Always the One, page 18
part #1 of Always and Forever Series
“Possessive, like in a bad way?” She looks concerned and it’s only because she remembers that word in relation to the negativity it held in her past relationship.
I lift and shake my head slightly, my eyes glued to the floor, searching for a better word.
“Possessive, in a good way. The same way that I am.” Her smile is soft, and I’m glad she gets it.
“The way he touched me, L, he was so in control. It was like art the way we moved together. Our bodies knew each other, like they were working on their own accord. Hmmm. I can’t even describe it, but it was better than anything I could have ever expected.” Just talking about the way I felt makes my stomach flutter. My core is clenching, missing the feel of him filling me.
“I mean, do you think this honeymoon phase will ever end? It’s like we can’t keep our hands to ourselves now that we’ve had sex.”
“No, not if it’s real love,” she says with finality. She sounds like she’s speaking from experience.
“Speaking of sex, um, how long have you and my brother been hooking up? Are you guys a thing?” I ask her, hopeful that she’ll say yes. She hasn’t loved anyone since Joel, so her finding love is well deserved. She needs to be happy again. I need to remind myself to say a silent prayer for her to find love again.
“No.” She doesn’t explain further.
“Why not, L? You deserve happiness.” I want her to let go of Joel completely, I want her to feel what real love is, knowing with every fiber of my being that my brother can give that to her.
“Because. He is so…uh. I can’t even explain it to you,” she says, exasperated, and I can tell she’s even more conflicted with what to do. “He is so infuriating sometimes, and my God he is so cocky. Like, who does he think he is?”
I smile. That’s my brother for you.
“Yeah, I know. I’ve been his sister for twenty-one years. I know how he can be. But I know he is also the greatest man in my life. Besides my dad and Trey, Kings is by far the best man I know.” Kings would lay down his life to protect me without so much as a thought.
“He’s sweet, but he has those tendencies still. The ones that scare me.” Her eyes are distant, I can see her pupils dilating at whatever thought she’s thinking.
“Lana?”
“Huh? Oh, sorry. It’s this thing he does where he tells me I’m his and no one else’s, or he will never let anyone have me. Joel did that shit and it wasn’t good. I’m not going down that rabbit hole with Kings.”
Okay, that’s fair to fear it, and I’m not mad. But honestly, my brother may be possessive and caveman-like, but he would never lay a hand of violence on her.
“Lana, he’s not Joel. Trust me. I get that you’re scared. I can’t imagine what you went through. But that’s not my brother.” I ensure a tad defensively in his case; he would never hurt her in a million years. We both fall silent. Hopefully, she can absorb what I just told her, she needs to take in what I just said and let it stew during our massages. The heavens must have heard my thoughts, because the two massage therapists walk in and get to work. The massages are silent, and then we are taken to separate rooms for waxing and hot baths, giving us both time to think about the men in our lives. One I can’t live without and one she isn’t sure how to live with.
I change back into my dark skinny jeans that I paired with an olive sweater and leather jacket. My face is fresh from the facial and makeup free. I pull my hair into a tight ponytail and make my way out to the lobby to meet back up with Lana. We’re supposed to meet the boys and family at the hotel bar for a late lunch. After spending an hour apart, I already feel guilty for leaving the conversation where I did. I need to be sensitive to Lana’s feelings and the turmoil she once went through. When I see her face as I hit the lobby, the guilt magnifies. She looks haunted, and I know she wants to be with Kingston but her inner demons are screaming at her to run the other way. Just like Trey’s do every so often.
“Hey, I’m sorry, okay? I shouldn’t have jumped on you with my opinions. I know I need to understand you a little more. Just think about it, and give yourself the chance to love.” I wrap my arms around her shoulder as we make our way out of the spa. She kicks at the rocks as we near the rental car. Trey let us use this one while they rented another for sight seeing today.
“I know, I will.” We part ways and head to opposite sides of the car.
Before we climb in, I look over the hood at her face. “Hey.”
She looks up and tilts her head. “Yeah?”
“I’ll always be here for you. Through every ultimate fall.” I see her eyes fill with tears, and I feel my own threatening to escape. I wipe it quickly and we both laugh.
