17. Reese
CHAPTER 17
Reese
I was still buzzing after my workout. A good, thorough workout that kicked my ass was exactly what I needed. But I was already thinking about Laurene, my family, and that huge mess I couldn’t seem to fix.
I had a woman waiting by my car.
“Blair,” I said flatly, walking closer.
“Hey, Reese!” She cocked her head. “You look tense. Rough day?”
I just unlocked the car and ignored her comment.
“Really? That’s it? No ‘Hey, Blair, good to see you’? No catching up with an old friend?” she asked, stepping into my path.
“Friend?” I stopped and looked her in the eyes. “Were we that?”
She blinked, and her smirk vanished. “You’re mad. But I come bearing good news. Remember that VP I was dating? Well, he knows a friend that owns a luxury car brand and wants to collaborate with you. Your liquor with their cars? Big win.”
“What’s your cut, Blair?”
She narrowed her eyes. “Excuse me?”
Blair was there for me after Conrad passed. Quirky as she was, she understood how I felt. Apparently, the experience of being the town’s pariah was universal. Especially after her dad’s company got dragged into a scandal because of those leaked photos.
“I don’t get why you’re so mad.”
“Seriously? You don’t know?” My voice became sharper. “Why didn’t you tell me about Laurene? That she paid you off? You didn’t say a goddamn thing. Just sat there, playing pretend.”
“What was the right thing to do?”
“Be real for once! Act like you gave a shit about me. You wanna call yourself my friend? Then fucking prove it.”
I remained unmoved as Blair blinked back tears.
“That’s not right,” she said sharply. “I was trying to be a friend, Reese, not stir up more shit when you were already going through hell. If I wanted to ruin your fucking life, I could have.”
I shot her a glare. “Yeah? So what were you doing then? Plotting something? Hell, maybe you still are.”
“Plotting?” She scoffed. “You think I spend my days scheming? Gossiping and swiping my credit cards?”
I just stared her down.
Blair shook her head. “You’re so wrapped up in Laurene, you can’t see what’s right in front of you. What is it about her that every fucking man in this town goes crazy over her?”
I searched my bag for my cigarettes.
“You know, I’ve wondered. For years. Why you never tried. Not once. Never looked at me the way you do her—even when she wasn’t around.” She let out a dry laugh, a bitter smile tugging at her lips. “And now I get it. It was her. It was always her, wasn’t it?”
I froze, the cigarette halfway to my lips.
Her gaze didn’t waver. She tilted her head, that bitter smile still in place. “You were with her back then, weren’t you?”
I turned to face her, her accusation heavy on my chest. “You don’t know what the hell you’re talking about.”
“I saw the way you looked at her. How you always looked at her, like she was the center of your fucking world. Always. And I never understood why. Now I do. You both were together from the very beginning.”
“You’re reaching,” I shot back.
“Reaching?” Her voice dropped into something softer, more dangerous. “I was there . On the yacht. Laurene was standing at the rail, and then you showed up. I didn’t think anything of it. But something told me to watch. You didn’t say anything at first. Just stood there next to her. Then you touched her.”
My stomach twisted, but I kept my expression neutral. “That’s not what happened.”
Blair’s smile widened, venomous now. “Wasn’t it? Because I remember her turning to you, and the way you leaned in. Like you wanted to kiss your brother’s fiancée. Oh God, did Conrad find out? Is that why you fought?”
“That’s enough,” I said.
“I could have told everybody. But I didn’t, because you were my friend, Reese. I thought, hm. I’m so stupid, and I’m still helping you! I held that secret for you .”
“You didn’t gossip about me? So I should be grateful?”
“Yes!” Blair shouted.
I swallowed, but something felt stuck in my throat. I’d always known Blair had been there for me, but I hadn’t realized how much of it had been conditional.
“You couldn’t be bothered to see what was right in front of you. You couldn’t even see how much I gave you. How much I kept giving. You took and took! Don’t act like I didn’t give everything I had to you, just to watch you screw it up over and over again for her . Now I have to watch you two get married?”
The air crackled with years of unspoken things.
“I thought you were different. But now, I see it. I see it all. You and her in her perfect little fucking world, and I’m nothing. But that’s what she does, right? She wins. She always fucking wins.”
Her words hit me harder than I cared to admit .
“Did she seduce you? Convince you to kill your brother?”
My instincts urged me to lash out. But then I heard Laurene’s voice in my head.
You don’t need to fight every fight, Reese. Sometimes you just gotta walk away.
