Slide (Black Addiction #1) (28 page)

“Sounds good.” Max nodded, the protocol for reuniting with his long-lost family not really discussed before we’d arrived. Mental note. Probably should have called ahead.

“On it!” Joey tapped the bar, the lack of alcohol something he could remedy. The icy-cold long necks found their way into his hands with little more than a wink and a smile.

“By the way.” The beers were quickly distributed, mine finding its place in my hand. “We’re celebrating. Alison got the job with Ashlyn, you’re looking at the newest addition to Metamorphous.” I raised the beer in a mock toast. “Kicking ass and taking names.”

“Congrats.”

“Sweet. That’s awesome.”

The chorus of congratulations flowed from Max and Joey, their happiness genuine as we celebrated with a drink.

“Thanks.” Alison smiled, her body un-tensing slowly. “I’m really excited. It’s going to be a challenge.” I didn’t believe it was only the job she was talking about. The new situation she’d found herself in also contributing to the
challenge
.

“So I guess we’re related.” Alison glanced up at Max, meeting the awkward head on.

“Yep. Looks like we are.” Max shot me a non-verbal apology before continuing. His speech probably having been rehearsed a few hundred times before getting the opportunity. “I just want you to know that I honestly had no idea. My parents didn’t even know. They are dying to meet you by the way. Of course, only if that’s something you want.”

“Your parents want to meet me?” she asked, like the thought hadn’t even crossed her mind.

“Well, yeah. You’re their grandchild; of course they want to meet you. My mom had two boys so . . . let’s just say she’s been pretty hard to contain the last few days.” He gave her a shy smile.

“I think I’d like that.” The words came out slowly, looking at me for reassurance. “I don’t have a lot of family. My mom’s parents moved to Florida after I was accepted into college, so I don’t get to see them much. God, am I the only one whose head is spinning right now?”

“Nope, I’m still trying to wrap my head around the fact I have a niece.” Max laughed, some of the tension easing out voice. “Lucky Rusty is a decent guy or I’d probably have to kick his ass. ”

“You mean you’d
try
to kick my ass,” I corrected, the need for said ass-kicking not necessary given I’d rather cut off my own arm than hurt Alison. “And it’s kinda crazy you’re related to one of my best friends. I mean, what were the chances? That’s like some epic it’s-a-small-world-after-all shit.”

“You know, guys, this could actually be a lot worse. I say we completely lucked out in this scenario,” Joey added, the dumbass having stayed silent during the whole exchange looking pretty smug as he finally weighed in.

“Oh yeah? How do you figure?” I prepared myself for the genius that we were about to behold. I was also prepared for disappointment. Joey meant well, but he wasn’t the brightest Crayola in the box.

“Well, think of it this way.” He nodded to her and then to me. “If Alison had made out with Max at the bar instead of
you
, it would be a totally different story. That’s a talk show visit, right there.” He laughed, thoroughly enjoying himself. “On the other hand, I’m totally safe too. My brothers and sisters don’t have any adult children running around, so I don’t have to take a blood test every time I date. Something Max is probably going to have to look into.”

“Thanks, asshole.” Max flipped him off. If he was offended, he wasn’t showing it.

“I’m going to need another drink on that thought alone.” Alison’s eyes got wide as she took a swallow of her beer. “I guess it really could have been worse.”

“Rest assured, sweetheart, you don’t need to worry about
that
anymore.” I pulled her into my side a little closer, my hand inadvertently brushing against her ass. So maybe I needed a refresher course on first date etiquette, but there wasn’t a chance in hell she was going to need to worry about dating relatives any time soon. I’d let her walk away from me once, she wasn’t getting a second chance to do it again.

A few more drinks and any residual weird had well and truly been eradicated. Max and Joey were doing their usual routine and trading barbs while my attention stayed on the girl who was working her way through her third beer. Her hands getting more touchy-feely a direct correlation to the rise in her blood alcohol level.

“I should get you home,” I whispered into her ear, not really digging the responsible me that was doing the talking, but knowing it’s the one that needed to be representing.

“Probably.” She wrapped her hands around my neck making it harder for me to not kiss her. “It’s been a really long day.”

“Yeah, it has. We can do something tomorrow if you like.” My mind reminded me that it wasn’t my home that I’d be taking her too. “Come on, babe. Let me get you home.”

“See ya, guys.” Joey waved from the bar, me trying to wrangle Ali and get her home catching his attention.

“You need a hand?” Max lowered the beer from his lips, showcasing the grin that was now visible.

