by Cat Johnson
“Yes. Sex.”
She bit her lip and drew in a breath. “I don’t know.”
As far as answers went, that one wasn’t the worst. It definitely left the door open for negotiation.
“Might I offer a suggestion?” he asked.
“Sure.”
“How about a trial?”
“A trial like in court?” She considered that for a second before nodding. “That might work. We could argue the pros and cons of . . . you know . . . booty.”
Yup. She was definitely not like other women.
Smiling, he shook his head. “Actually, I meant more like an experimental trial.”
Her eyes widened. “A sex trial?”
“Yes.”
“To see if I’d like it.” She nodded again, as if considering the concept.
“Oh, you’ll like it,” he said before he could stop himself.
“Confident, aren’t we?” She was starting to lighten up. Looking less shell-shocked than when he’d first arrived.
He lifted a shoulder. “Proven fact.”
“Based on what empirical evidence?” she asked, as this started to feel like an actual trial.
“Based on that I’ve never had a complaint yet,” he said.
And they always came back for more, which was usually the problem.
Somehow he didn’t think Alicia would act in the usual manner. She was different. He liked that about her.
“And what would this trial entail?” she asked, sounding completely serious about the outlandish idea he’d originally suggested mostly as a joke.
He’d have to learn to choose his words more carefully around her.
Although, now that he thought about it, the idea of having to prove himself to her, to win her, had its appeal.
His competitive, over-achiever streak was rising to the challenge, along with the boner-from-hell in his pants.
She wanted specifics about this crazy trial?
He knew what he’d like to do to convince her. Laying her back against that sofa, slipping his hand up that sexy little skirt of hers and making her come hard enough she started to sound more like a woman than a shrink should do it.
They could tumble into bed and knock her headboard against the wall for a few hours, sleep for a bit, then wake up and do it all again, but he wasn’t sure Alicia, in this indecisive and odd mood, wanted that.
This stage in the negotiations was tricky. He couldn’t tell her any of what he really wanted. He couldn’t risk making a misstep.
Meanwhile, he might have suggested this insane trial period, but he hadn’t nailed down any of the specifics that she wanted.
“What do you suggest it entail?” he asked, laying the responsibility on her.
She pressed her lips together as she thought. “I think perhaps thirty minutes together would do it.”
Jesus, she was serious when she set up rules. Thirty minutes was harsh. Although, he could do a hell of a lot in that time.
What a tantalizing image that was.
She continued, “After that time expires, we evaluate if we want to continue. The decision to move forward would have to be unanimous, of course.”
“Of course,” he nodded, and attempted to sound as serious about the parameters of this trail period as she was, even as his cock was ready to burst out of his fly.
As he’d told her, he did like to know the rules of engagement up front. And what an interesting engagement this was going to be.
“Then I guess we should start,” she said, in what might be the least romantic invitation for foreplay ever, but that didn’t affect his hard-on one bit.
Yes, they should definitely start. He had thirty minutes to convince her to spend the whole night with him.
Of all the ways he’d envisioned his boring Friday night going, this particular scenario had definitely not been one of them.
He’d had a tough work-out today and had been happy to get some pizza with the team before heading home to take an ibuprofen for the muscle pain and then crash early.
He wasn’t at all upset his plans had changed.
Taking off his coat, he tossed it on a chair and realized his hands were shaking.
Strange. What the hell was this? Nerves?
He pushed the thought aside. When he turned back he found her sitting on the living room sofa waiting for him.
“We gonna do this here?” he asked.
She nodded. “For the trial period. If we decide to proceed, we can move into the bedroom.”
“Ah. Of course.” He drew in a breath. “All right. Here we go.”
Damn. This was starting to feel more like a selection board review. Only it wasn’t his command deciding the future of his Navy career.
Nope. It was his fake girlfriend making this determination. And what she was deciding—what was on the line—was his sexual future. The extent of his—their—pleasure. Together.
Sex was the one thing currently missing from his life. From his happiness. He had the career he’d wanted since he was a kid. He had the plan to keep his teammates off his ass and hopefully ditch that damn nickname. He’d—surprisingly—found a friend in Alicia.
And after tonight, hopefully he’d have a friend with benefits.
Fake dating plus real sex. It was a perfect scenario. If he could convince her.
Bring it on. He’d never backed down from a challenge and he wasn’t about to start now.
In fact, this might be the most fun challenge he’d ever accepted.
FIFTEEN
She’d made her decision.
Yes, Greg had broken her. Emotionally. Maybe even mentally too.
That text tonight had reminded her of how broken she was. Brought it all back in living color. Proved the cracks were still there inside her in spite of her attempts to heal.
The string of flings and dates since had done nothing to ease that feeling of pain and loss. Done nothing to fix her.
But for some reason, being with Brian during their fake dates helped.
She felt like she could have fun again. No pressure. No future. Just fun.
So why not have fun with him in bed too?
