by Kendall Ryan
The final nail in the coffin was when Lolli made a comment about how Asher is “such a big eater.” I just about spit cereal across the table. Hence, me hiding out in my room right now, instead of running to the store with Lolli and Tess to get party supplies. I’ve put myself in time-out until I no longer feel like I’m wearing a sign on my forehead that reads ASK ME ABOUT ASHER’S IMPRESSIVE ORAL SEX SKILLS.
My thumb hovers over Aubree’s contact as I watch the clock roll over from 10:59 to 11:00, and then I tap the CALL button the instant it does.
Should I probably have waited for her to call me? Yeah. But do I have the patience for that? Nope. Not even a little. It rings a few times, but just when it’s about to go to voicemail, she picks up.
Thank freaking God.
“Hi, I’m wrapping up a few things, so please disregard any background noise.”
Aubree has her own office at the organization where she works doing Ice Hawks’ philanthropy work, which affords this conversation a little privacy. And since Asher left to visit Nora and the baby right after breakfast, I don’t have to worry about him overhearing anything through the bedroom wall.
“How’s work?” I ask, trying to regulate my heart rate and keep the conversation normal.
She groans in response. “Ask me again once gala season is over.” I can practically hear her eye roll through the phone over the sound of her shuffling papers. “How’s California?”
Amazing. Orgasmic. Thrilling. “It’s actually been really good.”
“That’s awesome. God, I’m so over this gala. If my boss asks me to change the seating chart one more time . . .” She huffs out a frustrated exhale. “Please talk to me about sandy beaches or tropical drinks or something. Anything to remind me that there’s life beyond this spreadsheet of donors.”
I suck in a deep breath, weighing my words. I may as well just come right out and say it. Ripping off the Band-Aid in three . . . two . . . one . . .
“I hooked up with Asher.”
“Oh my God, you didn’t!” She lets out an excited squeal.
My heart speeds up at the memory of the way Asher’s blue eyes clouded over with lust, at the way he kissed a path down my body . . . at the way he feasted on me like I was the best thing he’s ever tasted. Gah! My belly flips even now.
“I did.” At those two words, I have to pull the phone away from my ear briefly or risk being deafened by Aubree’s high-pitched squeals.
“Damn, woman!”
I chuckle. “I know. I wasn’t expecting anything like that when I agreed to come on this trip, but there’s just this connection between us that’s intensified over the last few days. And, I mean, you have eyeballs. You’ve seen the guy.”
I don’t want to admit it to her, but aside from just how gorgeous he is, watching him help his grandma with little tasks, seeing him get emotional about the birth of his new niece . . . I don’t know. I guess it sort of changed the way I look at him.
But I meant what I said to him—this is only for the week. I have no expectations that this will turn into something more. And, frankly, I don’t want it to. I need to be 100-percent focused on my career. Plus, Asher Reed is a total playboy, and I’m under no illusions that I’m the woman who will change his playboy ways, let alone be the woman he settles down with.
“He is fine as fuck,” Aubree says, agreeing with me. “What was it like?”
“It was good.”
I almost laugh at my own word choice. Good is much too tame a word for what we shared, but I’m unsure what else to say. Plus, I’m being hit with a sudden wave of modesty. The man is a giver, but I’m not sure I should divulge that piece of information to Aubree.
“Dude, you’re not getting off that easily. Well, apparently you did get off that easily.” She cracks up at her own joke. “Seriously, Bailey, sisters before misters!” she shouts into the phone.
Smiling, I shake my head, wondering what her coworkers are thinking about her random outbursts. “Fine. You get one question.”
“Hmm.” She ponders this for what feels like an hour. “And you’ll answer whatever I ask honestly?”
Nerves flutter in my belly. “Of course, I will.”
There’s silence on the other end of the line for a second, and then Aubree clears her throat. “Okay. My question is . . . what was his dick like?”
I burst into laughter at her unexpected and rather inappropriate question. “I have no idea. I didn’t see it.”
