by Scarlet Fox
Taking her by the shoulders, he led her the short distance to the fire and guided her to sit in front of the now roaring flames. He dropped down beside her, and after a moment’s hesitation, he reached his hands out to run them up and down her arms in an attempt to warm her up. “You’ll be better in a few minutes.” He moved himself in against her back, pressing his chest into her for warmth.
Katie tilted her head back, allowing it to rest on his shoulder. She gazed up at him, studying a handsome face she’d never taken the time to really notice before. “I already feel better.”
His almond eyes lowered to hers, gazing as if into her soul. Then his mouth lowered to hers again. His mouth moved sensually along her own, teasing her once again into a state of arousal.
Closing her eyes, she savored the taste and feel of him. His tongue brushed against hers in a move so erotic, it stole her breath away. She forgot about everything but him. Her busted relationship didn’t matter. Her earlier embarrassment didn’t matter. All that mattered was the feel of Lei warm against her back and his mouth as it devoured hers.
She gave a soft whimper into his mouth, and her right hand lifted to rest against the back of his neck, holding his lips to hers. The heat from the fire was starting to warm her body, causing her limbs to loosen. It allowed her to lean back more fully against him and relax into his much larger form.
One of his hands disappeared under the edge of her shirt and traveled slowly up her belly. Without hesitation, he cupped her breast, squeezing it in his palm. He massaged her lightly through her bra, and then a moment later, he tugged down the cup so he could run his fingertips along her nipple.
Katie gave a surprised gasp and arched up into his wandering hand. He touched her with such boldness, such confidence. It had heat pooling between her legs, and she realized suddenly that she wanted to have sex with him. She wanted to sleep with her brother’s best friend, someone who’d never even blipped on her sexual radar.
And why hadn’t he? It wasn’t because she didn’t find him attractive. Lei was smooth and charming. He had a sexy smile and a great body. She supposed she’d never viewed him as anything other than her brother’s friend, because he’d seemed way off limits. There was also the fact that she’d thought he found her lame. She was the little sister, the annoying tagalong. They’d told her this many times growing up.
But now that she’d thought of it, Lei was right. He hadn’t been laughing for quite some time. He hadn’t been teasing her or making her feel like a kid. That had stopped at some point, and she fought to recall when.
Unable to find an answer, she whispered against his mouth, “How long?” Her body jerked with a jolt of desire as he pinched her nipple lightly between two fingers and rolled it between them.
“How long what?” he asked in confusion.
She could feel his erection pressing into her back and moved so her body brushed along its length. She wanted to heighten his arousal as he was doing to her. “How long have you wanted this?” she asked breathlessly.
Instead of answering, Lei tilted her down onto her back and shifted to position himself between her legs. He ground his erection into her pelvis, causing her to gasp and arch her back. His mouth found her neck and he nibbled at her, his tongue dancing across her flesh. “Three years,” he finally whispered.
Three years? That was before she’d ever hooked up with Zack. She’d been a senior in college and completely oblivious to his feelings. Well, she wasn’t oblivious now. Reaching down between them, she cupped his erection in her palm, sliding along it. He felt so hard, so ready. “Nathan is going to kill us.” Her words were a breathy whisper as she stroked him through his jeans.
“I don’t think Nathan will be all that surprised.” He yanked her shirt up over her head and tossed it to the side. Her left breast was already exposed from where he’d yanked down the cup of her bra. He lowered his mouth to her nipple and took it between his lips. He rolled his tongue along it, trapping it with his teeth. When he finally released her, her nipple glistened with his saliva. “I’m fairly certain he’s been aware of my feelings for a while. He’s just been cool enough not to call me on them.”
“Oh.” She didn’t know what else to say. She never in a million years would have suspected Lei felt anything for her but neutrality. It was shocking … and sexy as hell. Knowing there was someone out there who gave a shit about her, who desired her to this extent, made her heart feel so much less tight.
