PMU Boxset 2

by MacMillan, Jerica

  After hanging the blue men’s button-down shirt she wore to paint in on the door handle, Megan gave Abby a hug. “Yes, you did. Because you’re an awesome best friend. And it’s my turn to be awesome in return by not making you do what I would want, but setting up a party you would want.”

  Abby hugged her back. “Thank you. Who else are you inviting?”

  “Just us. You, me, Chris, Lance, and Matt. Maybe Hannah if she’s around still.”

  Abby raised an eyebrow. “My birthday’s only a few weeks away.”

  “I know. But, like I said, Matt’s been tight lipped about her. I don’t know if it’s more than a super short-term thing. I think it’s more serious than that. I still need to figure it out for sure, though. If she seems like she’ll be around for a while, I’ll invite her. I want to get to know her better. And you need to meet her. Maybe I can get some answers out of her.”

  Shaking her head, Abby couldn’t hold back her grin. “Okay. At least I’m not the sole focus of your information-gathering activities these days. It’s nice to have that spread out. Less exhausting for me.”

  Megan glared at her, slapping the light switch on their way out of her studio. “Whatever. You wouldn’t be the disgustingly happy chick you are now if it weren’t for my constant need to drag information out of you. You should thank me.”

  She opened her mouth to argue, but decided it wasn’t worth it. “Thank you.”

  “That’s right you’re thankful.”

  Abby laughed and checked the time on her phone. She had a missed text from Lance asking how much longer she would be. “It looks like Lance is off work. I guess I better get going.”

  Chris sat up on the couch and turned around. “Tell that jackass to get over here, and we can all have dinner. I’m starving.”

  Megan raised her eyebrows. “Well, how can he say no to an invitation like that?”

  Giggling, Abby texted Lance to let him know she was done modeling and that he should come over. Even though nothing was resolved with Aaron, and she knew he’d come back asking for money now that Lance had given him some, Abby felt better for being surrounded by friends who cared about her and made her laugh.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  Lance closed the door behind him, the apartment feeling hot after being outside in his workout clothes.

  Abby stood by the couch, sliding her arms into the sleeves of her jacket and pulling the hair out of the neck of her coat, her face brightening at the sight of him. “Hey. I didn’t expect you back yet.”

  Lance took two steps forward and kissed her. “Yeah. Coach Hanson worked us hard, but let us go early. Chris is looking good. Better than I’ve ever seen him.”

  “Do you think he’ll make it to the draft?”

  Lance shrugged. “I don’t know. I hope so.” Chris had become more focused than ever since he’d registered for the Regional Combines. It was a long shot, but not impossible. And since he only had this one shot, he trained like his life depended on it. Lance and Matt trained with him, because running drills alone sucked, especially when you’re used to having teammates pushing you to do better, work harder. And Lance liked that it kept him from getting fat and lazy.

  Abby stretched up on tiptoe and kissed him again. He trapped her against him, sliding his arms under her open coat and around her waist, up under the hem of her shirt to the bare skin of her back.

  She shivered and pulled away, her eyes wide. “Your fingers are freezing!”

  He grinned down at her. “Wanna warm ‘em up for me?”

  “Hmm. Maybe later. Like after you take a shower. I was going to go to the grocery store. We ran out of milk, and we’re almost out of a few other things.”

  Turning, he tugged her by the hand toward their bedroom. “Join me in the shower, and I’ll come to the store with you after.”

  Dragging her feet, Abby made a show of resistance. “But we need food.”

  He couldn’t help chuckling. He liked when she played hard to get. “Mhmm. And we’ll get food. After.”

  Her blue eyes grew darker, her lids getting heavier, the pink flush coming to her cheeks that appeared when she got turned on. “After your shower, huh?”

  “Our shower.”

  “I already showered.”

  He stripped off his sweatshirt and the T-shirt underneath, pulling her in close and wrapping his arms around her, her coat making it less enjoyable than usual. “Mmm. Yeah. I can make you dirty again, though.”

