by Kaylee Ryan
I nod. “As fuck,” I admit. No shame. Her cheeks are now a nice rose color.
“We better go,” she says, turning on her heel and walking away.
In a couple of long strides, I catch up with her, once again throwing my arm over her shoulder. I must admit this is a first for me, being friend-zoned. I’m not really feeling it. I wish I could punch all those other assholes who’d met her before me. They’ve fucked me over with this one.
Chapter Five
Addyson
* * *
I need a minute, one I don’t get because Lucas and his long-ass legs catch up with me in no time. Now his arm is slung over my shoulders as we walk toward the hill where Harper and Justin are waiting for us. Who would have thought that riding a mechanical bull would turn into… that? I can honestly say I’ve never been more turned on in my life.
Lucas Prescott is lethal.
“Over there.” Lucas points with the hand that’s not wrapped around my shoulders. He guides us effortlessly through the crowd. When we reach the blanket, Harper’s eyes widen seeing his arm around me. I give a subtle shake of my head telling her not to bring it up. Lucas releases me, and motions for me to sit first. I take the spot next to Harper, who also just happens to be sitting really close to Justin. Lucas settles next to me. His arm holds him up, braced behind me on the blanket.
“What did y’all get into?” Justin asks.
“We rode a bull,” Lucas boasts.
“No shit?” Justin asks, surprised.
“It was a mechanical bull,” I clarify.
Justin and Harper both laugh. “I would have loved to have seen that,” Justin says.
“Well, today just so happens to be your lucky day.” I pull my phone out of my pocket and show them the video I took of Lucas’s first ride.
“Oh, I’ve got one too.” He laughs, pulling out his phone showing my video. I just roll my eyes and laugh with him. If you can’t beat them, join them. Isn’t that how the saying goes? Besides, it was a good time.
“We should do it,” Justin tells Harper.
“Yeah, y’all could ride together,” Lucas offers. “We did.”
Harper’s eyes go wide, and they’re full of questions, which thankfully, she keeps to herself for the time being. I know my best friend. There’s no way I’m getting out of giving her the details. That would be too easy.
“Eight seconds,” I tell them. “If you stay on for eight seconds you get your money back.”
“How much is it?” Harper asks.
“Five dollars.”
“Is it worth all that?” she asks.
I think about my solo ride, and then the ride we did together. The way his body wrapped around mine, my hand digging into his thigh, and other things. “Mmmhmm,” I say, not even realizing it. Harper and Justin crack up laughing. I chance a glance at Lucas, partly to hide my embarrassment from our friends and to gauge his reaction.
“Should I tell him how good it feels to have your ass pressed against my cock?” he whispers. A shiver races through me despite the warm summer temperatures.
Holy hell. Any other time, I’d be shouting a guy down so damn fast for saying such a thing, especially a guy I barely know. But… Lucas. Honest to God, he has me reacting and behaving in ways I never saw coming. “Lucas,” I scold lightly, smacking his leg. He throws his head back and laughs.
Luckily, the opening act begins to play, and all conversation is brought to a halt. We listen as they play five songs, straight through. We’re all just relaxing, enjoying the show as if we’ve hung out like this a million times.
At intermission, Lucas stands. “I’m going to grab a drink, want anything?”
“I’ll come with you. Harper?” Justin asks.
“Maybe a bottle of water.” She reaches for money but he stops her.
“Addy?” Lucas asks.
“I’m good, thanks.” With a nod, they walk off into the crowd.
“Addyson, you have about five minutes, because the other five is mine. Start spilling.”
“There’s nothing to spill.” Unless you count the fact that my body is craving his.
“Right, I saw that look on your face.”
“Fine,” I concede. I give her a quick run-down. “Why now, Harper? Why would I find a guy who makes me feel this way after the second time I’ve laid eyes on him?”
“That’s the way it works. You find what you’re looking for when you least expect it.”
“No.” I shake my head. “I’m on the bench, remember?”
“That’s crazy talk. Have you seen him?” she asks.
I give her a look that tells her she damn well knows I’ve seen and felt him. “My time’s up.” I look over my shoulder for the guys and don’t see them. “What about Justin? The two of you seem to be hitting it off.”
“We are. He’s such a nice guy,” she gushes. “He’s interested.”
“Uh, yeah.” I laugh.
“No, I mean, yes, he is, but it’s more than that. He listens. He asks questions about me, about my job. He’s interested.”
“Lucas assures me he’s one of the good ones.”
“Funny, Justin told me the same about Lucas.”
“I’m sure he is,” I say as if it doesn’t matter. The truth is it does matter, but I didn’t need to hear he’s a good guy from Justin through Harper. Lucas is proving that all on his own.
“Here you go.” Lucas hands me a bottle of water. “In case you change your mind,” he says, taking his seat next to me on the blanket. “I thought we could share.” He holds out a large bag of popcorn.
“Can anyone resist popcorn?” I ask, grabbing a handful of the warm, salty, buttery goodness.
“Nope.” He winks then grabs a handful for himself.
