Good Girl Next Door: A Steamy Small-Town Romance (Jetty Beach Book 6)

by Claire Kingsley

  “So now he’s trying to protect you from everything because he’s afraid of losing you too.”

  She nods. “I think so. It’s weird, because they never talk about her. They put all the pictures of her away and got rid of all her things. If you go to my parents’ house, it’s like she never existed. Although I know my mom kept some of her stuff, and they have a box of photos with her in them. But they never let people see any of it. Even me.”

  “That’s awful.” I take another sip of coffee because I’m not sure what to say. I’m not usually the guy people open up to.

  “I’m sorry, I know it’s uncomfortable to talk about stuff like this.”

  “No, it’s okay. Your parents make more sense now.”

  “Yeah, I understand why they act the way they do,” she says. “I just wish they’d let go a little. They keep trying to orchestrate my life so nothing bad ever happens to me. I was even with Brandon because of them.”

  Oh, shit. The ex. Since the first day we met, and I made her cry by mentioning her ex-boyfriend, she’s barely said a word about him. All I know is that she expected a ring, and got dumped instead, and that’s why she moved out here.

  I can’t decide if I want to hear about him or not.

  “What did your parents have to do with him?”

  She takes a deep breath. “They’re friends with his family; they attend all the same social events and stuff. Brandon’s family is a lot like mine, I guess. My parents more or less hand-picked him for me. The first time I went out with him was on a date that was literally arranged by my parents.”

  I raise my eyebrows. “You’re kidding.”

  “Nope,” she says. “From that first date, my parents assumed I’d marry him. I guess I did too, even that early. It seemed like it was what everyone expected, so I went along with it. My parents weren’t even mad when I moved in with him, although they’re kind of old fashioned about that stuff. I think they wanted me to be with him because they thought he’d take care of me, the way they always did.”

  “You were their fragile little princess, and they wanted to make sure they passed you off to the right prince,” I say.

  She nods. “Yep, that was it. And the weird thing is, at the time, it all seemed to make sense. Of course I was with Brandon. Looking at us from the outside, we probably seemed perfect together. Like we were destined to get married.”

  I pause for a second, wondering if I should ask this question. “Did you want to marry him?”

  “I thought so,” she says. “We dated for a long time, and I pretended like I didn’t care that he hadn’t proposed. But the truth is, I started expecting a ring after about six months. My mom was one step away from planning our wedding already. Everyone around me seemed to think it was a given.”

  “But did you actually want to marry him?” I ask again.

  She meets my eyes. “No. He would have kept me in a cage. I was just too scared to imagine my life outside that cage. Being with him seemed safe.”

  I grin at her. “A cage is no place for you, darling.”

  She laughs. “What about you? Have you always been like this?”

  “Like what?”

  “You know, perpetually single.”

  I rub the back of my neck. I don’t like talking about this, but I have no reason to keep it from her. “No, I was with someone when I lived in New York. Valerie. I guess I thought the same thing you did—that I’d marry her.”

  Her mouth drops open. “Are you serious?”

  “Yeah, is that surprising?”

  She shrugs. “It is, actually. What happened with her?”

  “She left me.” I take a sip of my coffee. “Okay, she didn’t just leave me. We were living together, and she started cheating on me with someone she worked with.”

  Becca covers her mouth with her hand and her brow furrows. “Oh my god, Lucas. That’s horrible.”

  “It was. It sucked. She and I were kind of a disaster, though. Valerie had a big personality, and a temper. We fought a lot. Even if she hadn’t cheated on me, I think we would have crashed and burned eventually. Besides, she didn’t even stay with the guy she cheated with. I heard she broke up with him just a few months later.”

  “Is that why you moved back here?”

  I shift in my chair. “Yeah. I felt like I needed to start over. Sometimes I wonder if coming here was the right thing, though. I could have had a fresh start somewhere else, and here I have to deal with my dad hounding me about taking over his store. But it’s home.”

  “I’m sorry that happened to you,” she says.