“I’m fine, Uncle Max.” Alison giggled, obviously a little drunker than we’d anticipated.

“Fuck. I don’t think I’m ever going to get used to hearing that.” He laughed as he shook his head. “Let’s just stick to Max, huh Ali?”

“Agreed.” Her eyes struggled to stay open. “Take me home, Rus.”

A wave of a hand was all the guys got, with my arms preoccupied with getting my girl back to the car.

Her hot breath on my neck as I buckled her into the passenger seat was driving me crazy, as was being so close to her body and not being able to touch her. My dick instantly got hard as the seatbelt stretched across her tits.

Fuck. My mind tried to focus on something else as I closed the car door and walked around to the driver’s side. The action of buckling up repeated on my side. Her eyes locked on me the whole time.

It would have been easy to take her back to my place and take her to bed. Whether or not we had sex or not really didn’t bother me. I wanted that body of hers beside me, with my arms wrapped around it. Pity, that hadn’t been our new plan. I hadn’t even kissed her yet, my mouth hungry to taste her again.

“Rusty.” My name like a fucking prayer on her lips, she mumbled as I pulled into traffic. Her head rolled to the side as her eyelids pulled a lights-out, the rock of the car lulling her off to sleep. Her perfect tits rose and fell with each breath, the view getting caught in my peripheral making the crotch of my jeans get tighter, my dick so hard it could cut glass. The drive back to her friend’s apartment was almost unbearable, every mile the bane of my existence as I hit every single red light.

I pulled into park and cut the engine of the Camaro. The ride and the excuse for having her in my car was over, as I slid my hand over and released her seatbelt.

“Are you going to kiss me?” Her eyes slid open to half-mast, a lazy smile making her look even more adorable.

“Wasn’t sure if you kiss on first dates?” My lips went heat-seeking missile on her mouth as I gave up the fight. We’d kissed on our first, first date so the precedent had been set and I wasn’t about to turn down a taste of those sweet lips if she was offering them.

The resistance wasn’t there as her mouth opened allowing my tongue to explore, my hand reaching across and pulling her head closer. The heat of our breath fogged up the windshield as my tongue invaded her mouth. The moan that escaped between her lips served to encourage me further as every second we were apart was erased by that one kiss.

“You brought me to Renee’s?” Her eyes did a quick survey of the landscape when she finally pulled her lips away from mine. The disappointment in her voice similar to the one I had rattling around in my head.

“We’re doing slow, remember?” My forehead pressed to hers, the urge to throw the whole
going slow
idea out the window, fucking overwhelming. “We can wait, Alison. I’ve waited this long. What’s a little longer?” Pity my dick didn’t agree. The asshole screamed between my legs to shut the fuck up but there was no way I was messing it up. No way.

“Okay.” She sleepily agreed, the day and booze taking its toll as she nodded her head. “We can wait.”

Three dates.

Three separate occasions where Rusty had picked me up, we’d had dinner or gone to the bar
but
not had sex.

Me and my bright ideas, sucked.

We’d patiently waited. The tension between us palpable, as each time we denied what we both wanted. The anticipation hopefully would make it worth the wait.

He was harder to resist this time.

I knew exactly
what
I was missing.

While my libido hadn’t agreed, it had definitely been for the best. Our heavy make out sessions at the end of those three spectacular dates, the highlights. But I wanted more.

I needed more.

“So where we heading tonight?” Rusty had asked, his hand threading through my hair as he kissed me. The last few dates had also
started
with make out sessions as well. It was a running theme. One that I thoroughly enjoyed.

“Your place.” I grabbed at his T-shirt, not even trying to hide what had been on my mind. The desperation I felt echoed through his primal growl as he kissed me.

“Whatever you want.” His teeth played with my bottom lip. “My house it is.”

It was the second day at my new job and while my body was still assimilating to the return to corporate attire, I had already fallen in love with my new role. The purpose and excitement of working in the entertainment industry made me giddy. The steep learning curve was no longer feared as I attacked each task with a renewed sense of purpose. But that’s not what I was thinking about as Rusty held me in his arms.

“Take me to bed, Rusty.”

I’d waited long enough.

The lack of argument was almost as commendable as the speed that he got us to his house. The car almost flew to our destination, the blurred view from the passenger side window only stopping once we’d reached his front door.

“God, I missed you.” He pulled me closer, his lips restless as they moved over my skin. “I love you, Alison. I love you, so much.” The front door slammed behind us as my hands got busy on him.

