Fall With Me

  I was. Always had been sensitive there. Katie, stripper extraordinaire, once told me I was lucky because most women she knew really weren’t too big on foreplay of the busty kind.

  Unable to look away, I watched him touch me. There was something highly erotic about this. Never before had I ever done this. Then again, most guys hadn’t really taken this much time, and when he lowered his hands to my hips, I thought he was moving on.

  I was wrong.

  He lifted me up so I was stretching above him and as I steadied myself by placing my hands on the back of the couch, he closed his mouth over the tip of my breast.

  “Oh my God,” I cried out as he drew the puckered nipple into his mouth. “Reece, oh God . . .”

  One hand flattened between my shoulders, pulling on my hair. A series of sharp, sensual tingles radiated across my scalp as he savored me. I was trapped, but there was nowhere else I wanted to be as he moved from one breast to the other.

  My fingers dug into the cushions as he suckled deep, causing the muscles inside me to coil tightly, until I couldn’t take it anymore. I tried to pull away.

  “No,” he groaned. “I’m not done with you yet.”

  I gasped as he caught the tip between his teeth. The tiny nip sent molten lava through my blood. I trembled against him, my body hot. “I can’t . . . I need you. Please.”

  He released me, and I went wild. Clenching his shoulders, I pressed myself back down against him, finding his mouth blindly. His hands were back to my hips as I rocked against him. The soft material of his shirt teased the tips of my breasts, and the friction between my legs against the hardness was too much.

  I couldn’t remember the last time I had an orgasm like this, with most of my clothes still on—­without the guy even getting a hand on me, but I could feel it building inside me as I grinded on him, as he pushed up, the thrusts of his hips matching that of his tongue.

  Release spun through me, exploding out from my core and rippling through every part of my body. His mouth muffled my moan, but he knew what had happened, because a purely masculine sound rumbled out of him. When the last of the pleasure ebbed through my veins, I was flushed and trembling.

  “Look at you,” he said into my ear, his voice harsh. “Nothing hotter, Roxy. You’re like holding on to fire.”

  It took me a ­couple of moments to come to my senses enough to realize that he’d seriously gotten me off, and when I pulled back a little, I pressed a tiny kiss against the corner of his lips. “What do you want me to do?”

  His eyes were full of blue fire. “Baby, watching you come made my night.”

  I shuddered, thinking he was being kind of perfect, but I glanced down and there was no mistaking the bulge in his pants. Hands still shaking as I rocked back, I reached between us, half expecting him to stop me.

  He didn’t.

  A lazy, sated smile pulled at my lips as I ran my fingers over the covered length of him, feeling my insides clench all over when his hips popped up in response. I glanced up at him, breathing deeply. “You didn’t get off.”

  He shook his head, jaw locked down.

  My heart was racing all over again as I undid his button and carefully tugged down the zipper. The material parted, revealing black boxer briefs. Without saying a word, he lifted his ass and me right off the couch, a silent demand. I wasted no time, tugging down his jeans and boxers.

  I stared as he sprung free, thick and heavy. Truthfully, this part of a guy’s body wasn’t always the most attractive thing in the word, but Reece . . . oh yeah, it was just as yummy as the rest of him.

  Speaking of the rest of him.

  As he settled back down, I tugged up the hem of his shirt and he lifted his arms, letting me pull it off. I tossed it somewhere where I hoped he never found it, and got a huge eyeful of what it looked like when a man was no longer a boy and worked his body hard to stay in shape.

  Golden skin stretched smooth and tight over his pecs and then down on a chiseled, rock-­hard stomach that was tightly rolled. A trail of dark hair ran under his navel, down to where he waited. I dragged my gaze back up. There was a scar just to the left of his navel, skin puckered in an irregular circle. There was another above that. And I knew if I got his pants off, there’d be a third.

  My breath caught as I thought about how close I came—­how close all of us came—­to losing him. Leaning forward, I kissed him, wishing I could take back eleven months of being stupid, because time . . . it was short and never promised.

