by Laura Brown
I needed to touch him. I ran my hand down his abs and dipped inside his jeans. He picked his head up, those abs expanding and contracting, but it didn’t stop me. I slid my hand down until I grasped his hard, smooth skin.
Oh, yeah, this was what I wanted. My hands on him, moving against him. Everything new and old at once, like this was meant to be.
I shook those crazy thoughts aside and went to sit up and really get down to work, only Dev pushed me back. A heart-stopping wicked smile crossed his face as his hand slipped inside my jeans. One stroke of his finger and I nearly jolted at the contact. The second I arched into him. The third he slipped inside.
I closed my eyes, lost in his movement. My hand was still in his pants, though no longer moving. He had me all but incapacitated.
I didn’t like that. I tried to push myself up but ended up pressing my sore wrist against the bed. I let go of him and grabbed my wrist.
He took it from me. “You OK?”
I winced and pulled it back. “Yes, just stupid. I leaned on it.”
He kissed the skin around my bandage, pressing a light one to the center. “Maybe I should help you with your clothes.”
I was aiming for his clothes, but when he looked at me like that, as though I was an overflowing bowl of ice cream, I’d let him do just about anything.
Dev kissed down my body and popped my jeans open with his teeth. He slid the zipper down. I raised my hips so he could pull off my pants, leaving me in a bra, thong, and socks. His gaze touched on every inch of my exposed skin. But he’d seen most of this whenever we went swimming. So I removed the rest of my clothes.
Naked in front of him, I tried to catch my breath but figured breathing was overrated at a time like this. His eyes raked up and down my body, caressing without touch. Somehow I continued to burn up and refused to do so alone. “Your turn.”
His smile, I could lick it. He got onto his feet, and when his hands went to his jeans, I got on my knees. “No. Me.” I leaned over him, popped his button with my teeth, then pressed a kiss to the bulge underneath.
“You’re killing me,” he signed, before taking over and removing the rest of his clothes.
I sat back on my heels, taking in his happy trail and an impressive body part pointing at me. I licked my lips, wanting a taste, only to have my chin raised until I met his face. “Not this time, later.”
“Why not now?” He looked better than ice cream.
Dev dropped his head, then held up his hand. It shook. A sure sign his control was ready to snap.
I settled back onto his bed. “Fine. Later. You got a condom?” But he was already searching in his bedside drawer, uncovering a foil wrapper.
I snatched it from him and tore it open. Then I sheathed him.
We settled back down onto his bed. Flesh to flesh. Our bodies had been lined up similarly before, but always platonically. There was nothing platonic about this moment. Not when Dev hovered over me. Not when I wrapped my legs around him. And certainly not when he pushed inside. Slowly, inch by inch. I wanted fast but was powerless to do anything but feel.
Once fully seated, he brushed my hair off my sweaty forehead. “Beautiful,” he signed.
“Of course I’m beautiful. You’re in me.”
He shut me up with a thrust of his hips, claiming my lips once again. I scraped my nails up and down his back as I moved with him, in and out, wanting it faster and, at the same time, to never end.
The pressure built as we continued moving. Dev hitched my leg higher, shifted his angle, and everything in me burst. Sparks of light dotted my closed eyelids as I felt every little twitch of him fueling me over and over.
I dug my nails into his ass, needing him with me. It worked. He thrust one last time before burying his head in my shoulder. Our breaths battled and my head swam, because that was amazing.
Dev picked up his head. “No going back after that.”
I smiled and shook my head, because there wasn’t.
“You OK?”
“What do you think?”
He checked out our still-connected bodies. “I hope so.”
I laughed, and he pulled out, disposing of the condom before climbing back into bed beside me. I snuggled in, the friends barrier no longer between us. I hadn’t thought of it holding us back before. But Dev’s arms like this were so much better.
My wrist shifted, reminding me of the bandages. “We’ve got to get these off.” I hopped out of bed and reached for some clothes.
