I get it. I need her too. I have other friends, some women, but none are as close to me as she is. She's the person I depend on to give it to me straight. She's also one of the few people in this world who doesn't give two shits that I'm rich or successful.
Ad likes me for me, and in my world, that's a rarity.
"I understand," I offer gently. "I need you just as much as you need me."
Her head pops up. "I don't think so, Crew. You have a lot of friends. Probably ten times as many as I do. If things happened that would pull us apart, you'd have someone else to go to. There's always a friend a call away for you."
It's true, but those friendships are shallow at best. They can't compare to what the two of us share.
"I have very few close friends."
A smile curves her lip, but it's gone with the next beat of my heart. "I know I'm one of the close ones. I think I know you better than most of your friends."
There's something woven into the words. They hold a weight to them beyond the obvious. "You do know a lot about me."
"And then some," she adds in a whisper.
My heart drums against the wall of my chest in strong, measured beats. There are things I've never told her about me. Things I've only told Nolan and I would bet my life and hers that he would never break that confidence. "What do you know about me?"
Her gaze roams my face. "You're a good friend."
"I'm an even better lover," I quip.
She rubs her hands on her thighs. "What if it all goes to hell? How will we handle that?"
I don't see that as an option so devising a plan is a waste of my time. I want her, and that goes beyond the sex. I want her heart. I want it all because I'm seeing her in a way I haven't before.
"What if it doesn't go to hell?"
She sits back. "You like women too much for this to not go to hell at some point."
It stings. Her words cut through me with the force of a jagged knife because it's my actions that have given her those thoughts and those words. We may not talk about who we're fucking but there are enough clues in my life that I'm getting my fair share of pussy for her to know what's going on.
Condom packages in the guest room nightstand because sometimes I want to fuck with a different view of the city.
Panties strung around the hanger when I pick up my suits from the dry cleaners after they fished them out of my pockets.
Lipstick tubes nestled between the cushions of my leather couch.
The list goes on…
Adley has seen all of that and more.
"I haven't fucked a woman since I kissed you."
Her brow furrows as she considers those words. "You haven't?"
"I don't want to," I admit on a heavy exhale. "I want you, Adley."
"Why now?" Her hands twist together in a knot of anxiety. I want to reach out and grab them, cradle them against my chest so she can feel my heart beat for only her.
I straighten slowly. "It's not a new thing. It's been building for months."
"It has?" Her voice jumps an octave with the question. "Since when?"
I shrug. "New Year's Eve? Maybe even before."
She thinks about it before she responds. "Why didn't you say something then?"
It's an honest question that I don't have a straightforward answer to. "I knew you'd push me back on it. I know how much you value our friendship."
"I thought you did too." Her response is quick and harsh. "I thought you understood that our friendship is an essential part of my life. I'm scared to lose that. I can't describe how fucking scared I am by that, Crew."
I am too. I admit I'm feeling things for her that I've never felt before but I have no fucking clue where they'll take us. All I know is that I'm willing to hang on for the ride.
"We'll take it as slowly as you want." I reach over and finally grab her hand. "Are you feeling all right about what we did by the pool?"
She laces her fingers together with mine. "I am."
I take that as a win. "I am too."
Her brows shoot up as she smiles. "I thought you would be."
"I want more." I tilt my chin down and gently squeeze her hand. "I want to taste every inch of you. I want to be inside of you."
Her breathing stutters. I know that if I slid my fingers into her panties, she'd be ready for me; warm and wet, just as she was by the pool. "Slowly, right?"
I inch closer to her, wanting to taste her sweet lips. "I like it slow, Ad."
She nods. "I like it slow too."
I breathe in the scent of the skin of her neck. Long, pulling intakes of air that smell of her perfume and beneath that, her. It's fresh, sensuous and baits me to kiss her under her ear.
"I touched your cunt. I want to taste it."
She shivers under those words. Her head falls back against the couch. "Your mouth does things to me."
"You have no idea what it can do to you." I inch the hem of her dress up with my hand. "Let me show you."
She turns her head toward me, pressing her lips to mine. I trail my hand up her thigh as I slide my tongue along hers; devouring her mouth the same way I'll devour her pussy.
I fuck her mouth, my tongue taking from hers. My teeth scraping her bottom lip as a warning, and a dark promise of what it will feel like once my head is between her legs and her clit between my teeth.
She moans into the kiss, her hand reaching up to weave between the strands of my hair.
I tap the silk of her panties feeling how wet they already are.
I pull back from the kiss but only far enough to speak. "I want you on my bed, naked so I can taste all of this."
I squeeze her through her panties and that alone is enough to raise her ass from the sofa. I press soft circles over her clit using the rough friction of the fabric to tempt her.
"You know how to use your hands," she pants. "How the hell are you so good with your hands?"
Years of unnecessary experience .
It's always been the quickest way to get a woman worked up enough that my cock could slide in without any resistance.
"Wait until you meet my tongue." I smile against her cheek. "My cock is dying to meet you too."
Her hips circle as she chases an orgasm. "I feel like I could come right here on the spot."
