Homewrecker (Into the Flames #1) (11 page)

My blood runs cold. Gunnar’s entire faces changes, anger flashes in his eyes. “That’s not possible. There’s no way they’d ever do that.”

Fuck! I can feel my heart about to explode out of my chest. My stomach leaps into my throat at just the thought of how careless Dixon and I were. There’s no way someone could have spotted us. Could they?

Shifting my weight, I start to climb from the bed of the truck. Gunnar’s hand clamps over mine, stopping me. His eyes meet mine. “We’re headin’ back. Now.” No sound comes out, but his mouth moves before pressing into a hard line, listening to whoever is on the other end of the phone. “Thanks, for tellin’ me. Seriously, don’t be sorry dude. Someone would’ve told me sooner or later. This kinda shit always comes out.”

Ending the call, Gunnar jumps over the side of the truck bed to the ground. Shoving into his shoes, he starts throwing stuff into the back seat. “You need to get down, Kennedy.” His tone is harsh and it cuts deep.

“What’s going on?” I ask, swallowing hard.

“I don’t even know how to talk about it right now.”

Nodding, I slide to the ground, and walk around the truck to climb into the cab, feeling like my heart has been ripped from my chest. He knows. Fuck my life, I hurt the man I love. I’ve ruined everything by being selfish and reckless.

And… he can’t even look at you, let alone talk to you.

“Goddammit,” Gunnar shouts, slamming the tailgate. Getting into the truck, he says nothing. He jerks on his seat belt, starts the truck, and peels out of the spot, spinning mud and gravel everywhere as the truck gets traction.

The entire ride is in silence. Not even the radio is playing and I feel like the entire world is coming down on me inside the cab of this truck as I try to hold it together. Pulling my phone from the console, I text Lynsey.

G knows
.

Pushing back the tears that burn my eyes just at typing those six letters, I glance over at a seething Gunnar. His fingers are wrapped around the steering wheel so tightly his knuckles are white.

The silence is deafening and by the time we make it back into the city, I’m damn close to wringing my hands in my lap. I force myself to look out the window, anywhere but at Gunnar. I don’t know what to say, so I don’t try to make conversation at all. He bypasses the exit to the house completely, heading into downtown.

Thoughts race through my head. Knowing that he’s got to be headed toward the firehouse where Dixon is probably working. I sit back in my seat, figuring that he doesn’t want to say anything until he has us both together. That way, he can deliver his crippling blow to us both at once before walking away.

Driving past the fire station, my eyes go to Gunnar when he doesn’t stop. I watch his jaw tick angrily, studying him, completely confused when he pulls into the school parking lot. “Gunnar…” I start, “Please, tell me what’s wrong.”

“There’s Ralph,” he says, parking the truck. “Stay here, we’ll talk about this when I come back.”

Without another word, he jumps out of the truck and heads over to his assistant coach, Ralph, standing in front of his blue Chevy Silverado. I watch as they talk, even if I can’t hear any of what they are saying.

My phone buzzes with a text message from Lyn.

The fuck?

Gunnar turns back and heads toward me. Quickly, I type out a reply to Lynsey, letting her know that if I don’t end up at her place, I’ll call her later.

“I can’t believe this.” Climbing back into his seat, he presses his head to the steering wheel and blows out a ragged breath. All I can do is wait. I don’t move, I don’t breathe. I want to scream, but when I open my mouth, nothing comes out. Resting his chin on the steering wheel, Gunnar looks over at me, his face filled with disbelief and hurt. It’s fucking crippling. My eyes fill with tears. Opening my mouth, I start to apologize, to beg for his forgiveness for the horrible things I’ve done.

“Ralph said that after the game he saw Cody Hamilton buying drugs under the bleachers,” he says on an exhale.

“The kicker?” I ask, blowing out a breath of relief. I hate this, especially for Gunnar. He works his ass off to be there for these boys and I know that he feels angry and helpless, but this is not what I expected.

