Ruining You (20 page)

When I reach them, Kane
grabs my arm and drags me away. I look back to a confused Kate who is speaking
with Eli. Opening a side door, he pulls me into a dark alley and pushes me up
against a brick wall. Cushioning my head with one of his hands, he pins me with
his muscle hard body and presses one of his thighs between mine.

“He better be glad he didn’t
lay a fucking hand on you,” his sultry voice threatens.

I am mesmerized by the two
dimples carved into his cheeks.

“I’m done trying to be the
nice guy. I’ve given you plenty enough time to come to me, but you haven’t.
What do you do? You go to Rhye.”

Fisting my hair, he snaps my
head back. I forcedly look up at him as he sneers, “Do you want him, Jay?”

Shaking my head, I’m tired
of pushing him away while wishing he was mine. If he’s not going anywhere, then
I’m going to claim him.

Reaching my hands up to
cradle both sides of his face, I hold him still and stare into his emerald
orbs. Rubbing my heat up and down his thigh, I try to extinguish the fire that
is building, burning, and now, blazing. My nipples draw tight, aching with an emptiness
that only he can fill. Taking the tip of my tongue, I place it into the crater
that one dimple creates and move it to the other side to do the same.

A guttural groan escapes
him, and his hand tightens in my hair, exposing my neck. Placing his mouth in
the middle of my throat, he beings to suck. The gentle open-mouth suction
causes my body to tighten like a vice. I whimper, not from the pain, but from
the intense pleasure that spreads throughout my body.

Bringing my lips to his, I
whisper into his mouth, “Touch me, Kane.” Sticking my wet tongue out, I trace
his lips before letting it slip inside his mouth and out again.

“Fuck,” he gasps as a quake
racks his body. The intensity of the moment claims us as we ravage each other’s
mouths. Lip to lip and tongue to tongue, he breathes for me. Reaching down with
his large hands, he pulls up the hem of my dress and grabs my ass. A low moan
flows from me. The brick wall scrapes my back as he lifts me to step deeper
between my thighs. It’s a welcome pain.

Wrapping my arms around his
neck, I anchor myself to him. My lips fall from his for only a second before he
grunts in displeasure and reconnects with me again. I feel his fingers tickle
the inside of one thigh as they move closer to where my inner fire burns. The
anticipation fuels the inferno within me, making my blood boil and leaving me
panting for him. He traces the outer edge of my panties with his finger, and I
lose it.

Tearing my mouth from his, I
beg, “Please. Kane, please.” I don’t realize that I’m crying until my vision
becomes cloudy and I feel the tears slide down my face. Closing my eyes, I feel
miraculously and marvelously alive. This is what you live for -- these
all-consuming moments with the person that makes everything, including heaven
and hell, worth it. 

The sound of the door
opening and banging loudly against the brick wall pulls me out of his spell. In
a loud over-exaggerated voice, I hear Eli say, “I don’t think they would have
come out here, it’s way too freaking cold. They would be idiots.”

I didn’t notice the cold two
seconds ago, but now I do. I try to drop my legs down and regain my wits, but
Kane makes it almost impossible.

Trying to reclaim my lips,
he leaves kisses all over my face and softly mutters, “No, don’t move. Don’t
ever move.”

“Kane, someone is coming.”

He finally realizes what is
happening and drops back. Thank God he still is holding onto me because I would
have fallen to the ground.

His date walks around the
corner of the door with eyes wide. I’m sure it’s plain to see what is going on.
Kane’s lips are swollen, and his clothes are mussed. I would almost bet that my
image mirrors his. Eli walks up behind her.

“Wow, there you guys are.
We’ve been looking everywhere for you two. Were you able to help her find her
cellphone? Hopefully, you did. Outside. On a cold windy night.” Eli is
obviously trying to cover for us; however, he sucks at it.

I’m not sure what I should
say. Inside I’m screaming, “He’s mine bitch!” but I can’t say that because he
might not be mine. He could be hers, which would totally suck and be my fault
for letting him go.

Crossing her arms across her
ample chest, she says in her annoyingly baby voice, “I’m ready to leave, Kane.”

He looks at me as he
answers, “Ok. I can take you home if you give me a couple of minutes.”

I hear her huff as she turns
around and walks back inside.

Eli shakes his head at me,
“Jay, just F.Y.I., Rhye is finishing up his set right now.”

“Thanks, Eli. I’m coming
right in.” My voice begins to shiver from the cold now that I’ve lost Kane’s
body heat.

“Eli, if you can give us
five minutes. Please explain to Rhye that Jay had to leave. Then, if you will,
escort Kate and meet us in the parking lot. I would appreciate it,” Kane says,
turning to me. “Does that work for you?”

I nod, not quite trusting my
voice yet. Grabbing my hand, Kane drags me around the corner to the parking
lot. I immediately spot his car. Opening the passenger door, he helps me in
before going around to his side. Turning the heat on high, he reaches for me
and brings my mouth to his. There is not much room to move in a compact car.

