Kicked (18 page)

I snagged the food and the juice. “I love bagels.”

“Yeah?” He dropped his gaze.

I took a big bite as I followed him to his front door. “And this is my favorite flavor of cream cheese.”

“Good to know.” He walked around the kitchen island and toward the front door.

I took in his spacious apartment. The living room was full of leather furniture, a big-screen TV, and a plush rug that I wanted to run my hand across.

He opened the door and led me out, then closed it behind him and locked it. We rode the elevator down to his car, and the drive to my dorm was less than ten minutes. I ate my bagel and downed the last of my juice as he parked.

“I’ll wait here for you and drive you to practice. It’s faster that way.”

I opened the door, a blast of cool air whipping into the warm car, then turned to him. “Come on up. I don’t mind.”

The corner of his mouth twitched into a smile, and he killed the engine. “Sure.”

Brandy waved us through and gave Trent a wink. I pretended I didn’t see it and climbed the two flights of stairs to my floor. Trent walked behind me, his presence making my skin warm and my mind wander. I fumbled with the keys, but managed to make it into my room without dropping them.

Trent followed and closed the door behind him. Ellie was out, but had left a half-eaten piece of peanut butter toast on her bed, crumbs and all.

I walked to my closet and picked out a t-shirt, athletic pants, and fresh underwear. Ellie’s dress had served me well over the last day and a half, but I was ready to be rid of it.

“Just make yourself at home.” I turned as Trent sat at the foot of my bed. He watched me, never taking his eyes from me as I strode to the bathroom. “I’ll shower and dress right quick.”

“I’ll be here. We’re making good time. Practice doesn’t start for another forty-five minutes.” He lay back and tucked his hands under his head, his broad back taking up almost all my double bed.

A shock of need shot through between my thighs, and I scissored my legs to fight the sensation. He followed the movement and licked his lips.

“I’m just going to shower. Yeah.” I hurried into the bathroom and closed the door behind me.

“What are you doing?” I whispered to myself, though the scolding did nothing to chill my need for Trent. He’d looked like a jungle cat lounging on my bed.

After peeling off the dress, I took a short shower to wash off the stress of the past few days. Halfway through, my fingers dipped to my pussy as I thought of Trent laid out on my bed. God, why did he have to be so gorgeous? I stroked myself a few times before forcing my fingers to stop. He might hear, and I couldn’t bear the thought of him busting me touching myself in the shower.

I dried off, put on fresh clothes, and wrapped my towel around my wet hair. When I opened the door, he was in the same position, but his eyes were trained on me.

“Better?” He let his gaze travel the length of my body.      

“Much. Thanks.” My nipples tingled and hardened. “I just need to get some socks.”

I walked past Trent to my bedside table and opened the bottom drawer. He shifted on the bed, and when I turned around, he was sitting up.

My heart raced at his nearness, but I tried to play it off by sitting next to him and pulling on my socks. I could sense how focused he was on me, and the knowledge sent a tingle over my skin. I finished and pulled the towel from my hair.

“I think I’m ready.” I met his eyes, our arms lightly touching as we sat beside each other.

“Are you?” He leaned in and kissed me.

I trembled as he put one palm on my cheek. His mouth was hot, and he used his tongue on my lips, seeking entry. I closed my eyes as he snaked an arm around my waist and pulled me close.

He took my breath, and I clutched at his shoulders as he slanted his mouth over mine. When I opened for him, he groaned and sank his tongue inside, licking and tasting me as he slowly lowered me to the bed. So many thoughts tried to barge their way to the forefront of my mind—what had happened two years ago, what he’d said two nights ago, and everything in-between. I pushed them all away and focused on him.

He broke our kiss and stared down at me. “Cordy.” His voice was drawn tight, and his pupils dilated until only a sliver of light green remained. “I don’t think I can stop if we start this. Understand? I want you so bad it hurts. But I don’t want to do anything you don’t want me to.”

My heartbeat thundered in my ears, and I made a decision. It was foolish, reckless—especially given our past and my inexperience. I didn’t care. I leaned up and kissed him. It was a light caress of my lips against his, but it set off a tidal wave of need from him. He crashed down on top of me, pinning me beneath him as he settled between my legs.

