I watched the internal struggle whether to believe me in his. “Maybe not now,” he partially conceded, “but you will. It’s what we do to anyone who gets too close. We make them hate us, and then we hurt them before they can hurt us.”
Pushing aside the ache in my chest, I let my anger rise.
And then I harnessed it.
“Is that what you did to each other? No wonder Rich and Loren hate you.”
He paused, and then his eyes narrowed to slits as he tried to guess how much I knew. By the time his expression cleared, I already knew I’d gone too far.
“I don’t cry over spilled milk, Fawn.” Lifting his forefinger, wet from the condensation, he traced the edge of my tank’s low neckline. On his third pass, the tip of his finger brushed my breasts. The cherries teasing my taste buds told me it wasn’t a mistake. “I’d rather clean up the mess.”
Tipping his can, he poured his energy drink down my tank until it was empty, and the purple bra I wore underneath was visible.
That. Is. It.
When my fist collided with Houston’s lip, I didn’t care about the consequences. He didn’t look surprised, either. He smiled—busted lip and all—like I’d given him exactly what he wanted. I’d proved his point. Eventually, you want to hurt them because that’s what they do. They make you crave it.
I went to hit him again.
This time he caught my wrist and squeezed.
“The first one was free. You’ll have to work for the rest.”
I smiled up at him as he waited for me to beg. “That’s the beauty of everyone underestimating you,” I told him. “They tend to drop their guard.”
Twisting just enough, I brought my sharp heel down on his foot.
“Fuck!” he barked.
He was wearing sneakers today. Lucky me.
Houston’s grip loosened enough for me to get away. I made it a single step before he caught me and forced me back under him. I was a little dazed from my back hitting the bus—enough time for him to recover control of the situation.
“Let me go.” I tried to wiggle free, but it only drained the energy from me.
“Or what?” he taunted. “It’s not like you’ll get another shot at me.”
Immediately, I stopped fighting and forced my body to relax. “That’s what you said last time.”
I winked, and Houston responded by crashing his lips against mine. As I tasted the sugar and citrus on his tongue and the cherries on mine, I heard his drink can fall to the ground.
Now both of his hands were free.
They gripped the hem of my skirt before shoving it up until I could feel the wind curling around my inner thighs and failing to cool the heat between them. Eventually, I came to my senses and broke the kiss.
“Houston—”
“No,” he cut me off and pressed his forehead against mine. “Don’t you say another word.” We were so close that with each breath he exhaled, I inhaled. We stayed like that until desire overwhelmed indecision. And then he gripped my panties in his fist. “Goddamn you, Braxton.”
One brute tug and they were gone.
My skin smarted from where the fabric had torn, but I was quickly distracted by his fingers. Pushing them between my lower lips, Houston drew my arousal like it only answered to him, and then he pushed inside of me.
“Oh, fuck, I—”
“There’s a condom in my back pocket,” he informed me. “Get it.”
His thumb found my clit, lighting up the nerves like it was the Fourth of July. He didn’t stop even when speech was no longer possible. Since I couldn’t find the words to argue, I snaked my hips, riding his hand.
And now, we come to the part of my story where I alter not just my ending but three others as well.
“The rubber,” he reminded me before pulling his fingers out of me and ripping open his belt. “You’re getting fucked with or without it, Braxton. It’s your choice.”
I shivered at the idea of feeling him hard and raw inside of me, but there was just one problem.
I didn’t trust him.
Reaching behind him, I quickly found the condom while he undid his jeans and released his hard dick. He was so long and thick that my breath caught in my throat. Angry veins traveled from the bulbous head down his shaft until reaching the fabric of his black boxers. I was too busy marveling over his cock to notice when he took the condom from me. Once his gorgeous dick was wrapped