Destined, A Lair Novel (Lair Series Book 4) Page 9

  Grandpa took great pride in having his entire family in the same house he raised my mother in and still lived in now with his second wife, Barb. He had refused to move after his daughter became famous. Security always being first and foremost on my dad’s mind had caused him to buy the house next door once it went up for sale, knock it down, fence in both properties, and create a secure fortress.

  At that time, Grandpa’s house had been completely renovated. A few more bedrooms, bathrooms, and a state-of-the-art kitchen were added, as well as a man cave where my grandfather watched his beloved Yankees. Dad even turned the now massive backyard into an oasis complete with an outdoor kitchen, playground, and pool for all the grandkids to enjoy… which was what they had been doing until Dad made them get out an hour ago to dry off for lunch.

  It was hot for June, and most of the adults were in the nicely air-conditioned house, helping my grandfather with the meal. Dad and Uncle Evan were assigned to watching the kids outside, and I’d been hanging with them until Jett called.

  I retook my seat at the table beside my father as they slipped back into discussing some concert that they’d played years ago. It wasn’t an ordeal, listening to Dad and my uncle Evan talking about the “good old days.” The stories they had shared with me were epic. I’d heard all about the trouble Dad, Trey, Hunter, and Scott had gotten into before Devil’s Lair found fame and Mom joined their band.

  Before that, she’d sung in a band, Cliffhangers, with Uncle Evan and three other guys they’d gone to school with. Their dumb name came from the town they all came from called Cliffside Park. Back then, they played in a bar owned by my grandfather’s best friend in Hoboken. Years later, after Mom joined Devil’s Lair and got signed, Cliffhangers also had their try at fame under the same record label. Unfortunately, they’d never taken off like Devil’s Lair had, and the band broke up.

  At least things had worked out for my uncle Evan. He had filled in as bass player for Devil’s Lair while Trey had his meltdown and time in rehab. Once Trey returned, Devil’s Lair had decided to have two bass players from then on.

  Dad watched me eyeing the ice-cold beer as it left his lips. “One sip,” he said, passing me the green bottle.

  I quickly tipped back a nice swig before saying, “Thanks.”

  “Back in the day, I hated beer,” my dad admitted. “Couldn’t afford anything but the cheap stuff that tasted like piss water. Tequila was more my thing. I’d steal it from your grandpa Peter’s liquor cabinet. Don’t tell your mom I told you…” He raised a brow and added, “And don’t get any ideas. I keep track of my inventory.”

  Apparently, he really didn’t, since some of those bottles had already been watered down because of me.

  “I’ll never forget the party your mother had here when we were in high school,” Uncle Evan said. “It was meant for her closest friends, and she couldn’t understand how the entire school got wind of it. I never told her it was our lead singer and her ex, Matt.”

  My father groaned. “I hate that guy.”

  “Well, it took a while for your wife to see his true colors. Anyway… the cops showed up. The talk of the town for weeks had been how the Marino family was such a bad influence on their kids.”

  I grinned at hearing this. Mom always seemed so straitlaced. “What did Grandpa say?”

  “He shrugged it off, saying kids would be kids, and most of the parents in this town needed to pull the stick out of their asses.” I laughed out loud because that was exactly something I could envision my grandfather saying. “And then to spite all our classmates, he threw Cliffhangers a bigger, better party with invite only. Your mom got piss drunk.”

  “Again… don’t tell your mom you know,” Dad interjected. “She doesn’t want you to get any ideas.”

  Shaking my head, I groaned. “I’m a teenager. Of course I’ll get ideas. Sometimes Mom is in as much denial as Uncle Trey.”

  Dad smirked at my statement. “Trey is a bigger hypocrite than your mother. She’s a mom. It’s her job. Trey, on the other hand…” Dad shook his head. “He’s all about ‘do as I say and not as I did.’”

  “Dinner!” Grandpa called from the patio door. My siblings and cousins all charged across the yard and followed him into the house before we had a chance to even stand.