I wrapped my arms around his neck as he kissed me hard, his tongue demanding, and his hands roving down my sides. I shivered beneath his touch. He claimed me with each swirl of his tongue, each delicious taste. I had never been kissed like this. He didn’t hold back; there was no tentative opening salvo, only pure possession. I reveled in it and ran my hand through his hair, tangling my fingers and tugging softly as he deepened our kiss. My blood was on fire, and my core tightened as his big body pressed down against mine.

He broke our kiss, and I gasped for air when he trailed his mouth down my neck. I squirmed as he licked and sucked along my throat. It verged on a tickling feeling until he sucked my skin between his teeth and bit lightly. The sensation jolted down my body and landed between my thighs.

When he grabbed the hem of my shirt, I froze. What if he didn’t like my body? He’d seen my breasts, but not the rest of me.

“I want to feel you. All of you.” His voice was gravelly. “Here. I’ll go first.” He stripped his shirt off, showing me the golden expanse of skin and rippling muscles that made my mouth water. “Your turn.”

I gripped his wrists as he tugged at my shirt. He stared down at me with a heated look, his face flushed and his eyes fixed on me.

“Do you trust me?” He ran his fingertips along my stomach, my flesh quivering at his touch.

Everything in our past screamed at me to say no. Instead, I told the truth. “Yes.” I relaxed my grip and lay my hands to the side.

He swallowed hard, his Adam’s apple bobbing, and lifted my shirt. He peeled it off, then hitched his fingers beneath my sports bra. Without taking my eyes from his, I lifted my arms, and with a swift tug, he pulled it free. I lay beneath him, my breasts on full display, my nipples hard and jutting to the ceiling.

“Fuck me.” He stared. “Perfect. So fucking perfect.”

My cheeks heated, and my hands itched to cover my bare skin. I forced myself to stay still. And the longer he stared, the more erotic the moment became. The look in his eyes was predatory, dark, and full of a desire I was desperate to taste.

He eased his hands up my stomach and cupped each of my breasts. When he squeezed, a moan lofted from my throat.

“Jesus, Cordy.” He ran his thumbs across my nipples. Back and forth several times, each swipe was a new flame added to the fire raging between my thighs.

He bent his head to my left breast. When his tongue hit my stiff peak, my back arched, and I gripped his shoulders. He wrapped his lips around my nipple and sucked while squeezing both breasts with his hands.

“Trent, oh my God.” I writhed as he sucked and nipped at first one breast and then the other. His tongue was wicked, flicking and licking until the tension between my thighs had me writhing.

When he relented and kissed to my mouth, I sighed and ran my hands down his chiseled back. He settled his hips against me for the first time, his hard length pressing against my thigh. Fear erupted in my mind, but it was quickly quelled by the passion of his mouth, the all-encompassing pleasure of his kiss. My breasts pressed against his chest, the skin-on-skin contact sizzling every nerve ending.

He kissed down my chest, between my breasts, along my shuddering stomach, and stopped at the edge of my pants. I gripped my blanket and closed my eyes as he tucked his fingers in my waistband.

“Look at me. I want you to watch.” His low voice was like velvet.

I bit my bottom lip and forced my eyes open. He had a devilish look in his eyes as he pulled my pants down my legs, then stripped my socks and tossed it all on the floor. He kissed my ankle and ran his lips up my calf, lingered on my knee, and kissed up my thigh. It tickled at first, but the closer he came to my panties, the sensation fermented into something far more intoxicating. He repeated it with my other leg until he knelt between my legs and ran his fingertips up and down my hips, plucking at my panties.

He licked his lips. “I’ve dreamed about this for so long.” The tremble in his voice raised goosebumps along my skin.

“Me too.” My voice was barely a whisper.

He closed his eyes, as if he were savoring the flavor of my words. Giving the cotton a tug, he dropped his gaze to my pussy. I took a deep breath and lifted my hips. He eased my panties down, and I bent my knees and put my legs together so he could pull them off.

“Show me.” He ran his hands up my legs and put gentle pressure on my knees, pushing them apart. “Slowly.”

I opened for him, my heart in my throat and my body on fire.

He groaned as I let my legs fall open, then smoothed his palms down the insides of my thighs. He rested his hands in the crease where my legs met my hips, as if framing my most intimate parts.

