The Boy Next Door

by Jessica Jarman

  “That has nothing to do with this. You have—”

  “Do you trust me?”

  She stared into his eyes, drowned in them. “Yes, I trust you.”

  His fingers trailed lightly over her cheekbones, along her neck and shoulders. “Then you know I’ll never hurt you. Trust me to make you feel good, baby.”

  She couldn’t deny the excitement simmering inside her. At the same time, the proportions of her feelings frightened her. She tried to lighten the mood by joking, “Is this one of your teenaged fantasies? Always wanted a girl tied to your bed?”

  He leaned forward until his lips hovered over hers. “Only you.”

  His tongue darted out, outlined her bottom lip. She used her tongue to moisten her upper lip, to taste him. He leaned further in to kiss her fully, to invade her mouth, her senses. She pulled at her restraint, wanting to hold him, to touch and caress him. A cry of frustration bubbled from her.

  He withdrew from her and opened the bedside table drawer. He reached in and pulled out a long paintbrush. His gaze never left hers.

  Confused, she continued to joke, “Oh, a present for me? Want me to paint you a pretty picture? Untie me and I will, darling.”

  His mouth curled up. “Oh it’s a present alright, but I’ll be doing the painting today.”

  He ran the soft bristles along her jawbone, down her neck, between her breasts. Using his other hand, he unfastened her bra and pushed it aside. She arched her back, desperate for his touch, but he withdrew his hand. The brush ran along the soft skin of her breasts, first one then the other. She moaned as it tickled around her nipples. Each touch sent arrows of desire burrowing deep inside her.

  He pulled the brush away. Darcy bit her lips against her objections and watched as he dipped it in his wine glass. He brought the wet bristles to her lips, painted them with the cool, sweet smelling wine. Before she could lick the moisture away, he did. His tongue left a hot wetness after the chilled dampness of the wine. The contrast caused her to tremble with desire and anticipation.

  She ran her tongue along her lips, tasting wine and him. Heat pooled in her stomach, flowed between her legs, dampening the folds of her sex. He dipped the brush again and applied it to her nipples, one at a time. The rosy crowns tightened under the attention. Mac licked and sucked the nubs until Darcy nearly bent into two arching into him.

  The brush and Mac’s tongue continued downward across her stomach, around her navel. He laid the slim instrument on her trembling belly as he undid her shorts.

  “Lift your hips.” He slid both shorts and panties down over her hips and legs before dropping them beside the bed. Placing his hands on her ankles, he ran his palms up the outsides of her legs until he gripped her hips. He caressed as he leaned forward and kissed her lower stomach, directly above the soft patch of curls. His breath ruffled the triangle of hair and teased her swollen, pulsating clit.

  She knew she was dripping for him, could feel the dampness collecting. All she wanted in that moment was his smooth, hard cock inside her, moving within her.

  He picked up the brush, rewet it and trailed it along one of her inner thighs. She moaned as he licked the wine from her. She pulled her arms again, wanting to grab his head and guide his mouth to her sex.

  Grasping her knees, he pulled her legs further apart. He settled between them and stared for a moment at her exposed pussy. Under such scrutiny, Darcy moved to try to close her legs, but he held fast. He traced the outer lip of her labia with the dripping brush. Her hips jerked up off the bed. Again and again, he dipped the brush and applied wine to the already slick folds of her pussy. She waited impatiently for him to follow with his mouth, with his tongue, but he didn’t. Stroke after stroke, he continued until she nearly wept with frustration. Desire pushed her to the edge. She hovered at the brink, an orgasm just within reach. Her breath came out in harsh sobs.

  “Ah, there we go,” Mac said softly. He leaned forward and flicked his tongue over her clit, laving teasing circles around it He closed his mouth over it and sucked hard. That did it. Darcy fell and fell fast. She spiraled down into the hot swirling chasm of pleasure. Lifting her hips, she pressed harder against his mouth, mindlessly setting an erotic rhythm against his lips. Tremor after tremor overwhelmed her. Her pussy contracted again and again, her juices dripping along the soft curve of her ass with each tightening. Mac pulled away and ran his tongue lower to catch the wetness.

