by Carina Adams
“Don’t talk to me about cheating,” she snarled. “You fucked the same woman as your best friend for years. Sometimes at the same time.”
“The difference is that we all knew what was happening. We agreed. One of us wasn’t the other man, hidden away.”
She crossed her arms over her chest and turned away.
A big rig sped by, a little too close to the white line, and my truck rocked back and forth. I’d been so invested in the conversation I’d forgotten we were on the side of the road. “We should go.”
Agitated silence settled around us. I hated it. After fifteen miles of being alone with my thoughts, I realized I was an asshole and cleared my throat.
“I really like Cady. She’s not a fill-in. I haven’t felt this way about anyone in a long time. I didn’t plan on hiding my sexuality from her because I’m not ashamed of who I am. It’s also not something I need to broadcast to every person I meet.
“As I got to know her, I realized the pull between us wasn’t just physical. I want to know every piece of her. And vice versa. Every time I tried to tell her, though, something came up or we were interrupted. I decided to wait until we were more secure. I don’t want her to doubt how I feel about her, or think I’m with her because I need a beard.”
“I can understand that,” Vi turned to me, anger gone. “Think about it this way, though. You could have anyone you want; man, woman, gender neutral. You could be attracted to anyone, so your dating pool is as twice as big as mine. Yet, you chose her. Out of everyone. That makes her special.”
“She might not see it that way.”
“You’re right. She might not. You won’t know until you try. You keep lying to her, though, and she’s going to think you mislead her on purpose.”
As if she had a sixth-sense and knew we were talking about her, my phone started to ring, playing Prince Royce’s “Stuck on a Feeling”. I smiled, just like I did every time she called, because the words to the song were so perfect for her. As much as I wanted to talk to her, I sent her to voicemail.
“I don’t know how to tell her about Roman. Or Brooke,” I admitted.
“The truth. Before someone else does.”
“The truth is subjective.”
“Then tell her your version. You like her, be honest.”
“I wish it was that easy.”
“It is. I’ve been dreading telling you about Alastair for months. Now I wish I’d done it before. Because the anticipation was much worse than the act itself.”
“What are you going to do about him?”
She sighed. “Hope he loves me as much as I love him and that he comes to his senses.”
“And if he doesn’t?”
“You taught me that the world doesn’t stop just because the people we love don’t feel the same. I’ll push through. Lean on my friends. Let you talk about how much you hate him. Maybe I’ll even let you punch his perfect face. I’ll be okay. Because I have you. Just like you’ll be okay. Because you have me.”
As soon as I dropped Violet off at her apartment, I drove straight to Cady’s. I hadn’t been there, other than to pick her up, but I couldn’t get her to answer the phone. I needed to see her.
Livie answered the door, her surprise as clear as my own. She recovered first. “Reid.”
“Cady and I are playing phone tag—she’s it. It seemed easier to stop by. Her car was in the lot…,”
“Of course. Come in,” she stepped back and swung the door wide. She motioned to the tall brunette on the other side of the counter who had a frozen pizza in her hands. “You remember Frankie.”
“I do. Sorry to intrude right before lunch.”
“You’re not.” Frankie smiled. “She’s studying in her room. Want me to get her, or would you like to surprise her?”
“If it’s okay, I’d like to go on my own.”
She nodded and pointed toward a hall. “Last door. All the way down.”
I’d only taken a few steps when she stopped me.
“We’re actually going to go out for lunch.”
“But we just pre-heated th—ow!” Livie cried.
I spun around to find her rubbing her arm and Frankie grinning like a fool.
“We’re going out,” she reiterated. “I’m not sure when we’ll be back.” She pushed her girlfriend toward the door.
I chuckled. Subtle. Real subtle.
I knocked on Cady’s door, then knocked a little louder to make sure she heard me over the Godsmack song.
“Yeah?”
