Fumbled Hearts (A Tender Hearts Novel) Page 18

  “Show me what you got, Handsome.”

  He scoops me up by my ass and carries me to my room.

  I’m attacking his mouth before we make it to the bed.

  He fumbles and we drop onto the comforter laughing, which quickly morphs into moans and groans as we undress each other.

  In nothing but a black thong, I scoot back on the bed.

  Nate’s eyes are dark and dangerous and sexy.

  He drops his boxers and his dick salutes me.

  My mouth waters thinking about what’s coming next.

  “Condom?” I pant, my eyes still trained on his manhood.

  “Got it.” He tosses the foil package near my head.

  I lay back as he crawls on top of me, kissing my stomach and ribs all the way up. I wrap my legs around his back as he does, sliding along his skin the closer he comes. The feeling sends tingles up my thighs.

  His right hand skates up my ribs, cupping my breast, while his mouth comes down to show some love to the other. When my back lifts, he growls into my skin, switching it up on each nibble.

  My fingertips zig-zag through his abs. When I reach his pelvis, I flatten my right palm and slide my hand down, gripping him, hard.

  His mouth flies to mine and he pushes his body into me, forcing my hand out.

  I reach up in search of the package. Not wanting to break our kiss, I blindly tear the wrapper open above our heads.

  Pulling the condom out, I push on his stomach so he lifts, place the condom over the head of his dick and start rolling…

  “Honey, I’m home!”

  “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.”

  “Bitch.”

  We say in unison.

  “Get rid of her,” he huffs.

  I nod and he rolls off me.

  I throw on his shirt, quickly buttoning it enough to cover the important stuff and walk out my bedroom door, freezing as a thought occurs.

  Biting my nail, I turn back to Nate. “But what if she has cookie dough again?”

  He pins me with a stern look, and I watch, salivating, as his hand starts to stroke himself. My eyes fly back to his and he tilts his head.

  “Right,” I croak. I’m gone quicker than a running back on a blitz.

  As I come around the corner, I find Mia standing in the entry way.

  “Hey, you didn’t tell…oh!” She smirks when she looks down at what I’m wearing.

  “Yeah, bitch.” I widen my eyes. “Oh.” I lay my hand out, palm up. “Key.”

  “But-”

  “I’ll give it back to you tomorrow, after I buy a ‘do not disturb’ sign or something, but tonight,” I point to the door, “go.”

  She laughs and slaps the key in my hand.

  I walk to the door and swing it open, shocked when I hear a bunch of different laughs coming from outside.

  I look out to see a truck full of her friends.

  She kisses my cheek. “I was planning on going home with Austin anyway. His parents are out of town.” She runs out the door, heels in hand, screaming, “Pay up, bitches! Told you they were together!”

  I can’t help but laugh and wave as they drive off.

  As I head back to my room, I’m not sure what I’ll find or if the mood is dead, but when I walk in, finding Nate lying on my bed in the same exact position he was in when I walked out, his hand still holding onto the base of himself, I’m hot and ready all over again.

  With a smirk on my face, I wave the key in the air.

  He smiles back, his eyes roaming my body, covered in his dress shirt.

  When they lift, connecting with mine again, his arm extends, reaching for me.

  The key falls to the ground, and in no time, I’m under him. He’s sleeved and at my entrance, but holds still.

  My legs lay open against the comforter, his strong thighs pressed against mine. I run my nails up his arms, grinning when he shudders.

  His right hand comes up, and he runs the tip of his pointer finger down my throat until he reaches the buttons of his shirt I’m still wearing. He doesn’t remove it, but slowly undoes each one until it lies open at my sides.

  My body is trembling, my heart’s racing, and I’m hot everywhere, so when Somo’s “Ride” begins to flow through the speakers in the background, I take matters into my own hands, and wrap my legs around his waist. I lock them tight, forcing his pelvis down, his thickness inside of me.

  His moan swallows mine as our lips and teeth clash together.

  When he’s pushed to the hilt, my back arches off the bed, and his warm mouth comes down onto my erect nipples, sucking and biting.

