The Storm Series, page 12
I wasn’t sure how much uglier things could get, but as long as he got those two fuckers out of my house, I wasn’t going to question it.
Once they were back in their room, I turned Junie around to face me. “Are you okay?”
She opened her mouth to say something, but it looked like she quickly changed her mind. “You should probably get your hands cleaned up. It might not be all his blood.”
The unaffected way that she delivered her statement gave me cause for concern. “Baby, what’s wrong?”
Junie shot Roark a look, and when I turned to look at my brother, his face was a dead giveaway that there was something more going on than that shit with Paul and Leslie. They were having some sort of silent conversation with their eyes, and I had never resented my brother’s friendship with Junie the way that I did at this moment.
“What’s going on?” I asked, folding my arms over my chest, not caring about Paul’s blood.
Junie’s brown eyes flew back my way, her teeth gnawing at her bottom lip. After a bit, she finally said, “We need to talk.”
“Okay,” I replied carefully. “About what?”
She jerked her head towards Roark. “Better to get this all done in one fell swoop,” she muttered cryptically. Roark just shook his head, but he was already in step to follow behind her.
Like a chump, I followed my brother and Junie back up to our bedroom, leaving Phineas, Bruce, Sheridan, and Démon on their own to deal with the Paul/Leslie aftermath.
Once we were in the room, I shut the door, looked between my brother and Junie, then asked, “So, what’s going on?”
Roark shrugged. “I don’t know,” he admitted. “I’m here for the big reveal, same as you.”
I looked at Junie. “Well?”
“I know about the baby, Ripley,” she announced, and I had no idea what the fuck she meant.
What fucking baby?
Chapter 23
Junie~
“You have a fucking baby?” Roark asked incredulously at the same time that Ripley asked, “What fucking baby?”
I let out a deep sigh before hitting them with more crazy shit that was going on this morning, besides Leslie and Paul’s crazy. “I know all about your girlfriend, Ripley,” I told him. “Or…the mother of your child, or whatever she is to you.”
He stood there, looking shocked beyond shit. “She’s a figment of your imagination, that’s what she is,” he bit out as soon as the shock wore off. “I don’t have a girlfriend, much less a goddamn baby.”
My eyes slid their way towards Roark, and he just shook his head like he had no idea what I was talking about, either. “Don’t look at me,” he stated. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
My eyes started darting around, wondering if I was wrong, and I almost cringed when I realized that Ripley wasn’t going to let me off the hook that easily. The look on his face said as much,
“No way, Junie. You better start explaining.”
Another sigh before I confessed, “I heard you earlier.”
“Heard me earlier…?”
I could feel my shoulders sag, and I shook my head rather dramatically before coming clean. “Your phone woke me up with its ringing earlier. You didn’t shut the door all the way, so I heard your conversation with…the woman on the other end. I heard you talking about one-time only, threesomes, and her pregnancy.”
Ripley stood there.
Staring down at me.
Speechless.
The silence was suffocating enough that Roark finally asked, “Please, can someone tell me what the fuck is going on?”
It was hard to admit culpability when I realized that it was Roark that I knew, inside and out. Roark was my best friend, not Ripley. He was the one that I trusted enough to run out and purchase tampons for me. I didn’t know Ripley like that. Sure, I knew the size of his dick and that he could make me cum a million times over in one night, but I didn’t know the real him. I’d been unfair this morning, I think.
Finally, Ripley spoke. “First of all, if I had a baby-already here or on the way-you better believe that my entire family would know about it,” he bit out, sounding irritated and offended. “Second, whether the love of my life or a one-night stand, if a woman was pregnant with my child, I’d definitely show her more consideration than I had when I was on the phone with Madeline this morning.”
“Madeline?” Roark echoed, and Ripley ignored his laugh while I shot Roark the side-eye.
“Third, I don’t play with people, Junie,” he continued. “I also don’t fucking cheat. If there was a woman out there, pregnant with my child, I would have informed you of that before starting a relationship with you.” He straightened his back. “I’m a lot of things, but a fucking douchebag isn’t one of them.”
