Her eyes shine with happiness, and I kiss her mouth tenderly. “I am so fucking hot for you.” My hand moves along the curve of her body, delighting in how responsive she is to my touch as I watch her arch into my hand.
“Me too,” she rasps. “I want you, Ryan. Please, I need you.”
I crouch down between her thighs, positioning her legs on my shoulders. Keeping one hand on her stomach to hold her in place, I lower my head to her pussy and dive in, swiping my tongue up and down her slit, tasting her glistening skin, before pushing my tongue into her channel and devouring her like I won’t ever get to do it again. With my free hand, I press down on the sensitive bundle of nerves as I pump my tongue in and out of her. My finger swirls around her clit, and she explodes on my tongue, screaming and lifting her hips up, bucking against my mouth as her climax powers through her body.
Her limbs turn boneless, her body sated, and she glances at me with a dreamy look on her face. Precum leaks out of the tip of my neglected cock, and I want nothing more than to bury myself inside her, but the child-like, wondrous, happy expression on her face brings me back to earth with a bang.
She looks so young.
So innocent.
And I feel like the worst kind of predator.
Pain slices across my chest, constricting my breathing. I stumble back, burying my face in my hands. “Fuck.” What the hell am I doing?
“Ryan?” Her questioning tone has me lifting my head. She scrambles off the counter, coming straight at me. “No! Don’t do this!” Her hands land on my bare chest, her touch like hot coals, and I jerk sideways, away from her grasp. “Look at me!” She tries to grab my face, but I dart out of her reach. “Don’t you dare say this was a mistake!”
“It was a mistake,” I snap. “I shouldn’t have done that. I’m sorry.”
She glares at me with her hands planted on her hips. “It wasn’t a mistake. We are two consenting adults giving in to our attraction to one another. There is nothing wrong with that.” She drops to her knees in front of me, reaching up for my cock.
I race around the other side of the counter. “Don’t fucking touch me, Summer. We can’t do this.”
She stands, shaking her head, pinning doleful eyes on me. “I want to kill your ex for what she did to you. Because you can spout the age gap and my brother at me all you like, but I know the real obstacle is your fear. Fear of feeling something. Fear of opening your heart and letting someone in again. So much fear you can’t even give your body what it needs.”
I both hate and love how observant she is. Hate she’s peeled back my layers and seen what others rarely see. Hate how vulnerable I feel in front of her even though she’s the one standing completely butt ass naked. But another side of me loves she sees me so easily. That she just gets me.
Her eyes lower to my aching cock. “I told you that first night I won’t beg, and I meant it. And I won’t get trapped in some back-and-forth drama with you. I’ve made my intentions clear, and I won’t keep doing this.” She grabs her tank and thong off the floor. “The ball’s in your court, Ryan. But plan your move carefully, because the next move is your last one.”
Holding her clothing clasped to her chest, she walks out of the kitchen, without uttering another word, leaving me rooted to the spot, utterly conflicted and confused.
CHAPTER 15
Summer
“I’m sorry if I hurt you,” Ryan says as we walk from the car to the gym the following morning.
“I think you’re hurting yourself more,” I acknowledge, propped against the wall while Ryan unlocks the door.
“True,” he quietly admits. “But I’m just trying to do the right thing here.”
That pisses me off on several levels. “The right thing for whom?”
He steps foot into the building, inputting the code to deactivate the alarm, before responding. I saunter toward the front desk, dumping my bag on the counter.
“For you,” he says, coming up behind me.
I snort, shaking my head. “At least have the decency to be honest. It’s not for me or even for you. You’re conforming to what society has conditioned you to conform to. Or you’re doing it to appease my brother. Don’t pretend you’re doing it for me or for you.”
“Believe what you want,” he snaps, a muscle clenching in his jaw. “But one day, you’ll thank me.”
I flap my hands about, my anger increasing with every stupid word spewing from his gorgeous mouth. “Continue to wallow in your delusion if you want but I won’t.” We glare at one another, but the heat of arousal still simmers in the air. “Even now, you can’t shield your desire for me, and I won’t pretend I don’t want you, but I meant what I said last night. I won’t play this game.”
