Stripped Love (Guys Next Door Book 1)

by Baylin Crow

  "Can we talk somewhere else?" I glanced around, surveying the gathered crowd. Curious stares slid our way and I really didn't want to have this conversation out in the open.

  "Sure." He pulled back and held his hand out. Without hesitation, I took it. Tightening my grip as if he'd slip through my fingers, I let him tug me farther into the backyard.

  "No one stays in the guest house. Will that work?" Archer glanced over his shoulder.

  "Lead the way." I took deep breaths as we stepped onto a brick pathway toward the building that appeared like a miniature version of the main house. The lights from the house didn't reach this far out but as we approached, a motion lamp lit up.

  Archer tested the door. "Locked, but there's a porch in the back."

  I followed him as we circled around the guest house. The concrete porch was screened in but the thin wire door was unlatched. Inside, there were four blonde wood rocking chairs. From here the music was muted enough that we could talk easily. I pushed two of the chairs closer together and took a seat, patting the one next to me.

  He sat, and I took his hand in mine again as we rocked back and forth in time with each other. The breeze had picked up, bringing the scent of a storm and rustling the tall grass from the field behind the property.

  Archer's concerned expression loosened my lips.

  "I'm really not looking forward to this conversation. But after that shit show, I feel like I owe you an honest explanation." He sucked in a shaky breath and I gave his hand a reassuring squeeze. "It's not that bad, but I just don't want you second guessing this thing between us."

  "I'm not, but I am curious what happened out there. How do you know him?"

  Like I'd told him before, I wasn't ashamed of my past. One tiny difference and I might not be sitting next to him, holding his hand, and wondering how the hell I'd caught someone like Archer's eye. But Aiden was a mistake. One I wished like hell I could take back.

  "His name is Aiden, and for a short time we used each other for…" I couldn't bring myself to finish the sentence as once again I put myself in his shoes.

  "You slept together," he finished for me without judgement in his tone, and it made me appreciate him even more.

  "Right," I confirmed. "So, it wasn't serious. Not even close. But it was convenient because…we work together."

  His chair stilled, and I tensed in response. "So, you see him all the time?"

  I hesitated briefly and held his gaze. "Yes, but there's nothing there. He wanted there to be, so I broke the arrangement off. He hasn’t taken it well."

  "How long ago?" he whispered, and a slight tremor shook his hand in my grasp. A slew of curses rang in my head. I fucking hated the whole situation.

  "Months, Arch. I swear to you, you have nothing to worry about." Words didn't always mean much, so I was counting on his trust.

  He nodded and my shoulders sagged in relief that he hadn't pulled away.

  "So that was about…me?" he asked.

  "Honestly, yes and no. It was about him. He was drunk, and even if I'd been alone, he would have caused some kind of scene." He'd done it before and seeing Archer only exacerbated the situation.

  Archer was quiet and I felt the tension creep back into my shoulders. "Is it going to bother you that we work together?"

  He tilted his head as he scanned my face. "I trust you."

  "That's not an answer, Arch." I frowned. "I've asked our manager to keep him away from me and for the most part, she does. You have nothing to worry about,” I repeated, hoping he could read the sincerity in my eyes. “The men at the club—Aiden—none of them mean anything to me."

  "Okay," Archer said simply and resumed rocking with ease.

  "Just okay?" I pushed because I needed to know he meant it.

  He shrugged. "You haven't given me a reason not to trust you."

  "And I won't," I was quick to respond.

  "Good." His grin was shy, and his wide eyes creased at the corners. "Think it's safe to brave the parking lot so we can go home yet? I'm over this party."

  "If it's not, I'll sneak you out." A heavy dose of relief made me feel at least ten pounds lighter. I chuckled. "What my baby wants, my baby gets."

  He snickered and flashed me a goofy grin. "Lame."

  "Archer West, that was cold. And here I was thinking about all the ways I could make up for tonight." I stood, yanking him from the rocking chair and pulled him to my chest where I caged him in with my arms. Leaning down, I whispered in his ear. "And I have a very vivid imagination."

  He shivered, and I grinned into the crook of his neck.