“Yeah.” Leaning back in the seat, he rakes a hand through his hair. “Monday morning we’ll call him down to meet with Principal Needham, along with Cody’s parents. Ralph is required, as am I, to report it to the police. They’re handling that aspect of it already. If he pisses dirty, he’s not only off the team, he’s expelled.”

“I’m so sorry, honey.”

Reaching over, Gunnar covers my hand with his. “I’m sorry about before and ruinin’ our day together. I was just so mad at Cody, and at myself. I should’ve seen it. I can’t believe it was goin’ on right in front of my damn face and I was fuckin’ blind to it.”

Guilt hits me square in the face. Right now, I hate myself. The only person I hate more is Dixon, because for some reason, even after all this, I still can’t stop making my body want him.

“What about this? I think you’d like this,” Lynsey yells from across the store. When I look up and see that she’s holding a giant purple monster cock in the air, I nearly spit my coffee out all over the invoices that I have been attempting to do since I walked in two hours ago. Two hours of interrogation by one pissed off Domme who, more than once, threatened to bend me over a spanking bench and beat my ass for information. To say she was upset that I didn’t call her the second Dixon pulled his cock out of me, or why I thought Gunnar knew, would be the understatement of the year. After the multiple threats, she finally managed to pull all the details out of me that she wanted and has done nothing but crack jokes at my expense since.

“Please tell me how you took the words ‘I think the roughness is what I’ve been missing’, and turned it into ‘I think Kennedy would like to be able to fit a bowling pin in her twat’?”

Lynsey snickers, putting the scary-huge dildo back on the shelf, and moves on to something else. “How about this?” She holds up a double penetration vibrator. When she sees me shiver at just the thought, the smile on her face broadens.

Fuck me for telling this bitch anything. Ever.

I shake my head and scowl. “I don’t think we can be friends right now.”

“Oh stop being a bitch. I’ve been telling you for years that there was a freak inside of you somewhere. Everyone has one.”

“Gunnar doesn’t, and knowing I like this side of me only makes this situation worse,” I deadpan.

Putting the toy back on its peg, Lynsey turns and crosses her arms over her chest just as Mark pushes through the front door. He waves at me. Obviously noticing the tension in the room, he chooses to remain silent as he heads out back.

Smart man.

“Everyone does, Kennedy, everyone. And how could you possibly be sure that Gunnar doesn’t? I bet you’ve never even asked for something different than what he’s always given you. Since he’s always treated you like glass, I’m sure it’s nothing rough or kinky.”

I feel my face heat so I turn my attention back to the papers in front of me. The fact that she’s right pisses me off, but more than that, it makes this situation even more confusing. I used to tell her everything that happened between Gunnar and me, now I hide it. However, I have no problems telling her every single detail of what Dixon does to me and how it makes me feel. Dixon is the one I should be hiding from her. My dirty little secrets shouldn’t be aired out like laundry.

“You’re afraid to tell him you want something different, aren’t you?” Her voice softens a bit and it causes tears to pool in my eyes, but I have no idea why. I attempt to wipe them away before she notices, but fail and she steps up next to me at the counter so she can whisper. “Babe, why is it that you’re afraid to ask Gunnar, the guy you’ve always trusted with everything, for something new, but have no qualms about asking Dixon?”

Swallowing my nerves, I look up at her. “I don’t know how to ask Gunnar without it sounding like I’m unhappy or ungrateful with what he’s giving me. Because I’m not, and I don’t want him to ever doubt that. But with Dixon I don’t even have to ask, he just… knows. I don’t know.”

Mark pulls open the door right after I finish talking and Lynsey beings to grin like that cat who ate the canary.

“Hey, Mark,” Lynsey’s tone changes subtly as she speaks to him and I’m not sure why. “How do you find out if a guy’s a freak without asking him?”

Dropping the boxes in his arms to the floor, he laughs. “Stick a finger in his ass. Feels phenomenal. If he lets you do that you could probably get him to do anything.”

Lynsey turns her attention back to me, but I don’t miss the way Marks eyes linger on her for too long when she isn’t watching.

“And there you have it.”

