by E. L. Todd
A car pulled up to the curb, and both Pepper and Stella got out.
Zach glanced at Stella then turned back to me. “What’s she doing here?”
I shrugged. “Pepper told me she was coming. Didn’t mention Stella.”
Pepper stopped in her tracks and threw her arms down. “Oh. My. God.”
Stella jumped up and down. “It’s a puppy!”
Soldier took off at a run and ran right toward Pepper. He leaned back on his hind legs and pawed at her chest, making a bark or two.
Finn commanded him with a bark of his own. “Soldier, down.”
“Oh, he’s fine.” Pepper kneeled down and rubbed him everywhere, letting him lick her cheek. “Soldier, huh? You sound like a badass dog.”
Soldier barked.
“He’s so cute.” Stella leaned down and scratched him behind the ears.
Finn stood with his arms over his chest, watching the girls play with his new dog.
“Damn,” Zach said. “They’re hogging the dog…”
“There will be plenty of time for you to play with him later,” Finn said, amused.
Stella let Pepper have Soldier, and she walked right up to Zach, ignoring Finn and me like we weren’t there. “I wanted to apologize for before. I was using you, and it was wrong. You’re my friend, and that’s not how friends treat each other.”
It was a nice apology, but not exactly what Zach wanted to hear. He definitely didn’t want to be her friend.
But he would be an ass if he didn’t accept her apology. “Thanks for saying that. I forgive you.”
“Wow.” She crossed her arms over her chest. “You’re forgiving.”
He shrugged. “I’m not one to hold a grudge—especially against you.”
She smiled, her eyes filling with affection. “Well, do you want to go out with me sometime?”
Zach almost did a double take, as if he couldn’t believe what she’d just said. He looked at me then turned back to her. “Like, a date date? You know, where two people have a drink and then maybe grind up on each other against the door when they say goodnight? Or a drink between friends?”
She chuckled. “The first one. Is that a yes?”
“Uh, it’s a hell yes.”
I turned away from them and looked at Pepper, who had managed to rub Soldier so good he was lying on his side in the driveway with his eyes closed. His tongue hung out, and he looked like the happiest dog in the world.
Finn slowly walked toward her, his arms crossed. “Be careful. He’ll like you more than me.”
“Too late.” She rubbed him behind the ears, which seemed to be his favorite spot. “He’s so cute. Where did you find him?”
“He’s a retired K-9 dog. I thought we would have a lot in common.”
“That sounds perfect,” she said. “You guys will get along so well.”
“As long as you don’t come between us,” he teased.
She smiled at him. “I can’t promise anything.”
15
Pepper
Stella and Zach left to go on their date, so I stayed in the living room with Soldier on my lap. He lay across me and continued to let me pet him, being the perfect, but also the heaviest, lap dog.
Finn sat on the other couch and watched us, a beer in his hand. “You’re going to make him lazy.”
“He’s worked so hard all his life.” Whenever I looked into those chocolate-covered eyes, I got so lost. He was the cutest dog ever. “He deserves to be pampered and coddled.”
“That’s not why I got him.” Finn glanced at the TV from time to time, but he didn’t seem to be watching it.
“Then why did you get him?” Colton asked. “To grab the paper from the doorstep every morning?”
“To jog with me,” Finn said.
Colton lay on the couch with his feet resting on the other armrest. “I think you should use him to get laid. Judging by the way Pepper has been all over him, that dog is a chick magnet.”
No. Finn was the chick magnet. “You could definitely get a lot of admirers jogging through the park with this guy.”
“I don’t want any admirers,” Finn said automatically.
Colton’s phone vibrated in his pocket, so he fished it out then stood up. “Tom is here. I’ll see you guys later.”
If Colton left, that meant I would be alone with Finn—in a house. That would not be good. “Where are you going?” When I stopped rubbing Soldier, he rubbed his nose against my hand so I would keep petting him.
Colton headed toward the front door. “I’ve got a hot date tonight. Don’t wait up.”
“Tonight?” I asked incredulously. “It’s Thursday.”
“So?” Colton asked with a raised eyebrow. “Everyone should get laid every night of the week.”
“I second that.” Finn raised his glass.
“See you later.” Colton walked out and shut the door behind him.
When I came over here with Stella, I didn’t anticipate being alone with Finn. But somehow, it worked out that way. Stella and Zach took off, and apparently, Colton had a date with his new boyfriend, a relationship that seemed to be getting more serious by the day. This was a situation I hadn’t anticipated.
The second Colton was gone, the heat cranked up to a sweltering degree. The tension was suffocating, and the distraction of the TV wasn’t enough. I was very aware of how alone we were, how it was unlikely Colton would return anytime soon. That gave us all the privacy in the world. We could return to fucking like rabbits and coming all over each other.
Now it was all I could think about.
He turned and looked at me, as if he was thinking the same thing.
Whenever those blue eyes were on me, my throat went dry and my fingers numb. He made me feel so weak, made me forget the reason why we stopped fucking in the first place. Colton made it clear how much it would bother him if this happened. It was a bad idea—if I wanted to keep my best friend. “I should probably get going…getting late.” I moved out of Soldier’s way, then stood up.