  "Well, are you going to just stand here and hold me all night, or am I going to find out what exactly you had in mind?"

  Both options were tempting, but the restless way he shifted in my arms made up my mind. As we stepped out of the screened-in porch, it began to sprinkle.

  12

  Archer

  We hadn’t needed to sneak out after all. We’d easily escaped unnoticed. Only when we were on the road did I send a quick text letting the twins know we'd left and promised to visit soon.

  With my thoughts spiraling around what Phoenix had planned for me, I spent the first half of the drive home sneaking glances at him. The twitch of his lips each time told me he'd noticed.

  My gaze caught on his profile once again and lingered. While I wasn't thrilled with the situation at his club, I appreciated that he'd been completely open and honest with me. I'd never hold his past against him, and what I'd told him was true—I did trust him.

  Sprinkles turned into fat raindrops that beat against the windshield as the wipers did what they could to clear the view. With the music turned low, the constant pattering was like a lullaby, coaxing me to sleep.

  "I love the rain," I murmured, with my head resting against the cooling glass.

  "Yeah?" Phoenix asked as he slid his hand on my thigh, dangerously close to my cock. "Just rain or storms too?"

  My attention lifted to the sky just as a silent bright spider web of lightning streaked through the black clouds. "Storms too. There's something about the chaos that gives me an adrenaline rush."

  Phoenix swept his thumb in lazy circles on the outside of my leg. "I love them too—have since I was a kid. They bring an awareness of something so much bigger than us."

  I hummed in agreement as I watched the thick torrents of water race down my window. A gasp shot from my throat when he grazed his fingers along the inside of my thigh. Blood rushed to my cock at the teasing touch. When his fingertips ran along the rapidly hardening ridge trapped in my jeans, he paused. A moment later, he purposely added pressure. On the edge of begging for more, a hushed moan escaped my lips and my hips lifted, desperately seeking more friction.

  With a curse, he released me. "I better stop, or I’m going to run us into a ditch."

  I squirmed in my seat, trying to get my dick to behave, but it was impossible. My body was alive and hungry for his touch.

  Phoenix groaned and gripped the wheel tight as he impatiently navigated the wet roads. "I'm tempted to pull over and suck your dick to calm you down. My cock is rock fucking hard and you’re making it hard to concentrate."

  The thought was tempting, and the memory of his wet mouth licking, sucking and tasting me wasn't helping. But I knew what I wanted, and I was ready. Anticipation and nerves created an anarchic tempest in my blood that rivaled the one increasing in promised destruction all around us. “I want you to fuck me.”

  The car jolted slightly before Phoenix brought it under control.

  "Damn it," his raspy voice choked out. "You might want to wait to say something like that until we get home. Otherwise, your first time might be on the side of the damn highway." He cut a quick look at me and slowly reached down, squeezing himself before strangling the wheel to the point his knuckles turned white.

  "Sorry," I said half-heartedly. A thrill shot through me as his ragged breathing filled the car, knowing I was the cause of it. He wanted me as much as I craved him. The
feeling was heady.

  "It's too late now. And you don't sound sorry at all." His tone was accusing, and it made me laugh. He popped my thigh and growled. "Behave."

  "I'm trying to, but I'm"—I shrugged in the dark—"hard, and I can't stop imagining how you'd feel inside me," I explained.

  Phoenix shifted in his seat as he spoke through gritted teeth. "Please. Stop. Talking."

  I sat still and mute as he exited the highway and slowed to a stop for the traffic light because I was genuinely starting to worry about him. His breathing was erratic as he stared down the red light. His hands shook and fingers flexed around the steering wheel and shifter. It looked like he planned to jump out and snap the thing in two.

  After it flipped to green, he sped the short distance to our neighborhood and had barely pulled in the driveway before he slammed the brakes, jerked the car into park and ripped open his door.

  Wide-eyed, I watched him under the dim glow that came from the single street light as he whipped around the hood. In a frenzy of motion, my door was wrenched open, my belt unlatched, and then firm arms banded my waist, hauling me from the car. My back hit the side of the car, and before I could mumble a single word, rain-slicked lips slanted over mine.