Men had meaningless, emotion-free sex with women all the time. If a man could do it, so could she. And she would.
She was going to enjoy all the pleasures Brian could offer and then act like nothing had happened between them.
If they proved to be compatible, physically, that was. And if he didn’t turn into some sort of ass during—or after.
So on to the grand experiment.
The trial.
She was pretty surprised he’d thought of the idea. But she enjoyed the concept. She certainly hoped she’d enjoy it in many ways.
She patted the sofa cushion next to her as he hovered a few yards away. Finally, he moved, walking around the coffee table and settling next to her.
“Do you want me to take anything off?” she asked.
Brian shook his head. “I can handle it. Later.”
“Okay.” Prepared to get started, she nodded and waited . . . and wondered when he’d be ready.
The seconds ticked by.
“Do you want a drink?” she asked to fill the silence.
“No. Thanks. I’m fine.”
Her offer must have knocked him into action because finally he moved, shifting a bit closer to her on the sofa before settling back against the cushion.
He patted his lap. “Come here.”
“You want me to sit in your lap?” she asked, to clarify what she found a surprising request.
“Yes. Please.” He nodded.
“All right.” She’d expected him to want to be the dominant one. Over her. On top of her. But she was fine with this too.
She stood and moved to stand in front of him.
Brian reached out and guided her with a hand on each of her hips until she was straddling his thighs. In this position, over him, she’d never felt sexier.
He ran a hand up her back, drawing her closer. So close tha
t his scent filled her nose. A combination of spice—men’s deodorant, maybe—with an undercurrent of mint—toothpaste, if she had to guess.
Leaning in, he looked like he was about to kiss her, when she remembered something.
After holding up one finger to halt his forward progress, she called over her shoulder in the general direction of the smart device in the room, “Alexa. Set a timer for thirty minutes.”
“Timer set for thirty minutes,” the feminine computerized voice responded.
“Thank you.” She turned back to face him. “Okay. Go ahead.”
He quirked up a brow. “You say thank you to your AI?”
“Yes. It’s important to be polite,” she told him.
“All right.” With one more glance toward the device before focusing back on her, he said, “I guess I’d better get moving since I’m on the clock.”
“Thirty minutes, as we agreed,” she reminded him.
“As we agreed,” he echoed before he palmed the back of her head and pulled her within kissing range.
The second his lips touched hers it was like a spark of electricity arced between them.
That had to be a good sign. A good kisser indicated he’d be good at other things. Things in which she hadn’t partaken recently thanks to a string of ridiculously bad dates, and Jen’s meddling and continued attempted fix-ups, both of which had turned her off men.
Of course, the spark between them could have been static electricity, so she’d reserve judgement until the end of the thirty minute trial period. That seemed like the smart thing to do.
But they were off to a good start. Better than a lot of the guys she’d seen lately.
Some of her most recent past dates—Mister Man Bun and Mister Small Batch Whiskey Connoisseur and, of course, Andrew Mister Never Take No for an Answer—hadn’t gotten nearly this far with her.
In order to make a fair and accurate assessment of his true kissing ability, they’d have to take the kiss deeper.
She angled her head and slipped her tongue between his lips.
He sucked in a breath through his nose and responded, his tongue tangling with hers.
She was enjoying the kiss, just fervent enough but not too aggressive, when he ran one hand up her thigh and beneath the hem of her skirt.
His action reminded her that she’d wanted to do a bit of exploring herself. She reached for the bottom of his shirt and, blindly as they continued to kiss, slipped her hands beneath it.
Fine hairs brushed against her palms as she moved her hands up the ridges of muscle that comprised his washboard stomach, all the way until she reached to the hard fullness of his pecs. She pinched two pebbled nipples and felt him suck in a breath.
She was just considering pulling off his shirt to give her hands more access to his Adonis-like torso, when he slipped one finger inside her underwear.
Brian hit a spot between her legs that had her drawing in a sharp breath and forgetting all about his shirt.
He circled her bundle of nerves, increasing the speed and pressure as the intensity of his kiss heightened along with the motion of his hand.
Panting, she had to break their lip-lock in order to breathe. She opened her eyes to find him smiling before he pulled his hand out of her underwear and tipped her off him and onto the sofa.
She ended up sprawled on her back, legs spread as he kneeled between them. Her underwear landed on the floor as her skirt rode high around her hips. That gave him all the access he needed as he leaned low between her thighs.
The heat of his mouth stoked the fire already smoldering inside her.
His tongue proved as talented as his fingers.
Even as the pleasure zinged through her, she lifted her hips higher, seeking more. So much more.
He slid his fingers inside, filling her, but only partially sating her need.
Tingles turned to full out convulsions and the orgasm slammed into her, ripping cries from her throat. Sounds she’d never made before. Noises that seemed to fuel his enthusiasm.
He slid one arm beneath her hips to raise her pelvis higher before he pressed a spot inside her that ratcheted the orgasm to another level. He worked her harder, faster, the pressure of his mouth and his fingers increasing until she abandoned any attempt at control over her own body.