He stared down at her with passion in his eyes, but there was caution in them too. “We can stop. If you’re worried about Nathan …”
“No,” she said, her voice firm yet somehow almost frantic. “Don’t stop. Please don’t stop.”
He grinned down at her. Then his mouth lowered to hers once again. His body pinned her to the floor, encasing her in his much larger frame.
Having his solid weight on her was heavenly. Katie moaned against his lips, squirming underneath him in an attempt to brush up against his erection. She couldn’t remember ever wanting a man this badly. She thought it should feel weird, kissing someone she’d grown up with, but it didn’t. It felt so very right. It made her wonder why they hadn’t done this sooner.
Lei growled into her mouth at the way she rocked upward into his erection. Ripping his mouth away from hers, he sat up just enough to tug his shirt over his head.
As he tossed his shirt to the side, she squirmed out of her bra. She wanted to feel him bare against her, and not just his chest. She wanted all of him. Wriggling under him, she tugged at his belt buckle. “More. This too.”
Chuckling, he rose up onto his knees and yanked the buckle open.
She wasted no time in shimmying out of her snow pants. Underneath, she wore a pair of yoga pants, and she quickly shed those too.
Lei was unzipping his jeans when he suddenly froze. “Protection. Shit.” He fumbled around in his back pocket. “I’ve got a condom … somewhere.” Then he let out a curse. “I left my wallet at the lodge.”
Sitting up, she yanked at his jeans, tugging them down his thighs until they caught on his knees. “Screw it. We don’t need it.” Reaching out, she stroked him through his briefs. Biting her lip with desire, she reveled at the thickness underneath her hand. “I’m on the pill.”
He groaned and closed his eyes. His Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed thickly. “Okay.” That one word was a whisper, but she’d heard it. They were really going to do this.
Leaning back to rest on her elbows, she stared up at him. His golden skin shone beautifully in the firelight, like that of a Greek god. When he opened his dark eyes, they reflected the flames. His toned abs tightened and bunched as he shifted to pull his briefs down, causing her pussy to clench with desire.
Once he had himself bare, his cock standing up proudly at attention, he hooked his fingers in to the edge of her panties and peeled them down her legs. He tossed them to the side, and then he was lying on top of her again. His erection pressed into her belly as if begging for her attention. “Are you warm enough?” he whispered as he nuzzled against her jaw just under her ear.
With the heat of the fire touching her skin and Lei’s warm body cocooning hers, the cold was the farthest thing from her mind. “I’m perfect.” She slipped her arms around his back, caressing the firm muscles of his shoulder blades. “There’s nowhere else I’d rather be right now.” It was hard to fathom how they’d gotten here. Such an odd series of events had occurred to lead them to this point. She wouldn’t change any of it, though. Erica could have Zack, and the humiliation had been worth it to bring her to this point. “This isn’t a rebound.”
She wanted him to know that. She wasn’t trying to swallow up her grief over Zack, nor was she trying to replace him. She wasn’t afraid to be single. Twenty minutes ago, that had been the plan. But then Lei had kissed her, and everything changed.
“I know.” His mouth captured hers for a slow kiss. “I wouldn’t be doing this if I thought I was a rebound. I’ve waited too long to settle for
that.” His hands traveled slowly over her hips, along her thighs. Then with a deep breath, he took his cock in hand and pressed it at her entrance. He halted there, staring down at her with intensity in his eyes. “Are you sure this is what you want?”
Katie squirmed underneath him, trying to get him to penetrate into her. “Yes. Please, Lei. Yes.”
He gave a soft groan at her pleading. Then he shifted his hips forward, sliding into her. She was so wet there was little resistance. Since the moment he’d kissed her, her body had begun preparing for this moment. On every level, she’d wanted him.
Her fingers clenched against the muscles of his back, holding him to her as her hips lifted to meet each one of his gentle thrusts. The way he moved, the way he kissed her, it wasn’t just sex. He was making love to her. No one had ever done this before. It had always been more about sating a need than showing emotion to the person with her.
