by Lia Lee
I hadn’t expected Sophia to be so cool about it, or to shrug it off so easily. I wasn’t being arrogant or cocky or anything. Okay, maybe I was, but that was besides the point. I wasn’t stupid. I knew that she’d harbored a bit of a crush on me for years.
It started when she was about sixteenish. The way she looked at me changed. Gradually, to be fair, but it was like she stopped looking up at me to choose her side in squabbles with her big brother and wanted me to be by her side instead.
For that reason, I thought that she would’ve read into the kiss, thought about it as the culmination of years and years of unrequited feelings. But she was watching me coolly, her posture relaxed as she sipped on the beer that the waiter had soundlessly delivered, along with my drink.
Nodding once, I removed my hand from under hers. “Okay, so we’re putting it behind us and never talking about it again. Just like that?”
“Just like that,” she said. “But if you’re ever in need of a pair of lips to make a mistake with, mine are always available.”
She flashed me a playful smile, drawing my attention to said lips. They shone with a nude gloss, accentuating their naturally pink color.
Sophia never had been one for much makeup. Her eyes were framed by long eyelashes that were only lightly brushed with mascara, and thin black lines were drawn on her eyelids. I didn’t know why her tendency to avoid wearing so much makeup turned me on, but it did.
It shouldn’t have, but the fact that she was so comfortable with herself, and with me, for that matter, made my slacks just a little tighter around the crotch.
“Thanks for the offer, but my lips never should’ve been anywhere near yours to begin with. So, I think I’ll pass.”
“Why?” she asked.
Both my eyebrows shot up, and my hand closed around the tumbler holding my liquor. I shot back half the liquid in one gulp and stared at her.
Sophia, for her part, looked completely unaffected. How was she doing that?
“You know exactly why not,” I said.
Sophia’s lips pressed into a thin line. “Because I’m Mark’s sister? Is that it? Because that just seems a bit... I don’t know. Silly?”
“Silly?”
“Yes. I’m a grown woman. You’re a grown man. We’re not related to each other. Why should it matter that my brother is your friend?”
“It matters because it would hurt him. And you. I’m not the guy you’re looking for, Soph. I promise you that.”
“How do know what I’m looking for?” she asked.
“Because you told me that weekend we all went to Florida, remember?”
That was one crazy-ass weekend. I didn’t even know if she would remember our drunken conversation about relationships.
“Plus,” I added. “You’re not only my best friend’s little sister, you’re also a virgin. Saving it for someone special?”
“Not special, necessarily. Just someone who’s going to remember my name the next morning and who won’t hurt me. You know... physically.”
“What?” My blood ran cold. “What do you mean hurt you?”
“Some of my friends...” She trailed off. “Let’s just say they didn’t have the greatest of experiences. I feel like I’m worth more than that.”
“Yeah you are.”
I couldn’t believe that there were guys out there who wouldn’t take care of the girl they slept with, especially if it was her first fucking time. Sure, some pain was unavoidable, but from Sophia’s answer, I was going to go ahead and assume that wasn’t where it ended.
“Good, I’m glad you agree,” Sophia said, taking a deep breath. “Because I’m ready to lose it.”
Say what now? The thought of her with some guy like that was downright aggravating. “With who?”
“Well,” she said, the calm veneer finally starting to crack. “I was hoping that it could be with you.”
Fuck. Me. Sideways.
Chapter Six
Sophia
Stunned wasn’t nearly a strong enough a word to describe the expression on Brett’s face.
My heart was slamming against my ribs so hard that I was sure he would be able to hear it, but outwardly, I thought that I might have managed to remain reasonably calm.
Inside, I was a mess. I had been since I stepped into the restaurant with the intention of asking him that question.
Actually, I was a nervous wreck the whole damn day leading up to it. As soon as his smiling face popped up on my screen that morning, I’d practically broken out in hives.
This was my one shot. If I took it and missed, not only would I never be able to look Brett in the eyes again, but I would also undoubtedly be extra embarrassed when I finally did because I would be reminded of this very moment.
This could end up as an epic failure of magnificent proportions.
“Why me?” Brett asked, his voice low and surprisingly serious. His jaw was set, and his eyes locked on mine.
“Isn’t it obvious?” I was impressed by how even my voice sounded. “I trust you, Brett.”
And there was a minor chance that the reason I hadn’t lost it yet was because I’d always been saving it for him, but hey, I wasn’t going to say that.
Brett’s gray eyes seemed almost clear in the light, softened, then changed. There was suddenly a gleam in them that I hadn’t seen before.
“When?” he asked.
My heart stuttered to a stop, then started galloping even faster than before. “What do you mean?”
“I mean you’ve clearly given this some thought. Suppose I say yes. When did you have in mind for this to happen between us?”
“Are you saying yes?” I asked.
“Depends.”
“On?”
“There would have to be some rules,” he said.
There was at least one obvious one I could immediately think about. “Mark can never find out about it?”
Brett nodded slowly, like he was a little dazed by the direction our evening had taken. Hell, I knew that I was. I couldn’t believe that he was actually considering it, but he was. My long shot might just have a hit the target.
