Look After Me (28 page)

Danya soon forces us men out of the kitchen as she prepares the huge feast. We gather around the sofa to watch the football game. Between yelling and cheering at the television screen, both William and Ben ask questions about Lily and my time in the Army.

Once the game finishes—which found a disappointed loss for the Lions—we get into a huge football conversation, debating who is the better team between the Seahawks and the Giants. Things start getting a little heated, and I quickly realize football is William’s second love of his life. If he weren’t the CEO for a major record label, he’d make one heck of a referee.

Addison comes over with a humored smile plastered on her face. She grabs me by the hand and pulls me up to my feet. “I’m pulling Sebastian away from you guys before the gloves come off.” They both chuckle as I’m led outside onto the patio.

“You looked like you needed rescuing before my dad decided to get the shotgun out.” She smirks before taking a seat on one of the patio chairs.

I sit beside her, laughing heartily. “He sure loves his football, I’ll give him that.” I place both hands inside the front pocket of my hoodie and sit back.

“I don’t think
love
cuts it. It’s more like an obsession. Add a couple of drinks and he turns into a goddamn maniac, shoving scores and throw-down strategies down your throat.”

I smirk. “Ads, it’s a touchdown, not a throw-down,” I say, unable to stop the laughter.
God, she’s cute.

She giggles, a blush flaming against her cheeks. “Please don’t tell my dad I said that. I’d never live it down.”

I grin. “Your secret’s safe with me.”

Our laughter naturally fades out and we’re quiet for a moment as we both take in the quaint surroundings.

“It looks good on you,” Addison says after a few minutes, breaking the silence.

I look at her with an intrigued smile. “What does?”

“The look of happiness on your face. It’s the first time I’ve ever seen you this relaxed. I like it.” She smiles softly.

I look back out to the river and focus on the way it moves calmly downstream. “I feel good . . . I feel
happy.
” I don’t see her smile, but I feel it radiating from her.

“Since Jackson’s death, Thanksgiving has always been a little hard for me, but this year with you here, seeing you happy makes
me
happy. I don’t feel as heavy with grief. I don’t feel like I have to force myself to seem happy, I just am.”

My hand slips into hers, giving her a gentle squeeze. “I’m happy that you’re happy.” I bring her hand up to my lips and press a gentle kiss against the softness of her skin. “But just so you know, you can be whatever you want to be when you’re around me, happy or sad. There are no pretenses when you’re with me.”

She gives a smile before leaning her head on my shoulder. I feel Addison’s body shaking beside mine and I realize she’s crying, a look of painstaking grief etched along the creases of her trembling face.

“Hey.” I lift her chin up with my finger and force her eyes onto mine. The tears cascade down her face and seeing this look of pain on her face kills me.
It. Kills. Me.
I pull her from her chair and onto my lap, my fingers brushing her hair away from her wet cheeks.

“I’m s-sorry,” she whispers through her tears.

I wipe the rolling tears with my thumb. “What are you sorry for?”

“For cr-crying. I’m h-happy b-but I still h-hurt. I’m h-happy b-because you’re here, b-because my family is here but I’m sad b-because I miss J-Jackson so much. Even after thirteen years, I still m-miss my big b-brother. He was my b-best friend, you know? I just m-miss him. I wish he were s-still here. G-God, what I’d do j-just to be able to have a s-simple conversation with him. I’d do anything, f-fucking anything.”

The hysterical crying silences her words and she buries her face into my neck, gripping onto me for dear life as she lets go of the pain that is in desperate need of unleashing. As I caress my fingers through her hair, I can’t keep the few stray tears from falling down my face. Her fingers grip through my hair and before I can blink, her lips are crashing onto mine, kissing me with a force that leaves me breathless. There’s a little voice at the back of my head reminding me that her parents are most likely witnessing our heated kiss, but as Addison’s kiss takes over every one of my senses, my mind gets lost within the haze and it’s impossible to think clearly. Addison’s hands run down my chest until they reach my jeans, and it’s only when her trembling fingers begin to undo my zipper that I pull away.

“What are you doing?” I gasp.

“I n-need you. Please, I need you.”

She goes to press her lips back onto mine, but I pull further away. “Your parents can see the patio. We can’t fuck out here for them to watch.”

“We’ll do it somewhere they can’t see us. Please, I need you, Sebastian. I need your cock inside me
now,
” she growls which has me hard in an instant.

Damn that’s hot.

“But where?” I question as her lips gently nip against mine, her tongue flicking against my bottom lip before she sucks it into her mouth.

She drags me off the chair and pulls me towards the side of the cabin. With a strength I didn’t know she carried, she slams me against the wall and reaching up on the tips of her toes, she attacks me with her mouth. Through our sensual kissing, I hurriedly unfasten her jeans and pull them—along with her panties—down her thighs. I quickly make work of my own zipper before releasing my cock from the constraints of my boxer shorts. My hands seek her ass as her mouth owns mine, and in one smooth move, I lift her up and wrap her legs around my waist, spinning and pinning her to the wall. I position my throbbing cock against her soaked pussy, and in one movement I slam inside her.
Hard.
So hard that she bites down sharply against the inside of my lip at the sudden impact. I moan with a mixture of pain and pleasure as she draws blood, and the combination fuels me with an uninhibited fire.

