Untangle Me (Love at Last #1) Read online

  I had to try to put Lisa out of my mind. I needed to convince him to share her messages with his probation officer. She just couldn’t be allowed to torment him this way. She had played enough games, but she wouldn’t come out the winner. I needed to get that photograph out of my mind, and I needed coffee.

  We headed to the French Quarter and straight to Café Du Monde. New Orleans had grown colder since we’d last spent time there. The coffee helped warm my hands as we strolled down Bourbon Street. A loud noise caught my attention and drew my eyes down the street.

  Police cars and motorcycles cleared the way and led a procession of people down Bourbon. Above the roar of the motorcycles, I could hear the faint sound of a Dixie band. “Look, Kayden,” I said as I pointed down the street. He grabbed my arm and moved me onto the sidewalk and out of the path of the oncoming crowd. “What is it?”

  “It’s a wedding. Sometimes weddings march down Bourbon just as they do for a funeral. They’re all celebrations of life,” he replied while holding my hand.

  I watched, riveted to the scene in front of me. A parade of people danced down the street, following the band on their journey. The bride wore a mask and carried a white umbrella, and the groom had on his tuxedo with a matching black mask covering his eyes. They laughed and danced as they proceeded down the street. The wedding guests followed behind, cloaked in similar facial masks, dancing and singing. People cheered on the sidewalk as the parade moved down the street. At the end of the parade, two sets of parents were carried in a rickshaw, waving their hankies in the air, and smiles decorated their faces.

  “Wow, I’ve never seen anything like it,” I said as I stared down the street, watching the wedding disappear into a sea of people.

  “It’s uniquely NOLA, one of the many reasons I fell in love with this city,” he said, and I felt his sadness about leaving here. It was like losing an old friend.

  We wandered around the city for the entire day, taking in the sights, sounds, and smells. The memories would have to carry us until we could afford to come back someday. New Orleans had become a second home, filled with memories, both good and bad. We made plans for Mardi Gras months ago that wouldn’t come to fruition anymore. My heart ached the more we walked. I wanted Kayden with me, but not by force, by choice. His phone rang as we walked by the casino.

  “Hello.”

  I watched him intently. He received very few calls, and usually, they were only to deliver bad news. I nervously waited to hear what the person wanted from him.

  “Okay, I understand,” he said before ending the call.

  “What’s up, baby?” I asked.

  “It was Dean from the office. They want to clear the apartment tomorrow.” Kayden looked like he had just lost his family pet. I could always read his eyes. They were so expressive and the windows to his soul.

  My heart sank. I wasn’t ready to leave New Orleans. I thought we could ring in the New Year here in Jackson Square. “It’s okay, baby. I know we wanted to stay a little longer, but we can leave tomorrow.”

  He wrapped his arms around me and tucked my head under his chin. “I’m sorry, Sophia. I wanted this trip to be so much more. I didn’t think we’d have to leave so soon. I thought we had a couple more days.”

  I wrapped my arms tighter around his body and buried my face in his neck. My eyes filled with tears knowing this was truly our last night in New Orleans. “Take me home, Kayden. Make love to me in the bed where you first made love to me.”

  We couldn’t take the bed with us in my tiny SUV. It would be another casualty Kayden would suffer.

  We rode in silence, hand in hand, through the streets of New Orleans. Kayden stared out the window, resting his cheek on his hand. I didn’t speak. I wanted to give him time with his thoughts.

  The apartment felt lifeless as we walked through the door. It was entirely opposite to the lively atmosphere I had experienced during my previous trips. We kicked off our shoes, leaving them by the door, only the thud of them hitting the baseboard filling the room. Kayden grabbed me, lifted me into his arms, and carried me into the bedroom.

  He placed me on the bed gently, the hallway light illuminating the room. Kayden lay down next to me, propped on one arm. Looking into my eyes, he cradled my face in his hand. He leaned over slowly and touched his lips to mine. My body tingled, coming to life, and a sense of need filled my veins as his tongue caressed my lips. The tip of his thumb pressed the corner of my mouth and gently opened me to the invasion of his tongue.