Finn kept watching me. “I can drive you.”
“No,” I said quickly, knowing what would happen if he walked me to my door. I pulled out my phone and ordered an Uber.
Soldier moved to the floor and sat on the dog bed in front of the fireplace. He got comfortable and closed his eyes.
Finn hadn’t looked back at the TV once.
“Don’t look at me like that…”
“Like what?” His deep voice was so sexy, so much sexier when it was just the two of us and I could focus on it.
“You know.”
“This is how I always look.”
“But it’s not how you look at everyone.” I glanced at my phone and saw the driver was eight minutes away.
“You got me there.” He took a drink of his beer then set it on the end table. He never looked back at the TV, choosing to look at me instead.
It was impossible to be alone with this man. My thoughts kept drifting to the sweaty memories of us together, our bodies climaxing and our moans echoing. My throat was parched, and my knees kept rubbing together. “I think I’m just going to wait outside…” I rose to my feet and walked past him toward the door.
He grabbed me by the leg and yanked me on top of him. “I miss you.” His hand moved into my hair, and he pulled me close to him, our foreheads touching. “I miss you so fucking much.”
“No…” I had to stay strong.
“Baby.” He cupped my cheek and kissed me on the mouth.
I kissed him back automatically, because that was what my mouth desired most. But I pulled back and pressed against his chest. “He could walk in the door at any moment.”
“I don’t give a damn.” He pushed down the front of his sweatpants and revealed his big and beautiful dick.
I looked at it and felt the withdrawals hit me. My vibrator was no match for what I missed most. My tongue swiped across my bottom lip automatically as I remembered how well he stretched me, how he made me feel like a goddess,
not just a woman.
“One more time, baby.”
I closed my eyes and tried to fight it, but I couldn’t. I wanted this man so much, wanted to ride his dick just as I fantasized. I wanted to come all over him…over and over.
He grabbed my phone and canceled the Uber.
I looked at the thick vein in his dick and felt my resistance wane. Now I didn’t care if Colton walked in and saw us. I wanted to push that thick crown past my lips and fuck him until my legs started to shake with exertion. I wanted to fuck him and make him forget about Layla, to feel like he belonged me to again.
I unbuttoned my jeans.
The second I caved, he ripped off my shirt and unclasped my bra. Then he helped me get my jeans off because he was too impatient to wait for me to do it myself. My jeans and panties were left on the floor while his boxers and sweatpants rested around his ankles.
My legs straddled his hips, and I pressed his thick crown to my entrance. With a subtle push and moans from us both, I slowly sank down, feeling that hot and hard dick stretch me wide apart.
He closed his eyes and squeezed both of my hips. “Fuck…this pussy.” This man was strong and silent, but when he was fucking, he was easier to read than an open book. He didn’t withhold his pleasure, making me feel like the sexiest thing in the world. His large hands gripped me tightly like he wouldn’t let me leave no matter how hard I tried. I was his—I didn’t have a choice in the matter.
My hands flattened against his chest, and I used his strong frame for balance. I could feel the heat from the fireplace against my back, vaguely hear the sound of the TV coming from behind me. If the front door opened at that moment, I probably wouldn’t even notice it.
I slowly moved up and down, allowing my cunt to coat him with slickness. Once his dick was completely wet from tip to balls, my cream started to build up at the base of his length, my arousal so profound that this man would never need to lube up.
My fingers gently pressed into him as I stared at his handsome face, his clean jaw and those kissable lips. His eyes were the most stunning, so blue and beautiful. They didn’t stare at me with his usual hardness. He gave me a special look no one else had the opportunity to see.
Not even Layla.
I knew I’d gotten myself into a bad situation when I didn’t hop in that Uber. Better yet, I should have asked for a ride from Colton when I had the chance. No good could come of this. It would just make it harder to be around Finn. But my jealousy toward Layla had a lot to do with my weakness. I didn’t want him to get so horny that he called her for the one-night stand she enthusiastically put on the table. I didn’t want to share this man—even when he wasn’t mine anymore. “Just tonight…”
He pushed his feet against the ground and thrust his hips against me. His hands kneaded my ass, and he kept thrusting his soaked cock inside me. “Tonight.”
My alarm went off the next morning, and I woke up beside Finn, his muscular frame taking up half the bed. He was on his side facing me, sexy as hell when his hair was messed up from my eager fingers.
Soldier lay at the foot of the bed, taking up almost as much space as his owner.
I grabbed my phone and turned off the alarm, immediately remembering what had happened last night. We had sex on the couch three times before we wound up in his bedroom. He carried me upstairs, fucked me one more time, and then made me pass out on his comfortable sheets.
I’d missed this bed.
I’d missed this man more.
Finn woke up at the sound of my movements, and he moved on top of me.
“I have to get to work…”
His legs separated mine, and he pinned my hands above my head. Even when he was half asleep, he was still the authoritative lover who made my legs throb with intensity. He tilted his hips and pressed his thick crown inside me, finding it with no effort. Then he slowly sank deep inside me.
And just like that, my resistance was gone.
