9. Our Beginning

9 OUR BEGINNING

Koen

Boxing? What the hell had I been thinking? All I knew was the kid needed to get the hell out of the room before I scarred him for life. It may have seemed like I was rushing through cleanup when, in actuality, it was my piss-poor attempt to shield teenage eyes from my raging hard-on. When she rubbed her thighs together… holy shit . I was done for. My dick turned to steel and he wanted out to play.

Yanking my phone from my back pocket, I hit the text thread with Keaton.

Me: If you have plans tomorrow, cancel them. We’re teaching the kid to box first thing.

Keaton: Did something happen?

Me: Not exactly. Are you in or not?

Keaton: Lucky for you, we have nothing going on.

Me: Great. Bring Henley. She and Jade can keep each other and Phoebe entertained.

Approaching the front door, I keyed the six digit code into the panel on the wall, engaging the state-of-the-art system.

Keaton: Since when do we allow an audience when we’re training.

Me: Since now.

Keaton: What’s really going on?

Shit. He was gonna make me say it.

Me: I needed Jett to go to bed early and the idea popped in my head.

My phone vibrated with a call. Putting it to my ear, I heard the bastard cackling obnoxiously through the line.

“You’re a dick,” I answered in lieu of hello.

“And you’re thinking with yours.”

“Laugh it up, K. But I’ll have the last laugh when Henley finds out about the time you almost ran over an old woman during a stakeout.”

“That wasn't an old woman,” he grumbled. “It was our suspect dressed up as an old woman.”

“The surveillance video says otherwise.”

“You wouldn’t.”

“Try me and find out.”

“Whatever. So this thing with Jade…it’s the real deal?” There was hesitation in his voice and it pissed me off to no end. He was one of my best friends. We were supposed to have each other's backs .

“Seriously?”

“No, I’m fucking with you.”

“Asshole.”

Switching off the last of the lights downstairs, I told him to meet us at the gym at eight, then hung up the phone.

My cock, which was still rock-hard, grew impossibly harder when I opened the bedroom door and saw her standing there in only a towel.

“I said naked and ready, Angel.” She jolted at the sound of my voice. “Strip.”

Looking around nervously, she fiddled with the tiny knot holding the terry wrap in place. When it was loose, she froze in place.

“It’s just us here, Jade. Talk to me. We don’t have to do anything you’re not comfortable with.”

“No! I want you—us.” Her face flamed; her eyes dipped to the floor. “I don’t want to disappoint you.”

Crossing the distance, I tucked her into my chest, resting my chin on top of her head.

“In no universe could you ever be a disappointment.”

“I’ve only been with one man, one time, and that was four years ago.”

“The past is not in this room, Jade. Tonight is our first time, our beginning. Nothing else matters except you and me.”

My hand came to rest on top of her trembling ones.

“May I?”

“Yes.”

As the towel sank to the floor moments later, I glanced down and lost my breath. Perfection . Every last inch of her was pure perfection. From her full breasts, peaked with rosy nipples that were begging for my mouth, to the sexy curves of her hips, and finally, to the patch of dark curls between her creamy thighs. So much beauty, I didn’t know where to start.

“Lie down on the bed, Angel. Let me love you.”

While she did what I asked, I quickly shed my clothes, leaving my boxer briefs in place to ward off temptation. Climbing on the mattress, I licked and nibbled and kissed my way up her delicious body, purposefully avoiding her glistening pussy, hoping to intensify her need for me. When I reached her breasts, I shifted to the side, propping myself up on an elbow while I drew a tight bud into my mouth, sucking hard. Her low moan was music to my ears; a symphony of pleasure solely for my enjoyment.

My hand went to her other breast, kneading the flesh a few times before drifting down her stomach to her core. I teased her entrance with the tip of a finger, then slid two inside her warm heat.

“Oh, God.” Her back arched off the bed.

“You’re drenched and I’ve barely touched you.”

“Can’t help it,” she panted.

“Are you ready for my cock, Angel?”

Twisting my hand, I ground the heel of my hand against her clit, making her hips jerk upward toward the friction.

“So ready.”

She protested when my fingers left her body, but her eyes flared when I yanked down my underwear. I was not a small man…anywhere, but she didn’t have to worry. She was made for me.

“Birth control?”

“I’m not on anything.”

“We can discuss other methods later. For now,” I reached over the side of the bed to retrieve a condom out of my pants pocket, “I’ll glove up.”

“I’ll make a doctor’s appointment tomorrow. ”

“Are you sure?” She bit her bottom lip and nodded. “Okay. Spread your legs, Angel.”

Palming my dick, I gave it a few hard tugs before rolling the rubber down my shaft. I couldn’t wait to take her bare, but I couldn’t think about it then, otherwise I’d blow before I got inside her.

Settling between her hips with her legs bent and out to the side, I coated myself in her wetness before sliding home in one smooth thrust.

Damn, she was tight.

She gasped at the intrusion.

“Am I hurting you?” I grunted.

“God, no. Please move.”

Pulling out to the tip, I started a slow rhythm, increasing the speed when her hips rose to meet each snap of mine. Our movements were flawless, perfectly in sync, as if our bodies had been doing this particular dance forever.

