Page 18 of Stay With Me
“I was talking to Breaker, Kelsea.” He mimics my stance again, placing his hands on his hips. His biceps flex, the tendons in his forearms becoming more definedwith each movement. He is seriously a work of art. As if sensing my admiration, he stands a little taller, his cocky smirk sliding across his lips.
“Oh,” my arms fall to my sides, realizing I assumed the worst even though he hasn’t given me any reason to. “Well… I’m sorry.” He takes a step towards me, reaching out to grasp my hips and pull me closer to him. Instinctively, my arms wrap around his shoulders, my fingers resting on the nape of his neck.
“Have I given you any reason to think there is anyone else I would rather talk to when you’re sleeping next to me, goddess?” His lips are only inches from mine.
“No,” I whisper quietly, hanging my head down between us. I see the bulge in his boxer briefs and realize he’s enjoying my sudden streak of jealousy a little too much. He places his finger under my jaw, tilting my head back up to look into his eyes. I see nothing but adoration there. No lies, no deceit, nothing but truth shining back at me.
He skates his tongue across the seam of my lips, begging for entrance, and I grant it to him. Pressing his lips to mine, his taste explodes on my tongue. The way he claims me, brands me as his with every kiss, will never get old. He breaks the kiss abruptly, wrapping my hair around his fist and leaning my head back. He waits until the haze of lust clears from my eyes, capturing my undivided attention.
“I know I have a reputation, Kelsea. But I’ve neverbeen unfaithful to anyone. I’m definitely not about to start with you. Ruining the best part of my life isn’t on my list of things to do, babe,” he says.
I close my eyes, soaking in his words. In my heart, I already know everything he’s telling me is the truth. Unfortunately, when you love someone as fiercely and desperately as I’ve fallen for Everett, your mind and your heart aren’t always on the same page. I give him a small nod of understanding, opening my eyes with a smile.
“The best part of your life, huh?” I smirk. I push onto my tiptoes, sealing my lips against his. The sting of his grip on my hair only makes the fire building in my core burn hotter. My nails rake over his scalp, begging him to devour me the way only he knows how to.
In one swift motion, he slides his hands under my ass cheeks, picking me up off the ground and wrapping my legs around his waist. He never breaks our kiss as he walks us back to the bed, turning to sit on the edge, so I’m straddling his lap. This kiss is wet and passionate, never breaking as we steal small breaths to keep from passing out. If I could spend the rest of my life kissing this man, I’d be a lucky woman. I feel him growing harder between us, my clit dangerously close to rubbing against his shaft. It would take only the slightest of movements to relieve the ache building at my center right now. He lifts slightly, pushing his boxers down his hips before pulling my body down flush against his. We’re skin on skin at every possibleplace we can be, my core dripping with arousal, already begging for release.
“Fuck, goddess. You’re soaking me already,” he says between kisses, sliding his lips down my jawline and neck, placing rough kisses against the swell of my breasts.
I rock my hips back and forth, sliding easily over the velvety flesh of his cock. The friction causes a delicious burn down low in my abdomen. He groans against my skin, needing me as much as I need him. I rise up on my knees, lining his swollen head up with my entrance. This is the first and only time I’ve ever considered letting a man take me bare. After the first time we had sex, Everett went and had a physical, making sure he was clean and I was protected from anything he could have brought to the table from his past. I told him it was unnecessary. I truly trusted him. But he was adamant in his need to make sure I was safe, no matter what.
I keep my gaze trained on his, refusing to look away as I slide down his shaft, seating him inside me to the hilt. With nothing separating us, I feel every inch of him stretching the walls of my core. My eyelids flutter, but I don’t dare break our connection. Once I’ve taken him as deep as he can possibly be, I still, reveling in the feeling of pure bliss surrounding us. Everett’s head falls back in pleasure, finally breaking our eye contact, as I raise myself up and slide back down. I ride him slowly, almost painfully slowly, until we’re both drenched in a sheen ofsweat. The muscles in my thighs scream for relief, and I pick up my pace.
