by B. J. Harvey
Zoe: I’ll be naked and waiting for you whenever you get here. P.S. don’t forget the porn ;)
Mia walks into the kitchen and sees me standing there wearing what is probably a dopey grin on my face.
“Are you ordering us dinner or daydreaming about your meat on a stick? ’Cause some of us are hungry, and you do not want to make Zan hangry. He’ll tear this place apart if he doesn’t get food soon.”
“You think we should warn Kate what she’s marrying into?” I ask jokingly.
“Nah, I think she knows it all by now. If not, we’ve got those drinks next week before the wedding. We’ll tell her all the shit we’ve got on him then. Give her a chance to back out.” We start laughing just as Zander walks in.
Wow, this kitchen is small when there are three people standing in it.
“Give who a chance to back out?”
“Kate. We figure she needs to know everything about Zanzan . . .”
“You’re a little shit, Mia. Stop stirring,” he replies, grabbing her around the shoulders and pulling her into his side.
“You love me. Kate must love you if she’s willing to tie herself to your ass.”
“She loves my ass.”
“Too much information,” I mutter.
“What did I just walk into?” Kate asks curiously from the doorway.
“Oh nothing, future sister. Let’s walk and chat, shall we?” Mia ducks out of Zander’s hold and loops her arm with Kate before turning her around and walking down my very small corridor to the living room again.
“You okay?” Zan asks with a deep frown.
“Yeah, of course. Why?”
“Well I heard your phone going off around midnight, and I figured even Taylor wouldn’t be blowing up your phone like that. Didn’t you go see him last night?” He leans his hip against the kitchen counter and stares at me suspiciously.
“It’s nothing, alright?”
“You’d tell me if it was something, right?” He studies my face, using his police training to try and see if I’m lying. Lying by omission doesn’t count, right?
“Yeah, Zan. I would. Then you and Noah could storm off and save the day. Is that what you’re getting at?”
“I’d do anything for you, Zo. But if it was that shithead Justin, you could tell me. Remember that. Anytime, anything at all, you text or call us. If this place wasn’t gated, I wouldn’t have let you move.”
I walk over to him and wrap my arms around his chest. “You’re getting married, Zan. You and Kate need your own space without your sister cramping your style. I love that you still look out for me though.”
“I’ll always look out for you guys. You’re my family—you’re my girls.” His voice is surprisingly hoarse and full of emotion. His arms tighten around mine and I look up at him, placing a quick kiss on his cheek.
“Now let me go. I need to order dinner and Mia told me to tell you not to starve her or it might get ugly.”
“She’s right. So hurry the fuck up.” I poke my tongue out at him, earning me a laugh. Then I pick up my phone and get right onto ordering the food. The tribe has spoken.
∞∞∞
“How’s the unpacking going?” Noah asks as he walks into the living area, scanning the floor, which is littered with a few half-opened boxes but mostly flattened empty ones.
“I’m sorry, I thought you just walked into my new apartment without kissing me hello, and forgive me if I’ve wrong, but even though this ‘us’ is new, the me in this ‘us’ really wants a kiss.”
“Is someone feeling neglected?” His eyes drop to my lips.
“Someone really wants a freaking kiss.” I put my hands on my hips for added effect, totally overplaying the issue now because I do really want to kiss the man.
“Ask and you shall receive.”
“Fucking fin—”
He closes the distance between us in record time and slams his mouth into mine. His hands grip around my wrists when I try to wrap them around his neck, instead lifting them up and bracing them against the wall that my back has just reached.
And by God does he kiss me. I’m unable to move, and he takes advantage and pushes his body against mine. Every hard plane and ridge, muscle—both soft and very hard—and limb is plastered to me. I’m like a horny tart who hasn’t been laid in a while, even though I had a freaking orgasm and a half last night that had my downstairs tingling for hours.
He eases his mouth back, finishing with a soft nip on my lip. “Hi,” he whispers as he gives me another close-mouthed kiss.
