We end up grabbing lunch at the coffee shop, and Jared says he’ll walk me down the street to Always Booked before he heads back to work for the afternoon. It’s been a while since I saw Badger, and I kind of want to fill him in on what’s happened. Maybe he’ll help settle this splash of fear that’s still bubbling in my gut.
Jared folds his hand around mine, and we make our way down the street. “What time are you finished tonight?” I ask.
He flips his sunglasses down, shrugging. “No idea. I’d say come over, but it might be late …”
I start to nod then my heel suddenly gets stuck in a crack in the concrete sidewalk. “Shit.”
I lurch, my ankle twists, and I’m certain it’s going to break when I hit the ground. Jared’s hand grabs my bicep tightly and thankfully stops my embarrassing, and what was sure to be painful, tumble to the ground.
He rights me then bends down, moving his sunglasses to the top of his head. “Hold my shoulders.”
Confused, I do as he says, and he lifts my foot out of my black pump then yanks my shoe out of the sidewalk. He then maneuvers my foot back into the shoe with so much gentleness that my heart clenches, much more painfully than the twinge in my ankle. He stands, my hands fall from his shoulders, and I try to balance on one foot while his eyes dart all over my face. “You okay? Does it hurt?”
Hesitantly, I put some weight on it, but it doesn’t feel too bad. “I’m okay.” I tuck some hair behind my ear, feeling kind of embarrassed. I clear my throat. “Uh, thank you.”
He grabs my face with both hands. “Are you lying?”
Laughing, I shake my head. “I’m really okay. It’s a little sore, but it’s not sprained.”
He bends back down and softly runs his fingers over my ankle. “It doesn’t look swollen. But still.” He turns around and crouches. “Better climb on, just in case.”
I look around at the people passing us on the street. “Jared, no. Everyone will stare at us. I’m okay. Let’s just go.”
He scowls at me over his shoulder. “I’m not moving, Vera. I’ll just stay right here, looking like an idiot until you hop on.”
“Oh, fine.” I huff loudly and bend down to climb on his back. A loud laugh erupts from me when he rises. “Hold on tight.” My arms hook around his shoulders, my legs squeezing his sides. He hoists me up higher on his back then continues to walk down the street.
An elderly couple smiles at us, and I bury my nose into Jared’s neck to muffle my giggle when the man winks at Jared.
I’m still laughing when Jared pushes open the door to Always Booked. Badger is standing by a shelf in the front of the shop and spins around, eyes widening behind his glasses.
The smile that takes over his face warms my heart. But still. “Okay, Hero. Put me down.”
Jared ignores me, pinching my ass when I start to climb down. “Graham, long time, no see.”
Graham? I look around but then realize he’s talking to Badger.
“Jared Williams. It’s been a few years. Where’ve you been?”
“Oh, you know, just been busy being a menace to society.”
Badger grins, tucking a book on the shelf and walking over to us. “It’s a tough job that one, very time consuming.”
Jared sighs. “Right? But someone’s gotta do it.”
Badger wheezes out a laugh, patting Jared on the shoulder. I use Jared’s distraction to my advantage and jump down, almost falling on my ass. He turns around, glaring at me.
I glare back, and he smiles.
“Care to tell me why you’ve walked in the door with Vera, here, on your back?”
Jared glances between us, eyes narrowing when he realizes we obviously know each other. “Oh, well, she wanted to be a monkey, and she’s my woman, so I gotta keep her happy, you know?”
Badger laughs again, leaning against the counter. “I take it you two know each other then?” I ask dryly.
They both nod, but Badger answers. “Yes, I’ve known Jared and his brother since they were this tall.” He lowers his hand to his waist. “Little delinquents used to try to steal books from here until Mirabelle made them work for them.”
Jared laughs. “She was a ballbuster, that one.” Badger scowls at him, and Jared rushes to say, “Nicest ballbuster I’ve ever met. She also let us borrow books and made the best ham sandwiches I’ve ever tasted,” he says to me.
“I take it this is the gentleman who rescued you from the highway?” Badger asks me.
I nod, smiling up at Jared when he coughs. “You’ve been speaking about me behind my back?” He tsks then looks at Badger. “All good things, I hope?”
Badger chuckles, and I point at him. “Not a word.”
He mimes zipping his lips, and the two of them catch up quickly, Badger asking about Felix and how the shop is doing before Jared says he needs to go. He gently tucks my hair behind my ears and grasps my cheeks in both hands. “I’ll talk to you later.” He kisses my forehead and walks away, leaving my eyes fluttering as I watch him disappear out the jingling door to the busy street outside.
