Текст книги "Falling Away"

Автор книги: Penelope Douglas

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Текущая страница: 11 (всего у книги 24 страниц)

CHAPTER 12

JULIET

I was shameless. Absolutely without any pride, and I should lock myself up until I stopped going into heat every time this guy was around. Every damn time.

Tate’s older-than-dirt CD player had some kind of alarm clock on it, and I accidentally hit a button and then the damn thing wouldn’t shut off when I jammed the power button. Several times. And then I started hitting other buttons. And then I turned the volume down. And turned it. And turned it. And turned it. And nothing.

And then Jax had climbed over, his long hair hanging in his face and looking straight off the cover of one of those romance novels where the superhot savage is ripping off the petticoats of the pampered city girl, and I froze.

Frickin’ froze, and I didn’t want him to leave.

He picked up the chair with one hand and moved it into the bathroom.

“What are you doing?” I asked, following him.

He sat down, facing the mirror. “I need to be able to see you.”

See me? What was he so afraid of? I thought to myself. But I kept quiet, knowing he wouldn’t tell me even if I asked.

From the moment I’d offered to do his hair, he’d stilled and looked scared, and for the second time, Jaxon Trent backed away from me. The first being two years ago when I’d asked about his lack of tattoos.

I came up behind him, trying not to smile at his huge frame in Tate’s small bathroom—but one look at his wary eyes staring back at me through the mirror, and I stopped. He looked as if he was ready to bolt at any sign of danger.

I placed my hands on his bare shoulders, wanting to show him that I understood his apprehension. I didn’t like to be groomed, either.

“Do you know I purposely failed a test senior year so you would have to tutor me?” I blurted out, trying to distract him as I gently pulled out his hair from his brown rubber band—the ones you get in the office supply section that are terrible for hair.

I looked up and met his eyes again, keeping my face even. He watched me like a hawk, his heavy breaths making it very clear that he was still uncomfortable.

“We shared a math class,” I said, setting down the rubber band and threading my fingers through his gorgeous black-brown hair that was longer than mine. “You tutored kids in the morning, and I wanted to spend time with you, so I failed a test on the chance that you’d have to help me.”

He leaned back in the chair, relaxing a little more, and my stomach fluttered with the sexy little smile curling his lips.

“Yeah, but it blew up in my face,” I laughed nervously, spraying some detangler in his hair. “My mom found out and hired a personal tutor at home.” I held his cold locks in my hand, piece by piece, spraying. “So that sucked. I had to waste an extra hour three times a week for a month for a test I could’ve passed. It was embarrassing.”

Reaching down, I took his brush out of his hand, and gathering up all the hair, I started lightly brushing through it from the bottom up. He didn’t speak, and I was surprised he didn’t comment on my story. I figured Jax would gloat about something like that.

“Even more embarrassing was the first guy I ever kissed,” I continued. “Yeah, I thought it was a guy, but it wasn’t. He was a girl. A very boyish-looking girl at a party when I was fourteen …” I rambled, trying to keep his mind on me.

He listened as I told him about the Barbie skates that I could still fit into as I brushed through all of his hair and put some product in for styling. He kept his eyes glued to me as I told him about the time I was eighteen and too drunk to notice that I hadn’t taken my underwear down before peeing on the toilet. He followed my every movement as I dragged the edge of a comb along the sides and parted pieces of it for braiding and kept talking.

Through the layer of sweat on his back and with his fists clenching the fabric of his pants on his thighs, he listened and didn’t take his eyes off me for a single moment, listening to my ramblings as if they were the most interesting stories in the world.

And the whole time, I just wanted to wrap my arms around him and hold him. He didn’t feel safe, and I didn’t wonder about the cause.

I simply wanted to know where they were, whoever had done this to him, so I could choke the shit out of them.

Reaching down, I placed my hand on his as I used the other to dig in the drawer for some small clear rubber bands.

I didn’t look at him, and I didn’t touch him unnecessarily. I just wanted him to know that I was there.

