by Ann, Pamela
“Anything to make you smile like this, sis,” he voiced out, happy for me.
“Thank you,” I murmured, noting how he looked tired. He still looked like the same old Carter, but he looked exhausted and somewhat pale at the same time.
I took hold of his hand, showing him how concerned I was because I didn’t just hug or touch his hand when I didn’t care much. “Hey—you okay? You’re not practicing too much, are you? Or maybe you’re putting in too much overtime with partying and booze?”
Carter shrugged, uncaring, as he slid lower on the couch, resting his head and closing his eyes. Never did he look so sad than at this moment. Carter was self-reliant and didn’t care much about things, but I suppose the break-up with Emma really was messing with him far too much.
“Let her go… you’re killing yourself over something that’s not there anymore. You need to start seeing other girls. Hell, go back to being a manwhore, you have my blessing.” Hell, anything at all so he didn’t have to be like this. It was utterly troubling.
“What’s the point of fucking another woman if I imagine it to be her? Why should I even try moving on when I know my heart is not even in it?” He was desperately and hopelessly in love with my best friend. “Even if I start liking someone—maybe even love someone again—I don’t think it’ll ever be like Emma. I guess, I’ll just fucking live, pretending that I don’t love her.”
Why was he being such a pessimist? “You won’t know until you put yourself out there again. The rest is just a big ‘what if’ right now.”
“Guess I’ll just have to live with it.” Carter gave me a quick hug, kissing my cheek before getting up to leave.
Five minutes after he left, I was still on the couch, unmoving. Something about what my brother had said made me think of Dimitris. The need to search him on the Internet was a fight that I had to struggle with on a daily basis. I suppose I could only pin it down to my making sure that he was okay and happy with Claudine, but in truth, I knew I didn’t need to because they were great together. The last article I had read about engagement rumors took a long time for me to get over. Another chance to torture my loose imagination, I definitely didn’t need. Also, I shouldn’t even be thinking about him because I was with Brody.
Brody was all I needed.
~L~
It took a good two weeks for people we know to get used to us dating—my aunt and uncle included.
I was on my knees, rearranging my collection of shoes when I heard someone enter my room, slamming the door while they were at it. “Geez, take your anger somewhere else!” I yelled out, wondering who it might be.
It didn’t take long until Trista pouted her way into my closet, brows furrowing. I was about to say something snarky when she screeched like a banshee. “My mother is demanding that I attend my cousin’s christening next month! I told her I wasn’t interested, but she was being such a bitch again, saying that I should support my cousin and show her some love and support!”
From what I had gathered before, Trista hadn’t seen Harry—the said cousin’s husband—after what’d happened; adultery and the fallen pregnancy. “Honestly, Trista, did you think you could avoid seeing him? Hell, he and your cousin had a baby. If it bothers you that much, bring Taylor with you. Guess he could knock him out for the second time. Horrible Harry sure does deserve another.”
“What the fuck’s wrong with you, Lindsey? Why aren’t you hysterical like you usually are after you hear shit like this?” Trista kept on rambling. “I need that person back.”
Was I always that predictable? Guess so. “Nothing’s wrong—in fact, everything feels good. I suppose being in a relationship isn’t so bad. I’m really digging it.”
“I’m happy for you, babe—truly—even if I don’t look it at the moment,” Trista said. Then, she snapped her fingers, eyes popping out of her sockets as if a bright bulb had lit inside her head. “Dude! I need to convince Emma to take me with her!” she yelled, giddy and slapping at the same time.
“You’re going to tag along with her when she visits Bass on location? You’re just going to end up hearing and seeing them having sex all the time. Maybe you should join the fun so that you won’t be so bored, I guess,” I said, snorting as I resumed color-coordinating my treasured labels.
“As much as I love Emma, if I got to score with Bass like that, I’ll probably kick her off the bed!” Trista laughed, probably picturing it in her head. “On a serious note, I love my boyfriend very much and my major crushing for Badboy BC will certainly just stay in my imagination.”
I glanced at her, smiling. “I second that! BC is darn hot—yummy eye candy.”
