“’Cause she was selfish?”
“Yeah, actually,” I answer with a humorless laugh.
“Wait, really?”
I shrug, motioning for her to sit. We both settle on the couch. She tucks her feet under and nuzzles into my side. “My mom was really good at charming people. Teachers, cops, men,” I explain. “On top of that, she was young and good-looking. Finding a guy was never an issue. If she had really wanted to, she could have found someone. Fallen in love. But she always wanted more.”
“I remember this one guy, Aaron. He was nice. Had a good job. I think the poor bastard actually loved my mom. Unfortunately for Aaron, I’m not sure she was wired that way. When he found his mother’s wedding ring stuffed in her sock drawer, I think a part of him broke that day. Pretty sure he would have given it to her eventually if she’d just waited.”
“God, Hollis. That’s horrible.”
“Selfish people do selfish things, Pres. It’s not anyone’s fault but their own,” I say, trying to shake off the memory. It was the only time in my childhood, other than that year with the Creeds, when I felt safe. Aaron wasn’t perfect, but he tried.
It was more than my own mother ever did.
“You’re right,” she says. “I’ve blamed myself for his actions for far too long. I’m done letting Jace fuck with my head. I’m…”
I wince. Presley isn’t the only one trying to recover from what she saw on that video. “Can we not use the words ‘Jace’ and ‘fuck’ in the same sentence?”
“Oh!” She looks up at me and snorts. “You know I was faking it, right?”
My lips quirk. “I’ve become well acquainted with the sounds you make when you come, Pres. Yeah, I know.”
Her eyes twinkle with mischief, and I watch as she swings her leg over my hip to straddle me. My hands immediately settle on her waist. “Are you? ’Cause I could demonstrate if you need a refresher?”
I groan. “I’m gonna hate myself for saying this, but can I take a rain check?”
She gasps dramatically. “Are you sick of me already?”
“God, no. I just want to take you out on a date.”
“A date?”
I laugh. “You say the words like it’s a foreign concept to you.”
Her arms wrap around my neck. “I understand the concept. I just wonder if it’s maybe a little backward. Aren’t you supposed to do the dates first, then get married?”
“Nah,” I reply, kissing her slow and sweet. “I think the way we did it worked out just fine.”
She rolls her hips as our kiss turns heated. Her tongue slips into my mouth, and I groan. It’s been mere hours since I had her, and I feel fucking desperate to be inside her again. I’ve never felt like this before.
It’s addictive.
“About that rain check?” I say, my breath ragged. “Can I cash it in now?”
She’s already got her sweatshirt halfway off. “Fuck yes. We can go on our date when we’re done.”
Sounds good to me.
She tosses the sweatshirt onto the floor. I give her a once-over. She’s completely naked from the waist up. “Were you braless this entire time?”
She shrugs. “They’re uncomfortable. I rarely wear one when I’m not at work.”
I eye her perfectly round tits. Tits I spent all fucking morning sucking and licking. “I’m so glad I didn’t know that before today.”
“There are a lot of things I’m glad I didn’t know about you until today,” she says, reaching for the hem of my T-shirt. “It would have made this friendship thing a hell of a lot more difficult.”
I help her out by lifting my arms. She yanks the shirt over my head and tosses it to the floor. Her eyes sweep over my upper body appreciatively. I’ve always worked out to keep in shape, but seeing the way she looks at me makes those hours on the treadmill worth it for an entirely different reason. “Yeah? Like what?”