No longer consumed with righteousness, now I felt wretched. “Who’s Madeline?”
Ripley stepped back, then leaned against the dresser. “How about you ask Roark that?” he suggested. “I have a feeling that you’re more open to believing him than you are me.”
I could feel my face pale a bit, but it wasn’t until I felt my lower lip tremble that I was hit with what I’d done. Even though no one would fault me for being wary, I’d been making Ripley pay for Paul’s mistakes with my doubt. The pain in my chest was real, but what could I do?
“That’s not fair,” I whispered, my voice unsure, my eyes beginning to water just a bit.
“Perhaps not,” he conceded. “But I won’t ever have you calling me a liar, Junie. Ever.”
Unable to see a way out of this, I looked back and forth between Ripley and Roark, regret lacing every word that I was about to say. “This was a bad idea,” I mumbled. “I never should have…I’m sorry. This is on me.” Still looking back and forth between the two brothers, I added, “Why don’t we just forget this weekend ever happened, yeah?” I wasn’t sure if I could, but I was willing to try for the sake of peace.
Roark coughed in his hand as he just bowed his head. My best friend wanted no part of this, and I didn’t blame him. No wonder he’d been so against us getting together. The two people that he loved the most were putting him in an awkward situation, and it sucked.
Still, there was a large part of me that could never regret last night. Last night had been the most perfect night of my life, and despite it all, I had an experience that I was going to take to my grave, thankful that it’d happened. Sure, there was no way that Ripley and I could remain friends after this, but it wasn’t like we’d hung out a lot before this weekend, so Roark was in the clear. No sides to choose from.
Before I could walk away from it all and get the hell back home, Roark was talking. “Madeline is Rip’s agent and PR person,” he told me. “I manage his finances, but she manages everything else.”
I looked over at him. “Roark, you don’t have to-”
He threw his hand up to stop me. “She’s been with him since the beginning of his career,” he kept on explaining. “She’s also gay, and she and her wife, Sarabeth, found a donor last year, and Madeline is pregnant with their first child.” I could feel my entire body deflating with embarrassment. At least, I thought it was embarrassment. I mean, was mortification the same as embarrassment? “Madeline being of same-sex was one of the reasons that Ripley had chosen her for the job. He’d wanted someone that would work passionately towards his goals, and not someone that would want to work towards his bedroom.”
Explaining further, Ripley picked up where Roark left off. “She called this morning because she wanted me to do an interview with a magazine that I told her that I’d never do again.” I couldn’t even look at the man, but that didn’t stop him from explaining everything. “The last time that I agreed, the interviewer tried to get me to sleep with her, no matter how many times I told her that I wasn’t interested. Madeline was trying to push me into doing another one because they want a dual feature with me and Phin. She was promising that it’d be a male reporter this time, and that I didn’t have to worry about any unwanted advances. When I kept telling her no, she used that whole ‘stress isn’t good for the baby’ routine that she’s incorporated into her manipulative tactics ever since she got pregnant.”
I finally looked up at him, not sure what to say, but knowing that I had to say something. “Ripl-”
“I do not have a girlfriend, Junie,” he said, interrupting whatever I’d been about to say. “There is no one pregnant with my child. There’s no one, but you.” I felt awful with every word out of his mouth, defending his character. “If anyone’s going to pop up pregnant with my child, it’s going to be you. I’ve been in love with you for five fucking years, Junie.” My eyes widened at that. “It’s always been you.”
“Wh…what?” I squeaked.
“It’s true,” Roark chimed in. “He wanted to ask you out when he first met you, but I told him no.” I turned to look Roark’s way. “I was worried that if things didn’t work out, then I’d have to choose between the two of you, so I told him to stay away from you, and he loved and respected me enough to listen.”
I slapped a hand on my chest as I stepped back until I dropped my ass on the bed. “I think I’m having a heart attack,” I whispered to no one in particular.
