by Claire Adams
My eyes slid down his body and settled on the firm planes of his chest. I swallowed hard, wondering if the sound was as audible to him as it was inside my head. He shifted, and my breath caught as I watched his muscles bunch and move. Those strong arms could pull me toward him in a second, holding me against him as he had his way with me.
I wanted to kiss him, and it wasn't just the alcohol talking. No, I was in control of all my faculties. In fact, I felt more clearheaded than I had in a while. Maybe it was just those tangled thoughts of Andrew that had been drifting through my mind all day. Maybe it was the memory of kissing Josh the last time that we'd been there in Vegas together. I was curious to see where it might go this time.
This time, I wasn’t dating anyone, and neither was he. Maybe this time, there was a chance of something more. We could at least have a night together.
I shifted closer to him, and Josh tracked my movement. I imagined there was a hunger in his eyes, as though he wanted this as much as I did. But he sat still, waiting for me to make a move.
I stood abruptly, getting out of the hot tub. My hands were shaking, and I only hoped that Josh couldn't see that.
“What's wrong?” he asked, his voice sounding loud in the quiet of the suite.
I shook my head, scrambling for an excuse. “I just need to go to the bathroom, that's all,” I said.
I thought I saw a flicker of disappointment on his face, but that was probably just wishful thinking. We're just friends, I reminded myself. We've only ever been just friends.
I scurried to the bathroom and stood there for a long moment, just staring at my reflection in the mirror as I leaned against the sink. I felt an unexpected nervousness in my gut, along with a longing that surprised me with its strength.
What the hell was that?
I had been this close to putting a move on Josh. No matter what Andrew had said, I couldn't do that. I couldn't risk my friendship with Josh. Especially not when we were in the middle of a road trip. I could only imagine how awkward things could get.
I laughed humorlessly. Always another excuse.
The thing was, Josh hadn't seemed to mind. In fact, I was pretty sure he'd been just as interested in me as I was in him. If I had made that move, I didn't think he would have stopped me.
I looked down at what I was wearing, though. The skimpy bra and panties that I had on were no doubt influencing how interested he was in me. He was a guy. Of course, he wasn't going to stop a half-naked woman from kissing him. But that didn't mean that he wanted me. That didn't mean we wouldn't regret it later.
I had no desire to make our friendship awkward. We may have grown distant lately, but I still cherished our bond.
I grabbed a towel and started drying off. Then, I pulled on a robe. It was probably best that I avoid the hot tub for the rest of the night. If Mandy were there, things might have been different, but with just the two of us there, who knew what might happen?
“Not that anything would happen between us anyway,” I mumbled to my reflection.
Of course not.
Chapter Fifteen
Josh
I stood there under the hot spray of the shower, not sure what to do. I was hard, in a way that surprised me. I couldn't remember the last time I'd been this interested in someone, and the fact that it was Kylie made everything even more awkward.
After a moment of hesitation, I wrapped my hand around my throbbing member, unable to resist giving it a few firm strokes.
I felt guilty for jacking off to the thought of her. And I shouldn't be. We'd spent the last few hours out of the hot tub, watching shitty movies on TV. We hadn't even touched. But I couldn't seem to get that image of her in the hot tub out of my mind. She'd been damn sexy in her lacy bra and panties. Too damn sexy. And there had been that moment of hesitation before she'd gotten out of the tub. I'd almost expected her to move toward me. Those were the signs that her body was broadcasting.
I barely managed to stifle a groan, letting my forehead fall against my arm where it rested on the wall. I couldn't stop touching myself, imagining that it was her hand on my cock. My movements were eased by the water and spurred on by my imagination.
I came embarrassingly quickly, spurting hot seed all over the wall of the shower.
For a moment, I stood there panting, trying to get my breathing back to normal. Then, the reality of what I'd just done sank in. I flushed with embarrassment and guilt. Kylie was my best friend. I had no right to be masturbating to thoughts of her like that.
The thing was, I had always found her attractive, but I had never found her this alluring before. It wasn't just proximity. We'd been on road trips like this before. But it probably had something to do with the circumstances of this trip. This was the first time in a long time that she and I had both been single at the same time. And there was that peculiar vulnerability to her, the way that she was still upset about her breakup.
That vulnerability shouldn't have been a turn on, but I couldn't help wanting to protect her.
And there was the look of her stripped down to her bra and panties in the hot tub, skimming her fingertips through the water. She'd changed, of course, while we were watching the movie, and there was nothing special about seeing her in a worn set of flannel pajamas, but I hadn't been able to get that earlier image of her out of my mind.
The dark circles of her areolas had just been visible behind the lace of her bra. Water droplets glistened in her cleavage, drawing my eyes there. And when she stepped out to go to the restroom, her wet panties clung to her like a second skin, making it impossible not to stare.
I'd needed a shower, of course. It had been a long day of driving. But more than anything, I'd needed to take matters into my own hands and relieve my aching hard-on.
I checked one more time to make sure that there was no lingering evidence of what I'd just done before I shut off the water. I toweled off, forcing my thoughts to other things. I was pretty sure I could hear Mandy in the other room, and I breathed a sigh of relief. That buffer would help. Being alone in the suite with Kylie, knowing full well that I couldn't touch her, was just too much.
