Hollywood Rebel by Misti Murphy

Chapter Twenty-Seven

 

Rebel

At first introduction, Summer’s brother is a behemoth. An inch shorter than me when he takes his hat off, he’s built like an axe-wielding neanderthal. Friendly green eyes a couple of shades different from Summer’s took in his surrounding keenly as he carried her toward her bedroom.

I’d stayed in the living room. I didn’t want to give him the idea that I knew my way to her bed even though I do. Or that he had any reason to break my nose the way he did Bray’s. That fuck deserved so much worse.

My fists bunch at my sides. My jaw clenches. There will never not be a point where I’m not angry about the fact he touched her. Or that it could have been so much worse. Even now I want to go after him and kick his ass.

I won’t though, because it’ll make Summer worry about her career. I try to shake the tension out of my muscles as I move from the living space to the kitchen. It doesn’t take the edge off at all. Hopefully a nightcap will help.

The apartment is clean and tidy if a bit college. The furniture is mix and match. Well worn, but not ratty. Girly magazines and makeup and hair shit is scattered among other knickknacks.

Summer’s cherry red laptop sits on the kitchen counter. I remember the first time she pried into my relationship with my brothers. I was only willing to open up to her if she did too.

I thought we were talking about everything these days. I thought she was starting to trust me the way I find myself trusting her. I thought we were close, but maybe I’m the only one feeling that way. Why else would she not tell me about Bray? What else is she keeping from me?

I find glasses in one of the tall narrow cupboards. Placing them on the counter I collect the vodka and pour equal measures into both glasses before knocking one back and refilling it.

Burke laughs and a door closes. I wonder if my firecracker will get up and give her older brother hell the way she’d give me hell. It looks like I’m not the only one she keeps things from either. He had no idea we were seeing each other.

It makes me think about the day we washed dishes at the church kitchen. She’d said something about hoping her brothers never found out about me. I figured it went hand in hand with how protective they are. But that might have been wrong. It’s possible she didn’t want them to know that she’s seeing me because I’m not the kind of guy she can see herself falling for.

“You will never guess what Little’s been up to behind our back,” Burke says into his phone as he joins me in the kitchen. “She’s dating one of those Hollywood celebrities.”

I wince when he laughs abrasively.

When he points at the second glass I slide it toward him.

Picking it up, he tosses the clear liquid down his throat. “Are you ready for this? It’s Rebel Maddox.”

He waits for the other man to respond before he adds, “You’d know him if you saw him.”

Another pause ensues.

“He’s in that action movie you watched the other day with Suzie.” He winks at me.

I have no idea how I’m supposed to take that, but one thing is for sure. Burke likes to shit stir and it probably isn’t going to end well for me.

“No, the other one.” The curve of his mouth broadens. “The one who went to prison last year.”

Whoever is on the other end of the line roars, “The fuck she is!” 

“Actually, he seems… alright.” His green eyes glitter with amusement. “Things went a little south tonight and he did what any of us would have done when it comes to Little.”

“What do you mean went south?” the other man snarls.

“Summer is fine. It’s not like what happened when she was a kid.” Burke studies me while the brother who must be Owen says something I can’t make out. I guess he’s trying to figure out if I know what he’s alluding to. He must see that I do because he says, “I believe he’s aware. And I think he’s just as protective as we are. No, I don’t think you should come here.”

Burke pauses for a minute while the other brother says his piece. He rubs a hand through his red hair until it sticks up in all directions. “No, I don’t think we should make her come home just yet.”

My fingers itch to bring the second drink to my lips, but I hold off. I need Summer to stay. We have things to work through and we can’t do that if her brothers get in the way.

“I know, but we can’t baby her forever. And I for one don’t want to push her away. She already doesn’t want to come visit.”

Owen seems to lose steam at that. His voice lowers to levels I can’t hear.

“I’m going to stick around,” Burke says. “I want to spend some time with Little. And get to know this boy she’s dating.”