  “What do you want me to do?” I asked again.

  His eyes searched mine. “There’s a lot I want you to do, Roxy.”

  “Pick one.” Or two. Or three. I’d do them all.

  Reece reached down, wrapping his fingers around his cock. Holy smokes, I felt the need to fan myself as his grip tightened. My lips parted as he slowly brought his hand up to the head and then back down. “This is what I want you to do.”

  Blood was pounding in my ears and I barely heard myself say, “You . . . you are so freaking hot, Reece.”

  He groaned as his hand swept up again and his back bowed, and I couldn’t help it. I moaned. His gaze flew back to mine, a different kind of fire burning in their depths. “I think I know what you want.”

  “What?” I breathed.

  Reece reached out with his other hand, curling it around the base of my neck as he stroked himself again. A bead appeared at the tip. “You want to watch me.”

  Every part of my body burned. Not out of shame, but because it was true. “I’ve never watched a guy—­”

  “That’s all I need to hear,” he said, moving his hand.

  My breath shortened in my chest as I watched him, his grip getting stronger and stronger. I couldn’t believe that I was doing this—­couldn’t believe how arousing it was—­or that I was still in his lap, my cami forgotten around my waist, my skin flushed. I started to look up.

  “No. Watch me,” he ordered, and I shivered at the demand in his voice.

  And I watched him as his hand pumped and his hips moved more furiously. I had to place my hands back on his shoulders to hold, and I didn’t look away, not until his hand around my neck yanked me forward.

  Reece kissed me as he found his release. No—­he didn’t just kiss me, he devoured me as he rocked into his hand. “Fuck,” he drew the word out as his one arm closed around me, gathering me close to his bare chest and holding tight. I buried my head in the space between his neck and shoulder, breathing in the crisp scent of his aftershave as I felt his heart start to slow.

  Neither of us spoke for a long moment and then he laughed softly, the sound bringing a smile to my lips.

  “Damn, Roxy.” He cleared his throat. “You’re going to make me want to keep you.”

  My heart was tugged in two opposite directions as my befuddled head tried to make sense of what that meant. Already, I was beginning to apply a crazy amount of meaning to what he said. Did it mean that he wasn’t planning on it? This was just for fun? But he’d said he wanted to be more than friends. Did it even matter? No, it didn’t, because there was no lying to myself.

  I wanted him to keep me.

  Chapter 11

  I hadn’t meant to doze off, but somewhere between watching Hilary remodeling an old farmhouse and David showing a peculiarly picky ­couple houses on HGTV, I’d fallen asleep on my side, with my back curled against Reece’s front.

  I’d never fallen asleep on a couch with a guy before. Seemed like such a simple thing that I imagined millions of ­people took for granted, but it was something entirely new for me.

  At first, I wasn’t sure what woke me up. I blinked open my eyes, confused. There was an infomercial on TV, selling the newest Bowflex machine. I stared at it for a moment, seconds from drifting back to sleep, when I felt Reece jerk behind me.

  My heart jumped at the unexpected movement. His arm was lax und
er me, but when I looked over my shoulder, I could see the tension practically pouring off him. He was on his side but his face was turned up to the ceiling. His jaw was locked in a tight, hard line and his brows were furrowed. Every ­couple of seconds, those thick lashes would twitch. His lips moved, the words silent, but his chest rose with a sudden, ragged, and broken breath.

  “Reece?” I whispered, but he didn’t hear me. His chest rose again, the breathing more rapid. I twisted onto my other side, facing him as I pressed my hand on his chest. “Reece.”

  He jolted away, his gaze fixed on the ceiling, and for a moment, he looked so far away, as if he wasn’t even aware of where he was. Seconds ticked by and then he turned his head toward me. His expression relaxed. “Hey,” he murmured.

  “Everything okay?” I asked.

  He swallowed. “Yeah.”

  I didn’t really believe him. “You sure?”

