MIFFED: Kalonie's Kalon (Mum's The Word Series Book 4) Page 2

  “Got me figured out like a clock?” Again, the mock tone falls from my lips, and I wait for the grunt of disapproval.

  “Doesn’t every Krause want the same thing?” There are no pleasantries when this man attacks my figure.

  “Love?” The pathetic word teases his ears.

  “No, power.”

  He shoves up inside me like he has done too many times before. I give him an exhale, and he takes that as permission to find a different hole to punch his digits.

  It’s rough, and I know the blemishes won’t wash off with bamboo scented body wash. I reach a hand back, cutting his neck as I bring us closer.

  Once again, my mouth is swallowed with his, and I give into him, rubbing myself into oblivion.

  After he finishes and throws the evidence into the trash, he vanishes. And I wish it was that easy for me to escape. My hands shake as I find a blunt in the table drawer and flick the flame to life.

  Aches, the limbs grow rigid, and I try to focus on the high as I sit naked on the lawn furniture.

  “Kalonie? Babe, you in here?” Stallone calls out to me as I wipe away one lone tear.

  “Hey, sweetie, you must be freezing.” His strong muscles wrap a towel around a shivering body. I climb on his lap, and he kisses my head, swaying me back and forth.

  We don’t exchange I love you, that’s not what this is, what it has ever been.

  “Come on, beautiful, let’s go to bed.” I don’t ask, but I’m grateful Stallone carries me to my bedroom and tucks me underneath him. Saving me from the destruction of the devil who lives inside me.

  One who possesses my actions, the demon who does not let me rest without compensation.

  Chapter 3

  “Oh my gosh, is that…no way is that her?” Stallone stands arched over my locker, his rough, shaggy hair looks like sex hair, sex hair I didn’t give him this morning.

  I took time rearranging my textbooks by color and class, then turned my full attention to Little Bo Peep, making her way down the hallway like she owned the place.

  The other students shouldn’t have parted the sea for her. The way they did made it seem like she was royalty. But Olallie Lovett didn’t hold our name. I lean back, fold my arms across my chest. It was then Stallone took his eyes off her and onto my chest.

  Men and their obsession with boobs, get over it already, gag much.

  Olallie stopped and turned, swirling in her blue dress, the eye roll that was coming would level this school.

  “Poser.” She didn’t hear me, she looked around, and for some reason, she spotted Lawson in the corner. Who was standing next to Calhoun and Samson, the rest of the Sonny boys huddled in proximity?

  “What the fuck am I witnessing?” I whispered it as Lawson’s head stopped listening to his gang and, in slow motion, met eyes with Olallie. It was then I wanted to die, not the first time for the dramatics, but you’ve got to be shitting me.

  “What’s up guys, what’s all the commotion about?” Raine saddled up beside us. She was a right foot shorter than me. We’d been best friends since the 3rd grade. “Lawson?” Her words lost in his actions, as he made strides dodging other students to greet little sister.

  Raine had one crush her entire middle school and junior high years, and that was Lawson Arzola. There was a collection of Sonny boys to pick and choose from. It was a tradition, almost like a pregnancy pact. 15 or so women, mostly friends, cousins, and sisters, all named their sons with the rare occasion of one daughter have all first names ending in a son.

  “Chicken shit.” I shoved into her shoulder. “Go claim your meat, woman.” She was still in shock. Her confidence never was a concern. Yet she was worried, and by the looks of it, she seemed like she was being outranked.

  By my half-sister. Who was legally deaf, used sign language to communicate most of the time, the other portion of the time she held a fuck you kind of silence?

  Olallie didn’t grow up with us. She may have been introduced under Knox’s care when she turned 9, but until this summer, she lived in a boarding school in Texas where apparently the chick learned manners and always dressed in her Sunday best.

  At least he didn’t banish me away like he did to her. That’s all I was grateful for these days.

  When Leonie left for college, and it was just Calhoun, me, and dad, I thought it was utter perfection. We were the perfect unit.