“You think this is a game?” he shouts. “I’m not playing games, Summer. I’m trying to do right by you. I’m not the one for you. I’m not the one to help you explore your sexuality. Or be anything else. Why can’t you accept that?”
I prod my finger in his chest, incensed. “Maybe because you say one thing but do another!”
“Well, that won’t happen again.” He works hard to rein in his anger and frustration. “I give you my word. I won’t lay another finger on you. I’ll be on my best behavior.”
“So, that’s it? That’s your final answer?” I’m disappointed he isn’t even prepared to think about it.
He nods. “It is. This is the way it has to be.”
“Fine.” I slant him a fake smile, plonking down in my chair and powering up the desktop PC.
“Good.” He looks at me for a few seconds, but I purposely ignore him, concentrating on logging in as I try to bring my blood pressure back down. “For what it’s worth, I’m sorry it has to be like this,” he adds before walking off.
“Only because you’re too chickenshit to give in to what you really want,” I mumble under my breath once he’s out of earshot.
I spend the rest of the day avoiding him. Only talking to him when my job demands it. I eat lunch at my desk, replying to Sean’s earlier text and then updating Hannah on my plans for tonight. Although the gym remains open until ten p.m. on Saturdays, it’s quieter after six, and there isn’t a need for someone to man the front desk, which means I get off early today.
Sean strolls through the front doors at six on the button, just as I’m powering down the computer. I took a quick bathroom break a while ago to get changed into skinny, ripped jeans and an off-the-shoulder light sweater and to touch up my makeup, so I’m ready to get the hell out of here. I toe on my heels as I smile at my approaching date. “Hey, beautiful.” He produces a single red rose from behind his back, handing it to me with a shy smile that’s very endearing.
“Oh, wow, thank you!” I bring the flower to my nose, inhaling the familiar scent.
“You’re welcome. Ready to go?”
“Give me a minute to tell my boss I’m outta here.” I turn off the computer and zip up my bag, leaving it and the rose on the counter as I walk to Ryan’s office. I knock on the closed door, and he calls me in. “I wanted to let you know I’m leaving now,” I say in a polite tone.
“You’re seriously going out with that guy?” He gestures toward the wall of cameras behind his desk, the screen of the lobby enlarged, and I shouldn’t be surprised he was watching.
“It’s none of your business.” I turn to leave.
“I didn’t have you pegged for one of those girls.”
Slowly, I turn back around. “What girls?”
“The kind who manipulates when she doesn’t get her own way. I turn you down, and you instantly revert to Plan B.” He shakes his head, a look of disgust forming on his face.
I am so enraged I can barely speak. I want to rip his annoying head from his shoulders, but I won’t give him the argument he so desperately craves. I’m anti-drama, and I won’t indulge the fury, indignation, and frustration demanding I call him out on his shitty accusation, no matter how tempting. Instead, I adopt the moral high ground. “I don’t have to explai
n myself to you, and I’m not going to. Goodnight, boss.”
Holding my head up high, I walk calmly out of the room, down the hallway, and back out to the lobby. Forcing a cheery smile on my face, I grab my bag and my rose and hook my arm through Sean’s. “Let’s ditch this joint.”
✽✽✽
“Thanks for walking me home and for a great night,” I tell Sean later that night, outside the apartment door, stifling a yawn. It’s after three, and I’m officially pooped.
“I’m glad you enjoyed it,” he says, moving his hand to my hip. He draws me in close. “I really want to see you again.”
I cup his face. “I’d like that.”
“Yeah?” Surprise is written all over his face. “I thought you’d make me work hard for date number two too.”
I quietly laugh. “I had fun, and I enjoy your company, but I’m not looking to date anyone seriously, and I’m not interested in a relationship.”
He kisses the tip of my nose. “Challenge accepted.”
I snort. “It isn’t a chall—”
My sentence is cut short when his mouth descends on my lips. We spent most of our time in the club making out, so the feel of his lips moving against mine isn’t a huge surprise. And it’s not unwelcome either. Sean is an amazing kisser. And he’s been attentive and easy to talk to all night.
