by Jane Anthony
The door to the truck opened, and she stepped out. Either I was either having a heart attack or the best damn dream of my life. My heart pounded against my ribs. She was wearing a dress. It was all black with a purple skull and crossbones on the chest. It came down low in the front and clung to her torso like a second skin, then fanned out around her hips. Her normally clear lips were stained ruby red and black eyeliner ringed her eyes.
I was completely fucked.
“Hey there, friend.” I wanted to compliment her and tell her how gorgeous she looked, but I warned myself against it. After all, I wouldn’t tell AJ he was hot, right?
I stuck out my hand to give her a handshake. She giggled and slipped hers inside. “Nice to see you too, friend.”
We walked up to the park together and laid a blanket on the ground before settling in. She kicked off her shoes and leaned back on her palms, legs stretched out in front of her, crossed at the ankles. Between us, a cooler served us as a barricade to keep me from touching her pale skin. There wasn’t much inside. A couple of soda bottles spiked with rum in case she wanted to drink, and a few waters in case she didn’t.
For a tribute band, Wild Side was surprisingly good. The lead singer couldn’t exactly hit all the notes Vince Neil could, but the band was spot on. We joked about the way they had on the same platform heels and makeup the real band wore, and wondered where the hell they bought that shit in the first place.
“Do you think the bass player is going to set himself on fire?” She sat up straighter pulling her legs under her, craning her neck so she could see better. Her excitement was infectious. Jillian didn’t get happy like a normal person. She radiated it. You could almost feel it emanating off her body.
When she reached into the cooler to get a soda, the whole damn thing fell over slinging shards of ice all over the blanket. “Shit, that was graceful,” she cursed.
Frozen water soaked the edge. Together, we scooped the ice back in, but she pushed the cooler to cover the wet spot, leaving the area between us exposed. Without that barrier, she sat closer than she was before. Too close. Her fruity perfume invaded my nostrils making it hard to concentrate on anything else. She smelled so fucking good I could almost taste it.
I kept side eyeing her, watching without wanting her to know I was a total creeper. Her head tipped back as the soda bottle touched her lips. I watched the graceful way her throat moved as she swallowed. A rogue drop broke free, rolling down her chin, cascading past her neck, and disappearing between her breasts.
I closed my eyes in a valiant attempt to remove the mental image and keep my dick from bursting out of my pants. My body didn’t exactly have the same plans of friendship that my head did. Mentally, I counted to ten and opened them. She had settled back on the blanket resting on her hands and watching the band.
The lights from the stage twinkled in her eyes, and her chocolate hair blew in the warm summer breeze. She looked like an angel in the darkness. I knew it was wrong. I promised that we would just be friends, and I meant it. But seeing her, stretched out on the ground, her face just inches from mine, I couldn’t hold it back anymore.
She licked her lips, playing with her gloss as she always did, and brushed her hair back off her shoulder. That simple movement drew me in. I hooked my arm around her back, pulling her against me and pressed my lips to hers. She gasped against my mouth, my unexpected advance catching her off guard. Fire alarms went off in my mind warning me to get the hell out of there, but once I’d started, there was no way I was stopping.
Cherry. That was the taste I'd been dying for since the day I walked into the shop over a month ago. The sticky flavoring gracing her luscious lips that kept me awake at night was no longer a mystery. They moved against mine, slow and tentative, her tongue grazing along the edge of my lips, begging for entry into my mouth.
A soft growl rumbled in my chest. I pulled her bottom lip into my mouth devouring her fruit flavored gloss and letting it slide through my teeth before trailing down her neck. “Jameson,” she breathed. “We should go.”
We separated, chests heaving with panting breaths. She sat on the blanket and stared up through her thick black lashes, crimson gloss smeared around her puffy lips. The band was still playing in the background, but it was long forgotten by both of us. Our hands clasped together, and I pulled her to her feet then collected our things to walk back to the car.
I’d broken my promise to her and to AJ. It was foolish to think I could keep our relationship on a friendly level. I’d crossed a line, and there was no turning back. Jillian Morello was a drug, and I was completely addicted to her.