Sure enough, when I went back into the living room, dressed in my own pajamas, Mandy was literally dancing around the place. She had kicked off her shoes, and she was clearly a bit drunk, but her smile lit up the whole room. Kylie was laughing as well, watching her.
“What's going on?” I asked, raising an eyebrow at the two of them. “You're acting like you won the lottery.”
Mandy giggled. “Close!” she said. She bobbed towards me and took my hands, pulling me along in her dance. “I'm close to giving you a run for your money, Joshua Green.”
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“Apparently, Mandy had quite the run of luck tonight,” Kylie said dryly. There was some hint of judgment in the way that she said it that had me wondering what the full story was there.
“Oh really?” I asked Mandy.
“I won $100,000!” she exclaimed. “I was just sitting there at the blackjack table, and everything was going my way. I could have really cleaned out the place, too, but the staff started giving me the hairy eyeball, and eventually, I decided that it was time to leave.”
I blinked. “Were you counting cards?” I tried to think back to the last time that we'd been to Vegas together. I couldn't remember Mandy going anywhere near the card tables then. But then again, that had been a while ago, and I didn't know if I would remember it if she had shown some success back then.
Mandy laughed. “Things were going my way,” she repeated, waggling her eyebrows at me in a way that had me feeling even more concerned.
To be honest, I'd be surprised to find out that she was counting cards. It wasn't something I would have suspected she was able to do. But on the other hand, I knew that she was a lot smarter than she let on. She tended to act like the ditzy blonde, and I knew that was part of her modeling persona. But that didn't mean she wasn't clever.
“Anyway, I guess that m
eans that I can treat you guys to a nice dinner tomorrow night,” Mandy said, beaming at the two of us. “And then maybe we can all go back to the casino.” She frowned. “Maybe a different casino for tomorrow. It's not like we don't have options.”
“Are you banned from this casino?” Kylie asked sharply.
Mandy laughed. “Of course not,” she said. “Like I said, the staff here were hinting that it might be time for me to leave, but that was just because the guys that I was playing against were starting to get frustrated, and you know what drunk guys are like when they're losing thousands of dollars in a go.”
Kylie shook her head. “I'm sorry we couldn't be there as your backup,” she said, frowning. “Your cousins were there, though?”
“They got bored pretty early on,” Mandy admitted, shrugging. “We went to dinner and had a few drinks, but then they were about ready to go home. But I had fun anyway.”
“That's good,” I told her, even though I was still wondering about the counting cards thing. I couldn't remember if counting cards was actually illegal or not. I just knew that it was frowned upon. But then again, it was Mandy.
No one could really suspect her of counting cards if they didn't know that the ditzy thing was just an act. And beyond that, the casinos were probably happy to see her down there and enjoying her time, since beautiful women like her brought in dudes who bought drinks and gambled like they had something to prove.
Mandy yawned. “Anyway, I'm off to bed for the night. I had my fun, but it's time for my beauty sleep. What did the two of you get up to, anyway?”
“We just watched some TV,” I said, glancing over at Kylie and hoping that my guilt over the shower thing didn't show on my face.
Mandy rolled her eyes. “Here we are, in one of the nicest places in Vegas, and you guys decided to stay in and watch TV,” she said. “Typical.”
Kylie laughed. “We'll go out tomorrow night, I promise,” she said. “But you and I have to go shopping first, during the day. I didn't bring anything remotely fancy to wear to the casinos, and normally, I wouldn't mind, but if you're going to be dressed like that, then I need to at least put some effort in.”
Mandy grinned. “That's a plan,” she said and winked. “After all, I have to find something to do with my newfound riches.”
“If you spend them all on dinners and shopping, they're not going to last you long,” I pointed out.
Mandy laughed and came to kiss me on the cheek. “Don't worry, I'll let you help me figure out how to invest most of that money into long-term savings plans,” she said. “Goodnight.”
“Goodnight,” I said.
Mandy repeated the procedure with Kylie and then retreated into her room. I grinned and shook my head. “That girl,” I said.
“That girl,” Kylie agreed, shaking her head.
“So, do you think she actually was counting cards?” I couldn't help asking.
Kylie shrugged. “I don't think we'll ever know one way or the other,” she said.
“Ever since college, it seems like we've never known exactly what Mandy was up to,” I joked. “She's good at playing the vapid, beauty-driven model, but sometimes, I just know she must be laughing at us. I don't want to say that she's manipulative, but she is definitely good at making people believe what she wants them to believe.”
“That she is,” Kylie agreed, but she seemed just as distracted as she had earlier in the day. I wondered if she was thinking of Andrew again.
Suddenly, I wondered if staying in Vegas for a few extra days was a good idea. Maybe it would do her better to keep moving, to help her put as much distance as she could between herself and her ex. Once we got to New York, she would be surrounded by family, too.
I cleared my throat. “Are you sure you're okay with staying in Las Vegas for another night or two?” I asked.
“Why wouldn't I be?” Kylie asked, sounding surprised.
