Torn (The McKerricks Book 1) (7 page)

Surely it
’s been given to the wrong address, but there my name is scrawled in black ink, in a slightly wobbly hand. With a frown I tuck it under my arm and head up the elevator. Once I am in my condo, I pull the long cardboard curiosity out from under my arm, and with a shrug open the cap.

There is a rolled poster, and a small card inside the tube, I examine the contents of the card first. The moment my eyes make contact with the scrawling print, I know I should shove all this crap back in the tube, and throw it in the trash. I
know
I should, but it’s like watching a train wreck, you don’t just…
look away
.

‘
Your sister said you were curious - H’

I flip the card over in my hand, but that is all that is written on the smooth white surface. Bringing it to my nose like some weird kind of addict, I can almost imagine I can smell her. Taste her. The scent of cinnamon and vanilla cling to the card like perfume, and the shudder runs through my body unchecked. After that my hands are shaking as I set the top corners of the poster under some odds and ends on my coffee table and begin slowly unrolling it.

It’s like unwrapping a present, slowly seeing the image of Henley getting revealed as I unfurl the poster further. It’s black and white, and Henley is younger, but her brunette curls are just as wild and her eyes just as piercing. The image is of her shirtless back to the camera, her head tilted toward the camera wearing nothing but a low slung pair of jeans and that damnable smile, with her forearm’s tied up in lace. And there on her shoulder was a roaring lion inked into her skin. My eyes instantly begin scanning for any more tattoo’s, but the only other ones I can find is a bio hazard symbol behind her left ear, and the words ‘Fake it ‘till you make it’ written on her inner arm.

“
She has tattoo’s… of course she does,” I exhale angrily. At the sight of all her bared flesh, my dick finally decides to come to life. With a groan I drop my head to the back of the sofa, and glare balefully at the poster of a smirking Henley.

My hand moves of it
’s own accord, unzipping my pants and slowly stroking my dick from base to tip and back again. I let out a hoarse groan, as my hand begins stroking faster and harder. I can’t begin to get my mind to wrap around the fact that I’m jerking off to a photo, so I don’t even try. I just keep my eyes on the smooth skin, and the swell at her hips, the edge of those perfect round breasts, hidden as she turns from the camera. Fuck. With a groan my eyes snap shut, and my orgasm claims me. I am in control of my world. I have always been in control. But somehow this little brunette has taken it from me.

I stand with a growl, and wipe my hands off on some tissues, all the while glaring at the stupid poster. I snatch up the poster and the cardboard tube intent on throwing it away and fucking Henley out of my system with whoever, however I can get it, even if I have to postpone work to do it, when the label on the cardboard tube catches my eye.

There in stark black letters is a return address. Game on little author.

Chapter 7

I
knew
it was a bad idea. I mean I had the idea after I drank a little too much whiskey, how many good ideas can you have when you’ve had too much whiskey? Not many. So even though I was up all night thinking this idea. Even though I was in my office all day telling myself it was a bad idea. Even though I
know
this is a bad idea. I’m still here, sitting in Henley’s driveway.

I should have noticed the moment it said Snoqualmie that Henley wasn
’t what I thought she was, wasn’t who I thought she was. But it didn’t register until I was sitting in her driveway. In her definitely not apartment in the city driveway. She’s not an apartment girl. She’s a… middle of the woods, in the fucking mountains, kind of girl. That scares me. That scares me more than finding out she had tattoos when I didn’t even think she was a tattoo kind of girl. But here I am anyways.

It
’s dark around her house. There aren’t any outside lights on and seeing as we are quite literally in the middle of nowhere, I guess that’s expected. I’ve never been out of posh urban centers so I’m not really sure, the wilderness is Aiden’s thing. In fact Henley seems like she is perfect for Aiden, she’s a romantic woodsy voodoo gypsy. As soon as the thought forms, my body instinctively revolts against it. It must be hatred, hate for Henley or this whole situation, because what else could make my heart turn over on itself as pain lances through me at the thought of how well they would get along, and what else could cause such twisting nausea.