She was at her desk, typing away on her laptop, her foot bouncing up and down to the music. I leaned against the door frame and watched her for a moment. She was dressed comfortably to study—in a loose shirt that hung off one shoulder and her hair back in a low pony tail—yet the scene she’d unknowingly created was hot as fuck and made my blood boil.
Finally, she finished whatever she’d been writing and glanced my way as her tongue darted out to wet her lips. Her face was blank but when she saw me, her eyebrows pinched together and her plump lips curved upward. Her beautiful eyes looked incredibly big without stage makeup weighing them down, and they widened slightly as I walked toward her.
Everything I’d planned to say was forgotten. I couldn’t utter a word as I fisted her hair and leaned down to taste the curve between her neck and shoulder. She giggled slightly as I gently moved my lips up the back of her neck to her hair and back down. My free hand pulled the shirt further down her shoulder, giving me more skin to explore.
She turned her head and tried to capture my lips with hers, but I refused. Instead, I kissed her jaw line, traced it up to her ear and back onto her neck. I dipped my head and ran my scruff-filled chin across her shoulders and let my whiskers scratch her.
I kissed every inch of her exposed skin, then added teeth. My first nibble made her gasp, the sound so sexy I longed to make her come with just my mouth. When I didn’t think she could handle any more, I stuck out my tongue and ran it along the offended spots, trying to soothe. Her sounds turned to pleasure-filed whines.
I traced a line up to her ear and nipped it just hard enough to make her cry out, then down over her collarbone, and back up her shoulder. Over and over, I used my mouth any way I could. I wanted her writhing beneath me, dripping wet.
It wasn’t enough. I needed more. I slid my hand across her shirt and cupped her breast, not able to suppress a groan as my fingers found her nipples. My blood sizzled in my veins as my dick grew hard. I wanted her beneath me, begging me to let her come.
She tried to move again, desperate to kiss me, yet I tightened my grip on her hair to hold her in place. I couldn’t stop kissing her, even if I’d wanted to. Gentle at first, followed by rougher bites, and then the tip of my tongue to soothe away the pain. She moaned my name.
She started to fidget, her breaths short and loud, either because the teasing was getting to her, or because she wanted control. I released her just enough so she had room to spin around. Her hands flew to my shoulders and she pulled me to her, our kiss fast and frenzied, and hot as hell. I didn’t want to stop until every part of her was on fire, until every doubt she had about me was gone.
Another kiss, one that made me forget everything but her. I released her and stepped back. Her pout was adorable and almost made me go back in for more.
I reached over my head, grabbed my shirt, and lifted. Cady gripped her chair tightly and swallowed, eyes glued to my chest. I took another step back and beckoned to her.
She stood and her hands shook slightly as she reached for the hem of her shirt. Little by little, she pulled it up and over her head then dropped it onto the floor at her feet. She stood there, in nothing but shorts and the tightest tank top ever made, and waited as if she expected me to be disappointed.
I wasn’t. I wanted her more than I’d ever wanted anyone. The way her hair was tangled from my hands, her skin red from my teeth, her nipples hard and straining against the cotton… I’d marked her. And I wanted to do a hell of a lot mor
e.
I bit my lip and tipped my head to the side. She walked to me, steps slow and unsure. When she was close enough, I saw the self-doubt and worry in her eyes.
I lightly caressed her cheek with a knuckle. Words she’d dismiss, but actions she’d believe. I needed to show her how I felt so that whatever came next, she’d remember.
I stepped into her, wrapped my arms around her and pulled her to me. Together we fell to the bed.
Thirty-Three
Cady
I hadn’t been able to go home. The check engine light was still on in my car and there wasn’t a single mechanic open on Sunday. Bummed, I’d called my nana and promised to get my car into a garage first thing the next morning. Then I’d thrown myself into my homework.
My classes had been rough. Business Presentations had kicked my ass all semester, but the last few weeks had been made worse by the fact that Brooke avoided me whenever she could. Sure, she did her part of each project, but we didn’t work together and it wasn’t even remotely fun.
