Essentialism (Bridgette & Troy's Story) (10 page)

“It’s not going to help, especially now. Something’s clearly wrong with him. He’s gotta be on drugs or something.”

“Jesus, are you serious?” I nod my head. “Well, that explains why he did what he did tonight. He’s not thinking clearly.”

“I know and a pissing contest is only going to make things worse.”

“I hate seeing you upset, especially over him. I want him to know that I’m going to protect you.”

“We’re not together, you made that pretty clear. It’s not your job to protect me, Troy.”

“I want it to be.” His words catch me off guard and I move my face from the comfort of his chest. We stare at one another staying silent. “Don’t look at me like that,” he says.

“What are you talking about?” I ask.

“That look in your eyes with your lips all pouty.”

“But you said—”

He cuts me off, “I don’t give a fuck what I said. I was being a complete asshole. I want you, Bridgette, there’s no denying that.” His words increase my heart rate. I watch his mouth and can’t help, but want it on me. His breath is sweet as it washes over mine. I won’t make the first move, not this time. I did that last time and was mortified when he turned me down. He knows I want him. I fucked up and can’t change the past, so it’s all on him now if we move forward or not. Taking his time, he connects our mouths. This time I move slowly, getting to know every bit of him. It doesn’t take Troy long before he’s holding my face again, and controlling not only my mouth but my movements.
Fuck, he’s a good kisser, even better than I remember.

We go on like this for God only knows how long. I’m scared to stop, scared that he’ll leave. But as he slows the kiss, he doesn’t move. Instead, he holds me, looking through heavy lids. “If we do this, you have to promise me one thing.”

“Anything,” I say breathlessly.

“Be honest with me, no matter what.”

“I promise.”

“Never lie to me.”

“Never.”

He exhales loudly “Do you have any idea how much you turn me on? I’ve been dying to kiss you like that for almost a month.”

“You sure didn’t act like it.”

“I mean it. I’ve been imagining what your lips would feel like since the day I first met you.”

“Then don’t stop,” I say kissing him again. He indulges in me and I in him. We both pick up right where we left off. Jesus, I’ve never kissed anyone like this. He’s so slow and patient, but domineering all at the same time. I feel so small next to him as he drags his hands down my body and lies back, pulling me on top of him. I spread my legs wide, grinding my core against his already very apparent erection. A growl escapes him and I move my hands to his chest, bracing my weight. Troy stops kissing me and pulls away.

The look in his eyes tells me he’s in pain. Suddenly I remember his ribs. “Oh fuck. I’m sorry, I’m so, so sorry!” I say removing my hands. “Are you all right?” I ask.

Opening his eyes he murmurs, “Mmm-hmm.”

“I can’t believe I forgot.”

“It’s all right; it was worth it.”

“Don’t say that. You should be resting, not lying on the couch making out with me. Come on.” I get up and hold my hand out to him.

He takes it and follows me into my room. The bed is messy from my earlier sleep. “You don’t have to stay all night if you don’t want to,” I say with a yawn.

“I want to. You’re not staying alone.”

We both get comfy under the comforter. Moving my arms, I enclose them around Troy. He intertwines our legs and lets out a deep breath. “Sleep well, Bridge.”

“You too, Troy.”

I wake to the sound of my phone ringing, but it’s so far away I can barely hear it. Glancing around the room, the sun is bright, and next to me, Troy is comfortable and fast asleep. I lay there and watch him, as if nothing else matters. I almost lost him a week ago when he was in the hospital and then again yesterday when I thought I’d totally blown it. Going forward, I’m going to make sure that doesn’t happen. After last night, who knows what the future holds. David is clearly out of his mind and I don’t know how far he’s willing to go. I really hope last night was all a dumb prank.

I go to touch Troy’s cheek, but my phone rings again. I slide out of bed, padding quietly across the room and find it on the floor by the front door. My throat tightens as I begin to scroll through my missed text messages.
Please don’t let any of these be from David.
Thank God, they are just from Cara, Lex, and Vincent.

As I start to text Alexa back, she calls, interrupting me. I answer walking away from my room and towards the back of the house. “Hey, doll.”

“Hey. Are you all right? You never called me last night.”

“Yeah, I’m good. I’m sorry. I fell asleep. Listen there was a bit of an incident here at the condo.”

“What happened?”

“Someone egged the house and threw M80’s at it. I think it was David.”

“Jesus, are you serious?”

“Yeah. I panicked and called Troy. He came over and stayed the night.”

“Do you really think it was David?”

“Yeah, I do.”

“Dammit. I’ll call security and let the patrol and the gate know about the incident. What kind of car does he drive?”

“Thanks, Lex. It’s a newer, black Toyota 4-Runner.”

“Of course. I’m glad you’re all right. So what happened with Troy?”

“It’s a long story; a really long story. I’ll fill you in later when he’s not here, but we’re going to give things a chance.”

“Oh, sweetie, I’m happy for you.”

“Thanks.”

“I actually called to see if you wanted to have breakfast. Do you want to ask Troy if he wants to join?”

“Sure, I’ll ask him when he wakes up, then I’ll text you. Thanks for checking on me and I’m sorry about the condo.”

“Don’t be sorry. If you can make it, head over in about an hour. I’m glad you guys worked things out. Oh, and Bridge, don’t bother cleaning up the condo, I’ll call and get someone out there.”

We hang up and I turn to see Troy standing staring at me. “Ask me what?” he says walking over to me.

“If you want to have breakfast at my sister’s?”