  A grin spread across her face. “I bet you can.”

  Pushing her coat off her shoulders, he ran his hand under her shirt again, lifting it up and stripping it off her. She didn’t resist. Her bra came off next. He never could get enough of the feel of her skin against his, the way her softness yielded to him, her breasts pushing against his chest, the smoothness of her skin all over.

  Her hands went to his waist, pulling the waistband of his shorts and boxer briefs out and down, freeing his cock. He groaned when her hand encircled him, squeezing and pumping in short strokes. With his hand at the nape of her neck, he pulled her to him, crashing their lips together. What started out playful turned sharp with need.

  His free hand fumbled with her button and zipper, finally getting them undone, pushing at her jeans one handed. She pulled back and finished taking off her clothes, kicking her shoes off in the process. Lance did the same, going into the bathroom and turning on the shower to let the water warm up.

  Their bath/shower combo didn’t have much more room than the shower stall at his old house, but no glass walls meant they had more space to maneuver. Shower sex had become a possibility. Having Abby wet and slippery under his hands sounded like the best thing he could think of right now.

  He turned around, and she was there, twining around him, her naked body pressed against his, her lips skating over his chest despite the fact that he’d been sweating buckets less than an hour before and he could smell himself.

  “Abby.” It came out as a groan, because just then her hand slid down between his legs and cupped his balls, making his cock twitch against her.

  She smiled, that sexy, closed mouth smile that he loved, that she only got when they were together like this. That was just for him.

  Unable to get out more words, he slid the shower curtain back and coaxed Abby inside, situating her under the warm spray. It bounced off her as she tilted her head back, wetting her hair, the water misting around them, steam rising over the top of the shower.

  He grabbed the body wash before she could, squeezing a generous amount into his palm and rubbing his hands together to form a lather. When he reached for her, she squeaked out a protest. “I thought you were the one needing a shower.”

  With a chuckle, he soaped her up, starting with her shoulders and working his way down her arms. “Yeah, well. I wanted to wash you. Just enjoy it. Then you can wash me.”

  She sighed, but it was a sound of contentment, not resignation. He turned her around so he could wash her back, avoiding her most sensitive parts, washing down her legs, reaching around to wash her stomach before sliding his hands up to her breasts. He spent extra time there, and she leaned back against him, enjoying his touch as much as he enjoyed touching her. With one hand still on her breast circling her taut nipple, he slid his other hand down her front, running along the place where her thigh joined her torso, then further in, sliding his fingers over her slippery wetness.

  She gasped, arching against him, and he reached back farther to slide a finger inside, withdrawing to brush over her clit. He kept his touch light until she started pushing against his hand, seeking more friction. And he gave it to her, increasing the speed and pressure of his touch, thrusting two fingers inside her hard while continuing to stimulate her clit with the heel of his palm. She let out a small cry as she tensed and released against him, her muscles clenching around his fingers.

  He brought her down, withdrawing his hand and turning for a slow kiss, his cock harder than ever and poking against her belly. As she recovered from her
orgasm, she pressed against him, her hand coming between them to squeeze him.

  Breaking the kiss, she reached for the body wash and smiled at him. “My turn.”

  They switched places so he could stand under the water, and she lathered every part of him, returning the tease by touching him everywhere except where he wanted to feel her touch the most.

  And when she did, he almost dropped to the floor, his knees weak at the feel of her hand slippery with soap sliding up and down his shaft. She pushed him back farther under the spray of the water, continuing to run one hand up and down his cock, the other sliding all over his body to help rinse away the soap. When she was satisfied, she knelt in front of him, tugging him closer with her hand on his cock, but he resisted, his hand circling her wrist and pulling her up.

  “Huh-uh. I don’t want a blowjob right now. I want to be inside you, to feel you coming around me.” He lifted her, propping her ass on the tiny ledge at waist height on the shower wall, his hands under her thighs as he sank into her heat.