I’d seen him wear his hair in ponytails and braided ponytails, but my favorite styles were where he braided three small strips above each ear, so I decided to do three braids to the scalp instead of the traditional ones he usually did.

Braiding three rows on each side, securing them with rubber bands as I went, I then took all the bands out and pulled everything back into his usual ponytail midskull. Twisting the rubber band, I threaded his thick black hair through, squeezing the soft, cool locks in my fist.

Running my hand over his scalp to pull back any flyaways, I slowed when I saw him close his eyes. He looked relaxed. Peaceful. Maybe soothed.

Spraying some hair spray to keep everything in place, I put my hands back on his shoulders and waited for him to open his eyes again. He could stay like that all damn day for all I cared.

Fireworks popped under my skin and exploded in my chest at the sight of him. We were close to each other and we weren’t shouting for a change. Damn, he was beautiful.

“I’m sorry I wasn’t nicer in high school.” My voice came out raspy, and when he opened his eyes they almost seemed to glow in the dark.

“Every morning you’d sit on the bleachers with your iPod and stare off onto the field. Staring at nothing. I wondered all the time what you were doing. What you were thinking about. You scared me.”

“Why?” he asked, sounding calm. “I would never have hurt you, Juliet.”

I shrugged, not sure how to answer that. “I don’t know. Liam was safe, I guess. He pissed me off and hurt my feelings, but he never got under my skin.”

Liam never made me cry. Forgetting me, disrespecting me, humiliating me—that all made me cry. But losing him to another woman never hurt. It wasn’t a loss. But Jax …

I looked down, swallowing. “First time I saw you I knew …”

“Knew what?”

I met his eyes on the mirror. “That you’d mean more.”

Jax’s chest filled with a deep breath, and his gaze turned heated. He pushed out of his chair, and I jumped back at his sudden movement. Looking up, I watched as he advanced on me, backing me into the bathroom wall.

“Jax—” But before I could say anything more, he leaned down and cupped my cheek, and butterflies swarmed in massive circles in my stomach when his lips crashed down on mine.

I moaned, his tongue flicked mine, and I jerked with the rush of heat spreading through me and then sinking right down between my legs.

Shit, he felt good.

I opened my lips more and kissed him back, wrapping my arms around his neck, standing on my tiptoes, and leaning into his body. His arm circled my waist, and his other hand went straight for my ass, pressing me into him harder.

I felt my bikini top give way, and that was when I noticed he had pulled the ties at my neck and back.

I reached up, trying to catch my top before he snatched it away from my body and tossed it to the floor.

“Jax, no.” I pinched my face up in worry. “Shane will be back—”

“You want me to stop?” he said, cutting me off, lifting me up by the backs of my thighs and pressing me into the wall with his body. “There’s no stopping,” he warned, covering my nipple with his mouth.

I groaned, letting my eyes roll back. Oh, shit. Everything he did hit a nerve straight down to my center, and I squeezed my thighs around him.

“Jax, please,” I begged. I wanted this.

But I wasn’t ready.

“Please what?” he taunted, his scorching breath making me shiver as he swirled my hard nipple with his tongue.

“Please stop,” I gasped, wanting him to do everything but stop. More.

“Stop what?” he asked, still kissing me. “Stop this?” He sucked my whole nipple into his mouth, fast and fucking hard, and then drew it out between his teeth while looking up at me with those devil blue eyes. I sucked in air, watching him suck and release, kiss and drag, making me throb so hard I started grinding against him.

Lowering me just a bit, he crushed my lips to his and held me tight as he walked us to the bedroom and laid me back on the bed.

He broke the kiss, and I inhaled a sharp breath at the sudden coldness I felt. He leaned over me, looking down into my eyes.

Grazing the back of his hand over my cheek, he dragged it down my neck and then my torso, spreading the heat of his touch down my body. My stomach shook as he slid past and dived into my shorts.

I arched my back and groaned when his finger slipped inside me.

He closed his eyes, looking as though he was reveling in what he felt there.

“Jesus Christ,” he swore, baring his teeth.

He came down and sucked my bottom lip between his teeth as he worked the button and zipper of my shorts.

