by Piper Lawson
When my eyes finally opened, Dylan was propped up on his elbow, looking down at me. One finger ran absently along the top of my breasts, still covered in black lace. I must have looked like a hot mess, my red hair strewn across the pillows and my body flushed and shaking. I turned my head sideways to look at him. A dazed and satisfied expression was probably shining on my face, but I didn’t have the energy or inclination to hide it.
Dylan continued to gaze at me like I was utterly fascinating. A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. “Lex?”
“Mhmm?”
“Name the three largest economies in the European Union.”
“Huh?”
“OK, one of them.”
I groaned.
“Good.” His smile was smug.
My brain was still rebooting. Rather than worrying about his words, I took in his naked chest, the strain of him against his pants, the wetness of his finger as he trailed it across my skin. The finger that had been inside me moments before.
We weren’t done here. Not by a long shot.
“Enough talk.” I pulled his mouth down to mine. I could taste myself on his tongue.
He responded instantly, pressing into me. As we kissed, his hand moved up my naked thigh, reached to wrap it around his hip. Any hesitation from earlier was demolished.
Sex with Jake had always been good. But the way Dylan kissed me was something else entirely, unselfconscious and desperate, like he needed me to breathe.
I needed more. I rolled him over so I was on top, straddling him. Our gazes clashed, mirrored one another in the intensity that had sprung up again like a wildfire between us. I unbuttoned the top of his jeans over his straining erection while his hands ran over my body. He reached around to undo my bra, fumbling.
I pulled his jeans and shorts down at once. His cock sprang free, and it was every bit as amazing as the rest of him. Unable to wait, I wrapped my hand around him—silk over steel—and was rewarded by a hiss of breath.
I sat up so he couldn’t reach me. He watched me, lips parted as I stroked down his shaft. “Shit, Lex,” he groaned. “I can’t—I’m—” I knew what he meant, could feel his body clenching underneath me. Losing myself in his eyes, I realized there was nothing I wanted more than this moment. Feeling high, feeling perfect, I wanted to give him the night of his life.
I moved up his body and positioned him between my thighs. Our eyes locked and I brushed his tip across my entrance. God, I wanted to feel him inside me. But I needed to delay this.
“Tell me,” I whispered as I leaned over him.
His hands were on my breasts, and he levered himself up so he could suck my nipple into his mouth. My head fell back on a groan and my fingers fisted in his hair.
“What?” His voice was low and his mouth moved across my chest and he grazed the other nipple with the tip of his tongue. I twisted in agony and pulled tighter on his hair. On fire, I slid the tip of him just inside me and he groaned. “That I’d lie in this bed and think about you, naked and over me? Under me?” He was as lost in this as I was, and when his eyes met mine they were hazy. “That nothing in my dirtiest fantasies came close to this—”
His words snapped the last of my control. I knew I’d never had someone want me as much as he did right now.
My hand still in his hair, I slid down onto him in one slow, smooth motion. He was so big and I could feel my body stretching to take him in. It was so tight I gasped.
“Fuuuuuuuuck …” the air hissed through Dylan’s clenched jaw.
Ditto.
I watched his eyes change color again as the sensations registered, felt my own breath catch as my body adjusted to the sudden invasion, the fullness. He collapsed against the bed and I let go of his hair so he could.
Dylan’s fingers grabbed my ass, his eyes moving between my face and where we were joined like he was overwhelmed by the sensation and didn’t know where to look. Finally I started moving on him, and his abs flexed as he pressed deeper into me. I couldn’t wait much longer, and I knew he couldn’t either.
The muscles in his throat worked as I rode him. His arms pulled me harder on him. My head fell back and I lost myself to it. So close. So—
“Oh God—” his voice sounded like it was coming from miles away. I heard rushing in my ears like water racing down a pipe. I knew when it caught up with me, I’d be dragged along in its wake.
My second climax gripped at my core, then radiated out in waves of heat and sensation. Pulling on my muscles without any conscious thought. It ricocheted through my blood, my brain, my toes, my fingers. And when I went off, started clutching at him, so did he. I heard my name over and over and it was hands-down the best sound in the world.
My hands were in my hair and I bowed back over him as sensation wracked my body. Eventually the roar in my ears dulled and I collapsed onto Dylan’s chest. When I did, he was still inside me.
---
Consciousness kicked in hours later. I was lying on my side and wrapped around Dylan. His arm was thrown over my back, his legs and mine tangled. Now I was propped up on my elbow. The sun was high and streaming in the window, across his exposed chest and hip. The rest of his body was under the blanket.
My limbs felt deliciously heavy. I thought back to last night and felt a new kind of ache start up.
I allowed myself a moment to watch his beautiful face, a shadow of hair coming in around his chin. An indulgence before the processing started. I just wanted to suspend reality for a few moments longer. Before I had to wonder whether this was going to be one of those awkward mornings-after that I’d never experienced firsthand but heard about frequently enough that I had sufficient material to pen a book.
Dylan’s eyes drifted open and came into focus on my face. “Hey, you.” Damn. His eyes ran over me. My messy hair, probably sleep-filled eyes, the blanket pulled up to cover my breasts. But no matter how mussed I was it was clear from the warmth in his gaze that he liked what he saw.
