Chris came into the kitchen, clutching his chest, a look of mock-pain on his face. “I’m wounded, Abby. Why do you want me to leave and not come back? And this is my house!”
He came up behind Megan, placing a kiss on her cheek. She turned her head to kiss him on the mouth. The somber mood in the room lightened with Chris’s antics and subject change.
Abby shook her head, chuckling. “Not you. I’m happy for you to stick around. And you know I’d never try to kick you out of your own house.”
With an arm still around Megan’s waist, he lifted his head, his hazel eyes twinkling. “Nah. You just steal my roommates. You can’t have this one back, though.”
“That’s okay. I’m happy with my current roommate. He’s messier, but he doesn’t get hungover as often.”
“Hey!” Megan reached over and smacked Abby’s thigh, leaving a wet handprint on her jeans.
Abby laughed. “You know I love you, Megs. If you got desperate, we could find a two bedroom, and you could move in with Lance and me. But I’m not trading back. Chris’d just have to deal with living with Matt on his own.”
“Aw, man. Don’t sentence me to that. Dude’s been moody as fuck since he came back after Christmas.”
“Oh, oh, oh!” Megan’s eyes widened, and she clutched Abby’s leg, making another wet handprint since she’d gone back to washing her paintbrushes and not bothered to dry her hands.
“Hey! You’re getting my jeans wet! It’s cold out!”
Megan rolled her eyes. “Don’t be a baby. You’ll dry before you leave. Shut up and listen to me. You’ll never believe what happened last weekend.”
Chris snorted, suppressing laughter and drawing Abby’s attention for a minute, but when she looked at him he just shook his head. She refocused on Megan. “What happened?”
“Matt brought a girl home. From the club we all went to, except you and Lance decided to be boring.”
Abby made a face. “You know I don’t like clubs. They’re too loud and everyone’s drunk and grabby.”
Megan waved a hand. “That doesn’t matter right now. Anyway, so Matt was fine at first, but then got all pissy after a while. We figured he’d bail on us, and he did. What we didn’t figure on was walking in on him and some chick half naked on our couch when we got home.”
“What? Oh my God.” Abby had seen Matt with girls at parties and stuff since the summer, but he’d never had anyone over that she knew of either when Lance had lived here or since Megan had moved in before fall semester.
Megan nodded her head, her brown curls swinging wildly, her brown eyes wide and gleeful. “Yup. He was shirtless and grinding against her. She had on a dress, but a few tugs and she wouldn’t anymore.”
“What did you do?”
Chris broke out laughing. “She asked her to model for her paintings.”
“You didn’t.” But Abby knew that was totally something Megan would do.
“Of course I did. She’s exactly what I’d been looking for and didn’t realize it. And she agreed. She’ll be coming over on Saturday. I’m kind of surprised she’s not here now, actually. She’s been over most days this week. Her name is Hannah. I like her. She agreed to model for me, so she’s got my stamp of approval. Matty’s been really quiet about her, though. He won’t give me anything but the most basic info. I’m not sure what the deal is there, but I hope it works out for him.”
Chris grunted. “Me too. Maybe he’ll be less pissy if he’s getting some on the regular again.”
Megan gave him a look. “Be nice.”
“What?”
Megan rolled her eyes at him, and he moved away, getting a glass out of the cupboard on the other side of the sink and stealing Megan’s water to fill it up. He gave her one more kiss on the cheek and left the kitchen.
“You know he knows everything about what’s going on with your brother, right?”
Abby tensed up. “What?”
Megan wrapped the paintbrush in her hand in a paper towel, her eyes wary as she looked at Abby. “He and Lance talk. Whatever Lance knows, Chris knows. And Chris asks me how you’re doing with everything too. He cares about you, you know.”
Abby made a noncommittal noise in her throat.
“It’s not a bad thing. He’s very protective of the people he cares about. It’s one of his better qualities.”
“If you say so.”
Megan glared at her. “I do. It’s okay to let other people help you out, Abs. You know I’m always here for you, but you can let in other people too. Like Lance. And Chris, and Matt too when he’s not being a tool.”
“I do let other people care about me.”
Megan made another noise in her throat, but this one was clearly disagreement.
“What? I do! I flew to Texas to meet Lance’s family, and I didn’t even fight him on who should pay for the plane tickets. And I had you and Chris look after my mom while we were gone.”
“Yeah. I know. You did. And that’s good. It’s a start.” She gave Abby a sardonic look. “Though I still maintain that you didn’t fight Lance about the plane tickets because you couldn’t afford to pay for yours and still pay for your half of the rent.”
“So? I could’ve just refused to go. A few months ago I would’ve.”
“Yeah. That’s true.” Megan finished with her last paint brush, laying it on the counter with the others, crossing her arms over her chest, and propping her hip against the counter. “And I’m glad. But now that Aaron’s here sniffing around for money, I’m worried you’re going to shut us all out again. And I’m not in your apartment to pry you open when you close up like a clam. So, don’t do that, okay? Tell me if I can help you. Let Lance help you. Let Chris and Matt help you. With anything. Everything. Okay?”
