Chapter 14
Are you fucking kidding me? Before I could think twice, I was leaving work. I texted Myles and told him to get a ride.?There was no way I was going to be productive with a raging hard-on in my pants for the rest of the day.
What a fucking turn of events since last night. I went from being worried and stressed out of my mind to exhausted and horny as fuck.
With a white-knuckled grip, my hands wrapped around the steering wheel as I raced home. My cock was throbbing, and I couldn’t think straight. Where the fuck did that come from? Texting Paige was a complete one-eighty from last night. I never would have thought I’d leave work to go home and masturbate. But fuck it, there was a first time for everything.
When I opened my phone to that picture of her stunning face and my fucking hoodie on her perfect body, I about lost it. I’d forever be grateful that I told her to keep my hoodie, because I wasn’t lying when I said it looked better on her. She could be wearing anything, and I wouldn’t think any differently about her, but something about it being my clothing had this feeling of possessiveness wash over me.
My mind was consumed by every dirty thought imaginable as I stood in the steaming hot shower.?With my left hand pressed firmly against the subway tiles on the shower wall, my right hand found my cock. The all-consuming thoughts of Paige had me hard as stone. I wasn’t going to feel guilty about the images running through my mind. She had to know I was going to jerk off after she pulled that little stunt.?
This was all supposed to be just fun and games. I was supposed to help her with her psycho ex-boyfriend and that's it. But the moment she walked back into town, I haven’t been able to get her off my mind. She was meshed so deep into my head that those thoughts were only growing. What started out innocent was now this urge to have her. To see what she tasted like. What she felt like.
My hand wrapped around my cock, but in my mind, it was her warm mouth and plump lips gripping me. Paige was on her knees wearing only my hoodie as she looked up at me with those greedy, lust-filled eyes. My eyes shut and my head fell back as I sped up the pace. I circled the tip of my cock in the palm of my hand to the point where I was now on the verge of being too sensitive to touch. When I imagined it was her tongue instead of my fist flicking over that sweet spot, I knew I was moments away from falling over the edge.
It was impossible to hold back after the unexplainable things she was doing to me in my mind. Her name was on the tip of my tongue in a heartbeat. My orgasm overcame me as I spilled thick white strands coating the tiled floor beneath me, and I grunted her name under my breath.
“Fuck! Fuck, Paige.”
“What are you doing to me?” I mumbled under the steaming hot water.
Pulling on the wet strands of my hair, I found myself sexually frustrated—even after my most satisfying release in God knows how long. For the first time, I jacked off to the thought of Paige, and there was no turning back now, because I couldn't even fathom anyone else on my mind while my hand stroked my dick.?
I meant it when I said she was going to pay for this.
I was going to find a way to make Paige mine, for real. I didn’t see a world where she belonged to anyone else but me.?
When my mom texted me this afternoon to come over for a family dinner, it was an offer I couldn’t refuse. The only home-cooked meals I had were at her house and if I was lucky, she would pack me up some leftovers.
Every time I walked into the family cabin, there was an assortment of smells depending on what she had in the oven. You could tell it was fall, not only by the way it looked outside and the crisp air, but the smell of cinnamon wafting throughout the house.?
Mom always baked based on the season, and today it smelled like apple pie. I was salivating as I made my way toward the kitchen where I knew mom would be.?
Greeting her with a hug and kiss on the cheek, I let out a groan that made it obvious I had to be starving.
“Fuck, it smells incredible. Is dinner almost ready? I’m ready to dig in.” She was putting the finishing touches on dinner when my eyes roamed the spread in front of me on the kitchen counter.
BINGO.
Gazing right at a bowl of fresh homemade dinner rolls, I went to pick one up but didn’t quite make it when my mom stretched out her arm and gave my hand a light slap.
“Declan Cooper, get your fingers out of the food and watch your mouth when you speak to your mother. I’m not one of your boys. Dinner is almost done, and we will eat as a family. Help me start setting things on the table, will you, sweetie?”
She had a way of sounding sweet even when she was stern.?
I was finished setting the table when Myles walked around the corner. Grabbing a beer out of the fridge, he gave me a nod. “Want one?”
“Would love one,” I replied.
Waiting for dinner to be ready, Myles and I headed out back to get some fresh air.
“So, how’s it going? Haven’t seen much of you outside of work lately. And even then, you seem to rush off the second you clock out. Have anything to do with a certain brunette?” Wiggling his eyebrows, he indicated that he was on to me.
I shook my head and took a swig of my beer. “Fuck, dude, she’s getting under my skin. Is it that obvious?”
He let out a burst of laughter.
“It’s written all over your face. I told you the other day at Peaks when we ran into her that you were fucked.” He wore a smug grin, basking in the fact that he was right.
“Yeah, well, it’s gotten more complicated. Somehow, we struck up a deal to pretend to date and then there were those dirty text messages yesterday and—” He held up his hand to interrupt me and cut me off before I could finish.
“Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold up. Why the fuck are you pretending to date? What does that even mean?”
I had a feeling this was going to sound ridiculous saying it out loud, but I’d try to explain myself the best that I could.
“Well, you know that guy Logan Brooks?” I asked him.
“Uh, yeah, I think so. Is he the guy in town who’s always drunk?” he answered, looking slightly confused.
“Yeah. Well, that's Paige's ex.” He lifted one eyebrow, still looking confused. Then I added, “He’s a wild card. He’s been lurking around since she's been back and there is a lot of crazy history there I won’t get into. But she sort of asked me for my help, just when he happens to be around. She asked me to act like we are together.” Myles began having a coughing fit like he swallowed his beer the wrong way. “You okay, man?” I asked while giving him a couple hard pats on the back.