I held on to his face, kissing him back. “Jax,” I breathed out, “I need you to stop. I don’t want you to stop”—I laughed a little—“but I … ”

My thoughts were a jumbled mess. My body knew what it wanted. I was on fire for him. But I didn’t want a one-night stand, and I was scared.

I might not please him.

He bowed his forehead to mine. “Shh,” he soothed. “I’m not going to make love to you, okay? I have no expectations. Yet. I just want to see you.”

He hesitated for a moment, searching my eyes, and then hooked his fingers in the loops of my jean shorts and slid them down my legs, bringing my bikini bottoms with them.

The cool air touched between my legs, and I felt his eyes on every inch of my skin. I shot up, grabbing his face for a kiss, trying to cover my body. But he was too smart for that.

“I want to look at you,” he whispered between kisses, slowly pushing me back onto the bed. “Do you feel safe with me?” he asked.

I looked up at him, knowing immediately that I didn’t trust Jax. Not completely.

But I also knew he wasn’t going to laugh at me. I knew he thought I was pretty. And I knew that he always looked me in the eye when he spoke to me.

So I nodded.

“Your mother’s not in this room, Juliet.” His voice was thoughtful as his eyes stayed glued to mine. I clenched the sheets at my side.

“Jared sees Tate like this,” he continued. “Madoc sees Fallon like this. And I would’ve tossed any girl aside over the years to see you beautiful like this.”

I licked my lips, breathing in and breathing out, watching him, trying to stay calm. I wasn’t sure I wanted him to see how much his words touched me.

Holding my eyes, he stood up straight and backed away. I only had a moment to wonder what he was doing before he switched on the iPod and “Torn to Pieces” by Pop Evil came on.

My body sank into the bed, and I felt myself relaxing. The noise helped. I couldn’t hear my thoughts so much now.

He turned around and gazed at me. “I can’t wait to have my mouth on you, Juliet.”

The drums started, and my whole body tensed with the pounding in my heart and in my ears. And I was ready. With a smile, I sat up and rose to my feet, folding my lips between my teeth.

“In my fantasy,” I said in a small voice, “I was standing up.”

Walking over to him, I circled both of my arms around his neck and plastered my naked body to his. My lips found his, and I felt his body jerk when I slid my tongue into his hot mouth that tasted like summer.

“You smell so good,” I breathed into his lips. “I want it all over me, Jax.” And I grabbed his bottom lip between my teeth and then kissed him before nibbling more. Reaching down, I slid my hand over his thigh, rubbing the hardness in his pants. I had no idea what the hell I was doing or how far I wanted to carry this, but that was the thing—I wasn’t thinking. And it felt so good.

My hands tingled with the urge to explore him. Everywhere. My mouth wanted to be on him just as much as he wanted his on mine. And I wanted more than his mouth. My nipples hardened against his warm chest, and the pool of heat between my legs flooded with the friction of his pants rubbing against me.

“You’re such a little shit,” I teased, breathing into his mouth.

And all hell broke loose.

Jax pulled his mouth away and jerked my hips into his hard cock. “You feel that?” he threatened, leaning his forehead into mine. “Don’t fucking push me, Juliet, or in a minute, you won’t feel safe.”

And I sucked in a breath, my jaw dropping as he grabbed my hand and dragged me back to the bed. Swinging forward, I toppled onto Tate’s gray and black comforter, probably looking as though I was about to do a crab walk escape from the big, bad shark. I stared as Jax stood at the end of the bed, grabbed my ankle, and yanked me down to the end.

“Jax!” I cried out. But I was too late.

He planted both hands on my waist, holding fast so I couldn’t move.

And then he lowered himself in between my legs and ran his tongue along the length of me.

I stopped breathing, and my mouth fell open.

“Fuck, I knew you’d taste good,” he breathed against my skin.