“Lei …” Her breath caught in her throat, and she couldn’t say anything else. Nothing could verbalize the emotions that swept through her at the tender way he touched her. Her hips rose with each of his thrusts, meeting him halfway. When his lips met hers, she gave a breathless whimper into his mouth.
Even though his pace was slow, she felt herself rising closer and closer to ecstasy. He stroked deep, drawing another moan from her lips. Her hands swept down his back until she was able to cup his backside in her palms. Then she was able to pull him deeper, harder.
This seemed to be all the encouragement he needed. He picked up his pace, thrusting into her more swiftly. Their bodies rocked together in unison, each of them straining to get closer to the other.
“Lei … Lei …” And then suddenly she was crashing over the edge into an orgasm to put all others to shame.
Chapter Three
Katie awoke next to a dying fire and her brother’s best friend. As she glanced at Lei’s sleeping features, panic welled inside of her. What had she done? What had she been thinking? Sleeping with Lei was such a foolish decision. It had the potential to hurt her brother, something she never wanted to do. Even if he’d known about Lei’s feelings for her, the reality might be harder for him to digest. There was no way this wasn’t going to come back and bite her in the ass.
As silently as she possibly could, she reached out blindly for clothing. Her hands closed around Lei’s button up shirt. Sitting up, she pulled it over her head. Climbing to her feet, she tiptoed to the door and slipped into her snow boots. She had to get away. She had to get out of this cabin before Lei woke and she was forced to face the repercussions of their actions. Last night, things had seemed so easy and natural between them, but now in the harsh light of day, she couldn’t help but question her judgment of the previous evening. Had she seriously thought pursuing any type of relationship with her brother’s best friend was a wise decision? It was a disaster waiting to happen.
Yanking the door open, she was hit with a burst of cold air that swept up the shirt and instantly chilled her entire body. Perhaps she should have slipped into some underwear before trying to make an escape.
“I don’t think running is the wisest choice.”
She cringed at the sound of Lei’s voice. Spinning back toward the fireplace, she found him leaning up on an elbow, staring at her with those soulful eyes of his.
“Especially without any pants.”
Sheepishly, she eased the front door closed and dropped her hands to her sides. She simply stared at him, unsure of what to say. There was no use denying her attempt to flee. It had been overly blatant. Apparently, avoidance of the situation was not going to happen. There was six feet of snow outside. She couldn’t even see the cabin’s driveway anymore. There was no way she was finding her way back to the lodge on her own. “Always the voice of reason.”
Climbing to his feet, Lei slipped into his jeans and yanked up the zipper. He left the button undone, something she found extremely distracting. She had to swallow thickly and avert her gaze. Though she was relieved he was now partially dressed, the fact that she found that button so distracting was proof she was still completely attracted to him. She’d had the suspicion last night that their night together was more than simply getting desire for him out of her system, and this morning confirmed it. She had crossed a line with him there was no going back from, and that terrified her.
He must have seen the panic in her eyes, because he let out a soft sigh. “It’s cold in here. We let the fire burn down too low. How about you take a hot shower while I get another fire going?”
She bobbed her head vigorously and disappeared into the bathroom. With her heart pounding in her chest and her mind filled with uncertainty, she stripped out of the boots and shirt. Turning the temperature of the water up until there was steam rising in the air, she climbed under the wonderful spray.
The heat hit her shoulders and released some of the tension. It relaxed her and made it easier for her to think. It helped her look at her predicament more rationally. So what if she and Lei had slept together? They were both adults and could handle the situation. They’d known each other for years. There was no reason for things to change or become awkward. They could just go back to how things had been yesterday, before sex entered the picture. She spent the next five minutes trying to convince herself of this.
“Mind if I join you?”
