by Jacob Chance
Her tongue sensually slides along mine, that first stroke almost buckling my knees. Tightening my grip on her ass, I try to guide her grinding hips into mine, but she continues to wiggle them, driving me mad.
Our wet bathing suits offer little in the way of a barrier between us. Despite the clothing, my dick seeks her entrance, impatient to drive into her softness. I groan when I can’t find any relief for my throbbing length.
Roxanne moans, digging her nails into the top of my shoulders, urging me on. My fingers move to the tied bow on the back of her neck when I hear a door slam shut inside the house and approaching voices.
What horrible fucking timing.
I might have to kick my brother’s ass for this.
Roxanne’s hands go to my chest, trying to push me away, letting me know she doesn’t want them to catch us kissing.
Respecting her silent command, I tear my lips from hers. Turning, I dive under the water, swimming as far away from her as I can. My body is cycled up and needs the space between us to settle down. I pop up above the surface as Dani and Vi step outside.
I can’t help feeling resentful for their interruption. Who knows how far things would’ve gone if they hadn’t crashed our little party.
13
Roxanne
Holy shit.
I kissed Adam.
What the hell was I thinking?
Not only did I kiss Adam, but I launched myself at him. I also tried to get off by grinding on his cock. But my friends—now my ex-friends—showed up and ruined the moment.
Part of me wants to thank them for stopping us, and the rest of me wants to scratch their eyes out. In the end, I know they did me a favor. Our kiss was explosive, and the impending orgasm may have ruined me for all other men.
Licking my lips, I turn to face my friends. “Hey.” I clear the hoarseness from my throat. “How was shopping?”
“Great. I found souvenirs for my mom and dad and a new coffee mug for me,” Vi shares.
“We bought enough groceries for you guys to stay longer if you want to,” Dani says, a hopeful smile curving her lips.
“Yes,” Vi squeals. “Can we?”
“You can, but I cannot. I’ve been away from the office long enough. It’s not fair to Lisa.”
“She would want you to stay longer,” Vi tries to convince me.
“She would, but that doesn’t mean I’d be okay with putting her in that situation.”
“Think about it at least,” Dani urges. I nod, even though I have no intention of remaining. After what happened in this pool just minutes ago, the sooner I go home, the better.
My gaze wanders to Adam, noting his interest in our conversation. I’m sure he wants me to stay. He thinks I want to sleep with him. And after I all but mauled him, who can blame him?
However, there’s a big difference between kissing someone and screwing them. And since I’ve already sampled the goods, so to speak, I’m not going to pursue any more with him.
That’s the plan anyway.
The kiss we shared was that fucking phenomenal. It’s not going to be easy to keep myself away from Adam and his talented mouth. But I’ll find a way to do the right thing for myself.
I always do.
Avoiding Adam has been anything but easy. The only time I felt completely safe from his attention was when I was in the shower. If not for the lock on the bathroom door, he probably would’ve tried to join me. I swear I heard the knob jiggle, like someone checking to see if it was locked.
I finally enlisted Vi’s help, having her sit next to me at dinner. She didn’t mind, since Larsen never came back from his impromptu trip home. She made me promise to fill her in later on the details of why I was so hard pressed to keep distance between Adam and myself.
Blocking Adam’s attempt to be near me may have worked at dinner, but he’s currently got me cornered in the kitchen. Caging me against the counter with a hand on either side of me, he braces his weight on the granite surface. Mere inches separate us as he stares down at me. “Why are you running scared, Rocky?”
“I’m not scared.”
His face lowers, and I draw in a surprised breath. The kiss I expect doesn’t happen. Instead, he stares intently into my eyes, as if he’s looking for the answers to every one of my secrets. “Then why are you avoiding me?”
“I’m not. I’m right here, aren’t I?”
“Only because I forced the issue and you couldn’t dodge me any longer.”
“Look, I told you in the pool why I wouldn’t let anything happen between us,” I remind him.
“Yeah, then you kissed the fuck out of me.”
“Hey, you kissed me first,” I point out.
“I did. But you kissed me back. Talk about mixed messages.”
“I’m sorry I kissed you back.”
“No, you’re not.” He smirks knowingly.
“Fine. I’m not sorry, but that doesn’t mean it can happen again. I’m drawing the figurative line that we can’t cross over.”
He bumps his thick chest into mine. “What line?” His green eyes are pure mischief.
I sigh. “Don’t make this harder than it is.”
“Shouldn’t that be my line?” he jests. I try to bite back my smile, but I can’t. “You like me, Rocky. Why are you fighting it so much? Give in and put us both out of our misery. Think of all the fun we could have tonight.”
I have a pretty good idea of how enjoyable spending the night with him would be. It doesn’t matter that every single one of my erogenous zones is screaming for me to say yes, my brain is still in control and it’s shouting a loud hell no.
I shake my head. He places a fingertip on my closed lips before I can reply. “Don’t make your decision yet. Give me your answer later.” I nod, not because I agree. I don’t want to drag this out any longer.
