Ricochet

by Lore Ree

  He didn’t answer, and even if he had, I wouldn’t have heard him because I leaned away.

  There was another DJ on, one of many who were in the lineup.

  “This guy’s good,” I commented to … nobody because Warren wasn’t paying much attention to me either. Lonnie had made her way to us and was leaning the top half of her body in my direction.

  “Yes?” I raised an eyebrow. My tone was neither friendly nor was it rude.

  “To Elle!”

  “What?” I leaned in to hear her better.

  “Go talk to Elle!”

  “Why?” Not that I needed a reason to talk to her, but Lonnie must have been telling me for a reason.

  “Just go.” She pointed to the far side of the club near the DJ booth.

  Noelle was there dancing alone. But she was distracted, not in rhythm with the tempo of the old reggae song playing.

  “Hey.” I sidled up to her with a smile and pointed to her cup. “What’s that?”

  She shook the cup then looked at me with a blank expression.

  Now what?

  “Lonnie ordered it. I needed something strong; this is what I got.” She lifted it toward my mouth, and I took it but held it away from both of us.

  Laughing, though I wasn’t amused, I asked, “Why did you need something strong to drink?” She could have all the hard liquor her heart desired, and I wouldn’t care. But if she drank because something happened, I didn’t like the sound of that. “Are you OK?”

  “I’m fine.” She moved her shoulders in time with the new song. “Want to dance?”

  “Yes.” I nodded because I really, really did want to dance with her. I wanted her in my arms. That would have to wait until I made sure she was OK. Something, yet again, seemed off. “But in a minute. What’s wrong?”

  “I told you, I’m fine.” She put her hands on my waist and skimmed a finger under my shirt. My abs clenched. I chuckled and took a step back.

  “Are you sure?”

  She nodded and would’ve seemed fine if I hadn’t learned some of her facial expressions.

  “You’re upset.” I bent so we were eye to eye. “What’s going on?”

  “No, I’m not! Well, not anymore. I’m just … Listen, let me enjoy this weekend OK?”

  She trailed a finger under my shirt again, and though it felt damn good and my body reacted, my head got in the way.

  I heard, too clearly for my liking, the way she emphasized the word weekend. A reminder this was all we would have. I wasn’t for that this time.

  So, even though it was hard for me, I had to stop her. I put my hands on hers to still her movements. Her nostrils flared while her shoulders tensed under my grip.

  “Don’t do that.” I grasped her chin. “Don’t look at me like that. You know how bad I want you. You know I’m feeling you.”

  “Do I? Are you?” She tried to act tough, but her voice betrayed her. She was hurt. “Or are you feeling the chase?”

  I’d assumed the coyness, her playing hard to get, was just that—her flirting games—but she actually doubted me. If I’d known that before, I wouldn’t have kept the game going this long.

  The tension in the air thickened, and the music suddenly became so loud it caused a ringing in my ear. None of that mattered.

  Her words pissed me off. Gutted me. And I was officially done with the back-and-forth. I twisted past the dancing forms and pushed her to a corner. Facing her against the wall, I stood with my chest to her back and blocked everyone’s view of her.

  “Listen!” My voice was harsh, snarling. At first, the cat-and-mouse we’d been playing was fun. Now it seemed the only thing we’d accomplished was a bad case of blue balls for me and insecurity for Noelle. She needed to snap out of it. No. I needed to snap her out of it.

  “Don’t ever question me again about the effect you have on me.” I grabbed her hand, put it against the bulge in my pants, and bucked my hips. “This is your answer.” I snaked my hand around her waist and lowered it slowly, continuing when I heard her whine and whimpers over the bass of the speakers. “Either you want me or you don’t, but no more playing games. I’m done with it.”

  I slid my hand into her panties, pushed her harder against the wall, and started fingering her.

  “Oh, God!” She pushed her ass against me and rotated her hips.

  “Any other day I would ask you to leave with me, go upstairs, and literally lay away any doubt you had. But we can’t do that because we’re here to support Corey.”

  My fingers continued to move inside her while her whimpers got louder.