  Kayden possessed my mouth, controlled my every thought and feeling. He lifted himself off me, leaving his thumb near the corner of my mouth. His eyes never left mine as I captured his digit between my teeth and enclosed it between my lips. He watched me intently as he stripped off his shirt. I sucked his thumb, swiped my tongue across it, and pretended it was his cock. I moved my head forward and back, giving me the ability to suck the entire length. His eyes glazed over before closing, reveling in the sensation. I stared at him as he used his free hand and feet to pull off his pants. His cock sprang free, hard and glistening, the tip weeping.

  I pushed him onto his back, releasing his thumb. I needed to taste him. I licked his lips slowly before dragging my tongue down his neck to his torso. My tongue traced each ripple and muscle on his taut stomach. I paused at his hips and bit and sucked the sensitive spots, making his body quiver. His cock nudged my chin, calling for my attention. Keeping my eyes glued to his, I licked the tip. Kayden tasted of salty sweetness, a taste uniquely Kayden—one that I craved. I swirled my tongue around the tip, and his hips bucked as I pulled his length inside my waiting mouth. He filled me, stretching my lips. The hardness of his cock and the softness of his skin moved across my tongue and caused wetness to seep from my pussy. His cock nudged the back of my throat, causing me to gag.

  “Fuck,” Kayden said. “I love when you gag on my cock, baby.”

  My face flushed with his praise, but embarrassment filled me at the knowledge I couldn’t fit his entire shaft in my mouth. I wrapped my hand around his hardness and moved it in rhythm with my mouth. I squeezed slightly as I reached the tip and drove back down with force. I twisted my hand and flicked the top with my tongue to change the sensation as Kayden neared the edge.

  He reached down and grabbed my hair. “Baby, stop. I. Want. To. Make. Love. To. You,” he forced out as I sucked him harder and deeper than I had before. Each word stammered out as I reached the tip of his cock.

  My mouth released his tip, causing a popping sound to fill the air. Kayden grabbed my arms and dragged me up his body. His hair scraped my skin. He rolled us over, his full body weight crushing me. He plunged his tongue into my mouth, claiming me. His hand slid down my skin and captured my breast in his palm. His lips broke from mine, traveled down my body, and sucked me into his mouth. Overwhelming need consumed me. I needed to feel his cock inside me—filling me completely.

  “Kayden, please,” I begged.

  He licked my breast, circling my nipple with his tongue, which caused my back to arch in an unspoken invitation. I watched as he pulled his lower lip into his mouth between his teeth, causing the hair below his lower lip to stick out. He rubbed his hair across my nipple, pricking my skin, causing goose bumps to form across my flesh. I moaned, writhing from the feel of his scratchy hair against my erect peak. He captured my nipple and sucked it hard, flicking it with his tongue.

  “Please,” I moaned.

  Kayden slid his hand over my thigh, running the tip of his finger down to my core. I gripped his shoulders to stop from crying out. I needed something…anything…inside me. His finger slid easily inside me as his palm grazed my clit. He moved it slowly, torturing me. I needed more friction, my body so close to release.

  He moved his body between my legs, his erection lying firmly against my pussy. He rocked against me and kissed me to muddle my moans. Using his hands, he rubbed the end against my opening, rotating it in a small circle, wetting his cock—my body still not accustomed to his size. Starin
g into my eyes, he entered me slowly, stopping halfway. He paused, looked at me, and said, “Slow, Sophia. I’m going to make love to you. I want to savor you.”

  I whimpered as he slid his remaining length inside me. My body stretched to accommodate him, relishing the mixture of pleasure and pain. Kayden moved inside me at a steady pace, never wavering, slowly gliding back and forth. Every nerve ending in my body ignited, his cock the spark lighting the fuse.

  Our eyes stayed locked, and his face almost touched mine. Our lips tangled together, but I couldn’t close my eyes. I didn’t want to miss a moment of him. He reached between us, placed my clit between his fingertips, and squeezed in a pulsating rhythm. My world exploded as my pussy clenched, holding him hostage, my body his prison.

  His stroke deepened as his body grew tense. “Sophia…” he moaned, his body shuddering as he collapsed on top of me.

