Jagged Harts, page 21
I wake up to a screeching noise piercing my ears. I must have forgotten to turn off my alarm. Groaning, I roll over to try to grab my phone and turn it off, but suddenly I smell smoke. I spring out of bed and rush out to the living room where I find Aubrey standing in the kitchen, wearing one of my t-shirts and cursing like a fucking sailor over a pan that looks to be on fire.
Biting back a smile I jump into action. I rush up to her, grabbing a towel and wrapping it around the handle of the pan and moving it to a different burner as I push Aubrey back a few feet. She huffs throwing her hands in the air and stepping back as I grab the fire extinguisher that I keep in the kitchen before I put the fire out quickly.
Once the smoke has cleared, I wrinkle my nose and look down at the charred black culprit of the kitchen fire.
“Sweetheart, what the fuck is this?”
“It was pancakes. I poured them and then I had to pee. I was gone for literally 30 seconds and then they fucking caught fire like I was cooking with gasoline!” Her tone is near a shout and most people would probably assume that she is angry, but I see the disappointment in her eyes.
I step away from the stove and scoop her into my arms, stroking her back slowly as I place a kiss on the top of her head. She lets out a loud sigh while I hold her before her arms wrap around me. After a few moments, I pull back to look at her and watch as she quickly swipes away a lone tear.
“I should have known. I’ve never been a good cook. I’m self-taught with not much practice. I’m not proud to admit that this isn’t my first breakfast related fire. I just…I wanted to surprise you, I guess.”
She looks to the ground, shrugging it off like it’s no big deal and it doesn’t bother her, but I can tell that it does. I can’t help but smile at her, though. She looks up at me, an irritated look resting on her face.
“What?” She snaps.
“You really like me,” I state grinning ear to ear.
She rolls her eyes heavily and shakes her head as she shoves me away from her.
“Of course, I do, dipshit.”
My smile stays in place as I grab her face in my hands and crush my lips against hers. I pull back, still cupping her face in my hands. Memories of last night come to the front of my mind. At first, they are sexy and pleasure filled, but they soon turn to what came after. The way Aubrey looked as she desperately fought whatever nightmare she was in. The pain she seemed to be in.
Her broken cries that made her voice sound more defeated than I had ever heard before. I am dying to know what she dreamed about last night, to know what evil plagues her thoughts. But I know her almost as well as I know myself by now, so I know that she won’t answer. In fact, if I give away that I witnessed an extremely vulnerable moment like that, she might pull away from me. There is no way in fuck I will let that happen, so I decide to push it to the side for now and enjoy the day with my girl.
“Get dressed. I’m taking you out for breakfast before you attempt scrambled eggs and burn the whole fucking place down.”
I turn on my heel and run down the hallway, snickering as a wet dish rag comes soaring at me.
“Asshole!” She shouts, though I hear a hint of amusement in her tone.
CHAPTER
TWENTY-EIGHT
AUBREY
After breakfast, Dax and I spent the rest of the day in bed. Holy fuck. Sex with him is out of this fucking world. I am not a virgin by any means, and I have had really great sex before. Well, at least I thought it was great sex. Now looking back none of those times hardly hold a candle to Dax.
The weird part is that after the sex, the warm glowy feeling that you usually get during sex didn’t go away. I have never felt anything like it before. Despite my efforts to keep myself at least a little guarded and ease into things with Dax, I find myself falling for him more and more every time that we are together. I have started to wonder when I will just admit that the falling has already ended, and I am already there.
Not today, apparently.
Dax handed me the keys to Betty and said she was good to go so I was able to drive her back to campus Sunday afternoon so that I could get caught up on homework. On Monday, my day goes by very uneventfully and very lonely. I head back to my dorm to get dressed for work as I get lost in my thoughts. Once I got back to my room and my Dax bubble burst, the memories of the last week came flooding back. Two of my best friends, hell my only friends, are no longer talking to me. It fucking sucks.