  “But tonight, when we’re done and in my room, I’m gonna fuck the shit out of this pussy and show you how bad I want you. We’ll see if you doubt me then.”

  After hours spent drinking, grinding on the dance floor, and drinking some more, we both stumbled into my room like the drunken fools we were. Noelle, who at one point removed her shoes, stubbed the hell out of her toe on the doorframe.

  “Fuck me!”

  I couldn’t help but laugh. Not at her pain but at her choice of words because fucking her was exactly what I planned to do.

  I sat her on top of the dresser and then left the room to wet a towel with cold water. When I came back, she was pouting and staring at her foot. Adorable. I wrapped the towel around her wounded foot, kissed the top of it, and slowly trailed kisses up her leg.

  “Hey,” she whispered.

  “Hey.” I pecked her lips, and rested my hands on the dresser. “You OK?”

  She nodded and pressed her lips to my cheek and jawline before latching onto my neck. I lolled my head to the side and closed my eyes, bringing my hands to rest on her thighs. The feel of her lips on the skin under my chin sent a sensation through me I couldn’t explain. I wanted to feel it again. “Don’t stop.”

  I urged her legs open while trying to undo the clasps on her corset. It was useless. The damn thing was stubborn, so instead of ripping it apart, I pulled it down in the front and freed her tits.

  Licking, sucking, and lightly biting her breast, I loved the way she arched, the way she moved her hips against me to spur me on. The way she moaned when I licked. Whimpered when I bit. And went silent, swiveling against me, when I sucked on her flesh.

  Needy and impatient for the next step, I stepped away, allowing her space to peel down her underwear while I undressed and pulled a condom from my bag. She sat on the dresser, legs splayed open, finger against her pussy, waiting.

  “So pretty.” I dropped to my knees and skimmed my nose against her clit. She smelled so good, so ready for me, and tasted better than I remembered. I lapped and sucked her clit for all I was worth until her body convulsed under the touch of my tongue.

  I stood and dropped a kiss on her shoulder and tapped her thigh. “Turn around,” I said, aching to be inside her.

  Grinning, she hopped down and then faced the dresser. I pulled her hair back, not roughly but enough to make her look up.

  As I grabbed the base of my cock and slowly rolled on a condom, we locked eyes in the mirror. A slow smirk took over my features. Her eyelids were hooded, and she was breathing so hard a portion of the mirror fogged.

  Bent at an angle, I tried to reach her mouth over her shoulder. Mouth to mouth, tongue to tongue, she swallowed the groans that escaped when I slid into her.

  My thrusts were slow and deep, my arms wrapped around her front, holding her tits tightly. I pressed my chest flat against her back and attached my mouth to her shoulder. I wanted, needed, every inch of my body touching hers.

  No words were exchanged. Just pants and whimpers, grunts and groans mixed with the slamming of the dresser against the wall. It started grating on my nerves, the bang, bang, bang. It was worse than a squeaky bed.

  I moved us to the real bed and hoped we wouldn’t run into the same problem. Coaxing her to the middle, I used my knees to open her thighs. I hesitated to push inside her when she reached for my cock.

  Pushing hard into her grip, I bent my head bac
k with a moan. I had no idea why she was jacking me off. I was hard as stone already, but I didn’t question it or complain.

  “Don’t stop.” It was a plea, not the first one of the night. But when I felt my abs tightening, I pulled away, only to gather her hands in mine and rest them on either side of her head. I pushed into her deep, fast, and without mercy.

  She wriggled her hands away and gripped my shoulder. Her nails dug into my skin.

  “Harder.”

  That was the first command I’d heard from her all night, maybe even the first coherent word. I hugged her body to mine so tight my arms strained.

  “Open your legs wider,” I told her, but grabbed her ankle to ease her legs over my shoulder before she had a chance to do what I’d asked. Everything about the moment was all-consuming. I went hard and fast hoping to give her what she was asking for. My legs burned but not as much as the pit of my stomach.