I’m hardly a boy, but I’m man enough to let it go. And if getting to know Burke helps me get to know Summer then that’s a win in my book.

“I put her to bed,” Burke says. “We’ll call in the morning.”

With that he hangs up and puts his phone next to Summer’s laptop before he pulls out a stool and drops heavily onto it. Draining his glass, he scoops up the vodka and splashes more liquor into his glass. “So tell me how you and my sister went from working together to dating? And don’t skimp on the detail.”

—*—

“Hey.” A soft, warm hand shakes my bare shoulder. “Wake up.”

“What time is it?” I groan. Burke and I drank enough last night to feel it now, but not enough to enjoy it last night while Burke had interrogated me. Turns out the guy is a pretty good egg and we bonded over vodka and our mutual adoration of one Summer Meredith Heart and her clumsy feet and her infuriating stubborn streak.

“Early. Four-thirty.” Her legs are bare all the way up and she uses one hand to stretch her T-shirt down over her panties in an attempt at modesty. Not that it stops my brain from registering her as completely naked under that cotton.

My mouth waters and my body tightens.

“Burke is asleep on my bedroom floor,” she says. “I can’t sleep with him snoring like a freight train. It’s driving me batty. Can I cuddle up with you for a little while? I’ll get up before Burke so he won’t think you’re corrupting me.”

I snort under my breath and lift the blanket for her to climb under. Her warm legs slide against my bare ones. I hadn’t been able to get comfortable in my jeans, and luckily I’d been wearing boxers for a change. Wrapping my arm around her middle I drag her closer and inhale the citrusy fragrance of her hair. It gets stuck up my nose, tickling the inside of my nostrils.

My dick has a mind of its own and grows a half-chub when she wriggles those sweet cheeks back into me. I consider whether her brother would still be willing to give our burgeoning friendship a go if I fucked his sister right here on her couch to the soundtrack of him snoring somewhat like a high-powered chainsaw. Any other day and I’d be the bad little devil on her shoulder talking her into taking the risk, but after what happened last night I don’t know if she’s even comfortable with me. So I’ll take the blue balls just to hold her for a little while.

“Rebel?”

“Yeah?” I breathe against her shoulder.

She’s quiet for a long moment. Her chest sinks and expands against my arm a couple of times before she talks. “I should have told you. About Bray.”

I feel myself bristle all over again, but I push that shit deep down in the dark where I keep all the things I don’t like thinking about because I don’t want her to think for a second that I’m angry or blame her for what happened tonight. “Why didn’t you?”

“I…” She turns in my arms. I can see her face in the shadowy light from the street lamps through the windows. She sucks her lips in and plucks at my shirt a couple of times, before raising her glistening green orbs to meet mine. “There was nothing to worry about.”

“I beg to differ.” I try to keep the harshness and jealousy out of my voice. Try to see it from her point of view. She thought he was a friend for a very long time. She probably thought they could salvage the relationship because she hates to call it quits. At least I hope that’s the case because the girl is mine. And I’m not about to give her up for a minute even if she’s not yet ready to consider me a contender for her heart.

“I had it handled,” she mutters. “His balls were so going to be the consistency of mashed potatoes when I was done.”

“That I believe. But I’m glad I showed up when I did.”

We fall quiet for a little while but there’s still a question on the tip of my tongue. I can’t shake it. “You know how he feels about you. Are you sure you didn’t want—”

“What? Tonight? You think I wanted him?” She shoves away from me.

I hold her tighter. “No. It’s just… I’ve been to prison. And I drink too much. And I have anger issues, depending on who you talk to. Hell, I know I do. I’m an asshole. And until tonight he wasn’t.”

“I thought we could still be friends,” she says. “That’s it. That’s all. And I didn’t tell you because, well, you’ve met Burke now. I have six brothers. Six Burkes. Well, five Burkes and one Owen. Trust me, you have no idea how lucky you are that Burke’s here and not Owen.”

