Zaryk Page 3

  My mouth leaves her breast and I look up at her face as I hook a finger into her center. Her mouth opens as she exhales, her head falling back. My mouth makes contact with the soft, tender flesh of her neck while I work my finger on the sweet spot inside her. The noises leaving her mouth are making me so hard it fucking hurts. I remove my finger and position myself between her legs.

  Reaching over, I grab a condom out of my bedside table, and quickly roll it on. One at a time I take her boots off; I have to see all of her. I position myself at her opening, preparing to enter her, when her body tenses up. Leaning close to her face, I ask quietly, “Are you okay?”

  She reaches down, squeezing my ass, pushing; making the tip of my erection move inside her, and causing me to groan against her neck. Her nails dig into my lower back as I slowly push forward. I lift my head to look at her and the expression on her face makes me seize up inside. Her eyes are squeezed shut as pain claims her sweet face. I freeze.

  Her green eyes fly open. “Why are you stopping?”

  “Because I’m hurting you. Tell me the truth Lyndsay; have you done this before?” I search her eyes for an answer and all I see is fear.

  “Yes … I have. Zaryk, please, I’ve been waiting a long time for this.” She lifts her hips, causing me to sink deeper into her.

  I almost collapse at the feel of her wrapped around me again.

  Slowly, I pull out and then push back in. After a few more slow thrusts her body relaxes and the pained expression leaves her face. That’s better. Now I can concentrate on watching the pleasure build deep inside her.

  Everything about her is alluring and perfect. For the first time in years, I feel whole … complete. My drunken state is probably driving me more than it should, but I don’t care; I have her right where I’ve wanted her since the first day I met her.

  I reach down and rub her clit. She cries out and her body begins to quake. I can feel myself building up to release. “I’m not coming until you do. Let go, baby, please,” I beg. I can’t delay my orgasm much longer and I refuse to come before she does. I don’t want this to end, but I can only hold back for so long. It’s been a while and she’s so damn gorgeous.

  Her eyes open and drill into mine as I start to thrust harder and faster. Her body tenses again and I lean my forehead against hers. “Relax, love,” I whisper before pressing my lips to hers. My finger quickly moves back and forth against her sensitive nub and I feel her pussy start to clench around me as her head tips back. I lift my head so I can see the pleasure in her face. She screams my name so loud she can probably be heard over the music. I thrust into her once more, finding my own release, and collapsing on top of her, breathing heavily.

  I lift my head to look at her, my fingers stroking the side of her face. She smiles as she reaches up and gently caresses my cheek. I lift myself off her and lay beside her. Her eyes start to close and I kiss her before we both drift off.

  ~ Three ~

  Zaryk

  I awaken to the blinding light of the sun coming in through my window. Why didn’t I close the damn curtains last night? I rub my face with my hands and groan. My head is pounding. I shouldn’t have had so much to drink last night. Everything is a blur.

  I start to slide out of bed and notice an arm lying across my chest. My eyes travel the long, slender limb and - holy shit! A burst of panic rips through me and I bolt out of bed. Her eyes spring open and she jumps out on the other side, wrapping blankets around her.

  “Shit, did we…?” I ask, perplexed, and rub my eyes. I don’t recall anything from last night and my head is really fucking killing me now.

  “Oh my god,” she shields her eyes with one hand. She points down with the other, her eyes closed tight and I realize I’m standing there in all my glory.

  I grab a sheet off the bed and wrap it around my waist. “Shit … shit, shit, shit,” I sink back down and rub my throbbing head.

  Zaryk, you fucking dumbass. How could you screw your best friend? She’s never going to want to be around you ever again, you idiot.

  My suspicions are confirmed when I look up and see Lyndsay running around like a mad woman, grabbing her clothes and throwing them on.

  “I-I better get going.” She can’t even look at me. “I’m sorry.”

  Great. She’s apologizing. She stumbles out, slamming the bedroom door behind her.

