Chapter 13
Chapter
Thirteen
REED
H ours later, a familiar jangling of keys and a silhouette he’d know anywhere appeared in the open doors of the bookstore.
He hadn’t talked to Pearl since she’d swirled out in a huff yesterday. He’d stayed late, and they’d missed each other at home. It was Saturday, so he hadn’t expected anyone to stop by.
He knew she’d been mad at him, and he’d tried to make her feel better but it had just made everything worse.
I wish I knew how to connect with her.
Her black lipstick was back in place, and the faded and torn band t-shirt she wore was cinched at her waist in a knot. She wore a tight jean skirt, and he had to keep his eyes from lingering on her hips and thighs. She held a large to-go bag in her hand.
“Hey,” he called.
“Hey,” she answered quietly.
Their eyes connected and the awkwardness of seeing each other after a fight stood between them in the room.
“I remembered what you told me.” She inspected her nails, looking bored. “And not being able to eat with anybody sounded kind of lonely, so. I thought we could have lunch together.”
She held up the paper bag.
What?
Why didn’t people understand it wasn’t a weird quirk? It was something that ruined his life.
“Pearl, I don’t think?—”
She pulled out two large green smoothies.
“Lunch,” she said with a shy smile. “I also brought a blanket so we could…I don’t know, have a picnic. Or whatever.”
She looked nervous.
The breath left his body at the surprising sweetness.
A picnic.
Or whatever.
Just for him.
“This would be okay, right?” she said, handing the smoothie to him.
Her eyes looked cautious, and emotion stung in his throat.
No one had ever thought to do anything like that for him. To meet him where he was without pushing him.
“U-um…” His voice was a little shaky.
Embarrassingly shaky.
“Yeah, this would be fine,” he said, looking at her warily. “But you don’t have to.”
She took out the blanket and fanned it over on the curved couch of the reading nook. They both settled in, facing each other a few feet apart.
She took the lid off of hers. “Quieter this way. No straw sound.”
She licked the smoothie from the lid and he felt dizzy.
Dizzy with being seen.
And lust, he thought as he watched her tongue trace the edge of the lid, her tongue ring glinting.
“Is this your apology from yesterday?” he asked.
“ My apology?” she said, outraged.
“I’m sorry, too,” he said in a quiet, earnest voice as their eyes connected.
Her lips had pursed over the straw, her cheeks hollowed as she sucked up the dark green smoothie. He was transfixed by the contrast of her dark lips locked around the straw.
He shook his head, going back to his own drink.
A mouth like that and a heart of gold?
Careful, Berry.
“What are you smiling at?” she teased, but still, her eyes narrowed.
That was something he would never tell her. “You’re very nice.”
She scoffed and rolled her eyes.
He raised his hands in honesty. “No one’s ever thought to take a creative problem-solving approach to this, including me.”
She swirled her straw around her smoothie, and it was blessedly silent. “Didn’t you have a girlfriend in college?”
“Yeah.” He shrugged. “She’d kind of make me feel like a burden, though. I couldn’t keep it together and I’d have to leave sometimes. I couldn’t go with her to her family dinners and she hated that.”
He sipped the berry-flavored smoothie that tasted like it had kale and protein powder in it.
“Hey.” She kicked his foot that was mirroring hers on the bench. “You are not a burden. Annoying as fuck when you won’t make up your mind,” she said, as they both started laughing. “But not…that.”
He nodded. “It wasn’t her fault. She was just a college kid. My parents tried their best, but they just wanted a normal kid who could eat at the table. They didn’t really understand things. They thought I was just being difficult. They didn’t realize it was a physical issue for me.”
“People who don’t accommodate their loved ones.” Pearl shook her head with irritation. “They don’t really love them. They love the idea of them, not them .” She pointed at her sternum. “You know? You deserve that. Everybody does.”
Reed nodded wordlessly as emotion clogged his throat again.
Maybe he didn’t know Pearl.
Who was this creature in front of him? It was like a die he’d thought had four sides, but the minute he picked it up, it became a dodecahedron.
