Troublemaker (New Orleans Bourdons Book 2)

by Lisa B. Kamps

  "Nothing. Just relaxing."

  "Hmm." His hand trailed up my arm to the back of my head and I closed my eyes on a breathy sigh as he gently massaged. I could definitely get used to this.

  I was already used to this.

  Was that dangerous? Of course, it was. I hadn't known Dylan very long and didn't know him very well, but what I did know was more than enough. As long as I kept my guard up and my heart locked away, I'd be safe. That shouldn't be a problem because nobody had ever come close to unlocking my heart.

  A little voice inside my head warned that Dylan wasn't nobody but I firmly ignored it. I knew what I was doing, I'd be fine.

  "You hungry?"

  "A little."

  Dylan started to move but I shook my head again, silently asking him to stay. What I hungered for was right here in front of me.

  I trailed the edge of my fingers along his chest, gently tracing the outline of his tattoo before dragging my fingers lower. The muscles of his stomach tightened and clenched under my touch and his soft sigh rumbled in his chest. I shifted and moved a little lower, my finger tracing the thin line of hair above his pelvis. Heaven waited for me at the end of the line, evidenced by the growing length of his erection.

  I took my time, teasing his warm flesh with that single finger, reveling in the low, eager sounds he made as I moved closer to his cock. His legs shifted, slightly parting as his hips gently rocked toward my touch.

  I dipped my finger lower, tracing the soft skin at the crease of his hip before digging my nail into the flesh of his upper thigh. Not hard, just enough to change the sensation of me touching him. He groaned and rocked his hips as his fingers tangled in the ends of my hair.

  Over and over I stroked, teasing the flesh of hip and thigh without touching his erection. His groans grew a little louder, a little breathier, with each touch but he didn't hurry me. Didn't make demands. Didn't push my head any lower from where it rested on his hip.

  I turned my head and pressed a kiss against his hipbone and was instantly rewarded with a low growl. His fingers tightened against my head but only for a second.

  "You're driving me crazy, Morgan."

  "Good."

  He chuckled and my stomach did a few little flips at the sound. I shifted positions, sliding a little lower, then gently ran the tip of my finger down his hard length. Soft at first, then a little harder. Back and forth, like I had all the time in the world. Wet heat pooled between my legs and I rocked my hips on a low moan before curling my hand around him. He was hard and soft, the skin oddly smooth. A drop of semen glistened on the tip of his cock and I flicked my tongue out, tasting him. He was salty and musky and pure male and I didn't think I could ever get enough of him.

  I shifted again, straddling one of his legs before sliding his cock into my mouth. The guttural sound he made was pure sex and the biggest aphrodisiac I could think of. It filled me with power and need, raw and consuming.

  I took him deeper into my mouth, sucking and licking and tasting. Fingers tightened in my hair as he rocked his hips against me, his body following the rhythm I set.

  The wet heat between my legs grew, the heaviness in my pussy begging to be touched. I pressed down with my hips and rubbed myself against his leg but the relief was only temporary, just a tiny hint of the touch I needed.

  I eased his cock from my mouth and swirled my tongue around the tip, teasing and tasting as I looked up at him. Fire burned in the depths of his eyes as he watched me, the expression filling me with a power I didn't expect. I took him into my mouth again and sucked harder, never breaking the intense eye contact.

  I shifted again, the growing need between my legs almost painful. I pressed my hips against his leg once more and gasped at the sensation.

  The need was too much, almost paralyzing in its strength. I eased my mouth from Dylan's cock then curled my hand around the hard length, squeezing and stroking. With my other hand, I reached between my legs and dragged my finger along my clit, gasping at the sensation filling me.

  Dylan's gaze drifted lower, watching as I pleasured myself. I'd never done this before, not in front of anyone, and his intense scrutiny suddenly made me feel awkward and shy. I started to move my hand but his gaze darted back to mine and he shook his head.

  "Don't stop."