“There you have what?” Dixon’s voice washes over me from the door behind me, sending shivers down my spine. I can’t muster up the courage to turn and look at him just yet, but thankfully Lynsey has never had a problem taking charge.

“Mark’s a freak,” she says. “Likes things shoved in his ass.”

Mark’s eyes widen, but Dixon doesn’t even bat an eye at the comment. “A little kink never hurt anyone.” I finally manage to turn around and look at him, because I honestly want nothing more than to beg him to fuck me over the counter. His eyebrows draw together in concern. “You all right? Look like you’ve been cryin’.”

Shit, I forgot about that.

“Tears of joy,” Lynsey inserts, saving me again. “I promised to tie her up and fuck her ass with my strap-on.”

Dixon’s eyes heat for a moment as he continues to stare at me, then suddenly it’s gone as he pulls himself together and remembers that there are other people here. “Kinky bitches. I learn somethin’ new about y’all every time I’m with you.”

“Well, you know me, I’m known for shockin’ the cock.” Lynsey smirks.

Stepping closer to the counter, Dixon leans across it, completely invading my space as he reaches over to grab one of the blackout bags without breaking eye contact. His scent hits me like the broad side of a truck and I have to grip the counter and lock my elbows to keep myself from leaning into him. I know Lynsey is watching what is transpiring right now; I can feel her gaze burning into me. I am honestly surprised she doesn’t open her mouth and say something about getting a room, but I’m thankful. Mark doesn’t know what happened, and Dixon doesn’t know I hashed things out with Lynsey. Both secrets I would like to keep at the moment.

“You know you’re supposed to get a bag after you purchase things, right?” I surprise myself by speaking, but more so by the fact that my tone is sarcastic even though I can’t pull my head out of my ass enough to act normal right now.

The corner of his mouth twitches. “Yeah, Sunshine, but maybe I don’t want you kinky bitches to know what I’m buyin’. It’s none of y’all’s business what happens in my bedroom… or outside of it,” he adds with a quick wink as he turns away.

Lynsey bites her lip to keep from laughing. Taking a deep breath she puts on her best professional face as a few random people walk in. Even though I get busy helping customers while Dixon browses, I can’t keep my mind from wondering what he’s buying, and who he is buying it for. By the time I finish up with everyone, Lynsey already has him cashed out, I’ve missed seeing what he bought, and he’s inching toward the door with a huge satisfied smile on his face as he watches me.

I know that I need to get my shit together before someone notices something is off between us— like Gunnar. Trying not to let my nerves get the best of me, I reach under the counter and toss a lube sample in his direction. Reaching out, he catches it with ease.

“What’s this for?”

“Oh, I figured you could use some. I wouldn’t want your new pocket pussy to dry out and hurt you.”

“How are you so sure that I bought a pocket pussy?”

I shrug easily. “Just assuming. You’ve been moody lately so I figured you must be havin’ a dry spell.”

Dixon throws the package back in my direction, but instead of attempting to catch it, I let it hit me in the chest and fall to the counter. Mark, thankfully, has gone back to working out back, but Lynsey can’t seem to drag her eyes from the scene in front of her.

“There is no such thing as a dry spell with me and assumptions will do nothin’ but get you in trouble, little girl. But do you know the best part of the word you just used, Kennedy? The first three letters are one of the best parts on a woman’s body. I am very much an ass man, therefore, there’s no need to ever worry about anything bein’ dry when I’m around. If it isn’t wet because of what I say and do, which it usually is and I’ve never had a complaint, but if it ever should happen, I’m stocked up just in case. There’s never a need for lack of anal because of lack of lubrication.”

I accidentally drop my pen but can’t pull myself away from his heated teasing eyes. I have to keep reminding myself that no one is supposed to know that anything is going on between us so I can’t climb over the counter right now and attack him. I squeeze my thighs together and Dixon’s eyes drop to where he can see them through the glass display under the counter. Based on the change in his breathing, and the slow track his eyes take to get back to my face, he knows exactly what he’s doing to me.