Where I Belong (Alabama Summer) (5 page)

**

The smell of bacon hits me like a Mack truck, pulling me out
of the Ben dream that I was annoyingly enjoying. I’d usually be able to roll
over and go back to sleep, but it’s bacon and I could eat my weight in that
stuff so the dreams can wait. I am surprised though that Tessa is up and making
breakfast. She liked her sleep even more than I did and was usually the last
one awake when I used to spend the night with her. Maybe she’s just being a
really good hostess. Either way, I’m all for getting woken up daily by this
delicious smell.

I make my way down the hallway, pulling my wild bed head
hair back out of my face. “Oh my Godddd, that smells amazing. I’m so hungry
right now.” I stop dead in my tracks as the kitchen comes into view. Tessa is
not the one cooking breakfast, and I suddenly want to hurl myself back into bed
and go for round three with my favorite fingers. I bite back the shiver I feel
run through me at the thought of doing just that.

Ben turns his head and hits me with a smile. “Good morning.
What kind of eggs do you want?”

“What are you doing here?” I ask, crossing my arms over my
chest and scowling in his direction. Damn it. Now I suddenly don’t just have a
hankering for bacon. He’s way too inviting this early in the morning. Slight
stubble. Check. Hair sticking up a bit. Check. Vagina awake and ready. Double
check. He’s looking very fuckable right now and it irritates me to no end.

He laughs softly and grabs a plate out of the cabinet. “This
is
my parents’ house. I eat breakfast here all the time.” He holds the
plate of bacon out. “Want some?”

“No.”

He stares at me unconvinced. “Did I not just hear you say
you’re starving? And I
know
you want this bacon. We used to fight over
the last piece all the time when you’d spend the night here.” He places the
plate on the island that is already set for two people and begins whipping up
some eggs in a bowl. “Scrambled okay?”

“You don’t
know
anything about me. Just because I
used to like bacon, doesn’t mean I want it now.” I cross the room with an
annoying scowl plastered on my face and open the fridge, pulling out the orange
juice. “And I don’t want any eggs.”

“I know a lot about you,” he says, his voice dropping to a
low rumbled tone. I can’t shake the way it ripples through my body, causing all
my muscles to contract and my body temperature to spike. “Now sit down and let
me feed you.”

I take a sip of my orange juice and walk over to the couch.
“I told you. I don’t want any breakfast.” I begin flipping through the TV
channels, trying to calm the hunger that is growing more and more persistent. I
want that bacon.

And the man making it.

Shut up, vagina.

“Suit yourself,” he says. The stool scrapes along the floor
before the sound of crunching fills my ears. And it’s crispy bacon.
Son of a
bitch.
“Mmm. This is really good. Why don’t you stop being stubborn and get
your sweet ass over here and join me.”

I snap my head around and glare at him. “And why don’t you
stop being a creeper and eat breakfast at your own house. You can’t honestly
tell me that you’re here just to raid your mom’s refrigerator.”

His lips curl up into a half smile. That cockiness pouring
out of him that I wanted to not find attractive. “No, I can’t. But you can’t
honestly tell me that you aren’t at least a little happy to see me. Especially
since I cooked your favorite food.” He takes another bite of his bacon strip,
smiling arrogantly. “Remember how mad you used to get when I’d steal pieces off
your plate?”

I throw the remote down and stalk over toward the island,
seeing him lean back in his chair at my irritated expression. He wants to talk
memories? Let’s talk memories. “No, I don’t remember that. What I
do
remember is you calling me a cannibal, since I liked to eat my own kind.” His
confidence quickly vanishes from his face and he seems regretful now. Although
I’m not sure if he is regretting walking down memory lane or coming over here
in the first place. “It was kind of hard to enjoy my favorite food when
assholes like you didn’t let me forget how heavy I was. I went a couple days
without eating one time because of shit you said to me. Did you know that?”

He drops his gaze from my face to the floor. “No, I didn’t
know that.” He looks up again, begging me with his eyes. For forgiveness? For a
pass on everything he’s ever said to me? Fat chance. “I had no idea I got to
you like that. I was a kid, Mia. I didn’t really care about hurting your
feelings back then. But Christ, it’s been nine years. I’m not that guy
anymore.” He reaches out to stroke my arm but I back away before he can touch
me. I don’t want his hands on me. I know exactly how much I’ll like it. His
eyes shift and that mischievous glare of his that I am becoming familiar with
hits me. “You seemed to enjoy the guy I am now the other night. If I remember
correctly, you enjoyed me five times.”

“Wow. You just totally proved my point.” I grab a handful of
bacon and meet his confused gaze.

“What point is that?”

I glower at him before turning on my heel and walking back
toward my bedroom. “That you’re still an asshole,” I yell over my shoulder.
Upon hearing the sound of the stool scraping again, I slam my door and lock it,
backing away as the footsteps in the hallway grow louder. They stop right
outside my room and the doorknob rattles.

