by Smoke, Lucy
I tilted my head back against my chair and stared at the ceiling. “It’s all common sense,” I said.
“Other than accounting,” Taylor replied. All of us shuddered—even Dex grimaced.
Shoving my textbook to the side and dropping my pen into my little pen holder, I stood up and circled around the dining room table, until I stepped into the living room where Taylor sat on the couch, an open laptop perched on his knees. I glanced over his shoulder, noting with an eye-roll the dozens of open tabs that displayed trips from Barbados to San Francisco. I groaned and reached over, gently shutting it before I kissed his cheek.
“Think of something else,” I said. “Something simpler. It doesn’t need to be anything fancy.”
“It’s our first vacation together,” he said. “I want it to be special.”
I smiled, adoring how cute he was when he pouted. I ruffled his hair, my fingers sliding through the soft strands that reached almost to his shoulders now. “It will be special,” I assured him.
“Besides,” Darren called, “it’s not our first trip together.”
Taylor set his laptop on the coffee table before leaning back into my magical massaging hands. “I didn’t say it was our first trip,” he said. “I said it was our first vacation together. DC doesn’t count as a vacation; Jamie was there for an internship.”
I grimaced as I rubbed against Taylor’s temples. “Which I didn’t get,” I gently reminded him.
“You’ll get something better,” Cody assured me from across the room.
Casting a small smile in his direction, I moved my fingers from Taylor’s temples down to his shoulders and began to knead. Within minutes, he was putty in my hands—groaning, sensuous, loud putty.
“What’s better, Taylor?” Darren called. “Sex or a massage from Jamie?”
Taylor sighed as I pulled my hands away and rounded the couch to crawl into his arms. “If it’s sex with Jamie—then it’s sex every time,” he answered, his eyes eating me up.
I grinned wickedly and leaned into his kiss as his hands roamed down my back. I loved kissing Taylor. I mean, sure, I loved the sex too. Sex with all my guys was off the charts hot. Hotter than any fumbling I had experienced before. But sometimes, just relaxing into a hot make-out session was nice—just what the doctor ordered. I relished in lying against him, pressing my breasts into his chest as his fingers traced my spine and made me shiver against him. I loved it when his tongue snuck out to play with mine or when he would pull away and make me chase him.
It wasn’t until a shadow fell over us that I realized how absorbed we had been in each other. Dex leaned on the back of the couch, gazing down at us as I lifted up and looked at him. “Oh, don’t let me stop you,” he said, waving at Taylor. “Please continue.”
I shook my head and leaned down, pressing one last, quick, kiss to Taylor’s mouth before I rose from the couch. “No,” I said, shaking my head sadly. “No more for me right now, I have to meet Roxi at the coffee shop in—” I glanced at the microwave clock in the kitchen and grimaced “—well I was supposed to meet her five minutes ago. So, she’ll be calling any—”
My phone rang from inside my purse that hung on the back of one of the chairs at the table. I sighed, waving a hand towards it. “Will one of you grab that and tell her I’m on my way, I have to get my shoes from the bedroom.” I turned and headed down the hallway as I heard Cody answer my phone.
“Hey, Rox, yeah. She’s grabbing her shoes. She’ll be there soon. ‘Kay. Have fun.”
I hurried to grab my sandals and slip them on and by the time I made it back to the living room, Cody was standing there with my phone in one hand and my purse in the other. I took both from him and leaned up to peck him on the lips. “Thanks,” I said against his lips.
Cody opened his mouth and deepened what I had only meant to be a light kiss, and for several seconds, I lost myself in the feel of his lips against mine. I pulled away reluctantly. “I have to go,” I said, a hint of whining in my tone. Cody grinned and winked before ushering me out the door.
The inside of the university coffee shop was jam-packed with students. Some were studying at one of the sparse tables set out along the patio, while others stood impatiently in line, waiting for the one cashier at the counter to hurry along. A couple of months ago, that had been Roxi—boy was I glad she quit. The less bitching about her underpaid job, the better. Besides, she was moving on to bigger and better things.
