“I think I won the game tonight,” I whisper. My pitch embarrassingly rises like I have a sore throat. That’s most likely not the only part of my body that’s in for a sore morning.
He brushes my hair away from my sweaty face. “No, Princess. You riding my dick like that made me win at life.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
Stella
I have a new favorite.
Shower sex.
More specifically, shower sex with Hudson.
And hot damn it’s incredible.
That was how I started my wonderful morning. We were in there until the water turned cold, and then Hudson helped me dry off. He went to his room to change clothes and have his daily checkup call with his family. I love how tight-knit they are.
I grab my phone from my nightstand and fall down on my bed, my feet hanging over the edge. I have a missed call from Willow. I heard my phone ringing earlier, but I was on my knees with Hudson’s cock in my mouth, so unfortunately, she got sent to voicemail. I love my friend and all … but sex. Again, shower sex. Wet bodies. Wet everything.
I can’t stop grinning when I hit her name to call her back.
“It’s about time you called my ass back,” she yells into the phone when answering. “I’ve been calling you for hours.”
“It’s been twenty minutes,” I correct. “Calm your tits.”
She laughs. “My tits are very calm over here … and very much neglected as well. It sucks being single.”
“You know what that calls for,” I sing out.
“Benny, my lovely vibrator, who never seems to let me down,” she answers correctly. “By the way, that was the worst birthday present. I told you I wanted a unicorn. Not an orgasm generated with AAs.”
“You’ll be thanking me for it as you venture more into singlehood. Trust me, there’s nothing that cures the heart of a bad breakup than some good self-induced orgasms.”
“Eh, you’re probably right. Now, onto more important things, how bad do you miss me?” She’s taking this breakup better than I thought she would. That … or she’s putting up a front.
“You’ve been gone?” I ask, grinning.
“Funny. Are you almost dead over there? Are you feeding yourself? Bathing? Taking your multi-vitamins?”
“You do know I’m twenty-five, not three, right? Although I do miss your help.”
“Anything new? How did your audition go? I haven’t heard anything back, but I know Susie said people have been calling for you because of the hype from Forever Ago.” Susie is my manager, but she mostly communicates through Willow, unless she has a new part or a possible deal she wants me to look at.
“The script was an absolute nightmare. Fingers crossed I don’t get the part.”
“There’s my optimistic best friend. I didn’t get a chance to read it. That bad, huh?”
“Yep.” I study my fingernails. “I hooked up with Hudson.” The words blurt out of my mouth. The need to tell someone has been killing me. Is this a bad idea? Am I stupid? I need some advice here. I’ve never had a no-strings attached type of relationship, so I’m not even sure how to go about doing this. Am I allowed to tell Willow? Is he going to tell Dallas?
There’s a moment of silence. “What do you mean hooked up?” she drawls out.
“You know … hooked up.” What the hell? Saying you hooked up is like saying peanut butter goes with jelly. Do I need to whip out dolls and show her what parts went where?
“What’s your definition of hooked up? Like you guys made out for a minute or did anal?”
“Oh my god, Willow!” I yell, flustered, nearly rolling off the bed as she breaks out into a fit of laughter. I scoot up my bed and rest against the headboard, preparing myself for the next crazy thing to come out of her mouth. She doesn’t stop for a good two minutes, which causes me to crack up. Laughter really can be contagious, and I’m glad I’m giving her some happiness.
“You have to be more specific, girl. You never know with you,” she says after calming down.
“You never know with me? I’m not the anal sex queen or anything. Jesus!”
“Okay, now give me all the details.”
“Well the first time …”
“Hold up, girlfriend,” she interrupts. “There’s been more than one time, and you’re now just telling me this? What the hell?”
“I didn’t know I needed to report to you when I got laid.”
“You do when it’s with your hot bodyguard who you’ve sworn you’re staying away from. I need to know. I need to know every detail.”
“You’ve been going through a breakup. I didn’t want to be insensitive.”
“That’s not insensitive. It actually makes me feel better hearing my best friend is getting some good dick. Just because I’m down doesn’t mean I want everyone around me to be down and sex-deprived. Now tell me everything.”
This is why Willow is my best friend. She’ll still ask you about your day when hers was hell and cheer for you from the sidelines when you’re falling in love while going through a breakup.
I make myself comfortable and tell her everything starting at our post yoga festivities. I’ve had more orgasms in the last few days than I’ve had in months. Hudson might not have been intimate with a list full of women, but he definitely has plenty of experience.
“So what are you going to do now?” she asks when I finish. “Date him? Is it casual? I mean, isn’t it going to be complicated with your Eli situation?” Willow begged me not to agree to the Eli deal, but I wouldn’t let her talk me out of it.
I start to play with my hair, twirling strands around my finger. “I don’t know what I’m going to do. I like him. I like spending time with him. It seems like he actually gets me.”
“Are there feelings?”
“Yes, which scares me.”
“Why?”
“He’s not staying here in California. He’s moving back as soon as you guys find someone else, so what’s going to happen then? Will we shake hands, say thanks for the good sex, and then never talk to each other again? I’ve told him it’s a no-strings attached relationship, but he’s told me plenty of times he’s not into that type of arrangement.”