I relaxed. Maybe Laurene was right. Maybe Blair was the blackmailer, and if she was, I couldn’t lose my head. The anger was still there, burning in my chest, but I refused to let it consume me. Not this time.
“You’re bitter,” I said finally. “Bitter because you know we can’t be. You’ve only been and will only be my friend, Blair. My heart is branded by Laurene. I’m sorry.”
Blair blinked, and I saw her eyes get watery and she shook her head.
“Don’t ever bring my brother into this again. Not if you want to keep what’s left of my patience and our friendship.”
Blair scoffed, shaking her head. “What are you gonna do when she leaves again?”
“She won’t.”
“Laurene used you back then, and she’s using you now. She was with Conrad at the yacht club that night. Before we boarded.”
I narrowed my eyes. “What are you trying to say?”
Blair shrugged. “They were in the hallway, and let’s just say it didn’t look like your perfect little princess was playing nice. He was furious. Kept saying he couldn’t trust her. And Laurene? She didn’t deny it.”
“You’re making this up.”
“You think so?” Blair let out a sharp, cruel laugh. “She grabbed his arm. She kissed him.”
She lied. Again. You don’t know that; you don’t , I told myself.
“Just ask Noelle.”
“Noelle?”
“Oh, you didn’t know? Noelle saw the whole thing—she told me later that night, but by then…” She gestured vaguely, as if th e wreck was just an inconvenient punctuation mark in the middle of her story.
“Noelle is Laurene’s best friend. She wouldn’t tell you shit.”
“She might be her best friend, but she was a little drunk, a little emotional, started talking to me and I just listened. I figured it’ll be useful at some point. Guess it is now.”
I felt a knot tighten in my chest.
Was Noelle even a friend?
“Is there anything else you need to tell me, Blair?” My voice came out hoarse, as if I wasn’t sure if I really wanted to know the answer.
“Yes…” She exhaled, and this time I saw the tears fall down her face and I turned my head. “Dante’s been asking about Laurene, Reese.”
I went still. I clenched my fists, nails digging into my palms. Why?
Blair swallowed hard, her mascara smudged beneath her eyes. “He asked about the wedding, about her family, about what Laurene might know… what she might do.”
My pulse raced. “What she might do?”
“He wanted to know how loyal she is to you. If she’d ever turn against you.” Blair shrugged. “And if you’d ever turn against her.”
“Why the hell would he care about that?” A chill crawled up my spine.
“Don’t worry about it. I handled it for you.”
My teeth clenched. “Handled it how?”
“I gave him something else.” Her voice dropped. “He’s looking to expand; the Whitmores are trying to get back their footing in town. I heard some things about Miles, he’s sleeping with Gwyn Miller and she’s still with Eli… He seemed more interested in that. Doesn’t hurt they hate the Kings.”
The Kings had enemies everywhere—rich and richer, and those who just plain resented them. But Dante didn’t ask about them. He asked about Laurene .
“He smiled. Like he already knew that. Like he was testing me just to see what I’d say.”
Dante… He just keeps coming back.
“I know how to deal with guys like Dante, and I’m interested in making a deal for my family. I let him know he was barking up the wrong tree.”
“Then…thank you.”
“Save it.” Her eyes, still damp from earlier, hardened. “That’s the last favor you’ll ever get from me.”
I watched her hesitate and turn.
“No.” She shook her head. “I just hope this information doesn’t get out before your wedding.”
I opened the door before she could knock again. Laurene stood breathless, wide-eyed. “I got here as soon as I could. Something happen? Did you get hurt?”
She looked me over, and I shook my head no.
The truth. I just wanted the truth, damn it.
She stepped forward, my hands itched to touch her, but I stayed put.
“Reese.” She wrapped her arms around me, her hands coming to my face. “What’s going on?”
“Did you know Dante is asking around town about you?”
“What?” She recoiled.
I nodded, and Laurene’s eyes flickered to me.
“How do you know this? Did you speak to him?”
Now it was my turn to look away. “We need to keep a closer eye on him. I saw that seal on that car, now he’s asking about you…” I shook my head. No coincidence.
“You’re right. We should be careful.”
“You’re full of surprises, aren’t you?” I muttered in frustration. “ Every time I think I’ve got you figured out, there’s more. There’s always more.”
Recoiling slightly, she met my gaze, eyes wide.
I stepped back, and ran a hand through my hair, clearing my head. “Did you kiss my brother before we got on that yacht?”
Silence.
Laurene’s eyes flashed; I couldn’t decipher the emotion. “And why would you ask that, Reese?”
“Did you kiss him?”
The quiet got heavier. “Where’d you hear that?”