“I can distract you again.”
I looked at his groin, expecting it to be less happy than before. It wasn’t. I raised my eyebrows. No. Tattoo. “Prove it to me later. Get dressed.”
He got up and wrapped his arms around me from behind, kissing the spot where my shoulder met my neck. Then he pulled on some clothes. We’d changed things. I could only pray it wouldn’t backfire.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Devon
JAS STARED AT her wrist as I finished applying cream to my skin. She caught my eyes in the mirror. “I can’t believe we did this.”
I held up my wrist, black yang outline, white filling, black circle. “We’ve proved it doesn’t wash off.”
Jas laughed, then held our wrists together, uniting the yin-yang symbol. Hers had been bandaged while mine was being done, so we hadn’t seen them together until now. Somehow, the lines matched up, the two symbols belonging together.
Like Jas and me. We both took in our wrists for longer than necessary, the connection an escalation to our already escalating relationship. I wouldn’t have it any other way.
“Wow,” Jas signed, dropping her wrist to her side.
“Don’t freak out on me now.” I saw it brewing. Maybe this was the real reason why Jas and I had remained friends only for so long; our change came with a lot of baggage. We could never be two people casually dating. Our bond catapulted us to a serious relationship at the start.
She glanced at her wrist. “Too late, right? I can’t afford to have it removed.” She bit her lip, but I wasn’t touching this one. I paid for the tattoos. My idea, my money. She needed her savings more than I did. It was the way things worked between us. Jas paid when she could, and I took care of the rest.
Our new relationship should’ve made it easier, but Jas wasn’t one who assumed a guy would pay for her. I grasped her hand and tugged until her balance sent her into me. I ran my fingers over her smooth cheek, then my thumb over her tempting bottom lip. She opened up and bit me, not enough to hurt, but enough that I wanted more.
I claimed her lips with my own, noting another difference as my hands wandered over her body. A new closeness existed after having sex, after knowing a body intimately. Distance and barriers were no longer needed, not with my hands on her ass, pressing her into me.
Of course, there were still a few things left to explore.
I nudged her until she sat on the counter, then settled myself between her legs. All the while our lips clung. Here was Jas, available to my touch. I cupped her breasts, molding my hand to the weight and size of her. A perfect fit. Granted, I had never been picky. I liked a wide variety of boobs. But hers, hers were made for me. I ran my thumbs over her nipples, brushing against her hard points. She had fueled my fantasies for years, but nothing compared to the woman squirming against me. Everything about her blew my fantasies to shit.
She broke the kiss, breathing heavily. I continued down her neck, moving one hand to skim down her body and into her pants. Jas gasped as I slid into her wet warmth, and I was glad I still had my hearing aids on. Before, I couldn’t hear anything beyond the whooshing of blood leaving my head. Now I heard a little high-pitched rumble of noise from her.
I picked my head up. “I haven’t heard your voice since fifth grade.” An occasional laugh, sure, but otherwise she kept her voice off.
Her hand left my back and went to her throat. “Really?”
I nibbled at her neck. She made another squeak. “No one’s ever told you that you make noise?�
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“You’re the only one with some hearing who knows ASL.”
I shook my head. We weren’t going there, not with my hand in her pants. We knew enough about each other’s pasts, no need to rehash it. “Let’s see what other noises you make.”
Before I could do anything, she plucked my aids from my ears and placed them on the counter. “Now you’re deaf, same as me.”
I hooked my fingers inside her and grazed her neck again. She made more noise, the vibrations rumbling through her body. “Can still hear you.” I removed my coated fingers and licked them. I needed more of her. “Taste you too. Take off your pants.”
“Bossy.” But she did as I asked.
I positioned her on the counter and knelt, pressing kisses to her inner thighs. She gripped my hair. I set my mouth on her and licked, loving her taste in my mouth, the way she squirmed against me, and the soft murmurs from her.
