Dirty Neighbor (The Dirty Suburbs) (18 page)

Chapter 38

I stayed away from Sammie while her mother was in town. I could feel that having Mrs. Trotten read right through our little facade made her feel uncomfortable. So, I kept my distance and let them enjoy family time with Sebastian, Daniel and Grace.

But she’s at my door the minute her mother leaves for the airport.

“Hey stranger,” she says with a wry smile as she leans against the doorjamb.

I laugh as I pull her inside. “Stranger? I thought you and I were going steady. At least that’s what your mother seems to think.”

“Ugh!” she groans as she pulls out of my arms and steps into the foyer. “I’m really sorry about that. She tends to get carried away. She’s such a hopeless romantic.”

I chuckle, cupping her cheeks in my hands and kissing her tenderly. Kissing her is always so intense even when it’s meant to just be a modest kiss hello. “I missed you,” I say as I release her lips.

The confession seems to take us both aback.

She’s quiet for a beat, then her brown eyes rise shyly to mine. “I missed you, too.” She comes closer and wraps her arms around my neck. She exhales deeply as she collapses against my chest.

I use my index finger to tip her face up to mine. I kiss her again. God — I love getting lost in her. Her hands travel down my chest, gliding over my raging heart and grasping at my hips. My fingers slide into the roots of her hair. Our tongues stroke softly and lazily, like we have all the time in the world.

She pulls back and grins at me. “You’re getting hard,” she breathes softly.

I kiss her again. “I’m always hard for you, Sammie.” I grind sensually against her, rubbing my erection against her stomach. “Come,” I say as I take her gently by the hand and lead her up to my bedroom.

We've fucked dozens of times over the past few weeks — frivolous and wild — but I haven't really
experienced
her. And tonight, I don't know what it is, but I want to savor her, take my time and explore her.

Fuck — I want to make love.

I sit on the edge of the bed and pull her close so she’s standing between my legs, I slowly unzip the fly of her loose black pants. I take my time sliding them down her hips. Her panties are pale pink with white polka dots and lace trim. I pull those off too. I can smell her desire warming up the air and anticipation inches up inside of me but I’m determined to savor her tonight.

I undo the buttons of her silky white top one at a time, starting at the bottom. She’s shivering with arousal as she shrugs out of the blouse. Her nipples are hard under the fabric of her pale pink polka dot bra. I slip one strap off of her shoulder and then the other. I undo the clasp nestled between her perfect breasts and let the bra fall to the floor. Her breath hitches as I press my lips to her sternum and move down over her ribs to her hipbone.

My lips feather the creamy expanse of her midriff. Her skin is smooth and delicate like porcelain and I just want to mark it, ruin it with hickeys all down her neck and handprints on her ass.  I want to come on every inch of her skin, tattoo my name on her flesh so that even when I’m gone, she'll never forget that I was here.

I slide my hand up the inside of her thigh. Wetness is running down her skin. My fingers are delicate as they brush across her seam. She shivers. “It’s too much, Keeland,” she whispers into the air. “I’m feeling too much. I feel
everything
when you touch me." Bewilderment shines in her eyes.

Her words are kerosene on the fire inside of me. My cock responds by twitching between my legs. “Sammie…” I groan her name as I lie back on the bed and pull her on top of me so that her glistening pussy is just inches from my lips. My tongue darts out and I lick her from her puckered anus all the way to her throbbing clit. She shrieks, loud and uninhibited, as she reaches out and grabs a handful of my hair. My fingers grip her ass tightly, spreading the cheeks apart, my nails sinking into her flesh.

I trace my tongue along her opening again and again, dipping inside to taste her warmth, to relish in her scent.

She’s shaking now. “God, I can’t. I can’t,” she grits out between her teeth.

I keep stroking her with my tongue. “Yes, you can.”

I pick up the pace, licking her harder and faster and faster, faster, harder. She shatters into a million pieces coming in long, rippling waves, making the most beautiful O face I’ve ever seen.

She rolls off of me, falling to the mattress beside me. She’s lying on her stomach, still struggling for breath. I pull her to me, spooning her from behind. She melts into me as my hand slips between her thighs and I rub her slippery clit in soft, round strokes. My cock is so hard that it twitches on its own, tapping her slightly on the ass.

She giggles. “Somebody wants to get inside.”

“Fuck yeah,” I grumble, as I guide the head of my cock over her entrance and gently press my way inside.

She gasps hard, stealing air into her lungs. “Keeland.”

“You’re so tight…and warm,” I moan as I easily find my rhythm.

“God, Keeland.” She thrusts back softly, her ass cheeks connecting with my pelvis again and again. I take a fistful of her hair and gently pull her face towards me until our lips connect and I’m swallowing her moans.

She moves her hips against me in maddeningly-slow, little circular movements and now crazy thoughts are bouncing through my mind.

I want this girl to be mine.

I could do ‘commitment’ with her. I could do a relationship.

I see myself with her.

I bite down on her shoulder to see her squirm, to distract myself from the thoughts. Something inside of her tightens, squeezing around me like a vise grip.

