Keegan
Something wakes me up.
I stare into the darkness, trying to remember where I am.
I can just make out a stained ceiling above me. A thin stream of light is coming through nearby window blinds.
Then it hits me: it’s Blue’s ceiling; Blue’s window; Blue’s bedroom. I fell asleep in here on Blue’s bed, as he sang to me.
When I turn my head, I can just make him out, stretched on the floor. He’s tossing and turning, moaning in his sleep.
He cries out, and I sit up, wondering what to do.
When he moans again, I scramble toward him, crouching on the floor next to him. His eyes are closed, but in the dim light, I can see his eyeballs shifting back and forth.
“No!” he calls out, whipping his head from side to side. “No, God, no!”
“Blue,” I whisper.
I’m not sure what else to say, or even whether I should try to wake him up.
But after a moment’s hesitation, I place a careful hand on his arm. “Blue,” I say again.
His eyes snap open, and he stares at the ceiling for a second like he has no idea where he is. Just like I did.
Then he looks over at me, and the shame that spreads over his face almost makes me cry.
He rolls to his side, then sits up with his back to me and buries his face in his hands.
“Fuck,” he groans. “Fuck, fuck, fuck!”
He’s still breathing heavily. I see a shudder pass through his body.
Max whines from the bed.
“Blue?”
After a moment, he lets out another groan and drags his fingers down his face as he turns toward me.
“It was just a dream,” I say. “You were having a nightmare. It’s okay.”
He gives me a look I don’t really understand, then jumps to his feet and starts walking in a circle, his hands clasped behind his head.
“Goddamn it,” he mutters, plowing his fingers through his hair.
“Blue, it’s okay. It’s not a big deal.”
Max has his head on his paws, and he’s still whining. Obviously, Blue’s distress is affecting him.
I come to my feet, then walk over to the bed, running a soothing hand over the dog’s head.
“It’s okay, buddy,” I whisper.
Blue is still turning circles. But then he walks over to the bed and sits on Max’s other side. The three of us stay frozen there for a moment.
Blue is staring at the dog, but by the expression on his face, I’m pretty sure he is seeing something else.
“Blue,” I ask, still whispering, “are you okay?”
He nods, but lets out a long, shaky breath.
And without really intending to, I lift my hands to cradle his face.
Blue clenches his eyes shut as if he’s in pain. Then he curls his fingers around my wrists.
I’m expecting him to pull my hands away. But instead, he just sits there, head bowed, holding on to me.
“Blue, talk to me,” I say.
His dejection is almost scarier to me than his screaming. I can feel my heart pounding.
“Tell me what’s wrong. Tell me how I can help.”
Max sits up and whines again, then puts an anxious paw on Blue’s shoulder. It’s such a sweet gesture that I can’t help breaking into a smile.
“See,” I quip, echoing Blue’s words from last night, “Max agrees with me.”
Blue’s lips lift in a tiny smile. Then he straightens and gently pulls my hands away from his face.
But he doesn’t let go. Instead, he clings to my arms. I stare at him, wishing with all my heart I could wipe away the sadness in his eyes.
I guess that’s why, a moment later, I kiss him.
He stiffens, and I half-expect him to twist his lips away from mine. But then he grabs my face and starts fervently kissing me back.
His tongue slips into my mouth, and my tongue meets his as his hands slide over my shoulders and down my arms.
Suddenly, we are full-on making out.
So not what I intended.
Or was it? Right now, I don’t even want to know the answer to that question. I just want to keep feeling the way I’m feeling.
Blue tugs me higher on the bed while simultaneously using his foot to shove Max—gently but firmly—out of the way.
I fall back on the pillow, gasping as he kisses me again.
I’m going to put a stop to this any second now. Any. Second.
Absolutely. I am just about to stop this.
Because it is not a good idea. Blue is clearly in a vulnerable emotional state, and I took advantage of that.
Didn’t I?
Which is why I don’t get why my hands are right now seizing Blue’s shoulders and pressing him against me.
Or why I’m once again cradling his face and urgently pulling his mouth to mine.
We kiss hungrily. I’m greedy for him in a way I never felt with Tyler.
My whole body is burning, tingling; I can’t think of anything except getting Blue even closer to me. Of getting Blue inside me.
Max, probably confused by the sudden change in circumstances, starts barking.
But we ignore him as Blue trails kisses down my neck and drags his lips along my collarbone and then down to the edge of my pajama top.
I’m bucking underneath him, his warm breath on my skin making me gasp.
“Blue,” I moan. “Blue.”
It feels like I was going to say something else, but if so, I’ve forgotten what it was.
It also feels like my eardrums are going to burst from the agitated German Shepherd barking right next to me.
Blue pauses a moment to glare at the dog. “Max,” he growls, “be quiet! Stop barking!”
Max gives a couple of rebellious yips, but then he falls silent.
“Blue. Wait. . .”
I’ve remembered what I was thinking before the feel of his mouth short-circuited my brain: This is not right. This has to stop.
I squeeze my eyes shut, promising myself I am just about to tell him exactly that. In just one more moment.
Then I realize I can’t feel the weight of Blue’s body anymore.
“Keegan?” I open my eyes to see Blue propping himself above me.
My glance lingers on the corded muscles of his arms, and my mouth falls open at the vision in my head of those arms wrapping me tightly in their embrace.
“Keegan, do you want me to stop?”
I drag my gaze back to his face.
“Do you want me to stop?” he asks again, softly.
Yes. Yes, absolutely. We must stop. That’s what I think I’m going to say.
“No.”
I spit out the word as I grab the bottom of my pajama top and yank it over my head.
“No,” I repeat, urgently. “I do not want you to stop.”
Blue takes a deep breath, and his eyes rake my body. “God, Keegan,” he moans. “You are so fucking beautiful.”
I pull his hands toward my aching breasts. We both gasp as his fingers touch me.
Max starts barking again, but again, we ignore him.
And then we hear the bedroom door being shoved open just before it hits the wall with a thud.
We twist around in time to see Kendra barge into the room. She comes to an abrupt stop at the sight of us.
Her eyes widen, and a swift rush of emotions—shock, fury, pain, hatred—crosses her face.
She puts her hands on her hips and snaps, “What the ever-loving fuck is going on in here?”
~~~
Thanks for reading Tangled Up in Blue! There's lots more to come. What do you think of the story so far? I'm a new author, and your feedback is so helpful to me. Please comment and review. :) CH
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