“Jared Williams.” Badger laughs. “Well, I never would’ve thought it’d be him, but I gotta say…” He runs his hand over his chin. “I’m not mad it is.”
I give him a nervous smile. “He’s a good guy.”
Badger nods. “He is. A heart of gold.”
“My dad cut me off,” I blurt out.
Badger’s brows shoot up. “I’ll make us some tea.” I nod and follow him to the back room. He turns around. “But Vera?”
“Yes, Graham?” I arch a brow at him.
He shrugs. “You never asked.” Blue eyes roam over my face. “Happiness looks good on you.”
I’ve just climbed out of the shower when I hear a knock on the door. Shoving my arms into my robe, I quickly wrap my wet hair in a towel and move down the hall to see who it is. Only a few people have clearance to get up to my apartment without checking in with me first. Looking through the peephole, a green eye stares back at me, making me glad that I’ve now added him to that small list.
Laughing quietly, I shake my head and open the door for Jared, who walks in with two pizza boxes in his hands. The door closes behind him as he places the pizza down on the entry table. He whistles, crowding me into the wall. “So it’s your shampoo.” He sniffs the top of my head. “I knew it must be something like that.”
I grab his hand and the pizzas, tugging him into my living room. “I thought you were busy with work?” I take a seat on the couch, placing the boxes on the coffee table.
He takes a seat beside me. “I am. I should’ve stayed, but I wanted to see you more.” He leans in to pepper loud kisses over my cheek, making me giggle. What is it with this man turning me into a giggling schoolgirl? It’s embarrassing, but he doesn’t seem to care. He opens the boxes, and I take in his jeans and long sleeve white t-shirt with some band logo on the front. He must’ve gone home to shower first. I get up, quickly grabbing some napkins and two bottles of water from the kitchen. Taking a seat beside him again, I watch him pick up the remote and settle back into the couch, flicking through Netflix movies while he eats.
“Your ankle okay?” He puts Pulp Fiction on then pats his lap.
“It’s fine.” I arch a brow at him, and he huffs, pointing at my bare legs. I lift them, and he places the pizza box on the arm of the couch, using one hand to rub my legs while he eats with the other.
“See,” he mumbles and swallows. “You just need a book, and I’m boyfriend of the year.”
I finish chewing and swallow before responding, “I’d never touch a book with greasy pizza fingers. Besides, I think I said rub my back, not legs.”
His head rears back comically. I laugh, poking my toes into his thigh. “Joking.” I glare at his now unmoving hand. “Don’t you dare stop.”
He shakes his head with a smile, and we eat in silence until only a few pieces of pizza are left. Which are in my box. I scoot them over to Jared, who grins and demolishes them.
“I can’t believe you know Badger.” I take a sip from my water.
He wipes his fingers on a napkin and steals my water bottle from me, draining most of it in two pulls. “Yep. Can’t believe you know … wait, Badger? You are talking about Graham, aren’t you?”
I stand and remove the towel from my head, running my fingers through the tangled ends of my hair. “Yeah, I call him Badger.”
He watches my every move. “Why?”
I grab the boxes and take them to the trash in the kitchen. When I return, I tell him, “I met him when I was a kid. He had dark brown, almost black hair with two streaks of gray running through it on either side of his head.”
Jared smacks his thigh. “I remember that.” He laughs. “Crazy that I’ve never met you before now.”
“Maybe that’s for a reason.” I shrug, plucking our water bottles and napkins off the coffee table and taking them to the trash too.
He’s standing, stretching his arms over his head when I return. “I think you’re right. If I had met you before now, I would’ve undoubtedly fucked it up somehow.”
I walk over to him and wrap my arms around his waist. His arms fall back down to my back, rubbing over the satin fabric of my robe. Spotting some pizza sauce on the side of his lip, I lift to my toes and grab his head to lick it from his mouth.
“You’re a dirty tease.”
“You had a dirty lip. I was just cleaning it for you,” I whisper.
His eyes heat, and my stomach clenches. He slides my robe off, and it falls to the floor, leaving me naked. “Sit on the table.”
“What?”
He directs me to the end of the coffee table behind me. I take a seat, and he tilts my chin up to look at him. “Fucking beautiful. Open; I want those lips around my cock.”
He releases my chin and unzips his jeans, nudging my legs open with one of his. Shoving his jeans and briefs down to his ankles, his hard cock springs free, bobbing near my face.
I lick my lips, eyeing the pre-cum resting at the tip before grabbing the base and dragging my tongue over his salty slit.