“The Parkers were here,” he said, wanting to fill the growing tension between them.
“Did you finally man up and tell them they might be your sisters?”
He smacked her foot with his on the bench, and a wicked smile played on her mouth as she sipped her smoothie.
“Yes,” he said with emphasis as if she’d bested him. “They seem great.”
“They are.” She shrugged. “The worst thing that can happen is you have three more people that can give you a kidney.”
“And three more people that know where to find a kidney if they need one,” he said, raising an eyebrow with a grimace.
“Look at you . Thinking on the dark side, I’m so proud of you,” she said with a smile.
A laugh rumbled out of him. “I guess you’ve rubbed off on me.”
And… there went his mind to the gutter. He went back to the smoothie, swirling it.
“Do you hear that?”
“The sound of the straw against the bottom of the cup? It’s fucking terrible, but the blueberries make up for it,” he said as he took a sip.
“No, shut up,” she said, waving him away.
A faint meowing was coming from somewhere in the building. “Is that a cat?” he asked.
They crept toward the sound at the back of the building. Their feet made heavy thumping sounds on the wood floor, and Pearl stopped him, a hand on his stomach, so they could listen again.
Another faint meow was a little closer. He looked up.
“Could it be upstairs?” Pearl said, straining to hear. They walked up the spiral staircase to the second floor mezzanine that lined the perimeter.
Construction trash, plywood, and buckets of plaster repair sat along the sides as they weaved along the edge. They both paused again, trying to hear the sound. Insistent meowing was on the other side of a built-in bookshelf.
“It sounds like it’s coming from this bookcase,” Pearl said, her hand running along an inset bookcase along the back wall.
Ornate carving surrounded each of the inset bookcases. There was no building on the other side of the wall that Reed knew of.
Reed looked to see if there was a hole somewhere nearby. “Maybe it got in during construction?”
“Watch it,” Reed said as Pearl caught her foot on a piece of lumber. His hands reached out to catch around her waist, and they both stumbled into the wall edging beside the bookshelf.
“What the hell? Why did the back panel move?” Pearl said as she leaned away and realized she’d pushed an inset panel inside the bookcase.
The bookcase swung open.
“This is so fucking cool ,” Pearl said as she pulled the bookcase open wider.
A small gray cat darted out of the hidden passageway and scampered down the steps. “Did you know this was here?” she said with surprise as she turned around in his arms.
A whiff of her vanilla scent crashed over him, and he realized his hand was still on her waist.
He dropped it. “No. There was nothing about a room here in the schematics of the building.”
“So cool,” she muttered, and they walked inside. It was an oversized deep closet, and the ceiling went all the way up one additional story. Shelves on either side were lined with dusty liquor bottles.
“Oh my god. This must be left over from Prohibition.” Pearl looked up in wonder.
Reed was thunderstruck at the surprise of it. Like his own secret passageway.
Dust on the bottles was layers deep. No one had been here in decades. He walked deeper into the small room, and the bookcase swung closed, shutting out all the light.
“Great. Now I can’t see the cool-ass old liquor,” Pearl muttered. “Open the bookcase.”
Reed pushed on the wall that had closed.
It didn’t budge.
Reed’s heart was in his throat, and he turned in the pitch black to Pearl.
“It won’t open.”
“What do you mean?” Pearl said, panicked. She slammed on the door.
His eyes had started to adjust to the dim light, and he felt around the edge of the bookcase. “The latch that locked it must have a release inside.”
She shoved her shoulder on the bookcase again.
“Or we’re going to die here,” Pearl said in a small voice.
“It’s fine,” Reed said, putting a hand on her shoulder to keep her from throwing herself at the wall again. “We’ll just call somebody.” He felt for a phone in his pocket. “Uh, do you have your phone on you?”
“ No ,” Pearl yelled, starting to pace beside him. “Don’t you?”
He grasped again, hoping a phone would reappear. “You’re not going to like my answer.”
