by Ali Parker
Sex would be incredibly hot with him, and I knew without a doubt that he was the hard-hitting bad-ass I'd been dreaming about sweeping me off my feet since I was a girl. No way was I going to get close enough to have my heart torn from my chest. We would fall for each other and get through the summer only to have him leave and forget all about me.
"I took the last room on the left. I hope you're good with that."
I jumped at the sound of his voice, hitting my head on the refrigerator. Growling, I turned and pinned him with a hard stare. I wasn't sure who to be in front of him, but the real me was completely out. He would chew me up and spit me out if he saw the real girl tucked under the layers of defense I had built up.
"Whatever," I grumbled and popped open the beer in my hand. "There's beer in the fridge and food in the cabinet. Help yourself to whatever, but stay out of my way. I've never noticed my shadow before. I don't want to start now."
He smirked and my knees went weak. "You won't have to entertain me, Chloe. Your fits of immaturity and poor choice in clothing are going to do that for you, dear."
"Fuck you," I spat and walked past him, not getting far as he reached out and grabbed my arm, his fingers rough and strong.
"I'm fine with us not getting along, but here're the rules you will abide by."
I jerked my arm from him. "You're not my father."
"Clearly. You would have respect for other people if I was." He turned and took up the space in front of me, his eyes filled with challenge. My stomach tightened as my eyes moved from his handsome face to the thick swell of his chest and shoulders.
I didn't say anything, namely because I couldn't breathe.
"No leaving the house without me, no sneaking out or away and no inviting anyone over of the male persuasion that I haven't okayed first."
I lifted an eyebrow at him and chuckled. "Yeah, got it."
He leaned in toward me, his hair brushing down into his eyes as he narrowed his gaze. "Don't test me on this. Act like a woman if you want to be treated like one and if not, I'll keep treating you like the spoiled little girl I see standing in front of me."
There wasn't much to say to that without sounding even more spoiled. I set the beer down and tugged the string at the back of my top, pulling it from around my neck and putting my breasts on full display.
"It's all good. I get it." I walked out of the kitchen, leaving my top on the floor behind me. The look on Ian's face had been priceless. He could use his big-bad threats all he wanted. I had something he didn't - a kick-ass body that I was more than willing to use against him.
Angie glanced up from her phone. "Fuck. It's topless hour?"
"Yep. First girl to get felt up gets a hundred bucks." I laughed and walked to the back door to the house as Angie pulled her top off. "Ian. Come grill these steaks for us. I can never figure out the propane."
He didn't respond, but I would assume not. I prayed he was in complete shock. It was a place I wanted to keep him each and every time we came face to face.
Little girl. We'll see who's the one throwing fits soon.
He never came outside, but the party began to bore me knowing that he was somewhere in the house. I wasn't interested in the girls that sat around me, but the handsome biker who had officially fucked up my peaceful world.
I waited until just after lunch to get rid of everyone and walked into the house with a towel in front of my chest. He was lying across the couch with nothing but his swim trunks on, watching TV.
He glanced up at me and nodded. "Get the steaks done? Your chef finally show up?"
"Yeah. I figured it out." I walked to the kitchen and put the plate down before leaning over and grabbing my top. Somehow my actions didn't seem so bad-ass now that he lay on the couch, completely uninterested in me.
I finished getting dressed and put the food up before walking around the counter and leaning against it. He was magnificent, his big strong body etched with his efforts in the gym, and every inch of his chest and abs covered in various designs.
"Like what you see?" he asked, not looking over at me.
"Yeah. I want a tattoo pretty bad, but like you said... my image won't allow it." I felt myself slipping, the real me starting to peek around the edges of my shitty persona.
He glanced up and his expression softened, as if he saw it too.
I moved to the couch and sunk down in front of him, reaching up and brushing my fingers over the small simplistic cross in the center of his chest. He sucked in a tight breath between his teeth and my nipples hardened. How badly I needed to sink into him.
"No. Don't touch me, Chloe." He nodded toward the TV. "You like old movies?"
I glanced back as the burn of rejection raced through me. "Yeah, it's whatever."
The small silver studs that sat in his nipples weren't something I would have been drawn to before, but they looked so good against his dark skin. I tried to ignore how badly I wanted to taste him, to touch him... to anything him.
I rarely got rejected by anyone for anything, but it was a good reminder. Standing, I turned and walked toward the hall, tears burning my gaze. I wasn't sure what I had expected, but it was defunct, as most things in my world were.
"Where you going?" he called after me, but I ignored him.
I'd slipped a little in front of him, but it wouldn't happen again. Too many beers and an innumerable gaggle of fake friends left me reaching for something that was real and whole. It just happened to be him there when I wanted something tangible to cling to.
I locked the door to the bathroom and started the shower before slipping in. The water was cool, the sun having left my skin angry and slightly red. I tugged my bottoms off and tossed the top to the bathing suit out onto the floor.
A deep throb continued in the center of my stomach until I pressed my back to the wall and ran my fingers over my sex, the skin slick and hairless. I groaned softly, the water of the shower beating against the front of my body, making me feel sexier than I was.