My hips seem to find a mind of their own as they begin to pound her pussy. With each fierce thrust, her back slams forcefully against the wall. She cries into my mouth and the way her pussy tightens around my cock, tells me this is going to be quick. My spine begins to tingle with my own climax, and as much as I’d love to hold on for just a little longer, I can’t. It’s impossible. I inch my mouth away from Addison’s. “Fuck, please tell me you’re close? I don’t know how much longer I can last.”

“J-Just a-a little ha-harder,” she whimpers through her breathless moans.

Her words fuel me and I pick up speed. Every inch of my body shudders as I fuck her into oblivion. The tense hold I have carved against her ass will definitely leave bruised imprints once I’ve finished. Just as I’m moments away from begging her to come, she throws her head back with a cry and screams into my mouth, biting the inside of my lip again. After one final thrust, my throbbing cock explodes inside her, causing my body to go into an almighty frenzy, swallowing her moans with mine.

Completely spent, I press my face into Addison’s neck, trying to remind myself of how to breathe again. I pull away and when I look her in her beautiful hazel eyes, I notice how the tears are still filled to the brim and continuing to fall down her face. Once my cock is safely tucked back in my jeans, I stand Addison on her feet and pull her jeans back up her thighs. I pull her into me and sink us both to the ground, allowing her to finish the cry that’s desperate to escape from the darkest pit of her soul.

AFTER TAKING A WALK, Addison heads straight upstairs to get washed up. When she returns half an hour later, she looks completely transformed from the distraught girl who was just crying on my shoulder. She smiles when she spots me in the kitchen helping her mom with the stuffing. After just having Addison up against the outside wall of the cabin, I didn’t know how to look her dad in the eye, so I took the coward’s way out and offered my assistance in the kitchen.

With Danya’s back turned, I pull Addison to me. Not close enough that we’re in an embrace, but close enough that I’m able to smell her fresh-showered scent. “Are you okay?”

She smiles with a nod of the head. “Yeah, I’m good. Thank you,” she ends with a whisper, tracing her fingers along my chest before stepping away.

“Mom, do you need me to do anything?”

Danya turns to Addison. “My helper and I have got it covered,” she says, patting me on the back. “But if you could set the table, that would be great.”

“I’m on it.”

Once Addison is out of earshot, Danya turns to me. “So how long have you been in love with my daughter?”

I almost drop the bowl of stuffing onto the floor with shock. “W-What?” I choke out.

She gives out a gentle laugh. “I’ve seen you, honey. You cannot take your eyes off her.”

“I’m not . . . I’m not in love with her, we’re just friends.”
Has somebody turned the heat up?
I look down and continue to stir, praying for the floor to swallow me up any second now.

“
Friends
with benefits.”

My head shoots up. “She told you?”

“No, she didn’t have to. It’s obvious. Plus, next time you decide to have a little outdoor rendezvous, you may want to check there are no open windows.” She raises her eyebrows and nods towards the open window. As I look out of the kitchen window my bulging eyes take in the view and I’m utterly mortified when I realize not only did she overhear us, she probably saw us too.
Shit.
Maybe I should have sat with William.
“I guess you like it a little rough since you have quite the cut on your lip.” She winks and my fingers go straight to my mouth in horror, feeling the small abrasion on the edge of my lip from the intensity of our earlier sex.
I definitely should have sat with William.

“I used to be your age. I know what it’s like to be young and full of hormones, but what you and Addison have, is more than just friends with benefits. You’re in love with her, you just don’t know it yet.”

I stare into the stuffing, speechless.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable,” Danya says after a few moments of awkward silence.

“I don’t know what you think you see, but it definitely isn’t love. I care for Addison, I do. She’s
amazing,
but I’m a recovering drug addict who is still getting over a really bad breakup. I can’t be that guy for her. I just can’t.” I pause for a moment, trying to find the right words. When I come up blank, I settle with the only words I know. “I’m too broken.”

“No.”

“No?”

“No. You’re wrong. The heart can sustain more than you think. Hell, I know pain like no other. Trust me, nothing hurts more than losing a child. You may think you’re broken, but a heart can never be too broken for love. It’s impossible.”

Just then, Addison comes back over and my heart catches at the back of my throat. I can hardly look her in the eye as she gives me a sweet smile. My body hums at her proximity and I find it almost impossible to catch my breath. She grabs something out of the drawer, then walks back towards the dining area.

Danya stands beside me and whispers in my ear, “You are most definitely in love with her.” Before I can enquire any further, she steps away from me and goes back to busying herself.

What. The. Fuck.

She doesn’t know what she’s talking about.