Chapter 24
Maren
I’m not sure how to get out of the predicament I’ve found myself in. Primarily, because I don’t know how I got here in the first place.
One second, I was getting laid in the most fantastic of ways, and the next, my entire existence was packed up, loaded into a collection of various pickup trucks and rental vans, and moved to the Bradshaw estate.
Specifically, Trevor Bradshaw’s home.
It wouldn’t be so bad if it was just me this happened too. I could grab a few things and hightail it to a hotel until I figured out what the fuck to do now.
But it’s not just me. It’s me and Zara.
And Zara isn’t remotely interested in hightailing it anywhere.
She’s already made herself beyond comfortable, and has taken over the great room. The television mounted on the wall is playing her favorite cartoons as she sprawls across the floor in front of it, surrounded by piles of coloring books, crayons, and markers.
The worst part? She’s not there alone.
No. Trevor Bradshaw couldn’t keep things simple by going to his home office or having an emergency at McKinley Security Systems. He had to park his ass right next to my sister and has spent the last hour coloring with her.
And all I can do is sit here and stare at them, wondering what the fuck I’m supposed to do with this shit.
The alarm on Trevor’s front door beeps as it opens, and footsteps interrupt my brainstorming session. Which is fine, because I’m getting fucking nowhere.
I’m expecting to see Brooke, coming to make sure Zara and I are doing okay. But it’s not my best friend’s smiling face that greets me.
It’s Deidre Bradshaw’s.
Which takes everything from bad to worse. Because while I don’t know what the fuck I’m gonna do about Trevor, I do at least know how to manage him. I don’t have the first clue how to manage Deidre Bradshaw. She is such a foreign concept to me, I can’t even really wrap my head around her existence.
“Hey, honey.” I assume she’s talking to her son until she comes at me, all motherly warmth and concern. “How was the petting zoo?”
“It was awesome,” Zara answers for me, her well of optimism nowhere close to running dry. “Trevor bought it so the next time we go, I’ll be able to visit all the animals.”
“What?” I stand from the barstool I’ve been sitting at for the past hour, my attention snapping from my sister to the guilty-looking man next to her. “What is she talking about?”
Trevor and my sister have been chatty, but I assumed it was about how they’re now best friends and he’s gonna buy her a miniature cow and a pony. Or rambling about plans to go swimming in Toby’s pool or hunting shiny rocks along the creek.
Not for one second did I suspect the conversation was about how he bought a fucking petting zoo because he wanted my little sister to be able to access the entire facility.
Trevor has done a lot of questionable shit in the past week, but this really takes the cake. It’s unhinged. It’s insane. It’s…
Probably the sweetest fucking thing any man has ever done in the history of the universe.
And I sort of hate him for it. Because how can I be expected to keep it together when he does shit like this? How do I keep my wits about me when he’s wearing friendship bracelets and coloring Barbie illustrations while buying fucking petting zoos?
Trevor slowly stands, his eyes fused to me. Like he’s gauging just how angry I genuinely am.
I kind of hope he can figure it out, because I don’t even know anymore. Am I angry? Happy? Confused? Homicidal?
Honestly, I think it’s a little bit of all of it.
I know cuteness aggression is a thing, so there’s gotta be a level above that where your feelings go beyond cute. Beyond aggression.
Homicidal affection. That’s what I’m going to call it. I’m starting to like Trevor Bradshaw’s face, and it makes me wanna poke him with something sharp.
“I know it seems like that might have been a little bit of an overreaction, but hear me out.” He holds both hands up, like he thinks he can placate me.
“I talked to the kid in the hut as we left, and he explained that he was concerned when we got there, but he didn’t know how to tell us about the issues we were gonna have.
He knew he couldn’t call the owner for help, because the owner’s basically abandoned the place. ”
I don’t know why, but I keep my mouth shut, choosing to listen to the rest of his explanation.
I’m curious. Interested to see what sort of a spin he can put on this to make it make sense in his head.
I am a little concerned it might also make sense in mine, but I’m gonna cross that bridge if I come to it.
“So I got the owner’s information from him, and made an offer.
He accepted, and now our family has an amazing place to take Birdie and the twins.
” He hesitates for only a second before adding on the part that makes it really fucking hard to be mad at him.
“Plus, I can keep any animals Zara wants there, so she can visit them whenever she feels like it.”
I knew he was gonna take it there, but I still can’t believe he did it.
That’s a lie. Yes I can. The guy sat outside my house and mounted cameras all over so he could make sure I was safe. He just moved all my shit here without really giving me any say so. Of course I can believe he would use my sister against me to get what he wants.
“Can I talk to you privately?” I don’t wait for an answer, just march over, grab him by the front of his shirt, and drag him down the hall, right past where his mother stands, grinning at us for some strange reason.
That must be where her son gets his weirdness from.
“Take your time,” Deidre calls after us. “Zara and I are going to have a lovely time together while you two are busy,” she adds, sounding not put out at all over being left with my little sister.
I continue hauling Trevor away, not really sure where I’m headed, until we finally end up in the farthest corner of the first floor, locked in a bathroom.
Fucking great. I remember what happened the last time we were alone in a bathroom. That can’t be what happens this time. We need to talk. We need to clear a few things up. We need—
I leap, wrapping both arms around his neck as I seal my lips to his. The kiss is a little unhinged. A little wild. A little aggressive.
Maybe a lot aggressive.
But I just feel so fucking… Much. Ways I never have before. And it’s overwhelming, impossible to control or corral. It just all sort of explodes out, manifesting in the hottest kiss of my life.
When I pull back, I’m breathing heavy, chest heaving as I plant both hands against his chest and give him a shove. “What the fuck, Trevor?”