Before I know what I
’m doing anger at the thought of them, spurs me out of the car towards a very, very bad idea. I tread lightly up her steps, until I’m standing at the door, waiting. For what I don’t know, but I had a few… maybe several, shots of whiskey while I was waiting in her driveway, and honestly I’m tired of waiting. So going along with my very bad idea, I knock, hard. The door is practically rattling on its hinges and I don’t know what’s worse my anger, or my desire. Because I do desire. I want. And the celibate thing just isn’t for me so I’m going to have to break the rules, at least until I’m done wanting. My stupid drunk hand finally stops smashing itself against her door, and there is only a small hesitation before I hear the lock click and the door cracks open.

Henley looks so small, and so nervous as she peers out the door, and I move further into the light so she can see me better, and there is a slight buzzing come from the other side of the door. Her brunette curls are pulled up into a messy bun and she isn
’t wearing a drop of makeup.

“
Oh,” she sighs out letting the door open a little further, revealing her pink flannel pajamas with bunnies on them. They should be so illegal. They should be so ugly, but somehow a unmade up Henley is even better than when she has put effort into her looks.

“
Let me in,” I growl out. My voice is heavy and thick, and if I was as small as she was I would bar the door and call the cops.

“
Or what?”

I don
’t have time to play this shit, I don’t want to play this shit. I just want to get to the naked parts, so I grab the edge of the door and shove my way in. Henley has two choices, get trampled or get out of the way. She’s a smart girl, she backs up.

I close the door roughly behind me, and click the lock into place. I don
’t want to get interrupted. The buzzing stops and I turn back to face her, and she is putting a small Taser away in the table by the door.

“
A Taser? Really? That’s why I hate the fucking woods.”

“
I thought you were someone else,” she replies laughing softly. “What brings you out to my neck of the woods stranger?”

“
Don’t even act like you don’t know why I’m here, like you didn’t fucking invite me,” I respond angrily, that same feeling coiling around in my insides, as I take a step toward her.

For every step I take she takes one back, until I
’ve taken all the steps I need to and her perfect little ass is pressed against her sofa, my painfully hard cock pressing against her stomach, holding her in place. Her breaths are coming in tiny little pants, and it’s a wonder she isn’t hyperventilating.

“
You’re wrong,” she whispers softly. “My body may want you here, but I do not.”

“
That makes two of us then,” I snarl out, “but until I’ve fucked you out of my system, I think it’s a mute fucking point where either one of us wants the other to be.”

She
’s shivering now, and I don’t know why I’m being such an ass. I know I can woo her. I know I can make this good for both of us at least until we get over it, but I can’t bring myself to say anything nice. I want. I’m horny, and it’s making me pissy, so I just glare down at her, wanting this to be all her fault when I know it is just as much mine.

“
Listen, I know you don’t know me and I know chicks like romance or whatever, but I’m not that guy okay? I fuck. I like to fuck. I like to fuck daily. And I haven’t been able to fuck anything but my hand since you got ahold of me so we need to work this out, because I need to get off.”

“
And it’s all about you is it?” Her green eyes are angry now, snapping fire, and damned if I didn’t miss the pissy attitude.

“
Name your terms then little author.”

“
I don’t have any terms, because I shouldn’t want this. I shouldn’t want you.”

“
But you do anyways,” I sigh trailing my fingers over the soft skin along her cheeks. She looks so angry standing there with her arms crossed staring down, staring…

“
Hey,” I laugh out softly, “Are you seriously staring at my dick right now?”

She lets out a soft sigh before dragging her eyes up,
“It’s a really nice dick, but you might want to back up or you’re going to get hurt.”

“
Oh?” I reply leaning farther forward until she is forced to tilt her head even further to look me in the eyes.