I needed him to want me like I wanted him, which was an out of control burn that raged in the midst of denial. Sinking my fingers into myself, I jerked my hips and groaned again, making my hand his and my need Ian's completely.
"Fuck," I whispered and began to take care of myself. It had been too long since I spent any time letting anyone, including myself, bring pleasure from my body. I arched my back and picked up my pace as my eyes closed. I could feel the pressure building inside of me, the thought of Ian walking in and stripping down pushing me closer to explosion.
"Take me," I whimpered and buckled as my mind moved us around the room, his slow thrusts so deep and hard that I shook from the force of his desire.
A soft scream lifted from me as I rocked against my hand. My panting increased as my pleasure turned to pain, the loneliness of being in the shower fucking myself leaving me more broken than I wanted to admit.
A sob left me and I pulled my fingers from my body, curling my arms around myself and sinking down onto my knees as I let go. The shower was loud enough to cover the muffled sounds of my pain and the water would wash away my tears.
I hated this life of pretending to be a rich girl with no care for anyone. I hated the guy in the next room who had done nothing wrong, but tore me apart with nothing more than a simple stare.
I hated me.
CHAPTER TWELVE
The scene in the kitchen left me dizzy, the rest of the afternoon I spent on the couch, ignoring her while I fucked her ten ways to Sunday in my sick head. I groaned as the image of her perfect tits moved across my vision, the soft skin of them beneath my fingers as I squeezed them carefully around my cock and rubbed myself against her pretty chest. The desire in her eyes as she looked up at me from her knees, her tongue licking at the head of my dick was...
"Fuck," I growled and pulled a small blanket off the back of the couch, covering my crotch, but leaving the rest of me on display.
She liked tats and wanted to play the tease. Two people could play that game
. I ran a hand over my chest as she moved from the kitchen and stopped, studying me.
The girl that walked over and sunk down in front of me wasn't at all the bitch from earlier, but she most likely played games like the rest of us. Her fingers brushed by the skin on my chest and it was all I could do not to reach out and grab her, turning us both and pinning her under me until I had my way with her over and over again.
The sadness in her gaze when I asked her not to touch me wasn't lost on me. She was battling a few of her own demons it would seem. Maybe I had completely misjudged her. People weren't one dimensional, but so much more. There were layers to pull back and I'd just seen her first one.
When she got up and walked away, I thought about going after her, but she had slipped her mask back on, and I didn't need any more shit for the day. After hearing the shower start, I slipped my hand under the blanket into my swim shorts and stroked myself a few times. My heart raced at the thought of her coming back out, catching me, and forcing me to let her take my place.
I growled and yanked my hand back, pissed at myself for acting like a horny teenager. I sat up and chucked the blanket toward the TV. Storming to my room, I couldn't help but stop and press my ear to the bathroom door. The image in my head of her naked and wet under the spray of the shower left my whole body throbbing.
The sound of the water was accompanied by a soft pant... lust.
"Oh shit." I knew it was wrong, but I needed to hear her come if that's what she was up to. Chill bumps broke out over my skin and I pressed myself closer as she murmured a few things. She was definitely fucking herself. Was she torn up over me or just one of those rare women who knew the pleasure of masturbating often?
Her breathing got harder and I felt my own heart race with the idea of bringing her to the edge of pleasure and violently throwing her off the cliff. I needed to be on my knees in the shower, licking and sucking at her tangy sex. I groaned softly, my balls tightening to the point of me almost coming myself. The muted scream started off low and soft, but grew as she came.
I brushed my hand over myself and realized I was going to come as well. How old was I? I was the fucking creeper. I should turn in my key and go home. Someone was going to have to protect this poor girl… from me.
Turning, I started toward the bedroom to jack off when I heard the moan break into a sob. Was she hurt? Did she cut herself or slip?
I lifted my hand to knock on the door before realizing how bad my timing was. She would know I was listening to her masturbate.
No fucking way.
Her sobs intensified and I knew that sound all too well. She was heartbroken, her emotions scattered as they bled out through her tears. My desire to fuck myself senseless drained out as I realized how complex she was. She put on a front, but deep down inside was this pretty girl... crying in the shower for some reason.
I turned and walked to my new room, closing the door and changing into a pair of cargo shorts and a tight white T-shirt. I sat on the edge of the bed and put my tennis shoes on before grabbing a baseball hat. Checking myself in the mirror, I walked out and passed her in the hall.
She smelled like vanilla and looked like wet sin wrapped in a towel. She ignored me and I simply called behind me.
"Get dressed. We're going to eat. It's not a request." I slipped into the kitchen and popped open a beer. I drained the damn thing and tossed it in the trashcan as I tried to still my beating heart. I wasn't going to be able to be sensitive with her until she opened that door.
If she did... we could be friends.
It was being anything more that suddenly scared the shit out of me.
The fight over who was driving was almost comical, but I finally relented and got into her preppy-ass BMW. I looked like a chump riding shotgun in the girlie-ass car, but she wasn't looking too well, so best to give in on something simple. I figured her for the type of girl who would love to spread her thighs for my bike, but maybe she was running from the same intense level of attraction that I was. Any additional stimuli might throw her off the cliff and have her climbing my body for a long two months of fucking.
