Chapter 15

fifteen

. . .

Romeo

I talked to Demi about her family. She knows everything.

River

How’d she take it?

The way you’d expect someone who’s been lied to for a long time to take it. She was devastated. Shocked. But she didn’t doubt me or think I was lying.

Kingston

Told you. She’s a good one. And I thought we decided a long time ago that we don’t judge others by their family members, right? We should have included her in that.

Nash

That was deep, King. You must have gotten laid last night. I’m glad you told her, Romeo. It’s nice to see your grumpy ass happy for once.

Hayes

So, what happens from here? Will she confront them?

She wants to. I don’t blame her. I’d want to know who knew what and how involved they were.

Kingston

Agreed. You think her dad will come after you?

River

I fucking dare him. He can’t intimidate anyone anymore. We’re all grown up.

Fuck, yeah. She did share something with me. The son of a family friend of her parents tried to force himself on her several months ago. She fought like hell, and he ran off. Her dad claims he got a restraining order, and I’m not buying it. I don’t think he’s going away. Can you look into it, River? See if there’s a restraining order in the system for this guy?

River

Of course. What’s his name?

Ronny Waterstone.

Hayes

As in, the grandson of the senator of California?

Nash

Isn’t his father, Patrick, business partners with Demi’s father?

Yes, to both.

Kingston

I get the feeling Jack Crawford didn’t file shit on his daughter’s behalf.

River

I’ll do some digging and let you know what I find out.

Thanks. I need to go for a run. I’ll catch you boys later.

Hayes

Proud of you, brother.

Kingston

You’re training out in the elements and puking and sore, and Leo is posting endless shit on his social media about his fancy gym and the slew of women who hang out during his workouts. He’s such a cheesedick.

River

Why the fuck are you following him on social media?

Kingston

Didn’t anyone ever tell you that you should keep your enemies close?

Nash

Is that why you went home with Shana Richards last night? I thought you hated her…

Kingston

Listen, Looselips… Shana and I are friends. I am all about forgiveness.

River

Are you fucking her again? Didn’t she shave your eyebrows when you were sleeping once?

I thought she shaved your balls?

Kingston

Hell no. She squeezed my balls once when I tried to break up with her. And she’s got those long, scary nails. It hurt like hell. She shaved that mustache I was trying to grow in my sleep last year. I’m smarter now. I walked her home, and when she tried to kiss me, I said that it took us a long time to become friends again, and I didn’t want to cross that line.

Hayes

How’d that go over?

Kingston

She dug her nails into my chest and stabbed my nipple. She practically pierced it. You guys know I have sensitive nipples.

<laughing face emoji>

Nash

Well, you and your nipples better get your ass to work in twenty minutes, because we’ve got a shit ton to do today.

River

Toughen up, little brother. Let’s meet at the gym later today, and you can update us on what Demi decides to do with this information.

“You ready?”Joey asked as I dropped my phone onto my desk.

He had the electric bike, and he’d be pushing me today. We made our way outside, and he handed me a backpack.

“Jesus. Did you load it with bricks?” I pulled it over my shoulders, and he chuckled.

“Yeah. You’re getting too fast. We need to make these runs more challenging.”

“Me puking at the end of every run isn’t enough?” I rolled my eyes and glanced over at the coffee shop as I stretched my legs and adjusted to the weight on my back.

I’d spent the night with Demi, and the talk had been very heavy. But she hadn’t run or shouted or blamed me for what happened.

She’d listened.

“Stop gaping over there at your girl. You look like a moron,” Joey grumped, which made me laugh.

“I’m not a moron. Just making sure she’s okay.”

“Well, you didn’t deny she was your girl, so I guess you’re growing up, Romeo.” He climbed onto the bike, looking ridiculous with all his tattoos and his giant body hovering over the handlebars. “Now, get your ass moving. No time for chitchat.”

And I took off on the same path I’d been running. He moved ahead of me, shouting and yelling all sorts of insults. That was Joey’s style, and it worked well for me; however, it was pouring rain now. I had a forty-pound backpack on my shoulders, and I was running six-minute miles. So, I tuned his mean ass out, and I focused on the fight.

On Leo fucking Burns, who wouldn’t shut up about me on social media.

On Demi’s family, who had fucked over me and River all those years ago.

On my father’s battle with addiction and all the shit we went through to get to the other side of things, only to have him pass away at a young age.

I thought about my life.

About surviving and fighting and never giving up.

And then I thought about Demi.

How maybe all the shit I’d gone through was supposed to lead me here.