Which meant she was actually rather loud. With any luck Blake wasn’t home.
I continued until she shook, until her hand tightened then released and her body relaxed against the mirror. I slowed down, kissed her thigh again, and stood.
Her chest rose and fell in fast spurts. “You need a license for that thing.”
“All yours now.” Perhaps that revealed a bit too much, but I hated there to be any secrets between us. Especially when our current relationship proved this one secret might not have been needed.
She pointed to where I strained against my jeans. “Lose the pants.”
I patted my pockets. “I don’t have a condom.”
Her lips curved to Cheshire level. “You don’t need one.” Those eyes promised naughty things, and I nearly lost it in my pants like I was much younger.
I shucked my jeans. I hadn’t bothered with boxers. Jas licked her lips as I twitched in anticipation, which just expanded her grin.
She slid off the counter pantsless, and knelt in front of me this time. Before I could fix my stance, her lips wrapped around me, all warm, wet mouth. She sucked me right in, and I had to lean forward and brace myself on the counter. I did not want to think where she learned that.
I watched as she continued to suck and lick. Most of my view was her wild hair, but I got some glimpses of myself going into her mouth, and it was just about the best thing I’d seen.
She picked up her pace, and I had to brace a second hand on the counter. Tingling started at the base of my balls. I tapped her shoulder to warn her, but she brushed me off, increased her suction, and had me coming right into her mouth.
Hottest fucking thing ever.
Jas let me go and leaned back against the counter, grinning like she had won a prize. I was pretty sure my smile matched hers.
IN ALL THE times Jas had shared my bed, I’d never woken up spooning her. Granted, we’d never been naked, and we both needed to keep our tattoos from sticking to fabric.
Our tats were almost lined up in this position, even if in the reverse order. Never thought I’d be a branding guy, but I was. I’d claimed Jas once and for all.
And I really needed my head on straight. We’d just started dating, and my brain wanted to skip down the path toward the future. I needed to chill and have a good round with a punching bag. Jas was a here-and-now type of person. If I started talking about the future, I’d scare her off. Best to give her time and space to come to the same conclusions on her own.
I slipped out of bed and got ready for the day. In the kitchen, I found Blake and his usual morning setup: coffee and a book. He looked up when I approached. “I guess taking it slow with Jasmine is out the window?”
Shit. He was home. “Sorry if we were too loud.”
Blake laughed. “You showed her a good time. I’m impressed.”
I rubbed the back of my neck. Blake stopped laughing.
“What’s on your wrist?”
I held it out to him. His eyes grew wide and then searched my face. “Tell me this is not a tattoo?”
“Fine, I won’t tell you.” I moved to grab the matzo box, purposely ignoring the still-full bag of bagels, but Blake grabbed my arm.
“I can’t believe you did that.”
“Why not? It’s my body.”
“How many professionals do you know with visible tattoos?”
Many probably had them, but the statement still gave me pause. I hadn’t given one damn about the practicalities of having a tattoo. Mine could be easily covered by a long-sleeved shirt once it healed, but that also meant I’d be stuck in long-sleeved shirts in a professional environment.
How could I have been so careless? Pete was a hands-on factory-type guy—tattoos worked for him. Jas in a bar would be fine. But me, maybe not so fine.
Then I thought of my volunteer job and the relaxed environment. As far as I knew, no one there had a visible tattoo, but they didn’t seem like the type to care about a simple yang symbol. “I’m sure it’ll be fine.”
“Dad’s going to flip.” Yet Blake continued to eye my tat.
“Same as any day.” I wouldn’t be able to hide this from him, not unless I magically hid my wrist or didn’t go to work for a few weeks.
“Why half a yin yang?”
“Jasmine has the other half.”
Blake leaned back in his chair, the front legs leaving the floor. “Really?”
“Yes, really.”
“That’s huge! You just started dating and already have matching tattoos.”
“We’re not temporary.”