I know that there is probably no repairing things with Cole, at least anytime soon if ever. He needs space and I have to respect that. But I miss Kayla, I get that she was hurt that I didn’t open up to her. That just isn’t who I am, though. I wish she would understand that I never tried to hurt her. It’s just that the idea of cracking myself open for others to see the scarred and bloody mess physically makes me ill.
Maybe I should drop by her dorm before I have to head into work? A knock comes from my door, shaking me out of my thoughts. Crossing the room, I turn the handle and open the door to reveal the very girl I was just thinking about in the flesh.
“Hey,” Kayla says meekly with a halfhearted wave.
I stare at her for a few heavy seconds before I decide to just say fuck it. I throw my arms around her and hug her tight. I used to despise physical contact outside of the gym or the bedroom but with people like Kayla, Cole and Dax, I don’t mind it as much. It’s only been a week of not talking but I have missed this bitch. She wraps her arms around me as she lets out long sigh. Kayla pulls back and holds on to my arms tightly.
“I am so sorry for everything I said. I was such a bitch.”
I shake my head.
“No, I am sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings. I am just not used to sharing that kind of personal stuff. It was nothing against you,” I say as I pull her into my room and shut the door.
“You shouldn’t feel obligated to tell me things you aren’t comfortable with just because we are friends. If you want to tell me things then you can on your own time. No pressure,” she promises.
I blow out a sigh of relief because as much as I would love to promise to be more open, I don’t know if I can actually commit to that right now.
“Thank you. I am sorry that I hurt you.”
Kayla looks down for a moment, wringing her hands almost nervously.
“Well, if we are being honest, that isn’t the sole reason that I lashed out that day.”
“Oh?” I question.
“I was jealous,” she says softly.
“Jealous? Of what?”
She huffs as she tosses her hands out wildly.
“Of you, duh. You don’t even try, and you have two of the hottest guys on campus at your feet. Anyone with two eyes can see how in love Cole is with you, always has been. And Dax…he is the love ‘em and leave ‘em kind. Girls are just a way to pass the time for him. But when I saw how jealous he got over you at the party, I knew something was up.
“I go out with guys all the time. I put myself out there and all I ever am is a one-night stand or a steady booty call. I want someone to look at me the way just one of them looks at you and here you are with your pick! And then you never even told me about it. I was a raging jealous bitch, and I am so sorry.”
I can’t help but want to laugh. Jealous of me? No one in their right mind would be jealous of me. I am a bruised and broken shell of a person that can hardly feel normal feelings without being ready to break out in hives. Yeah, the thought of a rich beautiful girl like Mckayla Blackburn being jealous of trailer park trash Aubrey Davis is straight up laughable.
“Kayla,” I start. “You have so much going for you. I think you need to take another look in the mirror. You are stunning and confident with a heart of fucking gold. Not to mention your bank account is pretty huge,” I tease with a wink. She rolls her eyes with a small smile but doesn’t speak.
“Any guy would be lucky to even talk to you. So, if these fuck boys aren’t willing to put in the effort for a girl like you then fucking forget them. They aren’t worth it. Hold out for the guys that are worth it.”
She gives me a sad smile and a shrug.
“Yeah well, I guess I haven’t met any of those yet.”
“What’s up with Dax’s friend, Blake?”
I remember how odd she acted when Dax brought him up. I know Blake really well too. He is a great guy. I don’t really see him with girls. They hang around him, but he doesn’t pay them too much attention.
Her eyes brighten just a bit, and a pink tinge stains her face before she looks away and shrugs again.
“He is in my biology class. We are always partners for group projects. He is really nice and hot obviously, but that’s it.”
“That’s not it. Didn’t you hear Dax? Blake has talked about you, to his guy friends. You and I both know that guys don’t talk about how cool girls are with their friends unless they are into them.”
She doesn’t look very convinced and that is too bad because now that I think about they would probably be great together if the vibes are there. Blake would probably worship the ground that Kayla walks on and she would love every moment of it.