“God, we are such sissy bitches,” she replies, climbing into the passenger seat. She’s back, I think, when she calls us bitches.
We walk into the bar and my palms are sweating. Like, bad. I feel like they have a sprinkler attached to the fingertips, and every time I think about seeing Charles they go off. Shoot me, I’m nervous. I hear Kingston before we see him; he’s laughing and throwing darts in the corner with Charles. I don’t see Trey right away, causing my nerves to skyrocket.
“Babe!” Trey yells from his spot by the pool tables, where my eyes find him. Phew. He and Kathy are waving excitedly at me, but his yell caught the attention of Pops, the one I’m most nervous to see.
Here we go.
You got this, Shay.
I make it to Trey in a few seconds and he drags me into his arms. I notice he winces where my hand touches his left side, right under his pec.
“You okay?” I ask, worried. Did he get hurt today? He was hanging with Kings so heavens knows what shit they got into.
“Yeah, just got a tattoo.”
“What?” Trey doesn’t have any tattoos, and he’s never talked about getting them. He didn’t even flinch when he said that, not even a muscle on his face moved. My brother has enough for our entire group of friends. Kings is tattooed from his left shoulder down to his calf. And once again, Trey never mentioned wanting to get one, today or ever, so I’m not going to let him hang with Kings if he had anything to do with this, peer pressure at it’s finest.
“Yeah, want to see it?” He’s extra peppy, but it’s not a buzz, it’s just him, he’s freaking proud of whatever tattoo he got, that’s for dang sure.
I wait a second, anxiously anticipating what he’s going to show me. It’s probably a tribal tattoo like most guys get or my initials—my initials!
“My initials! You got my initials? What the heck is wrong with you, Trey Joseph Adams? Are you crazy or just…crazy?” I wave my hands in the air and point my finger toward my head, making an exploding gesture. He actually got my initials tattooed on his side. It’s a beautiful tattoo of a rose, with blue outlines and red tones, with my initials lying on one of the leaf petals. But it’s my initials! We’ve been a couple for two weeks. Two weeks, people.
“Yeah, crazy about you.” I look at him, now almost certain he’s high. Grabbing at his face, I pull it level to mine, checking his eyes for any indication or redness to tell me if he’s drunk. Nope, he’s totally sober and smiling at me, his face filled with pride. Not only is this crazy, but I have no idea what in the hell to say to him. I hope this has nothing to do with the Evan thing. I know he’s jealous, it’s something he struggles with because of his past, but if that’s the case, he’s joined the circus of loonies and needs to be medicated. I don’t want Evan and he’s not a threat, so I sure hope it has nothing to do with our fight the other day. Wasn’t my virginity enough to show him that I’m his in every way?
“I told him he needs to be sent to the loony bin because you were going to think he was crazy. Well, he didn’t listen. I told you, son.” Charles is now standing to the side of us, his hand on Trey’s shoulder. My previous thought will have to wait; I need to seriously talk to him about his claiming and jealousy obsession.
“Pops, where in the world did this big nut job come from? You’re so normal and nice, then this psycho comes along and tattoos my initials, permanently, into his skin.” Forget being nervous to see Charles, I expect someone in this dang room to give me some answers.
“You came along and drove him mad. Can’t say I’m disappointed in his choice of lady though.” My eyes dart to him fast, making me dizzy.
“Pops, don’t enable this kind of crazy.” Trey hasn’t said a word and he’s still standing there with his shirt up and a goofy grin plastered on his face.
Don’t look at his abs, don’t look at his abs, stay focused, Shayla, stay angry.
“Say something, crazy!” I shout at him, poking his hard chest with my finger.
His lopsided grin only fuels my raging inferno, this man has gone mad. I haven’t told my mom or dad about him yet. Oh my God, I haven’t even told my parents about Trey and now he has my initials etched permanently into his side.
“Like what? Like how sexy you are when you get flustered or mad. How about when your skin glows in the sun and it smells like vanilla. You know how bad that makes me want to lick you from head to toe?”
