Renewed (Awakened #2) (13 page)

“Hold onto the porch,” he demanded as he began gently kissing me, trailing down to my neck. I moaned in appreciation as his hands ventured around my body with ease.

I loved caring Stefan.

He pushed himself into me with ease and captured my moan with his mouth as he slipped his tongue inside my mouth. He gently thrust inside of me, finding a slow rhythm and taking his time.

“God, I love you.” He pushed my hair out of the way as his thumb and first finger grabbed my chin. “You are so beautiful, baby.” He pulled my lips back to his. I couldn’t even answer him; I was so overcome with emotion. A huge lump formed in the back of my throat as I pushed the tears away.

Don’t cry. Don’t cry!

“Please, stay with me forever,” he said with another thrust into me.

“I’m yours forever and ever, baby.” The tears began falling from my eyes. In this moment, he was
my
Dominant—my caring, controlling, beautiful Stefan. No one could tear us apart. I was made for him. Every detail was for him, and I could never live my life without him in it.

I leaned my head back against the porch as he drove into me one final time.

“Together,” he groaned as we fell apart at the seams together. He gently rocked his hips into mine as we came down.

“Shower?” He leaned down and nuzzled my nose with his.

“Shower,” I agreed.

 
Stefan helped me onto to the ladder and climbed up after me. After we were both on the porch he picked me up, pulling me into his chest.

“I love you forever and eight days,” I said as I snuggled into his chest.

“I love you forever and nine days,” he said as he put me in the shower.

After a quick, hot shower, Stefan laid me down in bed, pulling the covers up over us. As we listened to the wave’s crash around the bungalow, Stefan pulled me into him and kissed my neck.

“Tomorrow, you’ll be Jennifer Long.” His hot breath on my ear sent electricity through my body. “But tonight, you sleep. I’ve had my way with you today, lady.”

I nodded in agreement as I let sleep take me. There was no way I could do that again tomorrow.

I was sure he had broken me.

Chapter Eleven

Tap, tap
.

What the hell?

Tap, tap, tap, tap
.

What was that?

Stefan was sprawled across me as I rubbed my eyes and opened them, scanning the room. It was still dark outside, and the salty smell of the ocean filled out bedroom.

Tap, tap
.

What the hell was that noise?

I tried to slid out from underneath Stefan’s hold, but he covered my entire body with him. I wiggled underneath him, pausing and holding my breath anytime he moved. I finally got out from underneath him. He was gorgeous even when he was sacked out and sprawled across the king sized bed.

Tap, tap
.

I walked around the bed to the door leading to the living room where I heard the tap again.

Tap, tap
.

Was that coming from the front door?

Tap, tap.

“Jennifer, come on!”

I opened the door to find Kennedy in black running shorts and a bright pink sports bra. “Hey there…Jay bird,” she whispered.

“Jay Bird?”

“Ever heard the phrase, naked as a Jay bird?”

Oh, fuck me!
I slowly looked down…just as I had expected. I’m naked as a
fucking
Jay bird.

“Oh shit!” I almost yelled. I ran off back into the bedroom. Oh God!

“Come on!” Kennedy half whispered, half yelled from the living room. My eyes quickly darted to Stefan; he was still sprawled out across the bed—naked—and his tone, fine ass begged me to come back to bed and put my teeth marks all over him.

“Are you coming?” Kennedy asked from the doorway.

“Coming…coming,” I whispered loudly as I scooted her out.
Nobody saw my man’s perfect ass but me!

I riffled through my suitcase and found a pair of comfy shorts and a tank top with a built-in bra. I swept my hair up off my neck and put it in a high, messy bun on top of my hair. I slipped on my flip flops, spritzed some body spray, and walked out into the living room.

“What do you want?” I asked Kennedy now that I was dressed and could have an honest conversation with her.

“I want you to come with me,” she said, walking towards the door.

I walk over to a side table and grab a pad of paper and pen from the drawer. “Hang on.” I whisper to Kennedy.

Kennedy kidnapped me, I’ll be back soon. Don’t worry.

-J

I set the paper down and slid out the door with Kennedy, gently closing it. I hoped Stefan wouldn’t wake up before I got back.

“What time is it?” I asked as we walked down the walkway towards the beach.

“Almost three in the morning.”

“Why am I awake?” I asked her as we stepped off the walkway.
And
where are we going?

“I need to talk to you…”

“About?”

“Come on.”

We walked down the beach towards the ocean, then sat down and took off our sandals; Kennedy laid back and rested her hands on her tummy; we gazed at the dark sky with bright stars twinkling. You could hear the waves crashing on the beach, barely skimming our toes.

“Ever wonder what the sky would look like with no stars?” Kennedy asked. “I mean, just a blank, dark sky.”

“Uh, no. I have never wondered that.”
Where is this going?

“You are my star…my bright star in a black, dull sky. I have never wondered what my life would be like if you weren’t in it.” She kept looking at the sky, but reached out one hand to grab mine.

“Kennedy, what’s going on?”

“Nothing.” She turned her head to face mine. “You’re getting married later today, so I just wanted to make sure I told you how special you are to me. I wish everyone could have a best friend like you.” She smiled at me.

Don’t cry!

“Kennedy, I’m still the same person.”

“It’s not that, Jen. It’s not just going to be me and you anymore. Stefan is going to be there…and pretty soon you’re spawn will be here too.”

She was right, but she was still my best friend, my sister, and nothing would change that.