“Your pussy is squeezing me so hard. I’m not gonna last long.”

I groaned and she moaned as I tossed one of her legs over my shoulder, changing the angle and depth of my drives. My measured thrusts became more urgent, frantic, as we hurdled closer to the edge. Snaking a hand between us, I rolled her clit with my thumb. With the added stimulation, her walls rippled around me and her eyes rolled back in her head as she got lost in her orgasm.

Once, twice, I slammed into her pussy. On the third stroke, I pushed deep and roared through my release.

Jade

Loved.

I felt well and truly loved. Not because Koen spent the majority of each night inside me—which he did—but because of the way he cared for me the times in between. Since our first time, almost two weeks ago, he worshipped my body thoroughly and completely every chance he got, and I did the same to him.

We had a level of intimacy between us which went beyond sex. He’d quickly become my reason for breathing; the one person I was comfortable enough with to divulge the darker moments of my past.

Lying in the dark in bed, his front to my back, exhausted from love-making, we shared stories from our childhood. His centered around his brother and sister and the trouble they got into together, while mine focused on Jett.

He was tracing invisible circles along my rib cage, under my right breast, when I knew he’d felt it; the obvious lump his fingers were rubbing back and forth across.

“What’s this?”

“Broken rib. It never healed right.”

He stiffened at first, then my heart sank when he rolled away. The click of the lamp was the only warning I got before the room was bathed in light. His muttered “fuck” clued me in to the fact he wasn’t rejecting me, he was struggling.

Turning to my side, I watched while he sat on the side of my bed, head bent, his fingers fisted in his hair. I must have made a distressed noise because the next thing I knew, he was back at my side, leaning on his elbow, resting his head in one hand while the other stroked the apple of my cheek.

With a gentleness that didn’t match his thunderous expression, he said, “Show me, Angel.”

The external scars were minimal and faded, but he kissed every one when I told him how they’d come to be. The broken rib my mother caused when she kicked me with steel- toed boots. The jagged mark on my left hip where the flesh had been ripped apart by a rusty nail I slid across after Dad shoved me down a flight of stairs. Seven silvery scars in total; each one marking another horrific act of abuse.

“They didn’t touch Jett, not physically anyway. I made sure of it.”

“I want to kill them,” he growled.

“Stand in line.”

We’d fallen into a comfortable rhythm, the three of us, ever since Koen moved in. When more and more of his belongings showed up, I told him it was ridiculous to be paying for a place he was never in. He agreed and broke his lease two days later.

Henley and I had also grown closer; so close she was more like a sister than a friend. She shared more about her life growing up and I did the same.

We still hadn’t heard from Lanie, other than one random text message saying, “You bitches had better not forget about me.” Even with Koen’s and Keaton’s assurances that she was safe, we were worried sick about our friend.

Life was good.

Even Jett had stopped acting strangely. Whatever had been bothering him seemed to have faded into the background since his birthday. He engaged more in conversation, especially with Koen, and he was spending even more time with Nelson after school. My brother was thriving, which was all I ever wanted for him.

“Jade, my little gumdrop,” Mitzy called out. “You have a visitor.”

Mitzy, Betsy, and Shirley were the heart and soul of Over Easy. Shirley may have owned the place, but the way the other two acted, you’d have thought they were the ones signing our paychecks. The three of them had grown up together, which eventually led to a lifetime of memories. Their easy friendship was a thing of beauty.

They also didn’t have a filter.

“Who is it?”

I’d gone into the back to restock the sugar caddies after the breakfast rush had decimated our supply, while Henley kept an eye on the two tables of customers we had left.

“No idea, but he looks shady as shit.”

She said all of this standing in the doorway which led to the dining area, and she said all of this loudly.

“Mitzy,” I groaned.

“What?” she balked. “You get what you get with me, darlin’. Anyone who doesn’t like it can follow the signs to the exit.”

Shaking my head, I picked up the tray of sugars and moved past her through the door. My stomach clenched when I saw the man leaning against the counter next to the cash register. Mitzy was right, he did look shady, but more than that, he creeped me out. Mostly because his eyes seemed to be glued to my chest.

Setting the tray on an empty table, I moved to stand in front of him.

“Can I help you?”

“Jade Trumble?”

I nodded.

“You’ve been served.”

His smarmy grin should have been my first clue, but it wasn’t until he shoved a thick gray envelope at me, did his words register. And when they did, I lost my grip on the envelope, letting it float to the floor.

I’ve been served? What the hell?

The man said nothing else. He took off the second he made his delivery, leaving me staring at the mysterious package like it was a bomb about to go off.

“Who was that guy, Jade?”

Henley was behind the counter, leaning over the top with a worried expression on her face.

“I have no idea.”

“You should call Koen.”

“And say what?” Fear of what was in the envelope made me snap at her. I instantly regretted it. “Sorry.”

“No worries. Maybe we should see what’s in there first.” She pointed to the envelope.

I bent to retrieve it, my hands shaking so hard it took two tries to pick it up. Peeling back the flap, I pulled out a stack of papers. My vision swam when I saw the documents with an official seal in the corner.

Life was good, which meant I should’ve expected the other shoe to drop.

“I think I need to call Koen.”