Game (Gentry Boys, #3)(44)

“I talk to him all the time. Sometimes he talks back.”

“Well sometimes he shouldn’t.”

Creed and I had always butted heads. I loved the guy more than I loved myself but he could be a real dick sometimes. He didn’t bother to hide his disapproval of Stephanie even though she denied he’d said anything directly to her. I didn’t believe that. When Creed decided something sucked he wasn’t apt to sit on the sentiment.

Cord had always been the broker of peace among us. Creedence and I were the opposite ends of the scale and Cordero was the weight that balanced us.

“She makes me happy,” I said quietly. “She’s the last thing I want at night and the first thing I think of in the morning. I know you guys believe I’m nothing but clever bullshit and that is absolutely true a good deal of the time. But she’s got me, Cord. She’s got me and nothing’s ever been so good.”

He listened and nodded thoughtfully. “I understand, man. I do. And Chase, if you’re happy then I’m happy. Creed will come around any day now.”

Stephanie emerged from the bathroom a minute later and joined us. She made an effort to talk to my brother, asking him questions about his work and his art, even though she wasn’t the type to sit around shooting the shit just to be polite. With a jolt I realized that in some ways she was starkly similar to Creed.

After about fifteen minutes Cord had to return to work. He stood up and stretched. “Will I be running into you kids later?”

“One never knows where the night will end,” I told him, as my hand traveled down Stephanie’s leg.

She waited until Cord was out of earshot before speaking. “You’re full of shit, Gentry. It’ll end in your bed or in mine. As usual.”

“Well honey, you can’t have an end without a beginning.”

Steph wrinkled her nose. “What the hell does that mean?”

“It means I’ve been sitting here making plans for all the interesting things I’ll be doing to you. So let’s dispense with the formality and go f*ck.” I hadn’t bothered to whisper. The dude who’d been checking Stephanie out earlier glanced over. I smiled at him and he shook his head in disgust.

Stephanie blinked. “How is it possible for you to be so vulgar and so charming all at once?”

“Because you want to love me and f*ck me all at once.”

“True,” she agreed and grabbed her backpack off the floor. “Let’s go.”

We went to her place because Truly was at work already and who the hell knew what was hanging around in my apartment. Saylor wouldn’t bat an eyelash no matter what but I didn’t want to deal with Creedence at the moment. I just wanted to get Stephanie naked and sex-drunk.

“Wait.” I stopped her from opening the door to the apartment and got behind her, pressing my dick into her ass and reaching between her legs with both hands.

She looked around in a panic. After all it was late afternoon and we weren’t invisible. But there was no one in sight at the moment and I knew I only needed a minute to get this done. Over the last few weeks and tons of sexual encounters, Steph had learned to let herself go and I had learned how to get her off in so many different ways.

“Chase,” she scolded but it was too late. She was already into it and she leaned back to let me get my hands really up in there. I sucked on her neck, nudging her long crazy hair out of the way, knowing it would push her over the edge faster. It was pushing me there too, especially when my fingers felt how wet she was and I knew it must have been that way since she climbed into my lap at the pizzeria. I was getting in there now. I f*cking had to. I was a wild animal as I got her ass bared and my dick out before she even realized it.

“Wait,” she gasped, fumbling with the door.

“No,” I grunted, already pushing between her legs.

But Steph got the door open and we both fell through it. I heard the rip of her shirt as I tore it off too eagerly. We were against the wall of the front closet, just on the other side of the door. I’d never kissed anyone this hard before. I’d never f*cked anyone this hard before. I got inside her standing up and it was so crazy incredible I couldn’t stop.

“Shit,” she gasped and I knew from the way she was clutching me that she was almost there. “Oh god, we’re not being careful.”

I increased my rhythm anyway. She was there. She was coming. She whimpered and held me and clenched her body.

“The hell with careful,” I panted, still pumping. “I’ll always take care of you, baby. You know that?”

“Yes,” she moaned, still writhing at the tail end of her orgasm.

“Aw dammit, I love you Stephanie.” I pulled my head back and looked her in the eye as I pounded her against the wall. “You love me, sweetheart?”

“I do,” she said and I knew she meant it. “I love you, Chase.”

“Say it again.”

“I love you!”

“Shit!” I was right f*cking there. I was less than a millisecond away from shooting inside her so deep I was bound to leave a piece of me in there. But I stopped myself and pulled out, grabbing my dick and coming on my hand instead.

Stephanie watched me. The she wrapped her arms around my shoulders and kissed me fiercely. I carried her to her room and laid her down on the bed before I got on top of her. We didn’t say anything. We only looked into each other’s eyes and stroked each other. The best conversations I’d ever had with anyone in my life were the silent ones between me and Stephanie. I gently touched the gold Star of David she wore around her neck. Then I let my head fall to her shoulder as she rubbed my back.