Eric still looked confused, but he waved and followed Scott to where they’d parked. Keiran waited for the guys to disappear before heading to his car and replying to Cherisse’s sexy photo.
Keiran: on my way!!!!
Cherisse: fined. For excessive use of ! but yes please hurry. I’m waiting
The emojis were followed by another sexy photo. This time, the robe was flipped back to reveal a bit of rounded ass cheek. Jesus, help him.
It took him fifteen minutes to get to the Hyatt, heart pounding, body buzzing. After he strolled into the hotel and ran up the stairs to the elevators, he realized he needed someone with a keycard to access the elevators. He’d completely forgotten that in his horny state. Luck seemed to be with him tonight as some people strolled over just as he was about to text Cherisse and used their card to call the elevator. He pressed the button for four and hoped he wouldn’t run into Remi, Reba, or Ava.
He assumed Cherisse wouldn’t have sent that invitation if she shared a room. Didn’t stop him from moving briskly down the fourth floor to find the right room. It took a bit for her to answer the door after his I’m here text, but when she did, holy Jesus. Her hair was a rumpled shiny wave around her shoulders, the makeup around her eyes slightly smudged, but she looked decadently sexy in that loosely tied robe. Her saucy smile had him hard in no time.
She yanked him inside, closed the door, then dove into kissing him as she led him backwards to the bed. The tie of the robe gave up trying to stay in a knot and swung open. Keiran’s hands swept up her sides, thumbs caressing the lacy front of her bra as they got to the bed. And he tried to be the voice of reason. He really did.
“We should talk, Cherisse.”
“Talk after. Make me come now.” Cherisse stumbled and almost careened to the side. “Whoops,” she giggled loudly, righting herself, giving him a good look at her underwear through the gaping front of the robe.
Keiran pulled back, eyes searching hers. Her eyes were heavy-lidded, slightly glassy. “Cherisse, are you drunk right now?”
“Pssh. Maybe a little tipsy? It’s all good. I know what I’m about. I’ve been drinking water like a good girl. See?” She waved at the bottle of water on the bed. She reached for him again, and he gently stopped her with a hand on her wrist.
“We’re not doing this if you’re not sober. If I’d known that was a drunken sext...” He hadn’t even considered it, which was thoughtless of him. He’d stopped checking their social media updates, but they had started the drinking fairly early. His horny ass hadn’t thought of anything else but getting under or on top of Cherisse.
“Fine.” She pouted and crawled into the bed. “Stay until I sober up? Then we can have fun?” She patted the spot beside her. “I’ll behave.” Her smile said that was a lie, but Keiran kicked off his shoes and crawled next to her, back braced against the headboard.
She tossed the robe off the rest of the way, then rolled onto her side.
“This is you behaving?”
She grinned. “Not even a little.”
He could handle a little teasing, no big. This full-on seduction routine presented more of a challenge. He nudged the forgotten bottle of water until it rolled against her bare side. “Drink.” She drew the bottle to her mouth, red lips covering the entire head of the bottle then dragging it out slowly, eyes fixed on him. “Cherisse, c’mon,” he pleaded.
“Okay, I’ll be good.” Her giggle said otherwise, but she let up on the water bottle fellatio. “Let’s play a game.”
He eyed her suspiciously. He should just go. Not because he wasn’t getting the sex he’d come for, but this was starting to feel a little too cozy, and his willpower was frayed. “Does it involve stripping?”
“No, since you won’t let me have any fun. And don’t look at me like that, I know, okay? I shouldn’t have drunk-sexted you and put you in an awkward position.”
Well, they agreed on that. “So, what’s the game?”
“Confessions.”
That sounded like the worst idea. Yet, he wasn’t heading for the door, too intrigued. She was pulling out all the weapons at her disposal right now, and he was a sucker. Brown eyes, all big and shiny, looked up at him as she sprawled there in just her underwear, bare skin tempting him to touch. Oh, she was devious. Whoever underestimated Cherisse was in for a rude awakening.
“Alright,” he conceded.