“Hello to you. Can I have my hands back now?” My smile is huge as I look up at him.
His answering smirk, however, sends a promising shudder throughout my already primed body. “I like you like this. Makes me think of all the things I could do to you.”
“I haven’t made my bed yet,” I reply with a pout.
Looking over his shoulder, he looks at my sofa then back at me, letting go of my wrists and quickly putting his hands under my ass and pulling me up, my legs wrapping around him instinctively.
“Any aversion to making out on your couch?”
Like a teenage girl who’s snuck a boy over, I giggle and drop my head into his shoulder to muffle the sound while shaking my head.
“Just make sure you don’t leave a mark. I’d hate my mom to find out,” I warn mockingly as I lift my head to look at him. All that does is earn me a chuckle as he carries me the few feet to my sofa before sitting down, all the while still holding on to me. Now straddling him and with full use of my limbs, I grip his hair and pull tightly at the same time as I attack his mouth again.
“Jesus,” I pant. “You’re hard as a rock. Why do you have to wear clothes?” I whine as he laughs and runs his hands up and down my back and my sides, alternating between gripping my hips and grinding my core against his cock, and cupping my boobs over my T-shirt and tweaking my straining nipples.
“I would love to lose the clothes but that would mean letting go of you, and right now I don’t want to do that.” He runs his lips over my jaw and down my neck, placing open-mouthed kisses all over my skin.
“Let go. We at least need to get semi-naked if we’re going to christen the couch.”
“Really?” he asks with a raised brow, leaning in to whisper in my ear, “I thought we were only going to second base in case your parents came home.”
“Let me take my top off, Taylor, and I’ll let you see my boobs,” I add as incentive.
“Woohoo!” he says in a fake jock voice.
“So immature,” I mutter with a smirk as I cross my arms, lift my tee over my head and throw it over the back of the couch.
“So fucking magnificent.” Noah’s eyes are glued to my red padded bra, which thankfully gives my big breasts that perfect round shape that every woman craves.
“You may now resume your previously interrupted activities.”
“Thank fucking God.” He grips my upper arms and leans my shoulders back, dropping his face into my cleavage and groaning deep within his chest.
“Your hips are driving me insane, sweetheart. I’m about ready to take you on the fucking floor.”
“Okay, hold up.” I gently pull his head from between my boobs and rest my forehead against his. “I think we both need a minute. Surely we can’t be all over each other all the time?”
“Sounds good to me,” he replies not missing a beat.
“How will we get to know each other? Spend time together?”
He snorts. “I know I’m good, but even I need a break to recover some stamina. And besides, I promised you I’d bring a few things to help welcome you to your apartment. What kind of guest would I be if I didn’t deliver on that promise?”
A wave of heat flows through me as I remember exactly what he promised.
“Whiskey?”
“A very nice one, too.”
“Sexy car?”
“Still the toy one. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to pick up a real one on the way over here,” he repli
es deadpan.
“Smartass.”
“I like your ass, and something that looks that good is bound to be smart. You let me touch it, so you’re obviously smart.”
“Indeed. Now, the last gift?”
“Now that I didn’t bring, however . . .” All of a sudden he lifts me up and over his legs, dumping me on the couch before standing up.
“Whoa. What was that for?” I ask, watching with amazement as he walks over to an open box and rifling through it. “And what are you looking for?”
“Is this the wrong box?” He turns his head to look at me with an easy grin.
“My toys are in my top drawer, and that was taped shut,” I blurt out, slapping my hand over my mouth in horror when I realize what I’ve done. “Shit!”
He stills, before recovering and standing up straight, stalking over to me and grabbing my hands, pulling me to stand in front of him. I scream as he bends down and lifts me over his shoulder—and I’m not exactly a shorty like Kate either—growling out, “Bedroom?” as he carries me out of the living room and stopping at the intersection between the hallway, my bedroom and the kitchen.
“Right!” my muffled voice answers, screaming in shock as he slaps his palm against my ass.
