I squealed and jumped in my chair, feeling the cold splash of milk and cereal hit my chest and drip between my breasts. “Shit.” I reached for a napkin just as Tobias handed one to me.
His eyes connected with mine. “You need to dance for me.”
“What?”
He laughed and shrugged. “If I’m going to play ball, then you’re going to dance.”
As we drove off in the truck to find a basketball court, I had to fight hard with myself to ignore how tired and achy I was from a restless sleep. But by the sound of Tobias’ breathing during the night, I was certain he’d had just as much trouble as me.
We passed through the ranger station, and he paid them at the entrance, then we drove in about a mile until we reached a sandy clearing that overlooked the ocean.
“Here it is. And we can shower when we’re done.” He pulled on his door handle to get out of the truck. “Don’t worry. There’s hot water.”
That’s a relief.
He pointed to a small fenced-in area with a showerhead looming over the top of it, but I only glanced at it before my eye caught on Tobias spinning the basketball on his middle finger. He was standing just outside the driver’s side, and his eyes were directly on me, brows perked. “You ready?”
I turned toward my door before he could see my smile. “As I’ll ever be.”
Tobias led the way, and I couldn’t help but run my eyes down his frame. He was so tall and defined. The year off hadn’t hurt him in that department. And I doubted it had hurt him in any other department either. It would just take getting him on the court to show him. Because if he were anything like me, the moment he got a taste of what he’d been missing, he would want more of it.
There was a fine line between passion and obsession. Tobias and I—we had both.
“So, what are we doing, Birthday Girl? A game of Horse? Pig? Around the World? You name it.”
I wrinkled my nose and shook my head. “None of the above. We’re playing a real game. Half court. You said you were rusty, which means I have a chance.”
He laughed a boisterous laugh, one that reached my insides, slid down my core, and curled my toes. It had been a long time since I’d heard that laugh. I didn’t know it was possible to miss something I’d never even realized existed before.
“All right.” He started a slow dribble, circling me as he did, watching me curiously. “We’ll play to twenty. And when it’s over, I want to see you dance. Full out. I’ll pick the song.”
I rolled my eyes but shrugged, giving in to his demands. That was a challenge I had no problem accepting. “Let’s see your moves, hot shot.”
He grinned so wide, I could see a sliver of gums around the bright white of his teeth. “You realize the guys I used to play with were over a foot taller than you, right? Your challenge is cute and all, but are you sure you want to do this?”
His teasing lit a fire in me, one that made me smile back just as hard. “Maybe I should level the playing field.” My arms crossed at the hem of my tank top and grabbed the material at the bottom. With one pull, I whipped my shirt off and tossed it toward the sidelines, revealing my black sports bra. I brought my fists to my hips before glancing back at Tobias.
His eyes were narrowed on mine. “Really?”
My smile turned smug. “Yup.” I reached toward him, swiped the ball from his hold, and dribbled my way toward half court.
He didn’t go easy on me, staying on my ass as I tried to take the ball toward the basket, stealing the ball at every opportunity, towering over me, and making it impossible for me to make a shot. But he didn’t play his hardest either. His three-pointers were effortless, barely ever touching the rim as they went down. He even gave me a good show by throwing in a few layups and dunks.
Unfortunately, I was too impressed to be annoyed by his exhibition.
“Twenty to zero. Time for that dance.” He held the ball in the air and sauntered to his truck.
“You’re ten times my size, and you couldn’t even let me have one?” I’d known I wasn’t going to win, but the jerk hadn’t even taken pity on me. “That’s what some would call a bully.” I folded my arms across my chest and glared at him.
He chuckled and stared at his phone as he scrolled through it. I didn’t know what he was doing until a song started streaming through the speaker system in the back. I was already covered in sweat. While he’d walked the entire game, I’d been running my ass off.
“No whining, Birthday Girl. Besides, you still owe me an I-O-U.”
I laughed. “I forgot about that.”
When I recognized the song “Swish Swish” by Katy Perry, I folded my arms across my chest and glared. “Clever.”
“No more sass from you,” he said with a snap of his fingers. “Dance, monkey.”
I did my best to ignore his cocky grin and his bright grayish-blues that were locked on me as I transitioned my focus to the music. By the end of the second eight-count, I was completely in the zone.
The tone of my every movement was filled with all the sass I felt inside me—some flowy steps followed by clean pops and quick footwork—all perfectly following the lyrics. The song was flirty, fun, and I was able to recover from my disastrous performance playing basketball. And Tobias wasn’t taking his eyes off me.
* * *
WATCH: Swish Swish
* * *
I broke out of character about halfway through the song and jogged over to Tobias. Grabbing his hands, I tried to pull him to his feet, but he fought back, laughing. “What are you doing?”
“I played ball with you, now you have to dance with me.”
“Not even if hell freezes over. I don’t dance, Birthday Girl.”
“C’mon. It’s just us out here. You owe me.”
He shook his head and held his hands in the air. “I don’t owe you a thing. We made a deal, and we both honored that deal. I’m not dancing with you.”