Between kisses he says, “I
have to take her home.”

Pulling away, I have to
know, so I ask, “Do you care about her?”

“No,” he replies. “First
date was tonight, and it wasn’t going well even before you. Did you come to see
Rhye?”

I was wondering if he was
going to ask me about that. “Yes. I tried to let you go. Tonight I was trying
to move on. I didn’t want to think, just to feel.” I owe him my honesty.

Shaking his head, he looks
away. “Did you at least come here with Eli tonight?”

“Yes. The thing with Rhye,
well, nothing has happened. I don’t think it was ever meant to.”

“Yeah, I got that from his
song. Attraction is a bitch sometimes.” He looks at me and asks, “What I want
to know is do you want to be with him?”

“No.”

“Do you want to be with me?”

Taking a deep breath, I
slowly let it out, “Yes. I’m tired of pushing you away. I wanted you to have
something or someone better, and I hated it. You tell me you need to figure out
your feelings, and then you say I need to figure out my own problems. Well, I
want to move on. I’m ready, and I’m tired of trying to give you up if you
aren’t going to leave. So if you want me, say it. Don’t make me play this
guessing game anymore.”

“Are you kidding me?!? I’ve
all but spelled it out.”

“Spelled what out?”

A streetlamp shines through
the windshield and illuminates half of his face. The intense look in his eye
should scare me, but it brings me hope, especially when accompanied by his
words. “That I want you to care for me the way I care about you. I fell for a
damaged girl that had seen the same hell that I had and experienced the depth
of loss that many can never understand. We might have been brought together by
our pain, but somewhere along the way, it all became about you. I want to live
my life showing you the things to live for and the things you can’t live
without because I already know that I can’t live without you. I’ve tried, and
it sucks.”

Nodding my head, I don’t
answer with my mouth because I’m too busy using it on him. Sliding my fingers
around his neck as I press my lips against his, I show him how much his words
mean to me. A knock against his darkly tinted window interrupts us.

Kane pulls back and looks
into my eyes. “One day, we are going to be somewhere where there will be no
interruptions, and God help you then, Jay.” He pulls me to him one last time,
kissing me deeply as his mouth devours mine. Another knock sounds, and Kane
curses.

He opens his door, gets out,
and closes it behind him. Touching my lips where his just left mine, I think to
myself
what the hell just happened
? He wants to be with me. Oh my
God...he does care about me. My heart rate accelerates, and I can’t keep the
smile from spreading across my face. Eli opens my door.

“Time to go, Cinderella.
Your prince charming is being bitched at by the wicked stepsister, and he wants
me to get you home.”

I step out of the car and
turn to see Kane getting fussed out by his date. Like a gentleman, he listens,
but he spares me a wink. She stops, turning to look at me, and then starts back
at him.

Pulling me away, Eli says,
“He’s got that under control. He said he would see you tomorrow.”

As we head home, I
anticipate what will happen when I see him next. All I know is that I can
hardly wait.

The next morning, I wake
early, anticipating the day. Grabbing my phone, I look to see if I have any
text messages and I do, but not from him.

Molly – Call me. Your mom
said you went out last night. Details. :)

Rhye – You confuse the shit
out of me.

Eli told me that he spoke to
Rhye last night. He said Rhye looked at him, shook his head, and walked away. I
have to talk to him. I dial his number, but without a ring, it goes to
voicemail. Rolling out of bed and wearing my shirt and shorts that I slept in,
I head downstairs. Sliding the hair tie from my wrist, I pull my hair back into
a ponytail as I walk into the kitchen.

Eli is sitting at the bar
watching my mom cook pancakes, and Kane is sitting at the breakfast table
drinking coffee. Kane....is sitting...in my kitchen…smiling at me. Holy shit.
He takes my breath away. Freezing, I take him in with his t-shirt and jeans on.
I can see his arm tattoos, and it looks like he’s added a few. He looks better
than ever, in fact, he looks better because he is mine.

“See something you like?” he
jokingly asks.

Looking over at my mother, I
see her smiling at me. Nodding her head towards him and giving me her blessing,
she turns around. I don’t think twice. I run to him, fling myself into his lap,
and hug him tightly. Sitting across his lap, I don’t feel comfortable kissing
him in front of my mother, but I can’t stop touching him, reassuring myself
that he is really here. With me.

“Yes, I see everything I’ve
ever wanted,” I whisper.

His arms tighten around me
as his lips lean into mine, but I shake my head and nod towards my mother
cooking at the stove.

“Now why didn’t I get a good
morning greeting like that? No love, I tell you,” Eli comments.

“Get your own,” Kane says,
smiling.

Looking at him and not
believing he’s here this early, I ask, “What are you doing here?”

“Getting ready to eat
pancakes. Your mom said they’re your favorite.”

I shake my head at him. He
knows what I’m asking.

“Well, last night I got
Eli’s number, and I told him to text me as soon as he was up. I called this
morning offering to bring breakfast, but your mom said she was cooking and
invited me to eat.”