He released my hands and kissed me, disregarding our morning breath. His tongue danced with mine as he kept thrusting inside me, sliding past the slickness that poured at his demand.
My arms locked around him, and I let him take me, let him own me. This man was so incredible in the sack that my body left my command and fell under his. I kissed him back as I felt him move deep inside me, bringing me to climax at lightning speed.
“Quiet, baby.” His hand fisted my hair, and he thrust harder, doing his best to fuck me without tapping the headboard against the wall.
Staying quiet wasn’t one of my strong suits, at least not with Finn. My mouth moved into his neck, and I forced myself to be quiet, but what I shushed in my voice was amplified with my body. I bucked against him involuntarily, and my cunt gripped him with the strength of steel.
“Fuck.” He sounded like he could feel it, feel the crushing force of my climaxing pussy. He gave his final pumps as I finished, then he came inside me, his dick throbbing as he finished.
If only every morning could be like that.
He rolled off me then closed his eyes again, as if he could fall back asleep.
I wished I could stay there and blow off my job. I wished I could spend the morning with him while Colton was at work. But I knew this was a one-time thing and I shouldn’t get attached. Nothing had changed. But I did learn that I needed to avoid being alone with him at all costs…at least until we both really moved on.
I got out of bed and got dressed.
When Soldier realized it was time to wake up, he hopped off the bed and moved to the door, ready to go outside to do his business.
After a long sigh, Finn got out of bed. “I’ll see if Colton is around.” He pulled on his sweatpants and stepped out.
I sat on the edge of the bed and waited for the sound of noise. I couldn’t even hear Finn’s footsteps after he was downstairs, and if Colton was in his bedroom or the bathroom, he wasn’t audible.
Minutes later, Finn returned. “I’ll drive you home.”
“You’re certain he’s not here?”
“Yep. I checked everywhere. Soldier couldn’t find him either.”
If a police dog couldn’t find him, then he definitely wasn’t in the house. “I’ll call an Uber, then.”
“Don’t be stupid. I’ll drive you.”
“You don’t have to—”
The look on his face was all he needed to shut me up.
“Alright…”
We went downstairs and spotted Soldier through the back window. He was running around on the grass, stretching his legs and getting his paws wet from the dew on the lawn.
“He loves it here,” I said as I followed him to the kitchen.
“Yeah, he’s a good dog. Obedient and quiet.”
“And he’s cute, affectionate, loving…”
He shrugged. “Those aren’t the traits I’m looking for.”
“Then why did you get him?” I countered.
He grabbed his wallet and keys off the counter.
“Because you thought he was cute,” I said with victory. “Just admit it.”
“Cute isn’t in my vocabulary.”
“You don’t think I’m cute?” I asked, propping one hand on my hip.
He looked me in the eye as he pulled on his sweater and zipped it up. “No.”
“No?” I asked, offended.
“Cute is the word you use to describe a litter of kittens. You’re a full-grown woman, with sexy curves and perfect tits. You aren’t even close to being cute.”
I used to find the word complimentary, but Finn’s opinion suddenly made me grateful that he didn’t find me cute, that he found me to be the definition of sexy. Colton used to call me cute all the time. Now it was no wonder he turned out to be gay—because he’d never found me to be sexy. “That’s—”
The front door opened and closed. “Coffee better be ready. I can barely keep my eyes open.”
My eyes nearly popped out of my head as the terror gripped me by the chest. Instead of conversing in the kitchen, we
should have left when we had the chance. Colton must have come home to get ready for work instead of bringing his clothes to Tom’s place.
Finn kept his cool even though we were in some serious shit. He opened the door to the pantry then nodded for me to get inside.
I was glad he thought quickly on his feet because I had no idea where to hide. I stepped inside, and he shut the door behind me.
It was pitch-black inside, only lines of light coming through the cracks in the doorway.
Colton’s feet grew louder as he entered the kitchen. “No coffee?”
It was amazing how calm Finn was. His brother had almost walked in and caught us sneaking around behind his back. That would be the most disturbing way for him to find out his brother was screwing his ex-wife. “Not yet. Was just about to make a pot.”
“Got a late start?”
Finn poured the grounds into the maker, then flipped the button on the machine. “Getting used to Soldier.”
“That dog is a chick magnet. When you take him for a jog through the park, women are gonna be stuck to you like glue…even though they already are.”
Finn chose to be humble and didn’t comment. “How was your night?”
“Awesome. I got a home-cooked meal and sex. What about you?”
“Pretty quiet night.” The coffeemaker started to make the gurgling noises, and soon the coffee was dripping.
“When did Pepper leave?”
“A few minutes after you did. She took an Uber.”
“I’m surprised you didn’t drive her,” he said sarcastically.
“She didn’t want me to. So, are you going to work today? Because you shouldn’t be late when you’re this new.”
“We start an hour late today. Have a big meeting.”
Ugh, that information would have been helpful yesterday.
Their conversation died away, and I assumed they both poured mugs of coffee.
I was already late to work, and now I wouldn’t get the shop open for at least another hour. I would just walk out and face the consequences, but these were not the kind of consequences I wanted to face.
Colton’s voice sounded from the dining table, which was out of sight of the garage door. “Work today?”