I squeezed her hand, both of us looking at each other. “I love you,” I whispered.

“I love you too,” she whispered as she looked up at the sky.

Truth was I missed her. Sometimes I missed her more than I was willing to admit. She was crazy, but she was
my
crazy best friend;
my
sister. Nobody got me like she did, and no matter how much I loved Stefan, how much I adored him, nobody could ever top Kennedy.

She had saved me. She had taken me in when my world crashed down around me, and she’d never left my side, never made me question our friendship. She’d accepted me for me, and I’d been grateful for her ever since.

“I’m scared,” I whispered after a long time.

“About what?” Kennedy asked as she sat up, folding her legs underneath her.

“Marrying Stefan.” I sat up with her.

“Why?”

“What if I’m doomed to be my parents? I can’t handle that.”

“Jennifer, what makes you say that? You two are perfect together!”

“I don’t know.” I dropped my head and started playing with the sand. “I just saw what my parents went through, and sometimes I wonder if that’ll be us after the newly married affect wears off. If we’ll will fight all the time and end up hating each other.” I looked back up at her to find her studying me.

“I know love when I see it, Jen. The electricity between you two is love, raw love. You can see it every time he looks at you. It’s like looking at the most beautiful thing in the world. His eyes sparkle, and he looks like he’s…home.”

“He is home for me. I feel like he is exactly where I belong.”

“Then what’s the hold up?” she asked.

“I’m just waiting for him to leave me. To break my heart.”

“Ever think that maybe he’s not leaving? That maybe, just maybe, he loves you and wants to be here? Why do you always expect the worst from everyone?”

“Because, if I expect the worst in everyone they can’t ever let me down.” I wouldn’t cry, no matter how much my confession hurt.

“Stop listening to your head, Jennifer. Listen to your heart. If you’re completely, madly, and head over heels in love with him, then follow it. What’s the hold up?”

She was right. Oh God
, she was right!
I always read too far into things; worried about the outcome. Kennedy, on the other hand, always jumped head first into everything she did without giving it a second thought.

“No hold up here.”

“Balls to the wall.”

She smiled, standing to her feet, brushing the sand off her backside. I stood to my feet, laughing, and grabbed my sandals before we started walking towards the walkway.

“We better get you back before big giant wakes up and starts looking for you.” Kennedy said as we stepped up on the walkway. She was right; all hell would break lose if he woke up and I wasn’t there.

The cool, salty air whipped around us as we started for our bungalows. I knew I would not be going back to sleep, so I decided I would put on my bathing suit and sit in the bath tub outside to watch the sunrise when I got back.

Kennedy paused and pulled me in for a tight hug. “I’ll see you tonight.” She pulled back and smiled before we went our separate ways. I gently opened the door just enough to slip through, then closed it quietly, letting out a long breath. I turned around and slammed into a six foot four inch wall of lean, hard muscle.

“Where have you been?” His voice was laced with sleep.

I tried to take a step back, but Stefan wrapped his arms around my waist. I looked up at him; his caramel eyes were dark, and he was waiting for an answer.

“I was just sitting on the beach with Kennedy. Didn’t you get my note?”

With his other hand, he lifted the note to the side of him. “I had a bad dream.”

“I’m sorry.”

“I woke up to an empty bed, and I thought my nightmare was true.” He pulled me closer to him.

“I’m right here.”

“But you weren’t
right here
. I panicked. I was running all over the place looking for you before I finally saw the note. Don’t ever do that to me again.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Kiss me.” He dropped the note to the floor and wrapped his other hand around me. I leaned up on my tippy toes, dropped my sandals to the floor, and wrapped my arms around his neck. I locked my lips with his, letting him pick me up off the floor.

 
“Now we make love,” he said as walked into our room.
Life After You
by Daugherty was serenading me.

He laid me down on the bed, peeling off my shorts and tank top. “No underwear?” He grinned as he began kissing my neck.

“None,” I whispered into his shoulder as I began nibbling on his soft skin.

“God, you turn me on.”

He dropped passionate kisses on my chest, getting closer to my breast. He sucked one nipple in his mouth, and I moved my hands to glide through his hair, pulling as I moaned out in pleasure. He leaned over and took my other nipple in his mouth, causing both of them to stretch out to their peak.

“Stefan,” I moaned as he pulled his face back up to mine.

“We shouldn’t do this…” He trailed off as I pulled his lips onto mine, sucking and biting on his bottom lip.

“What?”

He pulled himself up with his arms beside me. “This is our wedding day. We should wait until after.”

“After what?” I was trying to pull his body back down to mine. I felt cold without him connected to me, warming my insides.

“After the ceremony.”

“You want to wait, we will wait.”
No, we wouldn’t
. Could Stefan ever say no to me? Could I ever say no to him?

He moved as I crawled out from underneath him. The sun was rising, casting a beautiful pink and orange glow over the turquoise ocean., and the air was cool, scented with the ocean and a slight damp in the air.

I picked up one of my suitcases and walked over to the bathroom, completely naked.

Ha! Resist me…yeah, right
.

I closed the door behind me and leaned my body against the door, panting. God, that man could do wonders to my body.

I walked over to the sink, rested my hands on the counter top, and looked at myself in the mirror. I was a little red from spending time out in the sun, and my face was a little flushed, but that was expected after my god had his mouth all over my nipples. I was glowing. My long, black hair was up high on my head, so I reached up and pulled it down, letting it fall around my shoulders. I looked like a hot mess.