Riptide, p.14
Riptide, page 14
“Come for me, beautiful.”
He kisses me hard, biting my lips, and I do just that. He pounds into me harder, chasing after my climax, and before my pussy is done clenching, he pulls his dick out and shoots his cum all over my stomach in long, hot ropes.
Fuck, that’s hot.
He holds me to him for a few more minutes, his head pressed into my shoulder, before setting me back down on the ground.
“I think you have officially broken my vagina,” I inform him, and he drops his head back and laughs.
His genuine smile is a hundred times hotter than his smirk, and I want to see more of it. I wrap my arms around his waist, hugging him into my body. He tenses for a moment before enveloping my upper back in his arms, holding my head to his chest. I listen to his heartbeat as it slows to a normal rhythm. We stand like that until the water starts to grow cold. He turns the water off, gets out, and hands me a towel.
We both dry off and get dressed and decide to go get brunch at Joe’s. I have yet to hear from Bett, but I’m not too worried about her, and I’m quite certain I want to put off hearing her stories of last night off as long as possible. Since Taylor didn’t drive his car last night, we walk the few blocks to the coffee shop, and once inside, pick a table that’s in a corner, offering us some privacy. We eat in comfortable silence, but when we’re done I ask Taylor about his childhood.
He tells me that his mom had gotten pregnant when she was only fourteen and he was put up for adoption when he was two. She had tried to take care of him herself, but her father left, and her mother had three other mouths to feed on a minimum-wage income. He still sees his mom every once in a while, but he never met his father. He was placed with a foster family and he says they were great. He lived with them until he was eight, but they had to move out of state and couldn’t take him. His mom had requested he stay near Pittsburg so that she could still see him when she was able.
After the family moved away, Taylor was in and out of various houses, his mother still visiting him when she could, but he says he wasn’t always in happy homes. He says that he made friends with the wrong people and started partying hard in high school. Drinking, smoking pot, before eventually turning to harder drugs.
Taylor looks so embarrassed to be talking about his past with me, barely making eye contact with me. I reach across the table and take his hand.
“You don’t have to keep going. I can see how hard it is for you to relive those memories, it’s okay. Thank you for opening up to me.”
He looks up at me like I hung the moon and gives me a sad smile before nodding his head. We finish our coffees and walk to a nearby park. It’s Saturday, so there’s kids everywhere. It’s loud and happy and a stark contrast to the cold, bleak, cloudy day. We walk on one of the paths in the park, talking about his band, their goals and dreams. I believe in them and I can’t wait to see where they end up.
We make our way back to my house and I see Paul’s SUV parked out front. We get inside and see all the guys lounging on the couch and I can hear the shower, where Bett must be. I guess given the fact that all three men are here, that whatever happened last night, they’re all still on good terms. Jimmy is flipping through T.V. channels, pausing on some action movie. I join Taylor on the loveseat again and cuddle up into his side. He wraps his arm around me, and my jaw almost drops when Axl comes out from hiding and jumps up to lie down in Taylor’s lap. Taylor reaches his other hand down to scratch Axl’s head and Axl closes his eyes and starts purring.
“What did you do to my cat?”
Taylor laughs, “We made friends while everyone else was napping yesterday.”
He leaves it at that, but I don’t believe he’s won Axl’s affection so easily. He still hasn’t warmed up to B, and she lives here.
Speak of the devil.
B exits the bathroom, fully clothed this time, spots Axl in Taylor’s lap and narrows her eyes at the two.
“Hey! How did you do that? He won’t let me touch him if he can help it, and you just met him!”
The guys all look up at Bett, before turning to see the cat on Taylor’s lap.
Taylor shrugs, “I’m a pussy whisperer.”
Laughter erupts throughout the room and I playfully smack him on the chest. Bett continues to glare at them.
“You ready to go?” Paul asks Taylor.
He nods and presses up onto his feet.
I get up and hug him, and he grabs my chin and pulls my face up towards him so that he can kiss me. The other three assholes make catcalls. Taylor pulls back and shakes his head, but he’s smiling down at me. Everyone says their goodbyes and the guys leave.
B and I make a blanket nest on the couch and watch a few chick flicks before switching over to slasher films. I don’t ask her what happened with the band, and thankfully, she doesn’t tell. She seems happier than she was before she O.D.’d, so I take that as a plus. Between movies I get up to go to the bathroom while Bett picks out the next movie.
I walk back into the living room when I finish to see Bett already back under the blankets, waiting to hit play.
“I’m gonna order pizza,” I say. “What do you want?”
“Pepperoni jalapeño, cheesy bread, and hot wings.”
I call and place the order and climb under the pile of blankets, and Bett starts the movie. The delivery guy has perfect timing, arriving right at the same time as a jump scare scene, causing B and I both to scream. We start laughing, B pauses the movie, and I rush to the door. The guy asks if everything is okay and I explain that we’re watching a scary movie. This causes him to smile, and he hands over the goods before telling me to have a good evening.
I set the food out on the coffee table in front of us and Bett starts the movie back up. We devour the food, licking our fingers clean when we’re done. I give her a tight hug before we curl back up on the couch, where we fall asleep before the movie is over.
