Breaking Down Sydney (Sydney West #2) (20 page)

Chapter Twenty-Seven

When I got up, Jason’s limbs were tangled with mine. I had to push him off in order to get up. Amelia had come home while we were asleep. She was sitting on her bed, scrolling through her cell phone.

“How long have you been here?” I looked over at a snoring Jason, feeling almost embarrassed that we were both naked under my sheet.

“Oh, I got here around five a.m. Saw you were having a slumber party, so I went to sleep for a bit. Been up for about an hour or so,” she said, not looking up from her screen.

I moved the hair out of my eyes. Jason rolled over, muttering something in his dream. “Are the police still swarming around?”

She nodded her head toward the window. “Take a look for yourself.”

I pulled on my robe and walked to the window. Below I saw officers wandering around. There were only a handful, but they were still there. Thankfully the media had pulled out and were no longer hounding people for interviews.

“This will blow over in time. On the plus side, we have nothing to do today,” I said, eyeing Jason. If only we were alone. I wanted round two.

“My professor posted an assignment online,” Amelia replied.

“Bummer.”

“Story of my life.” She looked at Jason and then at me, smiling. “You should take him somewhere.”

Out of habit, I ran my hand through my long hair. “Yeah, maybe we’ll get breakfast or something. You wanna join before you start on that assignment?”

“No, I’m okay. Thanks, though.”

I nodded and walked to the bathroom.

“You know,” Amelia said, catching my attention. I turned around, leaning against the doorjamb and looked at her. “I’m glad you and Jason are working out.” A smile took her lips. “I was right, Sydson shall live on!”

It felt like years ago that she came up with that nickname for Jason and me. Hearing that name used to be as painful as being scorched by countless cigarettes, but now I secretly liked it. “Yeah, yeah, matchmaker,” I shot back. “How are you and Hunter doing?”

If they hadn’t gotten past that bathroom incident yet, I wasn’t sure if love was going to be an option for me if Amelia, the girl who knew everything about romance, couldn’t have it.

She smacked her lips and lifted her gaze from her phone. “He kept texting that he was sorry. I told him I’ll forgive him this one time. We’re going out once I finish this,” she said, nodding toward her computer on the foot of her bed.

“I’m glad things are working out for Amter as well,” I replied, entering the bathroom. Surprisingly I could say the nickname for Amelia and Hunter without cringing at all. Talk about progress.

When I came out, Amelia was on her laptop. I dug through the clothes in my dresser, looking for something nice to wear. Something brushed my ass and snaked around my waist. I dropped the pair of jeans in my hand and was pulled onto the bed. Jason pinned me down, laughing.

“Got ya!” He kissed me on the lips.

It was no use trying to push him off. He was too strong. “You were planning this sneak attack, weren’t you?” I wanted to sound upset, but my grin ruined it.

“Maybe…” His smile grew. Of course he was.

Was he awake when Amelia was talking about us? The thought was forced out when Jason tickled me. I couldn’t help the laughter that bubbled out of me. Only around Jason did I become ticklish. He had magic hands.

“Stop it!” I shouted, laughing. To escape, I rolled onto the floor, still giggling. Amelia looked down at me. Her eyes said it all.
You got bit hard by the love bug too.

“Do you give?” he asked.

“Yes, I give, now help me up.”

He stood before me and helped me stand.

“Do you want to go catch some breakfast?” he asked, eyes lit with humor.

My robe fell off one shoulder. I pulled it back into place. “Sure, but we need to get dressed first.”

“Bet I’ll beat you,” he teased. He glanced around the floor for his clothes.

“Of course you will. You’re a guy. Throw on a shirt, some pants, and a pair of shoes and you’re good to go.”

“Not true, need to comb my hair too,” he said, sliding a hand through his lush hair, trying to act cool and failing.

“Please, that’s nothing.” I grabbed the jeans I had in hand before Jason attacked me.

