Wrecking Ball (9 page)

“I’ll see you then.” And with that he kissed my hand and backed away, leaving me smiling like a goon in my doorway watching him go.

“You really look like you know what you’re doing.” Jill mocked me for my words just before I left with Brandon, as she sat on the sofa, staring at her book.

I sighed loudly. I thought I did.

***

The next six dates became torturous. My body hummed with desire for Brandon, but while I was falling fast for him, I refused to give in to that want. Brandon had a nasty reputation that
preceded him. I couldn’t allow myself to be another notch on his bedpost.

Our sixth date, he took me to dinner and then we drove to
the lake where we met weeks before and lay a blanket out on the shore. The night was pitch black except for the stars that glittered across the sky. We made idle chit-chat as we stared up at them. Soft and timid touches quickly grew into our two bodies colliding, our mouths crashing into each other’s.

Brandon’s hand
s touched me everywhere, leaving behind scorched skin of desire, begging for his touch to return. When his hand moved to the hem of my skirt and grazed up my thigh, I didn’t stop him, too wrapped up in the throes of passion. But when his hand reached its desired destination, I quickly pulled away.

“I’m sorry.” He immediately spr
ang to his knees and ran a frustrated hand through his dark hair. “I didn’t mean to… I mean, I meant to, but I thought you wanted me to.”

I closed my eyes and breathed deeply. I
did
want him to. But my brain wouldn’t stop reminding me this guy liked women and rarely stayed exclusive to one.

“I’m sorry
, Brandon.” The words were short, but I meant them. I basically led him on and then stopped him when he did exactly what I wanted him to do.

Eyebrows furrowed, he asked,
“Did I do something wrong?”

Being
obtuse was not my style. When my mother gave me the sex talk, it was unlike any of the sex talks my friends and their mothers had. Most mothers encourage their daughters to hold on to their virginity forever, to cherish it. While my mother encouraged that, she also told me no matter what, virgin or not, my body was a jewel and while she hoped I’d be lucky enough to find Mr. Forever and only have one lover, it wasn’t always the way.

“Sophia,” m
y mother, Grace, smiled at me softly as I sat at the kitchen table beside her at age fifteen. When the conversation began, I immediately filled with dread, but in hindsight, my mother emboldened me with the wisdom she shared that day. “Sex is a marvelous thing, my love. It can make two people one. Always be smart because there are men that will speak to you with the devil’s silver tongue. They’ll whisper the sweetest words, take your body, and leave you behind like you’re nothing. Don’t listen to words, Sophia: see actions. Find the truth in what a man shows you, not what he speaks.”

At fifteen, that was a pretty deep conversation and I suppose I didn’t entirely understand everything she was
saying. I lost my virginity shortly after at sixteen to my high school boyfriend, Liam. I have no regrets about it either. Although college inevitably separated us, distance forging a break between the promises of forever we made to each other, I wouldn’t have traded it for the world. We were each other’s first and he was a good and honest boyfriend. Even when college was out for Christmas or the summer, we would still meet up and hang out, a fizzled-out teen love having grown into a lifelong friendship where even though we saw each other rarely we would always care for one another.

My mother also told me, “Never be afraid to say what you do or don’t want.” While the conversation had been specifically about sex, she added, “About anythin
g, Sophia. About love, life, sex, about anything. Okay?”

I nodded yes meekly, a litt
le thrown by the conversation. But those words stuck with me, imprinting inside my mind, emboldening me to be a woman that never bowed into doing something she didn’t want to and always going for what I wanted.

“Do you like me
, Sophia?” Brandon asked, pulling me from my reverie. Our gazes met, his brow bunched with concern

“So if a girl doesn’t sleep with you right away, it means she doesn’t like you?” I questioned back,
a little put off that he’d ask such a question just because I stopped him.

“No, of course not, it’s just—”

“It’s just what, Brandon?” I quickly cut him off, convinced he was about to say something that would convince me I had been right. He was a player and definitely not someone I should sleep with.

“It’s never mattered to me before
,” he finished.

“What, having
sex?” I questioned confused as I moved to my knees.

“No.” He shook his head. “If a girl liked me or not.”

And there it was. He inadvertently admitted there had been many others and it was all casual sex for him.

