Breaking Through The Wall (Guarded Hearts) Read online

  Nicole

  I can’t believe it worked and we are finally together! I had wanted this since last New Year’s! I know I probably shouldn’t have tried to trick him, but I am so glad I did! We walked into the living room together and he pulled me down so I was sitting on top of him.

  “This dress is way too short, Nic. You’re gonna make me kill someone tonight.”

  I laughed and laid back against him. I felt like I was dreaming and someone was going to come and wake me up. Jason sat me up and moved me so I was now sitting next to him. I looked up at him and gave him my sad pouty face.

  “Don’t look at me like that, woman. That dress is too short for you to be laying on me like that.” He wrapped his arm around me and tucked me against his side.

  I felt Jason tense beside me and, when I looked up, I saw Jamie coming over to us. He was so ridiculous. I went to stand up, but he held me tight. “Listen, Tarzan, he is my friend and isn’t even interested like that. Let me go.” He still had a tight hold on me, so I slipped my hand down to his side and squeezed the only spot on his body that was ticklish. It worked long enough for me to jump off the couch and go over to Jamie.

  “Well that worked fast, you little hoe.”

  I laughed. Jamie and I were like one soul sometimes. Most people looked at us like we were crazy but names like hoe, slut, and bitch were terms of endearment to us. “Well, I guess it proves just how good of an actor you are then.”

  I felt an arm snake around my waist and didn’t even need to turn and see who it was. Did he really think he needed to stake his claim with my gay best friend?

  “Well, hello there tall, dark, and brooding. Listen, if you ever want to switch teams I could be a great teacher.” He leaned in, kissed me on the cheek, and then leaned in and gave Jason a peck too. I thought that he was going to collapse on the floor! “Bye, bitch, I’ll see you in class.”

  When I looked back at Jason he had a look of horror on his face. “Come on, macho man, let’s go get you a drink.”

  Chapter 4

  Jason

  The first day back at school is always the worst. Each and every class is the same boring bullshit. Usually, the only thing keeping me awake is checking out all the new girls, but not this year. Nicole and I have been inseparable since their party a couple days ago, and I have to say, I have never been happier. I’m not going to turn into one of those sentimental saps like Carter, though.

  I was waiting for Nic to get out of her audition for the play, when I felt a hand run up and down my arm. When I looked down I saw Stacey. She and I had fooled around once last year. I never would have attempted it if I knew what a pain in the ass she would have been afterwards.

  “The summer tan looks hot on you, Jason. I have one too, if you didn’t notice, but I only have one little tan line. Do you wanna go back to my room and we can compare?”

  Was this chick serious? Even if I wasn’t with Nicole, I couldn’t stand girls that made it this easy. Throwing yourself at a guy, was not the way to get noticed or to get what you want. I removed her hand from my arm and then turned to face her. “Stacey, listen, I’m not interested. Go find someone else to play where’s my tan line with.”

  “Come on, J, you know I can take care of you.”

  She went to reach for me again, but I caught her hand mid air. “I said no. Go throw yourself at someone that is interested.”

  She turned and walked away without a word. When I turned back toward the drama building, I saw Nicole standing there staring at me. Shit, I was hoping she wouldn’t see that. I hope she isn’t pissed off. I can’t change my past. Unfortunately, situations like this were probably going to be happening for a little while. No one ever expected I would actually settle down. She walked up to me, wrapped her arms around my neck, and leaned up to kiss me.

  “Hey, how was the audition?” I am hoping that the change of topic will keep the conversation off of Stacey.

  “It went ok. They are going to post the cast list at the end of the week. I tried out for the lead, but I’m only a Sophomore and they usually give it to Juniors or Seniors.”

  We started to walk toward the cafeteria to meet up with everyone for lunch. I couldn’t help but notice all of the looks I was getting walking through campus with my arm around Nicole. I felt like a fucking zoo exhibit. Is it that crazy that I would have a girlfriend? When I think about it, though, even I agree it probably is.