Last week, I initially thought he was a player, but now I’m getting to know him better, I realize my initial assessment was incorrect. Sean is definitely boyfriend-worthy, if that’s what I was looking for. He’s studying computer science. He’s into acting. He comes from a small town not too far from Bridgeville, and he adores his family. He’s handsome and funny, and he doesn’t take himself too seriously. He also gets extra brownie points for his honesty, and his direct approach is very appealing. While I’m not in the market for a boyfriend, I’ve decided I’m going to just go with the flow and see where this takes me.
I circle my arms around his neck, drawing him in closer, and we stay locked in our embrace, kissing and kissing, until he finally breaks us apart. “I could kiss you all night long,” he whispers over my mouth. “But I’ll be a gentleman and go home before my wandering hands have other ideas.” He winks, and I stretch up, pecking his lips one last time.
“I think you might be one of the good guys.” I kiss his cheek before grabbing my bag off the floor.
“I think I’m already falling for you.” He winds his hand through my hair, drawing me into his body again. He kisses me deeply before releasing me. “Sweet dreams, beautiful. I’ll message you tomorrow.”
“Goodnight, Sean.” I wave him off, only entering the apartment when he’s disappeared from sight.
I’m smiling to myself as I enter the darkened living room, dropping my keys and bag on the chair.
“Did you fuck him?”
I scream at Ryan’s unexpected question, my heart rate elevating to coronary-inducing proportions as I scan the room for him. “You fucking scared the hell out of me!” I squint in the darkness to make out his form. As my eyes adjust, I see him sitting in the recliner chair, his back rigidly stiff. He turns on the lamp at his side, and we stare at one another in silence for a few beats. His gaze drifts to my lips, and he scowls at the sight of my mouth, glistening and swollen from Sean’s kisses.
“Did you?” he asks, failing to mask his fear.
“Not that it’s any of your business, but no.”
His shoulders visibly relax, and then he’s up on his feet, stalking toward me. “Can I have a do-over?” He stands right in front of me, leaving barely any space between our bodies.
“In what way?” I narrow my eyes, urging my pounding heart to remain calm.
“You’re right,” he whispers, reaching out to caress my cheek with the tip of his finger. “I am scared. And scarred from my past breakup. But no one has even attempted to breach my walls. Until you came along.”
“And?” I arch a brow, determined I will not make this easy for him.
“And I want to stop fighting this.” He gestures between us.
“What exactly are you saying?”
He takes hold of my hips, pulling me in flush with his body. “I can’t make huge promises, Summer, because I don’t want to commit to something and then let you down, but if your offer is still on the table, I’m in.”
“Sex with no strings,” I repeat, wanting to ensure we’re both on the same page.
He nods. “Once we both agree we’re exclusive for as long as we’re sleeping together. And we have to keep this from your brother.” Guilt furrows his brow as the words leave his mouth, and I know he’s sacrificing a part of himself agreeing to this.
“And it ends as soon as one of us wants to stop,” I supply. “No bad feelings or regrets. We agree to part ways with no ill feelings.”
He palms my face. “I have no issue agreeing to that.”
“And you won’t turn around tomorrow and change your mind?” I inquire, needing to know he’s not going to mess me around anymore.
“I promise I won’t. I’ve thought of nothing else since last night, and when you left with Sean, I was going out of my mind thinking I’d missed my chance with you.” He cups the back of my neck, his gaze boring into mine. “And I don’t know why I’m so concerned about the age difference when it’s clear you’re the more mature one of the two of us.” His lips kick up at the corner, and my heart swoons behind my ribcage.
I press my body into his, slipping my hands around his back and down to his delectable ass. “Not in every sense of the word,” I whisper, gently rocking my hips against his so he catches my meaning.
“Perhaps we can both teach one another a few things,” he whispers back, thrusting his solid erection into my lower stomach.
“When do lessons start?” I rasp in a breathy tone.