  The downpour came in sheets of cold water, the chill made worse with the fierce wind wrapping around us.

  I felt none of it.

  His heat seeped through the clothes clinging to my body as his tongue pressed between my parted lips, stealing my breath and my ability to think beyond the feel of his mouth moving over mine—aggressive and possessive. The fever built until we were nothing more than teeth, tongues, and lips fighting to get closer. Deeper.

  Thunder rumbled a warning, and the smell of wet grass rose and electricity crackled in the air, heightening the buzz thrumming in my veins. I wanted more. Needed it.

  He angled his head to dive deeper, and I moaned into his mouth as I held him in place with my arms locked around his neck.

  My grip loosened, and I smoothed my palm across his chest, sweeping over a stiff nipple that made him shudder. Around his hip, I continued my path and gripped a handful of his toned ass. Yanking him against me, I sucked in a harsh breath as my dick rubbed against his. His groan clawed up from deep inside his throat, and I reveled in the sound. I wasn’t sure how long we kissed, clawing at each other to get closer. Time lost all meaning until he pulled back and his knuckle tipped my chin. Rain dripped from his eyelashes and thick lips that curled on one side as he stared down at me for several long seconds.

  "Phoenix?" My eyes searched his, seeming to break the trance.

  "You're perfect," he whispered. "Absolutely fucking perfect."

  My pulse pounded at his words. But before I had time to respond, he took my hand and led me toward his house at a fast clip. Keys shaking, he fumbled with the lock. The door flew open and he tugged me inside before kicking the door closed. He reached back and relocked it.

  Then I was in his arms again, caged tight to his chest, and swept into another dizzying kiss. He blindly led us down the dark hallway, unwilling to release my body or lips. By the time we reached his bed, my knees wobbled and my lungs screamed for oxygen.

  We broke apart, lungs heaving for air. The first crack of lightning lit up the room, revealing the desperation etched in his features and the untamed fire blazing in his eyes.

  "I need you," I whispered and slowly lowered to sit on the bed.

  "You do, huh?" The jangle of his belt buckle mixed with his unsteady breathing. "Tell me exactly what you need, babe. My mouth on your cock?" The swish and rustle of his clothes filled the room as he quickly tore off his clothes. And then my sock and shoes joined them on the floor. “My tongue and fingers in your ass? What do you want, Arch?"

  Another streak of lightning whipped from the sky, revealing his inked body. I drank in the sight of Phoenix. Dick hard in his fist, he stroked in a leisurely rhythm as his intense gaze scorched my skin.

  "You," I whispered honestly as I scooted back against the silken sheets. He was the only thing I wanted in that moment. "I need to feel you inside me."

  A rumble of thunder raced through the air, a deafening boom that shook the house with its violence.

  Phoenix’s control snapped. He tore of his rings, one by one, and they hit the nightstand before the lifted his necklace from around his neck. "You want me to fuck you? Bury my cock inside you, dragging out those greedy moans that drive me crazy?"

  Chills raced along my arms, and tingles vibrated along my spine. The vivid image of Phoenix draped over me, thrusting into me as I trembled beneath him was too much. Heat filled my cheeks as I whispered, “Yes.”

  His dark chuckle echoed in the room as he closed in on me and unhooked the button on my shorts. With one hand on the bed, he leaned in and brushed his mouth against mine. My eyes drifted closed as I waited for more. He denied me by pulling back a mere inch.

  "No." The word dusted my lips, and my eyes popped open.

  "No?" I asked because he'd taken hold of my zipper, easing it open, slow and steady. The opposite of no. "I don't understand," I whispered, but my words were drowned out by the rain pelting the windows. The cloud to ground streaks of electricity, deep bellows chasing behind them, and whipping winds had consumed the night, unchecked and wild.

  "Lift your hips," he demanded. When I did, he grabbed the band of both my shorts and underwear before sliding them down my legs. "Take your shirt off. Let me see everything."

  When I failed to do as he asked, he placed his palm on my chest and pressed me back against the mattress. Tongue flat against my feverish skin, Phoenix began a dizzying path that started at my hipbone. Inch by inch, my shirt was lifted, giving him access to tease and nip my flesh.