Jason watched me as I dressed. He insisted on hooking my bra and kissed my shoulder when he was finished. He got dressed while I brushed my hair and put on some makeup. As we left, Jason frowned.

“What’s wrong?” I asked, smoothing out the wrinkles on his chest with my hand.

He pulled on the collar of his shirt. “I was wearin’ this yesterday. It’s like I’m a bum or somethin,’” he joked.

I put my arm around him. “You’re too hot to look like a bum.”

He laughed and wrapped an arm around my hips. “God, I love you,” he said, tracing my bottom lip with his thumb.

Chapter Twenty-Eight

The restaurant wasn’t crowded. There were a few couples scattered around and a family or two chatting amongst themselves. We both ordered red velvet pancakes with bacon on the side.

I sipped my coffee and smiled at Jason. “You know, I wish Amelia wasn’t at the dorm when we woke up. Thought Hunter would’ve had her stay over at the apartment, but she did say they were back together and moved past what happened,” I said, shrugging it off.

“At least their fight is over.” He licked the whipped cream off his lips. “I wanted to take you right then and there, knowing all you had on was that robe. It was hard not taking you on the bed or into the bathroom.”

“Really? I wouldn’t be able to face her if we started having sex.” I blushed at the thought.

His eyes were two deep pools of silver watching me. “You’re beautiful when you blush.”

“You’re a dork.” I was trying to keep myself from getting hot and bothered by him. He had that effect on me.

Jason took a bite out of his bacon. “You know we could do it now…”

I looked a question at him. “In the restaurant?” He had to be kidding.

“In the restroom. We could go in whichever gender bathroom you wish.”

My eyebrows shot up. “Seriously? You’d go through with it?”

His lips held a sinful smile. “Mmm-hmm, I’m ready. Even have a condom on me.”

My jaw dropped. To distract myself, I took a sip of coffee. “So, it’s on me?”

He watched me while breaking a piece of bacon in two. “Your call, Syd.”

I licked my lips. I did like to be adventurous. What would it hurt? It wasn’t like we’d be breaking any laws.

“I’m game.” I tossed my napkin on the table. “You pay and meet me in the men’s bathroom.”

I flicked my hair over my shoulder as I made my way to the restroom. Jason stared at me, awestruck. I loved surprising him.

There was no one in the bathroom. I went into the last stall and sat my purse on the bar that ran along the wall for the handicapped. I fixed my hair and applied some lipstick while I waited.

The door opened. I held my breath. It wasn’t Jason. I heard the guy pee and then leave.

My stomach was in knots.
Where is he?

Someone else came in. He knocked on the door and whispered, “Sydney?”

I opened the stall and pulled him inside. “What took you so long?” I hissed, locking the door.

“Sorry, long line.” He held his hands up in surrender.

I nodded, unzipped my jeans, and peeled them off with my thong. Jason undid his jeans and let them fall to his ankles, followed by his boxers. I folded the jeans before setting them and my thong on my purse.

Jason fumbled with the foil packet, trying to open it. I ran my hand up and down his shaft and cupped his balls, fingering them like a pair of fleshy dice.

His knees buckled and he inhaled sharply. “Damn it, Syd. You have magic fingers.”

A smile took my lips as I knelt down to take his hard member into my mouth. My tongue licked his tip. It was cocked and ready to unload. I was about to take more of him when Jason grabbed my upper arms, pulling me up. His silver eyes were almost black with need.

“I was going—”

He kissed the corner of my mouth and said, “I don’t want to come inside your mouth, not today.”

I lightly pulled on his lip ring with my teeth. He freed the condom and slid it on. I let his ring go and locked my lips on his. Our kiss deepened—tongues tangling and hands sliding all over.

“I enjoy coming inside you,” he said into my hair, sending goose bumps down my spine.

He picked me up and I wrapped my legs around him, leaning back against the tile wall. Jason bumped my entrance, moving his hands from my hips to my ass to keep me in a good position. I buried my hands in his hair as he plummeted into me.

