by Rachel Jonas
My nails bite into the skin of his back, but he doesn’t even seem fazed. A breathy cry leaves my lips and I’m devoured by the ecstasy of an orgasm so powerful it’s not only physical, it’s emotional.
The sensation lingers with me, and I savor it, seeing how tension floods Dane’s expression next. He pushes into me, and my arms sweep beneath his to hold his back again, feeling his muscles flex and release against my palms. Then, he lets out a pleasure-infused groan that has me biting my own lips, mere seconds before I feel him throbbing inside me as he comes.
Our heavy breaths are synced, showing how our bodies are completely in tune with each other. He presses a kiss to my mouth and I peer up at him, aware of never having felt closer to another human being in my entire life.
“You okay?” he asks quietly, panting a breath away from my lips.
I nod. “Better than okay.”
That draws a smile from him, and he pulls out of me slowly before going to the edge of the bed to remove the used latex. He disappears in the bathroom for a second then comes back—still naked, still unshakably beautiful from every possible angle.
At first, I’m focused on his dick, feeling possessive as hell of that shit, possessive of him. It’s my incessant staring that accounts for why I’m only now aware of the sound of running water.
When I finally tear my eyes away from his package and meet his gaze, Dane’s smiling a bit, noticing my curiosity.
“The bath is so you’re not sore in the morning. Well, not as sore as you would be without it,” he clarifies.
Already, my thighs ache somewhere deep I didn’t even realize they could hurt.
There’s a lingering look in his eyes that has me smiling now. “What?”
His stare flits to my breasts for a second, then he refocuses.
“Just thought I might join you in the tub.” His tone is so gentle, so sweet I have to steady my thundering heart as I nod.
“I wouldn’t say no,” I say coyly, liking this idea of his.
He takes my hand and helps me to my feet, and it hits me that I feel less self-conscious. Even being completely naked in front of him. If tonight has taught me anything at all, it’s that, more than anyone, I can trust him.
As far as firsts go, Dane leaves nothing to be desired. Moving forward, let’s just say I’m starting to believe we could make this work.
But even if there’s no guarantee… I think I’m ready to at least try.
32
Joss
The flames of ten candles flicker around the edge of the tub, our only source of light. Water rushes down both arms when Dane’s hands grip them, and my head falls back, landing on his shoulder. When my eyes close, there’s one thought cycling on repeat.
I think I love him.
Not as a friend. Not simply because he just blew my mind. But because I can’t think of anyone I’d rather have hold me like this on the entire planet.
“Did I hurt you?”
With the question, my eyes reopen slowly. “No more than I expected.”
His chest swells and lifts my head a bit when he breathes. “I tried to take it easy, but… you felt so damn good,” he admits with a small laugh, bringing a smile to my lips. “And in my defense, I’ve been dreaming about this day since we were twelve, so I was bound to get pretty fucking excited.”
“You’ve legit wanted to fuck me since we were in sixth grade?”
I cast a look over my shoulder when asking, and the expression he wears says it all, setting off a laugh inside me.
“Perv.”
“Would you prefer it if I lie? Fuck yeah I’ve wanted you that long.”
His arms encircle my ribs, brushing underneath my breasts when he embraces me from behind. His cock presses into the small of my back, but he isn’t hard. Bathing together tonight isn’t about sex. It’s about intimacy.
I settle into him again, feeling weak. If he hadn’t made a good point about being sore in the morning, I’d be fast asleep right now. Hopefully, with his warmth beside me.
“I uh… I’ve been thinking.”
The sound of his voice has me alert again. “About what?”
“I want you to know I heard what you said about your parents, and how they remind you of us, and I also want you to know I respect that.”
“But?” I ask with a laugh, feeling that coming from a mile away.
“But… I also know what I want. And what I want is you, Joss. Bad.”
He’s motionless after admitting this, and so am I.
“I think we should be together, and I think you should consider it. Consider me,” he adds, making my heart skip ten beats.
I hadn’t shared what my thoughts were when we finished a while ago. Hadn’t told him that my resolve was weakening, so these are simply his true feelings, aligning so perfectly with mine.
My lips part to speak, but before I can even get the words out, a pang of fear strikes, stealing the smidge of courage I’d just gathered. This pang rests heavy on me. It screams that, if we do this, something at some point will go wrong and we’ll both regret this decision. Even if it takes months, years. We’ll regret it.
My eyes slam shut, then I exhale sharply, trying to rid my thoughts of the negativity. I manage to at least quiet it, although a trace lingers behind.
“I agree with you. We should give it a try.”
His hand smooths across my stomach and it’s almost scary how natural this feels, how quickly we found our way to this place.
“Just say when,” he whispers against my ear.
I smile and breathe him in. “When.”
He chuckles quietly against my skin, and the feel of it arouses goosebumps to the surface.
“Then, I guess that’s that. It’s just you and me.”
“Guess it is.”
