right? You kissed me."
I poked him in the arm. "You're supposed to be a gentleman and say that you kissed me first."
Bryce studied me and then said softly, "You're right. I kissed you first."
"I know. That's what I've been saying this whole time." I flashed him a blinding smile.
Then I remembered my mom's call and the smile vanished.
Bryce lifted his head, cupped my cheek and kissed me softly. It was the softest kiss I'd ever gotten. I think my heart stopped and then it slammed back into me. And it didn't take long before I straddled him. My towel was shoved off as Bryce lifted up, his mouth still fused with mine. I worked hungrily at his pants. When I managed to get the zipper down, Bryce lifted me up and kicked his pants down with his feet and legs.
When he would've rolled me over, I pushed down on his shoulders and tightened my thighs.
Bryce fell back and I slowly nipped at his mouth, his bottom lip, his chin. I slid my mouth down his neck and lingered over his chest.
He groaned, but held still for me. I needed to ravage him.
I inched backwards until my mouth lingered at his trim waist.
I swooped down and I grinned when I heard his sudden intake of breath. His legs convulsed and his back arched slightly.
He swore and I pressed on. Later, when I heard his gasp, I finished it off and licked my way back to his mouth.
Bryce groaned and flipped me over. With a condom already in hand, he sheathed himself and slammed inside.
This time, I was the one who collapsed against the pillow, wrapped my legs around him, and hung on.
It was hot, savage, and I melted as I curled onto my side.
Bryce padded barefoot into the bathroom. After a quick shower, he dressed, and pressed a kiss to my forehead.
"Where are you going?" I asked, the bedcovers wrapped around my naked body.
"I'm going to run home and get some clothes. I'll be back."
"Take one of my keys. You can let yourself back in then."
He pressed another kiss to my forehead and lips before he grabbed one of the sets and darted down the stairs.
I got up, showered, and dressed in a jogging suit. I wasn't planning on jogging, but it looked cute and it was comfortable. Plus, I'd gotten a little drunk from the beer. Sex with Bryce had helped, but it always helped no matter the circumstances.
Bryce had already placed all the empty bottles in the case, so I took it downstairs and placed it beside the other. The pizza was still left, untouched, on the stove. I wrapped it up and put it away in the fridge as leftovers.
And then I took a deep breath and took my cell phone onto the patio that extended off of my parents' bedroom. As I curled on one of the patio loungers, I dialed my father's phone number.
"Hello?" he asked, slightly confused. My father always seemed to be confused.
"Hey, dad," I said quietly and wished I had grabbed a blanket.
"Oh, sweetie. How are you?" He even sounded cheerful.
"Mom called. She left a message."
"Oh. I'm so sorry, sweetie." He didn't sound it. He still sounded cheerful.
"What happened?"
"You don't need to bother with those details. What's important is that your mother and I are making the best choice for all parties."
"Where's Mom?"
"I think she may be in Paris, but who knows with your mother. She could be in Japan, for all I know."
"Are you coming home?"
There was a slight pause before he said, unapologetically, "Oh dear. I'm sorry. I can't bring myself to come home. The memories, you know, sweetie."
Again. I didn't know. I hadn't even known there were problems.
"I haven't heard from you in three months and the first I hear anything—it's a voice message saying that you're getting a divorce?"
"Oh honey. That's not fair. You could've called too, you know. Communication is a two-way street."
"In marriages," I said, surprisingly unemotional. "Not when it comes to parents and their children. I haven't seen you guys for five months."
"We've been over this before. Your mother and I wished to spend time in Italy. Your mother wanted to reconnect with her family roots—"
I couldn't believe—I stared at the phone. I could still hear my father, but I slowly, ever so slowly, closed my phone.
My father's voice was no longer and I was left without even a dial tone.
I took a deep breath before I stood and moved back inside. I wrapped a blanket around me and moved back into my father's study. I slid one of the bookcases aside and revealed his hidden liquor cabinet. Inside was champagne, crystal, wine, whiskey, bourbon. Anything and everything. There were even a few imported beer bottles.
I grabbed the rum and walked to the media room. I turned on a television station that played music videos and tipped my head back for my first shot.
I grimaced and then took another.
It took forever, but slowly the world faded away.
And then Bryce's arms were there and he had lifted me against his chest. I offered him the bottle of rum and he took a shot.
He hissed from the burn and I tried to make fun of him, but it was work. Words didn't make sense in my mind or from my mouth. Something just didn't connect.
When I felt my bedcovers, I came alive and pulled Bryce on top of me. He held back, which irritated me. I knew what I wanted and I wanted him. It didn't take long before I was on top of Bryce. I rubbed my body against his and nipped at his lips. It seemed to finally infuse him and he took charge, like he always did.
This time I didn't want the same. I shook my head numbly and moved to my knees.
Bryce groaned, but he stayed where he was.
I glanced at him and turned around.
It took a little bit, but all the sudden he was on top of me and he slid into me from behind. I felt him wrap an arm around my stomach as he plastered himself to my back. From the first thrust, I had to brace myself against the wall so I didn't bang my head against it.
We'd never tried it this way before.
It just felt different for me, but Bryce seemed to explode. I'd never heard the guttural groan that escaped him before as he collapsed onto my back. My own body shook. Bryce slid out, kept his arm around my stomach, and tugged me back down to the bed. He tucked me into his side and flung a leg over mine. He seemed to engulf me into him and his face rested just underneath my jaw.
I remember wondering where the rum had gone when I faded off.
Chapter 9
When I woke, Bryce was still beside me. He nuzzled the back of my neck and ran a hand down the front of my body. It caressed and rubbed at all the right spots to spark tingles. When his hand slipped between my legs, I gasped but closed my eyes. The pleasure soothed some new aches that didn't quite make sense.
A little later, Bryce tucked me underneath him, sheathed himself and slid inside. We didn't look at each other, but it was slow and sensual. I ran my hands over his shoulders and back. Bryce seemed to tremble.
At the final thrust, I curled back on my side and Bryce moved behind me. He didn't wrap his arms around me, like he did sometimes. He rested on his back and a second later, I heard his even breathing. He had fallen asleep.
I checked the clock and saw that it was a little after eight in the morning.
When I made my way into the shower, I shook my head past the fuzz. Something had happened last night, but…
I dropped the bar of soup when I remembered. I remembered everything.
The soap remained on the floor as I stood frozen in place. I ran over every word, action, and each thrust of warmth that had spread throughout my body.
Groaning softly, I finished in the shower and stepped out to dry off.