Each thrust made me feel higher, like a tick of a rollercoaster to its peak. I screamed his name over and over.

The door opened and we sucked in our breath. A man peed and then left. We laughed nervously. I moved my lips along his jawbone. “You smell like red velvet. I love it.”

He chuckled. “You smell like bacon.”

I opened my mouth to comment back when he thrust himself into me deeper than before. My head flew back, hitting the tile. “Fuck me harder!” Jason did just that, making my walls pulse all around him.

Jason felt right, like there had been a missing puzzle piece all my life and I was trying to hide it for so long. Then he came and filled the void in me, making me whole. The world didn’t seem as dark anymore.

“Syd,” he breathed.

“Mmm?” My body turned to liquid. Soon I’d be a warm pool of goo.

He looked into my eyes and said, “You’re the only one I want,” and then he came undone as he filled the condom.

“Baby, I love you,” I replied, closing my eyes and enjoying the waves of my own orgasm.

Jason pulled out and stumbled back, trying to gain control of himself again. I couldn’t move. The world spun and my legs were useless. I leaned back on the wall to keep me from falling. He tossed the condom and pulled his boxers and jeans up before throwing me a cocky grin. As I inched my way to my own clothes, Jason slapped my ass, making a loud smacking noise.

“What the fuck?” I said, giving him the evil eye as I stepped into my thong.

“Couldn’t resist. I love your ass, baby.”

I shook my head. “Ugh,” I replied, but my smile betrayed that I wasn’t actually annoyed.

It was never pleasant to walk after having amazing sex. The evidence of what we’d done could be seen all over our bodies, from the top of my head with my messy dirty blonde hair and smudged red lipstick down to my wrinkled shirt. Worse, the ability to walk straight was impossible. Jason’s troubles were a wrinkled shirt, a bulge in his jeans, and the fact that he looked way too happy with me.

As we walked through the restaurant holding hands, there were a few glances thrown our way. A woman in her Sunday best dress gave me a look of disgust, like I was a dirty sinner. A man in his mid-thirties winked at us. He approved. A waiter only shook his head at us before taking someone their drinks. Others were in wonderment. We pressed on, moving toward the door, not muttering a single word.

As we got into his Jeep and drove away, I thought about how I had fallen deeply, perhaps even madly, in love with Jason. He didn’t give up on me in California. I smiled at our unbelievable memories: when we first kissed, stealing Scooby-Doo at the state fair, going to Emilie Autumn’s concert. I remembered Jason following me to Arizona, meeting my mom, being there for the death of my father, singing Emilie Autumn’s song in a room full of people, and saving my life. I closed my eyes, seeing that tree up north again with our initials carved into it. He was the man I thought was a myth, and by the grace of God he was not only my boyfriend, but also a fantastic lover and a wonderful friend.

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Though life tried to bring me down with a death in the family and a shooting at school, my head was still in the clouds. I had my health, my best friend, a wonderful mom, and Jason. The hardships were going to be a substantial teaching tool when I opened my therapy office after I graduated.

The next month passed away swimmingly. Jason and I ate lunch together every day and slept in my dorm room. Hunter and Amelia stayed at the apartment, but invited us over a lot. We watched movies and played card games. Amelia’s trash talk became second nature to us all. My classes and job were treating me right. I had nothing to complain about. The campus was no longer on lockdown, and the world was looking up. We were happy. Jason even spent Thanksgiving at my mom’s house. Everything in life seemed to be perfect, enough so that I wondered when the other shoe would drop. Nothing was happily ever after.

Finals were a week away. My job gave me less hours so I could have more time to study. It was an endless cycle. All that kept me going was coffee, talking with Amelia, and late nights with Jason.

“I’m tired of studying! I swear if I vomit it would have these terms embedded in it,” I said, throwing my notebook across the room.

Jason jokingly pushed my shoulder. “That’s disgusting, Syd.”