I could only watch as he flattened his tongue and licked oh so slowly up my folds to the top of my clit and then dragged his tongue back down over the hood all the way to my entrance. Up and then down, up again and then slowly, all the way down. I could feel my clit throbbing a mile a minute, and my pussy clenched with his agonizing slow speed. Up and then down, licking and tasting, and I cried out, slamming the palm of my hand down on my thigh.

“Jax,” I whimpered, and I felt a tear spill out the corner of my eye.

Relaxing my legs, I let my thighs fall wider apart, and I dropped my head back to the bed as he increased the speed.

I throbbed, and my belly swarmed with heat like hot water gushing over my skin.

I arched my back. “I never want you to stop,” I groaned.

His teeth pinched my clit, and I grabbed his hair at the scalp as my back bent off the bed. The blood rushed through my arms and legs like liquid heat, and I released one of my hands and brought it up to my breast, massaging it.

“Jesus, Juliet,” Jax growled into my pussy. I looked down to see him watching me. “Keep doing that,” he ordered.

And I obeyed.

I rubbed my hand over my breast and across my nipple slowly, loving the feel of my body and loving how he watched me. Every hair stood on end, and my cheeks warmed with a small smile at how alive I felt.

But then he grabbed my clit in his mouth and sucked.

“Oh,” I cried out, feeling a new surge of need. “Jax, don’t stop. That feels so good.”

Squeezing my tit in my hand, I jerked my hips up against his lips, holding his head there with my other hand. He looked as if he were sucking fruit, the way his lips surrounded me and stretched my skin with how hard he tasted me. He dragged my tender flesh out through his teeth only to recapture the erect nub and suck me again. My chest shook with my shaky breaths, and I started rolling my hips into him gently.

“Baby, you should never have let me taste you,” he choked out, dipping his tongue to lick my clit and then suck, lick and then suck. “I’m going to come at you tonight. Tomorrow. At school. Hell, I may just have you spread these legs at the dinner table so I can eat.”

I narrowed my eyes in painful desire, thinking about him sitting in a high-back chair at a twelve-foot-long dining room table with my legs spread for him like a goddamn meal.

Holy shit.

I licked my sandpaper lips. “I want you in my mouth, too.”

And then he plunged his tongue inside me, and I shot off the bed, throwing my head back.

“Jax, fuck!” I screamed, squirming under his assault. “It’s too much!”

“Juliet?” I heard my name being called from somewhere, but I didn’t care.

Grabbing Jax’s hair, I held him to my seriously overheated and throbbing clit, seeing the flesh of my nipples pebble and my breasts bob back and forth with my movements. He dipped his tongue inside me, making me contract and release. I needed more. I needed him.

He trailed his tongue out of my pussy and started French-kissing my clit right before he slid a finger inside me.

My head dropped to one side, and I started gasping and fucking his finger, not fucking caring that I was shameless or that Jax wasn’t even my boyfriend.

“Jax,” I moaned. “Oh, my God.”

“Jax?” I heard someone repeat. “Juliet, are you okay?”

My eyes snapped open, and my face flushed with heat.

“Oh, my God,” I whispered, looking down at Jax’s laughing eyes as he kissed my clit.

“Juliet?” Shane called again from the other side of the locked door.

Jax arched an amused eyebrow. “Come on. Let her hear how wild you are. How much you’re fucking enjoying this.”

In and out, his finger plunged, back and forth. So good, and the itch was right there hanging on the edge. I was almost there. His tongue was tireless, going at me, licking and sucking me. In, out, lick, taste, bite.

“Ah,” I gasped. “Oh, God!”

Then I came, shocks exploding below my belly as I grappled the comforter over my head. I jerked into him, sucking in air and rolling my hips into his fingers, needing everything he had to give me.

More. I swallowed and looked down at him with blurry eyes.

I wanted more. More of him.

“Juliet!” The doorknob jiggled, and I grabbed the T-shirt I slept in off the top of the bed.

Sitting up and slipping it on, I caught Jax just as he pulled me into him for a kiss. Kneeling between my legs, he cupped my face and held my mouth to his. Slow and sweet.

Pulling back and tilting his forehead into mine, he closed his eyes. I watched in silence as his eyebrows pinched together, and he looked as though he was sad about something or thinking about something important.

