Her eyes glittered with desire and speculation as she snuggled into him and ran her hand down his chest. “Oh yeah?”
His plans didn’t exactly meet her expectations, because if he undressed her and slid into her the way he wanted, she wouldn’t get any sleep. But she’d be satisfied, and he’d feel good because tonight, he didn’t want to take anything. He only wanted to give.
He slipped the belt free and pushed open the folds of her robe. She was wearing soft pink panties, no bra, and her skin was as smooth and perfect as he remembered. Her rosy nipples hardened as the cool air hit them, and his mouth watered for a taste. As slowly and reverently as possible, he slid his palm over first one breast, then the other. She arched her back and cried out as he pinched and slowly rolled the taut nub between his thumb and forefinger.
The use of both hands would come in handy, but he was enjoying having her cradled in his arm too much to let go. He slid his free hand down her stomach and toward the thin satin fabric that covered his new definition of heaven. Leaning over, he took a nipple into his mouth and sucked hard, then licked gently before moving on to the other.
Christ Almighty. His eyes damn near rolled to the back of his head as he slipped his hand under the sheer fabric of her panties and his palm encountered smooth, hairless skin. “Shit,” he breathed harshly, “you still wax.”
Her whispered “yes” was barely audible as she arched and thrust her hips. She rolled her head to the side and pressed a kiss against the skin of his chest, exposed by his open collar, before grabbing his shirt and pulling him to her for a kiss. He captured her mouth with his as his fingers slid down her slick flesh and into her waiting core.
Her hips began a thrust and retreat rhythm, allowing him to finger-fuck her while his mouth made love to hers. She gave her body so freely to him, he felt as if he held a precious gift in his hands.
His heart hammered and his cock swelled painfully. Shit, he wanted to be inside her. But not tonight. Tonight his satisfaction would have to come from giving her pleasure.
She sucked on his tongue and he thrust his fingers harder, while using his thumb to massage her clit. In a matter of moments he felt her muscles contracting around his fingers, grabbing hold and pulling him into her even further. She arched her back and bit down on her lip, just as he’d remembered. Then, she tossed her head back and cried out his name as her orgasm rushed through her.
“That’s it, baby.” God Almighty, she was so fucking hot he might come just watching her get off. He continued to stroke her slowly and steadily, dragging her orgasm out as long as possible.
When the waves subsided and her breathing grew less strained, she opened her eyes and looked at him sleepily. “That was amazing.”
He kissed her softly as he pulled his fingers from her drenched channel, then held her gaze while sucking her juice from his fingers. Shit, she tasted just as good as he remembered.
Her eyes flared as she watched him. “Why don’t we move to the bedroom?”
“That’s a great idea,” he said, as he cradled her close. Walking down the hallway toward her room, he added, “But I’m not staying.” When she made a sound of protest, he shook his head. “No, you need sleep. And if I stay, you won’t get any.” He grinned mischievously. “Sleep, that is.”
He set her down, making sure her wobbly legs would support her before letting go and flipping the covers back on her bed. He slipped the robe off her shoulders, then drew in a long, ragged breath as he beat down his natural instincts and the desire to pick her up, toss her onto the bed, and follow. Instead, he picked her up, gently laid her on the cool sheets, then quickly pulled the top sheet over her, minimizing the temptation.
He brushed the hair back from her face and dropped a kiss on her forehead. Stroking the side of her face, he said, “Baby, you need a break. Will you go to the beach with me this weekend? I promise it won’t have any effect on your job.”
She opened her eyes partway, then slowly blinked. “Yes. But I have one stipulation.”
Erik locked his jaw and prepared himself. He’d told her she could set the parameters, and he meant it. He wanted her to go, and he’d live by her rules even if it killed him.
And, depending on her stipulation, it just might.
She gave him a sleepy smile and ran her fingers along the side of his neck. “I want a whole lot more than what just happened.”
He released his breath with enough force to ruffle her hair, and said, “Oh, hell yeah. That, I can do.” His smile was as predatory as a lion going after a lamb as he leaned over and kissed her long and deep. “Get a good night’s sleep. You’re gonna need the rest tomorrow night.”