Jared groans, his head falling back. I take my time, working him with my hand and taking as much of him into my mouth as I can. His head rolls forward, eyes watching me when he starts to thrust in and out, making me gag.
He curses and steps back, his cock leaving my mouth with a wet pop. “Lie down.”
I scoot the remotes to the floor and lie down. He leans over me, staring at me before his lips lower to mine, gently grazing then moving down my neck to my breasts. He squeezes, licks, and sucks at them, and my legs instinctively wind around his waist.
“Can I take that picture now?” He lifts his head, squeezing my breasts and rubbing his thumbs over the stiff peaks of my nipples while never taking his eyes from them.
“Not today, Hero.”
He sighs. “But I can see them anytime I want, right?”
I let out a soft laugh. “You can see me anytime you want, yes.”
He nods, seemingly appeased with that, and lowers his head to trail kisses over my stomach. My fingers sink into his thick hair, messing it up as my eyes try to keep track of what he’s doing. His rough hands unwrap my legs from his waist before he reaches my mound. He kisses it and then spreads my legs further, dipping low to swipe his tongue up and down my folds. My eyes give in and close. He lifts my legs over his shoulders and then he’s parting me with his fingers, teasing my clit mercilessly with his tongue.
“Oh … fuck.” My eyes shoot open when he thrusts his finger all the way in and hooks it.
He rubs the pad over that perfect spot and flicks his tongue over my clit continuously. It takes all of a minute and then I’m coming, squeezing his head between my thighs as they shake and a long, loud moan leaves my mouth.
He rests his chin on my mound and gives me a small, crooked smile. “I think we need regular sleepovers. We should take turns. You clearly need me, and it’s only been a day, beauty.”
I laugh, and he lifts his head, smiling down at me. “Laugh it up, princess, but you know I’m right.” He moves my legs behind him and thrusts inside me, hissing when he buries himself to the hilt. “God, fuck yes. I’m moving in, or you’re moving in with me.”
“A little premature, don’t you think?”
He swivels his hips, and I moan. “Nah, I don’t think so. When you know, you know.”
Breathing becomes hard to do, and not only because of his slow, deep thrusts, but because of those words. “You know, do you?” I breathe out.
His nostrils flare, he bends down to rest his forehead against mine. “Knew weeks ago. I need this.” He kisses my nose. “You. Everyday. Always.”
I grab his head and devour his mouth with mine. He groans when I bite his lip, sucking it into my mouth. His thrusts start to quicken, and he tears his lips away to straighten and look down at where we’re joined. Running his fingers from my breasts to my belly button to where we’re connected, he curses huskily. “I’ve never seen anything look this damn perfect.” He drags his cock slowly in and out, watching his actions with a groan, and I feel another orgasm start to build.
I whimper, and his eyes flick up to mine. “You like that? My bare cock rubbing against every warm, tight inch of this pussy?”
Shit. “Yes.”
His smirk is dirty and wicked. He thrusts harder, and my hands reach out to grab the sides of the table. “You’re going to come again, aren’t you, Frost?”
When I don’t answer him, he stops moving, and I whine pitifully. “Yes, I’m going to …”
My words break off into another moan when his thumb circles my swollen clit.
He speeds up his thrusts. “Shit, yeah.”
I’ve never been more grateful for my expensive taste in furniture. He slams into me, hard and fast, rubbing my clit and making me almost scream while my second orgasm rolls through me. My toes clench, and my fingernails probably break from holding the coffee table so damn tight. He stills, planted deep and groans loudly as he empties himself inside me. His body drops over mine, and he rests his head on my chest. I run my fingers through his hair while we both slow our breathing.
“You see I’m right, now, don’t you?” he asks.
“Right about what?”
“Well, besides everything, the fact you need me. Time to move in, Frost.” He turns his head, planting a raspberry on the side of my breast and making me laugh.
He stands, lifting me with him. My legs stay around his waist as he walks us to my bedroom. Still buried inside me, he slowly lowers us to the bed before withdrawing. He looks down at me and grabs my hand, placing it against his chest. “Again.”
I smile, laughing softly and feeling his heart thud beneath my palm, fast and strong. “Hmm, that makes me wonder, where else do you feel me?” I drag my fingers down his chest to trace the indents of his abs through his shirt.
He doesn’t answer me which has me frowning until his features soften. He blows out a loud breath, grabbing my hand from his chest and kissing it.
“Everywhere, Vera.”
My heart skips three beats then starts to pound harder than anything that would be considered healthy. So loud I don’t hear him when he says, “Every part of me.”
But my eyes read his lips before they lower to mine.