by KyAnn Waters
Drew laughed.
Not much time passed before the gang gathered around the table. Johnny couldn't take his eyes from Shelby. She wouldn't sit next to Ryan who flirted heavily with one of the cousins. He appeared to be taking it in stride, but the tick in his jaw gave him away.
Where was Mother Casey, the voice of reason? Casey was the only one in the six- pack who got away with telling Ryan to knock off his shit. Well, others had said it, but Ryan listened to Casey. Hell, if she told Johnny to do something he would. Whatever the reason, and it certainly wasn't her size, the woman knew how to intimidate.
Shelby slid her chair closer to Johnny. The hairs on the back of his neck tingled.
“So, give me an update.” She leaned in and spoke low. “Is Krissy pregnant?”
“Not yet.” Johnny glanced over at Ryan who had definitely taken notice of the fact Shelby was practically sitting in his lap. “I don't think you're going to make Ryan jealous with me, sweetheart.” He took a drink of beer. “What are you two fighting about?”
“He's a jerk. So which one is Drew's?”
“They both are.”
Shelby's full laugh made Johnny smile. He couldn't help joining in.
“I don't know why I worried,” she said and flipped her red hair. “Ryan doesn't have a chance.”
“If he doesn't figure it out quick, I think Drew's going to pop. Why don't you take him into the back and dance? Grind on him a bit and remind him what he'll be missing.”
Shelby's eyes narrowed when she looked at Ryan. “He's making an ass out of himself. Why do I love him?” She finished her drink and slammed it to the table.
“Watch it!” Ryan said.
“No. I need to talk to you.” Shelby took his hand and pulled him away from the table. “I want to dance. We'll be back.” She winked at Johnny.
“I want to dance.” Cousin Two leaned into Drew and batted her long, smoky eyelashes.
“I'll stay here.” Cousin One scooted to the stool Shelby had vacated.
Great, now he was back to one on one. Cousin One wanted to chitchat. Johnny wished Casey would show up, so he could make an excuse and bail. Krissy had to be home by now.
Exhaustion weighed like a heavy blanket. Krissy's trunk was full of scratched cabinet doors. She hoped the shop would be able to buff them out, or she'd be eating up any profit she'd worked into the remodel bid. This was a day to put behind her. A warm bath, a tuna sandwich, and off to bed. If Johnny wanted to come over, she could use a little of his specialty as well.
She stepped into the house and groaned. “Damn, damn, damn.” She forgot to turn the air conditioner on before she'd left this morning. The heat of the day had turned her apartment into a muggy, airless, sauna. She dropped her purse and padded into the kitchen where the thermostat for the AC was located.
She took a cola from the fridge and returned to the living room. A bang and a hiss from the vent, and then arctic air blew offering relief. She dropped her pants, pulled her shirt over her head, and lay on the floor in her bra and panties. Cool air blew across her sweat- dampened skin. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes.
The tension tightening her muscles ebbed. She could fall asleep. Before she lost all consciousness, she'd better call Johnny.
She rolled to her stomach then stood. It took effort to cross the room to where she'd dropped her purse. As soon as she retrieved her cell, she wouldn't have to move for the rest of the night. She sat in the recliner and scrolled through her missed calls. Dialing into voice mail, she retrieved Drew's message. Did she want to go to Stu's? Not really.
“Ugh.” Tuna didn't sound as good as Stu's chowder. She'd go, but she wasn't dressing up.
A few minutes later, she was out the door and driving the short distance to the bar and grill. Krissy honked her horn as she pulled into the parking lot behind Casey then parked next to her.
“Hi,” Casey said, stepping up to the driver's side door. “Looks like the six- pack is here.”
“Yeah, I see Johnny's truck. I wasn't sure he would be.” Krissy locked the door then shut it.
“Any news?”
Krissy stumbled on a pebble. “Like what?”
“The baby, the guy?” Casey cocked an eyebrow. “You're not telling me something. I know you.”
Krissy shrugged. “It's nothing.”
“Why don't I believe you?”
They stepped into the dimly lit portion of the bar and Krissy froze. A hard lump rose in her throat. Johnny was sitting at a table. A woman's dark head attached to a sexy body leaned in close, and then she laughed at something he said.