  The plea in his voice unleashed something inside me, something raw and potent and powerful. I pushed to my knees and spread my legs further apart, my finger still stroking my clit.

  Dylan sat up, his gaze never leaving me as he stretched toward the nightstand and reached for a condom. I expected him to put it on then reach for me but he didn't. He kept the packet in one hand as he reached down with his other and curled it around his cock, stroking himself.

  A gasp of need ripped through me, whisper soft yet surprisingly sharp. The first tremor washed over me, nothing more than a slight tease of what was to come. I pressed my finger tighter against my wet flesh and stroked harder. Faster. My hips rocked, searching for the crashing waves that would tumble me into a pool of pleasure.

  My vision wavered then cleared, focused on one thing only: the sight of Dylan stroking the hard length of his erection. My chest tightened, my lungs freezing on a breath as my entire world narrowed to just one thing: pleasure.

  His.

  Mine.

  Ours.

  My climax surged through me, blinding me to everything but sensation and need. As strong as it was, as pleasing as it was, it still wasn't enough. I opened my mouth, ready to plead and beg, but no words came. Dylan must have known what I needed because he was suddenly there, his hands rough on my hips as he dragged me over him. He buried himself deep inside me with one long stroke. Another climax surged through me, picking up where the first one ended. Stronger. Sharper. More intense. Blinding me to everything but need, obliterating the world around me until the only thing that mattered was us.

  Dylan.

  Myself.

  The two of us.

  Together.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Morgan

  I hadn't expected to enjoy myself as much as I was but the night had been pleasantly surprising so far. We were on day two of Dylan Does New Orleans—that was my name for it and it was so corny that it brought a smile to my face every time I thought it. I hadn't shared the name with Dylan because something told me he wouldn't find quite as amusing as I did. Then again, maybe he would since he'd completely thrown himself into the mission. So far, though, he hadn't asked what I found funny every time I smiled. Probably a good thing because I wasn't sure how to answer.

  It wasn't just the name I'd secretly given to our adventures as tourists. I really was having fun, just being with Dylan and sharing this time with him. And he was definitely taking the role of tourist to heart, right down to the number of selfies he was taking. The selfies were of both of us, adding to the illusion that we were a real couple. If I wasn't careful, I might actually start to believe that and even I knew that was a dangerous path to travel.

  We weren't a couple, not really. We were living together—

  My mind hit the brakes and quickly made the correction. There was no living together, I was simply staying with him for a little bit. Yes, we had sex—lots of hot, steamy, mind-blowing sex—but we weren't a couple. Not really. We were just...

  Well, I wasn't sure what we were. That was what made this whole thing so dangerous because it would be so easy to fall into the trap of making more out of this than it really was. We were just two people who chose to be on the same path for a little bit, that was it. It would end soon enough.

  Yet despite that, tonight still felt like a date.

  My eyes slid to the right and landed on the couple with us. Maybe I should say double date, since Addy and Nathan had joined us. I'd been a little surprised at first, especially since Addy had been born and raised here, but they both seemed to be enjoying themselves as much as we were. At least, Addy did. I got the impression Nathan was here because he didn't have a choice, only I didn't kno
w if he'd been coerced more by Addy or by Dylan. Maybe both.

  Dylan held my hand in his, his touch warm and soft and reassuring as we followed the tour guide through the streets of the French Quarter. Tonight's adventure had started with a casual dinner followed by a ghost tour and the tour guide was doing an excellent job with each story he told. I was convinced they were just that—stories—especially as his somber voice recounted the tale of Madame LaLaurie and all the terrible things she'd done inside the mansion's walls. The house in front of us looked like any number of houses we'd already passed, with its gray facade and soaring windows and intricate iron railings. Nothing made it stand out and I couldn't see even a single hint of the atrocities that had supposedly happened there when I looked at it.

  The tour guide must be exaggerating. I was sure of it. It was too gruesome to be real, too depraved and horrific to think that one human being could treat another like that.

