Reckless: A Bad Boy Sport Romance (71 page)

It had been about a full week since Jackson had miraculously woken up from his coma. Likewise, it had been about a full week since my “incident” with Kingsley at the emergency exit. I knew full well there was no excuse for what I'd done. Though it hadn't been officially discussed, Val and I were clearly an item. But in the spur of the moment, I'd completely forgotten Val had even existed. His face only cropped up in my mind when I'd flushed my sweet release all over Kingsley's cock.

On the other hand, this was my first night away from Jackson. Sloane had volunteered to stay over with Jamie and Jackson, and had convinced me to come out and see Val to unwind a bit. What I'd done was unacceptable, but it was just that – done. I should just box it up and tuck it away in the back of my mind for now and just go with the flow. And right as that thought slipped in and out of my mind, I felt an extra pang of guilt at my willing acceptance of the double standard.

I pulled away from Val, sitting up edgily on my side of the loveseat.

“So, how you liking the movie? Good stuff, yeah?”

Looking back at the TV, I was tempted to tell Val exactly what I thought. No, it wasn't “good stuff.” The cheesy action flick had no substance and was just a 2-hour long montage of unnecessary explosions and fake boobs. I winced, struggling to find one positive thing to say about the movie. As I watched the lead actor decimate an entire office of suits with his shirt off for god-knows-what reason, I reached over to the bowl of popcorn for another handful.

“Wouldn't kick that guy out of bed, I guess.”

Val jolted out of his seat, switching off the TV with a huff. I slowed down my chewing, the popcorn feeling extra dry as I forced it down my throat. He stared me down, his Adam's apple bobbing meancingly.

“What did you say?” His lips were screwed so tightly together they barely opened when he spoke.

“Why'd you do that?” I leaned away from him, pinching the scaly edge of the loveseat.

“I asked you a question.”

“Seriously?” I blinked at him, my jaw hanging in incredulity. “Are you really getting jealous over some guy on TV? I was kidding –”

“So was I.”

“What?”

Val laughed, his tight lips breaking out in a grin.

“Huh. Don't quit your day job, 'cause comedy's not your thing.” I crossed my arms over my chest, but I cracked a small smile myself.

“Alright, alright. I hear you. Bad joke.”

Val dropped to his knees in front of me. He eased back the hem of my pleated skirt, planting soft kisses on my knees and along the insides of my thighs. The leather pillow behind me squeaked as I squirmed in my seat, slightly sliding off the edge.

“Would you let me make it up to you?”

I pulled my skirt up around my hips and wiggled out of my panties in response. Val continued his trail of kisses up my thighs, stopping to circle his tongue over the eager pearl of my clit. I could feel the weight of his gaze from between my legs, examining every aspect of the pleasure he was giving me.

The tip of his nose brushed against my trimmed bush, tickling me as his warm, wet mouth polished my quavering cunt with sloppy, violent licks. I clamped my legs around his ears, arching my back off the loveseat. As he continued to ravage my mound, he slipped his hands under my ass cheeks, his jagged nails piercing into the plump meat. I sucked in my teeth, grinding my hips against his mouth in circular motions to help myself along a little.

Val sat up with a chin gleaming with my juices. He swiftly replaced his mouth with 2 of his fingers and his thumb over my clit. My throaty moans rumbled out of my mouth, each panting breath louder than the last.

“God, Val, that's so good – just – just keep doing that –”

“Yeah? You like that, baby?”

Val snickered softly, his pinkie teasing my asshole. I gasped, my eyes rounding as he snuck it into the hole. Feeling both my holes stimulated at the same time, I curled my toes and cried out in agonizing pleasure. I completely lost my footing and all control of my body, allowing my weak legs to slide down to the floor.

“Say my name, Carrie. I want you to tell me how good I'm making you feel... I want you to cry out my name when you explode all over these fingers and stain these hardwood floors...”

“Val – you're – you're unbelievable – I can't – I can't –”

“Yeah?” Val grinned, sinking his pinkie deeper into my asshole as he continued to finger-fuck my abused, slowly numbing cunt. “You can't what? Who's about to make you cum, you little slut? Tell me how good it feels to have my knuckles up in your tight little cunt and asshole...”

“You – you – you're so fucking good at this, Val – Val, I can't – I'm gonna –”

Before I could finish that thought, a surge of juices oozed down my shaking thighs. Val held up my knees to keep me from sliding off the loveseat completely. He licked up the sticky stream running down my thighs, looking extremely pleased with himself.

“Such a good, good girl...”

Chapter Forty:
Carrie

“
Jackson wanted to stay up a little longer to finish up one of the puzzles from Mr. Kelly, but I managed to coax him into bed, and he's now out like a light.”

“Thank you so much, Nurse Abby. You're a godsend.” I jogged up the steps of the high-rise apartment and rang the doorbell for the 19
^th
floor. “Thank you so much for agreeing to stay the night. Of course, I'll be paying you double every hour past your shift. I'll be home by 8 tomorrow morning.”

“
You're most welcome, Carrie. I really don't mind – Jackson's a real treat and I could use the extra cash myself.
”

When Val buzzed me in, I entered the building and headed for the elevators.

“Thanks so much. I'll talk to you later.”

“
Alright, you have a good night.
”

I slipped into the elevator and selected the 19
^th
floor. As soon as I hung up, I slouched against the floor-length mirror behind me. After 3 long days of interviewing one private nurse after another, I'd finally settled on the best candidate possible. Nurse Abby was 32 and a mother of 3, and she was vivacious, sharp, and had a flexible schedule. Having her around the last couple of days was well worth the extra deadlines I'd been volunteering for at work, no matter how dangerous the vapid work was for my brain cells.