Clearly Kayla wants to be done with this conversation though because she looks uncomfortable as hell. So, I decide to switch topics and try to be a little more open with her.
“Dax and I had sex,” I blurt.
Okay. I guess a lot more open. Hey, as long as I am not talking about my past or the feelings that I can’t quite name for Dax then I am good.
Her eyes widen with shock, then they turn to excitement. “What?!” She screeches. “When? Where? How was it? He’s huge isn’t he? Oh, he has to be he is Dax Hart-Breaker for a reason. Girls wouldn’t willingly sign up for that shit if he wasn’t!”
I smirk about to answer some of her questions when I pause.
“Wait. Is that like a nick name or something?”
Her excitement fades and she seems to realize that I have never heard this before. She schools her features to a casual look.
“Oh yeah. Uh, I think it’s just something some of the girls he has been with call him. Since he never does serious…until now, of course,” she adds on.
I nod my head as I turn away. I knew that he had been with a lot of women, hell I have had my fair share of fun before I came to Whitman. But to hear that your boyfriend’s proclivities were so well known that he has a group of women out there calling him a heart breaker is something else. It plays into my fear that my heart might not be very safe in his hands that much more. It is a stark reminder to make sure to keep my growing feelings self-contained.
The next day that I don’t have work, I decide to swing by Dax’s house after class. I find him beating up the heavy bag in the garage, like usual. He is only wearing work out shorts and fuck if it isn’t a drool worthy sight. His muscles ripple as he reigns down blow after blow against the defenseless bag. His breathing is labored as sheen of sweat covers his rock-hard chest. I watch as one bead of sweat slowly rolls down his shredded abs before it disappears down the front of his shorts. Never thought that I would be jealous of sweat.
Dax chooses that moment to realize that I am here, while my eyes are still firmly trained on where that bead disappeared to as I bite my lip.
“Hey baby,” he says, sauntering up to me with a knowing smile.
I look up to him with a mirth filled smirk as he approaches me.
“Hey.”
When he gets to me, he picks me up from the back of my knees as I wrap my legs around his waist, kissing his full lips. His lips move against mine before he presses his forehead against mine.
“I missed you,” he whispers.
I throw my head back and let out a laugh.
“Babe, it’s been like two days.”
He groans. “Don’t remind me, that is two days too long. Stay tonight?” He practically demands.
I nod and he smirks before kissing me senseless once more. He carries me over to my couch before laying me down as he hovers over me. He starts kissing my neck, gently sucking and nipping. I close my eyes and hum my approval as his hand snakes down to my legs, slipping underneath the fabric of my leggings when his phone rings.
He ignores it as his hand keeps moving over my soaked panties. Just as he goes to peel the fabric away from my legs, his phone starts up again. I glance at it and back to him, raising an eyebrow in question.
“Ignore it,” he grumbles
I reach out to slide his shorts down when the phone rings a third time. He drops his shoulders in exasperation and sighs. He rolls off of me and walks over grabbing his phone.
“What!” He barks into the phone. “I’m fucking busy,” he snaps at whatever poor sucker decided to call him. Then his expression morphs from pissed to shocked. “Are you serious?” A slight pause then he roars. “Fuck yeah! When?” Another pause. “Hell yeah I’m in, let’s do it! Thank you!”
He hangs up the phone and beams one of his rare dimple exposing smiles.
“What?” I ask.
“That was Cameron,” he grins. “I went and talked to him last week. Now that my suspension is over I asked if he would be willing to sponsor me. I had given up on my dream to rejoin the UFC but lately I have felt this push to get back at it. I figured that if he said no, I could try training at other gyms and see if I could find someone who would work with me. But Cameron agreed to sponsor and train me. He has a fight lined up for me this Saturday.”
I am speechless for a moment. I jump to my feet and tackle him in a hug. Holy shit! He has a regulation fight coming up! Holy fucking shit!
“That is fucking amazing! Congrats!”
