Impacted (Conflicted Encounters #2) (15 page)

She popped her lip out of her mouth and crossed her arms, pouting like a little kid. Logan sat in a chair next to her and we waited for Scarlett to find her boyfriend. She appeared a short time later, towing Adam behind her. They said goodbye in the parking lot and he went his own way, supposedly to his car. Scarlett got in the backseat with Kallie, and Logan drove us back home.
 

Kallie insisted she didn't drink more than one drink and wanted to drive back to the hotel. Scarlett and I convinced her to stay with us for the night. I know she never finished her first drink and didn't even get to touch her second one, but I hated the thought of her driving so late into town to stay at a hotel. I really wanted to tell her to check out and stay here for good, but thought better of it.

Kallie changed out of the sexy outfit she wore out and into yoga pants and a tank top. I always thought she was hotter in the clothes she wore to lounge around in than when she got dressed up to go out. She gave me a smile and a small wave before she slipped into Scarlett's room to sleep with her. Scarlett apparently had enough to drink and was insisting that Kallie "snuggle with her" tonight.

I spent the night restless, barely sleeping. Like any other night, I woke up with the flashbacks. It didn't matter how long she was gone, my first instinct was always to reach for her. I was plagued with the stress of worrying over my sister and then the confusion over Kallie. I tossed and turned, begging for sleep to take me. I was to get up for work in a few hours and was exhausted. With only three hours left until I had to get up, I was desperate.
 

I threw the covers off of me and tiptoed out of the room. I slowly opened the door to Scarlett's bedroom and snuck over to Kallie's sleeping form. I gently rubbed her shoulder until she started to stir and rolled over to me in a panic.

"Sleep with me?" I whispered in the darkness.
 

She slipped out from under the covers wordlessly and grabbed my hand. My body instantly relaxed with her touch, and I led her through the maze of clothes and shoes on the floor and to my bedroom. I crawled under the covers and held the blanket up for her. She slid in next to me with her back to me. I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her close.
 

I heard her soft sigh as I held her tight to my body. She fit perfectly against my chest. I inhaled her scent, and finally, my body let me fall into a deep sleep.
 

I turned off the alarm quickly to avoid waking Kallie. She barely moved when I reached to the night stand and silenced my phone. She looked so peaceful and young with her blonde hair sprawled across my pillow and arm. She pushed herself back into me and I kissed the back of her head. As much as my body missed having her naked and underneath me, it mainly missed just having her close.

I snuck out the room and made my coffee before work. I checked on Kallie once more before heading to work, letting her sleep in. I spent another day trying to keep busy and stop thinking. Travis loved when I got like this, which was a lot lately. Around lunch, I tried to text Logan. I wanted to know what the fight last night was all about. He never responded.

I knew the boys cared for Scarlett. She was as much of their little sister as she was mine. We all looked out for her and became overprotective. When my dad bailed and abandoned his family, Logan, Caleb, and I stepped up to plate to make sure no boy ever hurt her. We would never allow anyone to hurt her and treat her the way we treated the girls that visited our beds.

I made it through the whole day and was relieved to get in my truck to go home. I knew Scarlett worked tonight, so I wasn't surprised to see her car wasn't in the lot. I was, however, surprised to see Kallie's BMW still there. I walked in the apartment, and she looked up from her computer on the couch in surprise.
 

"Oh, hey," she rushed. "I didn't realize it was this late already."
 

"What are you doing?" I asked her, looking at the notebook opened on the coffee table and the papers scattered on the floor and couch.

"Some wedding planning and stuff," she said, starting to pack up her things.
 

"You leaving?"

"Well," she started, playing with her bracelets. "I was wondering if you were going to work on your car today."

I actually did plan on it. I wanted to finally try to start it so I could quit worrying if it was ready for the road or not. I nodded, unsure why she wanted to know.
 

"Can I come with you?" she asked quietly. "Scarlett's working and I need to do something other than this," she said, indicating all the work laid out in front of her.
 

"Sure," I told her. I didn't really think I would be very entertaining but seeing how stressed her face was, I couldn't deny her a break away from it all.
 

I usually didn't bother to change when going to work on the Comet, but I hoped that I would actually be done today and shouldn't be under the hood. I showered quickly and changed into fresh clothes while Kallie waited in the living room. She closed her notebook when I came out and stuffed it into her purse.
 

The drive to Hank's barn where I stored the car was quick. Hank owned most of the land in the town. He didn't use the barn for much more than storage, and had allowed me to work on the car here. Despite my reputation as no good, Hank always looked out for me and was nothing but nice. He cockblocked me quite a bit at the bar, but he never cut me down or kicked me out.
 

I helped Kallie out of the truck and opened the barn. The musky smell washed over me in the breeze and I smiled. This was my place, my zone, and I always loved coming here. It was the one place I never worried, and I was able to immerse myself in something I wanted to do. Kallie pulled herself up on a dirty workbench and craned her neck to look inside a box of junk.
 

"What you looking for, darling?" I asked her with a smirk.
 

"Garbage," she stated, as though it were obvious. "Can I have this?" She held up the old seatbelt from the backseat. It was frayed and definitely wouldn't have held a body in the seat, so I replaced all the seat belts in the car.
 

"Sure," I shrugged. I remembered when she asked for the hose clamp in the shop last summer. I thought she was crazy, but I couldn't tell her no. She turned it into something really cool and beautiful. She wore it everyday, and it reminded me of the moment I realized I never wanted her to leave.
 

"What else?" she asked, giving me a full grin. She looked like a kid in a candy shop, given full rein to get whatever she wanted.
 