“So for the record,” Dylan started, “that was pretty fucking amazing.” His eyes drifted closed then popped opened as if something had just struck him. He leveled mildly accusing eyes at me. “Is it always like that?”
I looked him in the eye. Resisted the urge to pull him to me again and drag the blanket over us until we were so lost we didn’t care what time it was. “No,” I said honestly. “It’s not always like that.”
I worried Dylan was going to launch into some kind of “what is this” analysis, but instead he only seemed pleased with my answer. “So what you’re saying is you’ve ruined me for life?”
My eyes closed again and I flopped onto my back, letting my hands rest over my head. “Pretty much.”
There was a hesitation before he said, “Uh, Lex? In all the rush we kind of forgot to …”
“It’s OK. I’m on the pill.”
He sighed in relief. I felt the mattress shift next to me, then his lips at the upturned corner of my mouth. They landed lightly, sweetly. When I opened my eyes he was propped over top of me, looking thoroughly worked over and delicious.
“In that case …” His chocolate eyes turned wicked and he pressed my wrists into the pillow using one of his hands. My breath caught at the forcefulness, but it thrilled me. Dylan took it all in, eyes blazing, before he lowered his mouth to my neck. I squirmed as his tongue and teeth started doing delicious things to my sensitive skin all over again.
I guess once more wasn’t going to send me to hell if I wasn’t already destined for it. The first time was going to make or break that decision, right?
I regained consciousness an hour later after an equally mind-blowing round two.
“OK, now I definitely have to go.”
“No breakfast?”
Peering out the front window of his room that had a view of the driveway, I saw the other car hadn’t moved. He read my mind.
“The guys will still be asleep. I can pretty much guarantee it. No one will see you, if that’s what you’re worried about.”
My skirt hit me in the back of the head. “There you go.”
A small smile formed on my mouth. “Thanks, Dylan. That was …” I shook my head. “But you know we can’t do it again.”
He watched me lazily but didn’t seem perturbed. “Sure thing, Lex.” My ego staggered a little, but I was glad for his response. “Thanks for being such a good friend.” He grinned.
Maybe the sex had fried his brain. It had definitely done a number on mine.
Chapter 18
I spent the weekend working on Travesty. One of the big things hanging over our heads was a website. I wasn’t the least bit tech savvy but threw myself into it, researching until I had a to-do list, a domain name, and some local developers who could send us quotes. The new information pouring into my half-willing brain helped delay the inevitable until the following week.
Of course I had to go and have the best sex of my life with Ava’s little brother. Less than two months into the “no boys” year. Maybe this is what the hookups clause was for, a voice piped hopefully. Nope—I was pretty sure even a liberal interpretation wouldn’t extend to this particular scenario. I couldn’t imagine the look on Ava’s face if she found out.
I had almost fully rationalized that it was a one-time thing to blow off steam. But I couldn’t seem to quit the instant replays. And reprises. And adaptations.
I’d had no idea I could have chemistry that intense with someone. Now that I did, it was like I’d unleashed something that was wreaking havoc with my insides.
Monday morning I slept through my alarm because I couldn’t sleep Sunday night. When Ava came to get me I told her I was sick and to go ahead without me. She looked skeptically at me from the doorway of my room. The problem with best friends was it was nearly impossible to lie to them, and just trying felt soul-crushing.
When I finally made it to business law, the professor cold-called me right in the middle of class. I had completely missed what he’d asked. I was gazing off into the distance, imagining myself leaning over the desk with Dylan thrusting into me from behind.
“Um.” I must have gone as red as my hair. “Negligence?”
“I’m sorry, Miss Caine?”
“Ahhh … could you repeat the question?”
My neighbor slid a sheet of paper across to my desk and I glanced at it. “I mean, if the business has no substantial assets, they should consider filing for Chapter 7 bankruptcy.” Which was quite possibly in my future if I didn’t get my shit together.
“That is correct, Miss Caine. Now unless you’re planning to marry Mr. Durst here so you can always be joined at the hip—” he gestured to the boy who’d passed me the note, who flushed “—perhaps a little less daydreaming and a little more studying in your future?”
Asshole. Even if he was totally right.
That night Ava ambushed me to come and help with some of her designs. “If you’re feeling better, of course.” I guiltily agreed.
She was finalizing the pieces she’d send for the fall fashion show and wanted to see how they’d look on a runway. I brought Jane, which would no doubt endear me to Ava for the foreseeable future. Our roommate Emily was the third conscripted. Jen was more into sports than fashion, and hadn’t needed to beg off as she was already out with Jace.
Ava might not have been a bookworm but she was a perfectionist when it came to the clothes. She insisted on seeing how they hung, how they moved, and how they looked one after another. No detail escaped her.
Emily was lounging on Ava’s bed, waiting her turn to get suited up, regaling us with hilarious stories about the guy she’d been dating until recently. “I’m not even joking. He tried to get me to take off my stilettos because he was worried they’d scratch the interior of his car. But when we went back to his place, which we only did once, he wanted me to leave them on.” She ended with a laugh.