Chapter Eleven
JILLIAN
He kissed me. His lips were skilled and strong just like the rest of him was. It was unexpected and intimidating, and I wanted it more than I’d wanted anything else in my entire life.
As we walked back to the parking lot, I felt like I was floating. My body was filled with helium and he was pulling me to his car by a string. If he were to let go, I’d probably fly into the atmosphere and never return. I leaned against the door in a daze, as if I was drunk on him, as he packed his things back in the trunk.
His body language was stiff as he came to face me. He looked guilty, like the cat who ate the canary. “Jillian, I …” I didn’t want to hear what he had to say next, worried he thought it was a mistake. I wrapped my fist in his shirt and pulled him close to me. Once he was within reach, my other hand found the nape of his neck, pulling his head in to fuse our lips together a second time. He didn’t hold back. He pinned me between him and the car, and I wanted to breathe him in until he was a part of me.
Every part of my body felt awake. It tingled from my head down to my toes, and I never wanted it to end. His hands were lost in my hair as our tongues twirled together. The band wailed in the background and people floated around us, but I didn't care. The only thing that mattered at this exact moment was the taste of his mouth, and how incredible his body felt pressed against mine.
My hands slid down his strong back and inched up his shirt, tracing the hard lines of muscle along his stomach with my fingertips. He groaned but pulled away, taking a quick step back. “We have to stop.” His breathing was heavy, and his voice was thick.
“Why?” I never wanted him to stop. I wanted him to cover me in his delectable kisses from head to toe and send me into oblivion. I wanted to see if the rest of him was as strong and pleasurable as his mouth was.
“Because if it goes any further, I won’t be able to.” His hand ran through my hair and down my neck. “Because I want to kiss you here …” he placed a kiss on my jaw “... and here …” another under my ear “... and here …” and another on my collar bone “... and so many other places we just don’t have time for tonight.”
“No one’s watching the clock, Jameson,” I said in a strained voice, my body still trembling from the feeling of his lips.
His mouth curled into a heavenly little smile. “It’s a marathon, cutie, not a sprint. I promise you it will be worth the wait.” He lowered his lips to mine again, a soft end of date kiss that was as sweet as the soda that lingered on his tongue.
“Get home safe,” he said, helping me into the truck and closing the door.
I drove home in a fog of lust blanketed in disappointment. He promised it would be worth the wait, but I’d waited so long already. Pulling into the driveway, I still felt him all around me. The smell of him on my skin and the taste of him on my lips served as a prequel of what I hoped was to come. I opened the front door quietly, hoping AJ was already asleep, but wasn’t that lucky. He was on the couch in sweatpants and a tee shirt. A row of empty bottles were clustered together on the end table where our lamp used to be until he broke it in a fit of rage. “Hey, sis, how was your night?”
I wanted to run straight up the stairs, but his voice stopped me in the foyer. “Oh, you know, coffee and gossip. Normal stuff.” I subconsciously touched my fingers to my lips as another lie tumbled out of my mouth.
“Spending time with girls is good for you. One night and you’re already starting to look like one.” He tipped his bottle in my direction gesturing to my dress before taking a sip.
I rolled my eyes and put my hand on my hip. “Ha, ha, I didn’t realize you were a comedian,” I said flatly. He responded with a snort. It was obvious he’d had a few already.
“How many beers have you had tonight, dude?”
“I don’t know. Enough, I guess.” He drained the bottle, and dropped it on the side table next to the others with a clink. It was normal for him to drink a beer or two after work, but kind of unusual for him to get carried away. AJ rarely, if ever, allowed himself to lose control.
“Well, I’m going up to bed. Good night.” I turned and ran up the stairs thankful to have gotten away with my story for the night.
It was hot as Hades in there. I stripped off my dress and crawled into bed in my bra and panties. Conflicted feelings attacked my subconscious. I hated lying to AJ, but after what happened between Jameson and me, I was happy I hadn’t told him we were together. If this was going to continue, we were going to have to be extra careful.
