by Sasha Devlin
She closed her eyes, glad he couldn’t see her face where the answer would be plain to see. What did she want? To be his everything, and not the girl it took copious amounts of shots to love. “I want you back laughing with me. But I’ll settle for you not being pissed at me right now.”
“I’m not pissed.”
Kaitlyn bit him, making him jump. She wanted to place love bites up and down his spine until he was as wound up as she. Which would be the mother of all bad ideas. As much as she ached to have him, she’d be destroyed when he walked away. “Don’t lie to me, boy.”
“Don’t bite me if you don’t want me to bite you back.”
What would she do if he placed bites along her legs all the way up? She bit her lip as she creamed her panties.
“You’re all talk, Rich.” Her voice was husky again and there wasn’t a damn thing she could do about it.
“There you go again. Pretty sure I proved back on the couch that I’m definitely a show don’t tell kind of guy.”
Time and again Daniel delivered and she was chickening out once more. She rested her head against him.
“About the boyfriend…” Could she tell him the whole truth? Would there be anything left of their friendship if she did? He had made a halfhearted pass at her and she’d turned him down. What would he do if she told him what she really wanted?
He moved as if to turn and she squeezed him to stillness. It would be easier to say what she needed to say without looking at him.
“What is it? Did he hurt you? ’Cause if he did, you name the bastard and I’ll flatten him.”
She laughed while inwardly melting. He was such a goofball, but she loved that about him. “Nothing like that. The most important boyfriend was Will.”
“I never liked Will.”
“Yeah, I know. He and I…we talked about getting married.” She could tell by the tightening of his muscles he didn’t like that, but he remained quiet. “Never would have worked though.”
“Why not?” Daniel stroked down her forearm, which erupted in goose bumps. She wanted him to stroke other places. His hand pressed against hers when she would have moved away.
“I wasn’t ready. We were actually to the point of looking for rings, but I knew I couldn’t go through with it.”
His muscles twitched again where she rested against him. He really didn’t like that but she was glad she’d told him. The silence stretched until she thought she might snap from the tension before his fingers continued. They danced over her skin in a touch so light it drove her insane. She wanted, needed more. If he was going to touch her, why not really do it?
“Who broke it off?”
“He did, but it was something we both knew was coming.” Please, please don’t let him press for further details. She hadn’t out and out lied to Daniel and she didn’t want to start now.
He was quiet for a moment and threaded his fingers through hers. The open-mouthed kiss to her palm both surprised her and made her shiver. “I’ll still flatten him for you.”
She giggled. Daniel was never serious and his levity lifted her spirits. “Are we good now?”
“Hmm. Well I think you should give me something since I decided not to have that drink after all.”
Kaitlyn closed her eyes as images of what she’d like to give him crowded her mind. The kiss on the couch had nearly destroyed her resistance. If he suggested something else like that again, she’d puddle at his feet and beg him to add her to his list. And she would go along with it, until he no longer wanted her. And then what would happen?
“Do you want something that won’t completely wreck our friendship?”
He turned in her arms, and she focused on his chest. She was always surprised at how ripped Daniel was. It was so easy to remember him as the gangly boy next door.
“You worry too much.” His hands slid up and down her arms and the heat seared her through the flannel. How could a touch so innocent be so hot?
“And you don’t worry enough.”
His hand lifted her chin, but she kept her eyes on his throat. His mouth brushed her temple and Kaitlyn closed her eyes. Daniel trailed little kisses down the side of her face to the corner of her mouth. He nibbled until she gasped, her mouth an invitation that he didn’t refuse.
Kaitlyn let him take control of this kiss and leaned into him. Their first kiss had been all brutal need, but this kiss… This was—sweet, and yet hotter than the first. He kept the pressure light, his tongue teasing hers, making her knees weaken and her pussy ache. She clamped her legs together, sure that he’d be able to smell her soon.