  I shuddered beneath the wet trail that coasted along my belly, continuing north. His lips latched onto my nipple, and a shot of pleasure rippled through me. Lashing out with his tongue and grazing with his teeth, they had a direct line to my throbbing length.

  "Phoenix," I begged over the crashing chaos outside.

  Finally, the torture stopped and he crawled between my legs, settling between them. Skin against skin. Cock against straining cock. He dipped close and the strobe of light breaking through the curtains revealed his darkened hazel eyes locked onto mine. "I'm not going to fuck you, Arch. I'm going to own you, just as you do me."

  "Oh," I breathed out, soaking in the rawness of his tone.

  His lips tilted into a crooked smile. "You okay with that?"

  I only nodded at first, because any coherent words had been stolen by his admission. I managed to choke out, "Yeah, I'm more than okay with that."

  Braced on one hand he worked my shirt over my head with my help.

  "That's better," he rasped and leaned down, bringing his mouth to mine at the same time he grinded his hips against me.

  Bliss rocketed through my veins, and my lips parted at the bare touch of his hardness rocking again me. He took advantage, sweeping his tongue inside and tangling with mine.

  Indulgent moans full of unbridled need, filled the room as I was drowned by his attention. We pressed closer. Harder.

  He suddenly reared back and slid down my legs, pausing to kiss my thighs. "Your dripping cock is making me crazy. I need to taste you."

  The disappointment of the loss of his weight pinning me against the mattress was quickly replaced by a shout that ripped from my throat as hot suction engulfed my cock. "Phoenix!"

  He groaned and sucked with no mercy, the sounds obscene in the brief lulls of the storm.

  I was going to come, but he ignored my warnings, clamping my legs down and tightening his lips. He wanted it. Encouraged it. And I was helpless to stop it.

  Chanting his name, I embraced the tingles racing down my spine. Reveling in the textures of his tongue, I surrendered to the orgasm crashing through my body.

  Desperate pleas filled the air around us as I begged for release until the eruption of nerves became too much and I let go.

  Phoenix h
ummed appreciatively as I filled his mouth with unending ropes of come, swallowing until I was completely drained. He slowed to a leisurely pace as I panted, attempting to catch my breath.

  He pushed up on his elbows and held my eyes as he licked his lips. "I'll never get enough of the way you taste."

  "Phoenix," I whispered, as my body thrummed for his. "I still want you inside me."

  He visibly shuddered, and his eyes drifted close before they snapped open, full of heat. His arm moved, and I gasped when the pad of his thumb grazed over my entrance. "You want my cock to fill this tight little hole?"

  More than anything. My dick twitched as he continued to tease my sensitive hole, adding pressure and then denying me. "Yes," I hissed when the tip of his finger breached the ring of muscle.

  His jaw clenched in the flashes of light, and he quickly climbed to his knees and twisted to the side. A drawer squeaked open and the crinkle of a condom wrapper reached my ears before it was tossed on the bed alongside a bottle of lube. I couldn’t believe it was finally happening, but I couldn’t imagine losing my virginity to anyone other than Phoenix. He made me feel alive and wanted. He gave me something I hadn’t known I was missing until he entered my life. A missing piece to a puzzle only he could fit.

  "You're sure?" he asked again as he took my softening cock in his hand.

  "I'm sure," I promised as my gaze flicked from where he touched me to the intense eyes staring back at me. With slow strokes, he worked me until I hardened again.

  Phoenix bit his lip, eyes dropped to where his fingers wrapped around my cock. "I'll go slow."

  "I'm starting to wonder if you'll go at all," I mumbled as I moved restlessly under his touch.

  He released my cock with a hushed chuckle. "Such a needy little thing, aren't you? Tell me how bad you want it, Arch? Is it driving you crazy? The thought of my cock buried deep inside you?"

  The wrapper was ripped open, and all I had were the small glimpses the flashes of light allowed to watch him roll the condom down his thick length. Grabbing the lube, he slicked his cock and then his fingers.