“Thank you. Will you come?”
I roll my eyes and punch his arm.
“Are you fucking kidding me? Like I would miss it! Can I bring Kayla? We were supposed to hangout this weekend.”
“Sure. I will have Blake and Chase keep an eye on you guys. Gotta keep my girl safe.”
I shoot him an irritated look as I hold a warning finger up to his face.
“We both know that your girl can handle her own.”
He chuckles and nods his head as I smile. His smile starts to slip and a sense of vulnerability seeps in.
“Do you think that I can do it? That I can keep it together?” He asks.
I don’t hesitate, I nod my head as I hold his face in between my hands so that he has to look at me.
“I do. You can do it, you just can’t let your demons hold you down, Dax. You can’t let the darkness drag you under. You have to fight to stay above it. If you believe you can do that then of course you have what it takes. The only thing that can get in the way of your dreams is you.”
He looks at me for a moment as if he doesn’t totally believe me before he nods and drops his forehead against mine.
“I can do it if you are there for me. With you in my corner, I don’t know what I couldn’t do.”
I smile softly before I lean up on my toes and close the distance between us. He cups my face lovingly as his lips move gently against mine. The kiss is sweet and full of passion and unspoken promises. But as soon as his tongue strokes against mine it turns darker and way more delicious.
Letting out a soft moan as I deepen the kiss, I grind my pussy against his thigh as I tilt my head up. Dax makes a deep thundering noise from his chest before he snakes his hands down my back and over my ass as he lifts me into the air. I wrap my legs around him instantly as he begins walking while our tongues battle for dominance.
I assume that he is about to either carry me upstairs to his bed or maybe drop me down on the couch. I don’t expect him to lower me to my feet just to the side of the couch before he takes a step back. Disappointment fills me for a moment, but it is short lived when Dax spins me around and shoves me over the arm of the couch.
Before I can say anything, Dax peels the top of my leggings down until they are bunched up around my sneakers. I have never been so thankful for no buttons in my life. Dax runs one of his large hands up and down my spine before it palms my ass.
Leaning down over me, his breath tickles my ear as his low voice growls against my skin.
“Do you have any idea how many times I have pictured bending your ass over this couch?”
I hum under my breath and am about to give him a smartass reply when his hand comes down and spanks me. Ah, fuck. Why does that feel so fucking good? Maybe all the years of getting beat up in the cage has conditioned me into liking getting roughed up in bed. This is honestly the first time that anyone has ever tried anything like it before, but I am fucking here for it.
“You like that don’t you, baby girl? It is supposed to be a punishment, but your greedy little cunt practically weeps for me when I spank your ass. Do you think your pussy would like to be spanked too?”
I groan at his words which causes him to let out a deep chuckle.
“Yeah. I think my pussy would love that, because don’t forget, it is my pussy. You said so yourself,” he says as he pushes two fingers inside my already soaked pussy.
“Asshole,” I grouse as I bite back a moan. I don’t want the cocky fucker to know just how much I am enjoying his thick fingers as he works me over fucking perfectly.
“Asshole, huh? You giving me hints, baby?” He asks as he withdraws his wet fingers and slides them through my ass cheeks.
One of his fingers circles my asshole gently, never applying enough pressure to go in but making sure that I am a fucking panting mess. I wouldn’t be surprised if I have stained his couch by now.
“Dax,” I groan. “I need-”
“I know what you need. Tell me, baby, has anyone ever taken you here?” He asks as he applies a little more pressure.
“Yes,” I moan as I bite my bottom lip.
His finger withdraws quickly, and I whimper at the loss of contact before his hand cracks across my ass cheek. I buck against the hit, feeling both pain and pleasure rush through me simultaneously. Turning my head, I look over my shoulder to see Dax’s face thunderous.
“Never again, you hear me? The only person to ever touch you again will be me. The only man that will ever be inside this pussy is me, the only man that will ever be in this ass is me. You are mine, Aubrey Davis, and I am about to prove that.”