He pulled back and gave her another one of those looks he’d been giving her all night. “See? We’re still friends.” His thumb traced her lower lip and she leaned away so she wouldn’t suck it.
“Friends don’t do what we just did.” Not without one of them getting a broken heart.
“A little kissing never hurt anyone. In fact, I think it felt pretty damn good.”
“Just because it feels good doesn’t mean that it should be done.”
“But you admit it felt good?”
“You using a turn, Rich?”
He shook her a bit. “You know what? New rule. Every time you call me Rich, I get to kiss you.”
Her gaze flew to his. He wasn’t as unaffected as she’d thought. “What? That’s asinine!”
“No, calling me by my last name instead of saying what’s really on your mind is asinine.”
Kaitlyn narrowed her eyes. His tone was mocking, but his eyes were serious. She batted his hand away from her face. “Daniel, you can’t just decide you’re going to kiss me every time I say something you don’t want to hear.”
Daniel scoffed. “Why not?”
“Because for being friends as long as we have, we fight like cats and dogs. If you kiss me every time we argue, we’ll spend all our time locked at the lips.” She hoped he couldn’t hear how much she wanted that.
“Think of it as a solution. Because it’ll be hard to fight with my tongue down your throat.”
She smacked his chest and he laughed. “Like I’m going to let you near me when you describe it as sticking your tongue down my throat. That’s disgusting.”
His face went serious. “What if I said that kissing you was like a sundae—there were no bad parts and I never wanted it to end? A guy could get addicted to something that sweet.”
She blinked. How was she supposed to remain detached when he said things like that? “I’d say that was the nicest thing you’ve said to me in a really long time.”
He smiled and pulled her closer until her head rested against his chest. She nodded a few times to feel his skin against her face. Her mouth was within licking distance of his nipple and her eyes focused on that one spot. She’d never been much for men’s nipples, but she wanted to sample. Just a little bit. Just enough to get the craving for his flesh out of her system.
She had opened her mouth, intent on swiping a tiny taste when she felt a whoosh of air and his hands on the bare skin of her back. The blanket puddled at her feet. “What are you doing?”
“Hmm, I must not being doing it right if you have to ask.”
She leaned her head back and looked in his half-lidded eyes. “Daniel, this is seriously not smart.”
His hands continued up, brushing in light circles. “Give me one thing that makes more sense right now.” The pressure deepened and Kaitlyn couldn’t think of anything to save her life. Daniel was literally rubbing the resistance right out of her.
“Daniel.” Her voice came out weaker than she’d intended. “We can’t do this.”
“Why not?”
One hand slid over her ass and then lower. Kaitlyn held her breath, waiting to see if he would touch her. Just a bit more and he’d be able to feel the wetness on her thighs.
She swallowed hard. “W-what about our friendship?”
“If that’s your way of asking if I’ll respect you in the morning, I will. But I’ll respect you even more if you�
�d just admit that you want this.”
“I don’t,” she whimpered. The way she squirmed against him belied her words. Her body was ready for him to take control right here in the middle of the damn kitchen, but her brain wouldn’t shut off.
His sigh stirred her bangs and his hand cupped her heat. There was no way to hide how wet her panties were. “This tells me what you really want. So why don’t you just spill what’s really bothering you? Because it’s not our friendship. I can guarantee that’s not in any danger here.”
His fingers, those wonderful, talented fingers, pressed against her and Kaitlyn arched against his body, her mouth opened against his chest. If he’d press just a little harder, just a little higher up. She bit her tongue rather than beg.
“All I need to know is right here.” He pressed deeper, but still not touching where she needed it most. Kaitlyn panted, trying for control. “Why are you so obstinate?”
“Why use such big words when we both know you want to call me a bitch?” She was so turned-on right now that he probably could have gotten away with it. What would it be like if Daniel did talk dirty to her? She stifled a moan.
“Hey now!” He gave her a little shake. “You don’t talk that way about my friend. She may be crazy. She may be stubborn. But she is not a bitch. Just stingy with her affections.”