“We’re gonna die here,” Pearl said, bending over.
“There’s probably a lever somewhere.” He felt around in the darkness around the wall and shelves of the bookcase.
Ragged breaths came from behind him.
“I’m,” she gasped, “claustrophobic. Worst nightmare. Dark small room.”
“We’re going to be fine. We’re going to get out of here,” he said with confidence he didn’t actually feel.
The construction crew was gone for the weekend.
No one would hear their screams.
“No one knows we’re here,” she said, her voice wobbling. “They’ll find two old husks rotting away when we die from asphyxiation, or malnutrition, or dehydration.”
The warm air wrapped around them wasn’t helping things as Reed felt a bead of sweat roll down his forehead. He tugged off his sweater vest so he could focus.
Pearl’s breathing grew more ragged. “About to have a panic attack. Need something to stop it.”
He felt around blindly on the shelves…Nothing. There was no button, no lever, no handle.
“I need you to slap me,” Pearl gasped.
“Absolutely not,” he said, horrified.
“Please, I need to do something.” Her voice started to fade, and she tugged at her shirt collar.
He’d never seen her like this.
“Can’t fucking breathe.” She yanked off her shirt. Her luminous skin was barely visible in the dim light and contrasted against her dark bra. She paced in the meager two feet they had in the closet.
He slammed his shoulder against the bookcase again.
“Come on, just do it!” she said, badgering him. Her breaths came in gasps now.
Fuck, this was all going sideways. He grabbed her shoulders. “Pearl, breathe with me.” He took a deep inhale, inhaling her perfume.
She gasped, her hands fisted in his button-up shirt. “Reed, just slap me.”
“I will not .”
She got angry. “Just do it.”
“No!” he said firmly.
“ Fine . Maybe this’ll work.” She yanked him down and crashed her lips to his.
She kissed him hard. His lips lingered there as his brain registered, I’m kissing Pearl.
His hands tightened on her arms.
Fuck, I’m kissing Pearl.
Melting into her, he kissed her back. Tentative at first.
Just being helpful.
But she felt so damn good.
Her lips tasted like the berry smoothie she’d brought him, and fuck if that didn’t make him want her more.
His hand slid up to cup her jaw, and he savored her pillowy, soft lips as he kissed her.
And kissed her.
And kissed her, lingering over every one, not wanting a moment where he wasn’t kissing Pearl Bishop.
Heat and urgency grew with each kiss. He couldn’t get enough of her. He was a man doomed to die of thirst as he gulped water straight from the hose.
He might die if he didn’t keep kissing her right now.
Her taste. Her sighs. He needed them like air.
Her nails scraped along his chest as she pulled him toward her. She caught his lip between her teeth and he groaned.
Yes. More.
He slid his hand to grip the back of her neck, pressing deeper open-mouthed kisses and taking what he wanted.
Holding her right where he wanted her.
She moaned, pliant and so fucking sexy. He brushed his tongue along her lip, wanting to feel her.
Imagining his tongue in other places.
She opened wider for him, and their tongues brushed for one dizzying moment.
Then again.
Oh fuck. And again.
The ball of her tongue ring brushed against him, and an electric need zipped to his cock, straining in his pants. He groaned, already at his limit of wanting her, and he pushed her back against the wall.
Fuck, it was so hot. She was so hot. The brush of her septum ring against his skin as he deepened the kiss seared him. He could come from just the feeling of her tongue ring against him.
Her back hit the wall as he pinned her to it; her nails raked through his hair.
He’d never felt heaven like this. The taste of her, her vanilla and amber scent clouding around him, intoxicating him.
“This helping?” he muttered, his lips never leaving hers.
He didn’t want to stop for a second.
“Mmhmm,” she moaned into his mouth as he pressed a leg between hers.
“Excellent,” he said with a sigh and angled her head to deepen the kiss.
She pressed against him hard, and he wrapped his arms around her tight.
Pearl didn’t kiss tenderly.
She was hungry, like him.
And he met her stroke for stroke. Taking whatever she’d give him.