  Reece’s arm curved around me as he tucked me against his side. “Yeah, sweets, everything is fine.” As he threaded his fingers through my hair and guided my cheek to his chest, he sighed deeply. “Everything is good now.”

  “You got some this weekend.”

  I nearly choked on my soda as I looked up. Katie slid into the booth across from me, a bright pink-­checkered bandana wrapped around her head. Her off the shoulder fuzzy blue sweater looked like it had it out with a bedazzler and lost the battle. She wasn’t alone.

  Calla sat down next to Katie. She’d come back into town yesterday morning and had worked at the bar last night. Grinning, she tugged her blond hair up into a ponytail. I remembered, when I first met her she’d always kept her hair down to hide the scar. Not so much anymore.

  Ignoring Katie’s somewhat astute comment, I nodded at Calla. “I’m surprised Jax let you out of his house to have breakfast.”

  “He knows better than to get between me and food and my friends.” Flipping open the menu, she raised delicately arched brows at me. “So, is Katie right? You get some?”

  Katie grinned. “I’m always right.”

  I rolled my eyes as I sat back against the booth. Reece had fallen back asleep after what I guessed was a nightmare, and I’d taken him home yesterday morning. Before he’d climbed out of my car, he’d leaned over and kissed me. Just thinking about that scalding kiss made me want to fan myself, and then it made me think of what I’d watched him do.

  Goodness, I needed a cold shower.

  He’d worked the night shift, and I figured he was probably sleeping right now. He’d texted me right before I’d gotten off, a quick message telling me to let him know when I got home, and I did. The request was . . . cute, like he was thinking of me, and it made me feel all girlie.

  “The tips of your ears are burning,” Calla pointed out, eyes narrowing. “Come on, fess up.”

  The waitress saved me for a few minutes while she took our orders. Katie ordered half the diner, going for every version of bacon and sausage they had. “I need my protein,” she said as Calla and I gaped at her. “Dancing and climbing a pole is one hell of a workout. You guys should try it.”

  I giggled. “No thanks.”

  Katie rolled cornflower-­colored eyes. “You guys are no fun.” She twisted toward Calla. “When is Teresa coming back up? She wanted to learn how to shake it until she breaks it.”

  “I think she and Jase are coming up in a few weekends with me.” Calla smiled as the waitress returned with two coffees and a fresh soda for me. Then she pinned me with a look. “Did you and Reece

  hook up?”

  “What?”

  At the same time, Katie answered, “Yes.”

  I shot her a baleful look. “How do you know if we hooked up? Were you hiding in my house?”

  “I know things,” she replied. “I know lots of things. And you totally just assumed that I’d be hiding in your house, which means something of the fleshy kind went down in your house.”

  Calla propped her elbows on the table. “And Jax told me Reece came in on his night off and waited for you to get off. That you drove him home.”

  “Jax gossips like a thirteen-­year-­old girl,” I retorted, but I wasn’t upset with the line of questioning. I was glad both girls could do breakfast this morning, because I really, really needed to talk to them.

  A moment passed and then I leaned forward, unable to keep quiet about it a second longer. “Okay. We kind of did hook up Friday night. We didn’t have sex, but . . .” I trailed off, pulled back to those early-­morning hours. I could see him then, his hand wrapped around—­

  “All right, you guys definitely did something of the fun and naughty kind based on the way you suddenly look like you just took a hit of ecstasy,” Katie said.

  Calla clapped as she bounced in her seat. “For real? Okay, girl, I’m happy for you, because Katie is right, you look like you just slipped into a sex coma.”

  “Something you know a lot about,” I said under my breath.

  She itched her nose with her middle finger. “But you wouldn’t even talk to him just a few weeks ago. Every time he walked in or even looked in your direction, you bailed. I’ve always known something was up between you two, but I’m confused as to what is going on here.”

  I gave a wobbly smile. “Well, it’s a long story.”

  “Since I ordered half a pig, we have time,” Katie replied.

  “And you guys are going to think I’m a terrible person.”