“I’m coming,” she cries, fisting the sheets. My orgasm comes out of nowhere. I fall over the precipice, shooting my desire inside of her, stream after stream.

She shakes against me and I hold her tight, to temper what she feels, to temper what I feel.

I can hear the smile in her panting as she descends from her high. “That was…” she trails off. There are no words to describe what it feels like to make love to Sammie Trotten. So why even try to explain it?

I run my hand tenderly across her damp forehead, chasing away beads of sweat. She rolls over onto her back and my semi-erect cock slides out of her. I’m already mourning the feeling of being inside of her, being one with her.

After a moment, she climbs out of bed, strutting naked towards the bedroom door. “Potty break,” she calls over her shoulder with a chuckle.

I suddenly feel an inexplicable sense of urgency inside of me. “Sam — wait.”

She turns to look at me. “Yeah?”

I sit upright on the mattress and swallow down the knot in my throat. “I want a do-over.”

Her eyebrow lifts in confusion. “Uh, sure. We can fuck again after I use the bathroom…”

I stand and walk over to her. I put my hands on her shoulders and lower my face to hers. “No, Sam. I want a
do-over.
I want another chance to give you all the things I never got to when I was a pimply-faced 18-year-old.”

She giggles nervously. “You were never pimply-faced, Keeland.”

My hands slide down her arms until our fingers intertwine. “I’m serious, Sammie.”

I see her shutting down, pulling away right before my eyes. “Keeland…we said we’d keep it casual…”

“Fuck what we said, Sam. I know you feel what I feel. I know I’m not imagining this.”

She’s silent for a long moment as she considers my proposition. My heart is racing as I wait to hear what she’ll say. Her eyes shine with tears. “No, Keeland. We’re not doing that. I won’t let you hurt me again the way you did when you disappeared on prom day.”

I speak low but firm. I need to make sure she really hears me. “I’m sorry you got hurt. It killed me to think about how you must have felt. I hated myself for that. For a long time.”

Her gaze searches mine.

“But you were always supposed to be my girl, Sammie. I was supposed to be your first kiss." I press my mouth to hers and relish in the soft warmth of it. I trail my lips across her cheek till they’re touching the lobe of her ear. "And I was supposed to take your virginity. " I feel her body shudder against mine. "I was supposed to be the guy you moved in with after college. And yes…I did want to take you to the goddamned prom…you were always supposed to be my girl, Sammie. And I was supposed to be your guy. I hate that you think I didn't really want those things. What happened was outside of my control."

She looks at me for a moment, shivering with emotion. “I can’t do it, Keeland. You broke my heart. I can’t allow myself to believe that this —“ she gestures to the space between us, “— is real.”

I sigh. Fuck. She has every right to want to protect her heart this time. She has no reason to trust me. But I need her.

“Suspend your disbelief for a minute…and entertain the idea that I might not be such a bad guy…and we might be good for each other…and I might be in love with you…”

Her eyes go wide and her breathing hitches. And then, she frowns. “Keeland, don’t say things that you don’t mean. It’s cruel.”

I cradle her cheek in my hand. “I mean every word, Sam. What’s cruel is letting one more minute pass by without trying to make you my girl.”

She walks away from me and takes a seat on the edge of the bed, looking utterly overwhelmed.

I sit next to her, leaning my forehead against her temple. “Just give me a chance, Sam. Let me prove that I deserve you.”

She doesn’t look up. She doesn’t pull away.

Instead, she takes my hand into hers and says, “Okay…let’s try.”

Chapter 39

“What’s this?” I ask as Sammie plops down onto the couch next to me, dropping a thick yellow and black book into my lap.

“Bookkeeping for Dummies,” she announces proudly as she cozies up against me holding a manila folder to her chest. “Sorry, my mom’s visit threw me a bit off schedule but I finally finished up all of your accounting today. Consider the book an apology and celebratory gift.”

I lift an eyebrow at her. “How do I know you won’t stop hanging out with me if I start doing my own accounting?” I tease.

“Don’t worry – I’ll keep coming for the cock,” she says with an irreverent wink.

I toss my head back, laughing.

I’m liking this. I really am. Sammie Trotten’s my girl. Finally. It took me long enough to seal the deal. I had to break her heart, skip town and spend time in jail before I could finally get my head out of my ass and do what I should have done the first time I saw her on the playground back when we were just kids. But every time she looks at me with those big, brown, adoring eyes, I feel like it was all worth it.

She nods towards the manila folder in my lap before smoothing down the collar of her peach cotton blouse. “There are all your reports. Make sure you sign the tax forms. I’ll file them first thing in the morning.”

I quickly flip through the folder, glancing at her charts and spreadsheets and neatly organized data. “Hey, so what about the purchase offer on the tattoo shop? Do you think I’m getting ripped off?”

She looks up at me, beaming. “Keeland…It’s a really good offer. I mean,
really
good,” she says.

I’d figured that it was a pretty sweet deal. Seven figures for a business I haven’t touched in three years? Sounds freaking awesome to me. And now that a professional has confirmed it, it’s decided – I’m selling Master Ink.