I shrugged, trying to think of a tactful way to voice my concerns. “You just seem tired, that's all,” I finally said. “And I know that you want to have fun on this trip, but I also know that Mandy's idea of fun, especially Mandy's idea of fun here in Vegas, isn't exactly what springs to mind when you're thinking of fun. I don't want us to overdo it. This trip is about you, after all.”
Kylie smiled and shook her head. “I'm fine,” she said. “I just need a good night's sleep. I'm still just groggy from that nap earlier. You know how I am.”
“Right,” I said slowly. “Well, if you do want to change anything about our itinerary, just let me know.”
“Thanks for organizing all of it,” Kylie said. “Seriously. I don't think that I thanked you properly before, but I really appreciate your setting the final route and booking, plus paying for the hotels. It's taken a lot of the stress out of this trip as far as I'm concerned.”
“I'm glad I could help,” I told her. “Like I said earlier, this trip is about relaxation, for both of us.”
That relaxation was definitely not what I should have been thinking about just then, though, since now all I could think about in terms of this trip and relaxation was Kylie in the hot tub in her skimpy underwear.
“Do you not want to stay in Vegas for another couple nights?” Kylie asked.
I forced myself to laugh, not wanting to really consider the question. The truth was, I was starting to wonder if this whole trip had been a mistake. I'd had reservations about it before I'd agreed to come along, of course. I'd known that I had to come along, for the sake of being a good friend, and I'd also known that this trip might give me the opportunity to get close to Kylie in the ways that I'd always wanted to.
But I couldn't bring myself to make that move, not knowing what she was thinking. We were best friends, and I didn't want to screw that up. I was worried that the longer we stayed in Vegas, the harder it was going to be for me to keep my hands off of her. Especially if there was a repeat of that night in the hot tub.
There was no way to back out now, though.
Instead, I just shook my head, smiling at her. “I'm just worried that if we stay in Vegas for too long, Mandy's winnings really are going to eclipse my billions!” I joked.
Kylie laughed. “Where's next again, anyway?”
“Salt Lake City,” I said. “Kind of the anti-Vegas, if you will.” I shrugged. “If you do want to make changes, just tell me.”
“I will,” Kylie promised. She yawned and stretched, then stood up. “For now, I think it's time for me to go to bed.”
“Yeah, I'll probably head that way as well,” I agreed.
For a moment, Kylie hesitated, looking as though she wanted to say something else. But then, she shook her head minutely and forced a smile onto her face. “Sleep well,” she said.
“Sleep well,” I echoed.
Chapter Sixteen
Kylie
I rolled over one more time, staring up at the dark ceiling and trying to think of some way that I could get to sleep. But there was too much chaos in my head. No matter how tired I was, there was no way that I was getting to sleep.
I climbed out of bed and padded quietly out of my room to Josh's door. I lingered there for a long moment, trying to figure out what I wanted to do. I knew I shouldn't knock on the door, not when there was this curious tension between us at the moment. But on the other hand, he was my best friend, and this wouldn't be the first time that we had a late night chat in one of our bedrooms.
Whatever it was that I was feeling for him on that level, I needed Josh-my-friend right now.
I knocked lightly on his door, not sure whether I was hoping that he was already asleep or not.
He answered the door right before I turned away from it. He looked sleep-rumpled, but his eyes were still bright, and I didn't think that he'd been asleep.
“Hey, what's up?” he asked, looking concerned.
I shook my head. “I just wanted to talk,” I told him. “You weren't already asleep, were you?”
“No,” Josh said. “Actually, I just finished up som
e work with this one company. They're based in Asia, so with time zones, I have to be very careful about when I'm contacting them.”
I groaned and rolled my eyes. “Again, with the work?” I asked. “You must need me to save you.”
“That'd be okay,” Josh said, stepping back so that I could enter his room.
I perched on the edge of his bed, while he flopped carelessly across its length. He raised an eyebrow at me. “You look really uncomfortable over there,” he said.
I rolled my eyes, but I moved up so that I was sitting against the headboard next to him. “Remember when we used to have those late night talks when we were in college?” I asked. “We used to be able to talk until 7 or 8 in the morning.”
“And then usually you'd pass out in my bed, and I'd have to get you up for your classes,” Josh said, laughing. “The worst was that semester when you had that 8:30 a.m. History of Dance class. You never wanted to go to it, and if we were up talking until all hours of the morning, you really didn't want to wake up!”
“And yet you never let me miss a class,” I remembered, shaking my head. I smiled fondly over at him.
“What's up, anyway?” Josh asked.
I sighed. “I just couldn't sleep,” I admitted. “I'm still a little screwed up over this breakup.”
“You said as much earlier,” Josh said. “We could probably have some sleeping pills brought up if you thought that might help.”
“I don't want to start taking sleeping pills,” I said. “I just want everything to go back to normal.” Especially my feelings for him, whatever they were. Then, I frowned. “Do you want me to leave?”
“I didn't say that,” Josh said, reaching out to place a hand over my wrist. “I'm just saying that if you wanted to sleep, I'm sure we could find a way to get you there.”
I blushed hotly, thinking of some of the ways that we could get me to sleep. A good orgasm or two would probably do it. Not that I could ask him for that.