Abby studied her friend, appreciative of the concern and the gesture, but knowing deep down that there was no way that she’d ask them for money for her brother. It bothered her enough that Lance had given Aaron the money he had already, but she couldn’t have stopped that at the time even if she’d tried. But Megan wouldn’t understand all that. She’d insist that they’d all help however she needed, even if it meant paying off her brother.
Not wanting to argue, she just said, “Okay.”
Megan studied her before nodding once. “Good. That’s settled. Now we need to discuss your birthday.”
Abby groaned and slid off the counter, following Megan back to her studio so she could finish putting everything away. Chris glanced at them over the back of the couch as they passed.
“No moaning or groaning, Abby. It’s your twenty-first birthday. We’re going to celebrate, and you’re going to like it.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Abby gave Megan a salute.
Megan stuck out her tongue. “Shut up. Don’t be a brat. I know you don’t like going clubbing, so I won’t drag you out to that.”
“Oh, thank God.”
Megan gave her another sour look. “I was thinking we’d just have all of us hang out here. We’ll have dinner, cake, wine, whatever other alcohol you might want.”
Leaning against the wall, Abby watched Megan put her brushes away. “Wine’s fine, plus whatever anyone else wants. I think I can handle that kind of birthday party.”
“Good. It’s settled. Fortunately, your birthday is on a Saturday, so we can do it on the day you turn twenty-one.” She grinned. “It’ll be tons of fun. Even if it is quieter than what I would want.”
Abby gave Megan a knowing look. “You got to booze it up when you turned twenty-one in August. And I went with you even though I was depressed as all hell because that was after Lance left, and I thought I’d never see him again.”
After hanging the blue men’s button-down shirt she wore to paint in on the door handle, Megan gave Abby a hug. “Yes, you did. Because you’re an awesome best friend. And it’s my turn to be awesome in return by not making you do what I would want, but setting up a party you would want.”
Abby hugged her back. “Thank you. Who else are you inviting?�
�
“Just us. You, me, Chris, Lance, and Matt. Maybe Hannah if she’s around still.”
Abby raised an eyebrow. “My birthday’s only a few weeks away.”
“I know. But, like I said, Matt’s been tight lipped about her. I don’t know if it’s more than a super short-term thing. I think it’s more serious than that. I still need to figure it out for sure, though. If she seems like she’ll be around for a while, I’ll invite her. I want to get to know her better. And you need to meet her. Maybe I can get some answers out of her.”
Shaking her head, Abby couldn’t hold back her grin. “Okay. At least I’m not the sole focus of your information-gathering activities these days. It’s nice to have that spread out. Less exhausting for me.”
Megan glared at her, slapping the light switch on their way out of her studio. “Whatever. You wouldn’t be the disgustingly happy chick you are now if it weren’t for my constant need to drag information out of you. You should thank me.”
She opened her mouth to argue, but decided it wasn’t worth it. “Thank you.”
“That’s right you’re thankful.”
Abby laughed and checked the time on her phone. She had a missed text from Lance asking how much longer she would be. “It looks like Lance is off work. I guess I better get going.”
Chris sat up on the couch and turned around. “Tell that jackass to get over here, and we can all have dinner. I’m starving.”
Megan raised her eyebrows. “Well, how can he say no to an invitation like that?”
Giggling, Abby texted Lance to let him know she was done modeling and that he should come over. Even though nothing was resolved with Aaron, and she knew he’d come back asking for money now that Lance had given him some, Abby felt better for being surrounded by friends who cared about her and made her laugh.
Chapter Fifteen
Lance closed the door behind him, the apartment feeling hot after being outside in his workout clothes.
Abby stood by the couch, sliding her arms into the sleeves of her jacket and pulling the hair out of the neck of her coat, her face brightening at the sight of him. “Hey. I didn’t expect you back yet.”
Lance took two steps forward and kissed her. “Yeah. Coach Hanson worked us hard, but let us go early. Chris is looking good. Better than I’ve ever seen him.”
“Do you think he’ll make it to the draft?”
Lance shrugged. “I don’t know. I hope so.” Chris had become more focused than ever since he’d registered for the Regional Combines. It was a long shot, but not impossible. And since he only had this one shot, he trained like his life depended on it. Lance and Matt trained with him, because running drills alone sucked, especially when you’re used to having teammates pushing you to do better, work harder. And Lance liked that it kept him from getting fat and lazy.
Abby stretched up on tiptoe and kissed him again. He trapped her against him, sliding his arms under her open coat and around her waist, up under the hem of her shirt to the bare skin of her back.
She shivered and pulled away, her eyes wide. “Your fingers are freezing!”
He grinned down at her. “Wanna warm ‘em up for me?”
“Hmm. Maybe later. Like after you take a shower. I was going to go to the grocery store. We ran out of milk, and we’re almost out of a few other things.”
Turning, he tugged her by the hand toward their bedroom. “Join me in the shower, and I’ll come to the store with you after.”
Dragging her feet, Abby made a show of resistance. “But we need food.”
He couldn’t help chuckling. He liked when she played hard to get. “Mhmm. And we’ll get food. After.”