Of course, I could keep telling myself that I'd only hired a private nurse so that Jackson would receive optimum care. Truth was, what Kingsley claimed he'd “seen” in Jackson's hospital room really spooked me. I couldn't bring myself to even begin entertaining the fact that my baby sister was capable of Kingsley's accusations. Yet at the same time, as Jackson's aunt, I wasn't about to take any chances. If there was even the faintest sliver of a chance that this was true, I wasn't going to leave Jamie alone with Jackson. Not trusting my sister with her own son might have been fucked up of me, but at least I was covering all the bases.

For the life of me, I couldn't figure out what Kingsley's end game was. Why come to me with all these stories now? What could he possibly be gaining from any of this? At first, this seemed like nothing but a long-winded shot at getting me back, but the more I thought about it, I wasn't so sure. After all, I was the instigator with our quickie at Bellevue. But as a journalist, I couldn't readily believe him without at least checking multiple sources, all of which had come up with nothing to indicate Xiao-Xin's alleged abuse, or that Jamie had ever purchased arsenic anywhere.

What's crazy was that now that Ivanka, who had to fly home when her divorce left her with close to nothing, was out of the picture, I'd catch myself daydreaming about Kingsley and his stupid, infuriating, irresistibly perfect face.

I stepped out of the elevator and walked up to Val's front door. Before I could knock, Val opened the door for me. He was only wearing a pair of tight black pants, looking like he'd just come out of the shower. His wet hair was combed back and his chiseled torso was left with a shiny sheen from the shower steam.

“Hey, Carrie.” He leaned in to kiss me on the cheek before letting me inside.

“Mm. Food smells great.” I took a big whiff of the rich aroma of mixed spices floating in the air.

“You're in for a treat.” Val winked as he put my wrap coat and purse away for me. “Whipped us up some goulash.”

“I didn't know you could cook. This looks amazing.”

I salivated at the gorgeous feast of beef goulash, black rice, and cucumber salad on the table. A pair of wine glasses and a bottle of red wine were set up next to 2 sets of expensive china. As I settled into my chair, I glanced at the kitchen.

I couldn't help but notice how spotless the place looked. There wasn't even a drop of water in the sink. Brushing it off, I set my phone down on the table.

“What's with the phone?” Val's forehead lined with his disapproval. “I thought it was just us tonight.”

“It is, but I'm expecting an important call from work.” I raised an eyebrow, helping myself to a glass of wine. “That's not a problem, is it?”

“No.” Val cleared his throat, turning away from me. “I'll be right back. Just gonna dry off and put on a shirt.”

“Okay. Take your time.”

When Val disappeared into his bedroom, I reached into the bowl of trail mix on the kitchen counter for an early appetizer. The delectable smell of the feast in front of me reminded me that I hadn't eaten anything since that banana muffin and blueberry yogurt I had this morning. Getting up for seconds, my phone jerked twice with a new alert.

I sat back down, narrowing my eyes at the message on my phone.

“
Is this Carrie Toussaint?
”

“
Yes,”
I punched into my keyboard. “
Who is this?
”

The stranger was quick to reply.

“
Can I call you? This is important. I will explain everything.
”

“
OK.
”

I poked my tongue through my cheeks nervously and got up from my seat, grasping the ringing phone tightly in my hand.

“Hey, Val? I'll be in the balcony.” I called out to Val. “I just have to take this call!”

I squeezed through the glass door and shut it behind me. The distant sounds of traffic 19 floors below rang free through the open air. I yanked on the pull chain next to the door, switching on the balcony lamps.

“Hello?” I rested an arm against the railing.

“
Carrie? This is Lena.
”

“Lena?” I repeated, rubbing my fingertips together. “I'm sorry, I don't think I know a Lena –”

“
Lena Xiao. I used to go by the name Xiao-Xin. Maybe you've heard of me.
”

“Xiao-Xin?” My grip tightened around my phone. “I – yes. As a matter of fact, I have. Is there something I can help you with?”

“
No. But I'm hoping I can help you. I understand you're seeing Val.
”

“Yes, yes I am.” This was so awkward it was hard to find the right words to say. “And I understand you've been divorced for 2 years... You are divorced, aren't you?”

“
Yes, we are.
” There was a tentative pause on the line. “
Listen, Carrie. From one woman to another, I'm asking that you please listen to me. Val is an extremely dangerous and violent man. He's possessive and insanely jealous, which was I left him in the first place –
”

“I don't – I'm sorry.” I shook my head, rubbing my forehead. “Kingsley didn't put you up to this, did he? Because if he did –”

“
Look at your screen.”

I pulled my phone away from my ear. Xiao-Xin had switched on her front camera. A pretty woman with shoulder-length black hair and sad brown eyes blinked back at me.

The fuzz on my arms stood on their ends.

“
I couldn't risk deportation, Carrie.
” She propped her phone up on a stand. “
I know you don't want to believe me. Val may be sweet and charming now, but when he starts getting jealous...
”

Xiao-Xin pushed her chair back. She turned around and rolled up her blouse all the way to her neck. Right above the wings of her black bra was a pinkish scar in the shape of a perfect circle. The raw, veined skin was slightly protruding and browned with age. I grimaced, my jaw trembling.

She pulled down her shirt and plopped back down on her chair.

“
He burned me with a frying pan when I tried to get away from him one time. I had to change my name and go off the grid when the divorce finally went through. It was the best day of my life. Val is a misogynistic bully, and if you know what's good for you, you'll stop seeing him right now.
”