She gestured to the side table. “Liquid courage if you need it. The hotel sent each of us a birthday bottle of champagne. Didn’t finish it all. Room’s chilly enough. It’s probably still cool enough to drink.”
He took a swig straight from the bottle and gestured for her to start.
“Hmm. I told my mother no more matchmaking.”
Keiran blinked at her. “Why’d you tell her that?”
“Because.” She sipped her water, small smile on her face as she watched him.
“Because?”
“Because I like you.”
“Well, I already know that.” It didn’t hurt to hear it again, though.
“Shut up. Your turn.”
He grinned, took another sip of the champagne. Fine, he’d play along. “Pizza Hut is overrated.”
Cherisse gasped. “You take that back. I won’t stand for this slander!”
“My mom’s homemade pizza is way better.”
“Hmm, never had it, so you better rectify that soon.” She glared, and he thought she was ridiculously charming in this moment.
They went back and forth, confessing things that bordered on silly, steering clear of her earlier confession even as Keiran wanted to circle back to it. Why had she told her mother no more matchmaking? He needed to hear her reason. He couldn’t make any assumptions. His poor heart couldn’t take it if he was wrong about what it meant. All the while, Keiran knew he should slow down on the champagne. The whole point of the game was to pass the time while Cherisse sobered up, and here he was, downing the bubbly.
“I used to have a crush on Scott,” he blurted. Shit. Fuck his loosened lips.
Cherisse blinked at him, hands flying to her face. “Oh my God, what? Are you serious right now, Keiran?” she shrieked. There went the cozy bubble they’d been encased in for the last—he stole a quick glance at his phone—thirty minutes. He waited.
“I can’t believe this.” The bed was shaking, and he swung his head her way. Was she crying? Laughter bubbled up from behind her hands, and Cherisse spread her fingers to peek through them at him.
“You’re laughing.” He stated the obvious. Was she cracking up like this because she thought he was joking about Scott? He considered pretending just that. It would be easier than what the alternative could be. Her entire body still shook from her laughter.
“Yes!” She removed her hands. “This is too funny! I had a crush on Scott too.”
Say what now? He hadn’t expected that. “What?”
“From Form 1 to about halfway through Form 2, which is when I just gave up since I knew I had no chance. I mean, can you blame me? Scott has always just been all good-looking, and he’s never had an awkward phase in his life. Puberty was kind to him. This is so hilarious. We both had crushes on Scott!”
“Yeah, I just...wow. I thought your shock meant something else,” he trailed off.
She stared at him, a frown forming a crease between her brows. “Wait, did you think I was upset?”
“It’s cool,” he rushed out.
“Keiran, shit. You thought I was upset because of that? Oh my God, I’m sorry I laughed. I didn’t mean for you to think that. But yeah, fuck, I see how my reaction wasn’t the best. I’m a fucking fool.”
“Hey, it’s fine. I just misread.”
She grabbed his hand. “I don’t care if you’re—uh, I don’t want to use the wrong word.”
“Bi.” It tumbled out before he could filter himself, brush it off. Make light of it. But dammit, he didn’t want to. He wanted Cherisse to know him. “It’s what I’ve been IDing as for a while now. I’m not out or an
ything. Well, just to Maxi, and Scott, who knows obviously because we kissed back then, and...”
“The fuck? You and Scott kissed?” Her mouth hung open.
His face heated. He was embarrassed to talk about it because it hadn’t been his smoothest moment. He wanted to crawl out of his skin now. He’d kept this stuff to just his sister and Scott for so long.
“I kissed him. Even Eric doesn’t know that.”
“I won’t say a thing. You can trust me on that,” she assured him. “I gotta say, teenage me is jealous as hell. I bet he was a good kisser.”
“Well, I sort of sprang it on him. He didn’t really kiss me back. It wasn’t a mutual thing. He let me down easily, but...” Was it possible for his face to go up in flames? Keiran rubbed his thumb over her hand. “It’s funny how things work out because later on, I had a crush on you.”