He sucked on the cupid’s bow of her top lip, happy to spend the rest of his days lost in this single moment. Memorizing the feeling of kissing her.
Hunger clawed at him.
More, more, more .
More taste even as he satisfied it, licking into her mouth again.
More feeling as he threaded his hand in her hair, feeling the silky strands in his fingers.
Her breasts pressed against him, and it was all he could do to keep one hand on her waist. They itched to feel her soft tits again. Had haunted him since that day in the hallway. Wondering what they’d taste like.
He moved to her jaw, raking his teeth there. Wanting to taste her everywhere.
“Don’t stop,” she panted, pressing his head into her neck.
He nipped her throat and she gasped.
“Don’t want to,” he muttered, his lips never leaving her skin. He couldn’t stop tasting her.
Vanilla would be forever changed for him.
She grasped his arms, his back. Her nails raked hard into his hair, and he moaned as he nipped her neck.
Her tits called to him. He needed to feel them against his tongue.
This was for her, right? Keep her distracted?
A dark part of him wanted something for himself, too.
She panted. “We might be here forever,” she said as he kissed down her collarbone.
She pressed his face into her breast, and he decided it would be fine if he died right here, right now. It would never get better than a face full of the top of Pearl’s breasts.
“We’ll die of dehydration first,” she said, panting.
He licked, and kissed, his lips tracing every curve he could. “You wanted to be kissed, right?” he muttered against her other breast.
Her breath was coming in panicked gasps now. “Yes.”
He stood, threading their fingers, and pressed her arms above her head, pinning her back against the wall. His nose traced against hers, hovering over her lips. “Then shut up and take it,” he murmured. He kissed her hard, squeezing their hands.
She moaned louder, and their kisses grew hungry, sloppy.
Claiming.
He’d somehow known it would be like this with her.
Unafraid of her desire—unapologetic.
He punished her with more kisses. He’d keep her occupied or they’d die here; he didn’t care.
She was the perfect last meal in his opinion.
Her hands raked up along his stomach, her touch hungry, firm.
Her nails scraped under his shirt along his stomach. His cock was a hard brick in his pants, and her palm brushed the top of it.
Perfect. Harder, he thought.
She ripped his shirt open and buttons clattered to the ground. She hummed into his mouth with pleasure as she fanned her hands up his chest, gripping him.
She pushed him against the side wall, having her way with him. Fuck, he liked that.
He pulled her to him hard, his hands cupping her ass and squeezing, finding her mouth again.
Fuck, I might come. She was devouring him, their tongues permanently entwined, never leaving each other.
He needed to get a handle on this. He should pull back, but his hands itched for her silky soft stomach.
He raked his teeth hard against her lip and then soothed the bite with his tongue.
This is a perfect way to die, he thought, cupping her jaw.
He pushed her against the opposite wall, two seconds away from ripping off her bra. His hand landed on a dusty bottle. It moved back like a lever under his hand, and daylight flooded in the room as the bookcase opened.
Pearl darted out as the bookcase opened, gasping for air. Reed had just enough sense to grab their clothes before he ran out, too.
They stared at each other in the too bright sunlight, their chests heaving.
He held out her shirt and turned away. His cock was on full display, not that she hadn’t already felt it.
Her lips were swollen and red. Her black lipstick was a mess around her mouth. He rubbed at his mouth, realizing it was probably all over him. Purple marks came off of his hand after he wiped his face.
He stared at them with an ironic laugh.
The best kiss of his fucking life, and it was from the woman who worked for him, his best friend’s little sister, and the one woman who’d never want him.
His cock finally under control, he turned around. “You okay?”
“Yeah,” she said, getting her bearings back as she pushed her hair behind her ears that had fallen down from her buns.
“Here, you have…” He wiped a thumb under her lip where she’d missed a lipstick smudge.
She didn’t move as his thumb moved across her chin, lingering.
No more.
Inappropriate.
His hand fell as he realized that that would be the last time he’d ever get to kiss her.