In the Heart of Forever (21 page)

“You say that like it’s a bad thing.” My heart thudded.

“It’s not… shit.” I watched as Rave ran a hand through his hair while he paced his living room.

God, he was just making this worse. At first I was worried that he wouldn’t want me and when he showed me that he clearly did want me, he didn’t act on it. My emotions felt like they were being torn to hell. I was so confused. Maybe this was a bad idea. I needed to leave this city and let him move on with his life. Being here, this close to him, it wouldn’t work.

I hopped off of the bed and walked up to him, stopping him midstep. “Rave, I’m sorry. I just...maybe I’m just sick of all the shit that’s been going on in my life. I just want to feel…I want to feel alive. I miss you.” I took a step towards him until we were mere inches apart. “I need you, Rave. Please.”

He slammed his head back against the wall and took deep breaths, squeezing his eyes shut like he was in pain.

“Rave,” I whispered, placing my hands on his stomach, my fingers caressing over his abs.

Rave’s breath hitched when I ran them under his shirt. Light touches smoothed over the contours of his abs and up to his chest.

“Rave, please,” I begged.

His hands clenched into fists.

“Rave. I’m so sorry,” I whispered, leaning my head against his chest. Tears welled in my eyes at my desperate cry for help. I just wanted to feel him again.

Rave ran his hand through the hair at the back of my nape and then it was like something snapped in the current around us. He tugged my head back and stopped a moment, his deep green eyes boring into mine.

I panted, waiting for his next move.

He crashed his mouth to mine, forcing his tongue in between my lips. He spun me, pushing me up against the wall, and ran a hand down to my hips. He lifted me, wrapping my legs around him and shoved against me.

A moan escaped my lips at the rough impact. I kissed him with everything in me and squeezed my thighs tightly around him, curling my fingers around his neck. The warmth of his body against me erased the memories of my nightmare.

Rave ran a hand up my side, under my tank top until he reached my breast. His thumb grazed over my nipple, making me arch against him.

“Rave,” I breathed against his lips.

He grabbed the hem of the thin cotton and broke our kiss, lifting the shirt off of me, leaving me in just my panties.

My chest rose and fell as he stared at me. His lips were red and swollen.

He ran his knuckles lightly down the middle of my chest to my stomach and sighed.

I fisted his shirt in my hands and lifted it, pulling it off of him. A part of me was surprised that he had actually allowed it. Turmoil danced in his vision and it broke my heart. I wrapped my arms around his shoulders and held onto him, no longer caring at that point if we made love or not. I just needed him to hold me.

Rave ran his hands down my back, cupping my ass. “Baby, I…” His voice was deep and filled with arousal.

I grabbed his face in my hands and covered his mouth with mine, licking my way in between his lips. He groaned and pushed me hard against the wall. His hands went to the sides of my panties and tugged, the fabric ripping at the seams.

My heart jumped nervously in my chest. Even though this wasn’t new territory for us, it had been awhile.

My fingers grazed through the hair at the back of his nape, lightly tugging and pulling, deepening the kiss. Our naked torsos pressed up against the other, ignited a fire that I had never felt.

We had been broken up for over a month but the attraction was stronger than ever. The raw and animalistic passion between us brewed like a heavy storm. Was this normal at such a young age?

Rave released my mouth, trailing kisses down my jaw to my neck, his hot breath scorching my skin. His fingers dug into the flesh of my backside and the sound of a zipper being lowered, sent shivers over my body.

I wrapped my hands around his neck, my skin tingling when he pulled out a condom.

He opened the tinfoil package with his teeth, placed a hard kiss on my lips and reached between us.

I gasped when he lowered me onto him, digging my fingers into the muscles of his shoulders. My nails scratched and bit at his skin as ecstasy rolled through my body. Feeling him again, replaced all of the nightmares in my mind.

He kissed back up to my jaw and I turned my head, our mouths instantly finding each other. “Jesse,” Rave whispered against my lips.

Our bodies were slick with a sheen of sweat as Rave continued thrusting, deeper and harder. His hands massaged and kneaded my skin, gently but with an edge of need. He lifted me a moment later from the wall and brought me to his bed.

“No.”

Rave’s brows furrowed. “What’s wrong?”

“Don’t lay me down.”

He frowned as he sat on the bed.

Holding onto his shoulders, I lifted myself and lowered back onto him, swirling my hips slowly.

His eyes widened in understanding. “Oh…wow…”

I smiled and kissed him. “I want to make you feel good.”

***

I stirred awake the next morning to a hard thumping against Rave’s apartment door. He was sound asleep beside me and my heart thudded at the sight of him. Lying on his stomach with his arms under his pillow, the blanket hanging low on his hips. I leaned down and kissed his nape, running my hand down his back. “Rave.”

He turned to me and smiled. “Morning.”

My stomach flipped at the deep guttural sound of his morning voice. “Morning. There’s someone at your—”

The hard knocking started again, waking Rave up completely.

“Rave. Let me in.”

Rave groaned. “It’s my brother.”

I hopped off of the bed and quickly grabbed one of Rave’s t-shirts, pulling it on. I sat back on the bed as Rave forced himself off of it and I tried not to drool at the sight of his nakedness.

He pulled on sweatpants, looked back at me to make sure I was decent and headed to the door. The thudding continued.

“Hold on, asshole,” he said as he opened the door. “You better have breakfast man.”

Ren stood there with a smug smile on his face as he held out a bag and a tray of coffees in front of him. Looking Rave up and down, he frowned. “Rave.”

Rave sighed and let him in.

Ren stopped dead in his tracks when he saw me sitting on Rave’s bed. My cheeks heated under his suspicious stare. “Uh…hi, Jesse.”