“Roark, can you give us a moment?” Ripley asked, eyeing me to make sure that I really wasn’t having a heart attack.
“Sure thing,” he answered, and no one said anything more until Roark shut the door behind him.
“Are you okay?” Ripley asked.
My eyes locked onto his. “I’m not sure,” I admitted. “I…it’s been a…a crazy morning.”
Finally acknowledging that I was dealing with more than just his conversation with Madeline, Ripley walked forward, then dropped down on his haunches in front of me. “Did Paul hurt you, Junie?” he asked again. “Do I need to kill him?”
I shook my head frantically. “No, no,” I rushed out quickly. “He…I’m fine. Honestly.”
“How do you feel about all that stuff Leslie said?” Even though Leslie turned out to be a grade-A bitch, I had believed us to be friends at one time. There were more feelings of betrayal going on beyond just sleeping with Paul, and knowing that Leslie held such resentment for me stung. The way that Leslie had ranted like a banshee showed someone that had never liked me.
“I…” My brows furrowed in thought. “I’m not sure. I…she’s wrong, but…somehow, she’s not.” I shook my head again. “I don’t know.”
“And me?”
“What about you?”
“How do you feel about me?” he asked.
My entire face softened, my shoulders relaxing. “I…I think I’m not as observant as I thought if I never noticed that Leslie was never my friend, Paul was cheating, and that you’ve been in love with me for five years.”
His lips twitched at that. “Maybe we get you checked for glasses when we get back home,” he teased.
My chest bloomed with relief and warmth. “Ripley?”
“Yeah, baby?”
“I’m sorry,” I whispered.
“I know,” he whispered back.
Chapter 24
Ripley~
Even though Junie was in the wrong here, relief flooded my entire body at her apology. While I was still bothered that she hadn’t asked me about my conversation with Madeline, all wasn’t lost.
Standing up, I grabbed her by the hips, then had her straddling me as I sat on the bed. Holding her hips firmly in place, I said, “I need you to promise me something.”
Junie nodded. “Sure.”
“Moving forward, if you ever hear something that you’re unsure of or sounds sketchy, I want you to ask me about it,” I told her. “No jumping to conclusions, Junie. We are not going to be one of those couples that don’t communicate. I won’t have it.”
“Sorry,” she apologized again. “It was…I know you’re nothing like Paul, but…that déjà vu of overhearing a conversation put me in a bad head space. It wasn’t personal, Ripley. I swear it.”
“Shhh, baby,” I whispered. “I know it wasn’t. Still, we’re not going to do that, okay? We’re not going to be that couple. No matter how uncomfortable, ridiculous, or painful, we will talk about it. I never want to not know what you’re thinking or feeling. I’m going to be traveling a lot, so I can’t have you at home, worried or wondering, Junie. Uncertainty will have no place in our relationship.”
“I’ll try,” she mumbled. “I…I can’t say that I won’t have some…moments, but I’ll try.”
I grabbed her hips, then adjusted her up higher on my lap. “I’ve been in love with you for years,” I told her. “I know this is all new to you, but it’s not to me. So, whenever you find yourself doubting what I feel for you, just remember that. Remember that I have wanted you for years. There’s no way in hell that I would ever jeopardize what I have with you now that I have you.”
Her arms came around my neck. “What if you get tired of having to reassure me?” she asked. “I don’t want to be that woman, Ripley. I really don’t.”
“If I’m doing my job right, then you won’t be, baby,” I told her. “If you start doubting how I feel about you, then that just means I’m fucking up, not you.”
She gave me a terse nod. “Okay,” she said on a shaky breath. “I can do this. I can do long-distance-”
My head reared back a bit. “Whoa,” I rushed out. “What do you mean by that? By long-distance?”
“Well…you live in Sweeney, and I live-”
“You’re out of your fucking mind if you think I’m not packing up and moving to McLaurin,” I practically snapped, interrupting her. “It might take a couple of weeks, but I go where you go, Junie. End of story.”
