Chapter 43 My whole body went tense
Saraphina
The next night, we went out. I took her to the drive-in theater because they were playing Casablanca, one of her favorites. We found a quiet spot. Then we saw the car next to us belonged to our neighbors, Mr. and Mrs. Hamilton. They were on a date, too.
Saraphina was watching the movie when my hand slid under her dress, between her thighs. She jumped when my finger slipped beneath her panties. She looked over at the Hamiltons. They saw her looking and gave a polite smile. I smiled back. Saraphina looked horrified, but I did not stop.
I added another finger. She was so wet. Saraphina was gritting her teeth, holding back every sound. Her eyes were locked on the screen, not even blinking. I kept going, making sure to stroke that spot inside her that made her gasp. Her nails dug into the leather seat. Soon, she fell apart, trembling all over my hand.
When I pulled my fingers free, I licked them clean with a grin. She glared at me, shaking her head, but she was trying not to smile.
Last night was different. We had our first big fight. She was angry because women kept messaging me, calling me, asking for a hook-up. I was angry because I found out she was still talking to that guy, Gabe. She said they were just friends, but I did not trust him. I knew he had feelings for her.
After a lot of yelling, I had enough. I grabbed her and kissed her, hard and rough. She tried to fight me at first, but then she gave in.
We were in the dining room. I pushed her toward the table, turned her around, and bent her over it. I drove into her so deep she cried out. I was rough, but then I realized what I was doing and slowed down. I tried to be gentler, kissing the back of her neck.
But then she surprised me. “Harder,” she breathed. “Please.”
I lost control. I slammed into her, deep and hard, moving with a fury I could not contain. She came soon after, screaming my name.
I pulled out, turned her to face me, and pushed back inside. Her eyes went wide. The whole table shook with us. I could feel her building toward another finish, her hips arching to give me more.
I cursed as she came again, and I let myself go inside her. When I finally slipped out, I saw bruises on her thighs.
“Shit,” I muttered. “Did I hurt you? I am so sorry.” I held her face, looking into her eyes.
But she just smiled and shook her head. “No. I liked it, actually.”
My heart twisted in my chest. For a second, I could not breathe. I leaned down and kissed her forehead, my words soft against her skin. “You will never know how much I love you.”
Today, I had a plan. Usually after training, I go straight home to have dinner with Saraphina. But not today.
“Thanks for coming in, R.J. Hope you like how it turned out,” Gene, my tattoo artist, said as he put a bandage over the new work.
“Man, I already love it,” I said, grinning.
After I paid, I put my jacket on and grabbed my stuff. But as I walked out of the shop, I almost ran into some guys coming in. My whole body went tense. I knew them. One was Cameron.
“R.J.,” Cameron said first.
I did not say anything.
“Hey, man, I am really sorry about what went down. But you got me back, right? So we are good?” He held out his hand for me to shake.
“No,” I said flatly. “We are not.”
“Dude, what is the big deal? It was just some girl you barely knew,” he said. My right hand curled into a fist on its own.
“Guys, cool it,” Blake said, stepping between us. “R.J., come on. He said he was sorry. Let us just forget it, yeah?”
“I can not,” was all I said.
“Bro, we are friends. We have been friends since we were kids. You always have my back, I have yours. Do not let some girl ruin that,” Cameron said.
My hands moved before I could think. I grabbed him by his shirt and shoved him against the wall. How dare he use the word friends with me. Cameron was a fucking psycho. He had almost hurt my Saraphina.
Friends? What a fucking joke.
I held him tighter. Cameron struggled to breathe. Staring into his eyes, I knew I was done with him. Done with all of them. I was finished making excuses for people who were never really my friends.
“She is not just some girl,” I said, choosing my words with care. “She is my… family.”
“You are right, you are right. It was my fault. I am sorry, man,” he choked out.
Hearing him speak just made me angrier. I was about to hit him when I remembered something.
A couple nights ago, Saraphina made me watch Lilo & Stitch with her. ‘Ohana means family. Family means nobody gets left behind or forgotten.’ Stitch’s voice played in my head, clear as day. Now, every time I heard the word family, I heard that line right after it.
I started laughing. I could not help it.
The guys stared at me like I had lost my mind. I pulled myself together and glared at Cameron. “Never mess with me and my family again.”
Cameron did not say anything. He just looked scared. Good. The fucker should be. I gave him one last hard look, let him go, and pushed past him out the door. I heard them muttering as I left. “What the fuck is wrong with him?”
I walked to my truck and drove away fast. This was the first time I ever walked away from a fight. And it was because of her. She made all the noise and the anger of the world seem quiet. She made me want to be better. And all I wanted now was to get home and see her face. Because she is the only thing that matters.