Combust

by Tessa Teevan

  I know he wants me as much as I want him. I’ve let my hand slide over his erection more than once, and every time I do, he closes his eyes as if steeling himself to remain impassive, but I haven’t been able to break through his resolve. Tonight, though, things are going to change. If Cohen wants to wait for sex, I’ll respect that, and I can even admire it. However, I’m not going one more night without getting to touch him, to taste him, and if I have to tie him up to do it, I’m prepared to do so.

  When I get home, I find Reese lounging on the sofa, mindlessly flipping through the television stations. I’m thankful that neither Teddy nor Cy is home, and I flop down on the couch next to her, sighing loudly. She glances at me then sits up when she sees the look on my face.

  “What, Andi? Why are you looking at me like you want to lick my face?” she asks, and I have to laugh.

  “It’s not your face I want to lick. Or, well, anyone’s face for that matter.”

  She snickers and crosses her legs. “Oooh, Andi Kane, are you trying to tell me you want to lick Cohen’s cock like it’s the most delicious Popsicle in the world? And that you haven’t already?” I’m not sure whether to nod or shake my head, so I do a hybrid of both and watch as her eyes widen. “Are you serious? You two have been inseparable since he decided you were his. I could’ve sworn you were doing the dirty deed in your bedroom by the second night.”

  I wrinkle my nose at her. “Have you heard any sex sounds coming from my room?”

  She mulls it over before looking back at me. “Well, no, but I told Cy you must just be the quiet type.”

  “I’m so glad you two discuss my sex life. Jesus, Reese. Did you have your ear pressed up against the wall trying to make out noises?”

  A guilty grin spreads over her face. “Okay, so Cy and I might’ve had a bet on whether you two were getting freaky or not yet.” I give her a mocking glare, but she simply shrugs. “What?! The sexual tension rolls right off you two. Even when you guys are just sitting on the couch, he spends more times staring at you than he does the TV, like if he looks away you’re going to disappear before he can get a taste, kinda like my dog used to do whenever we were eating at the dinner table.”

  I can feel my cheeks flush, because I know she’s right. I’ve caught Cohen staring at me on more than one occasion, and it makes me want him even more. “Yeah, well, Cy wins, as usual,” I tell her, causing her to groan. “When he first stayed over last Saturday, I promised to keep my hands to myself and we’d only make out like a couple of teenagers. The thing is, I only meant it for that night, but since then, he hasn’t made a move, and when I’ve tried, he stops me. Hell, I just left his apartment where I was grinding on his dick—which was definitely hard—and he stopped me again, saying he wanted to take me out for dinner. He’s driving me absolutely insane, and if I don’t get him to touch me soon, I’m going to combust and start dry-humping his leg until he gives in to me. It’s like high school all over again, and I’m about to bust out my old R. Kelly CDs.”

  Reese laughs at my comment and then checks the clock before standing up like a woman on a mission. “I’ve got a few hours before I need to get to work. Come on, Andi,” she orders, picking up her purse.

  “Umm, where are we going?” I ask, unsure of how I feel about the wicked gleam in her eye.

  “We’re going shopping. I’ve seen your underwear drawer, honey, and you need something more than bikini underwear and cotton bras if you want to some action tonight. Let’s go get the perfect outfit so you can properly seduce your boyfriend.”

  SEVERAL HOURS, three shopping bags, and one Reese-insisted makeover later, I’m sitting on a stool at the island, sipping the glass of white wine Reese set in front of me.

  “You look amazing, Andi. If Cohen can keep his hands off you after tonight, I’ll be convinced that he’s playing for the other team,” she says matter-of-factly, causing me to choke on my wine.

  “Trust me, Reese. Cohen is not gay. He’s far from it.”

  She leans her elbows on the counter and peers at me curiously. “You know, I’ve been meaning to ask you this, but I haven’t had a chance to catch you alone long enough to discuss it.” I glance at the clock, hoping I don’t have time for whatever her question is, but I’m let down when I see that I have fifteen minutes until Cohen is set to arrive. “What’s the story here? One day, some guy’s giving me a mix CD for you and then I never see him or hear you mention him. Then he shows up at the bar and gives Teddy an evil glare before you two start eye-fucking right in front of everyone before he storms out. And then, two days later, you go on one date and suddenly he’s your boyfriend? I haven’t known you to utter the ‘b’ word since you were with Blake, but you were so quick to jump into a relationship with Cohen. Why is that? What don’t I know about you two? What am I missing here?”

