One Hot Secret by Sarah J. Brooks
Chapter 22
Grace
A loud moan pulls me from the recesses of sleep before I realize that it’s coming from me. I’m lying on my back, and a hand between my legs caresses my folds, gently nudging them apart. I spread my legs, and a deep murmur comes from my side.
Kyle.
I smile in the darkness. I have no idea what time it is, and I don’t care. All my concentration is on the hand between my legs, rubbing delicious circles around my clit. I move my hips in time to his movements as each circle propels me closer to the edge. My control slips, and I grip his hand in an act of desperate need. He rubs it harder and faster, and with a cry, I explode as a violent orgasm rocks me. Before I can recover, Kyles’ hands are on my nipples, and his mouth is on my neck. Wanting to give him a great start to the day as he did for me, I straddle him and lower my mouth to kiss the sides of his mouth and neck.
His large hands gently caress my hips, and when I raise them, he grips his cock and guides it to my entrance. I lower myself to it and slide down, my arousal juices coating his cock. I let out little screams as I take his cock deeper and deeper.
His fingers dig into my hips, and deep growls leave his mouth. I sink all the way to the hilt, completely stretched out. I caress his chest and tease his nipples with my fingers, all without moving my body.
“I’m going crazy here,” he says in a tortured voice.
I laugh softly and start to rock up and down on his cock. It feels so good. I close my eyes as sensation after sensation comes over me. His cock feels like a sword of pleasure piercing me again and again.
I might be on top, but Kyle has taken full control, using his hands on my hips to control the tempo. My breathing comes out rasped as a second orgasm quickly approaches. Tears squeeze from the corners of my eyes and drip down my face. I whimper as my body coils tighter and tighter. When I come, I feel as if I’ve dropped from the edge of a cliff, headfirst, rapidly spiraling to the ground.
“You’re so sexy, know that?” Kyle says, slamming his cock into me. He lets out a groan that seems to come from the deepest part of him, and seconds later, I’m flooded with hot liquid.
I fall over him, and he rests his hands on my ass cheeks and gently strokes it as if lulling me to sleep. He remains inside me, semi-hard, and I slowly drift off to sleep. The next thing I know I’m being lifted amid soft murmurs, but I’m too tired to wake up.
***
A vibration sounds too close to my ear, and I wake up startled. The first thing I realize is that the sun is already out and streaming in through the half-open drapes. I glance to Kyle’s side to confirm that he has left for the day. He’s meeting some townspeople today to interview them and get their side of the story of the events that happened fifteen years ago.
The vibration comes again, and I reach for my phone and glance at the time. Nine o’clock. A twinge of guilt comes over me. I can’t believe that I’ve slept until nine. My mother’s number flashes across the screen. My heart skips a beat. It’s too early for her to call.
I press to answer. “Mom, is everything all right with Dad?” My voice comes out hoarse, and there’s no disguising the fact that I’m still in bed.
I cough in an attempt to clear it.
“Yes, your father is just fine, and so am I.” She sounds upset.
“What is it?”
“Did you read the link I sent you?” she asks tightly.
I let out a sigh. I can’t believe that she called me so early to discuss another of Kyle’s gossip items. I fight down my exasperation. “Mom, there will always be false stories about Kyle in the gossip columns. Whatever story it is, it’s not true.”
“There were pictures,” she says coldly.
“There’s photoshop,” I point out. I trust Kyle, and unless he tells me himself, I’ve made a vow not to believe anything I read about him.
“Of our daughter, half-naked in a pool doing God knows what with a man, exposed for the whole world to see,” she explodes.
My blood turns cold. “Me?”
“Yes, you, Grace! I can’t believe you’d do that to us. Two people have called already to ask if it’s really you. Your father was supposed to go on a volunteer shift today at the station. He had to cancel that. How will we ever show our faces in public again?”
While she speaks, I put her on speaker phone and tap my phone for the latest news. I see the gossip headlines then, and a feeling of sickness comes over me.
The Mysterious Fat Girl That Kyle Bryce Is Dating!
Thunder Thighs Lands A Movie Star!
Poll: Do you think Kyle Bryce can do better?
With shaking fingers, I click on one of the links, and a full-color picture of me and Kyle lying side by side fills my screen. The photographer or drone camera or whatever focused on my thighs, and I look disproportionate in the picture. I let out a cry of distress. I click on another link, and this time, the picture is of us in the pool, and by the look of ecstasy on my face, it’s not difficult to put two and two.
“Yes, that’s exactly what we feel like doing. Screaming. Grace, you swore you were different from your parents, and we believed you. This road you’re on is leading you to the same fate. Please stop seeing him. He’s not good for you. Go back to your normal life, I beg you. This won’t end well.”
Feelings of resentment come over me. It always comes down to my parents. It’s unfair that they never let me forget my parents’ mistakes, and I’m fed up with it.
