34. Hendrix
Hendrix
T he next few weeks flew by in a blur, a lot of the time spent with Saint and I settling into our new roles. Mostly in private, since I’m not quite ready to drop the bomb on my mother that I’m dating her stepson.
Thanks to Vic and Carlo, both of them with enough ties to the authorities and offers not many can refuse, I avoided any charges from Annalie or her family.
Vic even offered a payout hefty enough for Annalie to sign an NDA, which allowed for the assault to stay under wraps along with the Lavell situation with the mob.
As for Archer, I made sure Carlo took care of him too.
The last thing my best friend needed was his family to have another reason to tug the leash.
Other than the guilt I’ve been fighting for how far I went with the bitch Annalie, things have been pretty quiet on the Hendrix end.
Well, as much as Saint will allow, anyway.
Warm breath and a wet tongue sliding up my pussy stirs me awake. “Mhmmm…” I wiggle in Saint’s iron grip around my thighs. “Will I ever wake up without you between my legs?”
“Would you really want to?” he questions with another lap.
“Yeah…not really.”
Saint chuckles as he continues exploring and nibbling on all the right places.
“Now this is what I call a breakfast for champs.” He pushes a finger inside me once just to remove it, and when I look down, I find him lying on his stomach naked, hair messy, licking his finger.
“Just like candy.” He groans, then dips his face again to suck more arousal from the entrance of my pussy.
Wet sounds and groans fill my dorm room as he picks me apart. “Fuuuuuuck…” I twist my fingers into the bed sheets. “It’s not fair how good you are at this.”
“Says the only one who reaps the benefits.”
“Ha! Now that’s quite the big fat lie.”
Saint rears back, genuine offense lining his face. “What the hell are you talking about?”
It was meant more as a running fuck boy joke, but now that I think about it, the idea of Saint making another girl, even before me, feel this good really hurts.
It’s absurd, and I guess cavewoman-ish, but I can’t help the ache forming in my chest knowing he’s shared moments like this with other girls.
Yeah, I’ve been with guys too. But it’s not the same.
I know Saint is the best sex I’ve ever had.
Nobody was ever as good looking.
Not sure I could say the same about him.
Regardless, this is stupid, and his offense is warranted, because he’s been nothing but devoted ever since we made it official.
Ignores any girl who ogles him, curses some of them out, even makes sure I’m present every time Levi brings chicks around.
I have absolutely no reason to feel jealous right now, yet, here I am, wanting to kill any bitch who’s ever experienced this side of him.
“Nothing, it’s silly, just forget it.”
Saint’s not picking up any of what I’m putting down, and for the first time since we’ve been together, he does the unimaginable.
Doesn’t let me finish.
“Where you going?” I whine when he crawls over my body, collapsing next to me on the bed to wipe his lips with a paper towel.
When Saint’s clean, he hoists himself on his elbow to face me, all business, which makes it that much harder not to stare at his erection as I do the same. “Explain your comment, Jimi.”
“It’s—”
“If you tell me nothing again, I’m putting your ass over my knee.”
“Threatening me with a good time?” I point a brow, but once again Saint surprises me with no retort.
“Tell me.”
“I don’t know…guess I got a little jealous.”
He snorts. “Of who? Because the only one in the room who wasn’t getting attention was my dick.”
We promised each other honesty in the woods, so honesty is what I’ll give him. “Of other girls you’ve…been with.”
Saint hits me with an “Ah-ha” expression. “You have no reason to be jealous, they meant nothing to me.”
“So you’ve never hooked up with a girl you care about? C’mon.”
There has to be someone. Anyone.
I mean…what about the girl he lost his virginity to?
I’m sure he had to feel some sort of way about her.
“Nope. They were all for specific reasons, some business, most to hit it and quit it.”
“Not one girl? Even in our school?”
“Jimi. Do I need to spell it out on your sweet ass?” He pulls my arm, making me fall onto my stomach, then pretends to write along my backside. “ Your ass is the only one I’ve ever stuck my cock into that I actually care about. ”
“Classy…” I roll my eyes, then twist into my original position. “Just hard to imagine, I guess.”
His face contorts. “Why?”
“Because the majority of the girls here are really hot.”
“Yeah…and you’re the hottest one.”
I don’t mean to laugh, for so many reasons, Saint’s narrowing eyes being top three.
“You don’t think it’s true?”
More like I don’t think he thinks it’s true.
I’m confident, but also aware of things I lack that most guys prefer.
And those things were always present from the girls I know he’s been with.
Okay, fine . I’m being a little insecure.
Sue me.
When seconds pass and I give no answer, he purses his lips. “I’m not reassuring you, Jimi, and you know why.”
