Break My Fall (35 page)

His pace slowed as he leaned over me,

“You’re mine Lee. I am always going to want you. That’s never gonna change baby,” he vowed.

I turned my head and accepted his lush wet kiss.

He didn’t say he loved me, but would always want me.

I focused on those words as the swell of pleasure building inside me boiled over.

Chapter Thirty-six 

KYLE

“Mr. Carter, how good of you to grace us with your presence today.”

Mr. Peterson, my econ professor blocked the door of the classroom,

“Can I be assured that you will be in full attendance next semester?”

For a short man, he had an intimidating aura.

“Sorry Larry,” I muttered, shifting my notebook bag to my other shoulder, “I’ve had a lot on lately.”

Like my sexy roommate who I couldn’t keep my hands off.

As fond as Larry Peterson was of me, I didn’t think he would take too kind to me skiving off class to make out with my girl.

Then again, if he saw Lee I reckoned he might understand.

“I understand you’re under a lot more pressure than my other students,” he said in a kinder voice, “You graduate in June and then your business can have your entire attention. However, you have six more months, and I’d hate to see you lose your focus on the final hurdle. You’ve worked too hard for this. Don’t blow it.”

I nodded curtly and he stepped aside.

I stalked out of the classroom feeling hard done by.

I had straight A’s in his class, and all my other classes.

It was fucking petty to badger me for missing a couple of classes.

My grades hadn’t even slipped.

I made my way across the campus quad to the entrance of the student café.

Cam waved from the table inside the window.

Good, she was early for a change.

I met Cam and Derek for coffee during class breaks most days, which was less this year because I only had eight hours’ worth of classes a week.

“Hey,” I said, slumping down in the chair across from her.

“Hello to you to sunshine. Dare I ask who’s put you in such a good mood?”

I dropped my notebook bag on the chair beside me and leaned my elbows on the table.

“Professor Peterson,” I growled, “Thinks he knows fucking everything as usual.”

Cam raised her brow as she swallowed a sip of her latte.

“Really, I thought you he liked you?” she said, wiping foamy milk from her top lip.

“He does, that’s the problem. He’s all up in my shit because I missed a few of his classes.”

The brunette waitress with the huge rack placed a steaming cup of black coffee in front of me.

“Thanks Lauren,” I said reading her nametag, slipping a twenty out of my pocket and handing it to her.

“No problem. I know how you like it.”

She twirled her hair around her finger and smiled down at me.

“Uh, keep the change?” I told her, feeling a little uncomfortable from the way she was staring at me.

“Oh thanks, you were always big with your tips.”

I edged further away from her.

“Okay...”

I raised a brow to Cam for help.

She scoffed and shook her head with that ‘you’re on your own buddy’ expression.

“So my shift finishes in five minutes, and my place is just off campus. You remember where…”

Oh, so that was what the sexual innuendos were about; I had forgotten.

“Sorry, not interested Lauren.”

I was getting tired of girls throwing themselves at me.

I wished I could have Lee here with me, so they’d back the fuck off.

As much as I wanted her here, the need to protect her from Rachel and all my bullshit outweighed that want.

Lauren pouted, and put her hands on her hips.

Jesus Christ, take the hint.

“I’m sure I can get you interested. You sure were interested last time.”

I mentally scolded myself for sleeping with the girl, but in my defense, I’d been a horny freshmen and she’d been an easy fuck.

I was a different person now.

Cam cleared her throat, “Um sweetie, maybe you could go and interest yourself in a book? Preferable one that explains body language, so next time you can read the signs when a man isn’t interested.”

I doubled up with laughter, as Lauren marched off.

“That was brilliant. Her face was priceless.”

Cam smiled, checking her nails, “What can I say, I’m amazing.”

The café door opened and Derek strolled in.

“Hey,” he said, chirpier than I had.

He kissed Cam on the head before sliding into the chair alongside her.

“Oh thank Jesus we’re finishing for the holidays today,” he said, beckoning a waitress with a hand.

Thankfully, a different one came to take his coffee order.

“If I have to sit through another one of Professor Garethy’s lectures on maternal fucking monkeys, I swear I’ll stab myself in the eyes with this spoon.”

He gestured towards to spoon on the table.

“That kind of defeats the purpose, considering you’d be blind, not deaf?” I said.

I couldn’t figure out why Derek was taking philosophy.

He was the least philosophical person I knew, it you didn’t count his theories on the wonderful world of the vagina;
‘live by the vagina, die by the vagina’
.

Derek huffed, as he shrugged off his coat.

“You obviously haven’t seen Professor Garethy. Trust me; I’d be doing my eyes a kind mercy.”

He shuddered dramatically.

“Oh poor baby, let’s go home and I’ll show you something that will make you reconsider blinding yourself,” Cam suggested and I gagged.

“I might need something for my mouth too,” Derek said eagerly before sticking his tongue down her throat.

Chapter Thirty-seven 

LEE

Christmas was my favorite time of year.

Even as a child, when Santa didn’t bring me presents and I didn’t get turkey, I loved the holiday.

I used to love listening to the Christmas songs on the radio, and the other children in my class talking about what toys they were getting, and how their moms’ baked apple pies and cinnamon rolls.