Every second spent this close to him tests my restraint. After the pool mauling incident, I don’t trust myself completely. It’s difficult to turn down what could very well be the best sex of my life, even when I know it’s imperative I do.
Red, white, and blue splashes across the dark sky, like a star bursting apart. Next, purple erupts above us in the shape of a willow tree.
Sitting on a blanket in the town square with Vi on one side of me and Adam on the other, I lean back on my hands, tipping my face upward. Every time I assume the fireworks show is over, it keeps going. With them shooting off right above us, they appear so close. It seems like I could reach right up and grab one from the night sky.
The weather is a perfect seventy-five degrees, and, miraculously, I’ve yet to be swarmed by mosquitos. Maybe it has something to do with the burly guy sitting next to me. He keeps looking around and mean-mugging at anyone who has the nerve to look in our direction.
And his scowl is damn intimidating. If it was aimed at me, I’d be shaking in my flip flops.
Adam’s arm nudges mine and snakes behind me, his palm bracing on the grass. The new position has him leaning toward me and puts our arms in constant contact. Our bare skin touching sends a nervous flutter to my stomach. There’s no doubt that I react to his touch, even when it’s an inconsequential body part.
I’m thankful Vi is next to me and Dani and Rex are on another blanket in front of us. If not for them, I’m almost positive Adam and I would be making out on this blanket under the fireworks like a couple of teenagers, and I might be the one instigating it.
As we continue watching the fireworks, the three of us end up lying on our backs. The new position gives us a different perspective. The colors seem brighter, and each time the fireworks go off, they look like they’ll fall to the ground right on top of us.
“Wow. These are the best fireworks I’ve ever seen,” I say.
Adam’s hand lands on top of mine on the blanket. “This is amazing,” he replies.
I let my imagination run wild, pretending he’s referring to us watching together and then I scold myself for having such frivolous thoughts.
He’s dang
erous. He makes me forget my rules.
Obviously, this kind of stuff isn’t new to him. He wouldn’t have four women running Manfax reports on him for no reason.
This is all part of his charming act to suck me in, and I’m so starved for male attention, it almost worked.
I need to get laid soon; just not by Adam.
Slipping my hand from under his, I place it under my head. Keeping my eyes skyward, I do my best to ignore the charismatic man to my right and pay attention to the small fortune exploding in the sky.
Back at the house again, I take Violet aside. “Hey, how do you feel about leaving early tomorrow morning?”
“I’d rather sleep in. How early are we talking?”
“I was thinking we’d hit the road by seven. I’m hoping we can avoid some traffic, since a lot of people will be traveling home later in the day.”
She nods. “Okay. I can sleep on the way home.”
“Why should the return trip be any different than the one coming here?” I droll.
She throws her palms up. “I can’t help it. When I ride for a long time I get sleepy.”
“You’re like a baby,” I tease, poking her arm.
“There goes my opportunity to drink tonight.” Vi grimaces.
“Have a couple. Just don’t overdo it. I’m not dragging your ass out of bed in the morning. I’ll leave you here,” I threaten.
“Sure you would.” Vi smiles. She knows it’s an empty threat.
“I’m going to bed, so I can get us home safely. Do me a favor, don’t mention we’re leaving early. I’ve already spoken to Dani and filled her in.”
“You don’t want Adam to know you’re sneaking out?” Vi astutely asks.
“That’s not what I’m doing.”
“Riiiight. What’s the matter? Are you enjoying his company too much?” Vi presses.
“Not at all,” I deny. But her question hit a little too close to the truth. So what if I’m looking out for myself? It’s the prudent choice in this situation. “I’ll see you bright and early.”
“Don’t remind me,” she grumbles.
Lying in bed with the lights out, I scroll through emails on my phone. I take the time to answer some of the ones that require short replies, and the rest I’ll take care of once I’m home.
Three rapid knocks have me sitting up and dropping the phone down on the bed. My heart’s pace kicks up and I place a hand on my chest.
More knocking followed by Adam’s voice has me climbing off the bed. “Rocky, open up.”
Oh, crap.
I was trying to avoid him, but I didn’t expect him to seek me out.
“Rocky, open up, please.” He sounds frustrated.
It’s his “please” that gets to me. Hurrying to the door, I turn the knob and peer through a six inch opening. “What’s up?”
“Why are you up here? You should be hanging out with everyone. Tonight’s your last hurrah.”
“I had to answer some work emails. Besides, I’m tired. All this fresh air wears me out.” It’s true. I’ve never slept so solidly as I do here. It must be the clean mountain air. It knocks me out as soon as my head hits the pillow.
His eyes scroll down my body, taking in the long t-shirt I’m wearing, bare legs peeking out below. His gaze leisurely creeps up. “Throw some shorts on and get your ass downstairs.”
“Sorry, it’s not happening. I’m beat and I want to go to sleep.”
He growls with annoyance. At least I think that’s the noise that rumbled from his chest. Resignation shows on his face. He knows I’m not budging. He raises his chin toward me. “Get some rest, and I’ll see you in the morning.”
“Night.” I shut the door between us. Exhaling with relief, I lock the knob and head back to bed. I expected him to put up more of a fight. I may even be slightly disappointed he didn’t.