She forced her hands to relax, sure she’d left scratches on his back. He was wearing her down and he’d barely touched her. “I’m not stingy with my affections. You’re a dork.” She tried to dislodge his arm, but he pulled her in closer.
“What do you call refusing a Christmas kiss? I had to work it into our silly game to get one at all. Now look at me. I’m practically begging you, and you’re still turning me down. If that’s not stingy, then I don’t know what is.”
Kaitlyn wanted to believe him with a fervor that scared her. That kiss had thrown her more than she wanted to admit, even to herself. Daniel really could kiss. She wondered how they’d managed to get this old without her learning this and exploiting it. He certainly didn’t seem to mind kissing her, but what would happen in the morning?
“I’m not stingy. Just thinking ahead. What would your girlfriend think?” Just saying the word made her stomach lurch. Kaitlyn had purposefully avoided anything to do with his love life since she had walked in on him and Sarah going at it during his Superbowl party. Kaitlyn had left the party before halftime, feigning female problems.
The memory could have killed her desire, but then his mouth traveled from her collarbone upward, leaving stinging kisses in its path. She tilted her head back giving him access to the underside of her chin. She cared what his girlfriend thought. Truly she did. But she cared about how fantastic this felt as well and knew she was grasping at straws.
“You using a turn?”
“I thought you said I didn’t have to.”
“Hmm. But it works to my advantage if you do.” He grazed her with his teeth and she arched into him. Kaitlyn knew she should pull away, but didn’t fight when he pulled her even closer. And it still wasn’t close enough. She was burning everywhere they touched, and wished they were skin-to-skin.
“Well if I have to use my turn, then I should get something out of it as well.”
“What do you want, baby?” His voice was a growl against her skin, causing goose bumps to rise. “I’ll give you anything you want.”
Kaitlyn’s mind jumped from one erotic image to the next. Daniel on his knees in front of her, his tongue buried in her pussy, easing the ache that had been building since their first kiss. Daniel bending her over the table, taking her from behind while she fought not to scream the whole house awake. Daniel feeding her his dick, her mouth stretching to take it, watching how hot she made him. As if he could sense her naughty thoughts, he bit her and Kaitlyn moaned.
“I could make you feel so good.” He pressed her closer, his hand squeezing her ass, and Kaitlyn shamelessly rubbed against his cock. It had been a while since she and Will had made love. Even longer since they’d torn at each other’s clothes, their impatience costing them a fortune in new garments. That heat was only a fraction of what she was feeling right now.
His finger stole beneath the leg band of her panties, jolting her back to reality. She was allowing her best friend to talk her into making a mistake. “As good as your girlfriend would be feeling right about now?”
He stiffened and pulled back, but kept her in his embrace. There was something in his eyes that Kaitlyn didn’t want to think about. It looked too much like pain. “I might have wanted to take a dare, but fine. My girlfriend wouldn’t be feeling so hot right now, because she’d be imaginary. I haven’t dated anybody for over six months. Anything else you’d like to accuse me of? Insult me with? Want to talk about my mama now?”
She rolled her eyes, hoping he wouldn’t see the relief there. She hadn’t known he was single. It didn’t exactly change things. But it made things a little more tolerable. “You are such a drama queen.”
“Ah, insults to my manhood. Go ahead and get it out of your system, wench.”
He smacked a kiss against her mouth and Kaitlyn sighed. She was pretty sure she was fighting a losing battle. “So why did you break up with her?” Had to keep it on track. Otherwise she’d be getting naked and naughty in the very kitchen she was supposed to be feeding her guests in.
“Do you really want to know?”
“I wouldn’t have asked if I didn’t.”
“I broke up with her because…” He was quiet a moment as if he were debating his next words.
“Complete truth, remember?”
“Well, there’s truth. And then there’s truth.” He kissed her forehead. Her nose. “I’m just not sure what kind of truth you’re ready for.”