  He straightened onto his knees and she got a good look at his erection. Good God, he was huge.

  The hard length of him jutted forward, the tip glistening as drops of pre-come escaped the small opening. She licked her lips as he leaned forward and covered her body with his. His cock slid between her thighs and nestled against her swollen, still throbbing clit. Another burst of heat and desire exploded through her.

  “Untie me, Mac, I need to touch you. My arms are getting sore.”

  He reached up and undid the knot to free her hands. Immediately she buried them in his hair and pulled him forward. She kissed him, pouring all of her feelings, her longing into it. She could taste her essence in his mouth and savored it. Savored the delicious feeling of being desired so desperately.

  He shifted and ran a hand between them. His fingers found her sensitive nub and traced slow circles around it. She moved until his cock slid across her pussy again. Taking the hint, Mac grasped his erection and ran the tip along the length of her sex, from her pulsating clit down to the responsive tissue surrounding her anus and back. He didn’t give her a minute to think before surging forward inside of her. His hands came up to cup her face.

  She arched against him, taking the entire length of him. Her muscles stretched gloriously to accept the size of him. She felt his cock pulsating inside her, the feeling delectable, and stroked his back with both hands. And then he moved, each stroke an agonizing pleasure. Already Darcy felt the sensations build once again. Hmm, this multiple orgasm thing wasn’t so bad.

  He kissed her, his tongue loving her mouth as his cock loved her body. She lifted her hips to meet his thrusts. His erection grew harder inside her and his muscles grew taut beneath her roaming hands. She knew he wasn’t far from coming and increased her efforts. If she could make him feel half of what she felt, he’d be blown away.

  His fingers tangled in her hair as he threw his head back. Darcy cried out, not in pain, but in response to the orgasm overwhelming her. Her pussy tightened around his cock, gripping the rigid erection. Over and over, she squeezed around him, nearly sobbing as heated sensation assaulted her.

  Waves of extreme pleasure swept through her in time with Mac’s lovemaking.

  With a roar he came, the force of his orgasm intensifying hers to a maddening degree. He thrust a final time before dropping his forehead to hers. Their harsh breaths mingled as they tried to recover. Darcy continued to stroke his back, and Mac rubbed her scalp with his fingertips. They caressed each other for a while before either spoke.

  “Will you stay tonight?” His voice was rough, strained.

  “If you want.”

  He lifted his head. “Oh, I want. I want to make love to you again. I want to sleep with you beside me and wake up with you. God, Darc, what are you doing to me?”

  She patted his cheek. “Driving you crazy. Just like you’re doing to me.”

  With a chuckle, he shifted off her and stood. Darcy watched in pleasure as he stretched, arms overhead. He brought to mind a large, sleek cat, a cat that just got the cream.

  “Should we go to lunch? Where to?”

  “Hmm.” She stretched her own muscles and sat up. “I don’t care. How about that Italian place, the one we used to go to all the time?”

  “Sounds good. We can order extra and bring it back for later, ‘cause once we get back, we aren’t leaving all night.” He sealed his promise with a kiss before heading to the bathroom.

  Darcy listened to the water running for a moment before following him, dropping the bra that dangled from her arms on the floor on the way. She
let out a hum of appreciation at the sight of his ass as he bent to turn the shower on.

  “You wash mine and I’ll wash yours,” she teased.

  He tossed a grin over his shoulder. “Deal.”

  As soon as they were under the spray, she grabbed a washcloth and soap and began washing his back. He sighed as she kneaded the muscles in his shoulders. Continuing the massage until every inch of his body had been washed, she wasn’t too surprised to see his cock springing to attention again.

  He took the cloth and soap from her and began to lather up her body. She groaned slightly when he washed the soft folds between her legs. He frowned as she rinsed off.

  “Are you sore?”

  “Not really. Just a bit sensitive.” She chuckled at the deepening concern in his eyes. “Really. Don’t worry. I’ll be up for round two in a little while.”