  “Thanks,” I say. “I’m sorry you got hurt too. Although you did say you threw up on him, so that’s kind of awesome.”

  Her cheeks color a little and she laughs. “It was not awesome at the time. But looking back, I guess it’s a funny story.”

  “It’s a fantastic story.”

  She takes another sip of coffee. “Brandon wasn’t all that great, anyway. He wasn’t a jerk to me or anything. But you treat me better than he ever did, and we’re not even, you know…”

  It’s enormously satisfying to hear her put me above her douchey ex—even though we’re just friends.

  “Was he at least good in bed?” I ask with a wink.

  She shrugs. “I don’t really know.”

  “You don’t know?” I ask. “You were with him four years, and you guys weren’t…”

  “No, we were,” she says. “But I don’t have a lot to compare him to. I guess he was okay.”

  I raise my eyebrows. “If you’re not sure, there’s clearly something wrong. What was he good at?”

  Her cheeks flush deeper. “What do you mean?”

  “What did he do that was awesome?” I ask. “Like, was he really good with his tongue?”

  “Um…” She stammers a little and hesitates. “Do you mean, was he good with his tongue in certain places?”

  “Becca, you aren’t going to get in trouble for saying it. Was he good at eating you out?”

  She looks away. “I don’t know because he never did that.”

  “Shut up.”

  “What?” she asks. “Is that weird?”

  “Yeah, it’s fucking weird,” I say. “He never went downtown? Ever?”

  “No.”

  I stare at her. She has to be kidding. Holy shit. “Is that because you didn’t want him to? Or he wasn’t into that?”

  She looks away again. Her sweet flushed cheeks and nervous finger tapping against her coffee cup are so damn endearing. I know she’s uncomfortable talking about this, but at the same time, she is talking about it. With me. It feels like I’m seeing a side of her she doesn’t let anyone else see.

  “He never brought it up,” she says. “And I was too scared to ask. I’ve never had a guy do that.”

  “Never?”

  “Come on, Lucas,” she says.

  “I’m sorry,” I say. “I’m just surprised. So I guess that means sex with Brandon was pretty vanilla.”

  She laughs. “Yeah, I suppose it was. Although he probably assumed I wouldn’t want to do anything new, so he never tried. I think that’s part of why he left me.”

  “Hey, don’t start blaming yourself,” I say. “I know people look at you like you’re a breakable piece of glass. But anyone who really knows you should know better. If Brandon was afraid to get dirty with you, it just shows that he didn’t see the real you.”

  “Yeah?”

  “Absolutely,” I say. “Look at all the stuff we’ve done together. I bet Brandon wouldn’t believe you watched porn, or smoked weed.”

  “No, he’d never believe it. I almost don’t believe it.”

  “But you did,” I say. “You just needed someone to help you feel brave enough. If Brandon didn’t make you comfortable enough to get freaky, that’s on him, not you. A good guy will bring out the best in his girl.”

  Becca stares at me for a long moment. I hold her gaze, unable to look away.

  “Yeah, I guess you’re right,�
�� she says.

  We’re both quiet as we finish our coffee. I shift in my chair and try to think of anything other than Becca and sex, but it isn’t easy. It’s a bummer her ex was so lame, but I’m not surprised. I meant what I said to her. She shouldn’t blame herself if he didn’t bring out the best in her. A good girl can have a bad side, but she won’t let it out for just anyone. It’s not Becca’s fault Brandon wasn’t the guy to do that for her.

  In a way, I suppose I’m that guy for Becca. But I’m not sure how far I should let that go.

  14

  14: Becca

  Lucas slides open the back door without knocking and strides in. I look up from my book.

  “Becca, I’ve been thinking.”

  I raise my eyebrows. “About what?”

  “I’ve given a lot of thought to this,” he says. “Even before our conversation earlier, to be honest. And I know you’re going to say no at first, but I think this is really important in your quest to become end-of-Grease Sandy.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “There are some things holding you back,” he says. “I’ve shied away from addressing them, but we’re reaching the limit of where we can go with this in other areas. Unless you want to start breaking the law, which, if that’s the case, that’s beyond what I can help you with.”

