Partner Games

by Jessica Clare

  “Siphuncles,” I corrected. “And they’re not penises—“

  “And she doesn’t love Guns N’ Roses. And she’s not fearless in the face of a task she doesn’t want to do. She doesn’t just suck up and do it because everyone’s waiting on her. The twin I like is smart and strong and beautiful, and I don’t know how she’s managed to fly under the radar for so long, because she’s driving me up a wall with how gorgeous and intelligent she is.”

  I bit my lip and gazed at him. He was so handsome. Literally masculine perfection, even with a day of scruff on his jaw. There was no way a guy as sexy as him was interested in me and not my twin. “You sure you’re not with the wrong girl?”

  He rolled his eyes. “I’m sure.” Swift’s hand went behind my neck and he pulled me a little closer to him, until our foreheads were pressing together. “I like you, Clementine. Is that so hard to believe?”

  “A little? I mean, I’m not exactly flashy—“

  He kissed me, cutting off my words. For a moment, I thought that he was kissing me to stop my protests…and then I didn’t care. Because his lips were utter heaven. I remained still as he gently kissed my upper lip, over and over again. His entire focus seemed to be on kissing that small part of me, and it made me nervous and prickly with anticipation all over. My nipples felt erect under my clothing, and my pulse was beating somewhere below my belt.

  And still, he kept kissing me. His lips began to part a little more with each soft kiss, and every so often, his tongue would brush against the seam of my lips in a little teasing flick. “You’re beautiful, Tiny,” he murmured. And his tongue dipped against my mouth again.

  This time, I bravely flicked my tongue against his, encouraging more.

  He groaned and cupped my cheek with his hand, and then the kiss turned into something deeper, and wetter. “That’s my girl,” he said between deep, sweeping kisses. Our tongues met and clashed, and I whimpered a response. “I know you’re nervous, but we’ll go as slow as you want to, baby.”

  Baby? I fought the urge to giggle. No one ever called me ‘baby’. But then he tongued me deep again, and I forgot all about laughing. I just wanted to kiss him and be lost in his delicious mouth forever.

  His hand slid under the hem of my shirt and brushed against my belly. “Can we remove this?” He tugged at the fabric. “I want to feel you against me.”

  My cheeks heated but I nodded. I wanted to feel my skin against his, too. I tugged at his black shirt. “Can we get rid of this, too?”

  “Absolutely,” he said, and sat up, immediately ripping his shirt off over his head and tossing it to the ground.

  This was my first look at Swift shirtless, and I was a little surprised. His entire chest was covered in tattoos, and black ink crawled up both arms in heavy sleeves. I knew that he had tattoos there, but seeing it all bared was surprising. On his chest was a big motorcycle wheel, and a gun was worked into the rim of the tire. Around the edges it said BROTHERS OF CHROME. I reached out and touched the edges of the tattoo. “This your club?”

  He nodded, and I watched his jaw work, then clench.

  “What is it?” He looked so…uptight, suddenly.

  “Just your hand on me. Feels a little too good, you know?”

  I blushed and pulled back. “Sorry.”

  “Don’t be fucking sorry,” he said. He laid back down and grabbed my hand, then put it back on his chest. His skin felt scorching hot against my fingertips. “I love it when you touch me.”

  I nodded and traced my fingers along his muscles, admiring them. His stomach was impossibly flat and taut, and I couldn’t help but admire his arms. He had a swallow tattooed on each shoulder and I lightly traced them as well, then brushed my fingers over the tattoo of words around his collarbones. EST. 1980. “Your birth year?”

  “Yeah. Fuckin’ stupid, I know.” He chuckled. “I just…thought it looked cool. Got it when I was young and dumb.”

  I traced the zero with my finger. “I like it.”

  “You do?” He raised an eyebrow as if questioning my taste.

  “Well, it’s kind of dumb but I think it looks good on you?”

  “You think dumb looks good on me?”

  Oh yikes. My mouth was just running away with me. “Wait, no! I meant that the ink looks good on you! I—“

  He chuckled and pinned me under him on the bed, his hands gripping my arms. “I’m just fucking with ya, Tiny.” He nodded at my shirt. “You’re still dressed, though.”

