30. Chapter 30
Chapter 30
After spending another day with mopey Levi at Ian’s family ranch, I decided enough was enough. I was going to talk to Lacey. Levi won’t tell me because it’s between him and Lacey, and at first I thought it was cute. Now? It’s the most annoying thing I’ve ever heard of. My baby brother is hurting, and it’s one of my best friends doing the hurting. I will never look at siblings’ best friends’ romances the same again. Thanks for ruining the trope.
And turns out I’m not the only one who’s annoyed, I got a group text sent to Ellie, JJ, Ian, and me, from Lacey telling us to meet her at her apartment and that she had some news for us.
“Do you know why Levi wasn’t invited?” Ian asks as we pull into the parking lot of Lacey’s apartment complex.
“I have no idea, and I didn’t want to tell him we were meeting her here, or that she called a meeting without him,” I tell him honestly.
“Well let’s hope this clears up whatever the hell is going on,” Ian agrees as he knocks on the door, which is quickly opened by a teary-eyed Ellie.
This is not what I was expecting. Turning to look at Ian, he shrugs his shoulders looking just as confused as me. I’m even more confused once we walk in and I notice the place is empty. Everything is in boxes.
“What’s going on?” I ask once my eyes land on Lacey.
“I’m moving,” she says with determination in her eyes. I know that determination. I’ve seen it staring back at me in the mirror. It’s the determination of a woman scorned. It’s the look of a woman taking control of her life. The minute my eyes lock with hers, all anger leaves my body. I know how important it is for her to leave right now. With a head nod, and hopefully an understanding look, I simply say, “Okay,” giving her what she needs. That last little push of her friend understanding what she’s doing and, more importantly, why she’s doing it.
“Where are you moving to?” Ian asks softly, making her blush.
“That depends . . . on you, actually,” she says to Ian. “A few months ago I got accepted into a special program at Florida Tech. I would get to fast-track my masters. I can do my masters in Astronomy in eighteen months instead of twenty-four. It’s a really competitive program—only ten students get accepted every session. That being said, I was wondering if I could stay in your house in Florida?” Letting that hang in the air, I look at JJ. He has the look of a scared but proud older brother, and I see it. She’s tired of living in his shadow. What the hell did Levi do? Why is she now deciding to accept the opportunity of a lifetime, but didn’t when she first got the offer?
I haven’t known her for long, but I’ve never been prouder. She’s doing what I wish I could have done, and that’s following my head and my heart instead of being convinced of something I didn’t want.
Before Ian can answer, she continues, “I’d pay rent and everything. I won’t throw parties or anything. I’ll keep the house clean. It’s like I won’t even be there. Promise!”
“I’m not charging you rent. If anything, you’ll save me money. I won’t have to pay a cleaning lady once a month, or my neighbor to keep an eye out on the place,” he tells her with a smile. Turning to JJ, he says, “And yes, I’ll get the security system updated.” Ian’s last comment makes everyone laugh, breaking the tension.
“Are you sure this is what you want?” I ask, knowing the answer is “yes.”
“Yes. I’ve wanted this since I was a little girl and learned what a shooting star really was,” she says with determination.
“That’s the only thing I needed from you,” I say, making my way to her to give her a big hug. “Congratulations! I’m so proud and happy for you! You’re going to have so much fun! Plus, Ellie and I will have a reason to go back to Florida!”
Later that night, I’m laying in bed with Ian as he runs a hand through my hair. “I have no idea what I would do if my sister decided to move to another country,” he says, lost in thought.
“You’d be proud as hell and you’d encourage her to get it done,” I say, answering honestly. He’d be sad, but I know he’d be proud that she was able to stand on her own two feet.
“You’re right,” he agrees, letting out a breath. “Plus, I know it’s going to happen. She already has American universities after her for her barrel racing. Lacey, though . . . I just don’t understand why she decided today, or weeks after she was accepted into the program, to take the offer, and why she didn’t take it the minute it was offered to her?” he wonders aloud.
“Because he put her in JJ’s shadow,” I tell him confidently.
“What do you mean?” he asks, pulling away from me to look me in the eyes. Seeing the confusion on his face, I smile and tell him, “My bet is, she told him how she felt and he said something along the lines of your older brother is my teammate, my captain, one of my best friends , so she decided to go somewhere where no one will know who her big brother is.”
“You think?” he asks, pulling me back down so my head is resting on his chest again.
“Honestly, yeah. He has a strong sense of the code, of not messing with someone’s sister. His older brothers, Liam and Lincoln definitely hammered that in his head enough. Before they left home for university, they made sure Levi and Lawson didn’t let any of their friends sniff around Summer and me. So I’m assuming he said something along those lines, and all she wanted was to be seen as Lacey. As a twenty-two-year-old woman, not as JJ’s younger sister for once. She thought he was the one person to see her that way and it all blew up in her face.”
“And why do you sound like you’re speaking from experience?” he pries.
“Not me, but Summer. When we were teenagers she was madly in love with Lincoln’s friend Nate. She took her shot once her brother left, and he told her, “ I can’t, you’re my best friend’s younger sister .” Broke her heart, but it is the reason she ended up going to medical school so far from home, and probably the reason she works around the world. She hates being referred to as the only Jones girl.”