Why does he have to be so damn cute and say panty-dropping things like that?
“Trey…” I put my head down, hiding my weakness. I was just mad as all heck and now I’m turned on and ready to forgive him and drag him back to bed. Can we also talk about the fact that Pops is standing right here? I spaced on that for a second. I hesitantly look up and pray that he isn’t standing as close as he was moments ago. I can feel my shoulder slump in gratitude; thank heavens he went back to throwing darts. The last thing I want Pops hearing is Trey talking to me about sexual things.
Trey grabs the back of my elbow and pulls me into him swiftly. Our bodies hit and I’m suddenly very aware of our closeness, and his hardness nudging me in the stomach. He leans down to level his mouth with my ear and whispers, “I’m going to take you back to the hotel and rock your world tonight. I’m going to show you just how fucking crazy over you I really am.” Trey has his bossy pants on and he isn’t letting me out of his sight tonight. I’m so turned on and wet from his confession, so much so that I need to get away from him and freshen up. If I don’t, this entire bar will know exactly what I’m thinking about.
“You’re not playing fair, Trey.” He bends his knees a little so he can wrap his arms low around my waist.
“I never said I would play fair. I’m crazy about you, and I won’t make excuses for the things that I’m going to do to prove it to you.”
The ground below me disappears and my knees become weak. He makes my head foggy and I lose all equilibrium, throwing me off balance. I can’t say no to him and that scares me. He got my initials tattooed on him for heaven’s sake, but I can’t stay mad. Between confessing his love and the sly grin that makes his blue eyes sparkle, I just can’t.
“I love you, you crazy, stupid caveman.” I extend my neck so my lips can clash with his. We are a battle of tongues and passion, getting lost in each other. The bar is crowded with people, but right now it feels like it’s only him and me. He pours all he has into the kiss, holding nothing back.
“Besides, I bet I made you less nervous to see my dad today, huh?” he says between light kisses on my forehead.
“Oh, you clever little dog,” I respond, making busy with the collar on his long-sleeved button up denim top. He looks edible in his black jeans and boots. He now has a beard that looks amazing on him, making him look more manly and rugged. His sandy blond hair has grown out a little, and he has it styled to the side and slicked back, creating a clean and tidy look. I could stare at him for hours and still find new things about him that turn me on. But we don’t have time for that, I’m hungry and we need to be social for at least another hour.
I devour my ham sandwich and fries as if it’s the last supper. The veggies and fruit from the spa didn’t quite cut it; I need real food. I’ve never been the type to diet or workout. I love food, and lucky me, my genes allow me to eat whatever I want without gaining a single pound. I know this will catch up to me one day, but I’m not broken yet, so I’m going to enjoy this while I can. Besides, I’m almost convinced that after I have babies my body won’t bounce back. I stop my thought and start a new one when I realize I’m thinking about babies. Why am I thinking about that? Why is it even a thought in my mind? I push it back to the far corners of my brain and focus on the rest of lunch.
“Shayla, I think it’s time now that I say welcome to the family officially. I can’t say we are surprised, we were all just biding our time, waiting for my son to jump aboard and start dating you.” Charles stands to toast, his smile contagious as he looks over at Trey and me.
“Thanks, Pops. He’s pretty lucky to have me, isn’t he?” Seeing Charles, as Trey’s girlfriend, is a lot easier than I thought it was going to be, I’m finding my groove. Trey’s grip on my shoulder tightens as I banter with his father. I look up at him and he smiles like a kid. So much joy is in his expression it warms my heart. Trey’s letting go of the past slowly everyday, and I’m happy I’m here to witness it.
“Yeah, he is. Someone to whip his ass into shape.” Pops winks at me and everyone at the table hollers and whoops in agreement.
“Thanks, Pops. You know I’m old enough to take you, old man.” Trey stands and walks to his dad. I watch their exchange in wonderment; Trey wraps his arm around his dad’s neck and shoulder, teasingly shaking him.