  Addy must have seen my disbelief because she leaned over and gently nudged me. "It's the truth."

  "What is?"

  "The story he just told. It really happened."

  I looked from Addy to the house then back again. "You're both making it up."

  "Honestly, we're not. You can look it up if you don't believe me." She stared at the house and though I couldn't see her eyes, I sensed the shadows in her gaze. "I was inside that place once, years ago. One of Daddy's business partners owned it at the time and he took me with him for a meeting there."

  "And I guess you heard the screams, right? And the rattling chains and everything else." I didn't bother to hide the disbelief from my voice. It might be a good tale but I wasn't that gullible, no matter what she thought.

  Instead of trying to convince me, Addy simply looked at me and shook her head. There was something so solemn on her face that I blinked in surprise. "No, I didn't hear anything. But you could feel it. This...I don't know, a coldness of some kind. Not like a draft or anything like that. This was deeper. Almost like it was alive or something. And evil. I'd never felt anything like it before and I don't want to feel it again. I had nightmares for days afterward."

  Her voice was quiet, almost distracted as she remembered something only she could see. Her face was such a perfect picture of honesty and remembered horror that I believed her.

  I stepped closer to Dylan, the move completely subconscious on my part, like I suddenly needed the warmth and reassurance of his touch. He draped one arm around my shoulders and offered me a comforting squeeze. I tilted my head back but he wasn't even looking at me. He was talking to Nathan and something told me that the protective move had been as completely subconscious as mine had been.

  The tour guide resumed walking and the group fell in step behind him. The tour ended where it had started, on Royal Street behind the cathedral. Dylan and Nathan both tipped the guide then we stood there as the crowd dispersed. It was just the four of us and I wondered what would be next on the list of things to see and do. As much fun as the evening had been, part of me was anxious to go back to Dylan's. Not just for the alone time—although I was definitely looking forward to that—but because I was unusually tired. The boredom of doing nothing all day while Dylan went to practice was starting to take its toll on me.

  Dylan draped his arm around my shoulders, dropped a kiss on the top of my head, then shot a grin at Nathan and Addy. "Time for one more tourist thing then we can call it a night."

  Nathan rolled his eyes. "Aren't you going a little overboard?"

  "Nope."

  "Fine. Where to next? And you better say it's someplace where we can get a drink."

  "It is." Dylan's grin widened as he nodded in the direction of the cathedral. "As long as you like coffee."

  Nathan's groan was drowned out by Addy's tinkling laughter. I didn't miss the teasing nudge she gave Nathan, or the way his eyes darkened when he looked down at her. I didn't fully know their story but there was no doubting how they felt about each other, not when it was so clear on their faces every time they looked at each other.

  I briefly wondered what it might be like to have someone look at me that way. I almost looked over at Dylan then caught myself just in time. We weren't together and never would be and it would be more than foolish to even think that way.

  That didn't stop the little burst of emotion that flared in my chest and I was briefly surprised to realize it was jealousy. Not of any one person, but of what Addy so obviously had with Nathan.

  I didn't have time to reflect on that—probably a good thing because jealousy was something new for me—because Dylan was already leading us along Pirates Alley toward Jackson Square. He kept walking, leading us through the gathered crowds toward the main street.

  Nathan came to a stop with a low groan. "You have got to be kidding me. Seriously?"

  "It'll be fun."

  "Look at the line! It's nothing but tourists."

  "Which is exactly what we are tonight." Dylan squeezed my hand then looked down with a wink. "Aren't we?"

  I smiled and nodded even though I had no idea what they were talking about. It wasn't until Addy pointed across the street that I realized where Dylan was taking us. It was a small building, with an outside seating area encircled by black railings and protected by a green-and-white striped awning feature. Small white tables were clustered together with barely enough room to move around each of them. Nearly all the tables were occupied and a long line of people stood outside, waiting to be seated.

