Kyle (Scandalous Boys Book 3) Page 14

  I roll my eyes. “I can’t believe you’d do that to me.” I muddle through my cards, and all I have left is reds, blues, and now yellows from picking up from the stack. Ugh. Wrinkling my nose, I pick up another card and groan. Another stupid yellow card.

  Kyle places another green one down, leaving him with only two cards in his hand. I shuffle through my cards and place my blue one down. Kyle curses, and I snicker. “Ha. Does someone not have any blues over there?”

  He frowns and shakes his head. Then just as I’m gloating he smirks again and lays down a red one and whispers, “Uno.” Son of a bitch. I’m out of skips. And I don’t have any draw fours. Crap. Crap. Crap.

  I scowl and place a red nine down, and he drops his last card on top of the pile. “What’s my prize?”

  “Prize? You don’t get a prize.”

  “Sure I do. I won the game. Winners always get prizes.”

  “My fist not landing in your junk,” I say.

  He covers up and laughs. “Who sounds like a sore loser now?”

  “Pfft. Whatever.” I can’t help but laugh with him. So ridiculous.

  He leans in and murmurs. “I’m going to claim my prize now.” His lips brush against mine and then I moan as my lips part and his tongue glides lightly across mine. I can still taste the mint on his breath. God, he tastes good. Really good.

  He pulls back. “Em, we’re still going slow. Okay?”

  I nod. Then I place my hand on his chest and breathe, “Did you sleep with anyone while you were away?”

  Kyle tucks a stray piece of hair behind my ear and says, “No, baby.”

  “Why?”

  “Because I only want to be with one girl, and that’s you.”

  I smile as my eyes water. He rubs his thumb lightly under my eyes. “Those better be happy tears.”

  “They are.”

  “Good.” His mouth crushes against mine, and my breath is completely stolen from me. I grip the front of his shirt and pull him to me. He yanks off the material and tosses somewhere in the room and continues kissing my lips, jawline, and down my neck.

  I grind against him and moan. “We need to slow down a bit,” he says.

  “I don’t want to.” In that moment, I know my words are true. I’m sick of being afraid. I’m sick of holding back and pushing aside happiness because of Vince. Because of that fearful hold he has on me. I need to break away from it. No more curling up in closets. No more not having the person I want.

  Kyle smiles. “I’m not going anywhere, Emily. You know that, right?”

  “I know.”

  “I think we should have a long talk before we go any further. Don’t you?”

  I frown. “I don’t want to talk right now.”

  “You made a promise. Are you going to break it?”

  I roll my eyes. “No.” I push him back and sigh. “Such a mood killer.”

  He laughs. “Believe me, babe, I’m already cursing myself. But as much as I want you, we have to talk. All out on the table.”

  “Put your shirt back on. I can’t talk to you looking like that.”

  He flexes his pecs, “Like what?”

  “You know what.” I push him aside and head toward the door. He catches my wrist and spins me back to him. His mouth claims mine.

  As I’m getting back into the kiss, he breaks away. “I want you. Just in case that isn’t clear.”

  “I got it.”

  “Good.” He turns me around and smacks my butt. “Where do you want to talk?”

  I glance back at him. “In here. I don’t want to see Maddy’s ‘I told you so’ looks.”

  He nods. “Understandable. But I’ll be honest, with you in my shirt and boxers and no bra on is distracting as fuck. So … you’ll need to take a seat on the bed and I’m going to be on the floor by the door.”

  I smile. “Okay.” I move back to the bed while he walks toward the door. He sits crisscross applesauce style on the floor.

  “Here’s how this is going to go. I’m going to ask a series of questions and you are going to tell me the answers. Only truth. And you can do the same to me. Cool?” I nod. I can do this. He smiles. “All right. My first question. When I picked you up from the airport, was that his handprint I saw?”

  “Yes.” I feel my face heat with embarrassment. “How many girls were you with after break?”

  “First two months none. Then I hooked up with three by the time school ended.” His eyes never leave mine when he answers. “Is he the reason you’re not going back to Florida?”