“All good. Beer just went down wrong. And uh, that’s crazy she would ever date someone like him. Looks like she’s made an upgrade though by grabbing your attention, huh?” he said with a smug grin. “But let me guess… Since you can’t ever seem to say no to anyone, you said yes. And now you’re spending more time with her and you’re falling for her. Sound about right?” Fuck, he was good.
“Nailed it,” I kept my response short while I finished off my first beer of the evening.
“So, tell me about these dirty texts she was sending you.” Before I could tell him to shut the fuck up, I heard my mom calling from inside that dinner was ready. So before heading in, I gave Myles a jab to the arm and rolled my eyes.
Dinner was served and I couldn’t wait to dig in when Mom wasted no time diving into what was going on in my life. “How is everything going, sweetie? I haven’t seen you around much.” Jesus, between my brother and my mom, I felt like everyone was trying to pry information out of me I didn’t even have the answers to right now. The second I'm not at everyone’s beck and call I'm suddenly “not around much anymore”.
“Just working a lot and getting stuff done around the house.” I tried to keep it short but Myles let out a laugh and mumbled something I couldn’t quite understand. I’m not sure why he suddenly wanted to act like a little dick after I told him everything that was going on outside in confidence.
Maybe because he was my younger brother and this kind of behavior was typical for him, or maybe because he seemed to be way past his second beer for the evening.?When Myles had too much to drink, his moods were all over the place. One minute, he was a happy drunk, and the next minute, he was pissed off at the world.
My dad cleared his throat and took this moment to chime in.
“You seem distracted, Son. Everything okay?”
“Yeah, just…” I couldn’t get the words out.
“He’s got a thing for that Wilson chick,” Myles blurted out.
“Her name is Paige, you asshole,” I spit out as I threw my crumbled-up napkin in his direction. Fuck, first it was Logan on my last nerve, and now Myles?
“Boys, language. Settle down. We are just trying to have a nice dinner, and this is not the time to have one of your bickering matches.” Mom was just trying to keep the peace, but inside, I was irritated and felt the urge to suddenly shut down. She took a sip of her wine before she spoke again.
“So, sweetie, you and Paige, is that right? I’m not sure if you remember, but she used to babysit you boys when you were younger.”
“Yeah, Mom, I remember,” I clipped my response, clearly annoyed. Of course I remembered. She was the hot, older girl that I used to crush on like the immature little thirteen-year-old boy I was.?
“She’s grown up to be quite a stunner, don’t you think? Did she move back or is she just visiting?” This was not how I thought the night was going to go. I just wanted a home-cooked meal and some good conversation. Instead, the dinnertime conversation was focused on my love life while Myles sat around shooting drinks back to get drunk.
Moving my vegetables around on my plate, suddenly not hungry anymore, I responded to my mom, trying to veer this chat in a different direction.
“No one says stunner anymore, Mom. And I don’t know if she’s here for good. Right now it’s just temporary while she figures out what to do next.” I didn’t like being asked questions I didn’t know the answer to. “Excuse me, I need to use the restroom.” I wiped my face, placed my fresh napkin from my lap beside my plate and walked toward the bathroom. It was easier to remove myself from the situation for a few moments rather than change the subject.
I wasn’t in the mood for this family dinner anymore.?
I splashed some cold water on my face, hoping to shed the thoughts of Paige staying or leaving town. I didn’t know why it was getting to me as much as it was, but I found myself in a funk.?
When I came back out to the dining room, I noticed one less guest at the table.?“Where did Myles go?” I asked.
“He finished his dinner and excused himself. Said a friend texted him and needed a ride somewhere,” my dad explained like it was no big deal.
“You excused him and let him drive after he’s clearly had too many drinks?” What the fuck? I loved my parents, but they really were oblivious.
“He said he only had two beers, honey, and he ate all his dinner to help soak it up. Plus, his friend lives just down the road.” They always seemed to make excuses for him.
Myles had me easily annoyed tonight and I didn’t want the irritation to grow into something bigger if I stayed here and hung around. I took this as my opportunity to head out as well. I didn’t want to continue to sit at the dinner table and fake it for my parents.
“I’m gonna head out then too. I have to wake up early.” That seemed to be my go-to excuse lately, but at least it wasn’t a total lie this time around.
Giving my mom a quick kiss on the cheek and my dad a pat on the shoulder, I made my way out.?
I wasn’t sure how my parents turned a blind eye to Myles and his drinking. Just because he lived at home didn’t give him an excuse to do stupid shit. He was hiding his drinking, and they ignored it.?
He had a rough few years in high school, partying too hard and drinking and driving when he knew better. Just because it's a small town didn’t mean you couldn’t get into trouble. But he lived life on the edge in that way. The sheriff's department may be small and understaffed, but that didn’t justify getting behind the wheel impaired. We lived in the mountains. The roads were unlit and windy, and plenty of wildlife came out at night. It was like asking for an accident to happen if you weren’t paying attention.
My parents chalked it up to him being a dumb high school kid. They thought he got his shit together when he started working for the family business, but I knew better.?
I saw him sneaking drinks at work. He was the reason we went to Peaks after work all the time. When I realized he was going to drink anyway, I at least offered to drive him around so he wouldn’t get himself killed. Or be in a situation where he killed someone else and have to live with the guilt and consequences like the person out there that killed Paige’s father is currently living with. So instead, I picked him up for work and dropped him off at home most days. I hated myself for enabling him and knew that needed to change. He needed to learn from his mistakes, and I wasn’t helping.
Shaking the thought of Myles doing something stupid out of my head, I took a walk down to the creek. Snow was in the forecast for later this week, which meant my creek was going to officially freeze over.
Might as well take one last cold plunge to wash these feelings away.