  We grabbed our food and I looked around to see if anyone else was here yet. Then I saw the table we usually sat at; Maddy, Carter, Christen, Nicole, and Shawn were all already there. Once we sat down, Shawn turned to me and hit me on the arm. “What the fuck?”

  “All day I have had girls coming up to me asking about you. Shit, it’s like having a girlfriend has suddenly made you famous.”

  I turned to Nic and I saw that she was irritated by it; I don’t know how to handle any of this crap. “I know. Hopefully it will die down soon. I mean they have to get bored eventually, right?” I put my hand on Nicole’s thigh to try and comfort her. We just got together and I really don’t need anything coming between us already.

  “Anyway, how was your audition, Nic?” Christen asked from the end of the table. Thank God for the change of subject. “What play was it for?”

  “Um…it went ok, I think. The school always does Shakespeare in the fall; this semester it is Romeo and Juliet.”

  Romeo and Juliet? Isn’t that about two people in love? She said she was going for lead earlier, didn’t she? There is no way I am going to watch some guy make out with my girl. “Please tell me you are playing a nun or something?”

  “First, I don’t know what I am playing yet because the roles haven’t been cast. Second, I auditioned for Juliet and I’m really hoping I get it.”

  “Nic, are you really gonna take a role where some asshole gets to maul you onstage in front of everyone?”

  “J, stop it no one is going to maul me. It’s a kiss, and it is acting; you are just going to have to get used to it.”

  Get used to seeing someone else kiss her and have their hands all over her? Not a chance in hell.

  “Anyway, I really want to go to that new karaoke place, Shattered Glass, tonight. What does everyone think?” I know she was trying to take the attention away from her and the play, but this was not over.

  Everyone agreed to go tonight. I couldn’t sing for shit though, so there was absolutely no way that I was getting on stage.

  Carter

  After lunch, I still had two more classes, and now that all of my classes were for my major, I didn’t have any with Maddy. Everyone was going out tonight though, and I was excited to get back to the way things used to be.

  Everything has been so different since the accident. Maddy is having nightmares on a daily basis but she will never talk to me about them. I feel like after all this time, she has put her wall back up and I don’t know how I can get past it.

  We haven’t had sex since the accident either. At first, the doctor had told us that we couldn’t for at least two weeks. She has been to see him since though, and I know that he has given her the ok. It is not the fact that we haven’t been having sex that is bothering me, although I can’t say I don’t think about it constantly. I just want her to talk to me and stop shutting me out.

  After classes were done for the day, Maddy met me by my car so we could go home. I skipped one of my classes earlier and went to set up something for her. I hope she likes it. When we walked into the house, she sat on the couch as usual, and turned the TV on. I couldn’t stand seeing her like this. She never smiled or laughed anymore, and I was scared to touch her.

  I walked into the bedroom and, after a couple minutes, asked her to come in and help me with something. When she walked in and saw the room, she looked up at me and smiled. “Carter, what is all this?”

  I had gotten a dozen roses and put them in a vase on the dresser. And when I just came in now, I lit about twenty candles all around the room. I walked over to her, took her
hand, and led her to the bed. I sat down and then pulled her next to me. “Maddy, I love you, baby. I understand how hard everything has been for you and I wish I could make it better. I know that I can’t fix everything, but I need you to talk to me and stop shutting me out. I want to be able to touch you, and not feel like you don’t want me to.” I ran my hand down her arm and felt her tense. It was breaking my heart, the way she was right now. “I need you to let me back in, baby.”

  Madison

  Looking around the room and seeing everything that Carter did was overwhelming. I know that I have been distant lately, and I hate that I am hurting him. Having sex again after losing the baby scares me. I know that Carter doesn’t deserve the way I have been treating him lately, but I don’t know how to fix it.