  “Yes.” A shiver of horror slivers down my spine. “If we didn’t stop during break, would I have been another one of your many notches in your bed?”

  He shakes his head. “No. I always knew you couldn’t be just a notch. That’s why didn’t ask you out during high school.”

  “What?”

  “Nope. You’re skipping turns. You need to wait,” he says with a smile. “Why didn’t you call me?” he asks.

  “I … I was embarrassed.”

  “I’m not talking about when you were having problems with the douche I’m going to beat to a pulp. I’m talking about after Christmas break. You told me you’d call me when you got in. You never called.”

  I frown. “Kyle … I didn’t think you wanted me to call. I thought you were just saying that to be nice and wouldn’t have cared if I called or not.”

  “I did care. I waited around for your phone call, then when it didn’t come, I thought you weren’t calling because you were pissed at me. Then Maddy calls me and tells me I’m picking you both up but there was something very wrong with you and she didn’t know what. I thought fuck, it’s me. And I fucked up!”

  “You didn’t. I walked away, and I didn’t want to.”

  “Then why the hell did you?”

  “Because I was scared you wouldn’t want me anymore.”

  He straightens and comes toward the bed. “Of course I want you. I always wanted you. Are you kidding me? I had to pretend not to care or give a fuck for Madison’s sake. But Jesus, Em, I wanted you.”

  “But you …”

  “What?”

  “You always had girls. When we were at the same parties, you pulled girls into rooms and …”

  “Yeah, because it was that or beat the fuck out of the guy you were currently with.” He touches my cheek and then draws his lips to mine. “I want you so much.”

  “I want you too.”

  He lowers me against the mattress, and soon, all our clothes are being stripped away layer by layer. As his mouth explores my flesh, little whimpers of pleasure escape me. I fist his sheets in my hands while his kisses descend in a lazy feathery trail down past my breasts and to my stomach. “Mmm …”

  “I love the sounds you make.”

  “Stop talking then and more … oh …”

  “I’ll talk if I want to, little lady. Or I can always stop doing this,” he teases as he licks my inner thigh and squeezes the other. I groan while raising my hips.

  “You better not stop doing anything.”

  He smirks at me, his eyes trained on my mine, and he chuckles. “My my, aren’t we a tad demanding? I think I might just think on what I might do next for a bit.”

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Kyle

  After having the most amazing, mind-blowing sex ever, I lay with her. Watching her sleep, not in a creepy way. I run my fingers through her hair and down her back. She seems content, relax, but most of all happy.

  A small smile plays on her lips, and she whimpers lightly. I brush my lips on the top of her head as it rests against my chest. I like this. Normally I don’t want to be held or used as a pillow. But with Em, everything is different.

  I don’t want this one time. I want this as much as possible. Come morning will determine where this stands though. Because if she starts freaking out like she has been the last couple of times we’ve been intimate, I don’t think this will be anything more than a one-night stand. And that would suck.

 
“Kyle,” she mumbles in her sleep.

  “Yeah, babe, I’m here.”

  “Mmm … Stay.”

  I smile and continue to rub circles along her back.

  Afternoon light shines on her naked back. I stroke her soft hair, and as much as I want to lay here with her, I can’t. I skim my fingers down her back, and then I whisper, “Beautiful, we need to wake up.”

  “Unnnn no,” she grumbles.

  “We have a lot of things we gotta do.”

  She looks at me and pouts. “Hour more?”

  I smile and shake my head. “Can’t, baby. We already slept away most of the day.”

  “Fine.” She pushes off me.

  It takes every ounce of energy in me to not pull her back to bed with me. We can’t do that this afternoon as much as I might want to. We’ve got to sit around the kitchen table and hash out a plan.

  Easy part would be to go back home, but what if this fucker did in fact hunt her down here? However he obtained that information would probably help him find her again. I’m pretty sure Emily wouldn’t want any more people involved in this mess like her parents or housekeeper. The thought of him stalking her down like prey makes me seethe and want to slam my fist into a wall.

  She grabs one of my clean shirts and a pair of my boxers. I smirk at her.