I’d been so engrossed in my assignment I hadn’t realized anyone had been watching me. Sometimes when I was studying, Frankie left dinner on the stand by my door so she didn’t break my concentration. I’d assumed the knock was her. In fact, I’d had to look more than once when I’d glanced up and seen Reid in my doorway.
Then he’d stalked across the room and put his mouth on me and everything else had faded away. His fingers were like magic. His mouth set me on fire. When he scraped his teeth over my skin, I thought I was going to come undone.
It was the way he took control that made me lose my mind. As his large, strong hands cupped my head in a way that kept me from moving, and he kissed me so deep and possessively, I couldn’t remember my own name. When his fingers closed around my wrists and held them above my head in the sexiest way, I wanted more. With Reid, I didn’t have to think about what I wanted or what I needed, because he was five steps ahead.
Time didn’t stop, but we were in our own bubble, completely engrossed with each other, and the rest of the world fell away. My tank top disappeared, but I didn’t know when because I’d been so focused on everything else. When I reached for him he chuckled and sat up on his knees, his hands on my feet.
As he slid his fingertips up the outside of my legs, over my hips, and to the waistband of my shorts, I tensed. When his fingers bunched in the elastic and started to pull them back down, my heart started to thunder and the blood roared in my ears. Reid leaned back on his heels as he peeled the thin cotton from my body so incredibly slowly I was sure I’d die of embarrassment before he finished.
He tossed them over his shoulder onto the floor and stared down at me as I pressed my knees together. I knew he’d seen my practically naked body too many times to count, yet the intensity of his gaze made it feel like it was the first time he’d ever put eyes on me. The heat in his gaze made me squirm.
He reached down and captured my ankles. After a quick squeeze, his fingers slid around to the inside of my legs, and slowly they started to make the climb. Every few inches he’d back track, rub circles into my skin, and then begin his journey again. When he got to my knees, he pushed them apart. I took deep breathes as he moved his body into the open space.
He’d seen most of me already, but not all. I hadn’t been completely exposed to anyone in a very long time. I clutched the sheet, nervous as hell.
As if he could read my mind, he fell forward, hands on the bed next to my head as he held himself above me. The seams of his jeans rubbed against my inner thighs and the contrast sent bursts of pleasure down my spine. If I’d tilted my hips just an inch or two, the rough denim would hit even more sensitive flesh.
I was just about to lift myself up when he lowered his head to mine and kissed me softly. “Tell me you know you’re beautiful.”
I shook my head in an attempt to clear the fog, sure I’d heard him wrong. “What?” I bit my lip.
“Cady,” he groaned as if he was in pain, “the only thing standing between me and the place we really want to be, is a pair of jeans.” His teeth sunk into my bottom lip and he tugged. “Tell me you know.”
“You make me feel beautiful.”
He grinned and dropped his chest onto mine. “I’ll take it.”
I lost myself in him. Every kiss made me want another, each touch made me crave more. When he rolled off the bed a few minutes later without warning, an emptiness hit me, and panic started to build.
I started to call for him, to protest, but he was back before I could finish. He settled himself between my legs, nothing separated us anymore. I reached for him, but his fingers circled around my wrists once again and he pushed me away.
“If you touch me right now,” he whispered, mouth next to my ear, “I will combust. It would be very bad for both of us.”
I tried to laugh, but my nerves vetoed the idea and it came out as a strangled cry. He pressed against me, teasing again, and my eyes fell back into my head. I needed him to stop tormenting both of us.
Then, the random heavy metal tune faded into silence and a familiar repeating riff began. My mind started to wander. I froze, unable to move, barely able to breathe. My body craved Reid’s, but there was another man who fought for space in my brain.
I tried to force him out, yet Roman’s voice called to me as clearly as if he’d been in the room next door. I could see him and the goofy annoying grin he gave me when he was being an ass. Guilt hit me hard.