  He fucks me to the rhythm of the song, and when my thighs clench around him, his forehead creases and drops to mine.

  It doesn’t take long for his body to go stiff as mine quivers against him. He moves his forehead to my shoulder, kissing my collarbone lightly as he pushes in impossibly deeper, rolling off and onto his back when my limp legs drop from around him.

  Once I can hear more than my erratic heartbeat, I turn to him with a grin, but when I find him staring at me, a stoic expression on his face, my breathing halts altogether.

  His right hand lifts between us. Grabbing one of my curls off the pillow, he runs it through his fingers, watching as it falls from his hand. Brows drawn in, he lifts his eyes to look at me.

  And now my heart’s beating faster for a completely different reason.

  His eyes are weightless, as if he just figured it all out.

  Problem is, I have no idea what it is.

  When he lifts onto his right elbow to peer down at me, I have to look away. His eyes are too bright and honest, too strong and sure.

  Too much.

  Before he can speak, because I know he’s about to, I stand.

  Without looking at him, I tell him, “You can let yourself out. I’m going to take a shower and go to bed.”

  He doesn’t speak while I grab my pajamas from the drawer, or even when I take my towel from the hanger by my door, but I feel his eyes on me.

  As I exit my room, I chance a glance at him.

  Pinched at the edges, his eyes search mine discreetly, and when his head hangs on a nod, I turn and hurry into the bathroom.

  After taking long enough to ensure he’s gone, I rush into my room, ignoring the fact that it’s well after one in the morning, my hair’s soaked, and it’s cold as shit outside, and throw on my tennies and rush out the door.

  It takes longer for my mind to clear this time, more miles to pass before all I can think about is the ache in my calves and the burn in my lungs.

  My mind shuts down, but I don’t stop.

  I keep running.

  I wake up in my bed hours later, not knowing how or when I got there, but that’s not what has me on the verge of a panic attack.

  What bothers me is the first thing that comes to mind when I open my eyes is how much life might suck here in Alrick, now that Nate won’t be around anymore.

  And, for the life of me, I can’t figure out why I care.

  I wake up the next morning with a newfound understanding of the fucked-up reality of last night.

  I fucked Kalani.

  She kicked my ass out after.

  That upset me.

  Took a night of shitty sleep to realize that I’m a dumbass and she’s stubborn as hell.

  That’s probably what drew me to her in the first place. Her no bullshit, fire and ice soul, with a bangin’ body to match.

  She’s the perfect mixture of sugar and spice.

  I know she’s telling herself we’re friends, that we’re just fucking around. Literally, as of last night.

  I grin, thinking about the way her body felt under me, around me.

  Mmm... Yeah, she thinks it’s over. She thinks last night was a one-time thing.

  It wasn’t.

  I saw it in her eyes. She tried damn hard to feign indifference, to look at me with empty eyes, but she needs to realize I can see right through her. Right into her clear blues. And so
mewhere in that caged-up, closed-off heart of hers, she knows.

  There’s more going on here than either of us has admitted.

  She wants me. She wasn’t looking for bragging rights, or to say she had sex with Nate Monroe, football protégé. Nah. She just wanted me. The hot-headed, hot-blooded guy, with a soft spot for the little blue-eyed, black-haired piece of perfection.

  I can’t wait to have her again.

  And again.

  That should freak me out, wanting a girl even more after than I did before. Shit, me wanting a girl again period should have me running, but it doesn’t.

  It feels damn good. Refreshing.

  For the first time, I know what I want, and it’s her. Plain and simple. I figured it out a while ago, but last night confirmed it.

  It’ll be a challenge, breaking through to her, but I perform best under pressure. It’s my job as a quarterback: read, revise, analyze, and execute.

  I can’t help but laugh.

  Austin was right, she’s mine. She just doesn’t know it yet.

  Whistling, I throw on my A’s hat, grab my keys, and head out the door.

  She’s about to find out.

  As I make my way around the corner, I freeze mid-stride when I spot Nate carrying groceries into Mia’s house.

