Wanting Reed (Break Me) BOOK 2 (34 page)

“Oh…uh…best friend.” She chuckles, shaking her head. “Hmm…that’s an interesting situation.”

“At this point, I don’t give a shit,” I ground out. “Tyler made a move behind my back. I’m going to fight for her, no matter what it takes.”

“Well, shit. This is a lot of pressure to be putting on little ol’ me.” She laughs, pressing her hand to her chest. “Let me think for a minute. This is an unexpected development, but nothing this girl can’t swing.” Nudging me in the ribs, she rises from the grass and digs out her phone from her backpack and immediately starts texting. When I try to ask what she’s doing, she raises her hand for me to wait a minute. I’m literally fucking ready to jump up, grab her and shake her to let me in on what she’s doing. Perhaps it has nothing to do with me. Who knows, she could be contacting Link.

She paces back and forth across the quad, sending numerous texts for five minutes before she returns. Standing with her back to me and hunched over her phone, she continues to text furiously.
What the hell is she doing?

Finally, she twirls around after receiving a text that has her smiling like Jack Nicholson from
The Shining
. Fuck. Why is she smiling like that? It definitely has nothing to do with my predicament and more to do with her and her man.

“Done,” she says confidently.

“What do you mean? ‘Done?’” I ask, cocking my eyebrow.

“That was Elle saying ‘yes.’” She extends the phone to me so I can read Elle’s response.
Yes. Sounds like fun.

“What have you planned?” I glance back at her as she shoves the phone into her backpack.

“Crimzen is playing at the House of Blues and we’re all going, including you. Elle just doesn’t know it.” She shoots me a playful look as she pulls out a notebook. “You are down with this plan, right?”

“Fuck, yes,” I reply, rising from the grass. I don’t care if her plan had me walking through a fucking burning building or jumping off a plane. I’m there. Early. “I hope this works.”

“It’ll work. You know why?” she replies, self-assured.

“No, tell me,” I already feel like there’s hope in Piper’s plan.

“I’m not going to be planting a big wet one on your lips.” She giggles, punching my arm.

“Yeah, I know. I royally fucked up with Sierra; it won’t happen again.”

“I won’t let it,”she concurs, blowing a strand of hair away from her angelic face.

I have four days until I get my chance to explain my side of the story to Elle. She has to give me that. I can’t quit now. I can’t take one more sleepless night without her. This is worse than any prison sentence. I
will
tell her how much she means to me and that we can get past this.

When we arrive at my apartment, I shove Tyler through the door. His expression displays both shock and lust as he turns to look at me. Placing my hands against his hard chest, he willingly and silently lets me push him onto the couch. I know I‘ve been drinking all night, but I’m not completely incoherent. I want to remember what happens tonight. It means something to me as it will mean something to Tyler.

“What are you doing?” he whispers, watching me undeterred as I pull up my dress and straddle him. Heat warms my body, and passion pulses in my veins just feeling his body move underneath me.

“Giving you your birthday present.” I blaze a trail of kisses on his neck. After what I saw in the bar, all I want to do is let go of all the anger and hurt. Tyler always takes away the pain. “You don’t want it?” I pull away, playfully lifting an eyebrow.

“Don’t put words in my mouth.”His fingers slide to my face, and he gently runs the pad of his thumb over my bottom lip with a glint in his eye.

“Would you like my mouth on yours instead?” I breathe. My lips hover over his as I tangle my fingers through his hair. His hands attentively trail down my ribs to rest on my hips as he tugs me to his body.

“Oh yeah,” he breathes against my lips.

“Can you do me a favor?” I tease, snaking my arms around his neck.

“What’s that?” he asks, flicking his eyes to my mouth.

“Stop talking.” I push him back against the couch and devour his beautiful mouth. Closing my eyes, I feel his hands traveling up my back to unzip my dress. I raise my arms and let him slip it over my head. I then make quick work of removing his shirt and admire his chiseled body. His chest heaves under the pressure of my hands. I feel his erection pressed against me, and I gasp at the tingles that course to my core. The anticipation is killing us both.