Damn, what I would give.
I glanced over at her as my cock stirred to life. Her white shorts were tight and rode up just under her ass, her beautiful legs on full display. My fingers itched to brush down the tight skin as I would whisper a few promises in her ear of the night to come.
There is no night to come. Fucking lay off.
Not too many girls could pull off a tank top and not look slutty, but she looked feminine, cute and hot all at the same time. Her sandals left her pretty pink toenails on display and I had to stop myself from asking her what color it was just so I could respond with, 'it's beautiful’.
This wasn't a date and we weren't going to be anything other than what we were.
"You look good," I grunted, unable to hold the comment back anymore.
She glanced at me and nodded. "Sorry about earlier. I'm not used to this shit and I'll warn you now, my emotions jump all over the place. I'm childish and spoiled and it is what it is."
"Product of your environment?" I asked, trying to keep my tone neutral.
"We all are." She glanced over at me and pulled into the parking lot at the mall. I hated crowded places, but my favorite restaurant was at Fashion Valley and having a few dollars to my name, we were going whether she wanted to or not.
I had been a product of my raising until I decided not to, but I would save that conversation for another time. She didn't need it and I wasn't in the mood to lecture her. She parked and we got out.
“Where are you wanting to eat?”
"Fung Chau. It's a great Chinese restaurant here. Not many people know about their secret dish. It's killer. You're going to love it." I smiled and walked around the car as her pretty face lit up.
"The Peking duck that used to be on the menu?"
I laughed. "No fucking way. You know about it?"
"Yeah. It's my favorite." She tugged her purse onto her shoulder and moved closer to me.
I had to remind myself why I wasn't wrapping an arm around her exposed shoulders and rubbing softly. She wasn't mine and she wouldn't be.
"Well, looks like you've met your match then. I've been loving this place since I was old enough to hot-wire a car and get myself here."
She laughed as I held the door for her. "You're going to have to share some of those stories with me. I have a rather dull past. Something tells me you don't."
"No judging the book by its cover." I smirked and walked behind her, my eyes moving down to that perfect ass of hers. How I wish she had dropped her bottoms in the kitchen. I scolded myself as she glanced back.
"I like the cover. A lot." She licked at her lips and sat down, tugging her napkin into her lap.
I took a long breath and followed suit, the room seeming so fucking hot all of a sudden.
It was going to be a long-ass summer. Pauly wasn't kidding.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
I let him order the special and a few other things on the menu that he said I just had to try. It was nice to see a different side of him, though it scared me a little. I was too needy to be comfortable in the presence of a full-package deal. The body, the heart, and the personality of my dreams. It wasn't until dessert that I decided to move past our shallow conversation on movies and surf spots to learn more about him.
"Tell me a little bit about how you got the job with my dad? He's pretty weird about tat-wearing, bike-riding hoodlums." I glanced up at the waiter as he approached and set something chocolaty between us. "Thanks."
"I'll let you have the first bite. I want to see you enjoy it." A sexy smirk lifted Ian's mouth and I swallowed hard, shoving my facade into place and picking up my spoon. The need to cry kept assaulting me, but I knew damn good and well what it was. I wanted him to like me - a lot.
"Let's see if this is all you say it is." I lifted my spoon to my lips, the chocolate thick and rich. "Answer my question."
I licked at the s
poon and groaned, unable to help myself. His eyes narrowed a little as his warm brown eyes shifted down toward my mouth.
"Good, isn't it?" He winked and picked up his spoon. "Yeah, so my brother is about five years older than me. He owns a private security company. I work at the hospital in the ER in security, but a few weeks back, he needed some help, so I stepped in."
I watched him suck on his spoon for a minute, my eyes wider than they should have been. Never in my life had I imagined eating dessert to be so incredibly sensual. I blinked a few times, turning my gaze back to the dessert as heat rolled over me in vicious waves.
"Yeah, but how did my dad get into the picture? Does he know your brother?" I licked at the spoon before sucking it deep into my mouth and rolling my tongue along the silky chocolate.
"God, that's hot," he muttered and sat back, picking up his water and shocking me with his confession if he meant what I think he did.
"The dessert?" I leaned over, pulling it to me to inspect it. "Is it like Mexican chocolate, where they put chili flakes in it? Did you get one of them?"
He laughed and pulled the dessert back. "Anyway... your father does know my brother and uses his services a lot. The event that I filled in for Jake, my brother, was the open-aired concert where your father was threatened."
I jerked my gaze back up to Ian. "Did you save his life that night?"
"I did." He took another large spoonful, much less impressed with himself than I was.
"You would have given up your life for his?"
He looked up at me, the softness in his expression not fitting the hard-ass guy that had been jacking with my world over the last few days.
"Yes, Chloe. I'd do it for you too. It's part of the job." He sat back and tilted his head to the side. "Why UCLA? That doesn't seem like the right school for a hottie-tottie rich girl like yourself."