by Ella Arden
“Then take me.”
I kick off my jeans and once we’re both naked, pick her up and carry her into the bedroom, letting my hands roam over her naked skin. When I set her down, I step back to take her all in. Spread out on the bed, she's a fantasy come to life and I have no idea how I got so lucky. How, after all this time, she's here and looking at me like she's never wanted anyone more.
“You're so perfect.” I can't stop looking at her.
Her blue eyes widen and she parts her legs, beckoning me forward. “Come here, please, Nathan.”
When I climb on top of her and reach down to feel the heat between her thighs, her full lips part. I can’t believe how wet she is for me. I circle her clit, making her whimper and toss her head back, blonde waves splayed across the pillows.
“Aria.” Her eyes meet mine as I say her name. “Do you have a—”
She pulls me down for a fiery kiss that I feel in my bones. “I want to finally feel all of you, nothing between us. Take me now.”
I can never say no to this woman.
I’m inside of her with one thrust, her velvet heat tight around my cock. We moan together and then she’s tugging me down for another kiss as I fuck her.
It’s like she was made for me, her pussy perfectly wet and tight, her hips meeting my rhythm without hesitation. The sound of our bodies meeting, my cock sliding in and out of her, sends my arousal to new heights. She’s meeting me thrust for thrust, fingers digging into my biceps and my shoulders, smoothing up my chest and into my hair. She’s claiming me with each touch, reinforcing the one thing I know is true without a doubt.
I love her.
Wrapping my arms around her, I pull us up so she’s on my lap, riding me. I want to see her face, see every bit of pleasure I’m giving her and look into her eyes when I make her come.
I want to make love to her.
“Your turn,” I tell her. “Show me what you've got.”
“If you think you can handle it,” she teases.
I have a snarky remark ready but when she drops down on me, taking me to the hilt in a single move, my mind goes blank. I can tell by her smirk that she knows exactly what she’s doing to me as she grinds in my lap.
She lifts herself up and down, tits bouncing and nipples brushing against my chest, her honey blonde hair falling over her shoulders. I’ve never seen anything more beautiful and I can feel her pussy getting tighter around me, her thighs trembling. I want us to come together.
I lean in and capture one of her bouncing nipples in my mouth, sucking and licking at it while she gasps in surprise. At the same time, I work my hand between us to press and rub at her clit.
“Nathan, right there, I’m close,” she cries out.
I want to make her moan my name every day for the rest of our lives.
“Come on, come for me. Let me feel you.”
Heat is crawling up my spine and I’m seconds away from coming. She beats me there with a loud whimper and the feeling of her pussy pulsing around me sends me over the edge. I wrap my arms around her and pull her against me for a kiss as I come inside of her. I've never felt so connected, so one with another person before.
Aria rocks against me gently as we come down from our orgasms and I struggle to catch my breath. There are so many things I want to say, but I don’t even know where to start.
She leans back slightly to look at me, her cheeks bright pink. Leave it to Aria to get all flustered and embarrassed after the animalistic sex.
“Hi,” she says, biting her plush bottom lip, that I can now say for certain is just as soft as it looks. “So... that just happened. That really just happened.”
I can’t help but laugh. “Yes, it did. How are you feeling?”
The grin she gives me is one of pure satisfaction. “Good. Better than good. Amazing.”
It’s hard to not let that one go straight to my ego.
“Nathan…” She trails off and looks away. “We should probably talk about this. I mean, we definitely should. You’re my—Jessie—”
Yikes, the last thing I want to think about is my little sister when her best friend is still naked and in my lap.
“Don’t worry about her,” I say immediately. I can understand Aria’s fear but Jessie would never have a problem with us. She might want to murder me at first for having sex with her friend but once I explain that this isn’t just about sex, that I love Aria so much it hurts sometimes, she’ll be ecstatic. “I’ll talk to her and take care of everything first thing tomorrow.”
She’s quiet for a long second. “You will? Really?” The way she’s peering out at me from under her long eyelashes almost feels shy.
“Of course.” If it was that important to her, I'd call up Jessie tonight. Anything she wants.
I get a soft smile that makes me want to roll over and take her again. “Thank you. I would never want to cause any issues between you guys, you know that, right?”
There's no doubt in my mind. We both love Jessie but I know she'll be happy for us. I want to say this to Aria, but I don’t know how to put what it is that I’m feeling at this moment into words—that I love her, that I’m not letting her go anywhere now that I have her, that I’ve been an idiot for so many years and wasted so much time—so I pull her close for another kiss.
I hope it says everything I can't find the words for.
She sinks into the kiss, going soft and pliant against me with a sigh.
“It’s late,” I tell her once I’m done kissing her thoroughly. I'm halfway hard again and Aria feels sinfully perfect against me, but I can tell that she's tired. “We can talk more in the morning, but don’t worry about Jessie. I’ll handle her.”
Aria laughs against me, hazel eyes sparkling. “If you want to throw yourself to the lion, I’m not going to stop you. But you’re right, we can talk in the morning. My brain is sleepy mush, no good for important discussions.”
I don’t want to move but I should probably go, give her some space and let her sleep in peace. I should, but I don’t want to.