  “I love you, Sophia,” he whispered in my ear. “Being here, with you now, puts my mind at peace.”

  “I love you, too, Kayden. I’ll always be here for you.”

  “I’d follow you anywhere. My life is wherever you are, not a specific place, but you. You’re my home.”

  I opened my eyes, staring at the blank wall in front of me. The same spot where Kayden’s television used to sit. I knew this would be our last few hours in New Orleans. This room held so many memories for us. Each trip had been filled with a roller coaster of emotions.

  My heart grew heavy as tears stung my eyes. A single tear ran down my face, falling onto Kayden’s chest. I didn’t wipe it away before it fell, not wanting to wake him.

  “What’s wrong, baby doll?”

  Shit. I’d tried not to wake him.

  “Just thinking about how this is our last couple of hours in New Orleans.”

  Kayden and I jumped at the sound of someone knocking on the door.

  “Did they say when they were coming?” I scrambled to find clothes while Kayden slipped on his shorts.

  “No.”

  Kayden walked out of the bedroom, leaving me naked and alone. I dressed as quickly as I could, picking up my clothes from last night. I could hear male voices, but I couldn’t make out the words. I didn’t hear a door close, but I heard strange noises coming from the next room. Kayden appeared in the doorway.

  “They’re here to clear out the apartment already, Sophia. We have to start packing and leave too,” he said. It was real. We were really going to pack everything up and leave New Orleans behind. “The guys are already clearing the furniture out of the living room,” he said.

  “Okay,” I sighed. I shoved everything I could fit into my suitcase. Kayden walked around the apartment grabbing everything he wanted to take before the other guys could grab it. He carried it all into his room and placed it on the floor.

  “Hey, Kayden, you taking your bedroom furniture?” a man yelled.

  “Nah, I don’t have room,” Kayden responded.

  “I’m sorry,” I said. Kayden shrugged and continued throwing his clothes in bags haphazardly. Shit, this isn’t how I wanted him to leave New Orleans. I helped him pack everything he owned into large black garbage bags. Cold air filled the apartment, and my body broke out in goose bumps from the wind whipping through the small space. Everything about this ending was bone-chilling and mind-numbing.

  Placing the last few items in the SUV, Kayden closed the trunk and looked at me.

  “That’s it, baby. We’re standing in the same spot I first touched you—the day that changed my life.” He wrapped me in his arms, cocooning me in his warmth. My body shivered at the memory of his lips first touching mine. “Let’s go, sweetheart. I’m exhausted, and we still have a long drive back to Florida.”

  I watched as New Orleans disappeared in the rearview mirror, a gloomy sky framing the buildings. I gripped the steering wheel, trying to distract myself from the sadness that filled my soul. Kayden reached out, grabbed my hand, and placed it against his lips.

  “We’ll be okay, sweetheart. We’ll be back here someday,” he said as he kissed my fingers.

  “I know we will. I just want you to be okay. I know how much you love her.”

  “I love you, Sophia. New Orleans is a place. You’re my life.” Kayden held my hand for hours, stroking my fingers in a reassuring rhythm. The scenery changed, signaling our miles traveled from bayou to palm trees. We grew more tired the closer we got to my home—our home.

  32

  Sophia

  I’m a Bad Girl

  “Come on, Sophia. Go in the water with me. Please,” he begged as he stood near my feet, blocking my view. The warm breeze skimmed across my body, cooling my skin from the harsh Florida sun.

  “Okay, but only to my knees.” I held out my hand to Kayden even though I knew he was up to something. “I hate swimming in the ocean, you know that. Don’t get any ideas, mister.”

  “I’d never.” He chuckled.

  I followed Kayden down to the wet sand, watching the waves until the water covered my feet. I was petrified of the ocean, too many dangers lurked—sharks, jellyfish, and rip currents. He led me, holding my hands, until my knees disappeared under the turquoise liquid. I stopped abruptly, and Kayden’s hands jerked from my grip.

  “Come here, Sophia.” Kayden pulled me closer. I grabbed on to him and wrapped my arms around his neck. He reached for my legs, wrapping them around him, as he began to walk farther from shore.

