The Scheme

The next moment, she gripped the front of my shirt, surprising me. “Kiss me. Hard. I need to forget.”

I hesitated as warning signals rang off loudly in my head. But looking into her eyes, somehow I knew this was what she needed. So I leaned down to meet her lips, even though I knew this girl was not entirely whole. I was starting to see it more clearly. Behind the façade of a confident woman was a vulnerable girl, utterly broken.

And I was determined to know why.

***

KENDY

Our lips crashed together, our teeth clashing with the impact. I didn’t care that we were in the middle of the busiest park in the nation. I pushed through any thoughts of Cole to feel the warmth of Brian’s tongue against mine. I needed to drown in him, feel numb again, and dull the feeling that was bubbling up in my chest. The feeling that always haunted me whenever I thought of Cole.

“Harder,” I moaned into his mouth. Despair began to strangle and suffocate me, making it difficult to breathe. I struggled to drive down old memories, to forget. I needed to clear my mind, to feel emptiness and pure sensation.

I bit on his lip, because he wasn’t giving it to me rough enough, and I was rewarded with a low moan. Still, all I saw and heard was Cole. His voice rang loudly in my ears. His stocky frame and face clouded my head. His anger was so real, even though it had happened years ago.

My body trembled, tears threatening to break free. “More,” I begged through muffled kisses, wanting to drown the past that haunted me. I needed to push past this overwhelming all-consuming anguish.

Finally, he bent me back, and I felt his hardness through the thin material of my dress.

“We have to get out of here,” I said breathlessly.

He cupped the side of my face, his thumb lightly grazing my cheek. A look of concern passed over his face, softening his features. He was about to say no; I could tell.

But before he had a chance, I pressed my body against his. “Let’s go,” I breathed. “Where?”

Finally, an intense look of desire replaced the concern. “Your place,” he panted.

“Yeah.” I tugged on his hand and led us quickly out of the park.

***

BRIAN

Shit. I swear I just experienced my first heart attack.

I collapsed on the bed, Kendy’s beautiful body splayed on top of me.

“Oh, God,” she laughed as she buried her face in my chest. “That was intense.”

I was still lodged inside her, but I could barely move, let alone breathe. I couldn’t formulate words. I just needed a moment to collect myself, for my pulse to return to a normal rhythm.

As my eyes raked in her face, the blue in her irises caught the sun coming in through the window. Damn, she was breathtakingly beautiful and flushed pink from our passion.

Resting her head on her hand, she said, “I broke it, didn’t I? Your dick.”

“Maybe.” I laughed. I wondered if I would ever get tired of looking at her. She had sex hair, and it was the hottest thing.

Her chest rose and fell as she giggled, a sound that radiated throughout the room, a sound I was becoming addicted to. “It’s because I rode it like an amusement ride.”

“You sure did,” I said, and even though her words had been fu

What if that one person, the person you loved the most, who you thought would never, ever do you wrong, took away your free will, where you felt helpless.

My arms tightened around her, wanting to protect her in some way, even though she’d already been hurt. Her soft curves melted against my lean chest as a lump developed in my throat.

She seemed to be oblivious to my concern as her eyes twinkled with mischief, her lips still swollen from our passion. You would’ve never guessed she was troubled. But I noticed. I noticed everything about her.

I needed to know more. What had happened to break such beauty?

I cupped the side of her face, and she rested against my touch. My thumb grazed her cheek and, as I stared into her eyes, the blue irises, which seemed so carefree but weren’t, I finally couldn’t hold it in any longer. “What happened? Who hurt you?”

As if a door inside of her slammed shut, her stare turned blank. “Don’t. It’s nothing.” Her voice was barely above a whisper.

Her eyes turned cautious, and I knew I had crossed some invisible line, but this time I didn’t care, because in my gut, I knew she was lying.

“Brian . . .” She lifted herself off of me and moved to the side, wrapping the sheets around her naked body. She averted her eyes, staring out the window. “It doesn’t matter. It’s in the past. He’s not a part of my life anymore.”

As soon as those words left her mouth, my whole body tensed.

I gritted my teeth. “I want to know.” My voice came out harder than I’d intended, but I didn’t back down. The curiosity burned inside of me. The need to know who hurt her was so strong that I took deep and slow breaths to keep me calm. I reached for her arm. “Tell me.” I ground out.

She shook her head, closed her eyes, and stood. My hand fell to her wrist and I held her, waiting for her to respond to this one question I needed to be answered.

“Brian . . .” Her eyes shone with pain when they met mine. “Don’t. If you want this to work, just don’t.” She wrapped the sheets around her body and darted to the bathroom.

As I sat up, my gaze dropped to the floor and I ran one hand down my face, releasing a heavy sigh. I had no idea what the bastard looked like, but I somehow formed a face in my mind. His evil eyes, his cruel mouth, a bottomless pit of a soul. I’d never wanted to punch something, someone, anything, so badly. But I needed to keep myself in check.

My lips pinched together as I reminded myself of my place in Kendy’s life and our arrangement. I needed to lay off. This was her business, and I wasn’t in any position to pry.

Problem was, could I?

Knowing me, it would be a hard feat to accomplish.

***

KENDY

I flipped onto my stomach and then onto my back for the hundredth time, restless. Brian had left my place over five hours ago, and still I couldn’t fall asleep.

I shut my eyes tightly, only seeing darkness, but my heart was pounding loudly in my chest, as though I’d run a race. Brian’s concerned tone was ringing in my ears like a broken record.

What happened? Who hurt you?

After another minute, I shook my head and sat up, trying to push memories of Cole down to the hidden chambers of my brain, where I always kept him locked up.

Cole was the first guy I’d been in love with. The man I not only gave my virginity to, but the one I’d thought I was going to marry. I could still picture his sugar brown hair and eyes as light as honey. He’d swooped me up and made me his in a matter of weeks.

I’d thought he was it. Everyone thought we were it. The first time we made love, he’d rented a motel room and lit up the room with candles. I wasn’t his first, but he was definitely mine. First love, first sexual partner, first everything.

The night had been perfect, unlike my friends, who lost their virginity in the back of a pick-up truck. I’d assumed I was going to be one of those girls who married her high school sweetheart, and that was fine by me.

The first six months were bliss, absolute bliss. We hadn’t fought at all. We couldn’t keep our hands off each other. I’d thought our love would last forever.

But slowly, I had witnessed his eyes straying. He’d become distant. And the more distant he’d become, the more jealous I became. Sweet Kendy had turned into bitchy, jealous Kendy.

I should’ve trusted my gut, because one night, when he said he’d be at the diner, I showed up. He was nowhere to be seen, but I had found a bunch of his football buddies chilling against the pool table. I’d searched the vicinity and walked outside, noting his truck in the parking lot. I’d found him in the back of his truck, pants down and Clary’s mouth on his cock.