“I’ve noticed.” After overhearing Burke and the older brother’s conversation earlier I have an inkling into why she thinks that. But it stings that she didn’t tell me because I’m what… like her brothers? That is the last possible thing I could ever be to her.

“All my life I’ve been treated like the baby,” she continues. “Treated like I’m smaller and weaker and more of a scaredy cat. And then when I finally showed them that I was tough enough to be independent, when I finally earned my thick skin… well, you know what happened. I screwed up and—”

“Firstly.” I grab her fidgety fingers and hold them over my pounding heart. “Don’t ever say that. You didn’t screw up.”

“I did. A little.” She laughs awkwardly. “I got drunk at a high school dance.”

“And you say it like no one else has ever done that,” I say gruffly. “Rogue and I were absolutely shit-faced at ours. You didn’t screw up. Those assholes did when they targeted you. And tonight wasn’t your fault either.”

“Whatever.” She brushes it off.

“Don’t do that.” I roll her on top of me. Her warm body melts into mine as I scrape her hair back from her face and cradle her cheek so she has to keep eye contact with me. “Don’t brush things off like they don’t affect you.”

“That’s the point,” she whispers.

A tear slips from the corner of her eye and makes its way down her cheek. I don’t think she even realizes it does. I sweep it away with the pad of my thumb. “Talk to me, Red.”

“Being vulnerable scares the shit out of me.”

“What?”

“You make me feel vulnerable,” she admits to my chest.

I stare up at the top of her head as she carefully unwraps a piece of her heart and hands it over to me. Despite the fact that she can’t make eye contact I can tell how hard this is for her.

The thing is she isn’t alone. I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve been serious about a girl. Hell, I can count on two fingers. And boy did I get screwed the first time. Our reasons for being guarded might be completely different, but it doesn’t mean the outcome isn’t the same. “You make me feel vulnerable too.”

“Don’t make fun of me.” She starts to wiggle off me. “You don’t know how hard it is for me to admit that.”

I grip her waist to keep her right where she is.

Her eyes widen. “Do you seriously have a boner right now?”

“With you, always,” I admit gruffly. “But I was being serious. Do you think the fact that you didn’t want your brothers to know about us went unnoticed? Do you think it didn’t sting that you rejected the idea of my being your boyfriend?”

“Because Burke would have freaked out,” she says.

“I don’t think that’s it,” I say back. “Damn it, Red. You’re holding back on me while I know what I want. You. I want all of you. But this is one thing I won’t push you into.”

Her long lashes sweep her cheeks. Her mouth opens like a goldfish’s. Closes. She glances down between us to where her tits rest against my chest. Brings that beautiful gaze back to mine. The tip of her tongue separates her lips and dashes across them. She swallows hard. “I don’t know how to do this. I don’t know how to lower my defenses.”

Well, fuck. I swear my heart slows down when she shakes her head. Way down. It wouldn’t surprise me if the damn thing stops beating altogether.

“The only guy I dated before you almost destroyed me.”

“I’m not him,” I reassure her.

“I know.”

“I would never hurt you like that.” My jaw clicks and my lungs squeeze. I want to take my fists to a punching bag right now. I want to search out every single one of those creeps. Hunt them down. Beat the shit out of them with my bare hands.

“I know.” She smiles at me. “But—”

“You need time?” I realize.

“A little.” She pinches her fingers together to indicate a miniscule amount. “But that doesn’t mean I don’t want to be your girlfriend. I just… it’s a big deal to me.”

“Okay.” I almost laugh with relief. My chest expands to encompass every shred of possibility I’m feeling. I curl up to fuse our mouths in an intense kiss full of emotion.

I slip my tongue between her lips to meet hers. Tease and taste. Caress and nip.

“Okay?” She kisses me back like she can’t get enough. Rolls her hips to bring her sex into contact with my fully hard dick. She’s wet through her panties. So hot I feel her through my boxers.