He pulled back, shaking his head and letting out a sigh. “Shit,” he mumbled, barely a whisper.

“What?” I asked quietly, suddenly feeling as if I’d done something wrong.

“Nothing,” he breathed out, running his hand through his hair. “I just …” He hesitated, looking away and then back at me. “I just never thought the real thing would live up to the fantasy, you know?” He tipped up the corner of his mouth in a smile. “Hope you like summer fun, Juliet, because it’s just getting started.”

And I watched as he stood up, unlocked the bedroom door, and walked past Shane’s stunned face and frozen body.

Summer fun? I felt a mischievous smile cross my lips. So he thought he pulled all the strings, and that he had me.

I almost snorted.

CHAPTER 13

JAXON

I threw the shop cloth down and gestured with my chin at Sam to help me with the tire. He rolled it over, and we lifted it onto the axle.

My house had been flooded with people as soon as I left Juliet only a few hours ago, and we were all prepping for races tonight.

They were here, their heads under their hoods, but mine was still between her legs.

Jesus.

I reached over, jacking up Korn’s “Falling Away from Me,” and ran my hand over my hair just above my ear where her braids still stretched my scalp.

I smiled, remembering her doing my hair. She hadn’t touched too long in any one place. She hadn’t fallen all over me or petted me. And when she reached out and touched my hand, just letting me know that she understood, and that I didn’t have to talk about it, I’d closed my eyes, feeling safer. I didn’t like to be groomed, but I’d liked her touching me, and I’d happily let her do it again.

She took care of me today.

And what did I do? I spread her legs and ate her out as if she were a whore.

I still hadn’t taken her on a date, a nice dinner, or a walk in the goddamn park the way girls wanted. Over the past couple of weeks, I’d fought with her, threatened her, and then tried to get my hands on her every time we were alone. I’d pushed her, grabbed her, and yelled at her.

I was an asshole, and I wasn’t gentle.

Fuck me. Sweat trickled down my temple, and the bugs buzzing outside in the summer sun had me itching to turn the music up. Drown out all these thoughts.

I wasn’t going to stick around long enough to see her push me away when she realized the mistake she’d made in getting close, but every time I thought I could pull away, her defiance and fight drew me back in.

“Shit!” Sam barked, being dragged to the ground by my end of the tire I hadn’t realized I’d dropped.

I fisted my hair at the top of my head and turned around, kicking the toolbox against the wall. The tools crashed together inside, some of the drawers popping out.

“Um,” I heard Sam venture. “Overreact much?”

I turned around, seeing his confused expression, and let out a shaky laugh. “Sorry. My head’s preoccupied, man.”

“Since when?” he mumbled, bending to lift the tire back up. “That was the first time you ever reminded me of Jared.”

“Yeah,” I grunted, bending to lift the tire with him, “what’s wrong with that?”

He struggled with the weight, gritting his teeth. “Nothing at all, if you’re the tornado,” he joked. “It’s everything in its way that gets destroyed.”

Okay. Solid point.

My phone vibrated in my pocket, and I let out a hard breath as I slipped the tire on its axle.

I looked at my phone, seeing Jared’s name, and rubbed my hand down my face.

Great.

“What?” I answered, knowing he was going to bug me about that damn restraining order again.

“Jesus Christ,” he swore. “What’s crawled up your ass this summer? Every time I call you you’re bitchy.”

“Nothing. I’m nice to everyone except you.”

“Lovely,” he shot back. “Sue me for caring about you.”

“Bullying me is more like it.” I walked out of the garage, away from the half dozen other guys and their girlfriends in my driveway.

“Funny,” he said. I could hear the fake humor in his voice. “So, what’s wrong with you?”

I tightened my lips. “Nothing,” I lied. “Just busy.”

“You’re always busy.” He hesitated. “And we need to talk.”

“It’s not a good time.”

“Dad’s getting out of jail soon,” he shot out. “We need to talk.”

I squeezed the phone in my hand and calmed my voice. “My answer about the restraining order hasn’t changed.”