I do.
And Saint’s refusal to play a deciding factor in how I see myself is something I’ve learned to really appreciate about him.
We’ve had a few run-ins similar to this, even before getting together, all ending with different versions of “you should know who you are without anyone needing to tell you.”
Truth be told, after years of unsolicited validations from my mother and aunt, it’s refreshing to not have a person jump to defend me against my weight.
“Thanks, Letterman.”
His “you’re welcome” comes in the form of a thoughtless nod, making it easier for me to move on from the moment of weakness.
At least, that’s what I think is about to happen until I catch the wheels in his head start turning.
I’m about to ask Saint what the hell’s got his breath all shaky when he announces, “I’m in love with you, Jimi.”
I blink stupidly, unable to form coherent words.
“I…uh…”
“I know.” He curls his lips into the most gorgeous half smile. “It came as a shock to me too, since you’re such a damn pain in my ass.”
A laugh manages to bubble out of me, but it’s uncomfortable.
Not because I don’t feel the same way, I do, but I assumed Saint would want me to be the first to admit it.
Just like our encounter during junior orientation.
How the hell am I supposed to process a guy, who spent over a year fighting for power between us, pass all of it over to me in the form of five words and a pet name?
They were the most amazing five words, though.
Ones I didn’t know how badly I wanted to hear until Saint said them out loud.
As for the pet name, well, it grew on me.
“It’s okay if you don’t feel the same.” He shrugs. “I got a lot of shit to make up for.”
“No…it’s not that.” I shake my head profusely. “You just caught me off guard.”
“Felt like the right moment, you know?”
I mean…is there ever a wrong moment for the most sought out, never-the-type-to-settle-down, beautiful guy in your school to tell you he’s in love with you?
“Of course, I understand.”
Without any trace of offense, Saint reaches over, tapping a kiss to my forehead then pulling me to his chest.
“I wanna say it too, you know,” I admit sheepishly as he runs lazy fingers up and down my arm. “Just not when it feels like a response.”
“I guess I can see that.” He stays focused on where he’s caressing me. “Whenever you’re ready, Jimi. I’m not going anywhere.”
After a borderline creepy amount of gawking, I say, “Man…I’m never gonna get used to soft Saint.”
With his hand moved on to twirling my hair, Saint huffs, “Yeah, well, don’t go tellin’ the kids, now. I’ve got a mentally deranged reputation to uphold.”
“You stay surprising me, Letterman. You know that?”
“Oh, please.” He scoffs. “As if you didn’t know I was obsessed with you this whole fucking time.”
“I thought it was all part of the game, chase, or whatever. Then after The Pit…well, enter hatred .”
“If it makes you feel any better, I didn’t want to hate you.”
“I don’t think I wanted to hate you either.”
He looks down at me with a stupid sexy grin. “Well, that shit is for the pigeons, now.”
“Don’t you mean birds?”
“Pigeons are birds, Jimi, just the Annalie kind.”
“So…trashy?”
Booping my nose, he says, “Exactly.”
Hard knocking at the door startles me upright. “Shit. That must be Carlo.”
Saint grumbles something like “fuck that guy” but doesn’t protest when I jump out of bed.
“Underwear, Jimi,” he demands as I begin jogging to the door in his white tee.
“Oops.” I go back where they’re thrown on my chair, quickly picking them up, sliding them on, and about to move again.
“ Pants .”
I roll my eyes and snatch his sweats off the floor, putting them on too.
Thankfully, naked Saint has enough brains to go into the bathroom before I open the door, not that it matters, Carlo is more than privy to the shenanigans happening every night in my dorm room. But his loyalty to me seems to have trumped his loyalty to my mom and Vic for some reason.
“ Buongiorno, signorina .” Carlo greets me good morning, then asks why I’m not ready for class yet.
“Shit, shit. It’s Friday, not Saturday.”
Fuck, man. Days really start to blend when you waste so many of them having sex.
I thank Carlo for the reminder, reassuring him I’ll be ready in a jiff, then slam the door.
“Saint!” I whisper into the bathroom. “We’ve got school in like thirty minutes.”
More grumbles, mostly how much he doesn’t give a flying fuck about our drawing class.
You know…the one he thrusted himself into…
“Well, I have to give a flying fuck! So hurry up and get out so I can take a shower.”
I was worried that after the situation with Annalie, Vic would rescind his offer to hook me up with his friend at Bromwell, but he didn’t. In fact, I’ve got a date for the interview.
Two weeks from now.
I refuse to let whatever help I get from him carry me, though. I know how good I am, and I want my talent to be the focus.
Not my stepfather.