The Scars of Us Read online

  “Actually, I, um, I’m meeting someone here,” I stammered.

  His eyes imperceptibly narrowed; I wouldn’t have even noticed if I hadn’t been so fixated on his face.

  Is he jealous? No way.

  “Everything okay, Ky?” the familiar sound of Bryce’s voice interrupted.

  Ryker’s eyes stayed locked on mine, even though my “date” had obviously arrived. His arms remained in place, even when I broke eye contact to look at Bryce.

  “Yeah, I’m fine. Ryker’s a trainer at the new gym I’m working out at now.” I replied, attempting to keep my voice steady, even though Ryker’s closeness unnerved me.

  Bryce stepped towards to us, keeping his gaze on Ryker as he approached. He warily stuck his hand out in greeting, “Bryce. I’m Kaiya’s boyfriend.”

  What?

  “No, you’re not!” I impulsively defended. Shit. I wanted to slap my hand over my mouth because of my outburst.

  Ryker’s eyes met mine again as his lips curved up in a sexy smirk. Pulling his arms away, he moved back, taking most of his delicious scent with him. Some of it lingered for a few seconds before fading away I almost audibly sighed from the loss, but stopped before I made a bigger fool of myself.

  Get a hold of yourself, Kaiya!

  “Maybe I’ll catch you at the gym,” Ryker said coolly as he grabbed his drink off the bar. Looking at the bartender, he continued, “Put her drink on my tab.”

  Then, he walked away. What just happened? I turned around, not wanting to be caught ogling his retreating form. Grabbing my Cranberry Vodka, I quickly downed it as Bryce stared at me.

  “What?” I asked defensively.

  “Nothing,” he replied with a knowing smile. He turned toward the bartender, leaning on the bar as he ordered another drink for me and a beer for himself.

  Rolling my eyes at him, I headed for a booth near the bar while Bryce waited for our drinks. A few minutes later, he slid into the seat next to me and handed me my drink.

  “How’ve you been?” he asked.

  “Pretty good,” I replied distantly. That was always my answer, and Bryce knew not to pry. “How about you?”

  “I’ve been swamped at work, but the money’s good.” Bryce was an investment banker, and earned an envious salary, but he was always stressed out. That stress translated surprisingly well in the bedroom, making our sex intensely passionate as he took his aggression out on me.

  After several more rounds of drinks, I was more than ready to head back to Bryce’s apartment. I had been torturing myself as I watched Ryker flirt with various women around the bar as they draped themselves all over him. He caught my gaze more than once, giving me his seductive grin every time and causing my stomach to tighten.

  “You ready to go, baby?” Bryce whispered in my ear as he trailed his fingers over my thigh. We both had a nice buzz going, making us overly touchy and affectionate. His mouth trailed down the side of my neck, pressing kisses as his hands began to roam over my body.

  “Yes,” I nearly moaned as I tilted my head to give his lips better access to the sensitive skin of my neck.

  Bryce disentangled himself from me before helping me out of the booth. As he led me to the exit, my eyes locked with Ryker’s once again. His deep eyes were hardened, his smirk absent from his beautiful lips as he took me in. He paid no attention to the slutty blonde draping herself all over him as he watched me walk away. I couldn’t fight the guilt and disappointment creeping into my stomach as we left.

  I followed Bryce back to his condo. As soon as the front door shut, I was on him instantly. I tugged at his clothes, needing them off so I could feel his skin against mine. I needed to feel something other than the emotions plaguing me constantly, needed his touch to drown out everything else.

  Pushing him down the familiar hallway to his bedroom, I freed his body from his shirt. Even his toned form had nothing on Ryker, whose immaculately chiseled muscles bordered on perfection.

  Stop thinking about him!

  As we burst through the bedroom door, I fumbled with the belt on his jeans before unbuttoning them as Bryce’s lips claimed mine. Our hands urgently worked together to take the rest of each other’s clothes off as we fell onto his bed.

  Bryce rifled through his bedside nightstand until he pulled out a condom. He eagerly ripped open the wrapper before sheathing his hard length, pressing it against my entrance within seconds.