“I am not my parents,” I say between clenched teeth. “I’m sorry that I’ve embarrassed you, but Mom, I’m an adult, and I was just having some fun with a man I happened to like very much. It’s a coincidence that he’s famous, but that’s part of who he is. I’m not going to miss out on a good thing because of my parents’ mistakes. But you won’t let me forget, will you?”
“This is not just about you! Of course, just like your father, you don’t care how your actions are affecting other people!”
I can’t believe my mother and I are shouting at each other. It has never happened. In the past, when we disagreed, I listened quietly, took whatever Mom dished out, and then murmured my apologies.
“Look, I’m sorry I embarrassed you, but I’m not sorry that I’m seeing Kyle.”
She doesn’t say another word and disconnects the phone unceremoniously.
I’m breathing as if I’ve come from racing. I scroll down to one of the articles, and the contents sink in. As I read the words, I gasp at the sheer cruelty of the writer. She writes two whole paragraphs criticizing my looks. My whole body trembles as each insult feels like a punch to my belly. I clamp a hand to my mouth to keep the sob rising up my throat contained.
In a desperate attempt to get back my sense of who I am, I try to remember Kyle’s words over how he deals with criticism. It doesn’t work.
I look at the poll results. Seventy percent of people think that Kyle Bryce can do a lot better. Others offer their comments as well.
“He must have picked her in a fast-food joint.”
“She would be hot as a guy. Look at her arm muscles.”
I’ve never been compared to a man before, and it hurts. Badly. I’ve always been proud of my body, but now as I read the articles posted about me, I feel my self-esteem being stripped, each layer gone, leaving me vulnerable.
My phone rings, making me jump. I’m relieved to see Isla’s name on the screen.
“Grace, are you all right, sweetheart?” she says when I answer.
On hearing her voice, I burst into loud sobs.
“I’m coming over,” she says. “Pin me the address. Hon, I’m on the way, okay?”
She disconnects the call, and when I manage to stop crying, I send her a pin of my location. Then I use the phone on Kyle’s bedside table to call Maria in the kitchen. I tell her that a friend of mine will be visiting, and she promises to let Carlos know.
Knowing that Isla is on the way propels me into action. I make the bed and hurry to the bathroom for a quick shower. Fifteen minutes later, I’m dressed and running a comb through my hair when the doorbell rings.
I hurry down and find Isla in the living room, admiring Kyle’s paintings. She turns around, and we rush into each other’s arms. I’m overwhelmed by feelings of gratitude and start to cry again.
“Thank you. I can’t tell you how good it is to see you.” She dropped everything and just came to me. I lean in for another quick squeeze then pull her to the couch.
“Of course I came,” she says. “You’re my best friend, and I can’t bear to know that you are hurting.”
We sit down side by side, and she keeps my hand in hers.
“You saw the stories?” I ask her.
She nods. “They are vicious; the people who write that trash and the people who buy those magazines don’t help matters.”
“I’ve been guilty of buying a tabloid magazine once or twice,” I admit. “I just never thought it hurts so much when you are the subject. They called me a pig!”
“You are beautiful, and you know that,” Isla says fiercely. “Don’t let those assholes get to you.”
“It’s not just the insults.” I tell her about the call with my mother and my response.
“I’m proud of you,” she says. “But I also feel bad for them. It’s tough living in a small town; everyone is in your business. It’s just not fair to keep comparing you with your parents.” She contemplates me for a moment. “What you said about Kyle, about not missing out on a good thing because he’s famous. Do you mean that?”
I let out a shaky breath. “I don’t know. I did when I said it.” I’d made a decision that I would end things with Kyle when the press found out about us. Now that it’s happened, to my surprise, I don’t feel as if my world has fallen apart.
“There’s nothing wrong with falling in love with a celebrity,” she points out gently.
“Except for the lack of privacy and the cruel articles.” I think back to my own behavior. “The worst thing is that I read those articles sometimes. If I’m in an airport and I find one lying around, I’ll leaf through it. It seemed such harmless fun.”
“I’ve done it too,” Isla says with a sigh. “And now I feel so bad.”
“Let’s make a deal not to ever read those trashy magazines again.”
“Deal,” Isla says. “One more thing. I’ve never seen you as happy and settled as you have been since you and Kyle started dating. Give it a chance. Enjoy the ride.”
I inhale deeply and noisily. I’m frightened, but at the same time, I can’t bear the thought of losing him. Which means that I’m going to have to deal with my biggest fear. My privacy. But maybe after the initial buzz of excitement, they’ll move on to someone else, and we can continue with our lives.
I smile at her. “I’m a grown woman, and I’m not going to let those fuckers ruin the best relationship I’ve ever had.”
“Atta girl!” Isla says. “Now give me a tour of this gorgeous house!”