“Brandon, I do like you, but if you’re looking for a girl to bang you after only six dates, I’m not it. I have things I want
and need and I won’t put those aside for a brief romance, however amazing it might be. I know you’ve been with a lot of girls and most have probably been easy conquests, but that’s not me.” He winced slightly with my words.

“You’re not like any other girl
, Sophia. I’ve told you that and I know the best things are worth waiting for. I’m willing to wait as long as it takes.” He fell onto his backside and lay down on the blanket. My mind cursed him for not attempting to ease my concerns about his high number of lovers. He simply didn’t acknowledge it, therefore confirming that it was true. “I’m not worried about it.”

“What does that mean?” I asked incredulously.

“It means you will be mine and there’s only the matter of you figuring that out. And think long and hard about it, too, Sophia, because once you give yourself to me, once I make love to you, kiss every inch of that amazing body, fuck you until you scream my name, I’m never going to stop. Now get your sexy ass down here and cuddle with me. Stop trying to get in my pants,” he scowled jokingly.

Momentarily frozen, I stared down at him. His words tumbled though my
mind,
“And think long and hard about it, too, Sophia. Make sure it’s what you really want, because once you give yourself to me, once I make love to you, kiss every inch of that amazing body, fuck you until you scream my name, I’m never going to stop.”
He sounded like he was talking about forever, like he knew I was the one.

As I lay down, resting my head on his chest, I realized Brandon Dalton was cr
ashing through my defenses against
him like a fist through a wet paper bag.

Brandon

My cell phone ri
ngs and I sprint across the room like a maniac to it, hoping it’s Sophia. Despite my best efforts, I haven’t thought of anything else since I read her email. When I see her name on the screen I immediately answer.

“Hello.”

“Hey, how are you?” she asks and I have to bite back the urge to tell her that I’m miserable, scared shitless she won’t take me back, jealous at the million images of her with other men she might hook up with while she travels, but I hold all of that back and answer, “Good. How are you?” We’ve asked this every time she’s called to talk to the girls. I know she’s not really asking how I am, it’s just a formality.

“Good. We just got in.”

“How were your parents?” My stomach clenches. Did she tell them what was going on between us?

“They’re fine
,” she answers simply, offering me no reassurance.

“So…w
here’d the world traveler lead you to?” I laugh hoping to sound anything but worried.

“
Puerto Vallarta.” The way she says it makes me feel like the image that’s going through my mind is going through hers as well.

“Huh
,” is all I say.

“It’s still as beautiful as when we came together
,” she sighs and it catches me off guard. I want to reminisce with her, remember that incredible trip where we made love on the beach, drank tequila and spent lazy days in bed naked, wrapped in one another, but will she recoil if I do? “Anyway, we’re staying with this guy Antonio. I’ll email you all the information,” she adds when I don’t respond.

Who the fuck is Antonio?
My teeth clench. I want to question her, but jealousy is no longer a luxury to me. I have no right to question her at present. “Okay. Do you want to speak with the girls?”

“Yes, please. How are they?”

“They’re good. They really miss you.”

“I miss them
, too.”

“Well, here’s Chloe.”

I hand Chloe the phone and listen as she talks with Sophia about building sand castles on the beach and how Ferrah pinched her arm last night and made her cry. Then I listen as Ferrah tells her she misses her and that Daddy misses her, too. I wish I could hear Sophia’s response, but when Ferrah hands me the phone I hold back the urge to ask her anything. Sophia will let me know when she’s ready to discuss what happened. Until then, I have to be patient. I owe that to her.

“They’re little chatter boxe
s, aren’t they?”

“Yeah, but I love hearing their voices even if they’re tattling on one another
,” she chuckles. “Well, let me get off here. International calls aren’t cheap.”

“Okay.” There’s a long pause and I struggle for something to say, anything, but she beats me to it.

“Bye, Brandon.”

“Sophia.” I blurt out her name.

“Yeah?”

“Be carefu
l,” I mumble and hang up the phone.

This woman has owned my heart since the day I met her. How am I
supposed to deal with this? How do I set aside the fear she’ll leave me? What’s worse is it’s my fault. If you had asked me ten years ago how my life with Sophia would turn out I could’ve never imagined this.