We were lying on our stomachs on the floor. There were books scattered everywhere and a mess of pages with scribbled handwriting laid on my bed.

“We’ve only been doing this for two hours.” Jason kissed the top of my head, trying to soothe me.

I huffed. “That may be true, but we’ve been studying for days.”

“Wanna take a break? We could rent a boat on the lake or walk around the park to clear the mind. Maybe go see a concert at the casino.” He wiggled his eyebrows.

Even though he was joking, I wanted to take him up on his offer. Anything to be free from statics, brain maps, math, and the rest of the shit I needed to know.

A whine came from deep within me. “Finals are torture. I remember that picture on Facespace explaining what each letter stood for.”

Jason’s eyebrows furrowed. “I never saw that.”

“No? It’s supposed to mean ‘Fuck I never actually learned shit.’” I giggled.

He chuckled. “Clever.”

“I thought it was hilarious.”

“You did learn something, didn’t you?” Jason studied me with those intense eyes of his.

I forced a smile. “Of course I learned stuff. I’m just not good under pressure. I’ll have everything in my head, then the test is laid in front of me and I blank.”

“Fear, that’s normal. I’m sure you’ll do fine.” He bumped his shoulder against mine. “Wanna trade? You can take my tests on coding for computers and how—”

“No,” I said, sticking my tongue out. “Computers hate me.” My eyes burned. I rubbed them, rolling over onto my back. “I need to pass these classes. There is no way I’m retaking them. I don’t have that kind of time or money.”

Jason took my hand and enlaced his fingers with mine. “You’re going to pass, think positive. Then we’re going to celebrate over winter break.”

“What do you have in mind?” I loved seeing our hands together. It was like they were molded for that one purpose.

He kissed the pad of my thumb. “My mom and sister are going to visit.”

“They are?” An invisible hand was clenching my insides. All I wanted was to fuck Jason, and talking about his family coming in for a visit sent a swirl of emotion through me.

Will his mom and sister like me? What if we don’t get along? Jason might leave me if his family doesn’t approve. Then opening my heart up would’ve been for nothing, and God knows what will happen to me.

“Yeah, they missed me during Thanksgiving so they’re driving here for Christmas. Maybe they could come over to your mom’s and we could have a huge get-together,” he said, turning a page of his textbook. “Maybe we could drive up north and spend some time in the snow or go to Butterflyland. It’s not that far away.”

I swallowed the ball of fear in my throat. Not only did he want me to meet his family, but he wanted them to meet my mom? He wanted us to go out and do stuff? It felt too real. Our relationship was deep, almost getting married kind of deep.

“Butterflyland sounds cool. My mom would love it. Driving up to the snow would be a good weekend trip, I guess.” I sat up to stare at a map of the brain so he couldn’t see the fear in my eyes. “Snow is fun for a little while, but I’m not a fan of being numb.” I frowned at the idea of being surrounded by freezing, white slush. It always gave me a cold if I was around it any longer than a few days.

“Butterflyland it is then.” He kissed my palm. His eyes were hypnotizing. “You do seem to get cold easily. Your hands and feet are always like ice.”

I gave him a shy smile. “Can’t help that. The doctor said I suffer from poor circulation.”

“Body heat will help.” Jason climbed on top of me, kissing his way down my neck.

I giggled. “I thought we were studying.”

“We are. Human biology. That’s important, don’t you think?” His hands were on my hips as he moved up to take my shirt off.

“Oh yeah.” I arched my back, lifting my pelvis to meet Jason’s groin. Jason slipped my shirt past my head and tossed it aside. He traced my spine up to the clasp of my bra. He moaned as I lifted my pelvis again, grinding it against him.

Jason picked me up and placed me on the bed. After shedding all our clothes, Jason slid on a condom. He entered me with force, making me grab onto the sheets and dig holes into the bed. I closed my eyes as my walls pulsed around Jason. He always knew how to cheer me up.