Chapter Nine
Erik sank into a pale-blue Adirondack chair and propped his feet on the top railing of the deck surrounding his Topsail Island beach home. Little Bit took notice and bounded over, then patiently watched and waited for Erik to get settled before leaping onto the chair and making himself comfortable in Erik’s lap.
“You comfy?” LB nudged his head against Erik’s hand. “You’d be a lot more comfy if I rubbed your head?” Erik laughed as LB’s tongue flopped from the corner of his mouth, and his dark brown eyes rolled up toward Erik in pathetic plea. “You are one spoiled mutt, you know that?”
Erik absently stroked behind LB’s ear and watched a commercial fishing boat get beat to shit as it struggled to cut through the large waves churning up the inlet. However, while his eyes were glued on the boat, his hearing was trained on the back of the house, listening for Mazze’s truck to pull into the driveway.
Sitting here not-so-patiently waiting for Kat and Kevin to arrive was making him crazy. No, Kat being with wild-man Mazze was driving him crazy. Sitting here waiting for them to arrive was making him criminally insane.
Kevin had dark hair, dark eyes, and a dark look powerful enough to make women drop their clothing where they stood. More than once, Erik had seen Kevin raise a finger, curl it in a come-here-baby motion, and the object of his desire moved to him as if in a trance. But the real kick in the ass was, beneath the dark exterior women found mysterious and ultimately irresistible, Kevin was also a nice guy.
Erik blew out a breath and took a drink of his water. Thinking about Kat falling for Kevin’s charm made his stomach heave, which was ridiculous. Erik had no claims on Kat. And in reality, her spending the weekend with him was a horrible idea.
The self-preservationist may have walked off the job, but that part of his mind had been in control far too long to be completely silenced. It was like a broken record asking the same question over and over: “What are you doing?”
And no matter what answer he gave—giving Kat a much-needed break, spending a fun weekend with Kat, following through on the goal of hot sex—he got the same question right back again. “But what are you doing?”
Eventually, he faced the question for what it was. What did this weekend mean? Would Kat expect more? Would she think this meant they were involved?
Were they involved?
What did he expect from her? What did he want?
And for those tough questions, he had no answers. Besides, it was a little late to be worried about them now. He’d made the offer and she’d accepted. Now it was a matter of waiting for her arrive, with fucking Mazze as her chauffer.
The French door leading into the living room opened and slammed shut, startling Erik from his thoughts. He jerked around in his chair, then grabbed hold of Little Bit just in time to keep the poor little guy from landing on his ass.
“Damn, bro,” Steve said, limping across the deck. “It’s just me. Settle down.”
Since Steve was supposed to be competing in a BMX event in San Jose, Erik had been surprised to find his motorcycle in the driveway. But once he’d caught a glimpse of Steve passed out on the couch, a cast on his wrist, and an icepack on his thigh, the answer had been obvious: Steve had taken another bad fall.
Considering he was sound asleep in the middle of the day, when it seemed he never slept,
the doc must have hooked him up with heavy-duty painkillers. Which meant this was more than a slight fracture or a small bruise.
As Steve eased into the chair next to him, Erik said, “I guess there’s no need to ask what you’re doing here. Or how you’re doing.”
Steve chuckled, but lacked any real humor. “I think I might be getting too old for this shit.”
Erik offered a consoling smile, but didn’t comment. Even though they never discussed it, the close-approaching reality of getting too old to compete in the sport Steve loved, a sport he helped bring into the popular mainstream, was something that had been weighing on him for a while. And Erik hated that he had no idea how to make the transition from BMX King to Regular Joe any easier for his best friend.
Staring at the ocean, Steve said, “That particular vert is still twelve feet tall, but freefalling that distance seems farther than it used to. The injuries take longer to heal. The competition’s getting younger and younger.” He rubbed his thigh and winced. “Hell, a fourteen-year-old’s in the finals this weekend.”