“Mia, come on. Just sit and eat some breakfast with me.”

I sit on the edge of my bed and begin crunching on a piece
of bacon. “Can you not take a hint? I’m not interested in eating or doing
anything with you.” I take another bite and hear some movement on the other
side of the door. He needs to leave. I really don’t want to spend the entire
day cooped up in my bedroom. And there is no chance in hell that I am slipping
into my bikini in front of him again. Not after the lustful way he looked at me
in it yesterday. I can’t handle him looking at me like that again. Like he
wanted to eat me alive. Like he knew exactly what was underneath that bikini
and exactly what to do with it.

“I’m persistent.”

I look up at the door, imagining him standing on the other
side. “What?”

The sound of a throat clearing comes before he speaks. “I’m
a persistent guy. If you ask me to leave, I’ll leave, but that’s not going to
stop me from trying to be around you.”

Neither of us speaks for what feels like hours. I don’t want
to like the idea of being pursued by Ben. My brain wants to hit him with some
sort of stalker charge while my vagina wants to put him on lock down for the
summer.

“So do you want me to leave?” he asks, and I can hear the
anxiety in his voice. As if he already knows the answer to his question but is
praying to be way off by some miracle.

“Yes,” I quickly reply without any indecision. I know if I
allow myself time to think it over, my desire for a Ben style orgasm will
overpower any and all rational thought.

He doesn’t say anything else before the sound of his
footsteps fade in the distance. After I hear the sliding glass door close, I
fall back onto my bed. Tessa had assured me that I wouldn’t have to see much of
her brother when I planned this trip, but that guarantee seems to be a distant
memory now. I could be waking up every morning to the smell of Ben cooking
breakfast if he decided to show me just how persistent he could be. I’m afraid
to admit that a part of me doesn’t hate the possibility of that type of wake up
call.

And it has nothing to do with the bacon.

Ben

I’ve never jerked off this much in my life. If my dick
doesn’t fall off soon due to the rough treatment it’s been getting, I’ll be
shocked. I can’t get her out of my head. Her lips. Her ass. Her fucking breasts.
Every time I think I’m making progress, an image pops into my head or the
memory of her noises fill my ears. Those fucking noises she made when I was
inside her. When I licked her pussy. When I pulled her hair. I need to hear
them again and I need to hear them soon. But she wants nothing to do with me.
She hates me, and I can’t say I blame her. I was a complete shit to her when we
were younger. I made fun of her a lot. All the time, actually. But all guys are
dickheads at that age. She has to know that. I’m not that same guy anymore, and
she’s definitely not that same girl.

And we fucking shared something, God damn it. She had to
have felt it.

I had to see her yesterday, if only for a few minutes. I
couldn’t sleep anyway so I figured I’d make us both some breakfast. Mia used to
eat breakfast with us all the time so I knew what she liked. I thought I could
at least enjoy her company for an hour while she sat and ate next to me, but
no. Apparently I was a bigger asshole to her than I remembered. The thought of
her starving herself over some dumbass comment I made infuriated me. She is
holding on to a deeper hatred toward me than I realized. But her pushing me
away isn’t going to stop me. I’m drawn to her, and not just because I want to
be buried deep inside her at all times. It feels right being around her. Just
fucking
right
. I want her. All of her. And I can be one relentless bastard when it
comes to getting what I want. At least now she is aware of that.

My phone beeps on my nightstand and I grab it with my free
hand, taking the other off my dick. It’s a good thing, actually. I’m about to
rub myself raw if I don’t get a fucking grip. Other than the one I’ve had for
the last hour.

Luke: Everyone’s
going down to Rocky Point today. You in?

Luke is my best friend and has been since we met in the
Academy. I’d usually be all for going to Rocky Point for the day with him. But
I’m exhausted from another sleepless night of sexual activity, this time
self-inflicted.

Me: Pass. I’m
fucking exhausted.

Luke: Are you sure?
I hear there’s some hot piece of ass staying with your sister and they’ll both
be there. You know anything about that?

Fuck sleep.

Me: I’ll meet you
there. And don’t call her that again.

Well, my mind is made up now. It really didn’t take much
persuasion on Luke’s part. Or any at all. Where Mia goes, I’m going. I hop out
of bed and begin rummaging through my drawers for my swim trunks. I don’t care
that she most likely won’t want me there. I am fucking going.

My phone beeps again as I’m walking out the door to my
truck.

Tessa: I must be
delusional for giving you this information, or maybe I just have a soft spot
for my big brother. We’re headed to Rocky Point today, and I think you should
be there. I don’t think she’ll hate you forever, Ben. But if you make her cry,
I’ll feed your dick to the gators.