I tilt my head to catch his lips and we share our first kiss as an actual, legitimate couple. It’s unrushed, sensual, deep. When we finally pull apart, I feel the tide shifting between us. By owning what was in our hearts, by finally taking what we wanted, we changed our course in a big way, and we’ve changed it forever.
“I’m calling Rose as soon as I think she’s awake to let her know I’m done with the whole Shawna thing.”
His statement, while sweet, makes me feel like a complete dick.
“You don’t have to do that, Dane. I was being stupid last night and… those weeks I closed you out. I should’ve known there was more to the story. Or in the very least, I should’ve come to you and asked. Shawna is work. I get it.”
“But you know where we live. Pictures will keep surfacing and—”
“That’s been our whole lives,” I cut in. “Pictures will surface and people will talk, but we can choose not to let that shit affect us, choose not to let it tear us down.”
When I lift his hand away from my torso and kiss it before placing it over my heart, I hope he knows I’m being sincere. The jealousy and rage I felt was due in part to holding in what I felt for him for so damn long. But now that he knows, now that we’ve moved forward, it won’t happen again.
“Joss, I—”
“You don’t have to worry about me,” I assure him. “Trust me, Rose might be batshit crazy, and Shawna wanting you might tap dance on my last nerve, but… it’s working. Your followers have skyrocketed and offers are coming in left and right.”
“Maybe, but none of that shit’s more important to me than you.”
I’m certain that, with his palm splayed flat against my chest, he feels my heart beat wildly when he admits that.
“I know. And I trust you, which is why I’m not asking you to give anything up for me,” I explain.
His eyes follow when I shift in his arms until I’m facing him, lifting my thighs to straddle his waist. On instinct, his hands push down my hips until he’s gripping my ass. I have his eyes focused right on me, which is good. He needs to hear this.
“I don’t just trust you; I know you. And despite the rage-fueled, crazy person you saw me turn into toni
ght, you know that’s not me either,” I remind him. “I’ll be fine. Promise.”
He searches my eyes and I let him, wanting him to know I’ve only spoken the truth to him here. Eventually, he nods, and I believe he sees I’m sincere.
“If anything ever makes you uncomfortable, or if you ever want me to let all the work shit go… just say the word. I’d do that for you.”
He makes my stomach flutter with so few words.
“I know and I appreciate that.”
A kiss lands on my collar bone and it draws a sigh from me. His arms lift, encircling my back in an embrace.
“Josslyn Grace Francois, you have my word that I’ll make you happy. Every damn day,” he promises, squeezing me tight, and I swear I hope we stay like this forever.
“There’s only one thing wrong with that statement,” I say, feeling water pool in my eyes. “You can’t make me happy, Dane. Because I already am.”
33
Joss
You’re not breaking his heart. You’re simply confirming the point you tried getting across before he came all this way. You can’t blame yourself for feeling nothing for him. No more than you can blame yourself that you’ve fallen for Dane.
One deep breath later and my fist taps the door of Carlos’ hotel room. He’s expecting me and likely has no idea why I suggested coming to him instead of him meeting me at the loft.
The door swings open and I’m terrified to have this conversation, but with his flight leaving early tomorrow morning, it’s now or never.
A smile parts his lips when our eyes lock.
“Come in.”
I step aside and slip through when he gestures for me to enter, then he closes the door behind me.
As far as awkward conversations go, this one will take the cake, I’m sure. Especially seeing how happy he is that I stopped by.
“You look beautiful.” His dark eyes slink down my frame slowly, and back up again.
“Thanks.”
“Please, have a seat,” he says gesturing toward two armchairs situated near the balcony. Per his request, I lower into one.
He joins me and there’s a bit of an awkward vibe that reverberates between us.
“I know you mentioned not wanting to go out, but I thought you might be interested in room service. How does that sound?”
Nervous, I wet my lips and inch toward the edge of my seat.
“Actually, I won’t be staying long.”
His smile fades and there’s this deflated look on his face that makes me sick to my stomach.
“I see.”
“I’m only here because I think it’s time we talk things over face-to-face.”
There have been a lot of open-ended conversations between us, and my hope is that he leaves here with clarity and… closure.
He pushes a hand behind his neck and his face reddens with what I guess to be embarrassment.
“I suppose I misread your call earlier. I didn’t realize this would be our last time speaking.”
“It’s not like that,” I rush to say, seeing the hurt I caused despite my best efforts to spare him.
“Then, what’s it like?” There isn’t an ounce of anger in his tone. Only hurt, confusion.
“We’re friends, like we’ve always been.”
I lose his eyes when they focus on the floor now. “There was something more than that between us once. Unless I completely imagined last summer.”
“You didn’t imagine it,” I say. “I’ve just come to see things differently than I saw them back then.”
He nods slowly, seemingly deep in thought.
“So, this is it?”
When his gaze flashes back toward me, that hurt in his expression multiplies. Now, I’m the one whose head lowers.
“It is. I tried telling you that before you wasted your time and—”
“I haven’t changed my mind, Josslyn. Visiting you could never be a waste of time. Even if I’ve lost you to someone else.”