“I get it.” I clasp her neck between my palms and stare into her eyes so she can see how serious I am about her. “You’ll tell me when you’re ready.”

“I want…” she whispers against my mouth. “I need to feel close to you. I need to be with you. I need you inside me.”

Damn it all, when she says that all self-preservation goes out the window. Brother in the next room? I can take him. Anything to be with her.

I grasp her ass and drag her down the length of my cock. “Condoms?”

Her hands splayed over my ribcage, she whimpers and grimaces at the same time. “In my purse.”

“Kitchen?” I ask, full of hope.

“Bedroom.” She glances in the direction of the repetitive noise Burke is making.

“Damn.” I breathe heavily as she rocks her hips again. My fingers flex on her skin. “I can still get you off.”

“Or we could…” She glances away and pulls her lip between her teeth. “You know. Do it anyway.”

I am not going to say the idea doesn’t make me horny as fuck. Or that my cock doesn’t pulse like it wants to spring free of my boxers to get to her. My heart damn near gallops at the idea of getting that intimate with her. “Perhaps we should take a breather.”

“You don’t want to?” She’s embarrassed. It probably doesn’t help that I’m the one who urges her to get out of her comfort zone.

“Oh, I want to.” I sit up under her and suck on her neck. “You riding me, nothing between us. Kitten, you have no fucking clue how much I want you to do that. I wanna feel you. I wanna feel us.”

“I’m on birth control,” she says. “I went to the doctor after what happened at the church. If you could talk me into confessing to a priest while you fucked me I didn’t know if my common sense would hold up in a situation like this.”

“That’s really smart.” This girl thinks of everything.

“So we’re safe?”

“Oh yeah, we’re safe.” I tug at the hem of her soft cotton T-shirt. Lift it over her tits and up her arms when she raises them. I trail my mouth along her collar bone. Suck on her breasts in turn while she threads her hands through my hair and clings to me.

A small moan flees her throat when I flick my tongue over the diamond point. Fucking love that sound, so I do it again. And again. Switch it up with a bite before moving to the other side. Until she’s panting and rocking on me. Desperate. Aching. Wanting.

When I relinquish her tits I help her to stand and watch her strip out of her panties while I drop my boxers like they’re made of spiders. We settle back on the couch and I pull the blanket around us.

Grasping my erection, she eases herself onto it.

“Holy shit.” My eyes roll back in my head. My senses are on overdrive feeling her like this. Her inner walls grab me and suck me in as she moves up and down on my cock until I’m buried to the hilt.

I clasp the back of her head and our mouths lock as she rides me achingly slow. My hands on her ass, I guide her up and down my length over and over.

There’s something so intimate about being with her like this. My chest burns with the way I feel about her. If I had to trade in the rest of my life for this one perfect moment with her I don’t even think I’d blink before I agreed to it.

We meld together in whispered breaths and subtle movements. Locked into each other like we are the entirety of the universe. Her orgasm builds. I can sense it in the way her rhythm changes, the way those throaty breaths turn high.

When she screams, I clap my hand over her mouth and pray the bear-man-hybrid in the other room won’t wake while I find her clit with my thumb and make sure she topples. I feel invincible with her. The warmth of it spreads like tingles in my lower back. I’m so close to following her, and when she squeezes around me I lose myself in her.

After, she sinks against my chest. Her head tucks under my chin and I pull the blanket up around us.

“I’ll just stay here for a little while,” she whispers, her breath warming my neck. “Five minutes.”

“Don’t you dare leave me,” I say into her hair. It’s crazy how quickly she came to mean so much to me. I pushed so hard to keep her at bay, but now I’d do just about anything to keep her close. And maybe she’s not ready to label us. But that doesn’t mean I don’t see our future together. As long as she’s with me.

“Ten minutes then.” She sighs into my shoulder. “An hour tops.”

I squeeze her tight. “I want a hell of a lot longer than that.”