Tangled, Page 23

  They can just run and run—countless laps—miles at a time.

  You see where I’m going with this?

  I flip us over so Kate’s once again on top, her knees straddling my hips, her head against my chest. We really should move this to the bed—the floor’s damn hard. But, then again, so am I. And that takes precedence.

  Kate lifts her head and her eyes widen. “Already?”

  I raise my brows. “We’ve missed a lot of quality time lately. Apparently my dick would like to make up for every second of it. You game?”

  I rotate my hips, and she moans just a little.

  I’ll take that as a yes.

  Chapter 28

  WE MADE IT TO THE BED. EVENTUALLY.

  A few hours and three orgasms later, we’re laying side by side facing each other. Sharing a pillow. The pillow.

  “Say it again.”

  It’s the tenth time she’s asked me. But I don’t mind. I’ll say it till I’m blue in the face if she wants me to.

  “I love you, Kate.”

  She sighs. It sounds content. “I’m going to be really clingy and needy for the next few weeks. You should be prepared.”

  “I’ll be insecure and jealous. It’ll work out great.”

  There’s a smile in her voice. “You told me you don’t get jealous.”

  I shrug. “I also told you I wasn’t going to lie to you ever again.”

  Her hands comb through the back of my hair gently. “When did you know?”

  I smile. “The first time you let me come inside you without a rubber.”

  She yanks my hair. Hard.

  “Ow! Jesus!”

  Her voice is exasperated, like a mother who just caught her kid snagging an off-limits cookie for the tenth time.

  “Drew. That doesn’t sound very romantic.”

  “You don’t think so?”

  I find the strength to lift my head, and then I lower it down over her already hardened nipple. I suck at it, tease it with my teeth, before slowly letting it go with a pop.

  “Because I happen to think coming inside you is very, very romantic.”

  As I start to give the other beauty the same treatment, she gasps. “That’s a good point.”

  I chuckle. “They all are, sweetheart.”

  Laying my head back down, I drag my fingertip up her arm, fascinated by the goose bumps that rise up as I go.

  “Aren’t you going to ask me when I knew?” she asks.

  “When you knew what?”

  Kate rolls onto her stomach. And her hair swings over her shoulder, reaching the skin on my ribs. Tickling it like a feather. It’s arousing. Sensual. And just like that, I’m ready to go again.

  Edward Cullen can take his stupid heroin and OD on it. Kate is my own personal brand of Viagra.

  “When I knew I was in love with you.”

  Have you noticed that Kate hasn’t returned any of my “I love you”s? I certainly have. But like I said—I try not to put much faith in words. Actions tell you more. And every move Kate makes tells me that we’re on the same page.

  Still, I’m kind of curious.

  “When?”

  She leans forward and kisses my eyes…my cheeks…and then the tip of my nose before planting a sweet one on my lips. Then she leans back. “Do you remember that day in my office? After Billy and I broke up, and I was crying?”

  I nod.

  “I should have been devastated—I was—for a little while. But then you came in, and you put your arms around me. And I never wanted you to let go. It was like everything I’d always needed, anything I’d ever wanted, was right there in front of me. And that’s when I knew. That, somehow, you’d sucked me in, and I was totally in love with you.” She laughs softly. “I was so scared…”

  I bet.

  “…because I never in a million years thought you’d feel the same way.”

  I brush my thumb across her beautiful bottom lip. “I already did, Kate. I just didn’t know it.”

  She smiles and lays her head back down on the pillow. Her voice is soft and sincere.

  “Yeah. You can be a real dumbass sometimes.”

  Was that what you thought she was going to say? Me neither.

  “Excuse me?”

  She cocks a brow smugly. “I’m just saying, if you look at our history—”

  Before she can finish, I’ve got her pinned under me, her back to my chest. “Those are fighting words Kate.” My fingers travel down her ribs slowly. Torturously. She starts to squirm, and her ass rubs against my cock.

  It’s nice.

  “Take it back.”

  “No.”

  My fingers move light and fast over her. Tickling her without mercy.

  “Say, ‘Drew Evans is a god. A brilliant, genius god.’”

  She bucks and shrieks, “Drew! Stop! Stop!”

  I don’t let up. “Ask me nicely and maybe I will. Beg me for it.”

  She laughs even while she’s screaming. “Never!”

  You know what they say about never, don’t you?

  Oh yeah—this is going to be fun.

  She begged.

  Did you have any doubt? Then she got on top of me, and I was the one begging.

  Now I’m lying with my head at Kate’s feet, massaging them. Her head’s on my thigh. Want to know how we ended up in this position? Nah—I’ll let you use your imagination.

  “So, what did Alexandra say to you?” I ask her.

  “Mmm?”

  I bend my elbow and rest my head on my hand so I can see Kate’s face. She looks completely exhausted. Worn out. Un-gently used. It’s a really good look for her.

