Always You (Best Friend Series Book 1) Read online

  “I’m sorry, they are.” Fuck, this wasn’t supposed to happen.

  “No, I don’t want this.” She cried to herself, pressing her head into my chest.

  “I know. I know.” I caressed her back, then the officers came back in with a bottle of water. Handing it to me, I opened it and made her take a drink. She barely took a sip, unable to stop sobbing long enough for more than that.

  “We can send someone to talk to you in the morning, if that’ll work better,” the male officer offered. I nodded. They told us how sorry they were and let themselves out.

  I rocked her in my arms until she couldn’t cry anymore. I carried her up to her bedroom and laid us both under the covers. The night was long as our hearts broke. My beautiful wife-to-be was in my arms.

  “Rest, my love.”

  Chapter 4

  I woke before the sun came up. It took me a moment to realize it wasn’t just a nightmare. Everything that happened last night was real. Alex was holding onto me like he was afraid I’d disappear. I knew it was only grief that held him to me. He had someone else, but he knew I needed him and he loved and lost my brother, too. I unapologetically pressed my body into his. I felt the ridge of his cock against my ass. There was nothing to read into that, though. Men woke up with them stiff as board. It did feel nice and thick. I didn’t care that he had a fiancée; it felt incredible to have him keep me safe, to keep me from falling apart.

  Alex groaned and pulled me close. “Come here, baby. I don’t want to let you go.”

  I melted into his embrace and felt the gentle kiss on my neck. Closing my eyes, I tried to decide what to do. Could I be strong and get away from the only man I’d ever loved, or would I succumb to his dreams of his woman? No matter how much it hurt, I had to go away. I pushed out of his arms and ran into the bathroom. Locking the door, I leaned against it; forgetting about the damn robe hook, I hit my head against it. That was what I get. I almost let my feelings overtake my morals. What the hell was wrong with me? Oh yeah, I knew that answer. I lost my entire family and the man I loved in the same night.

  My heart started to crumble knowing that I’d never see my family again. I couldn’t comprehend what was happening. The tears streamed down my face as I slid down to the floor, balling up and crying like a baby. Rob was never going to tease me again. My mother couldn’t be here to make it better for me. My dad couldn’t threaten any boy with his shotgun anymore. God, it didn’t feel real. I pinched myself, but there was no waking from this. This was my new, fractured reality.

  “Cali, do you need me?” Alex asked through the door.

  “No, Alex. You can go do whatever you need to do.” As much as I wanted him to stay and hold me, I couldn’t handle the pain of a love lost on top of the loss of my family.

  “Open the door, Cali,” he demanded. I didn’t want to but the sooner I got him to leave, the easier it would be to forget him.

  I took my time to collect myself, stood up, and opened the door. Damn it, the look he gave me could melt the polar caps.

  “Come here, Calista. Fuck, shit. I don’t like to see you cry, but I know there’s nothing I can do to fix that right now.” He took me into his arms, pulling me to my bed. We sat together there, but as much as I’d always wanted him. It wasn’t right.

  “Alex, can you please leave?” I asked no matter how hard it was to do.

  “What?”

  “I need you to leave. I can talk to Mark to help me take care of the arrangements for my family.”

  “Who the fuck is Mark?” he roared angrily.

  “Oh, you probably don’t remember him, but he’s my friend’s brother.”

  “Wait, the one that picked you up that night we went to the game?” he asked. I couldn’t believe he remembered that.

  “Yeah, that’s him.”

  “You two are dating? You’re just eighteen, today.”

  “It doesn’t matter right now. I lost my entire family. I need him.”

  “The fuck, you do.” Alex flipped me really fast onto my back, and his mouth came down roughly onto mine. I moaned into his mouth. His lips were a mix of strong and soft. I felt a sense of euphoria in this kiss, but it wasn’t right. I pushed him away once I realized he wanted another woman.