“That’s the rest of our stuff.” I shut the trunk and turn to hug Dani. “Thank you so much for an awesome weekend.” I hold her tightly, rocking from side to side. When I step back, Violet embraces Dani.
“I’m on vacation for the rest of this week and Rex is keeping me here.” She smiles. “I’ll be back home Sunday. The three of us need a girls’ night out soon.”
“Since you’re the only one of us with a fiancé, we’ll work around your schedule,” I say before sliding behind the steering wheel. Vi slips into the passenger seat, and I back the car up. Pulling forward, we wave to Dani while she blows kisses at us.
My eyes sweep over the front of the house one final time, pausing when I notice Adam in an upstairs window. Standing with his arms crossed over his brawny chest, an obvious smirk arcing one side of his mouth, he’s the final thing I see before I drive off. I shiver at the cat who ate the canary expression he was wearing.
“You cold?” Vi asks, turning down the air conditioning setting.
“Yeah, a little,” I reply, not willing to reveal the real reason for the shiver.
Apprehension.
Adam’s expression was cocky, as if he knew something I didn’t. But what leg could he possibly have up on me?
14
Adam
In the two weeks I’ve been back home after the Fourth of July weekend, I’ve been slammed with work. Losing days during holidays always throws our project schedules off, no matter how much we plan ahead. When it comes to contracting, it seems like Murphy’s Law always kicks in at some point.
It didn’t help that Rex stayed in New Hampshire with Danika for the remainder of their vacation. And while I’m glad they had time alone together, the extra set of hands would’ve been appreciated.
Now, I’m about to start on a new project, helping out Luke, a plumber friend of mine, with a commercial renovation. The old building is long overdue for some TLC, and Luke’s family is friends with the owner.
Located in a popular area of Brookline, it’s a prime piece of real estate. The outrageous yearly rental rates on this place probably generate more income than our company, Winters Custom Renovations, does.
Although Luke wanted me on board for this project from the get go, originally, I turned him down. I didn’t want to overcrowd my schedule. There’s nothing worse than feeling the pressure bearing down on you when a project runs over the planned amount of time. Especially when it delays the next one. The clients who hire me don’t want that, and neither do I. It’s an inconvenience to all involved.
What got me to finally accept Luke’s offer was learning that we’re working in the same building where Roxanne’s company is.
How’s that for some serious luck?
When she told me the name of her business, I immediately did a web search to learn every detail I could. Of course, the address was of the utmost interest to me. I figured I could swing by sometime and claim I was in the area, then I discovered a legitimate reason to see her.
I may not have gotten the girl when we were at the cabin, but life has presented me with another golden opportunity. Best of all, Roxanne has no idea. How can she be anything but happy to see me?
Trying to guess what her expression will be like when she realizes what’s going on has been entertaining to think about. Seeing it in person will be worth all the stress of taking on an additional project in an already full schedule.
Rex said he’d work longer hours to help us remain on schedule with our current projects while I focus on this one. It should only involve me being on site for two weeks, give or take a few days, and the payout will be a nice bonus.
Dunks coffee cup in hand, I glance at my watch. I notice it’s five minutes after seven and Luke is late.
Wandering around the lobby, I take in my surroundings. The original hardwood floors—still in good shape—are stained a deep brown. The chalk white walls, scuffed with black marks, are on tap to be painted an off white, similar to French vanilla ice cream, one of my personal favorites—ice cream, that is. The new hue will make it feel warmer and less institutional.
The sound of the twisting door knob has me turning ar
ound to see Luke. Only it’s not him.
“You,” Roxanne scoffs, wide eyed. “How did you find out where I work?” Her surprise is priceless.
“Hello to you too, Rocky.” My gaze slowly skims over her. She’s more stunning than I recalled. Dressed in business attire, her long tresses held back with a headband, she looks professional. It’s a side of her I’ve never seen, and I like it a lot.
She shakes her head with a look of disgust on her face. “Don’t call me that, and answer my question.”
“You’re the one who told me where you work. And what makes you think you’re the reason why I’m here?”
She rolls her eyes. “Like you’d have another reason.”
I grin. “Aren’t you full of yourself.”
“No, I’m not. I can smell bullshit a mile away and you reek of it.”
“I hate to inform you you’re wrong, but you’re wrong.” I roll my neck from side to side and sigh with relief. “Actually, that’s a lie. Saying that felt damn good.”
She crosses her arms beneath her chest, calling attention to her unforgettable tits. I certainly haven’t been able to forget the memory of the way they felt pressed against my chest in the pool. I’ve jerked off nightly replaying our kiss and every sensation I felt in those moments.
Her supple tongue dancing with mine.
Her taut nipples poking through the wet material of her bikini top and into my chest.
My dick pressed into the soft space between her legs.
I remember it all.
“What are you talking about? Why are you here?”
The door creaks, causing both of us to turn our heads.
“Adam, I’m sorry I’m late,” Luke apologizes.
“No worries. I’ve only been here a few minutes. Besides, I've had a wonderful time talking with Roxanne.”