  “Obviously I don’t want to do anything illegal,” I say. “Did you just meet me?”

  He grins. “No, no I didn’t. But there’s an entire realm of experiences we haven’t explored yet, and honestly, I don’t think we can continue unless we start.”

  I’m afraid to admit I know what he’s hinting at. The thought tickles at the edges of my mind, tapping against that door I keep tightly shut. And locked. Especially when I’m with Lucas. But he’s starting to say it, and if he does, I’m afraid that door is going to fling wide open.

  “I don’t… um—”

  “I think I need to go down on you,” he says.

  My eyes widen and I clutch my book to my chest. I thought he was going to say he thinks we should make out or something. Go down on me?

  “What? We can’t do that,” I say, scooting back into the corner of the couch, like I can hide from him. Those little taps on my locked door get louder. “What are you even talking about?”

  He sits on the edge of the couch, his eyes intent on my face. “You’ve never had your pussy eaten out. That’s a travesty. No woman should go this long without having a guy tongue-fuck her—especially a guy who knows what he’s doing.”

  I can’t believe he’s saying this to me, right here, in my living room. My Mickey Mouse clock looks down on us, his eyes full of scathing judgment.

  “But people don’t… we can’t just… we’re not…”

  “I know we’re not.” He scoots closer and puts his hand on my foot. “And that’s the best part. I can show you things, and help break you out of your shell a little more, but there’s nothing complicated. We like each other, right? We enjoy doing things together. We can do this without it being a big deal. Come on, have I steered you wrong yet?”

  “Well, no. But…”

  “I’m not saying we need to get all emotional about it. I’m saying you wanted to find your naughty side, and this is something I can do to help you find it.”

  “God, Lucas, you make it sound so clinical. You’re saying you want to perform… oral sex on me, like it’s no big deal. Doesn’t that kind of thing need to have some, I don’t know, desire attached to it? You can’t just pull my pants down and do stuff.”

  His face goes still, his eyes so intense. He licks his lips and there’s something in his expression I haven’t seen before. At least, I haven’t seen it looking at him straight on like this. I’ve noticed that look in his eyes, but only from the corners of my vision. When it was easy to brush it off as my imagination.

  “You mean I need to be attracted to you,” Lucas says, his voice low. “I need to want to do it.”

  I swallow hard. “Well, yeah.”

  He takes a deep breath and runs his hand up my shin. “That’s not an issue, Becca. I definitely want to do it.”

  Oh god. He’s touching my leg with his big hand, and telling me he wants to… do things with me. To me.

  My face heats up and Lucas’s grip on my leg tightens.

  “Lucas, this is crazy,” I say, but my voice is so tiny, there’s no conviction. His tongue darts out again, wetting his lower lip, and I have to stop myself from clenching my thighs together.

  “This doesn’t have to change anything,” he says. “We can keep hanging out like before.”

  Doesn’t have to change anything. Right. This isn’t Lucas asking me out. He’s not saying he wants to date me, or be my boyfriend. This is just like our other adventures. It’s a new experience for me. Nothing more.

  Would there be any harm in that?

  He moves in closer and puts his hands on my knees, then rubs his thumbs around in slow circles. I stare at him, unable to look away. Am I going to let him do this? Am I going to get… naked… in front of Lucas? And then let him put his mouth—

  I stand up, putting my book on the coffee table, and walk to the sliding door. Every inch of my body wants this. I close my eyes for a second, and I can already feel his tongue. That tongue that I’ve looked at so many times and wondered what it would feel like. Now he’s offering it to me. He’s willing to just… go for it, and do something I’ve never done before. And I have no doubt he’s good at it. He’s probably amazing.

  But this is crossing a line. Although, he doesn’t seem to think so. He doesn’t take sex seriously, but I’ve never had casual sex. Ever. I’ve only slept with guys I’ve been dating, and never right away.