Thoughts of Jameson occupied my mind, and I wondered what he was doing at that moment. Whether he was lying down thinking about me, and if he was as wound up as I was. I imagined him naked in his bed, his rock hard body quivering as he satisfied his agonizing need for me.
My eyes closed and my hand moved down inside my panties to soothe my own ache. It moved skillfully, as I tried to imagine it was his hand on my body and his kisses still burning on my skin. I thought back to how deftly his fingers moved along the frets of his guitar as my own fingers explored the untouched regions of my anatomy. The fantasy of him pushing himself into me, filling me completely and squelching this need I lived with day in and day out pushed me gratefully to orgasm. I pinched my eyes shut and bit down on my lip to stifle any noise, hoping not to be heard as his name escaped my lips. Finally able to relax, I drifted off to sleep with memories of Jameson on my mind.
It was early when I woke up the next morning. My room was blazing hot, and I couldn’t tell if it was the temperature outside or my dreams causing the sheen of sweat dappling my bare skin. I kicked off the blankets and pushed myself off the bed, rustling around a clean laundry basket for a shirt and shorts to throw on before going downstairs.
AJ was asleep on the couch, and the television still glowed in front of him. I felt guilty seeing him there. My brother was my best friend and my protector, and I lied straight to his face yesterday. Why did it have to be so difficult? I would love nothing more than to shake him awake and tell him everything. To come clean and admit that yes I had feelings for Jameson, and no I refused to set them aside because he was jealous that I was messing around with his friend. But I just couldn’t do that. AJ had made his opinions known, and that was the end of it.
JAMESON
I tossed and turned most of that night thinking about what an impulsive idiot I was. I should regret kissing her, but I don’t. Not one bit. Sure, it complicated things around the shop, but I couldn’t deny her anymore. Her fruity perfume lingered on my skin when I got out of bed in the morning, and it made me almost dizzy. She felt amazing in my arms. What the hell was I gonna do?
Her soft, supple lips were still on my mind when my phone started to ring. My boner deflated instantly when I saw it was AJ. Fuck. I gave the screen a quick swipe and braced myself for the possibility of a shit storm. “Hey man, what’s up?”
“Hey, bro. You’re coming in tomorrow, right? The schedule is pretty packed.”
“Yeah sure, I’ll be in if you need me to be.”
“Cool. Oh, and one more thing. I was a dick last week, man. I don’t know what the fuck got into me. We cool?” Hearing AJ apologize to me after last night made me cringe.
“Uh, yeah man, we’re cool. Don’t worry about it.” I disconnected the call and pushed my hair back with my hands. He didn’t know about last night. We were safe for now. But how would the scenario Monday play out? Holding back from grabbing Jill and making her mine was going to be hard as hell, especially now that I’ve crossed that line. I finally knew first hand that her skin tasted as sweet as it smelled, and now, I was starving for it.
Monday morning couldn’t come fast enough. I’d never been so excited to go to work in my life. Unable to sleep, I ended up getting there early. I watched her come toward me. The tinkling sound of metal on metal carried through the wind from the keys that dangled from her petite finger. A dazzling smile split her face when she saw me waiting for her. “Hey, friend,” I said.
“You’re early today. Kissing up to the boss?” she asked stopping in front of me.
My finger hooked through the belt loop of her jeans and pulled her to me. “Nah, just kissing her.” I dipped my head and planted my mouth onto her cherry lips. Her body sagged into mine, and I held her close, cupping her round ass in my hand.
“Good morning to you too.” She sighed.
“It is now,” I replied, gently taking hold of her wrist as she swiped her thumb across my mouth to wipe away the residual gloss. The smell of citrus rose off her skin. I skimmed my nose across her wrist, pressing my lips against her beating pulse.
“We should go in.” She continued her walk toward the entrance pulling me along with her hand in hand. Once inside, she went about her business. The computer hummed to life and the smell of coffee rivaled the stagnant odor of lingering grease as she began scooping grinds into the percolator. My arms encircled her from behind. The way she melted against me every time I touched her sent a testosterone-fueled shot of possessiveness rocketing through my veins.