“Pump those motherfucking arms, you big pussy!” Joey shouted, and I pushed harder just to shut him the fuck up.

Faster.

Stronger.

I left it all out there.

Everything I had in me.

I came to a stop in front of the gym and moved to the bushes, where I proceeded to vomit, and then I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand.

“Fuck, that was tough,” I said. I pulled the backpack off my shoulders and dropped it onto the ground. The rain was easing up.

“You know what’s tough, Romeo? You’re fucking tough. Go take a shower and get some food in your belly. I’ll meet you back here for your afternoon workout.” He glanced over at the two women who pulled the door open and walked inside the gym. “It’s getting too distracting in there with all this attention. It’s not a goddamn circus. We may need to find another place to work out in the afternoons.”

I nodded. “You want me to keep the backpack?”

“Hell yeah. That’s your new best friend. And I’m bringing Butch this afternoon to beat the shit out of you, so be ready.”

“Always am.” I held my hand up and walked toward the back door of the coffee shop. I heard Joey laughing, and I flipped him the bird.

“She’s making me some new shakes!” I shouted.

“I’m sure she is, Golden Boy.”

I couldn’t get that kiss out of my head, and my dick had been on high alert because she’d spent the night in my bed. But I was dog-tired now, and the truth was, I just wanted to see her face.

I pulled the back door open, and Peyton raised a brow. “Hey there, superstar. We just had two women in here who were wearing T-shirts that said, Just here for the Magnolia Falls Golden Boy.”

I rolled my eyes. A lot of locals were cashing in on the upcoming fight. They were making shit and selling it. I didn’t care. If it could make people a couple of bucks, I was fine with it.

“It’ll blow over. Where’s Demi?”

“You two sure are spending a lot of time together.” She waggled her brows. “I think something’s going on.”

Demi walked into the kitchen, holding a bag of what I assumed was protein shakes, and as soon as her eyes met mine, her teeth sank into her juicy bottom lip.

“Trust your gut on that, Peyton.” I winked, and she let out a too-high-pitched squeal in celebration. I turned my attention to Demi. “Can you take a break for a little bit?”

“Yeah. The breakfast rush is over. You got things covered, Peyt?” she asked.

“Abso-freaking-lutely. Take your time.” She waggled her brows.

I chuckled and took the bag from Demi, and she glanced at the backpack as I pushed the door open.

“What’s with the backpack? It looks heavy.”

“Joey is the devil.” We stepped outside into the rain, and I reached for her hand as we ran across the alley to my place.

Once we were inside, I dropped her hand and moved to the kitchen area, pulling out a shake and offering her one.

She smiled. “Those are for you. I had a muffin for breakfast. You just ran with that heavy pack on your back. You should get that drink down and then have a good breakfast, as well.”

I dropped the heavy backpack onto the floor, unscrewed the lid, and guzzled the shake. “Damn, that’s good.”

“You’ll be feeling revived in twenty minutes,” she said.

I studied her. My gaze moved down her pretty face to the tan hooded sweater she was wearing. It was damp from the rain and sticking to her perfect tits, and my mouth watered at the sight.

I dropped the bottle into the recycle bin and turned around to see Demi with her arms wrapped around herself, trying to get warm.

“You cold?” I moved closer.

“I’m wet,” she said, and I raised a brow and chuckled. “From the rain, amongst other things.”

“Yeah?” I ran the pad of my thumb over her bottom lip. This fucking mouth would be the death of me. I couldn’t get that kiss out of my mind.

“Yeah.”

“I’m going to catch a shower. You want to join me?”

Her heated gaze moved back up to meet mine. “Hmmm… I’m already wet, and I’m freezing, so a hot shower sounds pretty good.”

“Let me warm you up, then.” My voice was gruff. We’d been holding back for weeks. Kissing her just wasn’t enough. We’d said all that needed to be said last night, and we were doing this, so I was done holding back.

It didn’t mean we needed to rush things, but I wanted to make her feel good.

She took my hand, and I led her the short distance to the bathroom. We were both wet, and I reached for the hem of her sweater, tugging it up and over her head. She wore a pretty pink bra underneath, and my fingers traced over the hard peaks poking through the lace.

She sucked in a breath, and I dropped to my knees and lifted her leg to pull off her tennis shoes. I tossed them to the side and reached for the hem of her leggings before slowly pulling them down her lean, tanned legs. Goose bumps covered her skin, and I chucked them near her shoes. I glanced up at her, and her gaze met mine.

I turned my attention back to the pink lace panties that matched her bra, and my fingers moved beneath the band as I leaned forward and kissed her right over the fabric. I breathed her in.