Her gasp of disbelief filters through the phone. “What exactly did this hookup involve then?”
I guess I’m not going to get by without divulging some details. I take a deep breath and stammer, “He, um . . . went downstairs.”
Aubree cheers. “Yes! But, wait . . . that was all?”
“What do you mean?”
“You didn’t do anything to him in return? A quid pro quo, if you will.”
I laugh. “Um, no, but he’s injured. Five minutes before that, I was examining him and icing down his groin.”
“True. But still. Wait a minute, it still works, right?”
“Yes, it still works, at least what I felt when I was straddling him tells me all systems were a go. What do you mean by but still?” I ask, confused. I’m smart enough to know that when a sexy-as-hell man wants to go down on you, you let him. Full stop.
“Just saying, you’re a badass woman. I think I want to be you when I grow up.”
This sends me into a fit of laughter, because at thirty and the director of a charity organization, Aubree is a badass herself, and most definitely a grown-up.
But then I’m struck by a sudden thought. Maybe I was selfish.
Asher didn’t seem upset, didn’t seem concerned with anything other than my pleasure, so I guess I won’t overthink it. And who knows? He seems to be healing nicely, so maybe he’ll get lucky and I’ll have a chance to return the favor before the week’s end. Maybe then I’ll be able to answer Aubree’s question about his package.
“Okay, I get a new question since you couldn’t answer my first one,” Aubree says firmly. Apparently, she’s making the rules now. “Isn’t his entire family in the same house as you guys? How did you pull off a . . . what did you call it? Trip downstairs?”
I lower my voice a few decibels at the reminder. Even with Asher visiting Nora, there are still plenty of other ears that could be listening in.
“We had to get a little creative,” I murmur, keeping it intentionally vague. I did say only one question, after all.
“Ooh, like in a kinky way?”
I muffle a laugh. “No, Aub. Get your head out of the gutter. We just had to play things sort of safe.”
As if there’s anything even remotely safe about hooking up in a house full of his entire extended family. What we did last night was the sexual equivalent of lighting a match next to a gas pump. Dangerous, if not a little stupid. But, damn, the heat was worth it.
After a few more minutes of talking galas and guys, I hear the creak of the front door paired with the crinkling of paper bags. Lolli and Tess must be back with party decorations.
“I should probably go. There’s a party for Asher’s grandma tomorrow that I think we’re going to start decorating for.”
“All right. I guess I should go grab lunch before I’m lost in spreadsheet hell again,” Aubree says, sounding bored. “But if anything else goes down, literally or figuratively, I’d better be getting a call about it the second it happens.” She pauses for a moment, then adds, “Well, maybe not the second it happens. Probably after you, like, get your clothes back on and leave the room. But I’d better be the first to know.”
“Pinkie swear.” I stick my pinkie up in the air, despite the fact that my best friend isn’t here to link her own little finger with it.
“I’m actually holding my pinkie out right now,” Aubree says. “Is that lame or just a sign that I’m serious about this?”
“A little bit of both, I think,” I say with a grin. “But I’m doing it too.”
/>
Aubree laughs. “Okay, I’m going to grab something to eat. Go and get your man, and by get your man, I mean get his dick.”
11
* * *
Living My Best Life
Asher
My cousins Mack and Tyson talked me into surfing today, even though I’m not sure it’s the best idea, given that I’m still injured. But they’re a couple of years older than me, and I’ve always fallen headfirst into their peer pressure. It’s the reason why I tried my first (and last) cigarette at age thirteen. It’s why I climbed a water tower at their dare at seventeen, and sprained my wrist on the way down.
And now it’s the reason why I’m standing in the surf, wearing boardshorts with a surfboard lying on the sand next to me, even though it’s the last thing I want to be doing right now. What I’d rather be doing is finding Bailey, but she’s off doing something with Amber this morning, and I’ve yet to talk to her since last night.
