Closer

by Kaia Bennett

  He shrugged and leaned against the doorjamb. "Yeah. I mean, I know you said he was just a friend—"

  She snickered suddenly, then looked up at him apologetically and said, "Biz Markie... ‘Just A Friend’..." She bit down on her lip. "Never mind."

  He gave her a little laugh, momentarily sidetracked by her Old School Rap reference. "I don't know about what's-his-name, but me, I don't tend to sleep over at a girl's place, friend or not, unless there's a good reason. Know what I'm sayin', Nicole?"

  She turned away from him, nibbling even more persistently at her lip. He couldn't tell if it was because she was embarrassed, or if it was because she didn't like him referencing having sex with other girls, even in the hypothetical. He wondered if he was an asshole for not minding if it was either one of those reasons, or both.

  "His name is Travis," she said suddenly. "We slept together a couple of times but we aren't – weren't dating. And I haven't been with anyone else since you... I mean, except for Travis, but it wasn't anything serious with him, you know? We were kind of like friends with benefits, I guess." She sighed and groaned in exasperation. "This is awkward, dude."

  He snorted and rubbed at the back of his neck. "No shit, Nic. I mean, to tell you the truth, I really don't want to hear about you and some other guy... but if you're moving onto something else, and I'm getting in the way, then I want to know about it."

  She tilted her head to the side and stared up at him as if he had lost some marbles. "You're not getting in the way of me and Travis, because me and Travis were never really a thing. He was a nice guy and... and I tried something different to take care of my needs. Something other than serial monogamy," she said with an embarrassed shrug. "It didn't work for me."

  His brow furrowed at that last statement. He started to say something but she held up her hand. "And don't you even think of comparing my thing with Travis to you and me. It's not even in the same stratosphere," she said bluntly. "I don't trust him the way I trust you. I can't talk to him about anything, and... no one can take care of me the way you can. No one makes me feel like you do."

  He stared down at her, his lips parted in surprise.

  "At least not right now, anyway," she added. "But we always said we'd cross that bridge when we got to it, right? That no matter what we'd always be friends?"

  He almost laughed at how she'd just burst his bubble. With any other girl that would be as good as an admission of love, or at least a very serious form of "like". But with Nicole it was just a statement of fact. It was true for him too, but he'd never said it in that way before, and he didn't think he could. In a way, little Nicole Langley was braver than he ever was. Especially when it came to this strange little mess they'd gotten themselves into.

  "Yeah, we did say that," he said finally. "But I don't want you to push someone away for me. Okay? 'Cause I couldn't stand it if I was getting in the way of you being happy."

  Nicole stared up at him, trying not to let her face show all she was thinking. How could she tell him that every day she grew more and more afraid – and certain – that the only thing keeping her from being happy, besides her shitty job, was knowing he was the one who made her happy and she couldn't have him? He was the one she wanted, the one she'd always wanted. How could she tell him she'd be willing to wait as long as he needed her to, that he could tour the world twenty times over and she would be able to get through it for him? Only him.

  She couldn't say that. She couldn't risk scaring him away, forcing him to try and prove to her she was wrong, young, and naïve. No, this was the way things had to stay, at least until he came to his senses. She could be patient. And if by some strange stroke of fate he was right, and there was someone out there who was better for her, then she would embrace that man with arms wide open. In the meantime, she would save her arms for Gabriel, for times like this when she could reach up to touch his face, and watch his eyes flicker with pleasure at her touch.

  "Okay," she said with a small nod. It was all the concession she could muster.

  She pulled him towards her, and this time he didn't pull back. He leaned down and she tilted her face to receive his kiss. Her lips were soft against his, teasing and tender. His lips pressed back harder against hers, his fingers coming up to caress the side of her face, to play through the soft curls of her ponytail. When she finally pulled away, a smile was on her face, and soon he joined her. There was still something in his eyes, an uneasiness she could feel. Maybe he was a little more upset about Travis than he'd let on. She wished he'd never found out about him, even as a part of her felt okay with the fact he knew there were others out there that wanted her. Did she want him to be jealous, or did she want him to forget about it? It was a confusing train of thought, and the last thing she needed was more confusion. She knew just the way to cure the ailment of thinking too much.