Me: I’m already on
my way. Don’t tell her I’m coming.

Tessa: Do you think
I have a death wish?

She can’t hate me forever. I’ll spend the rest of my life
proving myself to her if I have to. I’ve made a lot of mistakes. I’ve done
things that I regret. But what Mia and I shared two nights ago wasn’t one of
them. I just need to somehow make her see that for herself.

**

I didn’t see Tessa or Mia’s car when I parked in the grass
at Rocky Point. And I was happy about that. I wanted to beat them here, that
way Mia didn’t get to do anything without me. Even though I probably didn’t
deserve it, I wanted all of her time. I was a greedy bastard when it came to
her and I wasn’t ashamed of it. I wanted everything. Every smile, every orgasm,
every fucking noise that came out of that pretty mouth. And I’d need as much
time as she’d give me if I was going to make up for being such a shit to her
when we were younger. She wasn’t going to let go of all the hate she had stored
up for me easily. That hate ran deep.

Luke is seated at a picnic table with Reed, a friend of
Tessa’s. I walk over to them, throwing my stuff down on the bench and keeping
my eyes out for a familiar vehicle.

“Why do you have two towels, man?” Luke asks as he searches
through my stuff. “Oh wait, does this have anything to do with that hot piece
of ass?”

I pick up my towels and move them out of his reach. “What
the fuck did I say about calling her that? Her name’s Mia, and that’s what
you’ll call her. Nothing else. Got it?”

He holds his hand up, leaning away from me. “Sorry. Jesus.”

I take a deep breath and let it out slowly. I need to calm
the hell down. I’ve never felt this anxious about seeing someone before. And
for fuck’s sake, I just saw her yesterday. I scan the line of cars that head
down the dirt path. No sign of them yet.

“This is the girl that used to live here, right?” Reed asks,
moving to stand off the bench.

“Yeah,” I reply, not prying my eyes from the vehicles. “She
moved to Georgia a while back and is here for the summer.” I still can’t
believe it myself. This is the same girl that used to have sleepovers every
weekend at my house with Tessa. I’d fucking
kill
for a sleepover with
her now. A red jeep comes up over the small hill, and I suddenly find it
difficult to take in a deep breath. “I’ll be right back,” I choke out with a
shaky voice.
Get it the fuck together, Kelly.

“Fuck that. I’m coming with you,” Luke states, getting to
his feet.

We both walk toward the jeep as it pulls in between two
other cars. As soon as Mia locks on to me through the windshield, her jaw drops
open and those chocolate brown eyes widen. I can see her hands tightening on
the wheel as she leans over, saying something to Tessa with a tight jaw.

“She looks thrilled to see you.” Luke laughs before walking
over to Tessa’s door.

I ignore him and the look Mia is giving me and open her door
for her. “Hey. I’m really glad you came.” I feel calmer now but my heart is
still beating like I’ve just taken a shot of adrenaline. She is in a tank top,
her bikini straps poking out, and tiny white shorts barely cover those legs
that I want to be buried between. I pry my eyes off her lap to give her a
smile.

“
Someone
failed to mention that you’d be here.” She
ignores the hand I hold out for her and steps out of her jeep, pulling the seat
back to get her bag. I close the door and move to walk next to her.

“I warned you of my persistence. This just proves that I’m a
man of my word. If I find out you’re going to be somewhere, there’s a pretty
damn good possibility that I’m going to show up.” She tries to ignore my
comment, but I don’t miss the way her cheeks flush at my vow. That has to mean
something. Her mind and its memories of the guy I used to be might hate me, but
her body doesn’t seem to. I take the duffle bag off her shoulder without a
fight, slipping it on my arm. “I brought you a towel in case you needed one.”

She stops in her tracks, causing me to double back. “I don’t
need you to do things for me, Ben. I don’t need you bringing me towels and
carrying my bags.” She reaches for her bag but I step back.
Fuck that.
I’m carrying her bag. “Fine. Whatever. But just know that this nice act doesn’t
wipe out all the shitty things you’ve done to me.” She steps closer, brushing
her body against mine. I freeze, completely unprepared for this type of contact
from her. She tilts her head up and looks into my eyes while I use every ounce
of strength in me to keep myself from getting hard. “That shit is still very
raw. And no amount of bag carrying is going to make me forget it.” I watch her
ass as she walks away, realizing now that I’m going to need to step up my game
to knock down the walls she’s building up around her. Which is fine. I’m all
for a challenge. Especially one where getting close to Mia is the reward.

By the time I reach the rest of the group, Mia is talking to
Reed while Luke and Tessa dive into the dam. I place her bag on the bench,
bunching up the beach towel I brought for her and stuffing it into her duffle.
I walk up to the two of them, drifting in on their conversation and not giving
a shit if I’m interrupting anything.