◆◆◆
The next few weeks are amazing. B and I spend most of our time with Riptide, either hanging out or going to their shows. Their demo was finalized within days of me finishing their designs and Bett and I helped put together the packages they sent off to various record labels. Taylor’s drive is such a stark contrast to Mitch’s that I feel silly for thinking Mitch would ever get to this stage in his career.
Taylor encourages all of the guys to be creative and take responsibility and pride in their music. Watching them write new songs makes me feel like we’re witnessing something magical. The guys are a close knit group and it’s fun seeing them together, not only on stage and working on new songs, but in everyday moments too. The pranks they pull on each other are hilarious. Jimmy and Paul laid a trap for Nick just last week. While Nick was in the shower, they set up a tripwire in his room that released a gallon bag full of every color of glitter under the sun. We all waited in Jimmy’s room, listening as Nick got out of the shower, exited the bathroom, walked past Jimmy’s room, and entered his own. We all held our breaths,
“What the hell? MOTHERFUCKERS!”
We burst into laughter. A moment later, a very colorful, very sparkly Nick slammed open Jimmy’s door, and he. was. PISSED. But, it’s hard to take a glittery man seriously, even when he’s seething. We all collapsed in giggles, much to his dismay. I think he took five more showers that afternoon. Not that it helped. He’s still finding specks of glitter a week later and each time, he gives us all death glares as we hold in our laughter.
We’re all lounging in the guys’ living room, watching Nick, Jimmy, and Paul play video games. I’m content watching, lying on Taylor’s lap while he rubs my head. Jimmy has B in his lap, his arms wrapped around her to hold his controller. She fell asleep not too long ago. I’m not sure what exactly is going on between her and the rest of the band, but they all seem okay with it, so that’s all that matters.
They’ve been going out a lot lately, and it’s both relieving and concerning seeing Bett acting like she has in the past. I trust the guys to keep her safe, but she’s been stumbling into the house drunk in the early morning hours more often than I’d like. I asked Paul to keep a close eye on her, not wanting her to start doing anything more than drinking again. He’s promised to look out for her, and I feel better not tagging along every time. Taylor doesn’t necessarily agree with me keeping tabs on Bett, but I’ve always looked out for her, I can’t just stop now.
I snort when I glance over at Nick in the recliner. Every time he moves, the light catches different colored glitter. It’s been tracked all throughout the house, too. We keep finding it in random places, including on clean dishes we pull out from the cupboards.
“Let’s go downstairs,” Taylor whispers in my ear.
I sit up and he stands, pulling me the rest of the way off the couch. I follow him down to his room and leap onto his bed. He looks down at me like he’s memorizing me in his space, his eyes roving over every inch of me. His lingering inspection has me craving his touch, so I sit up and grab his hand, pulling him onto the bed with me.
We’re content making out, letting our hands explore the other’s body. Taylor’s touch is gentle and thorough. He rolls over onto his back and I rest my head on his chest. I’m almost asleep when he asks, “Where are your parents, Ro?”
I stop breathing. I’d been putting off telling him what happened to them. Why B is so broken. Why I still take care of her, letting her escape what happened, along with any responsibility.
“They’re dead,” I whisper.
“Both of them?”
I nod my head against him and his arm tightens around me.
“What happened?”
Well, I guess now’s the time.
“They were on their way to pick me up from a party. B was with them, she hadn’t been feeling well, so she didn’t go with me. I realized my ride had been drinking, so I called them instead.” I pause, sucking in oxygen. I’ve only told a handful of people this story and it doesn’t get any easier.
“They were in a head-on with a drunk driver. He swerved into their lane. Dad died there, and mom died later at the hospital. B watched it all from the backseat.”
He kisses the top of my head.
“I’m so sorry.”
I feel the tears welling up in my eyes. When I look up at Taylor’s face, he too has tears streaming down his face. I kiss his soft lips and he hugs me tight. He rolls me over and starts kissing my neck. He moves his head to kiss the other side and he pushes my pants down. Once he shoves his own down, he slides into me. He drives his hips into me slow and sweet, kissing my face before he tastes my lips. I almost start crying harder when I realize what this is. He’s making love to me. I’m not sure I’ve ever had a guy take such gentle care of my body, or worship it so thoroughly. He pulls out, trailing kisses down my body. He kisses his way down my legs, placing a kiss on the arch of my foot before returning up the other side. When he reaches my breasts, he spends his time laving over each one, until I’m crushing my thighs together, searching out the friction I need.
He finally climbs back on top of me, taking my lips with his before grinding his cock deep within me. I moan into his mouth and he grabs both of my hands, entangling our fingers. He pounds me into his mattress, starting slowly, dragging this out. He’s soon picking up speed though, and I moan his name. He bites the pressure point in my neck and I cry out. He reaches his hand down to tease my clit, and I finally chase down my release. He sets a staggering pace, both with his hips and hand, and it isn’t long before I dig my nails into his back, as I start to strangle his dick with my vagina. He yells as he joins me, his seed hot as it shoots inside of me. He collapses on top of me, both of us breathing hard. He rests his head on my chest, and before I know it, we’re drifting off into a blissful sleep.