My favorite Christmas was when I was seven.

My father’s appendix had burst on Christmas Eve and he was rushed to hospital.

He’d left me with Cam’s parents, much to my delight.

I loved their house; it was always so clean and smelled so nice.

I got my first Christmas present that year; a Malibu Barbie.

I remembered Mrs. Frey telling me that Santa knew I was sleeping at their house and had left my present there.

I remembered the sad look on her face when I asked her if Santa knew how to find my daddy’s house, because I had never gotten a present before?

She had cried and I’d thought I was in big trouble for making her cry, but Mrs. Frey had hugged me instead of hitting me.

It was the best Christmas.

“Since you’re the youngest, you should do the honors,” Kyle said, bringing me back to the present.

Cam and Derek were out, and we decided to decorate the tree.

Kyle pressed the angel ornament into my hands.

“I don’t know if you noticed,” I pointed to the tree, “But that’s a seven foot Christmas tree, and I’m about two feet too short.”

He snorted, “That’s easily solved short-ass.”

I squealed in surprise, as Kyle lifted me up.

I placed the angel on the top of the tree.

“Make sure it’s on straight baby.”

I checked, “It is.”

Kyle set me down and we stepped back to admire our work.

The tree looked quite tragic.

Mismatched baubles were scattered on the branches with every different color of tinsel.

The lights were a hideous blue.

I burst out laughing at the sight.

“I guess we won’t win any awards for decorating.”

He wrapped his arms around me, “I don’t care. It’s the first Christmas I’ve wanted to celebrate. I’m proud of our shitty tree.”

I smiled when he said ‘our tree’.

“This is my first Christmas having a tree to decorate. Daddy never got one for the house.”

Kyle’s face darkened and I regretted saying anything.

He clenched his fists, shaking his head.

“I’m sorry,” I muttered, and went to clear away the empty decoration boxes.

“Why are you sorry?” he asked, following me into the kitchen.

I squashed the boxes and placed them in the recycling bin.

“For bringing up my father; for making you angry.”

He strode over and wrapped his arms around me.

“I’m not angry with you baby,” he kissed my forehead, “I’m fucking furious with him. When you tell me you’ve never been trick or treating or had a Christmas tree, it makes me want to get in my truck, drive to Montgomery and kick his ass.”

I could feel Kyle’s hands trembling, I knew he was serious.

“You’ve fixed those things for me,” I whispered, kissing the skin that covered his heart, “You’ve given me a whole lot of firsts.”

He rubbed my cheek with his thumb.

Leaning down, he studied my face with a serious expression, “I want to give you all your firsts. I want to fix everything for you.”

He kissed me softly.

“I want to give you everything you’ve never had princess. Everything you want.”

I smiled, and patted his chest, “Then you’ve already given me everything, because all I want is you.”

The doorbell rang, and I brushed past Kyle to answer it.

We ordered pizza and I wanted to pay this time.

It made me uncomfortable when Kyle paid for everything.

I figured he was used to doing that with Rachel.

Well, I was nothing like her.

“That will be twenty-two even,” the delivery guy said. .

“So, are you new to the area? Because I know I would remember a pretty face like yours.”

I blushed at his forwardness.

“Um, no I live here.”

I suddenly felt very exposed in Kyle’s white shirt.

Dammit, I should have thrown on some pants before opening the door.

Kyle had taken me in kitchen before we started decorating, and I’d thrown his shirt on rather than go upstairs and get dressed.

“Really?” he asked, surprised I think.

He leaned closer to the door, “I’m sure that accent isn’t from around here?”

I shifted awkwardly from foot to foot, “No, I’m from Louisiana.”

The delivery guy smiled, “I’m Jessie. And you are?”

A firm hand clenched around my waist.

“And she’s mine,” Kyle said coolly, holding out a fifty dollar bill.

He pulled me against his side.

I couldn’t help the smile that spread across my face from his possessiveness.

I guessed we looked a sight; Kyle in his black slacks and me in his shirt.

The delivery guy’s eyes widened, his cheeks pinked as he mumbled something about being in a rush.

He grabbed the money and thrust our pizza into Kyle’s hand.

“Keep the change,” Kyle said, closing the door and giving me an exasperated look.

“What?” I asked, taking the pizza box from his hand.

I went and curled up in my usual spot on the couch.

“What? Baby you can’t go answering the door looking like that.”

I shrugged, swallowing a mouth-watering bite.

I lifted my legs for Kyle to sit down, then lowered them onto his lap.

“It’s just a shirt.”

Kyle groaned, squeezing my calves, “Exactly; it’s just a shirt, just a very white, very see through shirt.”

Now I was the one groaning, “I forgot I was wearing it okay? I was rushing to beat you to the door because I wanted to pay this time, and forgot what I was wearing.”

Kyle grabbed the pizza box from my lap and tossed it on the coffee table.

Slipping his hands around my waist, he pulled me onto his lap so I was straddling him.

“As sweet as I think it is that you want to pay, you’re my woman, so you won’t be paying for our food. Or for anything.”

I opened my mouth to protest, but he silenced me with a kiss.