“Long distance relationships can work. I know my situation isn’t the best example, but they can. It worked for you and Knox for awhile.”
She’s trying to sound optimistic, but I can hear the concern in her voice. In this industry, I’ve witnessed long distance relationship after long distance relationship fail. Shoot, it’s not even just in this industry. Hudson and his fiancé didn’t work out because of distance, either. They say the heart doesn’t notice distance, but I call bullshit on that. The heart notices when you’re going to bed alone at night. It notices the insecurity and panic you feel when you can’t get ahold of them for hours. Are they hurt? Are they with someone else? Distance is too hard on the heart.
“It only worked for Knox and me because we were good at faking,” I reply, the excitement of my morning beginning to fade.
“Give it a chance. Don’t pull away while he’s there. And if things don’t work out, look on the bright side, you won’t have to worry about running into him again.”
I blow out a breath. “You do have a point there.” I’ve been dodging every place I know Knox hangs out at, and if Hudson weren’t with me at lunch yesterday, I would’ve stormed out of the restaurant the second they walked in.
“Promise me you’ll give it a chance. Do it for me and my broken heart.”
“Fine, I’ll do it for you.”
She snorts. “I know you love me and all, but you’re not just doing it for me. You’re also doing it for yourself and your vagina.”
“Onto the next subject. How are you doing?”
“I haven’t been back to visit Brett and moved all of my things back to my mom’s until I can mail them to my apartment there. My biggest problem is Brett’s bitch sisters. They’re pissed I burnt the majority of his expensive sneakers before leaving. I took pictur
es and sent it to his cell phone so he’d know where it all was.”
I chuckle, shaking my head. “How did I know you’d do something to make him pay? You’re having too much fun with this.”
“Burning shit mends a broken heart. The flames bring out a whole new you. I’m ready to find myself, change my hair, do all that new me crap they talk about in self-help books. My mom’s been sending me Pinterest quotes about moving on all week.”
“Is it working?”
“The Pinterest quotes? Hell no. I don’t want to be that sad girl who looks on the bright side. I want to be the biatch that goes on a revenge spree. Burning his shit, writing he’s a cheater on his car, maybe hunt down one of his friends and sleep with them … or all of them.”
I laugh. She’s so lying. Like Hudson, Willow has only been with Brett, and I don’t see her going on a one-night stand binge. “You do know he’s in the hospital right now? Don’t you feel kind of bad for him?”
“Yeah, which is the only reason I haven’t kicked his balls into his stomach.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
Hudson
I’m irritated at my aggravation that I haven’t been able to spend much time with Stella today.
I’ve gone from dreading spending my days with her to looking forward to them.
Now that I’ve had a taste of her, I can’t quit salivating for my next bite.
If I woke up every morning with the taste of Stella on my tongue, I’d be one happy motherfucker.
We had sex.
I knew sex was going to be amazing after being celibate for so long, but sex with Stella was on a different level than that. It was like fireworks – as fucking lame as that sounds. We both respectively slept in our own beds last night. I could see she wanted me to stay with her, but I’m not ready for that yet. I don’t want to scare her off. When she came down this morning offering to join her during her morning shower, I couldn’t say no.
Her schedule has been jam-packed, and people have been in and out of the house all day. Her agent dropped by so they could make conference calls. Her stylist came next for fittings. I’ve been using my free time hanging out in my room, catching up with some old friends, and searching for new job prospects. My dad wants me to work for him and the family business. He took over my grandfather’s business three years ago after his passing. My grandfather started Barnes’s Repair, a repair shop for engines and large farming equipment, sixty years ago. My dad is expecting either Dallas or me to take over when he decides to retire.
Working for my dad had been my plan after I promised Cameron I wouldn’t deploy again. I’ve been working on equipment ten times my size since I was fifteen, so I wouldn’t mind taking over. I have to get my shit together, though. My dad has made it clear he’s not giving the company to anyone who’s not settled. We grew up being told we had a checklist in life. Find a wife, have children, and then work hard until retirement. Live life to the fullest. Be happy. My mom would tell us this every night before bed without fail. We have fun but only after our responsibilities are done.
My phone beeps at the same time I close my laptop after sending my final email.
Stella: I’m having a pizza delivered in 5 minutes. Will you answer the door and bring it up to me in the gym?
Me: Only if you share.
Stella: Duh.
My stomach growls at the thought of pizza. The majority of Stella’s food is health-nut bullshit. Gluten-free this. No high-fructose syrup that. I think I’ve forgotten what sugar even tastes like. I even had to use a substitute for our French toast and settle for all-natural, sugar-free syrup. I glance up at the audio screen in the corner of my room when I’m alerted that the gate is opening to see the delivery guy’s Smartcar come up the drive. I jump up from the bed and buzz him in.
The delicious smell of greasy cheese bum-rushes me as soon as I open the door. My stomach growls again. I tip him, grab a few plates and drinks from the kitchen, and head upstairs. Stella has a kickass gym in her house, and I’ve used it a few times, although never at the same time as her.