  “Do you think they’re hungry?” Uncle Evan asked with a smirk.

  I laughed over that truth. “Can you blame them?”

  Two steps through the door, the heavenly aroma of sauce and garlic hit so hard my own stomach rumbled in anticipation.

  God, I loved this day.

  I found Alivia in the kitchen helping to carry huge platters of food to the massive dining room table where we all would sit—another rule of Grandpa’s: we had to eat together.

  “Do you need help?”

  “Just go take a seat, sweetheart,” my grandmother said.

  I did as she asked, finding a chair a few away from the noisy bunch at the so-called “kids’ section.” A few minutes later, Alivia smiled when she slipped into her chair beside me. She loved coming to these dinners as much as I did, but not because of the great food. Hanging out with my mom and Aunt Lizzy, discussing some reality show they all obsessed over or the latest romance novel that had just been released, was right up her alley.

  Alivia adored being with my family. She always thought my mom and Uncle Evan’s backstory should’ve been made into a movie. I had to agree that their soap opera–ish history was quite a tale. Add in the fact that Uncle Evan had married Dad’s sister, and that layered another level of irony. Overall, we were one big, blended family, and Alivia loved being a part of it.

  There wasn’t an inch of the table visible beneath a feast fit for a kingdom. Once Grandma Barb ensured every one of her grandkids were properly served, she said grace, and that was our cue to dive in.

  Not paying much attention to conversation, my one and only goal was to work through all the ravioli, meatballs, and garlic bread my plate could hold. I had just shoved another homemade meatball into my mouth when I heard my mom ask, “Can you guys watch the kids on Wednesday and Thursday at our place?”

  “Of course,” Grandma Barb said. “Is everything okay?”

  “Yeah… we just found out DL needs to fly to Chicago.”

  “Oh, yeah,” Uncle Evan tagged on while staring at his wife. “I forgot to tell you that. I’ll be in Chicago this week.” Aunt Lizzy merely rolled her eyes at him.

  Where my reaction was more like, Wait… what?

  Having heard what I heard, Alivia pressed her thigh against mine as Mom went on to explain.

  Long story short… last year, my parents had decided to donate a wing in the New Jersey hospital where my grandmother Marie had been a nurse before she died. A ribbon-cutting ceremony had already been planned when construction had been completed this September. By some sheer stroke of luck, something happened to something structural that caused something to be delayed with some kind of permit… or something along those lines. I wasn’t a good listener.

  But where it affected Alivia and me, I paid attention. Basically, that delay had caused a chain reaction, pushing back the ceremony to where it would conflict with a commitment Devil’s Lair had made to perform in Chicago. Which meant they had rescheduled that concert for this fucking week.

  In other words, Alivia and I could finally have sex.

  Trying not to raise a fist in the air and yell, “Thank Christ,” I continued eating in silence. The gods would finally have pity on me… well, not so much me as my blue balls.

  “I bet those contractors are responsible for the delay,” Grandpa said with a scowl. “It always has to do with money.”

  “I doubt that, Dad,” my mom said, rolling her eyes. “Things happen.”

  He took the project very personally and was emotionally invested in this situation. Grandma Marie had died in a car accident when Mom was only ten. A tiny part of me felt bad about placing my selfish agenda ahead of all else. I adored my grandfather and wanted hi
m to be happy. In my defense, the entire project wouldn’t be trashed. It was simply a small setback.

  Beneath the tablecloth, I searched for Alivia’s hand and squeezed it in mine. It was a profoundly wordless statement.

  Three days until we got laid.

  A long discussion had occurred between our parents and us regarding our safety. While Devil’s Lair traveled to Chicago, we’d miraculously convinced them we’d be very careful and would stay close to home. After an exhausting debate, Alivia and I were left without Alec shadowing us, provided we agree to one condition added by Trey. Forcing his daughter to sleep in one of our guest rooms while my grandparents were in the other one wouldn’t stop me.

  The Taylors’ apartment was empty and around the corner. A daytime fuck was just as effective as a nighttime one.