I headed for the line before I heard a voice call out to me. I turned and saw Roxi waving at me from just a few steps to the front of the line. Her dark brown hair was swept up in a ponytail, leaving the base of her neck bare to show off the small hint of a tattoo at her neckline. Ignoring the scathing glares several others in line sent me, I moved towards her.
"Hey," I called as I got closer.
"You're late," she said, pouting.
I sighed. "Yeah, I know. I'm sorry. I got distracted."
Her pout dried up almost immediately—I loved that she was so easy going. "It's no big deal. Here, give me your order and money and I'll get the drinks. You go find us somewhere to hang."
"Good idea." I handed her my card and told her my order before scooting past the less than pleased customers waiting their turn.
The inside was a madhouse. There was barely any room to breathe let alone sit down. Outside wasn't much better. But just as I was about to give up a small study group called it quits and began getting up from their corner table. As soon as they were clear, I bolted for the table. I slammed my bag down on the tabletop just as another student came running up.
"Hey! I was here first!" the tall, skinny, blonde snapped.
I looked pointedly down at my bag and then at her feet which were stopped several feet away. I cocked my head to the side. "I don't think so. I'm sorry, but I definitely claimed the table first."
She glared at me before turning her back. Just as she was leaving, I thought I heard her mutter, "Fucking bitch."
Shocked by her vehement reaction over losing a seating place, I watched her as she left. I didn't even notice Roxi until she set two clear cups, with the coffee shop's logo on the front, on the table and sat down.
"Nice spot," she complimented.
"Huh?" I looked down. "Oh, yeah. Thanks." I sat down and reached across the table for my green tea Frappuccino. Roxi eyeballed it with something akin to confusion.
"Are you on a diet or something?" she inquired. "You usually get the Chocolate Caramel, don't you?"
"Oh, yeah—I'm trying to cut back, but I'm still buying coffee-stuffs." I sipped from the protruding straw.
"It's not really coffee," Roxi replied.
"It's a Frappuccino." I set the cup back on the table.
She laughed. "Let's be honest, Sweetie. Frappuccinos are glorified milkshakes. The only reason we buy them is because they make us feel like we have our shit together."
I feigned insult, tilting my head to the side and place a delicate hand over my chest. "Are you saying I don't have my life together?"
Roxi arched one delicate, dark-golden brow. "Am I wrong?"
I laughed and reached for the Frappuccino again. "Maybe not. But at least I have some regular sex."
She groaned. "So. Not. Fair."
Roxi knew all about my relationship with the guys. She was, quite honestly, the first real friend I had made at Winthrope. After the awful fiasco of my first year, concerning Victoria and Stacey, I wasn't sure if I'd be able to find a girlfriend I could just hang with. I was so focused on studying, and the guys had pushed me to start tutoring. Fortunately for me, Roxi was in need of an English tutor and we had clicked almost immediately. We had been fast friends ever since. I couldn’t believe that this time next year, I’d be graduated with my degree in hand. It was like these last few years had just flown by.
"If I could be getting as much dick as you, I'd probably be smiling all the time," she grumbled, poking at the random chunks of chocolate in her cup with the end of her straw.
> "What about Bastien and Oliver?"
She rolled her eyes, jamming the straw against one chunk with more gusto than before. "They barely even know I exist," she snapped. "Or worse, they see me as some sort of kid sister. Ugh."
"I'm sure they don't see you as a kid sister," I said.
Roxi stopped stabbing for a moment and looked at me over the rim of her cup. "I told Bas I was going out with Joel from improv and you know what he told me?" She leans forward, her face flushing an angry red. "He told me to—and I quote—'have a good time' like it was nothing. No big deal." She huffed and sat back again. "Trust me. They're not interested."
"I'm sorry, babe."
Roxi stared down into her cup and flicked the end of the straw. "Do you think it's me?" she asked suddenly, looking up. "I mean, we've been friends since like our first day here, but it's always just that. Just friends. They've dated and nothing changes. We hang out. We go to the movies together. I’ve even met their mom."
“Can girls even get friendzoned?” I asked.
She huffed a sigh at me. "Of course they can. But usually, it's by guys that are already involved with someone. I'm just unlucky enough to repel all guys no matter the status of their romantic involvement."