Within seconds I’m slamming myself down on his shaft, a growl ripping from his throat as his fingers dig in to the flesh of my ass cheeks. I chase my release, knowing he’ll follow me over the edge. As euphoria unspools inside me, waves of ecstasy reaching through my core and wrapping around my heart, I combust. My internal muscles spasm, milking him as he grows thicker inside me. He ruts up into me, the head of his cock punishing me from the inside out. I feel his entire body tense and shudder as he explodes deep inside me. Heat coats my insides, stream after stream of his release, branding me as his.
Neither of us move for several long minutes, both clinging to each other as if we could fuse our bodies together. As our breathing finally evens out, Everett lays back on the mattress, pulling me down to lie on top of him. The motion causes him to slide out of me and I feel the warmth of his release leaking out of me. I try to jerk up, not wanting to make a mess on his bed, but he stops my movements, holding me tightly to his body.
“Don’t, goddess. Don’t leave me. Not yet.” His tone sounds almost desperate, and I wonder if his words hold a deeper meaning.
“I just don’t want to make a mess, babe,” I say, my fingers tracing the ink across his chest.
“Don’t care, don’t move.” Exhaustion is evident inhis tone, his eyes already heavy. Despite the incredible sexual distraction, my mind is racing again with thoughts of his phone call. “I can hear your mind working already, Kelsea. Couldn’t enjoy the afterglow for even five minutes, huh?” His trademark smirk graces his lips, and I smack his chest playfully.
“Why was he calling you at three in the morning, Ev?” I ask apprehensively.
“Well, mostly because that’s when he does his best work. Breaker is like Batman, sleeps all day, parties all night.” He laughs softly and I scoff. Breaker and party don’t belong in the same sentence. The numerous times I’ve met the man, he’s given off an intensity unlike anything I’ve ever seen.
“Uh, huh. A real wild animal, that guy,” I joke, waiting for the actual explanation. Everett is quiet for a few minutes, as if deciding how deep he’s gonna let me in.
“I’m getting some blow back from everything that happened with Justin,” the mention of my attacker’s name causing every muscle in my body to tense. Everett’s hold on my hip becomes tighter, his fingers rubbing circles over my tattoo in a soothing motion. “I don’t want you to worry, Kelsea. Nothing like that will ever touch you again.” The finality in his tone is sincere, but I still have my fears.
“What do you mean blow back? What happened?” Iprod for more details, wondering when he’s going to decide he’s given me too much information.
“It seems his dad is pretty well connected, a congressman, actually.” A small gasp escapes my lips and I try to play it off. I know all too well how political connections can lead to plenty of dark places. “Break found some chatter a while back that makes it sound like he’s looking in to me a lot more than he should be.” Something in his tone makes me think he’s not telling me everything. I don’t know if I should keep pushing him for the truth or just accept whatever he’s willing to tell me.
“Is that all?” I question, continuing to run my fingers over the lines of ink running across his chest. He takes a deep breath, bracing himself for whatever he has to say next.
“Seems he put out a contract on me, a professional hit.” His confession punches me in the gut, stealing the breath from my lungs as the weight of reality sets in.
I launch upright next to him in bed, my hands flexing painfully into the flesh of his chest. “WHAT?! A fucking hit?! Like he’s in the fucking mafia?!” I screech, fear already coursing through my veins.
Everett lets out a deep breath, throwing his arms over his face. “Yeah. Breaker said he tried to shop around with some local gangs, but nobody would touch him. Apparently, he’s escalated to some larger scale shit.”
Tears blur my vision instantly. I’m not the weaktype, the girl who cries over stupid, insignificant things. But the thought of something happening to the man next to me sends a searing pain straight through my heart. I close my eyes, blinking away the tears and trying to get my emotions under control.
“Hey, hey, hey, don’t cry, goddess. Everything is gonna be fine,” Everett says, sitting up next to me and cupping my face gently. He wipes away the tears that have already spilled from my eyes, and I relish the feeling of his rough hands against my cheek.
“You don’t know that,” I whisper quietly. “This is not okay, Everett. What are we going to do about this?”
