Authors: Jen Khan
He leans back, bringing his eyes to mine.
“You have all the time in the world. Whatever you need, you got it. Don’t worry about me, but stop trying to keep your distance. Doesn’t work for me.”
My eyes scan his face.
“I’ve been distant the past few days. You don’t deserve that.”
“I tried to give you a little space when I felt you withdrawing, but I’m not going to be able to do that anymore,” Braden states.
“We’ve been apart too long as it is. I’m not spending another day without you in it.”
I rest my forehead to his and take in a deep breath.
He slouches back into the couch, taking me with him, my head settling on his shoulder. One of his arms rubs one of my arms and the hand of the other cups the back of my neck, giving me a sweet, relaxing message.
The locks jiggle and the front door opens.
Our heads turn to see Holly entering the apartment, still wearing her white ruffled blouse that shows off a hint of cleavage and a navy blue pencil skirt with white strappy slingback heels. The look works for her. She is a total babe in anything she wears, but this look? She rocks it. Her long, straight, thick brown hair has new blond highlights through it, which work well with her light complexion and light brown eyes.
She glances at us, her expression becoming soft.
“This,” she says, pointing and waving her finger between Braden and me. “I like this shit.” She winks and heads back to her room. “Love you, Emma. Night, Braden!” she hollers back at us.
I roll my eyes and let out a little giggle.
Screw it.
I’ve taken on giggling.
“I like it,” Braden whispers.
I turn my head to him, my eyes looking to his. “What do you like?”
“Listening to you laugh.
Seeing you smile. I like it.”
“Me too.”
And I do.
And it is because of him.
Chapter Fourteen
The bar is alive tonight, packed wall to wall with people.
Crossfade can really sell out a joint. They are that good.
It didn’t take much convincing to round up Holly and Olivia.
They are huge fans of the band too. As soon as I informed Holly of our Saturday night plans, she screamed so loud that I swear she pierced an eardrum.
So here we are, hanging out at Holts, waiting for one of our favorite bands to take the stage. All three of us decided on big hair tonight. Even with Olivia’s short pixie cut hair, highlighted with hot pink and blue, she was able to add height.
I settled on skinny jeans, black knee-high boots, and a black tank top with a glittery, girly skull embroidered on the front.
When you go to a rock concert, you have to dress rock and roll. I added a black choker and silver hoop earrings.
Holly and Olivia both decided to rock their little black dresses.
Both of them found the same little black dress at the mall today while shopping for the perfect outfit for the concert. They argued for all of five seconds before deciding to try them on. Whoever wore it best won the dress.
As soon as they both came out of their dressing rooms and saw each other, they knew the dress had been made for both of them.
So they both bought the same little black dress for tonight.
Only Olivia dolled hers up with a black-and-white skull scarf, black fishnet stockings, and a silver skull choker.
Holly went her usual classy look.
Little black dress, black spiked heels, and lots of gold around her neck and wrists, and in her ears. They don’t even look like they were wearing the same dress.
Everyone is standing near the stage, waiting on the band to come out.
The group to the left of the stage is clearly already wasted.
Pre-gamers. They’re the ones who get drunk before coming to the party so that they maintain a lower bar tab. There is the group of chicks to the right of the stage who are squealing and jumping up and down like teenage girls at a Justin Bieber concert. And of course I see the group of girls who are looking to go home with one of the band members. I can practically hear them unsnapping their bras now. Groupies.
Juice gets up on stage and the girls and I start screaming, “Juicy!” He winks at us and announces the band. The whole bar erupts in cheers and applause.
We hop off our barstools and jump up and down. We are their biggest fans, after all.
Crossfade makes their grand entrance and starts playing.
I look around the bar for Braden. We’ve been here for an hour and haven’t seen him yet. I do, however, find Tristan and Jake, who join our little group after the second song finishes.
The band plays for the next half an hour. Everyone in the place is on their feet including me, Holly, and Olivia.
“Let’s go dance!” I squeal and lead the ladies onto the dance floor.
