Cadence Reflection (Wheels & Hogs Book 2) (3 page)

I’ll take it. I step in behind her, position her behind the line and adjust her stance. Showing her how to hold the dart properly first, I explain to her that it really isn’t her whole arm throwing, but her wrist releasing the dart, “Hold it firm but don’t crush it.  When you go to release, flick your wrist while aiming at the board. Let me show you first.”

I grab the dart while pushing her aside so I’m right by the line on the floor.  I eyeball the board then release the dart, hitting right off the center. I then turn to Trinity with a shit-eating grin.

D
amn
I think to myself. He’s so hot. From his broad shoulders down to his narrow waist. What skin you see is covered in tattoos, and he has piercings. There are the ones that are visible, but I’ve heard the talk about the ones you don’t see.  As I think about what they could possibly look like, my face starts to get red and that’s the moment Cadence turns to stare at me with a wicked grin, “What’s the matter, sweetheart? You’re all flushed. Did I impress you with my dart throwing skills?” 

Taking a minute to memorize the way he looks at me, I shake it off just as quick, putting my shield back up, “Well I would hope that you would be somewhat good. You are on a league,” I say with a smirk. 

We’ve known each other for a while now, but over the last few months our silly back and forth banter has grown more flirtatious.  I’m sure it’s nothing to him. He flirts with everyone, giving him the reputation of a man-whore.  Some of the tales are epic, but for me, it isn’t about that. I genuinely like and enjoy being around him.  For some strange reason, I feel like we have a lot in common, but that commonality is something I pray in the deepest part of my heart that I’m wrong about. My life is not at all what I try to make it appear to be to the outside world. 

I pull my sleeves down over my hands, drawing Cadence’s eyes to me.  I pray he doesn’t pay enough attention to me to notice the things I’ve worked so hard on covering up with all this makeup and clothing.

I’m brought back to the present when I feel hands on my hips. I’m so startled that I try to pull away until I look up and see Cadence staring down at my lips, “It’s time to pay up, darlin’. You owe me a kiss and I’m calling in on that marker. Don’t worry, though. I’ll make it as pleasant as possible.” 

Moving his hands to hold my head in place, he moves his head down until our lips touch. For what seems like forever, but is probably a minute, or even a few seconds, our lips only touch, like he’s waiting for something from me. When I’m about to pull away, he pulls me closer to him, never breaking contact between us as he licks the gap between my lips, causing me to gasp and grant him entry. 

He takes control of me, tightening his hold on me with one hand and running his other hand to the back of my head, gripping my hair. For a ‘little kiss’, this sure has turned into something much more.

He takes his time to taste every part of my mouth, engaging his tongue with mine and I let him.  I begin to feel an unfamiliar warmth spread through my body, all the way to my core. I’m so overcome with this feeling that I let my hands wind around his neck as a moan escapes my lips. He deepens the kiss and I feel this untouchable, unattainable man devouring me, just me, and I like it, but as soon as that thought crosses my mind, he releases me, pushing away so abruptly that I have to grasp onto his shirt for balance. Once I can stand properly, I can only think to myself, ‘That’s what he calls
a little kiss
?’

I
watch her expression as I get my body under control.  What the fuck just happened? My dick is so hard I could hammer nails with it. I have to find some release tonight after that shit, it just can’t be with Trinity. I didn’t mean to take it that far but I didn’t expect to react the way I did to her, either. Trinity is a good girl, young and way too naïve. Some of my crude jokes go right over her head, leaving me to explain them to her. By the time I’m done, she still looks lost and the joke’s not even funny anymore. 

I try being cocky to break the uncomfortable silence between us, “So, what do you think? Did I do a good job of ruining you for any other guy?”

Pulling away from me, she pushes her hair away from her face, trying to look nonchalant but she fails miserably.  She’s turned on and I know it just by looking at her nipples protruding through her pretty blouse. 

“You’re okay, Cadence, but I don’t have anything to compare it to. I’m sure there are lots of great kissers out there so I wouldn’t say you’re the best. I know you get plenty of practice though, and you know what they say, “Practice makes perfect,” so just keep at it. Maybe one day I’ll leave this place and come back, just to tell you that I have found the most amazing kisser in the world. If I’m feeling generous, I may give you the chance to prove otherwise.”