“You didn’t,” she whispered. She didn’t pull away, just let him keep up his caresses.
“I did. I seem to keep having crushes that’ll never work out. Well, I mean, teen me did.”
She stared down at their joined hands. “Who says it won’t work out now?”
His caresses stopped. “Are we actually talking about it now?” He held his breath.
“Uhh.” She chewed her lip. “Sucky timing, I know. I told mummy no more matchmaking because there was someone I liked. I didn’t tell her who because, well...”
“I’m not her favorite person.”
“I don’t care.”
The knot in his chest loosened a little. “Really?”
She nodded. “Wanna come to my party tomorrow? My mom’s throwing it. I guess she’ll figure it out then. I want to try.”
He lay down, so they were at eye level. “Try?”
She sighed like she was tired of his questions or just plain tired. “This. With you.” She yawned, eyes fluttering closed. “So, you coming to my party?” she asked, eyes still closed.
He smiled, brushing her hair away from her face. She leaned into his touch. Did she even know she was doing that? Her eyes were still closed, her breathing shifted. Sleep wasn’t too far off.
“Sure. Could be fun. So, to be clear. You’re saying you’re not going on any more dates? And we’re gonna try this thing that we’re not putting a name to?”
“No public hand-holding or anything, but yes.” Her eyes closed again, and she’d definitely dozed off this time. Guess the confession game was over.
He should get his ass gone from this room, but drowsiness had descended. The champagne hadn’t helped. Maybe he could take a quick power nap to make sure he was good for the drive home then leave. His eyes mapped every bit of her face.
She wanted to try being with him. It was everything he wanted, but he still hadn’t told her about Sean. Tomorrow, he’d do it, when they were both sober and clear-headed, his father’s edict about keeping mum until the release be damned. He prayed he wouldn’t ruin everything before it even began.
Chapter 31
Cherisse
WAKING UP NEXT TO KEIRAN was weird but nice. A trivial word for the fluttering in her stomach and the thudding in her chest, but it was all she could muster at the moment. Cherisse allowed herself to just look and drink in every bit of his face, so serene in sleep. That mouth that had infuriated her countless times but was oh so inviting. She’d wanted to slap the grin off his face so many times, but then she’d allowed him to kiss her, and that mouth became a tantalizing thing.
That delicious, mind-whirling kiss.
How did she get here?
She should be hustling him out of the room before the others came knocking or teasing him awake for a morning quickie to make up for last night’s aborted booty call. Yet, she kept mapping every bit of his face, a foolish grin on her lips.
“Now who’s watching who sleep?”
He stirred and opened his eyes, and Cherisse froze. They stared at each other for several seconds—Cherisse becoming increasingly aware that she’d never washed off her makeup last night, and it probably looked a smeared mess. The slow sweep he did of her body also reminded her that she was still in her underwear.
He carefully propped himself up and yawned. “Hi.”
“Hi.”
“Do you remember what we talked about last night?”
Of course, she did. But she understood his careful question. She’d been tipsy and had felt brave enough to speak her mind, even though she’d couched it all in the confessions game. For him, last night may have seemed like a drunken confession that didn’t hold any weight in the light of the day.
“I remember you owe me an invite to your mother’s pizza,” she said because how could she not tease when he looked so adorably sleep-rumpled? There was a line on his cheek from the pillow, and Cherisse thought it was the cutest thing.
She hadn’t felt this in a long while, this feeling of falling, of finding the littlest things about that person so cute, she almost couldn’t stand it.
“I remember it all, Keiran,” she assured him after a moment of silence. “And I meant what I said about you and me. I also remember what you trusted me with, and I won’t betray that.” She placed her hand over her heart. “Scout’s honor.”
His eyes dipped to her chest, where her lacy bra wasn’t hiding much, and his gaze heated.
“We don’t have time.” She didn’t have a clue of the time—where was her phone?—but it was best they didn’t try anything. No telling when the others would come a-knocking for breakfast before checking out.
“I know. I should go anyways.”
“Yeah.”