  So, after informing my grandparents that we were meeting our friends at the movies, Alivia and I headed right for her building. It wasn’t a lie. I just bent the truth a bit, claiming the movie started earlier than it would.

  “Mr. Shane. Miss Alivia. How are you on this fine day?” Walter asked, tipping his hat to us in his formal way.

  “We’re good. Heading to the movies, but Alivia forgot a jacket,” I offered so Alivia wouldn’t have to.

  “Oh, those theaters can be quite chilly.” The phone rang, thankfully pulling his attention away. “Excuse me… the Clairmont.”

  Meanwhile, Alivia pushed the elevator button repeatedly until it appeared. Once we were safely tucked inside, she breathed a sigh of relief.

  “See… easy.” I pulled her into my arms. “Your dad underestimates my horniness.”

  She suppressed a smile. “It’s so stupid. My dad has me feeling like a criminal.”

  “It’s his way of busting my balls in hopes I’ll keep them away from you.”

  Honestly, it had become a game of sorts between Trey and me. Actually, it went beyond us. Since the day I’d first kissed Alivia when I was ten and she was nine, it had created a mini war between our dads. More than a decade later, Trey remained consistent in his goal of intimidation. And Dad played his part by pushing Trey’s buttons as much as possible.

  I’d respectfully play along… at least until Alivia turned eighteen in February. Then all bets were off. Why that was the magic age for her father, I had no idea. Age was just a number. My girl was far more mature and smarter than her seventeen years suggested. After all, she had skipped the third grade.

  “It’s dumb. He has us resorting to lying to an old man.”

  “We merely bent the truth. Walter has five minutes before his shift ends. He’ll never know what time we left with your sweater.” I had purposefully timed it that way. The man had a big mouth. He didn’t mean to narc us out but inevitably always would. Personally, I had a theory that Trey knew just how to prod him to get information.

  The moment the doors opened on her floor, I took her hand and sprinted us down the hall. Once we were through her door and in her room, except for my dog tags and her bracelet, I had us naked in less than a minute.

  “Don’t judge me… it’s been a fucking eternity.”

  “I’m not… I’ve missed you too.” She placated my franticness by tracing a finger down my chest and over my bulging dick. And when she attached her lips below my ear and sucked, the torment was immediate.

  “Baby, I swear you keep doing that, and I’ll come.” As it was, a battle between foreplay or not raged within me. I really wanted to be inside her… even while having her naked beside me needed to be savored.

  “Well, before you do, there’s something I’ve been waiting to tell you.” The look on her face gave nothing away before she said, “I’m on the pill. Have been since my last period.” She giggled at the way my mouth hung open in shock. “Now that we… you know… do it… Mom doesn’t want an accidental pregnancy dictating our lives… not that she regrets having me.”

  I had only been half kidding when I’d suggested Alivia go on the pill. Truly, I had no idea how it all worked, and being under eighteen had to pose a problem. But thank you, Camilla.

  “Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “I figured that would torture you more.” She figured right. If I had known I could fuck her bare all this time, I would’ve probably done anything to do so. “With finals, graduation, parties… the stars haven’t quite aligned for us to be alone much.”

  “Enough talking.” I stuffed my fingers into her hair and kissed her with every fiber of my being. Pulling her against me, our legs entwined, bringing my cock right where he wanted to be.

  “It’s like Christmas and my birthday all rolled into one,” I murmured against the smooth skin of her neck. “Are you ready for me?” I asked, slipping one hand between her legs.

  “Very,” she said, easily admitting what I’d already discovered. “I have been for weeks.”

  With my hard cock invading the space between us, I arranged her thigh over my hip, ready to connect us with no barriers for the first time in our lives.

  But first, I covered her mouth with my own, devouring her lips and probing her with my tongue. While kissing her passionately, I then gently slid into her warm channel, and she accepted every inch of me. My entire cock disappeared inside her with my first deep plunge, and a small gasp escaped her lips. My mind blanked as I fixated on an intense sensation that I had no way to prepare for.