  But, after Luna died, he shifted his focus. His gaze distant, and there isn’t much to say when it came to being in the moment. Because with him, he only gave seconds, blinks of time to be seen or heard. After that, he couldn’t put effort into caring, into believing it was worth knowing or understanding.

  “I just…I think I’m going to head to class.” Raine scurried away, and I nodded as she passed.

  Still focused on the couple in front of us. Lawson took his right hand, brushed his thumb across Olallie’s face to the back of her neck, he brought her cheek to his lips and pressed down.

  There was no sound.

  It was like these two were sharing a moment, and the universe had to take a pause. Something they felt was imploding, and I was witnessing a new feeling.

  Both pairs of eyes were closed. Nobody really cared or noticed. If anything, they thought how odd it was that Lawson, of all people, was showing affection to a white girl, nonetheless.

  It turned into the oddest interaction I witnessed all year. That was saying something because I saw my brother blush when some dude called him hot. Calhoun stumbled and went wide-eyed like chicks didn’t want to jump his dick on the regular. Whatever the fuck that was.

  “See you after practice?” Stallone stood there with a question piqued eyebrow.

  “Holy hell, I forgot you were there!” I grip at my cleavage, inhaling, exhaling.

  “Take that as a yes.” His head dips and kisses my cheek. It wasn’t the same friction as I felt when I watched Lawson show his vulnerability to the Olallie. There was an incredible buzz even I could handle.

  ~

  Senior year has commenced, and it obviously can’t continue without a family intervention. I know for a flipping fact little angel tattled to daddy about our welcome home party.

  But it’s Leonie who is playing mommy, giving me the scolding.

  “Kalonie, what were you thinking?” My oldest sister, Leonie, asks bored. Because a gray area makes her senses go numb, and feels this conversation is pointless. But she does it for daddy, without asking why.

  “I don’t know, maybe she would just run away. Go back to whatever backwoods hole she climbed out of.” My hands are wide open and honest; I mean, come on, it’s an easy explanation.

  “Where? This is her home now. She has no other residency except this one. Should we contact the aunts that wanted to erase her?” That dark head of curls tilts itself to the side, wanting me to be mature.

  “Wouldn’t hurt to ask?” Hoping she’ll be pleased, I am offering solutions.

  “Sometimes, I worry you are mentally incompetent. Does acting stupid reap more benefits?” No one talks to Kalonie Krause like this. No one would dare, except Leonie. She has a power that makes the princess in me bow my head to her law.

  Ignoring the arrival of our father and how he acknowledges everyone in the room. Leaving me and the new girl to fend for ourselves on a wave of endearment.

  “Why do you talk to me like that?” But the fact I have my father’s attention for the short timeframe makes me want to be remembered.

  “Like what exactly?” Leonie knows, she always does.

  “See! Exactly! You aren’t better than us, just because you skipped 3 grades and decided to get a bachelor’s degree before you turned 18.” I am pointing a finger in her face, and she stares back at me like my words could never hurt her.

  Because they never, ever, could.

  Bitch was more bulletproof than I Joan of Arc.

  There was a reason they called Leonie an Alien. It fit her personality, almost like she didn’t need emotions to survive. She washed with th
e tears of virgins.

  “I mean in some areas. Statistically, it does.” Her comeback making light of the situation, even though she isn’t joking.

  “Not helping, Leonie.” Calhoun finally sticks a sentence into this fight. I cross my arms, glaring at him.

  “What about Asher?” Olallie manages a quick response.

  “He’s gone, Olallie.” At least our father doesn’t give her the time of day either.

  “Where did he go? Could you contact Denver? Maybe he knows where Asher got assigned?” Blonde eyed beauty queen keeps asking questions, and I think we can all agree, it won’t matter in the end.

  “Olallie, he went on a private mission, and he came back in a body bag.” I guess I can see where Leonie learned not to express her feelings. Dad is a brutal son of a bitch.

  “Dad! You can’t let her talk to me like I’m—I’m some retard!” The pitch in my voice makes the skin on my arms cringe. But I need these minutes with my family on my side.

  “Are you sure?” Going unheard, as Olallie makes another plea to Knox.