“That’s fantastic,” I say. “I’m really happy about it.” I get up off of the couch and pad over to the hallway closet. I emerge with a huge box. “I have something for you, too.”

“What’s that?” Sammie asks, her brown eyes are alight with curiosity as I approach.

I smirk at her. “A token of my appreciation for your hard work.”

“What is it?” She bounces out of her seat excitedly, reaching her arms out for the box.

I snatch it back, holding it out of her grasp. “My little Sammie, always so eager to get your hands on my package.” I wiggle my eyebrows suggestively.

She rolls her eyes. “You’re so silly…now, tell me. What is it?”

I set the box down at her feet and hand her a pair of scissors. “I tried mailing it to your address,” I say with a chuckle, “but the mailman delivered it here instead of at your place. Totally messed up my vibe. Blind, old bat.”

She laughs too as she slides the blade across the tape and pulls the flaps of the box open. She lifts the first item out of the box, then the second, then the third. She turns to me looking confused. “What
is
this?”

I pull the seven plain, white t-shirts out of the box and then, the seven pairs of dark jeans. “Your new wardrobe,” I announce stifling a chortle as I take in her reaction.

She crinkles up her brow at me. “Huh?” She’s fucking adorable.

“It’s casual clothes, Sammie. T-shirts and jeans. Ever heard of ‘em?”

She gapes at me. “Are you serious right now?”

“Very serious,” I say plopping down onto the couch. “You’re always dressed…like…like an accountant.”

“An
auditor
!” she corrects me.

“As if that’s better!”

She folds her arms across her chest and pouts. “I dress the part of the woman I want to become!” She’s clearly incensed by my mockery.

“You need to let your guard down. Live a little. Throw on some flip-flops with some jeans and a t-shirt.”

“It’s 31 degrees out,” she retorts waving wildly towards the window.

“Argh! You know what I mean,” I say tossing a t-shirt at her. She isn’t able to swat it away before it hits her in the face, then falls to the rug at her feet. She pushes against the smile curling the edges of her lips. “Anyway, I just want to see you have fun.”

“So, you got me jeans and t-shirts?” she hooks one hand on her hip.

“Yes – and this…” I say dramatically as I bend into the cardboard box and pull out a tiny, blue velvet jewelry box. I make a huge deal of straightening my collar and taking a deep breath before I drop to one knee.

Sammie gasps so hard that she robs the room of half its oxygen. She looks scared shitless, to be honest.

Still, I look up at her with nothing but pure adoration in my eyes. “Samantha Mariam Trotten…”

I breathe slowly as I flip up the lid of the box and reveal the contents inside. …

“Will you accept these earrings?”

Sammie expels an enormous sigh of relief as she drops against the cushions on the couch. “Oh my god, Keeland! Are you trying to kill me?” Her voice is high-pitched and squeaky.

I cackle with laughter as I pull her close to me, kissing the top of her head as she tries to bat me away. “What did you
think
was in this box?”

“I thought you were about to ask me to marry you. I thought you’d gone completely insane. I was ready to pack up my shit and get out of town. You almost gave me a heart attack.” She’s rambling, clutching her hands over her heart.

I’m still laughing. Because it’s funny…but somewhere deep down, it kind of stings that the idea of being married to me spooks her out so much. “Just earrings, Sammie. Just earrings.” I hand the box to her.

Her expression settles as she examines the round-cut morganite studs encircled by a row of halo diamonds set in rose gold. “Wow, Keeland. These are really gorgeous,” she breathes.

I grin widely. I knew she’d like them. But…

“I can’t accept this.”

…I knew she’d say that, too. Hence the whole let-me-spook-her-the-fuck-out-by-pretending-to-propose thing.

“Yes, you can accept it. And you will because it’s not half as bad as an engagement ring, right?”

She laughs. “I guess you’re right.”

“You did awesome work for me.”
And I love the fuck out of you.
“
You deserve this gift.”

I watch as she slowly comes to grips with the idea of accepting the earrings. “They’d look really nice with the dress I’m wearing tonight,” she says in a small, excited voice.

“Tonight?”

“Yeah. I’m going out with the girls,” she mumbles as she affectionately caresses the jewelry box. “A new bar just opened at Kennedy Square. The
Opal Lounge
. Tonight is ladies’ night.”

Jealousy and possessiveness rush up my chest so fast that I don’t have the time to stop them before they’re spilling out of my mouth. “Don’t go flirting with other guys while you’re wearing those,” I say sternly. “Don’t go flirting with other guys, period.”

She looks at me with stunned eyes and I know I’ve gone too far.
Shit.

“Yes, sir,” she says as she eases out of her seat.

Her lack of defiance catches me completely off guard. I’d expected her to put up a fight, cut me down to size, take some grand feminist stand.

Instead, she comes up to me and wraps her arms around my neck, kissing lightly at the flesh just below my ear. “I guess I’ll only be hitting on girls tonight. Reyfield’s ladies are known to get
adventurous
after a couple of drinks.”

My cock turns solid in my pants. It’s her turn to wiggle her eyebrows at me, giggling as she slips out the door.