  “The other day, in your office, before you agreed to go out with me. You seemed different. More…receptive. Did she threaten you?”

  She chuckles drowsily and cracks her eyes open. “No, no threats. She told me to think like the professional woman I am. To look at you like a business venture. That every investment has risks, but I have to weigh them against the payoff. She said based on your most recent performance, you’re a risk worth taking.”

  Good strategy. I should have thought of that.

  “I should send her flowers.”

  Her hand rubs my thigh. “But that’s not what convinced me to give you another chance.”

  My brow wrinkles. “No?”

  “Nope.”

  “Then what did?”

  She swings around till her head’s on my chest, and there’s not a breath of space between us.

  “Mackenzie.”

  “How’d she pull it off?”

  “She told me a story about how you took her to Central Park last summer. And a boy threw sand at her.”

  I remember that day. I was just about to offer a six-year-old fifty bucks to dropkick the little fucker.

  “And then he came up to her and said he was sorry. But she wasn’t sure if she wanted to play with him again. And she said that you told her that sometimes boys are stupid. And a lot of times they do stupid things. So, once in a while, she should take pity on them. And if they say they’re sorry, she should give them a second chance. Not a third or a fourth…but you told her that everyone deserves a second chance.” She pauses. And laughs. “And then you told her if he did it again she should kick him in the balls.”

  All girls should know how to defend themselves. A well-aimed kick will do it every time.

  It’s kind of amazing, don’t you think? If it wasn’t for my perfect niece, we might not be here right now.

  “Maybe I should buy her two ponies.”

  Kate smiles. And her eyes gaze up at me in that way I now crave. Like I mean everything to her.

  “You have no sense of self-preservation, do you?”

  I shake my head. “No, not at the moment. I’m too focused on…fornication.”

  She brings her knee up around my hip. “I’m going to make you so happy, Drew Evans.”

  My arms tighten around her. “You already have. After this? Heaven’s going to be a major disappointment.”

  I dip my head and kiss her. It’s wet and slow and wonderful. And she’s kissing me back. Like she never wants to stop. And you know something?

  That works really well for me.

  So there you go. Thanks for coming along for the ride. But you really should leave now. No more living vicariously through my sex life. Because, remember when I said all guys talk to their friends about sex?

  Well, we do.

  But no guy talks to his friends about sex with his girlfriend. Ever.

  You really think I want somebody jerking off to what Kate lets me do to her? Or what she does to me? No fucking way.

  So this is where you get off. Not in the fantastic way I’m about to, of course, but that’s just too bad for you.

  Still…after all the pointers I’ve given you, I feel like I owe you some final words of wisdom. A lesson. Something meaningful. So here we go:

  Assume nothing. Even if you think you know everything. Even if you’re sure that you’re right. Get confirmation. That whole “ass” cliché about assuming? It’s right on the money. And if you’re not careful, it could end up costing you the best thing that’s ever going to happen to you.

  And another thing—don’t get too comfortable. Take chances. Don’t be afraid to lay it on the line. Even if you’re happy. Even if you think life is freaking perfect.

  Because I had a life once. A life I loved. It was consistent. Fun.

  It was reliable. Safe.

  And then one night, a beautiful dark-haired girl came along and blew it all to kingdom come. Now my life is a mess. In a good way. A giant unpredictable web of screw-ups and make-ups. Frustration and tenderness. Annoyance and affection. Lust and love.

  But that’s okay. Because as long as Kate Brooks is tangled up in that web with me?

  Well, I can’t imagine anything fucking better than that.

  The End

  Acknowledgments

  Much gratitude to Omnific Publishing—Elizabeth, CJ, Lisa, and Enn in particular—for taking chances and for giving me the opportunity to turn a lifelong dream into a reality. Thanks to my editor, Colleen, for loving these characters as much as I do, for seeing things I couldn’t, and for helping to make this story better than it ever would have been without her. Appreciation and affection goes out to my many online friends, whose support and encouragement helped make this all happen. I am indebted to my family, who taught me through example that humor can be found anywhere, in even the most unexpected situations—especially those. And last but not least, I am grateful to my children, the two best things I’ve ever done—thank you for inspiring me to try new things, for making me laugh and making me crazy…and for finally sleeping through the night so I would have the time and energy to write this book!

  About the Author

  By day, Emma Chase is a devoted wife and mother of two who resides in a small, rural town in New Jersey. By night, she is a keyboard crusader, toiling away the hours to bring her colorful characters and their endless antics to life. She has a long-standing love/hate relationship with caffeine.

  Emma is an avid reader. Before her children were born, she was known to consume whole books in a single day. Writing has also always been a consistent passion, and with the publication of her debut novel, the ability to now call herself an author is nothing less than a dream come true.

 

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