My heart started to tear in two.
“Look at me,” Reid sensed the change. He twirled a section of my hair around his hand and tugged so I had no option other than to meet his eyes. “It’s just us here. You and me.”
I didn’t know how he knew where my thoughts had gone, but I was relieved he understood. I didn’t know what to do about it. Roman had no place there in our moment. I needed him gone.
“Reid, I…”
I lost all words, whatever I’d been going to say disappeared, as his body slid down mine and his mouth closed over me. His fingertips dug into my hips and held me still while his tongue drove every thought out of my mind. As my hands twisted in his hair and tried to yank it out, he worked me so fast that when I lost control, I saw stars.
He didn’t give me a moment to recover. Instead, he moved to his knees, yanked my body to his, and lifted my legs up onto his shoulders. He entered me in one sharp thrust, the angle unlike anything I’d felt before. Everyone and everything except him, and that moment, vanished.
We fit together perfectly. He drove me to the edge with fast, hard pumps, then, right as I was about to jump, he’d slowed his pace and driven me wild with his hands. Once he’d reduced me to a beggar, he’d started all over again.
Not one to let him have all the fun, I explored his body with my hands. When I scratched down the ridge in his chest and over his stomach, he hissed and moved faster. When I squeezed around him from the inside, he moaned and slowed down, as if to savor the moment.
We’d both started to pant, drenched in sweat, nerves stretched to the point we couldn’t take anymore when he changed our position. Without slowing, he dropped down to lie on me, and slid his arms under my shoulders. Being that close to him, touching all of him, was erotic as hell. I came apart with a cry and sunk my nails into his shoulders.
As I rode the wave, he kissed me, soft and sweet, and smiled down at me, eyes full of adoration. His pace picked up again, as he chased his own release, but he didn’t move his gaze away from mine. He tensed, his arms tightened around me, and his head fell into the nape of my neck as he moaned out my name.
I couldn’t keep my eyes open, sated and more relaxed than I’d been in months. Sleep called for me. I was out before I knew if he’d moved.
“Wake up, sleepy head,” something ran along my arm and tickled me, but I batted it away. I didn’t want to wake up yet. “Hey,” the voice repeated softly right before lips pressed against mine.
I stretched, still unable to face the day. A low chuckle made me smile. I
opened my eyes.
Reid was on the bed next to me, which I liked. Unfortunately, he was fully dressed, which made me pout. “You’re leaving.”
“No. You have me for a while longer. I had to clean up. You have roommates.”
At the mention of them, I sat up in a panic, and clutched the blanket to my chest. I hadn’t even thought to close the door. “Oh, my God.” I covered my eyes, horrified.
He laughed. “They’re not home. They left right after I got here, but just in case they came back, I wanted to be prepared. Livie and I danced together, so she’s seen most of me, but I didn’t want to scare your friend out of her mind.”
I snorted. That would have been awkward. I was caught on the first part of what he’d said. “They left when you got here?”
He nodded. “I came over because I missed you. Not for,” his face scrunched as he searched for the words.
“I know,” I assured him. “This was just a really fun bonus.”
He grinned his agreement.
“We should probably still talk though, huh?”
He pushed a piece of hair behind my ear. “Yeah. But I don’t want to right now.”
Relieved, I reached for his hand. “I don’t, either. Can we just enjoy this, us, right now? And deal with everything else later?”
His eyes searched my face. “Absolutely. I need to hold you for a little while.” He laid down, settled himself on my pillow, and tugged me down next to him. “I have just one question. Does this mean we’re together now?” He was adorable.
I grinned. “Yes. That’s what it means. You’re stuck with me now.”
“Ugh,” he groaned playfully. “I was hoping you wouldn’t say that.”
I shook my head, settled in next to him and tried to relax. Thoughts of Roman tried to worm their way into my mind, but I pushed them back. This was my time with Reid. I’d deal with whatever the hell that was later.