“I love you, too,” I mumbled in between kisses. “So much. I need you. So much.” Each word painfully dragged from my lips as I struggled to stop kissing him.

“I want you, baby. I want you tonight. In my bed. With me. The whole night.” His sentence was interrupted as his lips and mouth reacquainted itself with my body. His hands ready to unbutton the front of my shirt.

“Yes, yes,” I agreed as I slipped off my jacket.

Completely unrestrained, our bodies undressed each other. Fingers fumbled blindly for buttons or zippers, each layer being peeled from our bodies heightening an already dangerous level of arousal. The bed he’d been so desperate to get me to, forgotten as we stripped off in the living room. Our clothes like fallen soldiers littered the floor as we collapsed onto the couch, our hands and mouths unstoppable as they roamed over naked skin.

“You’re already so wet.” His hands reached down in between my legs, the sweep of his thumb over my clit threatening to make me come with just one touch.

“Yes, it’s been too long. I need you inside of me.” I shamelessly begged as my hand reached for his cock. His hard length jerked the minute I made contact with his skin, the slow stroke up and down teasing the moan right from his throat.

“Not nearly as badly as I need to be inside of you.” His mouth covered my nipple, the graze of teeth sending a slight sting of pain rocketing through my system. It wasn’t going to take very long. Not at this rate.

No more words were spoken. The weight of his hard on pressing against my thigh as he shuffled into position, my body overwhelmed by every touch and caress.

“Ah,” I cried out, his cock sliding into me in one slick movement. The lack of foreplay not a problem as my ready body welcomed him. His slide into me delicious as I bit down on his shoulder to stop myself from screaming. “Yes.” The ragged breath escaped my mouth as tingles of every awoken cell echoed through my body. The feeling intensified as he withdrew and thrust back in again. The fullness of him almost too much to bear.

“Yes.” The word muffled against his skin as he entered me again, my fingers gripping his back so tightly I was sure he would be wearing bruises tomorrow.

“That’s it, baby.” He picked up speed, each dip and thrust of his hips bringing me closer and closer to climax. The rope-like muscles of his arms supporting him as his hips continued to pump, unrelenting. “I can feel you, Ali. Feel how close you are.”

A war of will waged internally as I wished for the feeling to go on forever, my body begging for the release. Each drag of his cock sent me teetering closer to the edge. Every part of me enjoying the madness as his talented mouth sucked at my throat, his hard-on pummeling into me with no reprieve.

It was dizzying.

The sensation of a million lightening bugs licking my skin wasn’t even close to what I was feeling as my body shattered under him. The crest of my orgasm overtaking me in a rush as the ripples of pleasure carried away any sanity I had left.

“Yes. Yes.” He splintered above me as his own release came soon after mine. The sensation sent me a new wave of euphoria. The speed and intensity of it all, making my body shake.

“Are you okay?” His hand rubbed against my goose-pimpled skin, the aftershocks making my limbs boneless as I shivered in his arms.

“Yeah, it was—” I was unable to finish the sentence as my lips sought his out. The need for talking less than the need for his touch. I was a goner. There was no way I was leaving him. Not tonight. Not ever.

“Amazing?” Rusty finished, the grin on his face evidence enough he felt the same way.

“Yes. Amazing.” I nodded like an idiot. The English language proved too difficult for me to use as nods and smiles became my preferred method of communication. The grin across my lips was unable to be contained as my eyes followed over each curve and dip of his amazing body, the ink that covered him enhancing an already impressive canvas.

God, he was hot.

Scorching.

Incredible.

Beautiful.

And all mine.

“So . . .” Rusty laughed, our sweaty bodies still intertwined. “I’m going to need to do that again. This time a lot slower. And I’m going to need to make you come a lot more too.” His drop-dead gorgeous smile threatening to disintegrate the panties I was no longer wearing.

“You can do that as often and as much as you like. I think it should be an everyday thing.” My fingertips trailed lazily against the curve of his muscles. “I’m not going anywhere.”

His eyes shifted, the clear blue pools focusing on me as he read between the lines, my not so subtle hint that I was done with us being apart. “Are you moving back in with me?” He announced each word slow, letting each one settle before moving on to the next. Their purpose deliberate as he tried to confirm what I had been telepathically trying to tell him.

“Are you asking me?”

The last time we’d had the “move-in” conversation, we’d been on the street. Ironic because his offer meant that the
street
was not where I would end up, the ink on my eviction notice still not dry. I had no idea what would’ve possessed the crazy man to ask a stranger to share his house, but it felt like such a long way from where we were now.