We hung out a little bit yesterday after that amazing hookup in my room, but it was with my entire family, so it wasn’t exactly conducive to finding out how she might be feeling. And then she excused herself early, just after nine, saying she was tired, and headed up to bed. Alone.
Trust me, if I could have sneaked away to join her, I would have. But Fable challenged me to a game of Uno, and I wasn’t about to crush a six-year-old by skipping out. Plus, hello there, competitive streak. I won two hands, and Fable beat me once.
Maybe that epic orgasm tired Bailey out. It’s a nice thought, and one I would have liked to have held on to, but when I finally went up to bed around eleven, I noticed her light was still on. I didn’t know what to make of that, so I just went to bed, but it took me a while to fall asleep.
“Hey, come on, man!” Mack calls, motioning for me to join him in the water. He’s about waist deep, and his board bobs beside him in the swells. The water is warm enough this time of year that no one’s wearing a wet suit.
Tyson, the more adventurous and daring of the two, doesn’t wait for anyone, and he’s already stretched out on his board, paddling toward the breakers.
God fucking dammit. Where is Bailey to talk me out of this?
I grab my board and splash into the water, hoping like hell I don’t hurt myself. With how distracted I am today, it’ll be a wonder if I can even stand up.
When I finally paddle out to where Tyson and Mack wait for me, I’m out of breath and they’re both grinning.
“You made it, precious. Are you actually winded, dude?” Tyson asks, a cocky grin plastered on his face.
I’d like to see them join me on the ice. We’d see who gets winded pretty damn fast.
Last time I was on water that wasn’t frozen was ages ago. I haven’t surfed since I was a kid. Thankfully, the water is warm and the sun is shining, and it helps lift my mood. I ride a couple of easy waves, but for the most part, I’m content just sitting on my board, watching my cousins make fools of themselves competing against each other.
When Tyson takes off on a wave, Mack looks over at me. “So, what’s the story with Bailey? Is she single?”
I open my mouth to tell him to back off, but the words get caught in my throat. Because Bailey is single, even if I don’t necessarily want her to be.
Before I can even respond, he says under his breath, “Well, speak of the devil.” I follow his gaze to the shore where Bailey has ventured down onto the sand, carrying a beach towel and a paperback.
She gives us a wave, then plops herself down on the towel and begins reading her book. For her sake, I hope it’s not a medical text. She works too hard, and this week is supposed to be relaxing for her.
“Good wave coming,” Mack says, glancing behind us at the swell that’s gaining speed.
“You hit it. I’m going in to talk to Bailey.” Lying down on the board, I let the water push me in to the shore, and climb off the board when I reach the sand.
Bailey watches me, shielding her eyes from the sun. “I’m not sure that surfing was on Trey’s list of approved activities, sir,” she says when I get closer. “But I guess I should have realized you’d be a rule breaker.”
I laugh. “I promise what I did could barely be described as surfing. I’m sure you’ll hear all about what a pussy I was when Mack and Ty come in.”
She shakes her head. “Then I won’t listen to a word of it so your street cred stays intact.”
I’m pleased to see her book isn’t a textbook, but instead is the crime thriller I saw her looking at in the airport. “Is your book any good?”
She frowns down at it for a second before meeting my eyes. “I wouldn’t actually know. I haven’t made it past page two.”
I don’t ask her why, but a small part of me hopes it’s because the sight of me in board shorts is as distracting to her as she is to me.
Gorgeous, pale creamy curves fill out her two-piece suit so perfectly, I have to grip my surfboard hard enough to bruise my palms so I don’t reach out and touch her. But the truth is, she’s so much more than a hot girl . . . she’s fun and smart and sweet. I like our conversations. I like just being near her, period.
When I sit down next to her in the sand and ask about her visit to the hospital yesterday, she tells me all about her outing with my sisters, and about how Nora loved her slippers and eagerly tore into the trail mix. And about how the normally composed Amber cried when she held the baby for the first time. While we talk, we watch Mack and Tyson catch wave after wave. Both of them showing off for Bailey’s benefit, that much is obvious, at least to me.