  “That’s not what I was worried about,” he protested.

  “I know.” She reached around him and turned the water off. “It was a joke, Mac.”

  He rolled his eyes. “Let’s go eat.”

  She laughed and grabbed a towel off the rack beside the shower. After quickly drying off, she went into the bedroom and began pulling her clothes on. “So, what did your mom want?” she called out.

  “Huh?”

  “You know, before when she called? What did she want?”

  “Oh, nothing much. I just had to avoid her matchmaking again. Same old, same old.”

  Darcy chuckled, though the thought of Mac on a date with another woman made her stomach turn. At least his mother wasn’t as persistent as hers. At least she didn’t think so.

  “How far has your mom gone with this?”

  Mac came out of the bathroom and went to the dresser to grab clothes. “What do you mean?”

  “I mean, has she set you up without your knowing it? A little surprise?”

  “No, why?” He turned to her, clad in only a pair of boxers. “Has your mother been on your case, setting you up?”

  Boy, he looked a bit unnerved—his face red, mouth turned down in a frown. “Yeah. It’s no big deal though.”

  “Have you told her that you’re not interested?”

  “I thought I’d made it clear, but after last night and this morning, I think I’m going to have to make it more obvious.” She rolled her eyes.

  “Last night and this morning?” he repeated. “What happened?”

  “Well, we went to dinner at the club last night and a guy from Dad’s firm was there. It was obvious Mom hoped we’d hit it off. As if. He was horrible. All eyes and hands…” She trailed off when she saw the murderous expression on Mac’s face.

  “He touched you?” The question came out in a shout.

  “Just once on my leg, and I stopped it,” she rushed to reassure him. “I made it clear my mom was mistaken in her thinking I was looking for a guy. So he dropped me off and—”

  “You were in his car?” Again, a big old shout.

  “Uh, yeah. He needed to pick up some files from my dad so Mom suggested I ride with him to show him the way. It wasn’t a big deal.”

  She felt ridiculous having this conversation, standing in her panties and bra. She grabbed her shorts and pulled them on.

  “Not a big deal? Darcy, what if he hadn’t taken no for an answer? God, what was your mother thinking? And your father?”

  “Mac, Dad knows him. He works with the man. Really, I don’t think the guy would have tried anything if my mom hadn’t gone overboard. I know, I need to talk to her, and I will. I meant to this morning but when Stuart was there, it made it impossible.”

  “Stuart?”

  Uh oh, she knew that tone. It was the “watch out Mac is going to blow” tone. She had to tread real carefully here.

  “Yeah, one of Dad’s golfing buddies. He was really harmless, a really nice guy. I made it clear to him I was involved with someone else and wasn’t interested.”

  Mac crossed his arms over his chest. “And did you tell your parents that you were involved with someone?”

  “No, we agreed not to tell them, right?”

  “Wrong!” He threw his hands up. “You suggested it. I just went along with it. Dammit, Darcy, don’t you think we should tell them that we have a relationship?”

  “Is that what we have?” She threw back at him. This was stupid. He was getting all territorial because her mother had set her up with some guys.

  “What the hell is that supposed to mean? What else would you call it?”

  “Sex, Mac, I’d call it sex.” She knew it was petty, but couldn’t hold back. “It was the understanding from the beginning that this wasn’t a long-term thing. We both have our careers to focus on. We are friends who have sex. We don’t have a commitment of any sort.”

  He just stared at her. “So why did you tell the guy this morning that you were involved with me? If we don’t have a commitment, you’re free to date him, right?”

  “Right, but I didn’t feel comfortable with it. That’s a personal choice, Mac, having nothing to do with you.”

  “Oh, I see, so if I’m comfortable with it, I could go date other woman and it wouldn’t be an offense against you, my friend I’m having sex with?”

  The jerk. How dare he twist her logic around? “Sure, date whoever the hell you want. Makes no difference to me.” Liar.

  “Good, good. Just trying to get the rules straight here, Darc. So, do I get to sleep with these other women, too?”

  “Go ahead. Fuck yourself silly.” She practically ran out of the room.