“Is it true?” I moved closer, invading her space, and she backed up, but I kept going.
Her lips parted, but she said nothing. “What does that change?”
“It changes how I see you. How I see us .” I crowded her, forcing her to look at me until there was barely any space between us. “Kissing him wasn’t the plan.”
Fear. It was clear in her eyes.
“Did you?”
“Yes,” she admitted.
I released her instantly, my head shaking, a whirlwind of emotions and questions flooding my mind.
“Wait! It’s not what you think?—”
I spun around. “You kissed my brother!”
Her eyes darted, guilty, but she didn’t speak.
“Why?” I growled. “Why the hell did you do it? Still keeping secrets after everything. And you expect me to trust you?”
“I was protecting us,” she said quickly, eyes wide, but I wasn’t buying it. “Protecting you, protecting what we have. That’s why I did it.”
My head shook in anger.
“He dared me to do it.”
I froze. “He dared you?”
Laurene nodded, and this time she pushed past me, heading toward my kitchen .
“He was… testing me, Reese. I was about to leave to get on the yacht, and Mrs. Fontaine caught us. She started talking, and then she wanted to get a picture of the new couple kissing for the Lush Chronicle .”
I watched, frowning, as she searched my cabinets.
“I thought he was just going to kiss me on the cheek, but he pulled me in too fast, and I couldn’t turn my head in time. He kissed me on the lips.”
She avoided my eyes, sighed, and pulled out the emergency cookies. Sweets soothed her stress.
“If I hadn’t done it, he would’ve gone to my parents, to your family. He would’ve exposed everything, and the whole plan would’ve fallen apart. I couldn’t risk it, Reese. Not after everything we’d done. I had to keep the act up.”
Her words felt raw and real.
“What about the argument you two had?” I pushed.
“He wanted to pretend for everybody. I didn’t.” Laurene scoffed. “And he was pissed because I slapped the shit outta him after for what he did.”
“You slapped him?”
“When I told you it was me and you,” she started, her words slow and deliberate, “I meant it, Reese. I meant it in a way I’ve never meant anything in my life.”
She stepped closer, her eyes locking on to mine.
“I never touched Conrad willingly. Not once. I never kissed him willingly. When I told you I loved you, when I said that you were the only one I wanted, I wasn’t lying. I’ve never wanted anyone the way I wanted you. Not him, not anyone else—just you.”
I felt my pulse pound at the truth in her words.
“I…I just thought?—”
“Oh, so you stuck now?” Laurene side-eyed me. “Hey, we’re a team, I didn’t mention it because I knew it’d upset you.”
I grimaced. Laurene chuckled, then got serious. She looked a bit gentler, but her eyes still blazed. “Who told you? ”
I pursed my lips, and she narrowed her gaze at me.
“We’re being honest, right?”
I swallowed, the words feeling like stones in my throat. I didn’t want to bring Noelle into this—still, I couldn’t make myself say it. Noelle needed to tell Laurene. “Yeah. Honest.”
Her eyes held mine.
“Blair.”
She nodded slowly, wound up like a spring, ready to snap. She fought to hide her emotions. Then her face blanked; she walked past, cold and silent.
“Wait. Hey, hey, hey, hold up —” The words were out of my mouth before I could stop them, my hand instinctively reaching for her arm. I expected her to pull away, but she didn’t. She stiffened, letting me hold her.
She didn’t look at me, even as she spoke. “Did you sleep with Blair?”
I saw the anger in her eyes, but something else was there too. Vulnerability. Pain. Betrayal.
This was the actual Laurie.
No mask. No manipulation. No games. Just the woman underneath it all. I was shocked. I never thought I’d see her like that; she’s usually so guarded, especially with her return.
I had spent so long believing the version of her that played the game. I’d convinced myself her distance and coldness were her true self. But in that instant, I saw everything I’d missed.
“Say it, Reese,” she bit out, her voice trembling, though she was trying to hide it. “Tell me if you were with her.”
“No.” The word came out like a growl, sharp and unshakable. “Never.”
I stepped closer, close enough to feel the heat of her body, close enough that she couldn’t look anywhere but at me. My heart pounded, but my voice remained steady.
“It’s always been you, Laurene.” My chest ached with it, the weight of every year, every moment, every time I’d wanted her and no one else. “Only you. My first choice. My last choice. The only one who’s ever mattered.”
I reached for her, fingers brushing her jaw, tilting her face up until I could see the doubt flickering in her eyes—the doubt I needed to destroy.