  Ryker’s face came into my mind when my eyes fluttered shut as Bryce slowly pushed inside me, groaning as he filled me.

  God, I wish it were him inside me right now.

  Thrusting at an almost perfect pace, Bryce knew exactly how to please me, knew exactly what I wanted. My eyes closed in pleasure as Bryce’s hands threaded in my hair and tugged lightly, pulling my head back to expose my throat.

  My lids snapped open as I roughly remarked, “Bryce.”

  Apologizing, he immediately let go, “Sorry, Ky. I forgot.”

  Not responding, I tried to focus on the sensations of Bryce stroking inside me. Increasing his pace, he continued to plunge in and out of my slick, hot sex. I could feel my climax approaching as his large cock pounded against my walls. Almost there.

  I pushed against Bryce, notifying him that it was my turn to take over. I always controlled when I came, needed to have that power over my body. No one will ever take that power from me again.

  Bryce rolled us until he was on his back and I was mounted on top of him. Beginning to rock against him, I closed my eyes as I pictured Ryker. A moan escaped me as I thought of his luscious mouth, visualizing his tongue ring tracing over every intimate area of my body.

  I imagined his rough, tattooed hands caressing my skin as his cock filled me, thrusting inside me over and over, our bodies intimately tangled in hot, sweaty ecstasy.

  It didn’t take long for me to find release. Normally, it took a while for me to relax and let go of everything, but thinking about Ryker filled me with hot desire. My body trembled as Bryce gripped my hips and thrust upwards, groaning out seconds later as he came.

  Once we caught our breath, I lifted myself off Bryce and began to gather my clothes.

  Bryce watched me from the bed as he questioned, “Why don’t you stay the night?”

  I almost ignored the ridiculous question—he knew my rules. Then, I remembered we both had a lot to drink, and it might have slipped his mind.

  “You know I can’t.”

  “No, you just won’t,” he sighed angrily.

  This time, I did ignore him. I didn’t want to fight with him. What we had was the closest thing that I had to intimacy; I didn’t want to ruin that. I cared for Bryce, even if I didn’t know how to show it.

  Once I finished getting dressed, I said, “I’ll call you later, okay?”

  “Yeah, okay,” he replied sadly as he rose off the bed. Throwing on a pair of gym shorts, he led me to the front door before walking me outside to my car.

  “Thank you for a great night.” I politely remarked as I pressed a kiss to his cheek.

  “No problem. Anything for you, Ky.” His eyes were sad as they looked into mine, but he still gave me a smile.

  Bryce shut the door for me after I got in my car, then headed inside his condo. As I drove home, thoughts of Ryker still dominated my mind, confusing the hell out of me.

  Sitting on the edge of the latest conquest’s bed, I ran my hand through my hair. I blew out a breath of frustration as I tried to rid my thoughts of Kaiya. I’d been picturing her while fucking the blonde bimbo that lay next to me.

  Why can’t I get her out of my head?

  Remembering the confusing jealously I felt when I saw that prick with his lips on her neck and his hands all over her body, I angrily stood. I got dressed and quickly left the apartment, not caring if I woke up the girl in the process. I just wanted the night to end already.

  Clenching the steering wheel as I drove home, I was still tense, unsatisfied even though I had come while fucking the blonde. I basically had jus
t gone through the motions, too preoccupied to enjoy the other woman. My mind was wired with thoughts of Kaiya, wondering if she was fucking the guy that she left with. Why do I care?

  Once I got home, I showered, needing to relax. I still didn’t understand why she affected me the way she did—she was nothing special.

  Yeah, keep telling yourself that.

  As the water rained down on me, I thought of her full tits, curvy hips, and long legs. Fuck, I want to be in between them so bad, filling her with my cock and making her cry out my name.

  Even after the shower, I still couldn’t get her off my mind. I kept picturing my hands tangled in her long, brown hair while my mouth tasted those full lips. Maybe I just need to fuck her so I can get her out of my thoughts.