  "So..." she said, sliding her hand down his chest, down his stomach. "You want to come in?"

  Chapter 3

  Gabriel licked his lips and Nicole once again felt the first stirrings of arousal. She wanted him to say ‘yes’ so badly. She didn't want Travis; she wanted him. Sometimes he could be really dim. It was plain as day, and not since he caught her on his bed a year ago had she felt the need to hide it. It was in the way her eyes roved over his body, in the way she licked her lips when his gaze lowered to her mouth. It was in the way she leaned into him and waited for him to say he did want to come inside her place, inside her body.

  Hesitancy on his end wasn’t new. He was always mindful of her feelings, of her separate path in life. This was just the first time she was worried he might follow through and put distance between them. She loved that he had such chivalrous intentions, but that’s not what she wanted from him now. Not jealousy, not kindness. She wanted the man he became when she stripped him of restraint. Her fingers tickled the outline of his growing cock and she gave him a little smirk. He leaned into her, braced one arm on the door and cast her face in the shadow of his larger body.

  "Do you want me to come in?"

  She giggled lightly, a side effect of the alcohol and his silly question. Of course he’d kick the question back at her, try to make her beg for it. She loved this part of the game. She nodded and hooked a finger in a belt loop of his jeans so she could pull his hips closer to hers. She lifted her lips up to his, expecting his mouth to cover hers again. But he stopped the kiss just before, the soft flesh of his mouth merely whispering over hers. Her eyes grew hooded and her lips parted in surprise when he gripped her chin and lifted it. His eyes were boring into hers, that deep chocolate brown of intent capturing her gaze only to sweep across her waiting mouth.

  “You know what it means if I go in there with you, right? You know what I want and you know that if you don’t want the same thing all you have to do is say ‘stop’?”

  She nodded, that sublime anticipation making her almost heady with desire for him. She never said stop, even when she thought she might. He pushed her harder and she pulled him closer. Even when it bordered on pain, even when it scared her, all she ever wanted was more of him.

  "Seems like you forgot some things since I've been gone, little girl. Like speaking up when I ask you a question," he said, his use of the term little girl giving her and her vibrating pussy fair warning of what they were in for.

  She shivered against him when his tongue darted out to lick at her upper lip. Her tongue just barely caught the tip of his before it disappeared back into his mouth.

  "I asked if you wanted me to come in and fuck you like the little slut you are. That means you say...?"

  She swallowed hard. Arousal and the accompanying tingle of uncertainty traveled up her spine. "I want you to come in."

  His smile matched hers and his eyes were on her lips. Those long fingers slid down her chin and rested loosely over her throat. He pressed his body against hers so her back was flat against the door. "And then what do you want me to do?"

  "What do you think I want, Gabriel?" she asked defiantly. To emph
asize her rhetorical question, she slid her hand between their fused bodies and firmly cupped her hand around his denim-caged cock. His answering smile was sinister and utterly delicious.

  "I'm going to have to remind you how to behave, aren't I?"

  "Looks like it," she whispered. Her heart was stuttering in her chest, and she could feel his heartbeat as well. He pumped his hips hard into her hand and she squeezed him even harder, just the way he liked. He groaned, closing his eyes and turning his head to the side for a second to collect himself. When he turned back to her, those deep brown eyes twinkled with mischief, his smile was almost sweet. And to her body's distinct pleasure, his words were harsh and husky.

  "Well, what the fuck are you waiting for, Nicole? Open the door."

  She grinned and turned her back to him so she could unlock her door with shaking hands. His breath was on her neck, his fingers already sliding under her dress to rub her damp panties from behind, driving her beyond distraction.

  And to think she'd doubted they would end up fucking tonight.