  I'd heard of the place, of course, but had no idea it was so popular. Part of me silently agreed with Nathan about the line but Dylan obviously had his own ideas. A few minutes later, we were standing with everyone else, waiting for our turn to be seated.

  "I can't believe we're doing this."

  "Can't you just relax and have fun?"

  "Since when do you call standing in line fun? There's got to be someplace else we can go for the same thing."

  Dylan adjusted his grip on my hand and pulled me closer then turned back to Nathan. "Tonight's about being tourists."

  "In case you forgot, we're not tourists. We live here. Remember?"

  "Have you ever been here?"

  "No but—"

  "Then stop complaining."

  "No coffee in the world is good enough to wait in a line like this."

  "Oh hush." Addy leaned up on her toes and pressed a quick kiss against Nathan's chin. "Besides, you're getting cafe au lait, not coffee."

  "There's a difference?"

  "You'll just have to see."

  Nathan rolled his eyes but kept any other objections to himself. Less than a minute later, he and Dylan started discussing hockey, talking about plays and lines and special teams. They might have been talking a foreign language for all I understood and I quickly tuned them out as I studied the people around us.

  I'd lived in at least a dozen different cities up and down the east coast but none of them came close to New Orleans. There was an energy here, one I had trouble defining. The sights and sounds and smells were completely unique, drawing people from all walks of life. If not for the sticky humidity, which had only recently seemed to ease, it would be easy to imagine living here.

  I gave myself a mental shake and forcibly veered my thoughts in another direction. Images of California popped into my mind, of swaying palm trees and white sandy beaches and cool ocean waves. But the excitement of heading west had diminished some in the last few days and I was afraid to look too deeply into the reasons why.

  Not that it mattered. I didn't have to go to California. I could go somewhere else. Arizona or Oregon or Colorado or—

  "You look like you're deep in thought."

  "Hm?" I glanced over at Addy. my smile only a little forced as I shook my head. "No, just people watching."

  Her dark gaze scanned the line as well as the people hurrying past. "You can definitely do a lot of that down here."

  "Yeah. I guess."

  "So what do you think so far?"

  "Of?"

  "
New Orleans, of course." The words were drawn together as one in her softly accented voice, making it sound a little like Nawlins. I bit back a smile and shrugged.

  "It's...different. Nice. From what I've seen so far, I mean."

  "Which really hasn't been much, I take it."

  "Not really."

  "I think it's so sweet what Dylan's doing, showing you around like this."

  I glanced over at Dylan, saw that he was still engrossed in his conversation with Nathan, then turned back to Addy. "Yeah. It is."

  "I'm glad he invited us tonight. This has been fun."

  I nodded, not really sure what to say. If I wasn't careful, it would be too easy to imagine that this really was a double date. That we were out together as a couple, having fun with friends.

  Just like any other real couple might.

  "What's on your schedule for tomorrow?"

  "I'm not really sure. Dylan has practice again. After that..." I finished with a shrug. I still wasn't too clear about his schedule. From what I'd been able to tell, it was pretty much practice every day, or a game in the afternoon or at night, usually on the weekends. Even when he had games, he still had practice, but not for nearly as long.

  "What are you going to see while he's at practice?"

  "Nothing. I just stay at his place and—"

  "By yourself?"

  I bit back a laugh at the expression of surprise on her face and answered with a nod.

  "Doesn't that get the boring and lonely, being all by yourself?"

  "Maybe a little." Being by myself wasn't the problem, since I was used to that part. It was the not having anything to do that was starting to get to me.

  "Come to the store tomorrow."

  "The store?"

  "To Jacqui's. You can keep us company."

  "I don't think—"

  "It'll be fun. If nothing else, it'll be a change of scenery for you."

  I started to say no but stopped myself at the last second. Maybe a change of scenery would be just the thing I needed. It didn't hurt that I actually liked Addy and Jacqui both. I wouldn't go so far as to say we were friends, but I could easily imagine seeing them both in that role...