  I bury my face in my hands. Idiot … you stupid, stupid idiot. After her reaction, there’s no way she’ll ever come near me again. What the fuck was I thinking? My self-pity is interrupted by a knock on the door and Zayden waltzes in uninvited. His nosiness most likely go the best of him. Now he wants in on what’s going on so he can use it for lyrics. He thrives on drama for them. He’s given us some damn good tunes though.

  He shields his eyes with his arm. “Whoa, whoa, I didn’t know you were rockin’ the sheet dude. I can come back.” He turns to leave, but I stop him.

  “It’s not like you’ve never seen it before.” I roll my eyes. My face drops back into my hands.

  “Is everything okay?”

  “Did Lyndsay leave?” I ask into my hands.

  “Z, she bolted out of the house like lightning. What the heck happened?”

  I groan loudly and fall back, resting my hands on my chest. “She freaked the fuck out. My memory is pretty cloudy, but I’m damn positive we fucked last night. She’s never going to come near me again, Zayden, I just know it. Fuck.”

  “Well, that sucks. Do you think your friendship is over?” he asks, sitting on the edge of my bed.

  “It wouldn’t surprise me.” I groan again and rub my forehead. “What the fuck did I do, man? What. The. Fuck. Did. I. Do?”

  “She wanted it just as bad as you did.” Zayden sounds slightly annoyed. “Um, Z?” he asks and I feel the bed shift. “I do believe she’ll be back.”

  I raise my head and shoot him a glare, “What makes you say that?”

  He picks up a pink purse and drops it on the bed. “I’m assuming this isn’t yours?”

  Crap. He leaves it there and stands up. “We’re all here if you need anything, Z. Don’t hesitate to ask.” He leaves.

  I lie there for a moment and realize he’s right. Maybe Lyndsay and I can chat when she comes back. I look to the sky and say a silent prayer, hoping what happened doesn’t break us. I go take a quick shower, throw on some jeans and a white T-shirt and head downstairs to the kitchen. I hear laughter from the guys and a couple of ladies in the kitchen.

  Everyone quickly falls silent the second they see me. Deklan is standing by the sink with his arm around the woman who makes his life complete -Amberlynn - as she washes the dishes with Zayden’s girlfriend, Jessica. Well, that’s sweet of them. I’m not sure why they feel the need to do them. We’ll get to it eventually. Deklan notices the other guys have gone quiet and turns around.

  In his most smart-ass way, he says, “Hey stud,” and wiggles his eyebrows.

  “Suck it,” I spit back.

  “Rumor has it someone already has.” He winks at me.

  “You’re such an ass.”

  “You love my ass.” He bends over, shaking his derriere at me, and blows me a kiss. Amberlynn shakes her head and rolls her eyes at him. She’s put up with his ass for just over a year now. I gotta hand it to him, he did well with her. She keeps him in line and she’s a spitfire. She’ll tell you how it is.

  Zayden’s girlfriend, Jessica, is more of the quiet, reserved type. Alcohol usually brings her out a bit more, but normally she’s to herself. They’ve been together since high school. She still has a year to go of college and is studying architecture. Zayden tends to tick me off a little when it comes to her; he likes to keep constant tabs on her, and be a tad ‘parental’.

  “Mmm, you know I do, sexy.” I blow him a kiss right back and he ‘catches’ it enthusiastically in his hand. The guys are laughing their asses off but the girls seem unimpressed. I shake my head and grab a bowl from the cupboard. The house is miraculously clean considering how
crazy it was last night. I put an arm around Jessica and one around Amberlynn. “Thank you ladies for taking care of the dishes.” They both give me a kiss on each cheek.

  Amberlynn peeks back at Deklan. “Now why can’t you be that sweet?”

  He sits at the table, stretching his legs out and leaning back with his hands behind his head. “Way to go asshole. Now I’m in trouble.”

  The girls laugh and I shrug. I take a box of cereal from the top of the fridge, grab some milk and go sit across from him.

  Kreed, our amazing as fuck bassist - seriously, I’ve never seen fingers fly as fast as his on a bass guitar - sits in the chair closest to me. “Hey Z, Zayden filled us in a bit.” I roll my eyes; of course he did. “Don’t let last night make you crazy. Alcohol makes people do some stupid shit. Lyndsay will come around.” He pats my shoulder and I smile weakly at him.