  As soon as the door cracked open, he pushed it, gripped her roughly by the hair with the other hand and ushered her quickly inside. The door slammed closed behind him and he leaned his back against it, holding her in place against his body. Slowly he tugged until her chin was lifted and the back of her head was pressed against his shoulder. The scrunching sound of fabric and her own frantic breathes filled her ears as he lifted the front of her dress. Her eyes fluttered shut as he toyed with the lace covering her wet pussy, his fingers teasing the flesh into a relentless pulsing heat while her ass wiggled against his caged hard on.

  "Now, where were we?" he asked against her ear, nipping at the earrings lining her lobe before moving to the exposed flesh of her throat. She could feel his smile against her skin when she gasped in pleasure. "Oh, I remember. You were getting ready to tell me what you want me to do to you. Weren't you, sweetheart?"

  His hold on her hair kept her from nodding so she had no choice but to speak.

  "Y-yes," she whimpered as he circled his fingers rapidly over her lace-covered pussy.

  "So let's hear it. What do you want me to do?"

  "I want you to fuck your dirty girl. I want you to make me come." She said the words clearly, deliberately, knowing they would vibrate straight through his cock. She knew he loved when she called herself his dirty girl... almost as much as he loved making her earn the title.

  He slipped his fingers inside her panties and the feeling of his fingertips circling her clit made her knees buckle. She swallowed hard and felt her throat working against the constraints of his hold. Trapped by pleasure, held captive by those strong hands. That's what she wanted. That's what she needed.

  "Gabriel... faster," she moaned, cupping the back of his hand with hers. She pressed his hand tighter against her, swirling her hips for more fiction. But he was nothing if not obstinate, nothing if not happy to make her beg. He stopped moving his fingers all together and pressed her hips tighter against him so she couldn't move as much.

  "Why should I, little girl? Hmm?" he whispered harshly in her ear, his voice sending shivers down her spine. "You think I’m gonna let you come after you mouthed off to me?"

  If he kept talking to her like that, he was going to inadvertently make her come anyway. His voice, his menacing words, his fingers on her skin. It all felt so good that she would do anything for more, anything at all if he would just promise to give her more. His fingers were stroking her again as if they'd never stopped.

  "I'm sorry," she moaned. "I promise, I’ll be good, just… fuck... don't stop!"

  And just like that he stopped cold. Her body screamed for release but all that escaped her lips was a whimper.

  He swallowed her whimper with a soul-searing kiss, a deep tangle of tongues, his full lips pressed so tightly to hers they shared the same breath. She’d been waiting all night for this kiss, all her life for his lips on hers. Even before she knew him, this was the kiss she’d been dreaming about.

  Just as she sank into it, just as she reached for his face, he pulled his mouth away from hers. For a long moment she was lost in the sultry depths of his dilated gaze. His eyes were full of her, but something unreadable swam through them, something she wanted to soothe away. Again she reached for his face, and again he tugged on her hair. He was in control. He would decide when she’d be kissed until she learned her lesson. He released his hold on her ponytail and she found herself bereft of his touch and leaning back against him for support.

  "Bedroom," he said gruffly, pushing her forward so she was walking in front of him on shaky legs. She spared a quick glance over her shoulder, her arousal climbing while he took off his jacket and tossed it on the couch. The sound of her labored breathing and the click of her heels seemed to echo in the quiet apartment.

  By the time they reached her room and she clicked on the lights, his shirt was already unbuttoned. She turned to see it fluttering open around his lean, muscular torso, and felt her pussy rush with fluid at the sight of those twin gradient tribal tattoos, the black outlines and scarlet shading standing out brilliantly from his coffee tan skin. Her eyes followed the thin trail of brown hair that disappeared into his jeans and the belt buckle he was undoing while he kicked off his shoes and socks.

  "Strip," he ordered softly. His quiet, raspy voice was a sharp contrast to the abrupt sound of the teeth separating on his zipper, and the metallic clink of his belt buckle shimmying limply in the belt loops.