  “What?”

  “You look so sexy in my clothes.”

  “Do I?”

  I move toward her and wrap her in my arms. As I press her against me, she moans. “Never mind. I can see it.”

  I laugh. “Yeah, well. You do this to me regardless of what you’re wearing.”

  She shifts slightly so she’s facing me. “Oh really?”

  “Yes. It’s quite awful too. I’m constantly sporting wood around you.”

  “Aww. Poor you,” she teases. She springs on her toes and kisses my lips. “You love it.”

  “Only you.” I reach around her and grab a shirt, boxers, and a pair of shorts.

  She pouts. “I don’t want you to cover all this up.”

  “Well, that’s too bad. If I don’t cover up, you’ll just take advantage of me.”

  She smacks my bare chest. “You really are something else.”

  I wink. “I know.”

  I dislodge myself from her for a second and pull on my clothes. Once I’m dressed, I take her hand and lead her out of my room. Madison comes to a standstill in the hallway as soon as she spots us.

  “Afternoon, sis.”

  “Uh-huh.” She looks over at Em who’s still holding my hand. “How are you feeling?”

  “Better,” Em answers, then glances up at me with a smile.

  Madison groans and just walks into the kitchen. Emily frowns at me, and I shrug. We’ll deal with my sister in a minute.

  Maddy stalks over to the fridge and grabs a Pepsi, then asks, “Do you two want anything?”

  “Water,” I say. I look over at Emily and ask, “Want anything?”

  Maddy tosses a water at me, and I catch it before it hits me in the chest. “Jesus, Mads, warnings!”

  “You mean like how you two didn’t warn me about this,” she says, waving a finger between Emily and I. “I mean, don’t get me wrong, I knew you two liked each other, but I swear to the Lord himself if you two hurt each other, I’m not choosing! I am just not!”

  “I—I … shit. Listen, Maddy, it won’t happen. You’re never going to have to choose between us. Right?” Emily says.

  “How long though? Have you two been secretly hooking up in high school?”

  “Mads, wow, no. We just gave in recently,” I answer.

  “Christmas Break, huh? Don’t lie either, Em. I swear you’ve been keeping shit from me too long. I’m your best friend too, and I’ve been letting shit go. Enough is enough though. Especially when I spent half the damn afternoon and evening terrified out of my mind.”

  Emily sighs next to me. “You’re right. I’ve been a terrible friend. Selfish. Withdrawn. And yesterday, I’m sorry. I’m really sorry. That was Vince who you saw yesterday.” I rub her shoulder to urge her on. She needs to get this all out. “Let me go back a little. During break, Kyle and I messed around, and I stopped it before it went too far. I was scared. Anyway, around Valentine’s Day, I went to this party, and I spotted Vince. He seemed nice. I wanted him to get my mind off Kyle, so I hung out with him. But it turned creepy. He was calling me at weird hours. After two weeks, he professed his love. I told him it wasn’t a good idea we see each other anymore. I also told him I would never be on that same level as him.”

  I grab her a water from the fridge and hand it over to her while taking a sip from mine.

  Emily smiles at me and then takes a drink. After she took a couple of sips, she continues. “The first few days we’re kind of like every other guy who got a little too clingy too quickly. First, he called and texted. Then he showed up at my classes. When this behavior went beyond a week though, I began to worry. He left messages on my door that said, ‘If you don’t be with me, I’m going to kill myself.’ And I freaked out. It got worse from there. I turned it in to campus administration because I didn’t want someone hurting themselves.”

  “Oh God, Emily, you should have called,” Maddy says.

  “I couldn’t. I was scared to pick up my phone and find some twisted video on there. He sent me videos of him masturbating. He followed me everywhere. When I went to the coffee shops, there he was. When I ignored him, he started grabbing me. He got mean and more violent each time. I stopped going to class around the middle of April. I missed exams. I hid out in my room and couldn’t wait to leave. I had to wait to fly back because I didn’t want my parents involved. Lying to them was easier. It was easier to lie to everyone. Even you, Maddy.”

