I flopped my head to the side to watch her.

“You haven’t moved.” She smiled climbing like a cat back into bed. Rawr.

“And your lips are still swollen. All signs that it’s too soon to get up.” I reached my arms out and pulled her on top of me kissing the swell of those lips. She settled into a comfy straddle over me arising the sleeping giant who’d already had a turn. She didn’t seem to mind.

“We never get up on Sundays,” she mumbled through our lazy kisses.

“I know,” I said running my hands up and down her back. We’d been doing this for weeks now. Spending all of our free time together and ending each day with her in my bed. We spent all day on Sundays in bed. I repeat all day. Could a guy get a round of applause?

It was nice, though, having her around this much. No, nice was when your eighth-grade crush touched just the tip. This was more like finding out your best friend’s hot little sister couldn’t get enough of you. Oh yeah, that happened! Monogamy didn’t get the credit it deserved. Having one chick on your dick all the fuckin’ time was ah-mazing, mainly because it was Capri, though.

“I wanna take you out today,” I said hooking my thumbs under the edge of her panties. Why’d she put these back on? “Why are these back on?”

She giggled into my lips. “I thought you’re taking me out?”

“After.” I pulled her bottom lip into my mouth with my teeth and ran my tongue across it. She tasted like me. “Then we can go.”

“Where are we going?” she asked sitting up. I reached for her frantically, but then she slipped off her panties with a sly grin and climbed back on. I sighed in relief.

“On a date.” I pushed her hair over so I could bite on her neck better.

“We’ve never been on a date,” she said sitting up again. I sighed in frustration.

“Of course, we have,” I said pulling her back on me, but she wasn’t having it. She shoved my hands away and propped hers on her hips.

“When?” She raised an eyebrow at me, giving me that sexy as hell sass.

“Yesterday,” I said, “we went to that smoothie place you like.”

“That wasn’t a date.” She looked at me like I’d lost my damn mind. “It was next door to the gas station, and we only went in because they were giving away Batman straws with a large smoothie.”

“My straw is amazing.”

“It is. Still. Not a date.” She folded her arms over her chest and tilted her head.

“How about last week?” I said lifting up on my elbows. “When we went to the paintball field.” She narrowed her eyes at me.

“That was for Ridge’s birthday, and we ate pizza out of boxes with a bunch of teenagers.”

“It was fun; admit it.” I smiled remembering how many times we’d snuck off to make out.

“It was, actually.” She smiled down at me. “A lot of fun. Still not a date, though.”

“What makes a date then?” I asked certain we’d been on a gatrillion dates in the last couple of weeks. I thought. Dates were when you went places with the same person more than once right?

“A date is when you plan something, like dinner, or a movie, or anything really. We dress up, you pick me up, and we spend time together just the two of us.”

“Baby, we always spend time together just the two of us. Like right now. This. Me and you in bed laughing and kissing; this is better than any night at dinner or a movie.” I ran my hand up and down her thigh.

“I know. You’re right,” she said, watching my fingers. “I don’t think I’ve ever been on a date with someone I really wanted to be with.”

Fuck. “Hey,” I said touching her chin to get her to look at me. “If a date is where I take my girl out to do something special, something out of the ordinary, then this is a date.”

She smiled shyly at me. “Really?”

I nodded then sat all the way up and held her hands in mine. “Capri. Will you go on a date with me?”

She tossed her head to the side and laughed. “I’d love to.”

“Go get dressed up. I’ll pick you up at the bathroom in,” I checked my fake watch, “thirty minutes.”

“Okay.” She smiled. That stuff gutted me every time. Each time I made her smile that big, or eyes that twinkly, or laugh that easy, I felt like my heart ditched me to go hang out with her. It was a good place for it to be.

“Keep ‘em closed,” I told Capri running around frantically trying to get things set up.

“What was that?” she asked about the echoed clinking on the ground.

“Dropped something.” A chair. I dropped a chair. While Capri was showering, I ran around my place frantically getting things together and loaded into the back of my car. My original plan was to show her the place, but now that this was a date, I had to step things up a notch.

Bringing her here had me nervous enough, but now that it was a date, too? Crap, I was a mess and dropping shit left and right. “What was that?” she asked from where I made her stand near the door with her hands over her eyes.

“A, ugh…” Think fast. “A machete.”

“A what?” She burst out laughing. “What kind of date is this? Should I go get my pepper spray?”

“No. Stop asking me. It’s a surprise. That’s what it is.” I put the finishing touches on the space and leaned against the wall, out of breath. I gave myself a minute to look around at the plaster and concrete then focused on Capri here in the middle of it all with me. This was all I’d ever need. Right here.