"Do it," I hiss the words out as I rim the shell of her ear with my tongue. "Or I can drop to my knees and lick that beautiful cunt."
"Please," she fists my hair in her hand. "Oh, God, yes please."
I stand and yank my T-shirt over my head. I tug on the drawstring of my sweatpants because if I'm going down on her, I'm going to need something in return once I've given her an orgasm or three.
I start to slide them down as her eyes lock on the thin trail of dark hair that disappears under the waistband.
A loud rustling by the front door twists my head in that direction.
Adley's on her feet, her hands pinned to my back, her head peeking out from behind my bicep as the door opens and my brother walks in with a brunette on his arm.
"Hey, Crew," Kade calls from the doorway as he drops two overnight bags on the floor. "You don't mind if we crash your little party, do you?"
I stare at the woman standing next to my younger brother.
Fuck her. Fuck my life.
"You didn't mention your brother would be here, Kade," she drawls through her red lips. "It's good to see you, Crew. I haven't seen you since you left me at the altar."
Chapter 29
Adley
Altar? He left a woman at the altar? How is it that he's never told me he was engaged?
I watch in silence as the beautiful woman approaches us. Her hair is black with caramel highlights. It's cut into a stylish bob that showcases the perfect bone structure of her face.
Her eyes are a deep brown and framed by lashes that most women would kill for.
"Who is this?"
She looks at me like I should be shining her shoes.
"I'm Adley," I pipe up and extend a hand because
Crew is as frozen as a statue.
"It's good to meet you, Ashley." She takes my hand and wipes her fingertips across my palm. I have no idea if that's a supermodel handshake or what but I'm grateful for the minimal touching.
"Her name is Adley," Kade corrects her with a smile. He looks every part the Hampton weekender with his jeans, blue polo shirt and expensive haircut. The last time I saw him, his brown hair was cropped short. Now it's longer on top, giving him a look that suits him better.
"I'm Damaris."
It's a beautiful name for a striking woman.
"Why are you here?" Crew directs the question at his brother as he tugs his T-shirt back over his head. "Why the hell would you bring her?"
"We're friends," Kade answers quickly, his gray eyes scanning Crew's face. "You know that we're friends, Crew."
"Did you know that I was up here with Adley?"
I can answer that question. When Kade texted me three days ago to see how things were going, I mentioned my weekend trip. I didn't tell him that I was headed here with Crew, but he apparently connected those dots on his own.
"Adley told me, but I thought you'd be gone by now." He taps the face of his wristwatch. "Isn't it dinner with your friends on Sunday night, then you at your desk first on Monday morning? You're running behind schedule."
"I'm here until tomorrow night." He crosses his arms over his chest.
"Fair enough." Kade moves to stand next to Crew's ex-fiancée. "Damaris needed a break from the city. I needed a day off work, so we're here for the night."
"You're leaving." Crew widens his stance.
"I'll take my old room." Kade turns to talk to Damaris. "You'll bunk in Lark's old room. Does that work for you, Crew?"
"No."
"Why not?"
"You need to leave now, Kade." He gestures toward the front door. "Get lost."
"If you can bring a friend up here, I sure as hell can too." Kade squeezes my bicep. "I'm not going anywhere."
"Fuck it. Then we are." Crew turns to his side to look down at me. "Pack up your stuff. We're leaving."
I've never seen him this on edge before. Usually, when he gets angry, it's always laced with humor. He's a master at controlling his temper, but that's not the person I see in front of me now.
"Crew?" I reach for his forearm, but he brushes my hand away.
"Get ready to go, Ad." His eyes dart between Damaris and me. "Now."
I nod.
Crew's on his way to the kitchen and the bedrooms beyond before I've taken a step. I fold my arms over my chest, suddenly aware that my dress is sheer.
"I'm sorry, Adley." Kade wraps his arm around my shoulder. "I didn't mean to fuck up your entire weekend."
I'm sorry too. Not only did Crew and I get interrupted at the worst possible time, but I met his ex-fiancée; a woman I didn't know existed until now.
"It's fine," I lie. "I need to get back to the real world anyway."
"You're from New York too, yes?" Damaris moves to look at me. "You and Crew are friends?"
"She's one of his best friends," Kade offers. "She keeps him in line."
I smile at him. In the text I sent him about my trip, I didn't mention anything about the kiss. It's not his business. It's a secret that only Crew and I share.
"I used to keep him in line." Damaris laughs. "We were friends too, but then it was more."
"And then he made a mistake and let you go," Kade adds.
"You would have been the best brother-in-law." She turns from Kade to study my face. "Have we met before?"
"No," I answer quickly because if I met this woman I sure as hell would remember it. She could jump on any catwalk and strut herself to a million dollar contract.
"Your face is so familiar to me." Her finger darts to her chin. "Maybe we've seen each other in the city. What do you do for work?"
"That's none of your business," Crew says from where he's standing to our left. He has his gray pants on and his hands are making quick work of the buttons of his black shirt.