  “What are you doing?” I asked, my voice laced with anxiety.

  “Nothing.” He smirked.

  “You’re going deeper. Stop, Kayden.” I dug my fingernails into his skin.

  “Just a little bit more. It’ll be worth it—you’ll see.” He bobbed with the waves to keep the water from splashing in my face. My heart raced, and I couldn’t stop looking around, trying to see if there were any sharks nearby.

  “What’re you looking for?” He looked in the water, too.

  “Sharks. Can’t be too careful.”

  “You’re silly, baby. Nothing is going to get you out here. Well, maybe I will, but that’s nothing to be scared of.” He smirked at me again, and a tingle ran down my spine.

  “What do you have in mind?” I raised an eyebrow.

  “I want to be inside you.” He pushed his shorts down.

  “Here, in front of all these people?” I asked as his hands were moving my bikini bottoms to the side.

  “No one can see, and it’s mine to do with as I wish. I want my cock buried in you,” he replied, trying to concentrate on moving our clothing.

  “Oh Lord.”

  I wrapped my arms around him tighter and placed my face next to his. I knew I couldn’t stop him at this point. I felt his cock poking my entrance as I braced myself.

  “It’s going to hurt, Kayden.”

  “Take it like a big girl. You know you can and will,” he said to me as he tried to move his cock inside of me.

  I bit my lip to stop from crying out as his cock moved inside of me—not gliding gently. I let him take what he wanted from me. I tried to keep my attention on the people around us, more worried about them than getting off. I played the news headlines in my head: “School librarian arrested for having sex in public. News at eleven.” Shit.

  “Damn, I love being inside of you,” he moaned as he pushed deeper.

  “Uh-huh,” I responded. The worry had taken all form of language from me. What am I doing? A wave crashed over his body, hitting me in the face, ruining everything. I coughed, swallowing some water, trying to spit it out.

  “Shit, sorry. I didn’t even see that one coming,” he said. “We’ll finish this later,” Kayden said, pulling his cock out of me and adjusting my bikini bottom.

  “Let’s get you back on dry land, baby.” Relief washed over me as we moved toward shore. I clung to him like a lifeline.

  I was cranky and exhausted from the sun. I had been short and snippy with my conversation while I drove. “You’re being a bad girl, Sophia. Do I have to teach you a lesson?” Kayden asked. My face
heated with his words. I loved when Kayden wanted to play. We often talked about fantasies, and he did try to make mine come true.

  “I’m not cranky. You’re crazy,” I chuckled. I wanted him to teach me a lesson—Kayden’s lessons were always sexy.

  “I’m going to spank you when we get home if you don’t watch yourself.” He kissed my cheek.

  “Whatever, Kayden.” The crankiness left me, and a feeling of excitement filled my body. I loved when Kayden spanked me—it was sexy as fuck.

  “Just remember, you asked for it,” he said as he turned forward and looked out the window.

  Pulling into the driveway, I felt giddy. Don’t seem too eager. “Gonna teach me a lesson now?” I said with a smirk as I grabbed the car handle and looked into his eyes.

  “Just you wait and see,” he said as he climbed out of the car. I sat a moment in the car to give him a head start through the door. I climbed out, trying to pretend to be sad and scared, but he saw right through me. He knew I wanted this.

  He was waiting for me on the bed when I walked into my room. “Come here,” he said, trying to remain serious-looking, but I could see the twinkle in his eyes.

  “Kayden, I wasn’t bad. I don’t think I deserve to be spanked,” I said, defying him. I may want this, but he’d have to earn it.

  “A spanking is the least of your worries, Sophia. Here. Now,” he said, patting his lap. I stood there for a few seconds with my hands on my hips, and we both knew I’d do as he asked.

  “Okay, Kayden. Your hand will hurt before my ass does,” I said with a cocky look on my face as I walked toward him slowly and stared into his eyes.

  “I’m sure it will, but it’s worth the sting.” He grabbed my shorts and swimsuit bottom and pulled them down to my ankles. He moved me like a rag doll over his knees before I could even react.