We start swaying to the music. I close my eyes, lift my arms, and move my body. I am a decent dancer. I’m not a great dancer, but I’m not bad. I let the music move through me.
When the song ends, I open my eyes and look up to see Braden standing before me, staring at me with a heated look in his eyes.
I can’t tear my eyes from his. He stares at me with a look that tells me that if we were in private he would devour me. He is wearing his dark jeans that hug him in all of the right places, hanging low on his hips, and a black sleeveless shirt. His tattoos are showing and they are hot.
“Hi,” I breathe.
His hands cup both sides of my face while he continues his assault through eye contact taking my breath of away.
Wow!
“I’d like to take the time to introduce an old buddy of mine. Y’all probably know him. He’s going to sing a song for you all tonight. Braden, where the fuck are you, man?” Les says into the mic.
Wait—what?
“You’re singing?” I ask.
Braden’s face softens and his eyes start to dance.
I don’t know if this look is humor or excitement. Either way, it is a great look for him.
He nods his head and presses his lips to my forehead. “I’ll be back.” he winks and he is gone.
When we were together, he used to sing to me while we were alone. Never in front of others. He never thought he was that good.
Oh, but he is. Braden is a beautiful singer.
So beautiful that, if he really wanted it, he could go professional. He is no karaoke singer. All rock and roll.
Braden jumps up on to the stage and the crowd gets louder.
The men holler and the women scream. He looks amazing up there.
I stand up on my stool and scream his name as loudly as I can.
He looks back at me and gives me his sexy smile. That smile alone makes my entire body tingle.
The way he presents himself up on that stage—total rock star.
“I’d like to sing a special song tonight that I wrote a few months ago. It’s about a very special person in my life. I just hope that she likes it.”
“Oh my God,” I breathe.
Holly’s and Olivia’s arms go around my waist and my shoulders.
The crowd roars.
Braden turns to the band and nods. Les nods back. Ed, the group’s lead singer, stands by him with a mic, gives him a man pat on the back, and smiles.
We move to the center of the mob scene before the stage so that I can get closer.
That’s as far as I make it.
The music starts and Braden looks at me with such intensity that it almost scares me.
A shiver runs through my spine as I watch him.
He begins to sing a beautiful song.
A song about a guy who is so in love with the girl of his dreams, only for her to unexpectedly break things off with him, no warning, no explanation. He sings about heartache and pain and about wanting nothing more than to bring his girl back. He sings about protecting her from her past and those who did harm to her.
The tears roll down my face as I stand there watching him watch me as he sings this beautiful, sweet song.
When he reaches the chorus, he closes his eyes, holding the microphone with both hands while pouring his heart and soul into the song. My feet start to move. I can’t stop myself. My brain goes on strike and my body takes over. I walk to the stage, hitch a foot up, and climb on.
I go to him and stand in front of him while he continues to sing to the very end. All the while, I’m studying his gorgeous, pained face.
The song ends. Braden takes a deep breath, opens his eyes, and he looks right at me.
His eyes widen and he smiles.
I lunge at him.
I put my hands at the sides of his face and bring his lips to mine. He lets go of the microphone stand, which wobbles then falls to the stage. He wraps his arms around my waist, bringing my body to his. Our kiss gets deeper, wetter, and ravenous while his hands travel up my back and into my hair. I wrap my arms around his neck.
“Get a room!” some jackass yells, and everyone in the bar starts laughing.
I pull back from him and look into his eyes.
“Emma,” he sighs.
“I hope the gig is over, Braden.”
He clears his throat.
“Why is that?”
“Because you’re taking me to your place.
Right fucking now.”
“You’re a bossy little thing,” Braden smirks.
“Say goodbye to your fans.”
He leans back, wrapping one arm around my waist, bringing me to his side, and curling my front into him.
“Thank you for coming out tonight,” he chokes out to the audience and pulls me off the stage with him.
We head right out the back door.
*****
I barely make it into the apartment before I am spun around and Braden’s mouth takes over mine. His eager hands are pulling on my waist.
Braden pulls back and looks down at me with his lips parted, a dark, hooded look in his eyes. He slams the door shut behind him and walks me backward until we hit the wall. He is lifting my shirt off. I raise my arms to help him out and off it goes.