"I'll get ready to go." I glance at Damaris one more time. I should be polite and tell her that it's nice to meet her, but that's a lie.
"He needs a friend." She jerks her thumb at Crew. "I'm glad he has a good one in you."
He has something in me. I'm not sure what it is anymore.
***
Once we're on the highway, I ask the question that has been perched on my lips since Damaris walked into the foyer with Kade. "When were you two together?"
"That altar stuff is bullshit." He doesn't look at me. His eyes stay on the road as he handles his BMW with ease. "I broke off our engagement in person before we'd even picked a date. It was brief, Ad."
"It was before we met," I say that aloud even though I don't mean to.
"Years before." He nods his head. "We were only together for a few months."
I stare out the window at the traffic passing on the other side of the highway. "Where did you meet?"
He hesitates before he answers. His jaw tightens as his hands fist the steering wheel. "At a club. I always met women at clubs."
We met outside a club in Vegas. It's not the same though. He didn't even acknowledge me that night. He was focused on Ellie because he wanted to offer her a job, and then on Lucia because he wanted to offer her his cock.
"You loved her." I push my hands against my thighs. I changed into jeans and a white sweater. They were the first items I grabbed as I heard Crew's shoe tapping on the floor outside the door of the bedroom.
"No." He briefly looks at me before his eyes are on the road again. "I liked what we did together. I liked the high she provided. That's not love."
"Have you ever been in love?" I ask because maybe his gauge is different than mine. I don't know what love feels like to anyone but me.
"No," he answers quickly. "I love people, but that's not the same."
He's right. It's not.
He clears his throat. "You loved Leo."
My head darts in his direction. I feel a sense of panic hearing him say Leo's name. I've spoken to him about my ex-boyfriend before, but that was right after Crew and I met. I was still hung up on Leo because he had helped me heal after the end of a relationship that damaged me in countless ways.
I missed Leo's presence in my life for months after our split. I didn't miss the arguments we constantly had over our undecided mutual future.
Leo wanted to get married and have a child right away. I want a career and the chance to grow into the person I'm supposed to be before I hold my own baby in my arms.
"I did love him," I admit on a sigh. "It wasn't a good fit for me though. If it were, I wouldn’t have fallen out of love with him so easily."
He reaches for my hand and brings it to his thigh. "Leo was a lucky man."
Damaris was a lucky woman. She got him to drop to his knee and offer his life to her. Knowing Crew the way I do, that's a shock.
"Do you ever regret ending it?" I try to pull my hand back but he holds it tightly.
"Never."
I look back out the window and the darkening sky. "I take it you two don’t talk anymore."
He lets my hand slip away when I give it another tug. "There's nothing left for us to talk about. She was part of my life, now she's not. It's cut and dry."
I fall silent as we make a turn.
He loved her enough to ask her to marry him once.
They started as friends and ended like this.
I don't want that to be our story too.
Chapter 30
Crew
I have no idea what was running through Adley's mind when I dropped her off at her apartment last night. I helped her carry her bags up to her door, and when Sydney opened it to pull Adley into a tight hug, any chance we had to say goodbye was lost.
She didn’t turn back to say anything to me after she thanked me for the weekend.
I went home, stood in my shower for over thirty minutes and then drank myself to sleep.
"You're back a da
y early." Nolan waltzes into my office with a spring in his step. It's been there since he asked Ellie to marry him. "I rearranged a half dozen of your meetings. That was a waste of my fucking time."
The grin on his face tells me he's joking. Even if he weren't, I wouldn't give a shit. I've helped him build this company into what it is today. He's rewarded me handsomely for that in the form of a corner office and a percentage of shares.
I may not own as much stock in Matiz Cosmetics as he does, but I work for our success harder than he ever has.
It started as a friend helping a friend after he inherited the business. It turned into much more when I rode the adrenaline high to our first million. Now, our yearly sales are more than either of us could have imagined.
It affords us both a comfortable life, so you'll hear no complainants about the investment in time and effort it took to get us here.
"Kade showed up in Westhampton Beach. He wasn't alone."
Nolan's mouth twitches as he takes a seat in one of the chairs in front of my desk. "Who was with him?"
"You're going to flip your shit. I couldn't believe my eyes when she walked through the door."
"Jesus, don't tell me it was Damaris."
I cock a brow.
"What a stupid little fuck." He rubs his hand over his chin. "Your brother is an asshole. Have you noticed that?"
I huff out a deep laugh. "His story is that he thought Adley and I were on our way back to the city. He brought Damaris up there for a recharge."
"Why the fuck has he stayed friends with her?" Both his hands run through his brown hair. "I get that they were friends before you two got together, but still."
I have no clue why they're friends. They went to college together but their connection didn't lead to our meeting. "Who the fuck knows? That's not the point. The point is that he brought her up to the house when I was supposed to be alone with Ad."
"How did she react to meeting your ex?"
I've only thrown Nolan bare scraps of information about Ad and me. She's his wife's best friend so he can't keep his mouth shut about Adley if he knows something Ellie doesn't. "It was awkward for everyone, pal."
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