Wanting to take her eyes off of them and bring them back to me, I ask, “So, are you glad you came?”
Her answering smile tells me everything I need to know. “Without a doubt.”
A few minutes later, I hear the sound of Lolli’s voice calling us from the house. “I’m going to head back up and see what she needs. Are you going to stay down here?”
Bailey hops up and dusts sand from her legs. “No, I think I’ll come with you.”
Something inside me is pleased that she doesn’t care about watching the show my cousins are putting on. She’d rather be with me.
• • •
“I think that’s the last of it.” I set the case of wine down on the counter and use the bottom of my T-shirt to wipe the sweat from my forehead. Bailey and I spent the last hour running a few errands for my mom, which included picking up more wine for the party.
“Thanks, honey,” Mom says, grabbing the bottles two at a time to stick in the fridge.
“Anything else I can help you with, Tess?” Bailey asks.
Mom shakes her head. “No. Go relax. Thank you, though.”
Bailey grabs a bottle of water from the fridge and hands a second one to me. I down it in one go.
“Any news on Nora and the baby?” Bailey asks my mom as she takes a sip of her own water.
“They’re going to release her in time for the birthday bash tomorrow. I think she sweet-talked the nurses, but the baby’s healthy, so it’s all fine.”
“Oh, that’s great news.” Bailey smiles.
Tossing my water bottle into the recycling bin, I press a kiss to my mom’s cheek. “I’m going to go shower.”
Bailey nods, watching me. She’s quiet, and I have no idea what’s on her mind. But a few minutes after I climb the stairs and strip off my T-shirt, Bailey slips into my bedroom, closing the door behind her.
“Hey,” I say, turning to face her.
“I thought I’d see if you could use a hand.”
“Showering?” I ask hopefully, my lower half starting to throb.
Bailey nods and crosses the room toward me.
I choke on a laugh when I realize, oh fuck, she’s serious. A hot shudder rocks through me as I watch her approach. I love how forward she is. Love how sex-positive and open she is. It’s like she just fits me and my personality. I’ve always been an if it feels good, do it kind of guy, and it seems like that’s exactly what Bailey’s thinking too.
She
stops right in front of me like we’re playing a game of chicken. Someone needs to tap out. Otherwise, I can’t be held responsible for all the wicked things I want to do to her.
With my fingers under her chin, I lift her mouth to mine, which isn’t exactly a smooth move because our height difference is such that I have to sort of bend my knees and hunch over. But the second her mouth presses against mine, I stop giving a fuck and just go with it, because holy shit, Bailey is a good kisser.
It’s deep and messy, and her tongue matches mine stroke for stroke. My heart rate builds and my fingers sink into her hair as her mouth stays fused to mine in the hottest kiss I’ve had in a long time. Maybe in forever.
“I like kissing you way too much,” she murmurs against my lips.
Same, sweetheart. “It’s a good problem to have, I guess.”
I press one more sweet kiss to her mouth, but I straighten when I feel her fingers working at the button on my shorts. My cock perks up immediately.
“You sure?” I ask, lifting her chin so I can meet her eyes. They’re bright and clear, and determined.
“You assured me all systems were in perfect working order,” she teases.
“And what . . . you want to see for yourself?” I can’t help but smile.
“Something like that.” She bites her lip as she frees the button to my shorts and then slowly draws down the zipper.
All the breath leaves my lungs at once the second her warm palm slides inside my boxer briefs.
Fuck.
I push both hands through my hair, dropping my head back to stare straight up at the ceiling. Well, not really staring. My eyes are squeezed tight because I can’t freaking believe that Bailey is the woman sliding her hand up and down over me. It feels so freaking amazing.
“Jeez, Ashe,” she says on a gasp, drawing my length from my shorts and giving me an appreciative look.