“Anyway, I gotta go and text Emma to see if she could bring me to see Jacques in Monza. I know it’s next month, but I need to prepare, you know? As I stated before—I’m head over heels for Taylor Montgomery—but I’ll be damned if I’m not going to enjoy all the Italian machismo.” She waved me a quick goodbye before slamming the door on her way out.
Emma was going to Monza to watch Jacques? Jacques—the Formula One star and a very good friend of Dimitris?
Shit.
I was about to get up and call Emma when a knock on my door made me halt a bit. “Yeah?”
“Where’s my girl?” Brody called out, looking for me.
I grinned, like I always did when he called me anything that had my in it. “In the closet.”
“Hey, hey,” Brody greeted me as he came into view, bending over to give me a lingering kiss, which evoked a low, deep moan from me. “Hello, love of my life,” he whispered, nipping my bottom lip.
“What have you been up to? Are we going anywhere tonight? Who’s having a house party this time?” I asked as he helped me get to my feet before we started to stride out of the closet.
My questions went unanswered because I ended up straddling him with his back against the headboard while he kissed me, hands cupping my butt cheeks, rolling them against his apparently aroused state. God, I’d been horny, so horny that I’d exhausted two vibrators in the past month.
“Brody,” I gasped, fired up and stimulated.
“I want to take you somewhere. Do you feel like going away with me for the weekend? I’m tired of going to parties and hanging out with strangers. I want to spend some time with you, just you and me. Say you’ll go?”
Blinking back a few times, I peered at him, weighing things. “Where do you propose we’ll go?” Spontaneity, I’m loving it.
He pulled my fingers to his lips, kissing each pad. “Wherever you want to go.”
Well, there’s this one place I’d been wanting to see, but I’d never gotten the chance to. “Feel like going to SeaWorld with me? In San Diego?”
Brody looked amused, probably thinking that I didn’t look like the type to be hanging out in an amusement park. “Can you be ready in an hour?”
“Heck yes!” I retorted back, jumping off his body, excited to spend the weekend with him.
Before he left, Brody decided to pat my ass before kissing me again. “Oh, by the way, I’m going to seduce you all weekend long. See through and skimpy lingerie’s are welcome.”
After a month of abstinence and seeing how The Greek had moved on from me, from us, I knew, it was time to take it to another level with Brody.
Hmmm. Some nookie for pookie. It’s definitely on!
Chapter 20
Since it was a Friday, the usual three hour drive to get to our destination spun into a good, almost five hour road trip. By the time we checked into our villa at the Four Seasons, we were both haggard and hungry, not to mention that we were in dire need of a shower.
Brody brought our bags in, placing them on the floor before grabbing me from behind, whispering against my ear. “Why don’t you shower first and I’ll go order some room service? I’ll go after you.”
“Sounds like a plan,” I said, smiling as he nipped on my neck.
“Good, ‘cause that’ll be the first and last shower you’ll have alone. Enjoy it while you can,” he
stated, smug and ready to get the show started.
He’d been waiting for a month. I didn’t blame him for taking charge since he felt how wet I could get each time we dry humped each other. The only skin he’d been touching had been my face, legs, stomach and neck.
“You talk too much. You’ll probably end up being a one-minute man since you haven’t been getting any,” I teased, making him laugh.
“Then, I guess, I’ll jack-off first before I pounce on you. You won’t live it down if that ever happens—God forbid,” Brody huskily said and then big on my neck, making me squirm at the same time that I dripped with excitement.
I smirked, knowing quite well that I would do such a thing. “Choose my entrée for me—fish or chicken. Get a few bottles of bubblies, too,” I shot out my dinner order after I got out of his hold, striding towards the bathroom.
“Anything else? How about a good rub? Satisfaction guaranteed by yours truly.”
“Feed me good food first then we can talk business.” I blew him a kiss before I shut the door, feeling naughty. There was no way in hell we would be able to resist each other tonight. I could feel that we weren’t going to be getting much sleep. Even the sexual banter we’d been throwing at each other all night didn’t deter me. I was ready for the next step.