I winced, reaching over and patting her hand with sincere sympathy. "I'm sorry, babe."
"It's just not fair," she complained. "I mean, if we're going to be just friends then that's what they need to decide. If I'm out with them and a guy is checking me out, do they tell me? No!" Roxi swings her gaze my way and levels me with an outraged look. "Do you know what those assholes do?" she demands.
Slowly, I extracted my hand and leaned back—eyes wide. "Um, no?"
"They pretend to be my boyfriends!"
"At the same time?" I asked curiously.
"Well, no. I mean, not usually." She simmered down.
"Wait, what do you mean by ‘not usually?'" I demanded.
"There was this one guy who was really getting on my case when we went to Champion’s last weekend to celebrate Bastien's birthday. And when Oliver came to rescue me, claiming to be my boyfriend—the dude became a total douchenozzle. He said that Oliver couldn't handle me. I've never seen Oliver get so flustered. He's so anti-violence. But I thought he was going to pound the guy to mulch."
I leaned forward. "What happened?"
"Bas came by and didn't realize that Oliver had already claimed boyfriend status. So there I was, both of them professing to be my boyfriend, and when the guy called them out on it, they didn't even fucking blink." Her cheeks were becoming more flushed as she spoke. “Bas got all growly and was just like ‘Yeah? She’s dating both of us. What’s the issue?’ and I. About. Died.”
“From embarrassment?” I asked, confused.
“From my panties exploding!” she snapped. “Do you know what Bas is like when he gets all growly? It’s the sexiest damn growl I’ve ever fucking heard.”
“Oliver doesn’t growl?”
“I’ve never heard him growl,” she admitted with a sigh as she sat back. “He’s quieter than Bas, and he’s so focused on his studies. Bas has always just been more vocal and such a damn caveman—it drives me crazy.” She huffed, fanning herself. “In the best and worst way possible, if you know what I mean.”
“Sounds like a real problem,” I managed to say without giving in to the urge to laugh. Still, my lips curled up. When I looked up again, my eyes spotted Darren striding towards us.
“It is if they keep treating me like a girlfriend when we’re out, but like a buddy when we’re alone,” she snapped dourly. "I'm just so fucking horny all the time."
I snorted as Darren froze on the sidewalk, no more than five feet back. His eyes widened with panic and horror. I burst out laughing when he looked behind him as if deciding if he should flee or not.
"What?" Roxi followed the direction of my gaze as I kept laughing and looking up at his expression. She paused when she realized that he had heard her. Red streaked across her cheeks and slowly rose from her neckline.
"Maybe...we shouldn't..." I choked out. "Talk about this kind of stuff...in public."
Realizing he'd been caught, Darren rubbed the back of his neck and avoided Roxi's horrified gaze as she looked up at him in pure embarrassment. "I HAVE CLASS!" she practically screamed as she jerked up and grabbed her stuff. She didn't even bother taking her, now empty, coffee cup and throwing it away before she dashed across the sidewalk.
Darren groaned as he moved closer to me, leaning down to press a kiss to the top of my head before sliding into Roxi's abandoned seat. "Didn't realize what I'd be walking in on," he said with no small amount of his own mortification as he looked towards where Roxi had gone.
"I'm surprised," I said, my giggles trailing off.
"Oh?" Darren returned his gaze to mine.
I leaned close, sidling up to his side as I moved my lips to his ear. "With everything you've done to me, I'm surprised you can get embarrassed by hearing Roxi admit she's horny."
Darren's eyes flashed with heat as he grabbed my arms to keep me from pulling back. "I don't see Roxi like that," he replied lowly. "She's a kid sister. You—" Darren moved closer until his lips brushed against my jawline, "are mine."
Suddenly flushed, I clenched my thighs together as a wave of heat assailed me in a different place. I glanced down at his lips when he pulled back and smirked at me. Sucking in a breath, I moved my hand so that it rested on his upper thigh. I wasn't quite touching him where I wanted, but I was oh so close. "I'm yours?" I repeated breathily. "Why don't you take me back to the apartment and show me how much I’m yours?"
