My So Called Life (Love Not Included Series Book 3) (23 page)

BOOK: My So Called Life (Love Not Included Series Book 3)
10.97Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
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I spend my entire day pacing the house like a madwoman. My crazy brain goes from imagining my make-believe hotline call, to Amber hanging up on me and gloating that she one-upped me. I envision her swaying into Ian’s office and throwing herself on his desk, telling him she would never lie to him. And since my brain hates me, the reel gets worse as I imagine Ian grabbing her nappy head and kissing her senseless.

Each possible situation that runs through my hater brain ends with that little weasel all over Ian. By the end of the day, my sanity level is shot and I’m about two seconds away from pulling out my red lipstick and smearing it all over my face while creating a hate list, victim numero uno, Amber.

Thank goodness Pippa finally comes home to break up my insano-fest and distracts me from anything bordering on destroying my self-dignity.

I get to enjoy some one-on-one with Pippa. She’s an amazing little spirit. We sit in the living room having a ‘picnic’ since the kitchen table is still a disaster and she tells me story after story about her mommy and daddy. Some I can’t interpret into adult sentences but the ones I can melt my soul. My sister sounds like she was a great mom and John was a hero in his daughter’s eyes. From what I’ve learned, Amy worked as an administrative assistant for a small tax attorney. I remember from the speeches at the funeral that John was a mortgage broker, and very successful from the sounds of it.

In the explanation of a four-year-old, magical stories were read at night and pancakes were Saturday specials.
Totally getting worked over on that one.
And her mommy was the prettiest princess in all the land, until she grows up and becomes the ‘most prettiest.’ She doesn’t catch me when I wipe the tears falling down my face, but when I almost get busted, I blame it on potential fairy dust in my eye. I read three books to Pippa before she falls asleep in her bed and wait the forty-seven minutes it takes for her to wake up and come crawling into mine. I worry that I need to start forcing her to sleep in her own bed, but until I win Ian back, it’s imperative that she fill my void as little spoon.

T
HREE-DAY RULE. EVER HEARD
of it? It’s when a date waits three days to call you. To make themselves feel like they have the power. They don’t want to look too eager. Well, this can go for fighting as well. But my limit is three mother
truckin’
days. And he has hit his max. I am Christina mother
flippin’
Daniels
.
Like my effort to quit swearing? I recommend hours of Disney channel for word replacements.

Back on track, I was playing nice. I was calling to plead and beg for his forgiveness. But now? Nope. He will come to me. I’m done chasing after him. I am, after all, a woman, and we can only beg so much, not including bedroom fornicating.

Ha ha. I said fornicating.

So, as the infamous saying goes, all’s fair in love and war. Therefore, I call Patti and ask her if she can take Pippa again after school. She, of course, agrees. I ask to speak to Henry next. He’s not as easily persuaded to fulfill my second request, but he gives in, if only because Patti is in the background threatening meatloaf the rest of the week if he doesn’t agree. Patti convinces him that it’s totally acceptable behavior if the end result is true love.
Oh, Patti. We are hugging in spirit right now.
I hang up and get to work.

Two hours of primping, shaving, plucking and scrubbing, I’m ready to go. Right on schedule, I hear the front door crash open and slam slut, and then Ian’s shouts erupt through the living room.

“Chrissy! Pippa!” His shoes smack the floor as he sprints down the hallway. He bursts into my bedroom where I’m waiting for him. “What happened? Are you okay? Where’s Pippa?” he blurts out all at once, his gaze searching the room for her.

“She’s at school,” I say, waiting for him to stop frantically searching and focus on the bait.

“But Henry said he heard a distress call coming from this address.” He looks at me.

Then he looks down.

And back up.

“What’s going on here, Chris?” He’s now sounding less worried and a wee bit angry.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean why did Henry tell me someone broke in and why are you standing here looking just fine in . . . in
that?
” He has to choke out the last word, pointing at my attire.

If you want to know what
that
is, it’s black thigh-high stockings, a matching thong and a barely there bra. AKA bait.

“Because I needed you to talk to me.”
Uh oh. Losing focus.

“So, what, you set me up? You had Henry lie for you?” His angry face tells me he’s not impressed with my tactics. “You are something else,” he spits out and turns to walk away.

“Wait!” I run after him and grab his shoulder.

He whips around. “You really got me there. Pulling one trick after another. Well, you win. You can completely deceive me and it looks like I’ll still run to your rescue. You win. Point proven.”

Totally wrong point.

I jump in front of the doorway, blocking him. “That’s not why I did it. You wouldn’t talk to me. I didn’t know what else do to.”

“So pretend there’s an emergency? I thought you were hurt,” he snaps back.

“I am hurt,” I reply somberly.

“Oh, yeah? Where?”

“Here.” I point to my heart. “All in here. I didn’t lie to you, but I know I didn’t tell you the whole truth either. I swear, though, I’m not engaged, and I wasn’t when we started this either.”

“I hate to break it to you, but your
fiancé
thinks otherwise. Maybe you should go work it out with him.” He moves forward to nudge me out of the way.

Again with the exit attempts.

I plant my feet, refusing to move. “Just listen to me. That’s why I always brushed you off or avoided what was going on between us. I couldn’t do it knowing where I stood back home. After our fight in the closet, I left. I went home. You had me so confused I needed to clear my head and figure out what to do. I mean, come on, the last person I expected to see when I came here to bury Amy was you.” I pause to catch my breath. “Seeing you turned my world upside down. And no matter what I did to try to avoid you or ignore what I was feeling, I couldn’t. My heart wanted you.”