“Okay,” I said pushing off the wall and walking back over to her. “On three.” I stood behind her and wrapped my arms around her waist, pulling her tightly against me I whispered, “One…two…three.”

I squinted my eyes and felt her hands fall. “Wes,” she whispered. “What is this?” She stepped away from my hold. I followed right behind her not liking the emptiness she’d left me with.

“It’s gonna be my shop,” I said watching her spin slowly, taking in the large empty space.

“I didn’t know you guys were moving locations,” she said walking toward the back corner and looking at everything on her way.

“We aren’t. I am.” She stopped and turned back toward me.

“What?”

“This is mine. I’m buying it,” I said drumming my fingers against my legs.

“What?” she said again and walked quickly back to me. “You’re buying this.” She stopped in front of me and pointed to the ground.

I only nodded. I was too freaked out. I really needed Capri to like this place and to like this idea. Me buying a shop of my own, owning a tattoo shop—it was something I’d wanted for as long as I could remember and something I’d been saving for since I started working.

This shop was more than just my own place to work. It was me taking care of myself, by myself. Now with Capri standing here, I was realizing this was me taking care of her, too. This was my shot at proving to her that I could take care of her and be the kind of man she deserved to have.

“Oh, my gosh, Wes!” She squealed and jumped into my arms. I laughed and spun her around.

I set her down and took her face into my hands to kiss my girl in my shop. When I pulled away, I looked down at her. “So, you like it?”

“Like it? I think it’s amazing, but more than that, I think you’re amazing. You’re buying your own shop.” She smiled so brightly.

“A few more pieces and I’ll have the down payment.” Looking around, I felt completely overwhelmed. I stuffed my hands into my pockets and gripped my sketch in one hand with a deep breath. “We actually aren’t supposed to be in here yet, but my realtor is a client of mine. When I told him that I wanted to show you the place, he gave me the code to the lockbox.”

“I’m so proud of you.” She reached out, grabbing my shirt in her hands, and pulled me in for a kiss. “What’s the rest of this?” She pulled away too soon and waved at my setup.

“It’s our date,” I said grabbing onto her hips and pulling her back to me. I dove into her neck and kissed all over it. “Movie night,” I mumbled then licked. She tilted her head and her arms wrapped around my waist. “Ten Things.” I nibbled under her ear making her groan. “Popcorn.” She rose on her toes and leaned herself into my dick. “Scratch that. We’re just going to christen the place.”

I squatted down and picked her up. She wrapped her legs around my waist and tossed her head back in a laugh. I spun around with her in my arms frantically looking for where to take her. Wall? Floor? Lawn chair? All the while, she laughed and laughed covering the whole place in her smiles. Fuckin’ perfect.

“We can’t skip our date. You went through all this trouble.” She pointed over to where I’d set up two lawn chairs, some movie snack goodness, and a tiny projector borrowed from my neighbor hooked to my cell to play the movie on the wall.

“I’d skip anything to be buried in you,” I said completely serious.

“Don’t say things like that,” she whispered. “I want to go on this date with you and talk like that is bound to leave me begging for you up against a wall.”

“Holy fuck. That didn’t help.” I let her slide back down to the ground and dropped my chin to my chest. Be still my beating heart. One movie and our boy down there will make it happen.

“Are you talking to your penis?” She scrunched her nose at me.

“My heart. Let’s date, baby.” I tapped the tip of her nose and went to set up her favorite movie.

I had to give her credit. This date thing was pretty tight. We abandoned the lawn chairs almost immediately because we couldn’t sit as close as we’d wanted to. We ended up propped up against the back wall with a blanket. I had Capri snuggled up in the crook of one arm, and a bowl of popcorn with Raisinets in the other. Happy man.

Immediately following the end of the movie, I pulled her on top of me. We spent the rest of our date christening the floor, the wall, and the sawhorse in the corner. Date nights ruled. Happy chick. Happy dick.

Wes was nervous about something. That much was obvious. After rolling over to his cooled spot in the bed at three a.m. this morning, I found him in his living room organizing his video games by color. Not able to fall back asleep, I stayed up and made us breakfast. He barely ate a bite before we left for SYC.

I reached over and touched my hand to his knee, stilling the bounce of his thigh as we drove to the youth center. He flinched like I’d woken him from a shallow sleep. “You okay over there?” I asked watching him closely for any signs of him trying to hide his nerves from me.