Chapter Nineteen
Ronnie
Bett went out with Nick, Jimmy, and Paul to some night club, so Taylor and I are at my house watching a crime investigators show. He’s lying behind me and my back is plastered along his front. Every few minutes I wiggle my ass against his crotch, earning me a nip on my neck or ear, or a smack on my butt. I smile to myself, loving this playful side of Taylor. It’s near midnight when the movie finishes, and Taylor convinces me to go to my bed. I’m too tired for sex now, but he fucked me against the kitchen counter earlier when I was cleaning up after dinner, so I’m content with just cuddling. Taylor wraps me up in his arms and I’ve decided it’s one of my most favorite places to be. I drift off to sleep.
The ringing of a phone wakes us two hours later. I realize that it’s Taylor’s phone, and roll off of where I had latched onto him in my sleep, allowing him to reach out for it. He answers, and I can’t help the dread that fills my stomach, knowing that no good news comes this late at night. I lean over him to turn the lamp on and watch his face.
“You can’t find her?”
My heart stops. The only people that would be calling him this late is one of the guys, and that means that the ‘her’ he’s referring to is my sister. I scramble over to my side of the bed to check my phone, and I have one message from B.
Bett: If you’re awake, could you please come get me?
I immediately call her phone, exhaling a sigh when she picks up.
“Ro?”
“B, are you okay?”
She sniffles into the mouthpiece and I throw the blankets off of me, searching for pants and a hoodie. I’m already out of my room looking for shoes by the time Taylor reaches me.
“I need you, Ro.”
She breaks off in tears and I shove my feet into a pair of tennis shoes. Taylor runs back to my room, still on the phone, and emerges a minute later fully dressed, his keys in his hand.
“She’s on the phone with Ronnie right now, we’ll be there soon.”
He hangs up, and I follow him out to his car and try to figure out what’s wrong with Bett.
“Hey, sweetheart, can you tell me where you are?” I ask in a soothing tone.
More sobs and sniffles, but she answers, “I’m in the alley behind the club.”
I cover my mouthpiece with my hand and relay this information and he quickly makes a call, telling whomever is on the other end where she is. I feel better knowing that the guys are close, and will be with her until we get there.
“Okay, B. I’ll be there soon, just stay put.”
I can hear Nick through the phone and I’m glad he found her. I keep her on the phone until we pull up in the alley behind the club they had gone to. I can see Nick, Jimmy, and Paul all standing in a circle around her. I can see between their legs that she’s lying on the ground. I hang up my phone, and as soon as Taylor slows to a stop, I jump out of the car and run to her. The guys move out of the way and I drop to my knees beside her.
Bett’s makeup is running down her face, tear tracks everywhere.
“Ro-Ro?” She cries.
I hug her to me.
“It’s okay B, I’m here, I’ve got you.”
She’s so cold and I can’t help but wonder how long she’s been out here. She reeks of liquor and vomit. Taylor helps me get her up and into his car. I get in the backseat with her, letting her lean against me. I pray she doesn’t throw up on the drive home. I told the guys that they should go home, so it’s just the three of us back at the house. Taylor carries her into the bathroom, lays her in the bathtub and gives us some privacy, closing the door behind him.
I start undressing B. She’s not much help, almost limp. I’m worried about what caused this. I know I can’t blame the guys for letting her get this bad, but I want to. When I get all of her clothes off, I turn the water on, letting it warm up before turning the showerhead on. I detach it and run the spray over her body. I wash the puke and the smell of smoke from her hair and body the best I can before grabbing a washcloth out from under the sink and washing her face. Her mascara stains the white cloth, along with her dark lipstick. When she’s as clean as I can get her, I turn the water off and wrap her in a towel.
Taylor comes in and helps me get her into her bed. I leave her wrapped in the towel and pile blankets on top of her to keep her warm. I push the hair out of her face and place a kiss on her forehead.
“Love you, B,” I whisper before turning out the lights and closing her door behind me.
Taylor is sitting on the edge of my bed and looks up at me as I walk into my room.
“She needs help.”
It’s like he shoved a dagger through my chest. I know that she needs help, but it hurts to hear someone else say it.
“I’ll call her therapist to schedule an appointment in the morning,” I whisper.
“When the hell are you going to stop enabling her, Ronnie? You’re not helping her, not really. Bett needs to learn to stand on her own two feet, to take responsibility for her own actions. I bet you’ve cleaned up all of her messes for her, even before your parents died. That’s not fair to you and it’s not helping her.”
He’s not wrong, but that doesn’t make his accusation any easier to hear.
“I’m the reason she was in that car! I’m the reason my parents are dead! I’m the reason she’s so fucked up! And even if I weren’t, she’s still my sister, Taylor. I will always try to protect her, to take care of her.”
He gives me a sad look and I can see the tears in his eyes, but I don’t want his fucking pity. I cross my arms over my chest and glare at him.
“I think you should go home,” I whisper.
He nods, and without looking me in the eyes, he walks across the room, pulls me in for a hug and kisses my hair, and leaves without another word. I go crawl in bed with Bett, wrap myself around her, and cry myself to sleep.
