She parts her legs, and my annoying nerves start to kick in again.
I’m solid. My dick hurts. My balls are tight, and our kisses are growing more demanding, more intimate as her ankles hook behind my legs, digging her nails into my back to bring me closer.
Anyone could walk in right now and see me on top of Stacey.
Regardless of this, of the heaviness on my chest that only worsens by the second, I bunch her dress at her hip and dip my hand under her arched back to get a good grip on her ass.
Absentmindedly, as my tongue tastes hers, my hips rock, and the length of my cock grinds between her legs at the same time as I drag her against me. As much as I have to fight the urge to grit my teeth with the tingling sensation at the head of my dick and in my balls, my mind catches up with me, and I freeze.
My mouth pulls away first, then my hands leave her body, shock rushing through me.
With widening eyes, I stare at her. At the blush on her face. “Sorry,” I force out, my heart fucking pounding in my chest, before I move away from her.
“Sorry,” I say again, swallowing deeply and moving back into my original position while she slowly sits and wipes her mouth. “That’s not what I was trying to—” I stop as the door opens, the blanket already thrown over us.
Ewan walks in first with pizza, and thank God I pulled away in time, or he would’ve got a full view of me pinning Luciella’s best friend to the sofa and dry-humping her. Mum comes in next with two bowls of food, Luciella trailing behind with a tray of drinks.
I glance at Stacey. She’s chewing her thumbnail, her eyes trained on the paused screen, a blush still creeping up from her neck to her cheeks.
We both control our breathing as Luciella tells me Dad is calling me tomorrow, and that she’s forgotten what was even happening in the movie. It restarts to reveal the girl is screaming for her life.
I can taste Stacey on my lips, raw from her biting and sucking them. The heat that radiates between us is still there, and it only amplifies when my fingers touch hers, and she takes my hand under the blanket.
In any other circumstance, I’d pull away from that sort of physical touch and picture the person in a million pieces. I’d get pains in my hands. But with Stacey, I return the sentiment by lacing our fingers.
Me. Kade Mitchell, at the age of eighteen, holds hands with a girl for the first time.
And I like it.
When the movie ends, and we need to let go, I head to my bed, finding a message from an unknown number.
Unknown: I know you weren’t trying to… you know. We both got carried away. It’s okay. Don’t overthink it.
Unknown: And I want to watch the Great Man movie with you.
I chuckle, save her number and type a reply.
Me: Not if you keep getting the title wrong. There’s only so much disrespect I’ll put up with for that masterpiece.
Freckles: The Greatest Showman! But yeah, I want to watch it with you. You can say no. I don’t want you to feel like you HAVE to.
Me: Do I really have a choice?
Freckles: Of course not. I’m staying here on Wednesday after practice. Will you be home?
No girl has ever been in my room, unless I count my mum when she shouts at me. Dez, Base, Jason and Ewan, but no one else. I like having my own space, but something about having Stacey here feels… I don’t know.
Me: Come to my room when Luciella falls asleep. If you get the title wrong once more, I’ll kick you out and tell my sister her friend is a shit kisser.
Freckles: YOU WILL NOT!
Me: See you on Wednesday, Freckles.
19
STACEY
My feet carry me unconsciously out the warehouse, too in shock to stop.
Kade says my name, but I can’t stop or speak or even breathe. I wrench the knife from my underwear and toss it on the ground. All I can see is the red footprints from my shoes on the warehouse floor.
“Stacey.”
I bypass the car, aiming for the front gates and repeatedly telling myself that it’ll be okay. The only thing I need to do is get a ride to the hotel and find Lu’s room, where I’ll be safe. I just need to get away from all his chaos and danger.
I need to get away from the man I once knew as a nervous teenager – the man who just shot someone in the head like it was nothing.
“Stacey.”
The gate slides open as I approach it, but Kade wraps his hand around my arm and spins me to face him before I reach it. “Keep your mouth shut about this.”
I clench my teeth hard enough to hurt. “Fuck you.”
I yank free of his hold, but he steps in front of me.
“Be mad at me all you want – I don’t care. But you can’t speak a word of this to my sister.”
“I want to get away from you. I won’t say anything, but this is fucked up.” I cover my mouth to stop the sob. “You murdered him!”
Kade blinks once, unfazed as he flips the blade in his hand without breaking eye contact. “Shit happens.”
I have no way to respond to that. My body is still shivering, my heart is still rattling in my chest and I have a headache. Blood is splattered on my dress and stains my skin. If I don’t wash it off soon, I might bring up everything I’ve eaten in the last twenty-four hours.
“I’ll take you to a hotel. We can go meet everyone later.”
“I’ll get an Uber,” I answer. “I’m not going anywhere with you.”
He sighs. “Come on, Freckles.”
“No! You don’t get to call me that!” The tension in my head gets worse. “You killed someone!” I cry. “What happened to you?”
“Let me take you to a hotel – you’re covered in blood.”
“What happened to you?” I hold my ground, my vision blurring. “I have no idea who you are. You aren’t the Kade I fell in love with.”
He nods and lowers his head. “I suppose I’m not. ”
I’m certain I’m pale.
Kade looks up, takes a careful step towards me and tries to move strands of hair – now sticky with blood – from my face, but I flinch from his touch.
His hand freezes, then he drops it to his side. “You’re afraid of me.”
I avert my eyes.
“You are aware that you’re the only person in the world I’d never hurt, right?”
“If that was the case, then you wouldn’t have walked out of my life when I needed you the most.” I shake my head. “You already did hurt me.”
“We aren’t doing this,” he says, exhaling and putting his hands in his pockets. “I shouldn’t even be speaking to you.”
I laugh sarcastically. “Oh yeah, that was definitely the case a few hours ago, wasn’t it?”
“You know what I mean.”
“No. I don’t know what you mean. What happened to the guy who despised when his friends took drugs? Now you’re buying fifty grand’s worth, you apparently have whores and you kill people?”
His jaw clenches. “This has nothing to do with you. Stay in your goddamn lane and drop it, alright?”
“I can’t…” I turn my back to him. “I can’t drop it. They knew who you were and asked why you didn’t have your other whore with you. You… You didn’t need to shoot him.”
Kade sniffs, the sound of his lighter flicking before I smell the exhaled cloud from his joint. “I can assure you he won’t be the last person I shoot.”