I took her earlobe between my teeth, tonguing the row of tiny hoops that traveled halfway up. She moaned, and I tightened my grip, splaying my hand across her stomach and feeling the entire length of her pressed against me. “AJ will be here any minute.” Her breathy voice did little to squash the budding arousal that was growing by the second. She was right, though. Getting caught by AJ would not be good.
Stepping back, I leaned my ass against her desk and shoved my hands into my pockets. “How are we going to do this, cutie? It's not even nine a.m., and I’m already having trouble keeping my hands off you.”
She finished preparing the coffee and turned to face me with a shrug. The back door opened at that exact moment, and AJ came in. “Mornin’”
“Morning, AJ. Coffee’s brewing.” Jillian didn’t look over at me again as she plopped down at her desk to get to work. AJ walked into the shop, and I obediently followed.
AJ wasn’t kidding when he said the schedule was busy. I didn’t look up from my work until Jillian came out to tell us she was heading home for lunch. “I’ll bring you something back, okay, AJ?”
He grumbled a reply and her glare fell on me. “What about you, Jameson? Anything special you want?” The question seemed so innocent, but it was laced with hidden meaning and I read it loud and clear.
“Actually, I got some shit I gotta get done. Mind if I take the hour, AJ?” I didn’t look at Jillian as I said it.
Jillian's gaze grazed past me as she walked out of the shop. “I’ll see you boys in an hour.”
AJ wiped his hands on a rag and threw it to the side. “Yeah, man, go ahead. I’ll hold down the fort here.”
I stopped in the bathroom and washed up before heading out to lunch. My stomach twisted as I got in my car and drove around the block. A liquor store sat beyond a row of trees behind their house. I parked in the lot and bolted back through the shallow woods. She was waiting at the back door for me. I ran through the yard and didn’t stop until my lips descended onto hers. “I knew you’d come,” she said, backing into the dining room on her tiptoes, tugging me by the shirt.
Jillian’s ass hit the table pushing it across the hardwood floor with a screech. I lifted her up and dropped her on the edge, closing the vast height difference between us. The burning heat between her legs caught me off guard as she squeezed them around me. She
was so turned on by one little kiss. Sinking myself into that molten pit of fire now would incinerate my dick to soot, but still it pressed against my fly begging for the chance to find out.
Her fingernails scratched at my skin, clawing at the hem of my shirt and pulling it over my back. “Your shirt is filthy, take it off,” she demanded between kisses. We separated long enough to rip the grease-stained tee over my head then crashed back together.
My lips attacked her neck as I tugged at the knot in the back of her T-shirt. It held tight. That stupid tie must have been an indestructible force in the universe. The only thing that stood between me and probably the greatest set of tits I’d ever witness in my life was a thin sheet of cotton held tight by a fucking knot that I couldn’t budge if my life depended on it.
“Having trouble, Tate?” She laughed as she sensed my growing frustration. Behind her back, she swiftly yanked the knot free and the oversized shirt billowed out, hiding her figure from sight. She pushed me back to lift the shirt over her head and dropped it on the table next to her.
Jackpot.
The simple black bra was nothing fancy, but my God all the blood drained from my body instantly. The round swells of her breasts rose out of the shiny black fabric like two smooth mountains of awesomeness. Her skin was like silk against my hands. Her head fell back, inviting my lips to the places previously covered by her shirt.
“Jesus, every fucking inch of you smells like candy.” The tip of my tongue traced the valley between her tits. She fell back on her hands, and I kissed a trail down her stomach sweeping my tongue over her belly button. “Mmm, it tastes like it too,” I groaned.
A trail of saliva shimmered along her skin as I licked my way back up and captured her mouth again. Her soft chest pressed against mine, the skin-on-skin contact driving me crazy with want. The urge to rip the rest of her clothes off and have my way with her in the very spot she and AJ share their meals slowly overtook me, but I resisted. We only had an hour together, and I didn’t want to start something we didn’t have time to finish. When I eventually made her mine, it was going to be epic.