“So fucking sexy.” He leaned down, and when his breath swept across my hot, wet skin, I dug my nails into the sheets.

He scooted down in the bed, his face hovering over my dark curls. “Has anyone ever tasted you?”

“No.” My legs shook as he wrapped his palms around my thighs and stared up at me.

“I’m the only one.” When his tongue connected, I cried out from the overwhelming rush of pleasure. He licked again, the broad side of his tongue lapping at me. “The only one who will ever know what you taste like.”

I stared down at him, almost disbelieving that Trent Carrington was between my thighs. But when he sucked my clit, I became a believer.

“Trent!” I gripped his hair, and he smiled up at me before diving back down, burying his face in my pussy.

He licked and sucked, his tongue doing things I didn’t even know were possible. A chain reaction of tiny explosions worked their way from my clit to deep inside me. Trent didn’t stop, only pulled my thighs apart farther and covered me with his mouth.

I began rocking my hips, grinding my pussy on his face as my breath caught in my throat. He focused his tongue at just the right spot. I could feel the excitement cresting, the wave ready to break. He sank two fingers inside me, and I bit my arm to cover the low moan that escaped me as I came. The pleasure broke me into a million pieces, all of them shooting skyward and turning to ash under the heat of his tongue.

When my hips finally found the bed again, I was covered with sweat. Trent kept pulsing his fingers in and out of me, his tongue licking my too-sensitive nub in a leisurely caress.

“Trent!” I tried to shy away from him, but he licked harder. “Please, oh my God.” I gasped in breath after breath.

He grinned and rose onto his knees.

The door handle jiggled, and Trent tensed.

“Shit, it’s Ellie.” I reached for the blanket to cover myself.

I yanked it to my neck just as the door swung open. Ellie walked in and stopped, her eyebrows raised in shock.

The door almost closed behind her, then opened again. Landon froze in the doorway, and then the shouting began.

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

C
ORDY

L
ANDON PUSHED PAST A
stunned Ellie. “You motherfucker!”

Trent put a steadying hand on my hip as Landon stood over us, his hands clenched into fists.

“Please don’t tell me you gave it to him.” Landon’s voice was soft but lethal. He smelled like a keg, his hair was mussed, and some obvious hickeys dotted his neck.

Trent straightened his back. “That’s none of your busines—”

“I wasn’t talking to you!” Landon’s yell ricocheted off the walls of the room. He stared down at me, the awkwardness growing with each second. “Did you?”

“Landon, please leave.” I tried to keep my tone even, but the hurt and anger in his eyes constricted my heart.

“You did.” His face fell. “He didn’t deserve it. He’s just going to use you and throw you away.”

“That’s your M.O., not mine.” Trent made sure the blanket was tucked around me, then stood. “She’s asked you to leave.” He stepped toward Landon until both men were nose to nose.

Ellie leaned against the door frame and fanned herself with her hand.

“I know who you are, Trent.” Landon seethed with anger. “You aren’t fooling me.”

“Either you walk out of here, or I’ll drag you out. Your choice.”

I sat up and clutched the blanket to my chest. “Landon, go.” I put as much authority into my voice as I could.

“You’re choosing him over me?” Landon’s voice shook.

“It’s not like that. You and I are friends. Trent and I—”

“Are fuck buddies now?” Landon kept his eyes on Trent.

I glanced at Ellie, then back to Landon. “What are you even doing here? Why are you with Ellie?”

“Don’t try and turn this around on me!”

I focused on Ellie. “Were you with Landon last night?”

She didn’t look at me, but answered slowly. “We went to a party at the KA house and fell asleep in one of the rooms there.”

“Together? You slept together?” I pointed a finger at her. “And you know what I’m asking.”

“Yeah.” She shrugged.

I flicked my gaze back to Landon, his hypocrisy raising my blood to a steady boil. “Get out.”

He finally broke his staring match with Trent and looked at me. “That’s not the same—”

“Go!”

He flinched at the anger in my voice. I couldn’t remember a time when I’d been this livid with him. His whoring ways and over-the-top antics had never bothered me before. But I wasn’t about to let him stand in judgment of my choices, especially not after all the women he’d been through.