Where I thought that she was going to fight me on this, she didn’t. Instead, Junie’s lips attacked mine, and she was pushing me down on the bed, her body pressed down on mine. Not one to look a gift-horse in the mouth, I grabbed her hips, then pushed my hardening dick between her straddled thighs. Her hand slid inside my sweats, and the second that her hand brushed up against my cock, it turned to stone. With Junie wrapping her hand around my girth, I realized that I wasn’t opposed to arguing much if this was what I was going to get in return for make-up sex.
Junie pulled back, then looking down at me, said, “I’ll follow you wherever you go, Ripley.” My chest felt like it’d just taken a slug to the center. “I don’t care where you’re at or where you go, I’ll follow you anywhere. I’m moving to Sweeney, not the other way around.”
I wanted to be selfish and immediately agree, but I couldn’t. “What about your parents?”
“My parents were fine when I was living in Illinois,” she pointed out. “At least, Sweeney’s in Colorado.” She licked her lips, and my dick jerked in her hand. “Plus, Roark’s there, too. It’s a no-brainer, Ripley.”
“Baby-”
Her grip tightened around my cock. “I want to be where you are, Ripley,” she whispered. “Always where you are.”
I yanked her hand out of my sweats, then flipped us over, my body pinning hers to the mattress. “On one condition.”
“What?” she panted, ready for some of that make-up sex.
“You move in with me,” I told her. “None of this getting-to-know-each-other-better crap or taking it slow. I’ve waited for this for far too long, Junie. If you move to Sweeney, it’s to move in with me. If you don’t like my house, we’ll buy something else, but there will be no adjustment period.” I pushed my hips between her spread thighs. “I get you day and night. Every day.”
“Are you sure, Ripley?” Her eyes suddenly looked troubled. “It’s not just the…”
“What?”
“Are you sure it’s just not finally getting what you wanted?” she asked quietly.
“Hell yeah, it is,” I replied. “It’s that, but also so much more.” Christ, how did you explain your feelings to someone? “This is about finally getting what I wanted and making sure that I never lose it, Junie.”
Her eyes dropped to my lips, and she must have believed me, because she was back to attacking my lips again, but this time, clothes were flying off as we rushed to make it official. When I finally had her naked, instead of letting me make a run at her, Junie pushed me back on the bed, straddling me once again.
“I want to ride you,” she whispered as her lips kissed my chest.
Sweet Baby Jesus.
“Like I told you last night, you can do whatever the fuck you want to me, baby,” I reminded her. “Anything at all.”
“Ripley…” she moaned softly, her hips rising, ready to take every inch that I had to offer.
“That’s it, baby,” I encouraged. “Use me to make yourself feel good.”
Junie sat up, grabbed the base of my cock, then lowered herself slowly over my eagerness. When the head of my dick began to slide in, I let out a hiss while she let out a whimper, because we both knew what was to come. Last night had proven that we were more than sexually compatible together, and it could only get better.
“Oh, God…” she moaned as her hands landed flat on my chest, using me for support.
My hands gripped her hips, and I pushed up, making sure that I was lodged inside her tight body fully. “God, you’re stunning when you’re getting fucked,” I grunted. “One of these days, you’re going to let me paint your entire body, Junie. I’m going to mark you like a fucking animal.”
Her hips started moving, chasing that high, her nails digging into my chest. “Yes,” she panted. “God, yes…”
“You want that?” Her eyes burned as she looked down at me. “You want me to mark you?”
“Yes,” she answered before biting her bottom lip and throwing her head back. Junie was riding my dick like she was going to get a prize afterwards, and I guess she was. I wasn’t going to stop until she was cumming all over my dick, so I supposed that could be considered a prize.
“Gladly,” I told her. “After you ride my cock, and I flood that tight pussy of yours, I’ll gladly cum all over you, baby. I’ll cover every fucking inch of your skin.”