“Damn, so not only are you gorgeous and intelligent but also insightful,” he says, rolling us over to lay over me. “How did I get so lucky?”
“I don’t know . . . maybe it’s that thing you do with your tongue?” I say smartly.
“I’ll take the compliment, but I’m pretty sure I had you before that, Pretty Girl.” His eyes darken with lust.
“You sure about that?” I ask, flipping us over so I’m now straddling his waist, running my fingers from the deep V at the bottom of his stomach to circle around his nipple, making his hand grip my waist and grind me down onto his growing erection.
“Very,” he confirms. “I knew I had you the minute you agreed to go horseback riding with me.” He undulates his hips into mine, making me moan. “Or when I gave you that neck massage at the cabin.” His hands trail under the T-shirt I’m wearing. “Or when I caught you staring at my thigh tattoo.” He pinches my nipples, making me grind down against him, hard. “Or when you slept over at my house that first time. Tell me I’m wrong,” he says, pulling my T-shirt over my head.
“I agree to nothing,” I say, bending down to trail kisses along his neck, making him groan.
“You know I’m right,” he continues, as I trail open mouth kisses down his chest, licking my way down that deep V that peeks out under his shirts whenever he reaches or stretches. I swear he does it on purpose, knowing it gets me wet and needy every time I get my eyes on it.
Pulling his underwear down, I don’t give any attention to his already leaking cock before standing at the end of the bed, slipping out of my thong. Feeling sexy and confident at the way his eyes trail my every movement, I decide to give him a little show before wrapping my lips around his dick that he’s currently stroking.
Slowly, I drag my fingers from my waist, up to my breast, kneading them both, before bringing my fingers to my mouth. I give them a quick suck before circling both of my nipples, giving them a pinch that makes me throw my head back and moan.
“Enough teasing, bring that pretty pussy over here,” Ian groans out in a strained voice. With a smile, I shake my head no and trail my fingers lower until I reach my dripping center. Who knew touching myself for Ian, having him watch me, would get me so hot and needy? Maybe the hockey season won’t be so bad after all.
Deciding that I’ve teased myself and him enough, I crawl back onto the bed running my fingers up his thighs, seeing his erection twitch with need as he’s moved on to fisting his hands into the blankets under him. Finally reaching my destination, I keep my eyes on him as I lower my mouth to give his tip a slow lick, before lightly sucking it in my mouth.
“Fuck, Han, don’t tease,” he moans, fisting a hand in my hair, encouraging me. Without warning, I suck him deeper and harder into my throat, eliciting a whimper from his lips.
“I won’t last; that little show you did put me on edge.” His words have me moaning around the crown of his cock, before he pulls me off and up his body, giving me a punishing kiss and lining him up with my center, taking him fully in one go, making the both of us moan.
“Fuck. That’s it, fuck yourself on me,” he encourages, pulling me forward to take one of my nipples into his mouth as he helps me rock my hips against him, sending sparks of pleasure every time my clit rubs just right.
“Iaaaan,” I moan out. “So close.” I’ve never been one to come so fast and so hard before, even by myself. Being with Ian though, it’s just different. It’s not only the physical that makes me come within minutes, but it’s the emotions, the need that comes with touching him and having him touch me like this.
Letting go of my nipple, he lets me lean back to get the maximum friction against my clit as his hands guide my thrusts up and down on his dick. “That’s it, come around me like the good girl you are. Milk my cock.” With those words, I fall off the edge, with Ian following right behind me.
Not willing to lose contact with him yet, I keep him inside of me, laying across his chest, his soft fingers running up and down my spine.
“Okay maybe I had you from the moment I met you at the bar,” he says, breaking the silence, making me giggle at the thought of his first words to me.
“You did not! If I’m not mistaken, you told me to forget what you said, and then went on to say, ‘ God, I hope she’s just drunk enough to forget what I said .’”
“Shit, you heard that?” he asks, looking embarrassed.
Nodding my head yes, I pull away even more, sitting back up onto him, feeling him softly slip out of me, giving me a full body shiver. Fuck, we forgot a condom again, but again, like last time, the panic doesn’t set in.
I couldn’t fall asleep that night. Usually it takes minutes, if not seconds, for me to fall asleep when Ian is wrapped around me. Tonight, my mind keeps wandering back to what he said—that he had me from the first words he spoke to me. Or at the cabin, when he had my coffee waiting for me. When he took me horseback riding for the first time. The thunderstorm, the restaurant, the tattoo parlor. Every moment we’ve spent together over the last two, almost three, months runs through my mind like movie scenes.
He might not have had me the moment I saw him at the bar, or when he took me to the zoo, or when we went bowling, or when he introduced me to his cat or Sadie or his mom, or everytime he asked me how my book or my Bucket List was coming along, but all those moments helped me put my heart back together. If I’m being honest with myself, it’s through all those moments that he made me fall in love with him.
Those moments filled the cracks in my heart until it was whole again.