Fresh out of the shower, I strode out with my white terry robe on, towel-dried hair and in dire need of champagne. Brody was watching soccer on the television, waiting for our room service before he handed me my phone. “Emma called. I picked it up after she called for the third time. She said to call her back the second you get out of shower.”
It sounded like an emergency. “Did she sound okay?”
Brody glanced at me for a bit before shrugging. “She sounds like Emma to me. She wasn’t crying or anything, nothing like that.”
Okay, that’s a good sign. “Okay, I’m going inside the room to call her. Just knock on the door to let me know the room service is here.” I got up, kissing his nose. “Thank you for bringing me here. I love this.”
“I love you,” he said before pulling me against his lips, giving me a more thorough kissing.
Parting from his lips and chest, I got to my feet and went inside the bedroom, closing the door then turning the lock for good measure. It didn’t take long until I dialed her number and I wasn’t surprised a bit when she picked up my call the second it rang.
“What’s up, Hollywood?” I greeted her, trying to sound light even though I was worried inside.
“She’s here,” Emma hissed into the phone as if trying to hide that she was on the phone, or trying to keep her voice low so that no one could hear her.
“Who’s there? Aren’t you filming in Chicago with that new hunk? What’s his name again?” My mind could picture the actor, but his name had totally left me.
Emma groaned on the other end, pissed off at my slowness. “Nikki is here! I decided to surprise him in Vancouver since we haven’t seen each other in two weeks because our schedule’s been so crazy. Well, the bitch decided to show up an hour after I arrived, saying that she needed emotional support. She even tried to vent out, saying how depressed she is—to me! Fucking unbelievable.”
Bitch mole was back. I wonder how Bass was going to handle this without pissing Emma off. He could always send her packing. Hell, I’m even surprised that he hadn’t. “Tell her to get lost and put her on the next plane out.”
“Bass wanted to, but she started puking so we had to put her in the other room. It’s disgusting to watch her around Bass. She’s in love with him, it’s so sickeningly obvious.”
Nikki wasn’t a lucid woman, I wasn’t sure if it was the pregnancy hormones or if she was merely pretty wacked up beforehand. “She’s delusional. Make sure to put her in her place before you leave. Guess that means there’s no sexy time for you two love birds?”
“Well, Bass doesn’t seem to care that she’s in the other room. We just went at it, back to back.” I could hear her smile through her announcement.
Way to send the message loud and clear Bass Cole. I busted out laughing, thinking wickedly as to how Nikki might’ve looked when she could hear live porn coming out of Bass’s bedroom. “Please tell me you were loud, please, please.”
“Like I could hold it back! Bass and two weeks of no sex. Imagine a bear that just came out of hibernation—that was him.”
Goodness, Emma. I knew how Bass was—I saw him in action in Greece and I couldn’t help blushing at the thought of it again. Shit, darn Bass and his skills. “I haven’t had sex in a month. Stop making me jealous.” I had the power to change that, soon…
“What the hell are you waiting for? Oh, by the way, I’m going to Italy next month, Trista and Amber are tagging along since they have been calling me non-stop about it.” Emma sounded pretty excited.
Then there’s that, too. I knew she was close to Jacques and I bet Amber as well as Trista were extra excited to be around top of the line bad boys of car racing—not to mention the hotness that was the Duque Andrès Franco or “The Rogue Duke” as they’d nicknamed him. “Sounds exciting.” It really did…
“Why don’t you come and join us? It should be fun. Your sense of humor with the guys will definitely click.”
Damn, I wanted to go so bad. Fick. Fack. Fuck. “Um, will he be there?” I didn’t need to emphasize who he was to Emma. She knew who I meant. There was no other he to me, other than him. The Greek.
Emma was pouring something before she took a big gulp and responded to my question. “I texted him. He said he’s busy and might even be in Asia then. His dad wants to retire soon, so he’s getting more responsibilities as the months progress.”
“You’re not lying to me, are you?” It was rude, but I had to double-check. I meant it when I vowed not to see him anytime soon.
“I wouldn’t lie to you about that. Think about it. Anyway, I got to go. Bass just came out of the shower and is asking about—” Emma gasped on the other end. “Bass!”