His chair returned to all four legs with a bang. “She doesn’t have a long-term plan.”
“You mean her bar?”
“I mean where she’s living. She’s welcome here, but nothing has been established. Right now, she’s just staying and you’re footing the bill. That’s not her or you.”
I fell back into a chair. Blake was right, of course he was right. I ran on the assumption that Jas was with me and everything was fine. But I knew that while she might be okay for now, soon the gears would click and she’d need to establish something.
Not what I wanted. I had been so focused on our relationship that I hadn’t focused on her stability. And now I had more than likely fucked it all up.
“Shit, she’s going to think I’m giving her a handout.”
“Does she want one?”
I glared at him.
“Wait before you react. She’s been taking care of herself since her mom checked out. Maybe it would be a good thing to be taken care of for a change?”
I shook my head. “She doesn’t want that. She’ll freak out.” Even if I wanted that. That was all I ever really wanted—to take care of her.
“Then you need to have a conversation with her. Figure out where she plans on living and how.” Blake rubbed his neck. “You might need a new roommate, anyways. Since Shawn’s met Mom and Dad, he wants me to move in.”
“That’s great.” I expected Blake to smile, but the only tilt to his mouth was a nervous one. “Aren’t you excited?”
Blake sat up straighter. “To live with Shawn? Of course. But . . . ”
In the silence, I figured out the problem. “Have you talked with Dad?”
“Not yet. But soon.”
Yeah, soon; I knew that sentiment.
“You will talk with Jasmine, right?”
I nodded. “Yes, but I need to figure out how.” Her upbringing made a discussion about any sort of living situation or money a trigger for her.
Blake stood. “Good luck.” He patted my shoulder and rinsed his mug out.
Luck? What I needed was a time machine. Because this was a conversation we should’ve had before sex and matching tattoos.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Jasmine
I WOKE EARLY, a rare occurrence. In my defense, my wrist ached and had become plastered to the sheet. I pried it free and stared up at the ceiling, blinking in the bright light. The morning was somehow colder than the ones before—at least that’s what I thought before shifting and having the cool sheets brush against my b
are skin.
I curled into a ball, a sickeningly wide grin stretching my face. Sex with Dev, definitely something I should have considered long before now. Perhaps part of that was the whole best-friend thing. Even if the sex itself was new, we understood each other, could read one another. A bit of a well-oiled machine. In and out of bed.
And now I was warm instead of cold. I reached over to his bedside table and plucked my phone off the charger. I smiled at the text message notification. Dev couldn’t even wait, could he?
But the text wasn’t from him.
Mom: I’m going to need rehab.
Clothes, clothes would be good before dealing with this. Foolish, but there it was. I pulled on a tee shirt and jeans and settled back on the bed with my phone.
Me: I’m sorry.
I didn’t expect an immediate response. I hadn’t checked the time stamp. Mom could have sent that yesterday for all I knew.
Mom: I’m too young for rehab.
Young? Yes. Healthy enough? No. I took in a deep breath, not liking my next words but not having any other choice.
Me: Want me to visit?
Mom: Yes.
Me: Will you be nice?
Mom: Yes.
Me: I’ll see you later.
Not how I wanted to spend my day before work, but somehow bits and pieces of the dutiful daughter remained.
I left Dev’s room in a desperate need of caffeine. He sat at the table, his phone in front of him while he bit into a piece of jam-covered matzo. My unease left, and I wanted to laugh even as the sight warmed my insides.
He took another bite and made a face as the matzo broke into three pieces in his hand. I let the laugh free, and he turned, blue eyes locking in on me. “You think this is funny?” he signed with a piece of cracker stuck to the corner of his mouth.
I walked over and brushed the food away. “Little bit.” I snatched a small broken piece and popped it in my mouth.
He leaned back and gestured to the bagel bag. “What? No bagel?”
“Oh, I plan on having one. I thought I’d be nice and wait until you leave.” I flashed him my most innocent smile.