“
Well you’ve been loud and belligerent and now you’ve woken up Mr. Darcy, so yes, I’d back up.”

“
Who the fuck is Mr. Darcy?” I ask as my stomach does that weird flipping constricting thing again.

She just turns her eyes a little bit past me, so I turn around ready to fight her boyfriend or something outrageous, and there, glaring quite balefully at me. No, like literally looking down his nose at me, has got to be the ugliest dog I
’ve ever seen. At least I think it’s a dog… probably. His head is tilted back, and he is looking almost haughty, even his scraggly wiry in every direction hair seems to scream superiority.

“
So sorry Mr. Darcy, I got sidetracked.” She slips out from behind me, and heads toward the kitchen, where she fills a bowl with what appears to be rice and meat, before setting it down on the floor. The dog walks over and looks at it, before turning his superior gaze on Henley.

“
Don’t look at me like that,” she huffs out. Is she really arguing with a dog? “It’s not like you’ve never fucked a tramp either.”

I start to smile at their interaction, it
’s cute how she cares for this horribly ugly thing, when I realize I’m the tramp, and a frown replaces my almost smiling face. Not that it’s not true, but Henley’s acknowledgment of it is unsettling, I don’t want her to think I’m a tramp… I just enjoy a good time.

“
Where were we?” she asks dusting her flannel pajamas, before turning back to me.

“
I believe you were about to agree to my terms unconditionally, and then get naked.” I try my most charming grin, I try to put her at ease, because I really can be nice. And since so far she has been accommodating even though I’ve been a horny unruly ass, I try really hard to be nice.

“
Well I know for a fact I wasn’t about to get naked, and I’m pretty sure I wasn’t about to agree to your terms either.”

“
Henley,” I sigh out softly, the words come out like a wanton whisper, as I slowly work my way toward her. I want her to come to me. I don’t know why that’s important but it is. I want her to choose me, like taming a wild animal. But if I have to play dirty and underhanded to get that I will. Even if I’ll only want her for a little while. Because eventually this burning need has got to wear off right? So I touch her face gently and turn her eyes up to mine. Because I know she can feel it. I know she can. And if I’m going to break the rule of sleeping with her more than once I might as well break the others.

So I skim my lips against her throat, I skim them up to her jaw. Her body is taut and unmoving beneath my hands, the only indicator she is still with me is the sharp short breaths, as I finally drag my lips across her skin and against her own lips.

She’s broken then, her body arching up into my hands, her lips parted and insistent, and I don’t know why the hell I didn’t do this before. Why the hell I denied myself this, because her lips were definitely made for more that sucking my cock, they were made for kissing. Soft, supple, full, everything lips should be. I dart my tongue out against them, and she accepts it willingly. The taste of her soft, sweet, I knew it would be, as I explore her deeper than I have explored anyone. Ever.

Her small hands are dragging against my skin, fisting in my hair, she seems as unable to stay still as I am. I hold her to me, use her to support me, because this feels so good, I don
’t think I can support myself.

I don
’t know how long we stand there like that, me supporting her as we kiss each other like we are dying, but eventually I want
more
. So my hands skim down her body tracing lightly over her covered breasts, and reach for the hem of her shirt to begin unbuttoning it. It’s that moment she freezes, and I know I’ve lost her as she puts her hands on my chest and pushes me back.

“
The shirt stays on.”

I try and focus my thoughts through the haze of desire coating them, and just look down on her in silence.

“You can unbutton it or whatever, but it stays on. No questions. Got it?”

I glare down at her because I really wanted her naked, but I need to fuck her more than I want to see her, so I keep my mouth closed. At least with an open shirt I can still get ahold of her tits. Call me callous, but they looked so perfect before I don
’t care about to much else right now but getting to her perfect tits, so my hands are pulling at the buttons trying to expose as much of her skin as fast as I can, before she comes to her senses, before either of us come to our senses.