  That door in my mind is peeking open, tantalizing me with what’s on the other side.

  Lucas comes up behind me. He’s almost silent, but I can feel his presence, and my back tingles at his nearness. I try to suppress the sudden rush of arousal, but it washes over my whole body, from my scalp to my toes, making every nerve fire in unison.

  He takes my hair in his hands and starts gently pulling, sliding his fingers through the strands, like he’s going to put it up in a ponytail. I stand, frozen, while he twists it up and holds it against the top of my head with one hand.

  “I’m sorry,” he says, his voice so soft. “I didn’t do this right.”

  He keeps my hair up and leans in, placing his lips on the back of my neck. My knees almost buckle, but somehow I stay standing. He pulls away, the kiss leaving a firebrand on my skin.

  Lucas just kissed me.

  His other hand brushes down my back and whispers against my hip. He steps closer, so his body is right behind mine, his hand still holding my hair. He kisses my neck again, right where it meets my shoulder.

  He puts his mouth next to my ear. “I won’t do anything you don’t want me to. If you say no, I’ll go and I won’t bring it up again. But right now, Becca, I’d love to have my mouth on you. I’d love to taste you. I think it would be fucking fantastic, and I can guarantee you’d love it too.”

  The air sucks from my lungs. I can’t breathe. I put a hand on the door to steady myself and try to take a deep breath.

  “What happens… I mean… is that all?” I ask. “What about you?”

  He drags his stubbly jaw along the side of my neck and my eyes roll back in my head. “What about me?”

  God, Lucas, why are you making me spell this out? “Well, if you do that… and then, I, um, finish. What happens then? What will you do?”

  I feel his smile against my cheek. “I’ll probably just go home and jerk off with the taste of you still in my mouth.”

  My eyes widen. “Holy shit.”

  He laughs, his breath tickling my skin. “Come on, darling. You’ve trusted me with things before. Trust me with this. Let me do this for you.” He lets my hair fall and grabs my hips with both hands, his face still near my ear. “I want to.”

  His grip on my hips is tight, almost possessive. I fee
l like he’s about to bend me at the waist, pull down my pants, and take me from behind. If he suggested it, I think I might let him.

  I’m in big trouble.

  He takes my hand and gently tugs. I swallow hard and let him lead me upstairs to my bedroom. Somehow, I find myself on my bed, lying on my back, still dressed. Lucas kneels in front of me, his eyes dark with intensity. He unbuttons my jeans and lowers the zipper. I lift my hips so he can slide them off my legs.

  He runs his hands up the outsides of my thighs. “Have I ever mentioned you have an incredible body?”

  I can’t help but smile at that. “No.”

  “You really do,” he says. “I’ve been holding a lot back from you. But I think maybe I can let some of it out.”

  “Holding what back?”

  “How sexy you are. And all the things I’d like to do to you.”

  I let out a nervous laugh, but my head is spinning. He’s been thinking about this? Looking at me this way? Since when?

  “I didn’t think…” I’m having a hard time finishing sentences. But it’s difficult when Lucas rubs his hands on my bare thighs. “I didn’t think you were attracted to me.”

  His eyebrows lift. “You’re kidding.”

  “No,” I say. “I know you like me, and we’re friends. But I sort of thought you saw me like a dorky little sister.”

  His mouth turns up in a smile. “You are the most adorable creature on this planet, do you know that? Every time I think I have you figured out, you say something crazy and I realize I have no idea how to handle you.”

  “I’m not crazy.”

  He climbs on top of me, nudging my thighs apart with his knee, and settles down so our faces are close. “You’re crazy if you think I see you like a little sister.”

  “I just figured, you really like women,” I say. “And you’ve never been like that—like this—with me.”

  “I know,” he says. “Like I said, I’ve been holding back.”

  I’m absolutely talking too much, and probably stalling, but I also need to know. “Why have you been holding back?”