  I caught my breath. “Don’t, Alex.”

  ~~~~~

  “I’m sorry, Cali. I didn’t know that I was going to do that.” She just lost her family. I needed to control my need to mark my damn territory.

  “Well, you shouldn’t have.”

  “It was wrong, but if your family was still here it would have been perfect.” It would have been. They would have teased me and planned the wedding so Cali wouldn’t be walking down the aisle with a rounded belly

  “What do you mean?”

  “You’re eighteen this morning and legally mine for the taking. I’ve been waiting for two years to kiss those lips.”

  She pushed at my chest again, trying to get out of my arms. If she thought that shit was going to happen, she was so unbelievably wrong. “Don’t lie to me. You have a fiancée.”

  “Where did you get that from?” I had to know why she would have such a ridiculous idea in her head unless she somehow heard about me buying a diamond ring or a bad ass home for my wife.

  “Rob told me that before they left.”

  “Babe. Do you know why I was here last night?”

  “To inform me about my family?”

  “No. The police came up the driveway as I did. They told me.” I pulled her back to me. “I came to tell you that on your birthday, you were mine.”

  “What? Then why would he say that?”

  “Because he needed you to stay home so I could surprise you. As horrible as it is to say, I’m fucking grateful that he lied to you. It kept you here and safe.” I couldn’t even think about her being in the car with them. I wouldn’t survive.

  “Oh my God. I kept on insisting I should go with them, even though I didn’t feel like it.” The tears started again, my poor beloved. Fuck, I wished they all stayed home instead. We would’ve had a big celebration.

  “Cali, don’t cry. I’m sorry they’re not coming back, but I promise to do all I can to take away the pain.”

  “Oh, Alex,” she cried before kissing me. I grabbed her hair, tugging her head closer to me.

  “I love you, Cali,” I whispered into her ear.

  “I’ve loved you since the first time you walked through our door.”

  “We’ll get through this, Cali. I promise.”

  ~~~

  I took her back to bed because the sun was barely up and we needed to get as much rest as possible. I wouldn’t fuck her until she was ready. We slept for a few hours then we were woken up by a noise. Her phone was on the side table and buzzed several times. My jealous heart wondered who was calling her. Had she had any boyfriends in the two years we were apart? Had she given up what belonged to me?

  “Have you been dating anyone since I left?” I asked indifferently, hiding the fact that the answer meant everything to me.

  “Yes.” Her admission sent my body on edge. It was unexpected and painful.

  “What?”

  “What’s the big deal? You left me and moved away to where there were tons of beautiful women.”

  “I haven’t dated in years, damn it. Who is the guy? Or guys?”

  “I’ve only had one boyfriend in the past two years.”

  “You were supposed to wait for me,” I roared, fucking ticked off. I waited for her more than just two years. My entire life, I spent working hard and staying focused.

  “Why? I thought I was gross to you,” she asked with a pant. Watching her breasts rise and fall rapidly as she breathed deeply. It was a curse and a blessing at the same time. My dick was so hard I couldn’t think about anything but claiming her, but at the same time, I was trying to do the right thing.

  I was so enraged that I let my feelings out. “What’s gross was my fascination with you. I wanted you before it was even appropriate to wan
t you. I hated myself for it. I left because I couldn’t take seeing and not claiming you. Then you went ahead and found someone else.” Angrily, I leaned over her, my hips pinning hers down. “Did he fuck you?” I would kill the little fucker.

  She looked at me with fear in her eyes. I didn’t care because I wanted an answer. He’d be dickless if he did.

  “Answer me, my Cali.”

  “No. We hadn’t, yet.”

  “Yet? There won’t be a yet. The only dick you get for the rest of your life will be mine. I’ll be in you any time your pussy feels needy. I’ll never give you a reason to want another man’s cock.”

  “Alex,” she moaned. Her body moved under me, trying to ease her ache. Her hips pressed up against my erection, and I was doing everything I could to keep from fucking into my woman. This wasn’t the time to take her virtue. I wanted her to give me her pussy when she was sure and definitely not in jealousy. She deserved better than that.