  I lift my hand up and run my fingers through his hair. He closes his eyes and leans into my touch. We both need this and I know that he is waiting for me to make the first move. I touch my lips to his and realize immediately, how much I have missed this and him. I move myself over and straddle him, while I wrap my arms around his neck.

  Carter still isn’t touching me and I think it is because he is scared of my reaction. I grab his hands and put them around me. I lean back and ease both of us onto the bed.

  “Maddy, if you’re not ready, baby, it’s ok. This is not what this was about. I just wanted to show you that I was here and I still love you. I don’t want to force you into something you’re not ready for.”

  I pulled back and looked him in the eye. “Carter, I love you and I didn’t realize how much I missed you until we kissed. I want you to make love to me.”

  He rolled over so that he was on top of me, and started to kiss my neck. Within a couple minutes all of our clothes were in a pile on the floor. If I said that I wasn’t scared I would be lying. Carter was going slow and I know it was because he knew I needed it.

  “Are you okay, baby?”

  He looked down at me and the amount of love in his eyes told me that everything would be ok. “Yes, I have missed you so much.” I leaned up to kiss him again and he positioned himself at my opening.

  He gave me one last kiss, and then buried himself inside of me. I didn’t realize how much I missed making love to Carter, and I can’t believe I was ever reluctant to do it. Carter was going so slow and I was loving every minute of it. “God, Carter, I have missed you so much!”

  “Me too, baby, I love you.”

  Our bodies moved as one, and I could feel myself getting close. Carter lowered his head to kiss me and I came, crying out his name.

  I feel like today might be a turning point for us. I feel like I might finally be ready to start living again.

  Jason

  When we walked into Shattered Glass, I’m not gonna lie, I felt out of place. This was Nicole’s scene; the girl had the voice of an angel and the body of a temptress. I really liked how she kept me on my toes. I never knew what to expect when she was around.

  She tried to convince me at the house to get on stage, and even though she was really good at convincing, there was no way in hell I was getting up there to sing. I would definitely enjoy seeing her, though. This kind of feeling was new for me and I wasn’t really sure how to deal with it.

  I felt so protective of her, and I knew that if anyone ever hurt her I would lose it. I never thought that I would enjoy being in a regular relationship, but Nicole isn’t just a regular girl. Most girls probably would have told me to fuck off with the way I was treating her. She didn’t. She refused to leave and I think that’s what did it. Her showing me that she wasn’t going anywhere was definitely something I needed. Once all of the girls signed up, we ordered some drinks and the MC said they were about to start.

  I leaned in close to Nicole’s ear and kissed her neck. “What are you girls gonna sing, babe?”

  She turned to me and smiled one of those smiles that has begun to make me nervous. It means that she is up to something and I have a feeling that something is gonna make me crazy. “It’s a surprise, but I signed up for two songs, one with the girls and one by myself.”

  Shawn came up to me. “Hey, J, listen, I’m gonna get out of here. I need to go take care of something.”

  “What the hell dude? We just got here and the girls haven’t even gone on stage yet.”

  “I know, I’ll see you guys later at Rebellion.” Then he was racing out of the door. Something was up with him, but he wouldn’t tell me. It started at the end of last year. He would get these calls on his phone that he answers in private and then he races off soon after. If I didn’t know him better I would think he was dealing.

  About a half hour after they started, one of the guys came up to our table and told Nicole that she was up. She kissed me on the cheek and bounced off toward the stage. I hope whatever song she was singing, she didn’t get too into it; her outfit was hot but not very supportive.

  Nic was gorgeous. She had long strawberry blonde hair, blue eyes, and an ass that Jennifer Lopez would be jealous of. Her smile was what drew me in. It was addicting. Tonight she was wearing a black halter top, that had way too little material over her tits, and a jean skirt that I kept wanting to pull down lower so it covered up her killer legs.

  “Up next, we have Nicole Williams singing The Band Perry’s song ‘Better Dig Two’!”

  When she walked out on stage and I heard all the guys’ reactions in the crowd, I was tempted to walk up there, pick her up, and take her home. It made me crazy to know that they were looking at her and imagining things that I would beat the shit out of them for.