“I’m freakin’ out, C.” He shook his head, and I smiled at the honesty I’d earned over the last few months.

“Why?” I ran my hand through his hair. He leaned into my touch and sighed.

“After today, it’s done.” He looked at me with his eyebrows pinched in the middle of his forehead.

“It is,” I agreed, “and it looks so amazing.” A few more touch-ups and outlines, and we would put the finishing touches on the mural today.

“I hate endings, Capri.” Wes’ knee began bopping again. I set my hand on his thigh and rubbed softly. “I don’t like ‘em. I get this sinking feeling right here.” He touched his hand to his stomach.

I nodded at him in understanding. He’d had so many endings over the course of his life; friendships, routines, blessings, and nightmares. “This is different, Wes. The only thing that will change is not going to SYC a few times a week to paint. Everything else is the same. You still have the same people, you still have tattooing, and you can even show up at the youth center anytime you want.”

The shaking of his knee settled some, and when he looked at me again, the pinch in his forehead had loosened. “It’s still sad though, yeah?” he asked.

“It is.” I smiled softly. “I’ll miss painting with the boys and painting with you. It’s exciting too though, you know? Now, we go forward.” I thought about how far we’d come since we started. “You annoyed the crap out of me.” I shoved his leg with my hand making him laugh.

“Only ‘cause you wanted me.” He winked. I shook my head looking out the window. That’s so true. “Now you like me.” He smiled.

“But you still annoy me,” I added.

“And you still want me.” He waggled his eyebrows making the turn into SYC.

“More.” I watched him park the car then turn to me with a smile of wonderment on his face.

“Somehow. I still don’t get it,” he said taking my hand in his.

“When we started on the mural, I hadn’t painted outside of the tiny space I had in my room for years. I was so scared of being rejected as an artist, both by others and myself. In the last few months, I’ve discovered how to be proud of what I’m passionate about and proud of who I am. I don’t feel like hiding anymore.” I turned to face him completely. “I called the art gallery in La Jolla yesterday about displaying some of my work.” I held my breath at the last word.

“Are you serious?” He jumped forward in his seat and squeezed my hand. “That’s amazing.” I let out a whoosh of air in a laugh. “Baby.” His voice softened along with his face. “Really. That’s huge.” He leaned in to kiss me, which I allowed but only a simple peck before pulling back.

“You said you don’t get it. You don’t get how I could possibly want you more, but that’s why. In the short time that I’ve been lucky enough to get close to you, I’ve become closer to who I really am. You’ve helped me find my meaning.”

He shook his head. “It’s always been there.”

“Kinda like you,” I whispered and leaned into him. His hands cupped my face, and he slipped his tongue between my lips. Our kiss was slow but no less powerful. I felt like he was trying to pull the words I’d spoken from my mouth and absorb them into his own disbelief.

“No glove, no love,” Ridge’s muffled voice came outside of the car window, sending Wes and me immediately into our places as far away from each other as possible.

Wes rolled down his window while I pulled out my compact. “Real funny, dude.”

“Good morning, Miss Capri.” Ridge ignored Wes and stuck his head into the car.

“Good morning, Ridge.” I smiled zipping up my purse.

“Go inside. We’ll be there in a few.” Wes put his hand flat on Ridge’s face and pushed him out of the car.

“I can’t,” Ridge muffled, and Wes dropped his hand. “August and Miss Kensie are in there making out, too.”

“We’re awful role models,” I grumbled to Wes, who tossed his head back in a laugh.

“When I grow up, I want to work here, too.” Ridge waggled his eyebrows at us. Clearly, he’d spent too much time with Wes.

“Inside,” Wes said, rolling his window up. “Just cover your eyes.”

“I repeat. We’re awful role models.” I laughed, opening my door.

“Me, yes. You? You’re the kind of woman every girl should aspire to become, and the kind of lady every boy should hope to bone.” He leaned over giving me a quick kiss before he climbed out. What a romantic.

“Can you believe it’s done?” Kensie asked. She’d come by after her dance class was over to check out the nearly finished wall. Ridge, Jordan, and Wes were just doing a few extra highlights and lowlights on the mural. “It turned out beautifully.”

I couldn’t agree more. Everything about that huge gym wall from the smears of paint creating a representation of the kids who find a niche in this place, to the stories hidden within the brushstrokes permanently etching the turns our lives have taken while creating the mural. It was beautiful.

“How are things going with Wes?” she asked tying her hair up into a knot on her head.

