Page 46 of Sweet Punk
I can feel her silent laughter. “Just checking.”
“Well, no need. That was kinda mind-blowing for me.”
Her body relaxes against mine. “Thank you for trusting me, Kellan.”
Emotion swamps me, and I can’t speak, so I kiss the side of her neck and draw her closer. I have no idea if she understands how this has rocked me. I didn’t think I’d ever find someone I was comfortable enough with to let go—and like she said, someone that I could trust enough. Because I definitely do trust her. And man, I’m fucking glad it was her that has helped me sort some of my shit. I can’t adequately describe what I feel for her with words. What the two of us have together has sunk into my skin, my blood, and my very bones. She’s making me believe I could live a normal life. That I don’t have to feel so alone. Without anyone to love me for so long, there’s been such a void in my life. And she’s filling it with her self-assured sassiness, her intelligent, inquisitive mind, and her bold, beautiful heart.
For several minutes, she’s quiet, and I think maybe she’s fallen asleep. I breathe in the soft fruity scent of her shampoo and relish the warmth of her naked body against mine. I’d resigned myself to the fact that I’d probably never have a close relationship with a woman. But with Star—she’s made it work for me. Now that I’ve had her, I know I’ll never let her go. It’s the what-comes-next part that’s scary for me. That final step. But for me, a necessary one.
“Kellan?”
“Yeah, baby?” I rasp, choked up from everything that’s been running through my head.
She lets out a long, slow breath. “How long have you had your tattoos?”
My breath hitches, and I swallow past the growing lump in my throat. “I got most of them on my eighteenth birthday.”
She’s silent again for about a minute, then her voice shakes a tiny bit when she asks, “The roses?”
Shit. Yes. All fucking sixteen of them at once.“Yes.” My heart squeezes in my chest.
“I never thought of this until now… Did you design the tattoos?” She laces her fingers with mine, squeezing gently before pulling our joined hands to her chest.
My voice still rough and scratchy, I answer, “Yes.”
“They’re like a bigfuck youto your dad every time you walk around shirtless.”
I never thought of it that way. But she’s totally right.
“Kellan?”
“Yeah?”
“You really hate your dad, don’t you?”
I let out a ragged breath. “Yes. I fuckin’ do.”
TWENTY-FOUR
KELLAN
Despite how late it’d been by the time we fell asleep last night—this morning?—I wake up right at seven to a naked girl in my arms and morning wood. I don’t know whether it’s the fact that my body is alive with holy-fucking-shit-I-had-sex energy or whether it’s that my brain only wants to give me a slight reprieve from worrying about our conversation about the tattoos… or it could also be that I’m concerned as hell about this situation with Star’s idiot stepbrother. Whatever the reason, I’m wide awake.
Last night was… fuck. It was the best night of my life. And I don’t think I’m crazy for thinking that the sex was actually good, even though it was my first time. She made it easy for me and didn’t ask a single question until after we were lying together, spent. And even then, it’s not like she directly asked meWhat the fuck, Kellan?It was more like she knows what I’m dealing with is hard for me and is respectfully letting me take things at my own speed while giving me the opening to talk about it if I want to. She’s pretty fuckin’ special.
I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that she has an idea that it has something to do with my dad. She’s whip smart. Not only intelligent, but quick-witted, the kind of person capable of putting things together with the barest threads of information.
So, I don’t know whether I should be more worried about the seemingly inevitable discussion that we’ll have about my past—I do feel it’s coming—or the fact that her psycho stepbrother is gunning for her. And much like I’ve kept my secrets all this time, I’m afraid she has, too. I think his threats are way scarier to her than she’s letting on. She’d been so matter-of-fact about it at dinner… and I’m fucking positive she’d made a concerted effort to hold it together in front of everyone. The only outward clue of her anxiety had been her death grip on my hand when we dug a little too deep for her liking. Andfuckthis Milo asshole. Anyone who would set a goddamn fire in a dorm that is home to hundreds of students as a simple warning is insane. He needs to be stopped.
We can’t afford to ignore his antics anymore or brush him off as a nuisance. I do believe Star when she says he’s a genuine threat. Dangerous. I’m hoping for some time to discuss with the guys how they want to handle this. Because we have our ways… and the girls probably don’t want to be aware until we’re done. The trick is finding the bastard since he isn’t a student, even though he’s been creeping around campus for months now.
As Star wakes up and stretches, her ass brushes right up against my dick. All coherent thought goes right out of my head. “Morning,” she murmurs, her voice rough with sleep.
I groan as my cock perks up further at the sound of her voice. “Morning.”
She glances over her shoulder at me, her lips twitching in amusement when she catches onto my predicament and at the same time she shifts, grinding more meaningfully against my erection.
Each of her movements brings the most delicious torture with it. I kiss the side of her neck, cupping her breast and playing with her nipple. My voice husky, I whisper, “Two can play at this game.” My hand drifts over her body, and I dip my fingers between her legs to find her pussy slick with arousal.