  “But …” Maddy frowns, and Bryce enters the kitchen. He goes straight to my sister and wraps her up in a hug.

  “Smalls.” He kisses her forehead. “Shh … don’t cry.” He pulls back and swipes a thumb under my sister’s eyes. He stares at her for a second longer, then glares at me. “What the hell did you do to her?”

  “Go fuck yourself, Matthews. I didn’t do shit. Em was just telling her what’s been going on.”

  “Babe,” he says to Maddy.

  “It’s true. I was just … sad.” She turns her head and looks at Emily and me while Bryce continues holding her. “You didn’t have to lie to me. You should have picked up a phone or computer and called me.”

  “I couldn’t. Madison, I was paralyzed with fear. I wanted to call I did. But you’re so you, Maddy. You’re smart, pretty, and you’ve got everything figured out. I’m a mess. Your friendship is everything to me. I was scared out of my mind if I confessed to wanting your brother, you would stop talking to me. So I didn’t tell you. I thought I hid it well but apparently not. Then there was the whole mess with Vince and … I didn’t want to hear the ‘told you so’ crap.”

  Madison breaks apart from Bryce and rushes over to Em, and they sob hug each other. I walk over to Bryce and say, “For what it’s worth, I’m glad my sister chose you. Even if you’re a dick at times. I’m glad I don’t need to worry some fuckwad is going to hurt her and be able to breathe afterward.”

  He glares at me. “Definitely won’t be breathing.”

  Chapter Thirty

  Emily

  The kitchen was emotional. Maddy and I were two sobbing fools. Sarah bounds into the room with Graham behind her. Both of them look like they’d just had sex. Yeah, straight up sex bed hair.

  “Did you two just get done screwing?” Kyle asks.

  “W-what? No,” Graham says.

  “Honey. You don’t have to lie to him,” Sarah says. “Why are you two crying? Did I miss something?”

  Maddy sniffles and swipes under her eyes again while laughing. “No. You just missed two friends breaking down. That’s all.”

  “Yes, a lot of girly shit,” Bryce says as he grabs a Pepsi from the fridge. “Who wants lunch?”

  “I’m starving,” says a voice I don’t rec
ognize. It startles me.

  “Everyone, this is my friend, Eric Granger.” Kyle comes over to me and kisses my cheek while he rests his hands on my shoulders. “Eric, this is my Emily. Next to her is Madison, who I think you’ve met before. Next to her is Bryce who you met last night. Over on the other side of the counter are Graham and my cousin, Sarah.”

  “Hello,” Eric says.

  “Okay, what are we doing about lunch? We’re a little low on the groceries,” Bryce says.

  I frown. This vacation is turning into shit, and it’s my fault.

  “Hey, stop thinking like that,” Kyle whispers as if he can read my own terrible thoughts. He brushes his lips against my mouth.

  “How can I not? I’m ruining everyone’s vacation.”

  “Oh, Em. No, you aren’t. That asshole is. Don’t worry though. We’ve got this. We’re not going to let anything happen to you,” Maddy says.

  “That’s right,” Kyle agrees. “Granger here is a law student, and I brought him with me so he can help us keep you safe. Legally. For now. If I gotta do illegal shit, I will. “Today we’re going to go to the police station and file a restraining order.”

  “Yeah, good luck with that,” Bryce snaps.

  I turn to him. “Why do you say that?”

  “My cousin Hailey went through this kind of shit. Guy was stalking her. Being a total prick. In Hailey’s case, she knew the dick’s last name. Em only has a face and a first name. How well do you think that’s going to hold up? Assuming this is his first offense, he has no priors or records, they’re not really going to be able to track him down.”

  “You expect me to sit here and do nothing?” Kyle roars at Bryce.

  Bryce throws his hands up. “I’m not saying that. I’m just saying this all could have been somewhat under control if there were more details. Like pictures of the marks he left when she came home. It shows proof of abuse. All we have though is some douchewad driving in a dark, dented Pontiac Bonneville that was parked outside the house for an hour. That’s not strong enough evidence.”