Page 28 of Torch

I rolled over to face him. Those bright amber eyes shone with delight. “Good morning to both of you.”

Christian stared at me, confused until he caught on. He threw his head back, roaring with laughter. “I can’t help that, baby. That’s the effect of having a beautiful and sexy woman in my arms all night.”

I threw my arms around his neck, kissing him on the chin. “Thanks for staying last night. Even though I feel terrible that you had to sleep on this air mattress.”

Christian shook his head, chuckling. “Brit, I would have slept on a rock to be next to you, so don’t worry about it. But next time, how about you come to my place? I want some real alone time with you.”

My heart raced as I felt all fuzzy on the inside. “I could do that.”

“Yeah?” he asked, and I nodded. He started to lean forward for a kiss, and I covered my mouth.

“Christian, I have morning breath,” I mumbled through my palm.

He sucked his teeth. “Brit, you're talking right in my face, and your breath smells fine. Now, shut up and kiss me.”

I giggled at his fussy tone but obliged. After a few pecks, I swear it felt like he got harder. His member was pressed against my thigh, making me wet. It was so heavy. Even though my memory was hazy from Vegas, I vaguely remember taking that monster. Christian was hands down the biggest guy I had ever encountered.

Right as he was about to roll over top of me to take the kiss deeper, his phone went off. He broke the connection, cursing under his breath. When he grabbed his phone, he read the screen before typing out a reply. After he set it down, he turned back to me.

“Sorry, Brit, but I have to go. I have Church in an hour. And before you ask, not the kind of church you’re thinking of. It’s what the club calls our meetings.”

I laughed because that was exactly what I was thinking. I watched him roll off the mattress and stand up. I could see the proof of his arousal as his dick tented his basketball shorts. Christian caught me staring and grinned.

Leaning down to hover over my body, he kissed my lips softly. “Whenever you want it, it’s yours, beautiful.” I whimpered as he sucked my bottom lip into his mouth before he nibbled on it.

When he pulled away, I wanted to cry out. I was so turned on. I had never been big on sex, but with Christian, I found myself craving it. I wanted to take things to the next level. I had been waiting for Christian to initiate something beyond a kiss, but he never did. But with that last statement, he basically told me the ball was in my court.

Right as pulled his jeans on, Kira’s bedroom door opened. Axel stepped out, fully dressed. Kira was right behind him in a robe, looking completely disheveled. Her hair was all over the place, and she had several passion marks on her neck. I wasn’t even surprised. At one point, I had to turn on the television to somewhat drown them out.

As soon as Christian and I saw her, we burst out laughing. Kira rolled her eyes, giving both of us the finger. Axel stood next to her with a smug smile on his face. A knock on the door interrupted our laughter. Kira and I looked at each other, lost, because we didn’t usually have company over this early. Axel quickly detected we weren’t expecting anyone and made his way to the door.

He looked out the peephole and turned to us. “It’s a woman.”

Kira made her way over to take a look. When she turned to me, her eyes were wide. “It’s your mom!” she whispered-shouted.

“Shit!” I hopped up quickly, feeling like a child that got busted. Out of all the times she could have come over, she chose to do it when Christian was here.

I wasn’t trying to hide anything, but I knew my mother was going to be rude and argumentative. I didn’t feel like dealing with any of it. After taking a moment to calm down, I realized this was part of standing my ground. I had nothing to be scared of. My mother needed to realize I was in control of my life. I was done with Julian and moving on with Christian. I wasn’t going to allow her sour feelings to dictate my love life.

“Let her in,” I told Kira.

Her eyes looked like they were about to fall out of her head. “You sure?”

After I nodded, Axel stepped away from the door right as Kira opened it. My mother's gaze moved from Kira to Axel, who was behind her, and then to Christian and me. It looked like her head was about to explode.

“What the hell is this?” she hissed, barging into the apartment. She didn’t bother waiting for a reply as she pointed at Axel and Christian. “You two get the hell out of here!”

Kira’s head jerked back. “Now, Mrs. Hughes, I’ve always been respectful to you, but this is my apartment. You can’t come in here telling my guests to leave.”

My mother’s frown deepened. “What the hell did you just say to me, little girl? Don’t get me started on you. I hate that my daughter even hangs out with trash like you. Look at you. Letting another man whore you out. Classic Kira.”

“Mom!” I gasped in shock. I couldn’t believe she said that to Kira. I know she didn’t get that information from anyone but Morgan’s hateful ass.

While it was true Kira didn’t date guys beyond having a little fun, she hardly slept with every guy she met. Truthfully, Kira mostly stuck to using her toys. But Morgan always wanted to paint everyone else as promiscuous when it was really her and her trashy group of friends.

Kira gritted her teeth, walking back over to the front door and snatching it open. “Now you can get the hell out. You will not stand in my home and disrespect me.”

My mom folded her arms and scoffed. “I’m not going anywhere until I speak with my daughter.” She gazed at me, then at Christian. “This is what you left Julian for? A no-good criminal gangbanger!” she yelled.