Overcoming Fear (Growing Pains #2)(34)

“You can trust me Krista. Friends, lovers, enemies--you can always trust me. I would never hurt you like that. Never use you and discard you. I would like to think I have learned a few things over the years. I would like to think I have grown up a little. Not all the way, but...” He gave a frustrated sigh.

“I know you are mostly trustworthy, Sean. I just didn’t want to get steamrolled by the gorgeous salesman who could have any girl he wanted. Sue me.”

He was quiet for a long moment. Krista looked up into the pregnant silence and met his troubled eyes. She got a jolt of emotion she couldn’t place, which surprisingly didn’t reside in her groin, before his sensuous lips curved up into a sardonic smile. “I never was able to keep them, though, despite what you might think. Womanizers, as you insist on calling me, are able to get ‘em naked, but keeping ‘em happy is a whole different ball game. One I was never good at.”

“Even when it mattered?”

“Especially when it mattered. Like I said, I would like to think I have grown up a little...” He let the sentence linger, his words trailing in the air above them like smoke.

The air between them got heavy with expectation. Krista’s pulse quickened in response. She felt herself rising, her lips aiming for his, her eyes never leaving his intense gaze. He stared down at her as if in hypnosis, as if wondering what would happen next; just a player in her game.

She let her hand trail up his hard chest, lightly going over the skin on his neck, feeling him erupt in goose pimples as she let her fingers travel into his thick, blond hair. Their faces were inches apart, him letting her dictate the pace, complying with her demands.

Sean’s hands spread across her back, covering as much as they could, tightening, but not pulling. He was just taking up the slack, making sure he had a firm hold as Krista slowly closed the distance between their mouths.

As Krista’s lips glanced across his, she felt the electricity jump between them, then connected again, more firmly this time. She heard him sigh, but he didn’t bring her closer. He was still taking her cues, waiting for her to call the shots.

“Sean.” She sighed his name. In heaven.

He responded eagerly, his hands sliding across her back and pushing his body against hers as his tongue probed and flickered into her mouth. Her groin tightened in response and her body lit up in such an intense fire it took her breath away.

She slid her hands under his shirt and felt his smooth, rippled skin. She was beyond reason and sanity. She found one of his ni**les and pinched it between her fingers. She heard a growl in response as his tongue took up the rhythm of probing and retreating; sex in her mouth.

As she reached around his body with the intent of lowering herself and bringing him on top of her, she heard loud voices and footsteps.

“Krista--oh!”

Sean broke away, but not far away. Seeing that she didn’t flinch back, he let his presence linger.

Smoothing her clothes, Krista stood up, Sean following her gracefully. Abbey was standing with some red headed character wearing a smirk. They both looked like they were entering a gothic cult of some kind. Being that Krista had never seen this guy before, she gave it half an hour before the loud sex screeching would start.

“Hey Abbey, this is Sean.”

“Sean, huh? Nice to meet you.” Abbey eyed him with interest for a second before deciding he wasn’t her taste. He wasn’t wearing enough black, probably.

Being that Abbey didn’t intend to introduce her date—she never did—Krista grabbed Sean’s large hand and pretended not to notice when he flinched. She led him down the hall to her room with passing comments to Abbey about having a good night. Krista figured sex with Sean was out, based on how he’d been acting in front of people, but she didn’t want to say goodbye in front of an audience.

Once in her room she closed the door and noticed him looking around with interest.

“Sean, um...” she didn’t actually know what to say.

She sat on her bed with a plop, hoping he’d follow suit.

He didn’t. Instead he turned towards her from across the room.

“I should probably go,” he said evenly.

Krista nodded, careful to keep the tears from her eyes. She had been through a lot of memories in the last two days, and she still had a lot of alcohol swimming around in her veins, so the best thing to do was keep a lid on things and sleep it off. She didn’t want Sean knowing any more than he already did. Or witnessing any more pity parties.

Sean hesitantly took a couple steps toward Krista, reached down to squeeze her shoulder, looked at her for a beat, and then quietly left.

Krista sat on the bed for a minute, going over the end of the day. She had poured out all her embarrassing past horrors to Sean, kissed him, and watched him sprint for the door at the first available opportunity.

The good news was that by leaving, he separated himself from Jim. Jim would have preyed on her vulnerability, first to guarantee an in to her bed, and then because he liked it. He liked when she cried. He liked feeling that mastery over her; the proof of her weakness. He liked to squeeze it from her when he was inside her, heightening his cl**ax.

He was a sick bastard.

Krista looked back on the things she had endured with shock. She couldn’t believe it took her so long to leave. The fear was a big deterrent to her leaving, sure, but it wasn’t all. It shouldn’t have been enough. Jim had her mind so warped she barely knew up-from-down in the thick of it.