  “Stay with me tonight.” I dropped her legs. Covering her body with mine, I repeated my request, whispering the words against the crook of her neck. I ended my demand with a soft kiss, a softer thrust, and a lick of the sweat pooling at her temple.

  I didn’t care how pathetic, needy, or desperate I sounded. I didn’t want the night to end so soon and didn’t have time to worry about pride or saving face or acting as if I didn’t give a shit. If I didn’t say something, Noelle would be rushing out of my room, clothes half on, the second I pulled out.

  “Stay,” I repeated and pulled back to stare at her. “Please?”

  “OK.” She brought me down to her.

  My heart jumped. “OK.”

  -FIFTEEN-

  “Tell me something no one knows about you,” I whispered, running the tips of my fingers up and down Noelle’s spine. I’d asked her a few asinine questions already—learned she didn’t have a favorite color—but I wanted more.

  Morning snuck up on us, but we ignored our phones and sent away anyone who came to my door. We were both in favor of staying in rather than dealing with our friends.

  Letting out a soft, tired laugh, Noelle lifted her head from where it rested on my chest. “There’s nothing.”

  That was bullshit. Everyone had something they kept secret from those closest to them. And since it was weird how important this was to me, knowing more about her right that instant, I was happy and relieved she didn’t push for an explanation of why I asked. “There has to be something.”

  She didn’t respond for a while, and I could tell the wheels in her head were turning. She hummed and looked away.

  “I can tell you something about me.” I hoped the reward would be her telling me one of her secrets. Her cheek moved against my chest, and she smiled widely. “I’m glad things didn’t go the way I’d planned.” I hadn’t expected that to be my confession, but I was glad Noelle was one of the first to hear it spoken.

  She nestled her cheek—warm and slightly damp from postcoital sweat—further against my chest. “What did you have planned, exactly?”

  “I’d planned on getting married.” I paused for her reaction—a hitched breath, a hum, tensing—but got nothing. “It didn’t work out.”

  “Did she say no?”

  “I didn’t get a chance to ask.”

  Minutes passed before she responded in a voice so low I strained to hear her. “I’m happy.”

  “Thanks.” Hoping to keep the mood light and not act like a little bitch and be hurt by her comment, I snorted and poked her side. “Glad to know my failed almost marriage brings you joy.”

  “That’s not what I meant.” She wiggled away, giggling. “I mean I’m happy. That’s my secret.”

  “Yeah?” I rubbed my hands down her back and cupped her ass. “Why are you happy?” For a second, I hoped I had something to do with that. Her mood swings were annoying, but I couldn’t deny this girl brought me some happiness. Especially when her guard was down and we were being us.

  “You know that guy.? My ex, Justin?”

  I pursed my lips and nodded. Yeah, I remembered that fucker well. I remembered wanting to clock him for his smartass comments.

  “I spent years wrapped up in him. School, dancing, being with Justin—that’s all I worried about for what felt like forever.”

  I wasn’t enjoying this story so far, hearing about how obsessed she had been, and possibly still was, with her ex.

  “I thought I had everything planned out, too. But in a three-month time span I graduated and broke up with my boyfriend. It was like everything changed. In the blink of an eye, I left behind two of the most important things I’d known.”

  Hearing a bit of a break in her voice, I held her tighter. She didn’t sound emotional, just … I didn’t know.

  “I was devastated. I was. But it didn’t take long for me to realize I felt like that because everyone expected me to be. But I’m happy. I loved to dance. I even loved Justin at one point, but every day that passes is a day that brings smiles and a sense of contentment I didn’t realize I was missing. So, there you have it.”

  She straddled me and stared blankly. “I love I’m a dance teacher and not trying to travel around the world doing shows. And I love I got out of that relationship even though it wasn’t a bad one per se. Just not for me. You’re the only who knows that. There’s no way I can tell my best friend I don’t miss being with her cousin or tell my mom I don’t miss being on stage every day.”

  “Hey,” I whispered and sat up to cup a hand under her chin. I wanted to look her in the eyes to make sure she didn’t hide what she felt. It was weird hearing I was as much of a rebound to her as she was to me, but it made a lot of the things she’d said and done make more sense. “Thank you for telling me.”