  I had an idea to help us both. “Blondie, do you know how to play with your pussy?” I knew she did. I remembered that day I walked in on her.

  She nodded with a blush, remembering that day, too. Fuck. Her pale skinned pinked so brightly I wanted to touch her everywhere, but it would have to wait. I backed up and undid my pants. I took out my cock. It was hot, hard, and starting to cum. Her eyes trained to it, and her tongue slipped out of her mouth. Fuck me, she was looking like she wanted my cock in her mouth.

  “Tuck that tongue back, babe. I’m not letting you do that today, Cali. Take off your panties.” She slid them down her thick legs and off her painted toes. I let out a deep growl when she parted her thighs, placing her heels on the edge of the bed. Her mound was glistening with her honey. The blonde curls were darkened, and I wanted to part those lips and lick up all that goodness that was there just for me.

  “Touch yourself, babe. Touch my pussy and show me how you satisfy yourself. Show me how you touched yourself that day for me. You called out my name, didn’t you?”

  “Yes,” she whispered.

  “Come on, babe. Let me see. I’ve thought about this for a very long time.”

  She hesitated for a moment until she watched me grip my cock, trying to stem the flow. Her hand parted her folds, and she slipped a dainty finger along her slit. I heard a little purr come out of her mouth as she dipped her finger inside.

  We moaned at the same time; our eyes never left each other as we played with our bodies. Cali grabbed her breast with her free hand sending me off. I came hard which set her off. My cum shot all over her mound, hand and her belly. Fuck, it was hotter than hell to watch my seed all over her. She took the little bit of cum that landed on her mound and ran her fingers through it and pressed her it into her pussy. I was stiff again.

  “Little sweet, you messed up really good.” I growled before stuffing my semi back into my boxers.

  “Why?” Her eyes looked sad.

  I leaned down and kissed her lips. “I can’t wait to get you in my home and in my bed. My kid is going to growing in your body soon, very soon.”

  “I still can’t see how I messed up,” she said with a smile.

  “Because you’re stuck, babe. Stuck with me.”

  “I guess I’ve messed up,” she said, unable to contain her smile. This was the first genuine smile I got in two years. I knew it was temporary, but it was good to see her not crying for a moment.

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Epilogue

  Chapter 5

  It was about ten in the morning before we took showers. I had to run to my car and get my suitcase. I used the shower in Rob’s room and she used the one just outside hers. There weren’t going to be any group showers until we were together for the first time, and that’s not something I felt comfortable doing in the house.

  When I walked into his room, I felt the pain of his absence. Rob was my best friend, and even though I came over to see Cali all those weekends, I still loved hanging out with him. I couldn’t believe that he was dead. It was so surreal. His room hadn’t changed much in two years. It looked a little more adultish, but the first Rocky poster was still on the wall. I cracked up a bit, thinking about when we saw the last Rocky film and how we weren’t going to be able to see Creed together. Damn it, he was gone.

  I could hear the other shower turn on, so I hurried up. Cali was going to need me to be her rock. He may have been my best friend, but Rob and her parents were her family. I couldn’t even comprehend the agony that was eating her up.

  My shower was quick, and I changed into a tee shirt and khakis. By the time I got to back to the hallway, I heard the water turn off. I knocked on the bathroom door. “Cali, babe. Are you almost done?”

  “Yes, I’m just getting dressed,” she called out the door.

  “I’m going to make coffee.”

  “Okay. I’ll be down in a few minutes.” I left her to go make the coffee, but if she didn’t come down within ten minutes I was going to get her. This was only the beginning of our nightmare. Today should have been a day to celebrate. Instead we haven’t even begun fully to mourn our losses.

  I walked into the kitchen I hadn’t been in since I left two years ago and saw nothing had changed. I reached for the coffee and got it started. Opening the cabinet with the mugs, I saw a mug that made me laugh. “I’ve bean loving you, forever.” It had a cartoon woman with her arms wrapped around a sack of coffee beans. This reminded me of Cali so much. When we met she hadn’t tasted coffee, but the week before I left for Italy she gave it a taste. Rob told me she’d been hooked ever since, and I was to blame.