He slides his hand around to the back of my head pulling me in closer. Our hips meet and I feel Braden’s proof that he is clearly aroused.
“I need you now, Em,” he rasps against my mouth.
I pull his bottom lip in between my teeth and he groans. I run my tongue slowly, gently over it.
“Then take me,” I moan into his mouth.
Braden lets out a shaky sigh before he bends his head down licking and sucking on me through my bra. He pulls the cup down, exposing my breast, and swirls his tongue over my nipple.
My head falls back, hitting the wall behind me. I grip the back of his head to hold him in place when he bites down.
“Oh my God,” I gasp, as the pleasure shoots throughout my body, especially to that area between my legs.
Braden releases my nipple and immediately swirls his tongue around it. His mouth curves into a grin as he moves to the other to give it equal attention.
He kisses his way up my neck, my jaw, then to my ear. He is crouching down before me, unzipping my boots and removing them one at a time, slinging them over his shoulder behind him.
My body stiffens when Braden stands, leans in, and puts his mouth to my neck before unzipping my jeans. His head lifts from my neck. The whole time, he is staring into my eyes, silently begging me to trust him.
I brace myself as he hooks his thumbs into my pants and pulls them down. He stands before me and removes his shirt.
He puts one hand on either side of my head, studying my face. I can only assume he is looking for a sign that I need him to stop. That is not the sign I am giving him tonight.
I smile at him and lick my lips, to which he responds by pulling me into him.
“You taste amazing.” He kisses along my jaw and down to that sensitive spot between my neck and shoulder, where he gently bites down.
My eyes roll and I close them, exhaling.
“I want you, Braden. Now.”
That’s all it takes. He lifts me by my waist, and my legs i
mmediately wrapped around his as he walks us down the hall to his room.
*****
The moans that escape my mouth have Braden increasing his rhythm inside of me. He lunges forward and deep, pulling back slowly, over and over. Faster and harder. We are both breathing erratically.
Our eyes lock and that does something to me. I feel it deep in my chest. The warmth, the desire, the love I have for this beautiful man over me who looks down at me like I am the only person on earth.
And I am all his.
I have never felt a connection like this before—even when we were together previously. It’s as if something has changed. Something deeper that I can’t quite understand. I am not scared anymore. We are two souls that were made for each other. There is a sense of longing and so much love in what Braden is doing to me right here, right now. This isn’t just sex for him. He is making love to me, and in that moment, it is as if he were showing me, proving to me that it is just him and me. Nothing else matters. He is taking away from the fear, the loneliness, and the pain I have grown to know over the past few months as my only existence.
He pounds his hips against me, holding himself above with his strong arms while I wrap my legs around him, pulling him in deeper with every stroke.
“Baby,” Braden roars. “Your body was made for me.”
My breath catches in my chest. “I was made for you. Only you,” I affirm.
Another roar rips from his chest, and I arch my back, trying to get closer.
Oh God! I am about to come.
It is as if he knows, and he does. He knows my body better than I know it.
“Come for me,” Braden urges as he dips his head into the crook of my neck and rotates his hips.
That does it.
“Braden!” I gasp and tilt my head back into the pillow.
He lifts his, thrusts inside of me, and stills as I come around him.
“Look at me, Em. I want to see your eyes. I want to watch you when you come.”
The way my name rolls off his tongue while he is inside of me is beautiful. Damn, I really love my name when he says it like this. If I never hear anything else in my entire life, I can live with that.
I open my eyes and look up to find his. Braden and I gaze deep into each other’s eyes and our souls connect.
“You are so damn beautiful.”
He starts to move again.
Just that sets another orgasm in motion. It is building up deep down inside. Holy shit!
“I want you to come with me,” Braden says, biting his bottom lip as he continues pumping inside of me. “Come for me, baby. Come with me.”
The deep growl that emanates from Braden’s chest sends a shiver through my entire body. I scream his name as another wave hits me.
