Chapter 20
Chapter Twenty
I’m no stranger to waking up in a bed that’s not mine. I am a stranger to the disappointment that hits me when I roll over and realize I’m alone. Not only am I alone, but Sammie never came to bed.
After I had a shower, I helped myself to his closet and borrowed a t-shirt I have no plans of ever giving back. It’s so soft, and it smells like him. I fell asleep really fast, wrapped up in his scent.
It’s weird. I don’t know what to do. I roll onto my back and stare up at the ceiling. Why didn’t he come to bed? Did he not think this whole inviting me to his home thing through? See me asleep in his bed and thought: Nope, not ready for this shit!
I’m not an insecure person. Well, not usually. I know that I’m not enough for people to love. My father taught me that lesson years ago, but I thought what Sammie and I were doing was still in the fun stage. Okay, maybe crossing over to serious. I never expected anything from him, though.
Shoving the blankets off me, I force myself to get up. After using the bathroom and finger-combing my hair because I can’t be fucked to dig through my bag for a brush, I head out of the bedroom. As I’m making my way down the hall, I start to hear the yelling. That’s not Sammie’s voice.
“What the fuck is wrong with you?” a male shouts.
“What’s wrong? Can’t handle it, Alfie? Get the fuck out if you’re too weak for it!” Sammie shouts back.
I follow the sounds, pausing at a door that’s slightly ajar. Before I can enter, I’m stopped by a man, who steps out into the hallway. He closes the door behind him. “You lost?” he asks.
“Ah, no, I’m looking for Sammie. Is he in there?” I already know he is.
“He’s not in the right state of mind to see you,” the guy tells me.
What the hell does that mean? Right state of mind? What happened?
“Either you open the door and let me in, or I’m going to shove my knee right up into your balls so hard that they’ll retreat and never drop down. Your chance of fathering kids or enjoying an orgasm again will be pretty slim too.”
His hands cover his crotch but his lips tilt up into a half smile as he grabs for the knob, opens the door a crack, and sticks his head in.
“Sammie, did you bring home fucking Mrs. Lucifer? Because she’s out here threatening to harm the family jewels.
We all know the only chance my father has of getting decent grandkids is going to come from me. I can’t risk my nuts, man.”
I smile. I probably wouldn’t have followed through on the threat. I have no idea who this guy is. I’m not an idiot. I know Sammie obviously has some dangerous people in his life.
Suddenly, the guy is shoved out of the way and Sammie is in front of me. I get two seconds to take in his shirtless chest, covered in blood splatters, before he’s picking me up. My legs, which always seem to have a mind of their own when Sammie’s involved, wrap around his waist.
He’s walking back down the hallway, towards his bedroom, but all thoughts and insecurities vanish from my mind when his lips crash onto mine. The bedroom door gets slammed and then I’m spun around and pressed up against it. Sammie kisses me like a man starved.
His hands massage the globes of my ass as he holds me up. My core grinds against his hard cock. Probably leaving wet marks on his trousers because I didn’t put panties on last night. Then again, I’m so drenched right now no amount of fabric between us would help with that.
“Fuck, I need you,” Sammie grunts out, breaking away from my mouth.
One of his hands leaves my ass, and then I hear his zipper being pulled down. He frees his cock in a frenzied rush and plunges it right inside me. I should slow him down, find out what’s going on in his head. Something is different with the rushed way he’s fucking me.
There’s also the fact he’s covered in blood. I’m assuming it’s not his. I really hope it’s not.
The back of my head hits the door as he relentlessly thrusts into me. “I’m going to come.” His grunt is followed by three stiff movements. “Fuck,” he hisses and pulls out of me. My feet hit the floor. “You didn’t come.”
“It’s okay,” I tell him.
“No, it’s fucking not.” Taking my hand, he leads me into his bathroom and turns on the shower. Then I’m once again pressed against the tiled wall. He shoves two fingers inside me. “You always come, Poppy. I’m not going to stop until you do.”
His lips trail down my neck, then over my shoulder. Kneeling lower, he covers one of my nipples, right through the now-drenched cotton shirt I’m still wearing. His teeth dig into me, and a slight pain followed by pleasure lights up something deep inside me.
His fingers continue to pump, curling up and rubbing that sweet spot only he has ever been able to find. “Fucking come for me, Poppy,” Sammie grunts as he thrusts his fingers harder, faster.
My knees buckle and I feel that blissful edge I’m about to dive off. I dig my nails into his forearms, holding on for dear life. His name leaves my mouth as I come apart.
When my high starts to dissipate, Sammie pulls the wet fabric over my head. He then steps out of his pants, leaving our wet clothes in a pile on the shower floor as he picks up the liquid soap. He squirts it onto his palms and runs his hands over me.
Taking his lead, I pick up the soap and do the same, starting at his shoulders. I let my hands roam down his arms and back up and down his chest. “What happened?”
“I’m sorry,” he says.
“For what?”
“For taking you like that.”
I smile. “I’m not.”
“I shouldn’t have used you.”
“Used me for what, exactly?”
“As an escape.” He exhales, his gaze focused on my breasts as he rubs soap all over them. “I saw you, and in that moment, all I needed was to be inside you.”
“That’s not something you need to apologize for.” I look down at my breasts, where his hands are still massaging me. “I think they’re clean.”
Sammie’s lips tilt up in the corners. “You can never be too sure.”
“You didn’t come to bed last night.” It’s not a question, just a statement. I’m not sure I even have the right to ask him.
“You were asleep when I came in. I didn’t want to wake you up.”
“What happened? I’m not an idiot, Sammie. I know something’s wrong.”
“It’s Imogen.” He falls to the shower floor. I follow, sitting in front of him and taking his face in my hands.
“What’s wrong with her?”
“She has leukemia. She told me she’s dying,” he says.
Fuck. That’s not what I was expecting. “How does she know?”
“I don’t know. She said she’s had some tests done, went to a doctor with a false name and insurance so it wouldn’t get back to our parents. What the fuck am I supposed to do? I can’t lose my sister, and I don’t have six years to go and get a fucking medical degree so I can fix her.”
Inching forward, I straddle Sammie’s lap, wrapping my arms around his neck. “I’m sorry,” I say, holding him as close and tight as I can. “Wait… People get treatment for leukemia, right? They can treat her.”
“She said she’s looked at the options, and her doctor told her it’s not likely that the treatment will work for her.”
“Well, that doctor is a quack. Sammie, you have the means to get any doctor to take her on. We just need to find the best one. And as for Imogen, she’s nineteen. She doesn’t get a choice whether or not she gets treatment. You make her do it,” I tell him.
“You’re right. We need a second opinion. And I’m sure once our parents find out, they’re going to make her undergo treatment,” he says.
“I know I can’t be much help, but whatever you need, I will do it.”
“Don’t let me use you like that again, Poppy. I don’t want to be that guy.”
“You’re not that guy, and you can use me to get lost in any time of the day or night, Sammie.”