Page 16 of Make Me

The only one who is going to be soaking wet is you when I eat your pussy and bring you to the edge of orgasm.I shake my head and look into her dark eyes.

“Yeah. Give me a second,” I say, but I don’t make a move toward my bedroom. I walk to her instead. She stands frozen while I take the few steps to her. I can tell she’s holding her breath as I look into her eyes. I lower my face to hers, and right before our lips touch, I hear a door open. But her pink, plump lips are so close, and all I want to do is taste them. Her tongue darts out, and she rubs it against her bottom lip. The small gesture causes my pants to tighten. Unable to stop myself, I lean closer.

Somewhere in the background, Sam starts to growl. I ignore her, but she bites my pant leg and starts to pull. Just as I’m about to chastise my dog, Laci flinches and moves away from me. She stares ahead of her as if she’s seeing a ghost.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” a familiar voice says. I close my eyes and pray that I’m hearing things, but I know I’m not. Now, I understand why Sam was trying to pull me into my bedroom.

“What the fuck?” I say when I find Candace standing behind me, completely naked. “Candace!” I leave Laci, run to the couch, grab a blanket, and throw it on Candace’s naked body.

“What the hell is this?” Candace asks. She wraps the blanket tightly around her and looks around the room. “Her, Cooper? Really?”

“What the hell are you doing in my house?” I yell at her. She ignores me and starts to slowly walk towards Laci. I quickly step between them, but Candace goes around me. I wrap my arm around her waist. She lunges for Laci, but Laci steps out of the way.

“The better question is, what the hell isshedoing here?” She looks at Laci, who is standing there still as a statue. “This is what you like? The fat, black girl?”

Those words finally snap Laci back to reality. Her head snaps back as if she’s been physically struck.

Laci’s eyes find mine, and amid all the fury, I feel a sense of calm by looking into her eyes. While Candace pants and does everything to claw out of my hold, Laci slowly shakes her head. Her eyes fill with tears, but they never fall. She finally breaks our stare, walks to the door, and grabs her purse and umbrella.

“You’dbetterleave, bitch,” Candace hisses. Laci’s hand pauses on the doorknob, and she turns around to face us.

“I don’t know why she’s here, Laces,” I say, willing for her to believe me.

“I’m leaving,” she says to me. “Thank you, Candace, for reminding me why this was a bad idea. You two deserve each other.”

She slams the door behind her. Out of my house and likely out of my life. While Candace is still struggling, I let her go, and she stumbles and falls on her ass.

“Get up, get your shit, and get the fuck out of my house.” I walk down the hall and yank my bedroom door open to find her clothes scattered all over the place. I pick up whatever I know does not belong to me and throw them at her.

“I came here to give you a chance to take back your mistake, but I’m not going to take the sloppy seconds of that girl.” She yanks on her jeans and pulls on her shirt.

“I’m the one who should be worried she won’t takeyoursloppy seconds.” I take a step closer to her and point in her face. “Get the fuck out and never come back here.”

“Don’t worry about it. What the hell was I thinking? Do you know how many hours I spend at the gym to look like this? How much money I spend at the spa and the hair salon? I guess you never cared if you’re trying to get with that—"

I take a step closer to her, daring her to finish that statement. She shuts up and backs away until her back hits the wall.

“Don’t say another fucking word, Candace.” I see her purse and jacket in the corner of the room. I grab them, take her hand, and practically drag her to the door and outside. I shove the contents into her hands, step back inside and slam the door in her face. Then, I do something I haven’t done since I moved back to Oak Bend. I lock my door.

Sam comes and sits in front of me. She looks up while her tail bounces back and forth.

“Yeah, I know. I should have listened when you tried to warn me, but I was awestruck. Have you seen Laci? She’s gorgeous.” I scratch her head, and she leans into my leg. “I’m going over there.”

I’m across the front yard and knocking on her door in seconds. After not getting an answer from the knock on the door, I press the doorbell.

I step back when I hear footsteps, expecting the door to swing open. Nothing happens, but I know she’s there, and she’s waiting.

I step to the door again and lay my hand on the wood. “Laces.” I can hear the desperation in my own voice. “Open the door, please.”

To my surprise, I hear the turning of the lock. She stands in the doorway, eyes wide and her arms wrapped around her body. When I try to step inside, she holds up her hand to stop me, and she steps outside instead.

Before I say a word, I try my best to gauge her reaction, but I get nothing. There’s no anger or embarrassment. Her eyes are simply empty.

“I’m sorry about what happened back there.” I point at my house. Laci remains silent. “I don’t know why she was there, but—"

“It’s obvious why she was there,” she says, interrupting me.

“Maybe,” I concede. “But I ended things with her weeks ago, before the wedding. I’ve told you this.” I look into her eyes and take a step closer to her. My heart drops when she takes a step back. “Come back over to the house. Let’s finish our date.” I hold my breath and wait. “Please,” I add.

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