  Fucking Alivia bare almost felt as monumental as losing our virginity had.

  “Does it feel different for you?” I asked through rough breaths.

  “No… it feels just as amazing. You?”

  “Oh, fuck yes.” The giggle that escaped had her insides clenching around me. “Shit… oh my God… Liv. This is the best thing I’ve ever felt in my fucking life. I can’t wear a condom ever again.” I paused to gulp in more air and pumped my hips. “Don’t get me wrong; the other times were perfection. But now—” A carnal grunt came next as I tried to slow down the inevitable. “It’s life-altering.”

  I turned us until she was beneath me, my dog tags skimming the valley between her breasts with each thrust. My hand slipped between us, and I began circling her clit to help her along. We fell into a rhythm, and she rested her hands on my shoulders. The intensity of her stare, combined with the sensations surrounding my cock, overwhelmed me… a pleasure that bordered on being painful.

  When Alivia rested her head on my forehead, I knew she was close. She gripped my neck while her pussy continued to clench around me like a vise. The wordless, graceful reaction from her body was her way of coming undone.

  In contrast, my cock thrashed in and out along with a guttural groan that could’ve woken the dead. “Fuuucckk,” I croaked while emptying into her with every spastic thrust that I made. We were opposites in how we came, but the same in how thoroughly we did come. That was the best goddamn release I’d ever had.

  “Shane…” She shook her head, still at a loss for words.

  I crudely filled in the blanks and said, “Holy shit, Liv. After fucking you bare… I’ll never be the same again.”

  Chapter Ten

  Alivia

  The plan was to spend the Fourth of July holiday at the beach, as we always did. But plans changed.

  The night Chase graduated he received a trip to LA as a gift from his parents. The real purpose was to meet his mother’s old friend who lived in the area, but Chase saw it as the gateway to becoming a Californian. I now had to agree with Kim… there was no way that boy was coming back to New York.

  And once the other two members of their band, Harrison and Joey, got wind of it, they shamelessly dubbed it a No Rulz getaway.

  Shane first asked me if I was okay with it. Of course I was. We’d been connected at the hip, and a little distance wasn’t a bad thing. But spending the weekend at his parents’ house without him held no appeal, even if my mom, dad, and brother would be there.

  So Kim insisted I join her on a vacation to Martha’s Vineyard. Since her brother was no longer going because of a baseball tournament, w
e’d have the room to ourselves. My friend further sold the trip the moment she said, “Spa day.”

  Every year, the Gamberas picked a new place within the continental US to vacation during the July 4th holiday. Our stay at Martha’s Vineyard would be a week long, which meant Shane would be back before I was.

  As a thank-you for having me, my parents chartered a private jet to fly us there and back. It took less than an hour to arrive. The short flight, combined with not having to deal with the ferry, had Mr. Gambera claiming he was forever spoiled.

  Once we arrived at the hotel, Kim and I were first out of the car that her father had rented. “This weather is incredible.” The pleasant New England climate was a welcome change to the hot, muggy days that Manhattan supplied no relief from.

  While I dragged in a deep breath of the cleaner, cooler air, Kim smiled. “Nice, right?”

  “Gorgeous.” Besides the weather being perfect, it was so quiet. I was excited to be there, and from what little I’d seen of the island so far, it seemed to be a great place to chill out. No paparazzi to worry about, or no rabid fans chasing my father, his friends, and sometimes even my boyfriend. There was something to be said about low key. One could argue we had that at the Lairs’ beach house, but to have complete privacy meant we couldn’t leave the property… although it was probably as big as most resorts found on the Jersey Shore.

  Kim stepped closer and lowered her voice. “Unfortunately, my parents picked this hotel because it wasn’t as popular with the younger crowd.” I glanced up at the pretty Victorian mansion. “But one of the hottest places to stay is right next door,” she added conspiratorially. “We will be there a lot. And the hotel has bikes available for their guests. We’re just a short ride from downtown and most of the tourist attractions.”