Chapter Twelve
Waylon
I t was harder to get Oakley to come home with me than I thought. She and Terry put up a good fight. Surprisingly, I had a champion in Mom of all people. She actually talked Oakley into coming with me. And now she’s here.
I open the door to my room and find her at the foot of the bed, standing in nothing but a bra. She whirls around instantly covering her chest.
“I’m sorry. I should have knocked.”
“No. It’s…it’s alright. You shouldn’t have to knock in your own house. In your own room.”
“Uh, no! You have the right to privacy, Oakley. No matter where you are.”
I say the words, but I’m not turning around to leave like I should be doing.
“I…feel really bad about taking your bed from you.”
“Don’t. It’s not your fault. You can’t help any of this. You didn’t ask someone to break into your house and do bad things.”
Her eyes lower, and I can tell she is thinking about what she found out while sitting in my lap.
As if to prove my point, she gives a weak smile before speaking softly, “I guess I need to go shopping soon.”
I sit on the bed and pull her to stand in front of me. I just want to distract her a little, take her mind off things she doesn’t need to be dwelling on. “If we’re going to pretend for everyone, we should practice.”
“Practice?” Her eyes come to meet mine, a little apprehension hidden in their depths.
“Being comfortable with one another.” I take her wrists and pull her arms down.
“Waylon? What…?”
“It’s just like being in your bathing suit. I’ve seen you in your bathing suit before.”
“You have?”
I nod and try not to look down at where the lace lovingly hugs her full breasts.
She might be young, but her body is more than mature.
I believe some people call it ripe. I’ve never liked the word, but I can see how it applies to Oakley.
Full, soft curves that would fill a man’s hands and keep him warm, taunt me and test my self-control to the breaking point.
I can’t help but let my hands drop to her hips.
“Last year.” I remind her of when I saw her in her pretty little bikini. “When you all had your graduation pool party.”
I saw her and made a mental note to keep my eye on her because I knew how sweet and innocent she was, and how much she had grown up, but it never crossed my mind to walk across the patio and take.
“Oh.”
“See. I’ve seen you like this before, for the most part.”
“Yeah, but…bathing suits have…thicker material.”
So they do. “Hmm, worried about me seeing something I shouldn’t?”
I run my hands up her arms and around to her back.
“Yes.”
She has good reason to worry. Out of the corner of my eye, I can see her hardened nipples under the light lace. Hell, I can almost make out the color of her nipples through the damned thing.
“Why don’t you practice kissing me, Oakley?”
“Pr..practice kissing? You?”
I nod and wait. When she doesn’t move, I pull her a little closer. “So, it seems natural when we do it in front of others.”
“How many people are we going to be kissing in front of, Waylon?”
I shrug, “Depends really.”
“On what?”
“Oakley. Kiss me. Now.”
I don’t mean to demand, but it seems to work since she leans forward slightly and pops a quick kiss on my lips before standing back up and trying to back away. She looks at me with the expectation that I’m going to leave it at that. That I’m not going to push her just a little bit further.
I reach up and encircle her waist before flipping us so her back hits the bed and I can take her mouth like I want to.
My lips fit over hers as I tilt her face so I can kiss her at a better angle.
Her hands have gone to my shoulders and cling to me as I use soft touches to put her at ease.
I pull back and look down at her. Her lashes have fallen, and her lips have become a little bit swollen.
When she opens the beautiful green orbs, they are slightly unfocused.
“We shouldn't do this, Waylon.”
“We have to make people think we are together, sweetheart. We have to make people think we’ve been together.”
“I suck at acting, Waylon. There’s no way I can pull this off. And what does that even mean? We want people to think we’ve…that we’ve…why would that be something we want to do? Why can’t we just hold hands and…”
“Oakley, I want whoever this is to understand I will kill to protect you. I don’t have a problem holding your hand, but I’m also going to kiss you breathless, and you have to be alright with that. Maybe even kiss me back. Now…open your mouth.”
“Open my mou…”
I stop her by leaning down and taking her lips again.
This time, I slip my tongue into her waiting mouth and explore her.
I keep a tight hold on her hip as I brush against her tongue and start playing.
It takes her a little while, but after some encouragement, she starts relaxing and even touches her tongue to mine.
I have to slam on the brakes when she starts wiggling under me and moans in my mouth. Her arms have come up to wrap around me, and she is fully participating in the kiss now. I gradually pull back, giving her time to gather herself.
“How many people have you kissed, Oakley?”
I shouldn’t be asking. It’s none of my business.
“I…was I that bad?”
“No, sweetheart. You were anything but bad. You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.”
“With tongue?”
I fight back the laugh that wants to jerk from me and nod. She’s cute as fuck.
“Um…just one.”
Jealousy that has no place being here swims up and sticks like a burr in my throat. “Tommy.”
It comes out gruff, and I have to clear my throat.
She shakes her head no. “Just you.”
My brows climb.
“We kissed but, um, I never wanted to…do that with him.”
This is getting a lot more dangerous for her than it was at first. If she keeps giving me all these little hints and teases, I might just keep her a lot longer than it takes to close this case. A lot longer.