My father still had three years left on his sentence for drug possession and child abuse, but his time had been whittled down for good behavior and ratting out two old contacts in the drug trade.

Jared was talking to his mom’s new husband—Madoc’s dad—about getting a restraining order in place for when our father was released from prison. He wanted Thomas Trent away from him, his mom, and Tate—and I, on the other hand, welcomed my father.

I wanted to face him, and I had a contact on the inside keeping me well-informed of everything that was going on with him. His friends, his visitors, and his enemies.

“I’ll be home Friday, and we’re taking care of business.” He was telling me, not asking.

The anger warmed my whole body, but I didn’t want to get into it with him again. He was away a lot, and I loved him.

But he had to fucking stop already.

Madoc’s GTO pulled up in front of Tate’s house, and I narrowed my gaze, seeing a red Nissan 370Z cruise to a sudden halt right behind it.

Jared rambled on in my ear, but I couldn’t hear him. Why was Madoc at Tate’s house? And whose Nissan was that?

Madoc and Fallon climbed out of his car, followed by the driver of the Nissan, a tall blond yuppie who dressed a lot like Madoc with navy blue cargo shorts, an expensive-looking T-shirt, and flip-flops.

Jesus. They were walking up Tate’s walkway. Why were they walking up Tate’s walkway?

I hung up on Jared as Madoc headed my way and Fallon and the yuppie continued to Tate’s door.

“What’s up?” I jerked my chin at Madoc and gave him the usual casual handshake.

“Nothing,” he chirped innocently.

“Cut the crap. What’s with One Direction over there?”

He laughed. “Oh, you mean my buddy from Northwestern?” Asshole’s enjoying this. “His name’s Adam Larson. He’s in town visiting. Fallon and I are taking K.C. to the carnival and thought …”

But I’d stopped listening.

Peering around Madoc, I saw Juliet emerge with Shane, and it looked as though Fallon was introducing them all.

Juliet reached out her hand, shaking his, and I saw her smile.

My phone cracked in my fist, and I blinked, bringing it up to see that I’d splintered the case.

Fuck.

“Oops,” Madoc said, jeering, laughing at my cracked phone. “Someone’s mad.”

I shook my head. “What are you up to?”

He held up his hands in defense. “Nothing. I saw what happened at the party last night, and I figured you weren’t interested anymore. Adam’s a good guy. I just didn’t want K.C. to feel like a third wheel with Fallon and me at the carnival.”

“She has her cousin,” I growled through clenched teeth. “How would she be the third wheel? And her name’s Juliet. And I don’t want him anywhere near her!” I got in his face.

“Hmm …” He regarded me for a few seconds and turned to look at everyone coming down the stairs. Juliet glanced at me, looking slightly uncomfortable before turning away and letting Adam open the door for her.

She looked hot as hell, and I wanted to see her eyes again. She wore frayed jean shorts with one of Fallon’s specialty T-shirts. Black Def Lepperd logo on the front, with her smooth, tanned back peeking out of twenty or so slits running horizontally across her back. I also made out long earrings—feathers, I think. Her hair was straightened, her makeup made her glow, and my hands wanted those legs.

And she was leaving with another guy.

Madoc turned back to look at me. “If she knew she was yours, she wouldn’t have gotten in that car.”

Motherfucker.

“Took Jared eight years to pounce on Tate,” he challenged. “Thought you had more game.”

He narrowed his eyes, his point made, and stuffed his hands into his pockets before walking away. Shane climbed into Madoc’s car with Fallon, and that meant Juliet was alone with that guy.

And I watched as all of them sped away.

I tightened my fists and reached in my pocket for my keys.

“Sam.” I grabbed my T-shirt off the worktable. “Can you lock up when everyone’s gone? I need to head out for a while.”

He nodded. “Sure. Where are you going?”

I ignored him, Madoc’s words still floating in the air.

“If she knew she was yours, she wouldn’t have gotten in that car.”

No, I thought. She knew she was mine, and she shouldn’t have gotten in that car.