Braden thrusts deep twice more and stills, throwing his head back with another guttural growl and immediately looking back down on me. This wonderful man comes undone inside of me.
We glance at each other as we start to come back down to earth. My entire mind and body are consumed by him.
I wrap my arms around him, and Braden lays on my chest, being careful not to put all of his weight on me.
We are both breathing heavily and holding each other tight. I am almost too afraid to let him go. I don’t want to ever let him go again. Pushing him out of my life only hurt us both even more in the long run.
God. All that wasted time.
No more running. I only wish I would have figured it out earlier. This man loves me. The song he wrote and sang up on that stage tonight proves that to me beyond a shadow of a doubt.
I am done with running.
By the time Braden lifts up his head and smiles down at me, I realize that I have no idea how long we have been lying like this. I was so consumed with thoughts of past regret.
His voice brings me out of my head. “Hey, you,” he whispers as he runs his knuckles down the side of my face.
“Hey, you,” I whisper back as tears start to roll down my face.
In an instant, his face goes from happy and content to concern. “Hey—did I hurt you?” Braden asks, his brow furrows.
I lift my hand to the one that is stroking my face and take it in mine. “No.” I shake my head. “Quite the opposite,” I say, smiling through my tears.
He kisses my forehead, my nose, my left cheek, and then my right.
It happens so fast. He rounds his arm, put a hand to my back, and I am on top of him, looking down at him never losing our connection. I rest my head on his chest. He gently strokes my back with his finger, soothing me, and I relax my entire body.
My body is getting a little too relaxed as he continues to stroke my back, but I don’t want to fall asleep until I tell him.
Forcing myself up, I lift myself off of him and gasp at the instant loss of our connection.
He watches me as I stare at him with my palms on his chest. His hands rest on my thighs, which are on both sides of his body.
“I can’t go another moment without telling you how much you mean to me,” I choke out.
His hands tighten on my thighs and he looks down at them. He looks back up at me with a guarded look in his eyes.
“When we broke up, I did it because I thought that it was the best thing for you. Not me. I knew it wasn’t good for me. It gutted me, and it continued to gut me every day. Every day that I woke up and you weren’t lying in my bed next to me, it
gutted
me, Braden.”
I look up at the ceiling, trying to hold back my tears.
“Emma? Baby, listen to me.” He sits up on his elbows to get closer.
“No, I need you to listen to me. I can’t do this anymore,” I tell him.
He flinches as if I had slapped him. Oh God! This isn’t coming out like I planned it to.
I take his face in my hands and bend down to kiss him lightly on the lips.
“I’m tired of running, baby. I’m not going to run from you, from us, from this anymore.”
Braden continues to study my face, before he whispers, “I love you, Em. I never stopped loving you. You’re it for me. You’re my everything.”
A sob escapes me. “I love you too!” I cry out.
He sits up, bringing me with him. He trails his fingers from my forehead down to my lips. His eyes move to my mouth. He licks his lips, sucks his bottom lip in, and bites it. His eyes come back to mine.
“I love you,” I whisper to him.
Braden lifts us up, twists, and I am on my back again, him on top of me. He holds his upper body up on his elbows at either side of my head looking as though he is trying to read my thoughts.
My heart still, bracing for what is going to happen next. He is struggling with something.
He exhales a breath I didn’t realized he was holding. He looks at my mouth again and says, “Jesus. Do you know how long I’ve waited for those words to come out of those beautiful lips of yours again?”
I close my eyes and my heart resumes its normal function.
“Emma, look at me. Please?” I do as he asks, and when I do, he is smiling the biggest, happiest, most gorgeous smile I’ve ever laid eyes on. Dimple in all its glory. “I. Love. You,” he states again.
We wrap our arms around each other. There is something damp on my shoulder. Braden lifts his head, and I can see the tears in his eyes.
I raise my head up, circling the back of his head, and bring his lips down to mine. “I love you,” I say against his lips again like I can’t say it enough.
I have to make up for lost time.
A kiss that starts out sweet becomes passionate and heated in an instant. Braden rocks his hips and I let him take me away for the remainder of the night and well into the early-morning hours.