“When did you get this?” I murmur, as I tenderly trace the new design on his bicep.

“The other night.” He whispers. “A birthday present to myself.”

“It’s beautiful.” I lift my eyes, placing my hands on his chest and then sliding them down to his waist. “Hey...”
I pull back and smile, looking into his storming eyes.

“Yeah?”

“We never had your birthday cake.”

“Can I have you instead?” he demands in a gravelly voice.

We gaze at each other for a moment. There is so much want behind his request and so much desire in his eyes that send a rush of feelings shooting through me that I can’t begin to explain. I never answered his question about taking our relationship to the next level, and I don’t think it’s necessary, considering where we are at this moment.

I don’t know if what I’m doing is right or wrong or if I should even care if one of us gets hurt by what happens tonight. I feel his hands and lips explore my body. I grip his face in my hands and let the kaleidoscope of emotions I’m feeling escape into the kisses we share. I want my friend. I want him to be here for me.

Tyler meets me with the same urgency. His tongue finds mine, and it’s a realization and confirmation of how much he cares for me and how long he’s waited to connect with me like this. In the back of my mind I keep thinking that one of us is going to endure more heartache. I’ve felt it before. I’m being selfish. I’m doing this for him as much as I’m doing it for me.

“You taste...” His breaths are quick and impatient.

“Like what?” I pant.

“Better than cake,” he whispers as his tongue seductively plays along my collarbone and back up to my chin where he bites on my lower lip. “Stand up,” he commands.

I willingly comply, desire and longing intensifying in me. Kneeling in front of me, his eyes lock with mine as he slides his hands up my thighs, kissing my stomach and following the line up onto my breasts, as he rises to stand in front of me, tugging my body against his.

“God, I love seeing you this way, feeling you like this.” His amazingly penetrating eyes rake over my body.

“I need you now,” I murmur, searching his eyes. He is incredibly ready for me, hard and straining against his jeans. Knowing my body is doing this to him makes my hunger for him soar.

He kisses me hard, and I meet him with everything in me. Without breaking our kiss, he lifts me into his arms as I wrap my legs around his waist.

Finding his way to the bedroom, he stumbles in the darkness. His heat is overpowering, and his desire for me chokes all the air out of me. He lays me down onto the bed and stands over me while we both take in the sight of each other.
I’m without words; I’d rather show him how I feel instead.

“I don’t know what to do first. I want you so bad right now.” He crawls over me, running his hand up the length of my body. Feeling his skin against mine, I anticipate his every touch as shivers cover me. The urge to touch him is too difficult to fight. I unbutton his jeans, tugging them off along with his boxers.

Cross the line, always mine.

“Unwrap me,” I whisper. Lust blooms in the pit of my stomach and pools between my legs. I need Tyler to take it away before my head says my heart wants something else.

He’s on me in seconds, unclasping my bra and deftly pulling off my panties. I know he’s wanted this moment to happen. He brings his lips to mine, slipping his tongue into my mouth. His kiss is deep and consuming as he presses his body to mine. The connection between us is overpowering and forbidden that I feel tears well in my eyes. I’m not turning back.

He slides his lips down my neck, trekking down to my breasts where my nipples harden from feeling his warm mouth circle them. Trying to diminish the space between us, I tighten my hold around his body, hearing a growl rise in his chest as his erection presses against my thigh. The moment is so close that it’s painful thinking about what he would feel like inside me. I dig my nails into his back with demand and feel his cock nudge at my entrance. I’ve missed this physical contact for so long. The desire to lose myself in nothing but sensation, even for a brief amount of time, immediately consumes me. No more loss or pain.

“You feel so good,” he rasps into my ear. “So fucking good.”