  Sighing, I drain my wine and fill my glass again, knowing that it’s about time I finally come clean with her. Part of me feels bad that I’ve kept this from her all this time, but it honestly never came up, and there was never a good time to say, “Hey, Reese. I lost my virginity to a guy in a one-night stand and it lasted approximately two seconds.”

  She’s watching me with curious eyes, and I decide to just bite the bullet and get it out.

  “Do you remember how over-the-top excited you were when you found out Teddy and I had sex?”

  “Of course I remember. It was the perfect setup. Us dating best friends.” She sighs at the memory. “You know I was devastated when you two decided just to be friends, even though I know now you two would be the worst couple alive. Why? What does that have to do anything?”

  “Well…I know I let you think Teddy was my first, but he actually wasn’t.”

  Her eyes widen at my revelation and she leans in even farther towards me. “Are you saying…? Cohen…? What the hell, Andi?! You lost your virginity before Teddy and you never told me?! Jesus, was I really that wrapped up in Cy that I had no idea you’d done it? Tell me everything, and tell me now!” she insists, her voice going to a high pitch that makes her sound like a yipping puppy who’s about to pee on the floor from either anxiety or excitement—possibly both.

  With a heavy sigh, I launch into the story of how Cohen and I met at the party, my escaping with him, and I don’t leave out a single detail. She listens with an intent focus, only nodding and muttering under her breath when the story calls for it. Once I finish, I sit back in my seat and play with the stem of my wine glass, looking anywhere but at her.

  “Wow,” she breathes out. My eyes move to her, and I see that she’s looking at me with a huge shit-eating grin on her face. “That is amazing!” she gushes.

  Umm, what? I lean across the counter and press the back of my hand to her forehead, where I fake checking for a fever. “Reese, were you listening? I lost my virginity to the guy, one pump, and then we didn’t talk for over three years. What about that is amazing?”

  She swats my hand away. “Andi, think about it. You spent one incredible night together and clearly neither of you has moved on from it. Sure, your first time might not have been the greatest, but that’s not the part that matters. What matters is how he made you feel, and it’s pretty damn obvious that he made you feel something then, something you’ve never stopped feeling. Something you’re still feeling. It all makes sense now. I’ll be honest. It was kind of unnerving how into each other you seemed already, but I get it now. Even if your brain tried to, your heart hasn’t let you forget him.” She rests her chin in her hands and gives me a dreamy sigh. “It’s actually really romantic, Andi. And that makes it even sweeter that he’s holding out. He probably just wants to make sure it’s perfect this time around so you don’t go running off again. Gosh, I’m almost half in love with him myself.”

  Her logic actually makes sense, but I’m saved by the doorbell before I have to actually process them. “I’m not in love with him, Reese,” I tell her as I rise from my stool and start to walk out of the room.

  I hear her snort behind me, and I�
��m almost out of earshot when I hear her response. “Maybe not yet, but I know it won’t take long!”

  Shaking my head and tuning her out, I head down the hall way, smoothing out my dress right before I get to the front of the house. With one final deep breath, I open the door and practically melt at the sight of Cohen before me. I don’t miss the way his gaze slowly roams my body, and I check him out just as shamelessly. He’s wearing dark, stone-washed jeans with a black, slim fit, button-up shirt. Perfecting the look, he’s rocking a light-green tie that brings out the color of his eyes, and when I look up and see a heated gaze on his face, I am practically giddy with delight. It’s apparent that he likes what he sees, and I could kiss Reese right now for talking me into buying this form-fitting little black dress and the push-up bra that perfectly shows off my breasts. From the way he’s looking at me, I have a feeling that Cohen would kiss her, too, and desire begins to curl in my belly. I’m about to throw myself into his arms and beg him to take me back to his place when he clears his throat.

  “Wow, Ruby,” he says, his voice husky. “You look absolutely beautiful.”