Neither of them made a move.
“I need to wash my face. My skin is crying for help after not washing this off last night and doing my routine,” she said the same time he said, “There’s something I need to tell you,”
The seriousness of the words and his sudden intensity scared her a bit because she couldn’t fathom what he had to say. But her mind could conjure up all sorts of things. All sorts of impossible, it’s-too-early-for-this things.
She slipped off the bed, getting to her feet, and Keiran did the same. “I gotta go, and you gotta go before the others come. I’m not hiding you or this thing. I just want to tell them my way.”
Keiran raised the brow that she was sure could still infuriate her. “You know, there’s a word for this thing. It’s called dating.”
“Anyways, I need to wash my face, and I’ll see you later at the party?”
He sighed. “Fine.” Tugged on her robe to pull her closer. She came easily. “I will see you later, and we’ll work on you saying, “Keiran and I are dating,” okay?” The forehead kiss startled her, and Keiran laughed softly. “Your face right now.”
“Get out of here.”
“Or you’ll what? Spank me?” He sounded so eager and hopeful.
“You don’t want to start this because you will lose.” She struck a pose, and like a moth to a flame, his eyes traced the curve of her hip.
So damn easy, she thought. It was going to be fun winning.
Keiran exhaled deeply, eyes going soft. “God, I...” He froze, and her eyes grew wide, but he stepped back, looking around for his shoes. “Yeah, I really gotta go,” he muttered.
Cherisse stared at the door after he’d left. He’d definitely been about to say something too serious and too soon for the moment. She needed to wash her face, dammit. Cleanse. Tone. Moisturize. Sunscreen. Focus on that.
She completely chickened out at breakfast because she knew her girls well. Reba would’ve shrieked, and all eyes would have turned their way. Cherisse didn’t need an audience for this, and she didn’t want Remi’s judgment while she ate.
Once they’d gotten back to her apartment, she started pulling ingredients to craft a mini mock-up of the cake she envisioned for Ava’s wedding. Baking soothed and drove her into this zone where nothing else mattered. Focusing on slicing the finished cake into layers, then plopping the prepared buttercream in the middle of each layer and slowly spreading it out bef
ore topping it with the next cake layer eased the anxiousness that had plagued her the whole ride back.
“Is she stress-baking again?”
“I don’t know. She was mixing that batter a lil’ intensely.”
“You should go see what’s up.”
“Me? Nah, I’m good, thanks.”
“She’s your bestie!”
Remi and Reba’s voices carried easily into the kitchen, and Cherisse smiled.
“Okay, fine. I’ll go,” she heard Remi announce, which was then followed by shuffling feet heading for the kitchen. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Remi poke her head in. “Heyyy, buddy. Everything good in here? You know we have that surprise party in a few hours, right? So, uh, what do we have here, hmm?”
“Yes, I know. I’m trying to figure out how to tell you something. Plus, I just needed a visual for this. I’m doing a quick semi-naked mini cake prep.” She didn’t look away from the cake. She’d added all the layers and gone around smoothing the buttercream that peeked out between each one.
“Like that one you did for that birthday party last year?” Remi peered at the cake as Cherisse reached for the bowl of icing, spinning the cake stand, so the entire cake got coated in a light layer of frosting.
“Yup.” She was one of the few local pastry chefs who had adopted the naked cake style. Her feature in the Island Bites magazine had drawn a good bit of people asking for them.
Cherisse reached for the spackle next, doing another go-round of the cake, removing some of the frosting, so the cake showed through. She hadn’t quite decided if she’d go full-on naked with Ava’s actual cake or semi, so she planned to make variations to show Ava and get some feedback.
“Figured out how to tell me whatever yet? My gut tells me this is Keiran-related so if he did something, I’m gonna eff him up.”
She stared down at the cake, picturing how she’d place the flowers she had in mind as decoration. Remi swiped a finger through the frosting, prompting Cherisse to swat her hand away. Didn’t do any good—Remi just came at the cake from another angle. “Remi, c’mon!”
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