“What was that for?”
“Holding out on the goodies drawer from your boyfriend. Bad,” —smack—“bad,”—smack—“girl.”
“Put me down and I’ll let you use anything you want on me.”
Opening my bedroom door and walking through it, he drops me on the mattress and leaves me there. He then stalks over to my dresser, rips off the tape and with a cheeky grin over his shoulder, turns back and slowly slides the top drawer open.
Suffice to say, we both had fun in my new bedroom that night.
Chapter 19
“Girl, You’re Alright”
Zoe
For leaving single life with a bang, my future sister-in-law definitely knows how to go out in style. Mac, Mia, Kate and I have been drinking wine all afternoon in Mac’s backyard while Daniel, Noah and Zander entertained the twins at Lincoln Park Zoo with Mom and Danika deciding to tag along too. What made it all the more entertaining were the texts and photos we’ve been getting from the guys, the last one with Jared and Riley covered in ice cream, nose to chest. Now the boys were going to drop the kids off with Daniel’s parents before heading out for a quick beer and going their separate ways—Zander to the hotel where he’s staying with Zach, his best man, Daniel coming back to join us, and Noah heading home at last report, although he made it abundantly clear that I was to catch a cab straight to his place when I left Mac’s place. The words drunken sex were mentioned – probably promised than anything.
“Are you and Zan going to give us a niece or nephew soon?” Mia asks Kate, stuffing some much needed food in her mouth—food/foot, hell anything will do if it shuts her up.
Mac throws her head back and laughs as Kate shoots her a glare that should really have her six feet under. “Zander wants to wait for a little while. Be just the two of us.” She quickly takes a big gulp of wine from her glass.
“And you don’t?” I ask.
“Not really. I’d start popping them out now if I could, or even a year ago. But Zander and my mom agreed that we should get married first.”
Mia leans forward, now fully interested in the conversation she inadvertently started with her nosy question. “I thought you wanted the whole fairy tale. Dream guy, dream wedding, perfectly planned babies . . .”
Kate shrugs. “I’ve got the dream guy and my dream wedding was always going to happen with him. Besides, it’s not like we haven’t been practicing vigorously for game day, whenever that day comes.” She winks at us, and both Mia and I splutter into our drinks.
I hold my hand up to her to make her stop. “Dude, no. Just, no. He’s our big brother. I know he does it, and I had the unfortunate experience of seeing him mid-strip once. That is more than enough for me. It’s like a hear no evil, see no evil, ‘don’t need to fucking know about it’ evil.” I smirk at Kate as she rolls her eyes.
“Funny, that’s pretty much what he said when I told him to cut you some slack when it came to Noah. And look how that turned out.”
My mouth drops open. “I didn’t know it was you that got in his ear. I figured it was Mia.”
“Nope.” She sits back and cradles her wine glass in her palms, looking very proud of herself.
“I have a question,” Mia asks. “Anyone here ever faked it?”
“What?” I ask, wondering where Mia’s filter is tonight.
“You know, faked the big O? ’Cause a few weeks ago there was a party and I kind of went home with this hot-as-hell firefighter, but when it got down to it, his pole just wasn’t giving me the ride of my life, you know.” My mouth drops opens and my eyes bug out as I listen to my younger sister.
“Oh my god, Mia,” I screech.
“What?” She looks at me as if I’ve suddenly got two heads. “I know you’re a freak between the sheets. I’ve heard you before, remember?”
“Can’t wait to hear that story,” Mac murmurs.
“So you faked it?” Kate asks, fully invested in the firefighter sex story now. She’s an avid romance reader—the dirtier the better—so it’s not that surprising that she’s eating up Mia’s story.
“Believe me, I didn’t want to fake it. But I spread wider and moaned and groaned my way through it until he’d finished himself off. I even tightened my Kegels for effect.” She pulls her shoulders back and is wearing the biggest shit-eating grin I’ve ever seen. She’s so proud of herself, it’s fucking hilarious.