I pouted, but not even that could convince him. Instead, he hopped off the truck and handed me my small bag I’d brought for the shower. “Time to wash up. We’ll head back up for lunch. Maybe I’ll show you how to play cards next.”
He was several strides ahead of me by the time I started moving. “How do you always do that?” I asked when I caught up to him.
“Do what?”
“Find a way to change the subject entirely. Coming here was about you remembering why you loved basketball.”
He glanced at me, his brows pulled together. “I already remember why I loved shooting hoops. And I have to admit”—he tossed the ball from one hand to the other—“I miss holding the ball. I miss the rush of the game, the pandemonium in the crowds, and hearing my name being chanted by hundreds of fans. I miss winning. Hell, I even miss losing.”
Something quickened in my chest when I thought that was all he was going to give me. “So then what’s the problem? Why not go for it again?”
He sighed and dropped his head back. “A year in this game is a long time to be away from it.”
“You’ve already given me that excuse,” I challenged.
“I can’t just jump in like I never left.”
My eyes narrowed. “Not good enough.”
His expression softened. “I didn’t lose sight of my dreams, Amelia. Life got hard, and I quit. No one respects a quitter.”
“See, that’s where you and I will continue to disagree. You didn’t quit, Tobias. Your focus was on basketball your entire life. Learning what you did…” I paused, afraid to continue and word things the wrong way. “I can’t imagine what you went through learning about your family like that. You did what you did for yourself because it was what you needed at the time. You took a break. There’s nothing wrong with taking a time out. Even the best players get benched. It doesn’t mean you give up. It means you go back out there and try harder.”
Tobias stopped in his tracks, and his face twisted into something resembling a smile and confusion. “Did you just pep talk me?”
I laugh
ed, happy he’d taken my verbal scolding well. “I guess I did.”
“Well then, coach, it’s time to hit the showers.” He pointed at the fenced-in faucet. “Who goes first? Or should we do this together?” His smile tipped into a grin. “You know, as a team?”
“Nice try, hot shot.” I stepped around him, peeked over my shoulder, and smiled. Two can play this game. “I’ll go first just in case there’s only enough hot water for one. Something tells me you won’t mind taking a cold one.”
* * *
Tobias
* * *
Fucking showers. I never thought I would hate them as much as I did that week. Amelia and I had a routine. We would eat breakfast, play ball, I would watch her dance, then we would shower before heading back to camp. The rest of the day wasn’t as scheduled. We rotated between hiking, playing cards, and driving into town for a change of scenery.
Our time together was surprisingly effortless. She made me laugh, something I couldn’t remember doing in a long-ass time. And after the first night, I’d started to sleep well beside her—not without a raging hard-on, but hey, I was proud I’d been able to keep it to myself.
But those fucking showers. They killed me in the worst way, giving me just a glimpse of Amelia’s perfect bronze skin from her shoulders up, and each day only worsened my suffering. She was becoming harder to resist, to the point I’d forgotten why I was resisting.
She’s your sister’s best friend.
She’s still in high school.
You’re no good for her.
Three loud thoughts always came through, reminding me why I needed to keep my dick in my pants and my mouth away from all the places it wanted to kiss. And those thoughts were cycling through my mind that night as we lay on our backs, staring up at the roof of the tent.
“Two days left,” she said quietly, breaking through our heavy silence.
I turned to face her, loving the way the moonlight spotlighted her profile. “Are you ready to go back?”
Our eyes locked as she shook her head. “No.”
I couldn’t hold back, not when just the shift of her body scented the air with her green-apple after shower spray. It was a fragrance I knew would never leave me along with so many other memories of Amelia I’d accumulated over our week together. The log in my head was long, the capacity endless.
I took her hand in mine, weaving my fingers between hers. The move was innocent enough, but we both knew it was anything but. It was her move now. She could pull away at any moment. That would be enough to tell me “no.”
When I felt the squeeze of her small fingers around mine, I sucked in a breath I hadn’t meant for her to hear. Shit.
“You okay?” Her voice was soft and filled with an ache I wanted to mend.
I definitely wasn’t okay. How the hell was it that I’d completely forgotten how to flirt with a girl? It had come so easily to me before.
There’s been no one like Amelia Clark, you jackass.
I turned my body to face her, somewhat awkwardly as I got tangled up in the sheets and comforter. Once I finally escaped the mess, I peered back into her watchful eyes. “Do you, um, need another pillow?”
Before she could respond, I reached for the one between us and slid it around her waist. “Here.” Her body was firm, but curvy enough to give my eyes nice terrain to wander across when she was in those little dance outfits. Curves like Amelia Clark’s should’ve been illegal.
Her hand fell on mine before she yanked the pillow into her arms and turned to the side away from me. “Thanks.” She snuggled into it, accidently rubbing against me.
We both froze. My attraction to her wasn’t exactly subtle in that moment. My cock was fully hard and so fucking angry for the lack of attention it had been getting all week. With temptation like her in front of it, I knew I couldn’t go another night without getting myself off. Sex with Amelia was out of the question. I was so far gone, I couldn’t even begin to imagine how tight her cunt would feel wrapped around my cock, straining it of an entire week’s worth of buildup.
“Tobias?”
Her voice was quiet, but I heard her clearly against my pounding heart.
