Page 38 of Crashing Into Me
He finally rested her on the carpet completely and continued his sweet assault on her. Before she was spent, she eased his head away slowly, then sat up and lowered him to the rug next. Lana kissed his neck, his chest, and traced her tongue down to his abdomen. She took her time removing his jeans, where his manhood was eager to join.
Kayden helped her to get them off, along with his boxer briefs, as she gazed up at him, her own wicked smile on her lips, and lowered her face to enjoy him. She took both her hands and held onto his thighs, and used only her tongue and mouth, pleasing him until she was satisfied. She thoroughly enjoyed making him moan as well. When she could tell he couldn’t take any more, she sat up and reached for his hand, where she pulled him up. Lana turned around on her knees and lowered her stomach to the carpet, where she waited to receive him.
In a swift yet gentle move, he plunged into her from behind, and she cried out at the familiar feel of him inside her. He reached around to her chest and pulled her up carefully, into a sitting position, as he sucked and kissed her neck while running his hand over her breasts. She pushed down onto him repeatedly in a slow rhythm of their own and could feel every nerve inher body ready to explode. Lana watched their reflection in the floor-to-ceiling glass windows in front of them. Kayden was watching as well, and their eyes locked on one another in the glass. He turned her head and kissed her as they climaxed together, where they collapsed in front of the fire, in each other’s arms.
13
wicked game
Standing before her floor-length mirror, Maureen let her gaze sweep over her reflection with quiet satisfaction. She had everything a woman could hope for, and at fifty-eight, she still had the body of a thirty-year-old. Admiring the way her body hugged her nightgown, she combed her long, dark hair and caught a glimpse of her ring finger and the faded mark where she once wore her ring. She and Vincent Capshaw were married for thirty years—that was more than most people could hope for with the state of marriages nowadays.
As she thought of her late husband, she couldn’t help thinking of his death. She rolled over in bed one morning and felt his cold, lifeless body next to hers, and it was something she would never forget. After having buried their youngest son only three months prior, Vince became a different person. He stopped his regular exercise routine, and in his mourning, he often neglected his heart medications. She had been busy running the day-to-day operations in his absence, so it didn’t afford her the time to keep on top of him like she was used to.
Her face grew cold as she thought of Joel that winter night, burning and mangled in the car on the highway. He and Kayden had just left an event where they’d all discussed thefuture of Capshaw Realty, and Kayden hadn’t taken being told he wouldn’t be the CEO well. He and Joel left to head back to Hamby, and she didn’t think either of them was too drunk to drive, or she would have demanded they take a car service. That was the last she saw Joel alive, and one of her biggest regrets. She loved Kayden, but it wasn’t the same as before.
Every time she looked in his face, she saw Joel and Vince, and the heartbreak would start all over again. It was an accident. A tragic, foolish accident that spiraled her life out of control, and she still didn’t know how to handle it. She knew Kayden had to be taught a profound lesson about consequences, and Maureen obliged every opportunity to get that point across. Lana made it easier for her to achieve her goal, and she would not accept anyone who disrespected her the way she had been.
The thought of her crawling back to whatever hole she came from made Maureen feel good inside. She knew Kayden wouldn’t just let her slip away easily, so she planned on taking him out for the afternoon as Kimberly did away with the unwelcomed distraction. She believed now, more than ever, that Kim was the better match for her son. She had concocted the plan after they left Paula’s house the morning after their blow-up. Maureen was admittedly ready to concede to her son, but Kim wouldn’t allow it.
She was a calculating girl and reminded her a lot of herself. Wiping the thoughts away, Maureen sauntered over to her bed where Heathcliff was lying in his boxers, reading a golfing journal. She placed her leg on the bed, causing her gown to ride up her thigh. He promptly put his magazine down and sat up in bed, moving towards her. He wasn’t Vincent by any means, but she had needs, too.
She’d always known Heathcliff Jackson wanted her, and she needed to feel something else while she was in Hamby. The memories of that town flooded her brain every minuteshe remained there and made her more depressed than ever—she couldn’t wait to leave.But I could have a little fun in the meantime,she thought as he pulled her onto the bed.
IT WAS ALREADY Thursday,and Lana had a lot to do. First, she and Kayden had to go to Shelby and retrieve Rachel’s ashes. They had planned to hold a ceremony for her the day that Aunt Mae’s reopened.Too bad I won’t be there,she thought as she pulled on the leather jacket that smelled of her “almost husband”. The snow plows had finally made it into town and cleared much of the snow so cars could get around. The weather forecast warned of more snowfall later in the night, so they knew they had to get a move on.