After several moments of careful consideration, Erik finally voiced the inevitable question. “So what’s next? When you’re not competing anymore, what’re you going to do?”
Steve sighed. “I don’t know. I don’t know how to be anything other than a BMX rider.”
They sat in silence for several moments, then footsteps on the stairs caught Erik’s attention. He’d been so focused on Steve he hadn’t heard a vehicle approach. Assuming it was Kat and Kevin, he dropped his feet to the deck, stood, and tossed LB onto Steve’s lap. “Oh, shit, sorry dude. Forgot about the leg.”
“Why the hell are you so nervous?”
Erik, who’d been wiping his palms on his shirt, paused midstride and said, “I’m not.”
“You’re as jumpy as a cat in a room full of rocking chairs…” Steve’s attention shifted from Erik to the stairs, and he burst out laughing. “It suddenly becomes crystal clear.”
“Fuck you,” Erik said, as he turned and found Kat and Kevin standing at the top of the stairs. Seeing her standing there, hair whipping around her face, skirt floating around her thighs, made his heart soar straight toward her. “Hey. You made it.” Finally.
A gust of wind caught her skirt, blowing it high on her thighs. She laughed and grabbed hold of her skirt with one hand while holding her hair out of her eyes with the other. The movement caused enough of a shift in her body that he realized Mazze—the son of a bitch—had his hand pressed against the small of her back.
Somewhere in the part of his brain responsible for logical thinking, Erik recognized this as a payback. At least that’s how Mazze saw it. But this was different than anything Erik had done in the past. This wasn’t a random girl at a frat party or a chick in a bar with whom they’d all been flirting.
This was Kat.
In a split second, Erik’s focus shifted from beginning a nice, relaxing weekend with Kat to dismembering Mazze. For the second time in two days, Kevin Mazze had released Erik’s inner caveman, and the beast was itching for a fight. Rational thought became impossible as the roar in Erik’s ears grew and his muscles contracted, prepared to strike.
Despite his banged-up body and limp, Steve (the consummate peacemaker) managed to beat Erik across the deck. Placing himself between the happy couple and Erik, he took Kat’s hand and said, “Kat, I presume.” He gave a gentle shake. “I’m Steve Vex. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you.”
Kat, who’d been staring wide-eyed at Erik, turned her gaze from Erik to the gallant knight, now hamming it up and bowing before her. Appearing shell-shocked—not surprising, given the way Erik had charged toward her—Kat glanced at Erik, then back to Steve and gave an uncertain laugh. “It’s nice to meet you, too.”
Steve released her hand and gingerly rose from his bow. He shook his head as he gave Kevin a quick knuckle rap and through his laughter muttered, “Asshole.”
Kevin dropped his arm from Kat’s back, tucked his hands into his front pockets, and rocked back on his heels. Flashing a shit-eating grin, he said, “How’s it going?”
Erik leveled a no-play stare at the man, who had been one of his closest friends for years, and without any humor whatsoever said, “It’s much better now that you got your fuckin’ hand off her back.”
Steve and Kevin laughed wholeheartedly while Kat stood statue still. Besides her hair and skirt being tossed around by the wind, her eyes were the only thing moving as they traveled back and forth between Erik and Kevin.
Shit, this so wasn’t the way he’d envisioned the weekend going. He and Kevin had been tight since college, but they’d always been fiercely competitive with the ladies. Erik and Steve never competed for anything. Probably because we learned to share at an early age, Erik thought wryly. And, admittedly, they had shared women. But Erik and Kevin had never shared. And they sure as hell weren’t going to start now.
While Erik took a couple of deep breaths, getting himself under control, Kevin said to Kat, “I’ll get your bag while the Neanderthal gives you a tour.” His amusement faded as he took in Steve’s wrist and slanted stance. His eyes narrowed and his brows drew into a concerned frown. “Can you get down the steps?”
Steve snorted and, fronting big time, said, “It’s only a few bumps and bruises. I’ll be good as new by tomorrow.”