“Fuck, Demi. You’re so beautiful.”

I tugged her panties down her legs and kissed her thighs and her knees and her ankles. I wanted to worship every inch of her gorgeous body. I pushed to my feet, my hands moving behind her back and unsnapping her bra, as the last bit of fabric covering her fell to the floor.

Fuck me.

She was perfect.

Made for me.

I’d never wanted anyone more.

Her trembling hand moved to my hoodie, and she did her best to push it over my head, but with me being much taller, I helped get her there. She smiled up at me before mimicking what I’d done to her. She moved to her knees and helped me out of my shoes before reaching for the band of my gray joggers and pulling them down my legs. She set them beside her, and then her eyes widened at my dick bulging through the black briefs I was wearing.

“I’ve been hard since last night. Having you in my bed, being wrapped around you, it’s doing crazy shit to me.”

“I like doing crazy shit to you.” She tugged my briefs down my legs, leaned forward, and kissed the tip of my dick before swirling her tongue around it. I sucked in a breath and reached for her, pulling her to her feet.

“Things will end very quickly if you start there.” My laugh was strained. “I want to make you feel good.”

I opened the glass door and turned on the hot water before reaching for her hand. She was still trembling.

“Are you cold or nervous?”

I needed to know.

“Probably both. I’ve never showered with a man.” She shrugged.

My eyes widened in question.

“I’m not a virgin. I’ve just never showered with someone.”

Goddamn, I was crazy about this girl.

“I like being your first anything,” I said, leading her into the water.

“I like it, too.”

The hot water sprayed down on us, and I handed her the body wash. We both filled our palms with soap and took our time washing one another. My hands trailed over her gorgeous tits, her flat stomach, and her neck as her head fell back in the most erotic way. I soaped up the curve of her gorgeous ass and then turned her around so I could wash her hair. I’d never done anything like this with a woman before. Sure, I’d fucked in the shower.

This was different.

Intimate.

This connection was so strong that I wanted to do everything with her.

She turned around and faced me, water drops falling down her pretty face. “My turn.”

She took her time, running those hands into my hair as I bent down so she could reach the top of my head. Once I was standing fully upright, she took her time running her palms over my shoulders, her body moving easily around me as she washed my back, my arms, and even my hands and fingers when she came back around to stand in front of me. It was sexy and soothing all at the same time. And then she poured more soap into her palm and made her way down my abdomen. Every inch of my body ached, but it came alive beneath her touch. She ran her hands up and down my shaft slowly, and I was so fucking turned on I couldn’t see straight. My hands moved to each side of her face as she gripped my dick harder, and my mouth crashed into hers.

I tilted her head to the side so I could kiss her deeper. One hand moved over her hip and around the curve of her narrow waist before sliding up her rib cage until I covered her breast. My thumb circled her nipple as our tongues swirled. I fucking loved kissing this woman. I loved her mouth and the little sounds she made. I moved to her other breast and took turns tweaking her hard peaks. She arched her back, trying to get closer as she continued sliding her hand up and down my shaft.

My hand moved down her flat stomach, our mouths never losing contact. I traced along the outside of her hip and down the inside of her thigh before sliding up and grazing her pussy with the tips of my fingers.

“Please,” she whisper-groaned into my mouth, and it was the sexiest fucking thing I’d ever heard. I pulled back long enough to meet her gaze and make sure she was okay. Her green eyes were half-mast, cheeks flushed, and lips red and swollen from where I’d kissed her. She gave me the slightest nod, and I slipped a finger inside.

Jesus.

She was so tight. I wasn’t sure how my dick would ever fit, but I didn’t give a shit right now. Her hand felt like fucking heaven as she continued to work her magic on my cock. Her lips parted the slightest bit, and her breaths came faster as her back pressed against the shower wall. She rocked her hips as I pulled my finger in and out of her faster now, before adding a second digit. She gasped the slightest bit as I fucked her hand, and my mouth crashed into hers once again. Her hips bucked in motion with my hand, and my dick was on the verge of exploding. My thumb moved to her clit, making little circles and knowing just what she needed, as I thrust forward, faster and faster, into her hand.

Loud moans flooded the shower, and she cried out my name as her walls tightened around my fingers in sharp pulses. And that was all it took. I thrust one more time as bright lights exploded behind my eyes, and I came so hard I couldn’t see straight. I continued fucking her with my fingers as her head fell back against the wall, and she stayed right there with me. Her hand glided up and down my shaft.

And I was done for.

This girl owned me.