Her muscles clenching, hips thrusting, she reached peaks she’d never attained before until her body’s autonomous response to his touch became almost frightening.
Planting a hand on his head, she pushed him away until he had to break contact with her.
He gazed at her as wiped his mouth, watching, waiting.
“Bedroom?” she gasped.
Brian glanced at the smart device on the side table across the room. “Thirty minutes aren’t up yet.”
“Alexa, cancel timer,” she called, breathless.
“Timer canceled.”
His lips twitched as he stood. “So this means your vote on our trial is a yes?”
She struggled to stand, balancing on wobbly legs as she tugged her skirt down but ignored her underwear on the carpet.
He was being a smart ass. That question was proof of it. She’d forgive him in light of the need that still ached inside her.
“Yes, I vote yes.” She reached to grab his hand and tried to pull him forward.
He stood his ground as she tugged in vain.
“What?” she asked, frowning.
He cocked a brow high and didn’t move. “Wait a minute. We agreed the decision has to be unanimous and I haven’t made my determination yet.”
She pulled her mouth to one side unhappily as he continued to tease her.
Okay, maybe all her rules had been over the top, but now wasn’t the time to debate that. Not when her insides still pulsed and she craved him so badly her stomach ached.
He rubbed his chin and stared at the ceiling, as if considering his decision before saying, “Okay. I guess I’ll vote yes, as well.”
“Are you done?” she asked, hoping this cocky smart-ass phase was a passing one and he was done joking around so they could get back to business.
Brian narrowed his eyes as his gaze swept up her disheveled appearance to finally land on her face.
“Sweetheart, I’m not nearly done yet.” He took the lead and pulled her by the hand, tugging her around the sofa and toward the hallway. “I hope you took your vitamins today and have plenty of energy. Because I can tell you right now, one time isn’t going to be enough.
Judging by what she’d experienced so far, she had to agree.
SIXTEEN
He wasn’t shaking anymore.
Not as he tossed Alicia onto the mattress. Not as he undid his belt and then the fly on his jeans. And not as he crawled onto the bed in nothing but a smile and one of the condoms he’d shoved in his pocket on the way out the door after receiving Alicia’s text.
It seemed that her loud and exuberant orgasm had knocked any nervousness right out of him. Good to know. He didn’t mind that remedy to conquer his nerves at all.
Or maybe it was his victory that had given him confidence.
He’d risen to the thirty-minute challenge she’d presented and had come away victorious—in half of the allowed time.
It was enough to swell a guy’s head—and other parts.
He glanced at Alicia on the bed. She waited silently for him to help her out of her clothes, which he did with quick, efficient movements.
It seemed that orgasm had knocked the bossy, control-freak nature out of her too. He was in control now.
Orgasms—a two-for-one cure all. He liked it. But he’d like Alicia, naked on the bed beneath him, best of all.
It had been a long time since he’d had this particular pleasure. Deployments got in the way of lots of everyday things that, when stateside, he took for granted. Sleep. A comfortable bed. Good food. And sex, most of all.
But he had to think the recent months of celibacy would make today even more satisfying.
The sight of her, naked, flu
shed, eyes bright, breathing quick and shallow, was doing a lot for his anticipation of this, the main event.
She widened her legs. That was all the prompting he needed. He wedged himself between them.
Braced above her, he watched her, as she watched him, her eyes heavily lidded with desire.
They were breaking the rules they’d set up that first night at McP’s. No kissing. No PDA. No sex.
Oh well. Rules were made to be broken.
He positioned his length at her entrance. One tip of his hips and he was seated deep inside her slick heat.
The sensation had his eyes slamming shut as all thought fled.
All that was left was the need to take her, hard and fast. His body demanded that he come deep inside her.
He could live to regret this but damn, right now, it was worth it. No matter what the consequences.
While she was beneath him, Alicia was a different person. No longer the analytical therapist. Just a woman. A woman on the verge of another orgasm if the growing crescendo of her cries was any indication.
He could help her with that. If he could just hold on a little bit longer himself.
Being inside a woman was nothing compared to his own hand—which had been his only pleasure for far too long. He was starting to reach the point of no return as he felt her body grip his.
“Yes,” he hissed as she buried her face against him and came, her cries muffled against his bare chest.
That sent him over the edge. He came hard and loud.
He was a shaky, sweaty mess when he finally collapsed on top of her.
“Damn.” Brian blew out a breath, spent, although he definitely wouldn’t mind a round two.
Her only answer to his comment was a short laugh.
“Your sister’s not having another party soon, is she?” he asked, with hope in his horny heart for another reason to see Alicia again.
“Knowing her, yes.” She let out a sigh and tried, unsuccessfully, to move with his weight on her.
Regretfully, he rolled over onto his back, freeing her.
She sat up against the pillows and asked, “You hungry?”
Now that she mentioned it . . . “Yeah. I could eat.”