  She clung to him, her arms over his shoulders and around his neck, her legs wrapped around his waist, letting out small noises of pleasure with each thrust. His muscles strained, his legs trembling after the grueling workout he’d just been through, but he didn’t care. The feeling of Abby wrapped all around him was worth any amount of pain, and he fought through the burn in his muscles, thrusting into her with slow measured strokes until he felt her getting close.

  Needing her to get there with him, he brought one hand between them, his thumb slipping down to rub on her clit while he sped up his thrusts inside her. In seconds she clenched around him, and he lost all sense of rhythm and finesse, pounding into her and chasing his own release.

  With one final push inside her, he spilled himself as deep inside her as he could get, his face buried against her neck as he relaxed and came down. He kissed the side of her neck, tasting the water coating her skin, the shower still spraying around them, cooler now that they’d been in there so long.

  She lifted his head, kissing him on the mouth, her tongue finding its way past his lips. He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her off the ledge and slipping out of her to set her back on her feet, unable to continue supporting her if he was going to stay on his own feet.

  She turned under the spray and rinsed off, switching places with him so he could do the same before they turned off the shower. She kissed him again when she handed him his towel, hers already wrapped around her.

  They dried off and got dressed while still exchanging looks and little touches, the comfortable intimacy of being an established couple still leaving Lance feeling surprised and happy that this was his life. He still had Abby’s engagement ring hidden in the pocket of his suitcase where he’d stashed it after their Christmas trip. He thought about getting it, proposing now. But no, he wanted the moment to be special, planned out, not a post-sex afterthought. Something special to prove to her how much she meant to him.

  “So you had a good workout today?”

  Abby’s voice drew Lance out of his thoughts. He grinned at her and winked. “The post-workout session was pretty good, too.”

  She blushed, and he laughed. She’d gotten more forward when they were in the moment, but she still blushed like a virgin whenever he talked about sex any other time.

  Ignoring his laughter, she pulled her shirt over her head. “How’s Matt doing? I haven’t seen him in forever it seems like.”

  “Yeah, he’s pretty busy with his new girl.”

  Abby scrunched up her face. “It’s so hard for me to see Matt with a girlfriend.”

  Lance laughed out loud at that.

  “What’s so funny?”

  He shook his head, still chuckling. “It’s just funny that you accept Chris and I having girlfriends like it’s no big deal, but Matt with a girl is hard for you to imagine. He’s the only one that’s even had a relationship of the three of us.”

  Abby crossed her arms. “Maybe so, but I’ve only known you in a relationship.” She gave him a pointed look. “And I know that Chris was more of a manwhore than you, but I never really saw him in action. I’ve seen Matt hooking up at parties. I mean, I haven’t actually seen that, but you know, I’ve seen him hitting on chicks and then leaving with them. I assume they were hooking up.”

  Lance couldn’t help laughing at Abby’s flaming cheeks as she discussed Matt’s sex life. “Yeah. He wasn’t celibate between girlfriends, but he always preferred a relationship to random hookups. It’s been a while for him, though. I think this last time was the longest I’ve seen him between girlfriends. Over a year.”

  Abby thought that over as they continued getting ready to go to the store, the grocery shopping delayed but not forgotten. “Did he tell you anything about her? Megan mentioned that she’s met her, but doesn’t know much about her yet. At least she didn’t the last time we talked. You know Megan, though. That may have changed by now.”

  “Yeah. Hannah, Matt’s girlfriend, was over there today modeling for Megan. According to Chris, Megan was planning on cornering Hannah afterward today and dragging all the details about their relationship out of her since Matt won’t tell her anything. Matt told Coach he’d have to leave early today, desperate to get home and stop her. That’s why he ran us so hard. But Matt got his wish. I don’t know if that’ll do him much good, though.”

  “Yeah, Megan’ll try to drag information out of her whether Matt steps in or not. If not today, it’ll happen eventually.”