By the time the main act takes the stage, we’ve finished off the full bag of popcorn. The crowd roars, and so do Harper and I. When those in front of us climb to their feet, we do too. Justin and Lucas follow us. Song after song, we sing and dance. Harper and I are in our element. We love music, dancing, and concerts. It’s all heightened by the two sexy guys who are right there with us never missing a beat. An outsider looking would think we’ve all been friends for years, not days.
When a slow one comes on, it’s completely dark except for the lights from the stage. When Justin pulls Harper into his arms, I smile. She’s happy, and he really does seem to be a nice guy.
“Come here,” Lucas says, pulling my back to his chest. He wraps his arms around me and slowly, we sway to the beat. This doesn’t change anything, but he’s hard to say no to. His strong arms wrapped around me feel better than well… anything ever has. As we listen to the band cover “Lost In You” by Three Days Grace, he holds me as if I’m his and he’s mine. Too bad my jaded heart knows better.
“My lucky night,” he whispers in my ear as another slow song begins to play. This time it’s their cover of “Whoever Broke Your Heart” by Murphy Elmore. Lucas surprises me when he begins to sing the words, just for me. His deep voice doesn’t miss a note or lyric. That too is surprising. He seems to be a music lover like me. He’s been singing every song just as we have all night long. This time though, this time it’s more intimate.
The song comes to an end, and Lucas places a kiss on my neck. He loosens his hold on me, but his hands stay on my hips as the band speeds things up. That’s how the rest of the night goes. He handles me as if we’re together, and even though I know I should protest, I don’t. I let him and enjoy every second of it.
“They were good,” Justin comments as we fold the blanket and gather our trash.
“Told you,” Harper says. “We’ve seen them a few times. They really can cover everything.”
“Do the two of you go to a lot of concerts?” he asks.
“We do. It’s kind of our thing.” Harper looks over at me, and I nod.
“We’re concert junkies. You should see all of our T-shirts.” I laugh.
“Favorite genre?” Justin asks, looking at Harper and th
en me.
“All of it,” we say at the same time, causing him to laugh.
“I can see that from the two of you.” He takes the now folded blanket from Harper and shoves it under his arm before he slides his hand over hers. “Now where?”
“The bull,” Lucas blurts, and Justin grins.
“You riding again?” Harper asks me.
“I think I’ll sit this one out, but you should do it. It’s a good time.”
“We better hurry. This place closes down in an hour.”
I want to tell them an hour is plenty of time to take an erotic bull ride, but I keep that little tidbit to myself. They’re going to find out soon enough. Lucas guides me through the crowd with his hand on the small of my back. He’s affectionate, and normally that would be something I love, but it’s making it hard for me to remember that I need a break from dating. Hell, who am I kidding? Looking at the man makes it hard to remember, and when he touches me, my mind goes blank.
The bull tent is empty when we get there. I take the blanket from Justin and pull out my cell phone. Harper goes first on a solo ride, and she only makes it three seconds before she’s bucked off. She was laughing hysterically before the bull even started to move so I’m surprised she lasted that long. Justin goes next. He manages a five-second ride before he falls to the ground.
“It’s even harder when you ride together,” I call out to them.
“That’s an understatement,” Lucas mutters beside me.
I ignore him, because what do you say to that? Instead, I hold up my phone and hit Record as they mount the bull. I have to bite my lip to keep from laughing when I see Harper’s face when Justin pulls her back to his chest.
“We got shafted,” Lucas says beside me.
Keeping the camera rolling, I look over. “How so?” I whisper, knowing the camera is picking up our conversation. I’ll just have to mute my phone or edit it before I send it to Harper.
“They get to relive it.” He points to the camera. “All I have is the memory of what it felt like to have you nestled up against my cock.”
He’s blunt, and I find that I like it. In fact, I love it. There is no bullshit with Lucas, no sugar-coating things. “I would offer to give it another go, but I’m not sure either of us could handle that.” I give him the same honesty. He doesn’t say anything, so I turn to look at him. He’s watching me, his eyes full of… want. It’s intoxicating to have his attention on me. Even more so when the need I feel is mirrored back at me.
“You’re dangerous,” I whisper.
He leans in close. “Do you realize how badly I want to kiss you right now?” His voice is gruff.
“Tell me,” I counter, breathless from just the thought of his lips pressed to mine.
Laughter and the sound of our friends hitting the mat pull our attention. I stop recording, shoving my phone into my back pocket.
“I’d trace your lips with my tongue, taking my time tasting you. I’d pull you close, my hands on your ass, lifting you, giving myself better leverage to slip my tongue past your lips. I’d explore your mouth, Addy. I’d make damn sure you tasted me hours later.”
Harper and Justin head our way, causing him to stand back to his full height and pull away. I asked him to tell me, but I wasn’t expecting… that.
“Ready?” Harper asks.
“Y-yeah,” I say, clearing my throat.
“We’ll walk you to your cars.”
“Addyson drove,” Harper tells them.