“Absolute truth.” Kaitlyn grabbed his face, forcing him to meet her gaze head-on. “Anything less and you forfeit.”
“But what if I’m worried about what the truth might do?”
She held her breath, sure he was talking about more than just a Christmas kiss that got out of control. Just as sure that she had to know.
“What if I promised not to freak out?”
He shook his head slowly. “Not good enough. I want your guarantee on two things—you will not freak out and you’ll agree to my next dare, no hesitation, no questions asked.”
Kaitlyn snorted. As if! “I’m curious, not an idiot. You could dare me to do something amoral or dangerous.”
“What do you take me for? I like to win, but I wouldn’t do anything to harm you. You’re more important than a stupid game.”
His words sent a thrill through her belly. How she loved it when he talked like that, even when she couldn’t always believe his words.
“I’m sorry.” She kissed his chin, not sure which of them was more surprised by her gesture. It had seemed like the right thing to do. If she were being honest, she wanted to do it again. That and a whole lot more. “I accept your terms.”
Chapter Four
His smile could have lit the entire town. “You don’t have to look so happy about it.” He kissed her brow, and Kaitlyn gave up the frown she hadn’t even known she’d been wearing.
“Spill it, Rich.”
He planted a kiss on her mouth before she could take another breath. She told herself that’s why it left her completely breathless. She sagged against him when he finally let up.
“I warned you about that Rich business.” He cupped her chin and tilted her face up. Kaitlyn could only imagine how crazy she looked. “Let’s go back into our bedroom.”
She opened her mouth to protest and then thought better of it. Daniel was looking for excuses to touch her. Anything said could be used against her. As it was, she barely suppressed a yelp when he swatted her butt. Kaitlyn cut him a look over her shoulder, and the bastard had the nerve to grin.
She fought the urge to tug on the hem of his sleep shirt. Wearing a monkey shirt should have felt ridiculous, but the way Daniel was looking at her, she might as well have bee
n wearing a Victoria’s Secret special. Kaitlyn curled up on the end of the couch, tucking the other blanket so that her legs were fully covered.
Daniel stood looking down at her, a smirk in place. “You know, when you hide underneath that blanket, it gives a man all sorts of ideas.”
“I’m just as certain that I could be wearing a burlap sack and you’d have all sorts of ideas.”
“Where you’re concerned, you’d be right.” He sat so close her toes were under his thigh.
“Hey!” She kicked out and he caught her ankle, his hand chaining around it. He cradled her foot in his other palm and she settled down. His thumb stroked over her arch and she forced herself to remain expressionless. Daniel couldn’t have known what such an innocent touch was doing to her insides. She didn’t resist as he guided her other foot into his lap.
“Now that’s better.”
She rolled her eyes. “Whatever. Spill it—” She stopped herself just in time. There was no telling what he’d do this time.
“I was hoping you’d slip up.” She bit her tongue to keep quiet, but raised an eyebrow. “I guess I have no more need to stall. I broke up with her because she wasn’t you.”
Kaitlyn tried to yank her feet back, but Daniel’s grip remained firm. “You lying dog.” She leaned forward and punched his shoulder as hard as she could. “You lie, you forfeit!”
He was speaking but she couldn’t hear him over the blood rushing in her ears. She’d wanted the truth from him, but he had lied to her. It was all a game to him, even what had happened in the kitchen. It hadn’t mattered. Not to him. Just to her. More than she wanted to admit it mattered.
His mouth crashed down on hers in a punishing kiss that shut her up—it was hard to yell with his tongue in her mouth. She slid her hand down his chest and pinched his nipple until he yelped.
“Serves you right, you asshole!”
“Kaitlyn, I swear to God that if you don’t calm down, I’ll—”
“You’ll do what? Lie some more?” Tears threatened, and wouldn’t that be the icing on this crap cake? She hit him again and stood. No way would she cry in front of him, not about this.