I grab a fist full of my hai
r and excuse myself to the restroom so the girls don’t witness the nervous breakdown I’m having. Once I lock myself inside, I splash some cold water on my face and debate taking a cold shower, wondering if it would calm me down as it did when Sophia and I started dating and I was trying to ease the sexual tension in my body.

The showers never really worked
, though, now that I think about it. I had never wanted any woman like I wanted her and the months before our first time together were excruciating—in the best way. After our first date we were inseparable. Ryan and Jake insisted I had officially handed over my balls, but I didn’t care.

I was lucky that Sophia was the kind of girl that encouraged me to spend time with my friends and even enjoyed hanging out with them
, too. Ryan and Jake loved her and it only solidified my feelings. She was it. All around. Two months had flown by and school was ending. We were both graduating and with that came many questions. Sophia was from Georgia and I came from upstate New York. I was staying in Alabama to continue my master’s degree, but Sophia had plans to head to Mexico for a week with Jill and a few of her friends. She had recently inherited some money from her grandfather and was allowing herself this one splurge to celebrate graduation. But after that, she was heading back to Georgia to job hunt and live at home with her parents.

The week before graduation we lay on a blanket by the lake, holding hands
, when suddenly she sat up.

“Come to Mexico with me.”

“I can’t. Even if I could afford it I don’t want to intrude on your girl time.” That was true, but the thought of her leaving was killing me. I wasn’t sure how I would deal with it.

“Nelson, Carter, and Porter are going
, too, so it’s not just girls,” she argued and I immediately clenched my teeth. That twat Nelson would most definitely try to get in her pants.
Fuck.
Going to Mexico wasn’t exactly in my budget, but I couldn’t stand the thought of her leaving me.

“So, don’t be mad
,” she continued while I was lost in my jealousy. I glanced up to see her biting her lip, staring at me as if she was nervous.

“Baby, I have no idea what you’re about to say
, but please stop biting your lip like that.” I rolled on my side to face her in an effort to hide my hard dick. “You’re driving me fucking crazy over here.” I had never waited so long to bed a woman, but Sophia needed me to give her time. Time to see that this was real and I wanted more from her than sex. But that didn’t mean it was easy.

She blushed and he
r eyes darted down to my lap as she took a deep breath. I had no doubt she was fighting sexual tension, too. It was written across her beautiful face and rich in her big brown eyes. She wanted me, but she was scared I’d hurt her because of my bad reputation.

“Well, I know I should’ve asked first, but I kind of already bought your ticket.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. I shouldn’t have assumed you would just go, but I couldn’t help myself. I really want you to go.” She leaned down and kissed my shoulder staring up at me
from under her lashes. My girlfriend bought me a plane ticket to go to Mexico with her. Wow. Just when I thought she couldn’t get any more amazing.

“And you thought I’d be mad?”

“Well, I hoped you wouldn’t.” She shrugged.

“I want to go
, Sophia, but I don’t want you to pay my way.”

“Well my room is already paid for and the ticket wasn’t that expensive.”

“So we’d share a room?” I questioned knowing that there was no way in hell I would miss this trip with her. Sophia avoided our bedrooms at all costs in an effort to keep any ideas of having sex at bay. She never told me this, but I knew what she was doing. We’d dozed off on the sofa together a few times, but had never actually slept together. Of course sleeping was the furthest thing from my mind when she implied we’d be sharing a room.

“I’m a blanket
hog,” she jested, knowing full well what I was asking. I leaned up and kissed the corner of her mouth.

“I’ll go
, Sophia, but I pay for everything while we’re there. Any food, drinks, and shopping, okay?”

She squealed as she hopped up and tackled me. “You just made me very happy
, Mr. Dalton.”

I loved seeing her smile. I loved knowing I was the one that made her do it.
“It’s my life’s mission.”

Exams came and went and then we graduated. Our families dined together afterwards and my parents immediately loved Sophia. I had worried about meeting Sophia’s father, afraid he’d automatically dislike me because I was pursuing his daughter, but he seemed friendly. I thought I might’ve gotten off scot-free and had just started to relax until Sophia excused herself to the restroom and a moment after she was gone, Tia, her baby sister, slid into her seat beside me.