  I polish off my cereal and push the bowl away from me. Everybody around me is talking and laughing and I’m just sitting here, with my elbows propped up on the table, chin resting against my knuckles, watching. I feel wretched, and not because of the hangover. I want to be with Lyndsay so bad, but after her reaction earlier I doubt if I’ll ever have the chance again.

  I pull out my phone and mess around with the apps. I toy with the idea of texting her, but I just can’t bring myself to do it. What would I say? An hour ticks by. I’m tired of hearing the girls talk about last night. Deklan looks hung over as hell. He’s stuck where he’s at, thanks to Amberlynn sitting on his lap. Jessica is hunched over the island. Zayden has disappeared into the dining room. He’s probably zonked out on the couch, knowing him. Zayne and Kreed have retreated to the living room to play a video game. I sit there for a moment, thinking about Lyndsay, and how much I wish she was here with me.

  A knock at the door breaks me out of my daze. “I’ll get it,” I say, getting up. “Maybe it’s my dignity coming back for a visit.”

  “Drama queen,” Deklan sniggers. I flip him off and he lets out an over-exaggerated gasp.

  I open the door and Lyndsay stands there dressed in black heels, skinny jeans, and a green tank top. She has her hair pulled back in a messy ponytail. My knees go weak at the sight of her. “Hi.” Lord, help me keep it together.

  She still can’t look at me and there’s a pink flush on her cheeks. “Hi,” she says while looking at her feet. “I just came to get my purse.”

  “Sure, come on in.” I move aside as she walks past me. The scent of strawberries fills my nose and I close my eyes, taking it in. I open my eyes just in time to see her disappear into the hallway at the top of the stairs and I haul ass up after her.

  I make it to the door just as she’s turning to leave. She stops and we stand there, awkwardly staring at each other.

  Finally, I find the strength to form words. “Can we sit and talk for a minute?”

  She sighs. “Um, sure, I guess.” She sits on the edge of my bed.

  I sit next to her. “Lyndsay, I’m sorry if I was out of line last night.”

  Her body shifts. “It’s okay.” Her face scrunches as if she’s in pain.

  “Did I hurt you?” She looks away. I tuck two fingers under her chin and turn her face towards me. “Lynds, I don’t want things to be weird between us. I think we can get past this. Don’t you?”

  She closes her eyes and shoves my hand away. “I don’t want things to be weird either, Zaryk. Maybe I should just stay away for a while.”

  I feel my heart squeeze and the air escape my lungs. Why is she being like this? “How can you be so upset about this? I don’t think what we did was so awful.”

  “Maybe not to you.”

  I flinch like she just punched me. “Ouch.” I stand and head for the door.

  “Zaryk, I didn’t mean it that way.” She’s standing now.

  I turn to look at her. I’m hurt and fucking pissed. Things are for certain going to be different between us. “Sure sounded like you did. You act like I stole your fucking virginity.” She just stands there. I let out a loud growl and walk out. I’m livid.

  Lyndsay comes running after me, and the guys, Amberlynn, and Jessica stop what they’re doing to observe the show.

  “Zaryk! I’m sorry! I didn’t intend for it to come out like that!”

  I whirl around and stare at her with a raging fire in my eyes. My body is in overload just looking at her. “What the hell is wrong with you?” Her body jumps slightly at the harshness in my voice. “It’s not like we did anything wrong. I’m not some fucking monster, so don’t look at me like I forced you into something you didn’t want.” She just stands there like she’s rooted to the ground and I can feel my scowl harden. “Holy fucking shit! Tell me what I did wrong!”

  Her expression is the brightest shade of red I have ever seen. “Fuck you, Zaryk!”

  I freeze as she reaches for the door and throws it open. I grab her wrist and pull her close. She settles into me and our noses almost touch. I tremble as I try to fight the urge to kiss those soft lips but as I lean in she pulls away.

  “I-I can’t.”

  I place my hand on her shoulder to keep her from running away. “Why not?” I ask gently. My nerves are shot to hell, but when we touch I feel a sense of calm, of peace.