She giggles as she says this and reaches for her drink. I can tell that she doesn’t have a lot of experience, and I find myself wanting to help her out a little bit, but who am I kidding. I just want an excuse to do it again, “Baby, I am all for practicing with you,” I can’t help myself. I have to kiss her again so I crush my lips to hers, plundering her mouth mercilessly.  The small whimper I receive from her excites me to no end.  Fuck, I’ve got to end this now, even though it’s not at all what I want to do, but I can’t give her the idea that I want more, even if that’s exactly what I want. I won’t hurt her feelings. 

Breaking off the kiss, I step back, grab my beer and wink at her as I turn to talk to one of my teammates dismissing her, and feeling shitty about it.

I
’m so confused and frustrated as I’m left standing by myself after Cadence kissed me not once, but twice. He doesn’t look affected at all, yet I feel like I’m burning from the inside out. I sit my drink down and run my fingers through my hair. Looking around and not seeing anyone taking an interest in what just happened, including my friends, I make my way toward the restroom.  Entering a stall, I prepare to take care of business when I hear the door open and a voice speaks out, “Can you believe he was kissing her? Isn’t she like eighteen years old and a virgin?  I mean, look at her. She’s probably never even given head in her life. There is no way that girl could keep up with his sexual appetite. That man can go all night and do shit to you that will have you begging for him to do it again. I need to go let him know that I’m available because I would love a repeat of last night.” 

Knowing that voice, I feel sick because it’s Brandy, my biggest hater. The pain in my chest makes me feel physically sick. Cadence and Brandy were together last night? I shouldn’t be surprised. I had heard rumors of them hooking up, but I’ve never seen them hang out together.

Why did he just kiss me? Maybe he hadn’t seen Brandy yet and was looking for a hookup for the night, but now she’s here and available. I know I need to get out of here, even though going home is the last place I want to go.  Once I hear the girls leave, I clean up quickly and make my way to the front of the bar. Finding my friends, I give a wave then point to my watch, letting them know I’m heading out. 

“Leaving so soon?” Cadence asks as I turn to make my exit, “What’s going on? I thought we were having some fun.” 

Not wanting to give away how hurt and disgusted I am that he spent last night with Brandy, then kissed me here tonight, I pull away from his touch, “I’ve got an early workday tomorrow so I’ve got to get home. Thanks for the dart lesson.”

B
y her answer I can tell that something has upset her, but if I know one thing about Trinity, she keeps shit locked up tight. She isn’t going to tell me anything so I just ask, “We on for karaoke tomorrow?”

She just nods as she leaves through the double doors, not looking back once. 



I try to enter the trailer quietly through the back door that leads into the hallway, but I see the light on in the living room. Shit. He’s probably awake and waiting for me. Closing the door slowly, I turn to walk down the hall to my room when I hear him yell out my name. My body sags in defeat.

Turning around, I enter the small room and see my dad, Roman, on the couch with a beer in his hand. 

“Where have you been, you stupid little bitch? Did I tell you that it was ok for you to go out tonight?” 

Feeling the tension in my body, I try to calm him down, “I told you that a couple of the girls and I were going to go play darts. Dad, please. It’s no big deal.” 

He rises to his feet and approaches me as I shrink back. Backing me up into a corner, he grabs my arms roughly, twisting them behind my back which sends immense pain down my arms because they are already bruised from the abuse the night before.  Knowing what is coming, I go to my safe place, and all I can see is Cadence kissing me. 

That image plays over and over in my mind as I receive punch after punch on my already beaten body.

W
hen I wake up, the first thing I think about is the scene at the bar last night. I know I shouldn’t have taken it that far with Trinity, that wasn’t the plan. I always have fun with her but damn, for a girl who says she’s not very experienced, she can fucking kiss. I don’t know what I was expecting to happen throughout the night after that, but I didn’t expect her to turn cold and leave so abruptly. 