  I wiggled a little. He seemed so playful and fun I couldn’t help but relax. “Kinda hard to take your shirt off when someone’s on top of you.”

  “Then allow me to assist,” he said, and released my hands. Before I could reach for my shirt, though, he was there, tugging it up until it bunched at my breasts. “Sit up.”

  I did, though I felt a little shy and weird about it. Okay, a lot shy. But then he pulled it over my head and there was no more time to be shy, because I was topless and in my sports bra. I really wished that the bras they’d given us for the show were sexy instead of functional, because my A-cups looked kinda meager in it. But Swift just took one look at me and wiped his mouth. “Damn.”

  My skin prickled with nervousness. “Is that a good damn or a bad damn?”

  “It’s a ‘I’m going to be picturing you in nothing but your bra for the rest of the race’ damn.” He rubbed his mouth again and then gave me a quiet look. “You know you can keep it on if you’re feeling uncomfortable, right? I don’t mind.”

  But I felt weird leaving it on. If we were going to make out – God, I sounded like a fourteen year old – I wanted to do it right. So I gave him my most confident smile and pulled the bra over my head.

  Or tried to.

  The race assigned bras were racer-backs with no clasp and so they go over the head. And it was also tight fitting and I was nervous…

  And so it got caught somewhere between elbows and neck and then I was trapped, bra choking me around my neck, boobs out in the wild, and me looking like a strangled giraffe.

  Horrified was not the word to describe it. Mortified? Closer.

  I gave it another tug and this time I caught my braids. An unhappy gurgle escaped me and my humiliation increased when Swift tried to help. “Hold still, Tiny.”

  I held still. Maybe if I held still long enough, the floor would swallow me up.

  “Jeez. I don’t see how women get out of these things,” he commented as he tried to help detangle me.

  “Apparently some of us can’t.”

  He chuckled, and then it came off, and my hands automatically went to my breasts to cover them. Futile, since they’d been flapping in the breeze for the last thirty seconds, but I didn’t care.

  Swift tossed my bra to the hotel room floor and then gazed at me. He reached out and took my hand, pulling it away from my breasts. Trembling with nervousness, I let my hand fall and then closed my eyes because it felt like too much to digest all at once.

  “You’re beautiful, Tiny.”

  I felt the bed creak as he moved forward, and then his mouth brushed against mine, and the scent of his skin filled my nostrils. I opened my eyes and kissed him back, and then all the shyness was gone for the moment. There were only lips and skin and me and Swift.

  His hand went to my breast, and he cupped the small curve, brushing his fingers over it. “Just beautiful.”

  My nipple felt like a diamond against his skin, hard and aching. I gave a shuddery gasp when he kissed my mouth again and then put his hand on my shoulder, pushing me down on the bed. I laid on my back and watched him, fully alert and aroused, and practically squirming with need. My mind was full of Swift as he kissed me again, then sat back and trailed his big hand down my neck and over my collarbones.

  I held my breath as his hand went lower, and then he cupped my breast again. He leaned in and I thought he was going to kiss me once more, but instead, he moved to my breast and took the tip in his mouth.

  A whimper escaped my throat.

/>   “Too fast?” he asked, lifting his head.

  I shook mine, mutely. My entire body felt as if it had come alive with that small lick. I wanted it again.

  He chuckled and I felt his breath move over my skin. Then he brushed his lips over my nipple again, and took it in his mouth. I felt his tongue flick against it, over and over.

  A soft moan escaped my throat and I arched, pushing up against him.

  “You can touch me,” he murmured, and then licked my nipple again. “Touch me wherever and however you want.”

  My hands fluttered and went to his shoulders. His skin felt scorching hot against mine, and I shivered. I liked the feel of it. I wanted it against my body. So I wrapped my arms around him and dragged him down against me until he got the message.

  Swift chuckled and then kissed me again. He pressed a light peck to my jaw, then moved down to my neck. All the while, I felt his hard, hot torso pressed against my skin.