“You wanna get in the water with me, Mia?” I ask, pulling
off my T-shirt and tossing it onto the bench. I don’t miss the way her eyes run
down my body, and mine do the same to hers once she pulls off her top and
slides down her shorts.
Christ, she is breathtaking.
Her long dark hair
and the way it frames the delicate features of her face. That face that I can’t
get out of my head. Deep brown eyes and full lips that’ll form a knock you on
your ass smile if you’re lucky to see it. The curve of her breasts. Her tiny
waist that leads to those hips that sway with each step she takes. Her perky
ass and those never ending toned legs that I want wrapped around me at all
times. I’ve never seen anything so beautiful before.

She glances from Reed to me, not taking nearly as long to
look at Reed as he shrugs off his shirt. “I want to get in the
water
,”
she replies curtly. She leaves off the ‘with me’ part, but that’s fine. I watch
as she dives into the dam and I don’t take long to jump in after her.

The water is warm as it always is, but too cloudy for me to
see her swimming ahead of me. Luke and Tessa have climbed up onto one of the
floating piers and are talking closely, but Mia doesn’t seem to be headed for
the pier. She’s headed for the cliffs. I know for a fact that she was always
too scared to jump off of them when she was younger. I did it a lot, and it
scared the shit out of me every time. It was high, really high, and I wasn’t
about to let her do it alone.

I swim faster, pushing myself to get up next to her, and
within a few strokes I succeed. We both reach the rock ledge at the same time,
and she looks at me once she wipes her eyes. I smile at her and I swear I see
the slightest twitch in those perfect lips of hers, but I can’t be sure. She
struggles to pull herself up onto the rock, slipping every time and falling
back into the water. My girl needs my help and I’m going to give it to her.

I quickly climb up onto the rock, staring down at her and
offering my hands. “Come on, pretty girl. Let me help you up.”

“I don’t need your help.” She continues struggling, each
attempt making her more exhausted. “There should be a freaking ladder here or
something,” she scoffs under her breath and I have to resist the smile that’s
tugging at my mouth.

“Do you want to jump off the cliffs or not?” She looks up at
me and shrugs once. “Give me your hands. I promise I won’t bite.” I smirk at
her and she catches it, rolling her eyes. “Unless you want me to.”

“Funny.” She grabs my one hand and I motion for her to grab
my other. She does, but not before giving me an annoyed look, and I easily lift
her out of the water and stand her up next to me. “Thank you.” Her hands leave
mine instantly and she looks up into my eyes. And
fuck
, I want to kiss
her, right here. And I would if I didn’t think she’d cut my nuts off if I
tried.

“You’re welcome.” I place my hand on her lower back, moving
her toward the rocks ahead. We have a ways to climb to get to the top and she
will definitely be making that trek in front of me. “Go on. I’ll be right
behind you.”

“Try not to stare at my ass too much.”

Damn. Is she flirting with me?
I catch the smile she
is trying to hide from me and I decide to give her one better. “Oh, I don’t
need to stare, baby. I memorized every inch of your body the other night.”

She flicks her head back and spots my grin, her hands braced
on the rocks above her. “Where’s my birthmark?” she asks, challenging me.
There’s zero playfulness to her tone. She’s testing my knowledge of her body
and by the look on her face right now, she thinks she’s got me beat. But I
fucking own that body and know it better than she does.

“On the inside of your right thigh. It sort of looks like a
peanut.”

She opens her mouth to speak but closes it before turning
back around. “Lucky guess.”

I laugh and nudge her with a hand on her calf. She begins to
move faster. “Luck has nothing to do with it. Fate, maybe. Putting us both in
that bar the other night was more than some coincidence. But knowing that you
like to watch me eat your pussy or that you have to be digging your nails into
something when you’re coming has absolutely nothing to do with luck.” She
glances over her shoulder at me with a staggered look. “I pay attention to
every little thing about you.”

She doesn’t linger on my face, nor does she give me a
response. But I think I may have impressed her. Maybe. Mia’s difficult to read
lately. She’s definitely not sending me clear signals like she did the other
night at the bar. She turns her attention back to the rocks above her and makes
her way up the side of the cliff. I’m close behind her, keeping an eye on her
footing in case she slips and I have to catch her.

We make it to the top and she moves to the edge,
apprehensively glancing down. “Holy shit.” Her wide eyes blink rapidly and she
turns them on me. “This is really high. It didn’t look that high from down
there.”

I stand beside her, brushing my hand against hers. “It
is
high. I do this all the time and I still get nervous up here.” I run my finger
down her arm, feeling her skin tingle against mine. She seems completely
unaffected by it and keeps her focus on the water.
How can she ignore that?
How can she pretend her body doesn’t respond to my touch?
“Want me to jump
with you? It isn’t so scary if you do it with someone.” I try to grab her hand
but she pulls it away from me.