Her blue eyes grew darker, her lids getting heavier, the pink flush coming to her cheeks that appeared when she got turned on. “After your shower, huh?”
“Our shower.”
“I already showered.”
He stripped off his sweatshirt and the t-shirt underneath, pulling her in close and wrapping his arms around her, her coat making it less enjoyable than usual. “Mmm. Yeah. I can make you dirty again, though.”
A grin spread across her face. “I bet you can.”
Pushing her coat off her shoulders, he ran his hand under her shirt again, lifting it up and stripping it off her. She didn’t resist. Her bra came off next. He never could get enough of the feel of her skin against his, the way her softness yielded to him, her breasts pushing against his chest, the smoothness of her skin all over.
Her hands went to his waist, pulling the waistband of his shorts and boxer briefs out and down, freeing his cock. He groaned when her hand encircled him, squeezing and pumping in short strokes. With his hand at the nape of her neck, he pulled her to him, crashing their lips together. What started out playful turned sharp with need.
His free hand fumbled with her button and zipper, finally getting them undone, pushing at her jeans one handed. She pulled back and finished taking off her clothes, kicking her shoes off in the process. Lance did the same, going into the bathroom and turning on the shower to let the water warm up.
Their bath/shower combo didn’t have much more room than the shower stall at his old house, but no glass walls meant they had more space to maneuver. Shower sex had become a possibility. Having Abby wet and slippery under his hands sounded like the best thing he could think of right now.
He turned around, and she was there, twining around him, her naked body pressed against his, her lips skating over his chest despite the fact that he’d been sweating buckets less than an hour before, and he could smell himself.
“Abby.” It came out as a groan, because just then her hand slid down between his legs and cupped his balls, making his cock twitch against her.
She smiled, that sexy, closed mouth smile that he loved, that she only got when they were together like this. That was just for him.
Unable to get out more words, he slid the shower curtain back and coaxed Abby inside, situating her under the warm spray. It bounced off her as she tilted her head back, wetting her hair, the water misting around them, steam rising over the top of the shower.
He grabbed the body wash before she could, squeezing a generous amount into his palm and rubbing his hands together to form a lather. When he reached for her, she squeaked out a protest. “I thought you were the one needing a shower.”
With a chuckle, he soaped her up, starting with her shoulders and working his way down her arms. “Yeah, well. I wanted to wash you. Just enjoy it. Then you can wash me.”
She sighed, but it was a sound of contentment, not resignation. He turned her around so he could wash her back, avoiding her most sensitive parts, washing down her legs, reaching around to wash her stomach before sliding his hands up to her breasts. He spent extra time there, and she leaned back against him, enjoying his touch as much as he enjoyed touching her. With one hand still on her breast circling her taut nipple, he slid his other hand down her front, running along the place where her thigh joined her torso, then further in, sliding his fingers over her slippery wetness.
She gasped, arching against him, and he reached back further to slide a finger inside, withdrawing to brush over her clit. He kept his touch light until she started pushing against his hand, seeking more friction. And he gave it to her, increasing the speed and pressure of his touch, thrusting two fingers inside her hard while continuing to stimulate her clit with the heel of his palm. She let out a small cry as she tensed and released against him, her muscles clenching around his fingers.
He brought her down, withdrawing his hand and turning for a slow kiss, his cock harder than ever and poking against her belly. As she recovered from her orgasm, she pressed against him, her hand coming between them to squeeze him.
Breaking the kiss, she reached for the body wash and smiled at him. “My turn.”
They switched places so he could stand under the water, and she lathered every part of him, returning the tease by touching him everywhere except where he wanted to feel her touch the most.
“Huh-uh. I don’t want a blowjob right now. I want to be inside you, to feel you coming around me.” He lifted her, propping her ass on the tiny ledge at waist height on the shower wall, his hands under her thighs, and sinking into her heat.
She clung to him, her arms over his shoulders and around his neck, her legs wrapped around his waist, letting out small noises of pleasure with each thrust. His muscles strained, his legs trembling after the grueling workout he’d just been through, but he didn’t care. The feeling of Abby wrapped all around him was worth any amount of pain, and he fought through the burn in his muscles, thrusting into her with slow measured strokes until he felt her getting close.
Needing her to get there with him, he brought one hand between them, his thumb slipping down to rub on her clit while he sped up his thrusts inside her. In seconds she clenched around him, and he lost all sense of rhythm and finesse, pounding into her and chasing his own release.
With one final push inside her, he held himself as deep as he could get, his face buried against her neck as he relaxed and came down. He kissed the side of her neck, tasting the water coating her skin, the shower still spraying around them, cooler now that they’d been in there so long.
She lifted his head, kissing him on the mouth, her tongue finding its way past his lips. He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her off the ledge and slipping out of her to set her back on her feet, unable to continue supporting her if he was going to stay on his own feet.
She turned under the spray and rinsed off, switching places with him so he could do the same before they turned off the shower. She kissed him again when she handed him his towel, hers already wrapped around her.
Unsaid Things (Players of Marycliff University #4) Page 11