“Oh, look. Johnny found a hot piece of action. Good thing Drew isn't around. Drew's good- looking, but not as attractive as Johnny. Why do you think Drew gets the girls?”
“He's got a big dick.”
“Ugh. I wouldn't do him. Well, I might if I didn't know he was such a slut. Come on, I want to check Johnny's date out.”
Krissy couldn't move. Her mouth was too dry to form words. There had to be a rational explanation, but right now, she didn't want to hear it. She had to leave before he saw her. Damn fate!
What was wrong with her? Knowing Johnny didn't cheat didn't matter. It still hurt to see him huddled with another woman. Almost an affirmation of her suspicions that just when a woman dropped her guard and started to trust, men strayed. Or he just walked away. Her mind kept screaming that Johnny wouldn't. There had to be another explanation why he was taking out his wallet and buying the woman a drink.
Krissy took a step backward. “I don't feel so well. I think I better pass on tonight.” Even if he did have an explanation, hearing it now would let everyone know she and Johnny had gone beyond friendship and she wasn't ready for that either.
“Aren't you even going to say hi?”
“Can't. I think I'm going to be sick.” She turned and bolted. Her bad day just got a whole lot worse. This was why she didn't get serious. Misunderstandings hurt as much as actual betrayals. She knew she should've kept her involvement with Johnny purely physical. Sleeping with her friend for the purpose of making a baby had been the plan. Admitting she loved him risked too much. In the inevitable end of their relationship, they were going to lose each other.
Johnny breathed a sigh of relief when Casey tossed her purse on the table. “Is Krissy pregnant?”
Too bad the relief didn't last longer than the first words out of her mouth. Johnny stared at Casey, barely managing to speak around the constriction in his throat. “Why?”
“She just left saying she was sick. I thought it might be pregnancy sickness. Nausea doesn't always hit in the morning”
“She's here?” Johnny spun on the stool, looking around the room.
“No, she left. We walked in. Then she turned around and bolted.”
Shit! Johnny rushed to the door. He burst from the darkened bar. The streetlights illuminated the parking lot. He scanned for her car, but she had already gone. He slapped his hand against his thigh.
Damn her overactive imagination if she thought for even a moment that Cousin One held any interest for him. She should have stepped up to the table and pulled a classic Krissy. Jealousy wasn't her style. But what other explanation was there? He supposed somewhere in her jumping to conclusions and leaving was a truth that should be making him smile. If her reaction stemmed from jealousy, she revealed a lot about her feelings.
Krissy couldn't be indifferent and neither could he. Had he seen her in the same position, he would've reacted the same way. Hell, he'd be kicking some guy's ass in the parking lot. He shouldn't have bought Cousin One a drink. For that, he owed Krissy an apology.
Johnny went back into the bar only long enough to make an excuse to the others. Sitting in his truck, he flipped open the phone and dialed Krissy. When she didn't answer, she confirmed his suspicions. How does a girl who is a riot to be with, gorgeous, and funny end up with insecurities? He slammed the truck into gear, drove out of the parking lot, and made the trip to her house in record speed.<
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Only a few minutes had passed since she'd left the bar. Yet, there were no lights on in her apartment. Either she'd gone straight to bed, or she anticipated he'd follow her and this was an attempt to discourage a conversation tonight. Too bad, they were going to talk.
He walked to the door, knocked once, and tried the knob. When she didn't answer, he took out his key and let himself in. Unable to see in the darkened room, he listened for some sound. All he heard was his irregular heartbeat echoing in his ears. His chest tightened with rapid breaths. Anticipation hummed in the air because he knew she was in the apartment. Krissy was being Krissy and this was a game. The games they played now had no rules.
Johnny pushed the door closed. No way was she sleeping.
Rustling near the couch had him uselessly straining to see, listening intently. And then gentle fingers caressed his calf. He'd know her nails anywhere after last night. She dragged them over the back of his knees, chilling his body through thin denim and nearly buckling him to the floor. He leaned back against the door. He couldn't see, but he knew she knelt in front of him as her hands pressed into his thighs.