His pupils dilate and he licks his lips as his eyes drift to my mouth. “How about right now?”
I should probably tell him no. Not when I was just kissing another man outside the door. But Ryan has this hold over me, and I can’t resist, so I raise no objection, shrieking as he lifts me up, urging my legs to move around his waist. I snake my arms around his neck as my legs hug his torso, and our mouths collide in a wild frenzy of lips and teeth and tongues, and Sean’s kisses pale into insignificance in comparison. He cups my ass, keeping me upright, with my legs straddling his waist, while walking toward the hallway leading to the bedrooms.
He kisses me senseless, my head is spinning, and I’m wondering how the hell he can walk and kiss like that when he kicks open the door to his master suite, growling low at the base of his throat.
He flings me down on the bed, and then we’re frantically tearing our clothes off, as if it’s a race, our eyes never leaving one another as we shed our outer layers. I shunt up the bed before lowering onto my back, stretching my legs out wide in a welcoming gesture. Ryan pulls a bunch of condoms out of his drawer, tossing them on top of the bedside table. “This will be fast because I need to be inside you, baby.”
“You won’t hear any complaints from me,” I confirm, my eyes glued to his long shaft as he fists one hand around himself and pumps his cock. I sit up, my tongue darting out to lick the bead of precum at his crown.
“Fuck,” he hisses, his eyes rolling back in his head. “Lie back down, and spread your legs real wide.”
I dutifully obey, and my body hums in anticipation as I watch him lower his face between my thighs. When his hot tongue touches my sensitive flesh, I emit the neediest moan, my body almost arching off the bed as intense pleasure courses through me. He licks me up and down, like I’m his favorite flavor of ice cream, and stars explode behind my eyelids. I cry out when his tongue invades my pussy, alternating between sliding inside me and swirling around my clit. My limbs are contorting in spasm-like motions, and I’m moaning like a woman possessed under his expert ministrations.
Damn, Ryan is so fucking skilled with his tongue, and I know he’s ruining me for life. I get the sense no other guy will ever
be able to match his skills in the bedroom.
He drives his tongue in and out of me with a faster pace before pressing his thumb down firmly on my clit, and I detonate, like a thousand fireworks exploding in the nighttime sky. My body shudders and shakes as the most intense orgasm grips me. Tears of pleasure leak out of the corners of my eyes as my body convulses with blissful sensation. Ryan stays with me through it all, milking every drop of my arousal, and then he’s rolling a condom on and pushing inside me.
I clench around him, hugging his cock tightly as he eases in farther. My legs go around his waist, my ankles crossing over his firm buttocks, and then he’s lifting me up so I’m sitting on him as he pounds into me with fierce determination.
His mouth suctions around my nipple, and I like this position. He plunges his cock deep inside me, and his fingers dig into my hip as he rocks me back and forth. He trails a line of hot kisses up my neck before claiming my mouth in a hungry kiss. “Fuck, you feel too damn good,” he whispers, nipping at my upper lip. “Your pussy is so tight.” He grips my hips firmly, ramming into me, and I throw my head back, giving in to the heavenly sensation.
Without warning, he pulls me off him, flipping me over onto my belly before I can protest. “Lift your ass, baby,” he demands, pressing my head down onto the bed as he pulls up my legs until I’m kneeling, nudging my thighs farther apart. Then he slams back into me from behind, thrusting in and out as he holds me in place with one hand tight on my hip.
His other fingers roam the crease of my ass, and when he presses one finger into my hole, I shatter instantly as a powerful climax consumes me. He roars out his release, pulsing inside me in short, sharp, strokes, and we’re both shuddering and moaning until we’re fully sated.
I collapse on the bed, my trembling knees giving way, and Ryan drops behind me, curling his sweat-slickened body around me. “You okay, sweetheart?” he whispers in my ear, as his arm encircles my waist.
“I’m wonderful,” I rasp, leaning back into him with my body as I clutch onto his muscular arm. “I think I could become addicted to sex.”
No Feelings Involved: A Brother's Best Friend Standalone Romance Page 13