  I smiled as I relived that morning. I’d just stopped by for a morning run with Rob when I smelled her coffee brewing. I needed to have a cup, especially because she made it. Her mom handed me a cup with a smile because they all knew why I visited, only Cali was kept out of the loop because they knew she had a crush on me.

  I’d just taken my first sip when the bubbly, sunny blonde moped into the kitchen looking like the night got away from her. Her hair was a mess and her face said don’t mess with me. She didn’t hesitate to walk straight up to me and grumbled, “I made that for me.” She snatched the mug from my hand and took a drink.

  “No, squirt, your mom made it for me.” I snatched it back making sure I put my lips where hers had been. It was the stupid little things that kept me sane and patient. She narrowed her eyes at me, but then shrugged her shoulders.

  “Fine, I’ll get my own.” She got up in her barely-there shorts, making my running shorts tight. Fuck, I had to wear layers to come to their house. I tried to calm down and took a seat before she saw how hard I was.

  “Since when did you start drinking coffee?” I quizzed.

  “Since I slept like shit last night,” she growled at me. I would’ve laughed, but I was afraid she’d take a bite out of me.

  “Why?”

  “Our air went out last night and the HVAC guy just left,” her mother answered before shuffling out the kitchen with her cup.

  “I’m sorry. If I’d known, I would’ve invited y’all to my family’s home.”

  “We’re not destitute, you know?”

  “Yeah, I know, but see squirt, it’s what grownups do for their friends.”

  “Don’t be a condescending prick.”

  “Wow, remind me never to wake you up early.”

  “Don’t worry, you’ll never get the chance.” Oh yeah, I would. I couldn’t wait for the day for me to get ahold of her and cuddle up all night long and wake her up with kisses.

  I took a sip, waiting for her to come downstairs, thinking last night I got to hold her tight. It was something that kept me going through two years of loneliness.

  Cali
walked through the door and took my cup from my hand. “Hey, babe. You can’t be stealing my coffee.”

  “Tough, big boy. It’s mine. You shouldn’t have been drinking out of my cup.”

  “It reminded me of you.” I grabbed the mug from her hand and placed it at the table. Taking a seat, I reached out and pulled her onto my lap. The feeling was so relaxing. I couldn’t do this two years ago, but now I could.

  “It’s your fault, I got hooked.”

  “You’re blaming me? I didn’t push the coffee in your hands.”

  “No, you pushed your way into my life and now I’m hooked.”

  “You started that shit. I walked into the house, thinking I was going to have a peaceful week off with no females walking around half naked, and someone done blew those plans out of the water. My thoughts were so damn inappropriate I was living with guilt.”

  “Thanks for waiting for me to grow up.”

  “I waited as long as I could. Saying goodbye to you two years ago was the hardest thing I ever had to do, but your brother constantly kept me up to date. All except the boyfriend thing,” I grumbled the last bit.

  “That’s because he didn’t know. It was a school relationship that lasted less than a school week. I only saw him in passing through the halls and maybe when we all hung out at lunch. My heart belonged with the man that left me for another land.”

  “I want to take you there one day. When the timing is better and when we have nothing to do but explore each other.” I held her tight, resting my head on her round breasts.

  “Alex, how am I supposed to…it’s just. I can’t believe they’re not going to walk through that door and bust us.” It hurt to think of them never coming back.

  “What I wouldn’t give for them to catch us. Cali, I don’t know what I can do to ease your pain, but anything you need, just tell me.”

  “I will.”

  The doorbell chimed and we both looked at each other taking a deep sigh. I knew it was time to face the music. I hoped it was the police department’s social worker or some shit. Since we didn’t turn on the television, I didn’t know if their names had been released. She jumped out of my lap, taking our cups to the living room. “Can you get the door? I don’t feel like talking to anyone except the police.”