Butterflies the size of bats zoomed around in my stomach, lodging themselves in the lining. There was a stirring between my legs that was steadily building to an ache the more it sank in that there was actually a chance that this was happening.
“That’s one,” Brett said, dropping his chin to look at me over the bridge of his nose. “And it’s the golden rule. I mean it, Soph. He can never, ever under any circumstances whatsoever, even know that we had this conversation. There’s no bending, skirting, or breaking that rule.”
“Consider it done.” I didn’t want Mark finding out any more than Brett did. He would kill Brett, make me watch, and then possibly kill me, too. Not a desirable outcome.
Brett gave me long look. “And if I say yes, you have to know that it’s a one-time thing.”
“One night and one night only?” I tried to joke, but Brett didn’t look amused. He leaned forward, his elbows on the polished wood of the table.
“One night,” he said. “The only reason I’m even considering this, despite the fact that Mark would cut off my dick if he knew that I was, is because I care about you. You’ve been a friend for a long time, and I don’t want some asshole hurting you. You know what they say. If you want something done right...”
“Do it yourself,” I finished for him.
Brett nodded. “Exactly. Back to the original question. When did you want to do this?”
I hadn’t actually thought that far ahead. My plan was pretty much to get Brett to agree. I really should’ve thought it through. “Mark should be out of the apartment for the rest of the night. Unless you want to go to your place?”
“No, too risky with my mom there. I mean, the place is big, but there’s always a chance that we could run into her, which would be a really fucking awkward thing to have to explain if she sees you coming out of my bedroom in the morning.”
All the
moisture in my body that hadn’t already rushed to my sex gathered on my palms. “Wait, if we’re talking logistics, does that mean that you’re in?”
I crossed my clammy fingers in my lap and held my breath while I waited for his answer. It didn’t take long.
“Yes, I’m in.” Brett drew his wallet from his pocket, dropped a fistful of bills on the table and slid out of the booth. When he was on his feet, he held his hand out to me. “Coming?”
Hopefully soon. “Yeah.”
I couldn’t believe that this was actually happening. My legs wobbled a bit when I tried standing, my kneecaps seemingly having forgotten how to work. Never one to miss a thing, Brett noticed and gave me concerned look.
“Are you sure this is what you want?”
I nodded so fast that I must’ve looked like a bobble head doll on a bad gravel road, but I didn’t care. I wanted this, him, too much. “I’m sure.”
“Let’s go then,” he said, reaching for my hand and entwining our fingers. I’d never held his hand before, and his touch skyrocketed my levels of arousal. His hand was so big and warm in mine, his grip firm and strong.
It calmed my nerves, but heightened everything else. Those hands would be on my body soon, touching me the way I’d been fantasizing about for years.
“You didn’t want to eat first?” I asked as he led me out of the crowded restaurant.
“No.” Brett smirked, then squeezed my hand. “Unless you did?”
Hell no, I’d waited long enough for this. I wasn’t waiting another minute if I didn’t have to. “I’m fine. I’m not hungry.”
“Okay.”
Brett hailed a cab, saying that while he shouldn’t be over the limit to drive, he wasn’t taking any chances. It also decreased the possibility of anyone driving past our place and seeing his car outside when Mark wasn’t there, so I agreed.
Once we were in the cab, he slung his arm around my shoulders and tucked me close to his side. All the way back to my apartment, there wasn’t one second where he wasn’t touching me. Whether it was drawing random patterns on my bicep or lacing our fingers together, his hands were on me.
It was nothing inappropriate or even particularly intimate, but it still made me tingle in all the right places. When he touched me, it was like the rest of the world zoomed out, and everything was only zoomed in on him. My heart sang, my skin buzzed, and my thoughts wobbled crazily.
He hadn’t so much as kissed me, and I was swollen and wanting by the time we reached the apartment.
After paying the driver, Brett helped me out of the cab and then practically dragged me to the apartment. I was thrilled that he seemed as eager and into it as I was.
Or he just wants to get it over with. The realistic part of my brain was such a bitch sometimes.
I shut it down.
If one night was all I was going to get with Brett, and he’d made it clear that it was, I wasn’t going to waste it second guessing him or myself. His motivations didn’t matter. The only thing that mattered was that he intended on helping me take care of pesky little virginity problem in the right way. I couldn’t let myself think that it was anything more than that.
I unlocked the door to the apartment with shaky fingers that I tried my very best to keep steady, but Brett must’ve seen the slight tremble, and he took the key from me. Once we were inside the darkened apartment, he turned to face me and raised both hands to my neck, cupping it gently with his thumbs resting at the hollow.
“You’re nervous?” he asked.
He looked so serious that I wanted to deny it and reassure him, but this was Brett. If I tried to bluff him, he’d know and probably call the whole thing off.
“I am, but not because I’ve changed my mind,” I said. “So don’t ask me if I’m sure again. I am sure.”
Tilting his head slightly, one of his hands lifted my chin to bring my gaze to his.
“We can wait, you know. I said one time only, but that one time doesn’t have to be tonight.”
The ache at the apex of thighs didn’t agree with that statement. “No, tonight.”
“You sure?”
