Replace Me (Kin #2)(51)
Author: Jennifer Foor

I began to cry again, realizing how bad I’d hurt Joey. If he’d opened up to me about his feelings, I would have never walked away. “I’m so sorry,” I grabbed his hands and looked right at him. “But I’m not leaving this time. I came all this way, not just to bring you home, but because hearing that you left crushed me. I don’t care about the past, or the head games that both of us were playing. This thing between us is real.”

Joey stood there looking at me for the longest time. He said nothing, like he was thinking about what to say but couldn’t find the words.

Finally, I couldn’t stand it. “Say something.”

He picked me up, carrying me through the house and into his bedroom. From there, he set me down on the bed and pulled off his shirt. “You flew here to be with me, Lacey. I need you naked, so we can f**k, because I’m tired of picturin’ it in my head. I need to have the real thing.”

Chapter 24

Shayne

I woke up that next morning feeling like someone that I cared about had died. Maybe it was because I hadn’t heard from Lacey and needed to know she’d arrived and everything was okay. If that prick Joey messed things up after she’d gone all that way, I was going to hop on the next flight and kill him myself.

As amazing as it was, Ashley was already awake. I knew because I could smell coffee brewing, even though she didn’t drink it. I found her in the kitchen, eating a giant bowl of hot farina. “Hey.”

She took a big bite before replying. “Hey, yourself. Are you tired?”

“I don’t know what I am. Everything’s so f**ked up.” I grabbed a cup and filled it with hot coffee. “I mean, I know I’m doing the right thing, but I feel like shit. What if she was the one and I let her go?”

“Well, when I lost Ford, this last time, when I knew it was forever, I felt like I couldn’t breathe. You know what I was willin’ to risk to get him back and that wasn’t even the worst of my plans. For God sakes, I was willin’ to live with that lie as long as I could trap him into bein’ with me. It’s only been months, so I get that nobody can forgive me, but what I did was out of bein’ so damn desperate. My point is, if you love Lacey, it’s goin’ to be hard to get over her.”

“That’s the thing. I feel like shit, but even with the guilt, I still think I could go out and hook up with someone else. I hate to admit it, but I’ve never had that feelin’ like they were the only person for me.”

“Do you look at other women and think about Lacey?”

I shook my head. “No, not really.”

“There’s your answer, Shayne. You see, when I looked at other men, I only thought about Ford. None of them even compared to him, in any way.”

I took my coffee and drank the rest of it. “Maybe you’re right. It doesn’t mean that I don’t care about her, though. What if somethin’ bad happened to her?”

“What if somethin’ good happened and she’s just busy. I hate to say it like that, but she did fly halfway across the world to be with Joey. We both know that she wouldn’t have done that if she only planned on talkin’ to him.”

Ash was right. I was a fool to think that she’d even remember to take a second to call me. Lacey was probably naked and in his arms. I cringed thinking about it, but appreciated that she could be happy. After all, wasn’t that what I wanted for her all along?

I patted Ashley on the leg. “How about we go out for brunch and go out lookin’ for baby stuff. Those little ones you’re carryin’ are goin’ to need a kick-ass nursery, right?”

Ash turned to look at me with a big smile on her face. “Really? Shayne you don’t have to spend your money on me. My dad set up an account for me to get on my feet. I don’t know the bank information, but I’m sure I can get it before we go out today.”

I thought about her father and how he would always try to control his daughter, by offering to support her. I hated it. She needed to free herself of his hold and raise her children by herself.

We both needed to move on and start worrying about things pertaining to our futures, instead of dwelling on things that we couldn’t change. Lacey and I were over. I knew it needed to sink in and I realized that it was what was right. A part of me would always care about her, but for now, she couldn’t be my responsibility.

I still had to worry about my family, my living arrangements, and my future. It wasn’t like I could play house with Ash for the rest of our lives. There was going to come a time when each of us needed to start dating and living separately. We couldn’t pretend forever.

Lacey

Our naked bodies moved with the motions of each of our thrusts. Joey caressed my skin as if it were our first time. We’d been making love since I got there, only stopping for short breaks to recover.

I couldn’t tire of this man because he took me to places that I never knew existed, each time we came together. I couldn’t be sure if it was the same for him, but he seemed to be enjoying me equally.

I reached over and pinched his ni**les between my nails, getting that rise out of him that I expected. He wrinkled up his face and let out a groan, before picking up his stride, pumping into me like a jack-hammer. Our bodies slapped together and both pain and pleasure sent me over the edge. I dug my nails into his wide shoulders and felt myself going into a blissful frenzy.

Joey looked pleased, watching me lose control from his doings. Still, he wasn’t just satisfied with letting me relax. His thumb reached down and began vigorously rubbing my already sensitive bud. “I thought about this pu**y every damn night. Show me again, Lace. Show me how it puckers up for me.”

His eyes were focused on my pu**y, watching for it to react to his words. I could feel it pulsating, delivering the action he wanted to see. A gush of wetness rushed out of me, coating his erect cock. He smiled again and licked his lips, while my body shuddered. I reached for him to hold me, but instead, he entered me completely and got back into the same groove as before.

I closed my eyes, turning my head to the side, trying to relax enough to breathe normally. Out the window, I could see the sun coming up. Realizing that we’d been up all night, made me suddenly exhausted. I yawned and looked back at Joey, who was intently focused on blowing his newest load.

I studied his face, so focused on the matter at hand. He was motivated by desire, but not just that anymore. Joey had fallen in love. He’d opened his heart up for the first time, allowing himself to feel what it was like to share a mutual affection with another person.