by E. L. Todd
“No.” It was the only coherent word I could blurt out of my mouth.
His mouth moved to my neck, and he kissed me passionately, his full lips dragging against my skin and his tongue tasting me. His hand dug into the back of my hair, and he kept me still as he devoured me.
I closed my eyes and enjoyed it, wishing we were both naked.
He pressed me against the door and kept kissing me, like there were no more lines to cross.
It would be easy for me to get the door unlocked and invite him inside, but I found the courage to resist him. I pressed my hand against his chest and pushed him back. “No. This isn’t going to happen, Finn.”
“It’s already happening, baby.” He pulled away and looked me in the eye, the hunger burning in his gaze. “But we’ll do it your way.” He stepped back so there was some space between us. “You know where to find me when you change your mind.”
8
Colton
“What about this one?” I stepped out of the changing room in the collared shirt. It was gray and fitted, and it looked good with jeans and slacks.
“I like it.” Pepper looked me up and down with her arms crossed over her chest. “It’ll be perfect.”
“Awesome.” I walked back inside, changed back into my clothes, and then carried my stuff to the register. I would be doing training all week in San Diego, and I needed some new clothes. I’d lost some weight since leaving my old firm, and I wanted to make a good impression. The clerk charged everything, and I put it on a credit card. “Thanks for shopping with me today.”
“No problem,” she said. “I want you to look your best.”
I grabbed all the bags and walked out with her. “Too bad that apartment is already taken. I wish I could move back there.”
“Well…you never know. I suppose I could be really weird and drive him out of the apartment.”
“I’d rather you sleep with him, have a relationship, and then dump him so it’s really awkward and he has to move.”
“That seems mean…”
“He’d get laid, wouldn’t he?”
“You could just move back in with me,” she suggested.
It wasn’t the worst idea, but I knew that wouldn’t be appropriate. “I’m sure I’ll find something. I just really liked that apartment.”
“Yeah, I know what you mean.”
We got into the back of the taxi and then headed to Finn’s house.
“So, you never told me what happened with Tom,” she said, giving me a knowing look.
A blush entered my cheeks. “You really want to know?” I was open-minded about her sex life, but I didn’t want to hear all the details. This woman used to be my wife, the person I slept with every night. I doubt she wanted to hear me desire a man in a way I never desired her.
“Of course. We’re friends now. It really doesn’t bother me.”
I was glad we were finally in that place. “Well…it was pretty awesome.” A smile stretched my mouth apart as I couldn’t keep a straight face. “I took your advice and stayed confident. He didn’t know that it was my first time, and I don’t think I gave him any clues. We’re going out again when I get back to town.”
“That’s awesome,” she said, sounding sincere. “Is it everything you wanted it to be?”
I didn’t know how it would go. The only experience I had was through porn. “I’m definitely gay… I’ll leave it at that.”
She chuckled. “I can tell by that stupid smile on your face. I’ve never seen you happier.”
The comment made me sad because it was true. I was happy on my wedding day. I was happy every day in my marriage. But there had always been something missing. Now I finally found it.
We arrived at Finn’s house and walked inside.
In just his sweatpants, he was doing one-arm push-ups on the rug in front of the fireplace. With one hand behind his back, he slowly lowered himself to the floor then pushed back up. His body was coated with sweat, and his arms were swollen with the exerted muscle.
Pepper stopped and stared at him, her jaw practically on the floor.
I wasn’t surprised because I was used to seeing this every day. “He likes to show off.”
Finn turned his head and glanced at us as he finished one more push-up. He pushed off the ground and rose to his feet. His eyes went to Pepper first, his blue eyes vibrant from the exercise he’d just completed. With abs so chiseled they looked like small rocks, he walked toward us, still looking at Pepper. “Shopping?”
“I got some clothes for my trip,” I answered, even though Finn treated me like I wasn’t in the room. “Pepper helped me pick out a few things. I may be a gay man, but I don’t have great taste in clothes.”
With his hands on his hips, he finally turned to me. “When do you leave?”
“Tomorrow morning.”
“You need a lift to the airport?”
“You aren’t working?” I asked.
“Later in the day.”
“Then that would be cool,” I said. “Thanks.”
Finn turned his attention back to Pepper.
“Are you nervous?” Pepper asked, ignoring his stare and looking at me.
“A bit,” I said. “I’m nervous because I really want this to work out. We’ll basically be suing companies and corporations that violate the environmental laws of the country, so I won’t be dealing with small cases anymore. I’ll always be part of a legal team, which will be nice. And I actually care about what I’m fighting for. I never cared about real estate, the rich moguls and their mansions.” I rolled my eyes. “Rich bitch problems don’t interest me.”
Finn reluctantly pulled his gaze away from Pepper’s face. “And what about Tom? Does he know you’ll be gone?”
“Yeah, I said I would see him when I get back. If this goes somewhere, I’d like you to meet him.” He and Pepper would get along great. It wasn’t as obvious with Finn since my brother wasn’t a big talker.
“And we would love to get to know him,” Pepper said.