  Lance led the way out to the car. “Matt’s happier than I’ve seen him in a while, so I’m glad he’s found someone. Even if he won’t tell anyone anything about her.”

  “Not even you guys?”

  He shook his head. “Not really. He says they knew each other before. I guess they met a couple years ago over the summer when he was back home. And she’s a junior this year with a marketing major. That’s all I know.”

  “That’s more than I knew.”

  He glanced over at her as a streetlight illuminated her profile. “Hopefully we’ll get to meet her soon. He seems pretty serious about her.”

  “Yeah? Megan said she’d invite her to my birthday party if she seemed likely to stick around. If you can tell Matt’s serious about her, then I’m sure Megan can too. We’ll get to meet her in a couple weeks at least.”

  Lance raised an eyebrow. “That’s good, I guess. Are you okay with a random stranger at your tiny birthday party?”

  He caught her nod out of the corner of his eye as he turned into the store parking lot. “You sure?” He knew Abby felt uncomfortable around people she didn’t know, and he also knew that she’d accommodate someone else to keep the peace, even on her birthday. But it was her birthday, dammit. She shouldn’t have to do anything she didn’t want to, especially for her own party. He’d pulled Megan aside a few weeks ago after she’d declared herself the party-planning committee to make sure she wouldn’t try to insist on dragging Abby somewhere she wouldn’t want to go. She’d laughed and assured him she knew better than that.

  She smiled at him while he parked. “Yeah. She’s important to Matt. It’s a good chance for us to meet her. Megan says she’s nice. I’m sure it’ll be fine.”

  “Okay. But I can tell Megan not to invite her if you want me to.”

  Abby climbed out of the car, shaking her head while Lance closed his own door, taking her hand as they walked into the store. “No. Don’t do that. Knowing Megan, she’s already invited her. It would be a million times worse to uninvite her.”

  “Okay.” Conversation moved onto what groceries they needed and arguing over Lance’s tendency to make spur of the moment food purchases. When it came time to check out, he expected Abby to divide up their groceries like she usually did so she could pay for what she considered her portion. He hated when she did that and always ground his teeth to keep himself from trying to insist on paying for everything for the millionth time. That always ended in a fight. Which involved make-up sex at some point, but he mu
ch preferred sex without having to fight first.

  Instead, she just piled everything on the conveyor belt together. No separating things. No divider between what she wanted to pay for and what he was buying. He shot her a surprised look, but she just smiled and didn’t say anything.

  He waited until they’d paid and loaded the groceries in the car before saying anything, his hand resting in its normal place on her thigh. “What was that back there?”

  “Hmm?”

  Of course she tried playing dumb. “You know what I’m talking about, Abby. You never let me pay for all the groceries when we’re together.”

  He kept a close eye on her in his peripheral vision while he waited for her to respond, so he caught her little shrug. “We live together. You keep saying I should let you pay for more things since you make more money. I guess I just figured that I’ll pay for stuff when I’m shopping by myself, but if we’re together or you go by yourself, then you can pay. At least for groceries.”

  More questions piled up, but he swallowed them down, not wanting to make things weird. This might seem like a baby step, but it was a major concession for Abby. If she was already heading this way, maybe it wouldn’t be such a fight to get her to agree to a joint account and not splitting the rent and utilities fifty-fifty anymore like roommates. He’d wait to push the issue until after they were engaged. Hell, maybe she’d come around even more before then, especially since he still didn’t know when that would be. But nothing could keep the smile off his face the rest of the way home.

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  “I know. It’s frustrating. But you just have to memorize which verbs are stem changers. You’ll start to get a feel for it the more you practice.” Abby smiled encouragingly at Sarah, a freshman girl worried about her Spanish II grade.

  Sarah nodded, chewing on her lip, her brown eyes still concerned. Abby handed her back her latest assignment. “Just keep working. You’re doing good. Keep turning in your assignments and coming to lab, and you’ll be fine, okay?”