Kayden came downstairs in Khaki pants, a tight black shirt, and a different black leather jacket. He was cleanly shaven except for the goatee he was letting grow in, and pulled his hair into a ponytail. He was so scrumptious, she thought as they walked through the interior garage door. She couldn’t blame Kim for having a hard time letting him go, even if for selfish physical reasons only, but she knew better. Kim had an agenda that had nothing to do with her heart.
Lana wasn’t sure she could trust Maureen’s word not to press charges against her and planned to have her sign a contract guaranteeing it. This was just in case she wanted to be spiteful, which Maureen had more than proven she was capable of with her own son. It would also provide Lana proof of Maureen’s deceit, which she would promptly show Kayden and put an end to this charade. She still had a little ammunition left in her, although it would be a Hail Mary of sorts.
Kayden opened the passenger door of the Lamborghini, and she sat in. It was pretty low to the ground and not very comfortable, she thought as he closed the door. It was fancy, though, and it looked like a futuristic car with a dashboard full of buttons she had no idea what to do with. Kayden opened his door and slid in, shutting it down and flipping the hatch in the middle of the console. She looked over at him.
“Seriously, there’s not even a key?”
He leaned over and kissed her.
“Shh, just enjoy the ride,” he replied as the engine roared.
And boy was it loud. Lana reached for the seat belt and clicked it, and he did the same. It was an impressive car, she admitted, as the garage doors opened and he put the car in reverse.
KIM COULDN’T WAITuntil Lana was out of Hamby for good. As soon as she was, she already had every move she planned to make with Kayden rehearsed. First, comfort him in his time of sadness, blah, blah, and of course, she’d have to talk him out of going to look for her. She doubted they did anything but screw anyway, so tracking her down in Florida was probably out of the question. Kim had continued with her wedding plans, already picking the caterer and the flowers, and even putting down a deposit at The Foundry in New York.
It would be the most spectacular backdrop for all of New York City to gossip about. Standing outside at the farmer’s market, she spied a vintage jewelry store and knew there had to be something beautiful in there for her to pick out. She loved shopping, and the pickings were slim there in Podunk, No-Where’s-Ville. As she walked through the newly plowed street,she slid a little but caught herself before she hit the icy asphalt. Embarrassed, she looked around to see if anyone saw her, and a couple of kids on the sidewalk laughed and pointed at her.
That didn’t matter to her; nothing would ruin her day. She held her pointy nose to the air and continued across the street to the store entrance. She didn’t care how the wedding happened; that didn’t matter to her either. It was what she did with it that would. She made a mental note to email Page Six a picture of herself and Kayden, a notorious celebrity news and gossip magazine based in New York. She’d have to do this by Saturday so they could run their wedding announcement in it. Everyone who was anyone read it, and her guest list would be a mile long.I can’t wait until that bitch is on a plane and out of my hair,she thought. Most importantly, out of Kayden’s life.
KAYDEN SQUEEZEDLANA’S hand as they waited in the office of the funeral home to retrieve Rachel’s remains. The office was small and dark, although there were two windows with the blinds open. The walls were a maroon, almost rust color, which didn’t help the gloomy atmosphere in the cold room. The big desk was surprisingly spotless—no folders, pens, or sticky notes to be seen.
Just a nameplate that read “Herman Dill.” They sat in silence while Kayden gazed off into thoughts she wished she could look into. Lana knew this would be hard for him and all too familiar territory, so she was happy just to be there, no speaking required. He was sullen, the corners of his eyes rimmed red as he fought back the emotions that clearly wanted out, and she rubbed his hand with her thumb to give what comfort she could. The funeral director, Mr. Dill, entered the room.
He was a very tall man with huge white-rimmed glasses, wearing a lab coat over his dress shirt and black slacks. He was holding a small white box in his hand and sat at the table where he placed it on the desk. He opened the desk drawer, pulled out some papers, and pushed over a release form for Kayden to sign, where he reached over and began filling in his signature.
The box was small. Way smaller than Lana had imagined, as she’d never seen real-life ashes before. It was amazing that a human body could be reduced to so little. When Kayden was done, he pushed the form back over the mahogany desk and stood up, the director standing with him. They shook hands, and he handed Kayden the tiny box. Lana stood next and grabbed Kayden’s free hand as they left the office.
KAYDEN SAID LITTLEduring the ride home, his mind clearly miles away. She sensed the heaviness in him and held back, not wanting to break his concentration with anything unimportant. If they were actually getting married, she’d distract him with those details. And if she were to be living with him, she’d distract him with the plans that were drawn up for the house. She didn’t want to make matters any worse for herself or risk telling him about the elaborate plot his mother had put together, so she rode in silence with him all the way back to Hamby, taking in the scenery of this beautiful place before she had to go.
Abruptly, he pulled the car over to the side of the road and stopped the engine.
“Why’d you stop?” she asked, confused.