“I’ve never faked it,” Kate announces.
“Me neither. Never had to,” I share.
Mac is suspiciously quiet. We all look at her, waiting for what I anticipate to be a hilarious tale. But she just purses her lips and shakes her head.
“Mac,” Kate warns.
“I’ve faked it before. Most of the time it was just because the guy had no fucking clue what he was doing. Once, I had to fake it ’cause I just wasn’t into it.”
“Who?” Mia asks, knowing full well of Mac’s history with Daniel, Zander, Sean and yes, Noah.
Mac’s eyes cut to mine, and she grimaces before confessing, “Noah.”
“What?” I screech loud enough for the whole neighborhood to hear. “You had to fake with him?”
“Just once, but yeah,” she replies.
Placing my half-full glass of wine on the table in front of me, I bury my face in my hands and rock back and forth. “Oh god! I can't be with a guy who women have to fake for. It’s just not fair,” I moan.
“Zoe?” Mac asks, waiting till I lift my head to look at her before continuing with a quirked eyebrow. “You've slept with him. You must know it’s not a common occurrence. There’s no way a man like him with equipment like that would ever make a woman need to fake.”
“But what if he's just giving me his A game because it’s new?” I cry. “Soon we'll lapse into the C or D game, and it’ll be all over for my lady parts. No more hours of tingling afterward from being made to come over and over again.”
“You didn’t tell me about that!” Mia complains from beside me.
“I like the C game,” Kate says.
Mia interrupts her, “We don't even wanna know what that is.”
“True. You really don't.” She smiles into her glass smugly.
“I think I might want to know about the C game. Maybe Daniel doesn’t know that one,” Mac pipes up, and I just lose the plot and start laughing uncontrollably at the whole situation.
Once I calm down, I grab my drink and down the rest of my glass, then stand up and nearly fall sideways.
“Zo, you're drunk.” Mac wins the award for stating the obvious. “You’re thinking worst-case scenario. I'll tell you now, there is nothing bad about Noah, in and out of the bedroom, other than his ego when it shines through,” Mac says.
“I know that. Believe me, I definitely know ab
out all o’ that.” Mia snorts, having been fully briefed about all Noah’s talents the other night over a bottle of wine – or two.
“There’s his big mouth,” Kate retorts.
“What?” I partly slur, more focused on finding out what she’s talking about rather than verbalizing my words clearly.
“He blurted out that Mac was pregnant to Daniel before she grew the balls to tell him herself,” Kate says.
I gasp and cover my mouth.
“Hey now,” Mac says with a soft laugh.
Kate scoffs. “What? It's true.”
“Well yeah, but still,” Mac says softly.
“So big mouth, fake orgasms, and an ego. Why am I going out with him again?” I ask loud enough for the backyard, the neighborhood, and probably half of Chicago to hear.
“’Cause he also has a big—”
“Hello, ladies,” Daniel calls out as he walks around the corner and makes a beeline for his wife. “Gorgeous,” he murmurs against her temple as he kisses her softly. Talk about swoon. “Who are you guys talking about, or don’t I want to know?”
“We’re talking about you men. Could you call me a cab? I need to get going.” I look over at Daniel and he looks down to Mac, who nods up at him and then turns back to me.
“You’re going to Taylor’s?” Daniel asks me with a smile. Damn that guy has the best smile. Almost as good as Noah’s.
“Yeah, I need to talk to him now.”
Daniel tilts his head and grins at me. “I bet he’s gonna love that too.”
“He told me to go straight to his place. But now I need to ask him a few things before deciding if I want a life without orgasms.”
“Say what now?”
“Don’t ask,” Mac, Mia and Kate all say at the same time, which just starts them laughing, but I’m too focused on the loss of my future orgasms to join them.
Daniel ushers me into the cab when it arrives outside their house, and no more than fifteen minutes later it’s pulling into Noah’s driveway, just as the front door opens and the man who has already given me countless orgasms walks toward the open passenger window to pay the driver.