“You don’t have it in you, son!” Charles shoots back from their leaning position causing Trey to step back. They throw fake jabs and punches at each other. My heart fills with warmth, the sight of them playing in front of everyone, a father and a son, best friends. His mom never had a chance to see this, and I feel so sorry for her lonely, miserable life. What a journey to miss out on.
“We’ll see you guys bright and early for snowboarding!” Trey shouts across the lobby as we make our way to the bank of elevators. Everyone waves and says their good-byes. It’s only five o’clock, but we want to get in early so we can all be well rested for the day ahead.
“That was fun. It was amazing seeing you and your dad together like that.”
“Yeah, that man is an old dog, but I fucking love him. I learned everything I know from him. Best friends and all that shit. Ya know?” I nod. I do know what that’s like. My dad, Kingston, and I are the same way. We built a strong bond when my mom was out doing whatever with whomever.
“You did great today, baby. You didn’t even choke up once talking to Dad,” he says, kissing the back of my hand that’s entwined with his.
“Your tattoo is the reason. But really, Trey, what were you thinking with getting that tattoo? It’s taboo, and what if we break up?” His carefree expression goes from happy to a burning flame in the blink of an eye. Trey moves, backing me into the wall of the elevator, my hands grab onto the hand railing to steady me.
“Don’t say shit like that. You’re it for me; you and I will never be over. You belong to me.”
Wow. I’m hit with the impact of his words and the meaning they hold. This isn’t a temporary thing; this is it for him. If the tattoo didn’t signify this, then that statement sure did. I’m overwhelmed with a thousand emotions—happy, joyful, scared, intimidated—all of those wrapped around my heart. I love being with him, I never want to be without him, but does he know what that means. Sure, he was willing to try the relationship thing, but does he even realize what his declaration insinuates, it means forever. Is he ready for that? I am. Forever with Trey can only be described or explained as my wildest of dreams coming true. Marriage, love…babies, the whole thing I desire to have with Trey.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it like that. It’s just…things happen and sometimes people can’t make it last. I don’t want you to regret us one day, I mean think about what you’re saying.” He rolls his eyes and breathes deep through his nose. The elevator doors open and he pulls me out of the cart with determination. The second the door to our room closes I’m pinned against it, caged between his arms.
“Maybe you need some reminding of my need for you and how much I love you.” We’re legs and arms and lips as passion takes over and I invite him to show me exactly who I belong to. Determined and possessive Trey is a sight to behold. We’re fighting to remove each other’s clothes and shoes, not caring how we get naked just as long as it happens fast. Once we’re both stripped bare, he throws me on the bed. He’s standing over me, hard and ready. I watch in amazement as he strokes himself slowly, my mouth watering and my clit pulsing so hard I can hear it in my eardrums.
“Tell me you want this, baby? You want me inside of you, owning that beautiful fucking body?” My mouth is dry, and I can’t get out a full yes, so I just lie back, nod, and spread my legs slowly. He wants to tease me, I’ll tease him back. Reaching down, slowly trailing my finger over the dips and curves of my body, I find my clit and moan loudly. It’s not his hand, but I’m so aroused any kind of friction feels good. I want to rile him up; I want him to lose control with me.
“Fuck, you’re a greedy woman.” He climbs onto the bed and spreads his knees apart just a tiny bit, his top half never touching the bed. I yelp when he grabs my hips and lifts them. My shoulders and head are the only thing supporting my weight, other than his rough grip on my hips. His yummy, vein-laced arm muscles are bulging from the weight of me in his hands, and it only makes me ache for him more. “Play with your tits for me, baby.”
My hands reach up and palm my breasts, my peaked nipples peeking through my fingers as I pinch them.
“That’s right, baby, think of my hands and mouth on your perfect tits.” I moan and close my eyes when he puts my aching wet core against the crown of his shaft, ready to take me. I let out a throaty gasp when his thumb runs over my clit, causing a new wave of wetness to release.
“You’re so ready for this cock, baby.” I nod and continue to grab and pull on my breasts. All the sensations I’m experiencing can’t compare to the feeling that hits me when he pounds into me, hard. My eyes shoot open at the fullness of him inside of me. He’s hitting my cervix and it’s a painful pleasure that I can’t describe.