  “Loving you scares me, Zaryk.” She runs for her car before I can say anything.

  I turn away as she drives off. Everyone is staring at me as if they’re afraid that one move will set me off again. No one has ever made me lose my temper like that and it just made things worse. She’s scared of me. I try to wrap my head around it, to make sense of it, but I can’t. Turning on my heel, I begin to walk towards town.

  ******

  Lyndsay

  I pull into the parking spot outside my apartment. On the way home all I could think about was last night. His warm body against mine. A delicious feeling flows through me. Leaning back in my seat, I sigh. I went to the party hoping to give myself up to Zaryk and now that I have, now that I’m sober, I feel so embarrassed and … dirty. He doesn’t even remember it and I told him to fuck off. Just fucking great.

  Once inside I disappear into my room, closing the door. The reflection in the mirror on my vanity is staring back at me and I don’t know if I like what I see. Why didn’t I think this plan through? Why didn’t I stay and talk to Zaryk like a rational adult? I love him. The more I say it to myself, the better I feel. Am I being absolutely ridiculous? I highly doubt I have a shot with him now.

  Quickly, I get ready for work. Picking up an extra shift will hopefully help me to stop turning things over in my mind. But I need to come to terms with this. I just don’t know when I’ll be able to look him in the face again.

  The image of his striking blue eyes gazing into mine burns a hole in my head. He looked at me with such adoration. I know we were both drunk, but it didn’t matter to me; I was in heaven. His gentle touch still lingers on my skin and the ghost of his kiss is still on my lips. I close my tear-filled eyes and sigh. Grabbing my purse and car keys I head out the door. Move on. I must move on. Maybe some time to clear my head will do some good.

  ~ Four ~

  Zaryk

  I walk the few blocks into town. This fucking bites. I can keep trying to remember last night as long as I want, nothing will change. Lyndsay is never going to speak to me again. My heart knows who it wants, and it wants her. I was never the type to fall in love at first sight, but dammit, I fucking love her and I have since I met her. The more we hang out the more I want to be with her. Why did I have sex with her last night? Why? It fucked up everything.

  I stand in front of the library where she works. Her car is there and I’m fighting a strong urge to go inside. I close my eyes and take a deep breath. Should I go inside? The thought passes back and forth in my head, worsening my headache. Fuck it. I decide to trudge on to my parents’ restaurant and grab something greasy to eat.

  As I’m walking away I look back at the library. A movement in the window makes me stop for a moment. I wrestle again with the
thought of going inside and decide against it. I’m better off just leaving her alone for now. I don’t want to make things worse.

  At the restaurant, one of the lights is out; the ‘e’, on the sign that reads Hunter’s. I open the door and step inside. The place is immaculate, just as it always is. The little diner is almost full with customers, just the way my parents like it. This place has been in the family for years and is one of the best places to eat in Luckey.

  Luckey, Ohio is a smallish kind of town. We have a club called Riot that we all love hanging out at and the main street is lined with little shops and restaurants. Everybody knows everybody. Houses fill the outskirts of the main drag. It doesn’t matter where you live here, the neighbors are always within walking distance.

  I look around for a place to sit and spot Kendall in a corner booth. Summer is truly a wonderful season. Her tank top hangs low enough so I can see the perfect amount of cleavage peeking out. She looks up from her book and waves me over. At least I won’t be alone with my thoughts; that’s a good thing.

  As I take a step in her direction, a high-pitched shriek greets my ears.

  “My baby is here!” Mom bellows from behind the counter, arms in the air. I cringe. She races up and wraps her arms around me. She’s a petite woman. I pat the top of her head and feel one side of my mouth curl up when I look at Kendall, who has her hand on her heart and is making those sappy ‘aw’ eyes.

  I’m the middle triplet. Zayden’s the oldest and Zayne’s the youngest. At least they have decent names. I can’t stand mine and that’s why everyone calls me Z. Mom has a strange obsession with the letter Z.

  Her arms wrap tighter around my chest. “Mom, I can’t breathe.”