  “Leonie, deal with Kalonie. I have a migraine. Yes, Olallie, I am sure, would you like to see the proof of the paperwork?” My father quickly dismisses my tantrum.

  “Come on, Kalonie. Seriously, what the fuck were you thinking in that pretty little head of yours?” Leonie pulls me to the side; I look back at Olallie, Knox, and Calhoun.

  “It was a prank, a stupid joke! Everyone is making a bigger deal out of it then what it was!” Leonie raises her hand, tapping the back of her fingers to my lips like she did when I was a toddler.

  “What the hell was that, Leo?” I grab her hand but drop it quickly, hoping Knox didn’t see me assaulting his prized possession.

  “It got you to stop screaming when you were a child, seems to work the same way. Not as effective though your pitch needs to lower.”

  “No shit, Sherlock. I’m almost 18.”

  “Yes, I remember your age. Yet you forget that as each year passes, you are supposed to grow, not remain childish in your actions.”

  “It was a prank.”

  “Kalonie, come here, let me tell you a secret.”

  I lean in, because why not trust her. Might be the only one I can rely on, except Calhoun. Lately, he has been acting strange.

  “Some angels aren’t meant to swim; some are only meant to fly.” Leonie’s voice makes me close my eyes, and I want a hug more than I want a lecture.

  She gifts me that, and I struggle to understand her riddle. But I know it deals with the girl who lurks in our home like a ghost.

  ~

  After cheer practice, Raine and I head over to some teammate of Calhoun’s for a gathering.

  Music blares, and we are lucky if we don’t go deaf by graduation. Oh, that was insensitive, sorry little sister.

  Stallone is playing beer pong with his buddies, giving me an air kiss before going back to his game.

  “You guys have been closer than usual.” She elbows me, and I give her a coy smile. Not showing it is only physical between Stallone and me.

  “Damn, I want to be in love…” As she says it, her attention is on Samson and Calhoun. I hope for her sake, she isn’t pining after my brother. I haven’t seen him with a girl in weeks.

  Love, I want to laugh out loud. No man in their right mind would ever agree to fall in love with my crazy. I would break them apart and sell the pieces to buy a new purse.

  But it looks like he is ready to pick a fight as he calls out Payson, who’s been doing shots since the school bell rang.

  Everybody exits to the backyard, rushing to see who falls first. I jump up on the counter as Raine follows the others. I swing my legs back and forth. It’s under 10 minutes before Calhoun comes waltzing into the kitchen.

  My head tips up, wanting an explanation of why he needed an ass-kicking so severely. But I wait and see if he gives it to me.

  “If you are going to instigate a fight, then at least have the self-respect to win it.” I hop off the counter and go find some dude to bum weed off. Calhoun doesn’t give me any answers.

  “By the way, we have visitation tomorrow. Be safe, brother.” I kiss my fingers and leave it on the door as I exit.

  Stallone finds me in the master bedroom a few hours later. Raine is passed out on the bed, and I watch over her. Making sure no prick decides to have his way with my best friend.

  “Hey babe, missed you. Been hiding up here all night?” His eyes scroll down Raine’s body until he situates himself next to me on the ground.

  “Just enjoying the warmth of weed, honey.” Giving him a playful nudge. I pass the blunt over to him, and he takes the hit—smoke billows out of his mouth.

  It turns me on, the way his lips shape around the smoke. Another drag and my mouth are on his, sucking out the smoke from his lungs.

  Stallone’s hands worship me. We break apart as the need to exhale consumes us.

  There is no question where this is leading. I strip off my clothes, and Stallone does the same. Maybe it’s high. Perhaps it’s the adrenaline fighting for dominance. But I want to feel Stallone in ways I haven’t before.

  Across the room, in the walk-in closet, is a lounge chair. We’ve had sex in front of Raine lots of times. But as I closed the doors for privacy, this was different. This was intimate.

  “Baby…” Stallone’s voice is urging me to come back to him. I tiptoe over the carpet, my legs spread for him, hips move to pinpoint his dick inside me.