  Falling into bed, I tossed and turned restlessly, unable to fall asleep. The covers tangled around me as I moved back and forth, constricting my body uncomfortably. Kicking them off, I finally settled and stared at the ceiling. It took what seemed like hours before I finally drifted off, and Kaiya still hadn’t left my mind.

  Work on a Friday always dragged on and on, especially with a hangover. After Kaiya had left the bar last night, I had gotten wasted with the blonde before we’d gone back to her apartment. I was now paying for it at work.

  I’d known better than to get hammered when I had to work the next day, but the whole encounter with Kaiya had fucked with my thoughts. My draw to her perplexed me, and I wanted to know why I thought of her so often.

  Forget about her, already.

  That would be difficult if I was going to be seeing her at the gym. Kamden frequently worked out, and I assumed that Kaiya would be coming with him, based on her physique. I could tell that she exercised regularly.

  Her body is almost flawless. That ass, those tits… fuck, stop it!

  I attempted to focus on work, but it was almost impossible with my pounding head. I only had a few personal training sessions scheduled, but I had several group classes for the day, which were going to be hell to get through since I felt like shit.

  Later that day, I received a text from one of my friends, Drew:

  Drew: Club tonight you in?

  Fuck, I had to work tomorrow, but I wanted to get my mind off Kaiya. Maybe the club would be better than the bar had been—lots of women, loud music, and plenty of distractions.

  Me: Yeah what time bro?

  Drew: My place @ 11

  As I knew it would, the day took forever to end. When I’d finally made it to Drew’s apartment, I had almost forgotten about Kaiya—almost. She had continued to linger in my mind, but after a few drinks and a woman beneath me, thoughts of her would be gone.

  It was midnight when we entered the club. Drew, and two of our other friends, Dane and Logan, headed straight for the bar, and we ordered our first round of drinks.

  “Are you stalking me?” a familiar voice giggled.

  I turned towards the sound, unbelieving that I’d run into her two nights in a row.

  Kaiya stood about five feet away from me. She had on a dark, denim skirt that barely grazed her thighs, and a black, one shoulder shirt that hugged her body like a second skin. Her flushed cheeks and flirtatious smile told me that she probably had a nice buzz going already.

  Can I get a fucking break?

  “Is this the guy you were talking about, Ky?” a pretty redhead slurred as she bumped into Kaiya, causing her to stumble into me.

  Her hands gripped my biceps as mine instinctively grabbed her waist to steady her. Her tits grazed my chest as she struggled to maintain her balance, and I pulled her against me to keep her from falling. “Falling for me again? Do you do this often? Twice this has happened since I met you,” I teased. Damn, she smells good.

  Looking up at me with those entrancing eyes, she smiled shyly, her cheeks flushing more.

  She pulled away as she replied, “We’re both a little drunk. This is my friend, Nori. Nori, this is Ryker.”

  “He is the guy you were talking about,” Nori squealed loudly.

  “Nori!” Kaiya responded with a combination of annoyance and embarrassment as she smacked her friend on the arm. Turning back to face me she apologized, “Don’t mind her—she’s drunker than I thought.”

  I smirked as I crossed my arms over my chest, “So, I’m not the guy you were talking about?”

  “No! Yes… I mean… no.” she stammered, her face reddening more.

  I chuckled, pleased that I affected her like she had been affecting me. “Where’s your boyfriend?” I asked as I moved closer to her, uncrossing my arms.

  “I told you he’s not my boyfriend,” she answered in a slightly exasperated tone as she rolled her eyes.

  “He looked like your boyfriend last night.”

  “Well, he’s not. But even if he was, it wouldn’t be any of your business.” She put one hand on her hip and jutted it out to the side.

  “You’re right. I’m sorry for prying,” I apologized as I took another step toward her. “Can I buy you a drink to make it up to you?”

  A smile fought its way onto her lips. “You bought me a drink last night.”

  I laughed, “I can’t buy you another one?”

  “I really shouldn’t. One of us has to drive home, and Nori’s pretty drunk already.” she replied as she bit her bottom lip, drawing my attention to it. Damn, I want to suck that in my mouth, taste her at least once.

  The guys chose that very moment to walk up. Drew interrupted, “Getting started without us?” He checked out Kaiya and Nori. “Who are your new friends?”