Darren stood up so quickly that I nearly fell face-forward out of my chair. I blinked when I realized he was a few feet away, a gaze so fiery that it was already lighting me aflame. "Throw your trash away, Jamie," he said gruffly. "We're going home."
Chapter 2
I groaned as Darren's mouth covered mine. My back pressed against the door of the guys' apartment as he fumbled with the knob. As soon as he got the door open, several surprised looks found us, but neither Darren nor I stopped to address them as he backed me towards his room. His bedroom door slammed behind us. As he pushed me up against it, I distinctly heard Taylor say, "Well, hell, next time, I'm going to get her."
My laughter was muffled under Darren's next kiss. He grabbed at my clothes—quickly divesting me of the fabric until I was in nothing but one of the many beautiful lacy underwear sets that Dex had taken to buying me. "Fuck," he said, pulling back as his eyes ate me up. His gaze burned a hot trail down my body as his fingers touched the edge of the lace panties. "I love Dex's presents."
"I don't think they're always for you," I replied with a panting snort.
His eyes met mine again, hazel clashing in swirls of brown and green. "Right now, they are," he said right before he tore the panties and let them slide down my legs. I gaped down at the flimsy fabric now laying in a heap against the floor and around one ankle.
"Dare!" I hissed in shock. "Dex bought that! It was probably really expensive." I whimpered when I realized what Dex might do to me when he found out that Darren had torn the beautiful baby blue thong. Before I could start thinking of ways to avoid what would most likely be the spanking of a lifetime, Darren lifted me up and tossed me—squealing and crying out—across the room until I landed on his mattress.
He was over me before I could blink, his fingers moving to my back as he unhooked my bra and jerked it down my arms. Flinging it to the side of the bed, Darren spread my legs and started kissing straight down my middle. I moaned as his mouth moved between my breasts and his fingers came up to join the party. My whole body tightened as his hands soothed my heaving breasts, the pads of his thumbs gently caressing the already hard points of my nipples. I gasped when he pinched one between his thumb and forefinger.
"Sweetheart." He sounded out of breath and I relished in my ability to make him lose his mind like this. "I want you so much," he said harshly as his mouth paused just above my pussy.<
br />
Without thought, I spread my legs wider and he sunk down between them—his shoulders wedging deeper. "Then take me," I urged breathlessly. "Take me, Dare."
He looked up at me as his fingers retreated from my tightly drawn nipples. "I will, sweetheart. Don’t you fucking worry about that.”
Darren leaned up and grabbed the back of my head, pulling me forward as his mouth crashed down hard on mine, igniting a fever pitch in my blood that had me grasping for his shirt and tugging him closer. I moaned into his mouth, undulating my hips. I whimpered when he managed to tear his mouth from mine, but when I realized that he was heading south once more, I sighed in relief.
Darren's hands found my inner thighs, spreading them wider than before as his mouth found my clit, his tongue circling the little bud. Crying out, I clamped my thighs over his ears and squeezed as he sucked the bundle of nerves into his mouth and scraped his teeth ever so gently over it. Little stars burst behind my eyes as my hands sank into his hair, tugging and pulling—sometimes trying to pull him away when the sensations got to be too much, and sometimes to tug him closer when they weren't enough.
All the while, Darren would talk to me. Dirty little words that only served to make me even hotter. "You like that, don’t you, sweetheart? God, you taste like fucking heaven. Do you like having my mouth on you?"
"I do. I do!" I gasped and my hips pumped against him, wanting more. I could feel it, taste it, just within my reach—the biggest star of all was about to burst. Then he took his mouth away and sat up. I cried out in half pain, half fury, sitting up and grabbing onto him. "No. No. No."
Darren gave me a wickedly crooked grin. I couldn't stand it anymore, I reached for his shirt and started jerking it up. "Shirt." I kissed his pec when I revealed it. "Off." I kissed his other pec and then yanked the material away and threw it clear across the room. Soon enough, Darren's pants and underwear were sailing in the same direction.
"Now," I said, grabbing onto his shoulders and locking my legs around his waist. "Give me an orgasm."