  “And you, Cohen, look absolutely ravishing,” I tell him, trying to sound seductive—and thanks to the wine, I think I’m actually pulling it off. Stepping closer to him, I take hold of his tie and pull him closer to me. “Lucky for you, I’m starving.”

  His head lowers and he presses a firm kiss against my lips. Slipping my arms around his neck, I try to deepen it, but his hands come to my waist as he pulls away.

  “Then I guess I’d better feed you,” he replies, and I don’t miss the sound of regret in his voice.

  I grab my purse off the table in the entryway and hear a throat clear behind me. I turn to see Reese giving me a thumbs-up and a wink. Shooting her a smile, I look back at Cohen just in time to see him checking out my ass. Oh, yes. It appears as if I’m not the only one who’s hungry, and if I have my way, we’re both going to be more than satisfied by the end of the night.

  ANDI KANE is going to be the death of me. Or at least the death of my dick.

  When I was younger, Knox once told me that if you went too long without jacking off, your dick would become so hard it would just snap off without a moment’s notice. Twelve-year-old me was smart enough to know that he was just fucking with me. (Okay, I may have checked Google just to make sure.) But now that I’ve spent all night with seductive-vixen Andi, fully clothed and barely touching, I’m not so sure he was making it up.

  After Andi left me on the couch earlier, I had no choice but to get myself off, and for the first time, I didn’t need my laptop or a magazine. No, all I had to do was lay my head back against the couch, pull my dick out of my pants, and imagine her sweet, plump lips wrapped around it. It wasn’t long before I was coming with Andi’s name on my lips. I told myself at the time it’s what I’d needed to get through this night, but in the end, it made me want her even more.

  When I climbed the steps to her house, I kept repeating my mantra in my head—“Slow and steady wins the race. Slow and steady wins the girl.” But the moment she opened the door and I saw her standing there, my eyes honed in on her ample breasts and slow and steady flew right out the window.

  She was wearing a tight, black dress that gave new meaning to the ‘little’ 'part of the term. Her legs looked long in her sexy-as-shit heels, which were screaming for me to back her up and fuck her against the wall right there. Until then, I’d never understood it when I heard the phrase ‘fuck-me heels,’ but dammit, I was now a believer. Her long, red hair was lying in soft curls, and I couldn’t take my eyes off her lips. They were luscious and full, a pale-pink gloss covering them, and if I had anything to say about it, she’d have to reapply it before we even got to the restaurant—which, incidentally, she did.

  Now that we’re at dinner, I swear Andi’s been toying with me. If it isn’t her foot rubbing against my leg, she’s driving me wild by sucking her straw expertly, and I’ve found myself staring at her lips more than once as my brain wanders to thoughts of her doing the same to my dick. She isn’t making this easy on me, but what she doesn’t know is that I’ve already decided to move things forward tonight. Instead of telling her so she could stop messing with me, I let her stew, pretending that what she’s doing isn’t affecting me in the least bit. I can tell she’s getting frustrated, and it only makes her try harder. As rock solid as my dick is, I find it completely endearing, and I know I’m not going to be able to keep my cool for long, so I clear my throat and change the subject.

  “Favorite 80s hair band?” I ask, and she looks taken aback at my question, but then sits back in her chair and mulls it over, tapping her fingers on the table.

  “Whitesnake. No! Wait, Def Leppard. Yeah, definitely Def Leppard. But then again, I can’t forget Bon Jovi. Livin’ on a Prayer is one of my favorites. Wow. That’s a damn hard question,” she admits, looking defeated. I laugh, and shake my head.

  “Whitesnake? Really? No Guns ‘N Roses or Scorpion? Or what about Poison?” I tease, and she simply shrugs her shoulders.

  “Hey, it’s not my fault I can’t remember all the bands from the 80s. I wasn’t even born then! You know what? I’m definitely going with Bon Jovi. He still looks as good as he did back then. Maybe even better,” she says. “How about you? Who’s your heart throb pre-1990?”

  “Andi, men don’t have heart throbs. But I did have one killer crush growing up, thanks to Mom always playing her music.”

  I pause as she leans forward. “Oh yeah? Who’s the lucky lady?”