“Really, really well.” I smiled, watching him with the boys. He peered back over his shoulder checking on me and then stood up stretching his arms. Slowly, and oh so purposefully, he bent them into a perfect flex. “Oh, okay,” I mumbled making Kensie laugh. Then he propped his arms up on the wall in front of him and bent over, sticking his butt out at us.

“Wow. You’re a lucky woman,” Kensie teased as his butt shifted from side to side.

“Ridge!” I hollered across the gym. All three boys stopped and turned. “Why don’t you show Wes what real muscles look like.”

“Ohhh,” the boys chanted. Wes folded his arms over his chest and shook his head chuckling.

“These here are Grade A all-American muscles,” Wes shouted back at me with his arms flexed on either side. “I could bench press you with these guns.”

“Yeah, of course.” I smiled and rolled my eyes.

“That’s it,” Wes said charging toward me with his dimples on full display.

“No.” I stuck my hands out in front of me and shuffled back. “Wes, no.” I couldn’t help the giggled squeal that echoed in the gym when he swept me off my feet and lifted me to his chest. I wiggled in his arms, and he let me drop to my feet again.

“All right, maybe later,” he said kissing me on the cheek before going back to the boys.

“Okay, so it’s going really, really well,” Kensie said coming up next to me. “Because I don’t think I’ve ever seen you so—”

“Myself,” I finished her thought.

“I was going to say happy, but yeah, that works, too.”

“I’m colorblind, by the way,” I blurted out still a little out of breath.

“What?” Kensie turned her entire body toward me. “You’re what?”

“Colorblind?” I looked at her with a shrug. “Figured while we are on the topic of me being myself, I should put it out there.”

“Holy shit. Why haven’t you ever said anything before?” Kensie grabbed me by the elbows.

“Said what?” August came in through the side doors next to us. Kensie released my arms and went to August.

“That she’s colorblind,” she said stepping up on her toes to kiss him. When she pulled away, he looked at me with raised eyebrows

“What are you talking about?” He ran his hands up and down Kensie’s arms.

“I’m colorblind.” I grimaced a smile at him and waited for him to say something, but he stared at me in confusion. “I have been my whole life; I just never talk about it.”

“What the hell? You’re serious right now?” he said dropping his arms from Kensie.

“I am.”

“How? I mean, why haven’t you ever said anything? Or Mom and Dad? Mom and Dad have to know, right?”

“They know.” I nodded. “But obviously they took protecting me a bit too far. I think they thought they were saving me from unnecessary judgment by never mentioning it.”

“Capri, that’s so wrong. They kept it a secret?” August’s voice rose with his bewilderment.

“They let me be the one to decide if and when I wanted people to know,” I explained to him. The time of me being upset with them over their decision to keep quiet about my colorblindness had already come and gone. “Once I was old enough to realize there was something different in the way I saw things, I’m the one who made it a secret.”

I remembered the exact moment all my friends in elementary school commented on my mismatched outfit. When I’d left that morning, I’d seen something entirely different. Regardless of what my mom told me that night about being unique and special, I felt like a freak.

“What about your art, though? You took all those classes in high school. You were always drawing, or coloring, or painting something.”

I nodded. “Yeah. I painted my way. I drew my way, and when I was criticized for it, I stopped.” Except for when I painted Wes, but those pieces were not anything I thought I’d ever share.

“What the hell?” August said rubbing his hand down his face. “I can’t believe I never realized.”

“August,” I said not wanting him to feel bad about it, “you had so much going on in your life. You had Ella so young, and then you grew up faster than any teenager should. I wouldn’t have expected you to notice. In fact, it made it easier for me to fade into the background.”

“Why, though? Why would you want that? You deserve to stand out,” he said.

“If no one noticed me, no one would figure it out. I liked hiding away, but I wasn’t ever fulfilled.”

“That’s crazy,” August said watching me closely. “So, why now? Why tell us now about this?”

I looked over at Wes, who was now engaged in an arm wrestling match with Jordan on one of the storage bins we were packing supplies into. “I’ve had some help in seeing that there isn’t anything wrong with me.” I looked back at my brother who hadn’t missed the direction of my stare. “And that I can still practice art like I’ve always dreamed of.”

“Of course, there’s nothing wrong with you.” August released Kensie and pulled me into a hug. “I’m glad you’ve found someone who believes in you that much,” he whispered causing my eyes to mist.

I pulled away and sighed. “So, who’s telling Lennon?”

“I just texted her. Your phone should be blowing up any minute.” Kensie smiled and stepped to me for her own hug. I saw Wes watching over her shoulder. He gave me a wink seeming to know exactly what was going on. Then he showed me his biceps.