I peer up again and there’s a soft smile on his lips.
“It’s him, isn’t it.”
My stomach twists into a knot, realizing that was a statement and not so much a question. It’d be so easy to lie even if for the sake of letting him down gently, but that doesn’t feel right. So, when I nod, I’m at peace with what I’m about to say.
“It’s always been him.”
Carlos’ lips purse together, making it clear that this revelation has wounded him, but I also know this was needed in order for him to let go.
“You’re a good, honest woman. May he never forget what a gem he’s won.”
With that, Carlos stands and offers me his hand. Once I’m on my feet, he draws me into an embrace that can only be described using one word—comforting. He ends it with a kiss to the top of my hair, then releases me.
“I hope to hear from you again one day.”
I nod, reassuring him. “You’ll hear from me, and I wish you all the best.”
As I exit and the door to his room closes again, it isn’t lost on me that our parting is bitter-sweet. The bitter—I know severing any semblance of romantic ties with Carlos has cut him deep. The sweet—I believe we’ll get through this. I’ve been honest with him since day one and the payoff is that I believe I’ve gained a friend for life.
My phone sounds off and, automatically, a smile curves my lips. I assume it’s Dane, but when my eyes land on the screen, all traces of that smile fade into nothing. All because of the name that’s just caused my heart to sink to my stomach.
Dad: Here are the details for dinner. See you next weekend. We have much to discuss.
Well, shit.
Just when I thought things were finally starting to turn around…
@QweenPandora: The GoldenCrew are racking up some serious reward perks with how often they frequent local hotels, aren’t they?
This time, it’s VirginVixen who’s been spotted entering the room of her mystery man. Her visit was short, but that doesn’t mean it was innocent. What are your thoughts? Was this a quickie or is this a case of things not quite being what they seem?
Meanwhile, several city blocks away, PrettyBoyD’s getting a king-sized delivery. California king, to be exact. Oh, the wild ride that bed is in for.
Later, Peeps.
—P
34
Joss
It only seemed right that we christen Dane’s new bed tonight, not even five hours after it was delivered. There was no actual sex. Mostly because the mere thought of it reminds me that it feels like someone’s set off a box of fireworks between my legs, despite how gentle he was last night. So, we opted to do… other things to quiet our urges. Now, I can barely keep my eyes open.
“You up?” Dane asks in a low voice.
I nod against the pillow. “Not for long.”
“Sorry, but I was thinking. What if we get away for a while?”
My brow lifts, wondering if he’s really thought that through. “I can lie my way out of cheer practice, but Coach Wells would have your ass if you missed. You know that, right?”
“We’ll cross that bridge when we get there. For now, I only care about having your ass,” he teases, drawing a laugh out of me.
I turn toward his voice, opening my eyes as the tip of his finger traces a line between my breasts. One that started at my throat and eventually ends at my navel.
“Where would we go? We’ve already got Puerto Rico on the calendar for Spring Break.”
He shrugs, resting his palm flat against my stomach. “Just… somewhere no one can find us.”
When he smiles, I give his idea some thought, imagining how incredible it would be to come and go as we please without Pandora spamming the internet with pics of us. Especially seeing as how, against Dane’s wishes, I’ve promised to keep our relationship secret for a bit, for the sake of not interfering with his career. This means we’ll have to do a lot of sneaking around, continuing the “just friends” routine no one ever really bought anyway. At least for the nex
t few months.
Honestly, though? I don’t exactly hate the sneaking around part. Could be kind of fun.
I turn completely now, kissing him once we’re facing each other. “I have a better idea.”
He kisses me back, then drags his teeth across my lip. His sex-drunk gaze lands on me and I’m not sure I remember what I was going to say.
“I’m listening,” he says, the depth of his low voice making my nipples harden against his chest.
“What if we go back to Louisiana? The whole crew? It’d be nice to see Grandpa Boone again, Aunt Sheryl, maybe even your cousins,” I add with a laugh, remembering how wild those five were.
“Seriously?” he asks, smirking a little.
“Seriously. Oh! And what if we wait and go for Christmas again?”
“So, no secret hideaway?”
I shrug. “I’m not saying no, just that if I have to choose one thing, it’d be Christmas in Louisiana. Besides, we could maybe talk your mom into going. With your dad’s trial starting soon, she’ll probably appreciate the time away by then.”
Dane stares—searching my face for something.
“So… I suggest that we plan a romantic getaway, but you rather road-trip it with the whole gang, down to Saint Delphine’s Parish, where we’ll be surrounded by even more of my family. Hm.”
I’m not sure where he’s going with this, so I shrug. “It just sounds fun.”
A smile touches his lips before they press to my forehead. “Thank you.”
“For what?” I ask, feeling my brow tense with confusion.
“For surprising me with how amazing you are. As a friend. As my girl.”
I don’t get to respond because my mouth is suddenly busy, welcoming his tongue inside it. Heat from his palm smooths across my ribs to my back, pulling me closer. He’s hard again, pressing into my thigh. Not even when his phone rings does he pull away.