  “Doubtful,” Calla reassured me.

  I wasn’t so sure about that, but I hadn’t told a soul except Charlie about what had gone down between Reece and me, including the huge misunderstanding. I took a deep breath and then I told them everything about the night with Reece, pausing long enough for our food to be delivered.

  “So, yeah, that’s . . . that’s where I’m at with everything,” I finished as I cut the rest of my syrup with a side of waffle into tiny squares.

  Calla stared at me, a piece of extra-­crispy bacon dangling from her fingertips.

  Even Katie gaped at me, which was saying something, if I managed to shock her into any realm of silence. I shrunk back against the booth, feeling sheepish and crappy. “I’m a terrible person, aren’t I?”

  “No,” Calla said immediately. “You’re not a terrible person.”

  “Wait.” Katie held up one hand. Somehow a thick piece of sausage had made it to her fingers. “So, let me make sure I have this correct. You’ve basically been in love with Reece since you were fifteen.”

  “I wouldn’t say in love,” I muttered, but my heart thumped.

  “Whatever. I’ve known you’ve been in love with him,” she insisted, and I didn’t protest it, because I figured it would end up with a discussion about her super-­stripper powers. “Anyway, you’ve been in love with him, but he always treated you like the annoying kid next door.”

  My eyes narrowed on her. “I wouldn’t say he treated me like the annoying kid next door either.”

  She ignored me. “He finally starts treating you like the hot chick that you are, he comes to the bar one night, gets shitfaced, but because you’re madly, deeply, and irrevocably in love with him and because you’re a girl, you don’t realize he’s shitfaced.”

  My eyes narrowed further on her.

  “You two go to his house, because he asked for a ride for his drunk ass, things get hot and heavy. You see his sausage.” She waved the sausage she held, and Calla made a choking sound as she reached for her coffee. “You guys make out all the way back to his bedroom, where he passes out. Am I following this so far?”

  “Yeah.” I folded my arms. “Kind of.”

  Katie nodded sagely, and I had no idea what she was being sage about. “First off, that’s lame of him to get that freaking drunk, so he gets a cool point taken from him.”

  “Cool point?” Calla turned wide eyes on her. “We’re still adding and taking away cool
points?”

  I snickered.

  “In my world, we are,” she replied, and then she bit into the sausage, chewing thoughtfully for a moment. “So he passes out, you stay with him, and then he wakes up, thinks you guys had sex and is apologetic and regretful?”

  Nodding, I popped a piece of waffle into my mouth.

  “And you thought he regretted having sex with you,” Calla tossed in. “But he regretted getting so drunk and having sex with you?”

  “Yep.”

  Katie shook her head as she picked up the salt and dumped it on her half-­eaten sausage. “But you two didn’t have sex.”

  “No. And I started to tell him that when he first made the assumption, but he was so damn sorry about it all that I thought he was talking about the actual sex.”

  “And that hurt your feelings,” Calla said gently. “That’s understandable. I probably would’ve thought the same thing.”

  “But you could’ve cleared it up right then,” Katie pointed out.

  “No shit,” I replied. “But I didn’t. I was so embarrassed and . . . yeah, my feelings were hurt, so I left his place and just so much time passed, and I was still all butt sore about it that I never cleared it up.”

  Katie finished off the sausage and then moved onto the smaller links. “And Reece has this thing with lying? That’s not good.”

  I pinned her with a bland look.

  She leaned forward, waving the link around like a wand. “Look, I totally get why you haven’t said anything. It’s like telling one little lie and then telling another little lie to cover that one and so on. Then it all builds up. I get that. A lot of time has passed and how would you explain what really happened? Hey Reece, would you like to play with my tits? Oh, by the way, we never had sex.”

  Calla almost choked again. “That . . . that sounds like an awkward conversation.”

  I sighed as I pushed my plate away from me. “I do feel terrible. I wish I’d pulled my head out of my ass long enough to give him a chance to explain why he reacted that way, and I wish I’d just told him the truth.”