Nearby Ava was pinning green fabric of a dress so it hung just right while I stood on a stool. She piped in. “Erdv mrdam verdem.” We all looked at her and she rolled her eyes and took the pins out of her mouth. “I said, I’d have made the perv wear them.”
Emily and I laughed hard, Jane chiming in a little late. She was a bit more conservative than the rest of us. I hoped we wouldn’t corrupt her too much. But she seemed like she could probably take it, even if she didn’t entirely relate to things like fetishes. I figured Chase was pretty straight-laced.
“What about you? You look awfully dazed the last few days.” Ava narrowed her eyes up at me. “This playing sick thing? Pshh.” Her gaze turned serious. “Don’t tell me you and Jake had a little for-old-times’-sake action? You know what we agreed, Lex! It’s fine if you want to blow off some steam, but exes are off limits. Exes come with feelings, and feelings mess with heads, and messed heads mess with business. You convinced me of that.”
“Yeah, I know,” I mumbled.
Emily looked over with interest and Jane pulled her face out of the magazine she was reading while sitting on the floor next to the bed. “Come on, Lex, let’s hear it,” Emily implored. Her eyes were sparkling, probably because she was at least in part Team Jake. “I have not gotten my share of gossip yet this year. Own up.”
“There’s nothing to tell.” And there wasn’t—at least about Jake.
“What about Kent?” Jane asked, pulling my thoughts back to the present. “He was cute and seemed into you.” I snuck a look out of the corner of my eye at Ava, worried I might get stabbed with a pin before I even answered. She anticipated in that psychic best friend way. “Not to worry, I’m so over that,” Ava responded breezily. “And he does seem like a good recreational prospect.”
There had to be a way to get out of this unscathed. “He is cute. But no, I haven’t. And I haven’t seen Jake in a while.”
“Alright, but we’re onto you!” Emily chimed back in. “We’re your roommates. You can’t keep secrets for long. Between Jane and us, we see you 24/7. If there’s some hottie you’re secretly banging, we’ll know about it.” She winked. Super.
As long as I could keep anyone from finding out what had happened between me and Dylan that night, and keep it from happening again, I was in the clear.
No sweat.
Chapter 19
By Wednesday I was starting to wonder if Dylan had fallen off the face of the earth. Maybe he’d been completely unaffected and had me out of his system. Maybe our marathon sex had killed him.
I should’ve gone easier on the guy. He was practically a virgin. Though in my defense it was easy to forget when he was thrusting roughly into me with his teeth buried in my shoulder.
My first time had been with Chris, the guy I’d dated before Jake. The whole experience had been mediocre, though jacked-up expectations probably factored in. Clumsy hands and mouths, a quick ending for him and none for me. Even with Jake, it’d taken a while for us to hit our stride. Until all of a sudden he knew what to do without me asking. By our second year together it had gotten almost routine. Though part of me craved more, by that point it seemed too late to ask for it even if I’d been able to put into words what I wanted.
I’d never understood the kind of passion that drove people out of their minds. The kind they wrote poems and made movies about. The kind that made your blood run hot.
Until now.
Dylan texted me that night.
Want to come over and watch a movie tomorrow?
What movie?
Something equal parts irony to social commentary
So … Van Wilder?
Anything but that
Going cold turkey on Ryan Reynolds
I laughed despite myself. I’d missed Dylan. All the obsessing over our recent …
interactions had glossed over the fact that I’d gotten used to seeing him. Going more than a few days without his brand of earnest sarcasm was hard. Despite whatever had happened between us, we were friends.
Maybe we can be friends who have sex. The unoriginal thought had occurred to me. The best of both worlds. But I didn’t think we’d be able to pull it off. Even if there weren’t real feelings to start with, they often surfaced. Not to mention I was pretty sure Ava would lose it if she found out.
I was about to text back yes to the movie, still arguing with myself about the merits of friends with benefits, when a warning light went off in my head. Instead I asked,
You mean like a date?
Maybe
Uh-oh. Yellow alert. This was not part of the plan. The master plan whereby you have mind-numbing sex with your best friend’s brother? Yeah, that well-conceived wonder. This was exactly why you didn’t go and sleep with people on impulse.
Dylan …
Lex …
I can’t
Can’t do Thursday or can’t go on a date with me?
Can’t date you
The dots appeared for a while.
Why not? Did I tell you I play rugby?
Cute. But I wasn’t buying what he was selling. The price was bound to be way more than I could afford.
I thought about how to tackle this and decided direct was best.
We talked about this
I’m not looking to date
And if I were, it wouldn’t be you. Couldn’t be.
Alright then as a non-date?
First rule of negotiation: don’t give away your end game
But nice try
---
Over the next week I saw Dylan twice on the way to school. He was even more charming than usual, but he didn’t ask me out again. He was back to being relaxed, chill Dylan, laughing and joking and arguing with me and Ava like he didn’t have a care in the world. I’d actually started to wonder if he had completely gotten past our night together, and if his asking me out was just a whim or something he felt obliged to do. It was probably hard to hold a guy’s attention for long—especially when the entire cheerleading squad was probably lining up to do just what I’d done.