“I would love to.”

“Good.”

He walks over to me with purpose and poise, placing his cool hands on my sides under my shirt.

“You look really good without a shirt on,” I say.

“I bet you would too,” he says removing my shirt and throwing it to the floor.

I can’t help but giggle. Troy licks his lips and grabs my breasts, caressing them through the fabric of my bra. “What color are your nipples, Bridge? You know I’ve thought about them a lot.”

“Why don’t you look?”

“Mmm. Someone’s eager.”

Reaching behind me, I unclasp my bra, allowing the straps to fall down my arms. Troy stands still, holding each of my hardened mounds in his hands. I can tell he can’t believe what I just did. The ball’s in his court, all he has to do is move his hands. “You really do what you want, huh?”

I nod my head, “When I’ve been waiting for it for far too long, then yes, yes, I do.”

“Let me ask you this. Do we have to make it to breakfast at your sister’s?”

“Yup.”

“Fuck,” he gripes and pulls me to him. As our chests touch, I’m stunned that he re-clasps my bra. Separating from me, he stares at me longingly and then suddenly pinches both of my nipples, provoking me that much more. I whimper as he squeezes down on them and leans into my neck sucking harshly on my skin. Pulling away he says, “I can see you’re feisty as fuck and love to disobey.”

“Mmm-hmm.”

“Then let this be a lesson. Now you’ll have to wait. Trust me, Bridge, this isn’t something I want to do. I want to know what your nipples look like, taste like, and feel like. I wanna know what my mouth wrapped around them does to your body. But
you
made breakfast plans that we
have
to go to, so this is your fault.”

“It’s not for like an hour,” I dispute.

“Dammit, Bridgette, I’m gonna need far more than an hour with you. You might as well pencil me in for a full day and I don’t even know if that’s enough.”

I stare back at him with uncertainty, trying to comprehend his words. “A full day?” I ask baffled. I couldn’t imagine having sex with someone more than once a day. I’ve certainly never done so.

“Yes, a full day. Maybe more, I don’t know. Once I start, it’s hard to stop. Since I’ve met you, you’ve clouded my mind. You’re all I think about. I don’t know how many times it’s gonna take to satisfy this craving.”

“Wait…you what?”

“You heard me. My cock’s been hard for weeks; I need to be able to take my time.”

“So when can I pencil you in?”

“God, you’re bad and I love it,” he says squeezing my ass.

“You’re bad,” I counter back.

“Let’s change the subject before I fuck you on the floor and we miss breakfast, okay?” he orders.

I pout and walk into my room to change. He follows me in and asks, “So is Alexa your only sibling?”

“No. I have a younger brother too. His name is Lincoln. What about you? Just your sister?”

“Uh-huh. So tell me who is Bridgette?”

“I’m simple. I’m who you see.”

“You’re more than simple.”

“I don’t know, I guess I’m a bit more complicated,” I say, taking a deep breath.

“You don’t like to talk about yourself do you?”

My phone rings interrupting our conversation. I glance down at it and see David’s picture on the screen. Instinctively I ignore the call and toss it on the bed. I don’t know what to say, so I search through my clothes for something to wear.

“Was that David?” he asks.

Nodding my head I pull my eyes up and connect them with Troy’s. He stands and pulls my chin up to face him.

“Let me answer his call next time.”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea. We talked about it last night; I think it’ll make him even more crazy.”

“Bridge, it’s gotta be better than seeing you upset like this. Look at the effect he has on you.”

“Trust me, I don’t want him calling me.”

“Just think about it, okay? I’ll even call him on my own, if you want.” I contemplate Troy’s words and am a little caught off by his persistence to want to talk to David. Maybe I should hand him my phone the next time David calls. God, this is not what I want to be thinking about as I stand next to the sex god himself.

I decided to push away all thoughts of David. I turned my phone off and am not going to think about him. What I am going to think about is Troy, and what we are going to do later. I can’t help, but be turned on as I watch him maneuver his silver four-door Jeep Wrangler. I love how he controls it – he’s so patient, yet every move he makes is dynamically calculated to get us quickly and safely to my sister’s. Then you add how he’s dressed in a pair of dark jeans and a white linen shirt with the sleeves rolled up, and don’t even get me started with how good he smells. We stopped by his place so he could get changed and I about died when he walked downstairs.

“Do you think we should stop and grab a bottle of champagne or something?” he asks, as his left hand tightly grips the wheel and turns a corner.

“If we were going anywhere else other than my sister’s I would say yes, but they have a full bar.”

“Ahh, I see. My kind of people,” he jokes.

Troy glances over at me momentarily as we stop at a light and glides his right hand off of the center console and directly between my legs. He clutches my left thigh, holding it tightly. His grip is firm and so high on the inside of my leg that his hand is resting against my sex. I love that he’s content with the simple things, like cuddling and making out. Don’t get me wrong – I want more, so much more – but it’s nice that he appreciates the small things too. I have to keep the conversation platonic in order to keep my crazy, sex-filled mind under control. “I love your Jeep. Have you had it long?”

“Thanks. About six months. We should take it up four-wheeling. Have you ever been?”

“No, but it sounds fun.”

He begins rubbing his fingers deftly on my sensitive skin and grazes my underwear. “It is. I think the best part is the view once you reach the top. You can see all the snow-capped mountains. I know a trail that no one else goes to. It’s on my family’s property.”

Stay calm, Bridgette.
“I…I would love that. Maybe you could schedule me in for twenty-four hours?”