“Krissy?”
“Shh.”
He couldn't shush. Blood rushed into his shaft. His straining erection pressed into the zipper of his jeans. He wanted to grab her perfectly positioned head by the ears and slide into her hot, wet mouth. She cupped his exceptionally hard dick. He groaned, his pleasure bordering on pain as he swelled behind the constraint of his jeans. A tug on his zipper and then she lowered it, metal teeth unlinking.
“Is this what you had in mind when you followed me home?” She peeled his jeans down his thighs to gather around his ankles.
“I want to talk. Explain what was going on at Stu's, but you left. Oh, fuck.” The tip of her tongue slicked over the slit in his cock head. “I can't think let alone talk with your mouth on me.”
She hummed and curled the blade of tongue around the ridge of the glans. “Don't talk and don't think.” She slid her wonderful, wicked mouth over him, drawing her tongue along the shaft. His buttocks flexed, tightening his balls. Heat sizzled along his nerves and pooled at the base of his spine, and blood surged into his dick. Her mouth was hot and wet, the smooth softness within encased him. She sucked him deep until the sensitive tip banged against the back of her throat. One hand fondled his balls and the other stroked the length, fist meeting mouth in the middle. Opening wider, she shifted her head, and his cock went unbelievably deeper.
Keeping his eyes open or closed didn't matter. The room was too dark. Erotic beyond any fantasy, he savored the moist warmth. He threaded his fingers into her hair, pumped his hips, and fucked her mouth.
“Krissy.” His voice sounded loud and unsteady in the still and quiet room.
She sucked harder, moved her mouth back and forth faster, frenzied. Her teeth raked the shaft, and he flinched with the intense pleasure. Smooth, wet lips glided over his taut flesh. His cock was hard enough to hammer nails. The veins swelled, pulsed, and throbbed. He wanted to come. He didn't want to come. Fuck, he only knew he didn't want her to stop. Her tongue licked the tip, the length, and then she sucked his left ball into her mouth.
“Kristina.” He spoke her name as if it were a profanity. He jerked her head away from his body and dropped to his knees. She giggled.
“You won't be laughing in a minute,” he said. He touched her naked, trembling body. Interesting. He hadn't expected nudity, but rather a bit of yelling and then hopefully great makeup sex.
Flipping her onto all fours, he knelt behind her. The musky scent of her arousal made his mouth water. He inhaled, drinking in her fragrance. He wanted a taste of her, but his painfully aroused erection demanded release. He held tightly to the base of his shaft and entered her slowly. Stretching her inch by inch, he made her whimper. He had to squeeze harder to keep from shooting off like a rocket.
“Please, Johnny.” Scooting back, she tried to impale herself, but he kept one hand on the sexy curve of her ass. Her thighs quivered. “Please,” she begged.
“Please what?” His mind numbed with possibilities. He pulled out.
“Nooo.” Her fist pounded the carpet. “Fuck me!”
He grinned. “Here.” Using the head of his cock, he spread her juices. Rubbing along the crack of her ass, he lubricated her tight little sphincter.
“No.” She pulled away.
“No? Isn't the king supposed to make the rules?”
“Yes, my lord. Now, do your royal duty.” She hiked her ass in the air for him. “Get me pregnant, and I'll let you fuck me in the ass.”
Johnny ran his hand into the severe arch of her back. “Promise?”
“Yes!” She cried out when he filled her with one powerful stroke.
The impact of hitting the top of her cervix shocked his body. Primed and ready, she immediately milked his cock. She came before the second full thrust. Holding her hips, he pistoned hard and fast. Ravenous for completion, he pumped harder, slamming into her cunt with the power of a battering ram. Thrust. Withdraw. Thrust. She felt incredible contracting around his cock, hot, tight, and smooth. Fluids trickled onto his balls. His. Hers. Fuck. He had to come. He'd take his time later. Riding the wave of her orgasm, he took his own. His balls drew up, the sac tight against his body. The rush of his release drained his mind of all thought.
His legs trembled as he rolled to his back. “You okay?”
Her silky hair tickled when she leaned over him. “Yes.” Breathy pants fanned against his skin. “But I'm tired.” She kissed his belly, nipping him gently with her teeth.