Finn walked into the kitchen, his body still glistening with sweat. “I was about to make dinner. You guys wanna join?”
“You know I’m always down for free food,” I said. “And if Pepper doesn’t eat here, she’ll starve tonight, unless she stops by Mega Shake on the way home.”
She gave me an angry glare. “I’ll take your new clothes with me and throw them in the trash on the way.”
Finn grabbed the ingredients from the fridge and laid everything out on the counter. “I’ll cook for three. Maybe you guys will be done arguing by the time it’s ready.”
“You don’t know us very well,” I said with a chuckle. “We never stop arguing.”
Finn drove me to the airport early in the morning.
“Thanks for the ride,” I said. “I know it’s early.”
“It’s fine.” He sipped his black coffee out of his thermos. “I’m awake this early anyway. I’ll hit the gym after I drop you off, then head to work.”
“Does it suck working twelve-hour shifts all the time?” I asked. “That’s such a long day.”
He shrugged. “I used to work for days at a time in the military—with no sleep. Plus, when I work twelve-hour shifts, I only have to work three days a week. That’s a fair trade to me.”
“But you usually work more than three days a week.” It seemed like four or five.
“That’s only because we’re backed up with patients. Not enough ER docs in the area to serve the population.”
“Hmm…maybe I should have been a doctor.”
He scoffed, like the suggestion was absurd.
“What?” I asked, mildly offended. “You don’t think I’m smart enough? I graduated from law school.”
“You nearly vomit anytime you get a little cut.”
“But that’s different. That’s my blood. It’s weird.”
He shook his head. “I had a patient come in with multiple stab wounds the other night. I had to give him a transfusion because he’d lo
st so much blood. If you can’t handle a cut on your hand, you wouldn’t have been able to handle that.”
Alright, he had a point. “I’ll stick with being a lawyer, then…”
“Good call.” He pulled into the terminal and stopped in front of the airline I was taking. “You’ll be gone for a whole week? I’m excited to have the house to myself for once.”
“Yes, I’m sure you’ll have a fuck-a-thon.”
He dropped his playful attitude as he watched me grab my suitcase from behind the seat.
I came back to the window and waved. “Thanks for the ride, man. I’ll see you when I get back.”
He raised his hand. “Yeah…I’ll see you then.”
It seemed like he wanted to say something more, but since this was an unloading zone only, I knew we couldn’t have a long conversation. I waved and walked off.
I checked in to my hotel and hung up my new clothes in the closet.
Zach called me, so I took the call as I organized my things. “Hey, what’s up?”
“Are you in San Diego already?”
“Yep. Just unpacking my stuff. What’s up?”
“Not sure what to do about Stella.”
“Last time I saw you guys, you were going at it like dogs in the back of the club.”
“Yeah, and it was super-hot. But she seems to only care about that dumb asshole brother of yours.”
I talked shit about my brother from time to time, but it was always in a playful way. I didn’t tolerate any insults directed at my family, even if it was a joke or pent-up anger. “Don’t call my brother an asshole, alright?” He wasn’t just a veteran, but a loyal brother. And even if he weren’t those things, I would still defend him.
“I’m just frustrated that Stella is still hung up on him. I mean, I’m glad she’s using me to make him jealous, but when he’s not around, she drops me. It’s annoying.”
“You knew from the beginning Stella didn’t want you. She’s just using you.”
“Yeah, but I want her to keep using me.”
“But since that’s not going to go anywhere, do you still want to do that?”
He was quiet for a long time. “This is Stella we’re talking about. She’s fucking gorgeous. Of course I want her in any way I can get her.”
“Well, she’s egotistical. So if you really want a shot at her, you should drop her.”
“What?” he asked in surprise. “You kidding me?”
“Just like with Finn, drop her and seem indifferent. She’ll be wounded by your rejection, so she’ll actually want you to want her. Then she’ll chase you.”
“Or make out with some other guy to make me jealous…”
“I doubt it. She’ll make a move first.”
“That’s not a bad idea, Colton. Thanks for the advice.”
“No problem.” I looked through my suitcase and searched for my notes. The company asked me to prepare a few things for the meeting, but they were nowhere to be found. I removed all my clothes and hair products and realized they weren’t there.
Then I remembered where I left them.
On my bed.
“Shit, I’ve got to go, Zach.” Without waiting for him to respond, I hung up and called Finn.
It went to voice mail.
I forgot he was at work. I called Pepper next.
“Hey, I need a favor,” I blurted. “I was an idiot and left all my paperwork behind on my bed.”
“So you brought all your new clothes but forgot the one thing you actually needed?” she asked sarcastically.
“I don’t have time for this. I need you to go to Finn’s place, grab the papers, and one-day ship them to me.”
“Why don’t you just have Finn do it?”
“He’s at work.”
“Ooh…well, I don’t have a key.”
“There’s a spare in the flowerpot by the door. You’ll do this for me, right?”
She sighed like it was the last thing she wanted to do, which was strange because she never minded helping me with anything. “Yeah, sure. But you’re sure Finn isn’t home? I don’t want to just barge in on him.”