  Scooping her shirt off the living room floor, she pulled it over her head. Mac was right behind her.

  “What are you getting so pissed about? You’re the one who wanted no commitment, Darc. I thought we had the beginning of a relationship here.”

  “Bullshit,” she snapped. “Sex isn’t the beginning of a relationship. And sex is all we’ve had. No dates, no silly notes or presents. It wasn’t just you. I’m guilty of it too, but don’t play it up like we’ve been having a romance, when it’s obviously not the case.”

  She grabbed her bag and wrenched the door open. Unable to bring herself to look at him and unwilling to let him see the tears in her eyes, she slammed the door shut and started down the hall in a near run.

  The door jerked open and she heard Mac yell after her. “If a lifetime of friendship doesn’t count as a basis for a relationship, I don’t know what does, Darcy!”

  She choked back a sob, ran down the stairs and out of the building. Keeping her pace swift, she headed away from the apartment building.

  Chapter Nine

  Damn, her car was still at the stinking beach.

  Darcy slowed down. She’d made it several blocks from Mac’s place and it was obvious he wasn’t following. Not that she wanted him to. Taking a detour into a small coffee shop, she ordered an iced mocha, sank into an overstuffed chair and contemplated what to do. She would have to call a cab to drive her back to the beach.

  Or maybe she could call Colleen. Calling her parents was completely out of the question. And she sure as hell wasn’t going back to Mac’s. How dare he get pissed off at her? He was the one who didn’t want a relationship, who wanted to focus on his career. He had no right to be angry with her mother setting her up. Or at least not at her. It wasn’t her doing; she hadn’t been trolling for men. He made it seem like she was encouraging the whole thing. And then to ask if he could see other woman and screw around… Jerk!

  Continuing to sip her coffee, she tried to fight the tears burning her eyes. She’d lost not only her lover, but her best friend as well. If only she could go back… Well that was impossible. Time to suck it up and go on.

  She reached into her bag, pulled out her cell phone and dialed.

  “Hello? Hey, sorry to bother you. Are ya busy?” She cringed when her voice broke. “Yeah, I’m fine. I just need a ride. Can you come get me? You’re an angel.” She wheeled off the name of the café and its location. “See ya in a few.”

  Darcy
almost lost it when Colleen swept through the door several minutes later. Her friend spotted her immediately and rushed over.

  “Okay, spill it. If you think I believe this hokey about nothing being wrong, you must think I’m stupid.” She sank into the chair next to Darcy.

  “Oh, Colleen, really. I’m fine, or at least I will be when I get over the idiot.”

  “By idiot I assume you mean Mac.” She waited for the Darcy’s nod. “Okay, so what’d he do?”

  With a sigh, Darcy told of the days events. “So we have the most amazing sex, and everything seems great until we get on the topic of our matchmaking mothers. He had a fit when he heard about the two guys mom had dragged home for me. I don’t get it. He’s the one who didn’t want a relationship.”

  “According to his mother. Darc, you need to talk to him about it. Sounds to me like he’s jealous and wants to let it be known that you two are a couple.”

  “Why are you taking his side?” The petulant tone of her voice horrified her.

  Colleen leaned forward as much as her tummy would allow and patted Darcy’s hand. “I’m not taking sides. I think he was a jerk for the way he reacted. He could’ve had much more tact and if he wanted to let people know you were a couple, he could have told you instead of making an argument. On the other hand, he really seems to care. Do you want to throw away a long friendship and more because of some miscommunication?”

  “Oh sure, you’re married with a baby coming and suddenly you’re the expert on communication?” Darcy teased her friend with a sniff.

  “I’m always an expert on other people’s problems. When Paul and I have a fight, you can be the expert then, okay?”

  “Okay.” She sighed. “You’re right though. I don’t want to give him up. Shit, I don’t know what to do.”

  “Well, my advice is to wait it out. Let him cool off and think about things a bit. No use going into the fire again. Either he’ll call you or you can call him tomorrow. Maybe the next day. Or worse case, you’ll see him at your parents’ party.”