Justin takes her hand and offers to take the blanket, but I shake my head. I’m holding it to my chest as if it’s my lifeline. In a way, it is. Justin and Harper lead the way as Lucas places his hand on the small of my back and guides me to follow them through the thinning crowd.
“So, I’m glad you found us.” I hear Harper say.
“Yeah, and now I have your number.” Justin chuckles.
“I hope you use it.” She smiles up at him.
My girl is smitten, and I couldn’t be happier for her.
“Awe, look what we did,” Lucas says, pitching his voice.
“Our babies are growing up,” I say overly sweet. Harper and Justin look over at us and the four of us roll with laughter.
“Be safe,” Lucas says, his lips next to my ear.
“Always.”
“You know, you should probably text me when you get to your place, just so I don’t worry.”
He’s smiling, but something tells me the intense look in his eyes means he’s serious. “I’m a big girl, Luke.”
“I know that, Addy, but you’re also beautiful and going home late at night on your own.”
“Harp,” I call out, not taking my eyes off his. “You staying at my place tonight?” I ask her.
“You can just crash at mine,” she answers.
“Problem solved.”
“Addyson.” His tone is a warning.
“Sheesh, fine, I’ll text you.”
“Thank you.” He leans in and wraps his arms around me in a hug. “I had a great time.” I try to ignore how my body relaxes into his, how his warmth surrounds me. I ignore how comfortable I feel with him already.
“Me too.” He opens the door for me, waiting to shut the door until I’m buckled in. Glancing over, I see Justin is crouched down, head through the open window talking to Harper. I turn back to Lucas giving them space. I’m sure she’ll tell me all about it. “Thanks for that.” I motion my head toward our friends.
“My buddy gets the girl. I got an eight-second ride. Sounds like a fair trade to me,” he says, smiling.
“Goodnight, Luke.”
“Night, Addy.”
Chapter Six
Lucas
* * *
It’s been two weeks since the festival. Two weeks of thinking about her dark silky hair, those big brown eyes, and the way her body felt pressed up against mine. Two very long weeks. We’ve texted back and forth a few times, but she’s shut down all my advances. I’ve offered dinner, a movie, a festival a few towns over, even offered to come to her place and make dinner. No to all of it. That’s why I’m currently sitting at my desk tamping down my excitement as Justin waits for my answer.
“Well? Are you in or not?”
“I’m in. When and where?”
“Harper agreed, but she said low-key. She doesn’t want the attention.”
“How’s that feel?” I ask, laughing. “To find a woman who doesn’t want the fanfare that comes with the Atwood name?”
He doesn’t hesitate. “Fucking fantastic.”
I nod. It’s still too soon to tell, but Harper seems genuine. I know he’s holding back a little as well, but I can see he’s really into her. More than anyone since that bitch Amy. “So, Stagger?” I ask him.
“Yeah, that’s what I was thinking. That’s where we met them after all. Have you talked to Addyson?”
“A few text messages here and there.”
“She playing games?” he asks.
“No. She’s jaded. I’ve been friend-zoned.”
“That sucks for you, my man. Maybe move on?”
“Nah, not ready for that.”
“She’s under your skin.”
I nod. “So fucking deep.”
“After what, two encounters and a few text messages?”
“Hello pot, meet kettle.”
He raises his hands in surrender. “Sorry, you’re right. It’s just Harper and I have hung out half a dozen times already.”
“Well, Harper hasn’t had the issues that Addy has.” I defend her as if she were mine to defend. She’s not. Not yet anyway.
“So, what’s your plan?” he asks, smirking. He’s amused with my quick defense. I can’t deny it’s out of character for me.
“Plan?”
“Yeah, you going to try and win her over?”
I run my hands over my face. “I don’t know, man. I’m not sure any amount of effort is going to get her to change her mind. I’ve been shot down every time I’ve attempted. It’s been
a lot,” I tell him.
“I thought you said a few text messages?”
“Well, a few each day,” I confess, making him throw his head back in laughter.
“She’s making you work for it.”
“Fuck, man, I wish that were the case. She’s not playing hard to get. If so, I could work with that. She’s locked up like a damn vault. At least, she is over the phone. Getting time with her, that’s what I need.”
“Good. Friday night, Stagger, seven o’clock.” He stands to leave. “Harper said she’s never had a good relationship. Every guy she’s ever been with has shit on her one way or the other. I know that’s not you, but those scars, they run deep, Luke.”
“I know.”
“All right, man, get your lazy ass back to work.” He waves and walks out of my office.
I hesitate for maybe thirty seconds before grabbing my phone and texting her.
* * *
Me: How’s your day?
* * *
To my surprise, she replies immediately.
* * *
Addyson: Going good. Yours?
* * *
Small talk. I need to get us past this. I need her to get to know me. I’ve never felt the attraction that I feel with her. We owe it to ourselves to explore it.
* * *
Me: Just missing you.
* * *
Addyson: Laying it on thick there, Prescott.
* * *
Me: What you see is what you get, sweetheart.
* * *
Addyson: If I had a dollar for every time a guy has told me that.
* * *
Me: I guess I just have to show you.
* * *
Addyson: You think you can?
* * *