"Anything in the boxes is junk," I laughed. It was garbage to me, but I knew she would make something different out of it.
 

I opened the driver's side door and sat in the seat. Wrapping my hands around the leather steering wheel, my heart raced. It would either start or it wouldn't. I couldn't put it off any longer. I needed to know and get over it, whatever the result may be.

I slid the key into the ignition and turned the key. Silence. Nothing. No click, no roar of the engine, not a fucking thing. I tired again, because maybe I was mistaken, but the result was still the same. I stared at the dark dashboard and wondered where I went wrong. It was easier to list the parts I didn't replace than it was to list the new parts.
 

I flung open the door and kicked a spare tire that sat on the floor near the car with a growl and string of curses. I saw red I was so furious. My brain was buzzing and blood pumped in my ears. I went into a rage, much like when I’d lost Kallie the first time by the tree. I shoved whatever I could over. I tossed whatever I could pick up as far as I could. I heard the clanging and banging of metal as everything moved at lightening speed across the barn.

Years of dumping my money into it for parts, registration, insurance, and accessories ended up for nothing. So many hours were wasted in this barn with no reward at the end. I agonized over every detail in the cosmetics, wanting it all to be perfect. I dreamed of the day I would be able to drive the Comet down the country roads. Now, she sits and continues to rot.

This car was more than a mode of transportation to me. When I bought this as a teenager, it was essentially my independence. I didn't need my distance and angry mother to help me anymore. I didn't need a father to help me find a car and teach me to fix it. I did all of it on my own. When I pictured this car running and driving down the road, I saw it as a big middle finger to those that let me down. This was supposed to be proof to everyone, and myself, that I didn't need anyone else.

Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted Kallie, frozen and staring at me with concern. She watched me cautiously as I heaved and tried to regain control. Something I worked so hard for just slipped out of my fingers. It was hard to get a hold on that, much less to accept the fact.
 

"I'm sorry," I said in a scratchy voice. She didn't move and guilt washed into the dam of emotions I already felt.
 

"I would never hurt you," I insisted, rushing to stand in front of her and taking her face in my hands.
 

"What's wrong?" she asked, putting her hands over mine. The warmth from her seeped into me and radiated throughout my entire body.
 

"It won't start," I sighed, my voice sounding strange even to my own ears. "It's supposed to be done. I don't know why it won't start."

"You know, you're really hot when you're mad," she smiled up at me.

"Not now, Kallie," I mumbled.
 

"Yes now," she said, putting her hands flat on my chest. "Sometimes when something is not working out, you just need to walk away and clear your mind."

"That's not gonna help." I was getting frustrated now.
 

"And when you come back, it'll end up being something stupid." Her hands slid down my chest and rested on the waistband of my jeans. "I'm going to distract you."

My eyes went wide when she started to undo the button my jeans. I stilled her hands, but she only brushed me off and shook her head at me. She pulled down the zipper and I felt my jeans loosen around my hips. I watched her, frozen, thinking she wasn’t really about to do what it looked like.
 

She looked up at me as she lowered my pants, along with my boxers, and she sunk to the ground with them. I sprung free, already hard and ready for her. Once she was resting on her knees, I was captivated by her blue stare as she looked at me. Her eyes were so wide, so innocent, and I saw the trace of worry behind them.

"You don't have to do this," I croaked.
 

"I want to. Always have." She wrapped her small hands around my dick, and I hissed a breath. It had been so long since she touched me that I almost burst at the feeling alone.
 

She slowly stroked me, and I watched as her hands moved over my tight skin. I moaned and ran my fingers through her ponytail as she looked at me. She opened her mouth and her pink tongue came out to lick my tip. My body tingled with anticipation. I gently tugged her hair, pulling her sweet mouth away.
 

She pushed on my thighs and forced me back against the car while crawling toward me. My bare ass rested on the warm metal of the car door as she licked my head again. I leaned my head back and closed my eyes. Her lips wrapped around the tip as I dug my fingers into her hair. She slowly slid her mouth down my cock, taking in as much as she could.
 

I felt the back of her throat and fought against the urge to come in that very moment. She pulled back, sucking and twirling her tongue around me. Reaching for the back of her head, I pulled the hair tie out of her hair, letting it fall loose around her shoulders. I ran my fingers through it and fisted a handful.
 

She moaned and the vibrations rippled through my body. She was growing brave and took me deeper into her mouth. I wanted to praise her, tell her it was amazing, but I was reduced to grunting like a caveman. Her head bobbed while her hand stroked me. I was hard as a rock and ready to explode. Her hands covered the sensitive skin that she couldn't take into her mouth.
 

My entire body was flexed and sweat was covering my forehead. Kallie picked up her pace, sucking harder and taking me deeper. Every hit on the back of her throat was pushing me closer.
 

"I'm gonna come, baby," I grunted as I tugged her hair to pull her away from me.

Her eyes locked on mine, and she licked from the base of my shaft up to the tip before sucking me back into the deep haven of her mouth. She looked up at me and I couldn't hold in any longer. I moaned as I came in her mouth. She moaned as I felt her throat working to swallow it all. I shook and panted while she stroked me and sucked me dry.
 

I held my hands out for her and lifted her up to stand. She licked her swollen lips and gave me a sly smiled. I stared at her in awe, unable to form words. I pulled up my jeans and grabbed the back of her head to pull her into a kiss. I pulled away quickly and rubbed the pad of my thumb across her bottom lip.

"That was amazing," I whispered.
 

"Really?" She raised an eyebrow.