  “Thank you for asking. It felt good to get it off my chest.”

  I kissed the curve of her chest. She shoved me. “What?” I chuckled and fell back. “You’re the one who brought up breasts.”

  She giggled, falling next to me. “I said ‘chest’.”

  Ah, same thing.

  The rest of the day was spent in our own bubble. With the exception of emerging to have dinner with everyone, we hid out in my room where we made love against the dresser, on the bathroom sink, in the shower, and in the bed. We talked a lot, too. But we never ventured back to talk of our exes. I got the impression things weren’t as smooth with her and Justin ending as with Ari and me. Our break was a clean split while Justin dropped by on birthdays unannounced and uninvited. Despite that thought, the day was close to perfect. I wouldn’t worry about them—our exes. In my mind, they were nonfactors.

  As the weekend came to an end, I kept trying to think of ways to get Noelle to give me a sure sign she wanted more. There were subtle hints like when I’d catch her giving me a flirty glance, but nothing so obvious I was 100 percent sure of what she wanted. Shit, I had no idea what I wanted other than one real date.

  In the car on our way home, Noelle leaned her head against the seat and closed her eyes. I linked our fingers together and then did the same. When she didn’t pull away once we were away from the vibe of Foxwoods and close to being back to reality, I took it as a good sign. I decided I would say something once there weren’t nosy ears around.

  Back at Corey’s house, everyone shuffled out of the car. Some were dejected, others just tired. Noelle and I were still wrapped in some of our bubble.

  Noticing the tension between the girls, I offered Noelle a ride home. It was an excuse because I wanted to spend more time with her.

  “No, that’s OK.” She smiled, watching Erica and Corey embrace, and then scrunched up her face. Warren helped Lonnie put her things in a waiting cab. Teresa was already inside the car stewing. “We came together, we should leave together. Plus, girl talk, you know?”

  No, not really.

  I didn’t get it, but the sense of obligation in her voice and the set of her shoulders let me know there was more to her statement than my male mind would ever comprehend. Still, I scratched the back of my neck and said, “Understood.” Unsure h
ow to broach the subject, I jumped right in. “Have dinner with me.”

  “What?”

  “Dinner. Go out to dinner with me.” It wasn’t the most romantic way to ask, but I was never good with that part. The motions to take behind closed doors—what to do, what buttons to press to get her to scream my name—was one thing, but with this stuff, I had no idea.

  “That’s sweet, but you don’t owe me anything, OK? You won’t be hurting my feelings if—”

  “I think you’re misunderstanding something. I’m not inviting you because I feel like I owe you anything.” I shook my head, but I expected the hesitance, expected her to stand firm and protect her heart. “Noelle, I haven’t been able to get you out of my head for over a fucking month. Trust me. This might sound selfish, but dinner is definitely, 100 percent for my benefit.”

  She shuffled her feet and huffed. “Miles, don’t say that if—”

  “I’ve missed you.” I grabbed her hand. “I made the mistake of letting you leave without taking your number and asking you out the first time; I’m not doing that shit again. I want to spend more time with you. Outside of you know … Just go to dinner with me. Please.”

  She opened her mouth several times, and each time nothing came out. I was sure she was going to say no, and I thought my heart was going to stop. I shoved my hands in my pockets and stared at the ground. Even if it was a no, I was prepared to stand there all day waiting for an answer.

  She stepped closer to me. The smell of her perfume wafted under my nose. I tilted my head up slightly, looked into her eyes, and grinned despite my nerves when she blinked.

  “Yes.” A wide smile spread across her face.

  “Yes what?” I needed to hear it.

  “Oh stop.” She let out a soft laugh, poking my sides. “Yes, I’ll go to dinner with you. Of course.”

  I was so damn excited; someone might have thought I had just proposed.

  After exchanging numbers, finally, I gave her a soft kiss and promised to call her in a few days. I was full of shit; I’d be calling her that night.

  The drive to my house felt different. I felt lighter. Dare I say, happy and kind of hopeful, too?