Once she was gone, I proceeded to have one too many beers and took Brandy in the bathroom for a quick blowjob.  Trinity left me all hot and bothered, but Brandy took care of it. Funny thing about it was that watching Brandy suck me off wasn’t really working for me, but as soon as I started thinking of that beautiful golden hair and that hot as hell kiss, I came hard and fast.  After I blew my load, I couldn’t get away from Brandy fast enough. 

Trinity is so different from all the other women in my life. Really, the only thing I do know about her is that she’s not easy or slutty. For a girl of twenty-two, with little experience is refreshing. Sex is never a problem for me because women throw themselves at me, making it too easy. Trinity has started to become a challenge in my mind because we started out friends and have been ever since. No sex to muck things up, but maybe it’s that connection that we’ve made that has caused me to see her in a whole different light. Our relationship has never been based on sex, making it easy and simple, but most of all, important. 

Thinking back on the first time I met her, I was in town picking up lunch for the crew at Wheels & Hogs while she was walking out of the deli.  With the sun reflecting off her golden hair, she looked ethereal. Her skin was flawless and her figure slim and round in all the right places. The sight of her gave me an instant hard-on.  When I walked toward her she immediately put her eyes down, but I caught her checking me out too. I found myself stopping her, not ready to let her walk away. I introduced myself and from that moment we just clicked. I asked her to meet me at the local bar that night for karaoke and she said she would come if I didn’t mind her bringing a friend. It was from there that our friendship began and continued to grow. 

As time went on, I got to know her and found out what a goofball she was. The more time I spent with her, it was apparent that she was someone special. She was one of the few people who could make me laugh and made me comfortable enough to be myself. I’ve always felt like we have a lot in common, that she understands things about me even though I have never said a word. Maybe I pushed something last night that she isn’t ready for. Maybe she saw something I didn’t; that our friendship would never be the same if we crossed that line.

Reaching for my phone, I send her an instant message, just to check on her.  Holding the phone in my hand, I wait for her response.  After five minutes of silence, I put it down on the bed and go take care of business.  Having to get ready for work, I shower and get dressed. Going into the kitchen to put on the coffee, I hear my phone alert so I grab it to check the message.

Hey, Cadence. Thanks for checking on me. Not feeling too good so in bed getting some rest. Probably not gonna make it to the bar tonight so can I get a rain check?”

No problem, baby. Feel better.

I throw the phone on the counter and proceed to get ready for a long day at the shop.

I
can’t get out of bed because I’m in so much pain. Dad really pushed the limits and I’ve been out of my mind with pain ever since.  I’m having trouble breathing, guessing I have a cracked rib or two. I attempt to take as deep of a breath as I possibly can without screaming to try and calm my thoughts.

Trying not to focus on the pain, I replay last night with Cadence over and over in my mind. Even with everything that happened after I came home, the thought of Cadence gives me a small bit of peace. The way he kissed me made me feel beautiful and desirable, in the right way for the first time in my life. Even before last night, our friendship has shown this connection between us, and I don’t have a clue why; we’re total opposites.  I’m quiet, shy and reserved − never drawing attention to myself − always hiding in the background.  Cadence, on the other hand, is blunt and in your face. Sex just pours off him, drawing women to him like he’s a drug and he’s their fix. I see it every time I’m with him. Women’s eyes follow his every move, not even caring if I’m sitting with him or not. They have no shame when it comes to getting his attention.

The thing that drew me to him was the sweet way he treated me, never making moves on me or trying to make me another notch on his belt. He’s always treated me with respect and that has meant so much to me, but things have been changing, or evolving would be a better term, between us lately. I see him looking at me differently and I’m doing the same with him. Last week he asked me to slow dance and it was the first real contact that we’ve had between us. I’ve watched him so I know that he’s a really good dancer, but I wasn’t ready for this type of dance with him. He held me close, making me lose myself in the feel of his body against mine. His hands began moving along my waist, slowly to my hips where he began to pull me into him. I could feel his excitement as he ground his hips against me, telling me he was feeling exactly what I was feeling. Not knowing what to do, I tried to pull away only to have Cadence pull me in even closer. I wasn’t ready for it. I never wanted to even think of a sexual relationship with anyone.