  She’s always putting the boys to work.

  Once they’ve stepped through the door, I sprint past, glancing back quickly to make sure they didn’t see me. The moment I face forward, I slam into something - or someone, rather - and I’m knocked backward.

  “Whoa.” Mia catches me from behind, laughing. “Clumsy, Lolli.”

  “Oh, my gosh. Kalani!” Her voice stuns me. “Honey, are you alright?”

  My eyes fly forward, landing right on my Aunt Kara.

  She freezes, as do I.

  My body starts to shake, the voices around me are no longer clear. There’s a fog over my eyes, a lump in my throat, and I can’t feel my legs.

  “Kalani!”

  “Move!”

  I’m spinning so fast; my lungs can’t grasp any air.

  “Oh, my God!”

  Why won’t she stop talking?

  “Ma’am, I’m sorry, but you need to move! Now!”

  Right when I start to fall into oblivion, two warm hands make their way to my face, keeping me here a moment longer.

  The textured hands push past my cheeks, coming to rest right beneath my ears, in his spot. Nate’s spot.

  “It’s okay, Kalani,” he whispers. “I’m here.”

  He’s here.

  “Nate, what are you-” Mia starts, before I cut her off.

  “Shhh!” Cutting my eyes from Mia to her mom, I give her a warning with my eyes. She needs to stay the fuck back.

  I quickly turn to Kalani, who is standing lifelessly in front of me, her face a blank slate and ghostly white.

  “Hey.” I drop my forehead to hers, keeping my hands rested against the nape of her neck on both sides, my thumbs brushing over her jawline. “Breathe.”

  Her vacant eyes squeeze shut as she takes in a strangled breath.

  “Nate…” She breathes my name like a prayer and my heart starts hammering against my chest.

  My right hand slides further into her hair, and I shift my body closer to hers. “It’s me.”

  Her beautiful blue eyes open, focusing on me, and my breath catches in my throat.

  When the corner of her lips twitch slightly, a grateful chuckle escapes me.

  “Hi, Handsome,” she whispers dismally.

  I smile and kiss her forehead gently. “Hi, Gorgeous.”

  “Why are you here?”

  “I came to see you. To get you,” I answer honestly.

  She scowls at me, some fire coming back into her desolate eyes.

  I nod when she challenges me with her gaze.

  “But-”

  “Yeah, I know,” I interrupt, knowing what she was about to say. “Don’t care.”

  She eyes me for a moment before lightly shaking her head, attempting to hide a grin. When her gaze shifts left, her body tenses, but only slightly.

  With my palms, I apply more pressure to her face, effectively gaining her attention again.

  I’m hoping we have some kind of telepathic connection, or some weird shit, because I really need her to understand what I’m trying to convey.

  We must, because she gives me a stiff nod.

  Her hands come up and case over mine, gripping them tight.

  As we lower them together, we both take a step back, straighten our spines, and inhale deeply.

  Then, having no fucking idea how this shit’s about to go down, I let go of her left hand and step next to her.

  She looks at Mia first, who has tears in her eyes and her hand on her chest. Kalani gives her nothing but a shrug, and that seems to be enough for her, because she smiles then, nodding. Guess they have telepathic shit, too.

  Her eyes shift to Mrs. Edwards, her aunt, who looks back and forth between the three of us, completely unsure of what to do.

  Kalani’s face tightens slightly, so I discreetly squeeze her hand, smiling on the inside when her shoulders instantly drop in a fully visible sign of relief.

  Her gaze falls to our intertwined fingers before she focuses back on her aunt.

  “Hi, Aunt Kara.” Her voice is steady. Strong.

  Fuck, I want to fist bump right now. Or kiss her, I’m so fuckin’ proud.

  Nose red, jaw trembling, Mrs. Edwards whispers, “Hi, Kalani,” hope shining through her voice.

  Kalani turns to me. “I’m going to shower, then we can leave.”

  She says it like a statement, but she’s asking me to take her somewhere, take her mind off things.

  I was going to, whether she liked it or not.

  Lifting my free hand, I tuck the loose strands of hair behind her ear, and nod.