  “Guys, this is Kaiya and Nori. Kaiya, Nori, these are my friends, Drew, Dane, and Logan.”

  “Nori. That’s a unique name—I like it,” Drew commented. Did I sound that lame when I said it to Kaiya yesterday?

  Nori coyly smiled, giving Drew a flirtatious look. Well, I guess it works.

  Drew continued, “Can I buy you a drink, Nori?”

  Nori giggled in response, “Sure.”

  Drew sidled up next to Nori before waving down the bartender and ordering their drinks. Dane and Logan had ventured further down the bar, where they talked to two brunettes.

  I turned my attention back to Kaiya. “So, can I buy you that drink?”

  She looked conflicted, internally debating her options before smiling up at me. “Just one more—Cranberry Vodka, please.”

  Turning around, I waited for the attention of the bartender. Nori giggled as Drew led her away toward a couch in a dimly lit corner of the club.

  Kaiya shook her head and laughed as she watched them. “Maybe I don’t have to worry about giving her a ride home.”

  The bartender came over, and I ordered our drinks, “Cranberry Vodka and a Jack and Coke.”

  As we waited, I snuck a glance at Kaiya, unable to keep my eyes off her. She darted her gaze away when our eyes met before fidgeting nervously, twirling a strand of her long, brown hair around her finger. Her eyes found mine again, and I could practically feel the connection buzzing between us.

  Once we got our drinks, I grabbed Kaiya’s hand before leading her through the crowd of people to where Nori and Drew were tangled on the couch making out.

  “Oh my God, Nori!” Kaiya laughed.

  Either they didn’t hear or didn’t care, because they continued to devour each other as we sat on the opposite end of the couch.

  “I can’t believe her,” Kaiya remarked before taking a sip of her drink.

  “Looks like fun—maybe we should try it,” I suggested as I cocked an eyebrow..

  Kaiya playfully glared at me while still sipping her drink, which was already halfway empty. “I’m not that drunk.”

  Teasing her, I called out, “Waitress! I need more drinks over here!”

  Laughing, she smacked me on the bicep, “Stop it. I already told you only one more drink—I need to drive home.”

  “You could come home with me,” I seductively suggested.

  Desire filled her eyes, but she resisted, looking away as she shifted in
her seat. “In your dreams.”

  “They won’t be dreams for long. I’ll have you soon,” I promised.

  “Oh, really? Good luck with that,” she replied sarcastically with a clipped laugh.

  I placed my drink on the small table in front of us before leaning toward Kaiya and asking, “Is that a challenge?”

  Flirtatiously smiling at me, she replied, “Maybe.”

  Inching closer to her, my leg brushed against hers as I draped my arm on the back of the couch behind her head. She stiffened, but didn’t pull away.

  I dipped my head next to hers as I gruffly whispered in her ear, “Challenge accepted.”

  Pulling away slowly, I trailed my lips along her jawline as my hand lifted to brush a strand of hair out of her face. Ever so slightly, she turned her head when I neared closer to her mouth, barely grazing my lips with hers.

  The slight touch broke her resistance—she crushed her lips against mine as she pressed her body closer to me, even though we were already almost on top of each other. My hands brushed her bare thighs as I moved her to straddle my lap, draping her legs over mine. Slipping past her lips, my tongue sought permission to thread with hers, which she eagerly gave.

  Her taste was borderline addictive. I couldn’t get enough as I savored the hot sweetness of her mouth. Her hands roughly ran through my hair as we relentlessly consumed one another.

  My hands gripped her ass, pulling her against my growing hard-on. She moaned before abruptly breaking the kiss, hopping off my lap like it had caught fire.

  “I’m sorry, I can’t,” she gasped, her lips swollen and face flushed.

  Before I could even reply, she turned and ran into the crowd.

  What the fuck are you thinking, Kaiya? I mentally scolded myself as I left the club. You can’t get involved with him!

  Replaying the events in my head, I wondered what the hell just happened.

  Did that really just happen? Did he really just kiss me? He tasted so good, and that tongue ring—oh my God.