“Hi Ren.” I pulled the covers up to my chin and tried to ignore the scrutiny of the two big guys in the very small apartment.

Smacking him on the arm, Rave grabbed a coffee. “Ren, whatever you’re thinking, stop it.”

“I wasn’t thinking anything.”

Rave’s back stiffened. “Right.”

“Are you sure…”

Rave spun on him and met his stare head on. Only being a couple of inches shorter than his brother, he still took a step towards him, meeting him toe for toe. “You better choose your next words wisely,
brother
.”

My heart raced, watching the show down.

Ren’s pierced brow rose and his eyes showed a hint of amusement. “Careful, little boy. I’m the one who taught you your
skills
.”

“I hate you right now,” Rave grumbled.

Clapping a hand on his shoulder, Ren turned towards me. “No, you don’t.” Ren grabbed one of the three cups in the tray he was holding and handed it to me.

“Thank you,” I whispered. Being under his hard stare made me uncomfortable, like he didn’t think I was good enough for his brother. Or did he know that I came with emotional baggage?

Rave frowned. “Now, please tell me why you’re here so early?”

Ren grabbed a coffee for himself and sat on the recliner. “You told me to come over. It wasn’t something to be discussed over the phone remember?”

“Yeah, but couldn’t it have waited until maybe this afternoon?” Rave asked, stifling a yawn.

“Why, did you have more important things to do?” he asked, looking between us both.

Rave’s body tensed.

I rolled my eyes and sat on the bed, leaning against the wall.

“What happened with her stepfather?” Leave it to Ren to get right to the point.

My head snapped to his. “What did you tell him?”

“Nothing,” Rave answered, defensively.

Searching his face, I sighed, knowing he wasn’t lying. As much as it probably killed him not to tell his brother what was going on since obviously it had brought up memories from his past, my heart swelled at the thought that he kept my secret.

I looked back at Ren. “What do you want to know about my stepfather?”

“I want to know what Rave did to him,” Ren answered, the amusement leaving his eyes.

Rave sighed.

“Rave?” I reached for his hand under the covers, curling our fingers together. Rave didn’t tell him anything that had happened yesterday?

“I didn’t do anything that shouldn’t have been done a long time ago,” Rave said, finally.

“What the hell did you do?” Ren asked again, anger coating his voice.

Rave’s eyes snapped to his. “I attempted to strangle him, alright? And I would have kept going until his head popped off. But Jesse stopped me.”

Ren’s eyes bored into Rave’s, his skin turning a shade of red. Ren rose to his feet and paced angrily across my living room.

I rubbed my thumb against Rave’s hand and he turned to me. “I wish I wouldn’t have stopped you.”

Chapter 29

Rave

“Rave,” Ren said firmly.

“Yeah,” I answered, but kept my eyes on Jesse. She couldn’t possibly have meant that she wished she wouldn’t have stopped me. She was way too nice and kind to think that.

“Rave,” Ren repeated.

“What?” I snapped, turning to him.

His brows narrowed his features hardening. “Get fucking dressed. You and I need to take a drive.”

“Like hell, we do,” I glared at him.

“I won’t ask you again, Rave,” his voice lowered. He was furious with me. Probably at the fact that I put myself in that same position again.
Lovely
.

“Ren, I called the police.” It was probably about time that I told him everything anyways.

“You did what?” Ren asked, his eyes widening.
Okay, wasn’t really the reaction I was going for.

“Rave?” Jesse grabbed my arm as I sat up. I slowly turned to her. “I’ll be fine.”

My eyes widened. “No. I’m not leaving you alone.”

“She’s right,” Ren agreed. What the hell was going on? Was the whole world against me trying to protect the one that I loved?

My head whipped to his. “Are you both crazy?”

She gripped my arm and ran her hand up and down it slowly. “Rave, I’ll be fine. He won’t find me here.”

I grabbed Jesse’s wrists, kneeling in front of her on the bed. “No. I’m not leaving you fucking alone.”

“Rave,” Ren called my name.

“Ren, give us a minute, will you?” I bit out.

“He doesn’t have to leave,” Jesse whispered.

I heard the squeak of the recliner. I didn’t want to do this in front of him but if I had to, I would. “Please baby, you can’t mean it.”

Her eyes filled with tears and she reached up, stroking my face. “You can’t be by my side twenty four seven. I’ll be fine.”

I kissed her palm. “We can leave the city.”

Ren scoffed behind me but I ignored him.
I really really hated him right now.

“Rave, you’re only eighteen.” She sighed. “I’m seventeen. I’ll be eighteen in a couple of weeks also but what are we going to do in another city? We’re way too young. And besides, you have your tattoo shop.”

“Not until I’m twenty one,” I countered.

“Rave, it doesn’t make sense for you to leave,” Jesse said, interrupting my thoughts.

My blood rang in my ears and I rose to my feet, grabbing Jesse’s hand. I tugged her out into the hall and wrapped my arms around her. “Fine, we’ll stay here for now but I’m not leaving you by yourself when that monster is still free.”

She returned the embrace, her warm body pressed up against mine. “I have Officer Pike’s card if I need help. I’ll be fine.”

I held her at arm’s length and shook my head. I knew she’d be safe in the hands of the cop but if something happened and I wasn’t here to stop it, I would never forgive myself.

***

“What happened, Rave?”

“Nothing,” I bit out. I stared out the window and waited for the lecture. My stomach burned with unease that that we were leaving Jesse alone.

Ren started up the car and sighed. “I called the cop that gave her the business card and they said that Allan wouldn’t probably be out until tonight. Something about losing paperwork.”