  She turns, offering a tight smile, then walks into her house.

  “How the fu-” Mrs. Edwards silences her daughter with a raised palm, her gaze trained on me.

  Her eyes are soft, knowing. “She told you.” Her tone is a mixture of relief and wonder. There’s a hint of mom tone in there, too. The kind you can’t decipher, that means something, but you have no fucking clue what.

  “She did.” I can’t help but puff my chest out a bit.

  Mia catches my attention when her eyes shoot wide open. “She what?!”

  Mrs. Edward steps up to me, gently placing her hands on my shoulders. “She talked to you?”

  My throat grows tight at her tender, sincere voice, so I nod.

  “Oh, my God.” Her hand flies to her mouth when a whimper escapes, but she quickly recovers and rights herself.

  “Remember something for me…”

  I don’t think she’s looking for an answer, so I remain silent.

  “If she’s let you in…” She catches the pinch in my brows instantly, the uncertainty. “Don’t doubt it. If she told you, she already did. She has let you in.” Her voice is confident, leaving no room for argument.

  “Kalani is a free-spirited girl. She picks and chooses who to trust. Once you’re in, you stay there. Always. No matter what.” She drops her hand and steps back. “Remember that.”

  I can’t help but heed her words as a warning, but nod in acceptance, and make my way into Kalani’s house.

  The second my ass hits her mattress, she storms into her room, that body wrapped in a towel.

  A little one.

  “Why the hell did you show up today, Nate?” she snaps, making her way to her dresser.

  She’s all wet, dripping, and half-naked, and now my jeans are getting uncomfortably tighter.

  “And why the hell don’t you ever call first?”

  Her hair looks longer, impossibly darker when it’s wet like that. There’s a piece sticking to her neck, in my spot.

  My fingers are twitching to brush it to the side, lean in, and suck off the water left behind.

  “Hello!” she shrieks.

  My
eyes fly to hers the second she turns around, and she smirks instantly.

  I know it’s all over my face.

  I want her in a bad way.

  She grabs her hair in one hand, lays it across her right shoulder, and slowly runs her fingers through it.

  Now my hands aren’t the only thing twitching.

  She keeps her eyes on mine as she walks my way. Damn, if it don’t look like she’s putting on a show…

  I lick my lips as she leans in.

  She’s inches from me when she reaches out, snatching a t-shirt from behind me, and returns to her dresser, laughing her sexy little ass off.

  “God, Nate. You’re such a guy.” She pulls her shirt over her head and drops the towel.

  It’s not quite long enough - the ultimate tease - and I’m on my feet, taking a step closer to her.

  “Careful, Handsome.”

  I freeze.

  She slips her feet into a tiny ass scrap of fabric - a thong.

  A little pink one.

  “You just might put a hole in that poor bottom lip of yours.” The tiny piece of cloth makes it up and over her soft thighs and hips.

  My eyes fly to hers and she winks. “Off limits now, remember?” She smirks, looking like she’s on board for what she just said.

  I’m about to call her bluff.

  Moving deliberately slow, I let my gaze roam over her until her chest rises and falls quicker, more erratic. Then, I lock my eyes on hers, stepping directly in front of her.

  “You okay with that, Gorgeous?” I whisper, skimming my fingers down her arms, eyebrow raised.

  “It is what it is, Nate.” She licks her lips, her voice dripping with desire.

  The left side of my mouth lifts. “But you want me.” I wrap her wet hair around my fist.

  “Me and every other girl in a twenty-mile radius.” She looks to my mouth.

  “Fifty, but who’s counting.”

  She rolls her eyes and goes to step away, but her back hits the dresser.

  “Guess what, Kalani?” I bring my hand holding her hair around to her back, pulling gently so she looks up at me. “I want you, too,” I whisper over her lips.

  Her pupils dilate, her little tongue poking out to wet those plump ass lips of hers. “Yeah?”

  I nod. “Yeah.”

  Her hands slide under my shirt, and she smirks up at me. “What are you gonna do about it, Handsome?”