  With a deep sigh of affection, I answer her. “Reba. Talk about still looking as good as she did back then. That woman, I swear, is like the finest wine. She only gets better with age.”

  “Oh god, you’re so cheesy. Hmm. Reba? Interesting. And to think, you once told me you’re not into red heads,” she reminds me, cocking up one eyebrow.

  “Dammit, baby, you caught me. I guess I’ve been in denial this entire time. Apparently, I am into red heads and I just didn’t know it.”

  Toying with the stem of her wine glass, she grins at me. “Okay, Cohen. This is important,” she says, and I wait for her to continue. “Favorite Reba song?”

  Chuckling, I finish my wine and think about it. “Nope, can’t do it. Reba’s my Elton. If I name one, I’ll feel like I’m betraying all the other hits. Not gonna do it,” I tell her.

  “Okay, fine. I can understand that.” She leans forward and beckons me closer, and I comply. “Just so you know, my mom could be Reba’s twin,” she tells me in an exaggerated drawl, trying to sound like Reba.

  I look around and find the waiter, signaling for the check. “Woman, you’ve been toying with me all night, and that’s the sexiest thing you could’ve said. We’re getting the hell out of here before I embarrass myself.”

  She throws her head back and laughs. “If I had known she was such an aphrodisiac, I’d have been playing her songs all along. In fact, I’m starting a special Reba playlist just for you.”

  Once we leave the restaurant, I’m not surprised when Andi hooks up her phone and Reba McEntire’s duet with Justin Timberlake, The Only Promise That Remains. I give her a look, and she smiles.

  “Hey, if you get to listen to your leading lady Reba, I get a little bit of JT. It’s only fair.”

  Shaking my head, I know I can’t argue with that, and a comfortable silence settles in the car as I drive the short distance to my apartment. Her eyes widen with surprise when she sees where we are. I know she expected me to take her back to her place—like every other night this week—and when she turns to me, both desire and eagerness flash in her eyes.

  “Teddy may have mentioned he had a date tonight, so I figured we could hang out here tonight so he—and we—could have some privacy. And I may have swiped Pitch Perfect from Reese the other day when you weren’t paying attention. Wanna come up?” I ask nonchalantly, as if there’s any chance she’d even say no.

  “Dinner AND a movie? Wow, Cohen. When you said you were going to
woo me, you weren’t kidding,” she teases me, and I give her a faux frown as I put the car in reverse under the pretense of taking her home.

  “Okay, fine. I can always woo you in the comfort of your own home, with Teddy and his date making out in the corner.”

  Her hand covers mine on the gear shift. “If you take me back to that house, I will hurt you, Cohen Wellington. Park your car, take me inside, and let’s get our a cappella on.”

  Putting the car back in park, I lean over and press a kiss to her lips. “I figured you’d see it my way.”

  When we get inside, I hand the movie to Andi so she can put it in while I go to the kitchen and grab a bottle of wine and two glasses. Then we settle onto the couch and Andi slips off her heels before curling up against me. Her hand comes down to rest on my chest, and all throughout the movie, she drives me insane with her light touches. Every so often, she brushes against my cock, which is now straining in my jeans, and as much as I want to grab her wrist and move her away, I let her continue, even though I know it’s dangerous to do so.

  The way she’s lying against me gives me the perfect view down her dress, and as much as I try to focus on the movie, I can’t help the way my eyes keep wandering to her chest. All too soon, the movie’s over, and the room goes black when it turns off. Andi chooses that moment to lift up, and I shiver when I feel her hot breath on my ear.

  “I think you’ve made me wait long enough, Cohen. I’m ready for my reward now.” Her voice is sensual and seductive, and before I can respond, she’s rising from the couch.

  I’m frozen in place as I watch her disappear down the hall towards my bedroom. This will be the first night I’ve let Andi in there, and I make a promise to myself that, even if we don’t go all the way, I’m going to make it more than worth her while. As promised, I owe her her reward, and far be it from me not to uphold my part of our deal, especially when she’s been a more than stellar student. Tonight, it’s my turn to be schooled, and I vow to become a subject-matter expert on all that is Andi Kane.