“Yes. When he dropped me off, he said he had to work, and he’s not answering his phone.”
“Alright.”
“And he wouldn’t care if you showed up anyway. This is important.”
She didn’t respond to that. “I’ll swing by when I get off work.”
“But that’s in two hours…”
“It’s not going to get there any faster if I pick it up in two hours.”
“Yeah, I guess that’s true…”
“Honestly, it’s three o’ clock now, so it wouldn’t get processed until tomorrow anyway. So would that even work?”
“The meeting isn’t until Tuesday, so if you could ship it out first thing in the morning, that could work.”
“Alright. I’ll do it Tuesday morning, then.”
“Thanks so much, Pepper. I owe you one.”
“Oh, Colton…you owe me more than just one.”
9
Pepper
The Uber dropped me off at the house, and I walked to the front door. The only reason I agreed to this was because Finn wasn’t there. There was no way I would walk into the house if it would be just the two of us. With couches, beds, and booze everywhere, it couldn’t end well. My panties would be flung onto the lamp, and the rest of my clothes would be spread out everywhere else, like eggs hidden on Easter Sunday.
I found the key in the flowerpot then let myself inside. It was dead quiet, so it seemed like I was alone. I took the stairs to the second floor and made my way down the hallway. I’d been to the second floor once before when I was picking out his furniture, but I hadn’t been there since. The master bedroom belonged to Finn, so one of these spare rooms must be Colton’s.
A door opened, and footsteps sounded a second later.
Shit.
When the footsteps stopped, I knew he was standing right behind me. I didn’t want to turn around and face him, see those pretty blue eyes look at me with such imminent desire. That man could reduce me to skin, bone, and hormones with just a look.
I slowly turned around. When I laid my eyes on him, I knew I was in serious trouble.
He stood with a towel around his waist, his skin covered in droplets from the shower. His hair was slightly damp and messy, like he’d rubbed the towel on his scalp before securing it around his narrow hips. Tanned skin was prevalent under the dark ink. His hard chest led to narrow hips, and farther down, to a perfectly manicured happy trail, a chiseled V in his hips, and a prominent vein emerging from underneath the towel.
Double shit.
With his chiseled arms hanging by his sides, he stared me down with that same look he gave me in public and behind closed doors. He didn’t seem to care that I’d broken in to his house and trespassed on his property without permission. It was an afterthought to him.
Seeing him practically naked put me in a fog. I’d seen him shirtless more often than dressed, but seeing him in that short little towel that showed off his muscular thighs and calves was like dangling crack in front of an addict. “What are you doing here?” I blurted out the question, so unnerved that I couldn’t think of something better to say
His right eyebrow rose slowly. “I live here.”
“Colton said you were at work.” I crossed my arms over my chest, like that would protect me from this threat.
He slowly walked toward me, his footsteps muffled by the new carpet.
Oh no.
His eyes were focused on my face as if an invisible target was on my forehead. He moved slowly, a predator carefully approaching its prey. “It was slow at the hospital. I came home early.”
“But it’s never slow…” He told me he had to work late all the time because there weren’t enough doctors to serve the population. On average, he was stuck in the ER for an extra three hours for every shift, and he got called in all the time. And it just had to be slow today? The universe was seriousl
y conspiring against me. I was alone in the house with him, Colton was two states away, and Finn was dressed in a little towel with drops of water on his shoulders.
He stopped in front of me, his hand moving to my neck.
I couldn’t let this happen. His fingertips felt searing hot against my skin, and the scent of his soap lowered my inhibitions better than booze. If I didn’t get out of there now, I’d end up naked on his bed—and I would never leave. I stepped back. “Finn, no—”
He grabbed his towel and yanked it off his waist.
My eyes immediately went down south.
He dropped the towel onto the ground and stood there proudly, his eyes watching my reaction.
I couldn’t resist a look at the monster between his legs. Long, thick, and perfectly groomed, he had a package he should be proud of. It was a woman’s dream, a cock that was just impressively thick as it was long. It was semi-hard, getting harder the longer I stared at his formidable size. “Uh…wow.” I swallowed the lump in my throat then lifted my gaze to meet his.
He wore the same dark expression, like he wasn’t going to let me leave that house until he’d finally had me. He closed the distance between us then dug his hand deep into my hair. He yanked on the strands and tilted my chin up so he could stare down at me, like an animal that was about to attack another. He claimed me with his look, telling me that I was his. Even if he let go, I wouldn’t walk away. He angled his neck down and kissed me, pressing those beautiful full lips against mine.
And took my breath away.
The second he’d dropped that towel, my restraint disappeared. Now that we were locked in a heated embrace, I definitely couldn’t walk away. My mind and body both accepted defeat. I slid my hands up his slightly wet chest as I returned his kiss, feeling the same passion as I did the last time we were locked together.
His hands yanked up my shirt so they could slide across the bare skin of my back. His fingers dug into me as he squeezed me, pulled me against his chest, and the hard dick between us kept us slightly apart.