“Positive,” I whispered, taking a step closer to him so that I was pressed against his chest. My hands found their way to the buttons of his shirt, sliding the little plastic nubs through their holes slowly. I wanted to be brazen, to take what I wanted, but that didn’t stop my hands from shaking.
He brought his up to catch my wrist, taking over for me and shrugging out of his shirt. Brett’s swimmer’s shoulders were broad, but not bulky. They gave way to a strong chest with small, hard nipples that I wanted to suck on and washboard abs that tapered to fuck-me lines between his hips that should’ve been illegal.
I inhaled a sharp breath of air at the sight of him, the fact that he was on display for me in this way was unbelievable. I’d seen his body before, plenty of times, but this was different. It was… more.
Brett reached for me, tugging me against him. His arms wrapped around my waist and kept me locked to him. He walked us backward until my back hit the wall that separated our foyer from our living room.
Once there, he fulfilled one of many fantasies about him, caging me against the wall with his elbows on either side of my head and holding me there with his delicious weight. His erection pressed into my stomach, hard and huge from the feel of things.
My breath caught in my lungs. My body froze under his heated stare and the feel of finally having him so close to me. His breath fanned my face when he bent his head down, a hint of alcohol and something else.
And then he kissed me, and every other thought vanished. Being properly kissed by Brett was unlike anything I’d ever experienced. I felt his tongue slide across my lips, urging them to open for him. They parted on a soft moan, and he slipped his tongue into my mouth and started kissing me like I’d never been kissed before.
He leaned into me, kissing me fiercely and passionately, bringing goosebumps to my skin and altering my senses. I was pretty sure I was soaking through my panties, but I didn’t care. I brought my hands to his hair, pulling him closer and kissing him just as ferociously as he was kissing me.
A groan resonated from the back of his throat, and I nearly came on the spot from how sexy it was, like he couldn’t control it, even if he wanted to. His hands dropped to my waist, pulling and just about lifting me to him. Then they were on the zipper of my dress and pushing the straps from my shoulders to bare me to him.
Suddenly, out of nowhere, Mark’s voice came from the other side of the door. It sounded like he was on the phone. Brett froze, as did I. The sound of Mark’s key sliding into the lock spurred both of us into action, yanking our clothes back on at the same time that we each hit a couple of light switches.
By the time Mark entered the apartment, we were sitting on opposite sides of the living room. Brett had thrown a pillow onto his lap to hide his impressive bulge, but it looked like he’d casually placed it there because it was in his way when he sat down.
Mark’s eyes widened, then narrowed when he found us, folding his arms.
“What’s going on here?”
I stood from the couch, smoothing my dress and gave him a look. “I just got home from a crappy day a little while ago, and Brett was outside, waiting for you. You guys have codependency issues.”
Brett smirked at my joke, while Mark just shrugged, but his posture relaxed, and he sauntered into the room, looking at Brett. “Sorry for the wait, dude. Didn’t know you were coming. What’s up?”
Not waiting for Brett’s answer, I muttered good night and headed to my room, shutting the door behind me with a click. I sat cross-legged on my bed, heart hammering away as I tried to make sense of the last couple of minutes.
That was Brett I’d been making out with. It seemed impossible, but it was true. The knowledge did the strangest things to my body, and I silently cursed Mark for coming home and interrupting what was sure to have turned out to be the best night of my life.
Thoughts swam around
my head, but nothing came into focus. I had to talk this through, so I did what any girl would do in my situation. I called my best friend.
“Either Brett didn’t treat you right, or he said no, because you should not be calling me this early,” Beth said when she answered the phone, sounding equal parts disappointed and curious.
“Mark came home early.”
Beth squealed on the other end of the line. “So, Brett said yes?”
“He did,” I told her, proceeding to give her a highlight reel of the evening.
She listened patiently, pausing when I finally finished. “Okay, so next time you’ll just have to be more careful. Have you thought about maybe getting a hotel room instead of going to one of your places?”
“This is why I love you. You have the best ideas.” Excitement made my heart, and certain other parts of my anatomy, swell.
“You love me for my flawless dance moves and impeccable taste in ice cream, but yeah, I give good advice, too,” Beth joked.
“The best. I’ll text him about it now. Chat tomorrow.”
“You got it. Go get him, tiger.” She laughed, then hung up.
I stared down at my lit screen for a second, took a deep breath, and decided to just go for it. Pulling up his number on my contacts, I figured that getting straight to the point was probably for the best.
Me: How about getting a hotel room? Is that something you would be interested in?
Brett replied almost instantly.
Brett: Hell yeah. I’ll get it sorted. Sleep tight.
Hell yeah? I could live with that.
Chapter Seven
Brett
The gym smelled like chlorine, rubber, and a faint hint of body odor. Sweat was rolling down my neck and back, and my muscles ached, but I didn’t stop. I’d done three extra rotations as it was, and I was still turned on as fuck.
Hoping that a good workout would take the edge off, I’d gone in early that morning, but failed in my mission to get sex and Sophia off my brain. Sex with Sophia, more accurately.
Christ, she’d felt so incredible against me. Soft and so damn responsive.