  Once the song started, I could tell by the beat that it was country. This was one of the big things we disagreed on; she loved that country shit, and I couldn’t stand anything that wasn’t rock. She started a sexy little strut across the stage as she sang and it was driving me crazy.

  As I listened to the song, I wondered if she was trying to send me a message. It was about a woman who was so in love, that if her other half died she wanted to go too. The sultry little edge that she added to her voice during this song was driving me crazy. When the song was over, our whole table stood up and cheered for her.

  She came over and had the biggest smile on her face. I loved seeing her this happy. Although it was torture knowing that every guy here was imagining doing things to her, I was proud to say that I was the only one that was going to be with her.

  “You did so good, baby. Although, next time, why don’t you sing a little Nickelback or some Three Days Grace.” She rolled her eyes at me and turned to talk to everyone else. The booth was kind of crowded, so she took advantage and sat down on my lap. As she was talking to everyone another singer came on and started singing some pop song I didn’t recognize. Nicole started swaying and dancing to the music in my lap and it was killing me.

  “Baby, I don’t mind you sitting here, but if you don’t stop wiggling your ass, I’m going to take you right now.” She looked back at me and smirked, but continued to rub up on me.

  If she wanted to play, then we could play. I took my hand that had been resting on her thigh and moved it down to her pussy. The second that I stroked her, I felt her go stiff. I know she didn’t think I would do it, but I don’t care who was around. She leaned back against me and started to breath heavy.

  “What are you doing, Jason?”

  I turned my head to nibble on her neck. “I told you to stop and that you were driving me crazy. I meant it, Nic. Now you are going to have to try to control yourself.”

  I inserted two fingers into her and she gasped. Luckily, it was dark and we were in the corner of the booth. I started stroking the front wall of her pussy in the way that I knew drove her crazy. I could feel her muscles starting to squeeze my fingers and I knew she was close. I reached up with my thumb and started to rub her clit. She turned her head into my neck to mask the moans that were escaping. I knew she was trying to hold it together, but I couldn’t wait to feel her fall apart. I turned and grasped her lower lip between my teeth and pulled.

>   “Fuck, J…” She dug her nails into my arm and her breathing started to even out.

  She looked over at me and gave me a satisfied smile. I pulled my hand up to my lips and slowly stuck my fingers into my mouth, licking every drop of her off of me.

  Nicole

  I cannot believe he just did that to me in the middle of the club. Not that I’m mad about it, but my god, the man has no shame! When he stuck his fingers into his mouth, though, I almost fell over. I loved how sexual and unapologetic he was. When I looked over at the rest of our friends, everyone was just talking and having a good time. How could none of them have noticed?

  I looked back at him and he smirked at me. Damn that boy. He was gorgeous though; his light brown hair was long enough up top that I could run my fingers through it, but cut shorter on the sides. He hadn’t shaved today and had that sexy stubble on his face. I couldn’t wait until later when I could…

  “Nic!” I looked up and everyone was staring at me. “Damn, girl snap out of lala land and let’s go; we are up!” Christen grabbed my hand and started to pull me towards the stage. My legs felt like jelly and I hoped I had this performance in me.

  By the time we got up to the stage and got our microphones, my excitement started to build. When the girls all wanted to do a song together I had picked this one specifically with Jason in mind. We all stepped onto stage as the MC started the introduction. “Our next act, is a group of ladies. Please welcome Madison, Holly, Nicole, and Christen singing Lady Marmalade!”

  The whole time we were singing and dancing, I kept looking back at Jason; he looked like his mouth was about to hit the floor. When Christen and I started dancing and grinding with each other I thought he was going to combust. When we made our way back to the table, the look on Carter and Jason’s faces were priceless. Christen leaned into my ear and whispered, “I wish Shawn was here for that. He is pretty hot when he is around for more than five minutes.”