  And God, it was delicious.

  He licked at my neck, and I gave another little sigh of pleasure. “That feels so good.”

  “Mm? I can make you feel better.” His hand went to the band of my yoga pants, and I felt his fingers press against my belly.

  I tensed, waiting.

  BANG BANG BANG.

  “Yo man, open up,” called Plate from the other side of the door.

  Shit.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  “How did I spend my break? … Sleeping? Yes, sleeping. Lots of sleeping.” – Clementine, Team Beauty and the Geek, The World Races

  Plate banged on the door again. “Open up already.”

  Swift cursed under his breath and leapt up from the bed. I grabbed a pillow and hugged it against me, hunching down against the mattress. This was the worst timing ever. Surely he wasn’t going to open the door, was he? Not with me topless–

  Swift opened the door.

  A squeak of distress escaped me.

  “What?” He sounded pissed. “I’m a little busy at the moment.”

  I heard Plate laugh from behind my pillow fort. “Dude, I don’t know if you noticed, but you have a boner.”

  Swift sighed. “Just tell me what you need and go away.”

  “You seen Clementine? Georgie’s looking for her.”

  There was an awkward pause.

  “…She the reason you have a pole?” Plate sounded amused.

  “Just tell her sister she’ll be back in a few hours, all right?” Swift’s voice was tense.

  I was dying of mortification. What was Georgie going to say when I got back? I peered over the edge of the bed, looking for my top. Maybe I should have dressed and left. But for some reason, I was paralyzed. One part fear that Plate would take a few steps into the room and see me hiding my breasts and face behind one of the overstuffed bed pillows….and one part anxiety that Swift and I weren’t going to be able to continue.

  Because I really, really wanted to continue.

  “Cool, cool, ” Plate said.

  I scrunched my face up, eyes closed, waiting for him to come in the room and make my embarrassment complete. Instead, the door closed and it got quiet. I peeked over and there was Swift, rubbing one hand over his head and making his hair stand up.

  “Sorry ’bout that,” he said. “I had to make sure it wasn’t race bullshit.”

  “It’s okay.” My voice sounded tiny even to my own ears. I hesitated for a moment, and then looked around. Should I leave? Was that my cue and I wasn’t getting it? I kept the pillow hugged to my chest and sat up. “Maybe I should go.”

  “No–” Swift said, heading back toward the bed. As he did, I noticed that he did, in fact, have an enormous tent in the front of his pants. Oh man. He sat down on the edge of the bed next to me and gave me an earnest look. “Stay for a few hours?”

  My gaze strayed down from his gorgeous face to all that tattooed muscle in front of me. How could I refuse when he was so gorgeously shirtless? So I nodded.

  He grinned and leaned forward, toward me. “Now, where were we?”

  Your hand was about to go into my pants, my brain reminded me. All that came out of my mouth, however, was a nervous squeak. I cleared my throat. “I…think I was touching you?”

  “Ahhh. I am more than happy to have you carry on, then.” He laid down on his side and then patted the bed, indicating I should move next to him.

  I moved down next to him, and (with a bit of courage) released the pillow I was clutching to my breasts. My nipples tightened and I held my breath, waiting for him to touch me again. Please, please touch me again. If I had to make the first move, I didn’t know what I’d do.

  I leaned forward and to my relief, he met me halfway. Our lips touched in the most feathery of kisses, and then my tongue met his and the kissing began in earnest. My arms went around his neck as he nibbled and sucked on my mouth, flicking against my tongue in the occasional wicked tease. His hand returned to my bare waist and my brain began a silent chant of higher – no wait, lower, lower.

  Then, he kissed me one more time and gave me a heated look. “Lie back.”

  A shuddery breath escaped me, and I bit my lip and slid onto my back, my gaze on him the entire time. It felt like I was about to burst with excitement and tension and, okay, anxiety too. What if I did this wrong? What if I wasn’t sexy enough to keep him excited?

  But then he bent down and pressed a kiss to my shoulder, then began a trail of kisses along my collarbones. My breath came in short, quick gasps as he kissed his way down to one of my small breasts, and I gave a small moan of frustration when he brushed his lips over my nipple…and then continued on down. Where was he going with this?