“No one else has ever owned me the way you do.” She held my gaze. “No one else ever will.” Laurene’s lips were on mine—quick, desperate. The kiss was hard, demanding, but it wasn’t just anger. It wasn’t just pain. It was need.
It was all about finding her again, getting to the real her, the part she’d hidden away. I could almost sense her just below.
Next thing I knew, she was in my arms, and we were heading to my bedroom.
Her movements were so warm and alive, it felt like my head was spinning. I gently laid her on the bed, but she immediately began to undress me. Every little touch and move made me realize how much I missed her.
I watched her, the way she touched me—like she needed to convince herself I was real, that this was real, that after everything, we’d finally found our way back. I could feel the old wounds bleeding through.
All that time apart, the silence, the anger…it just melted away when she touched me.
She had me. She’d always had me.
I loved her. Maybe I never stopped.
It had always been so easy to fall into her, to let her pull me under.
And as her fingers traced over me, like she was memorizing every inch, I stopped fighting it. Despite everything, I was still hers. I’d always be hers. I knelt down before she could unzip my pants, and that made her lean back. Her breath hitched when I caressed her smooth curves.
“Reese,” she murmured. My trembling hands unbuttoned her jeans, igniting a fire within me.
Just one taste .
Her pants were tossed on the floor. I gently bit into her belly. She tasted amazing, and her moans kept me going.
It was a point of no return. No more secrets, no more walls. Just this intense longing to be one. Going lower, she ground against the bed. I wanted now to taste her pussy. Just taste it. Enjoy her.
After so , so long.
I ran my fingers along her hip and felt her body tense up, like she was resisting at first, but then she relaxed. She nudged me with her knees. I grunted and my hand went to her inner thigh, pressing down to make sure she stayed put.
“Don’t fight me,” I breathed.
Her moan hit me hard. Though small, it felt immense. “Quit playing games with me.”
Her hips swayed, and her clothed cunt brushed my face, the delicate contact sending a fire through me. I breathed her in, the scent intoxicating, consuming. I only got a tiny taste of her —just a quick taste—and it made me lose it. I was desperate as I pulled down her panties and dove in with my tongue.
She was so sweet, it just made me want more of her.
“Oh my God.” She shivered; her voice was rough and unfiltered.
I really took my time rediscovering her body. I used my tongue on her clit and my thumb on her slit, and she moaned before falling back on the bed with her legs spread. It didn’t take long before my chin glistened with her essence. I tried my best to ignore the growing ache in my pants.
“Still so damn sweet, baby.”
Her breath hitched, stomach rising and falling in sharp, uneven waves as I ate, licked, sucked. Consumed.
“Reese, damn,” she whimpered, and I slipped a thick finger inside, slow, deep, searching—until I found it. The spot that made her break.
“Can I still get you to come?” My voice was low, hoarse; I was desperate to know. To own that answer .
Her moan shattered in her throat as I moved my fingers in slow, deep strokes, working her open, making her feel every inch. Could I still do this to her? I had to see it, hear it—watch her unravel because of me.
Her desperate cries set a rhythm as I teased her with my finger and tongue. I looked into her eyes while licking her slowly and deeply.
I wasn’t done.
“Whose pussy is this?”
I watched her fall apart—her lips parting, eyes fluttering shut—and God, it wrecked me. I loved her. I had always loved her. No matter the distance, the silence, the wreckage between us, she was it. My gravity. My ruin. My salvation.
Some things in life don’t need an explanation. Some things are just written.
Us? We were inevitable. We were war and passion, fire and fate. From the moment I met her, I knew—whether we burned together or burned each other, there was no ending where she wasn’t my purpose.
“Yours,” she whispered, breathless, her voice a sharp, aching truth.
I wanted to make her feel this. I wanted her to understand, with every touch, every kiss, that despite everything, there was still something here—something worth fighting for, worth holding on to, even if it was broken.
I knew her body like a prayer—the rhythm that unraveled her, the way her breath hitched, the way her thighs trembled before she lost herself to me. I let my eyes close, drinking in the sound of her, the scent of her, the way she opened up for me, eager, desperate, perfect. I wanted more. All of her. I wanted to lift her onto me, arms locked under her legs, and let her ride me until she forgot her own name.
I wanted to feel her—hot, wet, mine—wrapped around me, clenching, pulling me deeper, until there was no space left between us. Until we were tangled together, inseparable .
Her voice broke into a cry, a melody of need echoing off the walls.
“Louder,” I growled against her. Her grip tightened in my hair, but I didn’t let up. Didn’t let her hide from me.
“I want to hear you,” I murmured, my voice thick with hunger, with intent, with possession. My lips brushed against her trembling skin, and I smirked before giving her another long, slow lick.