In his arms.

Like this.

“Move in with me, Alison. Stay with me.” His words were no longer a question as he focused on me, his intentions a hundred percent clear. There was no confusion as to whether or not he meant his bed as well this time, the hunger burning in his eyes confirming that’s exactly where I would be spending most of my time. “I love you.”

“I love you, too.” The words flew out of my mouth with no hesitation. It was a reflex I was happy to have. “Yes, I’ll move in.”

I had imagined the moment differently. I’d expected that when it finally happened there would be some lead up. A candle lit dinner where he gazed into my eyes and told me he wanted to wake up with me every morning. But this . . . this was so much more perfect than any scenario I could have imagined. It was exactly where I wanted to be, with exactly the right person I wanted to be with.

***

Moving in with Rusty didn’t miraculously solve all my issues. I didn’t suddenly wake up a different person, free of the craziness my life had been all those years. Ha. How I wished that it could easily be erased. But it was one million times better than it had ever been. I was even less neurotic, not losing my cool every time life threw a little bump in the road. I was a work-in-progress in the truest sense but I was no longer working solo. That didn’t mean I hadn’t been strong enough to brave it alone, it meant I was smart enough to know I didn’t have to. Besides, the company I was keeping these days was pretty freaking amazing.

“You sure you want to do this? We can stop at any time.” Rusty’s eyes clouded in concern. The hesitation not something he was trying to hide. “Absolutely no pressure, okay. This is completely your deal.”

“I know.” I swallowed, the decision already inching toward the bad-idea range. But curiosity is a funny thing, and like it or not, I couldn’t just pretend some guy hadn’t suddenly announced he’d contributed to my DNA. I had to at least meet him. If only to be sure that I hadn’t dreamt the whole thing.

My fingers drummed restlessly on the table as we sat waiting. It had been completely my idea to ask Max and Phil to meet us at a local coffee shop. Rusty had given me the are-you-sure at least a dozen times, his protective concern still taking some getting used to.

“Do you know how amazing you are?” Rusty’s thumb brushed over the top of my knuckles. “Like in rock star terms you’re making me look bad.”

God, I didn’t ever think I was going to get used to that smile. The way his lips would curve and light up his whole face. The same kind that made me wonder if my clothes weren’t going to spontaneously combust.

“I couldn’t make you look bad if I tried.” I playfully knocked his shoulder with my own. “But thank you.” I was getting better at taking compliments, even if hearing them still surprised me.

“Hey.” Max tipped his chin hello. Phil—I wasn’t calling him dad—standing nervously beside him. “We cool to sit down?” Max’s eyes dipped to the empty chair opposite us, Phil’s gaze not moving from Rusty.

I didn’t blame him. The last time the two of them had been in same room he’d received a broken nose and three cracked ribs so sitting down and grabbing a latte probably wasn’t his idea of a good time. But he was here so I guess that counted for something.

“Of course.” I nodded. “Take a seat.”

Max took a seat, Phil following close beside him. Their silence deafening as they stared at me, waiting for me to make the first move. Obviously both of them had received a pre-meeting briefing from Rusty. I shouldn’t have been surprised. He’d been telling me the whole time the ball was entirely in my court, it wasn’t just chance that had put the ball there in the first place.

“So Phil.” How do I even start this conversation? “You probably know a lot more about me than I do about you.”

“I actually don’t know that much.” He shrugged slowly. “Your mom only drip fed me info. Took me awhile before she sent me your photo. We had a lot of back and forth before she came around.”

Well, thank God for small mercies. Still the fact she’d given the guy any information was still concerning, especially when she hadn’t bothered to ask my permission first.

“So why now? I guess I’m just curious as to why you were looking in the first place.” There were other questions I wanted to ask too, starting with how could you walk away from your child, but I shelved those for later. I wasn’t sure I’d like his answer.

“Honestly Alison, I’m not really sure what to say.” He shook his head not offering very much to the conversation. “Your mom and I were really young. I didn’t think she’d had the baby.”

“
Me
, you weren’t sure if she had me.” Anger bubbled inside me that he was still talking about the baby as it were a hypothetical. Like the product of their relationship wasn’t sitting across from him twenty-five years later as an adult.

Max and Rusty exchanged a weird wordless exchange but didn’t contribute anything. Not an easy task for my boyfriend given his vocal objection to Phil the first time we’d met. His white-knuckled grip on the table was proof of how much of a struggle it was for him. But he remained tight-lipped all the same.