“Pizza delivery,” I call out while walking through the doorway.
She smiles and hops off the treadmill without bothering to turn it off. I size her up as she struts towards me wearing a sports bra and workout pants. Her hair is in a loose ponytail, and sweat is trickling down her chest and between her cleavage. I lick my lips – craving her more than the pizza.
“Finally,” she moans out. “I’m starving.” Her moan matches the one she makes when we’re having sex. I guess my sex game is on the same excitement scale as pizza. She opens the box with it still in my hands and starts to pull out a slice, the gooey cheese making it difficult at first. She tips her head back to take the first bite as she moves back to the treadmill and starts walking again.
I set the pizza box down on a weight bench. “What are you doing?”
Her forehead creases together while she looks over at me, keeping her pace. “Eating dinner?” She plucks off a pepperoni and pops it in her mouth.
“On the treadmill?” She nods. “You’re eating pizza on the treadmill?” I clarify. This woman is a nut job.
“Sure am.” She points to the box. “You better get yourself a slice before I eat it all.” I keep staring at her. “Are you not hungry?”
“My mind is too busy trying to figure out what you’re doing to think about eating.”
She throws her head back, laughing. “Haven’t you ever heard of multi-tasking? My agent was up my ass about my ass today. I guess there were pictures leaked where I look a little hefty, so the entire world thinks I’m fat now. Time for me to tone this shit up.” She smacks her ass. “My problem is that my soul mate is carbs. Therefore, in order for me to give into my one true love, I have to work out.”
The fuck? “Sweetheart, I can guarantee you the entire world doesn’t think you’re fat. You’re too hard on yourself, and so is your agent if she’s making you feel less than perfect, which you pretty much are.” I scrub my hand over my jaw, focusing my eyes on her. “That ass right there is perfection. Those hips, flawless, especially when I grip them while you’re riding my dick.” Hollywood is a bunch of sugar hating, green smoothie drinking dickheads.
She almost loses her step at my response but manages to correct herself. “Thank you. I’m glad you appreciate this ass. I only wish your opinion were the same as everyone elses in the business.”
“Someone else’s opinion of your body shouldn’t define how you feel about yourself. You’re beautiful.”
Bitterness fills my mouth as I wonder how many people have tried to change her – how many people have told her she wasn’t good enough. From her mom dying her hair at a young age so she’d look more American to the people who work for her complaining about her weight. A woman can be told she’s beautiful hundreds of times and it’ll never make up for when someone else has pointed out her flaws. The negative comments will always stick with them more than the positive.
She flashes me a shy smile and holds up the last bite, popping it into her mouth. “If I want to eat like this, I have to work it off.”
I beckon her with my finger. “Come here.” She shakes out her arms while staring at me skeptically. I stand there quietly until she does what I asked.
She eventually jumps off the treadmill and stands tall in front of me. I plant my hands on her hips and turn her around in my arms to guide us to the full-mirrored wall. We stare at our reflection as I hold her in place.
“You know what I see in this mirror?” I whisper into her ear. She shivers in anticipation but doesn’t say anything. I don’t expect her to. “A beautiful woman – inside and out. And don’t you ever listen to anyone else who tries to tell you different.”
Her eyes never leave mine as her thick lips curl into a smile. “Who would’ve thought underneath that tough exterior was a man so comforting? There’s a spot of understanding in you that I’ve never found with anyone else. No matter what happens to my career, my money, my appearance, I
have a feeling it’ll never the way you look at me.”
No one has ever been as destructive at tearing me down as Stella. “Never,” I reply.
She shifts in my hold so she’s facing me and clasps her hands together behind my neck before pressing her soft lips to mine. “I think you were sent to California for a bigger reason than being a security guard,” she whispers against them.
“You’re right,” I say, kissing her back. “And I think that reason was you.”
A connection this strong doesn’t just happen. We were pushed together to prove we’re capable of love, receiving and giving it, and to show us there’s a light at the end of the tunnel of our broken hearts. We’re two heartbroken souls looking out for one another.
My breathing hitches when she releases me to fall to her knees at the same time my shorts are being pushed down. My cock is hard just at the sight of her biting into her lower lip and innocently staring up at me while my cock springs forward. I wrap her ponytail around my hand, and her locks spill forward when I undo them from the band. I rake my fingers through her soft strands when she wraps those beautiful lips around the tip of my cock, sucking hard. I stare at her, unable to take my eyes away, as she slowly draws me into her warm mouth. I can already feel my load coming when I hit the back of her throat.
I grab a handful of her hair and use it to guide her just how I like it, even though I don’t think she needs any help. I hardly blink while I take in the breathtaking scene in front of me. Her head bobs forward, back and forth, and I love the sensation of her moans vibrating against my shaft.
My muscles tense up when a rush of heat slithers through my veins. I warn her that it’s time, in case she wants to pull away, but she doesn’t. I release her hair and stroke her cheek as she swallows down my come. My breathing shudders when she licks the excess come dripping from the tip.
“How do I taste?” I ask her.
She brushes her tongue along her bottom lip. “Better than any pizza or dessert in the world.”
Make Me Yours Page 14