“Then let's go to bed.”
Her fingers stilled on his chest. She took a deep breath. Something still wasn't right.
“What's wrong, Krissy?” He brushed her hair from her face.
She moved his hand away and sat up. “I think you should go home tonight.”
“Why? Because of what happened at the bar?”
“Yes and no. I just know that I'm right about the future.”
That he couldn't see her face was a good thing. After their shared passion, he wouldn't want to see rejection clouding her lust- filled eyes. “And how is that?”
“I believe as parents were going to be great. And I know we're awesome as friends.” Silence filled the darkness.
“And?”
“And that's all I'm sure about.”
“Unbelievable.” Johnny jumped to his feet and tugged on his jeans. “Then, at the moment, you're sure about more than I am.” What the fuck? How many times had he seen her pull the same shit on other men? He'd hoped she would see they were different. Resentment cut like a knife through his gut. He wasn't like the others, yet she couldn't see that. “This is bullshit.”
“Don't get angry. We both agreed. We're friends. We need to keep it that way.”
“Friends? Because it feels like my best friend just used me.”
“Johnny, wait.”
He slammed out the door, stalked across the parking lot, and climbed into his truck. He stared into the darkened windows of Krissy's apartment. She was scared and he overplayed his hand. Damn.
Johnny started the truck, paused to consider what Krissy would do if he forced his way back in. He slammed his fist against the steering wheel, squealed the tires and sped out of the parking lot. He left because she asked him to and he would do anything for Krissy. This sucked.
Chapter Nine
Krissy's Got It Bad
Krissy leaned against the door. Fat, heavy tears trailed down her cheeks and dripped from her chin. Sending Johnny home was the hardest thing she'd ever done. Now she questioned whether she made the right decision.
He'd been devastated. The hurt she caused him would only intensify if they kept up with the crazy plan of building a relationship. Yes, she wanted him, but not at the cost of their friendship. Breaking his heart now would save them overwhelming pain in the future. Twenty- four hours wasn't long enough to cause lasting pain. Yet, misery squeezed her heart, ripping apart her
chest.
A couple of days would give them both time to put the changes happening between them into perspective. There was no use denying she'd fallen in love and that those feelings would change them. Avoiding the tender emotions had been the purpose for the initial plan. Now she had to draft a new agenda.
Going into her bedroom, she looked at her bed. This was why she didn't want to have sex in her room. Now not only would watching television while lying in bed bring forth memories, but so would the wall, the floor, the dresser and the mirror. Not even her favorite ratty recliner would offer solace as it once had. The chair should've found its way to the dump years ago. Now it was the love seat. Now it was King Johnny's throne of passion.
Climbing into bed, she didn't bother putting on pajamas. She just cried herself to sleep.
Two days passed. Johnny hadn't heard from Krissy and he refused to call her. The way he left, without working through whatever the problem was, reflected the instability of their relationship. They both needed time. They'd made the decision to have a baby. And even he recognized their approach was crazy, his mind hadn't changed. This didn't feel like trapping her into a relationship or her using him for a sperm donor. They wanted a child.
It was Friday night at Stu's, and he wondered if she'd show. Of course, she would. She intended to keep up pretenses. But that happened to be one of his problems. He'd had just about enough of pretending. Maybe tonight he should tell her and everyone else his exact intentions. Before the night was over, he intended to be back in her bed. This time, he'd let her label their relationship anything she wanted. A label didn't alter reality. They'd been a couple for years. It was time Krissy acknowledged that fact.
He pulled into the parking lot later than usual, hoping to fly in under the radar, use stealth to sneak in and steal the heart she kept hidden. He had sealed his fate going into this crazy plan. He had her. He just had to figure out how to hold on before she bailed completely. No amount of talking seemed to have an impact.
He walked into the loud, crowded bar. Like laser guided, heat- seeking missiles, his eyes locked on Krissy. Bare legs, moving up, he greedily eyed the miniskirt. Too mini, every man in the bar noticed the sweet curve of her ass. He knew what that ass felt like, and he wanted his hands under the pleated flounce.