She didn’t say anything at first. Instead she grabbed a piece of bread from the basket on the table in front of us and began buttering it,
and
then with a serious tone asked, “So you’re in love with my sister?”

“I think I am
,” I answered honestly, surprised by her bold question.

She put one elbow on the table, her body shifted towards me as she leaned her head into her hand eyeing me. I smiled slightly. She was adorable, maybe thirteen with braces, but still very pretty. There was no den
ying Sophia and she were siblings and I knew Tia would grow up to be a brown-eyed, blonde-haired bombshell just like her older sister.

“My sister is my favorite person in the world
,” she stated matter-of-factly.

“I think she’s mine
, too” I added quietly.

“Don’t hurt her. I’ll beat the shit out of you if you do
,” she threatened and my eyes went wide with shock. Sophia’s scrawny little sister just threatened me. And I had been worried about her Dad.

“Tia!” Sophia whispered loudly.

Tia turned slightly and beamed a silver smile of metal at her sister. “What?” she asked innocently.

Sophia
gave me an apologetic look before turning back to Tia and quirking a brow at her. “Putting my suitor in his place, are ya?” She fought a smile. Sophia talked about Tia a lot. I knew they were tight, but I wasn’t expecting for Tia to tell me she’d ‘beat the shit out of me’ if I hurt her sister though.

“Well, now he knows what he’ll have to deal with if he hurts you
,” she answered confidently as her gaze met mine again. “And I mean it.”

Part of me wanted to bust out laughing, but I held back because it was almost too adorable.
Besides, Tia was being protective of her sister. Laughing at her would’ve been rude.

“Alright
, Tia. Consider him warned.” Sophia pulled at her arm and when Tia stood, Sophia wrapped her arms around her. “I love you, baby girl,” she said quietly and kissed the top of Tia’s head.

“I love yo
u, too, Phi.” She squeezed and let go. “I’m off to the restroom.” She scurried away and Sophia gave me a sideways glance as she sat beside me.

After we bid our families good-bye,
we went back to Sophia’s apartment. I lay on Sophia’s bed that night while she packed her suitcase.

“Your little sister is a trip.” I chuckled remembering the feisty teen.

“We’re very close. She’s always been very protective of me.”

“She calls you Phi?”

“Yeah, she gets mad as hell if anyone else calls me that, too.” Sophia chuckled. “She says it’s her special name for me.”

“She told me she’d kick my ass if I hurt you.” I laughed.

“Better not hurt me. She’s a girl of her word.” Sophia smirked before bending down and pulling a pair of sandals out of her closet. I couldn’t help letting my gaze fall to her ass.

“Why’d your parents wait so long to have another child?”

“Tia was an oops. They thought they couldn’t have anymore. My mother always jokes that Tia was God’s way of testing them because she came out ornery and defiant. Tia’s always marched to the beat of her own drum. It’s probably what I love most about her, although it scares me sometimes, too.”

“Why?”

“I would never tell her to try to be like everyone else, but sometimes going with the flow is smart. Tia
never
goes with the flow.”

“
I was so nervous about meeting your Dad and it was your sister I should’ve been scared of,” I laughed as rolled on my side and propped my head on her pillows. “You should’ve warned me.” I grinned.

“Trouble can usually sense trouble
,” Sophia remarked as she folded a blue dress and tucked it in the suit case.

“What?” I questioned.

“Tia’s a wild one. Perhaps she recognizes herself in you.”

“Oh, so I’m trouble. I see.”

“Well aren’t you?” Sophia quirked a brow and crossed her arms.

I quickly shot up and skirted around the bed, pulling Sophia in my arms. “I’m many things.
” I leaned down and kissed her neck gently. Her body responded immediately and she wrapped her arms around my neck, melting into me.

“Oh, yeah
? Like what?” Sophia murmured.

“I’m a good kisse
r,” I whispered before placing my mouth to hers, sliding my tongue gently between her lips. Pulling away after a moment, I gazed down at her. “I’m a man with a great touch,” I whispered as I slid my hands down to her ass and squeezed gently.

“I have no doubt about your ability to please a woman physically
,” she said dryly. “Tell me, what are you able to offer that you’ve never offered another woman before?”