As Dumb and Dumber descended the stairs, Kat bit her lip and fought off a grin. After several unsuccessful seconds, she gave up the fight. “You are jealous. I’d never have believed it if I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes.”
“Me neither,” Erik said, scrubbing a hand down his face. He took her hand in his and headed toward the French doors leading into the living room.
Looking at him with a ton of pity, Kat said, “You know Kevin’s just yanking your chain. Right?
“Yeah, I know.” Erik sighed and opened the door. “Which makes it even worse.”
She laughed and squeezed his hand. “For the past thirty minutes he’s had a huge grin on his face, like a kid on his way to the fair. I finally asked him if I’d missed something, or if he was just really glad it was Friday.”
“And?” Erik asked, waiting for LB to slip in behind them so he could shut the door.
She grinned and rolled her eyes, teasing him with the knowledge of a great secret. “Something about a frat party and a hot blonde…” She turned an accusing gaze on him. “What is it with you and blondes?”
He pushed a hand through his hair as he led her through the main living area toward the kitchen. “That’s a good question. I used to dig blondes. A lot.” He shrugged. “But for the past year or so, they’ve held no appeal.”
Kat seemed momentarily stunned by his admission and its implication. He understood. He was a little rocked by the words that had so freely exited his mouth, too. Hoping to save himself further embarrassment, he pointed to the kitchen off to the left and said, “There’s probably not a lot of food right now, but help yourself to anything that’s there. We’ll go to the store later.”
Leading her down the hallway to the four guest bedrooms, he said, “There’s gonna be a couple of other guys here.” He smiled sheepishly. “Maybe I should’ve mentioned that you’ll be the only woman here tonight.” He probably should’ve told the guys there would a woman at their Friday night guys-only party, too.
After a quick peek into all the guest rooms, they returned to the living room as Kevin and Steve appeared with Kat and Kevin’s bags. Both men looked perplexed, and Erik immediately understood their unasked question.
Where’s Kat staying?
He’d known this would be an issue he’d have to face, not only with the guys, but with himself. But where Kat was concerned, it seemed he’d gotten pretty damned skilled at avoiding things he didn’t want to think about.
He’d built the house with the intentions of freely sharing it with all of his friends; they were welcome anytime, even if he wasn’t there. Because of that, he’d established the top floor as his personal, private s
pace, and he never shared it with anyone. On the occasion he “entertained” a female in this house, they always used one of the bedrooms on the main floor. And he only spent the entire night with someone if there was no other option.
Now here he was, inviting Kat to their “men only” Friday night, having her spend not one, but two nights, and basically moving her into his private suite.
As he took Kat’s bag from Kevin, he gave both men a glare that said, You’re dead if you give me any shit about this. With a much less hostile expression and tone, he said to Kat, “I’ll carry your bag upstairs to my room. Make yourself comfortable.”
Catching the undercurrent flowing between the men, she took a step back from the group and said, “I think I’ll go for a run on the beach, if that’s okay.”
“Of course it’s okay.” Hoping to ease her concerns, he gave her a quick kiss and said, “Make yourself at home and do whatever you want, baby.”
She smiled and nodded. “Anyone want to come with me?”
Kevin smiled.
Erik glared.
Stupid, stupid, stupid. He might as well have come right out and said, “I double dog dare ya.”
“I’ll go,” Kevin said, smiling at Kat. “It’ll be good to move around after spending so much time on the road.”
Refusing to let Kevin get to him again, Erik turned his back to them and continued up the stairs. He was halfway to the top when he heard Kat say, “Let me change and I’ll be right down.”
He set Kat’s bag on his bed, then turned to find her standing, wide-eyed, in the bedroom doorway.
“Wow,” she breathed, more than said, as her gaze roamed over the large suite, taking in the details: wet bar, mini fridge, fireplace, dresser with wall mirror and the king-sized bed.
The front wall, made of floor-to-ceiling windows and French doors, provided an unobstructed view of the ocean, and she headed straight for it. “What an amazing view. It’s absolutely breathtaking.”
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