“Mmmmh,” she murmurs, resting her head against my shoulder. “Will you stay?”
My chest hurts. “Of course. If you want me too.”
“Don’t be dumb.” She pressed a lazy kiss against my shoulder. “And don’t hog the bed or you’re sleeping on the couch. Naked. Without a pillow.”
I chuckle, knowing she means it.
CHAPTER FIVE
ARIA
I wake up to the sound of Nathan answering his ringing phone. It’s obviously later in the morning, bright sunlight streaming in through my window curtains, and I’m delightfully cozy.
“What?” he says lowly as he answers the phone, and I roll over just in time to see him slip out of my bedroom, still naked. He obviously doesn’t realize I’m awake from the way he’s careful not to make any noise.
Mmmh, I want to wake up like this every morning. I can't remember the last time I was so well rested or had someone to keep me warm all night.
“Yes, you woke me up, I was sleeping in.” I can still hear him through the cracked door. There’s no way I’m going back to sleep now that I’m awake and the previous night has all come back and I'm thinking about morning shower sex. “Jessie, can you please get to the point so I can go back to sleep?”
I freeze halfway out of bed. Oh no, Jessie. Nathan promised he would take care of her but I still feel so anxious not knowing what he's going to say. Everyone knows the siblings of your best friend’s are strictly off limits. And, I’ve seen it when women Jessie knows go after her brother... it’s not pretty. She’s going to hate me.
“Aria?” Hearing my name almost gives me a heart attack. “So what if she was supposed to call you? Are you always such a mom?”
Shit.
I glance at the clock. I was supposed to call her two hours ago and my phone is still in my purse in the living room. Jessie must be freaking out.
Nathan sighs and I brace myself, shamelessly eavesdropping at this point. If Jessie ca
lled because she’s worried about me, he has to tell her I’m fine. And to do that, he’ll have to explain that he’s with me. Oh no, I don’t think I’m ready.
“How would I know where she is?” he says. “I don’t keep tabs on her. She’s your friend, not mine.”
What—?
“Yeah, I walked her home last night and she got back fine. I’m sure she’s just sleeping in. No, nothing happened between us, don’t be stupid. You know I can’t stand her. Besides, my little sister’s best friend? Come on. Don’t you think I have a little self respect?”
Ouch.
“I’m not trying to be mean, but do you hear yourself? You were with me last night, I didn’t drink nearly enough to consider staying the night with her.”
It feels like someone punches me in the gut. I don’t want to believe his words but there’s no mistaking the annoyance and disdain in them. I'm so stupid for thinking that the way he called me beautiful and held me close last night actually meant something to him. For all I know, he has one night stands all the time, playing up the emotional connection angle just to get laid. And I fell for it, hook, line, and sinker.
I should have know his idea of “taking care of it” was lying to Jessie. He meant hiding it from her so she wouldn't know. Cleaning up this mess I made.
Here I am, the world's biggest idiot, thinking he meant telling her we were together. That he wanted to be with me. That my love wasn't unrequited. I should have known him better. I have no one to blame but myself.
Just thinking of it makes me feel sick to my stomach.
I get out of bed and throw on some clothes, numb and nauseous. I can still hear him talking to Jessie but I block out his words. I can’t handle hearing more of what he really thinks of me. Once he’s off the phone, he’s going to come in here and say it to my face. That it was a mistake. That Jessie can never know. That we shouldn’t have spent the night together.
At least I hadn’t told him I loved him last night. To think I’d been so close to saying it. When we got under the blankets together and he wrapped his arm around me, the words had been on my tongue.
Anger starts to bloom in my stomach. I tug on my shoes roughly and march into the living room to grab my purse, trying my best to not look at him.
He’s off the phone, setting it on my coffee table, and he's wearing his boxers that we left out here last night. “Hey, did I wake—whoa, where are you going?”
I won’t look at him, I can’t. I’ll lose it if I do.
“I’m leaving. And I want you gone by the time I get back.”
I turn to leave but he grabs my arm. “What are you talking about?”
Damn him. “What, were you hoping to slip back into bed and fuck me one more time before you left? Just to really rub it in that this meant nothing to you.”
I’m trying, I really am, but I can’t help but look at his face. He’s frowning, his hazel eyes dark with confusion.
“I just heard you with Jessie.” I yank my arm out of his grasp. “You really took care of things, huh? Lying to her like that—I’m surprised you didn’t want to just tell her that you spent the night fucking her best friend. Or did you think she’d have a problem with you using me for sex?”
He takes a step towards me and I take one back.
“Wait, Aria, listen, that wasn’t what it sounded like, I—”
I cut him off. “I don’t care, I really don’t. But you know what, this is low even for you.” Tears are pricking at my eyes and I can’t make them go away. “I know we haven’t always been friends but I thought—I thought we—” I shake my head. “It doesn’t matter. I'm the idiot here. But last night meant something to me and you stomped on it. I want you out of here and I don’t want to see you again for a long time. Don't worry, I won't tell Jessie.”
He doesn’t try to stop me this time and I slam the door closed behind me.