  Swift slid down my body a few more inches, kissing along my ribs and then down to the dip of my belly, and continued to my navel. When he did, he flicked his tongue in the dip of it and then got on hands and knees and prowled over me like a wild animal.

  I sat up on my elbows, curious. “What are you doing?”

  “Kissing you,” he said, and pressed his mouth to my belly button again. Then he gave me another wicked grin and kissed lower…on the fabric. And lower again, until his mouth was right over my pubic bone.

  This time, when he pressed his mouth to kiss me, I felt his tongue stroke out and push the fabric against my clit, hard.

  A soft cry escaped my throat and I slumped back against the bed. That was…oh God. It took everything in me to remain still when he nuzzled against the fabric again. “You wet under here, Tiny?”

  All I could do was moan.

  His tongue pressed through the fabric again, and this time, I felt my hips push up against him, and a searing bolt of pleasure rocketed through me. Swift’s hands went to the waistband of my pants and he tugged at them. “How far have you gone before?”

  “Not far,” I breathed. This was about it, really.

  He shook his head. “Amazing that someone as beautiful and smart as you can be so overlooked. Guys are so fucking dumb.”

  “You need to be nicer to guys. I happen to like one of them.” I tried to keep my voice all casual and teasing, but I sounded like I was running a race. Real smooth, Clementine.

  Swift looked up at me and he gave my waistband another little tug. “Lift your hips so I can slide these off?”

  My eyes widened as I realized what that meant, and my knees felt weak. I did as he asked, though, and watched, dreamlike, as he slid my yoga pants and panties all at once down my hips, carefully easing his big body off the bed as he did. Then I was naked and sprawled on the hotel bed and he was standing over me.

  He gave a small shake of his head and his hand went to the front of his pants, pressing against the side of his erection. “God damn, you’re beautiful.” He moved forward and grabbed my hips, sliding me toward the edge of the bed. “You got a good vibe at home?”

  How the heck did a girl respond to that??? “Um…?”

  My legs went over the edge of the bed and I watched as he knelt on the floor. “You know, to take care of yourself?”
/>   This was rather personal. “I’m fine,” I said, and my voice squeaked up a notch again.

  “Guess that’s a no. Damn. There’s virgin and there’s super virgin, and you seem to be a super virgin, baby.”

  “Sorry?”

  He chuckled and his hands smoothed up my thighs, his gaze on my sex. “Don’t be. I’m just trying to figure out the best way to blow your mind.”

  “You’re…doing pretty good so far.”

  He nodded, and then his hand stroked my skin. His fingers grazed against the inside of one leg and then he pushed my thighs apart. He kept studying me. “This is pretty.”

  My cheeks felt hot with embarrassment, but I didn’t move. I’d probably just melt onto the floor if I even tried.

  “Am I going too fast for you?” he asked again.

  I shook my head.

  “Love hearing that,” he said, and then hiked one thigh over his shoulder, and then the next. Before I could prepare myself, his mouth was buried against my sex.

  And then his tongue brushed against my clit.

  I flopped back on the bed, gasping. I stared up at the ceiling as I tried to make sense of the sensations going on downstairs. His tongue was exploring my sex, and it felt squirmy and intimate and…I wanted to push him aside and clamp my legs shut almost as much as I wanted to push up against his mouth. So I remained frozen in place, stiff, waiting for him to say – or do – something else. Magic was supposed to start happening right about now, right? I was supposed to burst into a furious orgasm at the moment his tongue touched me, wasn’t I? But it just felt…strange.

  He chuckled, and the feel of his breath against my private parts sent shivers up my spine. “Would you fucking relax? You’re stiff as a board.”

  “Are you criticizing me?” I asked, propping up on my elbows again, a frown on my face. “I really don’t think….”

  The words died in my throat as he grinned and I watched as his tongue snaked out and flicked over my clit again. The squirmy feeling in my body intensified.

  “You’re too tense,” he said, and then gave me another lick that was sinful to watch. “Relax a little.”