  For a few seconds his words barely registered. She couldn’t take her gaze off his arms as he removed his shirt and tossed it onto her dresser. Every part of him was strong and smooth muscle, veins flowing like silky rivers on his forearms. He’d stopped undressing though, waiting. It was her turn.

  She reached behind her with trembling fingers and undid her zipper, then reached for the hem to pull the snug bodice over her head. The black fabric bunched in her hands, lifted slowly over her thighs, over the black boy shorts, the sharp curve of her hips and the soft curve of her stomach. His face disappeared for a moment while the air touched her exposed breasts, nipples already taut and reaching for his touch. The dress swooshed delicately as she threw it over the armchair by the window. She stepped out of her heels next, kicking them aside, and then slowly slid those lace boy shorts down her hips. She was almost embarrassed by how they clung wetly to the lips of her pussy just before she got them down her thighs, but the look of hunger he directed there reminded her that seeing her so aroused drove him crazy.

  She stared at him eagerly, waiting for his next instructions.

  "Take your hair out."

  She reached up and pulled the tie out, running her fingers through her hair until the curls of her ponytail fell over both shoulders, knowing that the soft deep brown locks shone in the dim light of her bedroom, glittering like the eyes devouring her naked body.

  “I was looking forward to making you come on my cock tonight, but you’ve been so bad…”

  Nicole bit her lip around the curse that almost escaped. This wasn’t the first time he’d teased her. Part of her loved it, but she’d been without him for too long. Being forced to wait, to linger on the knife’s edge of pleasure was a fitting punishment for teasing him.

  You made him jealous, too. Don’t forget that…

  Was it wrong she had to suppress a smile at that thought? Was it strange that in the next instant it made her sad? She didn’t want to make him jealous. She just wanted to make him happy, to make him come. She just wanted him to stay with her for as long as he could.

  “Is there anything I can do to change your mind?” she asked, trying her best not to give him a triumphant grin as she knelt on the floor, legs spread wide as she settled back on her heels.

  She wanted him to make her forget all of that insecurity now. She wanted to feel dirty and used and thoroughly punished with pleasure.

  "Come on, beautiful," he whispered. "Let’s see how convincing you can be."

  She crawled to him
. It was almost an out of body experience, the feline sway of her hips, the determined, sexy stare, the mixture of jitters and surety as she knelt before the bulge hidden within his clothes. The girl she was and the girl he made her were like two different beings trapped in the same skin. She pulled his jeans down his hips just enough so they wouldn't be in the way, then settled back on her heels and stared up at him, leaning in so her breath was hot against the material of his boxer briefs. Her bottom teeth just barely tickled up the length jutting against the cotton and elastic prison.

  "Can I take it out now, Gabriel?"

  He nodded, biting down on his bottom lip and sweeping his fingers through her silky hair. It sent a shiver through her. The anticipation, the moment of her actually wrapping her fingers around the elastic and sliding it down his hips, was almost as good as watching him come. She could practically feel him relishing the future possibilities, all the pleasure her mouth could give him as she squeezed more pre-cum from the head of his cock. She dipped the delicate tip of her index finger into the slit, lifted the iridescent pearl away from the spongy flesh, and sucked it deep into her mouth. When she opened her eyes after savoring his taste, she saw desire personified, lust incarnate. She saw everything she’d ever wanted staring back at her, wanting more of her. All of her.

  He pressed her head closer to the proud column of flesh and instinctively her tongue reached out to trace the veins from the base to the silky flesh under the tip. Her tongue flicked over it and his groan of pleasure vibrated through her pussy. She needed to hear that sound again. She needed to hear a thousand more moans, a thousand more stuttering breaths from his lips. That first guttural groan propelled her forward and she swallowed the head of his dick hungrily. Her eyes fluttered closed and her mouth opened wide, working her throat over the fullness of the head. She caressed it with the back of her throat, and let him fuck her mouth harder and faster with every stroke.

  “Fuck, Nic, you’re such a good little slut for me…”