“Amelia,” I returned. It was all my choked voice could make out from lack of oxygen. I was afraid to breathe. I was afraid to move.
“You can move closer if you want.” She took in a deep breath, and I blinked a few times, wondering if I’d heard her right.
After a few seconds, I realized she wasn’t going to give me any more hints about what to do, so I closed the distance, sliding my body flush against hers and resting my palm on her stomach. I could resist her, but I didn’t want to. Even as my mind tried desperately to push thoughts of her away, her scent was too strong. Her presence, too dominant. I needed her, and I would take whatever she would allow.
My mouth landed at the back of her neck just as she pressed her ass against me. I groaned in surprise then bit down on her ear in response. “Careful, Birthday Girl. You don’t know what you’re tempting down there.”
“What if I want to find out?” Small fingers landed on mine. “Would you let me?”
My eyes pinched shut as my fingers traveled down until I found the edge of her top. Pulling up gently, I wet her neck with my tongue. “You don’t have to ask me twice.”
I could feel the quickening of her belly as my fingers traveled down.
My mouth dipped again, my lips moving to the crook of her neck. She shivered in my hold, and I groaned again at the feel of my dick sliding between her ass cheeks. She felt so good in my arms—small, yet thick in all the right places.
My palm slipped down farther, making it into her panties. Her legs chose that moment to clench together, so I paused.
“No?” I asked. If she didn’t want me, I wouldn’t pressure her. I started to slide my hand out.
She placed her hand on mine and squeezed then pulled it back down. “Yes. Just…” I could practically hear her nervous swallow. “Go slow, okay?”
Amelia didn’t have to tell me she was a virgin. I already knew, thanks to my sister’s late-night overshares. But in this case, that knowledge served beneficial.
“Are you sure? We don’t have to—”
“Shut up, Tobias.” Her hand found mine again, this time wrapping around it and guiding it down until my fingers found her clit.
My head fogged at the sudden heat rushing between her thighs. Fuck. I could almost feel the gush of sticky liquid before I’d even made her come. God, I wanted to make her come.
I let my finger play with her sensitive bud for a minute before slipping down more. Her legs opened slowly, but by the time my finger was poised above her opening and ready to sink in, they were wide and flexing farther.
With my mouth buried in her neck and my heart already racing, I found her wet opening and pushed my finger inside. I knew it wouldn’t take much to get her off, especially when she started to moan and squirm in my hold.
My slow and steady pace was driving me crazy—and her too, from the feel of it. Her body moved against mine as my finger dove deeper.
I didn’t know how much longer I could last without burying my cock inside her, so far I would never find my way out. But this wasn’t something I wanted to rush. I wanted to savor each and every moan and the feel of her dainty but fierce nails digging into my wrist like she was encouraging me and fighting me at the same time.
Every time I opened my mouth to say anything, I stopped, too afraid that speaking my thoughts would scare her away. I couldn’t exactly tell her how hot and tight her cunt was. It was so tight, my cock would have to work its way in there nice and slow.
I wondered if she had ever heard words like that before. Sure, she was a virgin, but had she ever felt thick fingers spreading her open? Something told me she hadn’t.
“Just trust me, okay?” I breathed in her ear.
She nodded, and I slipped my finger from her heat and spread her juices around. When I slid back in between her lips, I added my index finger
, plunging deep until her moan was so loud, it filled the tent. I quickened my pace, my fingers fluttering inside her, quickening gradually until I could feel the walls of her clench around me in warning.
“Tobias, I—” Her near-plea was cut off by a scream tearing past her throat as she came, gushing around my fingers like I’d just punctured the skin of the sweetest fruit.
My breathing was heavy from the rush of adrenaline. I’d forgotten how good it felt to explore a woman, to tease her while helping her climb to the highest peak, and getting to watch her fly then freefall without any fear of how hard she might land. It wasn’t like me to fall right along with her, but I could feel my self-control unravel bit by bit as I landed right alongside her.
“Fuck.” My fingers slipped from her folds as I turned onto my back. I yanked down my shorts and briefs then put a choke hold on my cock. A groan tore from my throat at the first stroke. Relief would come soon.
Amelia shifted her body so she was hovering over me, watching. Her tongue darted out, wetting her lips, as she took me in… all of me. That was hardly fair.
“Can I help?” she asked, so innocently I had to bite back my smile.
“I’m almost there.” My gaze traveled to her tits, which were still fully clothed. I should have thought about that earlier. “Can I see you?”
She followed my gaze. Slowly, she peeled off her tank top, revealing her sports bra. Without even needing me to ask, she removed that too, leaving a perfect pair of breasts I’d seen once before only five days ago. I couldn’t have forgotten them if I’d tried.
My eyes slipped down to her shorts. I wanted to see all of her. She lifted her hips and slid down her shorts and panties until she was completely bare and so fucking beautiful.
“Sit on me.”
Her eyes were so wide and terrified of whatever came next. It was only fair. I was terrified too. If this had been a year ago or if it had been anyone else, I wouldn’t even hesitate on how far to take things. But I didn’t want Amelia to have regrets when it was all over. She deserved better.
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