Ian’s glaring at me, his chest puffing in and out. “So you just went home and broke it off?”

“Yes. Well, kind of. I went home and found him in bed with a set of twins.
Then
I broke it off.”

“Oh, so it wasn’t for me. It was because he was cheating on you.” His anger is back. I’ve lost the progress I’ve made, and he takes a step sideways, ready to leave.

“Listen to me!” I push at his chest to back him away from the door. “Brent can sleep with every woman in California. He can have an orgy for all I care. My heart belongs to you and it always has. I’ve accepted guys into my life, but no one else has ever touched my heart. No one ever, except you. If catching Brent cheating hadn’t sent me running back into your arms, then it would have just taken time. And by time, I mean days, hours, minutes. I was a mess of emotions. I knew I was done for the moment I woke up to you holding me. I just knew it. I just needed time to work it all out in my head.”

The angry creases in his forehead are starting to smooth. I think he gets it. And I don’t think he expected such an award-winning speech from me either.

“Why didn’t you tell me, Chris?”

“Because I was being selfish. I was having too much fun playing whatever game we were playing to worry about the reality of it all. My sister just died. I found out I had a niece. And you, you were back in my life. At what point did I have time to stop and say, hey, before we fall deeply in love again, I was engaged for a short time?”

“What do you mean short? How long were you engaged?”

“Huh? Um, I don’t know, less than a week?”

“That’s it?”

“Yes, Ian, if you had given me the chance to explain, you would know that. Brent practically just gave me the ring and before I could say no thanks, I got the call about Amy and left.”

Thank you, baby Jesus. I finally witness the fight start to fade in his eyes.

“Is there anything else you need to tell me, Chrissy, because I swear to God, I can’t handle another blow like that.”

“No, I swear. That’s it,” I reply confidently.

Looking torn, he thrusts his fingers through his hair. “So I assume this is all for me then?” He gestures at my outfit. That fiery look in his eyes may be beginning to be from another cause.

“Yes. All for you,” I reply, a hint of coyness in my voice.

He gives me one good look over. His eyes are glazing over and I recognize the moment he surrenders. He sweeps me off my feet, wasting no more time and wraps my eager legs around his waist. “Thank God,” he growls, “because dammit, I’ve missed you.”

And then we’re off as
our lips collide in the best make-up kiss known to man. And if you’ve ever kissed someone and it’s so glorious it practically numbs your toes, then you will know what that feels like.

“I thought just when I had you back, I’d lost you again,” he confesses, kissing my jaw then back to my mouth.

“Never. I’m all yours,” I declare, grabbing his face to give me what I need. His mouth. His heart.

We both spill onto the mattress while his tongue explores every inch of my mouth. God, he is so good with that thing. I bet he has a shelf at home full of awards. Kissing awards
. Why am I thinking about Ian winning awards kissing other women?

Focus!

I claw my fingernails down his back, then glide them back up, threading my fingers through his thick hair. I clutch at him. I’m so turned on you can practically smell my arousal.

Ian is in no better shape than I. He rips free of my lips to place his greedy mouth over my lace-covered breast. His teeth scrape and bite my nipple through the fabric, sending me deeper into a crazed sexual frenzy. His suckling is as frantic as I feel. He yanks aside the thin barrier between us, and I moan as his lips close around my bare flesh.

With every lick, I moan more, urging him on when he devours one nipple and pinches the other. I push my hips upward into his very hard erection, grinding against him. He groans, releasing my nipple and finding my mouth with his.

“I need you, Chrissy. God, I need you.” He nips at my lips, sucking on my neck, moving even lower until he finds the hollow just above my collarbone. I feel the pressure of his mouth build and I know he’s leaving his mark. “You’re mine.”

“Promises. promises,” I pant. “No time like the present to show me.”

His feral growl confirms there’s no need to beg. He’s on a mission. He sits up quickly and rips his shirt clear off.
Um, hello!
My vagina just clapped. The determination in my eyes can’t be missed as he stands, reaching into his back pocket for protection. He discards his jeans as fast as humanly possible and slides on the condom. He then proceeds to rip my panties clear off
.
The next thing I know, he’s on top of me again and granting my wish.

With one powerful thrust, he’s inside me, hitting the deepest part of my core. He pulls out almost all the way, just to crash home again, sending my eyes rolling toward the back of my head. If this is what Heaven feels like, then seriously kill me. Quick and hard, he thrusts and thrusts until my insides begin to clamp around his huge cock and in unison, we are both flying. My nails scrape down his slick back as I let go and my orgasm explodes through me. I’m clenching around him, and one last final push sends him over the edge, allowing his own release.

Ian’s tensed position breaks and he falls on top of me. We’re both breathing unevenly and I hope he hasn’t blacked out because his heavy body might become an issue.

“Am I dead?” I hear him mumble from the crook of my neck.

“I have no idea. I’m not fully conscious.” I can’t seem to open my eyes. I still feel the pressure of that mind-blowing orgasm and I think it momentarily blinded me.

Ian lifts up, placing his elbows on each side of my ribcage for support. I miss the contact, but I am thankful to be able to breathe. He waits for me to make eye contact with those shiny greens and when I do, I feel my heart flutter.

Surprisingly, he doesn’t say anything; he doesn’t need to. His beautiful eyes say it all.

In those shining greens, I see love, understanding, and let’s not forget lust. It’s all there.

Needless to say, I think he forgives me.

BOOK: My So Called Life (Love Not Included Series Book 3)
10.97Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

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