  There is such beauty in his eyes. I want to love him, I want him to love me like Olallie hypnotized Lawson.

  We move so slow, I used to think people couldn’t get off by making love. I’d never made love before. But doing so now seemed scary.

  “Kalonie, look at me.” One hand on my neck, the other on my hip. “I’m not going to hurt you, baby girl. Let’s try to do this, okay?” We move, and it feels like mountains part, and I tears want to blind my senses.

  He is careful and delicate, and I hate myself for giving into him. Wanting this side from him.

  We don’t rush. We explore more than we ever have in the years we started having sex. He knows me at all angles. But this is more, and it’s terrifying to know I am capable of more.

  When we finish, and there is shiny sweat coating my backside, he holds me until our breath evens. I lay my head on his chest, accepting the comfort, needing reassurance.

  “Kalonie?”

  “Yeah, Stallone?”

  “We need to break up. There’s someone else, and honestly, I feel like I’m cheating with you.” His hand is soft to brush my hair is sensitive.

  “Okay.” If this was yesterday or earlier tonight, I would have wounded him. I would have decapitated this motherfucker. Someone else, no one would be better than me.

  But there wasn’t any sense of loss when he told me those words. It was good. They were real.

  “You okay? Need me to take you girls home?” He sits up, still holding my body on his lap.

  “Stallone, I hope she makes you happy.” And I fucking mean it.

  “Thanks, probably the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me.”

  “I’m sorry.” Because I am.

  “Let’s load up Raine, and I’ll drop you guys off at your house.” He lifts me, but I push him back down, and I hold onto him for one more minute.

  I hug him like I’ve loved him for years, and he does the same to me. Even though I know, we were never meant for those ideals.

  We were always temporary.

  “Were you guys making love in there? Awe, I want somebody to love me.” Raine opens the door wide, not embarrassed by our naked bodies tangled together.

  “No, Stallone just broke up with me. He wants to be with someone else.” I guess I should have explained more because Raine turns to Stallone and there is murder in her eyes.

  “You fucking asshole! You are a goddamn son of a bitch! I hope you get several STDs and die, motherfucker!”

  “Whoa, whoa! Raine, it’s okay. I’m not m
ad. We talked it out; it’s for the best. We’re good, promise.” I stand up and move around her to get my clothes on; Stallone doesn’t move.

  “My apologies Stallone, you know how Kalonie and I are. Ride or die. Glad it wasn’t the die part, I’m too tiny to be lifting heavy bodies.”

  “Glad she has a friend like you.” He pulls on his shirt and jeans for the first time we smile at each other.

  We become free.

  ~

  Since I can remember, I’ve dragged Calhoun to visit our mother every month to the private prison our father owned. Last month was the first time he declined, but I wouldn’t have it.

  For one, I’m stubborn as hell, but no way would I go and confront a woman who was supposed to be our refuge. But instead, she was the one we needed protection from.

  There was a part of me that couldn’t let her go. I needed her to be a constant in my life, from my first period to the first sexual experience. Kayley had to be there for me. While she was in prison, she didn’t really have any other choice.

  She couldn’t run from me now.

  “Cal! I don’t give a shit if you don’t want to see her. She asks for you, and we both are going! So, suck it up, sunshine!” Cal’s death glare made the evil character happy with the reaction.

  His blue eyes stare at the gates, where my brown ones impatiently tap my toes.

  “Move your ass!”

  We go through security, and when we enter the visiting room. There is a sense of calm that hits me, in here I have control.

  “Mother dearest, you are looking pale. Do you want me to talk to dad about getting you better food?” Pouring on the sugar as I get up to hug her.

  “Awe, my twins, I love that you come all this way to visit me!”

  She had to be the most beautiful woman in the world at one point in her life. Now she is more common than the groundskeeper’s wife.

  Do you think that is why my father despises me? Because every time he looks at me, he sees the woman who ruined his happily ever after.

  “Calhoun? Don’t you have a hug for mommy?” I watch their exchange; my brother holds himself back. Not wanting to give her warmness.