There were some weird sounds then Emma’s moans became clearer by the second. “Are you guys—Oh my God!” I screeched, cutting the call.
I was staring into space, shaking my head and trying to forget what I’d just heard when Brody gently knocked on the door. Automatically, I got up and opened the door, still deep in thought.
“You okay? You don’t look it.” Brody frowned at me when I strolled to join him at the dining table.
I’m not sure, was I? “I heard Bass and Emma having sex—loudly—in my ear. It’s still ringing.”
“That’s pretty normal. I hear people having sex all the time, but I don’t look the way you do. I didn’t know it bothers you that much.” He kissed my check before pouring me a glass of champagne.
It wasn’t about that, but that dirty mouth of Bass’s and the way he said things to Emma… I need to be inside you. Own you. Fuck you. I need to come all over you, moro mou… then, I suppose, Bass hammered her into oblivion because he was talking about her pussy and then Emma’s screams killed my curiosity. Dear goodness, that was the hottest thing I’d ever heard. It reminded me of how Dimitris and I had been, utterly mind-blowing.
I’d had sex with Brody before. It’s great sex, but not like Dimitris’s. Maybe we only needed time to get there. Didn’t they say practice made perfect?
Well, I was about to test that theory.
~L~
I woke up with a smile, stretching lazily before I latched onto Brody’s chest with a hand that was mildly appreciative. Flashbacks of last night played in my head, making me smile. The theory definitely was in progress, though it wasn’t par, it certainly was fantastic.
Slow lovemaking didn’t used to do it for me, but Brody proved me wrong.
“What are you smiling about?” he grumbled, pulling me closer while his other hand caressed my belly, teasing, before it sought my crevice, caressing it in circles.
I quickly glanced at the clock, checking. “Nothing, it’s already noon. We can just stay here all afternoon. I don’t mind.�
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“Shit. We have to go.” He sat up, trying to make me do the same. “You wanted to go to SeaWorld, pookie. Get your ass out of bed. I’m going to order lunch. Do you want coffee or anything?”
That question made me grin. “Yes. I want YOU. Extra cream and a double shot, please.”
“Now, you’re just being cute. Come on, let’s go. I’ll make it up to you tonight.” Brody winked at me before grabbing the hotel phone and ordering our lunch.
Uh, so much for excitement around here, guess I’d have to wait until tonight.
After lunch, I was still grumpy. Well, that was already expected, but when we parked, bought tickets and entered the amusement park, my grumpiness evaporated. I felt like a kid inside, exploring a new place, loving how Brody didn’t mind that I was getting all hyped up to see Shamu in action.
We spent our entire day in SeaWorld. It was good, old fun and it seriously brought us closer. I had never dated like this before. The usual parameters were restaurants, parties and clubs.
When we got back to our villa, I was ready to order in, watch a good movie and cuddle—yes, I’m a cuddler now—kiss some more and drink more bubbles.
As I was getting out of the shower, busy thinking about what we could do tonight other than movies, Brody saw me, eyes glittering. He had just got off the phone when he saw me walk by, snaking his arm around me, slowly unlatching my robe. “Where do you think you’re going?”
“I’m going to change for dinner.” Well, I was, but it sure looked like it wasn’t going to happen anytime soon.
He pushed my robe aside before he guided me towards the bed, eyes feasting on my nakedness. “Not yet. Let me eat mine first then I’ll feed you.” I had my mouth open when he used two fingers to toy with my clit. Brody still had his feet on the floor, one hand on the mattress, eyes on me, soaking in my moans and pleas. “Let me eat you,” he offered, eyes flicking towards my pussy then into my eyes.
Danger zone. I had nothing against that, but since I’d experienced the intense whiplash of Dimitris’s torque-like tongue, I knew the rest who would try wouldn’t even come close. Brody was decent before, but I’d rather not compare because the Greek’s was still so fresh in my mind and I didn’t want to be disappointed in Brody, not tonight, maybe in the next few months, but surely not this evening. “No, I can’t wait for you to be inside me. Let’s skip it; I’m not that fond of it, anyway.”