“I want you to scream for me, baby. Let me hear how much you’ve missed this.”
There was a dull rumble in my chest when I pressed on her clit. My eyes were glued to her. This wasn’t the composed Laurene the world saw. This was my Laurene. Solely mine.
“Reese!”
The moment she reached her climax, a potent bawl ripped out of her throat. She was shaking, panting . Then air released from her lungs before she fell back. Overly sensitive, she tried pushing away, but my grip kept her put.
Her mouth formed into a circular shape, while she tried to make an attempt at catching her breath, and whatever spilled from her pussy, I simply licked up again, savoring the taste.
She opened her eyes, and the moment her gaze met mine, the air between us tightened. Still. Heavy. Charged.
Then, she reached for me. Her fingers—soft, trembling, desperate—traced my jaw, pulling me closer, her touch an unspoken demand. A plea. A promise.
“Don’t stop,” she whispered, her voice raw, breathless, aching.
“I need to feel you.”
My fingers curled around her neck—careful, gentle—but there was a pressure there before pulling her bottom lip down with my thumb. I leaned into her, capturing her lips in a kiss, letting her taste herself on my tongue.
She began pulling off my shirt, the cool air tickling my skin for a second before she snuggled up to me, her warmth pushing it away. I got my pants down to my knees and then scrambled for a condom.
“Hurry up,” she whispered in my ear, grinding against me.
“Are you sure?”
“Now, Reese!” Her nails dragged over the muscles of my upper back, edging me on.
I grabbed my shaft, running it along her wet folds. With a final brush over her clit, my dick slid into her pussy, causing her walls to clench around me.
“Damn.” I counted back from ten. Her grip was just as tight and strong as I remembered. I knew she could handle it all. I only had three inches left to go. “Relax, baby.”
A tremor ran through Laurene’s thighs, and I carefully leaned forward, feeling the warmth of her body beneath mine, careful not to overwhelm her.
“Here you go.” I kissed her neck, the scent of her perfume intoxicating. Beneath me, she breathed in deep, then out slow, trying to control the sharp, staggered inhales as I pushed deeper, stretching her inch by inch. Welcoming me. Taking me in. She hugged me tight, her breath warm in my ear.
“Don’t let me go.” She let out a soft, helpless sound, her body melting into mine, her arms winding around my neck. Pulling me closer. The heat of her skin, the way her breath shivered against my ear—it was too much, and not enough all at once.
“I won’t,” I promised, my voice steady, even as everything inside me churned. My strokes were slow yet forceful as I paced myself. With her legs draped across my shoulders, we watched, mesmerized by the connection, a silent understanding passing between us.
With each thrust, my desire for her only grew stronger. The sensation of wet flesh hitting each other sent shivers down my spine. The pace was limitless, measureless, a desperate, gnawing need. There was no point in holding back any longer.
I thrust my hips faster. I felt her hands trace down my back to my ass, pulling me closer. I gazed downward, my eyes half- closed as I lifted her top up, exposing her breast to me as I leaned in to suck on her dark nipple.
“Shit! You’re gonna make me come again!” she whimpered.
“Yeah?” I rubbed her clit faster, and a rich, creamy mess coated every inch of my shaft. I felt my thighs tremble. “Cover this cock with your cum, darling.”
With each passing second, her walls tightened, the pressure building, sweat trickling down my forehead, my heart pounding in my ears. She shook uncontrollably, cursing and screaming as she released a torrent of liquid that soaked the blankets beneath us.
“Messy fucking slut.”
“Yes, yes!” Her furrowed brows were a mix of pleasure and intensity. “It’s too much, Reese!” She moved my hand from her clit, gripping my wrist tight. I groaned, my back muscles tightening with each slow, deep, aching thrust, my Adam’s apple bobbing as I threw my head back, the pleasure unbearable.
Laurene lay beneath me, dazed—wrecked, undone, fucking beautiful. The final waves of release crashed over me, hollowing me out, leaving me raw. Spent, but not empty. Never empty with her. I collapsed against her, careful, but needing to feel her. All of her. My lips found the curve of her neck, the taste of her skin, damp and flushed. My hand traced her stomach, slow, reverent, inching higher until I cupped her breast, my fingers spreading over her like I could claim her, keep her.
“I love you,” I whispered, the words slipping out before I could stop them. But I meant them. I meant them like I meant every breath in my lungs.
She stilled beneath me.
I didn’t move—I couldn’t. My lips hovered near her ear, my next words a confession, a surrender, a truth I could never take back.
“I never stopped.”