Once I’m safely in the stairwell, I take a huge gulping breath, feeling it rattle and shake painfully in my chest. I refuse to cry over Nathan Hunt. The real tragedy is that for one, wonderful, delusional night, I let myself believe that he loved me back.
I need to get out of here and away from him.
I make it to a park a few blocks away before I remember Jessie. It wouldn’t be fair to leave her worrying about me, no matter how much I want to yell at her brother right now, so I make myself sit down on a cold bench and steady myself.
My phone shows me almost a dozen missed calls and texts from her when I dig it out of my purse.
She answers on the first ring. “You know I can’t handle this much stress on a Saturday morning.”
I laugh, hoping she can’t hear how brittle it sounds. “I’m sorry, I slept in and I left my phone in the living room. I guess this work week really left me beat.”
“I know, I told myself that but... apparently I need to start having you check in on the nights you walk home by yourself because my brain decided I was going to see your body on the evening news the second you didn’t answer.”
“I’m sorry,” I tell her again, my throat tight. I’m apologizing more than missing her calls. I betrayed her trust and slept with her brother. Maybe Nathan crushing my heart was the karma I deserved for being such a horrible friend. “I’m really sorry, Jessie.”
There’s a beat of silence. “Are you okay? You sound weird.”
I clear my throat. “Yeah, sorry, just groggy. I think I overslept.”
“Are you sure? Did something happen?”
“Really, I’m fine.” I watch a jogger go by, her pink sweater too bright and cheerful for my current mood. “Since I missed our breakfast date, I think I’m just going to stay in bed all day and watch a trashy show. I’ve earned a lazy day.”
“Okay, well, let me know if you need anything. Thanks for not being dead in a ditch and ruining my day.”
I force out a laugh as she hangs up.
And then I’m alone.
CHAPTER SIX
NATHAN
“Okay, time to fess up. What the hell is going on with you?” Jessie demands, storming into my apartment without even knocking. I really should have thought through giving her a key when I moved in, but in my defense, it was supposed to be for emergencies only.
I’m really not in the mood for this. It’s been a week since I fucked everything up with Aria, a week since I last saw her or talked to her. I can’t stop thinking about her, remembering how perfect and amazing she was, how it felt to wake up next to her. It’s been the most miserable week of my life.
“Go away,” I grumble, shifting on the couch. What time is it anyway? I feel like I’ve been starting at the T.V. for hours and I can’t even remember what I’ve been watching.
Jessie plants herself right in front of me, hands on her hips. “No. I’m over all this moping around. You and Aria have been driving me crazy and I’m done with it. Whatever you did, fix it. Now.”
“What did she say?” Hearing her name gives me a surge on energy I haven’t felt all week.
“Nothing. But I’m not an idiot, something happened between you two and you’re going to spill. What did you do?”
I huff. “What makes you so sure I’m the one who did something?”
Jessie laughs like I’ve said the funniest thing she’s ever heard. “Because if it was Aria, she would have been over here already to apologize. And because you’re clueless.”
I want to argue with her but I’m too tired. And she’s not wrong. I am the one who screwed this up and now I don’t know how to make it better. Or if I even can.
Jessie sits down next to me, her expression softening. She looks like our mom. “Tell me what happened. Maybe I can help.”
What do I have to lose at this point? At the very least, maybe talking to her will take this weight off my chest so I can breathe again.
I tell her about leaving the bar and following Aria, about saving her from the muggers and going home with her. I skim over the details of our amazing night of sex but from the smirk on my sister’s
face, she knows exactly what happened. “She asked me to stay the night so I did,” I explain, wincing at the memory of the next part. “And you woke me up calling about her.”
Realization dawns on her face and she puts her head in her hands with a groan. “Oh, Nathan, please tell me you weren’t actually stupid enough to say those things to me in front of her.”
“I didn’t know she was awake,” I say defensively. “And I only said that so you wouldn’t know anything was up. We always give each other shit, you know? I thought if I said anything nice, you’d immediately know about us so I… I panicked. I guess I took a hard swerve in the opposite direction. Aria was super worried about how you’d react so I wanted to talk to her first and make sure she was comfortable with everything before I told you. And I figured once she woke up, I’d tell her and we'd have a good laugh imagining your surprise when I told you the truth.”
Jessie groaned again then reached out and smacked me in the arm. “You are such a stupid, idiotic man. Do you even realize what you did? Aria... listen, I love Aria but she has terrible confidence. Probably something to do with her secret and assumed unrequited crush on you for so many years. You slept with her, made her think there was something between you, something she’s wanted for a really long time, then you turn around and tell your sister that nothing happened and by the way, you can do way better. What is she supposed to think?”
“She should have realized I was lying! She should have talked to me instead of racing out of there.” I swallow heavily around the ache in my throat. “She should have trusted me instead of taking the first excuse she got to toss me out of her life.”
“Of course she took it. This is probably the scariest thing to ever happen to her, of course she’s going to psych herself out and convince herself that your night together didn’t mean anything to you. She thinks you’ve hated her since we became friends. And you two have spent the last however many years jumping down each other's throats instead of admitting your feelings. She's crazy about you, Nathan, I've seen it, and that scares her.”