I’m angry. I’m confused. I’m frustrated and annoyed and…
“I want to suck your dick.” I grab the waistband of his pants. “Right now.”
Trevor angles a brow, making no move to help me get what I want. “You’re not going to bite me, are you?”
“I haven’t decided yet.” I manage to get the buckle of his belt undone. “Why the fuck did you buy that petting zoo?”
I hold my breath, hoping to God he tells me because it’s a great investment. Maybe a way to hide some of his millions of dollars to save a little on his taxes. Anything besides a reason that will change everything.
“You know why I bought the petting zoo, Maren.” Trevor’s voice is low. Almost soft. “She should be able to go everywhere everyone else can.”
“Of course she should, but that’s not the way the world works.” I fight his button free. “Making her think everyone will always accommodate her is just setting her up for failure and disappointment.”
It’s a delicate balance, trying to fight for my sister’s rights while also helping her understand that fight will never stop.
It’s probably been the hardest part of being her parent.
I don’t ever want to dull her sparkle, but I also don’t want her to go out into the world unprepared for the realities she’s going to face.
“I’m not making her think everyone will always accommodate her.” Trevor reaches out, pinching my chin between his thumb and finger as he forces my eyes to his. “I’m making sure she knows I always will.”
My throat tries to go tight, gripped by a fist of emotion that’s almost suffocating. I’ve dealt with a lot of conflicting feelings in my life, and discovered the best way to get through them is by channeling them into the one that comes the easiest—anger.
But I can’t even make myself be angry with Trevor right now. So I have to settle for aggravation.
“Oh my God. I already said I was gonna suck your dick, you can stop being all fucking knight-in-shining-armor-y.” I get the front of his pants open and shove them down just enough to free his cock. “And you better be quiet. Because if your mom knocks on the door, I probably will bite you.”
It likely wouldn’t be on purpose, but he doesn’t need to know that.
“Noted.” Trevor’s eyes follow my descent as I lower to the floor. “I’m willing to take the risk.”
“I don’t care.” I recognize the divide between my words and actions right now. How strange it probably is to threaten to bite him while also practically begging to suck him off, but that’s a conundrum for future me to reckon with.
Future me is going to hate my fucking guts.
Like usual for us, speed and stealth is the name of the game, so I waste no time, gripping him tight as I feed as much of his cock between my lips as I can manage.
The satiny soft glide of his skin against my tongue is way more arousing than I anticipated, and has me pressing my thighs together as I pull back, gaze lifting to his face so I can gauge his reaction.
Trevor’s nostrils are flared, his jaw clenched as he watches me with rapt attention, unblinking as I take him down again.
“Shit.” The word isn’t much more than a whisper, but the gravelly tone of it shoots straight to my clit like lightning.
And apparently I like lightning, because I end up moaning around his dick.
Blow jobs are about power. Control. Proving that at the end of the day, all it takes is a little spit and a few repetitive movements, and all men become whimpering little simps. I’ve always kind of gotten off on giving them.
But not like this.
Trevor’s hand comes to my face, one finger tracing the stretch of my lips around him. “Fuck, you’re pretty with my cock in your mouth.”
Why in the hell am I flattered? Worse, why does it make me try to take even more of him? Show him just how pretty I can be.
I think there’s something wrong with me.
It’s probably him.
And that problem just seems to get worse, because the motivation that initially brought us into this room only intensifies. It’s one I don’t remember having before. One I really freaking hope I never have again.
Because rewarding Trevor for being the kind of person who buys an entire petting zoo to make my sister happy can’t become a regular occurrence.
Now, the dick sucking part? I don’t mind that at all. But the warm feeling spreading through my insides over Trevor’s action needs to fucking quit. I don’t know what to do with it. How to smother it out.
The only option is to focus all of my attention on the task at hand. Pretend it’s just a regular blow job. That Trevor is just a regular man.
Even though he is doing everything he can to prove himself the opposite.
“I don’t like seeing you on your knees.” Trevor’s fingers slide across my cheek to spear into my hair. “Not even for me.”
Popping my mouth off his spit-slicked skin, I meet his eyes. “I really wish you would shut up.”
I need him to stop saying shit like that. Shit that makes me think he sees who I really am. That he appreciates me in spite of all the anger and annoyance I’ve chosen to carry for so long.
“No, you don’t.” Trevor smirks. “You like fighting with me just as much as I like fighting with you.”
I fucking hate that he’s right. I do like fighting with him. I like knowing I push him and he pushes right back, but never too hard. Because he’s not trying to knock me down. He’s proving I can’t shove him away, no matter how hard I try.
And I’ve tried. Over and over again.
I drag my tongue up the length of him, eyes narrowed on his face. “I hate you.”
“Sure you do.”
He grunts a little when I sink over him. Fisting tight, I work him with my hand, head bobbing along until he’s right on the edge. Then I drag my lips free, leaving him hanging.
I need to prove I’m still just as big of a pain in his ass as I’ve always been. I’ve gone through too much—fought too hard—to let my guard down. To let myself think I’ve found someone I can rely on.
All the air rushes from his lungs and a smile curves my lips. That’s right. I can still make him suffer. Can still aggravate him the same as I always have.
Even if I do feel a little bad about it.
Bad enough I accidentally wrap my lips around him again.
Bad enough I moan when he slides against my tongue.
Bad enough the hand not wrapped around him slips into the waistband of my jeans, trying to ease the ache between my thighs.
Bad enough I come when he does, swallowing down every drop as he tells me how perfect I am.
How smart.
How strong.
How vicious.
That last one makes me consider sucking his dick all over again.