She’d been so lost in her thoughts, she hadn’t heard the bathroom door open. With a yelp, she crossed her arms over her chest in an attempt to hide her nudity. “Lei, what the hell!”
He chuckled lightly at her response and rapped his knuckles lightly against the glass of the shower door. “Sorry. I just figured we’ve seen each other naked already and I’m freezing my balls off out here. Collecting wood in nothing but my pants wasn’t the best experience.”
She gaped at his blurry figure behind the glass. “Why didn’t you put more clothes on?”
“You had my shirt in here,” he explained. “And my coat is still soaking wet from our adventure in the woods yesterday.”
Shit. All of that was her fault. She could have at least tossed his shirt back out into the hallway for him.
“So … do you mind sharing? I’m pretty damn cold.”
It was such a logical request that she couldn’t say no. “Fine. Whatever.” She watched through the glass as he stripped out of his jeans. Her belly tightened and her skin flushed at the memory of their night together. She was getting wet and silently prayed he wouldn’t be able to tell. It was time to act like a mature adult, not a love sick teenager.
The shower door opened and Lei slipped in, ducking into the cascade. He was so close, he nearly touched her. Her skin seemed to vibrate with need, and she struggled to keep her eyes on his face. She would not look at his dick. She would not!
He groaned and gave an exaggerated shiver. “That’s so much better.”
Katie huddled under the water, afraid to speak. Her heart was thumping even more wildly, so wildly she suspected he could hear it.
After a moment of soaking in the heat of the shower, Lei opened his eyes to look at her. “So are we going to discuss last night? Or are you going to try to run again?”
She lowered her eyes in embarrassment. Then realizing this left her looking at his very nude body, she quickly lifted her gaze back to his. “I panicked.”
“I noticed.” He fell silent for a moment, staring at her. His dark eyes searched her face, as if probing for answers … or her feelings. Just when she thought she couldn’t stand the quiet a moment more, he spoke. “I’m crazy about you. You know that, right?”
Katie sucked in a sharp breath. His words last night had touched her so deeply. There’d been the slight fear that he’d been talking with desire, that his feelings weren’t as deep as he’d made them seem. This statement stole her breath away and made her ache inside. How could he have cared about her for so long and not said anything? How could he have let her make mistakes like Zack without demanding she stop and notice him? His patience melted her heart and made her wa
nt to cry at the same time.
“I-I know.” Her voice trembled and she could feel her hands quivering. This was more than just a little crush. Things with Lei had the potential to blossom into an unparalleled romance, but they could also go down in flames. It had the potential to hurt a great deal of people, specifically her brother. He and Lei had been best friends since grade school. If something happened between her and Lei that ended disastrously, it could damage their friendship.
“Stop,” Lei growled in a husky tone. “Just stop.” He cupped the sides of her head and lowered his mouth to hers for a desperate kiss. His mouth devoured hers, revealing his hunger and passion. It didn’t seem to have ebbed at all since the night before. “Whatever you’re thinking, it isn’t going to happen.”
She wrapped her arms around his neck and arched up into his warm chest. Her lips moved against his in a frantic dance, proof of her returned feelings. “I just … I don’t want to hurt Nathan.”
“We won’t.” He tore his lips from hers only to bury his face in her neck. He kissed a path along her jaw, down the length of her throat, and across her collarbone. “I have no intention of screwing this up.” As his mouth moved along her skin, his hand lowered to the apex of her thighs. He stroked lightly along her inner thighs before slipping a hand between her legs. Finding her wet, he gave a low groan of arousal.
Straightening, he grabbed her by the waist and spun her to face the shower door. With one hand, he lifted her right foot onto a low soap shelf, spreading her open for him. He snaked an arm around her and trailed it slowly down her belly, causing her to tremble. He knew exactly how to touch her to awaken her body.
When his fingers found her clit and began strumming, Katie uttered a breathless whimper and let her head fall back against his shoulder. She allowed him to toy with her body, one hand stroking her clit while the other caressed her breasts.