A moan escapes my lips from hearing his words, and fire radiates throughout my body. I want Tyler to fuck me, make love to me, and devour me all at the same time. I want to feel in every way. His hands run along my hair, my face, and my hips. I grab his face and kiss him with everything that’s in me. My loud panting is echoed by his as I feel his body grind against mine with the same need. I tangle my hands in his mussed hair, tugging harshly. I feel his eager pulse when I press my lips to his neck and find my way back to his lips.

My body craves him, but my head is suddenly telling me to stop. I clutch him against me to liberate the memories of tonight from my mind.
No. Yes. No
, I frantically think to myself, not able to decipher my own rapidly changing emotions. I need to connect with him physically to release whatever is eating away at my mind. I stiffen and a heat rages through me. Is it anger because of what I saw tonight, or is it for Tyler, for us, here and now? I can’t shake that there is something Tyler is not telling me. He must sense my hesitation because he cautiously pulls away and gazes into my eyes.

“Are you okay?” he asks. His soft, breathless voice breaks through my thoughts as I stare up into his eyes. What I’m thinking must be reflected in my eyes as he reluctantly rolls over to his side and tenderly kisses me on the forehead. He wraps his strong arm around my waist and holds me tighter. He senses me. With all the years between us, I can never hide my feelings from him. I turn my head and look over at his handsome face.

“What happened between you and Reed?”

Tyler hesitates a moment as a torn expression passes across his face, but his eyes are still wild with passion. He sighs, looking down at me as he brushes away a strand of hair from my face.

“You have no idea how hard it was for me to keep this from you,” he admits, creasing his brow. He swallows roughly, cupping the back of his neck as he searches my face.

“Tell me what?” Now my heart is pounding in my ears as I sit up on the bed and hold my pillow to my chest. What information has he been withholding from me that has him acting guilty and afraid?

He sits back against the headboard, fidgeting with the edges of the pillow. “You don’t know how fucking hard this is. I thought this was our time, our chance to be together.” He clenches his jaw in aggravation. “Fuck.” He looks at me through blazing brown eyes. “Elle, can you honestly tell me if you still have feelings for Reed after tonight?” he breathes. “Because the way I see it, I’m going to lose on both sides. Once you’re honest with me about Reed, it’s going to probably break my heart in two. And, on the other hand, once I tell you what I did to interfere with Reed, you’ll most likely push me away anyway.”

“What? What are you talking about?” The air around us suddenly becomes electric with tension.

“I knew Reed was here,” he says brokenly.

“Yes,”‘ I reply, raising my eyebrows. “A lot of people knew.”

“No, let me finish.” He inhales a sharp breath as I hold mine and hang onto his words. “I’ve known since Travis got into town. At the airport,” he murmurs, dropping his eyes to his hands. “I confronted him in the restroom and told him to stay away from you. That he was no good for you.”

I shake my head in disbelief. “What? Why? Why would you do that?” I mutter after a couple of minutes, trying to contain my emotions.

“I saw every fucking thing he put you through. I was protecting you from more hurt,”
he retorts. I notice the vein pulsing in his neck, and his hands clutching the sheets tightly.

“Is that… Is that what you think?” I choke on the words. “You watched me cry and go through more pain over Reed than I did both times with Cane. You knew how I felt when I thought Reed just left me. All this time you knew he was back for me, and you told him to stay away. Are you fucking kidding me with the protecting me bullshit right now?”

“I was there for you. Do you remember that?” His once soft voice hardens. “Does that mean anything?”

“I do remember.
Everything.
” I gaze up at him in disbelief. My heart hurts that he would do this. “And it means so much to me that you were there. But...”
I trail off, unable to finish. I can’t find the words. I can’t understand any of this. Tyler would never do this to me, hurt me like this, or was he really protecting me?

“I can’t take back what I’ve done,” he interjects. “I know I should have let you decide on your own. Even after trying to move forward with our relationship, you still love Reed. I really believe we can never be anything more than what we were before. Elle, you need to know I thought this was the best for you, and obviously I thought wrong. If you choose Reed and it doesn’t work out, you know I’ll be here for you, but I can’t help you pick up those pieces again. I can’t handle it.”